The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts

"Vera! Hermione!" She rushed to the Gryffindor table, her green eyes sparkling. "Guess what? Professor McGonagall didn't expel me! She—she let me join the Gryffindor Quidditch team! I'm the Seeker!"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "What? But first-years aren't allowed to join the Quidditch team!"

"Professor McGonagall gave special approval!" Harry sat down excitedly and lowered her voice. "Wood... our captain, said I'm the youngest House team player in a century!"

Vera smiled faintly. "Congratulations, Harry."

Harry's face flushed with excitement. She turned to Vera, her green eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you, Vera. If you hadn't let go and allowed me to chase Malfoy—"

"I didn't do anything." Vera interrupted her and shook her head gently. "That was your own talent and ability."

Harry scratched her hair sheepishly, her eyes shining. "At least from now on, I can take you flying with me."

Vera froze, instinctively lowering her gaze to the food on her plate. "We'll talk about it later."

Wizard's Duel

Harry keenly noticed Vera's change in mood and hurriedly added, "I mean, if you're willing... I can teach you to fly slowly, starting at a very low height..."

Vera looked up at Harry's cautious expression, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. "All right. When you have time."

"You two are really something." Hermione rolled her eyes beside them.

Just then, Fred and George Weasley entered the Great Hall. They spotted Harry at once and hurried over to greet her.

"Hey, new Seeker!" George patted Harry on the shoulder. "Wood told us. Welcome to the team!"

Harry smiled a little awkwardly. "Thanks. I'll work hard."

"By the way," Fred lowered his voice, "I heard you had a conflict with that Malfoy brat?"

George asked with a mischievous grin, "Want us to teach you a few little jinxes to mess with him?"

Hermione frowned. "You can't do that! That's a prank!"

"Relax, Granger." George waved a hand dismissively. "What student in this school doesn't know a few prank spells? They won't really hurt anyone."

Vera slowly set down her fork and said casually, "Jinxes are certainly useful, but getting caught would still mean breaking school rules. You should be able to make prank props that no one can trace back to you, right?"

Fred and George exchanged a look, their expressions turning intrigued. "Oh? How did Miss Black know we were thinking along those lines?"

Vera lightly turned her wheelchair to face the Weasley twins, a glint of slyness flashing through her black eyes. "Just a coincidence. After all, compared to using magic directly for pranks, smart people would think props are more discreet and more interesting, wouldn't they?"

Fred and George's eyes lit up at the same time, as if they had found kindred spirits.

"Exactly right!" Fred slapped the table excitedly. "We really are developing some little gadgets, but we've hit a bottleneck... Still, we should break through soon!"

George leaned closer to Vera and lowered his voice. "Are you interested in this? Want to join our development team?"

Hermione gasped beside them. "You can't do that! Besides, Vera's physical condition isn't suited for such dangerous activities!"

Harry frowned too. Though she said nothing, she looked worriedly at Vera's legs.

Vera raised a hand gently to signal them to calm down, then smiled faintly at the twins. "If you need some suggestions, I'd be happy to help. But when it comes to actually carrying things out, you'll have to conduct the experiments yourselves."

Fred and George exchanged excited looks and said in unison, "No problem!"

"Then it's settled." Vera calmly lifted her pumpkin juice and took a sip.

Watching the Weasley twins leave, Hermione frowned worriedly. "Vera, doesn't this count as encouraging them to break school rules..."

"It's fine." Vera raised an eyebrow. "As long as they don't get caught, it doesn't count as breaking the rules."

Gryffindor had always been like that.

Harry laughed at her words, her green eyes curving into crescents. "That's right! Vera is completely right!"

Hermione looked utterly shocked. "Vera, how could you—"

Before she could finish, an arrogant voice came from behind her. "Having your last supper, Potter? Are you about to take the train back to the Muggles?"

Malfoy stood by the Slytherin table with Crabbe and Goyle, a mocking smile on his face.

Harry's expression darkened instantly. She set down her fork and looked coldly at Malfoy. "You have the energy to talk now? Why weren't you so brave this afternoon, when all you could do was run away?"

Malfoy's face flushed bright red. "You—"

"Me what?" Harry rose to her feet, a dangerous light gleaming in her green eyes. "Want to fight?"

