Chapter 12: Hogwarts Tradition - Night Wander

Finally, as the desserts vanished under Tver's regretful gaze, Dumbledore stood up once again, and the hall returned to its original silence.

"It seems everyone has had their fill, but I hope you still have the energy to listen to a few words from this old man," Dumbledore said. "Attention, first-year students, and all students, it is forbidden for any student to enter the forest on the school grounds. I'm delighted to see everyone making ample progress in their magical skills, but please refrain from releasing your creative ideas in the corridors between classes. Next, do not enter the right corridor on the third floor if you wish to remain safe and sound within the castle for your studies."

A solemn atmosphere swept through the hall.

The younger students initially thought Dumbledore was joking and chuckled in response. But seeing the serious expressions of the older students, their laughter faded.

Dumbledore observed the students' reactions but offered no explanation, continuing with his speech.

"Let's switch to a happier topic. I have some good news to announce: this academic year, we will be welcoming two new teachers! They are Professor Fawley and Professor Quirrell, who will jointly share the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Scattered applause filled the hall, but when Tver stood up and gestured to the crowd, the applause grew warm.

As they caught sight of Tver's handsome appearance, a bold young witch immediately shouted from below, "Professor Fawley, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Alright," Dumbledore clapped his hands to regain attention, "the new courses will commence tomorrow. You'll have plenty of time to get to know these two professors."

Dumbledore waved his wand towards the sky, and a long golden ribbon floated out, his voice suddenly becoming lofty.

"Now, for the final tradition before the end of the feast, let us sing the school song together!"

Tver watched Dumbledore's actions in astonishment. He had no idea that Hogwarts had this tradition.

It seemed that there could be significant deviations between the plot and real-life occurrences.

But as everyone began to sing, Tver understood why this part wasn't depicted in the movies.

The Hogwarts school song had no melody; aside from the lyrics floating above, each person sang a different tune.

Under Dumbledore's magically guided direction, this product of chaotic melodies sounded unexpectedly harmonious, akin to a symphony.

Truly not something Muggles could perform.

As the song concluded, the students followed their prefects back to the common rooms.

Tver, having eaten and drunk his fill, bid farewell to his colleagues and returned to his office.

At this moment, the office remained undecorated, requiring Tver's own tidying.

House-elves were responsible for the cleanliness of Hogwarts Castle, but only in public areas. Private spaces like professors' offices would not be attended to by the elves unless requested, even though they could apparate in.

Tver placed his wallet on the desk and opened it, then flicked his wand. The contents inside followed his command, floating to their designated places.

In addition to books, there were several cages inside, used to house some decent creatures for teaching students.

After ten minutes of tidying up the entire office and bedroom, Tver did not choose to rest but instead sat solemnly in his chair.

Extending his right hand, the original small black dot transformed into a tiny skull, with a snake slithering out from its mouth.

The Dark Mark.

Though much smaller in size.

The skull seemed to come to life, and the snake's mouth stretched longer, attempting to coil around Tver's wrist.

In Tver's perception, the dark magic within seemed substantial, almost breaking through the protective spells he had cast.

Immediately, he lifted his wand with his left hand, aiming at the Dark Mark.

This was a small trick for dueling.

When your opponent couldn't determine your dominant hand, they were more likely to misjudge your strength.

"Vivificus!"

As Tver finished the incantation, a magical force enveloped his wrist, forming a thin, golden membrane.

The golden membrane gradually merged into the surroundings of the Dark Mark, and the black snake seemed to collide with an invisible wall, slowly being pushed back, leaving only its head outside.

This was a variant of the Protego spell, capable of lasting for a long time to block the erosion of dark magic.

Fortunately, he had chosen Durmstrang originally, and fortunately, his teacher had an extraordinary study of the Protego spell.

Speaking of which, while researching dark magic, what Tver had learned the most was the Protego spell. But his heart did not relax because of this.

There was only a year and a half left.

This was also beyond Tver's expectations.

The curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, which he knew about, should not have been so aggressive.

It was estimated that it had touched upon the original curse on him, all set by Voldemort himself.

The two curses had intertwined, instantly producing an effect greater than the sum of their parts.

He had been too impatient, choosing the Defense Against the Dark Arts course that was easiest to apply for in order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible.

To ease his mood, Tver decided—

Tonight, he would go to the fourth-floor corridor.

With his life almost on the line, how could he not be anxious?

Before leaving, he glanced at his course schedule: two classes per week, three grades, four houses.

Hmm, at least one class every day. Truly worthy of Hogwarts.

With a sigh, Tver left a protective spell in his office and departed.

One must always be cautious. The castle was eerily quiet at this hour, with only the flickering of torches in the corridors making a light crackling sound.

Relying on the torchlight, Tver cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and quietly made his way to the third floor.

He was briefly interrupted by the moving stairs along the way, but Tver also sensed the mystery of the stairs.

If you infused a bit of magic into the stairs and silently wished for your destination, the stairs would carry you there.

Conversely, if you were in a hurry, you were more likely to be fooled by the stairs.

He estimated that many young wizards would fall for it.

Arriving at the third floor, the torches in the corridor were absent. Once the distant glow disappeared, the corridor became pitch black.

"Luminosumbrum."

A blue light emanated from Tver's wand, illuminating the path ahead.

This was a variant of the Lumos spell; the blue light wasn't visible to others, making it appear as though the corridor remained dark.

In reality, the blue light served as an extension of his senses, allowing him to see in the darkness without attracting attention.

The corridor here wasn't deep, noticeably shorter than those on other floors, as if a section of the corridor had been awkwardly cut off. And right in front of him was the sealed door.

Tver's hand reached for the doorknob but suddenly withdrew.

There was a noise!