Morris didn't waste any words and immediately explained his purpose.
" Professor Moody, I would like to invite you to have a practical exercise with me." He said bluntly.
"Oh, a practical exercise." Moody strode up to Morris, a creepy and unsettling smile spreading across his face. "Why would you want to do this? Someone you want to teach a lesson to, huh?"
The tone wasn't exactly friendly.
Sirius, standing nearby, put down his coffee and cast a curious glance at him.
"More or less," Morris replied after a moment's thought.
That's not entirely wrong—he did want to teach Scrape lesson.
"But more importantly, I want to know just how big the gap is between me and the top wizards."
Upon hearing Morris's words, Moody gave a low chuckle.
He looked Morris up and down and said, "A top-tier wizard? You should find a practice partner more suited to your level, like your classmates. I don't object to private dueling practice."
Morris had anticipated this answer.
He had a fairly good understanding of the Hogwarts students' level; although there were many exceptionally talented individuals, they still posed little challenge for him.
So he honestly replied, "That kind of duel doesn't satisfy me."
To illustrate further, he added, "Even Sirius behind you, I could take on two at once."
Judging from Sirius's previous performance in the Shrieking Shack, this even overestimated his opponent.
Upon hearing this, Sirius paused, his expression becoming incredibly stiff.
That would be somewhat insulting to wizards.
"That was only because I used an unsuitable wand, and I was imprisoned for over a decade," he retorted. "Things are different now. We can have another match, and I'll show you my true abilities."
Morris simply smiled slightly.
Ha, a defeated opponent.
With Moody, a veteran of several decades, around, he's no longer interested in Sirius.
"Is that alright?" Morris looked at Moody. "Of course, but if you don't want to, I won't force you."
Sirius felt ignored.
He stood up, about to say something, but Moody walked up to Morris first. "Cast an Shield Charm, kid. Let me see what you're capable of. Don't tell me you haven't even learned this spell."
Morris did as instructed.
" Protego!"
With a flick of his wand, a transparent barrier unfolded before him.
The entire process was clean and efficient, without a single flaw.
Sirius blinked incredulously.
This Shield Charm... how come it looks even more proficient than his?
"Well, Professor?" Morris turned to Moody again, awaiting his evaluation.
Moody stared at the slowly dissipating barrier for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Not bad, a very good Shield Charm." He paused, then said calmly, "But I won't allow practical combat training."
That was a clean and decisive rejection.
Morris didn't ask why, he just shook his head regretfully, "Okay."
However, Sirius then spoke up.
"You're not scared, are you, Moody?"
Morris turned his head and saw Sirius with his arms crossed behind his head, looking like he was enjoying the show.
That expression... just looks so irritating, doesn't it?
"Don't try to provoke me," Moody's voice turned cold. "I'll be watching you closely. You're still a suspect in my eyes." Sirius shrugged indifferently, then said slowly, "Guiding a student through practical exercises is your duty as a professor. Refusing doesn't seem like something you'd do, Moody."
The office suddenly fell silent.
Morris remained silent.
These two... why do they look like they're about to start arguing?
It seems they don't get along very well.
A few seconds later, Moody turned to Morris and said bluntly, "Come on, kid, if you want to do some real combat training with me, let's go outside."
After he finished speaking, he took the lead and walked towards the door, his prosthetic leg making a thumping sound on the floor.
Morris scratched his head and saw Sirius winking at him.
The tactic of provocation may be old-fashioned, but it's effective.
"Thank you," Morris said silently, his lips barely moving.
The two followed Moody through the corridor, down the stairs, and all the way to the back door of the castle.
There's a wide, open meadow here with plenty of cover; it's a perfect spot for a duel.
"The weather is nice." Sirius leaned against a tree trunk, looked up at the sky, and squinted.
As he said, it had rained at Hogwarts for a week, and today the sun finally came out. The sunshine wasn't exactly warm, but it was bright enough.
"Let's begin, don't worry about me," Sirius said, looking expectantly at Morris.
He still vividly remembers experiencing Morris's skeleton magic in the Shrieking Shack.
How did this seemingly ordinary student learn such skills?
This kid probably has a lot of secrets.
Even he couldn't find a way to deal with those skeletons.
It remains to be seen how Moody's will respond.
He really wanted to know.
"Let's begin." Moody stood in the center of the open space, wand gripped tightly in his hand, calmly looking at Morris. "Since this is practical training, I can't guarantee I won't hurt you. You can attack me with magic first."
Morris felt a bit stressed at the moment.
Between Moody and Scrape, who is actually stronger?
"Then I'll go first."
After offering a reminder, Morris immediately waved his wand, " Bone Summoning Spell!"
A bone spur as thick as a thigh appeared in the air to Moody's left and shot out suddenly.
This was merely a probing attack on his part.
Moody dodged to the side, the bone spur grazing his shoulder and shooting towards the tree trunk behind him... Sirius beside him.
Sirius never imagined that he could fall victim to such a trick while simply watching the show.
"Hey!" He jumped to the side, glaring at Morris, and said, "Watch out!"
Morris ignored him—he'd been watching closely, calculating the angle of the bone spur perfectly.
"What kind of magic is this?" Moody asked. " Transfiguration?"
Although Morris was seen waving his wand, the trajectory was strange, outside his area of expertise, and it was even a Nonverbal Spell.
"More or less." Morris nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Be careful, Professor, the next attack will be much more intense."
He waved his wand and used the Bone Summoning Spell again.
This time, however, it's not just a lone bone spur.
Bone spurs appeared in the air behind Morris, casting a dense mass of dark shadows on the ground.
Under his control, the next wave of attacks will be exactly the same intensity as when he dealt with Scrape.