Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 296 Ravenclaw Academy: Are we going to take first place this year?
"Pretty good? What's so good about it?"

Ron immediately responded, his tone full of confusion and frustration.

He poked at the chicken leg meat in the bowl with his fork, making a mess of what was originally a whole piece of meat.

"I wonder what kind of weirdo the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be next semester. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

As he spoke, he sighed heavily, his face filled with worry about the future of the course.

"It's so rare to find a relatively normal professor."

Hermione gently nudged Ron's arm, signaling him to say less, but her eyes also held a hint of regret for Professor Lupin's departure.

Harry stared at Dylan's still calm profile, the question lingering in his mind, yet he didn't know how to ask.

They could only silently pick up their knife and fork and mechanically cut the food on their plates.

"As you all know, the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at our school has never had a good ending."

Dylan shrugged, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, "It's actually a good thing that Professor Lupin was able to resign at this time; at least he can save himself."

He paused, then continued, "Look at him now, he's only suffered minor injuries. If he stays in this position for a few more days, who knows what worse things might happen to him."

These words made Harry, Ron, and Hermione's eyes twitch involuntarily.

They exchanged a glance, both knowing that Professor Lupin's injuries were ultimately related to Dylan...

But it must be admitted that Dylan's words do make sense.

Think of Professor Quirrell, who ultimately met his end by turning to dust.

Then think of Professor Lockhart; he simply disappeared, his fate unknown.

However, it's unlikely to end well; he'll probably be killed by Voldemort.

Thinking about it, Ron clicked his tongue.

Hermione frowned and nodded.

Even Harry felt that Dylan's words, though harsh, made some sense.

Professor Lu Ping's ability to escape unscathed is truly remarkable.

Dylan lowered his head and drank his soup, but a subtle sense of emotion swept through his mind.

But it's a pity.

Lupin has only just escaped this calamity.

The debts incurred will eventually have to be repaid when they return to Hogwarts in a few years.

Professor Lupin's departure, coupled with the news that he was a werewolf, caused quite a stir among the students.

During those days, you could hear related discussions almost everywhere you went.

Even at the year-end banquet a few days later, people were still discussing it quietly.

However, the focus of the discussion had long since shifted from Professor Lupin to speculation about who would be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts next year.

—Some people even said that a vampire might appear.

"Classmates, please be quiet."

As Professor Dumbledore slowly walked onto the stage, a gentle smile on his face, his long, white beard gleaming silver under the lights.

The noise in the hall vanished as if silenced by a spell, and all the students’ eyes were focused on him.

"Before we enjoy this sumptuous dinner, we will first hold the Academy Cup awards ceremony."

"However, before that, I have something else—something very important—that I have to take up a little of your time."

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the Slytherin students gradually froze.

The images of those reversals during previous Academy Cup award ceremonies instantly flooded their minds, causing them to subconsciously tense up and their eyes to become more wary.

But just then, several Slytherin students with good memories and quick thinking suddenly realized what was happening.

This year's Quidditch Cup has already been won by Gryffindor, and judging by their points, the House Cup is almost certainly theirs as well.

Could things turn around this year?

Is it possible...

A strange sense of anticipation arose in their hearts.

We might just see Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup in the same year they lose the School Cup!
With this speculation in mind, they stared intently at Professor Dumbledore, their eyes gleaming.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a puzzled look, both of them frowning slightly.

What is Professor Dumbledore trying to do?
Does he intend to publicly gain credit for their rescue of Buckbeak and Sirius Black?
Isn't this...not good?
Didn't we agree that no one should know about that?
A sense of unease rose in both of them, and they waited silently for what would happen next.

"I believe that this year is a very significant year for every student here."

Professor Dumbledore paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, his tone tinged with a hint of emotion.

"But this year is particularly special for Hogwarts."

After saying that, his gaze lingered for a moment in the direction of the long table in Ravenclaw, his eyes carrying a hint of unspeakable meaning.

"And this special quality is particularly evident for Ravenclaw."

The Ravenclaw students looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

They couldn't help but recall the various unexpected events that occurred before the Academy Cup awards ceremony in the previous two years, and pondered to themselves.

Could this year's Academy Cup be...
Will it fall on their heads?
After all, both Slytherin and Gryffindor had won the House Cup consecutively.

At this rate, it seems like it's their turn.

But what exactly is the reason?

They were completely stumped.

Harry and Hermione blinked.

Under the questioning gazes of almost all the students in the room.

Professor Dumbledore gave a mysterious smile, slowly raised his hand, and gently gestured towards Professor Flitwick behind him—

"On this day, nearly a thousand years after the founding of Hogwarts, let us witness an important moment together—the relics of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw House, have finally returned to Hogwarts!"

Professor Flitwick stood excitedly on the chair, his face beaming with a radiant smile, and carefully held the velvet cushion high in his hands.

On the cushion, there was none other than Ravenclaw's crown!

Although the silver body of the crown was still somewhat dull, the gemstones inlaid on it shone brightly under the light of countless candles in the hall, instantly attracting all eyes that were turned to it.

In an instant, the entire auditorium seemed to be paused, falling into a deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the crown, their minds struggling to process this sudden news.

A few seconds later, a deafening scream suddenly erupted like a volcanic eruption, almost blowing the roof off the auditorium.

The students at Ravenclaw were even more excited, many of them their voices became hoarse and off-key from excessive excitement, their faces filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

The cheers and shouts that erupted at Ravenclaw were almost as enthusiastic and lasting as the deafening uproar when the entire school learned that the exams had been canceled last year.

