The saying "a child at three shows the man he will be" isn't just empty talk. A person's temperament and achievements can often be glimpsed from small things in childhood.
Take Percy, for example.
Many people, including Percy's own mother, thought Percy was simply a bit obsessed with being a leader, nothing too serious.
But Link saw it differently.
Because of his profession in his previous life, Link was extremely skilled at, and used to, observing others from the tiniest details.
So even if he had never read the original story, he could still see clearly what kind of person Percy really was.
After all, as a teenage boy with hormones raging at their peak, the thing Percy should most naturally be doing was following biological instinct, using a grand occasion like the Christmas Ball to invite a beloved girl he had admired for a long time, and after the ball, steal a kiss.
Honestly, hot-blooded young men found it very hard to resist such temptation.
Yet Percy had deliberately abandoned that opportunity, and instead chosen to sit here at the head table in Barty's place.
That meant the temptation of power was far more important to Percy than love.
From this, Link reasoned that with just a little more push, Percy would very likely grow into a beast of power, someone who, for the sake of power, would willingly abandon wife and children, and stop at nothing.
For Link, that was actually a good thing.
After all, the Flamel family had plenty of both power and wealth. If power was a game, then the Flamel family were absolute top players of that game, perhaps even among the ones who wrote some of its rules.
As long as Percy had an interest in these two things, Link would be able to drive him to do anything.
For instance, secretly keep watch on old Barty, or even, if need be, simply trick Barty into a pit.
Because of this discovery, Link's mood became very good.
At this time, Dumbledore formally announced that the banquet had begun.
Instead of the usual overwhelming piles of food, each person now had a menu set beside their plate.
On it, in gold lettering, were listed over a hundred dishes. All a guest had to do was speak the name of a dish, and the next moment it would appear on their plate.
There was no doubt the house-elves had put their utmost effort into tonight's feast. Not only was the selection vast, but each dish tasted excellent.
Unfortunately, Link had little interest in it.
Instead, he warmly invited Percy to sit in the seat at his side, then smiled and said, "I often hear Harry and Ron mention you. They also told me you're writing a thesis about the quality inspection of imported cauldrons."
"They said you believe some imported cauldrons have bottoms that are far too thin, with inferior quality."
"They told it to me as a joke, but after I heard it, I didn't find it funny at all. On the contrary, I thought your viewpoint was excellent."
"This is a fine strategy to improve people's livelihood and tax revenue. If your thesis has high enough completion and substance, then on the strength of this thesis alone, you should be able to enter the Ministry."
"And from this thesis I can also see your ambition. You're hoping to develop your career in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, aren't you?"
As Link spoke gently, Percy quickly lost interest in the feast before him.
He only felt a sudden heat in his eyes, which soon reddened as he looked at Link and said, "Yes, yes, sir!"
Percy dared not say too much more, for fear that if he spoke further he would burst into tears.
Heaven knew, his argument was clearly serious and beneficial to the country, yet most people treated it as a joke.
Never mind strangers, even his own family neither understood him, nor refrained from mocking him.
And now, at last, he had met someone like Link, who could deeply understand his thinking.
At this moment, Percy already regarded Link as a confidant.
Naturally, such thoughts couldn't be hidden from Link, who had mastered Legilimency.
He allowed himself a barely noticeable smile, then said with sincerity, "This isn't a bad path at all. A personal assistant is really no different from a secretary."
"After graduation, serving as Mr. Crouch's secretary will certainly let you come into contact with more people and affairs than others, which will greatly increase your experience, wisdom, and connections. That will be of tremendous benefit to you in climbing higher in the future."
Percy's eyes lit up, and he nodded like a pecking chicken. Link had spoken right into his heart.
That was precisely the reason Percy worked so hard to ingratiate himself with Barty Crouch, he had this exact plan.
But very soon Link changed his tone and said, "Only… the Department of International Magical Cooperation doesn't actually carry much weight within the Ministry."
"Few officials from it ever make it into the Wizengamot. And your superior is still Crouch, the man demoted from Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many people have a very poor view of him. And you, as someone he cultivated…"
Link didn't continue, because he saw Percy's face had already gone pale. Clearly, he understood.
"Mr. Flamel, then tell me, what… what should I do?" Percy asked, his voice trembling.
"Well then. I have a good relationship with Minister Fudge. Back when I received the Third Class of the Order of Merlin, he was the one to present it to me."
"When I get a chance, I'll mention you to him. Perhaps you could be transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or even directly become his secretary."
"Of course, for now the most important thing is still to serve Mr. Crouch well. After all, you are already his personal assistant, aren't you? Fulfill your duty to the utmost, that's something you must remember."
Percy gave a shiver, then nodded toward Link with utter obsequiousness.
In this moment, Link's position in Percy's eyes had shifted swiftly from confidant to a great figure he must look up to and cling to.
Link believed that now, whatever order he might give Percy, Percy would do his utmost to complete it.
That made him even happier.
Smiling, he patted Percy's shoulder, ready to continue with some words of encouragement.
But just then, Emily nudged him with her elbow and said, "Enough of those empty words, hurry and try this steak. I've already cut it up for you."
As she finished, a neatly sliced plate of steak was placed before Link.
This was not the sort of gesture Emily would normally make.
Because she knew perfectly well that Link didn't like steak at all, no matter how it was cooked.
But quickly, Link understood why Emily had acted so out of character.
For he noticed the head table, which had been lively with chatter, had suddenly gone quiet. Now, everyone, including Dumbledore, was silently watching him.
Their eyes were complicated, especially Maxime's.
She was now somewhat reluctant to recruit Link to Beauxbatons.
