Alexis was stunned as she stepped out of the car, eyes widening at the sight of the Red House.

She glared at Scarlet, gritting her teeth, “You...you Ciel Phantomhive!”

“...What?” Scarlet looked at her, clearly puzzled.

With a dramatic groan, Alexis facepalmed. “Tell me you don’t have a devil for a butler.”

“Of course not,” Scarlet replied, studying Alexis’s expression. “Are you sure you don’t need me to call you a doctor, dear?”

“Nope, I’m good.” Alexis took a deep breath, glancing around. “Honestly, I wouldn’t even be surprised if you told me you were some ancient princess guarding a magical stone for, like, centuries, just waiting for ‘the chosen one’.”

Meiko grinned. “Sounds like a legend from the hidden realm - a princess from the Green Hill.”

Alexis’s eyes widened in alarm. “Why does that sound like some kinda Xianxia webnovel? Are the people on the Green Hill fox fairies? I mean, like, yao guai - the kind that can turn into sexy women?”

“Probably because they’re Taoist priest who flying around on swords,” Scarlet answered offhandedly.

“WHAT?!” Alexis’s jaw dropped as she raced after Scarlet into the house.

Trailing behind, Meiko – who’d handed off the car to a waiting servant – looked curiously at the Weasley twins. “Is this how milady behaves with friends at school?”

“Nope, just with her,” Fred replied with a bemused smile.

George added, “They seemed to have this way of...well, understanding each other--”

“--with terms that go right over our heads. We thought it was all Muggle stuff, but apparently--”

“--it’s something only they get, seeing as you’re asking too,” they finished, rubbing their chins in unison, and chorused, “Interesting...”

Suddenly, they heard Alexis yell from inside, “Damn you, Batman!”

And Scarlet’s exasperated voice followed, “Language!”

The twins glanced at Meiko. “Think we could watch that Batman film?” Fred asked. “Might help us understand.”

Meiko nodded. “I’ve got most of the movie CDs out on the market, so it should be in the theater room.”

“Brilliant.”

When the three of them entered the living room, Alexis, who’d been noticeably off-kilter since arriving at the Red House, was now bowing deeply to Scarlet, as Japanese as she could. “I sincerely apologize for my choice of language, sensei. From this moment on, I swear to watch my tongue so I don’t embarrass you, keep your face proud.”

“...I appreciate that you’ll watch your language, but it’s not for my sake,” Scarlet replied with a sigh, facepalming. “Also, why on earth would you think I care about the face thing?”

“Um...I just thought it’s a Chinese thing? You’re a Chinese, right?”

“I’m British,” Scarlet answered – then muttered under her breath, “though Asian in my past life...just adopted by a mixed Chinese-Japanese dad now.”

“...How many titles are you stacking onto yourself? You’re practically invincible at this rate!”

“Well, enjoy figuring it all out.” Scarlet waved her off, giving Meiko a nod. “Meiko, I’ll leave them in your care. I’ll have a light dinner and get some rest – tomorrow's going to be a long day. Show them around, will you?”

“Certainly, milady.”

And that was the last time Alexis and the Weasley twins saw Scarlet in the living room for the entire holiday - until the day before they were due to return to Hogwarts.

Scarlet had been going out early each morning and returning late at night. But the day before their departure, she finally appeared, greeting them with a tired yet satisfied smile.

“You’ve been busy the whole holiday,” Alexis said with a note of concern. “Are you going to be busy again today? Can’t you at least take a day to rest? It’s a long trip back tomorrow.”

“I suppose I’ll sleep through most of the journey this time.” Scarlet waved off Alexis’s concern, “No worries, everything’s settled now. I’ll be staying indoors today.”

“Good.” Alexis settled beside her. “So, what’ve you been working on? Care to share?”

Scarlet looked around. “Where are the other two?”

“They were up until five in the morning - safe to say, they’re still asleep.”

“You didn’t stay up with them?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Regular ten o’clock for me, thank you.” Alexis rolled her eyes. “They got all excited over some new idea and stayed up discussing it all night. I couldn’t keep up and went to bed. Eko told me when he saw them stumbling off to bed just as he started his morning rounds; I ran into him in the kitchen while refilling my water bottle.”

Eko was one of the household servants in charge of the gardens and orchard.

“Sounds like I can expect your proposal on the game soon?”

“Yeah, unless they brainstormed another ridiculous idea while I was sleeping.” Alexis facepalmed. “I never thought two so-called ‘geniuses’ could come up with so many stupid ideas, thinking they’d be brilliant.”

“Those ideas might just be good ones,” Scarlet said, taking a sip of tea. “They’re pranksters, after all. A bit of nonsense can make a great prank.”

“...Kay. Back in the box for me,” Alexis groaned, rubbing her face in frustration. Still, she felt oddly secure – more so than ever. Having an ex-caster and a “Batman-ish” mentor like Scarlet to rely on gave her a strange sense of comfort. In fact, she realised she almost enjoyed the frustration she felt around her; it was certainly better than the initial thrill of meeting Snape and Cedric, her favourite characters in the story.

“I’m working on a soul rehabilitation ritual,” Scarlet said suddenly.

Alexis blinked, caught off guard. “...What’s that?”

“I assume you knew about Neville’s parents?”

“Yes, of course – the ones attacked by Voldemort’s followers. They’re in St. Mungo’s permanently, aren’t they...Wait.” Alexis’s eyes widened. “Are you saying...you’re trying to heal them?”

