"Alright, alright."
Kingsley rubbed his forehead in defeat.
"I'll coordinate things with the Ministry."
Then he pointed at Liam.
"But once this matter is resolved, you're coming with me."
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because if you don't," Kingsley replied, "all sorts of rumors will start spreading."
"Refusing an official investigation won't do your reputation any favors."
"I don't particularly care about my reputation."
Liam shrugged.
Still, he understood the point.
If he refused outright, the Ministry would likely continue sending Aurors after him.
That would quickly become irritating.
So long as he could deal with the current threat first, making a brief appearance at the Ministry later wasn't a problem.
More importantly, Liam wasn't willing to leave Hogwarts yet.
He still didn't know whether the attacker had accomplices.
Or whether another attack was being planned.
Hermione remained vulnerable.
She had helped him tremendously in deciphering the Moste Potente magic book and spent countless hours sharing knowledge with him.
Protecting a friend was only natural.
As for Professor Snape, Liam wasn't worried.
Given Snape's skill as a spell creator, he almost certainly understood methods of countering lethal curses.
Combined with his considerable magical power, few Death Eaters could threaten him.
Hermione, however, was different.
He would need to prepare something for her.
A protective enchantment.
An amulet capable of resisting the Killing Curse.
With that, she would at least have a chance against surprise attacks.
"Liam."
Dumbledore's voice interrupted his thoughts.
The Headmaster looked unusually serious.
"I am temporarily granting you permission to move freely throughout Hogwarts during this investigation."
Kingsley looked shocked.
Dumbledore ignored him.
"If circumstances allow, however, I would appreciate it if you captured suspects alive."
Liam nodded.
"If nobody requires immediate protection, that shouldn't be difficult."
Kingsley wasn't sure whether to be reassured or concerned by that answer.
"Then I leave the investigation in your hands."
Dumbledore folded his arms.
"Where will you start?"
"First, identify the body."
Liam looked toward the ruined remains.
"Then trace his movements."
"Associates."
"Contacts."
"Friends."
"Anyone connected to him."
He spoke calmly.
"People always leave clues."
Before anyone could respond, hurried footsteps echoed from the castle.
Argus Filch came running across the grounds.
Mrs. Norris was tucked tightly under one arm.
"Headmaster!"
Filch shouted.
"Headmaster Dumbledore!"
"What is it?"
Dumbledore turned.
"The Mirror of Erised!"
Filch gasped for breath.
"It's gone!"
Silence fell.
For the first time, genuine alarm appeared on Dumbledore's face.
"What?"
"Someone stole it!"
The next moment, a grey vortex swallowed the Headmaster.
He Disapparated instantly.
Leaving everyone behind.
Liam remained standing where he was.
His expression didn't change.
But his thoughts accelerated.
The timing was suspicious.
Far too suspicious.
The Mirror of Erised.
The Philosopher's Stone.
A Dark Wizard using the Killing Curse.
The pieces suddenly began fitting together.
Suppose the attack wasn't the primary objective.
Suppose the Killing Curse had merely been a distraction.
A way to draw attention away from another operation.
Stealing the Philosopher's Stone.
That made far more sense.
Most wizards wouldn't understand the enchantments protecting the stone within the Mirror.
Without sufficient magical knowledge, extracting it directly would be difficult.
Stealing the entire Mirror, however?
That was much easier.
Particularly if someone possessed a container enchanted with an Extension Charm.
Liam knew exactly how practical such magic could be.
His own suitcase contained enough space to house a small villa.
Hiding a mirror was trivial.
The more he thought about it, the more logical the theory became.
The attacker probably hadn't expected him to be present.
Without Liam, a wizard capable of casting Killing Curses that accurately could have slaughtered students before escaping.
Madam Hooch certainly wouldn't have stopped him.
The woman still looked shaken.
She wasn't a combat wizard.
She wasn't accustomed to life-and-death situations.
The attacker likely never imagined that a first-year student raised amid Death Eaters and Dark Wizards would be attending the lesson.
Liam's thoughts shifted.
Borgin's words resurfaced.
Someone else had commissioned a counterfeit Philosopher's Stone.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Fortunately, none of it mattered.
Because the genuine Philosopher's Stone was already safely inside his possession.
The fake sat where the original should have been.
Even if the thieves succeeded, they would gain nothing.
Better still, the theft benefited Liam.
The true owner of the stone would never suspect him.
If the Mirror was recovered, responsibility would naturally fall upon whoever stole it.
Not a student who had merely glanced at the artifact and walked away.
Still.
There was a more immediate concern.
Hermione.
Originally, Liam had assumed Hogwarts was secure enough.
After all, Albus Dumbledore himself lived here.
Clearly, that assumption had been incorrect.
Someone had fired a Killing Curse on school grounds.
That alone proved additional precautions were necessary.
Decision made, Liam immediately returned toward the Slytherin dungeons.
...
"Liam!"
Draco hurried over the moment he entered the common room.
"Professor Snape wants everyone gathered in the Great Hall."
"Go ahead."
Liam waved him off.
"I have permission from Dumbledore to move freely."
Draco's eyes widened slightly.
Then again, this was Liam.
Rules rarely seemed to apply normally to him.
"Alright."
He nodded.
"Come on, Crabbe. Goyle."
The three boys departed.
Once they were gone, Liam crossed the common room and opened a battered suitcase that had once been confiscated by the Ministry.
Then he stepped inside.
The world shifted.
The interior space stretched for nearly a thousand square meters.
An entire hidden complex.
Years of work had transformed it into a private base.
The first section contained living quarters and a kitchen.
The second housed countless magical books collected through various means.
The third served as storage for unusual magical artifacts purchased throughout Knockturn Alley.
Most had been acquired cheaply.
Many were useless.
But each provided valuable insight into enchantment theory.
The fourth area functioned as a research laboratory.
The fifth was a dedicated testing ground.
Nine hundred square meters of terrain specifically designed for experimenting with spells.
Forests.
Stone structures.
Open ground.
Every environment he might need.
The final section was reserved for magical crafting.
Liam walked directly there.
After searching through several shelves, he selected an item suitable for enchanting.
A silver pendant.
Simple.
Elegant.
Durable.
Perfect.
Sitting at his workbench, Liam began carving runes into the metal.
Layer after layer.
Protection.
Detection.
Deflection.
And finally—
Resistance against the Killing Curse.
Hermione might never need it.
But after today's events, Liam had no intention of taking chances.
....
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