The Wheelchair War God Speedruns Hogwarts Chapter 44

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom on the third-floor corridor, faint footsteps could be heard, accompanied by a cold, dark ripple of magic.

"Quirrell..." she murmured soundlessly, tightening her grip on her wand.

Was he preparing to head into the Forbidden Forest to hunt Unicorns again?

Instinctively, Vera quickly weighed the pros and cons. If she asked Madam Pomfrey to find someone to go over now, they might not necessarily catch Quirrell.

Moreover, it would be difficult for her to explain how she could sense activity on the third floor while she was in the Hospital Wing on the second.

But if she ignored it, the Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest would very likely suffer. Other creatures in the forest might even be affected, perhaps even Hagrid.

She bit her lip and lifted the bed curtain slightly, looking toward the Forbidden Forest by moonlight—everything there was pitch-black, with only the shadows of trees swaying in the wind.

Just then, the Black Fog suddenly churned violently, as though desperately trying to warn her.

Vera's breath caught. She hurriedly focused again, and under Circuit Vision, she could clearly see... the magical source representing Harry was drawing close to that cold magical source!

How had Harry run into Quirrell?!

Vera's heart nearly stopped for an instant. She clenched the bedsheet tightly as her mind raced.

Right, to get from the Hospital Wing on the second floor to Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor, Harry would definitely have to pass the third-floor stairs.

And Quirrell had most likely just come out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom and was preparing to head for the Forbidden Forest!

Vera's fingers dug deeply into her palm. She had to decide immediately—risk trying to notify a professor, or find a way herself?

There was simply no more time to delay.

Watching the Black Fog roil violently in the ward, Vera drew a deep breath, decisively threw back the covers, and braced both hands against the bed's edge in an attempt to stand—

Thud!

With a dull crash, she fell heavily onto the floor.

Turning her head resentfully, she found that her legs were still completely numb, dragging behind her like two heavy wooden sticks.

Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office at the sound. "Miss Black? What happened—Merlin!"

She rushed over with a cry. "How did you fall out of bed?"

Vera had no time to explain. She grabbed Madam Pomfrey's sleeve. "Madam! I just saw a dark shadow flash past the window. It looked like... like some dangerous creature got in again!"

Madam Pomfrey's expression immediately changed. "What? Where?"

"It went toward the third floor!" Vera said urgently. "I heard some strange sounds going that way!"

Madam Pomfrey hesitated, looking at her with uncertainty. "Miss Black, did you hear some baseless rumor and have a nightmare?"

Vera naturally knew how absurd her words sounded, but she had no time to explain.

She gripped Madam Pomfrey's arm tightly. "Madam, please believe me! That thing really looked dangerous!"

She had to make Madam Pomfrey act at once without exposing the precise information she had sensed.

"Please!" she nearly begged. "At least get someone to take a look!"

Seeing her anxious expression, Madam Pomfrey finally nodded. "All right, I'll notify the professors. But you must lie back down and stop moving around."

She waved her wand and moved Vera back onto the bed before hurrying out of the Hospital Wing, her footsteps gradually fading away.

Vera bit her lip, waved her wand, and softly cast the Levitation Charm, guiding the wheelchair in the distance to slowly float back to her.

Then she laboriously supported herself with her arms and shifted toward the wheelchair inch by inch.

Perhaps because she had only recently used Phoenix Tears and had not yet recovered, her body felt unexpectedly heavy, making every inch of movement incredibly difficult.

Soon, sweat soaked through the thin fabric on her back, and she finally managed to shift herself into the wheelchair.

With trembling hands, she activated the wheelchair's Levitation Charm and quickly moved toward the door.

The corridor was empty. Only moonlight streamed through the high windows, casting mottled shadows across the floor.

Vera pushed her wheelchair forward, following the direction indicated by the Black Fog.

Her Magic Circuit ran at full force, amplifying her senses to their limit.

