Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

"Phew, finally done! It's getting late, and if we delay any longer, we'll miss our flight to France!" Harry's eyes lit up at the thought of traveling abroad with his godfather Sirius Black and a whole bunch of friends—this was the first time in his life he'd had the chance to leave England during the summer holidays to explore a magical world in a foreign land, and just thinking about it made him excited.

Hermione let out a soft breath, raised her hand to rub her slightly sore temples, and tried to compose herself. Forcing a smile, she looked at the still-long queue in the direction of Flourish and Blotts, her tone gradually softening: "You're right. I was too impatient, and I made you all waste time queuing here with me. Judging from the current situation, maybe by the time we return from France, the publisher's printing capacity will be able to meet the demand. Then we shouldn't have to queue this long anymore, and we should be able to easily buy the books."

The three chatted as they walked toward Florin's Ice Cream Shop. As the Seeker for the Hogwarts Quidditch team, Harry always had the best eyesight. As soon as he stepped into the ice cream shop, his gaze was drawn to a round table in the corner. After seeing who was sitting at the table, he quickly lowered his voice and nudged Ron and Hermione beside him with his elbow: "It's...it's Dylan! Luna's here too!"

He pointed to the corner, and Hermione and Ron looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, they saw Dylan Hawkwood sitting with Luna, the two talking quietly and occasionally letting out light laughter. The atmosphere was very harmonious. The three of them quickly walked to the round table, and Harry dared to raise his voice slightly and greet them with a smile: "Dylan, Luna, are you going together? But you're here so early! We thought we'd have to wait a while to see you."

“Yes.” Dylan smiled, stretched out his hand, and gently tapped the round table in front of him with his fingertips. Harry and Ron stared wide-eyed as they watched the originally small round table slowly extend to both sides. At the same time, they felt three comfortable chairs appear out of thin air behind them and land steadily on the ground without making a sound.

Hermione fell into deep thought. She keenly sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from Dylan's spellcasting—smooth, precise, and with a more condensed and profound power than before. Clearly, his magical skill had improved considerably.

"Harry!" A familiar and cheerful voice rang out. Sirius strode up behind Harry, gently placing his hands on his shoulders and patting him lightly. His gaze swept over the round table in front of him, which was noticeably larger than a normal table, and a hint of doubt flashed between his brows—in his memory, the tables at Florin's Ice Cream Shop were all small and exquisite; he had never seen such a large one before. However, this thought was fleeting; his primary concern was Harry's condition.

"Have you been waiting long? Are you hungry?" Sirius looked down at Harry, his eyes full of concern. "Now that you're seated, why not order some snacks and drinks? Don't be shy, I'll pay for everything today!"

"No, no!" Harry quickly shook his head, his face beaming with a happy and content smile, his eyes sparkling. "I'm not hungry at all right now. I'm already very happy to be able to wait with everyone for our departure to France!"

Not long after, Ginny, Sirius, Fred, and George appeared at the agreed location, and a sense of urgency filled the air—the meeting time was fast approaching. Sirius had just put down his work when he turned to the group and flashed a bright smile, suggesting in a lighthearted tone, "I happen to be free right now. What would you like to eat? It's my treat today, so please order whatever you like."

Before he could finish speaking, two familiar footsteps approached from a distance. Hannah and Neville were walking side by side. Neville listened to Hannah, his lips curving upwards involuntarily, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. A shy smile spread from his eyes, even his ears turning pink. He would occasionally nod gently in response to Hannah's words. The atmosphere between the two was warm and natural. Behind them, Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom were walking side by side, talking in hushed tones. Their cheerful laughter could be heard from time to time, clear and genuine, completely free of the gloom of the past.

The Longbottoms were now completely different from how they had looked in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries. The emptiness and confusion that had once filled their eyes had vanished, replaced by clear and bright gazes, full of spirit and radiating an uplifting, hopeful energy. Their cheeks were no longer as thin and prominent as before, but had become much fuller and softer. Their once withered, pale, and bloodless skin now had a healthy, faint blush, as if it had been gently nourished by the sun.

Although both of them still had gray hair, it was carefully styled, making them look neat and energetic. Frank Longbottom had shaved his long hair into a neat short haircut, and the stray hairs on his forehead were neatly combed. He looked capable and energetic, without any of his previous haggardness. Alice Longbottom had her long hair carefully combed and tied into a neat bun at the back of her head, with a few stray hairs hanging down just right by her temples, which made her look gentle and her eyes full of gentle smiles.

These two have been away from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries for some time now, which is somewhat related to Dylan, but not significantly.

Because St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Illnesses has been purchasing large quantities of Potions X and Y, these days Potions X and Y are practically ubiquitous in the entire magical world.

Because it has shown excellent therapeutic effects on various ailments.

This naturally includes these two.

On the other side, Sirius was scooping up his sundae with a small silver spoon. The cool, sweet taste melted on his tongue, making him squint his eyes. But when he looked up and saw four people walking towards him, his pupils contracted sharply, the spoon in his hand froze in mid-air, and his eyes widened instantly. The relaxed expression on his face was replaced by shock. "Frank? Alice?" he blurted out, his voice filled with undisguised surprise. His gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Frank and Alice were also stunned, their steps instinctively stopping. They exchanged a glance, and then together they carefully examined Sirius from head to toe. His familiar features, the heroic air between his brows, and the tone of his voice all confirmed their belief in the person before them.

