After Dumbledore nodded, Marvolio visibly relaxed. When Voldemort had split off this fragment of soul, he'd only been out of school for a few years, and Dumbledore's overwhelming presence had left a deep imprint on him.
Tver, however, grew tense. Because Dumbledore's attention had shifted to him.
"Before I go visit your teacher, there's one more thing I need you to do."
Tver swallowed without meaning to.
"What's so urgent that it has to be done by me?"
Anything Dumbledore treated with such gravity was never something simple.
"That depends entirely on you—on whether you still want a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
Dumbledore laced his fingers together on the desk, expression smug, as if saying checkmate.
"…Time, place, person," Tver said helplessly.
"Starting now—Remus Lupin. He seems to have run into some trouble," Dumbledore said, giving Marvolio a glance. "From all sides."
"?"
Tver frowned.
"What kind of mess could cause trouble from that many directions?"
He knew Lupin well enough—the poor werewolf professor from the story. In his past life, seeing Lupin and his wife lying on the ground together had left him heartbroken for a long time. But getting into trouble with both the Ministry and dark wizards? That didn't sound like Lupin at all.
Dumbledore soon cleared up his confusion.
"Lupin is a werewolf. You don't mind that, do you? The Ministry wants him registered and kept under strict monitoring."
"On the other side, Lupin refuses to associate with werewolves—especially Fenrir Greyback's lot."
"So now he's stuck between both groups, facing the distrust—even outright hatred—of ordinary wizards."
"His situation is far from good, especially since his current whereabouts have been exposed to Greyback."
Tver let out a speechless sigh.
"So being a decent werewolf is harder than being a dark wizard? This wizarding world really is something." Marvolio shook his head with a laugh, his tone laced with scorn.
Even Dumbledore remained silent. He had no way—and no standing—to refute it. As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Lupin's current state was something Dumbledore, as its leader, couldn't escape responsibility for.
"It's fine. It's because the wizarding world still has problems like these that we have to keep working to fix them," Tver said quickly.
Dumbledore brightened at once, a genuine look of relief crossing his face. And once again—who knew for the how-many-th time—he found himself wondering how to shape Tver into a true successor.
"Then I'll leave Lupin to you. He might be at… Never mind, I don't actually know where he is."
Tver: [・_・?]
Couldn't you at least give me an address?! How am I supposed to find him in a country this big?!
"Maybe we can track Greyback's location. If that doesn't work, we can ask someone from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Years of Auror experience let Marvolio come up with multiple options immediately.
"Excellent, Dawlish. I'm delighted to see you've grown into such an outstanding man." Dumbledore's praise flowed freely.
Only Tver knew this was just Dumbledore's habit of winning people over. Think about it—if the greatest wizard personally praised you like this, most people would be ecstatic and obedient.
Luckily, neither of them was most people.
Tver said a friendly goodbye to Fawkes before dragging the slightly floaty Marvolio out of the office.
"Come to think of it… was this the first time Dumbledore has ever praised me like that?"
Marvolio murmured dazedly once they stepped outside the castle.
Tver stared at him in exasperation—yet another child starved for affection.
"If you could turn over a new leaf, Dumbledore would praise you every single day!"
"Spill it. Where is Greyback now?"
"How should I know?" Marvolio snapped back, his voice brimming with righteous indignation.
"Then why did you just say you could find someone to check?!"
"That's exactly why I need to find someone!"
Five minutes later, they appeared at the Leaky Cauldron.
The pub was bustling, but as soon as they entered, they spotted a familiar figure.
"Professor Fawley?"
Harry had just come down the stairs, heading for lunch. He was still adjusting to living in the pub, so sleeping in was perfectly normal!
But the moment those words left his mouth, a small stir rippled through the pub.
"Professor?"
"When did Hogwarts get such a young professor?"
"Is he a Fawley?"
Witnessing this scene, Marvolio muttered helplessly, "That's why I love using pureblood families—they grab everyone's attention the moment they show up."
"Don't forget, you come from a pureblood family too."
Tver whispered back before stepping forward to meet Harry, drawing Marvolio's glare away from the onlookers.
"You're staying here?"
"Yes, I moved in last night."
Harry replied, feeling a bit embarrassed—after all, blowing up his aunt and running away from home wasn't exactly something to brag about.
"Professor, did you need something?"
"Ah, we're here to introduce a new professor."
Noticing Harry's worried expression, Tver added, "Don't worry, this year's professor will be outstanding. I'm actually afraid he might steal my thunder."
"No way!" Harry declared loudly, though his rumbling stomach made his voice sound weaker than intended.
"No sleeping in during the holidays either. Besides, skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach. Go eat now."
Harry sheepishly rubbed his empty belly, but before he could speak, someone pushed past him.
"So this must be Professor Fawley, the one Cedric always talks about?"
A man appeared before Tver with a broad smile, his large hands grasping hers warmly.
"I'm Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. I currently work at the Beast Division."
"Thank you for looking after Cedric at school."
Tver was startled by his warmth, blinking twice before recovering.
"Cedric does very well at school. I haven't really had to look after him."
"You're too modest. Many of your views at home are highly appreciated by his mum and me. They seem quite logical..."
"Enough pleasantries for now," Marvolio stepped in front of Amos. "Where's Remus Lupin? Or Fenrir Greyback's location?"
"Oh, right. Dawlish."
Amos finally fished a crumpled parchment from his pocket, its texture suggesting it had passed through many hands.
"Lupin's last known location was a month ago in Diagon Alley—reportedly buying chocolate.
Greyback, however, was last sighted in Grimmauld Place, London, just last night."
Tver took the paper and scanned it.
It was filled with records on both men, though Greyback's took up the bulk of the page compared to Lupin's sparse few lines.
"Lupin's behavior is relatively benign, so we've kept a lighter watch on him. Don't be fooled by the few entries—he actually appears in public far more often."
"Greyback is the exact opposite. Whenever he surfaces, he inevitably draws attention."
Amos explained immediately.
"Then why have I heard that the Ministry is investigating Lupin's whereabouts?"
"That I don't know. Lately, the Ministry's been in chaos trying to track down Black. Orders are flying everywhere. Dawlish knows about it too."
Seeing Marvolio nod in agreement, Tver finally put the paper away.
"Alright, let's hurry over there."
...
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