Liam lifted the spoon up until it was level with his face and used it to check the state of his hair. He turned his head left and then right, not minding that his reflection was upside down, he was quite used to it after all these years. He nodded satisfactorily and lowered his spoon to scoop up a mouthful of cereal. Aside, from the sound of his own chewing echoing in his head, the room was utterly silent.

Liam often ate breakfast alone as his grandfather rarely ate so early and would still be asleep. He said that if he couldn't sleep in then what was the point of being rich and powerful? Naturally, that ideology didn't stretch to Liam. There were adults and then there were children and his grandfather didn't believe that children should be allowed to sleep the day away. Unfortunately, for Liam, that left him with long arduous days of doing next to nothing.

When he had been much younger, he had every toy imaginable to keep himself occupied, but once he started school his grandfather vowed that he was too old and got rid of them all before Liam was back for Christmas. He expected Liam to spend his time studying or as he put it 'learning to fend for himself'. However, Liam was very aware of the fact that they lived in a mansion with servants and wondered what his grandfather could have possibly defined as fending for himself? Liam had never had to lift a finger to do anything. He wouldn't pretend he didn't have an easy life, albeit a dead boring one when summer rolled around. Liam was the only heir to the Highcourt fortune. He was the only one to inherit and so pleasing his grandfather often felt like an obsolete task. For children like Liam, inheritance was everything and literally, nothing was standing in his way of doing so. But however obsolete it might have, Liam usually complied with whatever it was his grandfather wanted of him. He didn't think it was worth the effort of an argument or particularly heady disapproving glares. It was simpler to do as he was told and since he spent the majority of his year at Hogwarts, he was saved from most of that.

Liam probably wouldn't say it aloud, but Liam loved school. He loved being around so many people even if he never interacted with a large portion of them. The mansion was always so empty and silent that the chaos of school life was everything Liam's younger years had lacked. He had friends and fun and endless distractions. And even if he didn't quite excel at many classes, he was learning things so differently compared to the dry tutors he'd had in the past that most everything held some kind of interest for him.

This year might have been the first that he almost wanted to leave. But that was because all those things, the students and classes, reminded him of her. Of Olivia. It hurt to be reminded that she wasn't there anymore and he thought perhaps a break from it all would ease that pain but it did so very little. Now, he missed those reminders that she has lived at all. This mansion, with its marbled floors and fine gardens, held nothing of Olivia. Everything was back at Hogwarts and so he found himself longing for it more than ever.

A lump rose in his throat and he put his spoon down to reach off the goblet near his bowl. He could hear every clink, every click, every tink as he went about his breakfast. The cutlery was loud against the sliver tableware, the goblet was loud against the table itself. During meals at school, he could never hear any of that. That Great Hall would be so filled with chatter and life that you couldn't hear his own movement. But here in the mansion, they echoed around him as if he sat in an empty cavern.

Going back to his cereal, Liam missed the conversation of his friends that would usually be partnered with this hour of the morning. It was only two weeks into summer but they had already sent numerous letters back and forth. Except for Leah. He hadn't heard a single word from her since she left school. It made everything about losing Olivia feel more real than he wanted it too, but he couldn't blame Leah for feeling so strongly. Leah used to write to him so often that he saw her owl more than he saw his own. Sometime it would be a simple 'I was with Val and Draco this morning and Draco tripped on the stairs! Dummy can't even walk!'. Other times it was a veritable essay containing all her collective thoughts on how gross it was that most cheeses were fermented but that she would eat it anyway because cheese was too good to pass up. And sometimes it was a drawing. Usually, something a little silly but thus was Leah's nature. He had his favourite of hers, a drawing of himself dressed like Professor McGonagall hanging on the back of his bedroom door. He knew his grandfather didn't approve of such 'childish' decoration but it had been up there for well over a year. That was the thing about doors. When you open them all the way you can't see what's on the other side. But, that aside, he hadn't heard a thing from her and according to everyone else, neither had they.

