Maurise trudged through the thick snow, eventually stopping in a wide, deserted clearing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. This open expanse of snow-covered ground was the perfect location to properly test his Bone Dragon's capabilities.
Since it was the Christmas holiday, the castle was practically empty. It was highly unlikely anyone would wander this far out in the cold and notice what he was doing.
However, even if he were discovered, it did not really matter.
Maurise had absolutely no intention of keeping the Bone Dragon a strict secret. As long as he did not explicitly state where he had acquired the skeleton, no one would ever suspect he had spent the last year secretly excavating a buried dragon corpse from the Forbidden Forest.
Was it technically illegal to privately own and animate the remains of a magical Class XXXXX beast under British Wizarding Law?
Probably. Oh well.
Maurise casually brushed a clump of snow off the hem of his dark robes. With a flick of his wrist, he opened the Undead Storage Array and summoned the Bone Dragon.
He had spent over a year working on this magnificent creature. It would be a profound tragedy not to show it off at least a little bit.
Crack, creeeaaaaak...
The massive Bone Dragon materialized in the clearing. It stretched its long, serpentine neck and unfurled its colossal skeletal wings. The loud, sharp grinding of heavy bone rubbing against bone echoed through the quiet forest. It spun around eagerly, its massive tail whipping through the air and kicking up a localized blizzard of packed snow and frozen dirt.
"Agility and joint mobility seem perfectly functional," Maurise murmured, nodding in quiet satisfaction.
Back in the Room of Requirement, the ceiling had been far too low, forcing the dragon to hunch over. Now, standing in the open, the behemoth was finally able to display its true, terrifying scale.
Standing upright, its bony shoulders easily cleared twelve feet in height. From the tip of its elongated skull to the end of its wickedly spiked tail, it measured nearly forty feet long. Even by living dragon standards, this was an exceptionally large specimen.
Its entire skeletal structure possessed a polished, pearlescent luster. The skull was narrow and highly aerodynamic, the spinal column was impossibly thick, and the limbs radiated raw, unadulterated physical power. Even the casual, happy swishing of its tail generated a sharp, whistling sound as it cut through the icy air.
If this thing actually engaged in physical combat, the destructive potential would be utterly catastrophic.
Maurise took several large steps backward to give the creature space. He issued a simple, mental command: Take off.
He could hardly contain his excitement.
While the concept of flight was hardly revolutionary in the magical world, any wizard with a decent broomstick could achieve it, this was entirely different.
This was a dragon!
What young boy did not grow up fantasizing about becoming a dragon rider? Maurise was certainly no exception. Since he could not legally acquire a live dragon, riding an undead one was arguably even cooler.
However, upon receiving the command, the Bone Dragon did not launch itself into the sky. Instead, it simply tilted its massive skull, staring down at Maurise in apparent confusion.
Ah. As expected, Maurise sighed internally.
His primary concern had been proven correct. In its current state, the Bone Dragon was entirely incapable of flight.
It was a profound disappointment.
Perhaps sensing its master's sudden deflation, the Bone Dragon frantically began to flap its massive, skeletal wings.
It was a universally established fact in magical zoology that dragons did not rely on aerodynamics to fly. Their massive bulk made it physically impossible. Dragon flight was achieved entirely through innate magical levitation; their wings merely served as rudders for balance and steering.
Just as Maurise was about to mentally order the beast to stop exhausting itself, the Bone Dragon suddenly lurched violently. It swayed off the ground, its entire massive frame wobbling left and right like a heavily intoxicated giant, managing to hover just a few inches above Maurise's head.
It can actually fly?! Maurise was genuinely stunned.
However, before he could even celebrate the minor victory, the Bone Dragon violently listed to the left and crashed heavily back into the snow, sending a massive tremor through the frozen ground.
Maurise quickly rushed forward, kneeling beside the massive skull to inspect for damage.
The Bone Dragon was perfectly intact. Not a single bone was chipped or fractured. However, the twin blue soul-fires burning in its eye sockets had dimmed considerably, flickering weakly.
Maurise instantly understood the problem.
The Bone Dragon simply did not possess the magical reserves required to sustain flight. That agonizingly brief, five-second hover had been its absolute upper limit, completely draining its internal magic.
