Harry was absolutely astounded.
Maurise had actually defeated two fully-trained Ministry Aurors single-handedly!
However, his shock quickly faded into an odd sense of acceptance. After all, this was Maurise Black. Doing the impossible was simply part of his daily routine.
"What is your assessment of the situation, Minister Fudge?" Maurise asked, his tone perfectly calm and unbothered. "I firmly believe this was all just a terrible misunderstanding."
Fudge suddenly recalled a private conversation he had with Dumbledore a few months prior. The Headmaster had explicitly mentioned that it was this exact student who had discovered the Chamber of Secrets and single-handedly neutralized the legendary monster within.
Looking at the boy now, Fudge suddenly found the ridiculous story of him capturing two Aurors highly believable.
"Yes, a terrible misunderstanding. I sincerely hope you can forgive our heightened caution, Maurise," Fudge sighed heavily, turning his attention back to Harry. "Your friend is currently in grave danger. It is highly probable that Sirius Black might utilize disguises or Polyjuice Potion to get close to you, Harry. Therefore, we must maintain strict surveillance over everyone in your immediate vicinity."
"I completely agree with your security measures," Maurise offered a polite, shallow bow. "I shall take my leave now. Have a pleasant evening."
"Goodbye, Maurise."
The wooden door clicked shut, leaving only Fudge, Harry, and the two thoroughly humiliated, silent Aurors in the cramped room.
"This classmate of yours..." Fudge murmured, looking at the closed door with deep curiosity. "What exactly is his background?"
Harry opened his mouth, only to realize he had absolutely no idea how to answer that question.
Maurise Black. A Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts. He owned an undead cat, harbored a severe addiction to Muggle sweets, possessed an unfathomable depth of magical power, and operated with a terrifyingly calm, mysterious demeanor.
Looking at the facts, Harry realized he truly didn't understand the boy at all.
---
The moment Maurise stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron, he didn't hesitate. He pulled back his sleeve, exposing the glowing runic matrix on the back of his hand, and immediately activated his Point-to-Point Teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, the damp London alleyway vanished. His boots landed softly on a thick, plush carpet.
He had arrived in the deepest chamber of the Ship in a Bottle: his private bedroom.
The spatial dimensions of the room were incredibly generous, easily more than twice the size of his Hogwarts dormitory.
A massive, luxurious bed rested against one wall, with Cinder perch stationed right beside it. The opposite side of the room served as a dedicated workspace. A colossal, curved wooden desk dominated the wall, covered in various magical instruments and three different sizes of brewing cauldrons.
However, the most breathtaking feature of the room was the side walls. They had been entirely converted into massive, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, densely packed with endless rows of ancient tomes and thick parchment scrolls.
Maurise stretched his limbs lazily, sank into a comfortable armchair, and closed his eyes to enter a deep state of magical meditation.
During this quiet period, Tin and Cinder silently emerged from his internal summoning matrix.
Cinder immediately fluttered up to the wooden perch and closed its skeletal eyes for a nap.
Tin however scurried directly under the bed. When the tiny black cat re-emerged, it was carrying a slender wooden stick in its jaws.
It was a magic wand. Maurise had purchased it specifically for the cat. While it was merely a second-hand item, it was a genuine Ollivander creation.
Wand firmly in its mouth, Tin leaped up, expertly unlatched the bedroom door, and slipped out into the corridor.
The little cat trotted down the hall and entered the main parlor, which currently served as its designated magical training ground.
Yes, the cat was actively practicing magic.
While its master never genuinely expected an undead feline to cast spells, Tin possessed grand ambitions. It fully intended to train in absolute secrecy and eventually astound everyone with its magical prowess!
Tin pointed the tip of the wand directly at a decorative crystal ball resting on the coffee table and gave it a sharp, deliberate flick.
The crystal ball trembled slightly before slowly lifting off the wooden surface.
It worked!
Tin felt a massive surge of triumph. This was its very first successful execution of the Levitation Charm after weeks of grueling practice!
The crystal ball floated higher and higher, eventually bumping gently against the ceiling.
This was going far too smoothly! Tin felt incredibly proud of itself.
Fzzt! Fzzzt!
Suddenly, the tip of the second-hand wand violently sparked. The magical connection abruptly severed, and the heavy crystal ball plummeted straight toward the floorboards!
Oh no!
