Wheelchair War God Speedruns Hogwarts

Ancient Magic Was Like This

"Oh~ Look who it is? Little Black in a wheelchair!" Peeves cackled shrilly, doing a somersault in midair.

Vera narrowed her eyes slightly, faint golden light glowing through the Magic Circuit in her pupils. "Since the start of term, I've seen quite a few ghosts. I've met nearly every ghost from all four Houses.

"But you alone, Peeves—the spirit who loves causing pranks and chaos around the castle—you've pranked every first-year student this year, yet I've never once seen you appear in front of me."

Vera paused, looking at Peeves, whose smile had begun to stiffen. With interest, she asked, "Could it be... you've been deliberately avoiding me?"

Peeves's smile froze. His crafty black eyes darted about uneasily. "Avoiding you? Hahaha! Why would Peeves avoid a tiny first-year?"

Vera gently turned her wheelchair toward the shadows in the corridor. "Really? Then why do you suddenly vanish every time I pass through a hallway? Just like now—"

She suddenly raised her hand and lightly pressed it against a brick wall in the castle. A golden glow silently seeped into the wall.

In an instant, it was as if something had seized Peeves by the ankle. He suddenly fell from the ceiling, comically hovering a foot above the ground.

Just as she had expected, Vera's lips curled in amusement.

"W-what kind of trick is this?" Peeves struggled in terror, only to find himself completely unable to break free from the invisible restraint.

Vera wheeled herself in front of him, her long silver-gray hair gleaming coldly in the dim corridor. "Looks like I guessed right, Peeves. You can sense the presence of Ancient Magic, can't you?"

Peeves's black eyes widened round, as though a secret he had long concealed had been exposed.

He stammered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about! Let me go! Or I'll call everyone in the castle over here!"

Vera gently shook her head, the golden patterns at her fingertips flickering faintly. "You can try, unless you want others to see you like this."

Classic blond-haired villain tactics. She had never expected to use them one day, much less in a situation like this.

Peeves's face twitched. He tried to flee, but the golden patterns at Vera's fingertips flickered, and it was as though an invisible hand had clenched tightly around him. He could not escape at all.

"Don't be nervous." Vera's voice was gentle but impossible to defy. "Why not listen to what I have to say before deciding whether to agree? What do you think?"

Peeves's black eyes spun rapidly. In the end, he nodded unwillingly.

Only then did Vera release the restraint. Peeves immediately floated back to a safe distance, staring at her warily. "Cunning little Black! What do you want?"

"It's simple." Vera's voice remained soft but unquestionable. "I need you to do me a small favor tonight."

Peeves stubbornly raised his head. "Peeves doesn't do favors for anyone! Peeves only makes trouble!"

Vera smiled slightly. "That suits me perfectly. At midnight tonight, there'll be some excitement in the Trophy Room. I need you to make sure Filch happens to pass by."

Peeves's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh? Who do you want to frame? That little brat from the Malfoy family?"

"That isn't important." Vera did not answer directly. "You only need to consider whether you want to agree."

Peeves did a somersault in the air, cunning light gleaming in his black eyes. "And what if I say no?"

Vera curled her lips, the patterns of her Magic Circuit faintly visible beneath her skin. "Then... it seems you're prepared to be trapped here forever?"

Peeves's expression instantly froze. He hovered in midair, and a trace of barely noticeable fear flashed through his black eyes. "Y-you can't use that against me! I'm part of the castle!"

"Yes, part of the castle." Vera sighed softly, her fingertips brushing over the seemingly ordinary brick wall before her.

By this era, many wizards had long forgotten that Hogwarts itself had once been built with Ancient Magic by the four founders of the Houses.

It was itself a massive Ancient Magic ruin, including the moving staircases and the spirit born from the castle—Peeves.

Yes, Peeves was different from the other ghosts at the school. Those ghosts had all been humans who had regrets in life and refused to face death.

Peeves, however, was another form of existence, deeply bound to Hogwarts—a different kind of indestructible spiritual chaos.

