The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Therefore, to prevent this from happening, she decisively ignored the chilling aura emanating from the crown and continued forward.

Guided by the will of the castle, her gaze landed precisely on a low cabinet in a corner.

Opening the cabinet door revealed a jumbled mess of broken celestial globes, rusty telescope parts, and an unassuming soft cloth bag.

Opening the cloth bag revealed several crystal lenses of varying sizes with slightly worn edges.

Two of the oval lenses are particularly special, being thicker than the others. When viewed closely against the light, one can see extremely fine, stardust-like silver specks slowly flowing inside, emitting a faint magical fluctuation.

That's it!

When Vera's fingertips touched the two crystals, she could feel a slightly cool sensation and a strange magical resonance within them.

Vera carefully put them away, and then selected a few pieces of pure, suitable materials for polishing, and carefully stored the cloth bag away.

With these items in hand, Vera went in and out of the Room of Requirement again and returned to her usual cottage.

However, even if she found the materials, making protective goggles would be more difficult than she had imagined.

She needed to understand the complex magical principles in the ancient texts, to miniaturize and fix the protective magic circle on the lens, while also ensuring its light transmission and stability when worn.

She didn't want her glasses to suddenly fall off while she was fighting the basilisk.

To prepare for this, she even prepared several different materials.

She then devoted herself entirely to the production process.

Based on the principles and diagrams in "Hidden Magic Guardian," she needed to etch extremely fine magical patterns onto these specially made crystal lenses to create a miniature protective array capable of deflecting and absorbing specific magical frequencies.

This task undoubtedly requires astonishing concentration and precise control of magic, making it virtually impossible for most wizards to accomplish.

But for Vera, it wasn't so much a struggle as it was a complete relief.

The Source Reshaping was directly activated, simultaneously enhancing hand strength and visual abilities. Vera's fingertips shimmered with a faint golden light, and the tip of her wand, like the finest carving knife, guided magic to seep into the crystal bit by bit.

Before they knew it, the workbench was filled with various tools, materials, and parchment covered with calculations.

Even with the blessing of source reshaping, she unknowingly failed several times, and the crystal lenses used for the experiments were destroyed one by one under her overloaded magic.

Under such high pressure, magic power was being rapidly depleted, but it was quickly replenished thanks to the unicorn's blessing.

And so, with each breath, time slipped away quietly in her intense concentration. When Vera finally stopped what she was doing, the sky outside the window had already darkened again.

She gently put down her wand and rubbed her wrist, which was slightly sore from maintaining such precise movements for so long.

After several attempts, I finally managed to complete it once on the prototype.

However, compared to those two more special lenses, magic arrays created on ordinary lenses can also be used, and the effect is similar.

However, due to the limitations of the material, ordinary lenses may not last more than a few uses before they break down because they cannot withstand the gaze of the basilisk.

It's fine to use it as a backup.

As for those two special lenses, it would be safer to wait until after a night's rest and complete the engraving tomorrow when we are in better condition.

So, wearing the spare pair of glasses and the remaining materials, Vera left the Room of Requirement, exhausted.

It was dinnertime, and she planned to go to the auditorium to replenish her energy before returning to her dormitory for a good night's sleep.

She pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement, her mind still replaying the key details of the miniature protective array on the lens.

Just as she turned the corner and went down two flights of stairs, she heard a burst of laughter coming from a classroom not far away.

She hadn't thought much of it at first, but soon she heard several male and female voices say, "Is it really okay to hide the crazy girl's things here like this?"

“What’s there to be afraid of? She won’t tell the professor.” Another voice replied nonchalantly. “It’s because she always says those weird things, like curved-horned snorting beasts and harassing horseflies… they just sound so inexplicable.”

Vera's wheelchair stopped at the corner of the stairs, her brows slightly furrowed.

"But..." The voice that had been earlier was still somewhat hesitant.

"No buts! Let's go, the Halloween party is about to begin!"

