The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts

"Um..." Vera asked casually, "I'm curious, do you know what animals live in the Forbidden Forest?"

Hagrid immediately perked up and began counting on his thick fingers. "There are loads of creatures in the Forbidden Forest! Centaurs, Thestrals, Acromantulas... Oh, right, and Unicorns!"

Harry's eyes lit up slightly. "Unicorns? I heard about them in Potions class. Hogwarts has them too?"

"Of course!" Hagrid said excitedly. "There's a whole herd in the Forbidden Forest! They're the purest creatures, with silvery-white coats that sparkle beneath the moonlight..."

Seeing that both Harry and Hermione had clearly been drawn in by Hagrid's tale, Vera's lips lifted almost imperceptibly. Then she put on a worried expression, lowered her eyes, and frowned faintly.

Naturally, such a change did not escape Harry, who had always paid close attention to Vera's condition.

During a pause in listening to Hagrid, he habitually glanced at Vera and immediately noticed the strange look on her face.

"Vera?" Harry set down his biscuit and leaned closer with concern. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

She was silent for several seconds before speaking softly. "I was just thinking... We still don't know how the troll got into Hogwarts. If, as Hagrid said, it slipped into the school from the Forbidden Forest, then could the other creatures in the forest also..."

Vera deliberately left the sentence unfinished.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, Hagrid abruptly rose to his feet. "No, they won't! The creatures in the Forbidden Forest are all well-behaved, and the Centaurs patrol the forest too. Nothing will happen!"

Hermione frowned. "Vera has a point. If a troll could sneak in, then other dangerous creatures might get in too. They could even endanger those harmless animals."

Hermione was practically a walking assist.

"I can increase the patrols!" Hagrid said as he paced back and forth across the room, the floor groaning under his weight. "Yeah, I should check the Forbidden Forest too... Some Centaurs have mentioned suspicious activity recently..."

Vera's eyes brightened slightly, but she quickly returned to calm. "Do you need our help?"

"Absolutely not!" Hagrid refused firmly. "The Forbidden Forest is far too dangerous, especially for first-years!"

He hurriedly threw on a coat, grabbed the pink umbrella leaning against the wall, and called Fang over. "I'm going to patrol right now. You three head back to the castle and behave yourselves!"

Harry wanted to say something more, but Vera gently shook her head. "We understand. Hagrid, you need to be careful too."

Hagrid nodded haphazardly and practically pushed them out of the hut. "Get back now, it's getting dark!"

The three of them were "chased" out of Hagrid's Hut and watched Hagrid's large figure disappear hurriedly at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Harry watched Hagrid's retreating back with some regret. "Too bad. We still didn't find out much."

"Confirming that your guess was right is enough." Vera comforted him softly. "Anyway, let's head back first."

After all, she had already accomplished all the things she had come to Hagrid's Hut for today.

As the sun set, the outline of the Forbidden Forest looked increasingly eerie and terrifying in the twilight.

The three followed the path back to the castle, each lost in their thoughts.

"So," Hermione was the only one who still remembered their main reason for visiting Hagrid, "the thing being guarded really is important, and someone wants to steal it."

Harry nodded. "And Hagrid let it slip. That three-headed dog is called Fluffy."

"The watchdog of the underworld in Greek mythology," Vera remarked casually. "Maybe, like Cerberus, it has the same weakness?"

Harry and Hermione turned toward her almost at the same time. "What weakness?"

Vera's hands paused slightly on the wheelchair wheels as she realized she had misspoken. "Uh... I'm not really sure."

She couldn't exactly let them figure out how to get past a three-headed dog and go treasure hunting ahead of time.

It was not time yet.

Looking at the two young but exceptionally sharp children, Vera rarely felt awkward. She turned her head aside, refusing to meet their eyes.

"Let's go back first. I'm hungry."

Author's Note: There are only four reward chapters so far. Please send more support. If it goes over five chapters, I'll release them all at once tomorrow night.

