The students were, of course, deeply impressed. Their once-proud strength had been completely crushed by the professor—but the battle had taught them plenty. Now, instead of fear, excitement burned in their eyes as they looked at the professor.
Please push us again, Professor!
"In a team, the most important thing is finding your role and making full use of your abilities," Tver said.
"To help you understand your place in a group, I usually divide the team into three roles: the Supporter, the Disruptor, and the Attacker."
"The Attacker, as the name suggests, is mainly responsible for offense. This role is typically taken by someone with the strongest magic and the best accuracy."
"The Disruptor uses various spells to interfere with the opponent's movements. This requires solid control of Transfiguration and a wide range of magic."
"The Supporter is the team's all-rounder, often acting as the strategist. They also cover the other two roles to keep the team from falling apart."
"As for defense, that's something everyone must pay attention to. Of course, an Attacker can leave that to trusted teammates."
"So, the goal of today's lesson is to help you figure out which role you're best suited for in combat."
"What if we're not good at any of them?" Crystal asked.
"Support," Tver replied immediately.
"This role doesn't necessarily require brilliant decision-making. You can focus on observing your opponents, gathering information, and creating openings for your teammates."
"And don't underestimate yourselves. Anyone who made it into my advanced class has a strength somewhere."
The students, who had been nervous a moment ago, suddenly felt encouraged. They began eagerly thinking about which role suited them best.
"I think I'd be an Attacker! Back in Charms class, I hit Professor Flitwick right on target!"
"I don't know if you're an Attacker, but you're definitely not a Supporter."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't have a brain!"
...
Letting them choose on their own was impossible. From their chatter, it was clear most wanted to be Attackers or Supporters. In reality, the Disruptor was the hardest role—demanding, exhausting, and offering the least personal gain. It required constant effort and often meant sacrificing for the team.
After explaining the pros and cons of each role, Tver led them to a set of statues.
"Here are three statues. You'll each face one, and I'll evaluate your performance to assign you the right role."
"The Sword-and-Shield Statue has strong defensive power—it'll test your offensive skills."
"The second one, as you can see, wields a halberd. It's extremely agile, so you'll need to disrupt its movements or you'll lose quickly."
"And the last one," Tver said with a grin, "is me."
"I'll use all kinds of spells to attack you, and your job is to escape from them as best you can."
Seeing their stunned faces, he added, "Come get your badges, then split into three groups and show me what you can do. Don't be discouraged if you lose—just move on to another opponent. This lesson isn't an exam. It's to help you understand your strengths."
"Alright?"
A minute later, Tver looked around. No one stood in front of him, while the other two statues had long lines.
"I'm not a demon, you know. Is that really necessary?" he sighed. "Percy, you come here first."
Percy froze. But with everyone's encouraging looks on him, he slowly walked to face Tver, glancing back every few steps. After all the private lessons he'd had last year, he knew better than anyone just how deep the professor's power ran.
"Relax," Tver said, twirling his wand with a knowing look. "Let's see how much you've improved."
Percy's face hardened. There was a hint of meaning in his words!
To the rest of the students, it looked like just another test of skill.
But in his eyes, this was the professor gauging his abilities, determining how much he could contribute in the professor's future endeavors.
Gritting his teeth, Percy solemnly raised his wand, his gaze hardening with resolve.
"Professor, then watch closely—I haven't wasted this summer!"
"Quite confident, aren't you?"
Tver was pleased with Percy's attitude. Weakness in power mattered little; under his guidance, one would inevitably grow stronger. But a poor mindset could cause even someone as powerful as Dumbledore to falter.
After exchanging formalities, Percy immediately cast the Shield Charm upon himself.
Because the professor's attack was coming!
A red beam shot toward him, blindingly bright like a miniature sun.
The Shield Charm only blocked the first spell, but he was prepared. His body darted swiftly to the left rear, narrowly evading the next two streaks of crimson light.
This attack tests your perception of magic, Percy thought to himself.
Before he could analyze further, he sensed the ground surging beneath him. He immediately cast a Reinforcing Charm to halt the shifting earth while simultaneously shattering the extending arm.
He darted right again, evading the palm sweeping in from behind.
In less than half a minute since the battle began, Percy had dodged three attacks.
His classmates stood dumbfounded.
The professor's attacks were not only sharper than anything they'd faced before, but surpassed even the level of his duel with Professor Flitwick.
Last year's scene remained vivid in their minds, and they had long yearned to wield such exquisite magic like the two professors.
But the problem was, that was just a dream!
At their current skill level, forget matching Professor Flitwick's back-and-forth exchanges—even lasting more than a minute required the kind of genius Percy possessed.
But Percy didn't last long either. After a minute, he was bound by ropes under their admiring gazes.
Thankfully, there was no ceiling here, he thought with relief.
The students would eventually face the Dark Lord themselves. With Percy's demonstration, their hearts felt a little lighter.
...
Before class ended, Tver finally finished summarizing every student's performance.
"See?" he said, handing each student a form. "Your scores will be recorded here."
"You may choose one function from those with similar scores. But don't force yourself to pick one with a poor gap."
"Then, based on your chosen function, select suitable teammates from your classmates to form a three-person squad."
"This will be your team for the entire year, so choose carefully."
"Once you've made your choices, record them on the form. This is your assignment for the next two weeks. Got it?"
Receiving the students' enthusiastic affirmation, Tver dismissed the class.