A flurry of footsteps faded into the distance, and the corridor returned to silence.

Vera pushed her wheelchair toward the empty classroom from which the sound was coming.

The door was ajar, and the inside was dark and empty.

Her gaze swept across the classroom, finally settling on an inconspicuous corner below the podium.

There lay a worn-out handbag adorned with colorful beads, and several notebooks carelessly discarded.

It says the name Luna Lovegood.

Vera certainly remembered this girl who was also a standout in the original story; she should be a freshman in Ravenclaw now.

However, it seems that Luna is ostracized both in the original story and here.

Vera pushed her wheelchair into the empty classroom, bent down and picked up the colorful handbag and notebook.

The handbag's material was somewhat worn, but the beads on it still shimmered faintly in the dim light.

Hiding these personal belongings is undoubtedly a childish act of bullying.

In her view, no matter how small the matter is, or whether Luna herself, who suffered from it, cares, bullying is bullying.

Unfortunately, she was a bit too far away to see what those people looked like.

Vera gently dusted off the dust and tidied things up.

She was about to leave to find out where Luna might be when she heard a light, ethereal voice behind her:

"Oh...you found them."

Vera turned around and saw Luna Lovegood standing at the classroom door, her slightly protruding light silver eyes wide open, just like a frightened fawn.

She wore a pair of carrot-shaped earrings, and her long, golden hair was a little frizzy, with a few strands sticking up unruly.

“They hid them here,” Luna said casually, her tone devoid of anger or resentment, merely a calm statement. “I came to look for them.”

Vera handed over her handbag and notebook: "Here you go. Check if anything is missing."

Luna took the item without checking it, and simply held it gently in her arms.

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze falling on Vera’s wheelchair before slowly moving to her face. “Your name is Vera Black, right? Gryffindor.”

Vera nodded: "Okay, what about you?"

“Luna Lovegood.” The girl’s voice was like a dream. “Everyone calls me ‘crazy girl’ Luna.”

When she said the nickname, there was no sad expression on her face, as if she were just stating a fact, such as "It rained today."

Vera looked at the special girl in front of her; her silver eyes seemed to hold the scenery of another world.

“I know,” Vera said softly, “but I don’t find you strange.”

Luna blinked her signature big eyes, and her carrot earrings swayed gently.

“Many people think I’m strange,” she said, her tone still elusive, “because I can always see things they can’t. Like a harassing fly, it’s flying around you right now, silvery, like a little bug.”

Vera glanced around instinctively, but saw nothing, though she didn't argue.

She watched as Luna waved her arms in front of her, seemingly trying to drive away the invisible little bugs.

"Being able to see things that others can't isn't necessarily a bad thing," she said, turning her wheelchair toward the door. "It's late, would you like to go to the auditorium together?"

Luna tilted her head to look at Vera, then at the rain outside the window, and nodded gently: "Okay, I like the taste of pumpkin juice, it smells like sunshine."

So Vera pushed the wheelchair, and Luna, who was clutching her recovered handbag and walking unsteadily, headed down to the brightly lit and bustling auditorium.

The torches on the corridor walls cast long shadows of the two people, one moving steadily and the other leaping lightly, creating a strange yet unexpectedly harmonious scene.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the auditorium, I was greeted by a wave of noise, heat and the aroma of food.

Luna stopped in her tracks.

“That’s enough,” she said. “Thank you for helping me find them.”

She shook the handbag in her hand, and the carrot earrings swayed with it.

Vera nodded: "You're welcome, have a pleasant dinner, Luna."

“You too,” Luna said, walking briskly into the auditorium.

Vera smiled and was about to maneuver her wheelchair inside when she suddenly heard Harley's voice behind her: "Vera?"

She turned around and saw Harley standing there covered in mud, holding her broom, looking quite disheveled.

