Christmas Time

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Liam woke up the next day feeling slightly anxious about today's breakfast and whether the headmaster would wear the ring or not, his mind then drifted to the unknown entity he had talked with during his blackout, it seemed to know him, what was yet stranger was the way it spoke hinted that Liam himself knew it and conversed with it on regular basis, but he had no memory of such an occurrence, could it be that he had made some deal with this entity that landed him where he was, some deal he couldn't remember.

Liam got up from his bed discarding the subject with its many implications, deciding to try and get to the bottom of it after his immediate concerns were handled, Christmas break was only a week away and he only had a few things he had to get done, he was looking forward to spending some time in a simpler setting when he didn't have to worry about everything anymore.

After freshening up he walked into the common room to find Harry and Ron and Hermione setting in a corner talking about something in a hushed tone, he walked up to them and said

"Good morning everyone, what are you guys talking about ?"

"Oh hi Liam, ... remember when I told you Snape was casting a spell on my broom during the match, well we went to warn Hagrid about him and tell him he was trying to steal whatever it is that was in Gringotts "

"And how did that go ?"

Harry looked dejected and said

"He didn't believe us but he slipped up and said something about who owns whatever Snape is trying to steal"

And that was when Hermione chimed in with a cheerful tone that surprised Liam

"Do you know anything about someone called Nicolas Flamel, Liam"

She then followed up the question with an innocent smile, Liam was dumbstruck for a second before he figured out what she was doing, he couldn't lie to her at least according to his promise, so she was fishing for any information she could by asking directly, Liam hesitated for a second not wanting things to start moving too fast, but in the end, he said

"Yes, I have heard of him he is a very old and well-established alchemist that is based out of France as far as I know"

"He is ???"

Ron seemed surprised at the immediate answer while Harry just looked up at Liam, while Hermione continued in the same tone

"Oh my, and how did you come by this information, Liam ?"

"Well, of course, I read it in a book Hermione"

"And which book is that I wonder "

"Umm, ... I am pretty sure it had Philosopher's Stone in the title, yes that was definitely it, though it has been a while since I read it "

Hermione seemed surprised for a second before saying

"Philosopher's Stone you say, I have also read something about that its a legendary substance that is very hard to make, currently there is only one in the entire world, it can turn ant metal into gold and can create an elixir that when drunk can make the drinker immortal "

" Immortal !!" Ron exclaimed

Hermione ignored him and continued still staring at Liam

"That must be what Fluffy is guarding, that must be what Snape was trying to steal, isn't that right Liam ?"

"I am not sure if all of that is true Hermione though it's a plausible theory"

"Then do you have a better theory ??" Hermione asked back not pleased with Liam's unsure answer

"A theory, I am afraid that I don't have one, I just meant that you shouldn't act on facts you are not sure of, Snape might be innocent after all "

Hermione got up and said

"I am going to the library to try and find the book I read before, and that other book Liam mentioned, maybe I will learn something new"

"You should do that after we grab some breakfast Hermione"

Harry said once again noticing that once Liam showed up the conversation seemed to be between Just him and Hermione, with a strange undertone to it, as if Hermione was challenging Liam not to answer her questions or something

"It's fine I am not hungry" Hermione said before dashing away leaving the three boys alone, discussing their Christmas plans while making their way to the moving staircase.

Once they found the staircase they suspected would carry them closer to the great hall they climbed aboard, Ron was advising Harry about the best ways to catch a snitch and insuring to him that if he adopted those moves, he would go down as the best quidditch player to ever live.

Liam was amusedly listening To Ron go on and on when he felt a presence behind him but before he could turn around he heard an aged voice say

"Now that would be an exciting maneuver, Mr. Weasley, though being upside-down can be quite disorientating "

Ron turned around ready to defend his tactics before seeing who it was that spoke up

"Dumbl..... I mean headmaster, sir, rig...ht maybe that is not the best idea"

Liam stood there wooden, his first thought was to look at Dumbledore's hand, but he quickly discarded that not wanting to be too obvious.

'does he suspect it was me that sent the letter ??, does he want to see my reaction, damn it, this caught me off guard '

Dumbledore continued

"Then again doing the unexpected can often open up the path to many possibilities"

Liam felt Dumbledore's gaze accompanying that last sentence so he turned around to look at the former Gryffindor while staying silent and making his best approximation of a surprised face, he didn't have to strain too much to reach for that particular emotion at the moment, he tried to keep his eyes off of Dumbledore's hand while trying to not look like he was avoiding looking at it, it was a very strange balance to keep while looking natural, it was like someone who was reminded to keep eye contact while speaking and now felt too conscious about it.

