Scarlet woke up and decided not to dwell oher she had reinated into the inal Harry Potter universe or a fanfi version of it. The storyline was a blur to her anyway, so it made no difference. Besides, the world seemed normal enough, aside from the Hogwarts and wizarding part. Everything else felt real, and she lived in this world now. So, she resolved to take it in stride and carry on.

  Today was a light day, with only m csses, leaving her free for the afternoon and evening. She had plenty of time tanise her things after finishing her essays.

  At breakfast, Amelia grumbled, “I heard Professor Binns, who teaches History of Magic, is hypnotic. Everybody falls asleep in his css.”

  Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “Does he care if his students fall asleep?”

  “No, he just keeps reading his notes until the end of the period.”

  “Well, that’s a good opportunity for us to study History on our own, or we could use of the time for something else,” Scarlet said casually. She had entered simir lecturers ba uy in her previous life, but she hadn’t anticipated Professor Binns being quite as he was when she arrived at the .

  A ghost, teag History –it was ironic, but not an ideal choice. Ghosts were resistant to new ideas or knowledge; they became stubborn a in their ways, without sidering alternatives. Suitable as a guardian, perhaps, but definitely not as a teacher.

  Scarlet watched as her cssmates succumbed to sleep one by one under Professor Binns’s monotone droning. It was indeed soothing, like the ASMR clips that had gone viral in her previous life, perfect for those with insomnia.

  She didn’t fall asleep, choosing to ighe ghost muttering at the front of the room, and began w oory draft. The Akahime’s Diary series was now on book five, but this time, “Akahime” wouldn’t be the protagonist. After graduating from the academy, she had spent a few years trying to find her pd eventually settled into a supp role. With not much of aing story left to tell from her perspective, Scarlet po write the book from her friend’s point of view.

  Her friend owerful caster, always standing on the front lio defeat abnormalities and have tless stories to share whehey met. Most of the time, it was Akahime who ed up the mess he made, giving her a thh uanding of how each battle unfolded and cluded. This was a neroach, and her editreed to let her send him a feters to see if it fit the market and whether her fans would dislike it.

  Occasionally, she raised her head to check where Professor Binns was reading, ensuring she he parts she o self-study after css.

  Ron’s slipped off his hand, causing his head to drop onto the table and jolted both him and Harry awake from their dozes. “Blimey, Scarlet!” Ron whispered in surprise, notig Scarlet’s fountain pen flying across the pages of her notebook. Leaving his seat making his way across a few tables, he leaned in and whispered, “How are you still awake? Are you jotting down his notes?”

  “No, I’m drafting my novel,” Scarlet replied, c her story with her hand, “Sorry, it’s fidential. ’t let anyo unless my editor approves, for marketing reasons.”

  “Oh.” Ron sighed with amazement.

  “Besides, I’m not the only one who’s awake. Look,” Scarlet nudged him towards the front.

  Hermione, sitting in the foremost seat closest to the lecturer’s desk, was scribbling rapidly with her quill, her eyes fixed on Professor Binns. She was clearly listening ily, her posture ear in pursuit of knowledge.

  Ron frow her, maintaining his soft whisper. “I don’t like her. She’s bossy and annoying.”

  “...Why?” Scarlet thought the trio should have been friends by now. Harry had sneakily approached and lowered his body just to stay beside Ron, seemingly agreeing with Ron’s opinion.

  “Raising her hand every time to try ahe professor’s pet, correg others like she’s the only one who knows how to do it...” Ron tinued, “It’s like she thinks everyone else is dumber than her. Arrogant, showing off.”

  Harry nodded hesitantly, “Not as troublesome as Ron says, but she is a bit of a pain...”

  It sounded like they didn’t get along - for now. Should I interfere? But I couldn’t just force them to be friends. There must be something that happened, and they would bee frieually...Scarlet mused.

  Ro her, “You don’t agree?”

  “Well...” Scarlet began, trying to find the right words, “Imagine you’ve just got a brand-new broomstick, the test model, and you’ve made it onto the Quidditch team. How would you behave?”

  Ron stared at her bnk for a moment.

  “You’d be going around telling everyone how talented you are at Quidditch, endlessly lecturing others on how to py to win, stantly showing off your broomstick, using every opportunity to fly it...” Scarlet suggested tentatively, “That’s normal, because you’re excited. You want to share and express that excitement. But to someone like me, who isn’t ied in Quidditch or broomsticks, it might seem pretty annoying.”

  “But how could you not like Quidditch?” Roed.

  “And how could you not like studying aing good grades?” Scarlet replied calmly.

  They stared at each other in silehen Scarlet shrugged. “It’s only our first week at Hogwarts. It’s normal for Hermione, who’s from a Muggle family, to be this excited. She probably didn’t have many friends who uood her back then because she was different. And now she’s here, alone, so she might not know how to get along with others just yet.”

  “But you’re from a Muggle family too, and you seem so steady,” Harry said, “I haven’t seen you surprised at all since we got here.”

  “Well, I’m a businesswoman. I’ve seen a lot, and staying calm is essential to gaining the upper hand,” Scarlet expined. “It applies to everything else, too. The more you know, the steadier and humbler you bee because you realise how much more there is to learn..”

  “Huh?” Both boys looked puzzled, but Scarlet waved them off, giving them time to process what she’d said. Hope I’ve done something good and not made things worse, she thought to herself, then tinued draftiory.

