Scarlet and Alexis made their way to the seventh-floor corridor, greeting everyone along the way who called out to Scarlet.

“Hi Scarlet!”

“Good morning, Scarlet.”

“Where are you off to, Scarlet?”

“I’m just searching for inspiration for my book,” Scarlet replied with a polite nod every time she was asked.

By the time they reached the seventh-floor, Alexis already felt exhausted, even though she wasn’t the one doing all the greeting. She looked at Scarlet with admiration. “Oh my god, you’re like, so popular! And you handle everyone so smoothly! How do you even do it?”

Scarlet blinked in surprise at the question. “Popular? I don’t know about that.” She paused, considering. “I don’t think I’m popular at all. Compared to Harry Potter, you should’ve seen him being chased by his fans on his first day here.”

“I can totally picture that, for sure,” Alexis nodded in understanding.

“Right, now try to open the door to the room,” Scarlet instructed, her tone suddenly serious. “You have a clearer picture of what the diadem looks like.”

Alexis noticed the shift in Scarlet’s demeanour and gulped nervously. “Okay...I can totally do this. I gotta find the place where that diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw is hidden.”

She muttered the sentence to herself a few more times before stepping up to the opposite wall of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Alexis began pacing in front of the blank stretch of wall. One...two...three times she walked back and forth, concentrating harder with each pass.

On the third pass, a door materialized in the wall where there had been none before. Alexis gave an awed gasp, reaching out to grasp the handle.

She waited for Scarlet to stand beside her before swing the door open, revealing a vast room filled with chaotic array objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants. They stepped inside, and Scarlet immediately changed into her battle attire.

“OMG, magical girl transformation!” Alexis exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over. Scarlet turned to her with a calming look. Alexis practically vibrated with enthusiasm. “Are you, like, a legit magical girl? Did you bond with some cute magical mascot and become destined to fight evil? Like Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure?”

Scarlet sighed deeply. “Alexis, drain the useless water from your brain, will you? This is the Harry Potter universe. We’ve already using magic. Why would I need to bond with some mascot to acquire magic powers and fight evil?”

“Oh, right.” Alexis glanced at the jade pendant Scarlet tucked beneath her battle suit. It looked far more delicate and much larger than the one Scarlet had given her, wondering if she could get a pendant that changes outfits as well. “But like, I don’t think that kinda charm exist in this story...Did you, like, invent it yourself?”

“No, I just use it. Remember? I’m a caster. I don’t bond with a spirit anymore, but I still have all the knowledge.” Scarlet poked Alexis’s forehead lightly. “I’ve told you before, this is a dynamic world. Stop trying to frame everything inside a box.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll try. But it’s like, super hard, you know.” Alexis pouted. “It’s not easy for us normal people to break through out inherent thoughts and stuff.” But then her expression shifted as she took in Scarlet’s fully transformed appearance. Her eyes widened when she noticed the spear Scarlet was now holding.

“How does the diadem look like?” Scarlet muttered as she scanned the labyrinth of forgotten treasures. The room was a cathedral of junk, so immense she couldn’t see its walls or ceiling. It was packed with objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants, cavernous, with walls and ceiling swallowed in shadows. The lanterns seemed to float in midair, casting long beams of light over hundreds upon hundreds of items lost in a sea of darkness.

“I’m not, like, 100% sure - probably like a tiara or something?” Alexis replied absentmindedly, still distracted by the sight of Scarlet’s spear. “You know, I’m starting to think we’re in some kinda fanfic universe. Like, how else do you explain Snape being so hot? If that’s the case, I can’t guarantee everything I remember will match our sitch.”

“I don’t care,” Scarlet said, scanning the room intently. “As long as I can destroy these vile horcruxes, nothing else matters. I wouldn’t even mind if Harry ended up in love with Snape.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“You ship them?!” Alexis exclaimed, her previous fascination with the spear forgotten in her horror.

“NO!” Scarlet felt a headache coming on. Ever since Alexis had become more comfortable around her, conversations like these had become...routine. “Just focus on finding the diadem first. We’ll discuss everything else back in my training room.”

“Oh, right. Gotcha.”

The two girls began searching through the cluttered room. Alexis muttered to herself, “It’s gotta be somewhere near the entrance or something. When Harry hid the Half-Blood Prince’s Potions book, he’s like went straight to the cupboard near the entrance...and he saw something like a crown...Scarlet!”

Scarlet rushed to her side, and Alexis pointed at a tarnished old crown sitting on a dusty box, right next to a chipped bust of an ugly old warlock.