After all, just from seeing how in only a few words Link had turned the seemingly sharp-minded Percy into a loyal follower, it was clear, Link was extremely skilled at manipulating people, or perhaps it should be said, he had a very powerful charisma as a leader.
Maxime reckoned that if Link entered Beauxbatons, within two years he could likely win over the entire student body.
And after that, if Link were to develop some bold ambition, like those two prodigies in Europe before…
She didn't know if Europe as a whole would be ruined, but Beauxbatons would certainly be finished.
"Hiss…"
Maxime couldn't help but shiver.
The atmosphere at the table grew awkward, and even after Link closed his mouth and focused on eating, it didn't change.
Only Harry grinned cheerfully at Link.
This fellow thought Link was simply standing up for Percy.
Just as the tension was about to peak, Fleur's voice suddenly rang out.
"Hogwarts entertains its guests with only these things?" she said disdainfully, glancing around at the decorations and the food before her.
"If it were Beauxbatons, by now our hall would be full of ice sculptures, giant diamond statues, snowy Christmas trees, the whole place sparkling. Of course, they'd all be enchanted to never melt."
"The food would be first-class as well. And beyond that, we'd have a woodland nymph choir singing us serenades while we dined."
"And our walls would never be lined with these ugly suits of armor. If some prank-loving ghost dared to barge into Beauxbatons, she would be thrown out immediately, like this!"
Fleur smacked the table hard.
"Exactly right!" her partner Davies quickly echoed, slapping the table too. "Just like this!"
Davies didn't care at all about the strange looks he got from those around him. Luckily, everyone present knew he was nothing more than a pitiful wretch completely under Fleur's charm spell. So they didn't take it to heart that he was helping an outsider insult their school.
Thanks to them, the awkward air at the head table finally eased.
Everyone resumed eating and chatting cheerfully. Percy, in his eagerness, even ordered another medium-rare steak for Link and cut it up neatly before setting it before him.
Since Link had eaten hungrily earlier to cover the awkwardness, Percy assumed he must like steak.
But this flattery missed the mark, Link didn't like it at all. After a few perfunctory bites, he stopped.
So Percy grew tangled again, lowering his head, brooding over where he had gone wrong.
Time passed quickly, and once everyone had eaten their fill, Dumbledore rose and asked all the students to clear the tables.
Then, with a wave of his wand, the small tables vanished, leaving a wide open space. A stage with instruments appeared against the wall.
Onto it stepped the Weird Sisters, a band currently hugely popular on the wizarding wireless.
They were all dressed in deliberately ripped, ragged clothing, with shaggy hair, some even sporting beards, full of garish "shamate" style, downright painful to look at.
Yet the moment they appeared, they were drowned in cheers and applause. It seemed every student present adored them.
At first Link was puzzled, thinking everyone's taste had gone wrong.
But once the Weird Sisters touched their instruments, he realized the one in error was himself.
Because the music they played was, in fact, hauntingly beautiful.
"Champions, it's time to open the dancing!"
Professor McGonagall appeared at just the right moment, speaking to them.
She looked deeply worried, and after speaking, shot Harry a warning glare that made Parvati cover her mouth and giggle.
In truth, Emily's expression at that moment was much like Professor McGonagall's.
But Link felt no worry about opening the dance. He laughed twice and pulled Emily straight into the dance floor Dumbledore had cleared.
Under everyone's gaze, they moved to the music together.
Emily had taken the ball far more seriously than Link had imagined.
For instance, this dance, which they had already rehearsed countless times, had been specially choreographed as a noble traditional dance by an expert Madam Flamel had hired.
The effect was astonishing.
Everyone present, noble or commoner alike, could only lock their eyes on Link and Emily.
They moved like two butterflies in love, dancing through the blooming thickets of spring, executing one graceful, dazzling motion after another. At times they separated, then in a heartbeat returned to each other's embrace…
Such a beautiful dance, combined with Link and Emily as a flawless pair, left many staring in a daze.
Link didn't care what others thought.
Though their formal wear looked heavy, it was actually very light and breathable. As they embraced again and again, Link's body and heart inevitably grew heated.
In this moment, his entire vision blurred, leaving only Emily.
"Ah! You slipped up again just now!"
Seizing the chance when they were pressed close, Emily whispered her complaint.
Her own state wasn't much better than Link's, if anything, worse. Her pretty face had already turned a deep pink, and under the candlelight, her bashful expression looked especially lovely.
That was when Link finally couldn't hold back.
He pulled Emily into a spin that ended in his arms, and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Then, amid Emily's startled cry, Link seized the lead, guiding her into a carefree, improvised dance.
It was nothing like the elegant moves from before, casual and lively, yet surprisingly not unpleasant to watch.
If Emily had followed Hollywood films, she would have recognized it instantly as identical to the dance in Pulp Fiction.
But unlike in the movie, Link didn't shy away at all from full-body contact with Emily.
At first she was reserved, but once she noticed that the opening dance had already ended, and everyone else had flooded the floor with their own partners, no one really paying attention to her, she relaxed as well, throwing herself fully into the revelry.
The music shifted from lyrical to mournful, then to joyous and excited, changing who knew how many times.
Only after being completely lost in it did Link and Emily, breathless and flushed, step off the floor and collapse by a table to rest.
"Oh no! What on earth was that you had me dance just now? So embarrassing!"
The moment they sat, Emily, who moments earlier had been even bolder than Link, instantly changed. She buried her head shyly in his chest, and even jabbed her little fists into his stomach again and again.
Women were like that, faces changing faster than a page turning.
Link wasn't surprised. Instead, he leaned close, hot breath on her ear, and said, "When the holidays come, once we're back home, shall we dance like that again?"
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