The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

A faint sound of footsteps echoed from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom on the third-floor corridor, accompanied by a chilling, dark fluctuation of magical energy.

“Quirk…” she murmured silently, her fingers gripping her wand tightly.

Is this another attempt to hunt unicorns in the Forbidden Forest?

Subconsciously, Vera quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind. If she asked Mrs. Pomfrey to send someone over now, she might not be able to catch Quirrell.

Secondly, I can't explain why I could sense the activity on the third floor even though I was on the second floor of the school hospital.

However, if left unattended, the unicorns of the Forbidden Forest may suffer, and it may also affect other creatures in the Forbidden Forest, or even Hagrid.

She bit her lip, slightly lifted the bed curtains, and looked towards the Forbidden Forest by the moonlight—it was pitch black there, with only the shadows of trees swaying in the wind.

Just then, the black mist suddenly surged violently, as if trying its best to warn her.

Vera's breath hitched, and she quickly focused again. Under her loop vision, she could clearly see... the source of magic represented by Harley was approaching that cold source of magic!

How did Harley Quinn run into Quirrell?!

Vera's heart almost stopped for a moment. She gripped the sheets tightly, her mind racing.

Yes, to get from the school hospital on the second floor to the Gryffindor Tower on the eighth floor, you must pass through the stairs on the third floor.

Quirrell has likely just come out of a Defense Against the Dark Arts class and is heading to the Forbidden Forest!

Vera's fingers dug deep into her palms. She had to make a decision immediately—whether to risk trying to notify the professor or to find a way herself.

However, she could no longer delay.

Seeing the black mist churning violently in the ward, Vera took a deep breath, decisively threw off the covers, and tried to stand up, supporting herself on the edge of the bed with both hands.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, she fell heavily to the floor, making a muffled sound.

She turned her head away with some resentment, but her legs were still numb, like two heavy wooden sticks dragging behind her.

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

She rushed over, exclaiming, "How did you fall?"

Vera, without bothering to explain, grabbed Mrs. Pomfrey's sleeve: "Madam! I just saw a dark shadow flash past the window, it looks... it looks like some dangerous creature has broken in again!"

Mrs. Pomfrey's face immediately changed: "What? Where?"

"They went towards the third floor!" Vera said urgently. "I heard some strange noises going that way!"

Mrs. Pomfrey hesitated for a moment, looking at her with suspicion: "Miss Black, are you having nightmares because you've heard those unfounded rumors?"

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

She gripped her arm tightly: "Madam, please believe me! That thing looks really dangerous!"

She had to get Mrs. Pomfrey to take immediate action, but without revealing the exact information she had perceived.

"Please!" she almost begged, "At least send someone to take a look!"

Seeing her anxious expression, Mrs. Pomfrey finally nodded: "Alright, I'll go inform the professor. But you must lie back in bed and not move around."

She waved her wand, moved Vera back to her bed, and then quickly walked out of the school hospital, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Vera bit her lip, waved her wand and softly chanted the levitation spell, guiding the wheelchair in the distance to slowly float back to her.

Then, she struggled to support her body with her arms and slowly moved toward the wheelchair.

Perhaps because she had just used Phoenix Tears and hadn't fully recovered, her body felt unexpectedly heavy, making every inch of movement incredibly difficult.

Soon, sweat soaked her thin back, and she finally managed to lift herself up.

With trembling hands, Vera activated the levitation spell on her wheelchair and quickly moved towards the door.

The corridor was deserted, with only moonlight streaming through the high windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Vera pushed her wheelchair forward, following the direction indicated by the black mist.

The magic circuits were operating at full capacity, and the sensory abilities were amplified to the extreme.

She could sense Harley's magical energy lingering near the fourth-floor stairwell, seemingly trying to avoid Filch and his cat.

Not far from Harley, that chilling magic was also rapidly approaching.

"Hurry up..." she urged herself in a low voice, and the wheelchair sped forward down the corridor.

Turn a corner, and you can see the fourth-floor staircase not far away.

And Quirrell, who was on the stairs, muttering to himself in a tense and cold tone.

"No... Master... I mean, we haven't found a way to tame the Cerberus yet..."

Hearing the faint roar coming from under the headscarf, Vera steadied herself and quickly adjusted her position to ensure she wouldn't be seen by the people on the stairs.

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

Chapter 85 Vera, also known as Harley's Guardian Angel (not really)

Quirrell had no idea what was wrong with his master today.

Ever since the day he was accidentally burned in the Quidditch match, Voldemort's temper has become increasingly volatile, forcing him to go to the Forbidden Forest almost every night to hunt unicorns.

They would also urge him to use various methods to defeat Cerberus and retrieve the Philosopher's Stone that the half-giant had brought to Hogwarts.

But it's not that easy!

Quirrell was inwardly groaning, but he could only nod and agree, only to return empty-handed time and time again.

A dull ache throbbed in his head beneath the large scarf—Voldemort's remnant soul was writhing restlessly on the back of his head.

Besides the low moans of pain, there were also a few low, hoarse curses.

Yes, basically everyone is cursing the girl who survived the ordeal.

Quirrell had no doubt that if he were to encounter Harley Potter here now, her master would be yelling at him to tear the girl to pieces, regardless of his own health.

However, having heard Voldemort's agonizing groans and vicious curses far too often, he numbly observed his surroundings, awaiting his master's commands.

"Useless!" A cold, piercing voice quickly echoed in his mind. "So many days have passed, and you haven't even caught a single unicorn!"

Quirrell shuddered and quickly whispered an explanation: "Master, Hagrid has increased patrols recently, and the centaurs are patrolling everywhere too..."

