Before Harry and the others could respond, they were forced to return to their seats.
Lockhart entered the classroom, dressed as flamboyantly as a peacock, gliding in with a flourish.
"Good afternoon~"
He launched into his self-introduction with polished ease.
It was identical to the one he'd given during his interview with Tver—not a single word different.
"Does this guy give the same speech every time he introduces himself?" Tver muttered under his breath.
Lockhart, of course, couldn't hear the remark, but his gaze found Tver all the same.
"Today's lesson will be a little different," he announced, gesturing toward Tver seated at the back. "Yes, as you can see, we have a special guest student joining us—your Professor Fawley."
"Although I'm the new professor here, I daresay my experience in adventure is a bit more extensive."
He raised his eyebrows proudly, but the students didn't seem impressed. Instead, they kept sneaking glances at Tver, who smiled back at them.
"Ahem." Lockhart cleared his throat and straightened his posture, finally drawing the students' attention back to him. "This is an important class, so I expect you all to take it seriously!"
With that, he began passing out a stack of papers.
Unlike Tver's usual magical efficiency, Lockhart handed them out one by one.
"Maybe the professor just likes doing it this way? Some other professors do too," Hermione said, trying to defend him when Ron and Harry scoffed.
Still, the students were used to starting class with a written test—Tver had trained them well—so no one complained. They quietly picked up their quills and looked down at the questions.
"1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?"
Even Hermione started to feel uneasy. She skimmed further down the page.
"What do you think is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?"
All the way to the final question—
"When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday? And what would his ideal birthday gift be?"
"By Merlin's beard… is this really Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Hermione whispered.
She had, of course, memorized Lockhart's books inside and out, so the questions were easy for her. But after experiencing Tver's lessons, she immediately sensed how little this exam truly meant.
Maybe he's testing how well we've read the assigned texts… she tried to reassure herself.
Harry and Ron, meanwhile, could only stare at each other blankly, six bewildered eyes blinking in sync.
"Have you even read any of Lockhart's books?" Harry whispered.
"Even if I had, I wouldn't remember what his 'greatest achievement' is supposed to be," Ron grumbled.
At the back, Tver chuckled as he looked over the test paper Lockhart had courteously handed him.
The questions themselves weren't worth commenting on—but the structure was impressive.
Lockhart had somehow managed to frame a simple topic in countless ways. That alone was a mark of a capable test-maker.
Once Lockhart realized his shortcomings, Tver thought, he'd step in to give some guidance—and perhaps an outline. After that, Lockhart could handle the exams and grading himself.
He made a quiet mental note.
Thirty minutes later, Lockhart collected the papers.
As expected, only Hermione managed a perfect score.
The young witch looked proud yet faintly disappointed.
But when Lockhart pulled out a cage full of Cornish Pixies, her face immediately brightened again.
"I knew the professor wouldn't make things that simple—this lesson actually has a practical component!"
Because of the high risk involved with his magical creatures, Tver hadn't demonstrated this kind of lesson to the first-years last year. This was their first time ever handling magical creatures in class.
But they hadn't expected that, when it came to disappointing people, Lockhart never disappointed.
The Cornish Pixies went completely out of control in the classroom. Before Lockhart could even cast a spell, his wand had already been snatched away by the mischievous creatures.
As the chaos grew worse, he forced himself to look calm and shouted loudly toward Tver, "I suddenly remembered something urgent I must attend to! Professor Fawley will take over the rest of this class!"
Without waiting for Tver's response, he bolted from the classroom in a panic.
The moment he was gone, the students noticed the rampaging Pixies had suddenly frozen in midair. One by one, they flew back into their cage in perfect order.
Books, teaching tools, and even the portrait of Lockhart hanging on the wall slowly floated back to their original positions, neatly arranged as if nothing had happened.
"Harry, you're sitting on that book," Hermione said, pointing to the wriggling Magical Me under Harry's seat.
Harry quickly jumped up, and the last book floated back to the table where it belonged.
Only after everything was back in place did Tver lower his wand and stride toward the front of the classroom.
"That was bloody brilliant," Ron breathed in awe.
"Thank you for the compliment. Now, everyone, back to your seats," Tver said clearly.
The students quickly sat down.
"I imagine most of you already know what the sixth-years studied this morning," Tver continued, "but I must remind you—you're not yet ready for that kind of lesson."
The classroom immediately erupted in protest.
"Professor, we're strong enough!"
"That's not fair!"
"We want to learn how to fight too!"
Even Hermione, usually the most obedient of them all, muttered, "You haven't taught us much magic yet—of course we're not ready!"
"Alright," Tver raised his hand, silencing the complaints. "I understand your frustration. That's why, this year, I'll be teaching you as much magic as I can."
"If you study well, by next year you'll naturally experience lessons that are more intense—and far more exciting."
As the students' expressions shifted from irritation to anticipation, Tver pointed toward the cage.
"Now then, let's begin today's lesson. Who can tell me about the characteristics of these Cornish Pixies?"
As expected, Hermione's hand shot up first.
"Cornish Pixies are very mischievous creatures. Although they don't have wings, they can fly. Also, they have remarkably long lifespans and stay young for many years."
Tver nodded approvingly. "Correct. Five points to Gryffindor."
He placed his hand on the cage and gave it a light tap. The Pixies, now fully recovered, began hammering the bars restlessly, producing a sharp crackling noise.
"I'm sure the earlier commotion gave you a clear idea of just how troublesome these Cornish Pixies can be," he said. "Don't underestimate them. They're incredibly strong—able to lift objects more than ten times their own size."
Seeing the nervous looks on the students' faces, Tver's lips curved into a faint smile.
"And now," he said, "I'm going to release them again."