He usually received a letter or two a day from Draco, Blaze or Val. They were all so used to being in constant contact that they never went long without some kind of word between each other. That's why, even given the circumstance, that it was so concerning to hear nothing from Leah at all. Even Draco and Val who had easy access to her had nothing more to say than that Leah's mood still hadn't improved and that she barely spoke let alone wrote to anyone.

Actually, he through, he hadn't gotten a letter since that one from Blaze the morning before. So, surely he should be getting something from Draco or Val today-

Liam heard one of the staff gasp loudly. A loud screech echoed down the long hall leading out from the dining hall. In a place that was so deathly quiet, the noise shattered the monotony around him.

He turned just in time to see the large black owl swoop in, barely just clearing the walls with its great wingspan.

Darcy circled the room once with another screech as if making his presences well and known before landing on the table knocking an unlit candelabra to the floor noisily. There was plenty of free space on the table where the bird wouldn't have knocked anything at all but Liam didn't expect anything less from Valentine Lestrange's owl.

"Morning, Darcy." He smiled nervously, eyeing the bird. "Nice entrance."

The bird blinked it's amber eyes as if to say, 'obviously'.

"That for me?" Liam gestured to the letter in his beak, but not daring to reach out his fingers too far.

Again, Darcy blinked.

"Right. Stupid question."

Another blink.

The owl dropped the letter on the table and ruffled his feathers slightly.

Liam reached for the letter and Darcy shifted. Liam immediately yanked his arm back.

"...did you do that on purpose?"

Another blink. Obviously.

Liam frowned and scanned over the food in front of him. There was a small plate of untouched ham and cheese. He picked up a slice of the ham, Darcy watching him with rapt attention.

"As a thank you." Liam held it up. "For not mauling my face off anytime in the past and in hope that you never will."

Liam quickly tossed the ham further down the table past the owl. He knew better than to hold on to it for too long and risk seeming like he was teasing. Darcy immediately went after it, scooping it up in his beak.

Darcy shot Liam one last glance.

"Damn, you are scary."

Blink.

-----A Day in the Life of Liam Highcourt-----

Val had suggested it in her letter, so it must have been good. Well, she hadn't suggested it in so many words, but if she was reading it than Liam wanted to as well. He knew she couldn't have been reading textbooks and academic studies all the time but never pictured her reading adventure novels. In fact, he couldn't imagine her reading much more than horror and thrillers, but he stood corrected. Or rather he sat outside on the fountain wall, reading that very same adventure novel.

He'd been lucky to find it in the mansions extensive library, that way he didn't have to send out for it and wait. Because, yes, he would absolutely do that. There was something about knowing that Val could have been reading that very same book at the same time as himself. It made him feel...closer to her. Although she would have probably scoffed at the idea. It was rather good so far. She had good taste but of course, she did. She could probably tell what was worth reading and what wasn't by a single glance at the cover.

It felt nice to be outside as well. There was a little more noise out here in the form of birds and the breeze and the fountain that rushed behind him. When he'd been young, he'd had a toy pirate ship that he used to sail in it. He'd purposely let it drift too far and get caught under the water spouting from the grand centrepiece. It would drag it down underwater and Liam would have had an excuse to go in after it to save his poor defenceless ship. The nanny he'd had at the time, who had also been dismissed a year before he left for school, started to catch on to this ploy when it happened three times in the span of an afternoon.

Edith Darenby had been her name. She'd already been an old woman by the time Liam was old enough to retain a lasting memory. She was quite stern and terse with him but not necessarily unkind. McGonagall reminded him of her of a fair bit. She believed strongly in good manners and self-presentation and she drilled into Liam until it was something second nature to him. She wasn't exactly his friend nor a grandmother nor an aunt, but she was someone who cared very much for him and he was grateful for all the things she had done for him.

