"It's all right," Vera said with a faint smile. "Cousin Draco."
She deliberately drew out the form of address just a little, and as expected, she saw a flicker of resentment pass over Draco's face.
Narcissa, however, seemed noticeably more at ease. Adopting the composed manner of a proper elder, she asked with polished concern, "Vera, regarding your… particular condition, has Hogwarts made any arrangements?"
"Thank you for your concern, Aunt," Vera replied evenly. "I've already written to Headmaster Dumbledore. I trust the school will make suitable arrangements."
At the mention of Dumbledore's name, Narcissa stiffened ever so slightly before smoothing the reaction away at once. "Of course. Hogwarts will take care of every student. However…"
Her gaze fell to Vera's legs.
"Lucius, as one of the school governors, may also be able to offer some assistance. Provided, of course, that you need it."
Vera heard the implication clearly enough—the Malfoys were willing to help, but accepting that help would amount to standing with them.
"Thank you for the offer, Aunt," Vera answered without betraying a thing. "If the need arises, I'll contact you."
Narcissa seemed reasonably satisfied with that response. She rose gracefully to her feet. "It's getting late. We should be going. Draco, say goodbye to your cousin."
Draco stepped forward reluctantly. "Goodbye, Cousin Vera."
Vera noticed that there was still a trace of unwillingness in the way he looked at her, but at least he was much more restrained than he had been yesterday.
"See you at school, Cousin," she replied calmly.
After seeing the Malfoy mother and son out, Vera wheeled herself toward the window and watched them disappear beyond the front gate, letting out a soft sigh.
"Miss Vera… does not like them?" Kreacher asked cautiously.
In his heart, his true loyalty was to the daughter of Master Regulus, whom he respected above all others. But after years of habit and upbringing, Kreacher also held a great fondness for Narcissa and her son, both pure-bloods and relatives of the Black family.
Vera withdrew her gaze. "It's not a matter of liking or disliking them, Kreacher. To us, they're simply relatives who should be kept at a distance."
Kreacher's great ears twitched. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but didn't dare.
Vera flicked him a glance and said, more firmly, "I know what you're thinking. But no matter what, the Black family has only me left now."
The house-elf gave a visible shudder. Lowering his head, he said hoarsely, "Kreacher is forever loyal to the House of Black… loyal to Miss."
In the original story, when Sirius returned to the Black house, he was close to people from the Order of the Phoenix, and he himself loathed returning to Grimmauld Place. As a result, his attitude toward Kreacher had never been good.
That was also one of the reasons Kreacher exploited loopholes in Sirius's orders and indirectly caused his death.
But Vera was different.
She was neither a rebel like Sirius, who despised the family's traditions, nor a mad pure-blood fanatic like Bellatrix.
She simply…
needed to make use of every resource available to her.
That was why, the moment she learned Narcissa was coming to visit, she had already decided she would need to give the house-elf a pointed reminder.
A reminder of who, exactly, his one true master was.
Watching Kreacher bow so deeply that his nose was nearly touching the floor, Vera lightly told him to rise, then made ready to head for the training room.
"Wait, Miss," Kreacher hurriedly said, producing a letter. "Headmaster Dumbledore's reply arrived just a short while ago."
Vera raised a brow and accepted the parchment, which carried a faint scent of lemon. Breaking the wax seal, she unfolded it and saw Dumbledore's handwriting:
Dear Miss Black,
Thank you for your letter. Hogwarts welcomes every magical child, regardless of physical condition.
Regarding your special needs, I have already discussed possible arrangements with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. The school will place a strengthened Levitation Charm on your wheelchair, and after you are sorted, special accommodations will be arranged for your dormitory placement.
Additionally, if you are willing, I can ask Madam Pomfrey and Professor Severus Snape, our Potions Master, to visit next Monday and conduct a full examination for you.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Vera folded the letter neatly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
Dumbledore's response was exactly what she had expected. The greatest wizard of the age had never been the sort to refuse proper help to any student who needed it.
"Will Miss reply?" Kreacher asked quietly.
"Of course."
Vera took up her quill and wrote a brief reply, thanking Dumbledore for the arrangements and confirming that she would be ready to receive Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape at the appointed time.
Once Kreacher sent off the return letter, Vera wheeled herself to the training room and resumed her path of leveling up.
Over the following days, she threw herself almost completely into practice.
Every morning, with Kreacher's help, she went to the training room, and she did not return to her bedroom until deep into the night.
With the aid of the Magic Circuit and Ancient Magic, her rate of progress far surpassed that of any ordinary wizard, and her control over the Magic Circuit itself grew steadily more refined.
In addition to the basic Severing Charm, she also learned the Levitation Charm, the Leg-Locker Curse, and several simple defensive spells through Mana Traceback.
Anything more advanced than that, however, was still beyond her for the time being.
As her usage frequency increased, the Magic Circuit successfully advanced to Awakened · Mid Tier, her mana reserve cap rose from the original 30 to 50, and her recovery speed increased to 13 per hour.
By her estimate, by the time school started, she would likely have mastered most of the basic spells listed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, and her Magic Circuit would reach Awakened · High Tier as well.
…
By Monday morning, Vera rose early, changed into a simple robe, and tied her hair neatly back.
Kreacher prepared a lavish breakfast for her, but she only ate a few bites before wheeling herself into the drawing room to wait.
Since the appointed time had not yet arrived, Vera passed the time by reading A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
Then, precisely at ten in the morning, the flames in the fireplace suddenly turned emerald green. With a soft rustle of Floo powder, two figures stepped out of the hearth.
The first was a kindly-faced witch in neat healer's robes, her gray-white hair pinned up in a simple bun.
The second, emerging right behind her, was a wizard in black robes. His expression was gloomy, his black hair greasy, and his hooked nose cast a sharp shadow over his pale face.
"Good morning, Miss Black," the witch said with a smile as she stepped forward. "I'm Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts matron, and this is Professor Severus Snape, our Potions Master."
Vera closed her book and saw that the famous double agent was examining her with a cool, appraising gaze.
Had he been reminded of Regulus—once a fellow Death Eater?
She met his eyes without the slightest fear.
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