Hogwarts' Tradition is Night Wandering

At last, the desserts vanished beneath Tver's regretful gaze. Dumbledore rose to his feet once more, and the Great Hall returned to its former solemnity.

"It seems everyone has eaten and drunk their fill. I hope you still have the energy to listen to a few words from this old man."

"First-years, take note—or rather, all students should take note—the forest on the school grounds is off-limits to every student."

"I am delighted to see that everyone has made considerable progress in the magical arts, but please do not unleash your wild ideas in the corridors between classes."

"Secondly, do not enter the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor, if you still wish to study safely and soundly within the castle."

The Great Hall fell silent at once.

The younger students thought Dumbledore was joking and gave a couple of obliging laughs.

But when they saw the grave expressions on the faces of the older students, their laughter quickly died away.

Dumbledore took in the students' reactions without explaining further, and simply continued.

"Let us move on to a more pleasant topic. I have some good news to announce: this school year, we will be welcoming two new professors!"

"They are Professor Fawley and Professor Quirrell, who will jointly take up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

Scattered applause broke out in the Great Hall, but when Tver stood and acknowledged everyone, it swiftly became enthusiastic.

The moment they saw Tver's handsome face, a bold young witch shouted from below.

"Professor Fawley, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Alright," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands to reclaim the attention that had wandered away. "The new classes will begin tomorrow. You will have plenty of time to get to know these two professors."

Dumbledore drew his wand and flicked it at the ceiling. A long golden ribbon streamed out, and his voice suddenly rose.

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

Tver watched Dumbledore's movements in surprise. He had not known Hogwarts even had such a segment.

It seemed there could still be considerable differences between the story and reality.

But the moment everyone opened their mouths, Tver understood why this part had not appeared in the films.

Hogwarts' school song had no melody. Aside from the lyrics floating overhead, which were the same for everyone, each person sang it to a different tune.

Under Dumbledore's magically guided conducting, this product of chaotic melodies somehow resembled a musical ensemble and unexpectedly achieved a kind of harmony.

It truly was not something Muggles could perform.

Once the song was over, the students followed their prefects back to their common rooms.

Tver, having eaten and drunk his fill as well, bade farewell to his colleagues and returned to his office.

The office had not been furnished at all yet, and Tver needed to arrange it himself.

The cleaning of Hogwarts Castle was handled by house-elves, but only in public areas.

In private places such as professors' offices, the elves would not appear unless requested, even though they could Apparate inside.

Tver placed his suitcase on the desk, opened it, and gave his wand a flick.

The contents followed his gesture, floating one item at a time to where they belonged.

Besides books, there were several cages containing some useful little creatures for use in his lessons.

After spending ten minutes tidying the entire office and bedroom, Tver did not choose to rest. Instead, he sat down in his chair with a grave expression.

He extended his right hand. The small black spot had turned into a tiny skull, with a snake slithering from its mouth.

The Dark Mark.

Only, it was a much smaller Dark Mark.

The skull seemed to come alive. The snake in its mouth stretched farther and farther, trying to coil around his wrist.

In Tver's perception, the Dark magic within was so dense it seemed almost tangible, nearly breaking through the protective magic he had cast.

He immediately picked up his wand in his left hand and aimed it at the Dark Mark.

This was a small trick for duelling.

When an opponent could not tell which hand was your dominant one, they were prone to misjudge your ability.

"Life Protection!"

As Tver finished the incantation, magic gathered around his wrist, forming a thin golden film.

The golden film gradually merged around the Dark Mark. The black snake seemed to crash into a wall and was slowly forced back by it, leaving only its head outside.

This was a variation of the Shield Charm, capable of lasting for a long time and blocking the erosion of Dark magic.

Fortunately, he had chosen Durmstrang back then, and fortunately, his teacher had possessed an extraordinary understanding of the Shield Charm.

Come to think of it, aside from researching Dark magic, the spell Tver had studied the most was the Shield Charm.

But his heart did not relax because of it.

There was only a year and a half left.

That, too, was beyond Tver's expectations.

From what he knew of the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, it should not have been this aggressive.

It was probably because it had touched upon the curse already on him—a curse Voldemort himself had placed.

The two curses had resonated, instantly producing an effect far greater than one plus one.

He had still been too hasty. In order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible, he had chosen Defence Against the Dark Arts, the post that was easiest to apply for.

To calm himself down, Tver decided—

He would go take a look at the fourth-floor corridor tonight.

His life was practically on the line. How could he possibly not be anxious?

Before leaving, he glanced over his class schedule. Two lessons a week, three year groups, four houses... meaning he had at least one class every day.

Hogwarts truly lived up to its reputation.

After musing over it for a moment, Tver left a protective spell behind in his office and departed.

One must always guard against others.

At this time, the castle was silent, with only the faint crackling of torches along the corridors.

Using the torchlight as cover, Tver cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and quietly made his way to the fourth floor.

The moving staircases disrupted him once along the way, but Tver also discovered their secret.

If you fed a little magic into the stairs while silently thinking of where you wanted to go, they would carry you there.

Conversely, if you hurried recklessly, the stairs were more likely to play tricks on you.

They could probably mess with quite a few young wizards.

When he reached the fourth floor, the corridor had no torches. Once the distant light vanished, the place became pitch-black.

"Ghostly Glow."

A blue radiance spread from Tver's wand, illuminating the path before him.

This was a variation of the Lumos Charm. The blue glow was not actually light; to outsiders, the area would still appear pitch-black.

In truth, the blue glow was an extension of his senses, allowing him to see in the dark without drawing attention.

The corridor here was not very deep—or rather, it was noticeably shorter than those on the other floors, as though a section of corridor had been awkwardly sealed off.

And the door sealing it off stood right before him.

Tver reached for the doorknob, only to suddenly pull his hand back.

There was movement!