Breaking News: Sirius Black Found Innocent and to Be Released Soon! Peter Pettigrew, the Death Eater, Confirmed Alive! Order of Merlin to be Retracted!

It was headline news, and Neville didn’t wait until dinner to rush over to Scarlet, clutching a newspaper he had borrowed from one of his housemates. Scarlet read through the article thoroughly, pleased to see that Professor Dumbledore had won the battle of wits against the Minister of Magic. From the previous summaries, she could tell the Minister was someone who craved fame and was unwilling to admit fault. It was evident in the way he tried to shift the blame for Sirius Black’s wrongful imprisonment onto his predecessor, claiming it wasn’t his responsibility...

“Thanks, Neville. I’m sure there will be more articles on this topic. Please make sure to highlight the key points in the summaries,” Scarlet said as she handed the newspaper back. Neville nodded, accepting the task, and returned to the Gryffindor table. He seemed a lot more confident and reliable now compared to when his first arrived at Hogwarts.

No wonder the mark I left on that fat rat has been so faint lately, Scarlet thought, It must’ve been because he was in Azkaban, far out of my reach.

Scarlet recalled the pictures she’d seen in the yearbook: Peter Pettigrew had been part of the group of friends who used to hang around with Sirius Black, along with Remus Lupin and James Potter – Harry's father. So...Sirius Black will probably be reaching out to Harry soon, considering he was James Potter’s best friend.

As Scarlet had expected, she soon noticed Professor McGonagall approaching Harry and Ron, speaking to them briefly before likely escorting them to the headmaster’s office to be informed of the latest developments.

Just as Scarlet was about to leave for her class, Faye, her owl, swooped into the hall, surprising her. She had received the reports from the school owls, but Faye brought her a letter from her dad.

“My dear Princess Red,

Although we’ve been exchanging notes frequently through the news clippings I’ve attached to Faye, I felt compelled to send you a separate letter as this matter is rather bizarre, and I thought we should discuss it further to better understand how to handle this guest.

As you may have noticed, I’m back in London, which is odd, given that I mentioned I’d be in Japan until Christmas season. Normally, my letters would have been sent through my assistant via express post and delivered by William. However, one of my old friends called upon for my help, and I had no choice but to come and see what was going on.

This friend of mine is a mercenary – an experience hired gun, not exactly a saint, but he only kills those who deserve it, the real scum of the earth. You know the type; we can get along just fine. He was planning to retire and join our bodyguard company, but he stumbled upon someone unusual and, for reasons unknown, decided to help him. He brought this person to the nearest, safest place he could think of - our house.

Now, this guest triggered the alarm you’ve set for the house, indicating that he’s dangerous but still manageable. William, of course, noted that despite this, the man behaved quite gentlemanly, albeit looking very poor and ragged, as though he had been wandering in the wild for days.

My friend and his new companion spent some time together before the man disappeared for a few days, only to reappear weak and malnutrition, urgently in need of a safe space to recover.

I don’t mind hosting a dangerous guest – after all, we’re all dangerous in one way or another - but this particular guest has been rejecting out offers of help, which is troubling both me and my friend. We’re wondering if you might have some insight on how to properly welcome him. Here’s an interesting clue about his strange disappearance: it happened on a night of a full moon, when the moon was bright and round.

Please respond as soon as you can.

From your old father

PS: Bought you some beautiful notebooks in Japan, I’ll be sending them your way on Faye’s next trip.”

Missing during a full moon? Setting off my enchantment? My enchantment doesn’t apply to ordinary humans...Could he be a werewolf? Scarlet thought, her mind immediately jumping to that conclusion after piecing together the clues; she had read and watched plenty of related materials during her previous life. However, she was as confused by this revelation as by the idea of a mercenary crossing paths with a werewolf...Where on earth did they meet, anyway?

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Without delay, she set aside all her plans for the day and headed straight to the library to gatherer more information about werewolves. Afterward, she quickly wrote a reply to her father, wondering once again why the owlery was located so far away. She nearly arrived late for her class.

It was Transfiguration with the Slytherins, and today, Draco seemed to keep his eyes on her throughout the entire lesson. Once class ended, he awkwardly approached her. “S-Scarlet Smith!”

“Yes? How can I help you?” Scarlet asked, motioning for her friends to head to their next class without her. “Please be quick; we’ve got Potions next, and I don’t want to keep Professor Snape waiting.”

As usual, Crabbe and Goyle flanked Draco, though today they seemed to take their bodyguard duties more seriously, ensuring no one approached their corner.

