Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 152: Mandrake matures, Professor Snape's message
Before Harry and Ron could find out the so-called truth.

A problem was placed before them.

——Final exam!

Although rumors of Slytherin's heir and the monster had been brewing in Hogwarts for a long time.

But this does not mean that you don’t have to take the final exam.

It seems that on the road full of dangers, the exam is like a single-plank bridge that cannot be removed and must be crossed.

—Unless they were attacked like Hermione.

Only then will the school consider exempting them from exams this academic year.

More importantly, since Hermione was attacked early this time, Harry and Ron were tinkering with this and that every day.

They have undoubtedly fallen behind in their studies for this school year.

Not to mention that Hermione didn't need to review at all - because she didn't have to take the test.

But although Harry and Ron wanted to study according to a planned review plan like the previous year, they were completely unable to do so.

After all, the person who made the review plan for them is still lying in the school infirmary.

Therefore, facing this final exam.

Harry and Ron had no choice but to join everyone in the library.

Anyway, it seems that at least there is a review atmosphere.

Dylan went to the library to read as usual.

Not long after they sat down, Harry and Ron came over stealthily.

Dylan glanced at them.

"Um, Dylan..."

Ron had just opened his mouth when Dylan knew what he was going to say.

He shook his head helplessly: "You know, I don't need to review, so if you want to ask me how to review, I can only tell you with regret that I don't have any review plans."

Ron's face instantly turned sad.

"Oh my god, it feels like there's so much to review. Without a concrete plan, I don't even know where to start!"

Harry pursed his lips.

—Ron simply spoke his mind.

Dylan opened the book "Advanced Runic Translation" in his hand. He was taking an elective ancient runes course, which he would take in his third grade.

Although Dylan already had some knowledge of runes and had read a lot of books, he still planned to review them again in view of the upcoming elective courses.

Moreover, runes have quite mysterious magical meanings and have existed for a very long time. Some runes may even have extremely powerful magical powers.

This is something Dylan is very interested in, and he has always maintained his research on ancient runes.

Hearing Ron's words, Dylan reminded him briefly: "In fact, for each subject, you only need to complete the homework assigned by the professor carefully."

"The assignments are there to help you go through what you've learned - they're pretty standard revision plans."

Dylan opened the book to the page he had read last time.

Looking up at Ron, he said, "Instead of having to study with others, it's better to learn to be independent. Especially...if you fail a subject, the consequences will be very serious."

Dylan thought about the letter from home that Ron had received at the dining table two days ago.

Mrs. Molly remembered well what he had done at the beginning of the term.

He was also ordered to go home and expect to be beaten to a pulp if he failed any subject.

Ron was very frightened by this, which was the main reason why he hadn't been tinkering with Harry lately and had been sitting on the bench in the library.

Ron whined, but at least he had a goal to review.

He first took out the homework assigned by Professor Flitwick, preparing to sort out the key points of this year's Charms class bit by bit.

But after just two glances, he felt dizzy.

"Dylan, how do you manage to perform so many magic tricks?"

Dylan raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and smiled slightly.

"Wouldn't life be boring if one understood magic too rigidly?"

Ron blinked, not understanding.

Magic is magic, what's so fatal about it?
He smacked his lips and changed the subject. "I really can't imagine what the professors are thinking. The headmaster was expelled from school, the Quidditch final was cancelled, and the Heir of Slytherin and the basilisk that attacked Hermione are now hiding somewhere. Professor McGonagall didn't even give us a holiday."

"—Isn't she worried that during the exam, the basilisk will suddenly appear and kill all the students?"

Ron put his homework book on the table, without even glancing at the contents, but kept mumbling to himself.

"Also, there's another question!"

Ron pulled out his wand again - a wand wrapped several times with magic tape.

"Oh my god, how can I believe this? I have to use this damn thing during an exam! I'm so worried it's going to blow me up again!"

"Isn't this asking me to take over Seamus's job? And the explosion is fine, but the key is that it exploded during the exam. Wouldn't that mean all my marks would be deducted?"

