The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Vera smiled and closed her book: "Let's take a break then."

Harley, feeling like she'd been granted a pardon, immediately put down her book: "How about we go get some hot chocolate? The Great Hall should be open by now."

Vera glanced at the darkening sky outside the window and nodded gently: "Good idea."

The two left the library and walked along the corridor toward the auditorium.

“Speaking of which,” Harley suddenly remembered something, “what was that ‘little request’ you made to Ron before?”

Vera pushed her wheelchair around a corner and said softly, "It's a secret for now."

Harley pouted. "Can't I even be told?"

Vera smiled without saying a word, only gently shaking her head: "You'll find out when the time comes."

Harley frowned with some resentment at the same attitude she had shown towards Ron.

Is her status with Vera similar to Ron's?

Chapter 116 The Magic Mirror of Eris

Vera had no idea what Harley was thinking; she was just calculating the date of the dragon's birth in her mind.

Oh, I need to find a chance to let Harley know about the existence of the dragon.

Although she had to give it her all to win against Ron, in terms of closeness, Harley and Ron were actually much closer than she and Ron were.

Not to mention that when she's not around, Harley often hangs out with Ron Navie and the others, but to put it bluntly, in the original story, the two of them get along very well.

Therefore, Harley will be her helper in persuading Ron later.

When the two arrived at the auditorium, many people had not yet arrived, but dinner was almost ready.

There was already steaming hot pumpkin soup and toast on the table, along with a variety of delicious meats and vegetables.

Harley poured two cups of hot chocolate, topped with fluffy cream and marshmallows, and handed one to Vera: "Here, warm yourself up."

"Thank you." Vera took the hot chocolate and sipped it slowly. The warm, sweet liquid slid down her throat, dispelling the winter chill.

Harley couldn't wait and took a big gulp, with cream sticking to the tip of her nose, making her look both funny and cute.

Vera couldn't help but reach out and wipe it off for her: "Drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Harley chuckled, "It tastes so good!"

The two enjoyed their hot drinks quietly at the table. The snow was still falling outside the window, but the auditorium was exceptionally warm.

"This is the happiest Christmas I've ever had in my life," Harley exclaimed as she finished her hot chocolate in a few gulps.

Vera turned to look at her, her eyes reflecting the candlelight: "Then I'm so glad to spend Christmas with you."

Harley paused for a moment, then looked on with curiosity: "Vera, you don't seem to have mentioned your past life."

Previously, they and Vera were still in the stage of getting to know each other better, and Halle didn't want to casually ask a question that would trigger Vera's pain from past traumas.

But now, they are much closer than when they first met. More importantly, Harley has a basic understanding that Vera won't be upset by her question, which is why she dared to ask.

As expected, Vera was stunned for a moment when she heard the question, but she did not show much emotion.

“In the past…” her voice was very soft, as if it came from a very far place, “Actually, there are many things I have already forgotten.”

Memories of past lives gradually begin to fade as time passes.

All she could do was try her best to remember the key plot points in the original Harry Potter books so that she could be able to use them effectively in the future.

As for this life... the memories of the little girl who died, Vera Black, are not very clear either.

Sometimes, fragments of her life with her adoptive mother do flash through my mind.

But those fragments of memory are like looking through frosted glass, blurry and distant.

She only reminisces about it as Vera's personal privacy, and doesn't deliberately dwell on it in her daily life.

“I only remember… my foster mother was very kind to me,” Vera said softly. “She taught me to read and write, and told me bedtime stories…”

Although these are all things Vera experienced in the past, judging from the occasional flashbacks, the mother and daughter actually lived a very warm life before the changes occurred.

Harley's eyes lit up: "She sounds like a very gentle person."

“Yes,” Vera smiled slightly, “Although she passed away very young, I am very grateful to her for giving me a happy childhood.”

She paused for a moment before slowly saying, "As for my biological parents... my father passed away before I was born, and I have no memory of my mother."