Draco glanced at another direction before finally speaking, “What you said...it was true.” Seeing Scarlet’s confused expression, he clarified, “About the birth defects.”

“Oh, that,” Scarlet responded, remembering the conversation they’d had weeks ago. She almost forgotten about it, as she and Draco didn’t interact much. The Slytherins mostly kept to themselves, got along a bit better with Ravenclaws, were rivals with Gryffindors, and largely ignored the Hufflepuffs.

Thinking for a moment, Scarlet said, “Well, it’s been a few weeks, so I assume your family’s been looking into the matter? Actually, I have a brief understanding of your family tree - don’t give me that look, it’s not as extraordinary as you might think. It’s hardly shocking; the Malfoys are a renowned family, and information about it isn’t difficult to come by. I’ve researched the other famous pureblood families as well. Actually, compared to them, your family’s situation is better.”

Draco stayed silent, letting Scarlet continue. “I think your ancestors must have sensed something wrong, but couldn’t figure out what. That's probably why your family still marries purebloods, but not ones who are too closely related. It's not just a wizarding issue either - this happens all over the world, especially among royals and nobles trying to preserve status, wealth, and of course, ‘purity’, something you sort cares deeply about.”

Draco took a deep breath. “How would you suggest breaking the cycle?”

“If you insist on marrying a pureblood, I’d suggest looking abroad,” Scarlet replied, recalling her research on other magical schools around the world. “German, France, or even Japan, if you’re interested. I believe the belief in pureblood superiority exists in those places as well, so you might find someone to marry from there.”

Draco nodded, clearly absorbing her words. Then he noticed the red-haired girl staring at him, which made him snap, “What are you looking at?”

Scarlet smiled calmly. “If I’m not mistaken, your father probably asked you to befriend me, just like he told you to try with Harry Potter...Or maybe you’re doing this on your own, trying to befriend with Harry and me.”

Draco’s eyes widened in surprise, and Scarlet chuckled, “I was right, wasn’t I. You failed with Harry, which isn’t surprising since you went about it the wrong way. As for me, well, let’s just stick to being schoolmates. I can help you if you ask, but don’t expect us to be close.”

“Why?” Draco’s voice wavered with a hint of hurt, “I’m trying my best to be nice with you and Harry! You’re the one pushing me away.”

“Maybe we just want friends who don’t act like they’re above everyone else,” Scarlet said before heading to her class, “Pride can be your friend, Mr. Malfoy, but arrogance will always be your enemy. Remember that.”

Draco stood there for a moment, then after a warm breeze brushed his hair, he finally heading off to his class together with his two thick “bodyguard”.

Meanwhile, at a secluded house, Kyle watched as Faye landed on the bird stand he’d set up on the porch.

He muttered to himself, “That was fast.”

Kyle took down the letter attached to the owl after giving it a treat. Noticing the enchantment sealing the letter, he immediately understood it was confidential, so he called for William, and together they read it in his study. The seal could only be broken using his private stamp - one Scarlet had carved for him as his birthday gift. It also served as a protective talisman.

The contents of the letter were brief, skipping the usual formalities and getting straight to the point, the handwriting slightly messy, as if written in haste.

“He’s most likely a werewolf. Treat him like a regular person when it’s not a full moon. However, during a full moon, he’ll transform into a human-wolf hybrid and act like an uncontrollable beast if he’s a common werewolf, losing all sense of humanity. Only the elite among them can retain some level of consciousness, though they’ll still be highly dangerous and dislike humans. Normal humans don’t stand a chance - unless you’re willing to kill him with a bazooka. Try to drug him and cage him in the seal I left in the basement. I’ll see if I can help with his condition when I return for Christmas, but only if he’s willing.”

Kyle and William exchanged bewildered looks after reading the letter.

“What does she mean by ‘drug him’?” Kyle asked. “Are we talking about sedating him like we would an elephant? Using an anaesthetic rifle? Pills?”

William pondered this for a while before responding, “We could try a surgical anaesthetic procedure. I have some experience in that. If Lady Scarlet’s saying we’d need a bazooka to kill him, it means normal gunshots won’t work, so we’d need something more powerful – maybe even a missile. Fortunately, the seal Lady Scarlet left in the basement should provide a good second layer of security.”

“You’re sure about the seal?”

“Yes,” William replied confidently. “I tested it. It can trap something with twenty times my strength, and I consider myself rather formidable in battle.”

Kyle shrugged, “If you’re sure. Now, all we have to do is convince Mr. Lupin to stay until Scarlet gets back. We need a solid plan.”

“Yes, sire.” William agreed.