Gabrielle paused, reorganized her thoughts, and then continued, "Let's take the most famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as an example."
"Inside it, Hufflepuff House is publicly recognized as the house of useless losers."
"Not just the other three houses, even the Hufflepuff students themselves think that way."
"Every year during the Sorting, I doubt many people are willing to become part of Hufflepuff, right?"
"This is the inevitable result of discrimination between houses."
"But what about the truth?"
"Is Hufflepuff really that bad?"
"Probably not, right?"
"Actually, speaking personally, I have quite a good impression of Hufflepuff."
"They're humble and polite, kind while still carrying themselves with grace."
"You could say they're one of the best houses to make friends in."
"Not to mention they even produced someone as outstanding as Link Flamel."
"You might not be very familiar with him."
"But I can say this, he is definitely the most talented student Hogwarts has had in the past few centuries."
"In the most recent Triwizard Tournament, he practically crushed every challenge in overwhelming fashion."
"That's already beyond what a human should be capable of!"
"Hufflepuff managed to produce a student as exceptional as him, yet it's still considered the worst house."
"Now that I've said this, you should be able to understand how strange that is, right?", Link nodded along, smiling happily.
He even felt that Fleur's earlier prediction that Gabrielle had become completely brainwashed was a bit exaggerated.
Because when Gabrielle mentioned Link Flamel, her eyes were shining.
It was a look of admiration and longing, just like back when she chased after him at Hogwarts calling him the Phantom Knight.
This clearly showed that Gabrielle hadn't changed nearly as much as Fleur had claimed.
And seeing Link nod and smile at her, Gabrielle seemed encouraged.
Her little face flushed red. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "Also, Hogwarts' competitive system is actually unfair. In this regard, Beauxbatons conducted a thorough investigation, and the results were very interesting.
In the early part of the last century, the best house at Hogwarts in the eyes of the British wizarding public was Ravenclaw, because the headmaster at the time came from Ravenclaw.
After that, the best house became Slytherin, and the headmaster then was also from Slytherin.
And now we come to the present.
Right now, the house universally acknowledged as the best at Hogwarts, you probably already know, is Gryffindor.
And correspondingly, the current headmaster Dumbledore also comes from Gryffindor.
This is already enough to prove that the headmaster's presence boosts the strength of their own house.
After all, when it comes to setting the rules of competition, headmasters will always lean a bit toward the house they came from."
"I'm not so sure about that," Brian Washington, Dumbledore in disguise, refuted from the side.
"From what I've heard, Headmaster Dumbledore is very fair and has never favored any particular house."
As soon as he said that, Link and Emily almost burst out laughing.
Dumbledore praising himself like this was honestly pretty amusing.
Realizing it himself, Dumbledore awkwardly rubbed his nose.
Gabrielle, of course, had no idea what was really going on.
She smiled at Dumbledore and continued, "You're an American wizard, so it's understandable that you're not very familiar with Hogwarts. But everything I've said is backed by clear examples."
"The most obvious example of Dumbledore favoring Gryffindor is from the year the famous Savior Harry Potter enrolled."
"At that time, Slytherin's points were far higher than Gryffindor's, yet Dumbledore insisted on using various excuses to award extra points to Harry Potter and the other Gryffindor students, ultimately giving the House Cup to Gryffindor."
"If Dumbledore were really as fair as people say, how could he have done something like that?"
"So the truth is, even a wizard like Dumbledore can't help but feel fondness toward the house he came from."
"And so, it became inevitable that Slytherin would be suppressed and pushed aside, while Gryffindor would shine brighter and brighter."
Dumbledore remained silent.
Harry Potter was the most important piece in his plan.
To ensure Harry could grow into the person he needed him to be, Harry's development and even his friendships had been closely monitored and reviewed by Dumbledore.
Among these plans, having Harry help Gryffindor win back the House Cup in his first year was a crucial step.
It would help wash away some of the inferiority Harry carried from his original family environment and build his confidence.
For this reason, Dumbledore had even allowed Slytherin to dominate the House Cup for years beforehand.
That way, accusations of favoritism toward Gryffindor would seem less obvious.
But facts were facts. Gabrielle wasn't wrong, and he had no way to explain it away.
If anyone was to blame, it was Gryffindor's own students for not being competitive enough.
To the point that he had to use such obvious methods to ensure the House Cup went to Harry Potter.
Still, if anyone said Dumbledore wasn't bothered by this, they'd be lying.
Gabrielle might have avoided mentioning Ilvermorny because of their supposed American identity and deliberately used Hogwarts as her example.
