Compared to the panic and anxiety of the others at Hogwarts, Link appeared much more relaxed and at ease.
If you had to say it, Hogwarts was the place he had stayed the longest since coming to this time.
It could almost be called his second home.
Because of that, as long as he was inside this castle, he found it easier to relax than anywhere else.
After saying goodbye to McGonagall and the other professors, he didn't head straight to the headmaster's office as he had said earlier.
Instead, he first went to the Slytherin common room and reported that he was safe to Emily.
After selectively explaining what had happened last night and comforting Emily, he then slowly made his way up the magical staircases and arrived at the headmaster's office.
At this moment, the office was empty.
Dumbledore had clearly not returned yet. In the large office, only the portrait of Headmaster Black on the wall was loudly welcoming him.
As for the other headmasters' portraits, they were all pretending to sleep. They no longer thought much of Link, the one who had pushed through Hogwarts' reforms.
"Good morning, Headmaster Black. Judging by how radiant you look, it seems you slept well last night."
Link greeted him with a smile as he waved his wand.
As magic flowed, the drawer of the eagle-claw table opened on its own. A metal tea tin floated out, popped open its lid, and poured tea leaves into the teacup on the table.
Then the water level in the cup rose rapidly. As hot steam spread, the fragrance of tea quickly filled the office.
"Oh! Don't even mention it, little Link. I sleep well every day. No, to be precise, I sleep too well!" Headmaster Black in the portrait gestured animatedly as he spoke.
"You should understand, right? We old relics are like prisoners, locked in this tiny frame all day, unable to go anywhere. And you and Dumbledore are often not in the office."
"Even when you are, you rarely talk to us. So the only thing we can do is sleep. Keep sleeping! Damn it, I hate sleeping!"
"Why do I still need to sleep even after becoming a portrait? There's nothing magical about that at all…"
Headmaster Black kept complaining.
Link nodded along perfunctorily, but his body had already honestly settled onto the sofa. He lifted the steaming teacup and brought it to his nose, taking a deep breath.
"Ah!"
Letting out a long breath, Link shook his head with a sigh.
The aroma of black tea wasn't as strong as green tea, but it had its own charm.
Just as Link was enjoying the tea's fragrance, Headmaster Black suddenly changed the topic, "By the way, little Link, I want to ask you a favor."
"What is it? You can tell me first."
Link spoke in the same unhurried tone. Based on what Black had said earlier, he figured the request might be something like enlarging the frame or having someone paint in some beauties or toys for him.
Honestly, something like that would be effortless for Link.
Considering that Headmaster Black was the only portrait among the former headmasters who supported him, he was quite willing to help.
"Well, it's like this. Staying here is just too lonely, so I was thinking, could you let my only remaining great-great-grandson come visit me?"
Headmaster Black rubbed his hands, looking a little excited. "That's not too much to ask, right? Even prisoners in Azkaban are allowed family visits."
Hearing this, Link froze just as he was about to take a sip of tea.
He looked at Headmaster Black in surprise and said, "You mean Sirius Black?"
"That's right, that kid! He's the only one left in the Black family line! I need to properly educate him so he can restore the Black family!"
Headmaster Black spoke with great momentum, but the more he talked like that, the stranger Link's expression became.
Link pursed his lips and finally said, "I'd advise you to forget it, Headmaster Black. He'll drive you mad!"
There was no doubt about it.
Sirius Black now had his whole heart set on Harry.
Other than Harry, he cared about nothing.
For old Headmaster Black to expect him to revive the Black family was pure wishful thinking.
If the old man, who hoped for his descendant to succeed, found out that his only direct bloodline planned not to marry, not to have children, and even intended to give away the remaining family property to outsiders, he would probably lose his mind on the spot.
"Why would you say that?" Headmaster Black still hadn't given up, asking in confusion. "I heard Dumbledore say that boy has improved a lot recently."
"Yes, that's right. A student who used to score 1 point at the bottom suddenly got 10 this time. That's quite an improvement. His score increased tenfold!"
As soon as Link said that, Headmaster Black finally understood what he meant.
His whole body started trembling. His pale lips quivered continuously, clearly angered to the extreme.
At that moment, a burst of flame appeared out of thin air in the office.
Seeing this, Headmaster Black's expression changed. He immediately lay down and pretended to sleep.
Then the brilliantly colored phoenix Fawkes flew out of the flames first, landing on Link's shoulder and curiously observing the teacup in his hand.
