George and the other two froze for a moment, then finally understood the logic behind it.
It was just their fear of Dementors that made them hesitate.
"Remember, the incantation is 'Expecto Patronum.' Focus your mind, and make sure it's filled with joyful emotions,"
Tver reminded them solemnly, even demonstrating the full casting motion as an example.
George and Fred nodded absentmindedly and stepped into the protective barrier.
Cedric, on the other hand, watched the demonstration carefully twice before entering last.
"Why are you just standing there?" he asked as soon as he got inside, seeing his teammates frozen in front of him.
"Because the Dementor is coming!" Davies screamed in panic.
All three took a large step back at the same time, instinctively hiding behind Cedric.
Only then did he truly understand why they were so afraid.
The Dementor stretched out its arms and lunged at them like a ghost, its shadowy form surging forward in rage.
Yes, rage.
Its barely functioning mind told it that only by destroying every living thing in front of it could it make up for the pain it had just suffered.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Davies shouted hoarsely in panic, so flustered that he forgot to even swing his wand.
George and Fred were hardly any better. One garbled Expecto Patronum into "Expecto… Protonum?" while the other confidently shouted "Expelli-Patron!" and flicked his wand in entirely the wrong direction.
Their chaos made Cedric tense up as well. He hurriedly raised his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A faint silver-white light burst from the tip of his wand and shot straight at the Dementor, making their faces light up with hope.
But in the very next second, their expressions collapsed.
The Dementor's charge was only stalled for a brief instant before it lunged at them again.
"Expecto—"
Cedric tried to cast again, but George yanked him backward. He fell into the twins' arms and was dragged away.
That single pull saved his life, because the Dementor's claws were already swinging down.
Davies, who lagged behind, wasn't so lucky.
The Dementor locked onto him, and his strength drained away like a receding tide.
He could only weakly punch at it, but not only did it have no effect, the Dementor easily pulled back its hood, revealing a face with nothing but a mouth.
Davies was completely spent now, as if his soul were about to leave his body.
"Holy shit, this is real!" Cedric blurted out in shock.
He could already see the Dementor's head lowering slowly, about to kiss Davies.
George and Fred grabbed their heads in terror, forcing themselves to look toward the professor outside the barrier.
"Professor! Help Davies! He'll die!" George screamed desperately.
But Tver remained utterly calm. He even curled the corner of his mouth slightly, looking almost as if he were mocking their helplessness.
Stung by that faint smile, Fred roared hoarsely, "What are you doing?!"
Tver shrugged casually, his smile becoming even more obvious.
As if reminding them that when he said they could die, he meant it.
With no help coming, Cedric turned back in panic.
The Dementor's mouth was already right next to Davies, ready to suck out his soul.
"No, I have to save him!"
His eyes were wide open, his hand clenched tightly around his wand, as if he might snap it in two.
Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of positive energy flooded his mind.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver-white falcon burst out of the wand in an instant. Sensing its master's urgency, it beat its wings sharply and shot toward the Dementor like a beam of light.
The falcon wasn't large, but its power was astonishing.
Its sharp beak pierced deep into the Dementor's head, then violently hurled it into the air. The creature slammed into the inner wall of the dome above, sending ripples spreading outward like waves.
Struck from both front and back, the Dementor no longer dared descend. Even after the falcon dispersed, it floated obediently in the air, helplessly watching as the Weasley twins rushed to surround Davies.
"Wake up, Roger."
George anxiously patted Davies's face. Before long, Davies slowly came around.
"What just happened to me?" He blinked in confusion and touched his slightly swollen right cheek.
"A Dementor almost sucked out your soul!" Fred shouted, still shaken.
"But I didn't feel anything?"
Davies hurriedly checked himself over, as if the Dementor hadn't gone after his soul but some part of his body instead.
"You idiot! Everyone who actually knows is already dead! How would I know what it feels like?" George snapped, lowering Davies back to the ground.
Fred, however, looked intrigued.
"But according to the books, being that close to a Dementor should make you feel freezing cold and overwhelming terror. None of that happened?"
Davies thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively.
"Not at all. The only thing I felt was a wave of weakness when its mouth got close."
"That's strange…"
They were so deep in thought that they didn't even notice Cedric walking over.
"Stop guessing," Cedric said, his expression complicated. "It's probably the professor's protection at work. From start to finish, we weren't affected by the Dementor at all. In fact, positive emotions kept welling up inside us."
"As for Davies, even if the Dementor had actually kissed him just now, I doubt anything would've happened."
"What do you mean nothing would've happened? I almost lost my first kiss!" Davies protested fiercely.
"Oh? So that story you told us about having a girlfriend before school was a lie?" George teased, pointing at him.
"That wasn't a lie! It was pure love…"
Outside the field, Tver watched their increasingly off-topic discussion with an amused expression.
There was no way he would actually let them get hurt in class. In truth, aside from their appearance, the Dementors here couldn't affect them at all.
The dome itself was formed by the Patronus Charm, continuously supplying them with positive emotions.
If they still couldn't cast a Patronus under those conditions, then there was nothing more he could do.
Once they realized this, George and the others also successfully cast their Patronuses at the Dementor, having an absolute blast with it.
If Tver hadn't urged them, they wouldn't have been willing to come out at all.
But seeing their classmates' disgruntled looks, they exchanged mischievous glances and silently agreed not to share their discovery.
As a result, those who went in afterward were thoroughly frightened by the Dementor. Some students were even scared to the point of nearly fainting.
Even so, the Patronus Charm was still an extremely advanced spell. Despite all the favorable conditions, only a very small number of students managed to grasp it.
"Do you remember what I said before class?" Tver said as he reassured everyone, deliberately ignoring the smug Weasley twins.
"This isn't a spell you can learn easily. If you have free time, you can practice it on your own."
"But honestly, its range of use is limited. You rarely encounter Dementors in everyday life."
"So don't be discouraged if you didn't succeed. There's nothing shameful about that. At the very least, your theory scores are far better than a certain pair of twins."
Weasley twins: [・_・?]
"Alright. Tell me, what's our focus for the remaining half year?"
"O.W.L.S!" the students shouted with renewed determination.
Tver nodded in satisfaction and began clearing away the equipment on the field.
As for the Dementor that was barely hanging on, it no longer had any value. He disposed of it without hesitation.
Everything he needed to study had already been accomplished through the students' battle just now.
(≖ᴗ≖)✧