Combat Resonance Value / Peeves' Assist

She instinctively looked at Hermione, only to find that Hermione wore an equally hesitant expression.

Vera smiled faintly, took the fabric, and gently unfolded it. "This is an Invisibility Cloak. It's made from Demiguise hair, and it can render the people or objects it covers invisible."

In the wizarding world, such an item was rare and expensive, but for the old pure-blood Black family—whose entire family was rotting in prison, leaving Vera as their sole remaining descendant—it was not particularly difficult to acquire.

So, as early as the beginning of term, she had brought this Invisibility Cloak with her in preparation for life at school.

Anyone who had read the original story knew that the Potter family also possessed an inherited Invisibility Cloak, and that it was one of the famous Deathly Hallows.

However, before Voldemort went to attack the Potter family, Dumbledore had already recognized the cloak's extraordinary nature and borrowed it from Harry's father, James Potter, hoping to study it.

Yet before he could return it, the Potter family was attacked by Voldemort, and one-year-old Harry was sent to live with her Muggle aunt and uncle.

Thus, the Potter family's Invisibility Cloak remained in Dumbledore's hands for the time being, until he returned it to Harry as a Christmas present during Harry's first year at school.

The only difference between the Potter family's inherited Deathly Hallows version of the Invisibility Cloak and an ordinary one was that it was "permanent, continuously invisible, and impossible to break with any spell."

In other words, while they remained effective, all Invisibility Cloaks had roughly the same invisibility effect.

At this point in time, Harry had yet to receive the Potter family's cloak, so using an ordinary one as a temporary measure was perfectly fine.

Harry and Hermione both sucked in a breath, carefully stroking the magical fabric.

"This is incredible!" Hermione exclaimed. Her legs were completely concealed beneath the Invisibility Cloak, utterly invisible.

Harry's eyes sparkled. "With this, we can sneak into the Trophy Room without Filch finding us!"

Vera nodded but did not mention Peeves.

After all, she could explain producing an Invisibility Cloak by saying her family was wealthy, but if she mentioned persuading Peeves—the ghost capable of pranking nearly the whole school—the two little lionesses in front of her would definitely question her relentlessly.

"Even so, we can't let our guard down," she reminded them softly. "Once we reach the Trophy Room and meet Malfoy—or when the duel begins—Harry, you must keep the Invisibility Cloak with you at all times, in case something happens and we can't escape."

Harry nodded excitedly, then seemed to think of something and asked worriedly, "Then what will you two do?"

Vera shook her head lightly. "Don't worry about us. Remember, Malfoy's target right now is you, Harry. As long as we keep you safe, Hermione and I will naturally find a way out."

She spread out the cloak and gestured for them to come closer. "This Invisibility Cloak is large enough to cover all three of us. As long as we're careful, no one will spot us."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and nodded together.

Midnight arrived quickly. The three girls squeezed beneath the Invisibility Cloak and carefully made their way through the castle corridors.

"This cloak is amazing," Hermione whispered in admiration. "It can actually hide all three of us."

Vera raised a finger to her lips, signaling for Hermione to be quieter.

Her wheelchair moved almost soundlessly. The Enhanced Levitation Charm kept it hovering an inch above the floor, perfectly avoiding any noise.

"The Trophy Room is just around that corner," Harry said in a low voice. The oil lamp in her hand lit the path ahead. "Do you think Malfoy will really come?"

"He has to," Vera replied softly. "For the Malfoy family's reputation."

In truth, there had been no shortage of pure-blood families doing all sorts of disgraceful things in the past. Yet in modern times, these so-called pure-bloods had become even more concerned with their family reputations.

Of course, if Draco's father Lucius had been in his place, he would certainly have handled things differently.

But little Malfoy was only eleven years old. Children that age had strong pride and could not stand being provoked at all.

"Shh!" Harry suddenly stopped and signaled for everyone to be quiet. Faint footsteps and a cat's meowing came from ahead.

"It's Filch and his cat!" Hermione whispered in terror.

Vera immediately covered Hermione's mouth and lowered her voice. "Don't make a sound yet."

They held their breath as Filch and Mrs Norris passed before them. Only after the footsteps had completely faded did Harry let out a long breath. "That was close..."

