Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

At this point, he turned to Dylan, his eyes filled with inquiry: "Dylan, I heard from Harry that you're going to start the second event of the Triwizard Tournament on March 1st, is that right?"

“That’s right, the exact date is indeed March 1st.” Dylan nodded, then paused as if he had thought of something, and tentatively asked, “Sirius, Harry should have mentioned to you that the second event’s competition venue is underwater in the Black Lake, right? Are you suddenly asking about this because you’re planning to sell our ‘magical live stream’ to the Ministry of Magic for broadcasting the Triwizard Tournament?”

“Of course!” Sirius’s eyes lit up, making no attempt to hide his thoughts. “We who have been to Hogwarts know exactly what the Black Lake is like. We’ve all secretly dived down there when we were students, and we know how complex the underwater environment is. If you want to deal with the mermaids, you have to dive to the bottom of the Black Lake to complete your mission. Although we all trust Headmaster Dumbledore’s arrangements, the underwater world is full of unknowns, and accidents can easily happen.”

He paused, his tone tinged with worry: "Moreover, judging from the situation of the first project, the Ministry of Magic dared to release even a dragon in order to increase the spectacle of the competition. I wouldn't be surprised if they threw other dangerous creatures into the Black Lake this time. In this situation, we need real-time monitoring to ensure the safety of you warriors."

“You’re absolutely right!” Neville immediately agreed, still feeling lingering fear as he recalled the first project. “The first project was really too dangerous! Not only were there two temperamental fire dragons, but there was also a super dangerous creature brought in from outside. I was watching from the audience and I was sweating bullets for you guys.”

“That’s it!” Sirius gave Neville an approving smile and continued, “The main reason the Triwizard Tournament was suspended back then was because the competition was too risky and prone to injuries and fatalities. Now that the competition has resumed, the Ministry of Magic must also be worried about safety issues, so I think they really need our ‘magical live broadcast’ technology to monitor the competition in real time and ensure the safety of the warriors.”

He then changed the subject and brought up the viewing experience: "Even without considering safety issues, just looking at the viewing experience, the Ministry of Magic needs this technology. The second project takes place at the bottom of Black Lake. What can the audience see from the stands? We can't expect everyone to just stare at the surface of Black Lake or be given a fishing rod to fish and kill time, can we?"

"This year's Triwizard Tournament is much larger than ever before, with students from three schools participating, and wizards from all over coming to watch. We can't just let so many people sit idly in the stands; that would really damage the tournament's reputation." Sirius picked up his water glass, took another sip to moisten his dry throat, and continued, "With our 'magical live stream,' these problems can be solved very well."

"Viewers can watch the competition at the bottom of the lake in real time through the live broadcast, so they won't be bored anymore. Ludobagman's commentary skills will also have a place to be put to use. He can explain the details of the competition to the audience based on the live broadcast. The Triwizard Tournament referee team and the Ministry of Magic staff in charge of the event can also keep track of the situation in real time through the live broadcast and feel more at ease."

Finally, Sirius Black emphasized the importance of emergency response: "More importantly, if an emergency occurs at the bottom of the Black Lake, such as a warrior being attacked by a dangerous creature or other unexpected situation, both Headmaster Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic staff can be informed immediately through live broadcast, react quickly, and send people to rescue them in time, further preventing accidents from happening to the warriors. From this point of view, the Ministry of Magic has no reason to refuse our technology."

“Well said! These points are very persuasive.” Lupin, who had been sitting to the side taking notes, looked up, still holding a quill pen in his hand, the paper already covered with dense writing. “When we negotiate with the Ministry of Magic, this can serve as core arguments, giving them no reason to refuse our technology.”

He paused, then added, "More importantly, through 'magical live streaming,' we can anticipate potential dangers in advance without interfering with the fairness of the competition. In this way, the Ministry of Magic can not only observe the warriors' performance in real time and keep track of the competition's progress, but also take necessary emergency measures as soon as possible in case of unexpected events, maximizing the safety of the warriors."

"Speaking of which, we suddenly thought of something!" Fred and George exchanged a glance and said in unison, their voices tinged with urgency, "The most important thing right now is to apply for a patent for this 'magic live streaming' technology! Otherwise, once we launch the technology, some unscrupulous people might steal our work, and that would be a real problem."

"Cough cough cough!" Sirius coughed a few times upon hearing this, interrupting the discussion about patents. "We can discuss the details of patent applications and negotiations with the Ministry of Magic after the meeting. For now, let's focus on the technology itself."

He smiled helplessly and continued, "I always feel that Muggles probably put more effort into protecting these technologies and operating businesses than goblins put into gold and jewels. If we keep discussing these things, it's easy to go on and on and stray from today's meeting topic."

Dylan, who was sitting to the side, exchanged a smile upon hearing this.

Both of them could tell that although Lupin and Sirius were pure-blood wizards, they did not reject the Muggle world like other wizards. Instead, they took the initiative to learn about Muggle technology and rules. Compared to the vast majority of wizards who were stuck in their ways, they had a considerable understanding of the Muggle world today, which was commendable.

As the initiator of this meeting, Sirius quickly steered the conversation back to the core issue: "Although 'Magic Live' is a great help to the second project, solving the problems of security monitoring and viewing experience, we must also pay attention to the technical challenges involved."

