Castle: Look at Me! (Third Update) / As Everyone Knows, Halloween Is a High-Risk Holiday (Fourth Update)

This one in front of them should count as a trial version.

"And this," George said, pulling something that looked like an ordinary button from his pocket, "is a Sticky Glue Bomb. After it explodes, it sprays powerful glue that can stick someone in place for at least half an hour."

Harry's eyes widened further and further, while Hermione's face went pale. "How could you... These are obviously prohibited items!"

"Just in case, Hermione." Vera gently pressed a hand over hers, looking at her earnestly.

Only after seeing Hermione's expression soften into reluctant compromise did she turn back, store the items in the wheelchair's expanded storage space, and pull a small pouch from her pocket.

"Thirty Galleons, as we agreed before."

Castle: Look at Me! (Third Update)

Just in case, Vera selected quite a few more prank items from the twins.

Although some of the items had yet to reach the standards described in the original story, as far as she was concerned.

Considering the twins' age, though, the fact that they could make these things already truly marked them as extraordinarily gifted.

Even Harry was tempted enough to pick out a quill that could automatically spray ink and check spelling—

This thing was already a finished product and could be used freely.

"With this, at least Professor Snape won't keep staring at me because I misspelled words," Harry quietly explained to Hermione why she liked it.

No matter how slow she might have been, during this time she had gradually noticed that something was off—

Snape did seem to watch her in class, but he never looked directly at her. Instead, while instructing another student, he would occasionally cast a cold glance her way.

Whenever Harry noticed his gaze and turned toward him in confusion, he would casually look away as if nothing had happened.

It left Harry baffled every time, but remembering Snape's slight favoritism toward her, she could only assume there was some problem with her Potions work or homework.

Vera did not explain. She merely turned and said, "Let's pay for everything together, including that quill."

"No need," Fred said with a hearty grin. "As our first customer—and our biggest customer—the price you gave us has already far exceeded what these things are worth. Consider the quill a free bonus with your order."

George blinked as well. "If you have any feedback after trying them out, feel free to come find us anytime."

Since they had both said so, Vera thought about it and smiled. "All right. Thank you, then."

Hermione stood to one side, frowning deeply as she watched them trade items that so clearly violated school rules.

Although she had wanted to speak up and stop them several times during the transaction, seeing how much more relaxed Vera looked in the end, she chose to remain silent.

Soon, this private shopping session for magical items came to an end.

Vera put the items into the storage compartment beneath her wheelchair. Just as she was about to turn around, she suddenly felt the crystal at her chest shake violently.

Her brow immediately furrowed. Narrowing her eyes, she used Circuit Vision and saw Black Fog outside the passage spreading at an astonishing speed.

The castle was warning her again.

Had Quirrell made a move ahead of schedule?

"We need to go." She quickly wheeled herself toward the exit. "Curfew is coming up. Don't stay outside any longer."

Hermione keenly noticed that something was wrong. "What is it? You don't look very well."

Vera did not answer. She merely urged them onward as she picked up the pace of her wheelchair.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and hurried after her.

As for the Weasley twins, they had the Marauder's Map in hand, so they did not need to worry about running into danger inside the school at all.

Before long, they hurried through the corridors ahead of curfew. After giving the Fat Lady the password, they successfully returned to the Gryffindor common room.

By then, there was hardly anyone left in the common room.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, filling the dim room with warm light.

"You two go upstairs first," Vera said softly. "I want to stay here for a while."

Harry looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure you don't need us to stay with you?"

"I'm fine." Vera smiled faintly. "I'm just a little tired tonight and want to be alone for a bit."

Hermione hesitated before finally nodding. "All right, but don't stay up too late."

After Harry and Hermione returned to their room, Vera wheeled herself to the window and looked out at the distant outline of the Forbidden Forest.

Magic Circuits slowly flowed through her body. Only then did she vaguely see a mass of Black Fog spreading toward the castle from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

The Forbidden Forest...?

She narrowed her eyes and carefully traced the path of the Black Fog.

The Troll should be in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle right now, and this presence felt more dangerous and chaotic than the Troll's. It also carried a familiar evil pulse.

It was Voldemort!

Her fingers instinctively clenched around the wheelchair's armrests, and her breathing caught slightly.

In the original story, Voldemort had indeed hunted Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest to sustain his life, but that happened around Easter break, sometime in April of next year.

It was only November now... Did that mean Quirrell had already begun scouting around the Forbidden Forest, preparing to hunt Unicorns later?

Tch. This was a little troublesome.

With her current strength, rashly entering the Forbidden Forest to investigate Voldemort's movements would be no different from seeking death.

If she rashly went to notify those Centaurs... among those arrogant creatures, only Firenze was remotely friendly toward humans.

Even so, faced with a human student who suddenly appeared to warn him to look after the Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, it would probably be difficult for her, in her current condition and with her current strength, to earn his trust.

That left only one option.

With a half-giant's physique, his magical resistance was practically maxed out. Voldemort at this stage could not do much to Hagrid anyway.

That gamekeeper still held a slight prejudice against her, but... it would not be a problem.

Vera let out a soft breath and wheeled herself back to the dormitory.

Harry and Hermione had already changed into their pajamas and were discussing tomorrow's Halloween plans.

When they saw Vera return, both of them stopped talking at once.

"Feeling better?" Harry asked with concern.

Vera nodded. "Mm. I'm fine now."

Hermione looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure? Your face looked really bad in the passage earlier."

"I was just a little tired," Vera replied lightly, wheeling herself to the bedside before looking at Harry.

Before she even had to say anything, Harry came over and helped her onto the bed, moving even more carefully than usual. "If you need help with anything, you have to tell us."