Scarlet nodded, “Not exactly healing, but it’s something close. As the follower of the Queen, I don’t have the ability to directly heal. But I’ve learned enough about runes from her to combine that with my own knowledge from my previous life. I’ve designed a ritual that should, in theory, help. It’ll take a few months before we’ll know if they show any improvements...but I’ve done my best.”

Alexis was too stunned to respond, finally grasping what stepping “out of the box” really meant. It wasn’t just about stopping the villain without anyone noticing, or outsmarting the characters with extra knowledge or foresight; it was about changing the very foundation the author had laid for this world, by utilising the experience from both worlds.

“Alexis?” Scarlet’s voice pulled her back to present, and she realised Scarlet was watching her with a look of concern. “Did you remember something important that you’ve forgotten?”

“No,” Alexis replied, hesitating. “I just...thought, maybe we could create a counterspell for the Killing Curse?”

Scarlet rested her chin on her palm, considering. “You’ll have to explain this Killing curse to me. I should remind you, I only have a vague memory of this story. I watched the first two films many, many years ago, though occasionally bumped into some memes when I scrolling through the internet, but beyond that, my knowledge is limited; I have more things worth my concern back, as you may have guessed, and this series of stories doesn’t inspire me much on being creative in enchanting. Now, sometimes my assistants in Hogwarts assume I know the basics of the wizarding world, so they leave out things they consider ‘common sense’.”

Alexis immediately recognised this as her moment to fill in the gaps. She had, after all, once fallen deep into the world of Harry Potter fanfiction. With accurate information, Scarlet would tackle any challenge there – though Alexis know Scarlet, or Akahime-sensei, would excel regardless.

She launched into an explanation, covering everything she knew about the Killing curse, along with the other two Unforgivable Curses.

Scarlet listened, contemplating each detail as she absorbed the information. After a thoughtful pause, she commented, “I could likely counter the Imperius Curse. In fact, Taoist priests would be ideal for this – thousands of years of mental discipline have prepared them to resist hallucinations, be mentally stable, and avoid being controlled by the inner demons they face as they level up their own skills. Perhaps I could even acquire items with counter-Fashu from them.”

“As for the Cruciatus and Killing Curses...” Scarlet frowned, deep in thought. “They’re entirely different from any spells I know. They sound more like...concepts.”

Alexis tilted her head, puzzled, “I don’t quite understand...”

“To be honest, neither do I.” Scarlet rubbed her temples. “Philosophy isn’t my strong suit. But let’s take the Killing Curse, for example. It kills, but no one understands exactly why or how it kills – it simply does. It’s as if, once the curse hits someone, it bypasses all the typical processes of death, like choking, drowning, or a heart attack, and immediately causes death. But it doesn’t work on lifeless objects because, of course, they can’t be killed.”

“It’s somewhat like...let’s say I invent an item, a key to ‘open’ things. This key could theoretically open anything, though it’s mostly used on doors because it’s a key. However, if the user treats a healing wound or scar as a kind of ‘door’, they could, in fact, use the key to reopen it - because the key carries the concept of ‘opening’. Does that make sense?”

Alexis thought about it and then her eyes lit up. “Oh, conceptual magic! I think I’ve heard of that...maybe from D&D? Or an anime. It sounds cool, so probably anime.”

“So...could we use another type of conceptual magic to counter it?” Alexis ventured, trying to follow Scarlet’s line of thinking.

Scarlet pondered for a moment, “I’d like to test the Killing Curse.”

“What?”

“To see what it considers as a ‘living being’.” Scarlet explained calmly, “I mean, technically, even germs are living beings.”

“...Huh?”

“An ant is a living being as well,” Scarlet continued casually. “So, if I use transfiguration to conjure a cloak made from an ant and wear it, when the Killing Curse hits me with while I’m wearing that cloak...who does it kill? Me, or the ant?”

“...Um, good question.” Alexis blinked in shock. “I’ve...never thought of anything that complex.”

“Worth experimenting, isn’t it?” Scarlet took another sip of her tea. “And if a lamb dies from the Killing Curse, would it be safe for us to consume it? I might use animals for the experiments; better not waste anything.”

“...Why does this sound like a method for a humane slaughterhouse?” Alexis muttered, trying to process Scarlet’s unusual ideas. “Instant death to minimize suffering and maintain meat quality - the cruelty-free groups might actually endorse it and shut their mouth.”

“Interesting thought, but sadly, it’s illegal in the wizarding world,” Scarlet shrugged. “Now, who should I pitch this to? I doubt Professor Dumbledore would support my experiment, though Professor Snape might.”

“...Or you could try a Japanese shrine. Preferably the one Meiko-san’s from – no one in the UK would notice, and you’d avoid all the legal complications here.”

Scarlet smiled at her, pleased. “Now that’s a step out of the box.”

“...Thanks?” Alexis scratched her head. “Can’t your pendant, like, handle the Killing curse? It can totally save us from a lethal blow, right?”

“A ‘lethal blow’, meaning it can absorb the impact of any car crash or dagger stabbing, I doubt it could withstand a conceptual magic shot,” Scarlet shrugged.

Alexis sighed, “So, back to the healing ritual. You’ve been busy all this time working to heal Neville’s parents?”

“Yes, starting with them.” Scarlet nodded. “If it goes well, the director of St. Mungo’s may apply it to other patients, and I might even earn a bit of extra pocket money.”

Okay, never underestimate a humble Asian, Alexis thought to herself.