Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

“To separate the entire Black Lake, that must be profound magic!” Draco added from the side, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. “Dylan, in that case, you must be even more amazing than Headmaster Dumbledore now, right? There are probably only a handful of wizards in the entire wizarding world who can do something like that.”

“I think it should be about the same level of skill!” Harry immediately corrected him.

"What are you all whispering about here?" Madam Pomfrey's voice came from the doorway. She strode in carrying two large bottles full of potions, followed by a small cart with several clean cups on it.

Madam Pomfrey placed the bottle on the bedside table, picked up a glass, and poured two glasses of different colored potions for Harry, Cedric, and Draco—one light blue and the other light orange.

"Drink these two potions. The light blue one is an energy booster, and the light orange one is an invigorating potion. If you feel sleepy after drinking them, take a good nap and get some rest."

After leaving this instruction, Mrs. Pomfrey, carrying the empty tray, turned around to tidy the bedding on the other beds, giving them some private space.

Without hesitation, Harry and Cedric picked up their cups and downed both potions in one gulp. The potions were slightly cool and had a faint herbal taste, not unpleasant at all. Just as they were about to put down their cups and lie back down on the bed to rest, they heard a violent coughing sound coming from beside them.

"Cough cough cough! Ugh..." Draco covered his mouth with one hand and supported himself on the hospital bed with the other, coughing violently. His face turned red, and he even dry heaved. After a while, he calmed down a little, but his face looked terrible, as if he had just gone through a painful ordeal.

"What is this?! How can it taste so awful!" Draco frowned, his tone full of disgust. "It tastes like... like drinking water infused with rotten dandelion roots, mixed with slug slime! I can't even describe how disgusting it is!"

"Does it taste strange?" Harry looked at his cup with a puzzled expression, then turned to Cedric. "Cedric, do you think the potion you just drank tastes strange? I didn't think so, it tasted pretty normal."

"The potion tastes strange?" Cedric subconsciously pursed his lips, carefully savoring the lingering taste in his mouth, then shook his head. "Hmm... I think it's no different from the healing potions I usually drink in class, just a regular herbal taste, not bad at all."

Dylan sat on the hospital bed, his gaze sweeping over Harry and Cedric's faces. He suddenly noticed wisps of white smoke rising from their hair and collars. He immediately realized what was happening and explained, "The pale blue potion you drank was probably an energizer. The white smoke is normal—after all, we've been at the bottom of the lake for so long, and our bodies are chilled. Madam Pomfrey was worried we'd catch a cold, so she used an energizer to help us dispel the chill. The other light orange one is probably a stimulant to help us regain our strength."

He paused, then added, "When I first returned to the school infirmary, Madam Pomfrey examined me and gave me those two potions. My hair was emitting white smoke for a while, but it stopped after a bit."

"Invigorating potion and energizing potion? So those are the two kinds of magical potions?" Draco's complexion improved slightly after hearing the explanation. He sighed softly, as if accepting the fact. "Alright! I understand now..."

"What do you understand?" Harry asked curiously. "Since it's a common potion, why did it hurt so much when you drank it? Have you never drunk these potions before? The Malfoy family shouldn't lack these things, right?"

Draco didn't answer Harry's question; he simply picked up the remaining pale orange potion from the table.

He took a deep breath, his face showing a look of resignation, as if he were facing some terrifying enemy.

Then, he tilted his head back and drank the rest of the potion in one gulp.

As soon as he swallowed it, his face contorted instantly, his brows furrowed, and his eyes tightly shut, clearly trying to endure the bitter taste of the potion.

"It's just drinking a potion..." Harry muttered under his breath, watching Draco's exaggerated reaction. "It's like he's drinking poison. Is it really that serious?"

Cedric couldn't help but chuckle, patted Harry on the shoulder, and whispered, "Maybe everyone's sensitivity to potion flavors is different. Some people can accept the weird taste of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, while others can't swallow a single bite."

"Merlin's beard! Where did the curtain go?" Ludobagman jumped up from his chair, pounding his fists on the judges' table, the solid wood surface making a dull thud. "Why did it have to go wrong at such a crucial moment! This is the moment that will determine whether they can pass the test!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the principals on the referee's platform all cleared their throats in unison, their gazes seemingly casually drifting towards Ludobagman.

Ludobagman then realized his lapse in composure—as a professional commentator and referee, such emotional behavior was indeed inappropriate. He took a deep breath, tried to calm his surging emotions, and quickly regained his composure.

"Please be patient, everyone," Ludo Bagman said into the microphone. "If Harry Potter and his friends successfully break through the encirclement and complete the trial, I should be notified shortly. In the meantime, let's turn our attention to the warriors of Beauxbatons and see how they are doing!"

He manipulated the screen, switching the view to the area where the Beauxbatons warriors were located, and continued his narration: "The Beauxbatons warriors are quite formidable, and have been in the lead since the trial began. As you can see, their bracelets have turned orange, and they are only one step away from completing the trial. However, they are now in trouble—the mermaid army has launched an attack on them!" On the screen, Fleur Delacour was holding a wand, confronting several mermaids.

Ludobagman's voice grew even more excited: "Fleur de la Kur has attacked the mermaid directly! What magic did she use? We can see that the mermaid's movements are becoming uncontrollable, constantly wagging its tail in place, like it's performing a chaotic dance! I see! It's the Dance Charm! Beauxbatons' pre-match preparations are truly outstanding; they actually thought of using the Dance Charm to restrict the mermaid's movements!"