Vera frowned slightly as her gaze fell on Harley's mud-covered body. She stepped forward and asked, "What happened to you? Did something go wrong during training?"

"It's nothing, the rain was too heavy and the ground was too slippery. I didn't control myself well when I was diving and I scraped myself." Harley waved her hand dismissively.

As she spoke, her gaze swept back and forth between Vera and Luna's retreating figures, who had just disappeared in the direction of the Ravenclaw table.

"Who is that girl...?" Harley asked hesitantly.

She knew Vera; she was usually very quiet, and apart from a few Gryffindor friends, Harry had never seen her with anyone from other houses.

It was really hard for her not to be curious.

But Vera's attention was entirely focused on Luna's disheveled appearance. She cast a cleansing spell on her before saying, "Luna Lovegood, a first-year Ravenclaw student, just happened to run into her."

She brushed the matter aside and turned her attention back to Harley, "Are you sure you're not hurt? Falling off a broom is no small matter."

“I’m really fine!” Harley quickly assured her, stretching her shoulders to show she was alright. “It’s just that the ground is too slippery… Wood said we need to practice even more in this kind of weather because anything can happen in a real match.”

As she spoke, she naturally walked behind Vera, pushed the wheelchair, and said, "Let's go, I'm starving!"

The two entered the hall together and saw Hermione already seated, waving at them.

"Why are you so late?" Hermione looked at Harry, then at Vera. "Did you two come back together?"

“We bumped into each other at the door,” Harley said first, squeezing in next to Hermione and eagerly ladling herself a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “Tomorrow is Halloween, finally I can rest for a day!”

Yes, tomorrow is Halloween.

In accordance with Rowling's writing style, something big usually happens on Halloween. Last year it was a troll, and this year it was supposed to be the first attack by a basilisk.

Vera wasn't planning to attack anyone, but she needed to see the basilisk.

"I heard Dumbledore has booked a skeleton dance troupe to entertain us tomorrow!" Ron interjected excitedly after overhearing their conversation.

“Sounds really good,” Harley mumbled between bites of food, though her attention was clearly more focused on the roasted chicken leg in front of her.

Hermione seemed somewhat worried: "I hope nothing else goes wrong, like last year..."

“No,” Vera replied calmly, gently stirring the peas in her plate with her fork. “This year will be very peaceful.”

She will not be controlled by Horcruxes, nor will she allow the basilisk to come out and harm people.

Hearing her confident answer, Hermione looked at her with some surprise.

After dinner, they returned together to the Gryffindor common room.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and its warmth dispelled the dampness of the rainy day.

Harley was excitedly playing with the twins, and even Hermione was relaxing and playing Wizard Chess with Ron.

Vera watched the flickering firelight, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the pair of protective goggles she had just finished in her pocket.

"I'm a little tired, I'll go upstairs and rest first," she said softly to her two friends, pushing her wheelchair toward the stairs.

Harley looked up: "Do you need any help?"

"No need, goodnight." Vera smiled, activated the levitation spell on her wheelchair, and smoothly ascended the stairs.

Hermione turned her head thoughtfully to look at her retreating figure, and murmured softly, "Vera..."

She knew Vera had a secret, but she also knew that even if she asked, Vera wouldn't tell her.

But... does Vera still stand by what she promised her in the library?

Hermione hesitated for once, and even when Ron directly checkmated her, she didn't react much.

Back in her dorm, Vera didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, she took out the spare pair of protective goggles and carefully examined them under the light.

The magical patterns etched on the lens are extremely fine and almost invisible; only when held up to a specific angle of light can one glimpse a flowing silver light.

She put it on, and her vision was perfectly clear without any distortion or color change.

But when she tried to inject a wisp of magic into it, a faint golden halo instantly swept across the inside of the lens, and the miniature protective arrays were quietly activated.

There shouldn't be any problems.

She took off her glasses, carefully put them away, and lay down on the bed.

Knox leaped lightly onto her and curled up beside her pillow.