After hearing Maurise's account, Professor McGonagall remained silent for a long time, her expression even more severe than before.
On the other side of the room, Snape stood with his arms crossed, staring blankly at Maurise.
He finally spoke, his voice completely devoid of any discernible emotion. "You should have reported the break-in immediately."
Maurise merely shrugged, entirely unbothered.
Initially, he had assumed it was just an ordinary student trying to nick some ingredients for a practical joke. How was he supposed to know it was going to escalate into a Death Eater assassination attempt?
By this time, Madam Pomfrey had finished her preliminary examination of Moody. Her face was grim. "Moody has been subjected to the Imperius Curse, and his condition is grave. The duration of the curse was exceptionally long. I fear he will need a considerable amount of time and rest to recover. For now, it is best to prepare some nutrient potions and restorative draughts to feed him when he wakes."
Dumbledore's brow furrowed. "How long will it take?"
"Hard to say," Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "It could be days, or it could be months."
Dumbledore sighed. "How unfortunate. It seems Sirius will have to handle the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes entirely on his own for the foreseeable future..."
Madam Pomfrey conjured a floating stretcher and quickly levitated Moody out of the office, likely heading straight for the hospital wing.
Dumbledore then issued his next set of instructions. "Minerva, Severus, please bring Barty Junior's body from the courtyard to my office. I must write a letter to Cornelius Fudge immediately. And to Bartemius Crouch Senior... I sincerely hope he is well. He might have some insight into this matter."
Professor McGonagall nodded sharply and turned toward the door without a moment's hesitation.
Snape's gaze lingered on Maurise for a fraction of a second before he turned and followed McGonagall out.
Only Dumbledore, Maurise, and the two Weasleys remained in the shattered office.
"May we leave now?" Maurise asked.
There was no point in staying any longer. As far as he was concerned, his involvement in this affair was over. Looking at the results: he was uninjured, and the culprit had been apprehended. A perfect conclusion.
"Of course." Dumbledore offered him a gentle smile. "Go and enjoy the ball. You might still have time for a dance or two. Miss Delacour was quite cross when you vanished so suddenly."
"She has already forgiven me," Maurise smiled faintly.
The three boys quickly made their way back to the Great Hall.
The Yule Ball was scheduled from eight o'clock to midnight. Currently, the dance floor was packed with students swaying to the music, entirely oblivious to the chaos that had just unfolded outside the castle walls.
"Fred!"
The moment they stepped through the heavy oak doors, Angelina Johnson marched right up to them. She was Fred's date for the evening. Wearing a lovely flowing dress and with her hair meticulously styled, she looked completely different from the fierce Chaser she was on the Quidditch pitch.
Unfortunately, her expression at this moment was exceptionally displeased.
"Where on earth did you run off to?!" Angelina demanded, glaring at him. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Fred immediately threw his hands up in surrender. "Let me explain, Angelina..."
Maurise tuned them out and scanned the room. He quickly spotted Fleur sitting in a chair against the far wall. She was taking absent-minded sips from a goblet, her beautiful eyes unfocused and lost in thought.
She didn't snap back to reality until Maurise was standing right in front of her.
She looked up, setting her goblet down on a nearby table. "Is it resolved?"
"Yes," Maurise replied, taking the empty seat next to her. "The real Professor Moody has been found. He is safe."
Fleur let out a soft "Oh" and began idly twisting the goblet on the table. It was clear the earlier events were still weighing heavily on her mind.
"Would you care to dance?" Maurise asked.
"Alright." Fleur looked up at him, offered a small smile, and extended her hand.
Since the matter was resolved, there was no use dwelling on it.
Maurise took her hand, and they walked onto the dance floor just as the band began playing a slow, sweeping waltz.
However, the moment they reached the edge of the floor, Maurise suddenly froze.
"What is wrong?" Fleur asked, looking puzzled.
"I just remembered something." Maurise's expression turned incredibly awkward.
"What is it?"
"I don't actually know how to dance."
The only dance he knew was the Manticore Social Dance, which was obviously not appropriate for this setting.
Hearing this confession, Fleur burst into genuine laughter.
"Very well," she said cheerfully. "I will teach you. Just follow my lead."
As it turned out, Maurise's talent for dancing was utterly abysmal. By the end of the song, his body was somehow even stiffer than when they started.
However, Fleur seemed genuinely happy, a soft smile gracing her lips the entire time.
Unfortunately, the band, the Weird Sisters, announced a brief intermission, and the music came to a halt. The crowd on the dance floor gradually dispersed, breaking into small groups to chat or stepping outside for some fresh air.
Maurise and Fleur had barely left the dance floor when Ludo Bagman hurried over, his face split into a wide grin.
He was wearing a set of dress robes in a shade of bright, garish yellow that perfectly matched his old Wasp Quidditch robes.
"I am so glad to see you two haven't argued," he said, clapping Maurise on the shoulder with a look of profound relief. "What a beautiful couple you make! Oh, by the way, Maurise, where did you disappear to right before the opening dance? Miss Delacour was looking all over for you, and—"
"Mr. Bagman," Fleur interrupted him politely but firmly.
Ludo let out an awkward chuckle and rubbed his round chin. "Right, right. Well, Maurise, do you happen to know where Dumbledore is?"
"The Headmaster's office," Maurise answered.
"Eh?" Ludo paused, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "What is he doing back in his office at a time like this? I had better go find him." He waved to them both. "See you later! Enjoy the rest of the evening!"
"See you later," Maurise replied.
After that, Maurise spent the remainder of the evening quite pleasantly.
---
The next morning, when Maurise entered the Great Hall, he found it had already been restored to its usual state. The students were sitting at their respective House tables, eating breakfast and chatting happily. Everything was exactly as it always was.
Maurise took his usual seat. A moment later, Kyle slumped down beside him, yawning widely. His eyes were barely open, and his hair looked like a bird's nest.
"I couldn't sleep," Kyle mumbled, grabbing a piece of toast and stuffing it into his mouth. "So I stayed up all night doing my holiday homework."
'A ruthless man,' Maurise thought to himself.
Just then, Fleur walked into the Great Hall and took the seat on Maurise's other side.
"Good morning," she smiled.
"Good morning," Maurise replied.
After a brief greeting, the two of them focused on their respective breakfasts.
Kyle's gaze darted back and forth between Maurise and Fleur.
He set down his toast and whispered, "Are you two, like, really close now?"
"We are alright. Just regular friends," Maurise answered unhurriedly.
"Regular friends?" Kyle muttered. He suddenly thought of something, leaned in close to Maurise's ear, and lowered his voice even further. "Maurise, since you two are friends now, you should try and coax the clue for the Second Task out of her!"
"Do not forget, your egg is already smashed to pieces!"
'Why does that sound so incredibly weird?'
Maurise turned his head and replied, "It is fine. I am sure I can handle the task regardless."
"Suit yourself," Kyle shrugged. "Just giving you a friendly reminder."
"Maurise!"
A voice suddenly called out.
Maurise turned to see Roger Davies approaching. Roger was his "good neighbor" who had helped him repair his dormitory wall back in their first year.
Roger stopped in front of Maurise and said, "The Headmaster wants to see you in his office."