"Combat Tutorial"

Seeing the students' pale faces, Tver offered no explanation. He merely gave a mischievous grin and flicked his wand.

"All right, leave your books on the desks. Take your wands and move to the back."

The students suddenly realized they could speak again. However, they no longer dared to loudly challenge him as before, and could only discuss things in small groups under their breaths.

"Can we run away now and ask Headmaster Dumbledore for help?"

"There are so many of us here. Professor Fawley wouldn't dare do anything, right?"

"He said he wouldn't kill us, but that doesn't mean he can't make us lose an arm or something!"

The students moved to the open space at the back. Tver stood facing them from fifteen feet away—about 4.5 meters.

"Don't worry. This is a simple duel: me against all of you."

With a wave of his wand, the floor softened, as though they were standing on a mattress. A thin membrane also appeared around them, enclosing them inside.

Some students tried touching it and discovered that the membrane was tough, yet gently caught their fingers.

That discovery eased the students' fears.

As long as the professor was not really going to beat them senseless, it was fine.

"As you can see, the floor has become very soft. Even if you fall, it won't hurt. The membrane around you is there to protect you as well."

Holding his wand, Tver gave them a duelist's salute.

"As long as you defeat me, not only will your deducted points be waived, but I'll also give your two Houses an extra twenty—"

"Stupefy!"

A red flash suddenly shot out from the crowd of students, speeding toward Tver along with Roger Davies's confident voice.

"Professor, the duel has started, hasn't it?"

But Tver merely chuckled. A flick of his wand deflected the Stunning Spell.

"Very good. When facing a powerful opponent, a sneak attack—or rather, catching them off guard—is your only chance of victory."

"However, you must also be prepared for your opponent to strike back."

Davies froze. Before he could react, a rope instantly bound him hand and foot, and before he could process what had happened, he was hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"Instead of standing there like an idiot."

Listening to Davies's screams, the students tightened their grips on their wands, their palms sweating with nerves.

But once someone had taken the lead, more people were bound to join in.

Besides, Professor Fawley was only eighteen, not much older than them. No matter how strong he was, how strong could he possibly be?

For a moment, the students noisily cast spells at Tver, multicolored flashes flickering throughout the classroom.

All kinds of spells struck the barrier and dissipated.

"I'm glad you have this kind of courage, but let me remind you: don't stand there stupidly when casting. Even a pig wouldn't be that dumb. You've got all this space to run around in!"

With a casual gesture, Tver hoisted another girl who had been standing still into the air. Don't worry—this time, she was tied upright.

The students were furious, but they also realized the importance of moving around. The problem was that their accuracy dropped sharply as a result.

Tver did not even need to block their spells. He only had to take a couple of steps to dodge them, conveniently demonstrating proper footwork for them.

"Don't hesitate when casting. Only decisiveness lets you cast faster. Even if your spell is dodged, you can still launch the next attack quickly.

You don't even dare put any force into a fight. Do you think this is some game of house for three-year-olds?"

With a casual wave, he blocked an incoming spell and cast a Binding Curse, tying up two people.

"That was a good idea. Two people cast spells to force me to move while one person focuses on attacking. But pay attention to your own defenses, or you'll be pigs running around naked!"

"Professor, pigs don't wear clothes to begin with."

"So you don't know any defensive magic either?!"

A Tripping Jinx shot out, knocking the Weasley twins and a student named Lee Jordan flying. The outer membrane caught them, but they still could not escape the fate of being hung up.

Hearing Tver's sarcastic words, the remaining students were furious. Still, they got the message and voluntarily began organizing themselves.

Some cast offensive spells at him, some tried to block the ropes flying everywhere, while the rest looked for opportunities to force him to move and hinder Tver's movements.

"Very good. It seems you've grasped the basics of fighting many against one. But you've forgotten the most important point—"

The students froze for a moment, then heard Tver call out his first spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

This was the incantation for the Levitation Charm. They had learned this simple spell in their first year.

Yet they felt no sensation of floating, nor did they see anything rise into the air.

Just as they were puzzled for a second, an immense pressure instantly crushed every cell in their bodies!

The young wizards who had studied Muggle subjects immediately knew what that sensation was.

Gravity had become stronger!

Other than the students hanging from the ceiling, everyone else collapsed helplessly onto the soft floor, unable to move even a finger.

Tver deliberately controlled his magical output, merely forcing them to the ground before methodically hanging every young wizard from the ceiling.

If anyone came in and saw this sight, they would probably think he had some unspeakable fetish.

So Tver—

closed the door.

He found a table to sit on and looked over the spectacular scene before him.

"To be honest, I'm very disappointed in all of you." He shook his head.

"You know far too few spells. Over and over, all you use are the Impediment Jinx and the Disarming Charm. The only noteworthy thing is that your spellcasting is up to standard."

"But your casting technique is practically nonexistent. You only know how to stand there and fire away. Remember, combat isn't turn-based back-and-forth—it's real-time life and death."

"Finally, you lot were completely disorganized. You needed your opponent to point it out before you even realized you should cooperate."

"Sooner or later, we'll encounter opponents stronger than us. At times like that, cooperation should be your first thought. Splitting up will only get you picked off one by one."

"This is failure of the most pathetic kind. Fighting a herd of pigs would take more thought than dealing with you lot."

Tver listed a whole slew of their shortcomings, and the more he spoke, the angrier they became.

The young wizards were only tied up, not gagged, so naturally they could argue back.

"Professor, you were obviously just too underhanded!" George kicked his legs weakly.

"If we had enough time to practice, then as long as we worked together, you'd be the one hanging up there in the end!" Fred swayed back and forth indignantly.

The other students loudly chimed in.

Losing was one thing. After all, Tver was a professor, and it was only natural that a group of third-year students could not beat him. There was nothing embarrassing about that.

But Professor Fawley's mouth was simply too infuriating. Calling them pigs over and over—didn't he know pigs were the least magical creatures imaginable?!

The outraged students continued denouncing Tver, but having learned their lesson, they did not dare go too far. They only muttered their complaints under their breath.

Just then, a faint voice spoke up.

"I think I'm about to get a brain hemorrhage. Could you let me down first...?"