"Do you dare defy me?" the hoarse, chilling voice rang out again. "If you can't get the unicorn's blood, then go find Cerberus!"

Cold sweat beaded on Quirrell's forehead as he cautiously replied, "No, Master, I'll go to the Forbidden Forest right away..."

He preferred facing Hagrid and the patrolling centaurs in the Forbidden Forest to the ferocious three-headed dog in a confined space.

At least the chances of escaping are higher.

He steeled himself and took a few steps down the stairs when he suddenly heard a slight noise coming from below.

"Who's there?" Quirrell asked alertly, drawing his wand.

Vera held her breath, leaned down to hide herself in the shadows, her fingers pressed against the carvings on the stair railing.

The magic circuits circulated rapidly within her body, finally condensing at her fingertips.

As the golden light from his fingertips seeped into the carvings, illuminating the subtle golden glow that was difficult for others to detect, the entire staircase suddenly trembled slightly.

Quirrell took two steps back in alarm: "W-what's going on?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the stairs began to move automatically, taking him towards the room where the three-headed dog was.

"No! Stop!" Quirrell cried out in panic, but the stairs had already begun to spin uncontrollably, carrying him to the other side of the castle.

As Quirrell was led away down the stairs, Vera remained unperturbed and continued to use her visual circuitry to look upwards.

Seeing that Harley's magic source had reached the fifth floor, he finally relaxed a little.

Things happened so suddenly that she couldn't guarantee that Harley, who was out at night, would be able to avoid Quirrell.

After all, Voldemort's magical energy source is now colder and more volatile than previously observed, and she cannot be sure whether the Dark Lord in this state would lose control if he encountered Harley Quinn.

Therefore, she had to physically separate the two people.

To Vera's surprise, Quirrell and Voldemort's magical energy sources paused briefly on the fourth-floor stairs before heading towards the direction of Cerberus.

Since we're already here, why don't we go take a look first?

Well then, best of luck.

She almost laughed, but she restrained herself, turned around, and quickly pushed her wheelchair toward the school hospital.

Along the way, she was so worried about being seen by other professors on patrol that her wheelchair was practically sparking from friction.

However, she was too late. As she turned the last corner, she bumped into Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Pomfrey, who were rushing over.

“Miss Black!” Mrs. Pomfrey exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed?”

Even Professor McGonagall looked quite serious: "What exactly happened, Miss Black? I think you should give us an explanation."

Sigh, only a luck value of 2.

I guess I reached my limit before Quirrell noticed me.

Vera sighed inwardly, but her face showed a tearful expression: "I'm sorry, Professor, Madam... I've been here alone for too long, that's why I wanted to come find you..."

Her voice trembled slightly, and her delicate, pale face looked particularly fragile in the moonlight.

Before she could finish speaking, Mrs. Pomfrey immediately felt sorry for her and quickly stepped forward to speak up for her: "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her here alone. McGonagall, she's just a child."

Professor McGonagall's stern expression softened slightly, but she still frowned: "Miss Black, you shouldn't have left on your own no matter what... What if you encounter danger?"

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

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting broken shadows on her face, making her look particularly pitiful.

Even McGonagall, who was usually quite strict with her students, couldn't bring herself to criticize her anymore and sighed, saying:

"Alright, it's all over now. Mrs. Pomfrey will take you back. Also, what did you say you might have seen? I'll go check it out right away."

Vera nodded, letting Mrs. Pomfrey push her back to the school hospital.

“You need to rest well. I’ll give you another full check-up tomorrow,” Mrs. Pomfrey said, helping her lie down on the bed.

Then she brought over a small bottle and a wine glass, and poured some purple medicine into it for her.

"This is a sleeping pill; just a little bit will help you sleep well."

Vera gracefully took the wine glass, and before taking a sip, she hesitated and looked up: "Madam, is Professor Dumbledore at school today?"

“Of course, child,” Madam Pomfrey replied, somewhat puzzled, clearly not understanding why she had suddenly asked about Dumbledore.

That's good.

Vera nodded, looked down at the clear liquid in the glass, and whispered, "I just... want to feel a little more at ease."

Quirrell and Voldemort are currently in a room on the fourth floor; it's unclear when they will emerge.

She worried that McGonagall, who knew nothing about Quirrell's identity, would be at a disadvantage if she suddenly ran into them.

At least, if Dumbledore were at school, Voldemort wouldn't dare to make any rash moves.

Under Madame Pomfrey's loving gaze, Vera tilted her head back and drank the medicine in one gulp.

The effect was immediate; she became dizzy and everything became blurry.

Vera lay down on the pillow, drowsiness enveloping her, and within seconds she drifted into a dreamless slumber.

Chapter 86 She's Going to Become the Professor's Little Darling

The next morning, when Vera woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the curtains and filling the entire hospital room.

She blinked, adjusting to the bright light, and realized that Harley and Hermione were sitting by her bedside, their faces filled with worry.

"Vera! You're finally awake!" Harley's eyes lit up, and she immediately came over. "What happened last night? Mrs. Pomfrey said you had another nightmare?"

Hermione observed her expression from the side: "Vera, you... have you sensed something again?"

Vera rubbed her temples; the effects of the sleeping pills hadn't completely worn off, leaving her feeling drowsy.

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell them part of the truth: "Last night... I did sense something was wrong."

Harley and Hermione immediately moved closer, their green and brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Could it be the animal I mentioned earlier that broke into the castle?" Harley asked in a low voice.

Vera hesitated for a moment, carefully considering her answer, "I'm not quite sure, but... it seems to be similar to what you described."

She deliberately avoided making any definitive statements.