There wasn’t any lighting in the owlery, as owls didn’t care much for lights at night. The school clearly didn’t favour anyone hanging around near the owlery after dark either, which made it a spot where Mr. Filch would patrol a few times a night, hoping to catch anyone sneaking around past curfew.

Scarlet didn’t mind the dimness. Her night vision had been greatly enhanced ever since the Queen’s magic was bestowed upon her. Plus, she’d been used to working in low-light conditions from her previous life. But the transfer girl clearly wasn’t as comfortable with the darkness. She raised her wand and cast, “Lumos.”

The light she produced was warm, slightly yellow - like the indoor bulbs that were popular around this decade. Scarlet paused for a second to admire the charm she cast, then continued leading the way. “It’s quite smelly in there,” she warned. “Unless you’re really keen to meet my owl, you can wait here.”

“I’m coming,” the transfer girl responded, still looking tense.

“Suit yourself,” Scarlet shrugged. As soon as she stepped inside the owlery, her owl, Faye, swooped down and perched on her shoulder, hooting happily and trying to tidy Scarlet’s red hair with its beak.

“Nope, no treats for you,” Scarlet gently scolded the bird as she attached a letter to Faye’s claw. “Dad’s definitely got snacks waiting for you when you get home.”

Faye nuzzled against her before taking off, soaring into the night. Scarlet and the transfer girl descended the building, and stood under a tree by the tower.

Scarlet turned to the blonde, who stood a few inches taller than her. “Alright, no one’s around. What did you want to talk about?”

The transfer girl furrowed her brow, struggling to find the right words. After a long pause, she sighed and whispered, “So, like, have you ever heard of Wikipedia?”

Scarlet blinked in surprise at the question. She had her suspicions that Alexis Everhart might be the “foreign star” the crow had mentioned. She wasn’t expecting the girl to be someone from a past life like herself, but this question made things even more confusing. Could Alexis Everhart be from the future? Another foreign soul like her?

It was already a miracle that Scarlet, a soul foreign to this world, had reincarnated into this story. But now another miracle - a time traveller, probably from the future of this timeline? Could the Rules of this world really allow foreign souls to come and stay this easily?

Too early to tell. Scarlet kept her composure, smiling softly. “Yeah, I’ve used it a lot back in my university days. I really miss emails and Wi-Fi. Owl post is far too slow.”

The transfer girl’s eyes widened, tears welling up as if she wasn’t sure whether they should fall. “Oh my God, do you, like, miss using your iPhone?”

“I never had a strong preference for smartphones, any phone is fine for me,” Scarlet replied gently. “I’m kind of old-school that way.”

Finally, the tears streamed down her face, and she started sobbing. “I-I-can I, like, have a hug?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Scarlet opened her arms, and the blonde girl rushed into them without hesitation.

Alexis didn’t cry loudly, but her quiet, continuous sobs were enough for Scarlet to sense just how much pain she had been holding in. This girl must have been through something tough, and seeing Scarlet – someone she saw as being like her – finally let her emotions flow.

“I-I was so scared that I couldn’t save anyone.” Alexis finally spoke after a long pause, using a non-verbal spell to clean up her tears. Scarlet noticed how swiftly she performed the charm – probably from casting it so often that she no longer needed to speak the incantation aloud. Alexis conjured a handkerchief from a leaf she plucked from a nearby bush and wiped her eyes. “I tried to win Snape’s favour and trust, hoping he’d listen to me, but I screwed it up. I even tried to get close to Cedric, maybe become his girlfriend, so I could convince him not to enter the Triwizard Tournament. That’s messed up too...”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Scarlet gently patted her back, offering some comfort. “Why didn’t you go to Professor Dumbledore?”

“I-I...” Alexis hesitated before opening up, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m not sure if he’s...trustworthy. Things here are a little different from what I thought.”

“How different?” Scarlet asked, genuinely curious. From what she could tell, everything that had happened so far lined up with her vague memory of the films.

“Snape...He’s way hotter than he is in the books or movies!”

“...huh?”

Alexis leaned in, desperate to explain. “In the books, he’s supposed to be all greasy and like, a walking bat or whatever, right? Gross hair and gloomy.”

“...what?”

