Harry had a fantastic time pying video games with Ron and the twins that afternoon at Scarlet’s house, after their trip to the orphanage. Bck also seemed to enjoy catg up with Lupin.

  Scarlet assumed they wouldn’t be in touch again until was time to return to school, but to her surprise, she received a call from Harry after dihe same day.

  “I’ve got a present from my dad!”

  “Huh?” Both Scarlet and Ron, who were listening in on the phone call, were fused.

  “I didn’t get to open all my Christmas presents this m because we were in such a rush to find the orphanage,” Harry expined. “I figured the rest were from you guys – oh, and I was shocked Auunia and Uncle Vernon actually sent me something too, though it was just a . But there was one from a secret giver - my dad’s old invisibility cloak! He’d kept it for years!”

  “Blimey! That’s amazing!” Ron excimed, “You’ve ied one of your dad’s things!”

  “gratutions!” Scarlet added.

  Harry couldn’t tain his excitement a on about it for a few more minutes before asking, “Scarlet, I e over to the Red House a out the cloak? I promise not to scare your staff!”

  “Sure,” Scarlet replied, ughing. “Just call before you head over, and we’ll be ready.”

  The m, Harry and his godfather arrived so early that they even had breakfast with Scarlet. Harry, in his Weasley sweater gifted by Mrs. Weasley as Christmas present, ran straight to Ron’s room, jumping on his bed to wake him. Their ughter and giggling echoed through the house, all the way to the dining room.

  Bck greeted Scarlet with a warm handshake before pulling Lupin into a teasing hug, exging sarcastic jokes that only close friends would uand.

  Scarlet, however, didn’t pay much attention at their banter. She was focused oack of iional news William had collected for her. Still no sign of the i rising...I miss Wikipedia, she mused, furrowing her brows.

  She briefly exged thoughts with Kyle, discussing the test updates in the family business and sidering if she could offer any insights for future iments. Just then, Bck approached, interrupting with a quiod.

  “Excuse me, Scarlet. Could I have a word?”

  “Of course,” Scarlet said, gng at Kyle, who signalled her to go ahead. “Is there something I help you with?”

  “I know you’re w on something for Remus,” Bck began, sounding a bit awkward but determined. “For his...dition. I get he o be part of the ritual, but I’d like to be there, too. I’ll keep out of the way, just...want to make sure he’s alright.”

  Scarlet thought for a moment. “Well...sure, as long as you don’t mind it being a bit crowded.”

  “Crowded?” Bck raised an eyebrow. “I thought this was some secret ritual.”

  “It is, but...” Scarlet ticked off names on her fingers. “Ron and his brothers are here. My dad, William, Meiko, Mr. Hawk, and some other staff will be present too. For certain reasons, I’ve invited Neville and Mrs. Longbottom, so they’ll be there. Plus, one or two people delivering materials might stick around as well. And I’m assuming you’ll bring Harry?”

  Bck blinked in surprise. “Merlin’s beard - that’s a crowd. And you’re letting your servants in? Aren’t they Muggles?”

  “Not quite,” Scarlet said, raised an eyebrow, “To be precise, they’re not muggles, but they arely wizards either.”

  “What?” Bck’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Some of them are Jutsushi, others are Shamans, and a few...well, I’m irely sure, but they’ve got talents,” Scarlet expined. “Most of them only know a few tricks, nothing particurly powerful, but it’s enough for them to uand my situation and handle what es with it.” She shrugged. “It took my family a great deal of effort to hire them, and they all signed magiDA with me. If not for that, I wouldn’t have invited Ron and his brothers over for Christmas.”

  Bck let that sink in for a moment. “You really do keep iing pany.”

  Scarlet shrugged, just as Meiko approached with drinks. “So, as soon as the materials arrive, ual.”

  Meiko nodded in firmation. “The sand will arrive tonight, and the rest of the materials will be here by tomorrow m.”

  “No dey?” Scarlet asked.