“This is totally it! Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem!” Alexis whispered, as if fearing her voice might disturb the soul fragment hidden inside. “Don’t touch it - it can, like, corrupt anyone who comes in contact with it.”

“Okay.” The tight space limited Scarlet’s movements, but she managed to flip her spear for a better grip and stance. “Stay back.”

Once Alexis had taken a step back, Scarlet immediately chanting, “O Great Guardian of the Shadowy Land, the Queen who draws the line between life and death, your humble follower summons your guidance. A shattered soul seeks darkness, cowardly evading the call of death--”

She didn’t notice Alexis’s shocked expression as the blonde girl heard her chant.

The deity was summoned, Her presence gazing through the fabric of space and time. A light pressure descended upon them, and Alexis’s eyes widened in awe at the deity’s acknowledgement.

“--In the name of Scáthach, the soul fragment that should have crossed into the land of death shall now perish! Gáe Scáil!”

Scarlet’s red spear glowed as it struck the diadem’s stone, shattering the ancient artefact. To her surprise, a blood-red liquid trickled from it, followed by a thin wisp of dark smoke with a pair of glowing eyes that swiftly evaporated into the air. The pressure from the deity’s presence faded, and Scarlet thought she might’ve heard a faint scream as the soul fragment dissipated.

Nothing grand or dramatic happened, save for the diadem breaking under Scarlet’s spear. Only the two girls standing there had felt the unseen force press upon them for that brief moment.

Scarlet exhaled, feeling relieved that she had destroyed another soul fragment, ticking off yet another task from her list. She glanced at Alexis, who stood with a blank expression. “Don’t worry,” Scarlet assured her, “the ancient magic I inherited deals with death and souls. I sent that fragment straight to the realm of death – there's no way it’s coming back.”

Alexis was stunned for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Scarlet’s hand, panic in her eyes. “Tell me we’re not about to have a Holy Grail War.”

“...What?” Scarlet blinked, caught off guard.

“The Clock Tower isn’t gonna organize the war, right?” Alexis looked increasingly desperate.

“Wait, what war? Who’s the Clock Tower?” Scarlet was bewildered. “I thought you said the Second Wizarding War wouldn’t happen until the book Order of the Phoenix?”

“No, not that - the Holy Grail War!” Alexis shook her head frantically. “Seven Masters summon seven Heroic Spirits as their Servants, and they have to fight to win the Holy Grail, which grants any wishes!”

Scarlet stared at her, still not comprehending. “Is this some kind of ritual? Why have I never heard of it?”

“You’ve never heard of it?” Alexis blinked in disbelief. “But...how did you get the Gáe Bolg? You even summoned Scáthach!”

“...Why does summoning the Queen and wielding Gáe Bolg have to do with any war?” Scarlet was even more confused now. “And wait, how do you even know about Gáe Bolg anyway?”

In this era, with no internet or Wikipedia at their fingertips, very few people knew about Celtic legends and heroes – unless there were enthusiasts or scholars in folklore, or those who lived in Scotland. Yet here was Alexis, a girl from America, casually naming the weapon with complete confidence, as if she could recognise it immediately.

Had Alexis ever shown an interest in Celtic mythology? Scarlet couldn’t recall any such moment, a sense of unease began to rise within her.

“Because in the Holy Grail War, a Master can summon Scáthach or Cú Chulainn as their Servant!” Alexis continued, seemingly calmer now. “Wait, if you’ve summoned Scáthach, then we’re like, totally in the upper hand – whether she’s a Lancer or an Assassin.”

“No, Queen Scáthach is a great Rune Chanter. She’s definitely a Lancer, but she’s not an Assassin.” Scarlet frowned, eyeing Alexis with growing concern. “Alexis, do I need to take you to the hospital wing? You starting to sound mentally disturbed.”

Or...is there something you haven’t revealed yet?

Alexis finally let go of Scarlet’s hand, her thought slowing down as she processed what she’d just said. “Can I at least ask how you got connected with Scáthach?”

“Well,” Scarlet said, changing back into her school robe and putting away her spear, “I thought you’d have figured it out, since you’ve read my books. I used to bond with a fox spirit, remember?”

“Yes...Oh!” Alexis’ eyes lit up with sudden realization. “So now you’ve bonded with a legendary deity and not animal spirit like you used to! But...I thought Scáthach wasn’t dead yet. Does that still count as a something you can bond with?”

Scarlet narrowed her eyes, scrutinising the girl. “You seem awfully familiar with the Queen’s details. How do you know all this?”

“Um...because I’m like, also a total fan of the Fate series?” Alexis admitted sheepishly.

“...What?”