The wheelchair-bound warrior is speedrunning Hogwarts.

It's perfectly normal for Neville to react this way.

"What happens to the rest of the Black family is none of my business."

Her voice was soft, and Knox purred softly on her lap, seemingly in support of his mistress's statement.

Ron scratched his head and glanced at Neville somewhat awkwardly.

Neville stood there, flustered, his face flushed red: "I...I didn't mean that."

“No need to apologize, this isn’t your fault.” Vera shook her head gently, sunlight dancing on her long, silver-gray hair through the glass. “It’s getting late, you should go back to your own carriages for lunch.”

This obvious order to leave was a huge relief to Ron and Neville, who quickly said goodbye and left the carriage.

After the carriage door closed, Hermione cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly: "I don't think they did it on purpose..."

Harry immediately sat down next to Vera, her green eyes filled with worry: "Vera, are you alright?"

Vera looked away and said softly, "I'm fine."

After all, it was Bella who caused this mess, and as her relative... I can only say that I've ended up with a terrible mess.

Sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the carriage, Hermione, holding her book, quickly changed the subject: "By the way, which house do you think we'll be assigned to?"

I've checked the information; Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

Harley was immediately drawn to the topic: “I have absolutely no idea what the difference is between these houses… Hagrid said Gryffindor is the best, but he didn’t explain exactly how the Sorting Ceremony is conducted.”

“It doesn’t seem to be described in detail in the book.” Hermione frowned nervously. “To be honest, I learned a few simple spells in advance to prepare for the Sorting, but I don’t know if that will be enough.”

“Ron… well, when I came in with them on the platform,” Harley suddenly remembered something and said with a slightly grim expression, “I heard his brothers say that during the Sorting Ceremony, we might have to fight trolls.”

Hermione gasped, her face turning deathly pale: "What? We're only first year!"

Vera watched them quietly without saying a word.

To give new students a good experience, most wizards will deliberately conceal the Sorting Ceremony.

Vera doesn't intend to reveal it here.

“Okay,” Hermione swallowed nervously, “regardless of the method—which house are you planning to go to?”

Harley shook her head: "All I know is that my parents are Gryffindors."

“It’s a Black family tradition,” Vera said casually, glancing at the scenery rushing past the window, “that, with a few exceptions, has been Slytherin for generations.”

As for the so-called "individuals," that naturally refers to Sirius Black.

Harley's expression visibly dimmed for a moment.

Sensing Harley's change in mood, Vera sighed and said softly, "Actually... not necessarily. Sometimes personal will is more important."

These words seemed to offer Harley some comfort; she looked up abruptly, her green eyes lighting up again.

Vera paused, then turned her head somewhat uncomfortably to look out the window.

As they were talking, the aroma of food wafted into the carriage, and the witch, pushing a snack cart, knocked on their door: "Darling, would you like to buy some snacks?"

Harley's eyes lit up immediately, and she looked at Vera: "Want to buy something? It's on me!"

Vera shook her head: "I'm not hungry."

But Harley had already excitedly pulled several silver coins from her pocket: "I want this! And that one too! Oh, and that Chocolate Frog looks pretty good too!"

She returned to her seat with a large pile of snacks and generously shared them on the empty seats.

Vera looked at the mountain of snacks piled up in front of her and raised an eyebrow: "You bought so many?"

Harley scratched her head sheepishly: "Actually, this is the first time I've been able to decide what snacks to buy myself. My aunts and uncles never allow me to eat these things."

Vera frowned involuntarily, trying to calm herself down: "Now, you can eat whatever you like."

Chapter Seventeen: The Castle Is Calling

"Hmm! Although I don't know which ones taste better yet, I can try them all now."

Harley's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement as her fingers carefully traced the wrapper of the Chocolate Frog. "And I want you to try some too."

Vera gazed into Halle's bright green eyes, which were filled with pure joy and a desire to share.

She hesitated for a moment, then gently picked up a chocolate frog, feeling a slight vibration at her fingertips.

