The four dared not linger and jogged away from the spot.
But the moment they returned to the common room, all except Hermione cheered as if they'd aced the exam.
"I declare, Professor Fawley is my idol!" Ron shouted.
He tilted his head back toward the ceiling, arms raised high as if he could see Tver's image there.
Harry grinned widely. "The professor's been my idol for ages."
Neville gave a shy smile, muttering, "Me too."
But Hermione was displeased. She pouted, wiped the tears from her face with her handkerchief, and impatiently brushed Ron's hand away.
"At the end of the day, we shouldn't have been out wandering at night. Remember what the professor said? Gryffindor's legacy is bravery, not trouble!"
"Oh, come on," Ron rubbed his sore arm. "If it weren't for tonight, we'd never have seen such a great side of the professor—or that three-headed monster."
He couldn't help but laugh at his own words.
Hermione clutched the small hand behind her back awkwardly, the handkerchief still tightly held within.
Harry chuckled in agreement. "But what was up with that Three-Headed Dog? How could the school keep such a dangerous creature in the castle?"
"Didn't you notice? There was a trapdoor beneath that dog. It was clearly guarding something!" Hermione frowned.
"What?" Ron scratched his head in confusion. "You could even spot a trapdoor in that situation?"
Hermione turned her head away, her back to them.
"How should I know? Anyway, I'm not in the mood for your guessing games anymore."
Watching Hermione walk away, Harry felt a pang of thoughtfulness.
He thought he knew where the parcel Hagrid had taken him to retrieve at the start of term was hidden.
Meanwhile, Tver hadn't actually left. After vanishing from Harry's sight, he'd turned back.
His earlier appearance had been deliberate.
Harry was the greatest variable in his plan!
He needed Harry to help Quirrell obtain the Philosopher's Stone, but he couldn't let Harry draw Dumbledore's attention.
At least, not until he'd snatched the stone from Quirrell. Dumbledore couldn't appear so soon.
Thus, he resolved to project a trustworthy image to Harry tonight, closing the distance between them to better control the boy's actions.
Knowing Dumbledore was watching Harry, he had to proceed discreetly.
Reaffirming his plan, Tver cast a small detection spell along the fourth-floor corridor.
Tonight's events also reminded him: if Quirrell, having obtained some advance clues, managed to seize the Philosopher's Stone and flee Hogwarts early, he would truly be at a disadvantage.
Therefore, he must carefully monitor this corridor.
Having completed all this, Tver quietly departed. The corridor returned to its silent darkness, indistinguishable from before.
…
The next day, unlike Tver, who was accustomed to staying up all night, Harry and his three friends were yawning nonstop throughout class.
But by the afternoon, they had no choice but to force themselves awake. After all, it was Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Tver arrived at the classroom early, but to his surprise, the students had arrived even earlier.
Especially Hermione, sitting in the front row with a small roll still on her desk, suggesting she had eaten lunch right there in the classroom.
Harry and Ron were also unusually seated in the front rows, heads down, flipping through textbooks—so engrossed they didn't even notice him enter.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Tver said, placing the test papers on the desk and addressing the class. "Looks like no one's late today, so I'll skip roll call."
He smiled slightly, watching Harry and Ron shrink back a little and Hermione hurriedly packing her desk.
"I imagine you've heard about the tradition from other years—taking the exam before class has become customary for this course."
The students immediately wore expressions of resignation.
They'd already heard about this from the upperclassmen earlier in the week, along with warnings that the exams were notoriously difficult. That was exactly why they'd shown up so early.
Cramming at the last minute!
Tver walked to the front of the desks, stopping right in front of Hermione, who tilted her head up to look at him. She seemed to be the only one in the class eagerly awaiting the exam.
"Don't worry, first-years will have a slight variation," he said, pulling out his wand and pointing it toward the back of the classroom. "Your test will be a fun little game."
A soft red glow flickered, and a crimson orb appeared on the white wall behind him, hovering steadily before the surface.
The students turned their heads, curiously watching the orb, expecting some magical spectacle. But ten seconds passed, and it remained just that—a glowing orb.
Tver didn't explain immediately. Instead, he called out, "Stop staring like that! Grab your wands and come to the back!"
Realizing they wouldn't be taking a written test, the students cheered. With the experience of the first class fresh in their minds, they quickly formed two lines in the open space, their eyes fixed intently on Tver standing before them.
"I need one student to demonstrate for us. You'll do, Mr. Potter."
Tver pointed casually, seemingly without thought, but to Harry, it felt like punishment for last night.
Under Hermione's envious gaze, Harry stepped forward from the crowd, allowing Tver to direct him.
"Right, stand here facing the orb, then raise your wand," Tver instructed after positioning Harry. "The orb will continuously shift between three colors while moving erratically. What you must do is—"
He flicked his wand, sending another red beam striking the orb. It rippled, shifting from red to green while displaying a number 1 in its center, the rest remaining unchanged.
"Hit it with the same color light, and it will change color while scoring a point. You have two minutes to engage the orb. The highest scorer will earn ten points for their house."
Harry's hands trembled with nervousness, but the students were buzzing with excitement.
As first-years, they hadn't yet had the chance to experience combat. For the past two weeks, they'd only watched the second and third years show off.
Even students who hadn't made it into Professor Fawley's class could join in the battle talk.
Only they were left staring enviously!
Now they could finally get a taste of combat, wishing desperately they were the ones demonstrating.
But Harry, under the gaze of the entire class, felt his nerves creeping in. He kept mentally rehearsing the spell to release the light orb. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone, nor did he want to disappoint Professor Fawley.
Tver restored the light orb to its original state and turned to Harry, who stood tense and silent beside him.
"Just a reminder—the orb won't just sit there waiting," he said, walking behind Harry and conjuring an hourglass. "The moment you emit the light, the timer starts. So, are you ready?"
Harry gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Then let's begin!"