Even now, no one could clearly explain exactly what Peeves was. Perhaps even Dumbledore could not explain it properly on short notice.

But judging by the panic Peeves had been unable to hide when she mentioned Ancient Magic, he most likely existed because of the Ancient Magic contained within the castle itself.

As for why she could so easily restrain Peeves, who was practically Hogwarts's bound spirit, that was thanks to the exploration she had done around the castle lately.

Ever since she had discovered the principle behind changing the staircases last time, Vera had often conducted different experiments in every corner of the castle.

The results could not exactly be called remarkable. At best, they had been almost completely useless.

Aside from controlling the movement of the stairs through touch, her only gain had probably been discovering that the castle walls and certain specific areas also contained similar Ancient Magic.

And an existence like Peeves clearly had an inseparable connection to the castle's magical structure.

So, the only one she could threaten slightly with her ability was Peeves, who was tightly bound to Hogwarts.

Just now, with the help of her Magic Circuit, she had deliberately driven Peeves here before speaking.

"I won't hurt you," Vera said slowly. "But in exchange, you need to do me this small favor."

Peeves circled uneasily in the air, hesitation filling his black eyes.

"Do we have a deal?" Vera held out her hand.

Peeves froze in midair for several seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Cunning! Too cunning! Little Black is much more interesting than those old Blacks!"

He floated before Vera and held out a transparent little finger. "Deal! But I have one condition too!"

"What condition?"

"You're not allowed to trap me with that strange magic again!" Peeves pulled a face. "It feels as disgusting as being wrapped up in the Giant Squid's tentacles!"

The corners of Vera's lips lifted slightly. "Fine. Midnight, the Trophy Room. Don't forget."

Peeves did a somersault in the air and shrieked with laughter. "Filch and his cat will show up right on time! I guarantee it!"

With that, he passed through the wall and disappeared.

Vera let out a quiet breath. The golden patterns at her fingertips gradually faded, as though nothing had happened here.

Everything Had to Be Prepared in Advance

By the time Vera wheeled herself back to Gryffindor Tower, quite a few students had already gathered in the common room.

Harry and Hermione were surrounded by a group of Gryffindors. Ron stood beside Harry, vividly describing what had happened in flying class that afternoon.

Neville, who had initially been sent to the school hospital, had also returned. He looked like he should be fine.

"—Then Harry swooped down like this!" Ron gestured exaggeratedly. "She caught the Remembrall when she was only a few feet away from Vera, then pulled her broom up afterward! It was incredibly cool!"

The Gryffindors eagerly responded with a chorus of gasps.

Harry scratched her hair sheepishly. Her gaze happened to sweep toward the entrance, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Vera! You're back!"

She hurried through the crowd to Vera's side, her green eyes full of concern. "Where did you go? Hermione and I were almost going to look for you."

Vera looked around, a hint of amusement appearing in her expression. "You were going to look for me together?"

Noticing that the Gryffindors behind her were still watching, Harry gave an embarrassed little cough and lowered her voice. "I didn't want this either. Hermione and I had just come back from the library when they all gathered around..."

Though she said that, seeing Harry's unusually radiant face, Vera could roughly tell that she quite liked the feeling.

"What were you doing at the library?" she asked softly, deliberately changing the subject.

Harry's face reddened slightly as she explained in a low voice, "I just wanted to look up some information about wizard duels..."

Hermione squeezed through the crowd carrying a thick stack of books. "I borrowed The Art of Dueling, A Complete Guide to Defensive Spells, and Nineteenth-Century Dueling Cases!"

Looking at the pile of books that almost blocked Hermione's vision, Vera could not help laughing softly. "You're very well prepared."

"Of course!" Hermione looked serious. "We can't rule out the possibility that Malfoy will cheat, but if he really comes, we have to be fully prepared!"

Harry nodded. "That's right. I've already found a few useful spells in the books. They might come in handy!"

Vera looked at the two of them, so earnest, and warmth rose in her heart. "Actually, you don't need to be so nervous. I've already made arrangements."

