Time ticked away, and the Great Hall gradually filled with people.
However, the first to enter were not the students, but the staff of Hogwarts.
They seemed to have already discussed Tver’s presence, so they were not surprised to see him in the Great Hall.
But their attitudes varied.
A lady with long hair, dressed more like a Muggle than anyone else present, cast a glance at Tver, let out a soft huff, and walked right past him.
“Don’t mind her.
As the Professor of Muggle Studies, Burbage simply doesn’t know much about Durmstrang,” a professor who was barely a meter tall said, smiling up at Tver.
“I am Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor here.”
“Tver Foley,” Tver said, crouching slightly to speak with Professor Flitwick.
“In that case, you are quite familiar with my alma mater?”
Professor Flitwick burst into laughter immediately.
“I once went to Durmstrang for an exchange program, mainly to study dueling techniques.
However, I also learned about your attitude toward Muggles, which is indeed different from the rumors.”
“You simply do not allow Muggle-born students to attend.
In reality, aside from that man, you do not discriminate against Muggles.”
“Compared to certain people in Britain, your outlook is already quite progressive.”
Tver hadn’t come to correct people’s beliefs.
In any case, Durmstrang didn’t care about outsiders’ opinions and let them think whatever they liked.
He was more interested in what Professor Flitwick had said initially.
“It seems you are highly skilled in dueling.
Durmstrang rarely hosts external exchanges, so your ability to visit suggests the school highly recognized your prowess.”
“Oh, that was back in my youth,” Professor Flitwick said, waving his hand.
“After winning the Hogwarts Duelling Club championship, and especially after I started teaching at the school, there were hardly any opportunities left to practice.”
“But I know you are Durmstrang’s most outstanding graduate in recent years.
What do you say, care for a sparring match when we’re free?”
Professor Flitwick’s hand twitched eagerly, his face bright with an excited grin.
It seemed he had been cooped up for far too many years.
The muscles in Tver’s body also trembled slightly with excitement.
At Durmstrang, from his fifth year onward, there had been very few opponents who could give him a thoroughly satisfying battle.
He also wanted to test just how much power he could unleash when going all out, without resorting to certain types of magic.
The two, sharing similar interests, grew more animated as they spoke.
Flitwick also gave Tver a brief introduction to the staff present.
“Hagrid is our Gamekeeper, but he has to guide the first-years across the Black Lake, so he hasn’t returned yet.”
Tver nodded, pretending to be a complete newcomer, and recognized shades of the movies from his past life in these professors.
Professor Snape was indeed gloomy, his eyes cold and indifferent, as though he wore a mask that prevented anyone from ever reading his thoughts.
Snape’s dark eyes shifted to look at Tver, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward in what could barely be called a smile.
“I hope you can see through the true nature of students, rather than foolishly leading them to wave their wands around.”
“No student is born knowing magic.
We all start by foolishly waving wands, do we not?” Tver retorted politely.
For a new professor barely older than the students to dare speak to Snape like that made the other professors at the staff table look at him in a new light.
Snape’s smile actually widened a fraction.
“Then I wish you the best of luck with your teaching.”
“Thank you.
I will do my best.”
The attitudes of the professors present finally warmed up, and their slight prejudice regarding Durmstrang dissipated, though Professor Burbage still maintained a cold expression.
Still, Tver enjoyed chatting with Professor Flitwick the most.
He had no interest in Potions, Herbology, or Divination.
Only studying spells that could directly enhance his combat strength could fully captivate his attention.
Of course, as the most outstanding graduate in Durmstrang’s history, he still possessed the competence of a top-tier student in those subjects, and was not about to be stumped by the professors’ subtle, probing questions.
After some conversation, they also realized that this young, new professor was not only polite but also possessed a repository of knowledge that rivaled their own.
Compared to Quirrell on the other side, who was stuttering through his words, Tver’s conduct felt far more like that of a true professor.
At that moment, a clamor arose outside the Great Hall.
Led by their prefects, the students streamed into the Great Hall, the young witches and wizards from the second year to the seventh year taking their seats at their respective house tables.
“Durmstrang still doesn’t sort its students, right?” Professor Flitwick asked with interest, sitting next to Tver.
“Yes.
There are no house divisions, only individual students and the school as a whole.”
Tver watched the young wizards discussing their wonderful summer vacations.
At this moment, it was hard to tell any difference between the four houses from their expressions.
Who knew what the purpose of dividing them into four houses actually was?
To make it easier for students to form cliques?
Dumbledore, who had been watching the students with a smile, became quite interested in this.
“Tver, what do you think of Hogwarts’ sorting?”
The professors were accustomed to the four-house system, so they were curious to hear what this Durmstrang graduate thought of it.
Tver pondered for a moment before speaking calmly.
“It is somewhat extreme.
The first-years are, after all, only eleven years old.
They do not—and indeed cannot—exhibit any single, defined trait.”
“To divide them into four different houses is less about matching their personalities and more about molding them, under the subtle influence of their houses, into students filled with stereotypes.”
“Particularly the competition between houses; while it can spur progress, it also easily breeds prejudice.”
“Such prejudice can eradicate other traits that don’t align with their respective houses.”
“Hufflepuffs can also be brave, Slytherins can actually be loyal, Gryffindors possessing a thirst for knowledge are not anomalies, and ambitious Ravenclaws certainly exist.”
“Yet, because of the sorting, these traits of theirs go unacknowledged.”
“In truth, they are all members of Hogwarts and normal wizards.
Sticking unchanging labels on them is quite unfair.”
As Tver finished speaking, a hush fell over the staff table, forming a stark contrast to the noisy students before them.
After a long moment, Dumbledore clapped in approval, bringing the lost-in-thought professors back to reality.
They, too, began to clap softly for Tver.
“I am glad the school can have a professor with a different perspective.
Eradicating the divide between houses is also something I wish to achieve, and that will require our collective efforts.”
“Tver, I look forward to the unique changes you will bring to Hogwarts.”
The sudden applause from the staff table left the students thoroughly confused.
They paused their animated discussions briefly to look at the professors in bewilderment.
However, no professor came over to offer an explanation, and in the next second, their attention was diverted.
The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin!