The Wheelchair War Goddess Speedruns Hogwarts

She began racking her brains, trying to recall every possible opportunity Voldemort might have had to make a move.

But no matter how she thought about it, the castle had not produced Black Fog as usual to give her a hint. Besides, Quirrell had only failed at the Three-Headed Dog a few days ago; he could not possibly have cleared it so quickly.

Could something have happened on Hagrid's end?

She set down her spoon and turned to Harry. "Has Hagrid sent you any letters these past two days?"

Harry froze for a moment, then shook her head. "No. You know Hagrid's been busy patrolling the Forbidden Forest lately. He even cancelled weekend afternoon tea."

Hermione immediately asked nervously, "What is it? Did you sense something again?"

Vera gently shook her head. "I'm just a little worried... Hagrid has been too busy lately."

"We don't have classes this afternoon anyway." Harry put down her bread and immediately suggested, "We can go have a look."

Vera nodded, her gaze sweeping once more over Quirrell at the teachers' table.

If Voldemort had truly already succeeded, then he would definitely intensify his pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone.

That meant she would have to move up her schedule for taming the Three-Headed Dog as well.

She was still tensely considering how to deal with what came next when a glance happened to catch Dumbledore looking thoughtfully toward the Gryffindor table through his half-moon spectacles.

Their eyes even met briefly for two seconds.

Vera's heart skipped a beat. She immediately lowered her eyes and pretended to focus on the food before her.

After breakfast, the three of them set off for class.

Because Quirrell had previously taken leave for some reason and found several teachers to cover for him, this Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson had also been temporarily changed to History of Magic.

Listening to Professor Binns read those sleep-inducing textbooks from the podium so early in the morning was unbearably dull.

But compared to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which reeked of garlic, the students unusually found the change rather acceptable.

At the very least, many of them could catch up on sleep during class.

Before long, on their way to the History of Magic classroom on the second floor, Vera and the others inevitably passed the Hospital Wing, which was also on the second floor.

But unlike its usual calm, Vera spotted Professor Snape from afar leaving the Hospital Wing today. After turning back to say something to Madam Pomfrey, he turned and strode away.

Vera frowned. The instant her gaze met Madam Pomfrey's as she turned around, before Vera herself could react, the other woman hesitated, then quickly walked toward them.

"Harry, stop for a moment," Vera hurriedly called to Harry, who was pushing her wheelchair.

Madam Pomfrey had already reached them, looking somewhat hesitant. "Miss Black, since I've run into you, could you come with me for a moment?"

"Of course, Madam," Vera replied with a calm nod.

"We'll wait outside for you," Hermione said before Madam Pomfrey could continue.

Harry hurriedly nodded as well.

Madam Pomfrey hesitated, but then Vera spoke. "Madam, if it isn't anything serious, please let them wait for me."

"...Very well." Madam Pomfrey could only accept the three girls' wishes. Pushing the wheelchair, she entered the Hospital Wing with Vera.

Watching the bustling crowd in the corridor, Hermione leaned against the wall anxiously. "Could something have gone wrong again?"

"It won't have," Harry said, shaking her head, though her lowered green eyes had already betrayed her unease.

The Hospital Wing was filled with the scent of herbs. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, gilding the white sheets with a layer of gold.

At first, Vera did not think anything was wrong. But when she was pushed into Madam Pomfrey's office and saw the previously neat potion bottles on the workbench overturned and scattered in disarray, her heart tightened.

"I'm sorry, child." Madam Pomfrey's apologetic voice came from above her. She walked to the workbench and sorrowfully stroked the disturbed medicines.

"Someone broke in last night while I was away and turned the place upside down. Quite a few medicines were stolen as well."

Vera's hand tightened slightly on the wheelchair armrest. Her eyes swiftly swept over the workbench and the medicine shelves beside it. "So my medicine too...?"

"I've already spoken with Professor Snape. He'll brew the medicine you need within three days," Madam Pomfrey quickly explained. "It will only take three days."

But that was not what Vera cared about at all.

She took a deep breath, trying to make herself sound more like a rather helpless young witch.

