Thanks to the Weasley twins, Scarlet had a spotless room within a few hours.

“Spick and span!”

“Could use a bit of decoration, though.”

Scarlet nodded, “That’ll be tomorrow’s task.”

“Say, dear sister--”

“--why do you need such a vast room?”

“Some secret project, perhaps?”

“Well...” Scarlet hesitated. She preferred to keep everything under wraps. Ideally, she’d like this to remain her secret throughout her school years, but it’s unrealistic given that the staff had likely noticed she was a special student - apart from Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. However, she had a feeling she needed to be cautious around the twins.

Yes, they are gentlemen - kind and humorous - but it was undeniable they were a constant headache for the staff with their pranks and jokes. She’d already witnessed them pranking the ghosts and Mr. Filch, and it was only the first day of school!

They’d respect her, but that didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t sneak around or plan something mischievous...It was best to keep them close, just to avoid any unpredictable surprises.

“Want to see? But you must keep it a secret,” Scarlet said, shrugging and swiftly making a few graceful hops to the centre of the room, moving like a ballerina.

“Of course we can!” the twins chorused.

“Swear?”

“Swear on Merlin’s beard!” The twins, curious but intrigued, backed up a few steps to the side of the room, following Scarlet’s motion.

What they saw next was beyond their imagination.

Scarlet scattered small objects to every corner of the room. They were probably marbles or rocks, evident from the sound they made as they skittered across the floor. With a snap of her fingers, she illuminated the room by lighting up these tiny things - a magic they usually needed a wand to cast, but Scarlet did it with just a snap.

Then, her aura shifted.

She stood tall, fierce, and stretched her arms as if pulling something long from an unseen place. She commanded, “Gear On.”

Her clothes transformed, changing form tidy school robes into an oddly fashioned attire - tight and fitted, with nothing dangling that could obstruct her. Even her hair was neatly tied in a braided bun. As her outfit complete its transformation, the long item she had been pulling from the unseen place finally revealed its true form.

It was a spear - a ruby-coloured spear. Sharp, elegant, delicately shaped, and radiating a whimsical aura that signalled it was no ordinary weapon forged from steel or iron. It was magical, and dangerous.

The spear danced in Scarlet’s hand, swinging smoothly like a flowing stream, perfectly synchronized with her movements, kicks, and leaps...It was mesmerizing.

Eventually, she ceased her display and smiled at the twins. “So, what do you think?”

“Think about what?” Fred asked, “I’m stunned.”

George added, looking equally blank, “And I’m speechless.”

“You’re just exaggerating.” Scarlet teased, waving them off. “Professor Dumbledore and Professor Sprout seemed perfectly normal when they saw my spear.”

“They knew?!”

“Of course,” Scarlet replied with a knowing look, “Do you really think I could keep it a secret from Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the time?”

“Well...”

“We’ve managed to keep plenty of secrets from them.”

“True, but my case is different.” Scarlet spread her arms wide, showing her outfit from all angles. “It’s so obviously different; he’d be blind not to notice.”

The twins chuckled at her words.

Scarlet gave her spear a final, elegant spin before stowing it away and changing back into her school robes. “That’s why I need this room for physical training. You’re welcome to use it too. It could even become your secret hideout; I know you’ve been up to something. I’ll set a password so only those who can provide a fingerprint will be able to enter. For now, I’d like to keep things discreet - I don’t want unnecessary attention.”

“No problem!” Fred said earnestly, “You’ve placed your utmost trust in us.”

“And we shall repay you in kind,” George added.

“Great!” Scarlet snapped her fingers, extinguishing the lights from the marbles and leaving only a soft glow from the windows. Without the tattered curtains, the room seemed fresher even with the dimmed lighting, “I’ll gradually decorate the room, install the security charm on the door and all. For now, I need a shower and a good night’s sleep – it's been an exhausting day.”

“Sweet dream, dear honorary sister.”

“We can’t wait to see more of your impressive moves!”

An idea struck her. “Well...we could discuss getting some assistance for my training later.”

“Really?” the twins asked in surprise, but Scarlet waved them off.

“We’ll talk about it later. It’s time to sleep now. Lack of rest could stunt my growth, and I’d prefer to grow taller to match my spear.”

