The scratching of the quill sounded especially clear in the silent room.
Once Vera finished writing, she carefully checked the letter over, folded the parchment, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it with wax.
"Kreacher."
The house-elf appeared at once and respectfully accepted the letter. "Miss wishes this… sent to Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"Yes, just send it by owl," Vera said with a nod. "I want a reply as soon as possible."
"Yes, Miss." Kreacher bowed deeply and vanished with a crack.
Vera wheeled herself over to the window just in time to see the last sliver of sunlight sink below the London horizon.
There was still a month left before Hogwarts started, and she needed to make thorough preparations.
First and foremost, she had to properly understand the cheat she now possessed.
She had already gained a rough grasp of the various support functions of her Magic Circuit. Not only could it enhance her magical perception and recovery speed, it could also help her learn magic at an astonishing pace.
More importantly, it seemed that only by raising the rank of her Magic Circuit would she be able to learn new Ancient Magic.
That was right—after comprehending Multi-Casting, she had tried returning to that void space to learn more Ancient Magic…
But she had been refused.
She could no longer enter it, not even just to observe it from afar.
Which meant the real question now was this: how exactly was she supposed to raise the rank of her Magic Circuit?
And how far away was her current level from Mastery · High Tier, the threshold required to learn Life Reshaping?
Staring out into the night beyond the window, Vera once again tried to connect to the Magic Circuit inside her body. The crystal near her heart trembled faintly, and translucent text appeared across her vision:
[Current Magic Circuit Rank: Awakened · Beginner (37/100)]
[Magic Circuit Rank Structure: Awakened, Control, Mastery, Transcendence; each divided into three tiers]
[Current ways to gain experience: 1. Practicing magic 2. Using Ancient Magic 3. Learning new spells 4. Combat]
Vera lifted a brow slightly.
So the key to advancing her Magic Circuit was simply constant use of magic. Whether it was ordinary spells or Ancient Magic, both could accumulate experience.
At her current pace, raising it to Awakened · High Tier before the school term started should not be a problem.
But Mastery · High Tier was probably still a very long way off.
Looking down at her legs, which remained entirely numb, Vera suddenly, for no clear reason, thought of those green eyes like the first buds of spring. Her hands tightened unconsciously on her legs.
No matter what, she would heal them.
Whatever method it took.
…
The next morning, when Vera woke from another nightmare, the morning light was already filtering in through the gap in the curtains.
She rubbed at her temples. Last night's dream was still vivid in her mind—the crash, the shriek of brakes, her adoptive mother's final scream…
Even though the memory did not originally belong to her, this body retained a particularly sharp response to those memories that had changed its fate.
Nox lightly leapt onto the bed, rubbed its face against her cheek near the pillow, and let out two soft mews.
Vera came back to herself and stroked its soft fur in reassurance.
"I'm fine."
Just then, Kreacher's voice sounded punctually from outside the door.
"Miss, there are guests. May I come in?"
Vera frowned slightly. Grimmauld Place rarely received visitors, especially not at a time like this.
She quickly straightened her nightrobe and settled Nox onto her lap.
"Come in, Kreacher."
The house-elf pushed open the door, carrying a silver tray with her breakfast on it.
His large ears twitched uneasily. "Miss Narcissa and young Master Draco have arrived. They are waiting for you in the drawing room."
Vera arched a brow. So her cheap cousin had gone home and complained after all.
"I see." Vera nodded calmly. "I need to wash, change, and eat breakfast. I'm afraid Aunt Narcissa and my cousin will have to wait a while."
Kreacher bowed respectfully. "Yes, Miss. Kreacher will attend properly to the two honored guests."
Vera gave a slight nod and wheeled herself to the dressing table. The girl in the mirror looked a little pale, with faint shadows beneath her eyes.
She lifted a hand to her cheek. Beneath her fingertips, she could feel the fine golden lines left by the Magic Circuit. They were more visible than yesterday, like liquid sunlight flowing beneath her skin.
But with a single thought, the lines faded once more beneath the surface.
Having read plenty of web novels in her previous life, Vera found nothing strange about this sort of phenomenon. Calmly, she picked out a dark green robe, tied back her long hair with a ribbon, ate a simple breakfast, and only then wheeled herself out.
When her wheelchair rolled slowly into the drawing room, Narcissa Malfoy was seated gracefully in an armchair beside the fireplace, her slender fingers resting against the rim of a teacup.
She wore a silver-gray robe, her pale blonde hair elegantly pinned up, and there was a faint resemblance between her features and Vera's own.
Draco stood at his mother's side, and when he saw Vera, his expression grew slightly unnatural.
"Vera, dear, good morning." Narcissa rose to her feet, a polite smile on her lips. "I hope we haven't disturbed your rest."
"Good morning, Aunt Narcissa." Vera stopped her wheelchair at an appropriate distance and inclined her head slightly. "And… Cousin Draco."
Draco curled his lip, then under his mother's gaze replied unwillingly, "Good morning, Cousin Vera."
Narcissa's eyes paused briefly on Vera's wheelchair before moving away again. "I hear you received your Hogwarts letter. Lucius and I are both very pleased that another member of the Black family will soon be attending."
"Yes. I've already prepared all the necessary supplies," Vera answered evenly.
Narcissa nodded. "Draco met you in Diagon Alley yesterday, though…"
Her voice paused, as if weighing her words.
"It seems there was some unpleasantness between you?"
Vera lifted her eyes toward Draco, who immediately looked away in discomfort.
A faint smile touched her lips as she replied with perfect courtesy, "Just a small misunderstanding, Aunt."
Narcissa's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Draco. Apologize."
Draco's face flushed at once. He stared at his mother in disbelief. "But Mother—"
"Apologize," Narcissa repeated.
His eyes flashed with resentment, but under Narcissa's gaze he finally turned to Vera and said stiffly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
Watching the interaction between mother and son, Vera suddenly found it a little amusing.
She could tell perfectly well that Narcissa's defense of her was not heartfelt. It was far more about preserving the fragile ties between pure-blood families.
After all, she was now the Black family's only heir.
If she had been some Muggle-born witch instead, would she still have been treated like this?
The answer was obvious.
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