Vera looked into her serious green eyes and nodded softly. "I will."

Hermione put out the lights, and the dormitory fell into darkness.

Vera lay in bed, listening to Harry and Hermione's steady breathing, but her thoughts refused to settle.

She was still too weak. If she were just a little stronger, if she could move normally, she would not need to rely on anyone else for something like this.

She turned over gently and closed her eyes, feeling the path of the Magic Circuits flowing through her body.

Ever since she had broken through to Control · Beginner Rank, her perception and control of magic had undergone a qualitative leap. Even those advanced spells she had never been able to master before were gradually becoming familiar.

But the greatest limitation was still this body of hers, along with her far-from-abundant magic power.

She still needed more opportunities for real combat.

She sighed softly. Nox crawled over from the foot of the bed, its warm body pressing close against her calves.

Tomorrow was Halloween. She was looking forward to it.

As Everyone Knows, Halloween Is a High-Risk Holiday (Fourth Update)

Early the next morning, Vera got up quietly without waking Harry and Hermione, who were still asleep.

Nox poked its head out of its cat bed, amber eyes gleaming in the morning light.

"Shh..." Vera made a quieting gesture at it and wheeled herself to the window.

The morning light was faint, and the outline of the Forbidden Forest appeared and disappeared through the thin mist.

But the Black Fog from last night had already vanished. The Forbidden Forest now looked peaceful, as though nothing had happened.

It seemed Quirrell had not gone hunting Unicorns yesterday...

Good. The plot had not shifted.

She just wondered whether this legendary beginner-village boss, possessed by Voldemort, would die of overwork early if he kept burning the candle at both ends every day—causing trouble, doing hard labor, and having his life force drained by Voldemort.

Vera shook her head and silently pulled back her wandering thoughts.

Otherwise, she would start wondering whether Quirrell had no hair because Voldemort was rather bald too.

After quietly washing up and feeding Nox some cat food, Vera watched it eat with gusto. The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she took a potion from the wheelchair's expanded storage space and tipped it back in one gulp.

The bitter liquid slid down her throat, bringing a familiar burning sensation.

She gripped the wheelchair's armrests tightly and bit her lip with all her strength, ensuring that she would not make a sound.

Soon, as the potion took effect, the dull ache in her spine eased somewhat.

Drenched in sweat, Vera let out a long breath, then leaned against the window and began reading through a notebook she had brought out of the Room of Requirement by the morning light.

The notebook recorded many theories and practical methods related to Ancient Magic. Though the handwriting had become somewhat blurred, the author's profound expertise was still evident.

As she read, she tried adjusting the flow paths of her Magic Circuits according to the methods in the notebook.

Before long, golden patterns flickered faintly beneath her skin, and her magic power began to flow more smoothly.

Most importantly, it could reduce the obstruction between spell transitions when casting, while also lowering the magic power consumed by spells to a certain degree.

"So that's how it is..." Vera murmured, her fingertip brushing over a passage explaining a complex principle.

She had been fairly adept at using Magic Circuits before, but without anyone to guide her through certain technical details, she feared it would have taken years of trial and error to master them completely.

Yet even at Hogwarts, no one could teach her this ability.

Until that day, when her Magic Circuits were on the verge of breaking through and she had gone to the Room of Requirement on a whim, only to find such a room.

Vera gently closed the notebook, unconsciously rubbing the blurred signature on its cover with her fingertips—it was an ornate letter "B," with a drawing beside it that could no longer be made out.

The notebook's author clearly possessed Magic Circuits just as she did, and many of their insights could greatly help her master her own Magic Circuits.

Just then, a rustling sound came from behind her.

"Vera?" Harry sat up sleepily in bed, her black hair tangled like a bird's nest. "You got up so early?"

Vera turned her wheelchair around. "Couldn't sleep. Did I wake you?"

Harry rubbed her eyes, then suddenly jumped out of bed as if remembering something. "No... Oh, right, it's Halloween today!"

She rushed excitedly to the wardrobe and began searching for her neatest school robes. "Hermione! Wake up!"

Hermione answered groggily, then seemed to realize something and abruptly sprang out of bed. "What time is it? Why are you both already up?"

"It's only six-thirty, but it's Halloween!" Harry was already dressed and was trying hard to smooth down the stubborn tufts of hair sticking up. "It's my first time spending this holiday at school!"

Vera froze for a moment, realizing that Harry probably had not been in the mood to celebrate holidays at home either. For a moment, she could not say anything.

She could only turn to Hermione, who was clearly still half-asleep. "You don't need to get up this early. You can sleep a little longer."

"Forget it. I should be up anyway." Hermione yawned, waking herself up a little before getting out of bed as well.

The three girls got up and washed in turn, preparing to welcome Halloween.

Quite a few early-rising students were already in the common room, eagerly discussing that evening's feast.

Ron and Neville were sitting by the fireplace. When they saw the girls come downstairs, they immediately waved to them.

"I heard there'll be a special event at the feast tonight," Ron said excitedly. "Fred said Dumbledore is preparing a ghost parade!"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Vera glanced at them and spoke calmly. "Did you forget that they said the Sorting Ceremony was meant to deal with a Troll?"

Harry and Ron both froze, while Hermione looked utterly speechless. "Obviously, they're teasing you again, and you fell for it again."

"Uh... It sounded pretty convincing this time," Ron said awkwardly, scratching his hair as he tried to defend himself.

Vera shrugged and gently pushed her wheelchair forward. "Let's go to the Great Hall first."

Hogwarts was even livelier than usual on Halloween. The corridors were filled with moving jack-o'-lanterns and drifting ghosts, sweet pumpkin-pie aromas hung in the air, and even the floating candles had turned a ghostly green.