The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

Thinking of this, Vera's lips unconsciously curled up into a smile.

Knox, who had already fallen asleep in the cat bed, heard her obviously unsteady breathing, raised his head and glanced at her, his amber eyes revealing a rather human-like sense of helplessness.

Knox lightly leaped onto the bed and, to Vera's surprise, curled up beside her pillow, emitting soft snores.

His warm little body pressed against her cheek, bringing a reassuring warmth.

Vera paused for a moment, then chuckled softly and reached out to stroke the cat's soft fur.

Knox squinted his eyes and gently tapped the pillow with the tip of his tail, as if to say, "Go to sleep."

With the cat's company, she finally relaxed and her consciousness gradually faded.

In a daze, she seemed to hear Knox let out a barely audible sigh.

……

Over the next few days, Vera secretly prepared for Hermella's arrival.

She borrowed "The Guide to Raising Fire Dragons" and "Advanced Application of the Seamless Extension Spell" from the library and practiced repeatedly in the Room of Requirement how to adjust the environment inside the scroll.

Fortunately, she was quick to learn, and after only a few attempts, she was able to control the climate and terrain within the scroll with ease.

She even cleared out a space at the foot of a distant mountain and used Transfiguration to build a simple dragon's nest, surrounding it with protective spells such as fireproof and reinforcement spells.

Luwei's accommodation was much simpler—Vera only needed to clear a space at the edge of the forest and place a few large cushions there for the three-headed dog to rest comfortably.

As time passed, Vera could sense Hermella's life force growing stronger through her magical circuits.

Then, on another weekend morning, while having breakfast, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid.

Hagrid simply wrote four words on it: "Shell hatching soon."

Harley almost spilled the pumpkin juice after seeing the note.

She immediately handed the note to Vera and Hermione, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“We have to get there right away!” Harley said in a low voice, already standing up impatiently.

"Don't rush," Vera calmly tugged at her wizard's robe. "Let's go after breakfast."

She could sense that it would be at least two more hours before the baby dragon hatched.

Harley stamped her feet anxiously: "But what if we miss it?"

Hermione pressed down on her shoulder: "Vera's right, we need to act normal. Leaving abruptly will attract attention."

Vera slowly finished the last bite of toast, wiped her mouth, and said, "Alright, we can go now."

The three hurriedly left the auditorium and headed towards Hagrid's cabin.

On the way, Harley kept asking, "What color do you think it will be? Will it breathe fire from the moment it's born?"

Upon hearing this question, Hermione immediately coughed lightly and began reciting what she had seen in the trees over the past few days:

"Norwegian spinyback cubs are usually black, and their scales gradually turn bluish-green as they grow older."

As for fire-breathing, it will take one to three months for him to fully acquire the ability.

Harley paused, turned around with a wry look on her face, and joked, "Hermione, how do you manage to make something so happy sound so boring?"

"You're asking for it!" Hermione glared at her. "Serves you right for not reading! How can we be safe if we don't even know what the dragons we're going to face are like?"

Harley stuck her tongue out at her: "That's a newborn dragon!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Vera quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Alright, let's hurry up and go, don't keep Hagrid waiting."

Although she maintained a relaxed demeanor, she was actually making every effort to maintain contact with the castle and closely monitor Quirrell's movements.

At this crucial juncture, with Charmander just born, she absolutely wouldn't let Quirrell cause trouble.

And so, the three quickened their pace and arrived at Hagrid's cabin.

Before they even knocked, Hagrid came out to greet them.

Vera pushed open the door, and a wave of heat hit her.

The temperature inside the cabin was higher than usual, with flames roaring in the fireplace and the dragon egg placed in the center of the fire, shaking violently.

"You've come at the perfect time!" Hagrid exclaimed, his face flushed, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "They'll be out in no time!"

The four of them sat around the fireplace, their eyes fixed on the dark dragon egg.

Several obvious cracks have appeared on the eggshell, and as the little creature inside struggles, the cracks are widening.

"Does it need help?" Harley asked worriedly. "It looks like it's having a hard time..."

“No, no,” Hagrid shook his head quickly, “Let it happen on its own, it’s the law of nature.”

The group could only suppress their impatience and continue waiting around the fireplace.

Soon, sweat beaded on Harley and Hermione's foreheads—the cabin was incredibly hot, and with the added heat from the fireplace, it felt like a sauna.

While keeping an eye on the dragon eggs, Vera also observed the surrounding situation. Noticing that their expressions were unusual, she went to another table, got two glasses of water, and handed them over.

"Thank you." Harley took the water and gulped it down. Hermione also took a grateful sip, but her eyes never left the wobbly dragon egg.

Vera was actually a little hot, and sweat had already been sliding down her forehead, but she didn't have time to wipe it away.

Suddenly, the eggshell made a crisp "click" sound, and a long crack stretched from the top to the bottom.

"It's coming out!" Hagrid's voice trembled with excitement.

As if to confirm his words, a small, scaly claw emerged from the crack.

Vera held her breath, able to clearly sense the excitement and anticipation emanating from Hemera through her magical circuits.

Then came the second one. It pushed outwards with both claws, making the crack in the eggshell grow larger and larger.

Finally, with a final crack, the eggshell split open completely, and a wet little fire dragon rolled out and landed on the table in front of the fireplace.

It was completely black, looking like a crumpled black umbrella, covered in slime, with its wings tightly pressed against its sides. A row of tiny protrusions could already be seen on its back, which would grow into spikes in the future.

“Oh my god…” Harley exclaimed softly, her green eyes wide open.

Xiao Long stood up unsteadily, sneezed, and expelled a small cluster of sparks.