Before the Quidditch Match

Once November arrived, the weather became extremely cold.

The mountains around the school were gray and covered in ice and snow, while the lake was as cold and hard as tempered steel.

Though it was freezing outside the school, the atmosphere within the castle grew more and more excited, because the Quidditch season had begun.

After a period of training, Harry would be taking part in the first match of his life this Saturday, and it happened to be Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Harry's training became increasingly frequent. He spent nearly all his free time practicing, to the point that Vera and Hermione rarely saw him in the common room.

He often did not return to the dormitory until after dinner, his hair slightly messy and his cheeks red from the cold, but his eyes shining with excitement.

"Wood said our lineup this year is the strongest!" he said excitedly to Vera and Hermione while rubbing his frozen hands together. "Ever since Charlie Weasley graduated, we've lacked an excellent Seeker, but now—"

"Now you have one." Vera handed him a cup of hot cocoa, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. "Wood has high expectations for you."

Harry took the cup, and warmth immediately spread from his fingertips through his whole body. "Yeah, though it's a lot of pressure."

Hermione looked up from her book. "We'll go cheer for you on match day. By the way, have you memorized all the rules?"

"Of course!" Harry puffed out his chest. "That copy of Quidditch Through the Ages you gave me was really interesting. I finished it in about a week."

Vera nodded gently. "More importantly, be careful."

Seeing the worry in Vera's eyes, warmth welled up in Harry's heart. "I'll be careful. And besides..."

He grinned. "I promised I'd win the match and then take you flying!"

Hermione immediately frowned at that. "Will that really be all right? The weather has gotten much colder lately, and Vera's health—"

"Vera already agreed!" Harry cut her off and turned to Vera. "Right?"

Vera pursed her lips and said softly, "Win the match first. Then we'll talk."

Harry smiled smugly, set down his hot cocoa, and solemnly clasped her hand. "I'll definitely win!"

The warmth from his palm made Vera freeze for a moment. She instinctively curled her fingertips slightly and responded softly, "Mm. I know."

Hermione shook her head helplessly from the side. "You two... Forget it, I'm going to the library."

She simply felt a little unnecessary sitting beside the two of them.

"Wait," Vera quickly called after her. She slipped her hand from Harry's grasp and wheeled herself after Hermione. "I'll come with you."

Harry was left behind looking completely confused. "Huh? What about me?"

"You're covered in sweat. Go wash up!" Hermione called back at him, barely holding in her laughter.

Harry lowered his head and sniffed his clothes, his expression complicated. "All right, I do smell a bit..."

Before Hermione pushed her out of the common room, Vera finally had time to turn back and say, "I'm just returning the books I borrowed earlier. Go clean up first. We'll be back soon."

"Okay, got it!" Harry's voice rose again from behind them.

On the morning of the match, the sun came out for once. The day was bright but cold.

The Great Hall was filled with the tempting smell of grilled sausages. Everyone was looking forward to an exciting Quidditch match, and laughter and chatter filled the hall.

Vera and Hermione had deliberately gotten up early and saved a seat for Harry at the long table.

"Why isn't he here yet?" Hermione checked the time, looking anxious. "Shouldn't he have a proper breakfast before the match?"

Vera shook her head gently. "Wood probably dragged them into another strategy meeting."

As they spoke, the Gryffindor players filed into the Great Hall, with Harry walking at the very end. He looked somewhat nervous.

"Harry!" Hermione immediately waved at him.

Harry jogged over and sat beside them. "Sorry, Wood went on about tactics for too long..."

Vera handed him a plate of bacon and fried eggs. "Build up your strength, but don't eat too much."

"Thanks." Harry accepted the plate gratefully, but after only a few bites, he hesitantly set it down.

"Can't eat?" Vera sharply noticed his unease.

Harry forced a smile. "Wood said that during his first match, he was knocked out by a Bludger less than two minutes after taking the field and spent a week in the hospital."

What a comforting thing to say.