She could already sense Harry's magical source lingering near the fourth-floor stairwell, seemingly avoiding Filch and his cat.

Not far from Harry, that cold magical presence was rapidly approaching as well.

"Faster..." she urged herself softly as the wheelchair sped down the corridor.

After rounding a corner, she could see the fourth-floor stairs not far ahead.

And Quirrell, standing on them with a tense, grim expression as he muttered under his breath.

"No... Master... I mean, there's still no way to tame the Three-Headed Dog..."

Listening to the faint hissing roar coming from beneath his turban, Vera steadied herself and quickly adjusted her position to make sure the person on the stairs would not see her.

Then she bent down and reached out to touch the carvings on the stair railing.

Vera, Also Known as Harry's Guardian (Not Really)

Quirrell had no idea what had gotten into his master today.

Ever since Voldemort had been accidentally burned at the Quidditch match, his temper had grown increasingly violent. Nearly every night, he forced Quirrell into the Forbidden Forest to hunt Unicorns.

He also frequently urged him to use every possible method to get past the Three-Headed Dog and take the Philosopher's Stone that the half-giant had brought to Hogwarts.

But how could that be so easy!

Quirrell groaned inwardly, yet he could only nod and agree before returning empty-handed time and time again.

The head beneath his oversized turban faintly ached—Voldemort's remnant soul was writhing anxiously on the back of his head.

Besides pained groans, there were also several low curses.

Well, they were basically all directed at the girl who had survived.

Quirrell had no doubt that if he encountered Harry Potter here now, his master would disregard his own condition and scream at him to tear that girl apart.

But he had heard too many of Voldemort's agonized groans and venomous curses lately. He had become numb as he scanned his surroundings and waited for his master's orders.

"Useless fool!" A cold, shrill voice soon rang in his mind. "After all these days, you still can't catch a single Unicorn!"

Quirrell shuddered all over and hurriedly defended himself in a low voice. "Master, Hagrid has increased his patrols recently, and the Centaurs are patrolling everywhere too..."

"Are you defying me?" The hoarse, chilling voice sounded again. "If you can't get Unicorn blood, then go deal with the Three-Headed Dog!"

Cold sweat beaded on Quirrell's forehead as he carefully replied, "No, Master. I'll go to the Forbidden Forest at once..."

Compared with facing the vicious Three-Headed Dog in a cramped space, he would rather face Hagrid and the patrolling Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.

At least his chances of escaping would be better.

He forced himself to take a few steps down, then suddenly heard a faint noise coming from below the stairs.

"Who's there?" Quirrell drew his wand warily.

Vera held her breath, bending low to hide herself in the shadows, her fingers pressed tightly against the carvings on the stair railing.

The Magic Circuit flowed rapidly within her body before finally gathering at her fingertips.

As golden light from her fingertips seeped into the carvings, lighting up the faint golden glow hidden upon them, the entire staircase suddenly began to tremble slightly.

Quirrell stumbled back two steps in terror. "W-what's happening?"

Before he had even finished speaking, the staircase began moving on its own, carrying him toward the room where the Three-Headed Dog was located.

"No! Stop!" Quirrell cried out in panic, but the staircase had already begun to rotate beyond his control, sending him toward the other side of the castle.

Watching Quirrell get carried away by the stairs, Vera did not relax. Instead, she continued using Circuit Vision to look upward.

Only after she saw that Harry's magical source had reached the fifth floor did she finally relax a little.

Everything had happened too suddenly. She truly could not guarantee that Harry, out wandering at night, would successfully avoid Quirrell.

After all, following the injury, Voldemort's magical source was colder and more violent than before. She could not be sure whether the Dark Lord, in that state, would lose control if he encountered Harry.

So she had to separate the two of them in the most literal physical sense.

What surprised Vera, however, was that Quirrell and Voldemort's magical source paused on the fourth-floor staircase for a moment before heading toward the Three-Headed Dog.

