Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

As soon as the Flashback Spell was cast, strange phenomena appeared at the tip of Karkaroff's confiscated wand.

First, a wisp of dark gray smoke appeared, swirling twice in mid-air before condensing into a semi-transparent pool of water, carrying a faint scent of wand wood.

The water stains shimmered in the light, but before anyone could see them clearly, a very faint white light enveloped them.

With a flash of white light, the water stains vanished without a trace.

It was clearly a cleansing spell that Karkaroff had recently cast, which was now being replayed in reverse by a flashback spell.

"Give it back to me!" Karkaroff's eyes turned red at the sight. He lunged forward to snatch the wand, his arms outstretched, looking somewhat like a mad vulture.

However, Moody was prepared and, dragging his wooden leg, turned to the side with agility that belied his disability.

Karkarov missed his target and nearly crashed headfirst into the wall.

"Headmaster!" Durmstrang's three warriors cried out in alarm, simultaneously reaching for their wands in their pockets.

But as soon as their fingers touched the staff, they suddenly froze in place, their muscles tense like stones, and they couldn't even move their eyes.

He could only stand there stiffly, his face filled with horror.

Dylan glanced at them, then looked away.

Cedric blinked, looked at Dylan, and smiled slightly.

Moody held his wand steadily the entire time, maintaining the effect of the Flashback Charm.

Thick smoke continuously billowed from the tip of Karkaroff's wand, and the smoke transformed into various blurry lights and shadows upon landing.

Sometimes it's the afterimage of a waving wand, sometimes it's flashing runes, until a plume of smoke slowly rises, gradually condensing into the outline of the Goblet of Fire.

The rim of the cup still shimmered with a blue-white light, just like the Goblet of Fire in the auditorium.

“Kakarov.” Moody’s voice was as deep as a polished stone, his gaze fixed on the thick smoke and flaming goblet. “It’s definitely a Confusion Charm.”

The moment the Goblet of Fire and Smoke appeared, Karkaroff felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His knees buckled, and he almost collapsed to the ground. He could only barely stand by supporting himself against the wall. His shoulders slumped, and his once taut body instantly slumped, his face turning as white as paper.

The stiffness on the Durmstrang warriors vanished abruptly, but instead of moving, they all lowered their heads.

Firstly, the feeling of being imprisoned was still lingering in their bones, and their limbs were still slightly numb, so they had no idea what was going on.

Secondly, the clearly visible plume of thick smoke and flames was right in front of them.

This directly confirms that Karkaroff had tampered with the plan, and by helping them, they were becoming accomplices.

"So it was him!" Harry slapped his forehead, turning to Dylan and the others with sudden realization. "I knew it! There were so many extra warriors! He used the Confusion Charm to interfere with the Goblet of Fire!"

Mrs. Maxim pursed her lips even tighter, and the corners of her mouth turned down in a distinct arc.

She took two long strides toward Dumbledore, her heavy velvet robes sweeping across the ground with a soft rustling sound.

She looked down at Kakarov, who was slumped against the wall, her deep eyes filled with disgust, and her tone was icy: "No wonder you looked so strange just now, you had something to hide."

"This is interesting." Moody chuckled gruffly, tapping his wooden leg on the ground twice, his eyes full of mockery. "Tell me, why would you put a Confusion Charm on the Goblet of Fire?"

Faced with this question, Karkaroff pursed his lips tightly, his eyelids drooping, and the arrogance he had shown when he was yelling at old Barty Crouch vanished without a trace.

His back remained against the wall, his hands clenched into fists and hanging at his sides, his knuckles white, yet he refused to utter a single word.

Moody chuckled and casually tossed the captured wand back.

The wand slammed into Karkaroff's chest with a "thud," which he caught hastily and gripped tightly in his hand.

“I just took a walk around the castle, and the Hufflepuff little guys are doing their jobs very well.”

Moody's gaze swept across the room, his voice suddenly rising, "They stayed up all night in the lobby, noting down who registered and where the principals were standing."

"Two things are particularly suspicious. When Beauxbatons enrolled, their headmaster stood far away and didn't approach the Goblet of Fire at all, but Durmstrang's Karkaroff..."

