Gradually, a larger crowd of curious onlookers gathered in the Ravenclaw common room.
"Diffindo! Diffindo!"
Roger Davies seemed particularly fond of the Severing Charm. Flashes of sharp red light shot out from his wand like a torrential downpour, repeatedly striking the skeleton holding the massive bone hammer.
Unfortunately, his barrage had almost zero effect. The spells only managed to leave faint scorch marks and hairline fractures on the pale bones. Unbothered by the magical assault, the skeleton continued its slow, menacing advance, marching straight through the flurry of red light.
The watching Ravenclaws quickly noticed the sheer ineffectiveness of the attacks. Nervous whispers broke out across the room.
"Roger's spells are not working at all."
"It is completely shrugging them off."
"What is it doing now?!"
Before anyone fully realized what was happening, the skeleton had completely closed the distance. Staring directly into the twin, eerie flames burning in its hollow eye sockets, Roger did not even dare to breathe. A profound sense of impending doom washed over him.
Suddenly, the skeleton moved.
Its seemingly clumsy frame exploded with terrifying speed and sheer, unadulterated power. It hoisted the grotesque bone hammer with a single hand and swung it viciously, aiming directly at Roger's face!
Roger had absolutely no time to react. His mind went entirely blank. His pupils shrank to pinpricks as the blur of white bone rapidly expanded in his vision.
The surrounding students shrieked in horror. Some even squeezed their eyes shut, fully expecting the gruesome sight of Roger's brain matter splattering across the plush blue carpet.
Just as the hammer was about to violently kiss the bridge of Roger's nose.
"Stop."
Maurise's calm voice echoed through the room.
Time seemed to freeze instantly. The terrifying bone weapon halted mid-air, less than half an inch from Roger's face, completely motionless.
Roger felt the blood in his veins turn to solid ice. That massive weapon certainly did not look like a harmless toy.
An eerie, breathless silence fell over the entire common room.
Maurise stepped forward, offering a perfectly polite, apologetic smile. "My apologies, Roger. I completely forgot to mention that these skeletons do hit back."
That sentence snapped Roger back to reality. He stumbled backward violently, panting heavily. Wiping a thick bead of cold sweat from his forehead, he pointed a trembling finger at Maurise. "You nearly killed me!"
"Relax. Have some chocolate, it helps with the shock," Maurise said cheerfully, casually pressing a sweet into Roger's shaking hand.
In truth, Maurise had genuinely expected his newly summoned construct to crumble under Roger's initial barrage. Clearly, the structural integrity of these magical skeletons was much higher than his initial calculations.
With Roger stepping out of the ring, Maurise turned back to the crowd, raising his voice enthusiastically. "Would anyone else like to try? The grand prize is still five shiny gold Galleons."
Robert Hilliard pushed his way through the throng of students. He stopped in front of Maurise, his expression dead serious. "Maurise, this is incredibly dangerous. You cannot conduct live combat experiments in the middle of the common room."
As a Prefect, he had a strict obligation to maintain safety within the House. He had watched the entire duel, and that hammer swing had been far too close for comfort.
"Do not panic, Prefect Hilliard," Maurise replied smoothly, entirely unbothered. "My skeletons are perfectly safe."
He reached out, casually plucking the massive bone hammer from the skeleton's terrifying grip, and lifted it effortlessly with one hand. "See? It is completely hollow. Furthermore, I cast a strong Cushioning Charm on the striking surface. If it had hit him, it would have felt like getting smacked by a rather firm pillow. No harm done."
The onlookers stared in dumbfounded silence. Roger's jaw practically hit the floor.
Then why make it look so utterly terrifying?! Roger had genuinely believed he was about to meet Merlin in the afterlife. Did Maurise simply enjoy giving his housemates heart attacks for sport?
Maurise turned back to the crowd, ignoring their exasperated glares. "Any other takers?"
"I suppose I will give it a go," Robert interrupted, a confident smile replacing his stern frown. "Those five Galleons are still on the table, I assume?"
"Absolutely," Maurise nodded, taking a deliberate step back to give them space.
While he did not know Robert's exact dueling capabilities, a Hogwarts Prefect was bound to be among the most competent spellcasters in the student body. He was eager to see what the older boy could do against his creations.
"Incarcerous!"
Without any telegraphing, Robert fired off a Binding Spell. Thick ropes shot from his wand tip, expertly tangling themselves around the skeleton's legs. The construct struggled, pulling the magical ropes taut. While it was not completely immobilized, its movement was severely restricted.
Maurise nodded in quiet approval. Opening a duel with crowd control to restrict an opponent's mobility was a textbook, highly effective tactic.
Immediately after, Robert muttered a sharp incantation Maurise did not recognize. A dull grey light flashed from the tip of his wand. Without a single sound, the skeleton's right arm, the one holding its weapon, was cleanly severed at the shoulder. It clattered loudly onto the stone floor.
The common room erupted into excited cheers.
"Hilliard! Hilliard!"
"Brilliant shot, Robert!"
Robert smiled and offered a modest nod to his cheering housemates. He knew, of course, that the duel was not over. Missing an arm or not, the skeleton was still standing upright.
However, just as he raised his wand for a follow-up spell, the severed bone on the floor suddenly twitched.
Under everyone's bewildered gazes, the limb violently leaped into the air, flying precisely back to the right shoulder socket. Click! It snapped back into place seamlessly, looking completely undamaged.
"Do not get careless now," Maurise advised with a cheeky grin. "You will need to use something with a bit more raw destructive power to put it down. Perhaps a Blasting Curse?"
His summoned skeletons were fueled entirely by the magical core he had instilled in them. Until that magic was completely drained, they would continuously reassemble themselves, even if they were blasted into dust.
"Alright, you win," Robert sighed, lowering his wand in defeat.
A Blasting Curse? He was not about to risk blowing a hole in the common room wall. Professor Flitwick would have him scrubbing the owlery without magic for an entire month.
"What a shame," Maurise shrugged. He looked at the audience once more, a glint in his eye. "Any other challengers? I am willing to raise the bounty to ten Galleons..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a high, distinctly squeaky voice pierced through the chatter.
"What exactly are you all gathered around doing in here?!"
The crowd instantly fell silent and parted, clearing a wide path. Professor Flitwick scurried into the room on his short legs, his sharp eyes darting between Maurise and the two towering skeletons standing in the center of the room.
Robert quickly stepped forward to run interference. "Maurise is simply helping us practice some practical defensive magic, Professor. Nothing to worry about."
"Is that so?"
Flitwick's curiosity was instantly piqued. He waddled over to the skeletons, peering up at them with intense, academic fascination.
"What remarkable constructs," he murmured, reaching out with his wand to gently tap one of the thick leg bones. "Pure magical creations. Incredibly intricate, and quite sturdy."
Surprised by the professor's reaction, Robert asked, "Professor, do you not recognize the spell he used to create these?"
Flitwick shook his head slowly, his eyes still glued to the skeleton. "It is certainly not any spell I am familiar with."
A spell that even the Charms Master had never seen before?
That singular revelation sent a massive wave of excitement rippling through the Ravenclaw students, instantly sparking a fresh, frantic flurry of eager whispers across the common room.