Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

The Exploding Tail Snail charged forward with its momentum until it exhausted its forward force, stopping precisely where the three had just stood. Its massive body blocked the entire passage, leaving them unable to move forward or backward.

"Seize the opportunity!" Cedric shouted, seizing the fleeting chance, and swiftly waved his wand to cast a precise spell.

A beam of emerald light surged from the tip of the staff, instantly transforming into a thick, thorny vine net that rose abruptly from the ground. As Cedric flicked his wrist, the vine net tightened, enveloping the massive body of the Blasttail like an iron cage.

But the slug's reaction speed far exceeded expectations. The moment it was caught in the net, it began to struggle frantically, its huge body twisting and ramming back and forth, its thick limbs kicking the vines, and its tail shooting out dense sparks one after another. The sparks landed on the vines and quickly ignited the branches and leaves. Streams of thick black smoke billowed out through the gaps in the vine net, accompanied by the smell of burning, making the surrounding air even more polluted.

"It's trapped! Quick! Move!"

Magical energy gathered at one corner of the vine net, and with the incantation, one corner of the net was suddenly lifted upwards, causing the massive body of the Blast-tailed Snail to tilt slightly.

"I get it! I finally figured out their tactics!" Ludo Bagman on the commentary desk stared intently at the screen, his voice almost cracking with excitement. "Potter and Malfoy are planning to use the Levitation Charm to completely overturn the Blasttail! That's brilliant!"

"As everyone knows, the shell of the Bombtail is incredibly hard, and ordinary magic can't harm it at all!" He spoke at an astonishing speed. "The heroes of Hogwarts must have discovered the key—the Bombtail isn't covered entirely by a thick shell; its belly must be its weakest point! If we can flip it over, we can precisely attack its most vulnerable spot!"

Cedric gritted his teeth and urged in a grave tone, "The vines won't last much longer!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the snail struggled even more violently, its body twisting more and more violently, and the flames on the large vine net burned brighter and brighter, the thick black smoke almost obscuring its figure, clearly indicating that it might break free of its restraints at any moment.

"Oh no!" Ludobagman's tone instantly became tense, full of worry.

"Wait! What happened?" Ludobagman's pupils suddenly contracted, his tone filled with surprise. "Potter suddenly stopped maintaining the levitation spell! What is he doing? Has he run out of magical energy? Or has he thought of another more effective method?"

In reality, Harry did indeed give up the Levitation Charm.

He keenly realized that as the vines burned, the power of the levitation spell was becoming increasingly unable to support the weight of the Exploding Tail Snail. Continuing would only be a futile waste of energy, and it might even break free.

There was no time to hesitate, so he immediately changed his strategy. He stopped maintaining the levitation spell, quickly rotated his wrist, adjusted his casting motion, and aimed his wand at the side of the Exploding Tail Snail.

Draco noticed Harry's actions instantly, but he didn't ask any further questions.

He gritted his teeth, focusing all his attention on the Levitation Charm, doing his utmost to maintain the magical output, trying to lift the Blasttail's body upwards as much as possible to buy Harry more opportunities.

Immediately afterwards, he changed his casting motion again, a strong magical light gathering at the tip of his wand, and he shouted the incantation for the Shattering Charm: "Shatter to pieces!"

boom!
A deafening explosion rang out as the Shattering Curse struck the barrier formed by the Barrier Curse precisely. The barrier shattered instantly, unleashing an extremely powerful impact, like an invisible giant fist slamming into the side of the Blast-tailed Snail.

The Exploding Tail Snail was already unstable due to the levitation spell, and this sudden impact shook it violently, causing it to lose its balance instantly.

Its massive body swayed in the air before crashing heavily to one side, just as Harry and the others had hoped. It slammed into the ground with its shell facing down, producing a dull thud that made the ground tremble slightly.

"They did it! They really did it!" Ludobagman waved his arms excitedly, and cheers echoed throughout the stadium.

Cedric immediately seized the opportunity, not daring to hesitate for a moment, and quickly waved his wand, chanting a Transfiguration Charm.

The large net of vines that had been covering the blister snail suddenly had a precise circular gap, which exposed the snail's unprotected abdomen—there was no hard shell there, only a thin layer of soft skin, which was its most fatal weakness.

The three exchanged a glance, a resolute glint in their eyes, preparing to launch a final attack and completely eliminate this troublesome opponent.

The massive body of the blasting snail slammed heavily onto the ground, instantly raising a cloud of dust. Tiny pebbles, propelled by the impact, flew in all directions, crackling as they struck the surrounding thorny hedges.

