Faced with Snape's sincere invitation, Liam found himself genuinely conflicted.
On the surface, having the Head of Slytherin personally tutor him sounded like an excellent opportunity.
The problem was that Snape seemed far too enthusiastic.
Liam could already imagine what would happen next.
Daily lessons.
Advanced coursework.
Endless hours studying material intended for older students.
For most children, that would be a dream.
For Liam, it was a problem.
The magic he needed wasn't ordinary magic.
If he wanted to stand on equal footing with monsters like Dumbledore—or eventually destroy Voldemort permanently—he would need access to forgotten branches of magic.
Ancient spells.
Lost rituals.
Forbidden knowledge.
Things that weren't taught at Hogwarts.
Even if Snape possessed such magic, there was no guarantee he would teach it.
And if Snape filled all of Liam's free time with additional lessons, that would leave him with less time to decipher the curses protecting Borgin's dark grimoire.
From the perspective of increasing his combat strength, becoming Snape's formal apprentice simply wasn't the best option.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
Liam shook his head politely.
"I'm grateful for your confidence in me."
He chose his next words carefully.
"But we've only known each other for a very short time."
His expression remained respectful.
"I can't accept your offer right now."
The rejection wasn't hostile.
It was simply honest.
They had met yesterday.
Becoming someone's successor today would be absurd.
More importantly, Liam had never liked relationships built around hierarchy.
Teacher and student.
Master and apprentice.
Superior and subordinate.
Those weren't arrangements he enjoyed.
Friendships were different.
Friendships were equal.
Silence filled the classroom.
Snape stood motionless.
For several moments, he said nothing.
Then a deep sigh escaped him.
The sound carried more disappointment than Liam had expected.
Without a word, Snape drew his wand.
The Silencing Charm vanished.
The locking spells disappeared.
The classroom returned to normal.
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
His black cloak billowed behind him.
For some reason, the sight felt strangely lonely.
As he walked, Snape couldn't stop the bitter thoughts creeping into his mind.
Of course the boy refused.
His reputation among students was terrible.
Many disliked him.
Some feared him.
Others mocked him behind his back.
He knew perfectly well that students from other Houses had invented countless insulting nicknames for him over the years.
Perhaps a proud and talented child like Liam would naturally reject someone like him.
The thought hurt more than he cared to admit.
Then Liam spoke again.
"Professor Snape."
The older wizard stopped.
"I still want to learn Potions from you."
Snape turned slightly.
Liam smiled.
"And I'd like to be your friend."
For the first time in many years, Severus Snape completely froze.
Friend?
The word sounded almost foreign.
Slowly, he turned around.
His expression was unusually strange.
The emotional control maintained by decades of Occlumency seemed to crack for a brief moment.
Friend.
He hadn't heard that word directed at him sincerely in a very long time.
Perhaps decades.
After his falling out with Lily Evans, friendships had gradually disappeared from his life.
The Death Eaters saw him as a useful servant.
Voldemort saw him as a tool.
Dumbledore trusted him, but even that relationship revolved around duty and necessity.
The other professors respected him professionally, but friendship was another matter entirely.
The realization struck him unexpectedly.
He had been alone for years.
A very long time.
Meanwhile, Liam completely misunderstood his reaction.
Seeing Snape's stiff expression, he immediately assumed he had accidentally offended him.
"Uh..."
Liam scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I haven't had many friends either."
"If that's too presumptuous, please forget I said it."
"Sorry."
The apology finally snapped Snape out of his thoughts.
"No."
The word came out instantly.
Then he paused.
For perhaps the first time in years, he found himself struggling to speak.
"You are... qualified."
The sentence sounded awkward even to him.
His hand extended stiffly.
"I am... grateful."
Liam stared for a moment.
Then he smiled.
A genuine smile.
The kind completely free of calculation or caution.
"Then please take care of me in the future, Professor."
He reached out and shook Snape's hand.
The Potions Master's palm was cold.
