After Dumbledore departed, Liam immediately raised his wand.
The chestnut wood felt warm in his hand.
"Disillusionment Charm."
A wave of icy magic flowed from the tip of the wand like liquid silver.
It spread across his body.
His skin blurred.
His robes faded.
Within seconds, he merged perfectly with the surrounding environment.
Even standing directly in front of him, most people would walk past without noticing.
Only then did Liam leave the classroom.
There was no doubt what would happen next.
The entire castle had witnessed the appearance of the enormous silver dragon.
Sooner or later, curious students would flood the area.
The last thing Liam needed was more attention.
The Voldemort incident had already made everyday life difficult.
Finding a quiet place to conduct magical research had become increasingly challenging.
Students followed him constantly.
Questions never stopped.
Rumours spread faster than owl post.
If the dragon could redirect everyone's attention elsewhere, that would be ideal.
After all, nobody in their right mind would suspect a nine-year-old first-year student of producing a Patronus capable of covering half the sky.
At least, Liam hoped they wouldn't.
As he descended the stairs, he immediately saw groups of students rushing upward.
Exactly as expected.
The Disillusionment Charm concealed him completely.
Nobody noticed the invisible boy pressed calmly against the wall.
Students ran past.
Some excited.
Some confused.
Others desperately trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious dragon.
Within moments, the corridor was empty again.
Liam continued toward the Slytherin common room.
Along the way, he encountered someone unexpected.
Professor Snape.
The Potions Master stopped immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he pointed behind Liam.
"That dragon."
The question didn't need to be spoken.
Liam smiled.
"Yes."
Snape stared.
Not because Liam admitted it.
Because he had never doubted it.
The moment the dragon appeared, his first assumption had been Liam.
The only confusing part was seeing Liam casually returning from the opposite direction.
As though he had nothing to do with the event.
"It worked."
Liam scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Perhaps a little too well."
Snape's eyes briefly flickered with amusement.
"Indeed."
"The result exceeded expectations."
"Professor."
Liam lowered his voice.
"Please keep it secret."
Snape looked at him strangely.
Then snorted.
"You think I intend to announce it to the school?"
"Fair point."
"Besides."
Liam smiled.
"Your notes helped enormously."
"Without them, I wouldn't have reached this point so quickly."
Snape shook his head.
For once, he refused the compliment.
"I know exactly what was written in those notes."
His gaze drifted toward the sky beyond the corridor windows.
"My Patronus never shattered castle walls."
Liam coughed.
That was difficult to argue with.
"Anyway."
He changed the subject.
"I should head back."
"Go."
Snape nodded.
Then, after a brief pause, added quietly:
"Well done."
The words were simple.
But they carried genuine pride.
Liam smiled.
Then disappeared toward the common room.
...
The Slytherin common room was empty when he arrived.
Exactly what he wanted.
He settled onto one of the leather sofas.
Then reopened Snape's notebook.
This time, his attention focused on a different section.
Sectumsempra.
Snape's personal creation.
Unlike the Patronus Charm, it was designed purely for combat.
That alone made it worth studying.
An hour passed.
Then the portrait entrance burst open.
Draco Malfoy entered alongside Crabbe and Goyle.
The moment he spotted Liam, relief flooded his face.
"Liam!"
Liam looked up from the notebook.
"What?"
"Did you hear about it?"
Draco sounded almost breathless.
"The dragon!"
"The giant silver dragon!"
Liam blinked.
"What dragon?"
The performance was flawless.
Draco didn't notice anything suspicious.
"It appeared over Hogwarts!"
He waved his arms dramatically.
"It was enormous!"
"Cold."
"Powerful."
"Terrifying."
"Magnificent."
Liam nodded thoughtfully.
"That sounds impressive."
"It was!"
Draco practically glowed with excitement.
"You should've seen it."
"What a shame."
Liam sighed dramatically.
"I missed it."
Draco immediately looked sympathetic.
Then he hesitated.
The excitement faded slightly.
A more serious expression appeared.
"Actually..."
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Draco looked down at the floor.
A rare sight.
"I wanted to apologise."
Liam already knew where this was going.
"For Ollivanders."
Draco's voice became quieter.
"I was rude."
The memory surfaced immediately.
Their first meeting.
The arrogance.
The insults.
The challenge.
Everything before Draco learned exactly who he was dealing with.
Since then, Marcus Flint's humiliation had thoroughly corrected any remaining misconceptions.
Draco no longer saw Liam as a rival.
Instead, he viewed him with a mixture of admiration and caution.
"It's fine."
Liam closed the notebook.
"Everyone makes mistakes."
The relief on Draco's face was immediate.
"Really?"
"Really."
Draco visibly relaxed.
"Thanks."
Then Liam pointed at the book.
"Now I'd like to continue reading."
The message was clear.
Draco understood immediately.
"Of course."
He nodded repeatedly.
"No problem."
"Come on."
He motioned toward Crabbe and Goyle.
"We'll leave him alone."
The two boys followed without question.
A moment later, all three disappeared into the dormitory corridor.
The common room became quiet once more.
Liam smiled faintly.
Perfect.
Draco had unknowingly become the ideal witness.
If anyone investigated the dragon incident further, there would now be students willing to swear Liam had spent the evening quietly reading in the common room.
An accidental alibi.
Extremely useful.
...
The following day, the results became obvious.
Without any evidence linking him to the dragon, students quickly shifted their attention elsewhere.
The mysterious silver dragon became Hogwarts' newest obsession.
Speculation spread everywhere.
Professors.
Graduates.
Ancient magic.
Lost spells.
Everyone had a theory.
Nobody suspected Liam.
For the first time in weeks, he could walk through the corridors without being mobbed by admirers.
The improvement was remarkable.
His original secret classroom was no longer ideal after the explosion.
However, that hardly mattered.
He had obtained something far more valuable.
Sectumsempra.
As classes continued and the castle buzzed with dragon-related gossip, Liam quietly sat among the other students.
To anyone watching, he looked like an ordinary first-year reading a notebook.
Only he knew what was actually inside.
A dangerous spell.
Created by one of the most talented wizards in Britain.
And now, another subject worthy of careful study.
....
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