He cursed at himself inwardly for even including the part in the letter about having to wear the ring, but he needed some kind of sign to signal that everything was moving smoothly, he couldn't leave the biggest part of his plan to chance.

Liam next realized that Dumbledore wasn't looking at him like he thought, he wondered why he had a strong and sure feeling about it, could be that was just worried.

He decided to break the awkward silence that had now filled the staircase

"It is very surprising running into you headmaster, though now that I think about its only natural that it happens every now and then, after all, you have to make your way to the great hall every morning, So is your office on the seventh floor as well"

Dumbledore turned his head slightly to make eye contact with Liam

"Quite true Mr. Murphy, I do love a stroll around Hogwarts, it is always entertaining and mysterious, you never know what you might find, don't you agree Harry"

"Umm ... yes professor"

"Right, well good luck in your future games Harry, try to stay safe "

The staircase reached the ground just as Dumbledore walked off saying

"But don't forget to have fun"

Once he left Ron burst out saying

"HOW long had he been standing there for, oh no he must think me an idiot "

"Well, then Ron. whenever you're about to say something just think that Dumbledore might be standing behind you, maybe then we won't get brilliant ideas like try to catch it while riding the broom backward it will be much more exciting"

"Oh no, he heard all of that didn't he, I ... I am going to die"

They made their way to the great hall and found their spots on the Gryffindor table and only after about 15 minutes did Liam sneak a peek at Dumbledore, sitting on the head table talking to McGonagall next to him, he had his left hand placed on the table in front of him as if he was displaying it, and there it was the ring resting on his index finger.

Liam quickly looked away trying not to show much of a reaction but he couldn't help but let a smile build on his face as the weight on his chest felt much lighter, now that he had most of his plan for the first year ready to execute, now he only had to wait for all the players to do their part, and with that, he felt like he deserved a break, he deserved to go back home and enjoy some time with his family without the stress or worry that made his time in Hogwarts both exciting and exhausting.

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Liam looked past yet another bookshelf, this time finally finding Hermione she had three different books open and was busy transcribing notes from one of them into a notebook, Liam approached her saying

"Hi Hermione how is the search going did you find the book"

Hermione looked up at him and said

"Still no trace with a book with the philosopher's stone in the title if that is what you are asking, ..... but I found Nicolas Flamel and I do think that the stone definitely is what fluffy is protecting, but you knew that already didn't you"

"...."

"How do you know so much, and why are you not telling anyone about it, and why are you telling me some of it, huffff..... this is so frustrating, this is pointless, we keep having the same fight, and nothing changes, if, if have nothing bad to hide then why not just explain, I am sorry Liam, I don't think we can be friends, I thought that if we where friends, after a while you would tell me, but even if that is the case I don't think I can wait for you to decide I am trustworthy"

"Hermione I understand that you're an inquisitive person and keeping you in the dark about a some of the things that concern me must be quite vexing, I would also like to say that I do find you trustworthy, I absolutely do, so I am sorry as well that I made you think that I didn't trust you enough to confide in you, I hoped that if you were my friend you would know me well enough to know that I am not a bad person, ha it seems like we both had unspoken goals for this friendship, with hindsight that might not be the best way to make a friend "

"..."

"I did like being your friend though, you and Ron and Harry, Good luck solving your mystery, just be safe ok "

And then Liam placed a small box on the table and turned to walk away

"What's this ??"

Liam kept walking while saying over his shoulder

"It's your Christmas gift, I hope you like it"

Exiting the library Liam made his way to the room of requirements where after he entered he slumped down on a the chair facing the desk where he created the Portkeys and just sat there for a while, he couldn't exactly hangout with Harry and Ron and ignore Hermione, not with out forcing the the pair of boys to choose between them, and he couldn't split up the trio, no they needed to be strong enough on their own to face what's coming, better if he just drifts away from the whole group after the Christmas break.

He took out two similar boxes to the one he gave Hermione and placed them on the desk.

'No point in leaving them presents to then ignore them a week later, better to not send mixed messages'

Liam then took a deep breath and left the room prompting it to lose the form he wanted and letting those boxes get lost among the many lost things the once had an owner in Hogwarts, leaving them there at least until someone needed them.