Thinking logically, this made perfect sense.
Despite its colossal size and terrifying appearance, the Bone Dragon was currently only a Rank-1 undead summon. Based on his previous experience with Tin, an undead creature only gained a massive, qualitative leap in power and capability after undergoing an advancement ritual.
Maurise looked up at the towering mountain of bone.
Given its sheer physical mass, the amount of magical energy required to advance this creature to Rank-2 would undoubtedly be astronomical.
Fortunately, Maurise had been incredibly diligent. Whenever he had a free moment between classes, he would slip into the Gap World to harvest energy crystals. He currently had enough Gap Energy Crystals stored in his trunk to comfortably fill three large briefcases.
It was more than enough to attempt the advancement ritual.
If push came to shove and the crystals were not enough, he still possessed the remaining chunk of the Philosopher's Stone. He was fully prepared to sacrifice it if necessary. A flying Bone Dragon was worth the price.
Just as Maurise began contemplating the ideal time and location to conduct the advancement ritual, the gentle snowfall suddenly intensified into a heavy flurry.
Simultaneously, the distinct, rhythmic crunching of boots stepping through fresh snow echoed from the tree line behind him.
"See, George? I told you there was no way a professor built this."
"Hush, Fred... ah, never mind. We have been spotted. Hello there, Maurise."
Maurise turned around to find Fred and George Weasley trudging toward him. Their bright red hair was heavily dusted with white snow, making them stick out like sore thumbs against the dark trees.
Fred stared wide-eyed at the towering Bone Dragon. "What in Merlin's name is that? A fully articulated, self-animating dragon skeleton model?"
"Obviously," Maurise nodded. He was genuinely confused by their calm reaction. "I honestly expected you two to be a bit more dramatic."
"Oh, we already had our minor panic attack when we saw it from a distance," George admitted, rubbing his cold face. "We assumed Professor Kettleburn had built it. We never expected it to be you."
"Professor Kettleburn's health is far too poor to manage a construct of this size," Fred noted. He took a few cautious steps forward, eager to examine the model closer.
Instantly, the massive Bone Dragon took a small, nervous step backward, hiding slightly behind Maurise.
...
Maurise distinctly felt a tiny flicker of apprehension radiate from the dragon's soul-fire.
Are you kidding me? You are a massive, terrifying apex predator! Why are you scared of two scrawny teenage boys?!
Maurise fought the sudden urge to facepalm. His dragon was a complete coward.
George slowly circled the construct, maintaining a respectful distance. "When we were watching from the trees... did we actually see it flying for a second?"
"You did," Maurise answered honestly. "I am currently attempting to modify its magical core to sustain prolonged flight, but I have not quite cracked the formula yet."
"This is infinitely more advanced than any of the pranks we have been working on," Fred said, his voice laced with genuine awe as he stepped up next to Maurise. "What kind of material did you use to sculpt the bones? It definitely does not look like wood."
"And what specific charms are you layering to animate it?" George asked eagerly.
It seemed the twins genuinely believed the dragon was an intricately crafted, artificial model, rather than an actual skeleton.
Maurise chuckled softly and shook his head. "I am afraid that is a trade secret."
Fred immediately clutched his chest, feigning profound betrayal. "Oh, come now, Maurise! We are close friends! You can share a few minor secrets with us, can you not?"
Hearing Maurise's evasion, George narrowed his eyes and closely examined the texture of the dragon's ribcage.
Suddenly, realization dawned on his face. He looked directly at Maurise and lowered his voice significantly. "Wait a second. Is the material used to construct this... highly illegal to possess under Ministry Law?"
Maurise simply offered a cheeky wink. "It is only illegal if you get caught."
All traces of humor vanished from Fred's face. He exchanged a very serious, loaded look with his twin. They both immediately understood the implication. It was a real dragon skeleton.
"Understood," Fred said, his tone shifting into one of serious camaraderie. He nodded firmly at Maurise. "We will not ask any more questions about its construction, and we will not mention a word of this to anyone else." He paused, a hopeful grin returning to his face. "Can we stay and watch it for a bit?"
"Of course you can. In fact, I was just about to conduct a few physical combat tests," Maurise shrugged casually. "And honestly? I really do not care if you tell people about it."