The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

To Harley and Hermione, the carriage doors opened automatically for them.

But in Vera's eyes, the skinny Thestral with its leathery wings folded moved its head slightly as she approached, and its empty white eyes seemed to "look" in her direction.

Hermione rushed forward to help secure the wheelchair, and Harley quickly followed suit. The two of them tacitly stopped asking any further questions.

But as Harley got into the carriage, she couldn't help but look back at the empty space in front of the carriage, her eyes filled with a sense of heaviness and contemplation.

The carriage started on its own and moved along the ramp leading to Hogwarts Castle, its wheels making a steady sound as they rolled over the gravel.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the lights of Hogwarts Castle in the distance became clearer and clearer in the darkness, like a huge lighthouse shimmering with warm light.

Finally, the carriage came to a shaky stop in front of Hogwarts' magnificent oak gates.

They disembarked from the carriage with the flow of people and stepped onto the familiar stone steps. The warm and bustling atmosphere of the castle rushed towards them, dispelling the chill of the night.

The hall was brightly lit, and the four long tables of the academy were filled with students. Candlelight flickered in the starry sky above, and ghosts moved among them, shimmering with a hazy silver light.

As Harley entered, her gaze instinctively drifted to the faculty table. There, in Quirrell's spot, was now occupied by an incredibly dazzling figure—

Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in a flamboyant and ornate robe, was loudly greeting each professor around him with a beaming smile.

His smile brightened instantly when he saw Harley walk into the auditorium, and he even stood up and waved to her, drawing the attention of many students around him.

Harley was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. She quickly pulled Vera's wheelchair and hurried toward the Gryffindor table.

“He’s like…like a peacock spreading its tail!” Harley complained to Vera and Hermione in a low voice as she sat down at the long table.

Hermione's expression was somewhat complicated, but because of her admiration for the famous professor, she quietly tried to cover for him, saying, "He... he's just a bit enthusiastic, isn't he?"

Vera's gaze swept across the faculty table, where Lockhart was trying to strike up a conversation with the indifferent Snape, whose expression looked as if he had smelled something disgusting.

She looked away, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

Just then, the auditorium doors opened again, and Professor McGonagall led a group of nervous first-year students in.

Their faces were filled with fear and anticipation for the unknown, and they huddled together like a flock of startled sparrows.

“Just like we did last year,” Harley leaned closer and whispered.

Vera raised her lips and looked at her and Hermione: "Well, someone was fooled into thinking they were going to fight a troll."

Why bring up embarrassing past events at a time like this!

Harley's face flushed instantly, and she muttered softly, "How can that be the same..."

She immediately pulled Hermione over as well: "Hermione was memorizing those spells back then too!"

Hermione, who was innocently caught in the crossfire, looked at the two of them with a bewildered expression: "Huh?"

This time, Vera couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The buzzing conversations in the auditorium gradually subsided, and all eyes were focused on the worn-out Sorting Hat.

It wriggled, splitting open like a mouth, and began its annual song.

Next, the Sorting Ceremony proceeded as scheduled. When Ginny Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, the Weasley twins cheered loudly, and Ron also breathed a sigh of relief and clapped enthusiastically.

Ginny blushed and almost ran to the Gryffindor table, deliberately choosing a seat a little far from Harley but still within sight of her.

The dinner officially began after Professor Dumbledore's brief welcoming remarks and introduction of Lockhart, and the golden plates in front of them were instantly piled high with sumptuous food.

After enjoying their meal, everyone returned to the common room under the guidance of the prefect.

Back in the familiar Gryffindor Tower, after reciting the new command, the portrait of the Fat Lady slowly unscrews, filling the warm and bustling common room with laughter.

Percy was sternly urging the freshmen to follow the rules, while the twins made faces at him, causing the freshmen to chuckle.

Harry pushed Vera and Hermione through the crowd, finding a relatively quiet corner to sit down.

The crackling fire in the fireplace dispelled the chill of the night and illuminated the relaxed expressions on everyone's faces.

"Finally back." Hermione nestled in the soft armchair and sighed contentedly. "Although home is nice too, it feels more comfortable here..."

“Yes.” Harley nodded in agreement, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Vera in the wheelchair.

