The students were instantly alarmed by Tver's idea.
Splitting the soul!
Even if it was only a trace, and even though they had never heard of evil magic like Horcruxes, just hearing something like that was shocking enough.
"Don't worry. The part of the soul you split off will still remain very closely connected to your main body."
"As long as that connection isn't severed, it won't affect you in any way."
Tver quickly explained, just in case word somehow reached Dumbledore's ears and caused some unnecessary misunderstanding.
Of course, if someone somehow taught themselves how to make a Horcrux from this, there was nothing he could do about that...
Still, the explanation did reassure them a little, and they began looking expectantly at the imp with the ridiculous expression.
After four years of Tver's "teaching," or rather "abuse," they had long been itching for this kind of magical trick.
Sure, the imps they had seen before were all insufferably mouthy, but that had to be because the professor was the one casting them.
Once they learned it themselves, they would definitely turn the tables and let the professor have a taste of an imp's verbal assault!
Sensing the ill intent in their gazes, Tver suppressed the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like you all really like this magic, so let's begin at once!"
He arranged the students into lines so everyone would have enough space to work.
"First, focus your attention. Concentrate completely and create a target point in your mind. Personally, I suggest your forehead or your temple."
"If you can't concentrate, try closing your eyes... and yes, I'm talking about you two! George and Fred!"
This step was actually quite easy for wizards. Especially after closing their eyes, with the magical training they had built up over the years, they were all able to do it quickly.
In truth, Imp Magic itself was not especially difficult. Otherwise, Tver would not have been able to flick out a whole swarm of them so casually four years ago.
The real difficulty came afterward.
"Very good. Next, slowly point your wand at the target point on your head..."
The students all raised their wands, though some of those with their eyes shut missed the correct spot and poked themselves painfully in the head instead.
"Professor, what if our target point isn't on our head?" George suddenly asked, unable to resist being mischievous.
"Then move it to your head!" Tver shot him an annoyed glare.
"As long as you're not as strange as George, you should be able to easily feel that swelling pressure of your will inside your head."
"Then apply a tiny bit of magic to your wand, something with a slight pulling quality, and slowly draw that strand of will out."
"I think some of you have already realized it. That's right, this is the same method used to draw out memories. But pay attention: this time what we're drawing out is not memory, but will, a strand of soul split off from yourselves!"
When he saw several students, especially the seventh-years from all three schools, show looks of sudden understanding, Tver continued explaining.
"Professor, if I put in too much magic, will I yank my whole soul out?" This time it was Fred, his face full of horror.
"No! Splitting and drawing out the soul is nowhere near as easy as you think. Even if you drained every bit of magic in your body, you'd only be able to split off this tiny strand!"
Even with memories, it was difficult to pull out too much at once, let alone the soul.
The students did not understand any of that, though. Afraid of splitting off too much and hurting themselves, they only dared use the faintest trace of magic, almost too weak to sense, to pull at it.
The result was obvious. Even if it was only a tiny strand of soul, that little magic was nowhere near enough to move it.
"This is so hard, Professor. Can't you just help us?" Davies muttered quietly.
"So from now on, should I do all your work for you too?"
After that cold glance from him, none of them dared say another word. They all focused on wrestling with their own souls instead.
But as he had said before, splitting the soul was similar to separating memories. For a wizard at professor level, it was effortless.
For these students, though, who had never even tried separating memories before, starting straight away with the harder task of splitting the soul naturally left them struggling for quite a while.
"Focus. Increase your magical output. Let the act of drawing become instinctive. Don't let your attention drift..."
"I did it!"
A cry of delight suddenly rang out from the crowd.
Tver turned to look. Viktor was gripping his wand with excitement written all over his face, and at the tip of it floated a wisp of pale, translucent soul.
It looked a little like a ghost, only without any definite shape.
"Not bad. Looks like Durmstrang students really are the better ones." Tver indirectly praised himself.
Unexpectedly, that immediately stirred the competitive spirit of the Beauxbatons and Hogwarts students.
"I did it too!"
"I did it too!"
Not long after, Fleur and Cedric called out almost at the same time, and wisps of soul were floating in front of them as well.
After all, they were outstanding students personally chosen by Tver for the club. Soon after that, the others gradually found the trick and succeeded one after another in splitting off their own strands of soul.
"It seems I underestimated you. You managed it in less than... half an hour." Tver glanced at his pocket watch, a Christmas gift his parents had brought back from their travels.
"That's it? Professor, don't tell me this is all you prepared for today." George smugly spun his wand around, completely ignoring the fact that his soul was spinning along with it.
Cedric badly wanted to warn him, but when he saw the professor looking over, he hurriedly shrank back instead.
"But let me remind you," Tver said, sweeping his smiling gaze across them, "this is only the first step of today's activity. Next, control your souls and reshape them into the form of imps!"
"Reshape?"
At that, not only the Weasley twins, but even Viktor, who considered himself the student with the deepest understanding of soul study, froze in surprise.
In magic, there was only Transfiguration. A way of describing it like reshape was something they had barely ever heard before.
"Yes. Unlike Transfiguration, what you need to do is rely on the faint connection between the split-off soul and your main body, and make it follow your will into an appropriate form!"
"Like this." Tver gestured to his own imp, and the ridiculous expression on its face instantly turned into a smile.
"But we can't feel that connection," Viktor said blankly.
"That sounds like your problem."
Tver gave them a matching smile, but in the students' eyes it looked like he was mocking the smugness they had shown moments ago, dripping with ridicule...