"I'm sorry for the parents of those three children. It's only natural that they blame me."
Dumbledore let out a weary sigh. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders, and for once, he looked every bit his age.
"You can't blame yourself for everything," Liam said. "There are over a thousand students at Hogwarts. The Death Eaters specialize in concealment and Dark Magic. No one can monitor every student's private life twenty-four hours a day. Not even you."
A faint smile appeared on Dumbledore's face.
"Thank you for understanding."
He paused before continuing.
"Even so, the responsibility is still mine. Once this incident becomes public, the Ministry may launch an investigation. The Board of Governors may even discuss whether I should remain Headmaster. There is a possibility that I will have to leave Hogwarts for a period of time."
His blue eyes settled on Liam.
"If that happens, I hope you'll look after the students."
Liam immediately shook his head.
"Professor Dumbledore, you're overestimating me. You can't protect every student in Hogwarts, so how could I? At most, I can protect my friends."
"You don't need to protect everyone."
Dumbledore smiled.
"If you discover any Death Eaters, simply catch or eliminate them. Leave the rest to the professors."
"That I can do."
Liam shrugged casually.
"Even if you hadn't asked, I'd still do it."
The hatred between him and the Death Eaters was already irreconcilable.
They had once enslaved him.
He had nearly destroyed their Dark Lord.
Every encounter only deepened the blood feud between them.
If Liam encountered a Death Eater, there was no chance he would simply walk away.
They were enemies to the death.
"By the way," Liam asked, "since Voldemort escaped before his execution, how did the Ministry handle it?"
Dumbledore's expression darkened.
"Fudge suppressed the news."
Liam wasn't surprised.
"He sent several teams of Aurors to secretly search for Voldemort," Dumbledore continued. "After all, Voldemort escaped while under the Ministry's custody. If the public learned the truth, Fudge would likely lose his position. He's unwilling to risk his authority."
"Oh, power."
Liam's voice dripped with disdain.
The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous the situation became.
Voldemort had only recently escaped.
His soul fragment was weak.
Without a proper body, he couldn't travel great distances.
Even Apparition had limits. Ordinary wizards couldn't simply teleport across continents, and doing so in Voldemort's current state would be extremely dangerous.
That meant his area of operation should still be relatively limited.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the perfect opportunity to mobilize every magical organization available.
Launch a massive search.
Seal off potential escape routes.
Force Voldemort to remain on the run.
A soul without a proper vessel weakened over time.
Even when attached to Quirrell, Voldemort had constantly drained the professor's magical energy simply to survive.
A large-scale manhunt wouldn't even need to find him immediately.
Dragging things out would eventually destroy him.
Unfortunately, Cornelius Fudge cared more about preserving his reputation than solving the problem.
Because he refused to admit responsibility, he couldn't openly request assistance from foreign magical governments or independent organizations.
Instead, he relied solely on the Ministry's Aurors.
Less than a hundred men.
Against Voldemort.
Against the remaining Death Eaters.
It was laughable.
Voldemort could simply board a Muggle train and disappear somewhere safe before they even realized he was gone.
A perfect opportunity had been completely wasted.
Thinking about it only annoyed Liam further.
When the Ministry had hunted him, they had deployed over twenty Aurors for a teenager who had killed two Muggles.
Yet when Voldemort escaped, they buried the truth to protect political careers.
If he were Minister for Magic, Voldemort would already be as good as dead.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Liam asked another question.
"Are we certain there aren't any other Death Eaters disguised as students?"
After all, he had identified Evan through his magical perception.
If a weaker Death Eater had infiltrated Hogwarts, there was a chance they could avoid detection.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Professor McGonagall ordered the prefects to thoroughly inspect every student's belongings."
He continued.
"Aside from Evan Rozier, Curat Vane, and Anthony Dolohov, no one else possessed ingredients for Polyjuice Potion. We've found no evidence suggesting additional infiltrators."
"Then we can finally consider this matter closed."
Liam leaned back slightly.
"Let's just hope the Aurors catch Voldemort before the Death Eaters find a way to use the Philosopher's Stone."
Naturally, he said this while maintaining a perfectly innocent expression.
The real Philosopher's Stone was safely hidden in his possession.
The more concern he showed over its recovery, the further he distanced himself from suspicion.
"It's unlikely."
Dumbledore sighed again.
"Most of our greatest Aurors were lost during the war over a decade ago. The newer generation lacks real battlefield experience. The Ministry functions largely because a handful of veterans continue carrying the burden."
His eyes suddenly became serious.
"Liam, I hope that one day you'll join the Ministry and lead the Auror Office."
Liam stared at him.
Then he laughed.
"I have absolutely no interest in that."
Dumbledore blinked.
"You want me to inherit a broken organization? That's quite the offer."
There was no hiding the disgust in his voice.
The Ministry's Aurors couldn't even capture him without overwhelming numbers.
As he grew older, stronger, and more experienced, their chances would only decrease further.
In a few years, he suspected he could defeat the entire Auror Office by himself.
Why would he willingly surround himself with such incompetent subordinates?
If he ever built a force of his own, he wanted people like Severus Snape.
People with extraordinary talent.
People like Hermione Granger.
People like Cassandra.
Exceptional individuals.
Gathering hundreds of mediocre wizards would accomplish nothing.
Quantity could never replace quality.
Dumbledore studied him carefully.
"It seems you're not interested in power at all."
Liam frowned.
"What makes you say that?"
"If you entered the Ministry after graduation," Dumbledore said, "you could become Minister for Magic remarkably quickly."
His gaze drifted toward the corner of the room.
Evan Rozier still sat there trembling.
Every so often, his body would twitch violently.
The Death Eater looked less like a hardened criminal and more like a terrified animal.
Dumbledore had known Evan for years.
Among Voldemort's followers, Evan was notorious for his fanaticism and fearlessness.
Yet Liam had completely shattered him in less than half an hour.
That fact alone spoke volumes.
"If you became Minister," Dumbledore continued, "I doubt any Dark wizard or Death Eater would dare emerge from hiding."
There was a deeper meaning behind his words.
Dumbledore wasn't merely complimenting Liam.
He was testing him.
Guiding him.
Perhaps even trying to influence him.
Because despite Liam's extraordinary talent, Dumbledore still harbored one lingering concern.
What if Liam someday became a threat greater than Voldemort?
The possibility existed.
His intelligence was frightening.
His magical talent was unprecedented.
His methods were ruthless when necessary.
The old wizard hoped that by steering Liam toward leadership and responsibility, he could ensure that such power would someday protect the wizarding world rather than terrorize it.
Unfortunately, Liam showed absolutely no interest in the path Dumbledore envisioned.
Power.
Politics.
Authority.
None of it appealed to him.
Seeing this, Dumbledore could only sigh inwardly.
....
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