Tver looked at Hermione with some surprise. He had merely assigned this task casually, hoping to prevent first-years from slacking off without homework. He hadn't expected anyone to actually follow through—and with such diligence.
As he spoke, Tver pulled out an exam paper.
"To be honest, I was worried you might focus too much on theory and neglect practice."
The first thing Hermione noticed wasn't the paper, but Tver's hand. His pale, sharply defined fingers were beautiful like a work of art. But now, on his slender index finger, sat a dark gold ring set with a black gemstone. It drew her eyes like a black hole.
Only when Tver withdrew his hand did Hermione snap back to reality. She sheepishly averted her gaze and focused on the paper. This was the very paper she had completed during her first lesson. Not a single mark of correction marred it; it looked exactly as she had handed it in.
"You are the only first-year to achieve a perfect score. Even Mr. Malfoy, who came in second, failed to answer some questions covering material beyond the textbook."
Facing Tver's approving gaze, Hermione lowered her head shyly.
"I've simply read extensively, and your exam wasn't particularly difficult. Mastering the textbook material is sufficient to achieve this level."
Recalling the dismal scores of the dismal The Chosen One, Harry, Tver laughed heartily.
"Best keep that remark to yourself. If those failing students heard it, they'd be furious."
"Still, there aren't many young witches like you. May I ask—did you memorize the entire book?"
Hermione immediately lifted her head with delight. "Yes! Not just The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, but also the textbooks for Transfiguration Class and Charm—I've memorized them all!"
"Professor, you've read so many books—you must have memorized quite a few, right?"
This was her pride and joy. Coming from a Muggle-born background, she worried she'd fall behind her classmates. After buying her textbooks, she pored over them day and night, committing them to memory.
But Tver poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
"As you read more books, you'll stop memorizing. Understanding matters more than rote memorization."
Memorizing after understanding knowledge was pointless, only wasting his already limited time. Thus, he never considered memorizing meaningless content. Of course, his memory was naturally excellent, but it differed subtly from rote memorization. Only knowledge he urgently needed to grasp would he commit to memory word for word.
Seeing Hermione's disappointed expression, Tver offered her some comfort.
"Of course, your ability to memorize shows your diligence. As a professor, I always have a soft spot for hardworking students."
"But it's too crowded here for practical exercises. Instead, let me help you resolve your academic confusion!"
The girl's face instantly brightened, her eyes sparkling with excitement—no trace of her earlier disappointment remained. Tver inwardly marveled at how girls' moods shifted faster than the Four Elements.
With Tver's permission, Hermione promptly fired off a barrage of questions accumulated during class—not just about Defence Against the Dark Arts, but also Transfiguration and other subjects. Even a bright student like Hermione was still a first-year who'd only been in school a week, so her questions weren't particularly advanced.
Thus, even when she asked about Astronomy, Tver could answer with ease, drawing upon his vast knowledge.
Time slipped away like this, and soon an hour had passed. Tver took a sip of pumpkin juice, only to find the cup already empty. He realized it was already ten o'clock. For him, it was merely the beginning of his evening studies, but for the students, it was already curfew time.
"Oh, it's already this late. That's all for tonight. Hurry back to the common room. If you run into any other professors or Filch, just say you were receiving tutoring from me."
Hermione nodded dejectedly and left Tver's office with a weary sigh. Tonight, she had learned quite a lot—not just textbook knowledge, but many strange perspectives she had never encountered before.
For instance, ordinary spells, once mastered, could unleash tremendous power when augmented by profound magical knowledge. This was something she had never come across in her textbooks!
Watching Hermione's retreating figure, Tver stood frozen in the doorway.
"What? Trying to use that little witch as your new... what was it? Tool?"
A detached voice echoed in Tver's mind.
But he didn't answer. Instead, he fiddled with the ring on his finger. Tonight, he had been studying dark magic—dark magic he'd never touched before. The Imperius Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.
Tver was skilled in many spells: Transfiguration, Fiendfyre Curse, Shield Charm, and all sorts of strange dark magic. But his true mastery lay in the study of souls. This was because the ring on his finger housed a soul that constantly sought to corrupt his own.
"Hey, hey, don't just slander souls like that! It was only the first three years, okay?" Voldemort retorted hastily, not missing a beat. "Ever since you learned Occlumency, you've been studying me instead!"
In short, his soul research had reached an unparalleled level. Yet, he still hadn't mastered the three Unforgivable Curses.
The Imperius Curse—controls souls;
The Cruciatus Curse—torments souls;
The Killing Curse—destroys souls!
The deeper his soul research went, the deeper his fear of these three curses grew.
If it were merely about casting them, he could have done so effortlessly five years ago. Yet throughout history, no one had ever mastered these three curses. Wizards had developed countless advanced applications for spells, but these three remained merely tools in everyone's hands—nothing more than tools to be used.
"There's nothing the Killing Curse can't solve. If there is, then two," Voldemort ranted incessantly, "I truly don't know what you've encountered to have your mind eroded so severely."
Indeed, before Hermione arrived tonight, Tver had been studying the Imperius Curse. To research dark magic, one must guard against the soul being corrupted by evil thoughts, lest one become its slave.
Thus, he habitually sought out a tool—a vessel to provide his mind with respite during breaks from his dark studies.
But while studying the Imperius Curse, he could tangibly experience a thrill of control—the exhilaration of manipulating a life at his whim.
Among the negative effects of dark magic, this thrill was merely a low-level one. Yet for Tver, who already controlled the plot of this world, such a mindset came naturally.
Thus, he nearly lost his mental fortitude. But in that very instant, he seemed to grasp the essence of the soul. It was precisely this instant that snapped his consciousness back to his physical form, driving him frantically out of the office to calm his mind.
"I have seen things you cannot imagine, Voldemort," Tver murmured with a cold smile, watching the torches outside gradually die out as his own figure faded into the darkness. "That is the soul's greatest secret."