Only then did Vera loosen her hand from Hermione's face slightly and say softly, "Sorry. It was an emergency."

"Mm... i-it's okay," Hermione replied quietly. Beneath the Invisibility Cloak, her little face silently reddened all the way to her ears.

However, Vera, whose mind was entirely occupied with reaching their destination as soon as possible, did not notice her expression at all.

Soon, the three of them stopped outside the Trophy Room. Vera signaled for them to wait, then wheeled herself toward the crack beneath the door. A faint gleam appeared in her eyes as the Magic Circuit activated.

A moment later, she returned to her companions.

"There's no one inside, and no ambush," she said. "Let's go in first."

Hermione nervously bit her lip. "Could this be a trap? Malfoy might have already told Filch."

Vera's lips curved upward slightly. "That would suit me just fine."

Harry blinked in confusion, but there was no time to ask.

The three girls quietly slipped into the Trophy Room. Trophies, shields, and medals shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Vera gestured for them to hide behind a row of tall display cases.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked, instinctively gripping Vera's armrest.

Vera gently patted the back of Harry's hand. "Wait for now. There are still a few minutes before midnight."

As she spoke, she turned to look around. Though she had come here during the day to scout the place and make some preparations, the Trophy Room felt different at night.

Moonlight streamed through the high windows, casting mottled shadows over the ancient trophies and shields, as though every exhibit were recounting Hogwarts' long history.

Hermione looked around uneasily. "What if Malfoy doesn't come? We can't wait here all night."

Vera's gaze fell upon the door, the corner of her lips lifting. "Don't rush... Look at this."

Perhaps influenced by her relaxed tone, Harry followed her gaze and spotted a golden trophy in one of the display cases, engraved with the name James Potter.

James Potter was Harry's father.

Battle Resonance

Harry's eyes widened at once. She instinctively moved closer to the trophy and lightly touched the glass case with her fingers. "This is my dad's trophy!"

"A Quidditch trophy? It says, 'James Potter, Hogwarts' Best Chaser, 1972'!" Hermione leaned over curiously as well. "Harry, your dad was a member of Gryffindor's Quidditch team too!"

Harry's green eyes shone beneath the moonlight. She turned to Vera, unable to hide her excitement. "Vera, you already knew about this?"

Vera nodded gently. "I saw it while passing by during the day. I thought you might be interested."

Harry's lips curved upward, and she gave Vera a tight hug. "Thank you for telling me!"

For a moment, Vera stiffened awkwardly.

Just as she was about to say something, her ears twitched. She heard footsteps outside the door.

The three girls immediately became alert, and Hermione swiftly pulled a corner of the Invisibility Cloak over them.

They quickly hid behind a tall display case and held their breath. Harry unconsciously clenched her wand, but Vera gently held her wrist.

The door was pushed open softly, and three figures sneaked inside.

Under the moonlight, Malfoy's face looked somewhat pale as he warily scanned the Trophy Room.

"Hmph, I knew they wouldn't come." His arrogant voice echoed through the empty room, and he impatiently kicked the display case beside him.

Crabbe clumsily scratched his head. "Maybe she got scared?"

Goyle chimed in, "Definitely! I heard Potter grew up among Muggles. Maybe she doesn't even know what a duel is!"

A smug smile appeared on Malfoy's lips. "Hmph. By tomorrow, the whole school will know that the so-called Savior is nothing but a coward!"

Harry's fists clenched tightly. Vera could almost feel her wrist trembling faintly in her palm.

"Don't rush. Listen to me first..." Vera leaned close to Harry, and her lips inadvertently brushed Harry's ear as she shifted slightly, making the other girl tremble.

But soon, as Vera whispered into her ear, Harry's eyes brightened slightly. She turned to Vera in disbelief.

Only after receiving Vera's approving look did she nod. She quietly tucked the Invisibility Cloak into her pocket, had Hermione stay here for the moment, and then pushed Vera out with her.

"We're here, Malfoy!" Harry called out.

Malfoy spun around sharply, a flicker of panic flashing through his gray eyes. "Y-you... Where did you come from?"

