The Great Hall had been thoroughly cleaned during the summer, just as it was every year, and elaborately decorated in preparation for the first feast of the new school term.
By the time Tver entered, it was already packed with students excitedly sharing their summer adventures with one another, along with most of the teaching staff.
Three seats were still empty at the staff table. One was Tver's own, one was reserved for Hagrid, who was bringing the first-years in, and the last was being kept for this year's other Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
After greeting the enthusiastic students along the way, Tver headed straight for his seat. Professor Flitwick, sitting nearby, had already waved at him several times.
The moment Tver sat down, Professor Flitwick eagerly shifted the many layers of cushions beneath him.
"Tver, how was your summer?"
Tver looked at him in mild surprise. They rarely asked such questions, especially about summer experiences.
"Not bad. I saw quite a lot."
Professor Flitwick immediately smiled mysteriously, pulling out a newspaper and spreading it in front of Tver.
"I'd say it was more than just 'not bad,' wouldn't you?"
It was today's Daily Prophet. Because he had been busy packing, this was the one morning Tver hadn't read the paper.
"Tver Fawley—Please Remember This Young Man Who Will Change the Wizarding World"
Beneath the exaggerated headline was a photograph of Tver giving his speech at the International Confederation of Wizards conference.
In the photo, his eyes were fixed deeply on the camera, his body angled slightly to the side, arms spread as if in an embrace, making it look as though he were addressing every reader directly.
Tver didn't even need to check the byline. He knew immediately that this was Rita's work.
The problem was that he had been so focused on his speech that he hadn't even noticed Rita or her photographer at the time.
A sudden sense of unease crept in as Tver skimmed the article, torn between laughter and exasperation.
Only then did he fully understand what Cynthia had meant about what Rita had been busy with lately.
Rita had published his entire speech word for word, embellishing it with ornate language and her own emotional commentary, making readers feel as though they had been present themselves.
Tver didn't mind that part. He had spoken publicly precisely because he wanted people to become aware of these issues.
In fact, given that the Confederation had intended to keep the speech confidential, Rita had actually helped him a great deal.
The real problem was that he hadn't wanted to be pushed into the spotlight quite so soon.
Especially since, in the latter half of the article, Rita painted Dumbledore as a rigid, outdated old madman.
And then elevated Tver as the future of the wizarding world—
"The author does not know what Dumbledore accomplished in his youth, but I urge all readers to remember this young man well. Based on his far-sighted vision alone, I dare assert that he will achieve feats greater than anything Dumbledore has done in the past, present, or even the future!"
This kind of praising one while trampling another left Tver blushing in embarrassment.
He shot an awkward glance at Dumbledore beside him, who was smiling warmly as he watched the new students enter the hall.
"If it weren't for the photos, I wouldn't even believe that was you," Professor Flitwick teased.
Tver withdrew his gaze, his expression complicated.
"I… I didn't expect this either…"
"Come to think of it, you've never really brought up ideas like these with us before," Flitwick said. "They sound rather similar to Professor Burbage's views."
With some effort, Professor Flitwick stretched out a finger and tapped the section of the article recounting the speech.
"Well, it's something Professor Burbage and I discussed," Tver replied, nodding decisively. "I just took the opportunity during the summer to speak on her behalf at the conference."
"Yes, that's right. Exactly."
Professor Flitwick withdrew his gaze with a slightly odd expression. Having worked at the same school as Professor Burbage for years, he didn't find such ideas troubling in themselves. He had heard far more radical opinions before.
What surprised him was how much Tver had thought through the issue, and how deeply that speech had affected him, forcing him to reflect on matters he had rarely considered.
For him, and for most of the wizarding world, such topics were little more than intellectual diversions. Unlike Tver, they lacked a deep awareness of the potential threat posed by Muggle technology.
Put simply, most people had very little foresight when it came to the future.
And so, Professor Flitwick soon changed the subject, turning the conversation to the matter of the new professor.
"By the way, do you know Moody? The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor Moody."
"I suppose I do?" Tver replied after a brief hesitation. "Before the summer break, Dumbledore mentioned inviting him to teach, so I wrote him a few letters."
"The owls definitely delivered them, but I never received a single reply."
Out of goodwill, Tver had once considered sparing Moody the worst of it and using other methods to deliver Harry to Voldemort.
But after such a long time without any contact, he had no choice but to let events unfold as they were meant to.
According to Peter's intelligence, it would probably only be a matter of days before Moody was jointly subdued by Voldemort and the others.
The only uncertainty was how deeply the curse would affect him.
Of the curses on Tver, only the one Voldemort had left behind through his teaching position remained. Although its influence continued to deepen, its interference with Tver had always been relatively limited.
Still, interference was interference.
With Voldemort's peak strength now an unknown variable, Tver wasn't willing to gamble that this lingering effect wouldn't become the deciding weight on the scales between them.
That said, he wasn't without preparation.
If everything went smoothly, he should be able to find traces of Godric Gryffindor during this school year and see whether the curse could be lifted.
Even if that failed, Marvolio's successful resurrection next year might provide another way to deal with it.
Lost in these thoughts, Tver outwardly remained relaxed, watching the Sorting Ceremony while casually chatting with Professor Flitwick about Moody.
Or rather, Professor Flitwick was doing most of the talking, and Tver was listening.
"I'm not sure why Moody's become so suspicious lately," Professor Flitwick said, "but you have to understand, back when we were resisting Voldemort, that caution saved his life more than once."
"Otherwise, someone as prominent as him, a symbol of resistance, wouldn't have survived unscathed to this day."
"But I think you'll have plenty to talk about. Moody's combat techniques are very practical, much closer to real battlefield conditions."
"Especially back when he insisted on not using the Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters. That forced him to refine ordinary combat magic to an extreme degree."
"In that regard, I suspect even Dumbledore isn't his equal."
At that moment, the Sorting Ceremony came to a perfectly timed conclusion, and the grand feast officially began.
Chewing on a sausage, Tver reflected on what Professor Flitwick had just said.
Whether now or in the original course of events, he really couldn't recall seeing Dumbledore use much in the way of conventional combat magic.
Of course, it might simply be that Dumbledore never needed to.
Still, that topic might be worth adding to the discussion agenda someday.
After all, even if they didn't need it, the students certainly did.