After a full day of spreading, news of the second attack inevitably reached everyone.
This time, however, the students weren't merely curious—they were genuinely frightened.
Last time, it had only been a cat, and an unpopular one at that. But this time, a student had been petrified.
A student who did homework with them, joked with them, played with them.
If the professors hadn't repeatedly stressed that wearing badges could block a portion of hostile magic, many students would have been too terrified to even leave their dormitories.
"Though personally, I think half of them are just looking for excuses to skip class."
Neville reported the situation truthfully during tutoring.
"But most of them really are scared. Especially the half-blood and Muggle-born students. They only move around in little groups now."
"They're trading protective trinkets and things like that. Some upper-years even came to sell items that supposedly ward off evil. Percy confiscated all of them."
Neville scratched his cheek, embarrassed. If not for remembering last year's Professor Quirrell, he might have considered buying one of those reeking giant green onions himself—the stench did feel like it could drive anything away.
Still, Tver found an unexpected benefit.
Students' enthusiasm for Defence Against the Dark Arts surged dramatically.
His classes were already lively and engaging, but after the attacks, everyone wanted to learn something powerful—at least enough to feel capable of resisting if something happened.
And of course, if they could somehow catch the attacker, all the better.
To curb those dangerous ambitions, Tver decided to make the lessons more demanding.
To coordinate the change, he chose an open evening and brought all the second-years to the Colosseum.
It was their first time there; previously only third-years and up had classes in the arena.
Because December at Hogwarts was bitterly cold, Tver conjured a shield against wind and chill and surrounded the space with warm torches.
"Today, we're going to talk about how to deal with a powerful opponent."
"Do you remember how we handled the troll last year?"
The students, who had been looking around curiously, snapped back to last Halloween at his question.
"Attack its eyes!" Malfoy shouted immediately.
"Correct. But have you noticed the problem?"
"It took so many people and so many attempts just to land a single hit."
"But if the enemy is prepared, or your aim is off, how do you make use of that weakness?"
Instead of being stumped, the students grew even more excited.
Seeing their anticipation, Tver smiled and continued, "Yes—today I'll teach you an extraordinary application of a very simple spell."
"Pay attention. This lesson is extremely important, so make sure you listen carefully."
"Professor, when do we not pay attention?" called a student named Henry.
His comment drew laughter from the others.
Tver waved his hand, amused. "Alright, alright, I know you're all very obedient."
"First, I need to make sure all of you can use a very powerful spell." Under their eager gazes, he added mysteriously, "And that spell is—the Lighting Charm."
"...Eh?"
Disappointment spread instantly.
The Lighting Charm was the very first spell they had learned. How could it possibly count as powerful?
Tver raised a finger and shook his head.
"Don't underestimate this spell. Used properly, it can solve half the enemies you'll ever face."
"For example—"
He flicked his wand. A burst of light as bright as the sun exploded in the sky.
The dim Colosseum turned blindingly bright in an instant—so bright it was harsher than daylight.
Caught off guard, the students cried out, clutching their eyes.
No need for concern—the intensity had already been reduced. Beyond a brief discomfort, there was no danger.
And while they were momentarily quiet, Tver began explaining the key points.
"In the pitch-black night, any creature that relies on its eyes to search for enemies will be temporarily blinded—or even injured—if hit with a sudden burst of intense light.
This means you can use that opening to make your next move, whether escaping or pressing the attack."
As he continued explaining, the students slowly recovered from their brief blindness.
"But Professor, what if the creature doesn't use its eyes to find its enemies?" Malfoy asked in confusion.
"Then you should look it directly in the eyes."
"And that will save me?"
"No. But at least you'll die with a bit more dignity," Tver answered, teasingly.
The students didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Still, the spell was undeniably impressive. Compared to last time, when they had to hit the troll's eyes directly, this spell could blind a whole group in one go.
And best of all—it didn't require aiming!
This delighted students whose accuracy was notoriously unreliable.
Finally, a spell with a proper area effect!
But learning it wasn't nearly as pleasant.
At its core, the "Blinding Light Charm" was still the Lighting Charm, only with massively increased range and brightness, enough to actually damage the eyes.
In some ways, the difficulty rivaled spells usually taught to upper-year students.
Its only advantage was that it didn't require precise control. As long as they poured magic into it with everything they had and boosted the Lighting Charm's power, they could manage a crude version of the spell.
Whether it was brighter or covered a wider area wasn't even something they could consider yet.
And for second-years, even this was enough to keep them occupied for quite a while.
"Use the same method as the Lighting Charm. The spell itself isn't difficult."
"Don't hold back your magic. Pretend you're holding a firework—release all your power and—"
A flash of green light shot out.
"Protego!" Tver whipped his wand up instantly.
"Boom."
The green light struck the shield and burst apart in a shower of sparks.
"I'm really sorry, Professor," Ron sputtered, waving both hands in panic, his broken wand painfully obvious. "My wand suddenly lost control!"
"...Get a new one as soon as possible. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll fill the Hospital Wing all by yourself."
Near the end of class, students finally began to get a handle on the spell.
But their mastery was rough. Most simply blasted magic wildly, draining their entire reserves in a single shot, leaving no strength for anything afterward.
"Professor, what about during the day? How do we use the Blinding Light Charm then?"
As time was running out, Hermione hurried to ask.
"Normally, I'd suggest using other standard spells. But the Blinding Light Charm isn't unusable. You just need to—"
This time, Tver didn't aim at the sky. His wand pointed at a large stone in the arena.
He flicked his wand. The students immediately squinted, nervous yet eager—scared of being blinded again, but desperate to witness something extraordinary.
To their surprise, the glow at the wand tip wasn't bright. In fact, it looked faint.
But the power behind it was immense.
Like a bullet, the tiny beam shot forward and struck the thick stone.
In an instant, the rock was pierced clean through, as if it were papier-mâché, leaving a finger-sized hole.
As smoke drifted from the scorched edges, the students instantly understood why mastering the Lighting Charm could deal with half the enemies they'd ever face.
No matter what the opponent was, one beam would put a hole straight through it.
Seeing their eyes sparkle, Tver could practically guess their thoughts without effort.
"You'll have to fully master the Blinding Light Charm first," he said, clapping his hands. "Alright, line up. We're heading back to the castle!"