The Weasley brothers, especially the twins, were utterly fasated by the video games. While Ron and Percy struggled with the trollers, Fred and Gee sidled up to Scarlet, whispering, “Our dearest sister, the honourable Lady of the Red House!”

  Scarlet, amused by Ron’s difficulty handling the game, turo the twins and whispered back, “Yes?”

  “This ‘video game’...” Fred began, unusually serious for him, “Do you know anything more about it?”

  “Like how it’s made? Where we buy one?” Gee added, equally intense.

  Scarlet’s eyes widened, “You’re thinking of making one?”

  The twins nodded eagerly.

  “It’s simple - easy fun,” Fred said.

  “You py alone, or ihers to join,” Gee added.

  “And we could even have petitions!” Fred fiheir excitement bubbling.

  Scarlet immediately thought of the plexities of the video game industry in her previous life...but she quickly shook her head. “You ’t just buy ohere are Ministry of Magic ws about Muggle artefacts like this. And!” She silehe twins, who were ready to protest, with a finger. “You don’t have electricity in your house, so even if you could buy it, you wouldn’t be able to use it. Plus, the logic behind how these games work is pletely different from magic. I don’t think disseg it and trying to make a magical version based on it would go as smoothly as you’re thinking.”

  The twins looked frustrated at her response.

  Scarlet paused, thinking for a moment, “However...you could take inspiration from video games and start from scratch. Start with the most basic ideas, maybe incorporating a runes would work.”

  With just that small suggestion, the twins’ minds lit up with excitement, eyes sparkling brighter and brighter as they began to see the possibilities.

  Scarlet patted their shoulders. “Do some research, estimate the possibilities, make a pn. And if you need any funding, send me a proposal. I’ll gdly i if you’re creating something iing!”

  The twins dramatically wiped the imaginary tears from the ers of their eyes with a small pink handkerchief they pulled from who-knows-where. Taking Scarlet’s hand, they eated a kiss on it.

  “Oh, dearest sister!”

  “Oh, Midy!”

  “You shall be our huest for life!” Fred decred.

  “And receive all our iions free when we open the world’s best magical joke shop after we graduate!” Gee finished with a flourish.

  Scarlet blinked in surprise. “So that’s why you two keep saving money - great ambition!”

  The twins winked in unison.

  “Keep it quiet,” Fred said.

  “Mum’s been going on about us getting ‘proper jobs’,” Gee added.

  “And ‘stop messing around with those ridiculous iions, and the rest of that nonsense’.” they chorused together.

  Scarlet gri their ical expression. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

  Meiko quietly ehe room aed just as silently after exging a quick signal with Scarlet, who responded with a nod. She waved at the twins. “Keep your brothers eained, I’ll be right back. Got to meet a guest.”

  “Sure thing!”

  “Have fun!”

  Though I doubt it’ll be anything fun, Scarlet mused as she headed to the study, where she was set to meet Mr. Lupin - the unfortunate werewolf.

  Though the study beloo Scarlet as the owner of the house, Kyle used it more frequently siheir move to the Red House. Surrounded by books of every sort, everyone relevant to the discussion had gathered around the coffee table, and Scarlet’s arrival pleted the circle.

  Kyle introduced her to a polite, tired-lookileman. He appeared pale, with faint scars marking his fad arms. His handshake was firm, and there was nothing about his appearahat immediately suggested he was a werewolf. However, in Scarlet’s eyes, his soul told a different story.

  “Thank you for everything,” Lupin said, casting a regretful gnce around. “However, I ’t keep expeg others to put themselves at risk for my sake. Living a quiet life away from society seems to be the most reasoion.”

  “What if there’s a Muggle wildlife expedition team wandering through the wild, animals and doting nature?” Scarlet rested her on her palm as she studied the man before her. He seemed oddly familiar, though she couldn’t pce where she had seen him before. “There are always determined researchers willing to venture deep into the wilderness for the sake of servation or discovery. You’d likely run into them eventually. They might even mao record your werewolf form.”

  Lupin reply with a faint smile, “Ah, if only werewolves fit into servation efforts as easily as rare birds or elusive mammals.”

  Kyle rubbed his thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t mind lending you our basement to tain your werewolf form. In fact, how about I hire you as our home tutor? Scarlet could use someoo sult when she has school-reted questions. Right, Scarlet?”

  Scarlet the question directed to her, “Yes, I do need advietimes, and having you as a tutht be a perfect solution. A different perspective would be really helpful.”

  “I...really couldn’t. You’re all far too generous as it is,” Lupin replied softly, clearly unfortable with the thought. “I’ve already been helped far more than I deserve.”

  He had been receiving care ever since Hawk introduced him to Kyle’s family. Not only did the dy of the house assist him with a magic – clearly a family secret - the young master had even gone so far as to tact a magical school in Japan to find ways to help him. He felt deeply ied, unsure how he could ever repay them.

  “Well, you’re Hawk’s friend, and Hawk is my friend, so that makes us friends too. o worry about it.” Kyle said, trying to downpy Lupin’s regrets. “It’s still within my capability. I’ll definitely let you know if it bees too difficult. In fact, I believe our dy of the house has e up with some practical solutions.”