Ron's expression was extremely depressed: "I really don't want to go home and get beaten!"

"Then you should try your best to get full marks on the written test." Dylan shrugged.

He had some sympathy for Ron, but that was all.

He is not Doraemon, and he can't take out a few slices of memory bread for this guy.

Harry next to him, on the other hand, was very sympathetic towards Ron.

He scratched his hair. "What on earth did we learn this school year? Why do I feel like I have no recollection of anything..."

Neville came here with Dylan. Facing the final exam, he was already under pressure, and he also had to worry about the secret chamber, which made his round little face look haggard.

But compared to Ron and Harry, he could at least ensure that he got a good score in the Herbology class.

- Although Professor Sprout had not asked him to help take care of the herbs recently, he would stay in the greenhouse with the professor from time to time before Headmaster Dumbledore left Hogwarts.

Through constant exposure, he was almost familiar with the contents of this year's herbal medicine exam.

But other subjects, although not completely clueless, are still quite difficult.

But before the final exam comes.

A good news came in advance.

"Is the mandrake fully mature?" Ron looked at Neville excitedly during lunch.

Neville nodded slightly, "Yes, Professor Sprout is ready to harvest all the mandrakes."

"Great! With Mandrake, can't the recovery potion be brewed quickly?" Harry was also a little excited.

"That should be the case, but I only know that the mandrake is ripe, and Professor Sprout wants me to help, but I don't know when the potion can be brewed." Neville held the spoon and drank a mouthful of hot soup.

"Anyway, this is good news!" Ron looked very excited.

Neville cast his gaze on Dylan again: "Dylan, can you come and help me tomorrow? With you here, I think I can harvest the mandrake faster."

"Of course no problem." Dylan agreed readily.

Wait until the next morning.

Had breakfast with Neville.

Dylan joined him in the conservatory.

Professor Sprout got up very early, probably because he was excited after seeing the mandrake mature.

Dylan even saw the dark circles under her eyes.

"You're here? You're really good kids. Thank you very much for your help. With you here, I think Professor Snape will be able to brew the Mandrake healing potion tonight."

After giving Neville and Dylan each a pair of gloves and earplugs, Professor Sprout hurried to the other end of the greenhouse and started processing the mandrakes.

The greenhouse was filled with a damp and unique scent of grass and trees.

Dylan was in front of a pot of mandrake. He just loosened the soil slightly and then pulled it out.

Just before a burst of crying broke out, the mandrake saw who was holding it.

——It even seems to have some memories.

The moment those two ugly eyes looked at Dylan, their whole bodies trembled and their cries were stifled in their mouths.

Dylan raised his eyebrows slightly. "I haven't actually used any spells on these guys. Are they so scared of me?"

"Shh!"

Neville cut off the top blades of grass of the mandrake with one scythe.

The movements are very skillful.

Dylan didn't take the leaves.

Regardless of whether it is useful or not, it is Hogwarts' property after all, and he cannot put it directly into his own pocket.

—especially with Professor Sprout right next to him.

After the leaves on the top of the mandrake were cut off, the roots of the mandrake seemed to be dead in an instant and drooped down completely.

The skin, which was already ugly, became even more wrinkled.

——From the time it is a larva to the time it is harvested, there is never a single beautiful second for the mandrake.

There is only this process: ugly, very ugly, super ugly, and extremely ugly.

There are a lot of mandrakes in the greenhouse.

Dylan couldn't help but complain again.

The number of people attacking Hogwarts now is not that large. We can just buy a few mature mandrakes from outside and ask Professor Snape to make the potion directly.

We have to wait until the current mandrakes are ripe, and then harvest them all one by one...

It's really puzzling.

Dylan and Neville also cooperated quite skillfully.

One person pulls weeds and the other mows the grass.

The two of them worked together and quickly harvested most of the mandrakes, even faster than Professor Sprout.

Dylan deliberately left a few plants untouched.

