Scarlet woke up and decided not to dwell on whether she had reincarnated into the original Harry Potter universe of a fanfiction 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 morning classes, leaving her free for the afternoon and evening. She had plenty of time to organise her things after finishing her essays.

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

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 encountered similar lecturers back in university in her previous life, but she hadn’t anticipated Professor Binns being quite as he was when she arrived at the classroom.

A ghost, teaching History –it was ironic, but not an ideal choice. Ghosts were resistant to new ideas or knowledge; they became stubborn and set in their ways, without considering other. Suitable as a guardian, perhaps, but definitely not as teachers.

Scarlet watched as her classmates 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 fell asleep, choosing to ignoring the ghost muttering at the front of the room, and began working on her story 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 place and eventually settled into a supporting role. With not much of an exciting story left to tell from her perspective, Scarlet planned to write the next book her friend’s point of view.

Her friend was a powerful caster, always standing on the front lines to defeat abnormalities and have countless stories to share whenever they met. Most of the time, it was Akahime who cleaned up the mess he made, giving her a thorough understanding of how each battle unfolded and concluded. This a new approach, and her editor agreed to let for send him a few chapters 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 noted the parts she needed to self-study after class.

Ron’s chin 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, noticing 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, covering her story with her hand, “Sorry, it’s confidential. Can’t let anyone see it 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 intently, her posture earnest in pursuit of knowledge.

Ron frowned at 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 and be the professor’s pet, correcting others like she’s the only one who knows how to do it...” Ron continued, “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 become friends eventually...Scarlet mused.

Ron glared at her, “You don’t agree?”

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

Ron stared at her blank for a moment.

“You’d be going around telling everyone how talented you are at Quidditch, endlessly lecturing others on how to play to win, constantly 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 interested in Quidditch or broomstick, it might seem pretty annoying.”

“But how could you not like Quidditch?” Ron retorted.

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

They stared at each other in silence. Then 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 understood 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 explained. “It applies to everything else, too. The more you know, the steadier and humbler you become 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 continued drafting her story.

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 available and where to find them.

The library wasn’t as daunting as Scarlet had anticipated. Madam Pince, the 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 display 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 working on her essays, she noticed someone standing 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. Hermione settled in, arranging her books according to her needs, but she kept glancing at Scarlet, who seated across from her.

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

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

“Um, Scarlet?”

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

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

“I know,” Scarlet nodded, then 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 need to refer back to it. Drafting in a notebook is easier for me keep track of. I’ll write it properly with a quill and parchment later.”

“Oh, you’re so...considerate,” 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 classic 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 thick notebook as well. They occasionally exchanged books and opinions, and finally, after some time, they finished their essays.

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

“Sure.” Scarlet replied.

As Hermione scanned Scarlet’s essay, she noticed numerous brackets and numbers scattered throughout the text, with a neatly organized list of references at the end. She blinked in surprised and asked stiffly, “Scarlet, what’s this?”

“The reference list?” Scarlet replied, noticing Hermione’s puzzled and nervous expression. She glanced at Hermione’s essay and realised the difference. Casually, she explained, “Oh, I’m writing in a university format - I mean, Muggle university, the higher education you attend after secondary 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, since the professors and seniors haven’t mentioned it, 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 understandable as long as they’re not intentional.”

“Thanks, Scarlet.” Hermione said, starting to clean up the table. “Attending Hogwarts feels like a dream come 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 understand,” Scarlet nodded as she packed away her books as well.

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

“Well...” I can’t exactly say I’ve experienced something similar, though far more brutal, in a previous life, Scarlet mused. She paused for a moment, searching for a more plausible 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 elaborated, “I don’t see Hogwarts as the most important thing in my life. There are other things I need to focus on.”

She began to count on her fingers, “I have books to publish, and many fans waiting for my stories. I have a company to manage, with hundreds of employees and vendors depending on me for their livelihoods. In fact, I wasn’t even planning to attend secondary school. I was going to self-study and try to skip grades so I could focus on my career, with plans to attend university when I’m seventeen or eighteen.”

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

“Not really,” Scarlet said nonchalantly. “It’s too small and insular for me to do much anything. It feels like there’s a barrier around this community - hard for those inside to leave and difficult for others to enter. The 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 need to 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 determination grew stronger.