Just then, the situation on the screen suddenly changed.

"The situation is getting more and more critical!" Ludo Bagman spoke rapidly, each word urgent, spittle flying from his mouth with every movement. "The Warriors are injured! Their stamina is rapidly depleting! If they continue to struggle like this at the bottom of the lake, they'll probably collapse soon and be captured by the Mermaid and Greendylo, becoming new hostages! Is Beauxbatons' previous lead going to slip away like this?"

On the judges' platform, Mrs. Maxim looked at the injured student behind the curtain, her face turning extremely grim. She took deep breaths, each one producing a heavy sound like a blower running. Her hands gripped the edge of the curtain tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. The curtain was stretched taut by her, making a series of soft tearing sounds, as if it might be torn in two at any moment.

……

Behind the curtain, the warriors' resistance grew weaker and weaker.

Lefebvre's arm was trembling slightly from blood loss, he could barely hold his wand, and his wounds were multiplying, making his movements sluggish.

Just as he was about to be completely controlled by Grindylow and become a prisoner, a figure suddenly swam quickly toward him—it was Fleur Delacour!
Fleur broke free from the merman who was harassing her and rushed to her companions' side immediately. Without hesitation, she pointed her wand at her companions who were being attacked by Grindylow and quickly chanted a spell. Several sharp magical beams shot out from the tip of the wand and struck Grindylow, who was lying on Lefebvre.

The Grindelows instantly let out painful screams and fled from Lefebvre's body. As they left, green blood continued to flow from their bodies, turning into fine blood mist that spread in the lake. At the same time, a few faint white lights flew out from the Grindelows' bodies and slowly merged into Lefebvre's bracelet.

"Great! Fleur de Lacourt has arrived just in time to rescue her companions!" Ludobagman's tone instantly turned to surprise. Pointing to the curtain, he excitedly explained, "Look, everyone! She transformed Lefebvre's robes into a suit of armor covered in spikes! When the Grindylo pounced on them, they were all injured by the spikes on the armor! It's a brilliant move, protecting Lefebvre while also retaliating against the Grindylo!"

“Since Fleur Delacour is able to free up her hands to support her companions, has she already dealt with those mermaids?” Ludobagman said, glancing subconsciously at the edge of the screen. In the image, the two mermaids had indeed dropped their spears, their tails were swaying even more wildly than before, and their bodies were twisting in the water, looking more carefree than before, completely devoid of their previous aggression.

"I never expected it! The Dance Spell has such a huge effect on the mermaids!" Ludobagman's voice was full of surprise as he spoke into the microphone, "As you can see, these two mermaids are completely controlled by the Dance Spell and are now only focused on 'dancing' in the water. They have no way of directing Grindillo's actions! Without the mermaids' command, Grindillo's attack has become chaotic!"

At this point, Ludobagman paused abruptly, turning to look at Dumbledore with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "However, I have a question. In my memory, ordinary Dancing Steps Charms don't seem to have this effect—at most, they can only cause the target to lose control temporarily. Controlling two mermaids for such a long time is far beyond the capabilities of ordinary Dancing Steps Charms. Headmaster Dumbledore, do you know what's going on?"

Dumbledore nodded slightly and slowly explained, "Miss Fleur Delacour is very talented in mental magic. Do you remember the dragon in the first test? Back then, she successfully hypnotized a dragon using mental magic, thus earning herself the chance to pass the test. This time, she must have incorporated elements of mental magic into the Dance Steps spell, which is why the spell's effect is so significant."

"I see!" Ludobagman exclaimed in realization, quickly explaining to the audience into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, I just received an answer from Headmaster Dumbledore! Do you all remember how Fleur Delacour dealt with the dragon in the first project? She has an extremely high talent for bewitching opponents—she can even hypnotize a ferocious dragon, so dealing with mermaids is naturally a piece of cake! This time, she used the Dance Steps Charm, which incorporates mental magic, to completely control the mermaid!"

On the lakeside stands, Michael Corner listened to Ludo Bagman's commentary and couldn't help but sigh softly. He whispered to the classmate next to him, "She's not just good at bewitching magical creatures, she's also very talented at bewitching wizards... I don't know how many boys were attracted to her at the Hogwarts ball."

……

Without the mermaid's command, the once ferocious Grindylo instantly became chaotic and its attack pace slowed down, making it much easier to deal with than before. Even so, Fleur Delacour and her companions still went through a tough battle—Lefebvre's wounds continued to increase, and blood formed scattered patches of mist in the lake water. Fleur herself also had a cut on her arm from Grindylo.

In the end, thanks to their excellent teamwork and tenacious perseverance, the three managed to defeat all of Grindelwald's attacks.

As the last Grindelwald transformed into a speck of light and merged into the bracelet, all three bracelets simultaneously turned a dazzling deep red.

"Let's give a big congratulations to the warriors of Beauxbatons! They have successfully defeated Greendylow and completed the second test!" Ludo Bagman said excitedly. Just then, a paper airplane flew from afar and landed steadily in his hand. He unfolded the paper airplane, quickly glanced at what was on it, and his smile became even brighter.

"As you may not know, this is a common short-distance communication method used by the Ministry of Magic—using magic to drive paper airplanes to deliver messages. It's convenient, leaves no trash, and saves the trouble of cleaning up," Ludobagman explained to the audience. He then continued, "I just received news from the staff that just five minutes ago, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts also successfully completed the test! Clearly, Harry Potter's adventurous suggestion worked! Let's give them a round of applause!"

(End of this chapter)