Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

"Hearing you say that, I suddenly thought of Principal Dumbledore's original intention in creating 'The Voice of Hogwarts'."

Cedric, standing nearby, thoughtfully chimed in, "Hasn't the headmaster always encouraged us not to blindly follow traditional magical theories, but to develop our own understanding of magic through practice and reflection? Isn't that the same principle as what you mean by 'finding the magic that suits you'?"

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Dylan replied with a smile, his eyes showing a hint of agreement. “Headmaster Dumbledore’s original intention was to help us break free from the constraints of our existing ways of thinking, explore the essence of magic in our own way, develop our own understanding of magic, find the magic that truly suits us, and then practice and study it continuously so that we can cast magic ‘freely’ and make magic an asset rather than a burden.”

“But… what if the magic that suits you is weak?” Draco hesitated for a moment before expressing his concern. “For example, those basic spells that almost every wizard can learn in their early years, even if you’re very proficient at them, how useful are they?”

Dylan immediately understood Draco's implication. Born into a noble wizarding family, he had been exposed to high-level magic since childhood, and perhaps deep down he looked down on basic magic.

Dylan didn't directly refute him, but instead asked with a smile, "Draco, do you know about the Dancing Charm?"

"The Dancing Charm?" Draco paused for a moment, then nodded, his tone slightly puzzled. "Of course I know it. It's a basic spell we learn in our first year. Just wave your wand and say the spell, and you can make the target dance uncontrollably. There's nothing special about it."

"What if I told you that in the history of magic, the Dancing Charm once triggered a volcanic eruption?" Dylan continued, a mysterious smile in his eyes.

"A volcanic eruption?" Draco's eyes widened instantly, his voice filled with disbelief, even rising in volume. "You mean, that kind of volcanic eruption that can destroy an entire village, spewing lava and ash, was caused by the Dancing Charm? How is that possible? How could a basic spell have such power?"

“Sorry, I wasn’t quite right just now,” Dylan added with a smile, easing Draco’s shock. “It must be the result of two spells used together. Besides the Dancing Charm, there’s also the Revival Charm. I forgot to mention one spell earlier, which caused you to misunderstand.”

He paused, then continued, "There are scattered records about this in the literature of magical history. If you are interested, you can look for it in the restricted book section or the ancient document section of the library. You might be able to find more detailed records. This is the most fascinating thing about magic. It has no absolute distinction between strong and weak. The key lies in how wizards understand it, how they use it, and how they combine different spells in innovative ways."

“A seemingly weak basic spell can unleash power far beyond your imagination if you can control it ‘freely,’ constantly explore its potential, and discover how it can be combined with other spells. From this perspective, any spell can make a wizard incredibly powerful; the key is whether you are willing to invest time and effort to explore its potential.”

After hearing Dylan's words, Draco's tense expression visibly eased. His brows were no longer furrowed, and his eyes, which had initially been filled with doubt, became more profound. He leaned against the table, his fingers unconsciously stroking the handle of his wand, clearly still pondering the issue of how the strength of magic was suited to him. Perhaps he was replaying the connection between the Dancing Charm and the volcanic eruption that had just been mentioned in his mind.

“It’s getting late.” Dylan looked up at the window; the sun was now directly overhead. He said casually, “It should be lunchtime by now. If we don’t get to the auditorium soon, all the delicious roasted potatoes might be gone.”

He paused, then added, "It's rare to have such a nice day, with no wind or clouds. If you're still in the mood after lunch, you can go outside the castle to soak up some sun. Sunlight can make your mind clearer, and perhaps while you're sunbathing, you'll be able to figure out those questions about magic from earlier."

"The sun?" Draco followed Dylan's gaze to the window, squinting slightly as he looked up at the sky. The midday sun was exceptionally bright, its warmth dispelling the oppressive atmosphere of their earlier discussion about dark magic.

He stood by the window for a long time, until Harry climbed out of the drawer and closed the drawer door. Then he lowered his head, thoughtfully raised his wand, and gently twirled it with his fingertips, as if simulating the action of casting a spell, or as if sorting out his chaotic thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts Castle were drawing to a close, and many students only then suddenly remembered that they still had a lot of holiday homework to finish.

The Gryffindor students, in particular, were as anxious as ants on a hot plate.

Before Professor McGonagall went to inspect the auditorium, they wandered around the auditorium, whispering to students from other colleges, wanting to borrow the assignments for "reference" in an attempt to finish the task at the last minute.

In preparation for Professor McGonagall's surprise inspection, several clever Gryffindor students volunteered to stand guard at the Great Hall entrance.

They all carried pepper mints in their pockets, and as soon as they spotted Professor McGonagall in the distance, or saw the iconic tabby cat appear around the corner of the corridor, they would immediately eat one, spitting out a small cluster of flames from their noses as a warning. Upon seeing the flames, the people in the Great Hall would immediately put away their homework and pretend to chat casually, the whole process showing perfect coordination.