  “You think so?” Scarlet asked with a teasing smile.

  “Of course! I have plete fiden my dearest daughter,” Kyle replied, winking. “She’s capable of making the impossible possible.”

  “I’m fttered,” Scarlet chuckled. She then turo Lupin, “Yes, I did think of a pn for yht after I met you in person, but it will take time, and I’m not certain if it will work. It won’t cause you any harm, though.”

  Lupin’s voice dropped to a hushed murmur, “I...I don’t know what to say. If this could truly make a difference, I would be forever grateful.” His expression softened, his gratitude si guarded, revealing a flicker of hope he hadn’t dared to eain in years.

  Hawk, however, looked intrigued, “What kind of pn you got in mind? You said the guy’s been messed with geically, so he aily human anymore, right?”

  “Yes, his body is no longer fully human, but his soul is,” Scarlet expined. Her words sounded bizarre to everyone present, and they focused ily on her. “His human soul is now mismatched with his body, which is why he loses sciousness after transf into a werewolf. It’s like asking a bus driver to pilot a pne.”

  “So first, he then his soul, through meditation. If he remain scious after transf, he may be able to trol his body and avoid causing harm. Problem solved,” Scarlet tinued. “However, strengthening a soul takes time - possibly years. In the meantime, I’ll design something to restrict his movement. As you’ve mentioned, we ’t rely s every time he transforms, and tying him down with the magic circle in our basement isn’t practical either. He deserves the freedom to go wherever he wants, not to be fio our house.”

  “Strengthening my soul...it sounds...ambitious. But I’ve lived with this dition long enough to know it won’t go down without a fight,” he said, a trace of his old scepticism showing through. Lupin tinued quietly, his dropping in a humble aowledgment of their efforts, “Thank you...all of you. I will do whatever I ...Midy.”

  “...not you too!” Scarlet muttered under her breath, but she khis wasn’t the best time to ask Lupin to stop teasingly calling her “midy” with a brief smile. He was happy, and that was what mattered now. Ign it, she tinued, “Werewolves are creatures of the night, lio the moon. To ter that, I’ll need something with a day attribute – sued - to craft the item...specifically, a cuff. I’ll make a simple version first, before w on a sturdier one.”

  William raised an eyebrow. “A creature with sun attributes...what kind of creature would that be?”

  Meiko answered, her tone firm. “A rooster.”

  The room went silent, surprised by the answer – everyone except Scarlet, who nodded.

  “Yes, a rooster. Its crow breaks the dawn, pushing away the night to wele the day, inviting the su, I’ll need sand from the hottest desert, collected precisely at noon.”

  “The Sahara Desert?” Hawk replied without hesitation. “I’ve got tacts there. I’ll hahat.”

  “A furnace, where I fe the item,” Scarlet tinued.

  “I know a smith nearby; I borrow it,” William added.

  “And I’ll need some s for my Queen.” Scarlet looked around, shaking her head. “I’ll take care of that part myself. Meiko, you know what’s needed , don’t you?”

  Meiko nodded, “A creature with sun attributes...but not a rooster – something magical, for the sturdier craft. I’ll tact Jutsushi Academy to see if they’ve raised such a beast.”

  Scarlet thought for a moment, then added, “Try tag Mahoutokoro as well.”

  Meiko’s face briefly twisted in disgust. “Yes, Midy. We’ll see if those weirdos have anything useful.”

  Hawk, William and Kyle, unfamiliar with the wizarding world, looked puzzled. Lupin, however, who knew about the Japanese wizarding school, was curious. “Why? Do they have a bad reputation? I always thought Mahoutokoro restigious school.”

  Meiko remained silent, so Scarlet stepped in to expin. “s and traditions stuff. You see, the Japanese have their own way of interpreting magid they’ve been doing so sint times. In essence, magic is just a way to manipute supernatural energy, and ‘Magic’ is the term we use. But in Japan, the way they manipute supernatural energy is called ‘Jutsu’, and the best practitioners of this are known as Onmyoji. They’re the Jutsushi equivalent of what Aurors are to British wizards. The greatest Onmyoji in history was Abe no Seimei, much like Merlin in ends. So imagine a group of people in Japan who don’t practice Jutsu, but instead use magic. How do you think that would be perceived?”

  Lupin’s brow unfurrowed. “Weird.”

  “Exactly.” Scarlet said, scratg her . “That’s how the Jutsushi see the wizards of Mahoutokoro - a bunch of oddballs who choose to use magi a nd full of folklore and shrines, where gods and spirits are worshipped for their mystical power. Meiko graduated from Jutsushi Academy, which was founded during the time of Abe no Seimei, way before Mahoutokoro came into being.”

  Lupin nodded as the pieces clicked into pce.

  “We’ll start with the rooster in our barn,” Scarlet tinued, “until I get hold of the magical creatures Meiko finds through her work.” Scarlet gave Lupin a reassuring smile. “Once we’ve gathered all the materials, I’ll fe something for you. Don’t worry.”

  Lupin hough words alone couldn’t express his gratitude. He silently vowed to repay their kindness with his as, dedig himself to showing his thanks for the rest of his life.

  Qiya