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Chapter 33: Life Back at Hogwarts
Chapter 33: Life Back at Hogwarts
Once Christmas was over, Liam devoted most of his time to the Defense Against the Dark Arts notebook.
In the final days of the Christmas break, he finally mastered the Stunning Spell, largely thanks to the constant practice at the Multiverse General Store. The only downside was that his spellcasting was still limited to the point where the intensity of his spell might not be enough to knock someone out.
Liam was now desperately seeking a way to quickly increase his magical power. Otherwise, even with the knowledge he had acquired, he wouldn't be able to turn it into strength.
On the last day of the holiday, Liam bid a tearful farewell to his parents and returned to school with Hermione on the Hogwarts Express.
As soon as they arrived, Liam learned from Ron that Harry had been visiting the Mirror of Erised every night for the past three nights.
After Hermione complained about Harry's reckless behavior ("What if Filch catches you?"), Liam warned Harry, "Getting caught by a Night Patrol Teacher is a minor issue. The real danger is that those illusions can make you gradually lose touch with reality, eventually driving you mad." Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement, and Harry had to swear again that he wouldn't seek out the mirror again.
The days passed by with regular studies, but Liam found an unexpected use for the Basic Manual of Traditional Chinese Medicine, De Fu Edition. In Potions class, he discovered a significant improvement in handling ingredients, controlling heat, and brewing potions. Snape even gave his potion an E.
Later, Liam realized that the process of brewing Chinese medicine and making potions had many similarities. Since De Fu's medical skills were average, Xilai Le often instructed him to prepare and brew medicines. This skill, honed through long-term practice, was passed on to Liam during the inheritance.
This was undoubtedly a good thing, as Gryffindor students were always at a disadvantage in Snape's class. Liam had been worried about Professor Snape deducting points from his final exams.
These days were going well for Liam, but not so much for Harry. Quidditch matches were starting again, and Wood was being stricter with the team than ever before. Even the continuous drizzle after the heavy snow didn't stop the training. Liam often saw exhausted Quidditch players in the Common Room after dinner, sometimes drenched and covered in mud, with mud dripping from the hems of their robes.
One day, while Liam and the others were doing their Potions homework in the Common Room, Harry suddenly burst in and sat next to Ron.
"Wait, I'm almost done with my homework. Then I can play for a bit", Ron said, then turned to see Harry's face. "What's wrong? You look terrible. It's not like the next match is against Slytherin's Seeker, Snape, is it? Hahaha."
Harry's expression worsened, and Ron's smile froze. "You don't mean Snape is really going to be the Seeker?"
"Something like that", Harry said with a pained expression. "Snape is the referee for the next match."
"Why? Madam Hooch is the expert", Liam said.
"Take a sick leave", Hermione suggested immediately.
"Just say you're sick and can't play", Ron added.
"Even a broken leg would work", Hermione said.
"Or just break your leg for real. Madame Pomfrey can fix it overnight", Ron chimed in with a dubious suggestion.
“I don’t think there’s any need to be so tense,” Liam said. “The match is being watched by the entire school. Even if Snape wanted to harm Harry, he wouldn’t choose this occasion to do it. Otherwise, he would have already killed Harry in Potions class.”
Harry also insisted that he would definitely participate in the match. Since there was no substitute Seeker, if he didn’t play, the Gryffindor team wouldn’t be able to compete.
As they were discussing, Neville stumbled into the Common Room. No one could figure out how he had managed to get through the Portrait Hole, as his legs were stuck together. Harry and the others immediately recognized that he had been hit with a Leg-Locking Charm. He must have hopped up the stairs like a rabbit to get into Gryffindor castle.
Everyone laughed, except for Liam and Hermione. Hermione walked over and lifted the charm, and Neville's legs instantly separated. Liam helped him stand up and noticed that he was trembling all over.
“What happened?” Hermione asked, leading him over to sit with Harry.
“Malfoy,” Neville said, his voice trembling. “I ran into him outside the Library. He said he had been looking for someone to practice that spell on. But thanks to Liam’s warning about Slytherins having a habit of attacking Gryffindor students, I instinctively sprayed the pepper spray he gave me in Malfoy’s face when he leaned in to taunt me. Then I ran back while he was washing his face.”
Hermione said to Neville, “You should report him!”
Neville shook his head.
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble,” he mumbled. “After all, I didn’t get hurt this time.”
“But Malfoy might try to get you again,” Ron said. “You need to have the courage to tell Professor Mcgonagall.”
“I know I don’t have enough courage, Malfoy said so himself,” Neville said, his voice breaking.
In the end, with everyone’s reassurance, Neville managed to give a weak smile and left.
In the following days, everyone continued with their training and studies. One day, Hermione brought out an ancient, large book and told the other three that she had found a record about Nicolas Flamel.
The three of them gathered around and saw the page read: Nicolas Flamel is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone. Ancient alchemy involved the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, a substance with astonishing properties. The Philosopher's Stone can turn any metal into pure gold and can also produce the Elixir of Life, which grants immortality to those who drink it.
For many centuries, there have been numerous reports about the Philosopher's Stone, but the only remaining one belongs to the renowned alchemist and opera enthusiast, Nicolas Flamel. He celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year and now lives in seclusion in Devonshire with his wife Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight years old).
“This doesn’t differ much from what we found out ourselves, but it confirms our suspicions. We can now be certain that what’s hidden in the school is the Philosopher's Stone,” Liam said to Hermione after reading.
Harry chimed in, “No wonder Snape wants to steal it. A stone that can turn metal into gold and grant eternal life! Anyone would want it!”
“You can’t just suspect Snape because he has a bias against you. Maybe Quirrell wants to use it to make a potion to cure his stutter,” Liam said. “But Snape poses a more immediate threat to us, Harry. Think about your match this week.”
Harry’s mood immediately darkened. A match with Snape as the referee was not a good prospect. He even felt that coming off the field alive might be a challenge.
(End of Chapter)
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