"Enough nonsense," Vera said, raising an eyebrow. "We arrived on time. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise, Cousin Draco."

"From now on, I forbid you from calling me that—"

Malfoy frowned in disgust, his hand instinctively reaching for the wand inside his robes. However, before he could draw it completely, Vera beat him to it.

"Expelliarmus!"

A dazzling red light flashed, and Malfoy's wand flew from his hand toward Vera.

She caught it steadily and spun it elegantly between her fingers.

"You—" Malfoy's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Even he had not expected to fall into the same trap twice.

[Defeated opponent x1, Resonance Value +5]

Seeing the message flash across her retina, Vera curled her lips slightly and looked at the two lackeys behind him. "Are you scared?"

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances, angrily reaching for their wands, only to be frozen in place by a Petrification Spell from Vera—one each.

Vera slowly wheeled herself closer to Malfoy. Her silver-gray hair gleamed coldly under the moonlight. "Now, you've lost."

Malfoy's lips trembled. "That's not fair! You ambushed us!"

"Ambushed you?" Harry sneered. "Who was the one who provoked us first? Who was the one who insulted Vera in the Great Hall?"

Malfoy took a step back until his back hit a display case. "I-I was just..."

"Still not convinced?" Vera looked at the fifteen Resonance Value she had gained from defeating all three of them in succession with great interest. After calculating the experience and maximum magic power it would later convert into, she still felt it was not enough, so she tossed Malfoy's wand back to him. "Want to try again?"

"Vera!" Harry placed a worried hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine. I want to try again." Vera tilted her head and softly reassured her before turning back to the outwardly fierce but inwardly timid young master before her.

In theory, as long as the battle had not ended, Resonance Value could accumulate without limit. The experience and increased maximum magic power she gained afterward would also be more considerable.

Since Malfoy had taken the initiative to provoke her, there seemed to be nothing wrong with farming him a few more times like an experience pack, right?

Trembling, Malfoy held the wand Vera had thrown to him. Hesitation and struggle flashed through his gray eyes.

He looked down at his wand, then raised his head to look at Vera in her wheelchair. A trace of ruthlessness appeared on his pale face.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Malfoy gritted his teeth and raised his wand. "Stupe—"

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Vera moved faster. With a Levitation Charm, Malfoy himself floated into the air, and his wand fell to the ground again from his hand in his fear of floating.

[Defeated opponent x4, Current Battle Resonance: 20]

Vera looked at the prompt on her retina with satisfaction and wheeled herself a little closer. "Do you want to continue, Cousin Draco?"

Malfoy's face looked utterly terrible as he hung in midair. He struggled to grab onto something, but could only flail his limbs uselessly through the air. "Put me down! You cripple!"

The instant those words left his mouth, not only did Vera frown, but Harry began shaking with rage. She rushed forward and pointed her wand straight at Malfoy. "Say that again?!"

Malfoy struggled in the air, but he still stubbornly snapped, "I said she's a cripple! So what? It's the truth!"

Fury blazed in Harry's green eyes, and a dangerous light had already begun flickering at the tip of her wand.

But Vera gently raised a hand to stop her. "Don't act rashly, Harry."

She wheeled herself directly beneath Malfoy and looked up at the boy trapped by the Levitation Charm. Her voice was gentle, yet icy. "Draco, it seems you still haven't learned how to respect others."

Since that was the case, then he could not blame her for what came next.

Peeves' Assistance

"Descendo."

With a light wave of Vera's wand, Malfoy crashed down from midair.

However, thanks to the preparations she had made beforehand, Vera did not hit him too hard.

[Defeated opponent x5, Current Battle Resonance: 25]

Before long, Malfoy climbed up from the floor, grimacing in pain. He seemed largely unhurt and even had the chance to pick up the wand he had dropped earlier.

He glared viciously at Vera. "Just you wait! If my father finds out—"

"Finds out what? That you broke school rules and came out in the middle of the night to duel?" Vera scoffed. "That you've already been disarmed by me twice in a row and nearly couldn't even get back up?"

Malfoy's face turned even uglier. Anger and resentment flashed in his gray eyes, but fear outweighed them both.

Even as he raised his wand with trembling hands, he did not dare cast another spell.