Since they were already here, they might as well take a look, right?

Well then, good luck.

She wanted to laugh, but restrained herself. Turning around, she quickly pushed her wheelchair back toward the Hospital Wing.

Along the way, worried that another patrolling professor might see her, she pushed her wheelchair so fast it nearly sparked against the air.

Even so, she was still a step too late. As she rounded the final corner, she ran straight into Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, who were hurrying over.

"Miss Black!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay in bed?"

Even Professor McGonagall looked quite stern. "What exactly is going on, Miss Black? I believe you owe us an explanation."

Sigh, with a luck stat of only 2.

Perhaps not being discovered by Quirrell just now had already been the limit.

Vera sighed helplessly inwardly, but her face took on a tearful expression. "I'm sorry, Professor, Madam... I'd been alone here for too long, so I wanted to find you..."

Her voice trembled slightly, and her delicate, pale face looked especially fragile beneath the moonlight.

Before she could finish, Madam Pomfrey immediately felt sorry for her and hurriedly spoke up for her. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her here alone just now, McGonagall. She's only a child."

Professor McGonagall's stern expression softened somewhat, though she still frowned. "Miss Black, no matter what, you should not have left on your own... What if you had encountered danger?"

Vera lowered her head, her silver-gray hair falling loose. "I'm sorry, Professor... I was just so scared..."

She lowered her eyes, and her long lashes cast fractured shadows over her face, making her look especially pitiful.

Even McGonagall, who was usually quite stern with students, could not bring herself to scold her further. She sighed.

"All right, it's fine. Madam Pomfrey will take you back now. And as for what you said you might have seen, I'll go inspect it immediately."

Vera nodded and allowed Madam Pomfrey to push her back to the Hospital Wing.

"You need to rest properly. Tomorrow, I'll give you another full examination." As she spoke, Madam Pomfrey helped her lie down on the bed.

Then she brought over a small bottle and a goblet, pouring a little purple potion into it for her.

"This is a sleeping draught. Just a little will help you sleep well."

Vera lightly accepted the goblet. Before drinking, she hesitantly looked up. "Madam, is Professor Dumbledore at school today?"

"Of course, child." Madam Pomfrey replied strangely, clearly unable to understand why she had suddenly asked about Dumbledore.

That was good.

Vera nodded, lowered her gaze to the clear liquid in her cup, and said softly, "I just... want to feel a little safer."

Quirrell and Voldemort were in the fourth-floor room now, and she did not know when they would come out.

She worried that if McGonagall, who knew nothing of Quirrell's identity, suddenly encountered them, she might suffer.

At least with Dumbledore at school, Voldemort would not act rashly.

Under Madam Pomfrey's affectionate gaze, Vera tipped back her head and drank the potion in one go.

The effect was immediate. She instantly became drowsy, and everything blurred.

Vera fell back onto the pillow, sleepiness enveloping her. Within seconds, she sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She Was Going to Become the Professors' Little Padded Jacket

Early the next morning, when Vera awoke, sunlight had already streamed through the curtains and filled the entire ward.

She blinked, adjusting to the bright light, only to discover Harry and Hermione sitting beside her bed, their faces full of concern.

"Vera! You're finally awake!" Harry's eyes lit up as she immediately leaned closer. "What happened last night? Madam Pomfrey said you had another nightmare?"

Hermione, meanwhile, watched her expression from the side. "Vera, did you... sense something again?"

Vera rubbed her temples. The sleeping draught had not completely worn off, leaving her somewhat groggy.

She hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell them part of the truth. "Last night... I really did sense something unusual."

Harry and Hermione immediately leaned closer, green and brown eyes alike gleaming with curiosity.

"Could it be the animal I mentioned before that broke into the castle?" Harry asked in a lowered voice.

Vera hesitated for a moment before choosing her words carefully. "I'm not sure, but... it seemed similar to what you described."

She deliberately did not make a definite claim.