[Defeat Opponents x3]
Vera's eyes lit up slightly as she watched the words rapidly form on her retina, and the corners of her lips even curled into a pleased smile.
[Battle Resonance: 50] [Current Battle Resonance: 50. During this battle, casting speed +50%, magical power +50%, all basic attributes +50%. Continue defeating enemies to gain new bonuses. Resets after this battle ends.] [Notice: Battle Resonance exceeds 50. Battle enhancement effect triggered—Magical Burst.] [Magical Burst: For a short period, magical recovery speed +50%, magical power +50%. Duration: 5 minutes.]
Feeling the surging magic within her, Vera's lips curved upward slightly.
The sensation of being filled with such power was simply too wonderful, making her nearly forget that she was still in danger.
"Vera!" Harry's voice pulled her back to reality. "We need to go!"
Although the Troll had been temporarily trapped, it had already begun struggling wildly and could break free at any moment.
"Wait a little longer," Vera said softly, casting several more Binding Charms at the Troll.
Only when the Battle Resonance on her retina reached 60 and she was completely exhausted did she finally stop.
"All right, let's go." She turned her wheelchair toward the exit, then looked back at the barely conscious Troll with a hint of regret.
If she had had a little more magic left, she could have extracted a bit more experience.
Snape's Fury
Harry and Hermione flanked Vera as the three of them hurried toward the end of the corridor.
The Troll's furious roars came from behind them, but it no longer posed any threat to them.
Harry glanced back as she ran, her eyes full of relief at surviving the ordeal. "That's unbelievable! We actually beat a Troll!"
"Don't celebrate yet!" Hermione tugged at her sleeve. "We need to get upstairs and tell the professors!"
The three of them ran all the way out of the dungeons and into the main corridor on the first floor.
Under the Enhanced Levitation Charm, Vera's wheelchair practically floated through the air, and she was no slower than the other two girls.
"The Great Hall is over there!" Harry pointed toward the brightly lit hall ahead. "We need to—"
Her words cut off abruptly as several familiar figures appeared around the corner ahead—McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell were striding toward them.
"Miss Potter! Miss Granger! Miss Black!" Professor McGonagall's voice rose sharply with shock. "What are you doing here?"
Hermione stopped, panting. "Professor! There's a Troll in the dungeons! We just ran into—"
"A Troll?" Snape cut her off impatiently. His gaze swept over the three girls before stopping on Harry's slightly breathless face. It was as though he had suddenly realized something; his face instantly went pale.
McGonagall stepped forward with white lips, inspecting each of them in turn. "Are any of you hurt?"
Vera shook her head lightly. "We're fine. The Troll has been trapped in the dungeon corridor, but those props probably won't hold it for long."
"Props...?" Quirrell's eyes widened in surprise as he stammered, "Y-you... used what to t-trap the... Troll?"
"Uh, just some little things," Harry said vaguely, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Vera.
Snape narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems our students are more inventive than expected."
His eyes lingered on Harry's for a moment before he strode toward the dungeon entrance. "I'll deal with that Troll."
Judging by his manner, he looked ready to turn the Troll into some kind of living sashimi.
Vera silently observed two seconds of mourning for the Troll.
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and looked at the three girls before her. "Everyone else is attending the Halloween feast. Why weren't you staying properly in the Great Hall?"
"Professor, we..." Hermione bit her lip, hesitating for a moment as she did not know how to answer.
Harry straightened her back and met McGonagall's gaze with her green eyes. "Professor, it was my fault. Professor Snape kept me behind to clean cauldrons, and Vera and Hermione came looking for me."
Surprise immediately appeared on McGonagall's face. Clearly, she understood why Snape had been so anxious to handle the Troll just now.
If students had encountered danger because he had kept them behind, that would count as a teaching accident.
If anyone had truly died, neither Hogwarts nor Dumbledore would have found it easy to ensure that Snape escaped accountability.
Vera wheeled herself forward slightly. "Professor, we only wanted to pick Harry up. We had no idea a Troll would appear. We wanted to return to the Great Hall to report it as soon as we discovered it, but the Troll had already blocked the way."
Professor McGonagall's expression became complicated. She looked at the three girls, then finally sighed. "No matter what, it is fortunate that you escaped safely. But... since you successfully subdued a Troll, Gryffindor will receive ten points."
Harry's eyes immediately lit up. "Really, Professor?"
"Ten points each," McGonagall added sternly. "Now hurry back to your common room. Professor Snape will deal with that Troll."
Professor Quirrell stood nearby, his face frighteningly pale. His eyes beneath the huge turban flickered with unease. "I-I'll go h-help Professor Snape..."
After saying that, he hurried after Snape. His retreating figure looked rather flustered.
Vera tilted her head to glance at his departing back, a faint smile touching her lips.
"Come on," McGonagall urged. "I'll escort you back to your common room."
The three girls obediently followed McGonagall. Along the way, Harry could not help asking in a low voice, "Professor, how did a Troll get into the school?"
McGonagall paused, but still replied seriously, "The school will investigate this matter thoroughly. However..."
She awkwardly changed the subject. "It is indeed surprising that you managed to escape without a scratch."
Hermione's face reddened slightly. "Actually, it was because Vera prepared some protective props beforehand."
"It was just a coincidence." Vera calmly met her gaze. "Sometimes I don't feel very safe, so I prepared a few things for self-defense in advance."
McGonagall's gaze paused briefly on Vera's wheelchair, and her expression softened slightly. "In any case, you did very well. If you encounter danger again, try to inform a professor immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Professor," the three girls answered in unison.
After returning to Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady's portrait opened the passage for them.
At that moment, quite a few students had already gathered in the common room. The instant they saw the girls enter, they crowded around them.