Vera frowned and glanced into the distance. Wood was heartily eating with several older students, looking nothing like someone who was nervous.

Hermione immediately comforted him. "Don't worry. You're much more agile than he is."

"It's normal to be nervous." Vera gently held his hand. "Do you remember how you performed in flying class? You belong in the sky."

Harry's eyes brightened slightly. "Really?"

"Of course," Vera said seriously. "And we'll be in the stands cheering for you the whole time."

Hermione nodded vigorously as well. "Not just us. Lots of people will be cheering with us!"

Harry finally smiled. He lowered his head, tore off a large bite of sausage, and chewed fiercely.

Secretly letting out a breath of relief, Vera was just about to eat something too when she caught sight of a familiar black-robed figure swiftly making his way through the crowd toward them.

Her brows lifted slightly. She deliberately did not warn Harry in advance, waiting until the black-robed figure had arrived behind them before giving a light cough.

Harry instinctively turned around. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly realized something. He turned back in a daze, only to meet Snape's eyes as the professor looked down at him.

"Professor." He hurriedly stood up, raising his green eyes to look at Snape with confusion.

"...Good luck, Miss Potter." Snape stared intently into his eyes, his voice even more restrained than usual. "Since you can even deal with a troll, a small Quidditch match should be a piece of cake for you."

Harry froze for a moment, then immediately understood. He looked straight at Snape. "Thank you for the encouragement, Professor. I'll do my best!"

Snape's expression instantly stiffened. He pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only gave a cold snort and turned to stride away, his black robes billowing behind him like bat wings.

"That was him cheering for me, right?" Harry asked after sitting back down, tilting his head toward them.

Hermione looked incredulous. "But isn't Slytherin our opponent?"

Vera took a light sip of pumpkin juice, the corners of her lips lifting. "Perhaps this is another way for the professor to apologize."

After all, because of the troll incident, Snape had found chances to give Harry no fewer than twenty points in class over the past week.

Even Vera and Hermione, who had also been involved, had not received such treatment.

Anyone could see his favoritism.

Author's Note: The reward event isn't over yet. Please send support!

Want to Try Roasted Voldemort?

By eleven o'clock, it seemed that every student and teacher in the school had gathered in the stands around the Quidditch pitch.

Vera and Hermione made their way to the highest row. Even there, the crowd was packed so tightly there was barely room to move.

"Good thing I brought my own seat." Vera stood at the very edge of the row, looked at the already-filled seats around them, and took two brass binoculars from the side pocket of her wheelchair.

"Don't make jokes like that in front of Harry next time. He'll get prickly."

Hermione accepted one with a speechless expression, helped secure Vera's wheelchair, and then the two of them looked down over the entire pitch.

Just then, commentator Lee Jordan's magically amplified voice rang throughout the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first Quidditch match of this school year! Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"

Thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

The players from both teams emerged from the changing rooms amid the commentary and entered the pitch in lines.

Harry walked at the back of the Gryffindor team, his bright red uniform especially eye-catching beneath the sunlight.

"That's Harry!" Hermione cheered excitedly. "He looks so tiny!"

Indeed, among the older players, Harry looked particularly small.

"I hope he isn't too nervous. I asked around, and Slytherin's Seeker, Terence Higgs, is very experienced."

Hermione looked even more nervous than Harry, clutching Vera's arm while muttering anxiously.

"He can do it." Vera spoke softly, her gaze tightly following that red figure, her lips curving upward.

Soon, once both teams had arrived, Madam Hooch walked to the center of the pitch as referee and blew her whistle.

"Players, take your positions!"

Both teams quickly took to the air. Harry rode his Nimbus 2000, as light as a feather.

At the sound of the whistle, fifteen flying brooms shot up from the ground and soared high into the sky.

The match had begun.

As the commentator's somewhat noisy voice rang out, Vera calmly used the Levitation Charm to hold up the binoculars so Hermione could watch while excitedly clutching her arm.