The next morning, the weather had finally cleared up a bit.
Sleepy students in the Great Hall were loudly discussing the Dementor incident.
Truth be told, if they hadn't been so exhausted when they returned to the common room last night, they would've stayed up all night talking.
"It was terrifying! Just thinking about that Dementor passing right by me yesterday makes me shiver!"
"But wasn't it dozens of feet away from you?"
"That doesn't matter!"
Tver walked into the Great Hall amidst the lively chatter.
"Professor Fawley!" a sharp-eyed young wizard immediately shouted.
Almost instantly, the students who had been chatting gathered around him.
Seems like this happens every year, Tver thought, bemused.
"Professor, what exactly are Dementors? How can they be so terrifying?"
"Can you teach us how to fight them?"
"Why not make Dementors our opponents this year? My team would be the first to defeat them!"
"Ha! Our team could take on ten!"
"We could handle a hundred!"
"A thousand!"
Tver silently intervened, restraining two young wizards who had suddenly started arguing.
"Gryffindor and Slytherin lose ten points. I'll deduct them from your current totals."
"As for Dementors, countering them is quite difficult. I'll teach you methods suited to your abilities."
The students didn't mind the professor's somewhat casual answer. After all, this happened every year—they were just engaging in their usual playful banter.
After all, opportunities to get this close to the professor were rare!
Lupin, however, took Tver's words seriously. After a moment of hesitation, he addressed the professor, who was happily munching on his breakfast.
"Are you really going to do that?"
"Huh?" Tver looked up at Lupin, a piece of bread in his mouth. "Do what? Go back for a nap?"
Considering today was a rare day without classes, Tver had decided to pull an all-nighter in the Chamber of Secrets last night.
Speaking of which, the Chamber of Secrets door was almost fully restored.
So he'd just been thinking about going back for some sleep.
Lupin sighed helplessly.
"I mean bringing the method to counter Dementors into the classroom."
"As far as I understand, the Patronus Charm is advanced magic. I don't think students can master it, even seventh-years."
Having graduated from Hogwarts himself, Lupin had a good grasp of most students' abilities. Moreover, the Patronus Charm wasn't part of the standard curriculum.
Rather than adding an extra, high-difficulty lesson, it would be better to focus on covering any gaps in their existing knowledge.
"Even if you taught them—and I'm not questioning your teaching ability—it would take up too much time, possibly crowding out their regular studies."
Tver didn't respond, instead looking at Lupin with a somewhat wistful gaze, leaving him completely baffled.
Hmm, no wonder so many people say Lupin is the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the entire seven-year storyline.
That level of dedication to his students alone made Tver feel somewhat inadequate.
"Don't worry, there's still you... I mean, I'll seriously consider it. I'll only offer extra tutoring to students who have the capacity for it."
"You should know that if you can 'casually' let examiners catch a glimpse of the Patronus Charm during O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, it could earn you a fair number of extra points."
Only then did Lupin relax—or rather, he had no choice but to trust Tver for now.
He returned to his breakfast, forming a curious sight alongside Tver at the staff table.
Thinking back, the last time he'd enjoyed this modest yet satisfying breakfast without interruption was during the height of Voldemort's rampage…
The students in the Great Hall didn't linger too long in their discussions before hurrying off to their first class.
It was the first class of the new term—being late meant the professor would "take care" of you for the entire year!
Tver was unusually relaxed, chatting and laughing with Lupin about Hogwarts matters.
Under Tver's subtle guidance, Lupin mostly shared stories about his experiences teaching at the school.
After all, only these two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had no classes scheduled for the morning.
"Tver, Remus, would you be interested in starting your own teaching club?"
Professor McGonagall suddenly approached and asked across the long table.
"Teaching club?" Both of them looked puzzled.
"It's essentially extra guidance from professors for exceptional students, distinct from regular classroom content."
"For instance, I run the Transfiguration Club, while Filius oversees the Charms Club."
"I actually meant to discuss this with Tver last year, but given the attack, all our clubs were suspended."
Tver had never heard of such clubs. In his memory, the only club from last year was Lockhart's utterly disastrous Duelling Club. (Actually, there was a Charms Club!) But this must be private tutoring, the legitimate kind.
Seeing both of them hesitate, Professor McGonagall added, "If you don't want to, you don't have to run such activities. Some professors choose to keep things simple."
"The textbook material alone simply doesn't satisfy the thirst for knowledge in some exceptionally talented students."
"So, if a club can help them advance, it's definitely a good thing."
"Actually, if Remus—"
"Actually, if Tver—"
They exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's thoughts.
"You know my situation—I don't have the time to organize something like that," Lupin said quickly. He was referring to his werewolf condition; during the full moon, he was incapacitated for at least a week, unable to teach students. Let alone extra-curricular clubs.
Professor McGonagall nodded understandingly, her hopeful gaze shifting to Tver.
Tver stroked his chin thoughtfully. Teaching one student was the same as teaching a group—he was quite skilled at giving extra lessons. Especially when there were additional benefits...
"Alright. There are indeed some outstanding students who could—and should—receive supplementary guidance."
Professor McGonagall immediately broke into a satisfied smile.
"Would you like me to help post the notice? At least get you a list of students who are willing to join."
"That would be very helpful."
"No problem. Should we change the club's name?"
"No need. We can't exactly call it the Dark Magic Club, can we?" Tver joked.
"Very well, I'll write the announcement right away." She said with visible delight—heaven knew when Hogwarts last had a Defence Against the Dark Arts club.
Watching Professor McGonagall leave with a lighter step, Lupin asked curiously, "Is this club really that important?"
"It certainly can be," Tver replied with a knowing look.
...
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