Cynthia skipped up behind Tver and helped him take off his coat.
"Thanks," Tver said, always surprised by her thoughtfulness no matter how often it happened. "You really don't have to do this every time."
Cynthia ignored his words, hanging up the coat before giving his back a gentle push with both hands.
"Come see!" the girl exclaimed excitedly. "I've prepared so many delicious things for you!"
Pushed toward the dining table, Tver was genuinely astonished by the lavish spread.
"I know you've already had dinner, so the roast turkey and such are for the teacher, and the desserts are—"
"But there's only one portion of pudding left?!"
Cynthia immediately fixed her gaze on the prime suspect.
"Don't just stand there," Grindelwald pretended not to hear, waving Tver over. "Enjoying being a professor? Even preparing gifts for your students?"
Tver chuckled, pulling the pouting girl down to sit beside him before turning to face the teacher.
"I ran a game. I promised the winning students Christmas presents."
Cynthia placed the last pudding in front of him, asking with keen interest, "What kind of game was it?"
Grindelwald also looked at him with a hint of curiosity.
"Thank you."
Tver proceeded to explain the game to them.
"It was just a simple snowball fight, really. The main goal was to cultivate the students' understanding of advanced magic—after all, the earlier they grasp these concepts, the better."
Grindelwald's expression turned understanding. That was precisely how he had taught Tver: after mastering the Shield Charm and the Fiendfyre Curse, he had let him experiment with the Protego Diabolica.
Originally, he'd only intended for him to grasp the sensation of merging different spells, deepening his understanding of curses. Unexpectedly, Tver had mastered the Protego Diabolica—a spell Grindelwald took great pride in—in just one afternoon.
It was then that he first realized with stark clarity: Tver wasn't some lucky kid who stumbled into Nurmengard by accident. He was the heir sent by the heavens.
"Planning to cultivate loyal followers among Hogwarts students?"
"Not necessarily. Hogwarts students are slightly weaker in combat compared to Durmstrang, but they delve deeper into other branches of magic."
Tver took a bite of pudding. The rich, lemony fragrance blossomed in his mouth, causing his eyes to narrow slightly in pure satisfaction.
Grindelwald remained noncommittal. While he excelled in dark magic and transfiguration, he held no prejudice against classical magic—especially since it had once been used to defeat him.
Cynthia, however, was delighted. Not only because Tver enjoyed the pudding, but also because of his interest in classical magic.
Ever since they met in first year, Tver had been studying all manner of magic, most notably the most sinister forms of dark magic. Even at Durmstrang, no first-year student would undertake such studies.
Fortunately, after each dark magic experiment, he would seek her out to talk, allowing her to see his heart hadn't been corrupted by it, and she gradually grew reassured.
Still, delving too deeply into dark magic was unwise. Even Durmstrang avoided mentioning the most extreme forms.
At that thought, Cynthia shot a furious glare at a certain senior who'd been expelled during his studies for researching dark magic too wickedly.
If you teach Tver that dark magic, I'll make you lemon-flavored pastries every single day!
"Oh, right," Tver suddenly said, "I've noticed some students there have distinct traits. Some have unstable casting will because of memory loss. Some twins share a faint mental link. Their souls are fascinating. Studying them could let me—"
Clang.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, just a slip of the hand." Cynthia hurriedly picked up her knife and fork.
Grindelwald's eyes shone with satisfaction. When it came to soul research, this student had long since surpassed him. As for evil, well, that suited him fine.
"Hogwarts has more students and greater tolerance. I think you could achieve a subtle influence through the Muggle-born students."
Tver was a little surprised. The professor had always shown a natural, mild hostility toward Muggles. He had not expected this suggestion.
"Your idea is excellent. I also think we should win over the middle ground between Muggles and wizards. They will be our strongest supporters."
"It's you," Grindelwald said with a relieved smile. "This era will ultimately belong to you, Tver."
"Not just you," Cynthia added earnestly. "Us—Tver and me."
They all laughed happily, then returned to the sumptuous dinner.
Truthfully, Cynthia's cooking did not match Tver's father's skill, but it was far better than his mother's. Thinking of the Ramora fish soup he'd had before coming, his appetite for cake dwindled slightly.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it suit your taste?" Cynthia asked immediately, concerned.
"Not at all," Tver replied with a smile. "It's just that with so many dishes here, we'll probably be eating until Christmas."
Cynthia's eyebrows shot up with delight. "Why not stay here tonight? I can tidy a room for you!"
Before he could answer, she darted upstairs like a busy little bee.
"Your break must be long. Why not stay and keep me company?" Grindelwald suggested.
"Certainly," Tver agreed. "I actually have a question I want to ask you, Professor."
"Oh?" The old man set down his knife and fork in surprise. Since last year, Tver had not needed to consult him about anything.
"What could possibly stump you? Tell me and we'll examine it together."
"It concerns a soul. If I give it life force and help it build a body, how can I achieve complete control over it?"
"A body constructed from life force?" Grindelwald pondered. "Such a body depends heavily on a continuous supply of life force. Couldn't you control it by mastering its life source?"
"He's excellent at absorbing life force. Once released, he could find wizards to supply him with it himself."
Grindelwald realized which soul Tver meant. He sneered, a hard edge in his voice that faintly echoed the shadow of the Dark Lord who once made the world tremble.
"You know about the Unbreakable Vow, right? Bind his soul in a similar way. If he betrays your will, destroy him."
"I remember that method does great damage to the soul, doesn't it?"
Tver hesitated. He had learned from his teacher how to brand a soul, but that was for living people. He could not guarantee what would happen if he used such methods on an unprotected soul.
Grindelwald did not care. He even sounded disdainful. "Didn't you say that powerful idiot has several soul fragments? If one survives, we'll just use that one."