On the referee's stand, Karkarov leaned forward instinctively, stroking the thick stubble on his chin with both hands. His eyes darted around, his brows furrowed slightly, and he muttered under his breath, "Look at that force! It even cracked the hard stone floor... Looks like this Blast-tailed Snail is badly injured!"

"Indeed."

Dumbledore nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of gentle teasing, "I think Hagrid might feel a little heartbroken to learn that his carefully nurtured Blasttail has turned out like this—after all, it was a magical creature that he had put a lot of effort into raising."

He changed the subject, looking at Karkaroff with his smile unchanged, "But then again, this damage was caused by the Blast-tailed Snail crashing to the ground on its own, Mr. Karkaroff, you should be well aware of this, and it has no direct connection to the warriors' attack, right?"

Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Karkaroff opened his mouth, as if wanting to argue something.

His eyes darted around quickly, subtly observing the reactions of the other principals, only to find that Mrs. Maxim was bowing her head to adjust her skirt, and no one intended to agree with him.

Left with no other choice, he could only nod reluctantly and reply vaguely, "That's exactly it... that's how it is."

On the scene, the overturned snail was clearly aware of the danger. Its soft abdominal skin was completely exposed and unprotected. It could only frantically wave its limbs, kicking the ground wildly with its toes. Its huge body swayed violently from side to side, trying to flip itself over and hide its vulnerable abdomen under its hard shell again.

But Harry, Draco, and Cedric would never give it that chance. Without the slightest hesitation, the three of them immediately raised their wands and chanted the Stunning Spell in unison.

After finally resolving the issue.

On the commentary stand, Ludobagman excitedly pumped his fist, as if he were also part of the battle, his voice filled with awe: "Merlin's beard! What am I seeing! This is simply a miracle!"

Cedric remained vigilant. He turned and waved his wand at the thorn hedge beside him. A flash of magic appeared, and another thick thorn instantly transformed into a tough vine. The vine coiled in the air and firmly wrapped around the Blasttail, binding its limbs tightly.

Even so, the Blasttail remained unresponsive, clearly stunned and completely incapacitated by the powerful stun spell. "Finally, we've got this troublesome guy!" Draco let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow. His voice was filled with obvious exhaustion and relief. "Let's not waste any more time, let's go! Dylan is probably already waiting for us!"

Without a moment's delay, the three immediately set off, quickly passing by the unconscious Blast-tailed Snail, and continued exploring the depths of the sixth level of the maze. The passage was still filled with thorns and hidden traps, but after the fierce battle with the Blast-tailed Snail, the three cooperated more seamlessly, and their speed of progress increased significantly.

"Look there!" Suddenly, Harry stopped, his voice trembling with excitement. He pointed towards the end of the passage, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "It's a staircase! That must be the entrance to the seventh floor!"

Following the direction he pointed, everyone saw a winding stone staircase leading upwards, hidden in the shadows at the end of the passage. A faint magical aura shrouded the staircase, clearly indicating that it led to a higher level.

“Although we’ve found the entrance, we absolutely cannot let our guard down!” Cedric’s face showed a relieved smile, his tone equally excited, yet he remained calm. “The traps in the sixth level of the labyrinth are far more sophisticated than those in the previous levels. We’ve encountered so many obstacles along the way, but this path leading to the stairs is the only one without any magical creatures guarding it…”

He paused, his eyes turning serious: "There must be something wrong with this. There are definitely many deadly traps hidden along that road. We must proceed with extreme caution and not let our guard down just because we are about to reach the end!"

“That’s right! That’s right! Diggory’s advice is absolutely wise!” Ludobagman on the referee’s stand immediately nodded in agreement, his tone full of praise. “When the light of victory is shining on them, it is often the moment when they are most likely to be careless! The closer they get to the finish line, the more cautious they need to be! I hope the warriors of Hogwarts can maintain this composure and successfully pass the final test!”

Following Cedric's advice, the group slowed their pace and cautiously probed the path ahead with their wands.

Harry used the tip of his wand to probe the ground, while Draco focused on observing the walls and ceiling on both sides, and Cedric brought up the rear, alert to any possible emergencies.

They approached the stairs step by step, each step incredibly cautious. The entrance to the seventh floor was right before their eyes, and the ultimate glory of the three-way battle was within reach.

As Cedric instructed, Harry, Draco, and he immediately began clearing the passageway traps.

