Last night had been a fruitless endeavour, Scarlet reflected as she awoke around noon.

She had spent the entire night wandering along the coastline under the watchful eyes of Black and Meiko, attempting to locate Petter Pettigrew – likely in his Animagus form. The Aurors investigating Azkaban had found no footprints leaving the island, only faint scratched that could have been left by a rat’s claws under the effects of certain spells.

On the way back to the Red house, Black grumbled about the futility of their search. “He’s been living in a cage for nearly a decade with the Weasleys. No physical training, no survival skills, and no knowledge of the coastline. Even if he survived the waves and currents, he’d probably get snapped up by an owl or an eagle if he stays in his Animagus form.”

Then, turning to Scarlet, Black asked, “Is he on the Muggle world’s wanted list? Dumbledore should’ve done something about it.”

“Not entirely,” Scarlet replied wearily. “I’m not sure about Professor Dumbledore, but I’ve done my part. He’s on the SIS’s radar now, thanks to William – I asked him to inform them as soon as I heard the news from you, before catching my flight. However, he probably hasn’t made it into ordinary newspapers yet. It’ll take a few days for them to fabricate a suitable explanation.”

By the time Scarlet and Meiko arrived home at five in the morning, Apparated by Black, exhaustion as overtaken them. Too tired to take a proper shower, Scarlet had quickly cleaned herself with a simple charm, then slumped onto the sofa to rest while chatting idly with Black.

“The Ministry of Magic won’t be pleased about the leak if they know you’ve informed the Muggle authorities,” Black cackled, looking surprisingly alert and energetic for someone who’d endure years in Azkaban.

“Nothing confidential has been leaked,” Scarlet replied, rubbing her temples. Meko, noticing her weariness, gently took over massaging her temples. “I only told them Peter Pettigrew is on my personal wanted list.”

Black’s curiosity was piqued. “And what exactly is the difference?”

“As the princess of a once-infamous joint mafia gang of Hong Kong and Japan – now rebranded as a legitimate corporation – I explained to William that I’m hunting a traitor. This person, trying to drag us back into the underworld, has ties to a terrorist cult responsible for hundreds of deaths nearly a decade ago. That incident was widely reported in the news not long ago. I told William that capturing him is necessary to ensure peace. The SIS accepted this reasoning and agreed to inform me quietly if they discover his whereabouts, avoiding public panic.”

Scarlet’s tone was casual, but Black seemed impressed. “You lot should thank my dad for his complicated background,” she added with a smirk. “It gives me just the right leverage to feed SIS nonsense they’re willing to act on.”

“I am thankful,” Black said with a shrugged, “but I doubt the Ministry shares my gratitude. They’re dull of useless scumbags.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “The only decent thing they’ve done is immediately announce Pettigrew’s escape in the Daily Prophet. At least the wizarding world is on high alert now – it won’t be easy for him to hide among us.”

Black fell silent for a moment, then muttered, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that rat would dare escape Azkaban. He’s spent years cowardly hiding, so how did he suddenly find the audacity to escape? And smart enough to do it in his Animagus form?”

Scarlet had no answers to offer. Bidding him goodnight, she headed for bed. After a long flight, followed by hours of travel and the fruitless search, she was utterly exhausted.

The failed search lingered in her thoughts as she woke up, still lying in bed bathed in bright sunlight, the curtains left open. She replayed the events in her mind, wondering if she had overlooked anything. After a long while, she finally prepared herself for the day and went through her morning routine. Settling at the dining table for lunch, she found William, Meiko, and, to her surprise, Black. Raising an eyebrow, she remarked, “I thought Mr. Black left after we got back this morning.”

“I forgot to mention,” Black replied with a smirk. “I’ll be sticking around for a while. Dumbledore fears Pettigrew might seek revenge on you, so I’m here as your bodyguard. That said,” he added with a dismissive wave, “now that I’ve time to think, I seriously doubt that useless rat would have the courage to come after you.”

“Hmm,” Scarlet blinked innocently. “I wonder who would really be harmed if the rat did come for me.”

She motioned toward William, who checked the firearms concealed under his coat, and then to Meiko, who was calmly polishing her fan while sunlight danced across its sharp edges. Scarlet grinned at Black’s slightly stunned expression. “Still, I appreciate Professor Dumbledore’s efforts in keeping me safe. If the rat does cross my path again, I won’t spare him. He could jeopardise our plans for dealing with the last soul fragment. Please pass that along to Professor Dumbledore.”

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“What could he possibly do?” Black scoffed. “He’s incapable of anything significant!”

Oh, if only you knew, Scarlet mused, stifling a polite smile. She said nothing, knowing how much Pettigrew had contributed to Black’s death in the original storyline.

Her thoughts drifted to Alexis’s report, specifically the parts deliberately omitted from the proposal presented to the headmaster. Alexis had expressed discomfort about sharing too much details with Dumbledore. In her own words: “He’s like, trying to avoid the prophecy from happening, but in the end, everything he does just makes it come true – just like Voldemort! And now that I’m, like, a Seer in his eyes, he probably thinks everything I say will definitely happen, which it won’t, since sensei already ruined a huge part of the storyline. I trust sensei more than him.”