The silver-haired girl was listening to Hermione speak with her head slightly tilted to the side, the firelight dancing in her calm black eyes, reflecting a soft glow.

For some reason, Harley's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly had an urge to touch Vera's face.

Although she managed to hold back after realizing what had happened.

The time she spent at Blake's old house was like a warm and private dream to her.

Back in the bustling common room, Harley suddenly had a strange feeling, as if there was an invisible connection between her and Vera, a secret that belonged only to the two of them.

Her gaze was too obvious; it only lingered on Vera's face for a few seconds before Vera noticed it, turned her head, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Harley quickly looked away, rubbing her eyes to cover up her embarrassment, "I'm just a little sleepy."

Hermione yawned as well, echoing, "It is indeed getting late, we have class tomorrow."

Okay, Harley thought to herself, it really is time to sleep.

She kept staring at Vera today... I guess she's still adjusting to the new semester.

Author's note: Harley at this stage wasn't really enlightened yet, staring... was just instinct, um.

Chapter Five: Professor McGonagall's Daily Life is Shocking

The first class of the new semester was Professor Sprout's herbal medicine class.

Everyone gathered in the third greenhouse. When they heard her talking about mandrake, Harry's eyes lit up, and she almost immediately leaned close to Vera's ear and said, "It's the raw material for the potent recovery potion we bought in Diagon Alley!"

During the previous summer vacation, they certainly went to Diagon Alley more than once.

She also remembered that Vera picked out a bunch of potions, including a bottle of potent recovery potion.

Vera, who was still listening attentively, paused for a moment, and was about to remind her to pay attention in class when Professor Sprout noticed Harry's little action first: "Miss Potter, please tell me what the properties of mandrake are?"

Harley's face flushed instantly, and she quickly stood up straight: "Mandelabra is a powerful restorative agent... um, used to restore people who have been transformed or cursed to their original state."

“Very good, ten points for Gryffindor.” Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction.

Noticing Hermione's somewhat surprised look, Harley felt a little embarrassed but also a little smug.

The last time she went to Diagon Alley with Vera, it was Vera herself who explained these facts to her.

I didn't expect to be able to use it again so soon.

She glanced at Vera instinctively, only to find that the mandrake was still focused on the plant in front of her and not looking at her at all. She couldn't help but purse her lips.

“Mandragora is an important component of most antidotes, but it is also dangerous. Can anyone tell me why?” Professor Sprout asked again.

This time, Hermione raised her hand first and blurted out, "Hearing the cry of a mandrake will kill you, but the cry of an immature mandrake will make you faint."

“Absolutely right, Gryffindor gets another ten points,” Professor Sprout said.

"Now, come and collect your earmuffs and flower pots. Remember, do not remove your earmuffs until I signal that it is safe!"

The students stepped forward to receive their equipment.

Vera quickly put the earmuffs on her head, and just as she was about to adjust them, Hermione reached out and helped her adjust the earmuffs to make sure they completely covered her ears.

Through the thick earmuffs, the world instantly fell silent, and all that could be seen were Professor Sprout's exaggerated lip movements and gestures.

"Thank you," she mouthed to Hermione.

Hermione gave a "you're welcome" smile, then quickly put the earmuffs on herself and Harley as well.

The following lessons proceeded in a strange silence.

Following Professor Sprout's demonstration clumsily, everyone carefully moved the grumpy, wrinkled babies out of their old flowerpots and into their new homes filled with fertile soil.

Even through the earmuffs, one could vaguely feel the vibrations from the little ones' piercing cries.

Harley moved with extreme care, afraid that a single misstep would displease these deadly little creatures.

Vera, on the other hand, appeared much more composed. Her movements were precise and steady, as if she were not affected by any interference.

Although she hasn't leveled up despite sparring with Kreacher every day this summer, she can feel herself getting stronger.

Through long-term training and the enhancement from the Source Reshaping, her hands are now steady enough to handle a mandrake with relative ease.

When the course ended, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and took off their earmuffs, and the world was once again filled with various sounds.

Almost everyone was covered in sweat, had aches and pains, and were covered in mud, looking quite disheveled.

Given that the next class was Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class, Vera led them out of the greenhouse and used a Cleansing Charm on each of them to solve the problem directly.

