The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Various ideas swirled in her mind, combining to form the initial outline of a plan.

Harley was completely oblivious to this, as she was fully immersed in the leisurely last moments of her vacation.

She spent a lot of time in her habitat, racing with Hemera on her broomstick, or trying to teach Luwei more complex commands.

The effect was minimal, but the process was quite interesting.

Occasionally, she would pull Vera along, and without doing anything, they would lie on the soft grass of the habitat, watching the simulated clouds drift by, and chatting about endless topics.

More often than not, they would stay together in the library, each reading their own books and occasionally exchanging a few words.

Halle noticed that Vera's recent reading seemed more profound than before. Sometimes she would stare at a particular page for a long time, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if she were pondering some difficult problem.

Harley didn't bother her, but would quietly have Kreacher prepare a hot milk or a small snack and send it over.

In the last week of August, the official Hogwarts acceptance letter and train timetable arrived.

As the start of the school year approaches, a mix of anticipation and reluctance permeates 12 Grimmauld Place.

"We need to start packing," Vera said softly, looking at the vibrant green leaves outside the window.

Harry sighed, looking at the room she'd lived in for almost a month, her eyes filled with reluctance: "I really don't want to go back so soon... Although I miss Hogwarts very much, this place..."

For the first time here, she realized that living at home could be very happy, and that she also had free and warm memories of being alone with Vera.

“You’re always welcome back, Harry.” Vera turned to look at her. “Winter break, summer break, anytime.”

Harley nodded vigorously: "Yes! It's a deal!"

The night before their departure, the two finished washing up early, said goodnight to each other, and returned to their respective rooms.

I wasn't even tempted by Chapter Four! (5.5k Bounty)

The next morning, with Kreacher's help, they arrived safely at King's Cross Station.

Harley pushed the trolley, Vera sat in her wheelchair, and Knox was in her arms as they walked to the stone wall outside Platform 9¾.

"Then I'll go in first, you come in quickly."

As Harley spoke, she was about to push the cart straight into the car when Vera tugged at her clothes: "Wait a minute."

She remembered that Dobby had caused a little trouble at the beginning of the school year.

Harley stopped and turned back, puzzled. "What's wrong, Vera?"

Vera's sharp gaze was fixed on the wall in front of her. The perception brought by her magic circuits allowed her to detect a faint but definitely not ordinary magical fluctuation that was lingering at the entrance of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

“Kreacher,” she said directly to the little elf behind her, who was always wearing an invisibility cloak, “go and see what’s going on there.”

“Yes, Miss!” Kreacher replied in a hoarse voice. A slight rustling sound came from the air as it quickly approached the stone wall.

Harry looked at Vera nervously: "Is something wrong?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Kreacher's low voice came from the air: "Miss, the entrance is blocked! A strange magical force is blocking the passage!"

Sure enough, Dobby didn't give up and tried to stop Harley from boarding the express train in this way.

In the original story, Harry and Ron were both turned away at the gate, so they simply chose to travel to Hogwarts in the flying magic car that Ron's father had modified.

As expected, they caused trouble.

“Clean it up as soon as possible, Kreacher, without alerting anyone,” Vera instructed.

As both are elves, having Kreacher handle Dobby's magic is a perfect example of specialization.

Harley turned to Vera with some confusion: "How could this happen?"

“It’s possible that the magic at the entrance malfunctioned,” Vera said softly, looking at the entrance before her. “But… it’s also possible that someone did it on purpose.”

Harley's heart sank. She immediately realized what was happening and leaned close to her ear in disbelief, asking, "Is it... Dobby?"

Vera felt warm breath on her ear and instinctively turned her head away: "Maybe, but all speculation is just speculation before there is evidence."

Harley scoffed, "It's probably it. Only Dobby would want me to stay away from school."

“Calm down, Harley.” Vera smiled and gently patted her hand. “The most important thing now is to make sure we get on the bus smoothly… Kreacher?”

"Kreacher is trying, Miss!" came the sprite's urgent and focused voice, mixed with some indistinct chanting of ancient antidote spells aimed at the interfering magic.

After about half a minute, the stone wall seemed to ripple very slightly, like a pebble thrown into water, before returning to normal.

“It’s done, Miss!” Kreacher’s voice carried a hint of smugness. “The passage is clear!”

