“Scarlet, just when I thought you couldn’t surprise me further, you mao outdo yourself once again,” Professor Dumbledore remarked, his gaze soft but inquisitive as he stood in Professor Snape’s office.

  Professor Sationed by the scorched wall, carefully scraped a small portion of the residue into a test tube. He exami, casting a few sileion charms over the sample, observed it closely before nodding. “This is unmistakably lio the Dark Arts,” he firmed before passing the test tube to Professor Dumbledore, his voice smooth but serious.

  Professonagall, standing nearby, regarded the young girl with a blend of disbelief and fasation. Professor Snape had mentiohat Scarlet was handling some ingredients in his offid instructed Magall to keep an eye on things “in case something unusual happens.” Snape had added in his unusual sharpness: “You ’t expect students with hare-brains to do much better, though Ms Hong might be the exception, her brain being just a tad sharper than the rest.”

  Yet nothing could have prepared Professonagall for the traces of dark magid a mummified body she found when loud, shrieking noises suddenly echoed from Professor Snape’s office. She had assumed a typical cauldron mishap when she was to keep an eye on a student – until she saw the evidence herself.

  Scarlet, meanwhile, showed no signs of fear or nervousness, only quiet fidence.

  After studying the test tube for a moment, Professor Dumbledore shifted his attention back to Scarlet. “Why do you believe that the soul fragment you destroyed beloo Voldemort? Surely, you know that many dark wizards have dabbled in Dark Arts. What leads you to this clusion?”

  Because I saw it in the movie, Scarlet thought, but obviously, she couldn’t say that. Instead, she replied, “Because he said so. Though he might have been bluffing, Harry’s scar hurts whenever he makes eye tact with Professor Quirrell. I assume the only dark magic strong enough ter such a rea is ected to that one and only dark wizard?”

  Professonagall gasped, clearly shocked to hear of Harry’s pain. However, posed expressions on Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape’s faces suggested they were already familiar with this information.

  “Additionally,” Scarlet tinued, choosing her words carefully, “I believe there’s a reason why Professor Dumbledore chose to move and hide the Philosopher’s Stone here at Hogwarts.” She g the professors, watg for their reas.

  Professor Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled with intrigue as he regarded her. “Scarlet, you’re not merely surprising us – you're positively astonishing us. How did you learn of the stone? No, perhaps a better question is, how much do you know?”

  “Holy, I’m not sure how much I know,” Scarlet admitted. “But I have a theory.” She decided not to hold back, knowing she would he professors’ trust and support to tinue her hunt for the other soul fragments. “Before the start of the term, your friend Niel sensed something strange happening. I know the two of you are friends because Harry told me your names appeared together on a Chocote Frog card. It mentioned your work in alchemy.”

  She saw professors exged gnces, but she pressed on. “Fmel lihe disturbao the Philosopher’s Stone, and sought your advice. You both decided to pce the stone in Gringotts for safekeeping, but when someoempted to break into the vault – I saw that in the neer – you transferred it to Hogwarts. Harry must have figured it out somehow, sidering how often he’s been poking around the third floor. It’s ly subtle.”

  Scarlet paused, gauging their reas. They looked surprised, but not angry. Enced, she tinued. “Hagrid’s not great at keepis, from what I’ve heard from Harry. Too muformation slipped out around him, and Harry’s curiosity got the better of him. No other students seem as ied ihird floor...except maybe Fred and Gee Weasley, but their curiosity is always off the charts. My guess is, you’ve been fav Harry – not just because of his father, but because of what happeo his parents. I suspect this euation with the stone is a test for him. A challeo help prepare him for the future, while also capturing the thief targeting the stone.”

  Professor Dumbledore’s gaze remaihoughtful as she spoke, but Professor Snape’s expression shifted to one of mild impatience.

  She paused again to catch a breath, “This whole pn seems like a clever way to kill two birds with oone - help your friend and push Harry to grow. But there’s one fw in the pn. No one realised that the thief was being aided by a dark wizard. And not just any dark wizard - but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

  Professonagall’s hand flew to her mouth as Professor Dumbledore expression deepened with , houghtfully as Scarlet tinued her expnation.

  “Harry was timid in the beginning of the term,” Scarlet went on. “He was afraid of looking strange because he didn’t know much about the wizarding world’s on knowledge. At first, he thought the pain in his scar was just some magical quirk. But once he grew more fortable, he began sharing his doubts about it. That’s when I realised what was happening. I believe the professors standing before me are already aware that the magic I’ve ied from a sources deals with death and souls. I could see the soul fragment attached to Harry’s scar.”