"Enough! This is outrageous!" Karkaroff abruptly interrupted him, his voice shrill and piercing. "A Hogwarts professor dared to lay a hand on the visiting headmaster!"

"These actions are utterly shameful! Do you expect me to quit now?!"

"Don't be impatient."

Dumbledore spoke slowly, still stroking his long beard, "As far as I know, similar little incidents are not uncommon in the history of the Triwizard Tournament."

"Moreover, the competition rules clearly state that once you become a warrior, you must complete all the events."

He looked at Karkaroff, his tone softening slightly, "Breaking the magical contract with the Goblet of Fire has consequences that the students cannot bear. I hope you can consider the children's feelings and not let them be implicated in the adults' dispute. Of course, Professor Moody's actions were indeed somewhat inappropriate."

“Then I must apologize to Mr. Karkaroff.” Moody spoke casually, as if discussing the weather. “You are welcome to complain about me to the English Ministry of Magic. I guarantee the old folks there will be quite a ‘surprise’ to see you—oh! So that deserter from back then is now the headmaster of a magic school. How successful he is!”

"Anyway, Alastor, thank you for your hard work," Dumbledore said again.

He glanced at the various principals with differing expressions, his smile gentle. "I think there might be some misunderstanding here. Perhaps... this wasn't Principal Karkarov's original intention?"

He drew out the word "principal," his gaze sweeping over Karkaroff's face. "Some principals might approach the Goblet of Fire, even resorting to magic, perhaps simply because they're worried it's old and in need of repair, and fear it might malfunction?"

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Karkaroff nodded hurriedly as if he had grasped a lifeline, his voice filled with urgency. "I was just worried that the Goblet of Fire might malfunction, so I tested it with magic to see if it would be interfered with."

"If I really intended to cheat, how could Hogwarts have an extra champion? We only have three, while you have four! This was purely an accident! It was an accident!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Headmaster Karkaroff." Dumbledore smiled slightly, raised his hand and flicked it into the air, and the notes that had flown out of the Goblet of Fire earlier instantly floated over.

He waved his wand, and each slip of paper expanded to the size of a newspaper, arranged neatly according to the school name and the first letter of the surname, floating in front of everyone, the words on them clearly legible.

This sorting made the anomaly immediately apparent to everyone.

The other slips of paper all clearly state the school they belong to at the top.

The only blank space on the note that read "Dylan Hawkwood" was the school section.

“Perhaps it was caused by some kind of magical interference.” Dumbledore’s gaze fell on the peculiar note, and his tone was serious. “Mr. Karkaroff’s Confusion Charm malfunctioned, and that is very likely the cause of all this.”

After the Confusion Charm took effect, Dylan's name was excluded from several schools.

"But he did complete the registration, despite a series of magical deviations..."

He paused, then continued, "Since he registered but doesn't belong to any of the participating schools, perhaps we can only consider him a warrior from the fourth 'temporary school.' Do you think this explanation is reasonable? Do you agree with my analysis?"

Karkarov's lips moved, and the anger in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only a hint of unease.

He cleared his throat, his voice a little hoarse: "Of course... that possibility certainly exists. So, everything before was a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding."

Moody exposed Karkaroff's trick, and Dumbledore stepped in to smooth things over, finally easing the tense atmosphere in the room.

Madame Maxim blinked, her gaze sweeping back and forth over Karkarov, a knowing glint in her eyes.

This guy's goal seems very clear: to squeeze Dylan off the Warriors roster and prevent him from representing Hogwarts.

From the perspective of the school's interests, this can be considered a shrewd calculation.

Dylan has been making headlines in the wizarding world lately.

However, his personal information did not circulate to other schools.

It was as if a peerless genius from Hogwarts had suddenly appeared.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, praised him lavishly and enthusiastically.

It's likely that Karkaroff had investigated Dylan beforehand, which is why he wanted to prevent him from becoming a Warrior.

The Triwizard Tournament is never just a competition between students; it is also a demonstration of the strength of the magic school behind them.

The Warriors' performance directly impacts the school's reputation and may even affect future student recruitment and international collaborations.

Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.

They hadn't expected Hogwarts to have a professor as decisive as Moody, and they certainly hadn't expected him to expose their conspiracy on the spot with a flashback spell.

Mrs. Maxim sighed softly, her fingers tracing the embroidered patterns on her robe.