Harry and Hermione both looked at her, their eyes full of curiosity.

"What arrangements?" Harry asked impatiently.

Vera smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out later. But for now, we need to deal with our enthusiastic classmates first."

She pointed at the Gryffindors still standing behind them.

"They didn't all hear us, did they?" Harry turned around, and her scalp immediately went numb.

Vera shook her head. "Not all of them... but there are always a few who are well-informed."

No sooner had she spoken than Fred and George squeezed out of the crowd, standing on either side of Vera's wheelchair.

"I just heard Ron say you're going to duel that Malfoy kid?" Fred asked excitedly in a lowered voice.

George added, "Need support from some prank equipment? We've recently developed some new items..."

Vera gently shook her head. "Thanks, but we're almost fully prepared already."

"Really?" Fred dramatically clutched his chest. "A little first-year actually rejected us?"

George pretended to wipe away tears. "How heartbreaking!"

Harry laughed at their performance, but quickly became serious again. "Thank you for the offer, but if Vera says we don't need it, then it'll definitely be fine!"

Hermione muttered softly from the side, "At least they didn't say they wanted to come with us..."

"Oh? You don't want us to come along?" Fred suddenly leaned closer and asked.

George leaned in from the other side. "We can be spectators! Or referees!"

Seeing Harry caught between them, completely at a loss, Vera gave a soft cough. "Actually, we'd prefer not to make this too big."

"That's right!" Hermione immediately agreed. "If the professors find out..."

"Don't worry, Granger." Fred patted her shoulder. "We Gryffindors are best at keeping secrets!"

George winked. "Especially secrets about breaking school rules!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, clearly having no faith in their assurance.

Vera looked at the clock on the common room wall and said softly, "If you two have any interesting new things next time, bring them over. I can buy them at the original price. But for tonight, let us try it ourselves."

Fred and George looked at each other, identical smiles appearing on their faces.

"No problem!"

After saying it in unison, the two turned around and led everyone else back to their respective dormitories.

Harry let out a breath of relief and quietly asked Vera, "Do we really not need their help?"

Vera gently shook her head. "More people would only make us easier to expose."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Ron and Neville, who were still standing where they were. Without question, Ron had overheard the conversation between them and Malfoy earlier and passed it on to quite a few people.

Ron scratched his red hair and edged over awkwardly. "Um... did I let something slip? But I swear, I only told George, Fred, and Neville!"

Hermione sighed. "Ronald Weasley! Do you know that could get Harry into even bigger trouble?"

Ron's face flushed bright red. "I just think Malfoy is way too arrogant! He should've been taught a proper lesson a long time ago!"

Watching them argue, Vera said helplessly, "All right, now isn't the time to blame each other."

She turned to Ron and Neville, her voice softening. "Since you already know, I hope you can do us a favor—no matter what happens tonight, don't mention it to anyone. Can you do that?"

Ron immediately puffed out his chest. "Of course! I swear!"

Neville nodded repeatedly, though he still looked worried. "B-but if you get caught sneaking out at night..."

"Don't worry. We know what we're doing," Vera reassured him.

Harry added from the side, "And we might not get caught anyway!"

Hermione gave her a helpless look and muttered, "Blind confidence isn't a good thing..."

Time passed second by second, and the people in the common room gradually dispersed.

"It's getting late. We should get ready," Vera reminded them.

Harry nodded. After saying goodbye to the others, the three returned to their dormitory together.

The moment the door closed, Hermione impatiently asked, "Vera, what exactly did you arrange? You can tell us now, right?"

Vera wheeled herself to the window. Moonlight streamed through it, casting a faint glow over her silver-gray hair.

"Nox," she called softly.

The cat, which had grown a little larger, immediately leaped nimbly down from the cat tree and dragged something silver-gray and liquid-like from its bed.

The thing slipped onto the floor with a rustling sound, gathering into a glittering heap.

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Sneaking Out at Night

"What is this?" Harry picked up the silver-glinting fabric from the floor. It felt strange in her hands, as though it had been woven from water.