Liam had just turned ten when his grandfather decided Edith had served her purpose. He said that Liam needed to spend some time without a nanny constantly looking over his shoulder to prepare for school. Edith had gracefully agreed but Liam could read the reluctance on her face. They'd been together almost every day for the last four years when you're young that's practically a decade. He'd cried when Edith left, although not in front of his grandfather. That would definitely not go over well. He just waited until he was stashed away safe in his room and then cried until he fell asleep out of exhaustion. First, both his parents died and now Edith was leaving as well.

For a little while, he fancied himself the saddest boy in all the world, just like when he had first come to live with his grandfather. That is until it got boring being constantly miserable. He knew his parents wouldn't have wanted him to be sad, they had loved him after all. And he knew Edith would scold him if she knew he'd spent so much time sighing like a forlorn widow. She never could tolerate a pensive attitude for long. He thought that was probably what helped him form a new life so easily when he lost his parents.

And so, he'd tried to do it again now, having lost another person in his life. He reminded himself that his parents would have wanted him to be happy and that Edith would have disapproved but it just wasn't that easy. If he was being completely honest, he didn't remember all too much about when his parents had died, he remembered being upset and missing them and that Edith helped him a lot but beyond that? And Edith's case had been a little different since, for all he knew, she was probably still out there in the world kicking. Everything to do with Olivia just wasn't the same as those times.

Sure, his parent's deaths were accidents as well, but accidents that made sense. His father and worked for the Ministry in the Office for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes, and Hexes and his entire team was killed trying to remove a curse when it rebounded. It was a tragedy many people old enough could probably recall. And his mother, well she had been splinched while apparating which was a well-known risk. Now, that Liam was older, he could assume that his mother might have been distracted by the grief of losing her husband when it happened. It made sense. There were logic and reason behind these incidents. But Olivia's death just didn't quite match up in his mind.

Blaze had been right, Olivia wasn't clumsy. Shy and mild-mannered but generally pretty grateful. For her to fall? Over the side of a walkway with plenty of space across for multiple people. Things didn't add up and they all saw it, but what was there to do? Edith wouldn't like him lingering on it for too long. Just because the death of his parents could be fully explained, didn't mean every accident would be like that.

The wind changed and Liam felt the water from the fountain blowing over his exposed neck.

Crap, my hair. That was his first thought. Crap, the book. Was his second.

He stood quickly and moved away to avoid the spray. He stared at the water, watching it bubble swirl without end. He longed to set a boat inside and let it fill with water under the fountain and be dragged down so he could go rushing after if. He longed but he didn't move. He way not have deciphered everything about sudden deaths and tragic accidents but he did know that longing meant very little in the grand scheme of things. He could long for his parents or Edith or Olivia but that wouldn't bring them back. He could long for a letter from Leah or a toy boat or for Val to really look at him but it wouldn't make it happen.

Liam signed and turned away from the fountain. Now, what he really longed for was Hogwarts and all the distraction it provided.

-----A Day in the Life of Liam Highcourt-----

Liam would have been lying if he said it wasn't his most prized possession. He ran his thumb along the filigree letters on the side of the rectangular case. The bronze glinted at him in the light dully. He could have gotten it polished but had decided against it. He wanted to keep it just the way it was, just the way it had been given to him.

He opened the case and pulled out the delicate comb inside. It was the same bronze as the case, handle etched with an intricate floral pattern. He admired it for a moment despite having it long since committed to memory.

He turned to face the large hallway mirror and observe the state of his hair. It hadn't really changed since that morning at breakfast as, with Edith's help, he had long ago mastered the art of styling his own hair. Regardless, he raised the comb to his hair and raked it through gently with no resistance.

He wondered, for but a fleeting second, if Val would be glad that he was using the gift she got him. He scoffed aloud to himself. Val didn't give a wit about things like this, he was just getting his own hopes up with wishful thinking. She probably didn't even remember giving it to him, especially since it was the same Christmas she gave Blaze that jarred brain. Whenever they recalled that Christmas of their first year, that was the first thing to come up.