"Cleansing Charm? I clearly learned it last year, how could I have forgotten it?" Hermione said with some annoyance, who had originally planned to go back to her dorm to take a shower like everyone else.

Although she has become a wizard, Hermione still maintains a Muggle mindset in some matters.

Harley grinned and put her arm around her shoulder: "It's okay, it's not too late to think about it now! Let's go, we can't be late for Professor McGonagall's class."

With extra time, the three of them strolled leisurely toward the Transformation Classroom.

Professor McGonagall's lessons are always difficult, but today's was exceptionally difficult. Her task today was to turn a beetle into a button.

This requires not only precise transformation spells, but also a clear vision of the target's form and a stable output of magic power.

After she demonstrated the transformation method and explained the key points of the transformation process in detail, most of the students present were still somewhat confused.

After she announced the start of individual practice, the classroom was immediately filled with various chanting sounds and the frantic crawling of beetles.

This time, Hermione was the first to succeed. The beetle in front of her quickly turned into a smooth, round white button, which earned her high praise from Professor McGonagall and a five-point bonus.

Ron's beetle unfortunately grew several thin legs and was running around wildly on the table, causing him to frantically try to catch it.

Neville was rather unlucky; his beetle ran around aimlessly because the spell failed, and it was unfortunately hit by Seamus's curse, exploding into a small pile of dust, leaving him heartbroken.

Seeing that most of the people around her had failed experiences, Harley's face also turned somewhat bitter.

She chanted the incantation repeatedly, and after a lot of effort, the beetle only began to resemble the luster of a button in shape.

For a moment, she looked at Vera with some frustration, only to find that the person who was usually the first to finish the class exercises was now staring blankly at the beetle in front of her.

Harry blinked in surprise. Vera rarely spaced out in class, especially in Professor McGonagall's class.

She gently touched Vera's arm and asked softly, "Vera? Are you alright?"

Vera snapped back to reality, her fingertips unconsciously twitching slightly. She shook her head: "It's nothing."

She only thought of the ancient power she had glimpsed beneath the Acropolis of Athens, like a boulder sunk into the deep sea, continuously sending silent ripples through her heart.

That extremely restrained, almost eternal feeling is completely different from the gentle and orderly magical fluctuations that are everywhere in Hogwarts Castle.

So during summer vacation, she used her magic to try to simulate that "existence" in the Temple of Athena.

Although she failed in the end, she did gain the benefit of "reducing magic power consumption by 10%" in the process.

After that, she kept thinking, were there any similar methods that could help her to apply the knowledge to other situations?

Therefore, during the time I spend alone in the training room every morning, besides practicing with Klee and reviewing the game afterwards.

She spends most of her time researching how to take this simulation of "existence" a step further or apply it to a wider range of fields.

Of course, the price is that every time they go out, they are completely exhausted and look extremely tired.

Thankfully, Harley was waiting at the door, ready to push her back to her room at any time.

Professor McGonagall's explanation of the principles of Transfiguration reminded Vera of that power once again.

She calmed herself down and focused her attention back on the beetle in front of her.

A golden glint flashed in his dark eyes, and his visual circuits were fully activated.

At this moment, in her perception, the life structure of this small creature, the molecular arrangement of its shell, and even the faint energy flow within its body became clearly visible.

Although her level hasn't increased yet, her strength has indeed improved. In the past, she wouldn't have been able to see it so clearly.

Vera rubbed her eyes, which were starting to feel sore. It seemed that this state was taking a lot of strain on her eyes.

Since that's the case, there's no need to hesitate any longer.

She finally began to wave her wand, concentrating her mind and infusing the spell with a power that was closer to "transformation" than "forced change".

"Transform quickly."

The light flowing from the tip of the wand was no longer the bright and sharp light it used to be, but had become softer and more restrained.

The magic enveloped the beetle like the finest silk thread, and soon, a faint, water-like glow appeared around the beetle, which then quickly solidified, shrank, and flattened.

In the blink of an eye, a warm-colored amber button with natural spiral patterns lay quietly on the table, as if it had always been that way.

The entire process was silent and smooth, almost natural, yet it consumed less magic power than Vera had anticipated.

Successful.