The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts

"Ron, can you keep track of the time for us? If we're not back in half an hour, please go tell Professor McGonagall."

Though confused, Ron still nodded. "No problem. But you'd better come back quickly. There might be some kind of event later."

And so, Vera and Hermione quietly left the noisy Great Hall and headed down the corridor toward the underground classrooms.

As they gradually moved away from the bustling central area, their surroundings grew quieter and quieter. Only Vera and Hermione's footsteps, along with the faint sound of the wheelchair, echoed between the stone walls.

"Are you sure that feeling isn't just an illusion?" Hermione still seemed uneasy. "I mean... there are prophecies in the wizarding world, but I looked into it. That usually requires a special gift."

Vera pushed her wheelchair forward, remaining alert to her surroundings. "I can't be sure, but at least if I come take a look, I'll feel more at ease."

Hermione was completely convinced by that and immediately said no more, heading toward the Potions classroom.

But the closer they got, the tighter Vera's nerves became.

Everyone knew that the Troll had been locked in an underground classroom. The Potions classroom, Snape's office, and even the Slytherin common room were all on the basement level known as the dungeons.

Moreover, under Circuit Vision, the Black Fog was also spreading from the direction of the dungeons—meaning the Troll should still be in one of the underground rooms.

In other words, whether Harry was currently in the Potions classroom or Snape's office, she was more likely to encounter the Troll than in the girls' bathroom from the original story!

I Knew You Cared About Me

The closer they got to the dungeons, the colder and damper the air became.

Whenever Vera had spent more than two hours in the dungeon Potions classroom before, her joints would faintly ache from the chill and dampness.

Whenever that happened, Vera would secretly rejoice that she had not chosen Slytherin. Otherwise, she would develop rheumatism sooner or later.

The torches on the walls cast swaying shadows, making the corridor seem especially silent.

Hermione instinctively lightened her steps and lowered her voice. "Did everyone go to the Great Hall? It feels so quiet."

Vera's hands paused slightly on the wheelchair. The Magic Circuit within her accelerated, and under Circuit Vision, she could see that the Black Fog filling the corridor ahead had grown even denser than before.

"Something's not right..." she said softly. "Be careful."

The two continued onward cautiously and soon arrived outside the Potions classroom.

The classroom door was slightly ajar, with a faint light seeping through the gap.

"Harry?" Hermione called softly, pushing the door open and peeking inside. "Is anyone here?"

The classroom was empty. Cauldrons lay scattered across the tables, and only a few lamps remained lit. Clearly, no one was there anymore.

"Strange, where did she go?" Hermione looked around in confusion. "Professor Snape isn't here either."

Vera lightly tapped the wheelchair armrest with her fingertips, considering the possibilities. "Maybe she was taken to his office?"

"Should we go look in the office?" Hermione looked hesitant. "I mean... Professor Snape probably wouldn't like being disturbed..."

The Black Fog hadn't appeared here...

Vera narrowed her eyes and carefully observed the surroundings. It had to be said that Snape's strength was reliable. The Black Fog the castle used to warn her of danger had never spread near the Potions classroom.

So long as Harry stayed by Snape's side, even if she merely remained in his office, she should be safe.

Even so, Vera did not relax her guard. She simply nodded. "All right. Let's go back first."

Just as she was about to turn her wheelchair around, a faint sound suddenly came from the classroom's back door.

Her body tensed instantly. She almost instinctively pulled out her wand and pointed it toward the sound, only to see Harry peeking in through the back door with a large bucket of water in hand, her face still splashed with droplets.

"Why are you here?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the Great Hall?"

Vera froze for a moment before lowering her wand, her eyes fixed tightly on Harry.

Hermione also let out a long breath. "Vera was worried about you, so we came to check... What are you doing?"

Harry set down the bucket and wiped the water from her face. "Cleaning the cauldrons. I have to fetch water, don't I? Look, I'm almost done!"

As she spoke, she pointed at the huge pile of cauldrons in the classroom, then put her hands on her hips in mock annoyance. "I don't know where Professor Snape got so many cauldrons."

