Alas, Alexis and the Weasley twins followed Scarlet back to the Red House. Percy’s didn’t join them, as he was buried in his studies, determined to achieve top grades. Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were essentially held captive by Hermione, who had gone into full study-mode mania. The bunny-teethed girl had high ambitious plan to push her two friends to ace their exams, which were still weeks away after Easter. The boys dared not defy the exam-obsessed machine, who turn into a fire-breathing dragon if she caught them slacking off.

“That Malfoy - I’ll make sure he doesn’t get the best score! Ron and Harry are definitely going to score higher than him!” Hermione declared in front of Scarlet, her fist clenched with burning motivation. Behind her, Ron and Harry looked utterly exhausted.

Alexis was amused by how the characters had changed, “Like, Draco doesn’t seem as bad as he was in the books or the movies, but he’s still, like, super annoying with bratty, nose-in-the-air attitude, especially to Harry and his friends...So, wait, this isn’t a fanfic that ships Harry and Draco? Oh, silly me, duh, Snape is way too hot. He’s gotta be the main character in this fanfic...But who’s he gonna be shipped with?”

“...You’re still thinking about that?” Scarlet glanced at Alexis, who was frowning, deep in thought.

“Uh, yeah, obviously! I mean, Snape’s whole love life is, like, totally the main plot, right? Don’t you agree?” Alexis noticed Scarlet rolling her eyes.

“I’ve told you, I don’t care who he’s in love with, as long as it doesn’t mess up my school life. One evil villain is enough for me to worry about - I don’t need to deal with anyone’s love story too.” Scarlet checked her schedule before bidding farewell to the protagonist trio and joining Fred and George, who were grabbing their trunks at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Without Christmas presents to carry, their luggage was much lighter compared to their last trip, and their outfits looked more like ordinary Muggle clothes.

Scarlet was surprised. “When did you get those?”

“Not long ago. Mum bought these clothes with dad, using our earnings,” Fred replied with a grin. “Apparently, we know more about Muggles than our parents do, so they finally took our suggestions.”

“Unlike before, when Mum would just scold us for ‘messing around’,” George added with a shrug.

“Congratulations?” Scarlet raised an eyebrow, to which they immediately bowed and replied in unison, “Thank you, Milady.”

The way they addressed Scarlet caught Alexis’s attentions, but she chose to stay quiet about it. Instead, she started discussing their game development progress as they settled into their train compartment. After all, Scarlet was their most important patron, willing to sponsor them before they had even made any solid progress.

The twins were adamant about not working on games that seemed too simple.

“Super Mario is great and all,” George said, “but we’re far more interested in that MOBA game you mentioned.”

“D&D will come later. The maps and story need tons attention, plus we’ve got to come up with a set of rules that fit the wizarding world better,” Fred explained. “The original rules are cool, but they feel kind of off - we wizards are nothing like the wizards in the game.”

“Okay, sounds like you guys know what you’re doing.” Scarlet nodded and jotted down their ideas.

Alexis, however, stood her ground. “Like, I still think we shouldn’t start with a MOBA game. Something easier would be way better.”

“Not Snake and Tetris!” The twins exclaimed in unison.

Fred said, “Okay, they’re good games, I’m not saying they’re not. But we need something fabulous and visually stunning if we want to get out first big payday. The first game had to be shockingly great.”

“Snake and Tetris just don’t cut it visually,” George added.

“Okay, fine,” Alexis sighed. “How about we check out a game center, then? Maybe we’ll find something that matches your vision.”

“Game center?” The twins looked confused, though Scarlet frowned thoughtfully. “They’re easy to find in big cities in Japan, but I’m not sure about London. Do we even have a game shop nowadays?”

Alexis shrugged. “There’s gotta be one somewhere. Don’t worry, I’ll drag these two around the city and we’ll find it.”

“And if you can’t?”

“I’ll...oh,” Alexis whispered quietly, so only Scarlet - sitting next to her – could hear, “I totally forgot, we don’t have internet here.”

But then her face lit up with excitement as she turned to Scarlet. “I’ll just beg our dearest sensei for help! You’re, like, super familiar with Japan, right? You’ve got to have a way to order stuff from there, yeah?”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“...Shut up,” Scarlet rolled her eyes, but nodded, “Yeah, I can. Just tell me what kind of materials you need, and I’ll see what I can get for you.”

Alexis shifted uncomfortably. “Honestly, I should use some of my own money too. It feels kinda wrong to make you cover everything. I don’t wanna, like, burden you.”

Scarlet looked at her thoughtfully, “I don’t mind either way. I can keep funding the project, but if you can cover your part, I’d happily step back and just stay on as a consultant or advisor. So, how’s your financial situation?”

Alexis was silent for a moment, then admitted, “To be honest, I’m not sure. But I get, like, three thousand dollars a month in my bank account, so I guess I’m fine?”

Fred and George let out a low “whoa” in unison.

“I don’t know what ‘dollars’ are, but it sounds like a lot.”

