Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

It emits an unpleasant odor when thrown, but the smell isn't as pungent as a dung bean, making it a relatively mild prank prop.

There are an unusually large number of students staying on campus this year, and almost everyone wants to try this novel gadget.

For a moment, the auditorium was filled with the booming sounds of cannons, and blue smoke appeared above the long tables from time to time, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Most students received ordinary hats as gifts from the firecrackers: top hats, pointed hats with feathers on the brim, and patterned straw hats. The styles were varied, and some students even received three different hats at once, wearing them all on their heads, looking quite comical.

Hats like Harry's, which have magical effects and resonate with movement, are exceptionally rare.

Dylan looked around the Great Hall and found that among all the Gryffindor tables, and even the tables of other houses, only Harry had found such a magical hat, which was enough to show how precious it was.

Besides hats, firecrackers also contain many other types of gifts, including prank props and practical magical gadgets.

Dylan got a fairly common stink bomb, Ron and Neville each got a bag of stink bombs, Seamus was a little luckier and got a box of frog egg soap. This soap turns into a sticky frog egg shape when it gets wet, which is perfect for playing pranks. Dean got a box of burp candy, which makes you burp continuously with a minty flavor after eating it.

At the other end of the college table, a student from another college was exceptionally lucky, managing to open a firecracker containing an exquisite wizard's chess set. The chess pieces were carved from ivory, and the edges of the chessboard were inlaid with tiny gemstones, clearly indicating its high value and drawing envious glances from the surrounding students.

Before we knew it, the afternoon sunlight gradually became softer.

Dylan stood by the window in the Gryffindor common room, his fingertips lightly resting on the windowsill.

Look down.

A group of Gryffindor students were having a snowball fight. Snowballs flew through the air, accompanied by bursts of joyful laughter and screams. Occasionally, someone could be seen being hit by a snowball, laughing and falling down in the snow, only to quickly get up and rejoin the battle.

At that moment, the image of Ginny in her dress involuntarily appeared in his mind. Although the dress was a Christmas gift he had carefully prepared, he still didn't know what it would ultimately look like.

The production method of this dress is quite special, combining various magic and crafts.

After all, she's his dance partner; hopefully, Ginny will like his gift.

As the sun slowly sank westward, the golden afterglow was gradually replaced by twilight, and the night sky began to take on a faint inky blue hue.

The number of students in the Gryffindor common room gradually decreased as everyone returned to their respective dormitories to change into their dresses for tonight's Christmas ball.

Dylan returned to the dormitory with his roommates.

As soon as he entered the room, Ron couldn't wait to take his suitcase out and quickly change.

After changing, he immediately rushed to the mirror, turned his body left and right to admire his appearance, and then turned to look at the other people who were changing clothes. His gaze quickly fell on Dylan.

“Dylan, the material of your dress looks pretty good. It must feel very comfortable to the touch, right?” Ron stepped forward, reached out to touch the fabric of the dress, then quickly withdrew his hand and said with a smile, “It’s just that the color feels a bit too plain. Apart from the base color, there are almost no decorations. If you added some patterns or sequins, it would definitely be more eye-catching.”

"Really?" Dylan looked down at himself in the mirror, his tone somewhat frank. "I think it's fine this way. It's simple and makes it easier to move around."

The formal attire he wore was a dark blue robe style. Under the soft lights of the dormitory, the fabric had a faint sheen, as if the tranquil night sky had been woven into the fabric, understated yet sophisticated.

The suit was meticulously tailored, with smooth lines that hugged his body curves without feeling tight, while perfectly highlighting his tall and slender figure, giving him a composed and steady demeanor as he walked.

After everyone had changed into their formal attire, they all praised the dress, saying that although it was simple, it showed great taste.

“But I must say—” Ron suddenly clenched his fist and gently touched Dylan’s shoulder, his tone filled with obvious envy, “You have a really good figure! This dress makes your shoulder line and waistline look particularly prominent. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t pull it off like this.”

After everyone finished getting ready, they walked together toward the entrance of the common room.

Just as they were about to leave the lounge and head to the auditorium, Luna suddenly flapped her wings and flew over.

It circled above Dylan's head twice, the air from its flapping wings gently brushing against Dylan's hair. Then it landed back on Dylan's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with its little head in a gesture that was both affectionate and somewhat eager. Afterward, it took flight again, heading towards another corridor leading deeper into the castle, occasionally turning back to look at Dylan as if gesturing for him to follow.

Dylan tilted his head. Luna was his owl, and the two had been together for a long time, so he knew her habits very well.

Seeing its unusual behavior, Dylan blinked. Luna rarely guided the direction like this unless she encountered someone familiar or discovered something special.

He told his roommates to go to the auditorium first, that he would be there soon, and then quickly chased after Luna in the corridor she had flown off to.

Luna flew low ahead, her wings tracing nimble arcs, with Dylan close behind, going against the flow of people heading towards the auditorium.

There were quite a few people in the corridor, all dressed in elegant formal wear, chatting and laughing as they headed towards the ballroom. When they saw Dylan running against the flow of people, some people stepped aside in confusion, while others looked back curiously.

When he finally looked out at the staircase, the first thing he saw was Ginny standing on the landing.

Ginny was walking slowly toward him, dressed in a dreamlike gown, like an elf emerging from the mountains, each step carrying a light rhythm.

This dress is predominantly gold, with the bodice cleverly designed to resemble undulating waves, and the surface is embroidered with extremely delicate white-gold lines.

As Ginny walked, the lines seemed to come alive, shimmering and undulating in the light, as if water were actually flowing gently across the dress.