After all, young wizards at this point had not yet learned cleaning charms and could only painstakingly scrub cauldrons by hand.

"It's good that you're fine." Vera pushed her wheelchair a little closer, her tone as calm as ever. No one could tell that she had nearly been overwhelmed by anxiety just moments ago.

Harry's green eyes immediately lit up. She hurried to Vera's side, crouching down so they were at eye level. "So you came looking for me on purpose?"

Vera's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. She turned her head away. "I just came down to take a look because you hadn't shown up for a long time."

Just came down to take a look?

Hermione could not help rolling her eyes at the side. Who had been so nervous she had nearly lost control just now?

But Harry only smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. She reached out and took Vera's hand. "Vera, you were worried about me, weren't you?"

Vera instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Harry held on even tighter.

She could clearly feel the warmth of Harry's palm, as well as the undisguised joy in those green eyes.

After being briefly dazed, Vera came back to herself and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Think whatever you want..."

Harry giggled. "But you don't need to worry. Professor Snape's attitude is a little strict, but he said that once I finish these, he can teach me how to better judge when to add ingredients."

Vera guessed that was definitely not what Snape had actually said.

But seeing that the girl clearly had a good impression of Snape, Vera did not say anything more.

"Then where did the professor go?" Hermione looked around and asked in confusion.

Harry shrugged. "Something seemed to have come up. He told me to wait here for him to come back."

Vera's heart tightened at those words—Snape had left the dungeons. Could it be because Quirrell had already begun moving?

She immediately turned to look at the dim corridor outside. The Black Fog the castle used to warn her had grown thicker and thicker, and within it, a blurry figure seemed to flash past.

It was Quirrell!

Her heart leaped. Vera did not have time to worry about anything else and immediately grabbed Harry's wrist. "We need to get out of here. Now!"

Harry was startled by her sudden tension. "W-What happened?"

"No time to explain." Vera turned her wheelchair toward the door. "Hermione, take Harry. We need to get back to the Great Hall immediately."

"Wait!" Harry hesitantly looked at the pile of cauldrons behind her. "Professor Snape told me I couldn't leave until I'd scrubbed all of them. There are only a few left..."

Vera stopped her wheelchair, pulled out her wand, and aimed it at the cauldrons. "Scourgify!"

A flash burst from the tip of her wand, and every cauldron instantly became polished and gleaming like new.

Harry stared at the scene in amazement. "Wow! Vera, when did you learn that? Can you teach me next time?"

"This isn't the time to talk about that." Vera put away her wand, her expression grave. "We need to leave quickly."

Hermione sharply noticed something strange about her. "Vera, did you see something just now?"

Vera took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Yeah... something seemed to flash past in the corridor over there."

"What was it?" Harry immediately became alert and instinctively stepped in front of Vera.

"I'm not sure, but it was huge..." Before Vera could finish, a deafening roar suddenly came from the distance, followed by a series of heavy footsteps.

"What was that sound?" Hermione's face went pale.

Harry's green eyes widened. "It sounds like some kind of animal—"

Her voice abruptly stopped as she hurriedly covered her nose. "Wait, that smell is awful!"

A foul stench drifted from the depths of the corridor, like a mixture of dirty socks and a public toilet.

Vera's heart sank—what she had feared had still happened.

"Move!" she shouted, pushing her wheelchair toward the door.

Claiming the Kill

Under Vera's sharp urging, Harry and Hermione finally came back to their senses and hurried after Vera's wheelchair, jogging along the cold dungeon corridor.

The foul stench grew stronger and stronger, accompanied by heavy footsteps and low roars that made them so tense they could barely breathe.

"What exactly is that thing?" Hermione hurried along beside them, her voice trembling faintly.

Vera's wheelchair hovered slightly above the ground and sped forward under the guidance of her wand, but her voice remained calm. "Possibly some dangerous large magical creature."

"A magical creature?" Harry asked in confusion. "Aren't students only allowed to bring three kinds of small pets?"

"This isn't the time to discuss that," Vera said, breathing rapidly. "We need to get back to the Great Hall as quickly as possible and tell everyone."

