At Professor McGonagall's insistence, Tver checked every single twig of the broomstick and uncovered several secrets of the Firebolt.
Had he really replicated a Firebolt?
Tver placed the final piece back on the desk with a strange expression. Candles had been lit in the office sometime during his inspection, and the sky outside the window had grown dark.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Though her words were polite, Professor McGonagall's gaze remained focused on the Firebolt. The slight smile at the corner of her lips suggested she was already imagining Harry riding this broomstick, leading Gryffindor to victory after victory.
Tver shrugged indifferently. With the task complete, he had no intention of staying around while Professor McGonagall remained lost in her thoughts. He simply led Lupin out of the office.
However, ever since Tver began inspecting the broom, Lupin had grown unusually silent, now trailing behind passively.
Before Tver could ask, Lupin spoke up.
"Tver," he said quietly, "why do you think Black gave Harry such a precious broom?"
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Tver replied, his gaze lingering on Lupin with a knowing look.
Lupin fell silent again.
"...I can't believe it. Black betrayed James and Lily—why would he want to fulfill the duties of a godfather to Harry, the child he should resent?"
Lupin's voice was filled with confusion. A growing sense within him told him that the events from the past weren't as simple as they seemed.
"Who knows? Maybe Black is trying to become a decent godfather?" Tver replied casually, walking toward the Great Hall.
"Instead of overthinking this, we should focus on teaching Harry the Patronus Charm. If he becomes strong enough, whether or not Black is a danger, Harry won't be harmed."
Tver was glad to see Lupin beginning to understand that Black might be wronged, but he absolutely didn't want Lupin to neglect his responsibility to teach Harry, all in the name of investigating Black.
If this delay led to Harry failing to learn the Patronus Charm and ultimately dying unjustly at the hands of a Dementor, that would be truly foolish.
"You're right. The priority is to train Harry—at least give him the ability to handle danger!" Lupin suddenly said, his voice firm.
Tver glanced at the suddenly fired-up Lupin with confusion but shrugged it off.
Emotion doesn't fill stomachs, after all. Dinner in the Great Hall was far more important!
But when they returned to the staff table, the atmosphere felt... strange?
Professor Burbage was notably absent, while the other professors were, unusually, all present.
Only Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher, carefully counted the heads before slowly taking her seat.
She moved cautiously, as if the chairs were cursed with dark magic aimed at the number of occupants...
Across from Professor Flitwick, Hagrid glanced at Tver, clearly hesitant to speak.
"Sybill (Professor Trelawney) said at the Christmas feast that when thirteen people dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die."
"Honestly, I don't mean to disrespect her, but that's utter nonsense."
"After all, such a situation must have happened many times at the Headmaster's table over the years."
"And I don't recall Hogwarts losing that many students..." Professor Flitwick explained quietly, though his sharp voice rang out, cutting through the conversation.
Especially to Professor Trelawney's ears.
"Filius, that only happens at Christmas!" she glared at him.
"Well, that doesn't seem to make much difference..." Hagrid murmured, glancing at Tver with hesitation.
Seeing Trelawney's temper flare, it seemed like she was about to give the entire staff table a lecture on the abilities of a seer.
To avoid hearing the lecture, Tver quickly asked in a soothing tone, "So, who was the first one to stand up?"
Seeming to sense Tver's friendliness, Trelawney snorted and shifted her gaze toward him.
"I was watching them closely, saw those two boys clearly—saw misfortune wrapping around them!"
She went on mysteriously for a moment before revealing the answer.
"...It was Harry Potter and Ron Weasley!"
"But the problem is, they're two people." Professor McGonagall sat down impatiently, cutting off any further explanation Trelawney might have wanted to give.
Facing the Deputy Headmistress, Trelawney didn't dare argue. She let out a small sob and muttered to herself as she picked at the bread before her.
"Maybe both of them will meet with misfortune? I see shadows already falling over their souls…"
Hagrid glanced at Tver, his words caught in his throat.
Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall both gave a dismissive glance, turning their attention back to their dinners.
Tver, however, remained silent, deep in thought.
Anyone else might have brushed off Trelawney's prophecy as nonsense.
But not Tver. He knew Trelawney truly had prophetic abilities.
So, would something actually happen to those two children?
Hagrid speared a piece of grilled fish but continued to glance at Tver, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
"Do you have something to say?" Tver snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him curiously.
Finally, Hagrid let out a long sigh of relief.
He quickly set the fish down and, with a worried expression, poured out his concerns.
"Well, the Dangerous Creatures Disposal Committee has filed a public prosecution, demanding I attend Buckbeak's trial on April 24th."
"But I have no idea how to proceed. Hermione did a lot of research, but found no precedent for this kind of case."
"I don't even know how to defend Buckbeak—there's no victim…"
He rambled on, but Tver understood his point.
During the holidays, Cynthia had mentioned it—a petty move by Fudge, trying to retaliate against Dumbledore and salvage his own reputation.
Tver had dismissed it after hearing about it.
Cases like this came down to the power struggle between the two sides. If Dumbledore put enough pressure on the Ministry, the Committee wouldn't dare take real action against Buckbeak.
But Dumbledore, despite everything, was still a decent man. To maintain the Ministry's authority, he wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics.
He'd just been overly optimistic about human nature, failing to anticipate how far Fudge would push his advantage.
"Just show up normally for the hearing. Don't worry, the Ministry will judge fairly."
If it were unfair, Cynthia would have another little piece of leverage.
Tver thought smugly to himself.
To be honest, he was getting tired of Fudge's antics, and it was about time to take control of the Ministry.
But neither Cynthia nor Marvolio had the seniority to take over just yet.
So, he would need someone else to help him run the Ministry.
Tver wasn't worried, though. That person would appear soon enough...