Meditation.
It was one of the core foundational techniques recorded within the Book of the Magi.
Its primary function was incredibly straightforward: it drastically elevated the user's mental focus and amplified their innate perception of "magic."
Maurise had meticulously distilled the complex theories recorded within the ancient tome, integrated his own personal understanding, and ultimately authored this simplified, introductory manual: Wizard's Meditation.
However, he wasn't entirely certain if ordinary wizards were capable of learning it.
The technique involved a highly specific, fundamental force: spiritual power.
Within the magical system of the Book of the Magi, spiritual power was the absolute foundation that drove everything. Manipulating raw mana, constructing complex spell models, and engraving runic matrices all required a massive expenditure of spiritual power.
Yet, in this current wizarding world, an equivalent concept simply did not exist.
That being said, spiritual power itself undeniably existed within the populace. The concepts that local wizards vaguely referred to as "willpower" and "emotional intent" were merely crude, unrefined manifestations of this exact force.
To successfully enter a state of true meditation, the practitioner first needed to consciously perceive this internal power.
Naturally, Maurise was fully aware that achieving this was no simple task.
While his own journey to mastering meditation had been incredibly smooth and effortless, that was entirely due to his terrifyingly monstrous innate talent.
Regardless, he desperately needed some empirical test data.
"Does this book contain the secret behind your absurd magical strength?" Fred asked, looking incredibly excited.
"You could certainly say that."
Maurise pondered for a moment before casually waving his wand. He seamlessly duplicated the leather-bound book three times, levitating a copy directly into the hands of Fred, George, and Neville.
The three boys caught the heavy tomes instinctively.
Fred immediately flipped his copy open, his eyes practically glowing. "So, if we diligently practice this, we can become just as ridiculously powerful as you?"
"Not necessarily," Maurise answered with absolute candor. "This is merely an introductory text. However, if you manage to successfully master it, I can personally guarantee that your overall magical proficiency will skyrocket."
Hearing that bold promise, the three boys eagerly began reading through the pages.
Two minutes later, Fred stopped flipping the parchment. A highly peculiar, twisted expression settled on his face. "I say, Maurise, what on earth is this book actually talking about?"
George also raised his head, looking profoundly bewildered. "What exactly is 'spiritual power' supposed to be?"
'Ah. Therein lies the primary obstacle.'
Maurise let out a soft sigh.
For an ordinary wizard conditioned to simply wave a stick and shout pseudo-Latin, this abstract concept was indeed incredibly difficult to grasp.
"Simply put," Maurise began, carefully selecting his words to simplify the theory. "When you completely quiet your mind, you will begin to notice incredibly faint, subtle sensations within your consciousness that you normally ignore. Your objective is to focus your absolute attention on those microscopic sensations and attempt to actively control them. When you succeed, you will naturally comprehend the nature of spiritual power."
Fred blinked rapidly, still looking entirely lost. "You still haven't actually explained what it is."
"I did my absolute best," Maurise shrugged casually.
Truthfully, it was nearly impossible to accurately articulate the existence of spiritual power using mere words. It wasn't his fault their comprehension was lacking. Ultimately, mastering the technique relied entirely on personal enlightenment.
"Regardless," Maurise instructed. "I want you to follow the breathing and focusing exercises detailed in the text. Dedicate exactly two hours to practicing it every single night before you go to sleep."
"Two hours?!" Fred's eyes widened to comical proportions. "Are you entirely serious? We absolutely do not possess that kind of free time."
George nodded in vigorous agreement.
They highly doubted they possessed the sheer mental patience required to sit perfectly still for two uninterrupted hours. Furthermore, they had their own highly lucrative joke shop inventions to develop.
"Then take it at your own pace," Maurise said breezily. "Once you finally grasp the underlying trick, I promise you will absolutely love the sensation of meditation."
"I will try my best," Neville spoke up. His voice was quiet, yet it carried a rare tone of absolute determination.
"Excellent," Maurise nodded in deep satisfaction. "If you encounter any specific issues or blockages, be sure to inform me immediately."
In reality, he wasn't entirely certain his customized, watered-down methodology would actually work for them. He could only wait for their practical feedback.
"Issues?" Neville froze, blinking nervously. "This specific magic... it isn't dangerous, is it?" he asked suddenly, a distinct trace of anxiety bleeding back into his voice.
