The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Is it more agonizing to wait without an end date, or is it more despairing to count down the days and endure an entire century alone?

She waited through Christmas, through spring and autumn, through countless disappearances and reunions, thinking she was strong enough to withstand all separations.

The timeframe that Vera gave her was far too long, so long that it was hopeless.

“…Ha,” Sera forced a smile, a sarcastic one that was more painful than a grimace, “I’ve waited long enough, why should I wait any longer?”

As she spoke, she snatched her wand and turned to leave, but after a few steps, she stopped abruptly.

She had her back to Vera, her shoulders taut, but she didn't take another step forward.

If her angry departure just now was due to her pride, then her current halt is because her heart is still screaming with resentment.

The warm light from the Requirement Room fell on her long, flowing hair, giving it a soft golden edge, but it couldn't warm the almost frozen chill that was spreading through her body.

"You haven't answered my initial question yet." Her voice was soft, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, as if she had used all her strength to squeeze the words out of her throat.

Vera looked at that thin yet stubborn figure and felt a sharp pain in her heart.

She slowly stepped forward, getting closer to her step by step, and spoke clearly and solemnly, word by word: "I like you, not just because of you a hundred years from now, but because... you are enough to move my heart now."

Sera's shoulders trembled. She didn't turn around, but she could clearly feel the person behind her gently approaching, their warm breath falling on the back of her neck, carrying that comforting scent of pine and snow.

Wei stretched out her arms and gently wrapped them around her waist from behind, pressing her face against her slightly cool back.

Her body heat seeped through the thin fabric, making Sera shiver, and her tense shoulders finally softened little by little.

“I never intended to ask you to wait for me,” Vera’s voice whispered against her back, soft yet firm, “but I can’t lie to you that I can stay right away.”

Time, to me, is a distorted line; all I can do is follow it until I stand before you again.

Sera's body froze completely, and even her breathing became shallow and trembling.

The embrace behind me was warmer than a fireplace, warmer than sunshine, warmer than all the candlelight on Christmas Eve.

That was the warmth she had longed for since she was six years old, the thought that sustained her through countless lonely nights. Now that it was truly embracing her, she didn't even have the courage to turn back.

She feared that if she turned around, everything would turn back into an ordinary holly leaf, just like the magical butterfly of yesteryear.

“I just want you to promise me,” Vera tightened her arms and hugged her even tighter, “to study hard, to study ancient magic properly, and to be a good guardian.”

You can take a walk at the Black Lake, buy sweets at Hogsmeade, read books in the library, and watch the sunrise at the Astronomy Tower.

You must live each day to the fullest, just as if I were always by your side.

She paused, then solemnly swore, "I, Vera Black, promise you, I will wait for you in the future. I will wait for you to grow up, for you to stand before me, for us to never have to be apart again."

Sera finally turned around slowly, her eyelashes still a little wet.

She looked down at Vera, her fingertips gently tracing the corner of Vera's eye, and then smiled softly.

“Then you don’t need to worry about me,” she said, trying to sound relaxed. “Don’t worry, I won’t wait for you. As for living my own life well… of course I will.”

She leaned forward slightly, her forehead touching Vera's, their breaths mingling, carrying the warm scent of pine needles.

Vera's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to say something, Serah pressed his hand to her lips.

"Stop saying those discouraging things." Sera's voice was low. "I just want to do something I've been thinking about for a long time."

She tilted her head slightly, and her cool lips gently touched Vera's.

It was an extremely innocent and awkward kiss.

Sera's lips were cool, carrying the shyness and tentativeness unique to young girls, like petals falling on snow, so light they were almost weightless.

It was a kiss that was far too restrained, carrying the bittersweet taste of a long wait and the reluctance to part ways knowing that separation was imminent.

Vera closed her eyes, raised her hand to hold the back of her neck and kissed her back, feeling those slightly cool lips tremble slightly, feeling that warm breath brush against her cheek.

