Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

He looked up at the Quidditch pitch outside the tent, his eyes filled with anticipation: "If we could use this screen on the Quidditch pitch in the future, so that the audience could clearly see every move the players make in the air, even if they were sitting in the last row of the stands, they could see it as clearly as if they were right on the pitch, then the viewing experience of a Quidditch match would be amazing, and it would definitely attract more people to watch the game!"

Seeing Dylan and the others file into the tent, Ludobagman immediately sprang up from his armchair like a fish out of water and jumped down nimbly.

A bright smile spread across his face as he waved enthusiastically to the group, gesturing to several empty armchairs inside the tent: "Dear Hogwarts warriors, come and sit down! No need to stand, let's sit and wait a bit—I think the warriors from the other schools should be arriving soon!"

Dylan and his companions sat down in the empty chairs as Ludobagman gestured.

Before long, warriors from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang entered the tent one after another, and the once somewhat empty tent instantly became lively.

"It seems everyone is eager to start the competition!" Ludobagman maintained his bright smile, proudly tossing the "projection screen" in his hand, and said in a light tone, "Now that everyone is here, I'll briefly explain the precautions for the competition..."

Ludobagman held up the "visual projection screen" high, raised his chin to all the warriors in the tent, and said with pride, "Warriors, look at this! This is a new viewing device we specially prepared for this competition - the 'visual projection screen'! With it, the audience in the stands can clearly see every move you make during the underwater competition, perfectly capturing your heroic posture, and no longer have to worry about missing any exciting moments!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the warriors inside the tent changed instantly.

Some warriors blushed, as if they were worried that their underwater magic was not yet proficient enough and that they would embarrass themselves in front of everyone. Others turned pale and unconsciously clenched their clothes, clearly nervous about this "all-round exposure" competition method—after all, no one wanted to expose their weaknesses under the gaze of wizards all over the world.

“Ah…yes!” Draco Malfoy’s voice suddenly rang out, short and soft, with a clear hint of sarcasm.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over the tense warriors, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Looks like quite a few of you are feeling uneasy, aren't you? You probably think that with this live-streaming screen, your clumsy underwater magic will be exposed and humiliated in front of everyone—after all, not everyone is like me, having mastered underwater spells to perfection."

After saying that, he deliberately clapped his hands twice, the applause sounding particularly jarring in the quiet tent.

"However, Mr. Bagman, as a Quidditch hitter back in the day, you certainly had a talent for demoralizing your opponents that no one else could match—now you can even use the spectator equipment to put pressure on them, which is truly admirable."

Ludobagman seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Draco's words, maintaining his cheerful smile. He casually placed the "projection screen" on the table beside him, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, enough joking! Now that all the warriors from all the schools are here, it's time for our match to begin!"

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over each warrior, his tone becoming more serious: "After the first challenge, did you take the time to decipher the secret inside the golden egg? Remember, the clues inside the golden egg are crucial to the success or failure of the second challenge. If you haven't cracked the secret by now, you'll likely find yourselves in a very passive position in the upcoming competition!"

Upon hearing the words "golden egg," many warriors inside the tent nodded subconsciously, some even secretly touching the golden egg in their pockets, their eyes filled with certainty—clearly, they had already solved the mystery of the golden egg and were ready to face the challenge.

"Great! It seems most people already know the secret of the golden egg, so the competition can proceed smoothly!" Ludobagman smiled with satisfaction and strode towards the inner curtain of the tent.

He reached out and lifted the curtain, sticking his head out and shouting loudly, "Employees outside, you can come in now!"

"Attention everyone, the second test has officially begun from this moment on!"

Ludobagman pushed the curtain aside completely, and saw many staff members dressed in neat Ministry of Magic uniforms, lined up in two rows, and entered the tent in an orderly manner.

Each of them held a silver metal box, which looked like a container for storing items.

Ludobagman softly hummed the eerie song from the golden egg, the tune rising and falling: "In the very beginning, you will lose the treasure you depend on for survival..."

At this point in the song, he stopped singing, his gaze falling on the wands hanging at the waists of all the warriors, and solemnly announced: "And the treasure you will lose in this competition is something that is extremely important to every wizard—your wands! Now, please hand over your wands to the Ministry of Magic staff next to you. They will keep them safe and return them after you finish the competition."

Upon hearing the words "lost their wands," the faces of most of the warriors in the tent instantly turned grim, and some couldn't help but mutter under their breath, "They really are going to take away the wands..."

Although they had already cracked the secret of the golden egg and knew that the competition was related to "losing the treasure," everyone's heart sank when the "treasure" clearly pointed to the magic wand. For wizards, the magic wand is their weapon and partner for survival. Moreover, the second event was to be held at the bottom of the lake, which was an unfamiliar place for everyone. Without the help of the magic wand, the challenge would undoubtedly be much more difficult.

"Please remember this!" Ludobagman stepped forward, his tone more solemn than before, "The test of the second project has officially begun from this moment on!"

Dylan raised an eyebrow, keenly sensing the deeper meaning in Ludobagman's words—the so-called "test" was probably not just about the subsequent underwater missions; every choice from now on could affect the outcome of the competition.

Sure enough, Ludobagman then added, "If you need to cast preparatory spells before going into the water, you can start casting them now! We will give you one minute to use your wands to complete the necessary magical enhancements."

He raised his arm and pointed to the Ministry of Magic staff standing on both sides of the tent. "After one minute, please make sure to hand your wands to the staff member next to you. They will keep them safe in a special metal box, and there is absolutely no risk of damage or loss."

