Scarlet finally settled into her room with her roommates.

There were five boys and six girls this year. The boys shared a room, while the girls were split between two, three to a room. Otherwise, Scarlet would have ended up alone, which the seniors unanimously agreed wasn’t an option.

Her roommates were Amelia Brooks, from a half-blood family, and Maya Turner, who came from a Muggle family.

“Oh my gosh, Scarlet!” Maya exclaimed, rushing over to her, “I’m such a huge fan! I even brought your book with me! Could I get your autograph?”

“Sure,” Scarlet replied, reaching for her fountain pen used only for signing autographs. The autumn-coloured ink, with a touch of glitter, flowed gracefully onto the first page of the book, leaving a delicate signature that ended with a maple leaf.

“So pretty!” Amelia, who had been watching, remarked.

“It’s a specially designed autograph for fans, and the ink’s a custom blend to match,” Scarlet said, a light blush colouring her cheeks, “But to be honest, I’ve only signed a few copies, all for family.”

“You should definitely sign more.”

“I was planned to. My editor even arranged a book signing...but since I’m at Hogwarts now, everything had to be rescheduled,” Scarlet said with a shrug, “I’m heading to the common room; fancy joining me?”

“Of course!”

After Scarlet signed a few more autographs in the common room, all the first years had a quick chat. They were particularly curious about having a novelist in their year, but they were all exhausted from the train ride and too young to stay up much longer. Soon enough, they all cleaned up and headed to bed.

Scarlet woke early the next day, at least compared to her roommates. Most of the older students were already up, some lounging in the common room, others heading down to breakfast.

At 7:30 a.m., Scarlet checked her pocket watch, got up from her bed, washed her face, brushed her teeth, changed into her school uniform, and sat down at her desk. First order of business: take a Polaroid selfie to attached to her letter for her dad.

Ever since she learned that electronics would malfunction at Hogwarts - no phones, no radios, and no TVs - Scarlet assumed that battery-powered clocks wouldn’t work either. So, she prepared some non-electronic alternatives beforehand. A pocket watch was her second choice, as wristwatch would be more convenient, but a pocket watch seemed to suit a wizard’s robe better, so she brought two - one as a spare. She also brought a Polaroid camera to get instant pictures for posting, though she packed a film camera as well, planning to send the film to her dad later for printing.

She had letters to write: one for her dad to let him know she’d arrived safely and to share some interesting happenings from the previous day; another for her manager, listing the paperwork she could probably handle this week and requesting news summaries and updates. There was also a letter for Madame Brown, the director of the orphanage, reassuring her that she was fine, hadn't fallen into any dangerous situations, and was merely attending a high-class private school with a unique education that suited her as a novelist. She added that her dad hadn’t locked her up or exploited her fame for any selfish reasons.

Lastly, she had the questionnaire for Ron. Only now did she realise how many notes she had jotted down, with so many questions awaiting answers. Time was ticking, and she needed to head to the Owlery so her owl, Faye, could deliver the letters. She decided to copy down the questions she was most concerned about.

“Scarlet? Wow, you’re up early.”

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Scarlet asked, looked across the room at Amelia, who was rubbing her eyes and yawning.

“No, it was the sun,” Amelia replied. The Hufflepuff dorm was filled with warm, welcoming colours, with plenty of windows that let sunlight spill across the dorm. “It’s shining right at my bed.

Scarlet glanced at the window, “Would you prefer it covered with curtains? Or perhaps we could grow some trailing plants over there to serve as shades.”

“Plants, yes, but no curtains.” Amelia mumbled as she rolled over in bed, “I like the sunlight - that’s why I choose this bed, so I could bathe in the sun first thing in the morning.”

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“Yes, it does lighten one’s heart to be greeted by such sunlight first thing in the morning,” Scarlet agreed.

A muffled moan from under the blanket signalled that Maya was waking up too. Soon, she was sitting up, stretching with a yawn.

“Morning, girls.”

“Morning, Maya.” Scarlet replied, glancing at her pocket watch. It was 7:58 a.m. - she needed to hurry.

She quickly scribbled down the remaining questions, packed her letters neatly into an envelope, and grabbed her bag. “I’d love to chat, but I’m in a rush to send these letters. Gosh, the Owlery’s a fair distance away. I’ll catch up with you both later in the hall!”

Scarlet hurried through the corridors, passing Mr. Filch, who frowned at her – clearly displeased with her running in the halls.

The Owlery was tall, with cold stone walls and no windows. Scarlet didn’t have time to take in her surroundings. She called her owl, attached the letters, and watched as it flew off. Then, she quickly rushed back down the tower and made her way to the hall. Finally, she reached the long table just a minute before half past eight.

