Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

"Could there be native cold-water mermaids in that Black Lake? If so, it would be really interesting to see them! There must be mermaids in there!"

Dylan winked.

He certainly knew the secrets of Black Lake.

The lyrics of "Golden Egg" mention "pure things" and "dangerous darkness".

Based on the clues from the mermaid, he now has a clearer guess about the location and content of the second test.

"Actually, there's another piece of information to add—there really has been a group of mermaids living beneath the Black Lake at Hogwarts for a long time."

Dylan looked at everyone's curious eyes and slowly began to speak, "However, Black Lake is a cold-water lake with a low water temperature all year round, so the mermaids here look quite different from those in warm water. They appear rather ugly overall, with darker scales and a more robust physique."

“Ugly mermaids…” Fred couldn’t help but sigh when he heard this, and the expectation on his face instantly faded a bit. “I was hoping to see the beautiful mermaids of legend, but now it seems that I will probably only see something as solid as a boulder. It’s a bit of a pity.”

"Stop talking about mermaids." George suddenly changed the subject, raising an eyebrow and speaking with a suggestive tone. "Why don't we talk about the lyrics of the Golden Egg Song—'In the very beginning, you will lose the treasure you depend on for survival.' What exactly does 'treasure' refer to here? It can't just be any random thing, can it?"

“I think the answer is actually quite simple, it should be air!” Hermione raised her hand, her tone certain. “Dylan just said that there are mermaids at the bottom of the Black Lake, so the location for the second project is basically the bottom of the Black Lake. When people get to the bottom of the lake, the first thing they lose is air. After all, we can't breathe underwater, so isn't that a ‘treasure for survival’?”

“Air? That makes sense.” Another student chimed in, “We need to breathe air every moment. We can’t live without air. Calling it a ‘treasure for survival’ is definitely not wrong.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, someone retorted: "If you only look at the first half of the lyrics, that makes sense, but don't forget, the mermaid also sang 'We hide your treasure in pure things.' If the treasure is air, then 'hiding it in pure things' means taking back the air? That doesn't make any sense!"

Another student added, "Besides, Black Lake is so deep. If we wizards were really going to dive to the bottom, we would definitely use magic to solve the breathing problem beforehand, such as casting the 'Bubble Head Charm' or carrying a magical breathing device. Since the air problem can be solved, the 'losing air' statement in the lyrics is untenable, so the 'treasure' is definitely not air."

The common room quickly became lively as students chattered about their opinions.

Some believe the treasure is a magic wand, others think it's a magic potion, and still others speculate it's an ability related to one's own magic.

Many people insisted on their own ideas, and in order to persuade the other party, they even argued until they were red in the face and their voices grew louder and louder, instantly turning the originally relaxed atmosphere into a tense one.

"Oh!"

Suddenly, a crisp explosion came from the center of the common room.

Harry waved his wand, causing a colorful magical balloon to burst in mid-air, successfully interrupting everyone's argument.

"Everyone! Everyone! Quiet down!" Harry stood on the table and said loudly, "You seem to have forgotten something important—Dylan just made it clear that even if we know what that so-called clue is, we must keep it to ourselves and not tell him! This is a rule of the Triwizard Tournament, requiring the champions to complete the test independently. As Gryffindor students, we cannot lead the way in causing trouble!"

Dylan glanced at him.

Hmm, are Gryffindor students really that well-behaved?

“Yes! That’s right!” a student immediately echoed, his tone tinged with wariness. “We don’t want other schools to see this and use it as leverage to accuse us of helping Dylan cheat. That would be a huge problem. You all remember what happened during the Goblet of Fire selection, right?”

"Those people have done this kind of deliberate trouble-making before!" another student said indignantly. "It wasn't Dylan's fault in the last Goblet of Fire selection, but in the end he had to face two fire dragons alone and bear extra pressure. It's so unfair!"

"And that Karkaroff!" One student was even more indignant when the biased referee was mentioned, raising his voice several decibels. "How many points did he give Harry and the others? But when Dylan performed so well, he still wouldn't give him a perfect score! It's clearly targeting Hogwarts, it's too much!"

Seeing that the students were about to start arguing again about the previous unfair incident, Harry quickly spoke up again, trying to calm things down: "Alright, alright, let's not bring up the past anymore, lest it ruin our good mood today. Let's continue celebrating!"