As the last rays of the Christmas holiday faded from the top of Hogwarts' towers, students from all over returned to the castle, and the once quiet corridors and Great Hall, which had been somewhat empty due to the holiday, instantly returned to their usual bustling state.

Students, walking in groups, carried backpacks full of textbooks and excitedly shared their holiday adventures. Some went to Diagon Alley to buy new wands, some went to a magical resort with their families, and some even invented new prank spells at home. The entire castle was enveloped in this lively and cheerful atmosphere.

On the first day of the second semester, Fred and George Weasley brought the excitement to a new climax.

That morning, instead of waiting for the moving staircase to slowly rotate to their platform as usual, the two cast an invisible barrier spell under the watchful eyes of the students, and invisible steps appeared out of thin air beneath their feet.

They moved as nimbly as two agile squirrels, leaping step by step from the third-floor platform to the first-floor lobby with a joyful rhythm reminiscent of hopscotch, without using any physical stairs, eliciting gasps of amazement from the surrounding students.

This unique way of going downstairs, unrestricted by the moving staircase, instantly ignited the enthusiasm of Gryffindor students. After all, who wouldn't want to get rid of the hassle of waiting for the stairs to turn and go downstairs quickly and stylishly?

However, most Gryffindor students who had already mastered the Obstacle Charm soon discovered that imitating Fred and George's actions was far more difficult than they had imagined.

Standing on the edge of the platform and looking down, the mere height of a few stories was enough to make one dizzy, not to mention the need to precisely control the range and hardness of the obstacle spells to ensure that each step on the "invisible steps" could steadily support the body weight.

Several daring students tried to jump from the second floor, but either they lost control of the spell and the "steps" under their feet suddenly disappeared, causing them to fall flat on their backs, or they lost their balance and crashed into the stair railing, not only getting bruised and battered but also nearly hitting younger students who were passing by, who screamed and dodged away.

Fortunately, Hogwarts' medical magic is advanced enough that whether it's a broken leg, a cracked rib, or even a bizarre injury like the occasional "bone being pulled out," as long as you drink a bottle of Madam Pomfrey's Bone Regenerating Elixir in time, you can recover completely in less than half a day.

Even so, going to the school hospital to treat the wound and wait for the bone to heal will still take a lot of time.

This resulted in many Gryffindor students who tried to imitate him being injured and delayed in class, becoming late one after another.

Being late at Hogwarts means losing points, especially since Professor Snape is in charge of supervising the Gryffindor students.

This Potions professor, who has never had a good impression of Gryffindor, never shows any mercy to students who are late. He deducts five points at the very least, and ten points at the worst, for reasons ranging from "lax attitude" to "disrespect for the class."

By the end of the first day of the second semester, the hourglass in the Gryffindor common room, which symbolized the House Cup score, was noticeably less than it had been in the morning. The once full ruby ​​beads were now reduced to a thin layer, swaying gently in the hourglass.

Some students did a rough calculation and found that if the frequency of tardiness continued, coupled with Professor Snape's merciless penalty, Gryffindor's points would probably be completely deducted in three days at most, setting a record for the lowest House Cup score in recent years.

As the head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall naturally discovered this serious problem very quickly.

But on the first day of school, as the vice-chancellor, she had too many things to deal with. She had to coordinate the course schedules of various colleges, receive returning professors, and handle the various administrative affairs that had accumulated during the holidays. She simply didn't have time to discipline the "suicide spree" caused by Fred and George.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the following day that Professor McGonagall finally had the time to personally "stake out" near the movable staircase.

Her crackdown was quite successful; in just one hour, she caught a group of Gryffindor students, including Fred, George, and their "loyal follower" Li Jordan.

Professor McGonagall knew these energetic Gryffindors all too well. Punishing them by making them patrol the Forbidden Forest was more like sending them on an adventure to an amusement park, which had no effect on them at all. Making them clean the classroom seemed like a weak punishment, and they would soon relapse into their old ways.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Professor McGonagall decided to send the students to the library to copy books. And this wasn't just a matter of casually copying; afterward, they would have to take an exam on the content of the books. Only those who passed could leave. If they failed, they would have to copy an even thicker, more obscure magical tome until they passed the exam. This punishment proved effective. Spending hours buried in thick ancient texts copying books and memorizing tedious magical theories was too much for even the most energetic Gryffindors.

Before long, no one in the castle could be seen trying to "jump the stairs" using the Obstacle Charm anymore. As for those students who still refused to stop and secretly planned new pranks, they were soon caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall and obediently joined the "book-copying army" in the library.

The moving staircase at Hogwarts has finally returned to its former order.

The end of the Christmas holidays not only brought Hogwarts Castle back to its bustling state, but also made Hogsmeade Village at the foot of the mountain lively again.

Shops along the street had taken down their Christmas decorations early, but quickly put up new merchandise. Honeydukes' window was piled high with freshly baked butter cookies and new chocolate frogs, with the latest wizard cards printed on the wrappers. Zok's joke shop had squealing rubber chickens and fireworks that produced colorful smoke hanging outside, attracting students to stop and watch. Even the usually quiet pharmacy had placed its newly concocted energy potion in the most conspicuous position, with a label that read "For combating school fatigue."

