Hermione's opinion of Lockhart had begun to crumble.
She was intelligent enough to notice the inconsistencies between the famous adventurer described in his books and the man she had just watched embarrass himself in class.
The heroic, composed, and powerful wizard from the stories seemed nowhere to be found.
Instead, she had seen a vain man desperately trying to protect his reputation.
On the other hand...
Liam had been elegant from beginning to end.
Calm.
Confident.
Composed.
And incredibly handsome.
Hermione suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and slapped her burning cheeks.
What was she thinking?
Everyone could see that Cassandra practically treated Liam as if he belonged to her. Liam had never once denied it either.
She couldn't become the sort of girl who tried to interfere in someone else's relationship.
Absolutely not.
Hermione repeatedly reminded herself that Liam was simply a friend.
A like-minded friend she enjoyed talking to in the library.
Nothing more.
And yet...
A small part of her couldn't help feeling jealous of Cassandra.
If only she had met Liam sooner.
Maybe things would have been different.
Her thoughts wandered further before she abruptly remembered a certain section from her Potions textbook.
Wasn't there a potion called Amortentia?
The strongest love potion in the world?
Smack.
Hermione slapped both cheeks again.
Hard.
"What am I thinking?!"
She almost buried her face in her hands.
Still...
Liam had always looked at her differently from everyone else.
Unlike many Gryffindor students, he never treated her as an annoying know-it-all.
He never seemed irritated by her enthusiasm for studying.
He genuinely listened whenever she spoke.
Was it really strange to want to become closer to someone who was handsome, elegant, intelligent, and powerful?
And honestly...
Liam was younger than her.
That somehow made him seem even more adorable.
Without realizing it, Hermione once again drifted into her own imagination.
The repeated slapping eventually attracted attention from the surrounding students.
Hermione remained completely unaware.
It wasn't until she heard Ron's voice that she finally returned to reality.
Harry was helping him back to his feet after Lockhart's disastrous spell.
"I'm telling you," Ron muttered, "she's a complete weirdo. Always showing off. No wonder she doesn't have any friends."
Hermione immediately glared at him.
Then her expression froze.
Because Ron wasn't the only one looking at her strangely.
Many of the other Gryffindors wore similar expressions.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Some looked dismissive.
Others simply ignored her entirely.
The message was obvious.
They agreed with Ron.
A sharp pain pierced Hermione's chest.
For the first time, she found herself regretting her decision during the Sorting Ceremony.
The students in Gryffindor hadn't been particularly welcoming.
No matter how hard she tried, she always seemed excluded.
If she had gone to Slytherin instead...
If she had listened to the Sorting Hat...
Then perhaps she would have had someone by her side.
Someone who understood her.
Someone who didn't treat her like an outsider.
The Sorting Hat had strongly considered placing her in Slytherin.
Had she made the wrong choice?
That question remained in Hermione's mind throughout the rest of Lockhart's lesson.
The collapse of her idol.
The growing isolation from her classmates.
By the time class ended, her mood had sunk to its lowest point.
Without thinking, she headed straight toward the library.
More than ever, she wanted to see Liam.
She wanted to discuss magic.
Books.
Spells.
Anything.
Just talking with him always made her feel better.
...
After escaping Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Liam and Cassandra deliberately avoided the crowds.
The two eventually arrived at the edge of Hogwarts' grounds near the Forbidden Forest.
Ever since Dumbledore had forbidden students from entering the forest during the Opening Feast, very few students came anywhere near it.
Which made it the perfect training ground.
Today, Liam intended to teach Cassandra through practical combat.
"Are you seriously not going to hold back?"
Cassandra asked.
"Not really."
Liam answered honestly.
She frowned.
"Are you looking down on me?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"I'm just used to fighting with lethal intent. When I fight seriously, my first instinct is to kill my opponent."
The blunt honesty made Cassandra pause.
"You're my friend," Liam continued. "I don't want to kill you."
After a few seconds, she sighed.
"Fine. You're allowed to hold back a little."
Then she pointed her wand at him.
"But fight seriously."
Liam nodded.
"I can do that."
The two separated by ten paces.
Both performed proper dueling salutes.
Then Liam began counting down.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
The moment the count ended—
"Fuchsia Charm!"
"Earth Spike!"
Neither hesitated.
Cassandra immediately chose a control spell.
She knew exactly how dangerous Liam was and had no intention of underestimating him.
Unfortunately, the ground beneath her feet exploded upward before her spell could connect.
A stone pillar burst from the earth.
Her balance vanished instantly.
The Fuchsia Charm flew harmlessly past Liam's shoulder.
Before she could recover, Liam raised his wand.
Three silver-white projectiles materialized beside him.
Each one was formed entirely from condensed magical power.
Then they shot toward her.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
Cassandra's instincts screamed.
She threw herself sideways.
The three projectiles struck the ground where she had stood.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Three enormous craters exploded into existence.
Cassandra's eyes widened.
Cold sweat appeared on her back.
If those had hit her directly—
The outcome would have been disastrous.
More importantly, what kind of spell was that?
She had never seen anything remotely similar.
Never even heard of it.
Suddenly, a sharp pain appeared on her cheek.
A thin line of blood emerged.
Something invisible had sliced across her skin.
Wind.
The realization hit instantly.
Wind blades.
Invisible wind blades.
"You should always pay attention to your opponent's movements."
Liam's voice echoed nearby.
"Many spells don't produce visible magical light. Most wizards still need to aim their wands."
Cassandra trusted her instincts and immediately dodged sideways.
Two more invisible blades sliced through the air where her head had been moments before.
Then something far worse happened.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon her.
Killing intent.
Pure, concentrated killing intent.
The sensation wrapped around her body like icy chains.
Every instinct screamed danger.
Her muscles stiffened involuntarily.
Fear threatened to seize control.
"Move."
Liam's voice became sharp.
"There are countless forms of magic in this world. You'll never learn all of them."
Another wave of pressure crashed into her.
"Your enemies can use spells you've never seen before. If you don't understand what's happening, then stop trying to fight back."
Cassandra gritted her teeth.
"Run."
Liam pointed his wand forward.
"Observe. Survive. Learn."
His voice was cold.
"Fear is normal. Letting fear control you is what gets you killed."
Then Cassandra felt another surge of magic.
The surrounding gravel suddenly lifted into the air.
Hundreds of stones floated around Liam like a deadly storm.
Her instincts immediately recognized the danger.
Without hesitation, she turned and ran.
The next second, the stones exploded forward.
Each one accelerated like a bullet.
Trees throughout the Forbidden Forest shuddered violently as stone fragments embedded themselves deep into the trunks.
The barrage chased Cassandra relentlessly.
She ran.
Dodged.
Stumbled.
Kept running.
Only when her legs finally gave out did the attack stop.
She collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
The final stone landed inches in front of her face.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then Cassandra lifted her head and glared at Liam.
"I told you to fight seriously."
Her voice trembled.
"But you were genuinely trying to kill me!"
Liam shook his head.
"I wasn't."
The answer only made her more annoyed.
"I promise I wasn't trying to kill you."
He walked over calmly.
"But the Dark Wizards and Death Eaters you'll face in the future absolutely will."
His expression became serious.
"I'm teaching you how to survive them."
Cassandra slowly sat up.
Liam looked directly into her eyes.
"Kassandra."
His voice was calm.
"This isn't Hogwarts."
"The moment you face a real Dark Wizard, the only thing they'll think about is how to kill you."
He paused briefly.
"It's better for you to suffer a little during training with me than die because nobody taught you the truth."
Liam's expression remained completely serious.
....
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