"Liam, thank you."
Neville lay sprawled on the grass, his face pale as he looked up at Liam, who remained seated on his broom with a book in hand.
A few moments earlier, he had genuinely thought he was going to die.
If Liam hadn't intervened, he would have smashed into the ground from hundreds of feet in the air.
"You don't need to thank me."
Liam waved dismissively.
"We're classmates."
He wasn't the sort of person who stood by and watched someone die when saving them required almost no effort.
As long as they weren't his enemy, lending a hand was perfectly reasonable.
"Mr. Hale performed exceptionally well."
Madam Hooch finally recovered from her shock.
"He saved a fellow student through outstanding magical skill."
She looked around at the class.
"I am awarding twenty points to Slytherin."
It was the maximum number of points she could personally grant in a school year.
"Thank you, Professor."
Liam nodded politely.
Madam Hooch hesitated before speaking again.
"Would you be willing to keep an eye on the other students during the lesson?"
"Of course."
Liam closed his book.
"Though I suggest bringing them up in groups of three."
"Why?"
"If more than three students fall at once, rescuing all of them becomes inconvenient."
The field instantly fell silent.
Madam Hooch stared.
Inconvenient?
The fact that Liam considered rescuing three falling students simultaneously merely inconvenient was terrifying enough.
The implication was even worse.
He actually believed he could do it.
For a moment, she wondered just how monstrous this first-year student truly was.
Afterward, the lesson continued.
Students ascended in small groups.
This time nobody was particularly nervous.
With Liam watching from above, everyone felt strangely safe.
After all, if someone started falling, Liam would simply catch them.
"Liar."
A broom drifted up beside him.
Cassandra folded her arms.
"You said you could fly a little."
Liam looked up from his book.
"I can."
"This isn't 'a little.'"
She pointed accusingly at him.
"You make it look effortless."
"Well..."
Liam considered it.
"Compared to other things, broom flying is one of my weaker skills."
Cassandra nearly fell off her broom.
"Weaker?"
She looked genuinely offended.
"You're impossible."
Liam shrugged.
"I wasn't trying to upset you."
Then he added thoughtfully,
"If you ever reach the point where you can dodge all my attacks instinctively during a duel, you'll probably be able to do this as well."
"That's completely unreasonable."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes.
"Just wait."
"One day I'll surpass you."
"I look forward to it."
Liam smiled.
The response somehow annoyed her even more.
"That's not how this works!"
She poked his cheek with a finger.
"You're supposed to get competitive and say you'll never let me catch up!"
"Then I can train harder!"
"Now there's no sense of achievement!"
Liam chuckled.
Before he could answer—
A flash of green light erupted from the distant forest.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The Killing Curse shot across the grounds.
Straight toward Cassandra's back.
Everything happened in an instant.
Liam moved first.
His hand grabbed Cassandra's shoulder.
He yanked her violently into his arms.
At the same time, his broom rolled sharply to the side.
The green curse streaked past.
Missing her by inches.
For a brief second, silence consumed the entire field.
Then Liam's eyes turned cold.
The forbidden magic book fell from his hand.
His left arm rose.
The air trembled.
An enormous mass appeared high above the distant tree line.
A gigantic stone meteor.
The magical construct crashed downward like a falling mountain toward the location where the curse had originated.
BOOM!
The earth shook violently.
Trees splintered.
The entire forest edge disappeared beneath dust and debris.
"Professor."
Liam's voice remained calm despite the killing intent radiating from him.
"Someone just used a Killing Curse on school grounds."
Madam Hooch snapped back to reality.
"Yes!"
"Everyone!"
"Back to the castle!"
"Immediately!"
The students obeyed instantly.
Many were trembling.
Several were crying.
A Killing Curse.
Not a prank.
Not a dangerous accident.
An actual Killing Curse.
Someone had just attempted murder.
Liam guided his broom back to the ground.
Beside him, Cassandra looked pale.
Far paler than usual.
She was normally proud.
Confident.
Fearless.
But this had been different.
She had just stared directly into death.
One step slower and she would be a corpse.
Madam Hooch quickly organized the evacuation.
The Gryffindors were escorted back to their tower.
The Slytherins returned to their dungeon common room.
The moment they arrived, Liam turned toward the exit.
"I'll investigate."
Before he could leave, something tugged at his robes.
He looked down.
Cassandra was gripping the hem of his sleeve.
"Don't go."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost fragile.
"Stay here for a little while."
The request surprised him.
Then Liam nodded.
"Alright."
He sat beside her.
For several minutes neither of them spoke.
Cassandra's hands trembled slightly.
The image of that green light remained burned into her mind.
The Killing Curse.
The spell that ended lives instantly.
Without Liam...
She knew exactly what would have happened.
A warm sensation suddenly touched the back of her hand.
She looked down.
Liam had placed his hand gently over hers.
"Don't worry."
His voice remained calm.
"I'll protect you."
"I won't let anyone hurt you."
Something in Cassandra's chest tightened.
The lingering fear began to fade.
Slowly.
Gradually.
Until she could finally breathe normally again.
"Thank you."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Then she shook her head.
"I'm alright now."
"If you want to investigate, go."
Her expression became serious.
"But promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't do anything reckless."
Liam laughed softly.
"I'll be careful."
Then he removed a silver necklace from around his neck.
The chain gleamed faintly in the dungeon light.
"Take this."
He placed it into her hands.
Cassandra blinked.
"What is it?"
"A defensive charm."
Liam answered simply.
"I want you to wear it."
She immediately tried to hand it back.
"You need this more than I do."
"Keep it."
Liam closed her fingers around the necklace.
"I made it myself."
"I can always create another."
That wasn't entirely true.
The necklace contained some of his most sophisticated protective enchantments.
Including countermeasures against several lethal curses.
But he had no intention of telling Cassandra that.
Reliance made people weak.
Fear encouraged growth.
The balance was important.
Before she could argue further, Liam stood.
Then he turned and left the common room.
Cassandra remained seated.
Her fingers tightened around the silver chain.
After a long moment, she carefully fastened it around her neck.
The metal still carried traces of Liam's warmth.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, that alone made her feel safe.
....
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