“Hagrid is incubating a dragon egg!” Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered around Scarlet, speaking quickly and looking nervous. “He’s trying to breed a dragon!”

“He’s always wanted a dragon.”

“And now he’s got one! An egg! It’s illegal!”

“He said he got the egg from some stranger.”

“That sounds suspicious, but the point is, he’s got the egg! A dragon!”

“Okay, hold on. Take a breath and chill.” Scarlet motioned for them to calm down. “Let me get this straight - Hagrid got a dragon egg from a stranger and is now trying to illegally breed it in his hut. Is that right? When did this happen?”

“Not long ago, just before the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff,” Hermione replied, providing a clear timeframe.

Hagrid...his dog? And the third floor? It’s a trick. Quirrell must have used the dragon egg to get the clue so he can get past the trapdoor. Scarlet mused.

Scarlet recalled Professor Dumbledore’s announcement from the previous night in his office. The Philosopher’s Stone has been destroyed at Nicolas Flamel’s request, ensuring no one could steal it for Elixer of Life. The Mirror of Erised had also been removed from the third floor, as he had initially intended it to be the final safeguard against any thieves. Fluffy, the three-headed dog - its name having been revealed by the protagonist trio – had been moved to the Forbidden Forest under Hagrid’s care.

Most of the other traps had been left in place while Professor Dumbledore decided what to do with them, but overall, it was safe now that no one was trying to break in. Quirrell, or rather the mummified body, had been burned to ashes by phoenix fire, and his remains were buried in the Forbidden Forest. There was no chance of him or the soul fragment taken by the Queen coming back. The burnt mark on Professor Snape’s wall had finally been cleared, though it had taken great effort – something confirmed by the professor’s continued cold glares and his demanding extra homework from her in Potions class.

So even if Quirrell had discovered a way past Fluffy through Hagrid by utilising the dragon egg, it no longer mattered. With Quirrell and the soul fragment gone, there was no danger for this year. Scarlet organised her thoughts and selectively relayed the situation to the protagonist trio, leaving them stunned.

“The Philosopher’s Stone was destroyed?” Ron exclaimed, “The dragon egg was Professor Quirrell’s trick to get past the trapdoor?”

“The thief was caught? And it was Professor Quirrell?” Harry was shocked.

“Great, now we don’t have a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. It’s going to be a nightmare for our studies.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Who’s going to be substitute for our class? It hasn’t been announced yet. Are we the first to know about his death?”

“Yeah, so keep it quiet for now. I don’t know how the announcement will be handled. As for who’s teaching Defence, I have no idea, but I’m not too worried about it,” Scarlet shrugged. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the secret on the third floor anymore. Now, about the dragon...”

She turned at Ron, “If I’m not mistaken, don’t you have a brother who works with dragons in Romania?”

“Charlie!” Harry exclaimed. “We could send the dragon to him, and he’d take care of it, make sure it gets back into the wild!”

“Brilliant!” Ron jumped excitedly. “I’ll write to Charlie right away...”

“Before that, I think it’s best to report this to Professor Dumbledore,” Scarlet suggested.

Hermione shook her head. “But that’ll get Hagrid sacked – or even arrested!”

“No, trust me, Professor Dumbledore can handle it. And, if it does come to Hagrid being sacked over the dragon egg, blame it on me.”

“What?” the trio stared at her in shock, completely dumbfounded.

“You wouldn’t know because you weren’t with us during Christmas,” Scarlet said, patting Hermione’s shoulder before turning to Harry and Ron. “I could always say that Meiko, a Japanese Jutsushi, didn’t realise it was illegal in the wizarding world. In Japan, among Jutsushi, it’s perfectly acceptable to breed large magical creatures, as long as they’re hidden from Muggles. So, she happily gave me the dragon egg as a present, and I decided to leave it with Hagrid before reporting it to Professor Dumbledore. How does that excuse sound?”

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“Uh...sounds...plausible?” the trio huddled together, whispering their thoughts.

Scarlet crossed her arms. “Still, I think it’s best if Hagrid report it to Professor Dumbledore himself. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Seeing their worried faces, she sighed. “Like I said, if things don’t go well, I’ll take the blame. I’ll be fine.”

The trio shook their heads.

“I’ll talk to Hagrid,” Harry insisted. “I’ll persuade him. Scarlet, it’s not your problem. Don’t try to take it all on yourself.”

Scarlet was surprised but smiled, pleased. “Alright. I trust you’ll handle it well. I’d be excited to see us getting a special Care of Magical Creatures class, with a dragon involved.”

