Chapter 39 – The Return of What Was Lost
"If you ever get your hands on the real Philosopher's Stone, keep it."
Borgin carefully counted the gold flowing into his dragonskin pouch.
"Though if you decide to sell it, come to me."
His eyes gleamed greedily.
"I could find a buyer willing to pay a fortune."
Liam laughed.
"If I somehow obtain something that valuable, I'm keeping it."
Not even a second thought.
A genuine Philosopher's Stone was priceless.
The amount of knowledge tied to it alone exceeded any amount of gold.
"Instead," Liam continued, "keep an eye out for books on ancient alchemy."
Borgin paused.
Then snapped his fingers.
"Funny you should mention that."
He disappeared behind a shelf.
A few moments later he returned carrying a thick, dust-covered tome.
"This arrived recently."
He dropped it onto the counter.
The impact sent a cloud of dust into the air.
"An ancient guide to constructing magical dolls."
Liam immediately became interested.
"Magical dolls?"
"Advanced alchemy."
Borgin nodded.
"According to the text, if successfully completed, the doll can inherit knowledge and perform complex tasks."
"Potion brewing."
"Alchemy."
"Research assistance."
His grin widened.
"The interesting part is that the final step requires a Philosopher's Stone."
Liam's eyes narrowed.
Now that was interesting.
Very interesting.
The merchant shrugged.
"Since nobody has a Philosopher's Stone, the book has been gathering dust."
"If you want it, I'll give it to you."
Liam immediately shook his head.
"That won't do."
Borgin blinked.
"Why not?"
"Because I have money now."
Liam pulled another two hundred Galleons from his pouch.
"When I was broke, accepting gifts made sense."
"Now it doesn't."
The coins landed on the counter.
Borgin looked pleased.
Extremely pleased.
"You really are a dream customer."
"I've heard that before."
The old merchant laughed loudly.
"Probably because it's true."
Using a Summoning Charm, Borgin pulled the ancient book from the counter and floated it into Liam's hands.
Liam opened it immediately.
Within seconds, he realized he understood almost nothing.
The terminology was dense.
The concepts were ancient.
Entire sections seemed written with the assumption that the reader already possessed extensive knowledge of advanced alchemy.
Interesting.
But definitely not beginner-friendly.
"I'll need several other books before this becomes useful."
"That's generally how studying works."
Borgin sipped his tea.
Liam ignored the comment.
"Anything else?"
The merchant sighed dramatically.
"You really think priceless treasures arrive every day?"
"Maybe."
"Not even in Knockturn Alley."
Borgin waved dismissively.
"Nothing worth your attention."
"Most of the recent inventory is the usual rubbish."
Liam nodded.
Then slipped both the alchemy book and the fake Philosopher's Stone into an enchanted pocket.
"Then I should leave."
"You have somewhere important to be?"
"Unfortunately."
Liam made a face.
"The Order of Merlin ceremony."
Borgin immediately burst into laughter.
"Try not to fall asleep."
"I'll do my best."
...
After leaving Borgin and Burkes, Liam spent several hours wandering through the rest of Knockturn Alley.
Occasionally he purchased a rare ingredient.
A strange magical trinket.
An obscure spellbook.
Nothing especially important.
Just things that caught his interest.
Eventually the time arrived.
With considerable reluctance, he Apparated to the Ministry of Magic.
...
The ceremony was exactly as dreadful as he expected.
Long speeches.
Longer speeches.
Even more speeches.
Various officials praised his bravery.
His contribution.
His future.
His responsibility to the wizarding world.
Liam nearly fell asleep three separate times.
Only the knowledge that insulting Wizengamot would create endless future headaches kept him awake.
Eventually the ordeal ended.
A heavy gold medal attached to a green ribbon was placed around his neck.
First Class Order of Merlin.
The youngest recipient in modern history.
Liam accepted it politely.
Then escaped the building as quickly as possible.
...
By evening, he had returned to Hogwarts.
The moment he entered the Slytherin common room, Draco rushed over.
"Liam!"
Draco pointed excitedly toward a familiar suitcase.
"And your dragonskin bags."
"We got them back."
Liam stopped.
For a moment, genuine surprise crossed his face.
The Ministry had actually returned everything.
"Thank you."
He approached the suitcase.
"No one touched them?"
Draco immediately shook his head.
"Of course not."
Then he hesitated.
"Well..."
Liam looked up.
"Well?"
"Some Gryffindors were curious."
Draco folded his arms.
"But I chased them away."
There was unmistakable pride in his voice.
Liam narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Gryffindors?"
"Very annoying people."
Draco nodded vigorously.
The expression on his face made it clear he hoped Liam would take offense.
Liam ignored the bait entirely.
Instead he crouched beside the suitcase.
The lock appeared untouched.
But appearances meant little.
Opening it carefully, Liam inspected the contents.
His books.
His research.
His notes.
Everything appeared intact.
The Ministry had clearly searched the suitcase.
However, they hadn't discovered the hidden expansion layers created by his modified Undetectable Extension Charm.
That alone made the entire day worthwhile.
Much of his most valuable work had been hidden there.
Recovering it felt like reclaiming a part of his life.
Satisfied, he closed the case.
"Liam."
Draco shifted awkwardly nearby.
"What?"
"How is your Blasting Curse so powerful?"
The question finally emerged.
Liam almost smiled.
So that was what had been bothering him.
"I use more magic."
Draco blinked.
"That's it?"
"More or less."
Liam shrugged.
"If you pour ten times more power into a spell, it tends to become stronger."
Draco looked both impressed and disappointed.
"So your magical reserves are naturally enormous?"
"Not entirely."
Liam sat down beside the suitcase.
"Magical power can be trained."
Draco froze.
"Trained?"
"Of course."
Liam nodded.
"Use magic until you exhaust yourself."
"Recover."
"Repeat."
"Every day."
"Eventually your magical capacity grows."
Draco's face immediately twisted.
"That sounds horrible."
Liam stared at him.
Draco instantly realized he had said the wrong thing.
"No, no, that's not what I meant."
Liam folded his arms.
"You wanted a shortcut."
Draco lowered his head.
"…Maybe."
"There aren't any."
The answer came without hesitation.
"If you want power, earn it."
"If you want strength, train."
"Everything worthwhile costs something."
The common room fell silent.
Draco looked thoroughly defeated.
"Right."
Liam returned his attention to the recovered suitcase.
"Whether you train or not is your decision."
"I've already told you the method."
"Okay…"
Draco nodded weakly.
The posture looked remarkably similar to surrender.
Liam almost laughed.
For someone raised to believe status solved everything, the concept of earning strength through effort clearly wasn't appealing.
Unfortunately for Draco, magic didn't care about family names.
And neither did Liam.
....
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