They were less than ten meters from the dungeon exit when a deafening roar suddenly erupted from around the corridor corner.

Then, a massive creature rounded the corner and appeared before them—

It was a Troll, a full twelve feet tall, with dull gray skin like granite. Its ugly little head turned from side to side, its eyes narrowed, while its enormous, clumsy body nearly filled the entire corridor.

It dragged a thick wooden club behind it, scraping it along the floor with a piercing sound.

"Th-That's a Troll?!" Hermione sucked in a breath, her legs seemingly filled with lead as she became unable to move.

Harry reacted far faster than Hermione. She almost instinctively drew her wand and stood in front of them. "Get back!"

At the same time, the Troll finally noticed them. With a low roar, it swung its club and charged toward them.

"Protego!" Vera immediately waved her wand, releasing three layers of Iron Armor Charm enhanced by Ancient Magic.

Three invisible barriers formed in front of the Troll in succession. Its bulky body slammed into the first barrier with a dull thud, its steps visibly staggering.

But it quickly regained its balance, roaring angrily as it swung its club at the second barrier.

Vera clenched her teeth, feeling the weakness of her rapidly draining stamina.

The Iron Armor Charm could hold back the Troll for the moment, but with her current magic power, she could not sustain it for long.

Her eyes quickly swept toward the exit less than ten meters away. Vera took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calmly assess the situation—

The corridor was narrow, while the Troll was massive but slow-moving. Perhaps they could use that to escape.

"Harry!" She looked up at Harry and asked urgently, "Where's that new quill of yours?"

Harry froze for a moment, then understood and quickly pulled out the quill she had gotten from the Weasley twins.

"Its eyes are its weak point." Vera pressed down on Harry's trembling wrist, her voice low and urgent. "Remember, don't press it until I count to three—"

The Troll had already smashed through the second barrier. Its club slammed hard against the final Iron Armor Charm, creating a deafening impact.

"One!" Vera released Harry's hand and simultaneously pulled out the items she had bought from the twins from beneath her wheelchair, handing several to Hermione, who was trembling just as badly.

The final barrier was on the verge of collapse. The Troll let out an enraged roar, its tiny ugly eyes gleaming fiercely.

Hermione gripped the items Vera had given her tightly, her face white as paper. "I... I don't know how to use these..."

"You'll be fine. Just throw all of them at it when the time comes." Vera firmly patted her shoulder and shouted, "Two!"

Harry's eyes widened as she stared at the approaching monster. The hand holding the quill gradually stopped trembling.

Vera noticed the subtle shift in Harry's expression, but she had no time to examine it further. She merely tightened her grip on the improved smoke bombs in her hand.

When the final barrier formed by the Iron Armor Charm finally shattered under the strain, Vera suddenly shouted:

"Three! Now!"

She immediately threw two smoke bombs.

The instant the entire corridor was engulfed by dense purple smoke, Harry pressed the mechanism on the quill with all her strength. A stream of black ink shot out like an arrow, striking the Troll directly in the eyes.

The Troll howled in pain, temporarily blinded as it wildly swung its club.

Then, with a muffled bang, the Sticky Glue Bomb exploded in front of the Troll. Powerful glue splattered everywhere, firmly sticking its feet to the ground.

The Troll howled in pain and clumsily tried to pull its stuck feet free, but its excessive movements caused it to lose balance. It crashed heavily to the ground and fell into the Portable Swamp rapidly spreading across the floor.

For a moment, even Vera and Harry could not help turning to look at Hermione, who was still trembling behind them.

"D-Did I do something wrong?" Hermione asked nervously, her eyes wide. The items in her hands had long since all been thrown out in one go.

"No, you did very well." Vera quickly came back to herself, turned around, and fired several different spells at the violently struggling Troll.

Each one was controlled to a level that made the Troll howl in agony without immediately knocking it unconscious.

After all, the Troll was completely restrained now and could only let her do as she pleased.

Judging from the outcome, this behavior of hers, which was somewhat like claiming the kill, should count as a combat victory.

[Defeated Opponent x1]

[Defeated Opponent x2]