After a few seconds, or perhaps a long time, Sera finally took a half step back, her ears burning red as if they were about to bleed. Her eyes reflected Vera's slightly stunned expression, as well as her own reflection, which was trying to remain calm but couldn't hide her panic.

"Is this what you've been thinking about for so long?" Vera heard her own voice, softer than she expected, with a hint of amusement that she herself didn't even realize.

Sera pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but found her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

She instinctively gripped her wand tighter, her knuckles turning white. Her lips moved, but she managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "...Don't laugh."

"I wasn't smiling." Vera curved her lips into a smile, the curve of which was clearly a smile.

Sera turned her face away, her long hair falling down and covering half of her flushed face.

It wasn't until Vera took the initiative, took her hand, and handed her something.

"This is..." She stared in surprise at the hourglass lying quietly in her palm; the fine, silvery sand shimmered with delicate light within the glass bottle.

"You can keep it for safekeeping." Vera closed her fingers together, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "As for what it's for, you can decide for yourself."

This was the only thing that Sera from the future had ever told her before she traveled through time.

After saying that, she took Sera's hand and whispered, "Don't look at this yet. We still have a day. Let's not waste it here."

“…Mmm.” Sera responded softly, her fingers curling in her palm as she let her lead her out of the Room of Requirement.

They had one more day, one day as lovers.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Sera's Secrets Exposed

The day passed both slowly and quickly.

They left their footprints in every corner of the castle—the corridors Sera once walked alone, the steps she once sat on alone, the scenery she once saw alone, now all have the warmth of another person.

Vera sat with her by the Black Lake for a long time, watching the giant squid occasionally flip out of the water, splashing up tiny droplets.

Sera leaned on her shoulder, her fingers unconsciously stroking the small hourglass, the silver sand flowing slowly in the bottle like a silent countdown.

In the evening, they went to the Astronomical Tower.

The setting sun dyed the entire sky orange-red, the surface of the Black Lake shimmered with golden light, and flocks of owls flew over the edge of the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

Sera stood by the railing, her long hair blowing in the evening breeze, her robes fluttering in the wind.

She didn't speak, but quietly watched the horizon grow darker and darker, as if she wanted to etch this moment into her memory forever.

Vera stood beside her, her gaze fixed on her profile, watching her outline bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, her slightly trembling eyelashes, and the barely maintained yet still slightly trembling curve of her lips.

“Sera,” she called softly.

Sera turned her head, her crimson eyes reflecting the glow of the sunset and Vera's face.

“You will become a very capable person in the future.” Vera looked at her earnestly, “Much more capable than me.”

Sera paused slightly.

“You will protect many people, and you will be remembered by many people.” Vera continued confidently, “You will travel a very long road, see many, many landscapes, and then, one day, you will meet me.”

Sera's eyelashes trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but Vera pressed her hand to her lips.

“By then,” Vera smiled, her dark eyes sparkling, “we will never be apart again.”

The evening breeze passed between them, scattering Vera's words into the twilight, but every word clearly fell into Sera's heart.

She didn't ask any more questions, but simply reached out and gently pulled Vera into her arms, as if she wanted to meld them into each other's very bones.

Vera buried her face in the crook of her shoulder, taking a deep breath of that familiar scent of pine and snow, feeling Sera's heartbeat through the fabric, rapid and strong.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment, so slow that they could count each other's every breath, so slow that the sunset sank and rose again, so slow that the noise of the whole world faded into the background, leaving only this small, warm space.

Then, Vera's body began to become transparent.

Starting from the fingertips, little by little, like morning mist evaporating in the sunlight.

Sera felt it. She didn't let go, but instead tightened her grip, so tight that her knuckles turned white, as if that would help her resist the irresistible force.

"Don't be afraid," Vera's voice came from under her shoulder, as soft as a sigh, "We will meet again."

Sera didn't speak, but buried her face in her hair, took a deep breath, and wanted to etch the scent of the person in her arms into the depths of her memory forever.

But eventually, the warmth in his arms dissipated little by little, like fine sand flowing silently through an hourglass.

Finally, only an empty arm remained, along with a lingering warmth in the air.

