Maurise continued writing. "Is there any way to eliminate this influence?"
He had recently used his Magic Reveal spell to inspect his own state of being. The magical aura representing his soul still contained those dark impurities. They had faded slightly, but they were definitely not gone. As the resident expert on Dark Magic, Voldemort might know a trick or two to get rid of them.
However, Tom offered no practical advice.
"As I said, Mark, there is absolutely no need to worry. If your will is strong enough, you can naturally resist such minor influences. The power of the soul is far greater than you imagine. External marks will ultimately only remain on the surface."
Maurise strongly disagreed with this assessment.
After all, a prime, living example of the exact opposite was practically staring him in the face. If Voldemort had successfully resisted the corrosive effects of Dark Magic, he wouldn't have ended up looking like a hairless, snake-faced monstrosity in the future. His argument lacked any persuasive power whatsoever.
Maurise decided not to press the issue.
"Alright, Tom, I believe you. We are friends, after all. Now, I have a few other questions..."
***
Days turned into weeks. Aside from answering Maurise's relentless questions, Tom made no proactive attempts to guide or probe him, nor did he mention anything about the Chamber of Secrets. The diary was remarkably patient.
Maurise sincerely hoped the entity would keep its patience forever. Free, highly qualified tutors were hard to come by.
February fourteenth, early morning.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Inside his dormitory, Maurise gave his wand a sweeping flick. Several silvery-white ravens burst forth, circling the room gracefully. A profound, comforting warmth instantly filled the space, chasing away the winter chill.
Recently, he had discovered that the method to ward off the corrosive effects of Dark Magic was actually ridiculously simple. It was the Patronus Charm. Or, more accurately, the continuous channeling of intense, positive emotions.
"Aperio Magia!"
Maurise waved his wand again, summoning a wisp of his own magical aura to inspect. The dark, cloudy impurities had vanished completely.
Excellent. He nodded in deep satisfaction.
Now he could resume his Dark Arts research without a single worry. He had already played around with the Killing Curse, so perhaps he should test out the Cruciatus Curse next?
But before that, he needed breakfast.
***
Maurise stowed his wand and headed down to the Great Hall.
The moment he stepped through the grand double doors, he froze in his tracks. The Great Hall was utterly unrecognizable. The ceiling was draped with endless streams of shocking pink ribbons. The long House tables were heavily littered with heart-shaped confetti and obnoxiously large roses. Worst of all, a small army of sullen-looking dwarfs wearing golden wings and carrying harps were stomping around the hall.
Maurise finally remembered what day it was. Valentine's Day.
Did Hogwarts seriously go out of its way to celebrate this holiday? No wonder he had spotted so many giggling couples sneaking off into empty corridors on his way down.
Having absolutely zero interest in the festivities, Maurise power-walked through the hall and made a beeline for the Ravenclaw table.
For the record, even the breakfast pancakes were shaped like hearts.
Cho Chang was sitting across from him, looking thoroughly exasperated. "All these ridiculous decorations are Professor Lockhart's doing. Those awful little cupids were his brilliant idea, too."
Maurise drowned his heart-shaped pancake in syrup. "Ah, that makes sense."
If it was Lockhart, the sheer absurdity of it all was perfectly normal. Speaking of which, he actually needed to pay the man a visit.
***
After his morning classes concluded, Maurise made his way up to Lockhart's office.
He knocked on the door, and an obnoxiously energetic voice rang out from within. "Come in!!"
Pushing the door open, Maurise noted that the office had also undergone a thematic makeover. Much like the Great Hall, it was drenched in Valentine's pink. Even the terrifying skeletal dogs lurking in the corners had thick pink ribbons tied around their bony necks.
More notably, Lockhart's desk was completely buried under a mountainous pile of brightly colored greeting cards and envelopes. Lockhart himself was sitting behind the mountain, humming a cheerful tune as he rapidly signed card after card with a blindingly white smile.
He was clearly having the time of his life.
"Ah, Mr. Black!" Lockhart looked up, flashing his trademark grin. "Happy Valentine's Day! Have you come to deliver a card to me as well? Haha, just a little joke!"
Maurise stepped up to the desk, completely ignoring the ridiculous mountain of fan mail. "Professor Lockhart, I am here to discuss a new business transaction."
"A transaction?" Lockhart instantly dropped his peacock quill. He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with undisguised curiosity.
"Do you remember Mr. Frick?" Maurise asked.
"Of course I do!" Lockhart said brightly. It was Mr. Frick and Maurise who had supplied him with those magnificent skeleton dogs. Truthfully, purchasing those terrifying guardians was the best investment he had made all year.
"Mr. Flick recently left some new merchandise in my care," Maurise continued smoothly. "Items he acquired from his travels around the globe. I immediately thought you might be interested."
Lockhart's eyes lit up. However, he quickly caught himself, leaning back in his chair and adopting an air of sophisticated indifference. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
"Oh? And what sort of merchandise are we talking about? You must understand, ordinary souvenirs simply do not catch my eye. My personal collection room is already overflowing with exotic gifts from my adoring fans."
Maurise pulled a slender, rectangular wooden box from his robes and placed it gently on the desk. "Why don't you take a look for yourself, Professor?"
Intrigued despite himself, Lockhart reached out and flipped the lid open.
Inside the velvet-lined box lay a wand. At first glance, it looked rather ordinary. It was carved from dark brown wood, and its surface was etched with crooked, chaotic runic patterns.
Lockhart picked it up, bringing it close to his face, his brow furrowing slightly. "What exactly is this?"
"A whip wand," Maurise explained calmly. "It might seem like a mere trinket to a wizard of your caliber, but trust me, it is quite entertaining."
Lockhart raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And how do I use it?"
"Just grip the handle firmly and relax your mind. It will automatically draw a tiny fraction of your magic. Then, simply press the small button on the base. Just... make sure you are not pointing it at anyone."
Following the instructions, Lockhart gripped the handle. The texture was noticeably rougher than he had expected. The moment he relaxed his grip, he felt a faint, almost imperceptible suction from the wood. It was not uncomfortable; rather, it felt quite unique.
Guided by Maurise's instructions, he brushed his thumb against the base of the wand, locating a slightly raised circular button.
He pressed it gently.
An astonishing transformation occurred instantly. The chaotic runes carved into the wood flared with a sickly, pale grey light. Starting from the tip, the wand rapidly elongated and expanded.
In the blink of an eye, the wooden stick completely morphed into a long, terrifying whip constructed entirely of closely interlocked skeletal vertebrae.
The bone whip was deathly pale, resting quietly in Lockhart's grip while radiating a distinct, chilling aura.
This was Maurise's latest invention. He had successfully managed to engrave the magical model of his Bone Summoning spell directly onto a physical object. Of course, a mere spell model wasn't enough; he had heavily relied on ancient runic arrays to stabilize the form.
In short, this modified wand allowed the user to summon and freely control a skeletal whip with their bare mind. No complex incantations were required, and no complicated wand movements were necessary. It merely demanded a tiny spark of magic to activate.
Incredibly convenient, wasn't it?