“Well done, Kreacher.” Vera nodded approvingly, then said to Harley, “Let’s go, quick!”

Harley immediately took a deep breath, pushed the cart, and sped towards the stone wall without hesitation—this time, without any hindrance, she instantly disappeared into the wall.

Vera followed closely behind, maneuvering her wheelchair, and easily passed through, where the familiar Platform Nine and Three-Quarters came into view once again.

The crimson Hogwarts Express spewed white steam, and the platform was crowded with parents seeing them off and excited students. The sounds of pets barking and children making noise filled the air.

"We did it!" Harley finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmm." Vera nodded, but her eyes still swept across the platform warily.

Since Dobby can interfere with the entrance, he might do something else on the platform.

She told Kreacher to wait on the platform until the train officially departed before leaving, while she and Harley boarded the train to look for an empty compartment.

Harry pushed Vera's wheelchair with difficulty through the crowded aisle, where many students were searching for private rooms and settling their luggage; it was noisy everywhere.

"It seems like all of these rooms are full..." Harley said anxiously, peering into the closed or crowded private rooms.

Vera's gaze swept across the connecting area between the carriages, and suddenly, she saw a familiar figure.

"Hermione?" Harley saw it too and exclaimed in surprise.

The brown-haired figure turned around at the sound, and upon seeing the two of them, immediately smiled: "Harley! Vera! There's a seat available here!"

They hurried through the crowd and approached the private room, but hesitated just as they were about to go in.

There was already someone sitting inside, a young girl they already knew, Ginny Weasley.

Ginny was sitting awkwardly by the window when she saw them, especially Halle, and her cheeks flushed red.

“Ginny?” Harley was a little surprised, but still greeted her in a friendly manner. “You’re in this box too.”

“Yes, yes…” Ginny’s voice was barely audible, her eyes quickly glancing at Harley before looking down again.

Hermione had already deftly loaded her and Vera's luggage onto the luggage rack, then helped secure Vera's wheelchair, before turning back to Harry and smiling, "Ginny is alone, so she can come with us."

Vera nodded slightly to Ginny and said gently, "I hope I didn't bother you."

"No, no!" Ginny quickly shook her head, her voice a little louder, then realized her lapse in composure and blushed even more.

Harley found Ginny's shy demeanor somewhat amusing, but more than anything, she found the relaxation of the private room appealing.

She sat down next to Vera and let out a long sigh of relief: "Finally up! I was really scared at the entrance. I thought I was going to be late this year!"

"What's wrong with the entrance?" Hermione asked immediately with concern.

“There seemed to be a slight malfunction,” Harley said vaguely, glancing at Vera instinctively without mentioning Dobby and Kreacher, “but it was fixed quickly.”

Vera gave her an approving look, then looked gently at Ginny, who was still a little nervous: "Did you have a good summer vacation, Ginny?"

“It’s alright…” Ginny answered softly, then subconsciously glanced at Harley sitting diagonally across from her.

Just then, the door to the private room was opened again, and Ron's red head popped in, a relieved look on his face: "Ginny, so you were here!"

When Ginny saw her brother, her expression was somewhat complicated. She explained softly, "I found an empty seat and sat down."

Ron's gaze swept over the other people in the compartment, and his eyes lit up when he saw Harley: "Harley, you're here too! No wonder Ginny got in the car by herself first!"

As he spoke, he noticed Ginny's expression change immediately, so he quickly added in a rapid-fire tone, "You don't know, Ginny calls your name every day at home!"

After saying that, just like those mischievous older brothers in every household, he made a face at Ginny, who stood up in anger.

Ginny's face instantly turned as red as her hair. She stood up abruptly, stamping her foot in embarrassment and anger: "Ron! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Her voice was trembling with tears, and she was about to burst out of the door.

Hermione glared at Ron immediately and grabbed Ginny's hand: "Ignore him, Ginny, he just loves to make people angry."

She patted Ginny's hand reassuringly, making her sit down again, then turned and glared at Ron.

Ron seemed to realize he'd gone too far with his joke, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Under Hermione's stern gaze, he shrank back and muttered softly, "It was just a joke..."

He offered a quiet explanation, then, unable to bear their stares, turned and went to find another private room.

