Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

However, whenever the armor begins to sing the hymn, the mischievous ghost will suddenly cause trouble inside the armor, using a sharp and off-key voice to create some funny and unpleasant lyrics, mixing them into the armor's singing as "backing vocals," turning the originally solemn hymn into a mess.

Every time Filch discovered this, he would turn pale with anger, brandishing his whip and chasing after the pursuer, while Mrs. Lorris would meow and help search.

The castle's main hall was decorated in a rich ice and snow style.

The red carpet that was originally laid on the ground has been replaced with a white patterned carpet. When you step on it, you can hear a slight "crunching" sound under your feet. The texture is exactly the same as stepping on fresh snow, but it does not leave footprints.

Upon entering the auditorium, the first thing that catches the eye is the twelve tall Christmas trees, each as tall as three people, neatly arranged on both sides of the auditorium, and adorned with all sorts of decorations.

There are dazzling glass decorative balls that sparkle under the lights, red and white candy cane-shaped ornaments that look like they could actually be eaten, snowflakes made of magic that float on the branches and will never melt, and pine cones and branches sprinkled with gold dust that you can feel the real texture when you touch them. Ribbons are wrapped around the branches and sway gently in the breeze in the auditorium.

The Christmas tree is also decorated with many small golden bells. Whenever someone passes by the tree, even if it is just a slight breeze, the bells will automatically shake and make a crisp sound. These sounds can also be cleverly connected to form a series of melodious Christmas carols, without anyone having to control them.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood in the center of the Great Hall, a relaxed smile on his face, talking quietly with Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall.

He would occasionally point with his finger, as if gesturing something. Dylan guessed they were probably discussing which dances to choose for the Christmas ball to make the atmosphere more lively and ensure everyone had a good time.

It's worth mentioning that the owls living in the owl huts have recently become special decorations for the Christmas tree. Some owls are allowed to fly into the hall, where they perch on the tree branches, some carrying small Christmas gift boxes in their beaks, and others with colorful ribbons tied to their wings. Occasionally, they let out a few soft calls, adding a lot of life to the hall.

These owls, which serve as "special decorations," have undergone a remarkable transformation: their feathers have turned a golden color, and sunlight streaming through the auditorium windows illuminates them, reflecting a soft sheen.

When they doze off on the Christmas tree, their bodies remain motionless, and their golden feathers complement the golden bells and pine cones on the tree, making them look like meticulously sculpted golden statues. You can't tell they are alive unless you look closely.

However, these "owl statues" are not actually still.

As soon as a student needs to mail a letter, an owl will immediately wake up, spread its wings, fly down from the branch, and gently land in front of the student. The whole process is smooth and tacit, as if it has been trained countless times.

By noon, the heavy snow that had lasted all morning finally stopped, and a faint ray of sunshine appeared in the sky.

Dylan found Luna and called over several other communal owls, placing the Christmas gifts he had prepared in advance on the claws of each owl.

The owl shed houses many communal owls for students to mail letters or deliver packages.

The communal owl that received the package first lowered its head and ate a handful of the special feed that Dylan had given it, before grabbing the package, flapping its wings, and flying towards the direction outside the castle.

Often, when a person harbors a certain expectation, it can directly alter their biological clock.

Just like this Christmas, the anticipation of Christmas gifts made several of Dylan's roommates wake up several hours earlier than usual—even earlier than Dylan, who always has a regular schedule.

When Dylan slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness was still somewhat hazy, but he caught a faint glimmer of light out of the corner of his eye.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Harry's bed next to him—the bed curtains were drawn tightly, with only a corner of the blanket showing, and Harry was completely wrapped in the blanket, looking like a bulging cotton ball.

Even though he was wrapped up so tightly, a little light still shone through the edge of the blanket, accompanied by a soft rustling sound—the sound of wrapping paper being gently torn open. Clearly, Harry was hiding under the blanket, secretly unwrapping his gift.

Meanwhile, Ron, Neville, and the others had also woken up.

Several people rubbed their sleepy eyes, still feeling drowsy, their hair sticking up in a mess, but they didn't bother to tidy it up. Instead, they skillfully lifted the covers, tiptoed off the bed, and almost "felt" their way to the foot of the bed—where several beautifully wrapped packages were piled up, all Christmas gifts from family and friends.

One by one, the people in the dormitory woke up, and Harry stopped trying to hide it.

He threw back the covers, sat up, still clutching a half-open package in his hand, his face full of excitement, and sped up the process of unwrapping the gift.

The wrapping paper was crumpled into a ball and thrown on the bedside, revealing all sorts of gifts inside: a brand-new quill pen, a notebook printed with magic patterns, and exquisitely packaged chocolates.

Seeing everyone unwrapping their gifts, Dylan thought for a moment, then sat up after lying down for a while and reached for the packages placed on the bedside table.

The packages he received were mostly from his school friends. The gifts were similar to those in previous years, mostly practical and thoughtful little things. There were imported candies sent by Hermione, with rotating magical patterns printed on the packaging; Quidditch-themed snacks sent by Harry, with each cookie shaped like the Golden Snitch; and a stationery set sent by Ron, where the ink would temporarily turn the words red, which was very fun.

Among them, Mrs. Weasley's gift was as heartwarming as ever—a pair of hand-knitted wool trousers.

Oh, he doesn't like wearing this kind of thing at all.

However, Dylan still reached out and touched it. The fabric was thick and soft, and it felt warm against his skin without being prickly.

Unlike the woolen garments of my previous life, which my mother said would still be itchy even if I didn't wear them.

Even so, Dylan still doesn't like wearing wool pants or sweaters.

Surprisingly, Draco Malfoy also sent a gift: a beautifully packaged collector's edition book.