"Of course not."
For the remainder of the evening, Maurise patiently continued to assist Neville with his Blasting Curse drills until the curfew bell finally tolled.
---
The following morning, Maurise strolled into the Great Hall and spotted Neville sitting at the Gryffindor table, quietly chatting with Harry and the others.
He walked up behind Neville and lightly clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Neville. Did you attempt the meditation exercises last night?"
Neville, who was in the middle of swallowing a mouthful of porridge, nearly choked.
He quickly turned around, letting out a sigh of relief upon recognizing Maurise. "I did practice it."
"And the results?" Maurise asked, casually taking a seat directly beside him and reaching across the table to grab a slice of buttered toast.
Neville shook his head dejectedly. "For the entire two hours, I honestly just felt like I was staring blankly into space."
"That is a perfectly normal initial reaction," Maurise took a bite of his toast. "As long as you persist, you will eventually experience a breakthrough."
He vividly recalled his own initial attempt at perceiving spiritual power. Had it taken him one second? Or perhaps two?
He had to admit, the innate disparity in talent between individuals was truly a terrifying chasm.
"Right," Neville nodded seriously, clearly placing absolute, unquestioning faith in Maurise's words.
At that moment, Ron leaned over from across the table, his mouth full of scrambled eggs. "What exactly are you two whispering about?"
Neville cast a highly nervous, questioning glance at Maurise.
"It is nothing of consequence," Maurise smoothly lied. "Neville was simply asking me for some additional tutoring regarding his Charms homework."
"Oh," Ron muttered, instantly losing all interest in the academic subject. He turned his attention back to Harry to resume their passionate debate about Quidditch tactics.
Neville leaned in close, whispering softly. "Are we forbidden from telling anyone else about the meditation manual?"
"Indeed," Maurise shook his head firmly. "This is a strictly classified secret belonging exclusively to the members of The Explorers."
He had absolutely no intention of publicizing the meditation technique.
As a highly pragmatic individual, he naturally possessed a strong degree of selfishness. This specific methodology had been painstakingly extracted from his Book of the Magi; it was one of his most valuable, closely guarded secrets. While he was willing to utilize Neville and the twins as experimental test subjects, that certainly did not mean he was eager to distribute his power-scaling secrets to the entire Hogwarts student body.
After breakfast, Maurise quickly tracked down the twins to inquire about their progress. Exactly like Neville, they had completely failed to enter a meditative state.
---
Maurise's very first class of the morning was Care of Magical Creatures.
He strolled leisurely down the sloping green lawns toward Hagrid's wooden hut, mentally calculating what bizarre horror they would be subjected to during this inaugural lesson.
Speaking of which, Hagrid's choice of required reading was utterly baffling.
The Monster Book of Monsters.
The wretched item was less of a textbook and more of a highly aggressive, feral beast. It actively tried to bite off the fingers of anyone who approached it, required a highly specific physical stroking technique just to open, and was prone to scurrying rapidly across the floorboards.
Furthermore, the actual academic content was incredibly bizarre, detailing an assortment of highly lethal, terrifying creatures. Knowing Hagrid's highly skewed, deeply problematic perception of "cute animals," Maurise strongly suspected the half-giant had selected the textbook purely because he found it highly amusing.
Before long, Maurise arrived at a designated clearing situated right on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, directly adjacent to Hagrid's hut.
The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff third-years were already gathered, shivering slightly in the crisp morning air as they waited for the lesson to begin.
Once everyone had arrived, Hagrid finally emerged from his hut. He appeared rather despondent, his usually booming, jovial demeanor completely absent. He was carrying a large cardboard box in his massive hands.
He set the box down on the damp grass and announced in a dull, completely monotone voice. "Right, then. For today's lesson, we'll be learnin' 'ow to properly care for Flobberworms."
Maurise knew exactly what those insects were.
They were thick, ten-inch-long, highly lethargic brown worms. They possessed absolutely zero offensive capabilities, barely moved an inch an hour, and survived entirely on a diet of shredded lettuce.
As for their practical magical applications...
Well, the thick, sticky mucus they secreted was occasionally utilized to thicken standard brewing potions.
Aside from that, they were utterly, completely useless.
'Is this not just a blatant, pathetic excuse for a lesson?'
Maurise crossed his arms, feeling incredibly underwhelmed.