But she didn't realize that every sentence she spoke struck right at Dumbledore's heart.
At this point, Link also withdrew his gaze from Dumbledore.
Right now they were allies.
A bit of teasing was fine, but there was no need to keep pressing the issue.
He decisively changed the subject, "Let's stop talking about Hogwarts. We've already investigated that place and understand it well enough."
"What I want to know now is about Beauxbatons. For example, what exactly is the level of your teaching staff?"
Gabrielle clearly noticed Dumbledore's displeasure and followed his lead, "You don't need to worry about that."
"Beauxbatons' teaching standards are absolutely among the best in the world! Even compared to Hogwarts, we are at least their equal, if not better!"
As she spoke, Gabrielle pulled a scroll of parchment from a pouch at her waist and handed it to Link.
"This lists all our professors. Every one of them is a top expert in their field! We have not only the international Potions master Master Depp, but also the vice president of the Alchemist Association, Master Anlunze, and a Transfiguration master…"
Gabrielle listed over a dozen names in succession, each accompanied by a string of impressive titles that sounded extremely prestigious.
And as she named more and more of them, her face grew increasingly flushed.
At first glance it looked like she was just short of breath from talking too quickly.
But through his master-level Legilimency, Link could see clearly.
Gabrielle was excited.
She was incredibly proud that Beauxbatons had so many master-level professors.
Noticing this, Link frowned slightly and decided to probe further.
Without even looking at the parchment, he casually handed it to Emily and then shook his head impatiently.
"What's the use of big names? A school is still judged by its students' actual achievements. What achievements does Beauxbatons have that are worth boasting about?"
"Of course we do," Gabrielle said quickly. "This year's graduates' NEWT results have already been released. According to those results, we have surpassed Hogw..."
Link waved his hand more impatiently and cut her off, "And what does that prove? Do you really think someone like me cares about a child's paper grades?"
"Whether he has those results or not, would it affect his future development in any way? Let me tell you clearly."
"It wouldn't affect anything."
"My child will still inherit the family fortune he's supposed to inherit. He'll still enter the Ministry of Magic if he's supposed to."
"Paper results prove nothing."
"Even if he gets twelve Outstanding NEWTs, so what? If I scatter a few gold Galleons every year, I can easily recruit a dozen people like that!"
"What I need is real quality. Achievements that prove your students are powerful, courageous, and exceptionally clever!"
Gabrielle looked completely stunned.
It wasn't like she had never received visiting parents before.
But when those parents heard about Beauxbatons' graduates' NEWT results, they would all become extremely excited.
After all, excellent NEWT scores almost guaranteed that their children, after being educated at Beauxbatons, would achieve success and elevate their family's status.
She had never seen anyone like Link, who didn't value NEWT results at all.
And yet, everything he said sounded so reasonable.
What did NEWT results really prove?
They didn't seem to represent a person's true qualities.
There were plenty of people who achieved excellent NEWTs but later proved to be fools.
So she understood what Link meant.
What he wanted was a school that could truly train his child into a qualified family head.
But such a public school simply couldn't exist.
If Link wanted that kind of education, why not just keep his child at home and hire private tutors?
That was what the great wizarding families of the past had always done.
For a moment, Gabrielle felt a bit resentful.
She even began to feel that Link had come specifically to make things difficult for her.
Seeing this, a trace of disappointment appeared on Link's face.
He sighed and, as if clinging to one last bit of hope, asked again, "At the very least Hogwarts can produce a Triwizard Tournament champion. Don't tell me you have nothing at all? Surely not?"
Hearing this, Fleur, who had been quietly happy to return to Beauxbatons and see her sister again, instantly lowered her head in shame.
Tears began to fall faintly.
Back then, she had been Beauxbatons' champion in the Triwizard Tournament.
Although there were no official rankings beyond the champion, anyone who saw the performances knew clearly.
She had been the worst of the three.
Because of that, she had faced quite a bit of exclusion after returning to Beauxbatons.
Gabrielle's eyes also turned red instantly.
But unlike Fleur's sorrowful tears, Gabrielle's redness came from anger filled with killing intent and defiance.
"The Triwizard Tournament is already in the past! At that time Beauxbatons might not have matched Hogwarts, but afterward Headmistress Maxime carried out a series of successful reforms!" Gabrielle roared, clenching her fists.
"If another Triwizard Tournament were held now, the champion would definitely be Beauxbatons!"
"Haha, is it really that simple?"
