The students immediately beamed.
They didn’t like being strung up and beaten—in both senses of the phrase.
But now, with a Professor Welfare on both sides, they couldn’t possibly lose too badly.
Only a few perceptive students noticed the smirk tugging at the corner of Tver’s mouth, and a sudden chill ran down their spines.
Under Tver’s direction, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were split down the middle, forming two teams of equal numbers on either side.
The two “Tvers” on either side had no wands and could only use basic magic.
For convenience, they were dubbed Professor A and Professor B.
This was an advanced technique he had learned from Albus Dumbledore—how to imbue transfigured objects with a semblance of a mind of their own.
Combined with the Human Transfiguration he had learned from his mentor, he had managed to craft these two practice dummies.
Both dummies were programmed with Tver’s combat memories.
Though they lacked anything resembling actual artificial intelligence, they could react and move according to a set of pre-programmed behaviors.
Of course, he could have controlled them manually, but he still had exam papers to grade.
First, he softened the ground as before and erected the surrounding golden barrier.
Finally, a burst of golden light exploded between the two groups.
*Crack!*
The long-awaited battle officially began!
Both professors opened with a Disarming Charm in perfect unison, only for their spells to be blocked simultaneously by a Shield Charm a second later.
Their footwork was remarkably similar.
Spells flew thick and fast between them, and for a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.
But the students were not so fortunate.
They had hoped to put on a good show and coax the real Professor Welfare onto the field.
Instead, they were completely overwhelmed just trying to handle the stray spells leaking from the two dummies!
Still, because the two professors were carrying the brunt of the fight, the students weren’t utterly crushed under the pressure.
They even managed to cause a bit of trouble for the opposing side.
Seeing this, however, Professor A and Professor B quickly realized how they could make use of their students…
With a quick backstep, the professors retreated to the very rear of their respective lines, leaving the bewildered students blinking in confusion.
But their spellcasting didn’t stop.
On the contrary, with human shields standing in front of them, they no longer needed to defend.
They began unleashing offensive magic with absolute abandon.
Who could possibly withstand that?
Stream after stream of Binding Charms and Disarming Charms flew across the room.
This was a safety measure Tver had specifically prepared, designed to hoist fallen students out of the way so they wouldn’t get trampled.
“Professor, I just tripped on my own!
Hey!” a suspended student yelled in protest, kicking his legs uselessly in the air.
His voice was drowned out by the chaotic din of the classroom, heard only by those sharing his fate.
“Save your breath.
Someone earlier tried to argue he was just rolling on the floor to dodge a jinx, and they didn’t let him down either.”
Tver indeed hadn’t noticed the students’ miserable plights, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.
What was so unusual about students getting hung from the ceiling?
His attention was entirely focused on the exam papers.
To put it bluntly, they were an absolute disaster.
Combat required practical spellcasting skills, but textbook knowledge was pure memorization.
It had little to do with who was teaching; even Tver couldn’t do much about laziness.
Whether the students’ knowledge had packed up and left along with their previous professor over the summer holidays, or they simply hadn’t studied properly in the first place, was a mystery.
Regardless, apart from a few top students who got perfect marks, barely anyone got eighty percent of the questions right.
Only about a dozen achieved passing grades—less than a third of the class.
One shouldn’t assume Tver would overlook dry, theoretical textbook knowledge just because he excelled in combat.
In truth, his theoretical foundation had been the finest in all of Durmstrang.
This was especially true for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hogwarts didn’t teach the Dark Arts, which meant the students’ understanding of them relied entirely on books.
If you didn’t even know your opponent’s spells, how could you expect to win?
And beyond Dark magic, there were also various bizarre magical beasts and plants that the students needed to recognize and remember how to counter.
As the shouting of the students grew louder, Tver let out a soft sigh and looked up.
Only a handful of students were left standing on the field.
Checking the names on his roster, he saw that indeed, only the three top academic achievers were still desperately holding out.
At least that was some comfort; the top students’ combat capabilities were somewhat respectable.
He watched for a moment longer until Professor A, who had a numbers advantage, successfully disarmed Professor B, bringing the fierce battle to an end.
The students of Team A immediately ceased their grumbling and cheered loudly to celebrate their victory, while Team B slumped their shoulders in dejection.
As for the three remaining students, they were spared the punishment of being bound.
Their faces were flushed from the intense exertion, their hair plastered to their foreheads, and sweat dripping down their cheeks.
Had the dummy professors not realized the importance of allies and shielded them from several spells, they would have ended up hanging from the ceiling like everyone else.
Yet their mouths were stretched into wide grins, their fatigue utterly eclipsed by their bright smiles.
“Very good.
Surpassingly good, indeed—just like your performance on the exam papers,” Tver said, his heavy sarcasm immediately registering with the students.
“Four points to Ravenclaw, and two to Gryffindor.”
He showed no intention of letting down the students hanging from the ceiling, choosing instead to clear away his protective enchantments and pack up the two dummies.
“Professor, may I know my score on the paper?” Cho Chang, one of the three top students, asked in a quiet voice.
“Oh, of course.
All three of you received perfect marks,” Tver replied, harboring a soft spot for academic overachievers.
“You’re the only ones to get perfect scores.
So, tell me—what did you learn from this battle?”
“Positioning, casting speed, personal defense, and teamwork!” a student named Eddie Carmichael piped up confidently.
“You are entirely correct,” Tver said, looking at his confident face with amusement.
“But you get zero marks.
Copying someone else’s work won’t help you improve.”
“I am asking for what you personally experienced in this fight.
Who can tell me?
This includes those of you still dangling from the ceiling.”
Katie Bell, the only Gryffindor among the three top achievers, offered tentatively, “To attack bravely, even when facing a stronger opponent?”
…Classic Gryffindor.
Tver choked on his words slightly, then gave a noncommittal nod.
“Yes, but not entirely.”
“When facing a stronger opponent, you must choose a smart way to attack—especially when you have an equally powerful ally on your side.”
“Rallying around them, creating favorable conditions, and giving them the room they need to cast freely is the best path to victory.”
“Therefore, your homework for this lesson is an essay on how to fight alongside a powerful ally.
No length requirement.”
In short: a guide on how to ride someone’s coattails.
Tver finally lowered all the suspended students.
As they began to chatter excitedly about the battle, he raised his voice.
“Furthermore, in light of your weak theoretical foundation, everyone except for our three perfect scorers will face a quiz before the start of every class!”
The instant smile-remover!
Tver’s words acted like a sudden winter frost, instantly robbing the students of their joy and leaving their faces frozen in horror.