Scarlet couldn’t entirely dismiss Alexis’s reasoning. With limited information, things had progressed remarkably smoothly so far. But Pettigrew’s escape introduced a dangerous level of unpredictability, threatening to reshape the future drastically.

Looking back at Black, she said, “Could you confirm with Professor Dumbledore whether he has destroyed Mr. Riddle’s remains? I must stress how critical this is – it will heavily influence how we handle the las soul fragment.”

The remains of Tom Riddle Sr. were one of the three key components for the ritual to give the dark wizard a physical body. By cutting off access to his father’s bones, the dark wizard would lose the ability to regain a corporeal form – unless, of course, he resorted to temporary possession of a host, as he had done with Quirrell. If he pursued that route, he would be forced to continually transfer to new bodies as the old ones decayed.

But of course, he would first need to escape from the vault, along with the cup, and bypass the numerous security measures in Gringotts...Let’s see if there will be a mass breakout from Azkaban. Scarlet mused to herself; things would become much more complicated if Death Eaters managed to escape the prison.

“Dumbledore will meet with you soon - probably this afternoon - to discuss what you said. You can confirm everything with him then,” Black remarked, watching the young girl before him. Scarlet was casually eating pasta, looking nothing like the girl who had been soaring through the night sky at full throttle – flying without a broom or any enchanted items, high above the ground. How bizarre! Meanwhile, he and Meiko had been stuck sharing an old broom named Sammy, which Scarlet had lent them.

“I know Dumbledore keeps a lot to himself,” Black continued, narrowing his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t think I have the brainpower to contribute much either. But you know surprisingly more than I expected.”

“Ancient magic,” Scarlet replied cryptically, knowing Dumbledore had kept Alexis’s identity as a “Seer” a secret between the three of them. If Black knew everything, his actions could be unpredictable, so she carefully avoided giving away too much. “When you ask about certain things, I’ll just reply ‘ancient magic’. Perhaps I’ll explain more once everything settles. But for now, it’s better to keep some things hidden. The last piece is crucial. As long as we can ensure it stays safe in the vault, we can live in peace until we find a way to retrieve and destroy it.”

She ignored Black’s thoughtful expression as he stared at her, his gaze intense. Scarlet focused, trying to recall ways to locate someone. It wasn’t her specialty. As a team leader responsible for cleaning up the aftermath left by other casters, she was better suited for managing operations, not tracking individuals. That task typically fell to intelligence teams, who gathered information before the assault teams engaged in battle. These teams would first confirm the details of the abnormalities the Caster Association needed to handle and suggest tactics or strategies to eliminate the threats while minimising casualties.

Tracking people was their specialty – some even worked as private detectives, helping to find missing persons on the side. Unfortunately for Scarlet, she hadn’t chosen any related electives during her days in caster academy, so she had no practical experience in this field.

Meiko, while capable of offering tracking services, was also at a disadvantage. With no traces left behind by the rats within their reach – burnt by the disgusted Weasleys – and never having encounter the rat personally, Meiko couldn’t recognise his traits and was unable to help in the search.

Currently, Scarlet’s option was to turn to the library at Hogwarts and conduct research. But that, of course, would have to wait until the start of term.

For now, her focus was on the runic stone given to her by the Queen.

Before she can proceed further, there was a knock at the door. Professor Dumbledore arrived, looking a bit tired but offering a warm smile when his eyes met Scarlet’s.

“Good afternoon, Scarlet,” Professor Dumbledore nodded as he settled into a sofa. “Now, though I would love to spend more time with you, I must save the pleasantries, as we are trying to locate Peter Pettigrew before he slips too far from our reach.”

Scarlet straightened her back. “Are you sure he’s not dead? Did he really manage to swim across the North Sea?”

“We have an artefact that shows us he’s still alive,” Professor Dumbledore sighed, “but we have no clue where he is now. Anyway, I truly appreciate your help searching for him last night. You must be exhausted.”

“Indeed, but I can rest later.” Scarlet waved dismissively. “I couldn’t find him last night. If I had been here the moment he escaped, I might’ve been able to capture him with the mark I left on him. However, I don’t think I’ll find him any sooner now that he’s outside my detection range.”

Professor Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, if he dares show himself before me,” Scarlet said disdainfully, I’ll make sure he’s pinned to the ground, right through his heart. My spear has always aimed for that spot, and it always will.”

“Scarlet,” Professor Dumbledore studied her carefully, “You seem to have an intense hatred for him. May I ask the reason behind it?”

“Of course.” Scarlet exhaled a defeated sigh. “I thought I could avoid the aftermath after sending him to Azkaban far earlier than ever, but it seems fate had other plans for us.”

She looked Professor Dumbledore dead in the eyes. “Peter Pettigrew, the loyal servant of the dark wizard, will perform a ritual to revive his master, giving the bodiless soul fragment a solid vessel to cause havoc in the wizarding world.”

Her words stunned both the headmaster and the once-prisoner of Azkaban. Neither of them could find words for a long moment.