Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Dylan gave the wolfsbane potion to Professor Snape, and then arranged to meet Harry and the others at 8:30 p.m. in the castle foyer before heading to the Quidditch pitch together.

After all, the third event of the three-way competition is about to begin, and everyone needs to familiarize themselves with the venue in advance and make full preparations.

Night fell early, and the sky was completely covered by thick, dark clouds, not even a sliver of starlight could see through. The air was damp and cool, and the breeze made one instinctively shrink back.

Just after 8:30, several people began to gather in the lobby.

Cedric arrived first, wearing Hufflepuff's house robes. His brow was furrowed, and his face showed obvious worry. He looked towards the Quidditch pitch and said in a serious tone, "I never expected that we'd have to meet at the Quidditch pitch. Do you think the organizers are planning to use it as the official venue for the third game? The Quidditch pitch is spacious, but the terrain is relatively simple. It doesn't seem quite right to use it as the venue for the championship."

Harry arrived shortly after, and upon hearing Cedric's words, he immediately nodded in agreement, a hint of relief on his face: "If it really is the Quidditch pitch, then it's much better than the Black Lake in the second project! Last time, I spent so long at the bottom of the Black Lake, it was cold and stuffy, and I had to search for targets in such a large area. I was so exhausted that it took me several days to recover. At least the Quidditch pitch is limited in size, so I don't have to travel too far."

"Hmph, as if Quidditch pitches are any easier." Draco crossed his arms and leaned against a stone pillar in the foyer, letting out a disdainful sneer. "The Triwizard Tournament is never easy. Even with a small venue, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be any less strenuous."

Dylan walked to the middle of the group, looked at Cedric's still furrowed brow, and slowly said, "I think the organizers must have had a comprehensive plan in place long ago. The Quidditch pitch itself is quite well-equipped, and the venue is spacious, making it suitable for large-scale events. Even if it is used as the venue for the third game, the staff can quickly restore it to its original state after the game, without affecting subsequent Quidditch matches."

Hearing Dylan's analysis, Cedric's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and his brows unfurrowed considerably. He nodded, his tone more relieved: "You're right. I was indeed overthinking it. The most important thing now is to focus on the third project itself, understand the site conditions clearly, and make preparations accordingly."

As the group was talking, Dylan caught a glimpse of a huge figure at the end of the corridor not far away. The figure was tall and imposing, almost taking up most of the width of the corridor.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized Hagrid, the gamekeeper from Hogwarts.

Hagrid, wearing his signature burlap coat, strode steadily toward the foyer, humming a tuneless, upbeat melody. It was clear he was in a very good mood and seemed to be looking forward to the upcoming third project.

As Hagrid stepped into the foyer, he immediately spotted Dylan, Harry, and the others gathered in the middle. A hearty smile instantly spread across his face, and he raised his thick arm high, waving it vigorously. His voice boomed, echoing throughout the foyer: "Oh! Dylan! Harry! And Cedric and Draco! Are you heading to the Quidditch pitch?"

As he spoke, he strode up to the group without stopping, then subconsciously turned and glanced back at the corridor. He rubbed his rough hands together, his voice filled with barely suppressed anticipation: "What a coincidence! Tonight is the official announcement of the details for the third event of the Triwizard Tournament! I've been looking forward to this day for so long!"

His excitement was undisguised; every word he uttered carried a joyful tone, and anyone could hear his anticipation for the project.

Harley, caught up in his enthusiasm, leaned closer curiously and asked, "Hagrid, did you just come from the Quidditch pitch? Did you already get a look at the venue for the third game?"

“That’s right!” Hagrid’s eyes shone like two little lanterns, and his tone became more and more excited. “I just came back from talking with Mr. Bagman. In order for those little guys to perform well, I need to communicate with him more about the details.”

When he said the last few words, his tone suddenly rose, and the last syllable was drawn out, as if he were singing opera in an opera house, with a touch of exaggerated solemnity.

“Hmm…” Harry pursed his lips, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Dylan, Cedric, and Draco beside him. Their eyes met, and they all saw doubt in each other’s eyes.

Dylan raised his hand to rub his temples, a helpless smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips. He shook his head slightly—he could roughly guess what Hagrid meant by "the little ones," but he still wanted to hear him confirm it himself.

“Hagrid, the ‘little ones’ you mentioned?” Harry composed himself, looked up at Hagrid again, and asked tentatively, “You don’t mean those dragons from before, do you?”

“No, that’s not it.” Hagrid’s excitement subsided slightly. He glanced at Dylan, then sighed softly, his tone tinged with regret. “Those dragons have already been sent back to the dragon sanctuary in Romania. But there was nothing we could do about it. Bane and the other centaurs were very opposed to keeping such dangerous creatures near Hogwarts.”

His breathing was much heavier than usual when he spoke, and this soft sigh actually stirred up a small gust of air, causing Draco's tie to flutter slightly.

Draco raised his hand expressionlessly and pressed the fluttering tie back into place.

“The little cuties I’m talking about are the Reem bull, the Tepo warthog, and the Runewe snake.” Hagrid perked up again, listing them off one by one on his thick fingers. “Oh, and the Sphinx, though I don’t have much of a liking for it.”

"Well, that guy's really hard to talk to." He frowned, as if recalling some unpleasant experience. "Every time I talk to him, he goes around in circles, spouting nonsensical riddles, and I can never get to the point. Oh, right! We'll also involve Buckbeak, and the blasting snails I've bred will also appear in the third project!"

"Blasttail?" Harry gasped upon hearing the name, his pupils contracting slightly. His impression of this magical creature was far too vivid, bordering on a nightmare. "The third project is Blasttail?" Of the people present, besides Hagrid, Harry was probably the one who knew Blasttail best.