"Then..." She blinked, looking thoroughly flustered. "Even the Phoenix Tears—"

Madam Pomfrey fell silent.

Seeing the apologetic look in her eyes, Vera finally understood why Quirrell looked noticeably better than usual today.

Unable to get the Philosopher's Stone or drink Unicorn blood, had he come for Phoenix Tears instead...?

Phoenix Tears were mainly used to heal injuries and neutralize poison. Their nature was also far too positive, making them unsuitable for Voldemort's condition most of the time.

On top of that, the school's only Phoenix stayed by Dumbledore's side, so Voldemort in the original story had never considered setting his sights on Phoenix Tears.

But when driven into a corner, if they were brewed into a potion in the right proportion and used only as a catalyst to stimulate the medicine's effects, they could still benefit Voldemort's current condition.

The effect simply would not be as good as the Philosopher's Stone or Unicorn blood.

So now, the only question was... who had revealed that the Hospital Wing possessed Phoenix Tears and led Quirrell here to steal them?

Vera's gaze swept across the various herbs that had been rummaged through and left in a mess. She already had the answer.

Author's note: Including the five chapters I repaid last week, all eight reward chapters have now been completed! Thank you so much for the extra support! Please vote, tip, and send blades, ahhh!

Massage Was Essential

After quickly reviewing everything in her mind, even Vera had to admit that the Phoenix Tears move had indeed been useful.

She had been at Hogwarts for more than two months now, but when had Dumbledore truly begun paying attention to her?

After Harry's first match.

She was now completely certain that Dumbledore must have noticed something at the time, then turned his attention toward her.

Whether it had been a test or a reward for her standing on the same side as Harry, Dumbledore had brought out Phoenix Tears.

And the facts proved that Phoenix Tears truly were an excellent all-purpose ingredient. They could not only help ease her injuries, but also attract Voldemort, who was injured and had long been unable to find treatment.

No one could guarantee that Voldemort, after being accidentally injured this time and failing to find medicine that could heal him for so long, would not do something insane.

After all, there were still several thousand students at the school. They could not be allowed to suffer an undeserved disaster because of this.

At a time like this, if Voldemort happened to learn that Dumbledore had given precious Phoenix Tears to a student, then his next move would hardly be surprising.

Compared to the heavily guarded room with the Three-Headed Dog and the Forbidden Forest that was patrolled year-round, the Hospital Wing inside the school was a much easier target to breach.

Moreover, Phoenix Tears themselves possessed overly positive properties. Voldemort would not dare use too much of them either, which served as a limitation, ensuring that he could maintain basic mobility without becoming strong enough to harm others.

The only one who had probably suffered any real loss because of it was Madam Pomfrey and her precious stores.

After silently mourning the ruined potions for three seconds, Vera composed herself again and returned to her pale, fragile appearance.

"Mm." Vera nodded gently, looking somewhat downcast. "I'm sorry about what happened here, Madam. I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

Madam Pomfrey looked at her with concern. "Good child, the headmaster already knows about this. He will find a solution."

Vera pressed her lips together and said nothing more.

"I'll take you back to class," Madam Pomfrey said, preparing to push the wheelchair.

"That won't be necessary, Madam." Vera politely declined. "Harry and Hermione are still waiting outside."

Madam Pomfrey nodded, then seemed to remember something. She quickly walked to the door and called to the two girls waiting outside, "Come in for a moment."

Harry and Hermione immediately hurried in and stood before her, both looking slightly confused.

"You two are Miss Black's roommates, correct?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

Harry and Hermione nodded at the same time. "Yes, Madam."

Madam Pomfrey looked serious. "There is a slight problem with Miss Black's medicine. For the next few days, I need you two to give Miss Black regular massages. Can you do that?"

The moment she said that, not only Harry and Hermione, but even Vera involuntarily sat up straighter in alarm.

"Madam, I can handle something like that myself—"

"This concerns your health, Miss Black." Madam Pomfrey interrupted her sternly. "Please take it seriously."

Vera was unusually left speechless. She opened her mouth in confusion but did not know what to say.