Right after that, Dumbledore stepped out.
He brushed off dust that didn't exist from his body. Just as he was about to greet Link, his gaze couldn't help but fall on the teacup in Link's hand and the opened tea tin on the table.
In an instant, the smile he had just formed disappeared.
"That's part of my collection, not for entertaining guests!" Dumbledore rushed forward, shut the tea tin, and stuffed it back into the drawer.
Then he looked at Link's teacup with a displeased expression. "And you're drinking tea without adding orange slices or milk? Don't tell me you don't even know how to drink tea?"
Link rolled his eyes.
"People who really know how to drink tea never add all sorts of random things into it."
Dumbledore was clearly unconvinced and wanted to argue further.
But Link cut him off, "Professor Dumbledore, let's talk about business. How did things go on your end?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately.
Perhaps the aroma of tea in the office had tempted him.
He took out the tea tin again, carefully grabbed a small pinch and put it into a teapot. After boiling water and pouring it into a cup, he added some orange slices and other things Link didn't recognize, then stirred it a few times before taking a small sip.
"Ah! Earl Grey is the best tea in the world!"
Dumbledore said with a sigh, glaring at Link with a provocative look.
Unfortunately, Link, with Occlumency passively active, remained completely unmoved, simply staring at him expressionlessly.
Seeing this, Dumbledore shook his head and smiled.
"Don't worry, Link. Everything went smoothly. That captive you caught, named Karen, was very cooperative. He basically revealed all the details about that group."
"With his help, the International Confederation of Wizards accepted our protest and promised to help us put pressure on the French Ministry of Magic. Now the pressure is on them."
Link frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.
"What's the point of that? To be honest, I didn't really understand when you suggested going to the International Confederation last night."
"If we want to pressure France, we can just work with the media and control public opinion. Is it really necessary to go through the Confederation as well?"
"Of course it is!"
Dumbledore said firmly. "We've already discussed this before. The International Confederation of Wizards doesn't just have symbolic meaning or moral authority."
"They have real military strength. There are many things you haven't experienced, so you can't fully understand."
"But I can tell you this, even though we now have two legendary-level wizards on our side, the Confederation still wouldn't fear us. That should make it clear, right?"
"Gaining their support is necessary. At the very least, it prevents them from interfering when we strike against France and the shadow organization."
"Little Link, don't underestimate the International Confederation of Wizards," Headmaster Black suddenly said from the wall, no longer pretending to sleep.
"When I was young, I thought the same as you, that they were nothing special. Just pointing fingers all day, nagging endlessly."
"So naturally, I didn't take them seriously. But what happened afterward completely changed my view."
"Oh! I can't tell you exactly what happened. I need to save some face. But I can tell you this, I regret it. I regret underestimating them."
"So, little Link, be careful!"
"Alright, thank you for the advice, Headmaster Black."
Dumbledore picked up the conversation again. Seeing Link's unmoved expression, he paused before continuing with a smile, "The Confederation's stance on this matter is mainly to mediate and prevent things from escalating further."
"There will probably be several joint meetings to resolve it. If you're curious, you can come with me next time and see for yourself."
Link neither agreed nor disagreed, just lifted his teacup and took a light sip.
Dumbledore also said nothing more and continued drinking his tea.
The atmosphere in the office gradually eased.
Both of them knew that the situation was developing in their favor.
As long as nothing unexpected happened, victory in this conflict with the shadow group would belong to them.
Creak! Creak!
On the eagle-claw table, an old silver ornament suddenly began moving on its own.
Link and Dumbledore both paused and looked over.
This silver ornament was actually the warning device for the headmaster's office.
It was linked by spells to the gargoyle statue at the entrance, able to relay information from the doorway directly to the headmaster.
At that moment, through their authority, Link and Dumbledore could clearly sense that someone was standing at the entrance, requesting entry.
That person was Snape.
What was he here for?
Link and Dumbledore frowned almost at the same time.
They exchanged a glance. In the end, Link nodded, and only then did Dumbledore raise his hand slightly and gesture to the silver ornament to open the door.
A few minutes later, the office door was pushed open.
Snape, dressed in black robes like a large bat, strode in expressionlessly.
"Good morning, Dumbledore, and Link."
"Good morning, Professor Snape."
Link smiled and gave up his seat. He even openly picked up Dumbledore's teapot and poured Snape a cup.