Hearing this, Draco, whose face had been tense, visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried about not being able to cope with underwater breathing without his wand, but now there was finally a turning point.

“Looks like we don’t need to use such a troublesome thing as gill sap!” He slowly raised his right hand, his long fingers gripping his wand, and gently waved it at his body, clearly reciting the spell, “Water-to-Air Charm!” At almost the same time, Cedric and Harry did the same, raising their wands and casting the Bubble Head Charm on themselves.

After practicing for a while, Harry and Draco have made significant progress in their Bubble Head Charm. The transparent air membrane that originally only covered their heads now extends downwards, enveloping their chests as well. From a distance, it looks like they are wearing a half-diving suit, with their heads and upper bodies covered by a transparent "fish tank," ensuring they can breathe while protecting their upper bodies from the lake water.

Most of the warriors inside the tents thought of using the "soaking head spell" as a solution for breathing underwater.

For a moment, chanting in various languages ​​filled the tent, rising and falling in waves.

A few seconds later, almost every warrior had a transparent "fishbowl" placed upside down on their head. Some "fishbowls" were larger, covering their shoulders, while others were smaller, just covering their heads.

Dozens of people stood in the tent with "fish tanks" on their heads, a scene that was both spectacular and somewhat comical—especially since some of the "fish tanks" were not properly shaped and were crookedly placed on their heads, making them look like they were wearing strange hats.

……

Standing to the side, Ludobagman couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd scene before him.

He pursed his lips tightly, trying hard not to laugh out loud, and slowly moved to the corner of the tent, turning his back to everyone.

Even so, his shoulders were still shaking uncontrollably, and he kept making soft "pfft" sounds in his throat, clearly laughing heartily—he had probably never seen so many "warriors with fish tanks on their heads" in all his years of organizing events.

Although Ludobagman's laughter was faint, it was still caught by Draco's keen hearing.

His relaxed expression instantly darkened, his cold gaze sweeping towards the corner, his tone tinged with displeasure: "I've suddenly changed my mind... Perhaps it would be better if we used the gill-bag grass, at least we wouldn't be ridiculed for wearing such a ridiculous thing."

Meanwhile, Harry was completely oblivious to Draco's displeasure; his attention was entirely drawn to the "bubble head charm" on Dylan.

"Dylan, how did you do that?" He quickly walked to Dylan's side, curiously examining the transparent membrane on the other's body. "Is this also a Bubble Head Curse? Why is it different from ours?"

“Yes, it’s essentially still the Bubble Head Curse, just with a touch of Transfiguration magic.” Dylan nodded, gently raising his hand to show the transparent membrane on his body. “It’s not particularly practical. You have to 'weave' the Bubble Head Curse’s air membrane onto your body little by little, like wearing clothes, and you also have to control its thickness and coverage.”

Only then did everyone notice that the transparent film on Dylan's body was only a very shallow layer, unlike the others who had thick "fish tanks." Instead, it covered his entire body evenly and even swayed gently with the movement of his robes. It was as if he was wearing a transparent, water-repellent shirt over his ordinary robes, which was both beautiful and practical, forming a stark contrast to the "fish tanks" of the others.

“Harry, let’s not try that complicated head-bubble spell now. Our time is almost up,” Cedric said, walking quickly to Harry’s side and urging him on.

He pointed to the "fishbowl" covering Harry's head and explained further: "To achieve the full-body coverage effect like Dylan did, the magical structure of the Bubble Head Charm needs to be completely reconstructed; it's not something that can be achieved with simple adjustments."

"If not handled properly, air can easily leak out. At first, it may just be a tiny crack, but as the underwater pressure increases, lake water will slowly seep into the air bubble. That would be dangerous at the bottom of the lake, and could even affect your breathing."

As Cedric spoke, he gently swayed his body, causing the transparent membrane covering him to ripple slightly. Although it wasn't as thin and even as Dylan's, it covered a wider area than Harry's "fish tank."

Harry's gaze fell on the bubbles surrounding Cedric, and he instantly realized what was happening. He quickly asked, "Cedric, did you use a similar transfiguration technique when you cast the Bubble Head Charm? Is that why your bubbles covered such a large area?"

“That’s right, I did try to incorporate a bit of Transfiguration.” Cedric gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly. “But this technique is really difficult to master. I’ve practiced for several days and can only manage to cover my upper body. Moreover, the stability of the bubble is far inferior to Dylan’s. If I make even a slight movement, the edges will ripple. It might even cause problems underwater.”

"Then let's not try it. Safety is the most important thing." Harry nodded immediately, abandoning the idea.

He turned to Draco, who was straightening his robes, and asked in confusion, "Draco, were you talking to me just now? I was so focused on Dylan's Bubble Charm that I didn't quite catch it."

Just as Draco was about to respond, Ludobagman's cheerful voice suddenly rang out from outside the tent. He was all smiles and shouted, "Time's up! One minute is up. All warriors, please hand your wands to the Ministry of Magic staff next to you immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the Ministry of Magic staff on both sides of the tent did not send representatives to collect the items one by one as everyone had expected. Instead, they swarmed forward and walked quickly toward the warriors.

When Dylan saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he instantly realized something—this might be the first hidden test of the competition.

Taking advantage of the moment before the staff reached them, he quickly leaned close to Harry and Cedric and whispered, "Everyone, pay attention. Just in case, immediately memorize what the staff member who took your wands looks like—including details of his clothing, hairstyle, and facial features, the more detailed the better." (End of Chapter)