The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

She suddenly stopped, and with a delighted look, leaned close to Vera's ear: "I saw my parents in the mirror! They're right there, smiling at me!"

Vera then feigned a puzzled expression: "A mirror that lets you see your parents?"

“Yes!” Harley exclaimed excitedly. “Vera, you should have come with me! You could have seen your parents then!”

Not always.

Vera didn't say anything explicitly, but simply nodded: "Okay, we'll be together again tomorrow. Now you should go wash up and rest."

“Okay…” Harley agreed, but then frowned again. “But I still haven’t found any clues about Nicolas Flamel. The forbidden section is terrifying; one book almost bit off my finger!”

Vera chuckled. "Looks like my warning was right. But it's alright, at least you're back safe and sound."

Harley, however, was so overjoyed at seeing her parents that she got up and went into the bathroom, completely unaware of the worry in Vera's eyes.

"Meow." Knox came in from outside, came to Vera's feet and rubbed against her leg affectionately, as if to ask for her praise.

"Thank you, Knox." Vera gently picked her up and rubbed her little head. "I'll give you the new canned food tomorrow."

Author's note: The bounty ends tonight, so hurry up if you want to squeeze every last bit out of the author's stockpile!

Chapter 117 What kind of Vera's mother vibe?

The day after Christmas was still a holiday.

Vera was still asleep when she heard rustling sounds beside her.

"Harley?" She opened her eyes and saw that Harley had already changed her clothes and was standing by the bed, looking at her expectantly.

"Vera!" Harry whispered excitedly, "Let's go look at that mirror!"

Vera rubbed her eyes and glanced at the sky outside the window, which was just beginning to lighten: "Now?"

“Yes!” Harley nodded. “Everyone is still asleep, so it’s the perfect time!”

Vera sighed softly, seeing her anxious look, "At least eat something first before you go."

"I'm not hungry..." Harley was about to refuse when her stomach started growling.

Vera couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Looks like your stomach has a different opinion."

Harley blushed and scratched her head: "Okay, then I'll go to the auditorium to get some food."

“I’ll go with you,” Vera said, getting up to get up.

Harley quickly waved her hand: "No need! You sleep a little longer, I'll be back soon!"

Before Vera could respond, she had already run out of the dormitory.

Vera looked at the closed door and sighed softly.

Just like in the original story, children who lose their parents at a young age will instinctively want to rely on their deceased loved ones.

But Vera is different. Most of her memories from her past life are blurred. Her memories of this life begin from the first second she opened her eyes in this world.

She had no attachment to her so-called biological parents.

Aside from getting back on her feet, she couldn't think of anything else she was obsessed with.

But isn't that good too?

When Harley hurriedly returned with breakfast, she didn't even notice the milk spilled on her robe.

“Harley,” Vera whispered, “the clothes.”

"Huh? Oh!" Harley finally snapped out of her daze and hurriedly wiped her robe.

Vera took the food from her hand: "Still thinking about that mirror?"

Harley's eyes lit up immediately: "Yeah! My mom and dad are standing right there, and my mom is waving at me... You don't know, they look exactly like the pictures!"

Her voice was filled with barely concealed excitement and longing, and Vera listened quietly without interrupting her.

“Mom has the same eyes as me,” Harley continued excitedly, “Dad’s hair is even messier than mine, they look so real, just looking at me like that…”

Vera gently took her hand: "Let's go after we finish breakfast, okay?"

"Mmm!" Harley nodded vigorously, grabbed a pie, and stuffed it into her mouth.

After the two quickly finished their breakfast, Harley couldn't wait to push Vera out of the dormitory.

The only sound in the empty corridor was their light footsteps; most of the students staying on campus were still sleeping in.

“This is it.” Harley stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden door and gently pushed it open.

The room was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and dust floated in the morning light, while in the center of the room, a magnificent golden mirror stood quietly.

Vera pushed her wheelchair closer and saw a line of words engraved on the frame: Eris Stella Ehru Aitwubi Kafru Aiton Vochers.

At first glance, it seems illogical, but if you read the inscription backwards, it becomes "I do not show you your face, but your desire."

“I found it right here yesterday,” Harley said excitedly, pointing to the mirror. “Look, it should reflect your mom and dad too!”

Vera looked up, and the sight in the mirror made her heart leap—

She saw herself standing with both legs intact, with Harley and Hermione standing on either side of her, and even Knox.

All of this was within her expectations, nothing to be surprised about, but the key point is that besides that, she also saw…

The entire Hogwarts Castle seemed to shrink, quietly floating above her palm, radiating a soft golden light.

Is this the castle they're in now?!

Isn't it a 1:10000 model?

When did she become the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?

Vera opened her eyes wide and subconsciously reached out to touch the mirror. The cold touch instantly brought her back to her senses.

“Vera?” Harley looked at her, puzzled. “Can you see your family all around you?”

She quickly regained her composure and said casually, "No, I only saw you, Hermione, and me together."

"Huh?" Harley looked at the mirror in confusion. It was clearly just herself and her parents in the mirror, with no one else in sight.

Oh, and now there's Vera too, because they're both facing a mirror right now.

However, compared to Harley's focused gaze at her long-gone loved ones inside the mirror, Vera, looking at herself in the mirror, was somewhat at a loss for words.

