The moment Liam and Marcus prepared for a duel, the students surrounding them exploded with excitement.
Tables were pushed aside.
Space opened in the middle of the Great Hall.
Even students from other Houses stopped eating to watch.
After all, the matchup was ridiculous.
Liam had attended Hogwarts for less than a week.
Marcus Flint was already a fifth-year student.
Under normal circumstances, the outcome should have been obvious.
Yet Liam wasn't normal.
The first-years from Slytherin and Hufflepuff had already spread countless stories about him.
The Vanishing Spell that had removed Quirrell's turban before anyone could react.
The discovery of Voldemort hiding inside Hogwarts.
The reward from the Ministry.
The celebration banquet.
Everything made Liam seem mysterious and unfathomable.
No one knew how strong he really was.
Which made the duel incredibly interesting.
Marcus pointed his wand.
"Go ahead."
Liam made a casual gesture.
"You can have the first move."
Marcus's expression darkened immediately.
"Against a first-year?"
His pride was stung.
"You expect me to attack first?"
"Of course."
Liam looked completely unconcerned.
"If you don't attack first, you might not get a chance."
The statement instantly drew gasps from the surrounding students.
Marcus's face turned red.
Arrogant.
Far too arrogant.
"Fine."
He raised his wand.
"Since you're being so generous, don't blame me later."
A cruel smile appeared.
"I'll make sure you don't get the opportunity to cast a single spell."
The wand snapped forward.
"Diffindo!"
A cutting curse shot through the air.
The spell was fast.
For an ordinary first-year, it would have been almost impossible to dodge.
Liam simply stepped sideways.
The curse sliced harmlessly past him.
A deep cut appeared across a wooden table behind him.
At the same moment, Liam's wand moved.
"Reducto."
The Blasting Curse exploded from the tip of his wand.
Marcus's confident expression vanished instantly.
The curse crossed the distance between them almost faster than he could react.
The spell skimmed past his cheek.
Then struck the stone wall behind him.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the entire Great Hall.
Students screamed.
Dust erupted into the air.
Stone shattered.
When the debris finally settled, everyone stared in disbelief.
More than half of the wall behind Marcus had vanished.
The impact site looked as though a cannon had struck it.
Silence filled the hall.
Marcus stood frozen.
His wand remained extended exactly as before.
But his body refused to move.
A thin trail of cold sweat rolled down his face.
For the first time in his life, he understood how close he had come to death.
If that curse had landed...
There wouldn't even have been a body left to bury.
Liam casually walked forward.
His expression remained calm.
Almost friendly.
That somehow made it worse.
He stopped directly in front of Marcus.
The tip of his wand gently tapped the place where the Blasting Curse had passed mere inches from Marcus's face.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Liam smiled.
"Just missed."
Marcus stared at him in horror.
He wasn't stupid.
That curse hadn't missed accidentally.
Liam had aimed it perfectly.
The realization was terrifying.
"Senior."
Liam's voice remained polite.
"Let's not waste each other's time anymore."
The smile never left his face.
"If you continue causing trouble..."
He lightly tapped Marcus's cheek again with the wand.
"Next time, I might not miss."
Marcus immediately lowered his head.
"I understand."
His voice was barely audible.
The proud Quidditch captain no longer looked imposing.
At that moment, he didn't even dare meet Liam's eyes.
"Good."
Liam seemed satisfied.
Then he casually turned toward the destroyed wall.
"Reparo."
The wand traced a simple motion.
Immediately, the shattered stones began flying backward.
Like time reversing itself.
Chunks of masonry returned to their original positions.
Cracks vanished.
Dust disappeared.
Within seconds, the wall looked completely untouched.
Several students stared with open mouths.
The control required to perform such a repair immediately after casting a powerful Blasting Curse was astonishing.
Liam returned to his seat.
Picked up his fork.
And continued eating lunch as though nothing had happened.
The Great Hall remained silent for several seconds.
Then the first-years exploded.
Cheers echoed through the room.
Especially from Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
The display had completely shattered their understanding of first-year magic.
Most new students struggled with basic classroom spells.
Liam had nearly demolished part of the Great Hall.
The difference was absurd.
Even many older students looked shaken.
Marcus's Cutting Curse had barely damaged a table.
Liam's Blasting Curse had nearly destroyed a wall.
The difference in magical power was obvious.
Across the hall, Marcus's teammates hurried over and helped him sit down.
His legs looked slightly unsteady.
No one laughed.
Everyone had seen how close he came to disaster.
Meanwhile, Liam calmly continued eating.
A few minutes later, a hesitant voice spoke beside him.
"Liam?"
He looked up.
A short-haired Slytherin girl stood nearby carrying a lunch tray.
Pansy Parkinson.
"Can I sit here?"
She looked nervous.
"Sure."
Liam shrugged.
"Do whatever you want."
After receiving permission, Pansy immediately sat down.
Coincidentally, she chose the seat Cassandra usually occupied.
The girl smiled sweetly.
"Your Blasting Curse was incredible."
"Thanks."
Liam continued eating.
Pansy hesitated.
Then gathered her courage.
"Could you teach me sometime?"
The question came out softer than intended.
"No."
The rejection was immediate.
Pansy's smile froze.
"I have other things to do."
That was all.
No explanation.
No apology.
No negotiation.
Pansy blinked.
For a moment, she couldn't process what had happened.
She had always considered herself fairly cute.
Most boys responded positively when she took the initiative.
Yet Liam had rejected her without even looking up from his food.
The outcome completely exceeded her expectations.
Nearby students watched with sympathetic expressions.
Meanwhile, Liam wasn't thinking about Pansy at all.
His priorities were simple.
Solve the mystery of Voldemort's immortality.
Gain enough power to protect himself from people like Dumbledore.
Everything else could wait.
Romance.
Popularity.
Social status.
All of it ranked far below survival.
By the time Pansy was still trying to understand what had happened, Liam had already finished lunch.
He stood up.
Then headed toward the abandoned classroom he had converted into a temporary research laboratory.
There were no Slytherin classes scheduled for the afternoon.
Which meant several uninterrupted hours of magical research.
A rare luxury.
Unfortunately, he hadn't gone far before someone called his name.
"Liam."
He turned.
Professor Flitwick was hurrying toward him.
The Charms professor looked unusually excited.
"Professor?"
Liam stopped.
Flitwick beamed.
"I have something for you."
He produced an envelope.
The seal was unfamiliar.
"It's from the Wizengamot."
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"The Wizengamot?"
Flitwick nodded enthusiastically.
"They oversee many of the highest honors in magical Britain."
The professor practically vibrated with excitement.
"You exposed Voldemort's plot."
"You helped capture him."
"I believe they're considering you for the Order of Merlin."
His smile widened even further.
"If that happens, you'll probably become the youngest recipient in history."
The statement drew several shocked looks from nearby students.
The Order of Merlin.
One of the highest honors in the wizarding world.
Liam accepted the envelope.
"Let's see."
Without much ceremony, he broke the seal and opened the letter.
....
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