  “Everything is on schedule, Midy.” Meiko responded firmly.

  “So, it’s safe to pual for tomorrow. I’ll send Neville a letter,” Scarlet said. She reached for her notebook, intending to tear out a page and scribble a note. But then she remembered Mrs. Longbottom was from a pureblood family, and decided against it. “Meiko, could you fetch my letter set, please?”

  “Yes, Midy.” Meiko replied, disappearing to retrieve it.

  The “Midy” caught Bck off guard, and he smirked. “Midy? Well, well, Scarlet. Didn’t peg you for royalty.”

  Scarlet quickly waved him off. “Oh, stop. I didn’t ask for it.”

  Bck chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. “I should’ve brought Kreacher along - he could learn a thing or two about proper manners.”

  “A house-elf?” Scarlet asked.

  “Of course!” Bck replied, wiping away a stray tear from ughing. “You should sider getting one yourself, Midy. Life would be much easier.”

  Scarlet shook her head with a soft smile. “My life has never beeer.”

  When Meiko returned, she pced a rge, elegant case in front of Scarlet. Inside were delicate, sted papers and matg envelopes - a gift from her grandmother, who still lived a life of refi as the Lady of Tachibana . There was also a ade wax seal set, designed and crafted by an expert her grandparents had hired specially for her.

  Scarlet oftehis letter set to send her grandparents notes, just thten their day. This, however, was the first time she’d use it to send a letter to anyone else. Well, no one really uses this kind of thing nowadays, she mused, though it felt fitting for the occasion.

  Uhe surprised gazes of Bd Lupin, she wrote a formal letter i cursive on a piece of sandalwood-sted paper. She then sealed it with light maple-coloured wax after pg it in a dark maple-coloured envelope. Meanwhile, Kyle opehe French window that led to the pord gave a low hoot, calling Faye her small perch house.

  Faye, the household owl, eagerly hopped onto Kyle’s shoulder, happily nibbling on the jerky he pulled from his pocket. Despite Scarlet’s warnings that Faye was growing too fat and forbiddira snacks, it seemed Kyle had bee her main source of treats.

  “Dad!” Scarlet scolded, crossing her arms. “You promised!”

  “But it’s just a little bit,” Kyle replied with a wry smile, holding his fingers apart to show a tiny gap representing that “little bit”.

  “She’s a cat-headed eagle (that’s how ese referred to an owl), not a cat. She o fly, not gai!”

  “But it’s winter! She needs fat to keep warm!” Kyle protested.

  Faye hooted in agreement, as if defending herself.

  “You heard what the vet said,” Scarlet sighed. “Fine. In that case, I’ll have Faye take on more deliveries after I’m back at school. e here, Faye, send this to Neville.”

  Faye gave an indignant hoot but obediently snatched the letter and flew off to plete her task.

  Bd Lupin, who had been watg quietly, exged a gnd leaoward each other, and speaking in low tones.

  Lupin murmured, “It’s strange, isn’t it? All these years, and here we are again. Like it was yesterday.”

  Bck gave a faint smile, his tone muarded. “Thought the closest I’d get to this would be in Azkaban. Didn’t think I’d see anything like Hogwarts again,” he said, then paused, his gaze shifting darkly. “But the Dark Mark...it’s been spotted. Means he’s alive.”

  Lupin raised an eyebrow, his expressioral to avoid alerting Scarlet. “Maybe, but st we heard, he couldn’t return.”

  “Maybe not yet,” Bck replied, his voice barely a whisper. “But his followers? They’ll be lurking somewhere, I’d bet on it. One of them might even try something with Harry’ - revenge, or worse.” He g Lupin. “I’d put nothing past them.”

  “Harry’s safe at Hogwarts, but after he leaves during the holidays...”

  “That’s why Dumbledore wants Harry at his aunt’s, for the blood wards. That’s Lily’s st gift to him,” Bck muttered, his voice heavy.

