Chapter 55: Thrifty Tver

Lying on the grass, basking in the sunlight, Tver had never felt his body so relaxed.

"Hey hey, where did you just go?" the ring suddenly spoke up.

Realizing that the space he had visited was no ordinary place, even the ring he carried couldn't "see" his experiences as usual.

Tver joked, "To a place that could get rid of you."

The ring panicked instantly. In many ways, it had been with Tver longer than most people. Tver had always been tense and carried an urgency about him, but now, seeing him completely relaxed was a first.

"You can't do this, Tver!" the ring hastily said. "For all these years, I've been by your side, helping you study dark magic! More importantly, you've been gradually awakening my soul, helping to complete what was missing. You can't just watch your hard work be destroyed!"

Normally, a Horcrux, even Voldemort's own soul, would be fragmented. But the ring, having absorbed Tver's life force and deliberately nurtured it, had a much higher degree of soul integrity than other Horcruxes. This made the ring seem smarter, entirely due to Tver's contributions. In a way, the ring now was a combination of his vitality and Voldemort's soul.

"Don't worry, if I wanted to destroy you, I would have done it already," Tver pulled out the ring, twirling it in his hand. "I can't bear to let you be destroyed just like that."

He knew how to destroy a Horcrux, but as the ring said, destroying it outright would indeed waste the life force he had invested in it. Even a simple flower has its uses.

The ring breathed a sigh of relief, but then it noticed his right hand and took a closer look at the small mark on his wrist.

"Wait, did you actually get rid of the curse?!"

"Of course not, I just don't lack life force right now," Tver felt his body, "Hmm, probably won't for about fifty years."

He bore two curses, and for now, he had only managed to suppress them. To fully resolve them, he would need to meet Lady Ravenclaw.

"So, are we still going to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Of course, we have to. After all the arrangements I've made, it would be a waste not to. I'm quite thrifty," Tver paused, "And even if I don't use it, someone else will need it."

"Who?" the ring asked nonchalantly. He had been completely at Tver's mercy, devoid of any other desires.

"Obviously, you," he said with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with teasing.

"!!!"

If one could see the soul of Voldemort within the ring, they would surely be startled by the wide-eyed surprise it contained.

"You aren't deceiving me, are you? Wizards do not deceive wizards! Right! Besides, you don't have much need for the Philosopher's Stone. What use would it have for you? It might as well be mine, right? My original self tossed me aside in a dilapidated house, completely disregarding me. You truly treat me the best. From the moment you touched the ring, I knew you were a good person!"

Unexpectedly receiving a compliment, Tver sharply tapped the black stone on the ring.

"Stop the act."

The ring then quieted down.

Tver also took the opportunity to examine the Resurrection Stone set in the ring. This angular black stone, engraved with the Peverell coat of arms—a symbol of the Deathly Hallows—was as profound as a black hole, absorbing any magic used to probe it.

To be honest, he dared not casually study the stone. The elements within the stone were too far removed from the magical world; at least until he reached a higher level of understanding about the soul, he would not spend much time on the Resurrection Stone.

At the moment he realized it was the Resurrection Stone, his thought was—what state would he be in if he summoned back his soul at the moment of death?

A superposition state of being neither dead nor alive?

As he pondered, a large shadow suddenly obscured the sunlight bathing him, and a face covered in sideburns appeared before him.

"Professor Fawley?" Hagrid asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

With the sunlight gone, Tver simply stood up. Despite his towering height of one meter ninety, he still looked up to this half-giant.

This was their first formal meeting, so Hagrid introduced himself.

"You might not know me well. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"How could I not recognize you? A person like you, well, quite memorable."

Tver then glanced around at his location. He was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, right where the snowy ground met the thicket of trees.

Unexpectedly, Helga had been considerate enough to send him back here.

Five-star rating!

Hagrid scratched his head with his free hand, a comment he often heard.

But he always held great respect for the professors, even those past Defense Against the Dark Arts professors who had been less than reliable; he maintained a student-like respect for them.

"Although I'm not sure what you are doing here, Professor, it would be better to avoid the Forbidden Forest these days."

"Oh, has something happened in the Forest?" Tver asked, his suspicion deepening, especially noticing that Hagrid's other hand held a large crossbow and his shoulder was draped with a full quiver.

"I'm not sure who it was, but there was a lot of unusual activity in the Forest last night. When I went to check, I only saw a dark shadow," Hagrid said, glancing worriedly toward the depths of the Forest. "I could clearly sense that the animals were very restless. Just now, while patrolling, I also found some bodies of Acromantula."

"They were killed cleanly and efficiently. I know you're very capable, Professor," he paused, seemingly thinking of something, and looked at Tver with a hint of ambiguity.

"—But regardless, it's best if you stay away from the Forest as much as possible, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings," he added, his tone becoming stiffer.

Was he being suspected?

To be honest, without meaning any offense, given Hagrid's behavioral patterns, such subtleties were more conspicuous than overt actions by others...

"Alright," Tver nodded, glancing toward the direction where the little rabbit had hopped away. He didn't want to interfere with Quirrell's feeding; keeping him alive and well was necessary for him to focus on his endeavors.

"I don't think I'll be visiting the Forest again, so please take care of these little cuties."

However, Hagrid clearly misunderstood Tver's reference to "little cuties," as, to him, dragons were the most adorable creatures!

But he also showed a smile of understanding, heartily waving his large hand and saying, "That's my duty, just like you teaching your classes."

'As I thought, such a highly regarded professor couldn't possibly be scheming to steal the Philosopher's Stone!'