As for the other relatives, there's no need to say more; those who are dead are already hanging on the wall, and those who are alive are all in jail.

As soon as she finished speaking, Harley gently took her hand: "No matter what, they must love you very much."

Vera smiled and reassured her, "You too, Harley. If your parents were still alive, they would be so proud of you."

She said softly, "Look at you now, brave and kind..."

Harley scratched her head sheepishly: "I'm not as good as you say..."

Vera smiled, her eyes crinkling, and didn't continue, only gently squeezing her hand.

The two sat quietly for a while until the auditorium gradually filled up with people, and then dinner officially began.

Dinner was simpler than lunch, but still plentiful and delicious.

Harley wolfed down the roast chicken and mashed potatoes, while Vera leisurely enjoyed a vegetable salad, occasionally being fed by Harley.

After a sumptuous dinner, Halle sighed when she heard that Vera was planning to go to the library to continue looking for information.

"Are we really still going?" Harley asked pitifully. "We've been looking for so long..."

Vera looked at her scrunched-up little face and couldn't help but chuckle, "If you don't treat it as a mission, but just as a way to broaden your horizons, reading can actually be quite interesting."

Harley frowned as she listened, muttering under her breath, "How did you and Hermione not get assigned to Ravenclaw...?"

“We all possess some of the characteristics of the four houses,” Vera emphasized again, “but the choice of which house to choose depends on your own decision.”

Under the pressure of having to read again, Harley nodded somewhat perfunctorily: "Yes, yes, how long are we going to stay this time?"

With her head slightly tilted back and her gaze fixed on the impatient little expression, Vera's expression flickered for a moment before she turned her wheelchair around and walked in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Vera!" Harley panicked and almost reflexively chased after her to stop her, her eyes cautiously scanning her face. "You...you're not angry, are you? Just because I don't want to go to the library?"

Good question. Even though she wasn't angry, the question managed to provoke a bit of anger in her.

Vera took a deep breath and said gently, "I'm not angry. I was just thinking that we've looked for quite a few books on the subject, but we still haven't found Nicolas Flamel, so I'm wondering if we're looking in the wrong direction."

Harley blinked a few times. "Then, what should we do?"

"We've already looked through quite a few ordinary books on the subject. If we can't find them in the regular book section, we might be able to find some clues in the restricted book section."

She calmly explained that Hermione had actually mentioned this idea before leaving.

Seeing Harley's thoughtful expression, Vera didn't rush her, but instead slowly continued forward:

"Unfortunately, the books in the restricted section don't have the professor's handwritten notes, so we can't borrow them. Let's go back to the lounge."

Harley immediately followed her wheelchair, her eyes suddenly lighting up: "Wait! We can sneak in!"

Vera stopped her wheelchair and turned around, feigning surprise: "Harley Potter, you actually want to break the school rules?"

Harley's face flushed red, and she stammered, "I... I just thought... if it's to stop bad guys..."

Vera couldn't help but laugh at her embarrassed expression. "I was just kidding. But you're right, sometimes you need to be flexible for a bigger goal."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed up again: "But how do we get in? Mrs. Pince is keeping a close watch..."

Vera pulled an invisibility cloak from her pocket: "Do you remember your Christmas present?"

Harley suddenly realized and clapped her hands excitedly: "That's right! Shall we go now?"

“No,” Vera shook her head, “there are too many people now. Let’s wait until later, after curfew.”

She paused, then hesitated, looking down at the wheelchair beneath her.

Harley finally realized the problem. She immediately knelt down and took Vera's hand: "Actually, I can go by myself. You stay in the dorm and wait for me to come back, okay?"

Vera frowned slightly, looking somewhat conflicted: "No, nighttime outings are dangerous enough as they are, I can't let you take the risk alone."

“It’s okay,” Harley said firmly. “I have the Invisibility Cloak now, and I know the way to the library very well. Just wait for my good news in the dorm!”