“How was the Owlery?” Maya asked, taking a bite of bread.

“Fifteen minutes of walking there and back – a total of thirty minutes. Great exercise,” Scarlet sighed, catching her breath as she opted for a bowl of oatmeal.

“Scarlet!”

She turned to see Ron hurrying towards her. He looked quite excited, probably still adjusting to the new environment and the thrill of being friends with the famous Harry Potter.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you this morning. I was about to ask your housemates about your schedule,” Ron said.

“Well, I didn’t realise the Owlery was so far,” Scarlet replied, pulling out the questionnaire, watching Ron eagerly opened it as soon as it was in his hands. “Just answer the questions based on you know. If you’re unsure, just jot that down - no worries.”

“I thought you had more questions?”

“I didn’t have time to write them all out this morning. I’ll give you the rest later, maybe tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’ll get this back to you as soon as I can.” Ron tucked the paper into his pocket and strolled back to his table.

Amelia looked curious, “What was that?”

“Just some questions,” Scarlet replied, then, to save time explaining further, added, “For my next novel. I need some character references. He’s the first person I’ve asked, and I’m paying for his answer.”

“Wow, is that how a story gets written?” Maya asked, amazed, “What sort of character are you looking for? He doesn’t seem particularly good-looking.”

“The youngest boy in a family with five older brothers and a younger sister - that’s interesting enough,” Scarlet said, gulping down her oatmeal before starting on her bacon and eggs. “Sometimes inspiration just strikes. I might look for others to answer my questionnaires if possible - it’s a paid task. Let me know if anyone’s interested; I’m offering ten Galleons for it.”

“Ten Galleons?!”

“Yep, for one set of questions. Ron - the boy just now – took with him only a small portion, and I’ll be giving him more later. I’m still gathering the questions.” Scarlet finished her breakfast in a few more bites, then wiped her lips with the napkin provided. “Have you finished? I think we should head to our first class now.”

“Now?” Amelia glanced at the clock in the centre of the Great Hall, “But it’s only 8:40.”

“And it’s our first day, which we don’t know where the classroom is. Plus,” Scarlet sighed, “the staircase can move. If we don’t time it right, we’ll have to wait for them to come back. We need to allow extra time in case we get lost and need to find the way.”

“Oh my...” Maya mumbled.

The first years around Scarlet overheard her and looked concerned. They quickly finished their breakfast, while Scarlet made her way towards their house prefects. “Excuse me, seniors, could you tell me where the Defence Against Dark Arts classroom is?”

“Me, me, me! I can take you there!” A cheerful girl with a ponytail raised her hand eagerly, “I’m heading to the library anyway. Come on, let’s go!”

“I’ll come with you.” another boy offered, standing up.

As they both got to their feet, all the first years followed behind Scarlet like ducklings trailing after their mother. One boy was even gulping down his toast while clutching a cupcake, which earned him a few amused glances when everyone looked his way, and he replied with a sheepish giggle.

“Wow, this year’s first years are quick,” remarked another senior who was still seated. She shoved each of them a small pouch of cookies she’d grabbed from the long table. “Here, snacks in case you get hungry - don’t starved yourself.”

The two prefects leading them tried to reassure the nervous new students, “Don’t worry, you started walking early, so you’ll definitely reach the classroom on time. Unlike us - we were both late on our first day. Those staircases are such a pain.”

“Well, I’m just being cautious and prefer to plan ahead.” Scarlet said, following closely behind them.

They exchanged stories about their experience at Hogwarts and emphasized the importance of the library, reminding the first years to secure a spot early, as it was always challenging to find a good place to study.

Emily Robins, the fifth-year prefect, glanced at Scarlet and asked, “I heard you’ve written a book. Where can I buy a copy? Flourish and Blotts?”

“Uhm...I’m not sure about that, since my book was published by a Muggle publisher. You might be able to find it during the school holidays at any Muggle bookstore. I think most bookstores have at least one copy.”

“Wow, it must be a bestseller if so many bookstores stock it!” Emily exclaimed.

Jonathan Johnson, the other fifth-year prefect, added, “It’s amazing to have a novelist in our House, especially at such a young age.”

Scarlet just gave an awkward chuckle, which they took as a sign of her being shy about the attention.

The staircases kept shifting, but the prefects led the way smoothly to the classroom. They bid each other goodbye as the first years followed Scarlet inside, only to be greeted by a strong garlic smell.

Is this the classroom? Or did I accidently walk into a garlic paste factory? Scarlet wondered as she spotted the professor sitting behind the desk, finding him a bit odd, Another one?