Vera gently tugged Harry's robe hem. "Sit down, Harry. Don't make trouble in the Great Hall."

Hermione nervously grabbed Harry's other sleeve. "Yes, the professors are still sitting at the staff table."

Harry took a deep breath and reluctantly sat back down, though her eyes remained fixed on Malfoy.

Seeing that Harry had been talked down, Malfoy grew bolder again. "Looks like our Savior listens very well to her crippled friend."

The entire Gryffindor table fell silent.

Vera could feel Harry's body tense instantly. In fact, even she unconsciously clenched the armrests of her wheelchair.

"What did you say?" Harry's voice was frighteningly low.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I'm always willing to face you one-on-one." Malfoy no longer looked as flustered as he had that afternoon, and his eyes shone with certainty. "If you have no objections, we'll have a wizard's duel tonight—no physical contact, just wands."

He glanced at Harry's clenched fist beneath her robes, and the corner of his mouth twitched unconsciously. "Settle any disagreements the wizarding way. Don't bring that Muggle nonsense here... Wait, what's with that expression? Haven't you heard of a wizard's duel?"

Harry shot to her feet. "I accept!"

Hermione gasped. "Harry! You can't—"

"Good." Malfoy lifted his chin smugly. "Midnight. The Trophy Room. It's never locked."

Vera gently grabbed Harry's wrist. "Sit down, Harry."

Harry stubbornly remained standing, looking at her indignantly. "But he said that about you!"

"I said, sit down." Vera's voice was soft, but it carried an irresistible force.

Harry bit her lip and finally sat down, though her shoulders remained tense.

Malfoy gave a contemptuous snort. "Looks like our Savior really only listens to the cripple."

Listening to his clumsy yet piercing provocation, Vera took a deep breath and slowly pushed her wheelchair toward Malfoy. Her silver-gray hair glimmered coldly beneath the candlelight.

"Draco, are you sure you want to do this?"

Her voice was so gentle it was nearly dangerous. Her fingertips rested on the wheelchair armrest, and her wand lay within easy reach.

Malfoy's expression changed. He instinctively took half a step back. "I-I was only inviting Potter..."

"If there's a conflict, settle it the wizarding way." Vera repeated calmly. "Doesn't a wizard's duel require assistants? I can be Harry's assistant, but—"

She paused, sweeping her gaze over Crabbe and Goyle behind him. "Whoever you choose as your assistant is fine. But if you want us to show up, you should at least show some sincerity. For example..."

"For example what?" Malfoy asked warily, unease flashing through his gray eyes.

Vera gave a soft laugh. "Very simple. Whether you lose or lose your nerve and fail to show up, you must apologize to Harry in front of the entire school and admit that the heir of this generation of Malfoys is a coward."

Peeves

Malfoy's face instantly turned red. He straightened his back, his gray eyes filled with fury. "How dare you... Fine! Vera, and here I was planning to save you some face—"

"If what you call saving face means insulting me in public and provoking my friend," Vera's voice suddenly turned cold, "then calling you a coward is merely returning the courtesy, isn't it?"

Malfoy's face went from red to white. He stammered, trying to retort, but could not get out a word for a long while.

"What is it? Too scared to agree?" Vera tilted her head slightly, silver-gray strands of hair slipping over her shoulder. "Or is the heir of the Malfoy family too afraid to accept even such a small wager?"

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged uneasy looks, while the surrounding students held their breath, waiting for Malfoy's response.

Vera raised her head slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

At this point, if Malfoy refused, he would make a complete fool of himself right here.

Given the Gryffindors' nature, this matter would spread through the entire school within half a day. By then, he would never be able to shake off the label of coward.

Even if he agreed, he would have to attend the midnight duel for the sake of his own reputation and his family's. If he avoided the fight, word would spread just the same.

A little brat like Malfoy, who cared so much about his family's reputation, had no reason not to take the bait.

Sure enough, after a brief struggle, Malfoy gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I dare! But if you lose, Potter has to admit before the whole school that she's useless trash who relies on a cripple for protection!"

Harry sprang to her feet, her fists clenched tightly. "You—"

Vera raised a hand to stop her, her gaze still locked on Malfoy. "No problem. If you lose, you'll apologize to us in the Great Hall."

