Having ripped away Lockhart's glamorous facade to expose the pathetic, thieving truth underneath, Maurise completely lost all interest in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Who could have possibly imagined that the glittering, bestselling hero was actually a cowardly fraud who built his career on stealing the lives and memories of better men?
Maurise had initially suspected Lockhart was simply pretending to be incompetent to lower everyone's guard. He never expected the man to genuinely be that incompetent.
However, while this revelation was undeniably explosive, it was practically useless for his current situation.
The true identity of the Heir of Slytherin remained completely shrouded in mystery.
A few days later, the situation escalated dramatically.
On Monday morning, a terrifying new rumor tore through the halls of Hogwarts.
A Gryffindor first-year named Colin Creevey had been viciously attacked during the night. He was currently lying in a bed in the hospital wing.
Maurise subtly slipped into the hospital wing between classes to take a look. Colin's condition was exactly identical to Tin's. The boy was completely rigid, his limbs locked in place, looking for all intents and purposes like a terrifyingly realistic wax statue.
Without a doubt, he had encountered the Basilisk.
The attack on a human student plunged the entire school into an absolute frenzy of terror. Students began frantically trading and purchasing bizarre protective amulets, talismans, and wards.
The Weasley twins made an absolute fortune during the panic. They had somehow managed to source a massive pile of supposedly "evil-repelling" stones and were aggressively hawking them in the corridors.
Surprisingly, the stones sold out almost immediately.
Maurise, however, remained entirely unbothered. He continued attending his classes and taking his nightly trips to the Forbidden Forest without a second thought.
Panicking would accomplish absolutely nothing.
Thanks to his steady, methodical efforts, the excavation of the dragon bones was progressing smoothly. At his current rate, he estimated he would have almost the entire skeleton unearthed and reassembled by Christmas.
A tense, outwardly quiet month slipped quickly by.
Then, on a cold day in mid-December, a massive, glittering notice was pinned to the bulletin boards in every common room.
Do you want to stop trembling when danger approaches?
Do you want to protect yourself and your friends?
Do you want to prove that YOU are the brightest star at Hogwarts?
The highly anticipated Dueling Club opens tonight!
The Great Hall, 8:00 PM. Your legend begins here!
Reading the flamboyant text, Maurise raised a deeply skeptical eyebrow.
There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that Gilderoy Lockhart had written this garbage.
However, the students, already hyper-paranoid from the recent attacks, ate the advertisement up. Maurise could tangibly feel the restless excitement buzzing through the crowd reading the notice beside him.
"Hey, Maurise!" a familiar voice called out.
Maurise turned to see Fred and George Weasley sidling up to him. Both twins looked incredibly eager.
"You are definitely going to this, right?" Fred asked, lightly nudging Maurise's shoulder. "I remember your dueling skills being exceptionally sharp."
"Your legend begins here!" George quoted the poster dramatically, throwing his arms wide.
Maurise offered a polite smile. "Honestly, I am not particularly interested. I doubt I will attend."
"Why on earth not?" Fred asked, genuinely surprised.
There were practically zero young wizards who disliked the idea of a proper duel.
"I have no desire to bully my classmates," Maurise answered honestly.
Given his current level of magical proficiency, let alone second-year students, the vast majority of the graduating seventh-years would not stand a chance against him in a straight fight.
Fred and George exchanged a loaded look, momentarily speechless.
They could not argue with his logic. Maurise was terrifyingly strong. They had personally witnessed his capabilities last Christmas when he had effortlessly fought them to a complete standstill.
After a brief silence, Fred suddenly grinned wickedly.
"Absolutely not, Maurise. You have to come," Fred insisted firmly. "I lost to you last Christmas, and I demand a proper rematch."
Maurise blinked. "We can do that right now. Just find an empty classroom..."
"That completely defeats the purpose!" Fred shook his head, feigning profound seriousness. "We need a massive audience when we finally humiliate you!"
He could not hold the serious expression for more than a second before bursting into laughter.
"Alright, jokes aside," George leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "We heard a very reliable rumor. Professor Snape is also going to be at the Dueling Club tonight."
"We are really, really hoping to see someone knock his teeth down his throat," Fred added gleefully.
Maurise highly doubted their wish would be granted.
Severus Snape was a former Death Eater. His combat capabilities and raw magical power were absolutely lethal.
"Come on, just tag along," Fred nudged him again. "It will be brilliant fun."
---
At 8:00 PM sharp, Maurise casually strolled into the Great Hall.
The long House tables and benches had entirely vanished. In their place, a massive, gleaming, gold-plated stage ran down the center of the room.
The moment Maurise saw the obnoxious gold plating, he was absolutely certain Lockhart was the primary organizer. The rest of the Hogwarts staff possessed a sensible, modest sense of aesthetics. Only Lockhart would demand a stage fit for a theatrical performance.
Maurise found a spot near the edge of the crowd with a clear, unobstructed view of the stage. He quickly scanned the room.
It seemed the entire student body had turned up. Every single student was tightly gripping their wand, buzzing with nervous, eager energy.
In truth, the vast majority of Hogwarts students had received almost zero practical combat training.
The reasons for this were multifaceted.
Firstly, the Hogwarts curriculum leaned heavily toward academic theory and practical utility rather than producing specialized combat wizards.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had been a revolving door of absolute disasters for years, completely failing to provide consistent, practical instruction.
Quirrell had been a stuttering mess last year, and Lockhart was currently proving to be even worse.
Consequently, the announcement of a practical Dueling Club was met with overwhelming enthusiasm.
A moment later, two professors strode onto the golden stage.
The first, exactly as the twins had predicted, was Snape. The second, entirely unsurprisingly, was Lockhart.
Lockhart was dressed in a set of magnificent, shimmering plum-and-gold robes. He looked incredibly handsome and sickeningly confident.
Snape, entirely unchanged, wore his usual billowing black robes. His face was a pale, emotionless mask, offering no hint as to what he was currently thinking.
Maurise, knowing exactly how pathetic Lockhart's magical abilities truly were, could only stare in bewilderment.
The man could barely cast a proper Shield Charm. Who on earth gave him the suicidal courage to challenge Severus Snape to a public duel?
Maurise was genuinely curious to see how this disaster would unfold.
Lockhart cleared his throat importantly and projected his voice over the crowd. "Can everyone see me? Gather round, gather round! Excellent! Welcome, my dear students, to this thrilling evening! A night dedicated to courage, skill, and unparalleled glory!"
He threw his arms wide, looking as though he wanted to physically embrace the entire room.
The crowd, eager for the show to begin, offered a thunderous round of applause.
"I am perfectly aware that recent events within the castle have caused a great deal of anxiety," Lockhart announced loudly. "Therefore, Professor Dumbledore has graciously permitted me to establish this little Dueling Club to teach you all some basic, yet utterly vital, self-defense techniques."
He turned slightly, offering a dramatic, sweeping gesture toward the man standing silently beside him. "Let me introduce my assistant for the evening, Professor Snape. He has kindly agreed to help me with a minor demonstration. Now, do not worry yourselves, we will not be fighting in earnest! It is merely a gentle exhibition. After all, I certainly do not want to embarrass your Potions Master too severely in front of such a massive audience."
Lockhart's words were incredibly persuasive. Paired with his dazzling, confident smile, he easily managed to fool the vast majority of the student body.
Maurise, however, kept his eyes locked entirely on Snape.
Oh yes, Maurise thought, noting the dangerous, terrifyingly cold glint in the Potions Master's black eyes. He is definitely angry.