NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: Clinging to Power
The students immediately beamed with joy.
They didn't like getting beaten up especially hung up, and now that there were two Professor Fawleys on either side, they wouldn't lose too badly.
Only a few perceptive students noticed the smile at the corner of Tver's mouth, and a chill ran down their spines.
Under Tver's direction, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were split into two equal teams.
The two "Tvers" on either side didn't have wands and could only use basic magic, so let's call them Professor A and Professor B.
This was a sophisticated technique he had learned from Dumbledore— How to imbue transformed objects with a degree of will.
Combined with the human transfiguration skills he learned from his teacher, he created these two dummies.
Both dummies were infused with Tver's combat memories, but lacked the intelligence of artificial intelligence, reacting only according to preset instructions.
Of course, he could control them precisely if he wanted, but he still had papers to grade.
The ground softened, surrounded by a golden membrane, and a final burst of golden light exploded between the two teams.
"Snap!"
The long-awaited battle officially began!
Both professors started with disarming spells, which were blocked by shield charms in the next second.
Their movements were remarkably similar, with spells flying back and forth, neither able to gain the upper hand.
But the students had it rough. They wanted to perform well and hoped to get the real Professor Fawley involved.
However, the stray spells from the two dummies alone overwhelmed them!
The main focus remained on the two professors, so the students weren't entirely crushed and could still put up a bit of resistance.
Realizing this, Professor A and Professor B noticed their role…
Both professors took a step back, leaving the students bewildered as they moved to the rear.
But their spells didn't stop; instead, with the human shield in front of them, they no longer had to defend, unleashing offensive magic freely.
Who could withstand this!
Spells of confinement and disarming flew around, catching the unprepared students off guard. One by one, they were either bound or knocked away and then suspended in the air.
This was a protective magic Tver had specifically prepared to prevent the fallen students from being trampled.
"Professor, I just fell by myself!" a student suspended in the air shouted indignantly, kicking his legs wildly.
But his cries were drowned out by the chaotic noise in the classroom, heard only by the other students in the same predicament.
"Give it up. Someone just tried to argue they were rolling on the ground to dodge a spell and still didn't get let down."
Tver didn't notice the students' misery; even if he did, he wouldn't care.
Students being hung up wasn't unusual in his view.
His attention was entirely on the test papers in front of him.
To put it bluntly, the results were abysmal.
Combat required spell-casting techniques, but textbook knowledge only needed to be memorized, and it had little to do with the professor. Even if Tver taught, there wasn't much he could do.
Whether it was the long summer break that made the students forget what they had learned or they just hadn't studied well, the test results were clear: besides a few top students who scored full marks, not many answered correctly even 80% of the time. Only about ten students, less than a third, scored above passing.
Don't think Tver, being good at combat, would overlook the dry theoretical knowledge from the textbooks.
In fact, his theoretical knowledge was also among the best at Durmstrang.
Especially in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hogwarts didn't teach Dark Arts, so students could only understand it from textbooks.
If you don't even know your opponent's skills, how can you improve your grades?
Besides Dark Arts, there were many strange magical creatures and plants that students needed to recognize and remember how to counteract.
As the students' cries grew louder, Tver sighed softly and looked up at them.
There were few students left standing on the field; checking the names, he saw it was the three top students still struggling.
This was at least some good news—the top students' combat skills were still impressive.
After watching for a while, Professor A, who had the numerical advantage, successfully disarmed Professor B, ending the fierce battle.
The students of Team A immediately stopped complaining and loudly cheered their victory, while Team B hung their heads in disappointment.
As for the remaining three students, they were spared the punishment of being bound.
Their faces were flushed from the intense exercise, hair plastered to their foreheads, and sweat trickled down.
As their classmates dwindled around them, the pressure on them increased. If Professor A hadn't realized the importance of the assistants and helped them fend off many spells, they would have been hung up like the others.
Yet their wide grins remained, their smiles undeterred by fatigue.
"Very good, surprisingly good, just as good as your performance on the test," Tver's sarcastic tone was immediately felt by the students. "Ravenclaw gets four points, Gryffindor two."
He showed no intention of lowering the students hanging from the ceiling, instead busying himself with dispelling the surrounding spells and tidying up the two dummies.
"Professor, can I know my test score?" Cho Chang, one of the top students, asked quietly.
"Oh, of course. You three all scored full marks," Tver had a bit of a soft spot for top students. "The only three perfect scores. So, tell me, what are your thoughts on this battle?"
"Positioning, spell-casting speed, self-protection, and teamwork!" Eddie Carmichael said loudly and confidently.
"You're right," Tver chuckled at his confident face, "but zero points. Copying homework doesn't truly improve your skills. I want to know your personal experiences from this battle. Can anyone tell me, including those still hanging from the ceiling?"
Katie Bell, the only Gryffindor among the top three, tentatively said, "To face a stronger opponent bravely and attack?"
...Typical Gryffindor.
Tver choked a bit, nodding ambiguously.
"Yes, but not entirely. When facing a stronger opponent, choose a smart way to attack, especially when you have an equally strong ally on your side. Rally around them, create favorable conditions, and provide a comfortable environment for them to perform. That's the best way to secure victory. So, the homework for this lesson is an essay on how to fight effectively alongside a stronger ally. Length is unlimited."
In short, a guide on clinging to power.
Tver let all the students down, and as they joyfully discussed the recent battle, he loudly announced: "And, given your weak foundational knowledge, except for the three perfect scorers, there will be a quiz before every lesson from now on!"
The smiles vanished instantly!
Tver's words stripped the joy from their faces, leaving them rigid as ice...