Seeing that Ginny was on the verge of tears, Harley tried to ease the tension by saying, "Ginny, don't worry about it."

Ginny lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her voice barely audible: "Um... thank you."

Hermione sighed and handed Ginny a handkerchief. "Here, wipe yourself off. It's nothing serious. By the way, have you bought all your books? Lockhart's set?"

When asked about the books she would need this year, Ginny's attention seemed to shift, and she nodded gently: "Yes, Mom has bought them all for me."

The atmosphere in the private room was still somewhat awkward due to Ron's rash actions.

Ginny kept her head down, her ears still flushed.

Hermione whispered words of comfort to her, glancing disapprovingly at the doorway every now and then, as if Ron were still standing there.

Harley felt a little embarrassed, so she cleared her throat and tried to change the subject again: "Um... how many of Lockhart's books have you read? I think his stories... um... are quite exciting."

She spoke somewhat reluctantly, clearly not quite appreciating the new professor's flamboyant writing style.

Hermione was immediately drawn to the topic, her eyes lighting up: "I've almost finished reading them all! The chapter 'Breaking Up with the Ghost' is especially thrilling, can you imagine? He faces the Ghost of Benden all alone..."

Soon, the train slowly started moving, the platform outside the window gradually receded, and the scenery of London began to fly by.

As Hermione recounted her story with great enthusiasm, the atmosphere in the carriage gradually eased.

Although Harley occasionally chimed in with her doubts, Ginny relaxed considerably and would occasionally offer her own opinions in a low voice.

Vera mostly listened, only offering brief responses when Hermione asked for her opinion on a particular magical detail.

As time passed, the sky gradually took on the colors of dusk.

They chatted the whole way, talking about their summer experiences. Harley carefully avoided mentioning Knockturn Alley and Dobby, mainly sharing the happy times at Black's old house, which amazed Hermione and Ginny.

Finally, the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into Hogsmeade Station amidst a familiar whistle.

Night had fallen, and the platform was dotted with lights. Hagrid, the hunting ground guard, and his lantern stood out conspicuously in the darkness.

"First-year students! This way!" Hagrid's gruff voice drowned out the noise of the crowd.

“We’ll be taking a carriage ride this year,” Hermione said, standing up to get her luggage.

Harley then helped Vera take off her wheelchair, skillfully unfolded and secured it, and then lifted Hedwig's cage with one hand.

Ginny watched them until they were all ready, then whispered "See you in the auditorium" before following the other students toward Hagrid, who was waiting outside.

Vera and the other two got off the car and arrived at the dark street outside Hogsmeade Station.

There are about a hundred horse-drawn carriages parked here, which transport students from first grade onwards to the castle every year.

But Harley only took one closer look and exclaimed in surprise, "There are no horses in front of these carriages!"

Vera's gaze fell on the seemingly empty carriage shafts, her dark eyes narrowing slightly in the dim light of the platform.

Immediately, her fingertips unconsciously twitched, because she saw... those invisible, emaciated, winged black creatures—Thestrals.

Only those who have witnessed death and understand its meaning can see them.

For example, Harley as a child, although theoretically she witnessed the scene of her parents' death, was too young to understand it, so she still couldn't see the Thestrals.

But... the original Vera witnessed her adoptive mother's death, while the current Vera is witnessing her own death.

“They’re called Thestrals,” Vera’s voice was soft, almost blending into the night breeze. “The Thestrals pull the chariots. A kind of creature that only…certain people can see.”

Hermione was also very curious about this strange phenomenon. Upon hearing Vera's explanation, she hurriedly turned to ask, "Really? How did you see it?"

For a moment, both Harley and Hermione looked at her curiously, waiting for her explanation.

Harley's eyes widened as she tried to discern something from between the empty shafts.

Vera paused for a moment, then decided it wasn't something that couldn't be said, and spoke in a distant voice: "Only those who have witnessed death and truly understand its meaning can see it."

These words were like a cold wind, instantly silencing the lively atmosphere.

They seemed to understand something, and looking at Vera's calm profile, they didn't know what to say for a moment.

“Vera…” Harley whispered, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

"It's alright, it's all in the past." Vera quickly composed herself, her tone becoming light again. "Let's get in the car quickly, so we don't miss the dinner."

She skillfully changed the subject, pushing her wheelchair toward the nearest carriage.