To Liam, the Ministry's so-called Unforgivable Curses were almost laughably tame when compared to truly ancient forbidden magic.
Any reasonably competent Death Eater could learn the three Unforgivable Curses.
That alone disqualified them from being truly extraordinary.
The only disappointing aspect of Eternal Frost was its impracticality.
The casting time was far too long.
The magical cost was absurd.
Even after spending years refining and improving the spell, Liam had only managed to reduce the requirements slightly.
The spell remained monstrously expensive to use.
Since discovering it, he had continued searching for other forbidden spells.
Unfortunately, he had found nothing comparable.
As a result, Liam had reached a tentative conclusion.
The secret behind Voldemort's immortality was almost certainly connected to either an ancient forbidden spell or a lost magical potion.
Coincidentally, the same types of knowledge were exactly what Liam needed if he ever wanted to challenge Dumbledore directly.
Nobody was born knowing magic.
Not even Voldemort.
Every spell had to be learned somewhere.
From books.
From teachers.
From forgotten inheritances.
Voldemort had attended Hogwarts.
If ancient magical records existed anywhere, there was a chance some traces remained hidden within the castle's archives.
Perhaps the library would be worth investigating.
The thought lingered in Liam's mind as he descended toward the lower floors of Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, the moment he reached the entrance hall, disaster struck.
"Liam!"
"Who was that face behind Professor Quirrell's head?"
"How did you make the turban disappear?"
"That spell was amazing!"
"Can you teach me?"
"What did Headmaster Dumbledore say?"
"Is Voldemort really alive?"
Students appeared from every direction.
Within seconds, Liam found himself completely surrounded by first-years from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
Questions bombarded him endlessly.
Nearby, Cassandra watched the scene with a pleased expression.
She stood slightly outside the crowd, arms folded proudly.
In her eyes, Liam should be the brightest star in Slytherin.
Perhaps in all of Hogwarts.
Far from being jealous, she seemed genuinely delighted by the attention he was receiving.
After all, modifying spells was something many accomplished wizards never achieved in their entire lives.
Liam deserved recognition.
As for herself, she wasn't worried.
The school year had only just begun.
She had plenty of time to establish her own reputation.
One day, she intended to stand beside Liam as an equal.
The two of them would become Slytherin's pride together.
Meanwhile, at the center of the crowd, Liam was developing a headache.
The admiration of first-year students offered him absolutely nothing.
It wouldn't improve his magic.
It wouldn't help him discover forbidden spells.
It wouldn't increase his chances of surviving a future encounter with Voldemort or Dumbledore.
If anything, it only wasted valuable time.
Liam had no interest in being adored.
Today was one of the few afternoons he had available to study the cursed grimoire.
He wasn't about to spend it answering questions.
Without warning, he drew his wand.
A pulse of powerful magic erupted outward.
The students surrounding him staggered back instinctively.
Not because the spell was dangerous.
Because the magical pressure alone forced them to retreat.
The opening appeared.
Liam immediately slipped through the gap and disappeared down the corridor.
The students stared after him.
"Wow..."
"He's amazing."
A few looked disappointed.
"But he's so cold."
"We're all in the same House."
"Would talking to us really waste that much time?"
Several Slytherins muttered complaints.
Not everyone shared that opinion.
Some of the younger girls watched Liam's departing figure with sparkling eyes.
His combination of talent, confidence, and indifference created a mysterious appeal that proved surprisingly effective.
Draco Malfoy, meanwhile, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Liam's antisocial tendencies suited him perfectly.
The fewer allies Liam gained, the better.
Unaware of the various reactions behind him, Liam continued through Hogwarts Castle.
After wandering through several corridors, he finally located what he was looking for.
An abandoned classroom.
Dust covered every surface.
The air smelled stale.
Judging by the condition of the room, nobody had entered for years.
Perfect.
Liam stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Immediately, he began setting up defenses.
His wand moved rapidly.
First came a reinforcement spell that fused the door with the surrounding wall.
Even Alohomora wouldn't open it now.
Anyone attempting entry would need to physically destroy the door.
The second spell was a detection curse.
If someone breached the room, Liam would know instantly.
That would provide enough warning to conceal whatever he happened to be studying.
Only after completing both protections did he nod in satisfaction.
Then he reached into his pocket.
A small suitcase appeared in his hand.
He placed it carefully in the corner.
"Undetectable Extension Charm."
The interior space expanded dramatically.
Once the enchantment stabilized, Liam opened the lid and jumped inside.
The suitcase closed behind him.
A moment later, the exterior activated another layer of protection.
A Disillusionment Charm.
The suitcase blended seamlessly into its surroundings.
Anyone entering the room would see nothing unusual.
Combined with the other security measures, the setup was more than sufficient.
Inside the suitcase, roughly ten square meters of space had been expanded through magic.
Compared to his previous magical workshop, however, it felt tiny.
His original suitcase had been far more impressive.
It had contained books.
Potion ingredients.
Research equipment.
Years of accumulated resources purchased throughout Knockturn Alley.
Unfortunately, the Ministry had confiscated everything after his arrest.
This replacement had been assembled in a hurry.
Looking at the mostly empty interior, Liam couldn't help sighing.
One day, he would reclaim every single item the Ministry had stolen.
Every book.
Every ingredient.
Every tool.
Eventually.
For now, he focused on the task at hand.
He removed a metal box from his pocket.
Inside rested the dark grimoire acquired from Borgin.
The infamous cursed book.
Placing it carefully on the floor, Liam immediately cast several protective spells on himself.
Only then did he begin studying the book's defenses.
Numerous curses covered the grimoire.
The outermost layer contained three separate protections.
Among them, one stood out immediately.
A curse designed to rapidly weaken the victim's vital organs.
That was the most dangerous threat.
Therefore, it had to be solved first.
Liam crouched beside the book and began examining every detail.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Gradually, the structure of the curse became clearer.
Once he believed he understood its mechanics, he pulled out a notebook and quill.
The process of creating a counter-curse began.
Line after line filled the pages.
Symbols.
Corrections.
Theoretical adjustments.
Eventually, several hours passed.
At last, Liam sat back.
His first attempt was complete.
Now came the testing phase.
He reached into a small breeding container and removed a mouse.
After applying the newly designed counter-curse to the animal, he levitated it toward the grimoire using magic.
The mouse drifted downward.
Touched the cursed surface.
Immediately, its body convulsed.
Black blood poured from its eyes, nose, and mouth.
Seconds later, it died.
Liam wasn't surprised.
"Hmm."
He studied the result calmly.
"As expected."
His first version had failed.
The dead mouse vanished beneath a Vanishing Spell.
No evidence remained.
Liam picked up his notebook again.
New notes appeared on the page.
Corrections.
Adjustments.
Additional theories.
The process of developing magic was incredibly slow.
Painfully slow, sometimes.
Most wizards would find it unbearably tedious.
Liam loved every second of it.
Because each failed experiment brought him one step closer to becoming stronger.
....
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