He paused, his voice brimming with pride: "We not only celebrate Dylan's successful completion of the first task and his highest score of the game! We also celebrate him being the first to crack the secret of the golden egg—I guarantee Dylan is the fastest of all the Warriors to unlock the clues to the golden egg! Draco probably hasn't even figured it out yet! Let's not talk about these unpleasant topics tonight, everyone celebrate to your heart's content, eat and drink well!"

“I have something to add!” Ron raised his hand. “It’s best not to reveal the lyrics inside the golden egg, or what we’re discussing today, to anyone, whether it’s students from other academies or warriors from other schools. This is to ensure the fairness of the competition and avoid causing Dylan any unnecessary trouble.”

The students nodded in agreement with Ron's suggestion.

After the heated debate just now, everyone was indeed feeling a bit hungry.

Someone stepped forward and pushed the food table that had been moved to the corner back to the center. Others picked up their plates and chose their favorite foods, chatting and laughing as they shared the interesting things they had just discussed. The atmosphere in the common room became relaxed and pleasant again, filled only with the aroma of food and the students' laughter.

With the first test concluded, the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports, responsible for organizing the competition within the Ministry of Magic, immediately entered a state of dual-track busyness.

On one hand, they had to handle the follow-up matters of the first test, including compiling scoring records, comforting the injured warriors, and providing feedback on the competition to various schools.

On the other hand, they had to work tirelessly to prepare for the second project, from setting up the venue to confirming clues, and every step had to be checked repeatedly.

In the office of the Department of Magical Sports, Ludo Bagman stood in front of Barty Crouch's desk, his hands unconsciously rubbing together, his tone hesitant: "Barty, I'm thinking, are the clues for the second project set up too complicated? The warriors just finished fighting the fire dragon, if the clues are too difficult, won't it dampen their enthusiasm?"

Barty Crouch didn't even look up, his gaze still fixed on the match report in his hand, and casually asked, "What aspect do you find complicated? Is it the way the clues are presented, or the difficulty of the mission itself?"

“Of course, it’s the clue design!” Ludobagman said immediately, his tone nostalgic for the old plan. “Wasn’t our previous ‘finding the most beloved treasure’ plan pretty good? It was simple and direct. As long as the warriors knew that the target was something they cherished, they would definitely go all out, and their enthusiasm would be absolutely guaranteed.”

"Is that so?" Old Barty finally put down the report, looked up at Ludo with a scrutinizing gaze, "Mr. Bagman, do you remember exactly how many warriors were ultimately selected in this Triwizard Tournament?"

“Uh…” Ludobagman paused for a moment, then subconsciously started counting on his fingers. “Let me think… uh, so you think there are too many warriors.”

“Of course!” Old Barty tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his tone becoming serious. “The original plan was designed based on the original number of warriors, but now there are more people. It may seem like just a change in numbers, but it will actually trigger a series of chain problems!” He picked up the report again, pointing to the annotations on several pages, and analyzed it in detail for Ludo: “For example, the division of the mission area at the bottom of Black Lake. The original number of people could just distribute them evenly, but one more person will cause some areas to overlap. There’s also the cooperation of the mermaids—we agreed with the Black Lake mermaids to only assist that many warriors. One more person could very likely cause the mermaids to resist, leading to accidents! Not to mention the safety measures. For each additional warrior, we need to equip two additional diving wizards and a set of emergency equipment. These are things we didn’t consider before.”

At this point, Old Barty paused, his gaze falling on Ludo's sweating forehead. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable pressure: "Of course, if you feel that these accidents are all within control and are willing to bear all the subsequent consequences, I can immediately make your suggestion to the principals of the three schools to revert to the previous plan."

"What do you think, Mr. Bagman?"

"Uh...no need, no need!" Ludo quickly raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his tone changing instantly. "Actually, the plan we're using now is quite good—after all, it was proposed by Headmaster Dumbledore. He even gave us a detailed analysis of the pros and cons, taking into account the changes in the number of warriors. It's much more comprehensive than the previous plan! I strongly support the current plan. I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously."

Seeing that he had clearly relaxed, Old Barty didn't say anything more. He simply lowered his head again and continued to look through the report in his hand. Only the soft sound of turning pages could be heard in the office.

Meanwhile, in a dark and damp chamber, Voldemort stood before a dilapidated stone coffin.

A ruffled owl circled overhead, let out a few hoarse cries, released its claws and dropped a package wrapped in black silk, then flapped its wings and flew toward the only window.

