Just as Maurise's voice faded, the grave shifted.
With the heavy sound of churning earth, a colossal skeleton crawled out from within.
It was Champion.
Maurise casually nudged the massive construct aside and offered an "after you" gesture toward the open grave. "Professor McGonagall, care to inspect the interior? It's quite spacious inside, though I doubt Sirius Black would choose to hide in there."
"I think that won't be necessary."
Professor McGonagall's gaze remained fixed on Champion. "Is this also your skeletal magic?"
"Yeah," Maurise replied. "By the way, Professor, since you're already here, would you mind helping me test Champion's defenses? Ah, Champion is its name."
He reached out and patted Champion's pelvis.
As if on cue, Champion raised its colossal greatsword, radiating an imposing aura.
"Test its defenses?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Maurise blinked innocently. "I need more data for reference. As you know, top-tier wizards are hard to come by."
"Very well," Professor McGonagall agreed. "But only after we finish inspecting the ship."
"Thanks for the help, Professor."
Professor McGonagall's magical prowess was unquestionable.
For the next while, Maurise guided her on a tour of the vessel. Throughout the process, Champion followed silently behind them.
It was obvious there were no traces of Sirius Black on board.
Once the inspection concluded, the two returned to the main parlor.
Professor McGonagall turned to Maurise. "This ship is much larger on the inside than the outside suggests. You used an Undetectable Extension Charm?"
Maurise was well aware of the Ministry of Magic's Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and the strict laws governing the Undetectable Extension Charm. Using the spell on unauthorized items was illegal.
However, he didn't panic at all.
"I didn't," Maurise lied with a perfectly straight face. "Please don't make baseless accusations, Professor. I used a different spatial spell I found in an obscure book."
Professor McGonagall stared at him intently for a few seconds but ultimately chose not to press the issue.
She turned her attention back to the towering skeleton behind him. "How exactly do you want to do this test?"
---
Maurise's eyes lit up as he beckoned Champion forward.
The colossal skeleton stepped up, planting itself firmly in the center of the parlor. Gripping the massive two-handed greatsword with a single hand, it stared at Professor McGonagall with its hollow, burning eye sockets.
"It's simple," Maurise said, taking a few steps back to give them room. "Just treat it as a hostile target and attack it however you see fit. I want to see how long it can withstand a top-tier wizard's attacks. Don't worry, Champion is programmed to only use the mildest counterattacks."
Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod and smoothly drew her wand.
'Very well.' She didn't mind helping her student with an academic exercise.
Once in position, she fired off a crisp spell: "Expelliarmus!"
The flash of red light flew true, striking Champion squarely on its unarmored forearm.
A second later, the colossal two-handed sword was ripped from its grasp, spinning through the air before slamming heavily onto the wooden floorboards.
BOOM!
The parlor floor trembled from the weight of the impact.
Champion looked down at its empty hand, appearing bewildered.
Professor McGonagall looked toward Maurise. "Is the test over?"
In her experienced view, disarming an opponent effectively neutralized their threat.
"Far from it. Champion doesn't even have a scratch," Maurise offered a bright smile. "Please, Professor, don't hold back."
Champion simply extended its hand. The massive greatsword levitated off the floor and snapped back into its grip with a sharp, metallic clack.
A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Professor McGonagall's eyes.
Champion took a heavy step forward, dragging the greatsword behind it as it slowly advanced toward her.
The tip of the heavy blade scraped across the floorboards, carving a deep groove and producing an unpleasant, screeching friction that echoed through the parlor.
Maurise frowned. "Don't ruin my floorboards. Fixing them is a pain."
Champion paused, glanced back at its master, and obediently hoisted the massive weapon higher before resuming its slow march toward the Transfiguration professor.
Professor McGonagall let out a rare, faint chuckle. "It's remarkably obedient."
"Of course," Maurise said. "Can we see how it handles an Impediment Jinx?"
Professor McGonagall didn't reply; she simply raised her wand again.
Champion was looming just a few paces away from her.
"Impedimenta!"
A powerful, invisible kinetic barrier manifested directly in front of Champion.
Maurise could sense the magical density—it was a powerful Impediment Jinx, far superior to anything he could cast.
However, Champion's heavy footsteps didn't falter or slow down at all.
The invisible barrier, which would have paralyzed most magical creatures, tore apart like wet tissue paper under Champion's relentless advance.
Professor McGonagall's expression grew serious. "Did it use a counter-curse?"
"No," Maurise shook his head. "That was just pure physical brute force."
In reality, Champion had virtually zero magical resistance. What it did possess was a terrifying amount of raw physical strength.
Professor McGonagall's eyes glinted thoughtfully. "I think I know exactly how to handle it, then."
She calmly raised her wand, pointing it at the colossal skeletal warrior towering over her, and cast a spell Maurise had not anticipated: a simple Levitation Charm.
A second later, Champion's heavy boots left the floorboards. Its massive, armored body drifted slowly upward, ultimately pinning itself helplessly against the ceiling.
It thrashed in the air, its heavy limbs and greatsword swinging wildly and aimlessly.
It was useless.
Without a solid physical anchor for leverage, its brute strength was completely nullified.
Maurise stared up at the ceiling, momentarily at a loss for words.
'Well... that was unexpected.'
'It perfectly demonstrates the truth: utility mages are the hard counter to pure physical warriors.'
It seemed Champion was optimized for close-quarters brawls or subduing magical beasts—like a werewolf, for instance.
Maurise let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, Professor. You win."
The corners of Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched upward slightly. It was a smile, albeit a restrained one.
She flicked her wand, gently lowering Champion back to the floorboards, and offered Maurise a polite nod.
Champion silently trudged back to its dirt grave and buried itself. It was likely feeling humiliated.
Maurise rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
This was a glaring tactical flaw. He needed to find a way to enhance Champion's magical resistance. At the very least, it shouldn't be neutralized by a simple Levitation Charm.
'Maybe equipping it with anti-magic artifacts would solve the issue?'
---
By the time the two returned to the castle from the Ship in a Bottle, the corridors were already bustling with students. Classmates who hadn't seen each other over the holidays gathered in small groups, exchanging stories.
As they walked, Professor McGonagall spoke up. "I need to assess your current proficiency in Transfiguration. If I remember correctly, you only attended two Transfiguration lectures all of last term."
"Is that right?" Maurise paused his steps. "Wasn't it three?"
"It makes no difference," Professor McGonagall stated firmly, pushing open the heavy door to her office. "Come inside, Maurise. I need to evaluate your progress."
Maurise followed her into the office without any apprehension.
He had zero anxiety about the evaluation. Throughout the holidays, he had maintained his rigorous magical practice.
His practical mastery of Transfiguration had grown quite proficient; he was now fully capable of executing complex animate-to-inanimate transformations.
'Ah, speaking of advanced Transfiguration...'
A specific, fascinating branch of magic suddenly sprang to his mind: the Animagus transformation.