The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

"I still prefer to sleep alone," she said curtly before heading straight into the bathroom.

Chapter 130 The Unicorn's Recognition

Quirrell's "last-minute leave" meant that Defense Against the Dark Arts class had to be taught by another professor.

McGonagall, Flitwick, and even Snape each played a few quarters.

The other teachers were fine when they substituted; after enduring the strong garlic smell of Chilo, they felt as if their ears were suddenly enlightened by celestial music whenever someone else took over.

Oh, except when Snape substitutes for the class, the atmosphere in the classroom is just as oppressive as in Potions class.

He turned almost every lesson into a critique of Quirrell's teaching and a mockery of their "poor" knowledge of defense against the Dark Arts.

Every time I call roll and see a student stammering and unable to answer a question, my sharp tongue can make someone cry from the sarcasm.

Even Harley Quinn was criticized by him, though he didn't deduct any points.

But it cannot be denied that what he taught was indeed practical and insightful, and sometimes even Vera would have an "aha!" moment after listening to him.

They can learn a lot in Snape's class, but only if they can withstand his sharp tongue.

And so, the days passed by in a state of outward calm but inward tension.

With exam month approaching, the tense atmosphere of exam preparation has largely overshadowed everyone's attention on Quirrell's departure from school.

The tense atmosphere of the final exams, like the increasingly stuffy air in a castle, enveloped every student.

Hermione's study schedule was practically worn out, Harley's dark circles were getting worse, and even Ron temporarily put down his wizard chess and was now frowning as he crammed his books.

Vera was much more at ease; the super memory and comprehension brought by her magic circuits made her academic studies go smoothly.

In fact, she spent more of her energy on keeping a watchful eye on things.

Every night before she went to sleep, through the castle's connection, she could sense that the chilling magical fluctuations had not gone away, like a lurking venomous snake, always lingering deep in the forbidden forest.

Occasionally, that aura would venture close to the edge of the castle, but would quickly retreat back into the darkness, like a wounded beast licking its wounds in the dark, waiting for the next opportunity.

But how many more opportunities do Quirrell and Voldemort have left to squander?

As far as Vera knew, although Dumbledore was mindful of the centaurs and the various dangerous animals deep within the Forbidden Forest, he did not actually send the professors into the Forbidden Forest to investigate.

However, he also set up many monitoring and early warning spells on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and Voldemort had to exert a lot of effort to approach the castle each time he passed through the gaps between these spells.

Not to mention, the centaurs knew that Quirrell had escaped into the Forbidden Forest, and even if it was just for the sake of guarding the Forbidden Forest, they increased the frequency and scope of their patrols.

Hagrid later learned that he wanted Hemera's bloodletting, which enraged him even more, and he began patrolling the Forbidden Forest day and night without rest.

All of these factors greatly reduced Quirrell and Voldemort's room for maneuver.

Let alone getting close to the castle, even maintaining basic eating and resting requires a lot of energy.

She could sense that Voldemort's patience was wearing thin, and the lurking darkness was growing increasingly restless and weak.

Anyway, she wasn't worried that Voldemort would choose to escape, since the Philosopher's Stone was still at Hogwarts, and he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.

He should have little chance of causing any trouble before the end of this semester.

Their more important task now is to pass the final exams smoothly.

Soon, final exam week officially began in an atmosphere mixed with anxiety, all-nighters, and the smell of parchment ink.

The weather became unbearably hot and humid, and the large classroom in the castle was so hot that it made people drowsy.

During the theory exam, Vera wrote with lightning speed, even having time to check her work twice.

In addition to the written exam, there is also a practical skills test.

During the spell test, Vera easily made Pineapple perform a complex dance, and saw Professor Flitwick nod slightly.

The potion exam requires them to concoct a potion of forgetfulness.

Vera skillfully prepared the potion, and in the middle of it, she could sense Snape pausing behind her for a moment, his gaze more scrutinizing than usual.