They said their goodbyes and called it a day.

The next morning, Scarlet arrived at her training room to install the security enchantment on the door. She doubted she’d have much time for training this week, as she was still adapting to her new environment. She’d probably end up spending more time writing essays and researching citations in the library.

Some of her classmates had already finished their essays. She’d inquired about their book references and decided to borrow them from the library...If only there were a school internet to check the book list and their availability, she mused as she finished her breakfast and resumed working on the questionnaire. She’d made some progress before bed last night just needed to complete a bit more...

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“Owls!” Maya cried excitedly beside her.

Hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall, dropping letters to their respective recipients. Most first-years were mesmerised by the flurry wings and the scattering light, but Scarlet couldn’t help but be concerned about the hygiene - Surely there won’t be any droppings on the food? No feathers in the soups?

Her concerns faded when her own owl, Faye, arrived with a tightly sealed folder clutched in her talons.

“Good morning, Faye.” Scarlet took her folder and placed it on her lap while offering Fay some blanched chicken. Faye hooted happily and began eating, and Scarlet checked her over to make sure she wasn’t injured.

“Wow, is this your owl?” Maya asked, “She’s so pretty!”

“Thanks, I’ve done my best to raise her.” Scarlet replied with a smile. “She’s the largest owl in the shop since I’m expecting many deliveries. Aren’t you the cutest~” She hugged Faye and buried her face in owl’s fluffy feathers. Faye seemed to enjoy the attention. “Faye, I’m going to be busy this week, but I promise I’ll spend more time with you next week, okay? I’m planning to sponsor a few school owls to help with the mail delivery between Hogwarts and our home. Would you like to choose your future colleagues, or should I pick them for you?”

Faye hooted calmly.

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you.” Scarlet tapped on the folder. “I’ll see you later, either before dinner or by tomorrow morning.”

Faye responded with a final hoot and flew off.

Amelia eyed the folder with curiosity, “Is this why you’ll be so busy? Can we ask what’s inside?”

“You can ask, but you can’t read it. It's confidential.” Scarlet opened the folder to reveal a letter from her dad, a scrapbook with newspapers clippings, and several documents encased in a plastic cover. She read the note first and then began browsing through the documents, “This is a document requesting approval for next season’s budget...acceptable. This is a proposal for a new product, including their marketing strategy and packaging...reject. We already have a similar product; it’s better to improve the existing one than to launch a new series. Another proposal...this looks promising. Agreement? Oh, the collaboration with the local festival, let’s see...”

Amelia looked at Maya with a questioning gaze and raised eyebrows, but Maya was equally puzzled, as were the others who had gathered around them.

Ron happened to be looking for Scarlet, holding the completed questionnaire in his hands. He saw Scarlet signing and scribbling on the documents and remarked, “Wow, businesswoman.”

Scarlet looked up at Ron’s voice, “Hi Ron, you were looking for me?”

“Yeah, here’s your questionnaire.”

“Thanks! Here’s the other part.” Scarlet took the papers from Ron and handed him a thicker stack. “How was your first day?”

“Fun and exciting!” Ron exclaimed, “Although one of the professors seems pretty tough to deal with.”

“The one with the black robes, who sits next to the one with the purple turban,” Ron whispered.

“He does look a bit intimidating, but he’s probably just a strict professor. I’m sure he’s an excellent at what he does,” Scarlet reassured Ron.

Ron soon bade them goodbye and returned to his breakfast, leaving Scarlet surrounded by curious gazes. One of them whispered, “Are you doing business? I mean, working for a company?”

“...yes?”

There were gasps from several people, “Do you need some space? We can be quiet if you need to.”

“No need for that.” Scarlet said with a smile, “Just some lightweight documents. I’ll find a quiet place if I need to study them.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got your back!”

“...thanks?”

The little wizards seemed to think this was something to be kept secret, reminding each other to act normally and not to spill the beans.

Since everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, Scarlet just shrugged and continued with her documents and news updates. No signs of the internet being widely adopted or accepted yet. The economy seemed stable in Japan, and Hong Kong was as usual. America...notes? Should we consider investing in Hollywood a movie? No, that’s out of our scope. Reply to this note...Perhaps try Southeast Asia or Africa...I miss my email...