The three had a clear division of labor. Harry, wand in hand, led the way, a faint golden light appearing with each inch the tip of his wand touched the ground. If he touched a hidden trap, the golden light would flash intensely, and he would immediately cast a dispel spell to neutralize it. Draco focused on the thorn walls on both sides, and if he found any hidden poisonous spikes or strangulation curse marks, he would immediately use a cutting spell to remove the dangerous parts. Cedric brought up the rear, carefully checking every treated area to ensure that no traps were missed.

After nearly ten minutes, all the hidden traps in the passage were finally cleared away. The three of them stood in front of the winding stone steps, exchanged glances, and their eyes were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and the anticipation of reaching the end.

They didn't take a step immediately, but kept their wands raised, the tips pointing at the shadows above the stairs. They carefully stepped onto the first step, pausing briefly after each step to make sure it was safe—the seventh floor was only a stone's throw away, and they absolutely couldn't afford to fall at the last moment.

The light at the end of the stairs gradually brightened. When the three stepped over the last step, the scene before them was completely different from that of the sixth floor. The seventh floor maze was unusually spacious, with no thorns to block the way, no hidden traps, and not even a sound of fighting could be heard. There was only a reassuring silence. Compared with the chaos and noise of the lower floors, it was as quiet as another world.

"Finally up!"

A familiar voice came from ahead. Dylan stood up from the armchair on the central platform, a gentle smile on his face, and waved to the three of them.

The moment they heard the sound, the three reacted almost instinctively—their arms shot up, their wands pointing directly at the source of the sound, their tips glowing with a faint magical light, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"Are you guys crazy?" Draco was the first to come to his senses, recognizing Dylan's voice. He quickly reached out and grabbed Harry and Cedric's wrists, pressing their wands down. "That's Dylan! Not an enemy!"

"Huh? Pshaw! And you're talking about us? Weren't you nervously holding your wand too?" Harry muttered, his tone a little unconvinced, but he still obediently put his wand away and rubbed his slightly sore arm.

Cedric relaxed, gave Dylan a friendly smile, and quickly walked forward.

The three surrounded Dylan, and the questions that had been building up all along burst forth.

"Dylan, we've been fighting down there for ages, and you're just lounging around here!"

The three kept asking questions until Dylan smiled helplessly and raised his hand to signal them to stop. His gaze unconsciously swept across the central platform, and the three followed his line of sight, finally noticing the trophy that was gleaming under the lights.

The trophy stood quietly in the center of the raised platform, its pentagonal body reflecting a soft light, and its five handles gleaming delicately in the light. The three immediately fell silent, exchanging a glance—any questions could wait; the most important thing now was to complete the final step and lift the trophy, a symbol of victory, together.

"Don't touch it yet, you're still injured."

Dylan drew his wand and waved it at the three of them in turn, clearly reciting a healing spell.

A pale green magical light flowed from the tip of the staff, enveloping the three of them like warm water.

The wounds on Harry's arm from the thorns, the scratches on Draco's cheek, and the bruises on Cedric's shoulder all healed visibly under the light, the pain vanishing instantly, leaving only a faint warmth spreading through their bodies.

Perhaps it was the fierce battle on the sixth floor that exhausted her, or perhaps it was the stark contrast between the two layers of the maze—from the noisy fighting to the tranquil peace, coupled with the comforting warmth brought by the healing magic—that suddenly swept over her with a strong sense of drowsiness.

Harry yawned first, tears welling up in his eyes. Draco couldn't help but rub his eyes, his steps faltering slightly. Cedric instinctively stretched out his hands and braced himself on the edge of the platform where the trophy was placed to support his slightly weak body.

"Phew—" The three of them yawned almost simultaneously, their eyelids so heavy they could barely lift them.

Just then, a blinding white light suddenly burst out from the trophy, instantly illuminating the entire seventh floor. Immediately afterward, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently, and fine cracks appeared on the stone slabs at the edge of the platform. The tremors grew stronger and stronger, instantly waking the three of them up and making them completely drowsy.

"What on earth is going on?" Draco staggered to his feet, looked around, his gaze sweeping over the swaying ground and the glowing trophy, his voice filled with tension.

Dylan looked up at the increasingly unstable space and calmly explained, "According to the rules of the competition, as long as a team member touches the trophy, the condition for possession is met, and the mission of this maze is completed, so it will begin to dissolve."

Hearing this, Harry, Draco, and Cedric immediately looked down at their hands—sure enough, while supporting themselves on the platform, their palms had unconsciously pressed against the trophy's base. The cold metallic touch penetrated their skin, and the three quickly withdrew their hands, exchanging surprised and excited glances—victory was truly within reach. (End of Chapter)