Just as the ring had foretold, after Halloween, Quirrell's face grew paler by the day, and his body occasionally twitched uncontrollably. However, this fit perfectly with Professor Quirrell's usual demeanor, so aside from Tver, who was paying close attention, no one else noticed.
Meanwhile, Tver had thrown himself into his busy teaching duties. His classes, combining theory with practice, were especially well-suited to Hogwarts. When the students realized that studying theory could also enhance their practical abilities, they began to take textbook knowledge far more seriously.
Of course, most of his attention was focused on his own pursuits—
Digesting his duel with Professor Flitwick (completed; he had discovered the peculiar charm of white magic and decided to devote more effort to it);
His weekly Transfiguration research sessions with Dumbledore (highly rewarding, even causing his badge to show unusual reactions—attendance was mandatory);Daily private lessons for Percy and the other four (a way to stay sharp until he found his next opponent);
Research on the nature and instincts of wizards through Neville (slow progress, but results were starting to appear and merited continuation);
Exploration of the Four Elements (almost no progress—he had found only three related books in the Restricted Section, one unreadable, two useless);
Research on the Unforgivable Curses (paused!);
Wizard Chess practice (he had completely surpassed Percy and could now last over half an hour on the board);
The Map of Precise Locations (functioning as expected, though it required better alchemy and a more complete map structure to resolve magic flow disruptions);
The Training Dummy (had reached its limit—without improvements, fighting those five students marked his upper limit; postponed until further insight);
Phantom Magic (a ghost-inspired creation that could separate from the body, seemingly with greater potential than the training dummy—now a higher priority);
The Philosopher's Stone theft plan (Quirrell had shifted his attention to Snape, slowing progress again, but the Wizard Chess project was moving well; it was worth nudging Quirrell along so he wouldn't die before finishing his task—if he had to die, at least let him complete the job first).
In just over two months, Tver had accomplished all this. Though long accustomed to such intense study and research, a faint weariness began to set in. Still, with so many secrets hidden within this castle, he found it difficult to rest.
There was plenty of time, and everything was proceeding according to plan, so he decided to take things one step at a time. First—the Map of Precise Locations.
Its roughness displeased him. Only a few secret passages he had personally discovered were marked on it. If Harry and the others hid in one, he wouldn't be able to find them. However, creating a detailed version would require exploring every inch of the castle—a time-consuming effort that seemed hardly worth it.
The best option would be to obtain the original Marauder's Map and merge it with his own, combining their strengths to create the ideal version.
...
"Knock knock knock."
The sound pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened on its own, revealing five figures jostling in the doorway. It was Percy and his group from the evening's private lesson.
Percy stepped in first, chin high and chest out, his prefect badge gleaming. The other four followed nervously behind him. Tver poured five cups of tea—the only drink left in his office since he had finished the pumpkin juice last night.
"I believe our private lesson hasn't started yet," he said. "What brings you here?"
George gave Percy a nudge, urging him toward the desk.
Percy took a sip of tea before saying, "Since your Wizard Chess skills have surpassed mine, we discussed it and decided to find you a stronger opponent."
It was mid-November now, and the training dummies were nearing expiration again. They were eager to find the next sparring partner for their professor.
Tver folded the parchment in his hand.
"That won't be necessary. Otherwise, it'll look like I only teach you private lessons because of Wizard Chess."
Cedric and the others exchanged relieved glances.
"Oh, who are you looking for?"
"...It's Ron." Percy hesitated for a moment before replying reluctantly.
Perfect.
Tver had been wondering how to find a legitimate excuse to play Wizard Chess with Ron. Now that Ron had practically walked into his plans, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
Seeing Tver's clear smile, Percy's determination strengthened—he'd master Wizard Chess and win the professor's favor without a problem!
"In that case, bring Ron along when you come tonight."
George suddenly grew anxious and stepped forward.
"Professor, what about the training dummies?"
Over the past two months, they'd learned a lot of practical combat techniques from those training dummies. Even though they'd been forced into it—each session ending with them dangling from the ceiling—it was still valuable training.
Their progress was impressive. By Halloween, all four of them ranked among the top ten, holding firm spots at the top of the third-year Snitch-catching leaderboard.
Tver waved his hand. "Alright, one more month. But that's the limit. Keep fighting, and the dummy will fall apart."
Besides, in a month, he wouldn't need these students to play chess with him anyway.
Joyful smiles instantly appeared on all five faces. A month was more than enough—they'd already reached the dummy's limit, and another month wouldn't make much difference. They were satisfied.
With their goal achieved, they prepared to leave.
But then, Tver called out to the Weasley twins.
"George, and Fred, do you have your badges on you?"
The twins turned back, puzzled. "You mean the Halloween ones? We've been wearing them all along."
They spoke as they pulled them from their pockets.
"Hand them over for now. Don't worry—I just want to make some improvements. I'll give them back later."
The twins hesitated. Those badges were incredibly useful, capable of restoring magic and being reused multiple times.
But since the professor had made them and promised to return them, they reluctantly handed them over before leaving.
Tver examined the two badges carefully, considering how to improve them. He didn't have time to explore every detail of the castle—but the Weasley twins did.
If he could enchant their badges with a detection spell that automatically mapped the terrain they covered and transmitted the data back to his map, it would solve his problem perfectly.
Of course, that was easier said than done. There were plenty of challenges.
The biggest was the issue of magical power storage.
Each badge could only hold enough mana for a few Shield Charms. Once drained, it would lose function and require recharging. Adding a continuously active detection spell would mean they'd need to recharge every few hours.
Even if the twins didn't mind, the frequent recharging would quickly draw attention from other students.
Therefore, he needed to find a way to increase the badges' magical energy capacity.