Voldemort's eyes turned icy instantly. He abruptly raised his hawthorn wand, pointing the tip straight at the owl that was still struggling in mid-air.

A thin trickle of blood suddenly seeped from the owl's body, extending rapidly as if it were alive, and precisely connecting to the tip of the wand.

As soon as the owl flew out the window, its body disintegrated and dissipated at a visible speed, like a stone eroded by a gale, eventually turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing into the night.

The blood streak, after absorbing the owl's life force, rapidly grew into a bead of blood the size of a thumb, slowly flowing along the wand and eventually merging into Voldemort's withered arm.

Voldemort closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and a satisfied expression appeared on his withered face, as if he was enjoying the feeling of life force flowing into his body.

A few seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the black package on the ground.

He bent down to pick up the package, and with a gentle flick of his fingertips, the silk automatically unfurled.

Inside, besides a letter written on parchment, was an exquisite silver gift box.

Upon opening the gift box, a transparent crystal vial lay quietly on a velvet lining. The vial was filled with a dark red liquid, which could be vaguely seen swaying slowly, exuding a dangerous aura.

Voldemort picked up the vial, shook it gently, and stared intently at the liquid inside.

He slowly unscrewed the bottle stopper, extended his little finger, and carefully probed into the bottle. As soon as his fingertip touched the liquid, his nail was corroded at a visible speed, turning into black powder and falling off.

Seeing this, Voldemort was not angry at all. Instead, he tightened the cork again, a twisted smile on his face, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

He carefully put the vial away and placed it in the inside pocket of his robe. Then he picked up the parchment letter, unfolded it, and began to read it word by word. Only his deep breathing could be heard in the secret room, intertwined with the slight rustling of the letter paper, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Boom boom boom!"

A dull knock broke the silence of the secret room. A deliberately lowered voice, tinged with obvious reverence, came from outside the door: "Master? Are you in there? I have something to report to you."

Voldemort's gaze remained fixed on the parchment letter, his fingertips lightly tracing the words, his tone flat and devoid of any emotion: "Come in."

Barty Crouch Jr. pushed open the door and entered, his black robe sweeping across the gravel on the floor with a slight scraping sound.

As soon as he entered the room, he noticed the letter Voldemort was holding and the black silk scattered on the corner of the table—the remains of a package.

Based on the previous arrangements, he immediately had a guess, but dared not make a direct conclusion. He could only tentatively ask, "Master, is this letter... about the latest news on the Three Kingdoms Tournament?"

"Yes."

Voldemort's reply was extremely concise, without any further explanation. His gaze remained fixed on the letter, as if its contents were more important than Barty's report.

Barty stood there, his fingers gripping the hem of his robe tightly. After hesitating for a few seconds, he forced himself to continue, "Master, about Karkaroff... his behavior on the judges' stand has become increasingly outrageous lately. He's been suppressing the Hogwarts champions at every turn, even disregarding fairness by giving Durmstrang a perfect score. Should we... do something to restrain him? What if his reckless behavior disrupts our plans..."

“No need.” Voldemort finally raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his scarlet eyes, a mocking smile curving his lips. “We did nothing, yet he deliberately exposed his stupidity—a headmaster who can’t even maintain basic fairness is not fit to lead Durmstrang.”

He slowly folded the letter and placed it on the edge of the sarcophagus, his voice laced with calculation: "Is there anything easier than this? Let him continue to make a scene, and let his bias and incompetence be fully exposed. Also, go and arrange for his actions on the referee's bench to be quietly spread to Durmstrang's students—let them see with their own eyes how their principal abuses his power, how he favors his own warriors, and how he suppresses others."

Voldemort took two steps forward, his withered fingers tapping lightly on the sarcophagus. His tone carried an unquestionable command: "Only when they are utterly disappointed in Karkaroff and dissatisfied with the existing order will they understand what they need and crave our intervention. At that time, Durmstrang will naturally become our ally. Now, do as I say."

"Yes, Master! I will arrange it immediately!" Barty Crouch Jr. bowed and replied hastily, his face showing excitement, as if it were a great honor to be able to carry out such a task.

He respectfully retreated to the doorway, gently closed it, and turned to disappear into the darkness.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts, Dylan sat in an armchair by the window, holding a golden egg in his hands, his fingers gently stroking the cracks in the eggshell.

After the discussion, he had a deeper understanding of the riddle of the song inside the golden egg.

This riddle not only contains clues to the second project, but is also full of intriguing alchemical designs. (End of Chapter)