It's important to understand that the Mirror of Erised reveals one's deepest desires, not some kind of prophecy machine.

She swore she had never imagined such a bizarre scene, so where did this scene in the mirror come from?

Could it be that the castle is giving her some kind of hint through the mirror again?

As soon as the idea came to her, Vera couldn't help but turn her head to look around the room. With her circuit vision activated, she could indeed see the faint golden light emanating from between the bricks.

…really.

She wouldn't have seen such a bizarre scene in the mirror for no reason.

If the castle had a physical entity that she could communicate with, Vera would have grabbed the person by the collar and demanded to know what was going on.

"Vera?" Harley's voice brought her back to reality. "Are you alright?"

Vera withdrew her hand and forced a smile: "It's alright, this mirror is quite magical."

Harley nodded, her gaze returning to her parents' reflection in the mirror: "I want to see them every day..."

Vera looked at her mesmerized expression and said softly, "Harley, you know this mirror doesn't show the truth, right?"

Harley paused, looking at her with some confusion: "What do you mean?"

“I guess it reflects our deepest desires, not reality,” Vera explained patiently. “Your parents… they are indeed gone.”

Harley's face instantly fell, and she bit her lip. "I know, of course I know! But they look so real..."

“That’s precisely why it’s more dangerous,” Vera pushed her wheelchair closer to her and gently took her hand. “Being obsessed with illusory images will make you gradually forget reality.”

Harley was silent for a moment, a struggling light flashing in her green eyes: "But...this is the only way I can see them..."

Vera's heart softened when she saw her pained expression: "I didn't stop you from coming to see them, but... don't get too caught up in it, okay?"

Harley nodded, forcing a smile: "I understand."

But Vera could tell that she wasn't really listening.

The two lingered in front of the mirror for a while longer, until they heard footsteps in the hallway, before hurriedly leaving.

Back in the common room, Harley was distracted and even refused Ron's invitation to play Wizards Chess.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked Vera in a low voice. "She looks strange."

Vera shook her head: "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night."

Ron nodded with some skepticism and didn't ask any more questions.

Harley would still sneak off to look at the Mirror of Erised, and each time she returned, she was both excited and disappointed.

Vera saw it all, but she also knew that this kind of thing couldn't be resolved in just a few words.

But when will Dumbledore go and comfort Harley and take that mirror away?

She really didn't want to see herself holding a pagoda...

Until the third day, Harley seemed listless all day.

Ron asked her to play chess, but she refused. Vera suggested they go out for a snowball fight, but she declined that too.

She just sat there, waiting for night to fall so she could look in the mirror.

"Are you really not going?" Vera asked again from behind her. "The snow just stopped outside today."

“I’m not going, you go.” Harley said without turning her head.

But... Vera looked out the window and saw that the snowman they had built the day before yesterday had melted away, leaving only a small snowdrift.

She sighed silently and turned to go to the Room of Requirement.

She's studied advanced shapeshifting a bit these past couple of days, but she's not quite proficient at using it yet; she needs to practice more.

That evening, when Harley was about to sneak out again, Vera finally stopped her.

“Harley,” she said softly, “don’t go tonight.”

Harley stopped and scratched her hair in frustration: "You sound just like Hermione."

“…This won’t do you any good,” Vera pushed her wheelchair to block the doorway. “You’ve already gone two days in a row, if this continues—”

Harley interrupted her, her voice unusually resentful: "I just want to see my parents! Why are you stopping me?"

Vera was stunned by Harley's sudden outburst, her eyes widening slightly.

Harley seemed startled by her own reaction, biting her lip and turning her face away.

“I’m sorry…” Harley’s voice was so low it was almost inaudible. “I didn’t mean to say anything harsh to you.”

Vera gently shook her head and pushed her wheelchair closer to her: "I understand how you feel, Harley. I'm just worried about you."

Harley's shoulders trembled slightly, her voice choked with emotion: "I just...miss them so much."

Vera stretched out her arms and gently hugged her, feeling Harry's body trembling slightly in her embrace: "I know, I know everything."

Harley buried her face in her shoulder, and a soft sob came from the crook of her neck.

“Don’t cry,” Vera gently patted her back. “There are many others… Hermione, Hagrid, Ron… and me, all by your side.”

Harley looked up, her green eyes brimming with tears: "But...it's different..."

“Of course it’s different,” Vera said softly. “No one can replace your parents. But we can create new memories, can’t we?”

Harley was silent for a moment, then finally nodded gently: "...You're right."

Vera smiled and wiped away her tears: "Then, let's not look in that mirror tonight, okay?"

Harley hesitated for a moment, then said, "At least, at least let me see it one more time, just tonight."

Seeing her earnest expression, Vera knew this was the best outcome she could get: "Okay, but promise me you won't do it again."

“Okay.” Harley sniffed, seemingly calming down a bit.

She lowered her head, and after a long while she looked up, her expression full of guilt: "I'm sorry, I think I've made you worry again."

"Well, you know that much." Vera, no longer indulging her, crossed her arms and said seriously, "Not only did she make me worry, she also yelled at me just now."

Harley's face immediately turned red, and she hurriedly said, "I...I didn't mean to! Vera, please don't be angry, okay?"

Seeing her flustered for the first time, Vera couldn't resist teasing her: "Then I must get angry, okay?"