Everyone's face turned bright red, and many even stood on chairs, waving their arms and shouting as if their throats were about to burst.

—This excitement, stemming from blood ties and the honor of the academy, has long surpassed ordinary joy.

Faced with the immense joy of this unexpected return, the Academy Cup, which had previously been on many people's minds, was long forgotten.

Who would care about the number of points or the ranking? For Ravenclaw, the relics left by the founder of the house are a symbol of inheritance and a mark of glory flowing in the blood of the house.

In comparison, the weight of an Academy Cup is far too insignificant.

After the excited screams from Ravenclaw subsided slightly, students from other houses began to applaud.

At first, there were a few scattered sounds, which gradually gathered together, carrying a sense of admiration and lingering surprise.

Although this is just the return of Ravenclaw's belongings, the four founders did establish Hogwarts together.

This precious reunion is indeed a momentous and solemn occasion for the entire Hogwarts.

However, the event was so sudden and significant that the applause remained somewhat scattered.

Most of the students were still reeling from the shock they had just witnessed. Many of them were still staring blankly with their mouths agape, their minds still replaying the scene they had just seen.

Not only the students, but even the professors in the faculty seats had expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Many of them whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with confusion, clearly surprised by this sudden turn of events.

In fact, it was on the very day that Professor Flitwick found Professor Dumbledore.

After explaining in detail the origins and history of the Ravenclaw tiara.

Professor Dumbledore, considering that the students needed to take their exams as scheduled, suggested that the matter be kept quiet for the time being.

Therefore, apart from the ghosts in the castle and the portraits hanging on the walls, there are only Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick.

And Dylan himself, who personally retrieved the crown, knew the inside story.

Even Professor McGonagall, the vice-principal, was completely unaware of this.

"to this end--"

When the noise in the Great Hall had subsided enough for everyone to hear him clearly, Professor Dumbledore spoke again.

"As the headmaster, I must award the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award to the hero who retrieved this treasure—Mr. Dylan Hawkwood!"

The voice just fell.

All eyes in the entire auditorium.

Whether out of curiosity, surprise, or a sense of inquiry.

They all turned towards Dylan, as if an invisible spotlight had suddenly shone on him.

Dylan had no choice but to stand up calmly, put on a perfectly timed smile, and nod slightly to Professor Dumbledore on the stage, as well as to all the teachers and students in the room.

At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were sitting next to him, were filled with shock, their eyes wide and their mouths slightly open.

They all turned to look at Dylan, their eyes filled with confusion.

Dylan?

Did he retrieve Ravenclaw's crown?

How can this be?

How come they didn't know anything about this?

When exactly did this happen?
How come they didn't notice anything?

Actually this is normal.

Because it was completely different from the thrilling treasure hunt they had imagined, a journey filled with challenges and obstacles.

Dylan's act of retrieving the crown was basically like grabbing something on the side.

The route already existed.

The crown itself was ordered to be found by Pippi the Ghost...

During this time, Pipi Gui, who had been busy running around for almost a whole day, spent a lot of effort.

Dylan himself completely reaped the benefits.
Dylan returned to his seat only after the applause from the audience gradually subsided.

Although the award was presented, the actual trophy will be placed in the trophy display room.

Before the banquet began, Professor Dumbledore asked him if he wanted to take a copy back with him.

Dylan thought about it for a moment and then agreed.

However, as always, the award ceremony was skipped.

He took the replica with him then, and the original trophy is now lying safely in his suitcase.

Regardless, this item still has some sentimental value, and it would be nice to display it at home as a decoration.

As for the real crown, since Ravenclaw, and even her daughter, would belong to him.

It's just a crown; if you don't want it, you don't have to.

Anyway, Dylan had already dug everything out of the room.

"Wow, Dylan, when did you do this?"

Ron couldn't hold back any longer, lowering his voice and widening his eyes.

"Yes! And how did you find Ravenclaw's belongings?"

Hermione followed up with more questions, her face full of curiosity.

"Have you ever worn that crown? Is it really like what's described in the book...?"

Harry followed with a question, his eyes filled with inquiry.

"Shh-"

Dylan frowned slightly and gestured for them to be quiet, indicating that they should keep their voices down to avoid attracting more attention.

Dylan raised his index finger and gently pressed it to his lips, signaling his friends not to speak yet.

"Professor Dumbledore hasn't finished speaking yet."

Sure enough, no sooner had he finished speaking than Professor Dumbledore on the platform spoke again:

"In addition—of course—Gryffindor House gets an extra thousand points!"

Professor Dumbledore had barely finished speaking.

The Great Hall immediately erupted in deafening cheers from the Gryffindor table.

Interspersed among them were whistles and excited shouts.

Many students jumped up from their chairs in excitement, hugging and high-fiving each other, turning the entire Gryffindor area into a sea of ​​joy.

One thousand points!
It's important to understand that, under normal circumstances, it's extremely rare for a college to accumulate 1,000 points in an entire academic year.

Sometimes, the total points for the entire semester don't even reach this number!

"Of these 1,000 points, 500 are from Professor Flitwick, and the other 500 are from me."

Professor Dumbledore continued with a gentle smile, "Actually, Gryffindor was already in first place after winning the Quidditch Cup, but I still decided to add these points to Gryffindor's total score."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, and his tone became more serious: "Because I believe that the rankings in the Academy Cup are not the whole story behind these scores."

"We cannot abandon the rewards that students deserve just because adding these scores will not change the existing rankings."

(End of this chapter)