Professor Sprout had almost finished the harvest, so the three of them came to the middle of the greenhouse.

Dylan stopped, waved to Professor Sprout, and then took off his earplugs.

"Huh? Kid, what's wrong?" Professor Sprout was stunned and stopped pulling the weeds in his hands.

——Since she had taken off her earplugs, she certainly couldn’t continue pulling weeds.

After Sprout took off his earplugs, Dylan blinked and made his request in front of Neville's shocked eyes.

"Professor, I can also brew a Mandrake recovery potion. You know, the person who was attacked at the beginning was saved by my Mandrake recovery potion."

"I know that, so?"

"So I'd like to ask you if you can give me the remaining mandrakes? I can also brew potions for everyone. At the same time, some of my other potion research also requires mandrakes as ingredients."

Neville: Dylan, you don't even want to act anymore. You asked me for help before, but now you ask the professor directly in person?
"Oh, that's certainly no problem. Once the mandrakes here mature, they're meant to be stored as medicinal supplies for the academy. If you want to take some, that's perfectly fine."

To Neville's surprise, Professor Sprout was not angry. Instead, he gently patted the dirt off his hands and laughed heartily.

He also readily agreed to Dylan's request.

"Really? That's great! Professor, thank you so much for helping me out!"

Neville stretched his neck, looked at Dylan, then at the professor, with a confused look on his face.

Didn’t the professor say before that the herbs in the greenhouse are the property of Hogwarts and even the professor himself cannot dispose of them at will?

The reason why he was able to help Dylan get a pot of mandrake last time was because the professor appreciated his great help!

How come after Dylan said that, the professor gave away all the remaining mandrakes?
Neville lowered his head and looked at the nine mandrakes on the table.

——That’s nine plants in total!

Even if Dylan came to help, the professor shouldn't give away nearly one-tenth of the mandrake stock in the greenhouse at once, right?

Why does it feel like Dylan is more familiar with Professor Sprout than he is?
"Relax, good boy. It's just some mandrakes. It's not a big deal. You have great talent. No matter what aspect, I am certainly willing to train you into an excellent little wizard."

Neville: (._.)
It's over, he seems to have fallen out of favor!
Professor Sprout said this, looked at Neville again, and added: "Just as I am happy to let Neville help me, he has an outstanding talent in herbs, and I am willing to tell him more about herbs."

Neville was still struggling, but Professor Sprout's words made his face flush red. "Besides, you've helped me a lot. Just take these mandrakes."

Dylan was very happy: "Okay, Professor. Then I will take these harvested mandrakes to Professor Snape, right?"

"Okay, give more to Professor Snape so that he can brew more recovery potions, so that the children won't be so scared." Professor Sprout nodded.

Dylan waved his wand and used magic to lift the pots of mandrake into the air, flying to his left and right.

After saying goodbye to Professor Sprout, Dylan walked out of the greenhouse with Neville, carrying nine pots of living mandrakes and the harvested ones.

"Well, Dylan, the mandrakes are ripe. I have nothing to do from now on. You take these to Professor Snape, and I don't have to go." Neville poked his finger.

Dylan nodded and didn't refuse.

After all, I have so many pots of mandrakes. I just need to plant them in my suitcase. When these little guys bloom and bear fruit, new mandrakes will grow.

Moreover, since these mandrakes are mature, they can be divided naturally.

As long as he plants them in the forest, the mandrakes will reproduce naturally without him having to do much.

Neville hurried to the dormitory.

Dylan walked slowly towards Professor Snape's office.

Halfway through, he suddenly sensed a breath coming.

Dylan narrowed his eyes.

With a wave of the wand, a rooster crowed suddenly.

The breath paused and quickly receded.

"Don't worry, little one. Soon you will be able to grow freely in my forest."

Dylan wandered to the door of Professor Snape's office, with nine pots of mandrakes floating around him.

"knocking"

Dylan knocked on the door.

Then I saw Professor Snape preparing something.

"Professor, this is the ripe mandrake Professor Sprout asked me to bring you."