"You should try this. It's Professor Dumbledore's private collection. You won't get it anywhere else."
Snape showed no reaction.
Dumbledore's lips twitched as he coughed lightly and said to Snape, "Ah, Severus, what brings you here? Is it about the students not attending class this morning?"
"I've already heard about that. But it seems Link has resolved it. The follow-up punishments will be issued soon, so you don't need to worry."
Snape nodded and drained the tea in his cup in one gulp.
Link immediately refilled it for him. Watching this, Dumbledore's eyelids twitched.
He was about to say something, but Snape had already pulled up his sleeve.
What appeared before Link and Dumbledore was a pale, almost sickly arm, and on it, the ferocious Dark Mark.
"The Dark Mark on my arm has undergone a major change," Snape said quietly.
"After you announced that Voldemort had been severely injured, the mark did fall silent for a while. No, that's not quite accurate. It was more like it had died."
"But about a week ago, it came back to life."
"Not only that, it has become gentler, more rational. At least it no longer hurts me for no reason."
"But those are just surface changes."
"I can feel the power hidden within this Dark Mark."
"That terrifying, eerie power, it's even stronger than when Voldemort was at his peak."
"It's as if… as if control over the Dark Mark has been taken away from Voldemort!"
Dumbledore and Link exchanged a look.
They both knew what this change meant.
Those shadowy figures had truly stepped out from the darkness and begun taking over Voldemort's legacy in the open.
But what troubled them was whether they should tell Snape.
While they hesitated, Snape continued, "I thought it necessary to inform you about this. And besides that, I have another matter to ask of Link."
"For me?"
Link spoke as he sat back down on the sofa.
Snape paused, glancing at Dumbledore, as if hesitating whether to speak in front of him.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "This matter concerns Lucius Malfoy. If my information is correct, he hasn't been executed yet, has he?"
"Lucius Malfoy?"
Link frowned and repeated the name.
To be honest, if Snape hadn't brought it up, he might have forgotten about him.
From what Link recalled, ever since being captured alive during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Lucius had been imprisoned in a special cell at the Auror headquarters, undergoing interrogation.
The role he was playing now was essentially the same as Karkaroff after the last defeat of the Death Eaters.
So far, through continuous interrogation, he had revealed a large amount of information about the Death Eaters and Voldemort.
Through him, Link had been able to easily eliminate the Death Eaters hidden within the Ministry.
In that brutal purge, only a small number who had fled abroad or hidden in the wilderness escaped.
Even in predicting the recent attack by the remaining Death Eaters, aside from capturing a French spy who tried to turn Newland earlier, Lucius Malfoy had also played a significant role.
And now Snape had brought him up.
That made his purpose here very clear.
A faint smile appeared on Link's lips.
"You're here to plead for him?"
Snape's expression didn't look good, but he still forced himself to say, "Narcissa, Lucius's wife, and his son Draco came to me a few days ago. They hoped that, considering Lucius had once taken good care of me, I could speak to you on his behalf."
Hearing this, the smile on Link's face widened.
Snape's way of speaking was very skillful.
He himself still stood on Link's side and didn't want to deceive him.
So he briefly explained the situation.
At the same time, he didn't directly ask Link to spare Lucius Malfoy, avoiding putting him in a difficult position while clearly expressing his stance.
But at the same time, he mentioned that Lucius had once taken good care of him.
Through that, he conveyed that he still hoped Lucius Malfoy could have a better outcome.
The key point was that Snape conveyed all this clearly in just two sentences.
It made Link feel a bit impressed.
People with sharp tongues usually weren't lacking in eloquence or emotional intelligence.
Otherwise, how could they pinpoint others' weak spots so accurately?
"Heh…"
Link chuckled.
"Alright, I understand."
Snape nodded.
Although Link hadn't given any clear promise, he knew his task was complete.
After a moment of thought, he continued, "Is there anything you need me to do?"
This was a straightforward exchange of interests.
'You spare Lucius Malfoy, and I'll work for you.'
To Snape, this was completely normal.
It had been the same when he served Voldemort as a Death Eater, and when he worked under Dumbledore as a double agent.
Both Voldemort and Dumbledore had been satisfied with such arrangements.
However, Link's expression changed upon hearing this.
The smile disappeared instantly.
He looked at Snape and spoke in a deeper tone, "You should already know what I want you to do."