Vera hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, "Alright, but you have to promise me that if you encounter any danger, you'll come back immediately."

“I promise!” Harley nodded solemnly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Back in the common room, Harley couldn't wait to start planning their evening's activities.

Vera sat quietly to the side, listening to her excited talk and offering suggestions from time to time.

“Remember, some of the books in the restricted section are…special.” Vera chose her words carefully. “Don’t touch any of the strange-looking books, especially those that scream or wriggle.”

Harley shrank back. "That sounds a little scary..."

“So be careful.” Vera looked at her seriously. “If you can’t find a book about Nicolas Flamel, come back immediately. We can think of other ways.”

Although she was almost entirely responsible for Harley's solo nighttime stroll, Vera still couldn't help but give her repeated instructions.

Harley nodded seriously, her green eyes shining with determination: "I understand, I will be careful."

As night fell, the people in the common room gradually dispersed. Vera and Harley also returned to their dormitory, pretending to prepare for sleep.

"Shall we go now?" Vera glanced at her pocket watch; it was just past nine.

Harley shook her head: "Wait a little longer, until everyone is asleep."

She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers unconsciously twisting a corner of the invisibility cloak, looking somewhat nervous.

Vera pushed her wheelchair to her side and gently took her hand: "It's okay if you change your mind."

“No,” Harley took a deep breath, “I want to go.”

It wasn't just to find Nicolas Flamel, but also because... it was something her father left behind, and she wanted to try it anyway.

Seeing her insistence, Vera stopped trying to dissuade her: "Okay, I believe you."

The two waited quietly until it was completely quiet outside the dormitory, with only the occasional soft crackling of the stove fire.

“That’s about enough,” Harley stood up and draped the Invisibility Cloak over her shoulders. “I’m off now.”

Vera pushed the wheelchair to the door and said, "Remember, come back immediately if anything seems wrong."

"Okay!" Harley nodded, put on the invisibility cloak, and instantly disappeared into thin air.

Vera could only hear faint footsteps fading into the distance until they disappeared completely.

She returned to the bedside and sighed softly.

Although she knew that Harley's nighttime outing in the original story ended without incident, Vera still couldn't help but worry in this real-life situation.

“Knox,” she called softly, “follow her and see what happens, but don’t let her find out.”

A silver-gray cat emerged from the shadows, its amber eyes gleaming in the darkness.

It meowed softly, walked away gracefully, and quickly disappeared into the night.

Although the cat also couldn't see the figure hidden by the invisibility cloak, Knox remembered Harley's scent.

Vera felt a little relieved, pushed her wheelchair to the window, and looked at the snowflakes falling outside.

She did consider going with Harley, but in the original story, Harley accidentally discovered the Mirror of Erised during this nighttime outing and became obsessed with it.

More importantly, the room where the Mirror of Erised was kept had long been under Dumbledore's surveillance.

He was waiting for Harley to discover this mirror that could see into people's hearts, so that he could confirm whether Harley had maintained her pure heart during her years of boarding school life.

Vera wasn't sure what changes her presence would cause, and she didn't want to disturb Harley's first meeting with her parents.

So she chose to let Harley go alone.

Time passed by, and Vera sat by the window, picked up a book and started reading.

But with something on her mind, she couldn't see clearly and kept glancing at her pocket watch, calculating the time Harley had been gone.

Finally, as midnight approached, the dormitory door was gently pushed open.

Harley tiptoed in, her face beaming with barely concealed excitement.

"How is it?" Vera immediately pushed her wheelchair forward to greet her.

"Vera!" she whispered, quickly walking to Vera's side. "I've discovered an astonishing secret!"

Vera feigned surprise: "You've found a lead on Nicolas Flamel?"

Harley shook her head, her green eyes gleaming in the darkness. "No, it's even more amazing! I found a mirror in an abandoned classroom—"