He walked into the door.

Professor Snape was bent over, concentrating on fiddling with the crucible, his slender fingers methodically putting the ingredients in one by one.

Hearing Dylan's voice, he raised his head and saw nine pots of mandrakes floating in the air like nine strange totems, rotating slightly.

Professor Snape's eyes were a little strange: "Are you planning to turn yourself into a stinking garden?"

Dylan chuckled and said, "How could that be, Professor? It's just that I can't store them right now."

He walked over to Professor Snape and placed the harvested mandrakes on the table.

Then he saw two crucibles placed in front of the table. He paused and asked, "Professor, what are you doing?"

Professor Snape started fiddling with the herbs again. "Now that you're here, don't leave. This is your cauldron. Come brew the resurrection potion with me."

Professor Snape's voice was full of command, and he didn't give Dylan any chance to veto. He gave up the crucible in front of him, walked to the table, picked up the mandrakes, and came to another crucible.

Dylan: “.”

Well, everyone is here!
Dylan sighed.

In fact, he wanted to read some more books and have private lessons with Professor McGonagall in the evening.

But since Professor Snape has spoken, Dylan will not refuse.

It has been a while since he last made potions with Professor Snape.

"Professor, what do you think of the Chamber of Secrets this time? I heard Harry say that every time you see him recently, you always send him back to the dormitory."

Dylan skillfully put in the mandrake root and chatted with Professor Snape while brewing the potion.

——He wanted to find out from Professor Snape what old Dumbledore thought of him.

Professor Snape paused slightly, and a large bubble suddenly emerged from the viscous liquid in the crucible, and then burst.

Professor Snape immediately continued stirring the crucible, snorting in a low, cold voice.

"Be careful, your saliva might spray into the cauldron and ruin the potion! There aren't many magic apples here for you to experiment with!"

Dylan smiled. "Don't worry, Professor. You know my technique, don't you? Nothing will go wrong."

His movements were steady and firm, and the Mandrake resurrection potion gradually took shape in his hands.

"Humph!"

Professor Snape snorted again and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Dylan shrugged slightly, but did not continue to ask.

Professor Snape's feelings for Harry were obvious - not that kind of feeling, but that kind.

Although it was awkward, Dylan knew that he was definitely the one who didn't want to see anything happen to Harry.

Otherwise, why would Harry always meet Professor Snape when he was out alone?

After being driven back by Professor Snape, he would always complain to him and Ron about where he had seen Professor Snape again.

What a tsundere monster!
After a moment of silence.

Professor Snape said suddenly with a cold face: "The Restricted Section is not a place you should frequent for a half-baked person like you, and the contents of those books are not something you should dream of studying in depth right now."

Dylan was stunned.

He wondered whether the professors in the college would know that he went to the restricted area to look for books to read.

Dylan naturally didn't think he could avoid it completely.

However, Madam Pince would keep a record of the banned books he read, and the professors could check them if they wanted.

He never deliberately hid it.

Although there are many contents related to black magic, none of them are too evil.

This was probably the reason why the professors did not directly talk to him about this matter after knowing that he frequently visited the banned books.

Even throughout the entire year, no professor mentioned the banned books to him.

Apparently, the professors had already tacitly agreed that he could go to the restricted section and browse books.

So why did Professor Snape suddenly tell him about this again?
Dylan suddenly thought of what Harry had said to him.

Could it be Dumbledore's arrangement or instructions before leaving school?
His expression remained unchanged, his movements steady as he replied, "Professor, I understand your concerns, but I promise I will not be affected by the dark forces."

"In fact, the black magic recorded in those books seems stupid to me. I just want to study the principles of magic, not control it."

Professor Snape glanced at Dylan.

He didn't sense any other emotion coming from Dylan when he said that—just sincerity.

He narrowed his eyes. "You've learned Occlumency quite well."

Dylan chuckled and said, "This is all thanks to your good teaching."

"Dumbledore asked me to bring you back to his side next school year. I want to know what dark arts you have studied."

