The Essence of the Soul

Tver looked at Hermione in some surprise.

He had merely assigned the task on a whim, so that the first-years would not slack off just because they had no homework.

He had not expected anyone to truly follow through with it, much less carry it out so diligently.

As Tver spoke, he took out a test paper.

"To be honest, I was worried you might focus too much on theoretical knowledge and neglect practical application."

The first thing Hermione noticed was not the test paper, but Tver's hand.

It was pale and beautifully defined at the knuckles, like a work of art. Yet on his long index finger was a dark golden ring set with a black gemstone that drew her gaze like a black hole.

Only when Tver withdrew his hand did Hermione come back to her senses.

Embarrassed, she looked away and focused on the test paper.

It was the very test she had completed during her first lesson. There was not a single mark on it; it was exactly the same as when she had handed it in.

"You were the only first-year to get full marks. Even Mr. Malfoy, who came second, failed to answer some of the questions based on material beyond the textbook."

Faced with Tver's approving gaze, Hermione lowered her head shyly.

"I've just read more books, that's all. And the test you set wasn't very difficult. Anyone who remembered the textbook material could have done this much."

Thinking of Harry the Savior's disastrous grades, Tver smiled happily.

"You'd better only say that here. If the students who cannot even manage a passing grade heard you, they'd be angry."

"Still, there are not many young wizards like you. May I ask—did you memorize the entire book?"

Hermione immediately looked up in delight. "Yes! Not just Dark Magic: A Guide to Self-Defence, but the Transfiguration and Charms textbooks too—I memorized all of them!"

"Professor, you've read so many books. You must have memorized quite a few too, right?"

This was something she took great pride in.

Being Muggle-born had made her worry that she would fall behind her classmates at school. After buying the textbooks, she had pored over them day and night and memorized them.

But Tver poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

"When you read more and more books, you will stop memorizing them. Understanding is more important than memorization."

Once knowledge was understood, memorizing it was meaningless. It would only take up what little time he already had, so he had never considered memorizing things without meaning.

Of course, his memory was already quite good. It was only subtly different from rote memorization—only knowledge he urgently needed to understand would be memorized word for word.

Seeing Hermione's disappointed expression, Tver comforted her.

"Of course, being able to memorize them also proves how hard you work. As a professor, I naturally have a bit more fondness for hardworking students."

"But it's rather cramped here, so there's no way to give you practical exercises. Let me answer any questions you have about your studies instead."

The girl's face instantly brightened, her eyes sparkling with excitement. There was no trace left of her earlier disappointment.

Tver clicked his tongue inwardly. Girls' moods were even harder to understand than The Four Elements.

With Tver's permission, Hermione promptly began throwing out all the questions she had accumulated in class. They were not only about Defence Against the Dark Arts, but also Transfiguration and other subjects.

Even someone as clever as Hermione was still a new student who had only been at school for a week, so her questions were not particularly profound.

Thus, even when it came to astronomy, Tver could answer with his deep reserves of knowledge.

Time gradually slipped by, and an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Tver took a sip of pumpkin juice and found that his cup had long been empty. Only then did he realize it was already ten o'clock.

For him, it was merely the beginning of an evening of study, but for the students, it was already curfew.

"Oh, it's already this late. Let's stop here for tonight. Hurry back to your common room. If you run into another professor or the caretaker Filch, tell them you were receiving tutoring from me."

Hermione nodded dejectedly and left Tver's office without much energy.

She had learned quite a lot that night—not only things found in the textbooks, but many unusual perspectives she had never even heard of.

For instance, once ordinary spells reached a certain level of proficiency, they could unleash tremendous power when supported by advanced magical knowledge.

She had never seen anything like that in her textbooks!

Watching Hermione's departing figure, Tver stood at the doorway in a daze.

"What, are you trying to turn that little witch into your new... what was it, tool?"

A detached voice sounded in Tver's mind.

But he did not answer. Instead, he rubbed the ring on his hand.

Tonight, he had actually been researching dark magic—dark magic he had never touched before.

The Imperius Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.

Tver was skilled in many kinds of magic: Transfiguration, Fiendfyre, the Shield Charm, and all sorts of strange dark magic.

But if one had to name what he was best at, it was research concerning the soul.

That was also because a soul resided within the ring on his hand, one that had always intended to erode his own soul.

"Hey, hey, don't go slandering souls like that. It was only during the first three years, all right?" Voldemort hurriedly retorted, sounding displeased. "Ever since you learned Occlumency, you've been studying me instead!"

In short, his research into the soul had reached a level no one else could match.

Yet he had never made a move on the three Unforgivable Curses.

The Imperius Curse—controlling the soul;

The Cruciatus Curse—torturing the soul;

The Killing Curse—destroying the soul!

The deeper his research into souls became, the greater his fear of these three curses grew.

If it were merely a matter of casting them, he could have done so with ease five years ago.

But from ancient times to the present, no one had ever been able to truly master these three curses.

Wizards had developed countless advanced applications for spells, yet in everyone's hands, these three curses remained nothing more than spells to be cast.

"There's nothing the Killing Curse can't solve. If there is, then use two," Voldemort rambled on. "I truly have no idea what you encountered for your mind to be so badly corrupted."

Yes, before Hermione came here tonight, Tver had been studying the Imperius Curse.

When studying Dark Magic, one had to guard against one's mind being eroded by evil thoughts. Otherwise, one would become a slave to Dark Magic.

So he had made a habit of finding himself a human tool, someone who could provide his mind with an outlet to rest between bouts of Dark Magic research.

But while studying the Imperius Curse, he could vividly experience the thrill of control—the pleasure of being able to do whatever he wished to a life under his command.

Among the negative effects of Dark Magic, that kind of pleasure could only be considered low-level. But Tver was already controlling the plot of this world; he was naturally predisposed to such thoughts.

So his mental defenses had nearly collapsed. Yet in that very instant, he seemed to sense the true nature of the soul.

It was also in that instant that his consciousness returned to his body, prompting him to flee outside the office in a panic to calm his mind.

"I saw something you have never seen, Voldemort." Tver sneered as he watched the torches outside gradually go out, his figure slowly vanishing into the darkness. "The soul's greatest secret."