"Take this."
Snape reached into a drawer and produced an old, weathered notebook.
The cover showed years of use.
"This contains my notes on learning the Patronus Charm."
He handed it over.
Liam accepted the notebook immediately.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Don't thank me yet."
Snape folded his arms.
"The Patronus Charm requires more than magical skill."
His voice became slightly more serious.
"It draws strength from positive memories."
"Powerful ones."
"The stronger the memory, the stronger the Patronus."
Liam nodded as he flipped through the pages.
The contents immediately caught his attention.
This wasn't merely a collection of spell instructions.
It contained detailed magical theory.
Spell structures.
Energy circulation models.
Observations gathered through years of experimentation.
A genuine research journal.
Liam couldn't help feeling slightly surprised.
Creating original spells required an advanced understanding of magical principles.
Seeing these notes, he finally understood how much effort Snape had invested in his craft.
More importantly, he trusted Liam enough to hand them over.
That trust wasn't something Liam took lightly.
Then Snape continued.
"The latter half contains notes on Sectumsempra."
A hint of pride entered his voice.
"My own creation."
"If you reach a bottleneck with the Patronus Charm, you can study that instead."
Liam nodded.
"I understand."
As he turned another page, a thought occurred to him.
A hesitation.
Then a decision.
Perhaps it was time to return some of the trust Snape had shown him.
"Professor."
Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"There is something I should probably tell you."
The older wizard looked mildly curious.
"What is it?"
Liam hesitated briefly.
"I was sent to Azkaban because I used the Killing Curse on a Muggle who attempted to rob me."
The confession came without emotion.
Snape stared at him.
Then shrugged.
"I know."
Liam blinked.
"You know?"
"Dumbledore told me."
Snape's expression remained completely calm.
"I don't particularly care."
The answer was so casual that Liam almost laughed.
"As long as you don't kill Harry Potter, we'll remain friends."
Liam froze.
"Harry Potter?"
That was not the answer he expected.
Especially considering how Snape behaved whenever Harry entered a classroom.
The professor's expression became unusually complicated.
"He's the son of a woman I loved."
The confession emerged quietly.
For a moment, Snape seemed much older.
"I couldn't protect her."
A shadow passed through his eyes.
"At least I can protect her son."
Understanding dawned.
Then Liam asked the first thing that came to mind.
"So... he's your illegitimate child?"
Snape stared at him.
The glare that followed could have frozen lava.
"No."
"Ah."
Liam wisely abandoned that line of inquiry.
Snape sighed.
"I was consumed by dark magic in those days."
"I destroyed the friendship myself."
The regret in his voice was unmistakable.
"She eventually married James Potter."
"My rival."
The room became quiet.
Liam didn't press further.
Some wounds clearly hadn't healed.
After a moment, he reached into his sleeve and withdrew his wand.
Snape frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Instead of answering, Liam touched the tip of the wand to his temple.
A silvery thread emerged.
Memory.
Snape immediately recognized the process.
Carefully, Liam extracted a portion of his memories and sealed them inside a small crystal vial.
Then he handed it over.
The gesture genuinely surprised Snape.
"What is this?"
"A gift."
Liam's answer was simple.
The truth was that he had very few people he considered friends.
Snape was one of them.
And Liam had never been stingy with those he trusted.
The memory contained one of his most valuable discoveries.
Years of research devoted to creating passive defensive enchantments against the Unforgivable Curses.
Not something he would casually reveal to strangers.
Certainly not something he would share with Cassandra or Hermione.
The subject matter was too dangerous.
Too dark.
Too advanced.
Snape, however, was different.
A former Death Eater.
A man familiar with the realities of dark magic.
Someone capable of understanding the significance of the research.
"If you find a suitable material, you can create an enchanted object from it."
Liam explained.
"One capable of automatically resisting the Unforgivable Curses."
Snape's eyes narrowed slightly.
Now he was interested.
"Take a look."
Liam smiled.
"If you discover ways to improve it, I'd appreciate your thoughts."
The Potions Master's expression became strangely complicated.
Eventually, he accepted the vial.
"I'll examine it."
A short time later, Liam departed with Snape's notebook.
The professor watched him leave.
Then glanced down at the memory in his hand.
...
That evening, Snape borrowed Dumbledore's Pensieve.
Curiosity more than anything else drove him.
After all, Liam was still only nine years old.
Talented?
Certainly.
Exceptional?
Without question.
But Snape hadn't truly expected anything revolutionary.
The memory felt more like a gift exchanged between friends.
Nothing more.
Several minutes later, Severus Snape sat motionless on the edge of his bed.
The Pensieve rested beside him.
His expression was blank.
Utterly blank.
For the first time in years, the legendary master of Occlumency looked genuinely stunned.
The memory had shattered his expectations.
Liam hadn't merely studied countermeasures against the Unforgivable Curses.
He had redesigned them entirely.
Passive activation.
Automatic protection.
Layered defensive structures.
The theory alone was breathtaking.
The implications were even worse.
With sufficient preparation, a wizard equipped with these protections could effectively neutralize one of the greatest advantages possessed by dark wizards.
Including Voldemort.
Slowly, Snape leaned back.
Now he understood.
He finally understood why Liam had refused apprenticeship.
There was simply nothing Snape could teach him in certain areas.
The realization should have been frustrating.
Instead, he felt oddly proud.
Perhaps only Dumbledore possessed enough knowledge to properly guide Liam.
Unfortunately, that possibility disturbed him.
Snape trusted Dumbledore.
Mostly.
But not completely.
The Headmaster always prioritized the greater good.
Sometimes at terrible cost.
If a day came when sacrificing Liam benefited the wizarding world...
Snape wasn't entirely convinced Dumbledore would refuse.
His eyes hardened.
No.
That wouldn't happen.
Not while he was alive.
The memory had been entrusted to him.
An expectation.
A responsibility.
Liam believed he could become stronger.
Strong enough to stand beside him against Voldemort.
Snape had no intention of disappointing that trust.
Immediately, he began studying the defensive enchantments.
For the first time in many years, the Potions Master felt something dangerously close to motivation.
...
Elsewhere in Hogwarts, Liam sat alone inside his hidden classroom.
Snape's notebook lay open before him.
A soft silver glow hovered at the tip of his wand.
The beginnings of a Patronus.
The spell itself wasn't difficult.
Compared to ancient forbidden magic, the Patronus Charm was relatively straightforward.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was happiness.
Liam stared at the weak silver light.
Then sighed.
"Not good enough."
The glow flickered.
Then vanished.
The Patronus Charm drew power from positive memories.
Genuine happiness.
Joy.
Hope.
Comfort.
Things Liam possessed in surprisingly small quantities.
Years spent among Death Eaters hadn't exactly produced an abundance of cheerful memories.
His time in Knockturn Alley certainly hadn't helped.
In fact, when he carefully reviewed his life, only one memory stood out clearly.
A train compartment.
A box of macarons.
Cassandra sitting across from him.
Offering him food without asking for anything in return.
The memory was pleasant.
But only pleasant.
Not powerful enough.
Not for a true Patronus.
Most people fueled the charm with years of happy experiences.
Liam had a single train ride.
The difference was substantial.
The silver light reappeared briefly.
Then faded again.
Liam tapped the notebook thoughtfully.
After a moment, a familiar smile appeared.
A smile that usually meant trouble.
"Well."
He closed the notebook.
"If the original spell doesn't suit me..."
His fingers lightly tapped the desk.
"Then I'll improve it."
After all, modifying impossible magic had become something of a habit.
....
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