That crystal ball was an expensive, brand-new piece of equipment Maurise had just purchased in Diagon Alley!
Tin squeezed its eyes shut, completely terrified of witnessing the impending disaster.
However, the expected sound of shattering glass never came.
Plop.
It sounded as if the heavy object had landed on a thick cushion.
Tin carefully peeked open one eye. The crystal ball was hovering exactly one inch above the floorboards, safely cradled in a thick tendril of dark shadow that had sprouted directly from the wood.
Naturally, this was Cinder's doing.
Hoot? (What exactly are you doing?)
Tin snapped its head around to find the undead owl perched silently on the armrest of the sofa, tilting its head in judgment.
Meow. (Mind your own business.)
Seeing the cat's ungrateful attitude, the soul-fire in Cinder's eyes flared dangerously.
The owl casually levitated the crystal ball back onto the table. Then, with a subtle shift in magical intent, the shadowy tendril whipped forward and securely wrapped around Tin's hind legs.
Meow!! (I admit my mistakes!! I am sorry!!)
Dangling helplessly upside down in the air, Tin immediately surrendered.
Daily life continued, exactly as usual.
---
Over the next few days, Maurise divided his time primarily between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley.
Occasionally, however, he would take brief excursions to visit various Muggle bakeries.
He had to admit, Apparition was an incredibly convenient form of travel. In a matter of minutes, Maurise could seamlessly hop across a dozen different cities throughout Britain, personally acquiring the signature pastries from the country's finest dessert shops.
Magic truly was a wonderful thing.
As a side note, the aura-concealing gemstone he had crafted back at school proved to be incredibly useful.
By actively channeling a fraction of his magic into the stone while casting a spell, the gem completely masked his magical signature, rendering the Ministry's Trace completely blind to his activities.
Relying entirely on this gemstone, he was able to freely Apparate across the country without triggering a single warning from the Underage Magic Office.
The only minor drawback was the item's limited durability. Each gemstone could only be activated exactly five times before crumbling into useless grey powder.
The solution, however, was remarkably simple: mass production. Carving the runic matrices was hardly a challenge for him anymore.
Maurise fully intended to market these stones as a premium retail product, similar to the Shadow Stones.
The only logistical hurdle was the glaring fact that selling artifacts designed to actively bypass Ministry surveillance was highly illegal.
Ultimately, Maurise dumped a large batch of the gems at Frick's shop in Knockturn Alley, entrusting the shady merchant with the retail distribution.
The retail price was absolutely terrifying.
One hundred Galleons per gemstone.
He firmly believed there would always be wealthy wizards desperate for absolute privacy.
---
Time slipped by quietly. The summer holidays eventually concluded, and the first of September arrived right on schedule.
Maurise arrived at King's Cross Station a full half-hour before the Hogwarts Express was scheduled to depart.
He had deliberately chosen not to fly the Ship in a Bottle back to school. Doing so would expend an exorbitant amount of magical energy.
Yes, it was a waste of magic.
The vessel's levitation and propulsion matrices required a constant, massive supply of mana to operate. While the ship was equipped with passive absorption runes to slowly gather ambient magic, the conversion efficiency was abysmally low.
He could theoretically power the engines using his highly condensed Void Energy Crystals, but that felt entirely too extravagant and wasteful.
He, Maurise Black, was a highly frugal and pragmatic wizard.
Standing on the bustling platform, Maurise casually scanned his surroundings.
The atmosphere at the station was noticeably tense today. There was a significant number of stern-faced, highly alert individuals actively patrolling the perimeter of the crowd.
'Ministry personnel,' Maurise deduced immediately.
He recognized two highly familiar faces among the security detail. The two rookie Aurors he had effortlessly subdued and stuffed into a burlap sack a few weeks ago were currently standing a short distance away, their expressions grim and strictly professional.
'What a delightful coincidence.'
Maurise smiled warmly and strolled casually toward them, fully intending to offer a polite greeting.
However, the exact moment the two Aurors spotted him approaching, their faces drained of color. Looking as though they had just seen a ghost, they immediately took several large, highly synchronized steps backward.
Maurise took a step forward. The Aurors took another step back.
"...Very well, then."
Maurise shook his head, offering a sigh of profound regret.
He had genuinely wanted to apologize for the burlap sack incident. It seemed he wouldn't get the chance.