  Professonagall gasped again, but Scarlet pressed on, unwavering. “And yes, I saw a simir fragment attached to the back of Quirrell’s head. Both fragments were from the same soul - full of darkness, hatred, and nothing positive. I’ve known this since my very first Defence Against the Dark Arts css. So, that mystery was solved – the soul fragments beloo an evil being, and the only one ected to Harry is the dark wizard.”

  Scarlet gestured to her battle attire. “As you see, I’m more capable than most students my age. I’ve been keeping an eye on Quirrell, unsure of what to do with him. That’s when I noticed him hunting unis in the Forbidden Forest.”

  Professonagall muttered, “So that’s why Hagrid kept finding dead unis.”

  “I stopped him,” Scarlet expined. “I wounded him in the shoulder a a curse on the wound – uionally, since my on has that effect. I also gave prote talismans to the unis, so he couldn’t harm them for their blood anymore. To heal himself, he had limited optioher retrieve the stone as fast as possible - which he failed to do, thanks to Professor Snape's vigince – or rely on healing potions.”

  “That expins the repeated thefts of potions from the hospital wing!” Professonagall excimed.

  “Madame Pomfrey had been o, so he had little ce of stealing more potions from there. The only other pce he could get them was from Professor Snape’s office,” Scarlet cluded, gng briefly at the Potions Master. “That’s why I suggested setting up a trap. Everythi acc to pn. I’m relieved that this threat has been removed, and my friends are safe from danger.”

  Professor Dumbledarded the young wit front of him with admiration. “Scarlet, you would make an excellent chess pyer.”

  “No, I’m actually terrible at chess.” Scarlet shook her head, her thoughts briefly flickered to her previous life. A teacher at the Caster Academy had once made the exact same remark.

  The professors exged looks. Scarlet’s expression softened as she gazed at the professors, siy evident in her eyes. “I don’t enjoy petition. I’m not driven by the desire to win. If I had a choice, I’d rather sit quietly in a er, watg everyone else live happily, enjoying their lives. I’d be tent to let others be the heroes, and I’d gdly up the aftermath for them. I’m good at paying attention to details, and I don’t like being on the front lines.”

  Her thoughts briefly drifted back to her previous life, where she had watched her colleagues shine like diamonds as they fought against the abnormalities. Those characters had bee the most popur in her novel - some even more beloved than Akahime, the protagonist.

  But she quickly pulled her mind back to the present, where she stood before the greatest wizard in Britain of this era, and Professor Dumbledore’s gaze was warm as he sidered her words, seeing the soft smile on her face.

  “Professor Dumbledore,” she began, drawing herself up slightly, “I’d like to make a request.”

  The old wizard nodded, invitio tinue.

  Scarlet took a deep breath, her voice steady. “I’d like permission to hunt down the remaining soul fragments.”

  Professonagall gasped, and even Professor Snape gave her a strange gnce. However, Professor Dumbledore responded with gentle smile. “I’m afraid I must dee, Scarlet. You’re far too young--”

  “And successfully thwarted the dark wizard’s pn,” Scarlet interjected, polite but firm. “Once I figure out how to remove the soul fragment attached to Harry, I use it to track dowhers and elimihat stupid ghost food. In the meantime, I study the Dark Mark and see if I locate any of his followers still at rge. Professor Dumbledore, I’m making this request based on my abilities, and I don’t io take on more responsibility than I handle.”

  “One success does not guarantee another,” Professor Dumbledore replied gently with . “You mao defeat him this time, perhaps because of luck, or because he was weak. We ot assume other fragments would be vulnerable, and there’s no telling how many may exist. We ot afford to make guesses and assume we’ve gotten them all.”

  He has a point. Scarlet mused, taking a deep breath, swallowing her frustration. It’s fine. Just like with any project, if the first proposal was rejected, I could alresent a sed or even a third.

  “I uand,” Scarlet hen, to everyone’s surprise, she added, “I’ll do more researd return with a more prehensive proposal. ime, I’ll prove that I’m truly suited for this hunt, and I’ll detail all my safety precautions.”

  “...” Professor Dumbledore looked at her for a long, silent moment before finally nodding. “I’ll be awaiting your proposal. For now, take a good rest and leave the rest to us. Is that clear, Scarlet?”

  “Crystal clear,” Scarlet replied with a grin. She bowed politely before mentioning how to dispel the magic circle.

  “Oh, o his body,” she added, gesturing to the mummified body, “will likely crumble to dust ohe magic circle’s dispelled, so...thank you, Professor Snape, for lending your office.”

  With that, she made a swift exit, esg before the gloomy bat of a professor could deduct House points or assign her detention for messing up his space.

  Scarlet felt a small sense of triumph as she checked aask off her to-do list.

  Now, about that sed proposal...How could she vihe great wizard to approve her pn for hunting dowher soul fragments? She’d need more time to figure that out.

  Qiya