"Your spinal condition is much more stable than before," Madam Pomfrey continued. "But until the potions are ready over the next few days, you need someone to help you with some simple massages to improve blood circulation and prevent muscle atrophy."

Vera's face reddened slightly. "I can do it myself..."

"Don't force yourself, child." Madam Pomfrey shook her head disapprovingly. "You can hardly reach the muscle groups around your spine yourself, and there are your legs as well... Your strength alone is probably not enough to complete the massages.

Miss Potter, Miss Granger, are you willing to help?"

"Of course!" Harry immediately straightened her back. "However long it takes, it's no problem!"

Hermione nodded earnestly as well. "We'll follow your instructions exactly."

Madam Pomfrey smiled approvingly. "Very good. Now, I'll teach you a few simple massage techniques—Miss Black, could you lie face-down on the bed?"

Vera's face instantly flushed scarlet, and her fingers immediately twisted tightly around the blanket on her lap.

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but surrendered beneath Madam Pomfrey's unquestionable gaze.

"All right..." she answered softly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum.

Harry immediately stepped forward and carefully helped her transfer onto the examination bed.

After glancing back at her two utterly serious companions, Vera pressed her lips together tightly before slowly lying down. Her long silver-gray hair spilled over the white sheets like a waterfall, making the back of her neck appear bright red.

Madam Pomfrey carefully lifted her robes, revealing the slender, soft lines of her back beneath.

Feeling a slight chill from the air, Vera's body trembled faintly, and her fingers gripped the sheets tightly.

"Relax, child," Madam Pomfrey said gently, pressing her fingers lightly against Vera's spine. "First, we need to find these key pressure points..."

Harry and Hermione leaned in to watch, both of them exceptionally serious.

Hermione even took out a notebook, ready to record the important points at any moment.

"The muscles here are rather tense..." Madam Pomfrey's fingers gently pressed along Vera's spine. "You need to knead them loose with moderate force. Don't press too hard."

Vera bit her lower lip, doing her best not to make a sound.

Ever since using Phoenix Tears, her lower back, which had gradually become numb, had regained its long-lost vitality and sensation.

Now, being massaged by a professional healer like Madam Pomfrey, that long-lost sensation of pleasant soreness and swelling nearly made her lose control of her reaction.

"You two, give it a try." Madam Pomfrey gestured for Harry and Hermione to come forward.

Harry swallowed and cautiously extended her hand, her fingertips lightly touching Vera's back.

Her movements were even gentler than expected, as though she feared hurting Vera.

"You can use a little more force," Madam Pomfrey instructed. "Like this..."

Hermione reached out as well. Her movements were more precise as she followed the technique Madam Pomfrey had demonstrated, lightly pressing the muscles on both sides of Vera's spine.

Vera's body trembled slightly beneath their hands. She could only bury her face deep in the crook of her arms and pretend nothing was happening.

"How does it feel?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"It's... it's not bad..." Her muffled voice came from between her arms.

Madam Pomfrey nodded in satisfaction. "Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Fifteen minutes each time. If anything unusual happens, come find me immediately."

"Understood!" Hermione carefully wrote down the instructions.

Vera finally could not help lifting her head. "...Can we stop now?"

Her cheeks were unnaturally flushed, and her eyes darted about. She looked utterly embarrassed.

Madam Pomfrey could not help laughing. "We haven't massaged your legs yet."

Vera's face instantly turned even redder.

She had only one thought in her mind right then—she really wanted to kill Voldemort!

A Refreshing Massage, Ah!

For the next ten minutes, Vera was forced to continue serving as a teaching aid.

Under Madam Pomfrey's guidance, Harry and Hermione formally learned how to properly massage her legs as well.

But compared to her reactive back, having her insensible legs kneaded actually made Vera feel more at ease.

Still, seeing Harry and Hermione crouched before her, earnestly holding her legs and kneading them, Vera could not help turning her face away, the tips of her ears red enough to drip blood.

After the lesson ended, Madam Pomfrey nodded in satisfaction and took a bottle of pale blue ointment from the medicine cabinet. "This is muscle-relaxing ointment. Apply it to her spine and legs twice a day, morning and evening."