The current turmoil seems to have subsided, but a more crucial issue remains unresolved.

The other principals had obviously thought of this as well.

Karkarov broke the brief silence first, then smoothly shifted the topic completely.

"Now that the misunderstanding about the Goblet of Fire has been cleared up, let's put this matter aside for now. After all, no one expected such an accident to happen."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the many warriors in the room, and his tone became serious again.

"But Hogwarts has one more warrior than other schools, which creates a serious imbalance in numbers, and that is the key problem that must be solved right now."

"Moreover, the competition rules have always stipulated that each school has an equal number of participants. Hogwarts has one more person, so it's impossible to be fair and impartial in terms of scoring or event arrangement!"

He seemed to regain his confidence instantly, straightened his back a bit, and completely forgot that he was the one who started the chaos.

Mrs. Maxim did not respond, but simply looked at Dumbledore with a questioning look in her eyes.

She wanted to see how the Hogwarts headmaster would solve this thorny problem.

The warriors in the room exchanged glances.

Dylan leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers lightly on it, his gaze fixed on the floating note, lost in thought.

Barty Crouch pushed up his glasses, took out his notebook, and prepared to record the results of the discussion.

“That’s actually true,” Madam Maxim said, her eyes sweeping over the four Hogwarts warriors. “The most pressing issue right now is that Hogwarts has an extra warrior, which directly relates to the fairness of the competition.”

"It is indeed a tricky problem."

Dumbledore nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Karkaroff and Mrs. Maxim's faces for a moment before changing the subject.

"However, before discussing the number of participants, perhaps we should first look back at the original preparatory meeting—how was the 'Three-Way Battle' decided, and reaffirm our consensus? What do you all think?"

"Only by reaching a consensus can we communicate effectively. Wasn't it precisely because everyone had their own agendas that things got so messy just now?"

Dumbledore paused, then said slowly, "Mr. Karkaroff, you could have just said it—you were trying to do more for the school, and your sense of responsibility was too strong, but you accidentally... made a mess of things."

He used the word "accidentally" with particular significance.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Maxim curled her lip, a hint of undisguised contempt curving her lips, and let out a very soft sneer.

Karkarov's face instantly darkened, and he quietly clenched his fists, but because he was in the wrong, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Dumbledore smiled at Karkaroff, whose face was grim, and didn't press him for his opinion. He turned directly to Mrs. Maxim.

"So, Mrs. Maxim, what you ultimately mean is..."

Although Mrs. Maxim despised Karkaroff's underhanded tactics, she knew even better that she couldn't let Beauxbatons' warriors fall into a disadvantageous position.

She gently shook her head, her tone softening: "I need to hear which points of consensus you intend to reiterate before deciding whether to agree."

"of course."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, cleared his throat, and said in an increasingly steady voice, “It was made clear at the meeting that each participating school would recommend its own candidates, and the Goblet of Fire would ultimately select the champions to represent each school. At the time, none of you had any objections to this.”

“That’s right.” Mrs. Maxim nodded immediately, her back ramrod straight. “The Triwizard Tournament originated from the selection of the Goblet of Fire, and the warriors should be decided by it. This is a rule that we all agreed upon back then.”

“But Hogwarts still has one more person.” Karkaroff was still unwilling to give up, his brows furrowed tightly, his tone filled with a final insistence, “Since the Goblet of Fire has the power of selection, why not let it select another champion to make up the number of students in each school?”

“This won’t work.” Barty Crouch pushed up his glasses, reached for his notebook, and pointed to a page. His tone was serious. “Regarding the characteristics of the Goblet of Fire, we clearly told everyone that once the selection for the current tournament is completed, the flame will go out and will not reignite until the next tournament begins.”

“Old Barty is right,” Dumbledore added. “There’s another point that needs to be reiterated: only the champions ultimately chosen by the Goblet of Fire are eligible to compete for the Tournament trophy. This is an ironclad rule that was established when the tournament was founded.”

“Hmph, the Goblet of Fire isn’t a toy to be toyed with.” Mrs. Maxim chimed in at the right moment, looking at Karkaroff, “Your suggestion today is a bit too… Muggsy.”

These words made Karkarov's face turn several shades paler instantly.