And then Blaze had continued the joke by gifting Val that heart for her last birthday. Liam was, maybe just a tiny little bit jealous that the two shared such a joke. He knew it was ridiculous because, well, that's all it was. A joke. And a rather backhanded one when you considered that they were calling one another brainless and heartless. And it wasn't as if it was an inside joke just between Val and Blaze, plenty of people knew. He just couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

Moving his bangs one way and then the other, the sound of voices and footsteps reached his ears. He recognised his grandfather's voice but not the other. Putting the comb back in its case and slipping it into his sweater pocket, Liam moved over to the top of the wide spiral staircase leading down to the foyer.

His grandfather was accompanied by a middle-aged man with a thick beard and even thicker stomach. They both handed their coats off to Renny, a House Elf bound to serve the Highcourts. Renny was usually where ever Liam's grandfather was and so Liam didn't see an awful lot of him.

A stranger in the house was a pretty rare occurrence and so Liam's curiosity peaked. He started down the stairs, not too fast so it would look like he just happened to be there.

"...really, after his last embarrassment, you'd think the man would give in, but he is an insisted cur no doubt." Said Liam's grandfather to the man.

"It hardly surprises me. That bunch have never been one to throw in the towel easily." Replied the man. "None of us are, as a matter of fact. How else would our families have survived so long even when the world goes to hell?"

"Cheers to that, Claudius." Liam's grandfather laughed bitterly. "And oh, how hellish is it all. I'm just grateful I'll be dead before it gets too unbearable."

"Really, Gordon." The man, Claudius clapped him on the back. "You've got plenty of years left."

"I'm well aware of that, thank you. I only hate to be reminded of how we've had to live since the war. Utterly disgraceful."

Liam knew what he was referring to. After the Wizarding War, public opinion on the sanctity of full-blooded wizards was seriously brought into question. Liam through it was all a bit ridiculous to fight over. Didn't it just make sense for the Pure Bloods to be in charge since they had the strongest magical roots? But he also didn't think that You Know Who was going about that in the right way though. Wasn't there a way for them to show everyone they just wanted what was best for the community without people dying? These were thoughts he would never dare say aloud, especially not with his grandfather in-ear shot. That kind of stuff could get you disowned and excommunicated for life. Liam didn't even want to fathom what Val or Draco would say if they knew these little ponderings of his.

"Now, Gordon. Where is this grandson of yours?"

Taking that as his cue, Liam cleared his throat.

Both men looked up at him, standing on the steps.

"I don't believe we've ever met. Liam Highcourt, nice to meet you. And you are?" Liam smiled, charming and polite. Edith would be proud.

"Liam, this is Mr Claudius Warren." Said Gordon. "my associate."

Liam knew about that as well. When it came to his grandfather, associates weren't necessarily friends but business partners. That meant he had to be on his utmost best behaviour lest some shady, under the table business deal go under. His grandfather would not take kindly to that.

"Nice to meet you, my boy." Claudius returned his smile with a nod. "You're tall for your age. Just like your father was."

"Thank you, sir."

From that Liam could reasonably deduce that this man had been connected to his family in some way shape or form in the past. Considering he had never seen this man or even heard about this, he could deduce that it was likely in a less than legal capacity.

Liam's grandfather sent Renny off to handle the lunch preparation and motioned for Liam to follow him as he walked with Claudius at his side. Probably a learning experience, Liam assumed. If this man was actually in the house and he was going to eat with them then his grandfather was planning on a long-lasting and no doubt a beneficial relationship.

Liam followed them to the dining hall, already reset from his breakfast that morning. General pleasantries were being exchanged which only further proved that this man would be somehow attached to their family for a decent length of time. Gordon Highcourt didn't waste such breath on just anyone.

"So, Liam. You attend Hogwarts, of course?"

"Yes, I do."

"Fourth year?"

"I will be in the coming