"Thank you very much then," she said softly.

Hermione couldn't wait to open hers: "They say it's enchanted, but it stops working if you bite it—oh! The card!"

A wizard card fell out of the packaging. The card depicted a man's face, wearing crescent-shaped glasses, with a crooked, long nose, and long, flowing silver hair and beard.

"It's Albus Dumbledore!"

Harley immediately leaned closer curiously to look: "Who is he?"

"He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "You didn't even know that?"

Harry smiled sheepishly: "My aunts never tell me anything about the magical world."

Hermione immediately launched into a long and detailed account of Dumbledore's many achievements.

After staring at the small print for a while, Harry flipped the picture back to the front and was surprised to find that Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone!" she exclaimed in surprise.

“In the magical world, the people in the photos can come to life,” Vera explained softly, seeing her wide-eyed surprise. “It’s a kind of transfiguration.”

Harley seemed to understand, but not quite. She had just opened a Chocolate Frog and hadn't even caught it when the Chocolate Frog "whooshed" out from between her fingers, drawing a graceful arc in the air before disappearing out of the car window.

Vera watched as the chocolate frog scrunched up its face in disappointment, then slowly unwrapped the package and precisely caught it just as it tried to jump away.

“The trick is in the angle of your wrist,” she said softly, showing the chocolate frog to Harry. “Once it’s caught, it won’t move again.”

Harry's eyes widened in amazement. She quickly opened another chocolate frog and was about to grab it when the new chocolate frog leaped up, arcing through the air and landing precisely on Hermione's head.

The three girls were stunned at the same time.

The next second, Hermione's scream and Harley's laughter filled the entire carriage.

Vera watched this scene and finally couldn't help but chuckle.

Knox was startled by the sudden commotion and jumped off Vera's lap onto the luggage rack, looking down at the chaos from above.

"Don't move!" Harley suppressed a laugh as she carefully removed the chocolate frog from Hermione's hair. "Sorry, I'll try again next time."

Vera shook her head, took out her wand, and whispered, "Clean it up!"

The chocolate residue on Hermione's messy brown hair disappeared instantly. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Vera gratefully: "Thank you. I didn't know you already knew how to use such spells."

“I often see fairies using it at home,” Vera calmly explained, then flipped open her card, which featured a witch in a blue robe—Morgan le Fay, a witch from the time of King Arthur.

Knox showed great interest in the chocolate frog, his amber eyes fixed on the chocolate frog in Vera's hand.

“No, Knox.” Vera gently pressed down on the white cat’s restless paws. “Chocolate is poisonous to cats.”

The cat purred resentfully and jumped onto the overhead luggage rack.

Harry asked curiously, "Can it understand what you're saying?"

“Its cat-like bloodline makes it smarter than a regular cat,” Vera explained, handing the chocolate frog to Harley. “Here you go.”

Harley took the chocolate frog, but her eyes remained fixed on Vera: "Are you always like this? Giving the good stuff to others?"

Vera paused slightly: "I'm just not used to eating sweets."

“You’re lying.” Harley suddenly leaned closer, her green eyes gleaming with mischief. “You also ate raspberry ice cream that day, I saw it.”

Vera was taken aback, not expecting that Harley would have noticed her at that time, let alone remember such a detail. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Hermione came to the rescue at just the right moment: "Look out the window! We think we're almost there!"

The three girls turned to look out the window at the same time. In the distance, nestled among the mountains, a majestic castle gleamed in the setting sun, its towering spires piercing the clouds, and countless windows reflecting golden light.

“That’s Hogwarts…” Harry murmured softly, her green eyes filled with longing.

As Vera gazed at the ancient castle, the crystal in her heart suddenly trembled slightly—she felt a powerful magical energy emanating from the direction of the castle, as if calling to her.

The magic circuits within her body accelerated, and golden patterns appeared faintly beneath her skin.

Vera pressed her wrist calmly, temporarily suppressing the restless magic circuits within her. She took a deep breath and lit the lights in the carriage with her wand: "Let's change into our school robes first. It'll get dark soon and the temperature should drop."

