Shortly after Tver left the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore arrived to chat with the trio for a while.
But that wasn't what concerned him—because word of his appointment to Quirrell's position had already spread throughout the castle.
Using his prefect connections, Percy managed to inform every upper-year student in just one night.
So, the next morning, as students headed to class, they looked at Professor Fawley with knowing, "wise" expressions—and smiles that they tried and failed to hide.
Tver could even spot a faint sparkle in some of their eyes.
When he entered the classroom, it was, of course, packed with unusually excited fifth-years.
It was their first time in this bright, spotless classroom, faintly scented with lemon.
Previously, upper-year students had held their classes on the fourth floor, where the air always reeked of garlic.
By comparison, they seemed to have been hit with a Memory Charm—instantly forgetting their former professor's name.
"I imagine you all know by now that I'll be taking over your classes for the second half of the school year," Tver said as he entered, carrying a thick stack of parchments. "I must say, I'm pleased to see you all so eager."
The students sat up straighter, puffing out their chests. This was their first class with the new professor—they couldn't let the younger years think they weren't up to standard.
"Professor, what about next year's class?" Percy asked boldly, relying on his good rapport with Tver.
"That will depend on the school's arrangements," Tver replied lightly. "But I do hope another professor joins me to share the workload. Teaching you all is quite demanding—and I must also keep an eye on my lesson plans, in case they get stolen again."
The class erupted into laughter.
After two days of rumors and with Ron having let slip part of the truth, everyone had realized the 'stolen lesson plans' version of the story was far too ridiculous.
"However," Tver raised his voice above the noise, "as fifth-years, you all know your greatest challenge this year is your O.W.L.s."
"Considering that my predecessor's performance was... less than ideal, I'll be focusing the next few months on reviewing your exam material."
"Time is short and the workload heavy. I expect you all to give it your best. I want to see you in the sixth-year advanced class next term, understood?"
"Understood!" the students shouted in unison.
Though many would have preferred another term of relaxed lessons, the numbers didn't lie. It was better to work hard now—then they could attend Professor Fawley's advanced classes for the next two years.
When it came down to it, they knew where their priorities lay.
"Did you really think we were just those silly little lions—or book-crazy eagles?"
The students from the two houses exchanged glances and smirks of mutual pride.
Tver, satisfied with their spirit, waved his hand.
"Excellent. In that case, put away your wands and begin your exam."
The thick stack of papers he carried floated through the air, landing neatly on each student's desk.
"You have two and a half hours. Do as much as you can. If you don't know something, skip it and move on—focus on what you do know."
Unlike the tests given to lower years, this exam covered all material from the past five years, with special focus on O.W.L. topics. It was meant as a diagnostic—to gauge how much the students had actually mastered.
Ahem. In truth, it was also a set of questions Tver had casually compiled while preparing the fifth-year curriculum.
Though he'd once sat through similar exams himself, he hadn't exactly prepared for this.
After all, exams aren't something you pass just because you have hands, right?
Oh, right—Quirrell no longer had hands. No wonder his students' grades had been so abysmal.
Two and a half hours later, Tver glanced over the first paper and immediately spotted plenty of mistakes.
And these were from the lower-year sections!
"In O.W.L.s, every theory exam takes an entire morning, while the practical exams are scheduled for the afternoon. So—can anyone tell me what that means?"
This time, Percy raised his hand.
"Professor, it means the theory exams are just as important as the practical ones."
"Exactly—equally important."
With a flick of his wand, a wisp of white mist drifted from its tip, gradually forming the outline of a small, plump figure.
"This is the Patronus Charm. It can earn you bonus points in your practical exam. However, if your theory score is poor, those extra points will mean nothing. From what I've observed, everyone's practical results tend to be close—the real difference comes from the theory exam. So you must take it seriously."
The hopeful looks on the students' faces instantly deflated. The recent test had already delivered a solid blow to their confidence.
The questions hadn't been particularly hard, but the scope was enormous. Very few had managed to finish everything, and even those who did had guessed on half of it.
"Don't be discouraged," Tver said reassuringly. "We still have nearly four months before the exams. I'll make sure you use class time efficiently so you can get good marks—without falling behind in your other subjects."
"Even if we do fall behind, that's fine—as long as we can join the professor's advanced class!" one student shouted.
The room burst into laughter and cheers. The students looked so delighted that Tver actually blushed for half a second.
"Ahem—let's keep that between us, shall we? No need for other professors to hear."
When the class finally quieted down, he continued,
"Alright. From now on, our classes will be divided into three parts: one hour for quizzes, one hour for theory review, and one hour for practical practice. So—here's a question. For the practical portion of Defence Against the Dark Arts, which spells should we be focusing on?"
This time, a boy with glasses raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Mig?"
"Based on the exam content from past years," he replied confidently, "they usually include counter-curses, defensive charms, and protective spells against magical creatures. And of course, the bonus spells you mentioned—that depends on the examiner's personal preference."
"Excellent summary. Ravenclaw, five points."
Tver glanced at the rest of the class. "Well? What are you waiting for? Write that down!"
After a brief flurry of scribbling, he continued, "These spells vary in difficulty. The easiest are the defensive charms."
"If you can cast the Shield Charm, you'll earn high marks. If not, you can still make do with things like Salvio Hexia or Protego Totalum for a decent score."
"The harder parts are the other two, so we'll spend about a month and a half—roughly six lessons—reviewing the section on magical creatures."
"Start preparing your notes ahead of time, but don't forget—your theory studies can't fall behind."
Just then, the bell rang, and the students all let out a collective sigh of relief.
They'd been expecting an intense dueling lesson or some flashy spell practice, but it turned out to be a theory lecture. Even though it was Professor Fawley's class, the anticlimax was hard to ignore.
"Hold on," Tver called out as they began packing up. "Each of you come grab a set of practice papers before you go."
He pulled a much thicker stack of parchments from his bag.
The students collectively froze.
"..."