Ever since discovering the secret of the Diadem, Tver threw himself into reading whenever he had a free moment. But every time he opened it, the drain on his magic and vitality was enormous. Combined with staying up late, the dark circles he'd spent a year getting rid of were starting to creep back.
So after the flu outbreak, he became Madam Pomfrey's special concern, often finding her standing at the door with a cup of fortified potion.
"You're a professor. How are you supposed to teach if you get sick?"
With his ears practically steaming, Tver had no choice but to continue teaching his classes.
A first-year, Colin Creevey, even captured the scene on camera. Rumor had it Tver had become his second favorite idol. Creevey would wander around with his camera, pretending to bump into him, trying to sneak a photo and then ask for Tver's signature.
"Colin Creevey, your detention will be carried out tonight by Professor McGonagall — Tver Fawley."
That counted as a signature too. Ever helpful, Tver smiled as Colin slouched out of the office.
"Alright, your turn, you three."
Harry and his two companions, holding various cleaning tools, immediately lowered their heads, terrified of getting another detention.
It had taken them two weeks of on-and-off work to clean all eight floors of the castle, and their relationship had grown increasingly awkward. At the start and end of every cleaning session, Ron and Malfoy would argue. Either Ron was nitpicking or Malfoy was mocking him, and Harry had to step in to calm them down and get them to work together. They listened—but Harry somehow became the one who suffered for it.
Ron and Malfoy shifted all their arguments to the cleaning itself, and their target was Harry. They nitpicked him constantly and made all sorts of unreasonable requests.
"Harry, can you give the ceiling a sweep?"
"Potter, the floor here isn't even. How am I supposed to mop this?"
At this point, Harry had only one thought: finish this detention as soon as possible.
Fortunately, Professor Fawley never inspected their work, so they'd made it to the final day without trouble.
It was Saturday, the eve of Halloween. To keep them from missing the feast, the professor had scheduled the detention for the afternoon. All they needed now was his approval, and they could head to the celebration.
"In that case, you three come with me."
"Huh?" *3
Harry and the others looked up in shock.
"What else do we have to do?"
"We're going to the eighth floor to check your results," Tver said as if it were obvious. "I've skipped so many inspections I'm starting to feel I've failed to acknowledge your hard work."
Ron waved his hands frantically, sending water flying from his still-wet rag.
"Professor, you're so busy—how could we trouble you like that?"
"Oh—yes, yes," Malfoy chimed in quickly, nodding hard. "Your time is precious. We already feel bad enough making you waste it on our detention."
But Tver simply stepped forward, resolute, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Bring your tools and follow me. Let me see the fruits of your labor."
Harry and the others fell silent at once, nerves tightening in their chests. They trailed obediently behind Tver as he led them slowly toward the eighth floor.
As the banquet approached, most students were heading to the Great Hall. Hardly anyone else was going upstairs like this group.
"Professor?" Hermione looked at them in surprise.
She'd planned to meet Harry and Ron after they finished detention so they could go together to Nearly Poor Nicolas's deathday banquet, but she bumped into them halfway there. Harry and Ron hurried to pull her aside and whisper the professor's decision to her.
So they gained one more little witch observing from the side.
"All this time, you've been using ordinary tools. Any thoughts?" Tver suddenly asked as they walked along the eighth-floor corridor.
The unexpected question startled Harry and the others, leaving them unsure how to answer. Hermione wanted to respond, but the professor clearly wasn't asking her, so she forced her eager hand back down.
After a moment, Malfoy spoke hesitantly. "Cleaning without magic is too tiring."
He muttered the complaint, and Harry and Ron nodded in agreement.
"And you, Harry? I remember you live with a Muggle family. How is cleaning done there?"
Harry blinked. "Aunt Petunia handles it. She always gets the house spotless with ease."
He disliked the Dursleys, but he couldn't deny Aunt Petunia's skill when it came to housework.
"Exactly. Muggles have no magic yet still manage to keep things clean. So why are you three slacking off?" Tver pointed at the cobwebs in the corner.
The three immediately lowered their heads, only daring to glance at the professor's blank expression as he flicked his wand and cleared the space.
"If we could use magic, we wouldn't have to work as hard as Muggles, and the results would be even better," Malfoy grumbled under his breath.
"Muggles don't work that hard either!" Hermione shot back, glaring at him. "We have vacuum cleaners at home. Cleaning floors is easy!"
"Vacuum cleaners?" Ron and Malfoy stared at her in confusion.
Harry knew what she meant, and seeing Hermione puff up, he reluctantly took over the explanation.
"Yeah, but it's nowhere near magic. It just makes things a little easier," Malfoy said dismissively with a wave.
Tver suddenly turned around. "What if there are even more advanced machines in the future?"
Malfoy shrank back and looked desperately at the others. Hermione stood with her arms crossed, still glaring. Harry and Ron both looked away, pretending to admire the tapestry.
He had no choice but to answer timidly, "Then it would be like magic."
"And what if Muggles never needed to clean at all? What if every speck of dust was cleared automatically?"
"Well… well…" Malfoy stammered. "That's impossible!"
Not even Hermione could imagine such a thing, let alone Harry and Ron.
Seeing their confused expressions, Tver smiled faintly.
It wasn't just wizards; even current Muggles couldn't imagine how far future technology might advance. The only certainty was that it would keep advancing.
"You're that sure without having experienced it?"
Noticing the professor's gentler tone, Malfoy grew bolder.
"Fine then—good for them!" he said loudly, lifting his chin with confidence.
Tver grinned and patted his shoulder.
"That's why you shouldn't underestimate Muggles. They possess a power we don't understand, and it's only getting stronger."
Malfoy froze, lips trembling, but he said nothing. Harry and the others stared at Tver in surprise. Only Hermione fell silent in deep thought.
Tver didn't explain further. He simply spread his arms.
"Alright. Your detention ends here. I hope this leaves a lasting impression. Go on—the Halloween feast is waiting for you."