"Thank you."
Vera's voice was soft, but Harri reacted as if she had just received the highest praise imaginable. Her eyes lit up instantly.
"No need!" Harri grinned, showing two small canine teeth. "I just couldn't stand the way he was talking."
Vera noticed that the collar of Harri's old T-shirt had already frayed, and there were a few carefully mended patches at the sleeves.
"Have you finished buying everything you need?" Vera changed the subject as she rolled up to the counter and accepted the parcel Madam Malkin handed her.
Harri shook her head. "Not yet. Hagrid said robes were the last thing."
"All right then, dear," Madam Malkin said after settling the payment, turning to Harri. "Your turn."
Harri nodded repeatedly and clambered awkwardly onto the footstool, watching with open curiosity as the self-moving tape measure went to work around her.
Vera sat quietly to one side, absentmindedly stroking Nox.
The kitten narrowed its eyes in contentment and purred.
At some point—Vera had no idea when—Harri looked over at her from atop the stool and suddenly said, "Actually… I'm a little nervous about Hogwarts. Hagrid said there are staircases that move, and ghosts, and things like that…"
Seeing Harri push up her glasses uneasily, Vera realized that this girl, too, was stepping into the magical world for the very first time.
"The first time I heard about it, I was surprised too," Vera said softly. "But supposedly the older students guide the first-years, so you won't get lost."
Harri's lovely green eyes widened with curiosity. She was just about to say something when the shop door opened again and Hagrid's massive frame squeezed inside.
"Harri! So this is where yeh are!" Hagrid let out a relieved breath, but when he saw Vera, his expression turned awkward again. "Er… are the clothes done yet?"
Harri looked back at Hagrid, then at Vera, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Vera, do you want to come with us? Hagrid said he's taking me for ice cream…"
Vera lowered her lashes calmly. "No, thank you. I still have other things to buy."
For an instant, the light in Harri's green eyes dimmed, but it quickly returned. "Then… can we meet when school starts? I mean, if we can go to school together…"
Vera looked at this persistent girl and offered a gentle reminder. "Miss Potter, we've known each other for less than twenty minutes."
"But we already fought one annoying person together!" Harri said earnestly, looking straight into her eyes.
Vera fell silent for a moment. She still wasn't very good at handling children this enthusiastic. In the end, she gave a small nod.
"If the opportunity comes."
That ambiguous answer seemed to satisfy Harri completely.
She broke into a brilliant smile, took the parcel Madam Malkin handed her, and hopped down from the stool. "Then it's settled! We'll… see each other when school starts?"
Vera nodded lightly, then seemed to remember something.
"Oh, and happy birthday."
Harri's eyes brightened at once. "How did you know?"
"He mentioned a birthday present just now," Vera replied evenly. "Wasn't that owl your birthday present?"
"You're the first person besides Hagrid to say that to me!" Harri said excitedly. Then she suddenly bent down and hugged Vera tightly, only to spring back just as fast. "Thank you. See you when school starts!"
Watching Harri hurry away right after thanking her, Vera blinked and rubbed Nox absently where it lay on her lap.
"What a strange Savior," she murmured.
Still, unexpectedly…
not an unpleasant one.
By the time she finished all the shopping on her school list, it was just past noon.
Vera rolled herself out of Madam Malkin's shop. Sunlight slanted across the cobblestones of Diagon Alley, painting everything in a warm gold.
Nox let out a lazy yawn in her lap, half-lidding its amber eyes as though it had no particular interest in anything around it.
Vera lowered her eyes to the list, confirmed that she had bought every required item, then returned to the Leaky Cauldron and used the Floo Network fireplace to go back to Grimmauld Place.
Kreacher had clearly been waiting for her for quite some time. The moment Vera appeared, he hurried forward excitedly.
"Miss is back!" Kreacher scurried up. "Kreacher has prepared Miss's favorite fruit tea!"
Vera nodded and took out the things she had purchased one by one, handing them over to Kreacher. He helped hang her robes in the wardrobe and neatly stacked her textbooks on the desk.
Nox lightly leapt onto the bookshelf and surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings from above, its tail swaying with elegant ease.
"Miss looks very happy today," Kreacher said while tidying the items away, sneaking glances at Vera's expression. "Did something good happen?"
Vera took out her wand and ran her fingers lightly over it, the corners of her lips lifting unconsciously. "You could say that."
The wand—made of purpleheart—felt cool and smooth to the touch, its golden patterns shimmering faintly beneath the sunlight.
Gazing at it, Vera suddenly thought of something and looked up.
"Kreacher, is there a place in the house where I can practice spells?"
The house-elf's ears twitched. "The Black family home has an abandoned training room at the end of the fourth-floor corridor, but…"
He hesitated, wringing his tea towel.
"It hasn't been used in a very long time…"
"Take me there." Vera pushed her wheelchair forward, eager light beginning to gleam in her eyes.
A house-elf could not defy its master's orders.
So even though Kreacher clearly had his reservations, he could only dutifully obey.
With house-elf magic, the wheelchair beneath Vera was lifted by an invisible force and floated steadily into the air.
Kreacher led her out of the bedroom, through the dim corridor, and to a carved wooden door on the first floor.
The silver handle had long since oxidized to black. Kreacher gave it a gentle push with his bony fingers, and the heavy wooden door opened with a drawn-out creak that set one's teeth on edge.
The training room beyond was far larger than Vera had expected—nearly half the size of a Quidditch pitch. It was obvious at a glance that an Undetectable Extension Charm had been used on it.
Several crystal chandeliers hung dark and lifeless from the high vaulted ceiling, and every wall bore traces of magic—blackened scorch marks, deep gouges, even a few slashes that looked as if some giant beast had raked its claws across them.
Most eye-catching of all were the several training dummies standing in the middle of the room. They had been enchanted to simulate human reactions, making them perfect targets for combat spell practice.
Vera rolled her wheelchair up to one of the dummies and studied the surface thoughtfully, where layer upon layer of spell marks had been left behind.
She lifted a hand and brushed her fingers over a deep cutting scar, feeling the lingering pulse of magic beneath her touch.
If she could use the Magic Circuit to understand, memorize, and learn from these traces of residual magic…
Her eyes lit up.
For the first time in a while, her usually composed expression showed unmistakable excitement.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (95 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (90 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (75 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (110 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (100 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (100 Chapter)
Arknights : Ch'en Hui-chieh, I'm Done Being the Good Guy! (40 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Family Simulator? Why Am I the Family Heirloom? (40 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail : The Trailblazer Only Wants a Peaceful Life (40 Chapter)
Arknights: The Unlucky Dad? But I've Got the Chronicle of Time! (50 Chapter)
The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts (40 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Elemental Blaster of Orario (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it