Vera felt a chill run down her spine from staring at him, but thankfully, her finished product wasn't significantly affected.

In the transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall asked them to transform a mouse into a snuffbox; the more exquisite the snuffbox, the higher the score.

Compared to the advanced transfiguration techniques Vera is currently researching, the difficulty of this test is nothing.

In the end, the silver snuffbox that Vera conjured up was engraved with intricate vine patterns and even inlaid with tiny gemstones.

Before leaving the classroom, she could vaguely see a smile on Professor McGonagall's serious face.

When the students finished their last exam, History of Magic, and walked out of the exam hall, almost all of them felt completely drained.

“Finally…it’s over…” Harley groaned, almost clinging to Vera. “I feel like my brain has been trampled by a troll.”

“It was much easier than I thought,” Hermione said, still flipping through the book. “I didn’t actually need to memorize the ‘Wolverine Code of Conduct in 1637’ or the details of the Elf Rebellion.”

“The exam is over,” Vera gently patted her arm. “Don’t be so tense, relax a bit.”

Hermione took a deep breath, closed the book, and finally a relieved smile appeared on her face:

"You're right, the exams are over. Now, we just need to wait for the results, and then... enjoy our vacation!"

Seeing Hermione finally smile, Harley also twitched her lips, but for some reason, she pursed her lips sadly.

Vera noticed her expression and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.

Soon, as everyone finished their exams, the tense atmosphere in the school dissipated, and a lazy, joyful feeling of anticipation for the holidays filled the castle.

Students gather together to check answers, dream about summer vacation plans, or take leisurely walks in the sunshine.

"Before I leave, I want to go see Hemera," Harley said, pushing her wheelchair along the shore of the Black Lake.

Their dragons had grown taller than them, and their food had changed to more abundant live animals, which Hagrid brought in from outside each time.

"Alright, then let's—"

Vera's voice suddenly stopped. She narrowed her eyes and watched as a cloud of black mist spread from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Forest ban?

Has something happened to Hagrid?

The thought flashed through Vera's mind in a split second, and her heart sank.

She immediately focused her mind, trying to sense Hagrid's situation through the castle's links.

"Vera? What's wrong?" Harley noticed her unusual behavior, stopped, and asked with concern.

Hermione looked over too: "Your complexion suddenly looks terrible."

Vera snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "No... I was just thinking that if we're going to see Hemera, we should ask Hagrid to come with us. He won't be able to see the child for two months afterward."

“That makes sense.” Harley exclaimed with a sudden realization, and immediately decided, “Then let’s go find him!”

With that, he turned the wheelchair around and headed towards Hagrid's cabin.

Vera didn't say much along the way. She had already sensed Hagrid's situation, which was a little better than she had imagined, but not by much.

When the three arrived at Hagrid's cabin, they found the door closed and Tooth was not there to greet them as usual.

"Hagrid?" Harley knocked on the door. "Are you there?"

There was no response from inside.

Hermione asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is Hagrid still patrolling the Forbidden Forest at this time?"

It's no wonder they didn't know; they usually only come over after receiving a note from Hagrid confirming the meeting time.

Vera stared coldly at the black mist hovering in front of her, pointing towards the edge of the forbidden forest not far away. She could even faintly hear conversations coming from the black mist.

"This way." She immediately turned her wheelchair and moved quickly along the path beside the cabin toward the edge of the forbidden forest.

Harley and Hermione blinked in confusion, but immediately followed.

As they got closer, the sounds coming from the other side became clearer and clearer.

On one side was Hagrid, and on the other... was a male voice that was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

"—It's dying," the deep voice came through the trees, "We did our best, but that person shamelessly stole its life..."

Vera's heart clenched suddenly.

Harley and Hermione heard this too, and they quickly quickened their pace, bypassing the last bush. The sight before them made all three of them gasp.

On a clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's massive body was hunched over, kneeling beside a dying unicorn.

