No matter how fervently the students prayed, June's arrival could not be stopped. This meant only one thing—the start of exam month.
Exams for the lower-year students would be held first. Once those were finished, the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. candidates would begin their own tests. Fortunately, those two exams were managed by the Wizarding Examinations Authority, which meant Tver only needed to supervise the remaining five year groups.
Still, according to Professor Flitwick's complaints, every year there were plenty of young wizards trying to cheat, using an endless variety of tricks. The self-answering quills were especially notorious—the confiscated ones could fill an entire Head Table! The professors' solution was simple: prepare Anti-Cheating Quills in advance.
For Tver, however, there was a far more permanent method to deal with such behavior.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Thanks to its large space, Tver could have an entire year group take their exam at once. With a wave of his wand, a swarm of tiny imps appeared above the heads of the third-year students.
No need to worry—this time, he used his own magic, so the students wouldn't tire themselves out just by being in the room.
"As you can see, I didn't check any of you when you entered, but—"
His sharp gaze swept over the students, who were buzzing with barely contained excitement.
"The little imp above your head is your personal invigilator. If you're caught cheating, not only will your grade for this subject be canceled," he said evenly, "but you'll also be permanently banned from my advanced classes—even if you score full marks on your O.W.L.s!"
"Face your own heart honestly. That was the first lesson I learned at Durmstrang. I'd like to believe Hogwarts students can manage at least that much."
Tver wasn't exaggerating. The foundation of learning Dark Magic truly lay in understanding one's own inner self—only by knowing what you desired could you resist the temptation of darkness.
But to the students, his words carried a completely different weight. The exam suddenly turned into a matter of pride between Hogwarts and Durmstrang. Not cheating had become a question of school honor!
The Weasley twins exchanged a glance. If they still wanted a place in the professor's advanced class, they needed to act quickly!
They hurriedly began rummaging through their robes.
A large bundle of cheating quills;
Notes scrawled in Invisibility Potion across their robes;
Parchment that could reveal the correct answers...
...
Tver stared in disbelief as the students pulled out one cheating device after another. Some of the girls even lifted their skirts to wipe off the notes written on their thighs.
So if he really hadn't checked, their cheating tricks would've reached the heavens?!
After collecting every item, Tver sighed and conjured an hourglass.
"The exam lasts two hours," he said as he distributed the test papers. "No whispering, no looking around—and that goes for you two Weasleys! No early submissions. Once you're done, stay seated quietly. Now, begin!"
...
Supervising the written exam was easy enough. With the little imps assisting, Tver only needed to sit at the lectern and read.
Exactly two hours later, he stood up.
"Time's up. Put down your quills."
Amid the students' collective groans, every exam paper floated neatly onto the podium.
"Oh no, I forgot that the General Counter-Spell doesn't work with Weather Charms!"
"Was the Dancing Feet Spell Tarantallegra or Tatalerra? I hesitated for ages and still couldn't decide."
"I think I was hit with a Memory Charm—I completely forgot to write down that spell's side effects."
"Heh."
The true slackers could only stare at the overachievers complaining. If it weren't for the upcoming practical exam, they'd have bolted from the room by now.
"Alright, first up—Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Take your wands. Yes, just your wands," Tver instructed calmly. "The remaining two Houses, stay seated. Once they're done, it'll be your turn."
He separated the desks from the open area with a golden barrier—this time much thicker, cutting off both sight and sound. The moment the students saw it, they sensed something was wrong. When the floor beneath them began to soften, their expressions shifted immediately as Tver spoke.
"Do you remember what I said at the end of our very first class?"
Davies recalled it clearly and stammered, "A battle a year later to test our progress?"
"Exactly." Tver smiled, though to the students, that smile looked far more menacing.
A year ago, they had been full of confidence, eager to show off their progress before Professor Fawley at the end of term. But now, one year later, only one thought filled their minds—
"Professor, please go easy on us!"
Tver raised his wand and held it horizontally before him.
"Just like last time, I'll face all of you alone. But you must give it everything you've got—don't stop until every bit of your magic is spent. Otherwise, I'll fail you without hesitation."
"Professor, but there's no way we can beat you!" George cried, putting on his best helpless expression.
"Relax," Tver said evenly. "Your grades don't depend on defeating me. See those little imps above your heads? They'll record your performance, and I'll grade you based on that. So, don't hold ba—"
"Stupefy!"
Just like in their first lesson, Davies attacked before he could finish.
"Professor, how was that?" he asked proudly, wand raised but still moving, ready to dodge any counterspell.
Tver tilted his head slightly, the red beam missing him by inches. "Not bad. Work on your aim a bit more and you'll have it."
Still holding his wand, Davies looked down in confusion.
"Huh? Where'd the rope go?"
Even as the words left his mouth, a coil of rope shot out from the ceiling and wrapped tightly around him.
"And another thing," Tver said calmly, "don't measure magic by rigid patterns. Even pigs learn to adapt after falling into traps too many times. Surely your minds aren't that inflexible?"
Since it was an exam, Tver didn't hang him upside down this time, letting the twins untie him instead.
"You'll have plenty of chances in this battle. The only way it ends is when none of you can lift your wands."
"Now, the exam officially begins!"
Hearing that, the students finally let out a collective breath.
If it were anything like last time, even a year of training wouldn't make them his match. One Pressure Charm from him would be enough to flatten them all!
Still, this time they could regroup and fight again. Surely, that meant they'd perform better than before?