“Better than us. We didn’t start earning anything until our beloved Lady Scarlet helped us.”

“...Shut up, George,” Scarlet muttered, trying to ignore how she was slowly getting used to them calling her that. She refocused on Alexis. “Is that money from your parents?”

“Probably my mother,” Alexis replied. “I have no idea who my father is. I’ve never seen any guy living with us, not even a single picture of her with another man. And I think she might’ve had me when she was, like, really young. She looks super young – like, no one would guess she had a fifteen-year-old daughter.”

Scarlet frowned. “And your grandparents?”

“Never heard of them. So I’m guessing my mother ran away from home or something,” Alexis shrugged. “The closest thing I have to a grandparent is her manager. He kinda took care of me whenever she was too busy, you know, flirting with hot guys...I mean, he tried really hard to keep her life from getting, like, too messy, but it didn’t really work. If he wasn’t there to cover for her, I’m pretty sure her life wouldn’t be nearly as comfortable as it is now.”

“Do you think he’s into your mother?”

“Definitely not. He’s, like, super in love with his wife and family. Carries their pictures around in his wallet,” Alexis recalled. “I’ve met them before, actually. One of his kids found me passed out on the floor and rushed me to the hospital. Poor guy probably got traumatized seeing that pool of blood coming from my head. He was, like, so glad when I got into Ilvermorny because it sounds like this responsible Catholic school, where the teachers watch the students all the time, and I won’t, like, die from some ridiculous accident.”

George frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a very good mother.”

Alexis shrugged. “Yeah, totally agree. But what can I do? She’s still my mother. Lucky for me, I’m old enough to handle things on my own now. Honestly, I don’t even think she noticed the I transferred schools to the UK.”

“So how did you get into Ilvermorny in the first place? Didn’t someone have to sign you in?” Scarlet asked.

“Michael signed me up - oh, that’s the manager I mentioned. But I didn’t tell him I’m a witch. Handled everything myself. He just assumed I was freaked out and found myself a good school to hide in,” Alexis explained with a wave of her hand, then quickly changed the topic. “Anyway, I don’t spend much, so I’ve got a decent amount saved up. What do you think? Should I, like, invest in the stock market?”

Scarlet pondered for a moment before replying, “Well, if Michael’s reliable, you could allocate a portion for him to invest in the stock market. Mention the companies you think worth it, just leave it to him and forget about it until you graduate. As for the rest, keep part of it as an emergency fund, just in case, and then you can use whatever’s left. Oh, and don’t forget to save for school tuition and supplies.”

Fred and George exchanged glances and shrugged. “Looks like we’ve got a lot to learn about Muggles.”

After another nine hours on the train, they arrived at the King’s Cross Station. However, Kyle wasn’t there to greet them this time - he had returned to Hong Kong for work. Instead, Meiko was waiting, bowing politely as she welcomed Scarlet, “Welcome home, Milady.”

Alexis blinked in surprise for a moment before glaring at Scarlet, “Ordinary wealthy household, huh?”

“At least the staircases in my house don’t move, and we don’t have any talking statues or portraits,” Scarlet shrugged, ignored the blonde girl’s sharp look.

Fred and George were curious. “How did you figure out she’s not ordinary?”

“We didn’t notice anything the first time we met Meiko!” George added.

“That just means your horizons aren’t broad enough. But, like, can’t blame you either.” Because the internet wasn’t around yet, Alexis mused to herself, then she replied to the twins as they followed Scarlet and Meiko toward the exit, “She’s wearing traditional shrine maiden clothes - white top with those red dress-pants things. And she’s got fingerless gloves. There’s definitely a reason for those super unrealistic gloves...Gosh, she looks exactly like some badass anime character!”

Fred and George exchange yet another shrug. Alexis had been acting weirder and weirder whenever she was around Scarlet, but as long as she wasn’t totally off the rails, they were fine with it.

“Geez. How could I forget that sensei is, like, totally Asian...” Alexis muttered under her breath, staring off blankly. “Older generations of Asians always trying to seem humble and low-key, even when they’re, like, total experts. I can’t believe I actually bought into her whole ‘I’m just average’ act. She’s obviously a big deal – a sensei for the protagonist or something. But who even is the protagonist in this fanfiction? Is it, like, a BL or GL story? Snape and...who?”

Noticing Alexis increasingly erratic muttering, Fred and George exchange worried glances, but Meiko just grinned and said to Scarlet, “Milady, you have a very interesting friend.”

“...Just ignore her. She’s obsessed with crafting some kind of gameplay story,” Scarlet replied with a sigh, facepalming.

“Gameplay? As in video game?” Meiko asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Yeah. Their big project this holiday is focused on making a video game, so they need to do some research. Got any suggestions?”

“I do know a few places where we can play and buy games.”

“A game center?”

“Yes, something like that,” Meiko confirmed with a nod.

“Great, then I’ll leave them in your hands.”

“My pleasure, milady,” Meiko said, smiling as she glanced at the trio trailing behind, still deep in conversation.