This was the most comfortable stretch Tver had experienced since becoming a professor.
Someone else was helping with grading, and now Draco and Neville couldn't be driven away even if he tried.
Because they had finally felt it for themselves. A solid theoretical foundation genuinely elevated their understanding of spellcasting.
This was exactly what Tver had always emphasized to his students.
Most wizards cast spells based on experience and intuition. To put it bluntly, they relied almost entirely on natural talent. But magic was actually a rigorously structured system. Every movement of a wand, every syllable of an incantation, every fraction of magical power, and every trace of intent had its own requirements.
It didn't demand that spells be cast according to a single rigid standard. But if one wanted smoother casting and greater power, then those aspects had to be treated seriously, not handled carelessly.
That was where theory came in. It strengthened students' understanding of those subtle, almost intangible principles.
Otherwise, Tver wouldn't have been so strict about theoretical study from the moment they entered the school.
So after two weeks of study, Draco and Neville hadn't learned any new spells, but the spells they already knew had become noticeably stronger.
Even though Neville lost narrowly in the fourth round, the final match before the championship, and failed to advance to the finals after being defeated by Harry's team, he still secured second place in the year.
More importantly, Neville's performance on the field stunned everyone.
Students who knew him had quietly looked down on him before. Between the Black attack and Neville's long-standing timidity, even if they didn't say it out loud, few truly respected him.
But in this match, against the strongest opponents in the year, even after his teammates were eliminated early, Neville fought one against three. He nearly turned the situation around on Harry and the others.
In the end, the gap was simply too large. He managed to take down Ron before being disarmed by Harry's spell.
Even so, that was more than enough to make his classmates see him in a new light.
It was said that Professor Snape's attitude toward Neville had become even worse.
Because everyone claimed Neville's dramatic improvement was entirely thanks to having a good teacher.
"Look at him. He never improved like this in Potions. If anything, he got worse…"
Regardless, this meant that the top two teams in every year had been decided. All that remained was the official arrival of the finals.
...
Harry, one of the strongest contenders for the third-year championship, was feeling extremely confident.
With the Weasley twins' friendly encouragement, or rather, their chaotic interference, Ron's relationship with Hermione had eased somewhat.
More importantly, during the match against Neville, Ron had taken Neville's final counterattack head-on, saving Hermione at a critical moment.
So even though the two hadn't returned to their former closeness, they were no longer at odds, no longer shoving each other forward as human shields.
And their opponent was their old rival, Draco Malfoy.
Based on Hermione's analysis and the information they had gathered, even though Malfoy's spellcasting had clearly improved, his team's tactics still had glaring flaws.
"Since the second round, Goyle and Crabbe have done nothing but cast the Shield Charm for three matches straight. They haven't used any other magic at all."
"So today, as long as we guard against Malfoy's attacks and concentrate our fire on either Goyle or Crabbe, we can beat them."
Hermione laid it out quickly for Harry and Ron.
It was Saturday morning, the day of the dueling tournament finals.
Today, on the dueling grounds before them, the champion teams of each year would finally be decided.
And according to the professors' schedule, the matches would proceed from the lower years to the higher ones.
Which meant that, aside from Years One and Two who weren't competing, the duel between Harry's team and Malfoy's would be the very first match.
"But the problem is," Ron said cautiously, "Neville mentioned that Malfoy also spent a long time marking papers with Professor Fawley. There might be more to him than we realize."
He couldn't forget Neville's last-second outburst. Embarrassing as it was to admit, he wasn't even sure anymore that he could beat Neville himself.
That was exactly why he had volunteered to be the one to take the hit.
After all, both Hermione and Harry were stronger than he was.
"Not necessarily," Harry said. "Neville said they didn't learn many new spells. They just improved their understanding of the magic they already knew."
The match was about to begin, and adding pressure now would only do more harm than good. So even though he shared their worries, Harry still offered some reassurance.
Just then, Neville, whom Tver had pulled in to help out, came jogging over.
"The match is about to start! The professor told me to let you know it's time to enter the arena!"
"Alright. No matter what, we're more flexible than they are. Once we're on the field, we'll adapt as we go," Hermione said, giving them one final reminder.
When Harry and the others were led into the dueling arena, the first thing they noticed wasn't Malfoy and his group standing in the center with cold, mocking expressions.
It was the crowd surrounding the arena.
Because it was the weekend and there was no Quidditch match, almost every student had shown up, filling the tiered seats around the field.
No, not just students.
Harry gave a quick glance and spotted no fewer than five professors, and even Lucius Malfoy, his chin lifted proudly.
Lucius seemed to be in high spirits lately. His robes looked more refined than before, his complexion was rosy, and he carried an unmistakable air of arrogance as he looked around.
Directly opposite him, however, Professor Dumbledore wore an encouraging smile and clapped enthusiastically for them.
But the applause never reached Harry's ears, completely drowned out by the even more frenzied cheers of the students.
"Potter—!"
"Potter—!"
"Potter—!"
Harry wasn't unfamiliar with cheers like these. The roars at Quidditch matches were even louder.
Still, this was the first time he had stood so close to the crowd, hearing their chants so clearly.
That went doubly for Ron and Hermione.
It was their first time facing a scene like this. Even though everyone was chanting Harry's name, it also meant that as competitors, they were under intense scrutiny.
Ron's breathing grew noticeably faster. He liked being in the spotlight, and during the Sirius attack, he had already experienced being admired by his classmates.
But that crowd had been nothing compared to this.
It left his limbs feeling stiff and uncooperative.
"Let's go, Ron," Harry said, tugging at his sleeve to snap him out of it.
"What? Oh—right," Ron said, slapping his forehead as he finally noticed Professor Fawley standing at the center of the field.
"You're not nervous, are you?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"Of course not!"
Ron said this as he walked forward, moving his arms and legs in awkward sync, leaving Harry and Hermione to exchange helpless looks behind him.
...
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