Ollivander was utterly stunned.
Even now, with his head lowered, he could clearly sense what had just happened.
The pressure that had filled the shop wasn't ordinary magical power.
It was dominance.
Pure and absolute dominance.
For a brief moment, Liam had stood above everyone present.
The old wandmaker suddenly found himself thinking of a possibility so absurd that it should have been impossible.
One day, this child might rule the entire wizarding world.
He might become a king among wizards.
"That wand will do."
Liam calmly placed seven Galleons on the counter before slipping the chestnut wand back into his sleeve.
The moment the wand disappeared from sight, the pressure vanished.
Everyone in the shop unconsciously let out a breath.
"Child, you…"
Ollivander raised his head.
He wanted to ask questions.
Many questions.
But the instant his eyes met Liam's silver gaze, everything changed.
The abyss-like pupils seemed to swallow his consciousness whole.
A modified Memory Charm activated silently.
No wand.
No incantation.
No warning.
The memories of the last few minutes were cleanly erased.
When Ollivander blinked again, confusion filled his face.
He couldn't remember why he had been about to speak.
"Liam, congratulations."
Cassandra stepped forward with a smile.
Before she could continue, Liam suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"What—"
Crack.
A vortex appeared.
The world twisted.
Both of them vanished.
...
Several seconds later, another vortex emerged inside an old manor house on the outskirts of London.
Liam and Cassandra stepped out.
The room was empty.
Dust covered the furniture.
The walls showed signs of age and neglect.
The moment they arrived, Cassandra drew her wand.
Her expression turned cautious.
"What are you doing?"
"Sorry."
Liam released her wrist.
"If we'd left normally, people would have known someone had taken that wand."
He sat casually on a dusty chair.
"Even without understanding much about wandlore, I can tell it's something special."
Cassandra slowly lowered her wand.
"So?"
"So Dark Wizards would start looking for it."
Liam shrugged.
"I dislike unnecessary trouble."
"You kidnapped me because you didn't want trouble?"
"When you say it like that, it sounds strange."
Cassandra rolled her eyes.
"Then how did you stop Ollivander?"
"I erased his memory."
"Without speaking again?"
There was obvious admiration in her voice.
"You haven't even started Hogwarts and you already know all these advanced spells?"
"I'm interested in magical theory."
Liam answered honestly.
"I study how spells work rather than memorizing them."
He pointed toward his silver eyes.
"Most of my modifications allow me to cast through visual activation rather than traditional methods."
"That sounds incredible."
"It also makes people less likely to defend themselves properly."
Liam leaned back.
"Don't tell anyone."
For perhaps the first time in years, he had willingly shared one of his secrets.
Not because it was particularly dangerous.
Even if people knew his eyes triggered many of his spells, avoiding eye contact entirely during a fight was easier said than done.
No.
The real reason was trust.
Cassandra had offered to help him before she knew anything useful about him.
She hadn't been frightened by Death Eaters.
She hadn't been frightened by Azkaban.
That alone earned more respect than most people ever received from Liam.
Sharing secrets was a simple way to strengthen a friendship.
And if she betrayed him?
Then she would simply prove she wasn't worth trusting.
"Actually," Cassandra said thoughtfully, "I've Apparated with my father before."
"And?"
"It was awful."
She grimaced.
"I nearly fainted and spent an hour trying not to vomit."
Her eyes brightened.
"Your Apparition didn't feel like that at all. Did you modify that too?"
Liam nodded.
"Yes."
The answer was technically correct.
In reality, he had modified far more than the comfort level.
The first thing he changed was the travel experience itself.
The second was resistance against anti-Apparition traps.
The third was speed.
During his last battle against Aurors, he had suffered heavily because of anti-Apparition countermeasures.
That experience had inspired months of research.
Azkaban turned out to be the perfect testing ground.
Apparition was prohibited throughout the prison.
The guards were mostly Dementors.
The cells were isolated.
And Aurors rarely conducted thorough inspections.
As long as he restricted himself to small-scale testing, nobody noticed.
After two months of experimentation, Liam had completely redesigned the spell.
His version ignored many conventional restrictions.
The travel experience was smooth.
Anti-Apparition traps were largely ineffective.
The casting speed had improved dramatically.
In Liam's opinion, Apparition could now function as a practical combat spell.
Most wizards avoided using Apparition in duels because the process was unpleasant and dangerous.
He had solved those problems.
Of course, he had no intention of explaining any of that.
Not yet.
"Mostly comfort improvements," he said.
"That's still amazing."
Cassandra looked genuinely impressed.
Then she glanced around the abandoned manor.
"This place is awful."
Liam laughed softly.
"That's not entirely fair."
He spread his hands.
"Everything valuable was confiscated after the Ministry arrested me."
The room became noticeably quieter.
His former association with a Death Eater guaranteed that the Ministry had thoroughly searched the property.
Fortunately, Liam had anticipated that possibility years ago.
Every spell.
Every modification.
Every piece of magical research.
All of it existed only in his mind.
There had never been written records.
No journals.
No notes.
No evidence.
That precaution prevented enemies from studying his work and using it against him.
At the same time, he had heavily modified Occlumency.
Legilimency was completely ineffective against him.
In Liam's view, thorough preparation was simply common sense.
...
Meanwhile, back in Diagon Alley, the pressure that had filled Ollivanders finally disappeared.
Wizards who had sensed the disturbance rushed toward the shop.
Questions erupted immediately.
People demanded answers.
Who had caused it?
What had happened?
Had someone discovered an ancient wand?
Unfortunately, neither Liam nor Cassandra remained.
Both had already Apparated away.
The only witness available was Ollivander.
And Ollivander remembered absolutely nothing.
...
Not far away, Lucius Malfoy stopped walking.
His expression was unusually serious.
He had felt the pressure too.
Unlike most people, he had a useful comparison.
Lord Voldemort's presence inspired fear.
Pure fear.
The pressure that erupted from Ollivanders had been completely different.
It wasn't terror.
It was authority.
Something deeper.
Something more absolute.
And Lucius knew exactly who had been inside the shop at the time.
Liam Hale.
It certainly wasn't Cassandra.
The girl was talented, but not that talented.
No.
The source could only have been Liam.
For the first time, Lucius found himself reevaluating the boy.
A child capable of mastering Dark Magic before the age of ten.
A child immune to curses that should have killed him.
A child who survived Azkaban.
None of those things were normal.
And now there was this.
Lucius suddenly remembered the death of the Death Eater who had once owned Liam.
Even now, years later, the details remained unsettling.