“What--oh!” Hermione caught on, slapping Ron and Harry on the back, urging them along. “Come on, go! I know what we need to do!”

Watching them rush off, Scarlet grinned and continued her walk to the library.

It took Professor Dumbledore a day to figure out how to announce Quirrell’s sudden disappearance, leaving the students anxious about why their Defence Against the Dark Arts classes were cancelled.

“I’m afraid that Quirinus Quirrell, our former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, is no longer with us,” Professor Dumbledore announced solemnly in the Great Hall, standing before the staff table. “In his pursuit of dark magic, and in his attempt of breach the Third-Floor where I was safeguarding something temporarily, he met his end. Dark magic backfired on him in a most dreadful way.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the hall. Some students looked shocked, others curious, anxious, or scared – worried they might become the next victim of the dark magic that had claimed a teacher’s life.

Scarlet could feel Maya and Amelia gripping her arms tightly, their faces drawn with fear as they clung to her.

“How could it be?” Maya whispered. “He didn’t seem like the dangerous type.”

“He looked so easily-frightened...” Amelia added. “Honestly, he seemed more like a coward. How could someone like him have been practicing the Dark Arts?”

“Ever wonder why he used so much garlic?” Scarlet said, trying to comfort them. “He wasn’t just using it for vampires. It was probably to cover something up.”

Both girls fell silent, likely thinking back to every odd moment they could remember about the teacher. Scarlet, meanwhile, kept her focus on the headmaster’s speech.

“Rest assured, there is no longer any dark magic threatening Hogwarts. You are all safe,” Professor Dumbledore continued. “As for his replacement, I’m afraid I can’t find a new professor in such short notice, so the Ministry will be sending an Auror to take over your Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. Don’t worry, lessons will be resume as usual. In the meantime, I will personally take over the class until the Auror arrives, which should be within the week.”

He paused before giving a small nod. “That was the first announcement. Now, for the second one, which is quite interesting.”

Wow, the trio worked fast, Scarlet thought. As she expected, it was about Hagrid surrendering the dragon egg.

Learning that they’d soon have the chance to see a dragon egg hatch during Care of Magical Creatures, the students were buzzing with excitement, completely forgetting how unsettled they had been by the news of their DADA teacher’s death due to dark magic.

“The dragon egg arrived at Hogwarts by accident, and it will soon hatch. We’ve already contacted the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary to pick it up afterward. In the meantime, it will be under the care of Professor Kettleburn, with Mr. Hagrid, the game keeper assisting,” Professor Dumbledore explained, his tone light. “You’ll be informed about your turn to visit. Please don’t intrude on others’ time - everybody will have their chance.”

With that, he left, and the hall exploded into excited whispers and chatter. The schedule for visiting the dragon egg soon reached Scarlet through their prefect.

“Aww, we’re one of the last groups to see it,” Maya pouted.

“I don’t mind, as long as the baby dragon doesn’t bite me,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes.

Scarlet chuckled. “Just keep your distance. I doubt it’ll be able to fly right after hatching.”

“You mean it’ll already be hatched when it’s our turn?!” Maya exclaimed.

“Most likely,” Scarlet replied, finishing her breakfast. “Anyway, I’m off to Transfiguration. You two coming?”

“Of course!”

“Wait, just one more bite.”

Just when Scarlet thought her school life would be peaceful until next year - when the protagonist would face his second challenge involving a diary with ink-splashing tendencies, though she couldn’t quite remember where the book came from - she had an unexpected encounter.

It was a Saturday night, right after dinner. She had planned a walk to the Owlery to spend some time with her owl and send a letter to the Red House, when Alexis Everhart, the transfer student, approached her at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Alexis Everhart gave off the impression of the stereotypical blonde bombshell – pretty, well-endowed, and often cast as a damsel in distress waiting for a macho hero to save her. And in some ways, she did fit that mould. But from the serious expression on her face now, it seemed that she had more to her than meet the eye.

Scarlet maintained her usual relaxed demeanour, asked politely and smiling as she always did, “Good evening, Miss Everhart. Is there something I can help you with?”

Alexis Everhart frowned slightly, clearly irritated – whether at herself for appearing hot-tempered compared to Scarlet’s calm or at something else entirely. Her expression remained stern. “Scarlet Hong, we need to talk. In private.”

“Of course,” Scarlet replied, unfazed. “I’m on my way to the owlery to see my owl. Would you like to join me? I’m sure we’ll have plenty of privacy there.”

“Great.” Alexis Everhart nodded, still observing the red-haired girl as they walked side by side, clearly deep in thought.