At that moment, a decision formed inside Snape's heart.
A silent promise.
If Voldemort ever returned.
If danger ever came.
If the entire world stood against this child.
He would still protect him.
No matter the cost.
The thought surprised even him.
After all, he had spent years risking his life for promises made to the dead.
Protecting the first true friend he had gained in decades somehow felt much simpler.
Eventually, Snape released Liam's hand.
His expression returned to normal.
Almost.
"I still need to speak with Dumbledore."
His voice had regained its usual calmness.
"The school has suspended classes for the remainder of the afternoon."
"You may use the time however you wish."
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But remain cautious."
"Don't become complacent."
"I won't."
Liam nodded.
Satisfied, Snape turned and left the classroom.
His pace was considerably lighter than before.
Liam watched him disappear down the corridor.
Then he began walking as well.
His thoughts quickly returned to the more pressing issue.
Voldemort.
If Snape was correct, then Voldemort couldn't truly die.
At least not easily.
That meant the conflict between them was far from over.
In reality, coexistence had never been possible.
From his years living among Death Eaters, Liam understood Voldemort's personality quite well.
The Dark Lord tolerated no equals.
No rivals.
No independent powers.
Anyone standing on the same level would eventually become an enemy.
Liam was no different.
He had no intention of kneeling before anyone.
If someone tried to dominate him, he would eliminate them.
That was exactly what had happened to the Death Eater who once owned him.
Voldemort would eventually meet the same fate.
The only question was how.
As for the mystery of Voldemort's immortality, Liam could currently think of three possible explanations.
The first involved supernatural contracts.
Perhaps Voldemort had formed an agreement with Death itself or some powerful infernal creature.
Such beings occasionally granted methods of escaping mortality.
The problem was cost.
Deals like that were never free.
In Liam's experience, souls were the most valuable currency in existence.
Despairing souls were even more precious.
A creature capable of granting immortality would certainly demand a terrible price.
More importantly, true immortality usually wasn't included.
Even ancient demonic contracts typically offered only temporary protection from death.
Eventually, the debtor's soul became payment.
A man obsessed with eternal life like Voldemort would never willingly accept such terms.
For that reason, Liam considered the possibility unlikely.
The second explanation involved potions.
Snape claimed that no known potion could achieve resurrection.
Liam believed him.
But that only covered modern potion-making.
Ancient magical traditions were a different matter.
Many powerful spells had vanished from history.
The same could easily be true for potions.
Modern magic was, in many respects, less destructive than it had been centuries ago.
Even the Killing Curse, terrifying as it was, might not have been considered exceptional in certain ancient eras.
Liam knew this because he had once encountered one of those lost spells.
A genuine ancient forbidden curse dating back centuries.
Its name was Eternal Frost.
About a year earlier, he had tested it deep within an isolated mountain range.
The moment he successfully cast the spell, every drop of magic inside his body vanished.
The entire mountain transformed.
Ice spread across the landscape.
A blizzard engulfed everything.
The world became white.
The spell consumed magical power at a horrifying rate.
If Liam hadn't severed his connection to it immediately, even his life force would have been drained away.
Fortunately, he had reacted quickly.
Unfortunately, severing the connection meant losing control.
Even after drinking restorative potions, he discovered that the magic inside his body had partially frozen.
Apparition became impossible.
For a terrifying period, escape wasn't an option.
Luckily, as the caster, he had been positioned near the outer edge of the spell's area of effect.
Using nothing but his own legs, he managed to stagger beyond the frozen boundary.
Otherwise, he might have remained trapped there forever.
A week later, he returned to inspect the results.
The sight left a lasting impression.
The mountain remained completely frozen.
Not a single section had melted.
Every tree.
Every animal.
Every trace of life.
All of it had become eternal ice.
In Liam's opinion, only power on that level truly deserved to be called a forbidden spell.
....
Join my P*atreon for 100 premium chapters ahead of the public release.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)
Free members also get 2 advanced chapters for free.