“But in the movies, he’s more like this stern, mysterious teacher, right? Kinda...cool, in his own way.” Alexis made an exaggerated gesture, drawing a big circle around her face for emphasis. “But this Snape – like, OMG – he's straight-up K-drama star level hot! I'm talking ikemen vibes like the dudes in anime that make all the fangirls swoon!”

Scarlet couldn’t help but smile. At least I know what you mean, or I’d think you’ve lost it.

Scarlet pulled her into another hug, grounding the conversation back to something more manageable. “Alright, before we get carried away with how ‘ikemen’ Professor Snape is, let’s get some things straight. I’ll go first.”

Taking a step back, Scarlet explained calmly, “I’m now Scarlet Smith Hong, an adopted orphan who just stopped Quirrell and is on a mission to hunt down other soul fragments. I was born into this world, but Hogwarts was just a children’s book in my previous life, which I vaguely remember from a few films. Now, your turn.”

Scarlet’s calm demeanour seemed to help Alexis relax. She took a deep breath and mirrored Scarlet’s straightforward speech. “I’m now Alexis Everhart, daughter of a Hollywood star, and I figure out I’m in the Harry Potter universe a few months ago. I wasn’t born here - I, uh, took over this body four years ago, after the original Alexis Everhart died in a fall. She hit her head on a wall. I was a huge Harry Potter fan, so, like, I’ve watched the movies, read the books and a bunch of fanfics. I guess you could say I’m...pretty familiar with the plot.”

“Alright,” Scarlet continued, “Quick question then. In the world you know, have you ever heard of the United Nation of the Central Land?”

Alexis blinked in confusion, “Uh...is that, like, a made-up place?”

“So you’ve heard of China, then.”

“Duh, of course. It’s massive...wait--” Alexis’s eyes went wide. “Don’t tell me you’re from some parallel world with a totally different history or something?!”

Scarlet sighed, “Well, you guessed it.”

Alexis looked stunned, but Scarlet decided it was best to cut the conversation short. “It’s late. But before we go on our separate ways, there’s one thing I need to know.”

“What’s that?” Alexis asked.

“What’s your goal in all of this?” Scarlet’s gaze was steady as she looked Alexis in the eye, “You’re from America. You could’ve stayed far away from all this. So why did you choose to get involved?”

Alexis fell silent for a moment, clearly lost in thought. After a pause, she finally said, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s ’cause this is the only thing that reminds me of my old life? Or maybe...maybe I thought I could be some kinda superhero, y’know? Like, I could totally handle Voldemort or whatever. But then I found out...I’m just a stupid coward. I-I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. Every night, I lie awake asking myself if I’m even doing the right thing.”

“You’re not a coward, Alexis.” Scarlet gave her a firm hug, then pulled back with a warm grin. “Trust me. Everything will be fine.”

“Thanks, Scarlet,” Alexis replied with a faint smile. It was clear she didn’t fully believe everything would be fine, but she appreciated the comfort Scarlet was offering.

They walked back towards the stairs in silence. Just before they parted ways, Scarlet patted Alexis's shoulder. “Get some rest, and don’t overthink it. Oh, and if you have time, you should ask Harry, Ron, Hermione – anyone really – for a book. You shouldn’t have any trouble borrowing a copy.”

Alexis raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What book? Something on Defense Against the Dark Arts? Like, so I can actually, y’know, not be useless in a fight?”

“It’s called Akahime’s Diary,” Scarlet replied with a mysterious smile. “Read it, and you’ll get a clearer idea of who I am.”

Alexis returned to her dorm with mind racing. She asked around about the book, and to her surprise, several students had copies. Borrowing one from Alicia Spinnet, her roommate, took no effort at all.

“Isn’t it amazing that there’s a famous author here at Hogwarts?” Alicia remarked excitedly. “And she managed to write such an incredible story!”

Alexis stared at the book, in her hands, stunned. Her eyes landed on the author’s name printed on the cover: Scarlet S.H. The odd initials stood out, but it was enough for Alexis to make the connection with the red-haired girl she had just spoken to.

Akahime...Alexis mused as she opened the book. Aka means Red, and hime means girl...or maybe princess? Princess Red?

She turned the first page, eager to discover more.