Night had fallen, and the torches hanging on the wall flickered with orange-red flames. Their light spilled onto the gown, giving the fabric a soft sheen—not the harshness of metal, but rather like the mist that blankets a lake at sunrise, possessing a hazy, translucent quality that made the entire gown appear exceptionally light and airy. The hem of the gown was composed of layers of lace and tulle, with alternating white lace and transparent tulle, the workmanship delicate yet uncluttered.

Every time Ginny moves her feet, the hem of her dress sways gently, its curve as soft as ripples on a lake, each movement perfectly timed.

Ginny's hair was loosely tied up with a red hair clip, which was decorated with a few small diamonds.

When the people around saw Ginny at the top of the stairs, they almost unanimously exclaimed, "Merlin's beard! It's so beautiful!"

Their exclamations attracted the attention of many people around them. Those who were originally walking towards the auditorium turned around and looked in Ginny's direction, whispering among themselves. Some were guessing her identity, while others were admiring the exquisite dress.

Ginny paid no attention to the stares of those around her. Her gaze remained fixed on Dylan, her eyes locked with his. With one hand behind her back, she walked steadily towards Dylan.

"Is it pretty?" Her voice was soft, with a hint of shyness that was barely perceptible, and a trace of expectation hidden in the end of her tone. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Dylan.

"You look great, you've always looked great." Dylan's tone was incredibly sincere, without the slightest hesitation. "Today... it's going to be even more special."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Ginny immediately broke into a bright smile, her eyes brimming with joy, and a faint blush gradually appeared on her cheeks, like clouds dyed by the sunset.

Seeing the gasps of surprise from those around her, Ginny's blush deepened, even her earlobes turned a light pink. She lowered her head shyly and gently tugged at the hem of her dress.

Seeing this, Dylan naturally raised his arm, slightly bent his elbow, and said to Ginny with a smile, "Ms. Ginny, shouldn't we head to the auditorium now?"

“Okay.” Ginny looked up, her eyes still smiling. She gently took Dylan’s arm, her fingertips accidentally brushing against the fabric of his tuxedo, and added softly, “It’s time to test the results of our previous practice.”

After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled. The slight embarrassment caused by the teasing from those around them was instantly dissolved by their tacit smiles.

As more and more students dressed in various gowns walked toward the auditorium, when Dylan and Ginny walked down the moving staircase together, the curious gazes that had been fixed on Ginny were quickly drawn to the other novel gowns and gradually moved away from them, which made the two of them feel much more at ease.

On the other side, Neville was following behind the crowd as they walked down.

Neville also seems to have a remarkable talent for the Confusion Charm.

After Dylan shared some practical spellcasting techniques with him, he quickly grasped the essentials, and his initial nervousness gradually eased.

He watched Dylan's retreating figure ahead, and his steps quickened considerably as he moved with the crowd toward the auditorium.

"Dylan, Ginny, wait a minute."

The two turned around and saw that it was Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall was dressed exceptionally well today, abandoning her usual serious style of dark robes for a red plaid woolen robe. The collar and cuffs of the robe were trimmed with white fur, making it look extra warm. She also wore a black pointed hat with a small wreath woven from thistles on the brim, adorned with a few small red berries, which softened her usually serious face.

Professor McGonagall appeared much more relaxed than usual, a rare gentle smile playing on her lips. She pointed to the crowd entering the Great Hall and said, "We'll go in together after most of the students have gone in—Headmaster Dumbledore specifically asked me to wait for you, saying he has something to tell you."

Dylan and Ginny exchanged a glance, nodded, and stood quietly to the side waiting.

Students occasionally passed by, and when they saw Professor McGonagall, they would greet her politely. Professor McGonagall would smile and nod in response, creating a relaxed and warm atmosphere.

"Ah, I can't wait for the ball!"

Upon hearing the voice, Dylan instinctively looked over and discovered it was Roger, whose dance partner was none other than Fleur Delacour.

Today, Furong wore a silver-gray satin robe. The fabric was as smooth as a mirror and shimmered softly under the light, making her tall figure look exceptionally elegant.

Perhaps noticing Dylan's gaze, Fleur turned her head and nodded slightly in his direction, a polite smile on her lips, her long golden hair swaying gently with the movement.

Just then, Qiu Zhang walked over, holding Luna's hand. Her gaze fell on Luna's dress, and her tone was full of sincere admiration: "Luna, you look beautiful in this dress too!"

Cho Chang's dance partner, Cedric, was also by his side. He walked up to Dylan and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since we talked about magic techniques. The rhythm of the transmutation spell you mentioned last time, I recently tried to adjust it, and the effect is indeed much better."

The two chatted back and forth, from the basic hand gestures of transformation magic to the techniques for generating power in advanced spells, and the conversation gradually became more in-depth.

Before long, Harry and Draco also joined in with their respective dance partners.

Draco's dance partner was Astoria Greengrass, who wore a pale purple dress and had a gentle demeanor, while Harry's dance partner was Luna.

Dylan looked at Astoria and suddenly remembered the letters Lucius Malfoy had sent him. The letters occasionally mentioned the Greengrass family and also mentioned that after the Malfoy family broke with the old families such as Parkinson's, their new partner was the Greengrass family.

He remembered a girl in his Slytherin class named Daphne Greengrass, who was probably Astoria's sister or a close relative, as the two did indeed look somewhat alike.

During a break in their conversation, Harry seemed to suddenly remember something. He raised his hand, pointed to the crowd not far away, and said to Dylan with a smile, "Look over there, Viktor Krum's dance partner is Hermione! Didn't expect that, did you?"

Dylan looked in the direction Harry pointed and soon spotted Hermione.

Today she wore a dark blue evening gown, and her usually somewhat messy brown hair was meticulously styled, becoming smooth and shiny, and adorned with a silver hair clip. (End of Chapter)