Inside the train compartment, after a brief silence, the crowd finally started to panic.
The Hogwarts Express carriages were quite old-fashioned. Seats lined both sides, each separated by partitions forming small compartments, with a narrow aisle left in the middle.
A group of old foxes had just been huddled in the aisle doing who knows what.
And now that they'd realized what was happening, they almost instantly jumped to their feet. A bunch of upper-year students stepped forward to block the passage, while the rest hid behind them, hurriedly cleaning up the mess.
Unfortunately for them, what they didn't know was that to Link, all of this was nothing but covering one's ears while stealing a bell, utterly pointless.
Using his Sensory Charm, Link could clearly see a bunch of younger students frantically picking up wizard cards and colorful coins from the floor. It wasn't hard to guess what they'd been up to.
"Ahem! Link! Long time no see! You still remember me, right? I'm Lee Jordan, Harry and George's friend, haha!"
A sturdy Black boy suddenly stepped out from the crowd and greeted Link.
He was wearing the brightest grin he could muster, but if one looked closely, they'd see that his smile was twisted from nervousness, and a fine sheen of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
Most of the other students beside him were in the same state, some were even trembling.
It wasn't hard to understand why.
The moment the old foxes had noticed the prefect's badge pinned to Link's chest, they knew he was here in an official capacity.
Normally, these seasoned troublemakers wouldn't bat an eye at a prefect. Sometimes they'd even tease them just for fun, cocky and fearless as always.
Unfortunately for them, this was Link Flamel they were dealing with.
After the Triwizard Tournament the previous year, Link's name had spread through all of Britain. His overwhelming strength, decisive methods, and impressive family background made everyone at Hogwarts stop seeing him as just another student. To the old foxes, he'd practically become an idol.
Honestly, if they'd met Link somewhere else at another time, they'd probably line up respectfully to ask for his autograph.
But, well, life doesn't work that way.
"Link?"
Seeing that Link hadn't said a word, Lee Jordan tried again cautiously.
This time, Link finally turned his gaze on him, staring silently.
He wasn't unfamiliar with this guy.
Lee Jordan, the commentator for Hogwarts Quidditch matches. The one who couldn't stop adding personal opinions into his commentary, often getting chewed out by Professor McGonagall halfway through.
And yes, he was indeed a good friend of Harry and the Weasley twins.
He stood out in this group, mainly because he was the youngest among them.
But that in itself proved his skill. If he didn't have excellent social ability and a silver tongue, this pack of old foxes would never have accepted him. That was likely why he'd been pushed forward to deal with Link now.
Under Link's silent stare, the pressure on Lee Jordan mounted.
His grin froze; his body trembled. He had the urge to turn and bolt.
At last, Link seemed to take pity on him and spoke softly.
"What were you doing?"
"Playing! We were playing wizard chess, uh…"
Lee Jordan blurted it out without thinking, but halfway through he froze. Somehow, Link was now holding a wizard card in his hand, the King on it yelling for someone to play the next move.
"T-this… we were also playing wizard cards, you know, since there's a lot of us…"
Link ignored his excuse and instead pulled out a silver Sickle. The key detail? Someone had written Lee Jordan on it with a marker.
"Gambling is not good,"
Link said faintly, slipping the coin into Lee Jordan's shirt pocket.
That small action made everyone, including Lee Jordan, break into a sweat.
Hogwarts strictly forbade student gambling. Link had every right to report them and make it official.
"And you two, George, Fred, don't bother hiding. I can see you."
At Link's shout, George and Fred awkwardly stepped out from behind the crowd, each with two bulging sacks slung over their shoulders.
No one needed to guess what was in them, obviously smuggled contraband.
"Hey, Link!"
"Our best friend! Finally seeing you again!"
George and Fred laughed and stepped forward for a hug, but Link sidestepped them neatly, expressionless.
"What's in those bags?"
"Just… some local specialties!"
"Yeah, exactly! You don't want some too, right, Link? Come on, we're brothers, you wouldn't do this to us."
They were still grinning, but panic was written all over their faces. There was even a hint of pleading in their tone.
After all, just a few weeks ago, they'd crossed Link and paid dearly for it. They weren't sure if the "petty demon" would take this chance to get even.
"Illegal gambling and smuggling contraband," Link said quietly, voice low and cold, like a devil whispering in their ears. "Quite the crimes. Tell me, how should I punish you?"
Everyone hung their heads. George and Fred looked utterly miserable, fists clenched as they stammered, "Link, please don't..."
Link didn't even bother catching the rest. The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.
He was very satisfied with this bunch.
Yes, they were troublemakers and shameless pranksters, but they were also among Hogwarts' toughest, most battle-hardened fighters.
Reckless, but brave. Skilled in combat spells.
Such a group only needed one slap, and then a candy.
And now that the slap had been delivered (quite effectively), it was time for the candy.
Of course, George, Fred, and the others had no idea what Link was planning. Seeing that he hadn't answered and was just smiling coldly, their hearts sank.