Dumbledore seemed to find a chance to regain some face and said with a smile, "You just used Link Flamel, who won the last Triwizard Tournament in overwhelming fashion, as an example of greatness."
"But Link Flamel hasn't even graduated from Hogwarts yet. If he represented Hogwarts again, does Beauxbatons really have anyone who could deal with him?"
Gabrielle froze mid-sentence.
Then her eyes turned so red they looked like they might bleed. Her body trembled as she gritted her teeth and said, "S-sorry. If Link Flamel participated, we might still not be able to win."
"After all… he's just too powerful. His strength goes beyond the level of students, even beyond ordinary wizards."
"If you really know Link Flamel and have seen him fight, you would understand what I'm saying. Against a monster like that, no magic school would have any chance of victory."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and gave Link a meaningful look.
Never expected you'd have a fangirl here.
The message was clearly conveyed through his expression.
It made Link cough awkwardly.
But Gabrielle suddenly changed tone again, "But I still have to say this, Beauxbatons is no longer what it used to be!"
"We are better now, much better! Even if we're still not Link Flamel's match, if we tried again, anyone Beauxbatons sent would perform better than last time!"
As she said this, Gabrielle glanced toward Fleur.
Fleur's face instantly filled with shock and sorrow.
'Anyway, it was three against zero. Even I could have done it!'
That was the most common mockery she had heard after returning from Britain.
After all, her performance had been terrible.
She had been completely crushed by Link Flamel and Viktor Krum.
Fleur had felt sad about it, but she hadn't truly taken it to heart.
Because it was true that Link and Krum were stronger than her, and she believed that no matter what, her family would still acknowledge and understand her.
But now, Gabrielle's words completely shattered that hope.
Her own sister thought that anyone from Beauxbatons would have done better than her!
What kind of irony was that?
Fleur's legs gave out and she nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Krell noticed in advance and caught her.
Gabrielle trembled at the sight, but ultimately made no further move.
With a faint smile, Link said softly, "So even a lower-year student like you is now stronger than your own sister?"
When Link spoke, he deliberately emphasized the words your sister. The meaning was obvious.
But Gabrielle bit her lip, lifted her chin, and said firmly, "That's inevitable! Even now, I am stronger than my sister!"
As she spoke, a strange magical power, clearly different from that of ordinary wizards, began flowing out of her body.
This power somewhat resembled the enchanting force from Fleur's Veela bloodline, but it also seemed mixed with another kind of normal wizard magic.
The fusion made the energy's nature somewhat mixed, but its power became even stronger.
Especially in terms of mental influence.
Even Link and Dumbledore, protected by master-level Occlumency, felt rare disturbances in their minds.
Emily fared even worse.
The moment that power spread from Gabrielle, her consciousness began growing hazy.
Snap!
Link raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
With that crisp sound, the enchanting force around them instantly dissipated, and Emily recovered.
Gabrielle stared at Link in shock.
Just now she had pushed her innate ability to the limit.
This level of mental influence was comparable to the Imperius Curse cast by an average adult Death Eater.
She had intended to use this chance to teach these arrogant, disrespectful people a lesson.
Yet this man had dispelled it with nothing more than a finger snap.
What kind of terrifying strength was that?
"What you said wasn't false. In terms of enchanting ability, you have already surpassed your sister.", Link said with a smile.
Hearing this, Gabrielle gradually came back to her senses. Though fear rose in her heart, she still gritted her teeth and said, "Not just enchanting!"
"I'm stronger than my sister in other areas too! Transfiguration, Charms, Potions! Didn't you want Beauxbatons' 'achievements'? I am the best 'achievement'! Are you satisfied now?"
"Although this level of strength is nothing in my eyes, considering your young age, I suppose you barely pass."
Link nodded.
"Then let's move on to the second step of this inspection."
"Tell me, who teaches your Defense Against the Dark Arts class? And how good are they?"
At this, both Dumbledore and Emily frowned.
A major reason they had come to Beauxbatons was precisely because of this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
They had expected this to be a gradual process.
Yet now, less than two hours after entering the main castle, Link had already brought the topic to that person.
Wasn't that a bit too obvious?
"My Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is Professor Madero Tomfud Liro! He is absolutely the most outstanding professor in all of Europe, without question!"
"Beauxbatons becoming so vibrant today is inseparable from his efforts and help! If you want to know about him, that's easy."
"He patrols the castle several times every day. Judging by the time, he should be passing by here soon. You can ask him yourselves then! He definitely won't disappoint you!"
Gabrielle lifted her chin and spoke with immense pride.
[🎉 Shoutout to Vey, Felix and Erik for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]