The three girls began to get ready in a flurry of activity. Vera used magic to easily change her clothes, while Harley and Hermione helped each other adjust their collars and cuffs.

The train gradually slowed down and finally stopped next to a small, dark platform.

By this time, dusk had fallen and night had quietly descended.

The platform was bustling with noise. Senior students rushed toward the carriages in the distance, while freshmen gathered around an unusually tall figure—Hagrid, who was carrying a swaying oil lamp.

The three of them waited until there weren't many people before getting off the train. Harley looked at Vera and hesitated for a moment: "Shall I push?"

Vera shook her head, tapped her wand lightly, and her body floated up again, slowly landing back in her wheelchair.

“Let’s go.” Vera pushed her wheelchair and moved first toward the carriage door.

Knox nimbly jumped onto her lap and lay down.

As soon as she got off the train, the night air made Harley shiver. She instinctively looked at Vera beside her and tucked the blanket around her legs.

"Be careful not to catch a cold," she whispered, blushing, as Vera looked up at her.

In the darkness, it wasn't very clear what Harley's face looked like, but Vera still quietly thanked her.

She vaguely heard Harley laugh, and then she walked toward Hagrid, who was not far away.

"Hagrid!" Harley waved excitedly.

The half-giant turned around, a bright smile spreading across his face, and greeted her.

His loud voice drew the attention of many new students around him, especially when people noticed Halle and Vera, whispers immediately spread.

"That's Harley Potter..."

"The girl in the wheelchair next to her must be from the Blake family...so pitiful..."

Chapter Eighteen: Sorting School

Clearly, the news that there was a special disabled child among this year's freshmen had become common knowledge after an afternoon of discussion.

Vera ignored the comments and calmly pushed her wheelchair behind Hagrid.

Harley and Hermione stayed close to her, occasionally casting disapproving glances at the person spying on them.

Vera had no doubt that if those whispering people had come any closer, Harley might have charged at them and continued to argue with her fists.

They present themselves as weak, but are they accustomed to solving problems with their fists?

It seems to be quite different from the pitiful little dependent she initially imagined.

Vera glanced thoughtfully at Harley, who was beside her.

"First-year students, follow me!" Hagrid held up his oil lamp and led everyone down a steep, narrow path. "Watch your step! This path is a bit slippery!"

Vera pushed the wheelchair, carefully controlling the speed.

The rugged mountain path was not wheelchair friendly, and just as she was considering whether to use magic to help, Harley had already walked up behind her and put her hands on the wheelchair handles.

“We’ll take turns pushing you,” Harley said softly, glancing back at Hermione.

Hermione nodded immediately.

Vera wanted to refuse, but seeing their serious expressions, she ultimately just acquiesced: "Thank you."

Soon, the path opened up into a dark lake.

On the high hillside across the lake stands a magnificent castle, its spires towering and its windows shimmering with warm light under the starry sky.

“That’s Hogwarts!” Hagrid announced proudly. “No more than four people per boat! Be careful not to fall into the lake; the giant squid are friendly, but the water is cold this time of year!”

Harley, Hermione, and Vera naturally boarded the same boat, while Knox crouched at the bow, warily watching the dark lake surface.

A fleet of small boats immediately glided across the mirror-like lake and sailed forward. Harley gazed mesmerized at the approaching castle and whispered, "It's even more beautiful than I imagined..."

Hermione's voice trembled with excitement: "Look at those towers! The tallest one must be the Astronomy Tower! And the greenhouse over there! I saw it in 'Hogwarts: A History'!"

Vera gazed silently at the ancient castle, a strange feeling welling up inside her.

This will be where she lives for the next seven years, and it is also the main stage of the original story.

The fleet slowly sailed into the tunnel beneath the cliff and finally stopped at an underground dock. Hagrid led the new students ashore and soon arrived at the huge oak gate in front of the castle.

He raised his enormous fist and knocked on the door three times.