Link hadn't said he'd report them to the professors, but that was exactly what they feared most.
Every one of these old foxes, Lee Jordan included, had long grown used to being punished by teachers.
Even Professor Snape didn't scare them anymore; they knew teachers could only punish within school rules, maybe a bit harshly, but nothing unbearable.
Link, however, was different.
The Weasley twins, after being "taught a lesson" by him, had described him to everyone as a ruthless demon.
Sure, they'd exaggerated, but everyone understood one thing, Link wasn't above using private punishment.
And harsh ones at that.
Like the Bladder Explosion Curse.
A curse invented by Link himself, now infamous throughout Hogwarts.
Imagine being forced to hold it in until you wet yourself in front of everyone.
What could be more humiliating than that?
The thought alone made all of them instinctively cover their lower halves in horror.
Then Link spoke again, voice calm, "But, considering most of you are seventh-years and about to graduate, if you do something for me, I'll forget what just happened."
The carriage went silent.
George, Fred, and Lee Jordan, those three jokers, were the first to react. They practically glued themselves to Link's side, all smiles.
"Ah, Link! We knew you were the best! Hahaha! Whatever it is, we'll handle it!"
"Good. First, clean this place up. As outstanding Hogwarts students, we shouldn't be making more work for the staff."
As soon as Link said that, the carriage burst into motion.
No one wanted punishment, so they threw themselves into cleaning like their lives depended on it.
Of course, as wizards, that just meant a few flicks of their wands.
In less than five minutes, the carriage looked spotless. George, Fred, and the others lined up in front of Link again.
No one was dumb enough to think he'd stop there. They all waited for his next order.
Of course, they wouldn't agree to anything.
George and Fred had already decided, if Link's next "order" was to humiliate them, they'd rather fight back and risk detention or worse.
They weren't afraid of being expelled, who needed NEWT scores to open a joke shop?
And they weren't afraid of Link's pranks either. Honestly, they'd gotten used to them.
Fred even thought he might've built up some resistance to the Bladder Explosion Curse.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Link walked to the other end of the carriage, turned, and said, "I hereby recruit all of you. From now on, you'll help me maintain order on the Hogwarts Express."
With that, he opened the door and stepped into the next carriage.
Everyone left behind looked at each other in confusion.
What on earth was he planning?
Get them, the most notorious rulebreakers in Hogwarts, to keep order?
That was insane.
But it didn't matter. Their secrets were in Link's hands, and his command hadn't crossed any lines. So, they'd follow.
And so, students in the second-to-last carriage witnessed a truly spectacular scene.
With a loud bang, their carriage door burst open.
Link, wearing his prefect badge, strode in first, followed by a whole gang of upper-year students from every house, all looking fierce and intimidating.
The students here weren't exactly innocent either, they were just slightly less rebellious than the ones in the back carriage.
The only reason they hadn't "conquered" the last carriage was that they still had a little fear of the professors' punishments.
So while they didn't have contraband, their compartments were still a mess, students running, shouting, laughing wildly.
When this pack of half-grown delinquents saw Link and his crew of seasoned troublemakers appear, they froze.
A few sharp ones straightened up immediately, but some oblivious ones ignored George and Fred's warning looks and even tried to greet them cheerfully.
"You guys seem to be having fun," Link said with a smile.
"Yeah, it's been so long since we've all met! Everyone's just excited. Oh right, George, didn't you say you brought some good stuff this time? Take it out and, "
"Shut up!"
George barked so loudly it made everyone jump. "What 'good stuff'? What nonsense are you spouting? We're volunteers now, helping Prefect Link maintain order on this train!"
Fred pointed at the messy floor. "Look at this place! You're making work for the train staff! Hurry up and clean it up!"
At that, the students blinked in shock.
They wanted to argue, but the other old foxes behind George and Fred stepped forward, eyes fierce and dangerous.
Under those glares, the younger students backed down and started cleaning in silence.
Twenty minutes later, the carriage was spotless again.
The younger delinquents stood together looking miserable, finally understanding what was going on, but helpless to do anything about it.
They couldn't fight Link and his gang.
They could only despair.
"Heh heh! Prefect Link, how's that?" George asked eagerly, beaming.
He was genuinely thrilled, excited, even.
These old foxes loved mischief, and teaching the others a "lesson" like this felt… surprisingly familiar.
It was just like their usual pranks, making others look silly and enjoying the show.
The only difference was that this time, they wouldn't be punished for it.
Now they were "official."
Legally bullying people under the banner of justice, it felt amazing!
All of them were shocked by how satisfying it was.
Seeing this, Link's smile deepened. He cleared his throat and said, "Good work. Leave a few people here to supervise them. The rest of you, follow me."
He turned and walked to the next carriage, still trailed by a dozen grinning "old fox" students.
But unlike before, they weren't gloomy anymore.
Now, every one of them was grinning ear to ear, especially George and Fred, who looked downright gleeful.
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