A centaur stood to one side, his horse's hooves pounding the ground restlessly.

That was Ferenze. Vera had seen him by chance among the centaurs when she infiltrated the Forbidden Forest.

The unicorn lay on the grass, its silvery-white mane dulled, its body covered in horrific dark purple wounds, and its breathing weak and labored.

"Hagrid!" Harley exclaimed, rushing to the half-giant's side.

Hagrid looked up, his eyes red-rimmed, his enormous hand gently stroking the unicorn's trembling neck: "Oh, Harley... Vera, Hermione... what brings you here..."

His voice choked with emotion: "It was too late when we found it... that damned bastard!"

Ferenze's gaze swept over the three girls, lingering on Harley for a moment: "Darkness still spreads in the Forbidden Forest. Although the attacker has been driven out, his poison continues."

Vera pushed her wheelchair closer, her gaze fixed on the unicorn.

Through the magic circuits, she could clearly feel the life force within the unicorn rapidly draining away.

"Is there any other way?" Hermione's voice held a glimmer of hope. "Go find Madam Pomfrey or Professor Snape..."

Ferenc shook his head heavily.

Hagrid let out a painful sob, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the dying unicorn.

Vera felt a chill run down her spine. She gently pushed her wheelchair closer to the dying unicorn.

As she got closer, the unsettling, chilling aura of dark magic became even more pronounced, but at the same time, she also sensed the unicorn's pure life force slowly draining away.

A deep sadness and resentment enveloped it.

"It's painful," Vera whispered, her fingers unconsciously clenching tighter.

“We can’t do anything,” Hagrid’s voice was filled with helplessness. “It’s too badly injured; it’s past the window for treatment. We…we can’t save it…”

“You’re Harley Potter, aren’t you?” Ferenz suddenly turned to look at Harley.

Harley nodded, somewhat puzzled as to why the centaur knew her.

“Harley Potter, do you know what unicorn blood can be used for?” Ferenze asked.

“…I don’t know,” Harley shook her head instinctively. “We only used its horn and tail hair in Potions class.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Vera slowly said, "Unicorn blood can prolong life, but at the same time, those who drink unicorn blood... will be cursed."

Harley's eyes widened in shock, and she spoke almost with absolute certainty, "Quirok did it? But... why? If you're going to be cursed for the rest of your life, wouldn't it be better to die?"

“That’s right,” Ferenze agreed, “unless that person is just using it to prolong their life so that they can drink something else that can fully restore their energy and magic, or even make them immortal.”

"It's the Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione exclaimed in realization, then began patting Harley's shoulder vigorously.

Ferenc nodded: "So, do you have an answer now? Who do you think would have waited so many years in silence, hoping to make a comeback? Who would have clung to life, waiting for their chance?"

In an instant, it was as if an iron claw had suddenly seized Harley's heart.

She looked at Frenzer in disbelief: "You mean... Voldemort?"

Vera had warned her before that Quirrell might have another accomplice.

Now, the true nature of this accomplice has been revealed.

She glanced at Vera instinctively, only to see that the woman was still staring intently at the dying unicorn, her delicate profile still appearing pale even in the glow of the setting sun.

It was as if her fragile life could vanish at any moment along with the unicorn before her.

Harley felt her heart clench again, and she instinctively reached out and tightly grasped Vera's cool fingers.

"Vera, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Vera's long, drooping eyelashes suddenly trembled.

A line of text suddenly flashed in front of her retina:

[Unicorn's Approval] Quest Update: Rescue the injured unicorn.

Almost instinctively, Violet reached out and gently placed her hand on the unicorn's burning forehead.

Her long, silver-gray hair moved without wind, and a pale golden light shone in her eyes as her magic circuits began to operate at full power.

She sensed it... the cold, evil magical energy emanating from the unicorn's body was like a persistent, insidious infection, frantically devouring its last vestiges of life.