  Lupin nodded subtly, “But I heard they’re - well, ly the best guardians.”

  Bck’s eyes hardened. “No, not ideal. However, it’s not as bad as what we heard from those kids yesterday. Dumbledore swears it’s what’s safest for him. Still... if I’d had my head on straight, I’d have been here for him. Instead, I let the guilt and Azkaban e me.” He rubbed his face with a hint of frustration, his tone almost bitter. “It was supposed to be me looking out for him.”

  Lupin pced a steadying hand on his friend’s shoulder, voice soft but firm. “None of us ge the past, Sirius. But Harry knows you’re here for him now.”

  Bck managed a thin smile, though his eyes betrayed a lingeri. In the distahe sounds of ughter and shouts from Harry and the Weasley brothers filled the air, along with Percy’s indignant cries at being woken up.

  Scarlet waved goodbye to Faye as the owl flow off, theuro the table, just as Bd Lupin fell silent, watg her with mild amusement.

  She turo Kyle. “I’m going out tonight. Alone.”

  “Why?” Kyle brow furrowed.

  “I o hunt down the s,” she said casually, but the weight of her words was evident through Kyle’s expression.

  Kyle’s gaze hardened. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  “I promise,” Scarlet replied, her gaze steady.

  Kyle sighed, giving in. “Very well. Got all year?”

  “You know I’m alrepared,” Scarlet said with a small smile.

  Lupin, watg her with a hint of , spoke up gently. “Are you sure you don’t want pany? Nights be dangerous.”

  “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing,” Scarlet reassured them.

  Later that night, after Harry and Bck had left, the boys were fast asleep, and Scarlet reparing to slip out. Just then, an owl arrived, carrying a letter addressed to her.

  Scarlet opehe letter and read it in silence. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought.

  Kyle, who had been sitting in the living room waiting for her to head out, watched her closely. He had told William and Meiko to go to bed, but they refused.

  “I must be ready, in case midy needs me,” Meiko said, feeling as though she had adopted the role of a shinobi or samurai, serving an upper-css family in a Japan. Though she was teically a bodyguard, Scarlet rarely needed her help, making her feeling useless sometimes.

  “Midy might need me to mahings wheurns,” William added, somehow casting himself as a dutiful butler, like Alfred to Batman, refusing to stand aside in any matter reted to her.

  Kyle stifled a smirk at their devoted “role-py”, but chose to remain silent out of respect. Instead, he turo Lupin. “Why don’t you get some sleep, Remus? Tomorrow’s likely to be rough.”

  Lupin shook his head, in his gaze. “I ’t rest while Scarlet’s out there, especially if it’s something ected to me,” he said, his eyes following Scarlet as she instructed Meiko to put the letter in her room. “She seemed...troubled. Did the letter say something?”

  “I don’t ask,” Kyle shrugged. “She’ll tell me if it’s something I o know. I’m a Muggle, remember? Maybe it’s safer if I don’t know.”

  Before Lupin could respond, Scarlet’s voice rang out from the porch. “It’s nothing. Just a professor inf me my application to ehe Forbidden Forest was rejected. I’ll apply again.”

  With a casual wave, she slipped into her battle suit. “I’ll be back soon!”

  She bent her knees and, with a powerful leap, vanished into the night, a gust of wind apanying her departure.

  As she sped through the dark, her mind raced over the tents of the letter from Professor Snape.

  She thought to herself, Quirrell tried to break into the forbidden third flain, but his spell backfired because of my entments orapduarded by the three-headed hound. He wasn’t hurt, but he failed. It triggered Professor Snape and Mr. Filstead. I didn’t sense anything from the trapdoor entment - probably because of the distance - but none of the uni protes were triggered, meaning he didn’t mao hunt down any uni...

  , he’ll either target the hospital wing or Professor Snape’s office to heal his wound. Scarlet mused with a faint smile, But it won’t matter – I'll cut off his escape routes and er him...He’s running out of moves.

  Qiya