After the conversation ended, Maurise walked over to his bone dragon and stored it away.
The undead containment array was truly a convenient piece of magic. Without it, Maurise honestly had no idea where he would keep a massive, fire-breathing bone dragon.
Seeing the colossal beast vanish into thin air, Professor McGonagall's expression shifted into one of profound surprise once again. This was undoubtedly an intricate form of spatial magic. It was absolutely not something an ordinary Hogwarts student should be able to master.
"I will be taking my leave then." Maurise nodded politely to the two professors, turning on his heel and heading back toward the warmth of the castle.
Only after his figure had completely disappeared from sight did McGonagall turn to Dumbledore, her brow furrowed tightly. "Albus, where on earth did that boy learn such magic?"
Dumbledore remained standing in the snow. White flakes landed softly on his robes, melting away into damp spots. His tone was entirely relaxed. "Let us leave it be, Minerva. As educators, our primary duty is simply to ensure our students do not stray down a dark path. That is quite enough."
McGonagall was far from convinced. The heavy suspicion in her eyes did not dissipate in the slightest.
She stayed silent for a moment before suddenly lowering her voice. "Could this have anything to do with the Heir of Slytherin?"
Dumbledore pondered for a few seconds and slowly shook his head. "No."
"We must locate the Chamber of Secrets as quickly as possible," McGonagall sighed heavily. "We already have four victims. What is the situation with the Ministry of Magic?"
"The Ministry?" Dumbledore said calmly. "They will only add to the chaos."
***
The next day, Maurise sat entirely alone at the long Ravenclaw table. He methodically spread jam on his toast, thoroughly enjoying a peaceful, quiet morning.
Suddenly, Fred and George burst through the double doors. With a clear target in mind, they sprinted over and flanked him, plopping down on his left and right.
"What happened?" Maurise asked, popping the last piece of toast into his mouth. "Did you two cause another disaster?"
"Something brilliant!" George quickly pulled a folded copy of the Daily Prophet from his robes. He smoothed it out and shoved it in front of Maurise, tapping an easily overlooked section near the bottom of the page. "Look at this."
Maurise glanced down. The headline read: Unidentified Flying Object Spotted Near Hogsmeade.
Below the text was an incredibly crisp, moving photograph. A figure clad entirely in terrifying bone armor was riding a colossal skeletal beast, soaring majestically over the snow-covered rooftops of Hogsmeade.
Without a doubt, it was a perfect snapshot of Maurise taking his bone dragon for a joyride yesterday.
"Oh?" Maurise was genuinely surprised.
He had been flying at breakneck speeds, and the blizzard had been quite heavy. He was impressed that the photograph came out so clearly. The journalists of the wizarding world definitely had some skills.
Fred leaned forward, his eyes wide with eager anticipation. "Maurise, is that you?"
The twins already knew Maurise possessed an animated dragon skeleton, and he had literally gone to Hogsmeade with them the day before. The answer was blatantly obvious.
Maurise gave a slight nod. "Guilty as charged. That is me."
"Wicked!" Fred slammed a hand onto his shoulder, his eyes practically sparkling. "You actually got that thing to fly?! George and I have never ridden a dragon before. Could we..."
Both twins stared at him with burning, puppy-dog eyes. Maurise chuckled and nodded. "No problem."
"Brilliant!" Fred and George cheered, high-fiving across the table.
Their loud outburst drew odd looks from the few students scattered around the Great Hall, but the twins did not care in the slightest. They were entirely consumed by the prospect of dragon riding.
For Maurise, taking the twins for a quick spin was hardly an inconvenience. The bone dragon's carrying capacity was more than sufficient.
Later that very morning, he loaded Fred and George onto the bone dragon and took to the skies for a scenic tour.
However, the experience was far from pleasant. Although Maurise had conjured three comfortable, bone-crafted seats on the dragon's back, it was still the dead of winter. Staying warm at high altitudes was a massive issue.
Fred and George cast multiple Warming Charms on themselves, but they were utterly useless against the biting wind shear.
After a mere fifteen-minute flight, the two Gryffindors dismounted looking like frozen corpses. Their faces were blue, their lips were purple, and their teeth chattered so violently they lacked the energy to even cheer.
Maurise was perfectly fine. Even though he had not equipped his full bone armor, his robes were specially enchanted to completely block out the cold.
Watching the twins shivering pathetically reminded him of an errand.
"By the way, do either of you know where Professor Kettleburn's office is?"
Rubbing his stiff, frozen hands together, Fred stammered out an answer. "I-it's that w-wooden shack right next to the g-greenhouses. Y-you've probably s-seen it."
"Thanks." Maurise nodded. He watched the twins sprint frantically back toward the castle doors. They were undoubtedly rushing to the Gryffindor common room to glue themselves to the fireplace.
Maurise strolled toward the greenhouses. A short walk later, he spotted a standalone, heavily weathered wooden cabin situated just a stone's throw away.
In truth, he had always assumed the rickety structure was merely a tool shed or storage unit. He never imagined it was the actual office of the Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Approaching the cabin, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. A raspy, off-key humming drifted from within. He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles firmly against the wooden doorframe.
The humming abruptly ceased. Professor Kettleburn's booming voice rang out. "Come in! It is open!"
Maurise pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The interior was vastly more chaotic than he had anticipated. Calling it an office was generous. It looked like a hoarder's stash. Miscellaneous magical creature supplies and oddities were piled high in utter disarray. The air was thick with a complex blend of smells. It was not exactly pleasant, but it was not nauseating either.
Professor Kettleburn was hunched over a heavy stone mortar that emitted thin trails of white smoke, vigorously grinding up some sort of bright red powder.
"Good morning, Professor. I am Maurise Black."
Professor Kettleburn turned his head. "Oh, it is you! I remember, we met last year." He stood up at once, wiping his hands haphazardly on his thick leather apron.
"Yes, Professor," Maurise nodded. Last year, the old professor had helped him properly assemble the skeleton of his Crup. It seemed the man had a good memory.
Kettleburn hobbled over to Maurise, speaking in a highly cheerful tone. "So, what can I do for you, my boy? Don't hold back. This is my final year at Hogwarts, and I am more than happy to help out while I still can."
Maurise blinked in surprise. "Your final year?"
"That's right," Kettleburn waved his hand dismissively. "I am officially retiring next year. Oh, you are a second year, aren't you? It is a shame you won't be able to take my class. But do not fret, there will be a new professor next year. Assuming Dumbledore actually manages to find someone mad enough to take the job."
"That is truly a pity," Maurise said earnestly. Despite only interacting a few times, he had grown quite fond of the eccentric professor.
Kettleburn patted his shoulder with a heavy hand. "Enough about that. Tell me, what brings you to my humble shed?"
Maurise quickly got to the point. "I recently acquired a rather large animal skeleton, but I cannot definitively identify the exact species. I was told there were anatomical inconsistencies."
"Oh, you came to the absolute right person," Kettleburn exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with academic joy. "My decades of teaching Care of Magical Creatures have prepared me perfectly for this."
He snatched up a sturdy walking stick leaning against his messy desk. His wooden peg leg thumped loudly against the floorboards as he moved toward the door. "Come along then. Show me what you've got."
...
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