  After lunch, she headed straight to the library to work on her History essays. It was her first time in the library, and the first thing she did was look for the librarian to ask if there was a list of books avaible and where to find them.

  The library wasn’t as daunting as Scarlet had anticipated. Madam Pihe librarian, had a Book of Records that could show the status and location of any book in the library. All Scarlet had to do was go to the reception desk, ask politely, and the book on the dispy stand would flips its pages and hightlight the title she needed in red ink.

  Thank Scáthach I don’t have to wander around the library just to find a few books, Scarlet thought as she gathered the necessary volumes and found a table near a window. Just as she was about to start w on her essays, she noticed someoanding beside her.

  It was Hermione, holding a stack of books and looking a bit timid. “Hi, Scarlet. I haven’t seen you in the library before.”

  “Too busy with all sorts of things,” Scarlet replied with a smile. “Looks like you’ve been here quite a bit.”

  “Yes, I love the library. There are so many books!” Hermione said enthusiastically, “Mind if I share a table with you?”

  “Sure.” Scarlet said, pushing aside some of her books to make room. Hermioled in, arranging her books acc to her needs, but she kept gng at Scarlet, who was seated across from her.

  Scarlet noticed the gnces but chose to ighem, fog on her essays instead. She mused, Ron and Harry said Hermione was bossy...but she seems rather shy around me?

  The sound of nibs scratg against papers filled the table. Hermione was writing with a quill, while Scarlet used a fountain pen. Hermione worked on part, but Scarlet used the notebooks she’d bought from Muggle bookstores.

  “Um, Scarlet?”

  “Yes?” Scarlet looked up and saw Hermioantly eyeing her pen and paper.

  “We’re supposed to write with quills and part,” Hermione said tentatively.

  “I know,” Scarlet hen realised what Hermione was getting at. She smiled and added, “I’m just drafting my answer for now, and it doesn’t matter where I draft them, right? Plus, this way I have a record of what I’ve written in case I o refer back to it. Drafting in a notebook is easier for me keep track of. I’ll write it properly with a quill and part ter.”

  “Oh, you’re so...siderate,” Hermione said, flushing slightly, “In that case, wouldn’t a ballpoint pen be more practical?”

  “I just thought a fountain pen suited the school better,” Scarlet replied with a wave, showing her pen - a cssic design that looked elegant and luxurious, perfectly fitting the atmosphere of Hogwarts. Hermione grinned, warmed by her friendliness.

  They both busied themselves with homework, and Hermione seemed to agree with Scarlet’s approach, eventually pulling out a thiotebook as well. They occasionally exged books and opinions, and finally, after some time, they fiheir essays.

  Hermione asked, “ I have a look at your essay?”

  “Sure.” Scarlet replied.

  As Hermione sed Scarlet’s essay, she notiumerous brackets and numbers scattered throughout the text, with a ly anized list of refere the end. She blinked in surprised and asked stiffly, “Scarlet, what’s this?”

  “The reference list?” Scarlet replied, notig Hermione’s puzzled and nervous expression. She g Hermione’s essay and realised the difference. Casually, she expined, “Oh, I’m writing in a uy format - I mean, Muggle uy, the higher education you attend after sedary school - since I’m used to it. It’s a good practice to know the source of your information, but I don’t think it’s a required format here.”

  “Not required?” Hermione looked relieved.

  “Yeah, sihe professors and seniors haven’t mentio, and I haven’t seen anyone else using it,” Scarlet said, patting Hermione’s shoulder. “Take it easy, Hermione. You’re too nervous. Remember, we’re first years, and it’s our first week. Any mistakes are uandable as long as they’re not iional.”

  “Thanks, Scarlet.” Hermione said, starting to up the table. “Attending Hogwarts feels like a dream e true to me. I’ve always felt different, but I could never figure out why until I learned I was a witch. I was so thrilled to be here, so...”

  “Yes, I uand,” Scarlet nodded as she packed away her books as well.

  “I thought I was doing well, but Scarlet, you seem so...natural.” Hermione said, gng at Scarlet tentatively, “It makes me wonder, since we're both from Muggle family, if I’m not mistaken?”

  “Well...” I ’t exactly say I’ve experienced something simir, though far more brutal, in a previous life, Scarlet mused. She paused for a moment, searg for a more pusible excuse. “Maybe it’s because I see attending a magic school as just another form of schooling, just with different subjects?”

  Her words clearly puzzled Hermione, so she eborated, “I don’t see Hogwarts as the most important thing in my life. There are other things I o focus on.”

  She began to t on her fingers, “I have books to publish, and many fans waiting for my stories. I have a pany to manage, with hundreds of employees and vendors depending on me for their livelihoods. In fact, I wasn’t even pnning to attend sedary school. I was going to self-study and try to skip grades so I could foy career, with pns to attend uy when I’m seventeen hteen.”

  Hermione was stunned by Scarlet’s words, but then she realized “You don’t pn on staying closely ected to the wizarding world?”

  “Not really,” Scarlet said nontly. “It’s too small and insur for me to do much of anything. It feels like there’s a barrier around this unity - hard for those io leave and difficult for others to ehe choices and perspectives are limited, and...well, I just don’t see the point of staying here.”

  She pulled out her pocket watch to check the time and quickly gathered her things. “Sorry, dear, but I have to go. I o head to the Owlery. Oh, how I miss telephones.”

  Hermione slowed down as she watched Scarlet hurry away. Her initial excitement seemed to cool a bit, but her determinatioronger.