This creature was created by Hagrid through crossbreeding a lion-headed scorpion-tailed beast with a fire crab. It has a bizarre appearance and emits a foul, rotten seafood odor that makes people want to vomit.

Even more terrifying, they can also spew out explosives with sparks from their tails, and even burst into flames. The male blast-tailed snail's shell is covered with sharp spikes, while the female blast-tailed snail has a ring of suckers on its abdomen. These suckers can not only firmly adhere to the surface of objects, but also be used to suck blood.

Moreover, the Bombtail snails are inherently ferocious and extremely fond of killing each other. After a whole school year of cannibalism, the original number of Bombtail snails has dwindled to only three. However, each of them is exceptionally large, exceeding eight feet in length, and their fighting power should not be underestimated.

"Wait, what third project?" Hagrid suddenly realized he'd let something slip, and quickly bent down, raising his thick hand and putting his index finger to his lips to give Harry a sharp "shh." His voice was much lower, but still tinged with urgency. "This is all top secret! I just discussed it with Mr. Bagman, and it hasn't been officially announced yet! Harry, you absolutely can't tell anyone else, or the organizers will come after you!"

"What if he pulls a dirty trick on you like Karkaroff did? That would be a real problem!" His tone turned serious, his eyes filled with worry. "That Karkaroff is no good; he's wicked and will do anything to win!"

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously swept towards Draco's direction, as if he had thought of something, then he immediately looked away and emphasized, "In short, you must be careful of him! Don't let your guard down!"

Harry had to squint when Hagrid snorted at him so closely, the strong gust of air forcing him to squint.

He nodded quickly and replied earnestly, "Don't worry, Hagrid, we will absolutely not reveal this."

"That's good, that's good." Hagrid straightened up with satisfaction, glanced at the clock on the wall of the foyer, "It's about time. The Quidditch pitch should be almost ready. You should hurry over there, or you'll be late."

He patted Dylan and Harry on the shoulder with such force that they swayed slightly, and said in a friendly tone, "Dylan, Harry, when you're done with your third project, remember to come to my little house for tea. I've prepared some fresh Honeydukes candies for you!"

“Okay, thank you Hagrid! We’ll definitely go!” Dylan and Harry exchanged a glance and replied in unison, their voices filled with gratitude.

After saying goodbye to Hagrid, Dylan and his group walked along the castle's cobblestone path toward the Quidditch pitch.

The night wind carried a chill, causing the roadside branches to sway gently. Dark clouds still shrouded the night sky, with only the candlelight shining from the distant castle windows casting scattered patches of light on the ground.

After walking a short distance, Cedric's relaxed expression vanished completely, his brows furrowed again, and his face became much more serious. He turned to the group around him and said in a solemn tone, "The Runeboar, the Tepo Warthog, the Reem Bull... none of these magical creatures Hagrid mentioned are easy to deal with. The difficulty of the third project is probably greater than we imagined."

Upon hearing this, Dylan's thoughts involuntarily returned to his past encounter with the Neferpitou snake. The scene of the three heads, each with their own ideas, arguing with each other yet able to launch attacks simultaneously, was still vividly imprinted in his mind.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "To deal with Rune Serpents, we might use a provocative spell like a knockback spell. Their three heads each have independent thoughts, which makes them prone to disagreements and they often attack each other because of differing opinions. If we guide them a little, we can stir up their infighting, and then we won't have to put in too much effort."

“That’s a great idea!” Cedric’s eyes lit up instantly, and a relieved look appeared on his face. “I almost forgot about that! The three heads of the Runeboding Serpent have always been at odds. As long as we let them fight each other, we can take the opportunity to get through. It’s definitely much safer than a head-on confrontation.”

“The Tepo Warthogs will probably cause quite a bit of trouble.” Cedric’s tone turned somber as he changed the subject. “You all probably learned about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, right? These creatures not only have powerful stealth abilities, but they also have extremely high magic resistance. Their fur, after processing, is often used to make highly defensive armor, making it difficult for ordinary magic to affect them.”

Harry frowned, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind. He looked at the two of them and asked, "What if the Tepo Warthog goes into invisibility from the start, and we can't see it at all? Would the 'Reveal' or 'Reveal' spells work on it?"

Cedric shook his head, his tone uncertain: "I haven't tried that myself. But according to the records in the book and the experience of my seniors, in general, when you encounter this situation, you can only stay vigilant at all times. Once you sense that the Tepo Warthog may be nearby, try to avoid it and avoid direct conflict with it. After all, we won't gain anything by fighting it head-on."

“These two reveal spells should be useless,” Dylan said confidently. “The Tepo Warthog’s magic resistance is sufficient to withstand the effects of these reveal spells. However, we can try a different approach and use a tracking spell. The core of a tracking spell is to capture the traces of magic residue, rather than directly locking onto the creature itself, so it might be able to detect the magical fluctuations released when the Tepo Warthog becomes invisible, thereby indirectly determining its location.”

He paused, then added an alternative: "Besides that, there's a simpler method. We can use magic to conjure up some fine dust or scraps of paper, making them float around us. Although the Tepo Warthog can become invisible, its body is solid, and its movement will inevitably cause air to move around it. The dust or scraps of paper will be affected, which will help us determine its approximate location."

"Use a tracking charm to detect the fluctuations of invisibility magic, or use dust and scraps of paper to observe the movement?" Harry nodded seriously, memorizing both methods. "I understand. I'll try both methods when the time comes."

Draco, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness: "If we encounter a Reem Bull, I think it's best to just take a detour." (End of Chapter)