Dylan was stunned when he heard this, but he was not impatient at all, but rather a little surprised.

"Professor, are you going to teach me the dark arts?"

"Before that, I want to see how well you can master the dark arts."

Professor Snape's voice was cold, but Dylan smiled.

He had been studying black magic on his own before. After all, even if the professors knew about this, no one would point it out, so it would be inconvenient for him to go to the professors with black magic.

I didn't expect that Professor Snape would now teach him the dark arts directly. This was really a pleasant surprise.

It seems that he will be even busier next school year.

"Be careful recently. If you encounter any danger, use all the spells you know. Don't hesitate." As Professor Snape spoke, his eyes were fixed on the crucible in front of him, without looking away.

But after hearing his words, Dylan chuckled: "Okay, professor."

Professor Snape's attitude, to a certain extent, also reflects old Dumbledore's attitude.

Obviously, Old Deng probably still treats him as just a student.

And what he said to Harry was probably because he discovered that Harry kept going in and out of the restricted area and thought that he had learned a lot of dark knowledge, so he told Harry to be careful of him.

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief when he got the answer.

Fortunately, Old Deng didn’t really discover anything.

After brewing a few bottles of potion with Professor Snape, Dylan looked at the time and said, "Professor, I have to go to Professor McGonagall later."

"Let's go." Professor Snape said without looking up, "Take two bottles of potion and go."

Dylan's eyes lit up again: "Thank you, Professor~~~~"

"Go quickly!"

"Okay! Professor, remember to eat~"

Dylan left the office, went to the restaurant for dinner, and then came to Professor McGonagall's office.

However, I just chatted with Professor McGonagall for a while.

A letter flew in hurriedly.

After opening the letter, Professor McGonagall just glanced at it and her eyes suddenly widened.

"There was a real murder at Hogwarts?"

Professor McGonagall was furious.

"Who spread such rumors at this time?!"

Dylan had a rare opportunity to discuss some Transfiguration topics with Professor McGonagall.

——It has been a long time since he had private lessons with Professor McGonagall since Old Dumbledore was kicked out.

However, this opportunity was interrupted by a letter.

Seeing Professor McGonagall looking at the letter in her hand with a serious expression, Dylan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Professor?"

Professor McGonagall rubbed her brows. "It was Flitwick. He sent me a message saying that a reporter was spreading the news that a real murder had occurred at Hogwarts!"

"But that's completely nonsense! There haven't even been any attacks at the school in ages!"

When Dylan heard this, Lockhart's face immediately popped into his mind.

"Can I see this letter?"

Professor McGonagall did not refuse, but handed the letter to Dylan.

Dylan took it and glanced at it quickly.

The above content is very brief, and the general meaning is what Professor Flitwick said, that someone is spreading the word that a real murder is about to occur in Hogwarts and some students will die completely.

Dylan couldn't help but touch his chin: "This kind of thing can't be spread by the students in the school."

Professor McGonagall looked over: "You mean..."

Dylan nodded. "I think someone might be trying to use this incident to stir up trouble and make themselves famous again—or perhaps they've accepted bribes from someone."

Professor McGonagall frowned. "You suspect Lockhart?"

Dylan smiled and said, "Besides him, I really can't find anyone else in the school who would do such a thing."

Professor McGonagall slammed the table in anger.

Dylan grinned: "Professor, please don't hurt your own hand."

"This Lockhart! What good does it do him to discredit the school like this?"

"That's a lot. Whether he was instructed by someone or simply wanted to use this incident to step on Hogwarts and make himself famous, these are all tangible benefits."

Dylan's words made Professor McGonagall unable to deny.

"But all the students who were attacked are in the school infirmary, and your Mandrake recovery potion even saved one student!"

"There was no murder at the school. Even if he did this, it would just be fake news. What kind of reputation could he gain for himself?"

Dylan thought for a moment. "Unless he really wants to kill someone."

"What?!" Professor McGonagall was shocked. "How dare he do this?"

(End of this chapter)