His tone turned serious: "The situation underwater in the Black Lake is more complicated than we imagined. We not only have to deal with the interference of underwater creatures like Grindillo and Loba worms, but also, based on our previous observations during our nighttime excursions, the way magic manifests underwater is completely different from how it manifests on land."

"It could even be said that some spells change their effects when cast underwater. For example, an offensive spell might become a defensive spell underwater, and a lighting spell might have a significantly reduced range."

These are all key issues we need to consider during the research and development process, and we cannot take them lightly.

"This is probably Neville and Hannah's area of ​​expertise, right?" Dylan blinked, his tone confident. "You mentioned before that you planned to use some special underwater plants to solve the problem of magic's instability underwater, right?"

As Dylan gained a deeper understanding of the magic livestreaming idea, his thinking became more active, and he began to unconsciously imagine how he would design the technical details and how to avoid potential risks if he were to participate in the project.

Seeing this, Fred and George shrugged and said to everyone present, "See? I told you we couldn't let him know about this plan too early." George continued, "We had discussed before that we would give Dylan a surprise and tell him when the technical solution was more mature. Now, he's already guessed our thinking after we've only told him part of it."

Fred added, "If we don't hurry up and finish what we have to say, he might just finish all the details of the whole plan for us, and then all our previous efforts will have been wasted."

“Don’t say that, actually I’m really looking forward to it.” Dylan waved his hand and smiled at Neville and Hannah. “I’m very curious to know what method Neville and Hannah are planning to use to solve the problem of the instability of underwater magic.”

Moreover, the design concept you just mentioned, using a mirage to represent the final image, is truly brilliant—both ingenious and practical.

Hearing Dylan's praise, George suddenly let out a strange cry, his tone full of excitement: "Oh! Now that you say that, I suddenly feel full of energy. All those difficulties we encountered during the research and development seem like nothing at all!"

“Now I finally understand why so many professors at school like you.” Fred shook his head deliberately, pretending to suddenly realize something. “After all, who doesn’t like someone who can talk well and give precise compliments? Besides, Dylan is so handsome!”

"You two, stop bickering!" Sirius laughed and scolded, then turned to Neville and Hannah. "Ignore them and let Neville and Hannah tell us what your specific plan is."

“Actually… I don’t really have much to say. It’s just some basic potions and plant magic.” Compared to Fred and George’s cheerfulness, Neville seemed particularly reserved. “It’s about extracting the magical properties that allow us to adapt to underwater environments from Christmas cactus and then transferring those properties to common aquatic plants… This idea was actually first proposed by Hannah. I just helped refine some of the details.”

“No, this was an idea Neville and I came up with together, it can’t be attributed solely to me,” Hannah quickly explained. Because of her nervousness, she stuttered even more than Neville. She tugged at Neville’s sleeve and said urgently, “Neville, please tell everyone that we tried it many times together before we succeeded.”

"Okay...okay." Reminded by Hannah, Neville mustered up his courage and took out a clear glass bottle from his backpack, carefully placing it on the table. "This contains the improved aquatic plants we've cultivated. If you think I'm not explaining it clearly, how about we do a demonstration right now? That might be more intuitive, and you can see the effects more clearly."

Seeing Neville and Hannah's nervous yet serious expressions, Lupin nodded first and said gently, "That's right, demonstrating it on the spot is the best way. It allows everyone to clearly understand your results and also helps to identify any potential problems for future improvements."

Everyone else present understood this principle. Even Fred and George, who usually loved to joke, refrained from making any witty remarks. Instead, they joined in the applause to encourage Neville and Hannah, helping them relax and better showcase their achievements.

The moment the applause broke out, Neville and Hannah were visibly startled, then looked up with a hint of confidence in their eyes, and their nervousness eased considerably.

While Sirius and the others were busy organizing the demonstration tools,
Dylan noticed that this aquatic plant was the most common species in the Black Lake. The choice of such a plant was obviously well thought out. In the Black Lake, where the situation is changeable and the species are diverse, common aquatic plants are less likely to arouse the vigilance of magical creatures and can minimize the risk of damage by creatures such as Greendylow, thus ensuring the stability of the live broadcast signal acquisition.

The Christmas cactus used for improvement is a special plant in the magical world. It is a new variety cultivated by herbalists after long-term improvement of the Devil's Web.

Dylan was familiar with the characteristics of the Devil's Web, a plant that is highly aggressive, extending snake-like tendrils to tightly entangle its prey until it strangles it.

When herbalists improved the Devil's Web, they focused on reducing its aggressiveness, using magic to make it more docile and easier to connect with humans.

The resulting Christmas cactus not only lost its deadly threat but also possessed unique interactive abilities. It could sense the presence of humans and would express its affection for them by gently swaying its leaves or even dancing, making it a very endearing magical plant.

“We’ve already done many experiments before.” Just as Dylan was thinking, Neville picked up the glass bottle on the table, his tone more confident than before. “If you put this aquatic plant in the water, it will move along with people who pass by, just like a living ‘follower’.”

“We’ve also done detailed measurements of its sensing range,” Neville said, glancing down at the cap of the glass bottle. “It’s about fifteen feet—within that range, it can accurately sense human presence and react.”

"Speaking of measurement range, we have to mention the prefectural washroom," George picked up where Neville left off, smiling helplessly. "Although the prefectural washroom is much larger than the regular washroom, the space is still limited. We can only measure up to fifteen feet; any further and it's beyond the washroom's boundaries, making it impossible to continue the experiment." (End of Chapter)