"I really can tuck myself into a shadow," Maurise explained, keeping his face perfectly neutral. "I was just born with it."
Naturally, he couldn't breathe a word about the Mage Book. Blending in a white lie was his best course of action right now. Judging by the results anyway, his Shadow Concealment didn't exactly radiate the foul stench of dangerous Dark Magic.
"Born with it, you say?" Dumbledore gave him a piercing glance over his half-moon spectacles. "You did not learn this from a book, nor were you taught by another?"
"Yes, sir," Maurise replied with absolute certainty.
In the wizarding world, it wasn't exactly earth-shattering news that some witches and wizards possessed innate magical quirks. He had read about plenty of similar cases in the Hogwarts library. Take Metamorphmagi, for example, who could change their physical appearance at will without a drop of Polyjuice Potion. Sticking firmly to the "I was born this way" excuse would save him a mountain of exhausting explanations. After all, in a world of magic, the bizarre was practically mundane.
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "As long as it was not picked up from unsavory places. Your Potions master mentioned that he once spotted you wandering through Knockturn Alley."
A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Maurise's face. "Well... I assure you I wasn't doing anything illegal, Professor."
"I am aware," Dumbledore replied, his tone gentle but firm. "Professor Snape told me you found a few days of work there. However, I must remind you that Knockturn Alley is hardly an appropriate environment for a student seeking part-time employment. I knew another student who once worked in that very alley after finishing his studies. He was an exceptionally gifted boy, but regrettably, he wandered down a very dark path."
"Who was he?" Maurise asked, feigning innocent curiosity.
Dumbledore merely shook his head, choosing not to elaborate.
It couldn't possibly be Voldemort, could it? Maurise muttered internally. Outwardly, he offered a polite nod. "I will keep that in mind, Professor. Truthfully, I was just trying to earn a little extra pocket money."
"That would be for the best," Dumbledore agreed.
Right at that moment, Maurise detected a peculiar sensation. A foreign, unseen magical presence was quietly pressing against the boundaries of his mind. Alarm bells immediately rang in Maurise's head. Was Dumbledore attempting Legilimency on him? No wonder his brain suddenly felt like it was being tickled by a feather.
Fortunately, Maurise's mental fortitude was vastly superior to that of an average person. A gentle probe like Dumbledore's wasn't going to extract a single useful thought from his head.
Maurise cleared his throat softly and spoke up, his voice tinged with faint amusement. "Headmaster, I am merely a first-year student. Surely there is no need to go rummaging through my memories?"
Dumbledore paused. The gentle magical pressure rapidly receded, vanishing without a trace as if it had never been there at all.
"Your perception is remarkably sharp, Maurise," Dumbledore admitted frankly, a hint of genuine appreciation in his voice. "Most adult wizards are entirely oblivious to the subtle touches of Legilimency."
"I am just quite sensitive to magic," Maurise replied smoothly.
"A rare gift indeed," Dumbledore nodded, showing absolutely no embarrassment at being caught red-handed. "Please forgive my intrusion. The security of the Sorcerer's Stone is at stake, and I must be extraordinarily cautious. But you have my word: I shall not use any form of probing magic on you going forward."
"It is quite alright, Headmaster," Maurise said with practiced calm. "I don't mind."
Saying he didn't mind was a complete lie, of course. But this was Albus Dumbledore he was dealing with, so he restricted his cursing to the safety of his own mind. Prying into someone's memories was undoubtedly a highly offensive act. If it weren't for his robust mental defenses, he would be in deep trouble. Never mind the secret of his Book of Magi; simply exposing the fact that he retained memories of a past life from another world would throw his life into absolute chaos. If anyone found out... well, maybe he could plead temporary insanity and hope Madam Pomfrey believed him.
He had to be incredibly careful from now on. Dumbledore's Legilimency had been gentle, clearly holding back. If he were facing a Dark wizard, the mental assault would have been entirely ruthless.
After a few seconds of silence, Dumbledore spoke again. "Maurise, there is a rather specific piece of magic that might suit you quite well."
He drew his elder wand and gave it a gentle flick. Maurise could clearly sense a concentration of magic gathering at the very tip of Dumbledore's wand. It was invisible, colorless, just pure, unadulterated energy.
"Can you feel it?" Dumbledore asked.
"I can," Maurise answered, putting on a puzzled expression. "But why are you showing me this, Professor?"
"I believe it is a spell you ought to learn," Dumbledore explained. "The incantation is Aperio Magia, a magic revealing charm. Come now, draw your wand. This should be remarkably simple for a boy of your talents."
Maurise obediently slipped his wand from his robes. After Dumbledore demonstrated the wand movement one more time, Maurise copied the gesture and spoke the incantation.
"Aperio Magia!"
Instantly, an identical pulse of magic gathered at the tip of his own wand.
What a strange little spell, Maurise thought. Why would Dumbledore go out of his way to teach him this specific charm?
"Excellent," Dumbledore beamed, seemingly very pleased with Maurise's execution of the magic.
"What exactly is excellent about it?" Maurise asked without thinking.
"Allow me to explain," Dumbledore said softly. "This charm allows the state of one's soul to manifest through their magic. You see, the souls of those who have delved deeply into the Dark Arts are fundamentally altered, appearing quite different from those of ordinary people when revealed."
It finally clicked in Maurise's head. Dumbledore was running a background check! He was testing Maurise to see if his soul had been tainted by Dark Magic! Thankfully, everything Maurise had learned from the Book of Magi had absolutely nothing to do with the Dark Arts of this world. His magic might look a bit unconventional, but it was perfectly clean.
"I am very glad to see that Knockturn Alley has not corrupted you," Dumbledore said, a warm smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.
"I told you, I was only there to earn some pocket money," Maurise shrugged. "If it weren't for the shiny golden Galleons, who would willingly step foot in that sketchy labyrinth?"
It was an honest answer, and an entirely reasonable one. Well, almost reasonable. What kind of sane first-year Hogwarts student actively sought employment in Knockturn Alley? Really?
"Do not return to Knockturn Alley, Maurise," Dumbledore advised earnestly. "Professor Snape mentioned your employer was not the worst sort, but that was merely a stroke of good fortune. You cannot rely on being so lucky every time."
"I understand, Headmaster," Maurise nodded dutifully.
Of course, swearing off Knockturn Alley forever was absolutely impossible. Unless piles of Galleons started raining from the Great Hall ceiling, he was definitely going back.
Ultimately, Maurise left the place without the Sorcerer's Stone. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of the bloody thing. On the bright side, Dumbledore hadn't issued any punishments, merely requesting that Maurise keep the night's events entirely to himself and cease any further schemes regarding the Stone.
To which Maurise secretly resolved: Not a chance. He was absolutely not giving up. He remembered the specific trick to the Mirror of Erised. Only someone who truly wanted to find the Stone, but had absolutely no intention of using it, could extract it from the glass. So, who on earth fit that bizarrely specific criteria?
The answer was glaringly obvious. Harry Potter.
Maurise could already script the predictably cliché ending. Harry Potter would bravely secure the Stone and miraculously thwart the villain's evil plot. By that logic, all Maurise had to do was quietly tail the Boy Who Lived, and he was practically guaranteed a front-row seat to see the legendary Sorcerer's Stone.
There would be an opportunity. He just needed to bide his time and wait for the perfect moment.