"Where have you been?" Ron squeezed through the crowd, his face full of worry. "The entire Great Hall suddenly announced that a Troll had broken in, and everyone was told to return to their own house common rooms!"
Harry waved a hand, unable to hide her excitement. "We didn't just encounter a Troll—we trapped it!"
A chorus of astonishment immediately erupted through the common room as the students crowded around, asking for details all at once.
"Really? The three of you subdued a Troll?"
"How did you do it?"
"What did the Troll look like? Was it as terrifying as the books say?"
Hermione was at a loss under the barrage of questions, while Vera quietly wheeled herself beside the fireplace and poured herself a cup of hot tea.
Harry vividly described what had happened to them. Naturally, she cleverly skipped over the part about Vera's prepared props, saying only that they had used a few clever tricks in a moment of crisis.
Ron listened with his mouth hanging open. "Merlin's beard! That's way too exciting!"
Neville stood to one side, pale-faced. "If I ran into a Troll, I'd probably faint on the spot..."
Fred and George had appeared behind the crowd at some point. They winked at Vera, clearly having guessed the source of those "clever tricks."
Vera took a light sip of tea, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
Though this accident had been dangerous, the rewards had been substantial.
After converting 60 points of Battle Resonance, her maximum magical power had risen from 120 to 132, and her Magic Circuit experience had increased considerably as well.
Besides that, she had confirmed an important guess: as long as she participated in a battle and won, she could gain Battle Resonance. The method did not matter.
That was enough.
Hogwarts' Recognition
Although the Halloween feast had been forced to end due to the Troll's intrusion, the celebration in the Gryffindor common room continued until curfew.
Harry was surrounded by her classmates, recounting their battle against the Troll over and over again.
The younger Gryffindors also humored her, letting out bursts of admiration from time to time.
Vera sat quietly beside the fireplace with her hot tea, watching Harry as she was surrounded by everyone.
"Vera," Hermione said as she sat beside her, lowering her voice. "That premonition you mentioned last night... was this what you meant?"
Vera nodded lightly, her fingertips brushing the rim of her cup. "Yes, but I couldn't be sure exactly what would happen."
As she spoke, she looked up with a faint smile. "The facts proved that it never hurt to be well prepared."
Hermione fell silent for a moment, then suddenly took Vera's hand. "Thank you. If you hadn't insisted on finding Harry, I don't even dare imagine what might have happened..."
Vera shook her head. "No, the three of us are together."
Hermione's eyes became slightly moist, and she nodded firmly. "Mm!"
Just then, Harry finally managed to break free from the crowd and plopped down between them. "What secrets are you two whispering about?"
Her green eyes sparkled in the firelight, and her face still carried an excited flush.
"Nothing," Hermione said, shaking her head. "We were just thinking about tomorrow's classes."
Harry let out an exaggerated sigh. "Hermione! We defeated a Troll tonight! And you're still thinking about schoolwork?"
Vera could not help laughing. "Harry's right. Relax and enjoy yourself tonight."
"See? Even Vera says so!" Harry winked smugly at Hermione.
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes and simply ignored the smug little savior. "There's something else I've been wondering about... How did that Troll get into the school?"
Vera looked thoughtfully at the dancing flames in the fireplace. "Who knows?
If no one let it in deliberately, do you think a Troll, with its intelligence, could possibly break through Hogwarts' defenses and enter?"
Her voice was very quiet, and only Harry and Hermione beside her could hear it.
Hermione sucked in a cold breath. "You mean... someone deliberately released the Troll to create chaos? But why would they do that?"
"Could it have something to do with the thing guarded by the Three-Headed Dog?" Harry almost immediately thought of the room they had accidentally entered before.
Vera gave a quiet laugh and slowly adjusted the blanket over her legs. "But judging from the situation now, that person must be disappointed.
The Troll was subdued before it had even left the dungeons. Even if they wanted to cause some kind of chaos, they had no way to continue."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, both seeing shock and sudden understanding in the other's eyes.
"So... that person might still be in the school? Or rather, they might be someone within the school?" Harry lowered her voice, her eyes full of wariness.
Vera raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps."
Hermione's face turned pale as she nervously looked around. "Who could it be? Could it be... Professor Snape?
If he hadn't kept Harry behind, we wouldn't have encountered the Troll."
Harry immediately shook her head. "No! Professor Snape is strict, but he wouldn't do something like that. And..."
She hesitated before whispering, "He looked quite worried about us just now."
Vera glanced thoughtfully at Harry but said nothing.
"No matter who it is, we need to be careful," Vera said softly. "Since that person dared to release a Troll, it means they desperately want whatever is being guarded."
Hermione's brows drew together even more tightly. "If that's true, we should tell the professors."
"On what grounds?" Vera asked. "Say we suspect someone wants to steal something, when we don't even know what is in that room?"
Harry clenched her fists. "Then we'll investigate it ourselves!"
Vera looked at Harry's eager expression and could not help laughing softly. "Don't rush. A Troll breaking in is a major security incident. The school will definitely take it seriously.
At least for now, that person probably won't dare make any reckless moves. We have plenty of time to investigate slowly."
"That's right," Hermione quickly agreed. "And the Quidditch season is about to begin, Harry. Your energy should go toward that."
Harry pouted, clearly unhappy with their opposition, but she did not say anything more.
Curfew arrived soon afterward. As everyone in the common room dispersed, Harry pushed Vera's wheelchair, and the three girls headed toward their dormitory together.
In the corridor, Harry suddenly lowered her voice. "Vera, do you want to visit Hagrid's hut together tomorrow?"
Vera froze, her expression turning hesitant.
"We're just visiting a friend." Harry blinked mischievously. "You said before that you would go."
After pondering it for a moment, Vera nodded lightly. "All right. I don't have any classes tomorrow afternoon anyway."
Before you continue