Tver stood casually in the corridor, wand in hand, waiting for the little imps to finish their search and return. He looked as relaxed as a parent waiting for their child to get out of school.
"Didn't you ever suspect me?" Lupin suddenly appeared beside him, his face etched with struggle.
Tver didn't turn his head, maintaining his leisurely posture. "Would you do that?"
"I'd have him thrown into Azkaban..." Lupin sighed.
"Then why would I?"
"..."
Lupin couldn't fathom where Tver drew his confidence from, but he could sense without a doubt that this effortless composure was no act. It was as if Tver saw through everything—himself, Black, and everyone else—with crystal clarity. Combined with Tver's unfathomable power, Lupin couldn't help but feel he was looking at a younger version of Dumbledore, even though he had no idea what the young Dumbledore was like.
Lupin wasn't sure whether having such a colleague was a blessing or a curse. He glanced at the white band around his wrist. At least for now, it wasn't bad. And if Voldemort truly returned in the future, their side would be stronger, and everyone might suffer less.
After coming to this realization, Lupin took a deep breath.
"Black is an Animagus—he can transform into a huge black dog!"
This wasn't betrayal, but sharing intelligence with his teammates, he reassured himself inwardly.
"Oh, Dumbledore already showed me that," Tver said with a sigh. He'd expected Lupin to reveal some earth-shattering secret, but this?
Lupin felt a bit dumbfounded himself, like he'd carefully prepared a gift only to discover the recipient already owned a better version.
"There's one thing you definitely don't know," he gritted out. "Beneath the Whomping Willow is a passageway leading to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade!"
"Subduing the Whomping Willow is simple too—just press a specific knot on its trunk, and it'll calm down!"
Oh? That was news to Tver. He only remembered the passage beneath the Whomping Willow; he'd never heard of a method to subdue it. But then, he didn't need to know.
"Why tell me?" Tver asked, gazing expectantly at Lupin, hoping he would say the answer he longed to hear.
Lupin stared silently into the darkness beyond the window. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"I trust you..."
Bingo! Tver barely managed to stifle a laugh. In the dim glow of the night fire, he managed only a faint smile.
"I appreciate your trust, but I suppose we are friends, aren't we?"
"Yes, friends." Lupin responded with a relieved smile.
...
Unsurprisingly, the search turned up no trace of Black. This was barely good news—at least for now, there was no need to worry about Black lurking in some corner, preparing to ambush them. But among the students, Black remained the castle's hottest topic for days on end. Everyone was debating how Black had infiltrated the castle, with theories growing increasingly bizarre.
Weekend, Room 11.
"Professor, I think Black probably disguised himself as a Dementor and floated in through the air."
George pointed toward the sky beyond the walls, where a dark cloud formed by Dementors occasionally shifted, revealing their shadowy forms.
This time, Fred didn't wait for Tver to speak—he smacked George on the head.
"Idiot! Whatever method he used, it couldn't have been impersonating a Dementor. They're like Boggarts—they have no physical form!"
"Of course I know that," George grumbled, bumping Fred's shoulder. "I just can't think of any other way."
"Maybe he used a secret passage?" Penelope suggested.
"Impossible," Percy declared firmly. "Filch knows every secret passage in the castle, and they're surely guarded heavily now."
"Not necessarily, dear brother," George said, raising an eyebrow smugly. He and Fred both burst into a lopsided, swaying laugh. Of course, this was partly because the chairs they were sitting on had springs.
"Right then, enough chit-chat."
Tver waved a box toward them, making it float into view.
"Based on our progress from the last session, we've developed preliminary methods to substitute the use of spells."
"So today, I've brought a genuine Boggart specifically to give you a more tangible sense of it."
Percy recalled the professor's instructions before class and pointed at the box before him with sudden realization.
"Professor, is this the second Boggart Professor Lupin found?"
The students had heard whispers of this story. With Snape now teaching Lupin's classes, everyone was keenly interested in anything related to him, naturally learning about the Boggart from Harry.
"Correct," Tver pointed to a nearby spot. "There's also a dummy over there."
"First, cast the spell on the Boggart. Memorize it thoroughly. Then cast it on the dummy."
"If substitution works, this method will be more effective."
The students nodded in understanding. After this period of practice, their greatest progress was imagining the dummy as a Boggart and then casting the Boggart Banishing Spell. They actually succeeded a few times. Though the changes were still minor—merely a hat appearing here and there—the professor declared this their first step on the path to success.
So they lined up again, ready to face the Boggart. But several students failed in succession. Though they managed to vanquish the Boggart, the dummy remained utterly unmoved.
Until Davies stepped before the suitcase. Facing the Boggart transformed into a werewolf, he immediately sensed the difference from last time. He distinctly felt a wave of fear!
He hurriedly shared this sensation with everyone—a club rule requiring immediate sharing of thoughts.
"Riddikulus!"
Perfect. The Werewolf had transformed into the shape of the Big Bad Wolf.
He then rushed to the dummy, closing his eyes tightly—trying to lock the spellcasting sensation away in his mind.
"Riddikulus!"
With his shout, the classroom seemed to grow even quieter, filled only with the sound of wind and rain outside the window. Just as he opened his eyes in confusion, he saw George and Fred lunging at him. The twins slammed him to the floor, yelling excitedly. It took him a moment to realize what they were shouting.
"You did it!"
"Damn, never thought you'd be the first to pull it off, you idiot!"
"Maybe 'brainless' fits better?"
"Nah, I think 'no brain' is more accurate."
Davies watched them tease him, a smile spreading across his face.
"I... succeeded?"
"Oh crap, Fred, he really went nuts!" George yelled in horror.
Davies ignored the twins and struggled to lift his head. Beside the professor's examining movements, the once-bare dummy was now clad in a bizarre outfit—the very same one the Big Bad Wolf had worn moments ago.
...