The bone spikes hovering in the air undoubtedly exuded a massive sense of pressure.
Moody narrowed his normal eye. With his wand raised high, he was fully prepared to cast.
Seeing this, Sirius pulled out his own wand with a solemn expression. If every single one of those bone spikes packed the same power as the first... that would be truly terrifying.
"Off you go." Maurise flicked his wand with the grace of an orchestra conductor.
In stark contrast to his relaxed posture, the bone spikes rained down like a torrential downpour, possessing absolute ferocity.
Sirius's pupils shrank violently. Even if he had ample time to prepare, he felt he would not last long against an attack of this magnitude.
Moody opted for the most expected countermeasure: the Shield Charm.
"Protego!"
He waved his wand with textbook precision. In the next second, a transparent barrier expanded in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...
The bone spikes slammed into the barrier one after another, emitting dull, heavy thuds like the pounding of a sledgehammer.
Moody's expression grew increasingly grim. After a mere five seconds, his barrier began to shudder. Soon after, a spiderweb of cracks rapidly spread across its surface.
Finally, the barrier gave way. At the exact moment it shattered, Moody slashed his wand sharply and roared an incantation Maurise had never heard before.
A burst of red light erupted from the tip of his wand. Wherever the light touched, the bone spikes instantly disintegrated into pale gray powder, drifting gently to the ground.
Maurise ceased his attack.
Moody stood rooted to the spot, panting heavily. His forehead was drenched in sweat, clearly showing that the two spells had drained a massive amount of his stamina.
The test had yielded enough results.
Judging by the strength of the Shield Charm, Moody could not even begin to compare with Sclep. Sclep's barrier had withstood his rain of bone spikes for dozens of seconds, and in the end, it had only suffered a hairline fracture.
Moody's Shield Charm, on the other hand, had lasted a generous dozen seconds at best.
However, that unknown magic used at the very end possessed a unique restraining effect on his bone spikes. If his opponent had used that spell from the very beginning, he likely would have handled the Bone Summoning with ease.
Maurise walked forward. "Are you alright, Professor Moody?"
Moody pulled out his flask, took a swig, and let out a long breath.
"I am perfectly fine," he wheezed. "You are even stronger than I imagined, Maurise. It seems Dumbledore was right; you are quite special."
Maurise paused in surprise. "Is that so? Dumbledore mentioned me."
Moody nodded but offered no further explanation. He tipped the flask into his mouth again, only to quickly lower it. It was completely empty.
"Ah, blast," he muttered.
Maurise asked, "What about our combat practice..."
"It is over for today." Moody stuffed the empty flask back into his robes, his movements noticeably faster than usual. "The commotion we just made has likely attracted some unwanted attention. Let us move."
With that, he hobbled back toward the castle.
Maurise shrugged. He walked over to Sirius, who was staring blankly at the scene, and waved a hand in front of his face. "Time to go, Sirius."
Sirius snapped back to reality. Watching Moody's retreating figure, he began to clap slowly. "Astonishing. Both you and Moody."
The two of them began walking back toward the castle together. Maurise asked casually, "What was that final spell Professor Moody used just now?"
"If I am not mistaken," Sirius lowered his voice, "that was a variant of the Bone-Shattering Curse."
"The Bone-Shattering Curse?" An image of the bone spikes turning to dust flashed through Maurise's mind. It was certainly an apt name. He imagined this magic would be a massive headache for his skeleton soldiers as well.
"Yes, the Bone-Shattering Curse." Sirius hesitated for a split second before adding, "It is an incredibly powerful piece of Dark Magic. If you are hit by that spell, your bones will begin to splinter from the inside out. It is a highly sinister curse."
Maurise was slightly surprised. "Are Aurors typically this proficient in Dark Magic?"
Judging by Moody's recent display, his grasp of Dark Arts was a bit too refined. By comparison, his Shield Charm had actually been somewhat lacking.
"No," Sirius shook his head. "Standard Aurors do not use Dark Magic. As for Moody... I am afraid he is a special case. You must understand, he has been an Auror since the days when You-Know-Who was still at the height of his power. You can tell just by looking at his face. Those scars are all souvenirs from that era."
"I see." Maurise nodded thoughtfully.
The man was not to be underestimated. His Defense Against the Dark Arts professor certainly had some serious skills.
---
The next day, Maurise decided to seek out a different professor for combat practice. This time, his target was Snape, his dearly beloved Potions Master.
At seven in the morning, the moment Maurise stepped into the Potions classroom, he caught the faint, bitter scent seeping out from the crack under Snape's office door.
He knocked on the door.
"Enter," Snape's voice echoed from within, carrying a distinct hint of irritation at being disturbed.
Maurise pushed the door open. The office was permeated with an even heavier, more acrid stench. Snape was sitting behind a long desk, stirring a large, bubbling cauldron without even bothering to look up.
"Maurise. What is it this time?" Snape asked expressionlessly.
He was already entirely accustomed to the boy's sudden visits. The combined number of times all the other students had visited his office could not even begin to match Maurise's record, though to be fair, very few students would ever visit him voluntarily.
Maurise stared at the cauldron and asked curiously, "Professor, what are you brewing?"
Snape did not stop his stirring. He answered in a flat tone, "A potion designed to replenish one's vitality."
Replenish vitality? Maurise immediately thought of Lucius Malfoy. He asked, "Who is it for?"
"That is none of your concern," Snape's voice turned frosty. "I assume you did not come here merely to pry into such matters."
Maurise knew Snape would not reveal anything more, so he cut straight to the chase. "Professor, would you be willing to duel me?"
Snape stopped what he was doing and stood up. He spoke with agonizing slowness. "Has your brain been scrambled by a hex?"
"I simply need a point of reference," Maurise said sincerely. "I encountered a Dark Wizard recently, and I could not break through his Shield Charm. I want to know how long your Shield Charm would hold up under the same conditions."
The Shield Charm was the most universally utilized defensive spell in the wizarding world. Precisely for that reason, it served as an excellent benchmark for measuring a wizard's overall magical strength.
"A Dark Wizard." Snape pondered this for a moment before asking, "Where did you encounter him? And when?"
"In the middle of nowhere," Maurise explained vaguely. "I was hit by one of his curses, but I asked Dumbledore to help me cure it."
Snape walked over to Maurise and stood in silence for two seconds. "Learning to ask for help. Not completely hopeless, then."
"Since you insist on testing my Shield Charm, follow me."
Oh, he actually agreed. Maurise smiled. As expected of the Hogwarts professor who valued him the most.