Classes went smoothly until Potions, where they encountered the intimidating professor Ron had mentioned at breakfast.

Professor Snape looked far better than how she remembered him from the films, which she found odd. She vaguely recalled that the book fans often argued that Snape was portrayed as too attractive compared to his description in the books. It was a hot topic whenever a new film in the series was released. She would see Harry Potter content all over the internet, whether in forums, social medias, or video platforms. She occasionally clicked in to check the latest discussions, just to stay somewhat up-to-date when chatting with colleagues. She remembered that this professor was a complex character – a good guy, a double agent, who tragically dies at the end of the story...

Again, the film was quite different from the book, and the actor who played this professor added the character’s allure, turning him into a legend. She vividly remembered how many people cried when he died in the film, creating tribute videos in his memory...So why did he look more like the movie version, and even better? The protagonist trio didn’t resemble their movie counterparts at all. I thought I was reincarnated into the book versions?

After calling out names - probably to take attendance and match names with faces, as most professor - Professor Snape began to emanate an aura that silenced everyone in the classroom. Even though he spoke in a soft but stern voice, it commanded attention. “You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stop death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”

Professor Snape’s speech was long-winded, and his command of language was far too fancy compared to other professors. This alerted Scarlet, as she suddenly remembered that most characters in the films spoke in quite a sophisticated manner. But now, she realised that the people around her were all speaking normally...almost too normal, and modern.

Something’s off...but what?

“The instructions are on the board. Well? Get started.”

Professor Snape didn’t go easy on them. His style was more like a university lecturer’s, diving straight into the material in their first class by pairing them up and getting them to brew potions. He mentioned important points and expected the students to figure things out on their own rather than spoon-feeding them. He even assumed they had pre-studied their textbooks for the next class, calling on students to answer question and deducting house points if they failed to respond correctly. But his choice of words was sharp and startling, especially for first-years students.

Most students were frantically working over their cauldrons, nervously adding ingredients. Scarlet who remained calm, noticed something: the instructions on the board were slightly different from those in the textbook, almost as if...he had fine-tuned the recipe.

She quickly jotted down the difference in her textbook with blue ink, which already had plenty of black ink scribbles since it was second-hand. Professor Snape happened to pass by, paused for a moment, and then continued his stroll.

Her group finished the brew without any incident, unlike some students who spilled their potions, corroding their robe, or burst into tears out of fear of Professor Snape. Some even failed twice because they added ingredients at the wrong time. Her performance was surprisingly good, especially considering her previous life’s struggles with chemistry.

“Pretty decent, Ms. Hong. One point for Hufflepuff.”

“...Thank you, Professor Snape.”

Class ended with most students feeling miserable, even the Hufflepuffs, who had earned a house point thanks to Scarlet, didn’t seemed particularly uplifted. But Scarlet was too focused on an odd feeling, a sense that something important was amiss.

“You seem deep in thought today,” Maya observed that night after Scarlet had finished everything, including her discussions with the Weasley twins, “Mind sharing?”

“I was just thinking we might have troublesome school years with Professor Snape.” Scarlet didn’t voice her deeper concerns, still unable to pin down why her senses kept signalling that something was off...though not in threatening way.

“Yeah, he’s definitely a teacher that gives us nightmare.” Maya nodded, then shift to a lighter subject, “By the way, Scarlet, about your story...”

“Yes?”

Maya’s cheek flushed slightly. “I have an idea for a story, but it’s mostly inspired by your book...Like, I’m imagining my character wandering in the background of your story, joining your character in your world. Could I write a story about it?”

“Well, you can. It’s called fanfiction. Just remember you can’t profit from it unless my publisher and I agree...” Scarlet replied absentmindedly at first, but then she suddenly fell silent as a realisation hit her.

Maya didn’t notice. She just thought Scarlet had finished speaking and continued excitedly, “Oh! Fanfiction, sounds great! I’ll write my story down. Could you check it out and see if it’s alright?”

“...Oh, yeah, sure. Just give it to me when you’re ready.” Scarlet replied.

After their conversation, Scarlet lay in bed, immersed in shock.

So...I’m not only reincarnated into the Harry Potter universe, but into a Harry Potter fanfiction?