Chapter 1276: Brothers Confronting Each Other

Vid’s voice fell, and the classroom was utterly silent.

Harry couldn’t help but imagine the scene as Vid described it.

He didn’t know what exactly that future might look like, but just thinking about it made him feel… it must be even more terrifying than being sent to Stone Wall Middle School by his uncle and aunt.

So terrifying that even breathing would seem like a luxury.

The safety regulations, which originally only made him uncomfortable, now felt like a dark cloud bearing a weight of a thousand pounds, pressing heavily on everyone’s hearts.

In the darkness, some breathed rapidly, some clenched their fists, and others trembled slightly.

Lee Jordan’s voice suddenly exploded: “Even if I’m about to graduate, I absolutely cannot accept Hogwarts becoming like that! Absolutely not!”

“Yeah, rather than that, we might as well kick Percy out of the school.” Fred said darkly with arms crossed: “How about we tie him to fireworks and launch him from the stadium?”

What he said seemed like a joke, but his tone was incredibly serious.

George shook his head and said: “We might as well just break his legs… no, he’d heal overnight… but I know all his embarrassing stories from childhood, if I expose them, I guarantee he won’t be able to stay at Hogwarts…”

“In that case, you’d be implicated too.” Michael’s voice emerged from the dark, “More importantly, if we get rid of one Percy, won’t the Ministry of Magic just send someone else?”

“So the real threat to the school isn’t a certain person, but these safety regulations.”

Cedric said calmly: “How can we make it so they can’t be enforced? Or ensure no one else comes after Weasley leaves?”

Anthony Goldstein said with slight concern: “Then the target isn’t Weasley, but the enforcers at the Ministry of Magic… do we really have a way?”

“Gray!” Hufflepuff’s Ernie Macmillan suddenly shouted: “Tell us, what should we do? You must have a plan, right?”

Michael straightened up and looked in the direction of the voice in surprise.

If he didn’t know none of them had rehearsed beforehand, he’d have thought Macmillan was a plant they arranged.

Of course, he could only see the heads silhouetted in the dark and couldn’t figure out which one belonged to Macmillan.

Countless eyes fell on Vid.

He raised the microphone and said: “Yes, we have a counterattack plan.”

…

In the corridor, Ron knitted his brow as he paced back and forth.

Until the “Magic Spell Study Group” activity in the room upstairs was completely over, his task was — if Percy came out, stall him.

As soon as he thought of this, Ron couldn’t help but pout.

His nose had stopped bleeding, but the air in the corridor was chilly, making his nose red and his hands and feet cold.

Yet even if Ron was shivering with cold, he preferred that the night pass peacefully and without a ripple, rather than…

“Cre-eak…”

The hinges of the oak door made a soft sound.

Ron squinted his eyes at the gradually opening wooden door and the light streaming from behind it, his expression complex.

When the boots of the envoy stepped out, Ron quickly rubbed his face and strode forward.

Percy was about to lock the door when he saw Ron walking up with some dried blood crust on his face.

“Ron?” Percy frowned slightly: “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Ron took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly: “Percy, I need to talk to you for a moment.”

“I don’t have time right now.” Percy said coolly: “I have work in the evening, come back tomorrow and make sure to schedule in advance.”

With a click, he locked the door and turned to walk past Ron.

“Percy Weasley!” Ron said incredulously: “I’m your brother — your own brother!”

“Yes, I know.” Percy glanced at him: “But that’s not a reason for you to disturb my work!”

Ron couldn’t help but shout: “If Mom and Dad wanted to see you, would you make them schedule in advance too? Without an appointment, even family can’t meet the esteemed Weasley envoy?”

“Is that why you didn’t go to the hospital to see Dad when he was gravely injured and nearly died? Because you had to work… you didn’t have time…”

“You’re being too spoiled, Ronald Weasley.”

Percy was unmoved, his tone chillingly cold:

“Did you not hear what I said? I have work, Ministry of Magic work, which is not your trivial homework.”

“Do you know what responsibility means? Do you understand that some things are a hundred times more important than the nonsense you suddenly want to say in the middle of the night?”

After speaking, he was about to leave without looking back.

Ron was left with his mouth agape, feeling chilled by Percy’s words, his mind stalled.

Watching Percy about to leave the corridor, Ron recalled Vid’s “absolutely effective strategy,” clenched his teeth, and called out:

“Percy Ignatius Weasley! If the public knew that a Ministry of Magic official treated his family so coldly, how would they see you?”

Percy stopped and slowly turned around, looking at Ron with an even colder gaze.

“What are you saying?”

Ron’s throat moved, and for some reason, he suddenly let out a cold laugh:

“An official who can’t even manage his family relations, the public would definitely question his character, wouldn’t they?”

“Wondering… is this person truly trustworthy, does he possess those precious qualities of loyalty, affection, and responsibility!”

“An official who isn’t even willing to listen to his own brother, would he lower himself to listen to ordinary people?”

“Need me to remind you what caused Barty Crouch to miss out on the Minister position back then?”

Percy’s brow twitched slightly, then immediately smoothed out.

He looked at his brother, the lines around his mouth deepening as he enunciated, “Ron… do you know what you’re saying?”

After a pause, he added: “This isn’t something you thought up, who taught you? Vid Gray? Or that Hermione Granger?”

“That’s not important.” Ron took a deep breath and said sarcastically: “What’s important is—Mr. Envoy, may I ask if you can spare a few minutes for your insignificant brother, to say a few boring words?”

“If I refuse,” Percy asked, “I suppose an article criticizing me for neglecting family would appear in the newspaper?”

Ron kept a straight face: “I’m not sure, but it’s quite possible.”

The brothers stared at each other like enemies, and at that moment, a burst of laughter echoed from the stairs—

“Hahaha… you actually said ‘Protego Totalum’ as ‘Lock Everything’…”

“Next time I go camping, I’ll use the defense spell I just learned on the tent, it’ll definitely surprise my parents!”

“Dennis, have you learned the Iron Armor Spell?”

“I’m not quite sure; maybe it succeeded a couple of times…”

The Weasley Brothers both glanced upstairs.

“Very good… very good…” Percy chuckled, but there was no humor in his expression.

He stepped over, reopened the door, stood at the entrance, and said: “Then come in, I’m curious to hear what exactly you want to say.”