Sera remained in the embracing position for a long time, so long that the evening breeze chilled her to the bone, so long that the last rays of sunset sank below the horizon.

Then, she slowly withdrew her hand and looked down at her palm.

The little hourglass still lay there quietly, its silvery sand gleaming faintly in the twilight.

She clenched it tightly, pressed it against her chest, and felt the glass being warmed by her body heat, each beat like a heartbeat.

The sounds of students returning home late drifted from beneath the astronomical tower, and warm lights flickered on in the castle windows one after another. Everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened.

Sera turned around and walked down the spiral staircase step by step.

Her back was straight, and her steps were steady, just like usual.

She paused for a moment as she passed the blank wall, her fingers unconsciously tracing the cold surface.

She didn't go in again; she simply withdrew her hand and continued walking forward.

When I returned to the dormitory, the two beds were still side by side, pillows next to pillows, and Vera's scent still lingered on the bedding.

Sera stood at the door for a moment, then went over and pushed one of the beds back into place.

The wooden floor emitted a dull creaking sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet room.

She lay back down on her bed, turned to her side, and faced the empty bed.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin silver line on the pillow.

Sera placed the hourglass beside her pillow, gently flicked it with her fingers, and watched the fine silver sand flow slowly in the bottle.

Then, she closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a tear slid down from the corner of her eye, disappearing into the pillow and leaving a small, dark, damp stain.

A faint sobbing sound came from under the covers, but quickly disappeared into the night.

……

As Sera's sobs gradually subsided, Vera, who had remained transparent in the darkness, lowered her eyes sadly and finally spoke after a long while: "Why haven't you sent me back yet?"

Yes, this time she didn't immediately return to a hundred years in the future... or rather, from the moment she disappeared, her consciousness remained here, suspended in this small dormitory in such a transparent, bystander-like manner.

She didn't know what Hogwarts meant.

The countdown had reached zero, and there were no more task prompts, only a quiet blank space.

Looking at Sera in front of her, Vera quickly regained her composure after a moment of panic.

Since we haven't left yet, we might as well take another look at Sera.

Now, watching Sera curled up in the blankets, her shoulders rising and falling slightly, and hearing her suppressed sobs that were almost inaudible, she felt an unbearable heartache.

This was the first time she had seen Sera's state after she left, and the first time she had so clearly felt how long and piercingly lonely each time she disappeared.

She wanted to reach out and pull that curled-up figure into her arms again, but her fingertips passed right through it, only catching a wisp of cold air.

How ridiculous.

She could see and hear, but she could no longer offer the other person any warmth.

Is this the punishment Hogwarts wants to give her?

Is it because she made Sera waste a hundred years that she is now unable to touch her lover?

Just as Vera was immersed in this feeling of powerless observation, the hourglass in the dormitory suddenly emitted a very faint light.

The next second, the scene before her eyes suddenly distorted!

Sera, curled up in bed, the moonlight, the curtains, the hourglass by her pillow—everything was stretched into a blurry band of light, rushing backward.

The feeling of weightlessness returned, and Vera instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again and her vision cleared, she found herself standing in the Room of Requirement, with the person busy casting a spell on the hourglass on the table, their back to her…

It felt both familiar and strange to her.

Vera walked up to the man absentmindedly, carefully examining his face, which had matured considerably but was still young.

Her Sera has grown a bit more.

However, it seems that Sera still cannot see her; she remains merely an observer.

But... what is this doing?

Before she could figure it out, she heard a man's helpless voice behind her: "Do you really have to do it? All I know are some records from Merlin's time; no one has ever actually accomplished such a feat."

Vera turned around abruptly and saw Gryffindor himself sitting on the sofa behind her, his voice full of worry.

The girl holding the hourglass, her fingertips gleaming with a faint magical light, didn't turn around when she heard the voice. She simply stared intently at the slowly flowing silver sand in the bottle, her tone calm to the point of stubbornness:

"It doesn't matter whether anyone has succeeded before, I only know that I can do it."