Students strolled through the streets in twos and threes, carrying newly bought snacks or toys, their laughter and conversations filling the air.

Dylan slowly avoided the noisy crowd and turned into a relatively quiet alley.

At the end of the alley, a slightly old wooden building stood quietly, with a faded wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Pig Head Bar" in large characters. This was his destination.

Pighead Bar is not as lively during the day as it is at night, with only a few regulars sitting at a corner table, slowly sipping their butterbeer.

Behind the bar, Aberforth Dumbledore was killing time as usual. He held a dirty-looking rag in his hand and repeatedly wiped the equally stained glass. His movements were slow and leisurely, as if he was enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

Dylan opened a guest room.

Soon after, another group of people came in.

First are Fred and George.

Actually, they come here often, and the reason they come so often is...

The principle is to "save where you can and spend where you can".

They discovered that the potion ingredients here were significantly cheaper than those in the pharmacies in Diagon Alley.

They can also occasionally find some interesting secondhand props, which they can use to develop their prank products.

The two men's striking red hair was too eye-catching, and since they could chat with Aberforth every time they came, they gradually became familiar with the bar owner and even got some "exclusive discounts for regular customers".

Dylan walked to the bar and began introducing his companions to Aberforth.

"This is Neville Longbottom, and that is Hannah Abbott. They are both core members of the team responsible for potion research and development."

“Longbottom? Abbot?” Aberforth’s eyes lit up slightly when he heard Neville’s surname. He stroked his beard and looked at Neville, asking, “Longbottom boy, how is your grandmother Molly Longbottom doing? I even attended the wizarding gathering with her back in the day.”

"Oh? Hello!" Neville was flattered that Aberforth knew his grandmother and quickly nodded, saying, "My grandmother is in good health. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Aberforth!"

“Just call me Aberforth, no need for ‘Sir,’ it sounds awkward.” Aberforth waved his hand and corrected him, “Your grandmother and I are old acquaintances, calling me that makes it sound too formal.”

"Okay! First... Aberforth!" Neville quickly corrected himself, but he was so nervous that he almost made a mistake again, and his cheeks turned red.

“Nawi, don’t be so nervous. Aberforth people are very easy to get along with, they just look a bit serious.”

Fred noticed Neville's embarrassment and quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile, even winking at Aberforth.

“That’s right, that’s right!” George put his arm around Neville’s shoulder and chimed in, “Aberforth has helped us a lot. The batch of unicorn feathers we found last time was specially left for us by him.”

"Heh heh! You two rascals, you still remember the good things I did for you." Aberforth laughed, amused by Fred and George, his tone teasing. "Knowing I've helped you a lot, now that your prank shop is thriving and you're rich, you don't come to my shabby bar as often anymore. Is that fair?"

“You’re right, that really doesn’t make sense!” Fred immediately chimed in, his attitude very “sincere.”

George glanced around the bar, then turned to Aberforth, winked, and said, "How about this, we'll treat everyone to drinks tonight? Consider it a thank you for your previous patronage."

"You two rascals, still so cunning!" Aberforth laughed loudly, pointing at the people in the hall. "There are only six people here now, and even with you two, that's only eight. How much can they drink? You think you can take advantage of me for such a small thing!"

After laughing, he pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor and his tone became serious: "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. Hurry up and go upstairs. I've already checked the FiloNet in the guest rooms upstairs, and it's fine."

"See? I told you Aberforth was easy to get along with!" Fred and George gave Neville a thumbs up, patted him on the shoulder, and led the group noisily upstairs.

Not long after everyone sat down in the guest room, they heard a crackling sound coming from the fireplace.

The once quiet flames suddenly became restless, and ashes flew up and landed on the carpet around the fireplace.

In the blink of an eye, the orange flames in the fireplace suddenly turned into a bright emerald green, as if by magic.

The emerald green flames surged and rolled, gradually outlining two figures. Then, Lupin and Sirius emerged from the flames one after the other, still carrying a faint scent of smoke.

"I really miss this place..." Sirius Black had just stepped out of the fireplace when he opened his arms and took a deep breath, as if trying to savor the long-lost air. But he couldn't help but cough violently halfway through his breath. "How long has it been since we've been here... cough cough cough!"

It turned out that he had taken a breath too quickly and accidentally inhaled the ashes from the fireplace that hadn't yet dissipated into his throat, choking him so much that his eyes almost welled up with tears. The words he was about to say were also interrupted, and he could only cough and rub his throat, looking rather disheveled.

Lupin stood to the side, looking at Sirius's appearance, shook his head helplessly, and handed him a handkerchief, his tone teasing: "You're so old, yet still so impulsive, you haven't changed at all."

"Tch, you're out there brewing medicine all day, I think you've just been inhaling too much cigarette smoke." (End of Chapter)