The deep blue cover is adorned with gold patterns, and the spine features exquisite embossing. Upon opening the first page, you can see a blessing written in silver ink on the title page.

After Harry and the others had finished unwrapping their gifts, they noticed that there were still many unopened packages scattered around Dylan's bed.

Ron exclaimed, "Dylan, you always get so many gifts! I'm so envious!"

Before Dylan could answer, Harry interrupted, waving his hand and saying, "Is this a lot? I think it's far too little! Think about it, Dylan knows so many people—friends, professors, and people from the wizarding world. If everyone sent him a gift, the number would definitely be much greater!"

“That’s absolutely right, you make a lot of sense.” Ron nodded in agreement immediately after hearing Harry’s words. “The number of presents that Quidditch stars I know receive every Christmas is simply unimaginable—”

He looked around the dormitory and tried to describe the sheer size of the place in more vivid terms: "Even if it couldn't fill half the dormitory, it would definitely cover all our beds, leaving us nowhere to even sit!"

A large portion of the gifts Dylan received were candy and snacks. He plans to keep them in his dorm room and share them with his roommates.

After Harry and the others had settled their gifts, they also came over to help, sorting the various candies and snacks into categories. Chocolates were placed in a tin box, hard candies in glass jars, and cookies were neatly arranged in cardboard boxes. They quickly organized everything in an orderly manner.

While his roommates were sorting out snacks, Dylan continued unpacking the remaining packages.

One of the packages from Hagrid was particularly heavy. When he opened it, he found a large box of roughly packaged but substantial candies, as well as a small nest built from the fur of various magical animals and the branches and leaves of magical plants.

The little house looks a bit messy, with various materials haphazardly tangled together, yet it's exceptionally sturdy, clearly displaying Hagrid's unique style.

Tucked inside the package was a short note of blessing. In it, Hagrid specifically mentioned that the little house was a Christmas gift for Coalball, and he hoped it would have a comfortable place to live.

Dylan picked up the small nest and examined it carefully, inwardly marveling at Hagrid's unassuming nature.

This little nest may look ordinary, but upon closer inspection, you'll find that the materials used are anything but simple.

Not bad~

Dylan picked up the next package.

Most of these remaining packages came from Hogwarts professors, and they contained mostly recently published magic books. After reading these books, if the professors felt that the content was valuable and could inspire Dylan, they would buy them and give them to him.

In addition to books, the professors also sent revised notes.

For example, the gift Professor Flitwick sent was a book of his detailed personal reflections on the "Pleasure Land".

Professor Flitwick supplemented and reorganized the contents of his notes based on the insights he gained from his previous discussions with Dylan.

He knew Dylan's study habits very well. He didn't delete the original content before organizing it, but kept it directly and marked it with different colored ink next to it so that Dylan could compare and refer to it and extract the parts he needed.

After more than half an hour of effort, Dylan finally finished unpacking all the packages.

With Harry's help, all the candy and snacks were sorted out and neatly arranged in the dormitory lockers.

Navei looked at the cabinet full of snacks and swallowed hard. "My goodness, this candy could probably feed all of us for half a year!"

"Eat whatever you want from now on," Dylan said.

The gift-receiving session has ended.

Dylan tidied himself up and then got up.

Ginny happened to be on the sofa in the common room when she saw him and stood up.

"Merry Christmas!" Ginny walked up to Dylan and said shyly in a low voice, "The gift you gave me looks so expensive. I really like it, but isn't it a bit too much?"

Dylan waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's not expensive at all."

Ginny paused, her voice becoming even softer than before, a faint blush rising on her cheeks: "Then, I'd like to wait until you put on your dress and we go to the Christmas ball together before I give you my Christmas present, is that alright?"

“Okay.” Dylan looked into Ginny’s bright eyes, nodded, and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “But can you tell me a little bit now? Like, what kind of gift is it?”

“No.” Ginny shook her head gently, her cheeks flushing even more. She winked at Dylan, her tone playful, “We need to keep it a little mysterious, so it’ll be a surprise later!”

Dylan shrugged: "Okay then."

As time went by, it was soon time to eat.

Both breakfast and lunch that day were served much more lavishly than usual. In addition to regular dishes such as toast, fried eggs, and sausages, there were also many Christmas-themed foods, such as adorable gingerbread decorated with snowflakes and Christmas trees in icing, and steaming hot Christmas pudding with a rich aroma of cinnamon and raisins, topped with a thick layer of brandy cream.

At lunchtime, the plates were adorned with new additions: a huge pile of roasted turkey with a golden, crispy skin, revealing tender, juicy meat when sliced; fresh smoked salmon, neatly sliced ​​and arranged on ice, accompanied by a special sauce.

In addition, each student's plate had a brightly packaged toy with the words "Cribbitch Wizard Firecrackers" printed on it.

The way to play with these wizard firecrackers is very special. Just pull the switch at the top, and the firecracker will make a loud noise like a cannon boom, while emitting a thick cloud of blue smoke.

This cloud of smoke will instantly engulf the person who sets off the firecracker. To make the smoke dissipate, you must find the small gift hidden inside the smoke. Only after you get the gift will the smoke automatically disperse.

Harry was the first to pick up a firecracker and try it.

He gently pulled the switch, and after a loud "bang," blue smoke instantly enveloped him.

A few seconds later, the smoke gradually dissipated, and Harry was wearing a fluffy lion head hat.

He laughed and put on the hat, letting out a loud "Awoo!" Unexpectedly, the hat also let out a loud roar, startling several owls nearby into flapping their wings and flying away, making everyone laugh out loud.

Dylan also picked up a firecracker and set it off.

After the smoke cleared, he had a small bag of black, round objects in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be stink bombs.

This stink bomb is a weakened version of the dung bomb, and its usage is similar. (End of Chapter)