Mrs. Maxim didn't stop there, continuing, "Your current style of doing things is no different from the bureaucrats of those chicken governments in North America, only thinking about making up numbers and getting by. Perhaps we should discuss a different issue."

"What kind of interference did the Goblet of Fire encounter? Instead of getting bogged down in wishful thinking about fixing mistakes."

“When it comes to inspecting wands, I do have some expertise,” Moody chuckled, slamming his wooden leg down on the ground twice. His blue-glowing magical eyes swept over the crowd. “After all, before I retired, I was a genuine Auror, and I’ve dealt with all sorts of shady spells for half my life!”

Karkarov's lips moved, and he mumbled in a low voice, "I have no objection..."

He spoke in a very low voice, as if afraid of being overheard, but the room was too quiet, and his words still reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Why don't we hear what the Warrior has to say?" Dumbledore broke the silence at the opportune moment, looking at Dylan with a gentle smile. "Mr. Hawkwood, what are your thoughts on this?"

“That’s right!” Mrs. Maxim immediately agreed. “He personally experienced the registration and selection process, so he naturally has the right to speak.”

The voice just fell.

All eyes in the room turned to Dylan.

The principals looked at them with scrutiny, while the other warriors were filled with curiosity.

Cedric, Harry, and Draco glanced at him, clearly curious to see what he would suggest.

Dylan was not surprised by this.

Dumbledore deliberately guided everyone to revisit the consensus in order to help him clarify the cause and effect so that he could provide targeted solutions.

He nodded slightly, and his voice rang out clearly: "I remember at the dinner party last night, Principal Dumbledore mentioned something. Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch would be together with the principals of several schools to form a judging panel to score and evaluate the warriors."

“That’s right.” Old Batty Crouch pushed up his glasses, opened his notebook to confirm, and said in a serious tone, “This was also one of the consensuses we reached at the beginning. After each project, we will give a comprehensive score based on the Warriors’ performance.”

“I remember you mentioned that too.” Karkaroff took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Warriors need to complete each task independently; they cannot assist each other.”

"Now that the warriors have been divided into four groups, the referee team will naturally have to judge each group separately."

Dylan continued, his gaze sweeping over the other three warriors of Hogwarts.

"But if the scores of the two Hogwarts Warriors are added together, it will undoubtedly create an overwhelming advantage, which is really unfair."

He paused briefly, then pointed to Cedric, Harry, and Draco, his tone resolute: "How about this—add up the scores of the four of us Hogwarts champions, and just calculate the average."

"Of course, as Mr. Karkaroff said, scoring is one thing, but during the competition, we will still compete separately and not interfere with each other."

"No way!" Cedric, Harry, and Draco protested almost simultaneously as soon as he finished speaking.

Cedric frowned, his tone urgent: "That's too risky. An average score means your pressure will increase exponentially!"

Harry shook his head repeatedly, adding, "The project is already quite difficult; it's too dangerous for one person to handle it alone!"

Draco, unusually, abandoned his usual arrogance, his expression turning serious: "Only a madman would agree to this plan!"

After saying that, he glanced at Dylan and put it another way: "What I mean is, this won't work."

Seeing the three of them speaking in unison, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. He raised his hand and gently stroked his long beard, his smile deepening.

“Mr. Hawkwood is clever; he has turned what some people are worried about as an ‘advantage’ into a ‘disadvantage’.”

"In this way, there won't be any issues with fairness."

Mrs. Maxim turned to look at Karkarov, who was still hesitating, and asked in a questioning tone, "Do you have any further objections?"

“Taking the average score… is indeed very fair.” Karkarov spread his hands.

He tried hard to put on a serious expression, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

In this way, Hogwarts not only loses its advantage, but may even suffer a loss due to the distribution of points!
"Disgusting bastard," Draco muttered under his breath, his voice low but clear, his eyes filled with disgust.

Harry nodded, then shook his head, and finally shrugged helplessly.

Although he disliked Draco, he had to admit that the criticism was absolutely correct.

“Mr. Hawkwood, I must remind you of the risks involved.”

Barty Crouch Sr. stepped forward, his tone solemn, "The number of warriors has changed, so we must adjust the difficulty of the events accordingly. This is a magical pact between the referee team and the event." (End of Chapter)