He snorted coldly, turned, and strode away with his lackeys.

Watching them leave, Hermione's face grew even paler. She lowered her voice. "Are you two insane? You actually agreed to him!"

But Harry had already clenched her fists excitedly, battle intent shining in her green eyes. "I'm not afraid of him! Vera, you were so cool just now!"

Vera shook her head gently and turned her wheelchair toward Hermione. "Don't worry. I'll prepare for both possibilities."

"What do you mean?" Hermione did not quite understand.

"Malfoy is a typical Slytherin. He understands the consequences of getting caught out after curfew better than anyone." Vera analyzed calmly. "Not to mention that he just caused trouble in flying class.

If Harry had let him lead her by the nose and agreed to this duel, he could have simply not shown up and secretly reported it to Filch, the caretaker responsible for patrolling at night. Then Harry really might have been caught."

Harry suddenly understood. "So that's why he was so eager to provoke me!"

"But things are different now." Vera smiled faintly. "As things stand, Malfoy has to come for the sake of his family's reputation, while we—"

She gave Harry a meaningful look. "Can set a trap in advance."

Harry leaned closer excitedly. "What kind of trap?"

"Well..." Vera deliberately drew out the word. Looking at the two girls who had nearly leaned right into her face, she raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell you yet."

The two froze, then nearly toppled over.

Harry puffed out her cheeks at once. "Vera! That's not fair. Since when did you become so good at joking?"

Hermione frowned too. "If it's some dangerous plan, we have the right to know."

"Trust me. You'll understand before midnight." Vera gently pushed her wheelchair back a step, a mysterious smile curling her lips. "Give me some time. I'll be right back."

"Wait!" Harry hurriedly stood and followed her. "At least let me come with you... I mean, Malfoy only provoked us because of me. If there's something that needs preparing, I can help too!"

Vera tilted her head back and looked into Harry's emerald eyes, which were full of anxiety and concern. Then she suddenly reached out her hand.

Though she did not understand why, Harry still bent down slightly, stopping at just the right height for Vera to touch her.

But Vera did not actually touch her. Her fingertips paused before Harry's eyes for an instant, then quickly withdrew.

"No," Vera said softly, turning her wheelchair away. "Some things are more convenient for me to handle alone."

With that, she left the Great Hall directly.

Harry remained where she was, watching Vera's retreating figure with a trace of disappointment.

Hermione walked over and gently patted her shoulder. "Vera has always had her own mind. Since she says she can handle it, we should trust her."

Harry bit her lip. "I just... don't want her to always stand in front of me. I should be the one protecting her."

"You already protected her on the lawn earlier." Hermione's voice sounded somewhat wistful. "And you saw it too. Vera understands how people like Malfoy think better than we do. It might be better to let her handle this."

Harry fell silent for a while, then finally nodded, accepting her reasoning.

"But no matter what, we can't just rely on Vera!" She gritted her teeth, making up her mind. "Hermione, let's go to the library. I need to find some useful spells for tonight's duel!"

Hermione looked at her in surprise. "You're serious? We don't even know what Vera's plan is!"

"That's exactly why we need to prepare for both possibilities." Determination gleamed in Harry's green eyes. "If something goes wrong with Vera's plan, at least we can still rely on ourselves."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right, but we have to be careful."

"Of course!" Harry grabbed Hermione's hand. "Come on, while there's still time!"

The two hurried out of the Great Hall and ran toward the library.

Elsewhere, Vera pushed her wheelchair through the castle corridors. Under the effects of a powerful Hover Charm, the wheelchair easily passed over every step.

Ignoring the strange looks from the other students in the corridors, she slowly circulated the magical circuits within her body, using them to sense through the castle in search of the person she wanted to find...

At last, Vera stopped before an abandoned classroom that few people passed by and slowly said, "Peeves, I can see you."

Her voice echoed through the empty corridor, carrying a note of certainty.

After a moment of silence, a burst of cackling laughter suddenly came from the ceiling. A small, pale ghost with black hair and black eyes poked his head out from behind the chandelier.

If it had been any other student, seeing Peeves, who always loved playing pranks on teachers and students alike, they would probably have wanted to leave on the spot.

But Vera did not. She sat quietly in her wheelchair, looked up at the spirit before her, and smiled faintly.