Its eyes darted around, its gaze shifting between the four people before finally settling on Vera.

“It…it’s watching you,” Harley said in surprise.

Vera raised her eyebrows and reached out her hand to it.

Little Dragon let out a joyful cry and stumbled towards her, nuzzling her fingers affectionately with its head.

It seemed to take a keen interest in Vera's fingers and began to gently nibble at them with its still-growing little teeth.

"Uh...it thinks Vera is its mother?" Hagrid asked in surprise.

His voice sounded a little frustrated, but it was understandable. He was the one who hatched the dragon egg, but the baby dragon that hatched was more affectionate with others.

However, after seeing the adorable way the little dragon was holding Vera's finger, the half-giant wiped away a tear and decided to ignore the unpleasant feeling in his heart.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Hagrid murmured. “I’ve decided to call it Norbert.”

Vera slightly bent her fingers and whispered, "Excuse my bluntness, but... it seems to be a girl."

Hagrid was taken aback again, then quickly leaned closer to examine the little dragon's abdomen, and suddenly realized, "Ah! You're right! Then, then we need to think of a new name for it..."

He was still hesitating when he heard Vera say softly, "Hermela."

Before the others could react, the little dragon was already flapping its wings happily and making cheerful noises, seemingly very satisfied with the name.

“Hemera…” Hagrid tried reading it aloud, then grinned. “What a great name! It sounds like a princess!”

That means a consensus has been reached.

Vera smiled and let Hermella play with her fingers while she observed the little one.

It was much smaller than I had imagined, less than the size of a palm, but its limbs were already quite powerful, and the spikes on its tail, though small, were quite sharp.

“It’s so beautiful…” Harley said, mesmerized, and carefully reached out to touch the little dragon’s head.

Hermella immediately turned her head alertly, letting out a warning gurgling sound in her throat.

"Watch out!" Hagrid quickly stopped Harley. "Dragons are always very wary of strangers."

Vera gently stroked Hermella's back: "It's alright, they are my friends."

Little Dragon tilted his head and looked at Harley and Hermione, seemingly pondering the information.

After a moment, it relaxed and allowed Harley to gently touch its scales.

Hermione mustered her courage and extended her finger. Hermella sniffed it and ultimately did not refuse her touch.

"It's so smart!" Hermione exclaimed. "It understands so much so soon after it was born!"

Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly: "Of course! Dragons are among the most intelligent magical creatures!"

Vera watched their interaction with a smile, while reassuring Hermella through their mental link.

The little dragon curled up in her palm, yawned, and revealed its tiny sharp teeth.

"It seems tired," Harley whispered.

Vera nodded: "It used up a lot of its energy just from hatching."

“Leave this to me,” Hagrid said, patting his chest. “I’ve prepared its rations for the whole week!”

Chapter 122 Because He's Henpecked

If it's just a simple matter of raising the fire dragon, Vera would certainly trust Hagrid to handle it.

But neither Hagrid nor anyone else around him realized that the little dragon had already been targeted by the Dark Lord before it was even born.

Therefore, whether Hagrid likes it or not, things can no longer continue to develop as simply as he had envisioned.

Vera couldn't possibly be left unprepared for Voldemort's sneak attack.

After feeding Hemera a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood, Hagrid couldn't help but cry again as he watched her become lively and energetic once more.

"Oh, look at it!" he said, wiping away his tears. "What a healthy little thing! It will surely grow into a strong dragon!"

Hemera seemed startled by his loud voice, flapping its wings and hiding behind Vera, only peeking out its little head to warily observe Hagrid.

Vera chuckled and picked it up: "Don't be afraid, Hagrid won't hurt you."

The little dragon tilted its head, seemingly trying to understand her words. After a moment, it cautiously moved closer to Hagrid.

"Good boy!" Hagrid's voice trembled with excitement as he carefully extended his finger. "Come, let Uncle Hagrid see you..."

Hemera hesitated for a moment, and finally, her little wings gently touched his fingertips.

Hagrid immediately cheered as if he had won the lottery: "It accepted me!"

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched this, but she quickly frowned again: "Hagrid, we need to talk about Hemera's accommodation."

Hagrid's smile froze on his face: "W-What do you mean?"

“Hermione is right,” Vera chimed in, gently stroking the little dragon’s back. “We can’t keep it hidden here forever. Putting aside the legal issues, its growth rate alone is a problem.”

“But…” Hagrid rubbed his hands together, looking reluctant, “it’s still so small…”

“A Norwegian Spinosaurus cub can grow to seven or eight feet long in just over ten weeks,” Hermione said seriously. “In less than three months, it will be bigger than your hut and it can breathe fire.”

Harley gasped, "Wouldn't that burn the house down?"

Hagrid looked like he was about to cry again: "I... I can expand the cabin..."

“Hagrid,” Vera interrupted him softly, “you know it’s impossible. Professor Dumbledore will not allow you to keep a dragon at the school, and if someone finds out and reports it, you will be implicated.”

Hagrid lowered his head, his massive body hunched over, like a child who had done something wrong.

"What should we do then?" Harley frowned. "We can't just release Hemera like that, can we? It won't survive."

Vera sighed and pushed her wheelchair closer to him: "Actually... I have a suggestion."

Three pairs of eyes immediately turned to her.

“I…I stumbled upon a place where I could house Hemera.” Vera leaned back subconsciously, carefully choosing her words. “It’s big enough and safe and secluded.”

Hagrid jerked his head up: "Really? Where?"

Vera shook her head: "I can't say right now. But I can assure you that Hermera will be well taken care of there, and..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "You can go see it regularly."

After all, Hemera was hatched with Hagrid's help, so he should have the right to visit her.