"Sirius!" they both exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with surprise and disbelief. Frank Longbottom opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a moment. During this time, he and Alice had focused all their attention on spending time with Neville. They had so many things they wanted to tell their son that had been bottled up for years. In addition, they had to deal with various complicated matters during his recovery. They had almost no time to pay attention to news from the outside world, so naturally they hadn't heard about Sirius's recent situation. Due to the torment of the Cruciatus Curse, Frank's memories of the past were still stuck in the dark time when he was madly tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and a group of Death Eaters. He only remembered that the Daily Prophet had published a striking report that said Sirius had betrayed the Potters and murdered Peter Pettigrew and many innocent Muggles. He was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment and imprisoned in Azkaban prison, with no hope of ever being released.

After a brief moment of shock, Sirius's face immediately lit up with a warm and genuine smile. He strode towards Frank, stretched out his arms, and gave him a firm hug. He patted Frank on the back, his tone slightly teasing, trying to dispel the sudden awkwardness and heaviness: "What, judging from your expression, you're thinking that I should still be in Azkaban, right?"

Alice, who was standing to the side, quickly came to her senses. She smiled and spoke, her tone gentle but very firm: "Sirius, there must be some misunderstanding here! When we saw the news in the newspapers back then, we just couldn't believe that you would do such a thing."

Sirius released his embrace of Frank, then patted Alice's shoulder, gently shaking his head. He took a few steps back, scrutinizing Frank and Alice again. When his gaze fell upon their graying hair, his eyes darkened, and he said with barely concealed emotion, "Alice, it's all in the past. Let's not dwell on those unpleasant things. You've both suffered so much these past years. I actually went to St. Mungo's before, and it was then that I learned what you'd been through. Bellatrix and her associates are utterly depraved!"

“It’s all in the past, it’s all in the past.” This time it was Frank’s turn to comfort him. He patted Sirius’s arm and said with a firm look in his eyes, “Death Eaters have always been like this, crazy and ruthless, and they will do anything to achieve their goals. When we chose to stand up against them, we were already prepared for the worst. We just wanted to do our part for our children and for the entire wizarding world, and we have never regretted it even if we encountered any accidents.”

Alice's gaze also fell on Sirius. The torment he had endured in Azkaban over the years had left indelible marks on his face, and his weathered appearance was impossible to conceal: "Sirius, you must have had a very difficult time in Azkaban."

Her tone was full of heartache and understanding, and her words expressed the resonance between them—they had both struggled in the darkness and were now finally able to see the light again.

"As long as everything is moving in the right direction now, what do the past hardships matter!" Sirius's hearty laughter broke the brief silence. He waved his hand vigorously, his eyes full of optimism. He paused, recalling the busy period he had been in, and added, "Honestly, seeing you recover so well makes me genuinely happy for you! I've been buried in work these past few days, rushing to meet deadlines. After all, we're leaving for France soon, and I need to finish everything on hand. Otherwise, Remus will have to shoulder everything alone again, which is exhausting. That's why I only heard about your recovery today. If I had known a few days earlier, I would have dragged Harry along to come see you immediately."

"Haha! What's there to regret!" Frank Longbottom's laughter was loud and hearty, without a trace of his usual gloom. "Aren't we going on a trip together next? We'll have plenty of time to chat then!"

Alice Longbottom nodded in agreement, her smile gentle and gratified. She reached out and gently touched Neville's hair beside her, her eyes filled with pride: "Of course! At first, we thought that traveling to such a faraway place as France wouldn't be easy, and there must be a lot to prepare. We were planning to offer to help with some of the chores, but Neville patted his chest and assured us that he and his friends had already arranged everything, so we didn't have to worry about anything and could just relax and enjoy our vacation!"

“That’s amazing!” Sirius Black’s face lit up with a proud smile. “You guys have no idea how incredible these kids have been lately!” He lowered his voice, a hint of mystery in his tone: “You know that ‘Triwizard Tournament’? You know, that tournament with such a long history that it was suspended for ages, but it’s actually restarted. Harry and the others have been through a lot of thrilling things in it!”

Just as Sirius and the Longbottoms were catching up and reminiscing about Harry and the others, Dylan, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George were sitting together nearby, each holding a different flavor of ice cream, slowly savoring it. The cool, sweet taste melted on their tongues, dispelling some of the heat. Suddenly, Ron stopped scooping ice cream, as if he had just remembered something important. He turned to Fred and George sitting opposite him and asked with a hint of curiosity, "By the way, Fred, George, I remember you said before that you wanted to find a local guide to help you with your trip to France, right?"

As he spoke, he unconsciously glanced in the direction of Sirius and the Longbottoms, then turned his gaze back and continued, "Is the guide already waiting for us in France, or has he not arrived yet?"

Ron's question made Hermione nod in agreement. She put down her ice cream cup and added, "Actually, hiring a guide was my suggestion. I went to France with my parents once before, and because we couldn't find a suitable local guide, we didn't know about many worthwhile places, and there was no one to explain them. We ended up taking a lot of wrong turns, and that trip was a really bad experience." (End of Chapter)