NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Every Time Brings New Discoveries
As Snape left, the trio immediately burst into smiles.
"That was awesome!" Ron exclaimed. "Professor, you left old... Snape speechless with just one line!"
Hermione, however, was curious. "Professor, did your mother really know Harry's mom?"
"They had some interactions, but they weren't close," Tver patted Harry on the shoulder. "Now, what are all of you standing around here for? Holding a debate over grades?"
"It was Malfoy," Harry pointed at a somewhat embarrassed Malfoy, "he cursed Neville's legs!"
Tver glanced at Neville, who indeed had been hit with a Leg-Locker Curse. With a snap of his fingers, he removed the curse and then turned to face Malfoy, who was trying to slink away. "Pr... Professor, I was just practicing magic, yes, practicing, and then accidentally..."
Under Tver's expressionless gaze, Malfoy's voice grew quieter as he hung his head. "Ten points from Slytherin," Tver said calmly. "Mr. Malfoy, bullying your classmates doesn't show strength; it just makes you look weaker."
"Yes, Professor." Malfoy kept his head down, his hands twisting the hem of his robe, betraying his inner turmoil.
Tver went over and patted his arm, offering some consolation. "You have a strong talent for magic, but sometimes you need to choose the right ways to use it, otherwise it's just wasted. By the way, I'll be visiting your home over the summer, I hope I'm welcome?"
"Of course, you are welcome," Malfoy quickly lifted his head, "I... we look forward to your visit!"
Excited, he didn't delay even a second before running off with his cronies towards the owlery.
Ron pursed his lips discontentedly. "Are you close with the Malfoy family, Professor?"
"Don't forget, I also come from a pure-blood family, and pure-blood families tend to have connections," Tver shrugged indifferently.
"That's still much better than Snape," Harry emphasized loudly. "If there's anyone who seems like a villain in this school, it has to be him!"
Unlike in the original story, Harry had not missed any Quidditch games due to injuries. However, due to the lingering effects of sleepiness, he failed to catch the Golden Snitch immediately during the games. Snape, acting as a referee and showing obvious bias, had significantly set Gryffindor back in points.
Although Harry eventually caught the Snitch, the score difference led to a narrow loss to Hufflepuff by ten points, sadly missing out on the Quidditch Cup. Even though he knew from Dumbledore that Snape was protecting him, it didn't stop Snape from becoming the person he disliked the most.
Tver looked at him seriously. "Harry, unless you can see into someone's heart, don't judge them, because such views are often one-sided."
Harry blinked in confusion, but Tver had no interest in explaining further and instead turned to the long-silent Neville.
"Go on ahead, I need to talk with Neville for a bit."
Hermione, always perceptive, was the first to notice something was off with Neville. Ron and Harry were about to ask questions but were quickly pulled away by Hermione.
"Let's take a walk down the corridor; it's nearly evening, but the sunlight is still quite nice," Tver suggested.
Neville followed silently. The corridor was mostly deserted, as most students were either still in exams or preparing for them, so it wouldn't disturb their conversation.
After walking for a while, perhaps emboldened by the sunlight, Neville spoke in a low voice, "Professor, am I useless? I couldn't even counter a simple Leg-Locker Curse."
"The Leg-Locker Curse is not simple magic, you have to admit, Malfoy has a real talent there. But that doesn't mean your own talents are lacking. Take your exam performance, for instance; I was quite pleased with it."
Neville's head hung low as he started to list his perceived shortcomings. "But I always seem to forget things unintentionally, and when I cast spells, they don't go smoothly, and I—"
Tver suddenly stopped walking, turning to face Neville, who nearly bumped into him. "I said, your performance was excellent."
Neville's round face flushed red, his mouth opening in surprise, but he seemed at a loss for words.
"Your issues are not inherently part of who you are, nor are they insurmountable. Or do you lack the courage to overcome them?"
"I... I," Neville's expression struggled, "I just don't want to waste your time!"
"Harry and Malfoy are so talented, Hermione is so smart, Ron has improved so much just from a month of private lessons, much more than I have."
"I'm always falling short of your teachings, Professor. I feel like if you chose another student, maybe they could show better abilities."
Having finally voiced his bottled-up thoughts, Neville seemed to relax slightly. Though he wanted to keep learning from the professor, his own perceived lack of talent might drag down Tver's teaching reputation.
Such a talented professor shouldn't waste time on him.
Tver shook his head in resignation. He couldn't exactly tell Neville that his soul was worth studying, could he?
Moreover, his last brief study of Neville led him to discover a magical will thread, which helped him locate Helga in the Forbidden Forest. Just that alone was worth providing Neville with seven years of tutoring.
Furthermore, Tver still hadn't fully figured out Neville's situation. He had a feeling that Neville held the key to unlocking some of his theories on the soul!
"Look into my eyes," Tver commanded with a coldness reminiscent of Snape, startling Neville into raising his head swiftly.
A fleeting glow in Tver's eyes triggered a cascade of memories before Neville. He saw himself pushed off the dock at the Black Lake, nearly drowning; at eight years old, hanging upside down from a window before slipping and miraculously bouncing across the garden, only to land in the street; and as a toddler, witnessing villains break into his home...
The memories halted abruptly, likely parts erased by a Forgetfulness Charm.
Tver ceased his Legilimency. Still, this did not explain how a small gap in memory could impact spell-casting. Neville's memories seemed to have a tiny gap, but it didn't directly connect to his magical execution. Logically, even forgetfulness shouldn't cause such sluggish spell-casting unless the gap affected his soul!
Tver struggled to contain a grin of exhilaration. Although eager to test his theory, he first needed to acknowledge Neville's unwitting contribution.
"Did you see?" He smiled, crouching in front of Neville. "You are a true wizard, only some things are holding you back, waiting for you to overcome them."
"But what are those things?" Neville asked, puzzled.
"That's something we'll have to work on together," Tver encouraged. "Don't give up too easily. Stand up bravely to face it. This academic year may have ended, but that's okay. From next year, I will continue to help you. Or do you not want to change yourself?"
"Of course not!" Neville's eyes reddened, his tears forcibly held back, "I won't let you down!"
"That's good to hear. Go back now, and prepare well for your final exams. I look forward to seeing what next semester brings."