“It...it can’t be!” Black was the first to shout. “Peter, that coward – it’s impossible for him to have the audacity to host such a ritual!”
“Mr. Black,” Scarlet regarded him with a calm expression. “He was once a Gryffindor, after all. There must be a reason the Sorting Hat decided to place him in Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff, who would take all those left unsorted.”
Black tightened his lips, struggling to find a retort, but ultimately shut his mouth.
Professor Dumbledore, meanwhile, sank into contemplation. After a long silent, he said, “Is that the reason you requested the destruction of Mr. Riddle’s remains?”
“Yes,” Scarlet nodded, then pressed further. “So, Professor, have you destroyed them?”
Professor Dumbledore sigh deeply. “Though I prefer not to disturb the dead, your warning came urgently, and I trust you must have a solid reason behind it. Thus, I burned the remains to ashes and scattered them into the ocean. I believe that should suffice. However, I imagine you can now provide a more detailed explanation?”
Scarlet nodded again. Before continuing, she glanced at Black and asked, “Is it all right for me to speak now, or would you prefer a more private setting?”
“It’s fine,” Professor Dumbledore replied, glancing at Black. “I trust Sirius to remain discreet about matters that should not become common knowledge.”
Ignoring Black’s blank expression, Scarlet recalled the precise description Alexis had given her. She continued, “The necromantic ritual of resurrection consists of three main ingredients: the bone of the father, unknowingly given; the flesh of the servant, willingly given; and the blood of the enemy, forcibly taken.”
She paused for a moment, ensuring she had recited the details correctly and giving the two wizards time to process the information. Counting on her fingers, she elaborated, “The bone of the father, which Professor has already dealt with; the flesh of the servant, from the escaped prisoner; and the blood of the enemy, which the dark wizard insists must come from Harry Potter. The boy signifies his fall, or so the dark wizard believes. His initial plan involved causing trouble during the Triwizard Tournament, successfully luring Harry and another Hogwarts student. The student was killed, the dark wizard took Harry’s blood, and with Pettigrew’s flesh and his father’s bone, he gained a body - right at his father’s grave.”
Black furrowed his brows. “Why did you speaking as though these events have already happened? As though you witnessed them?”
Scarlet turned her gaze to Professor Dumbledore. Received his silent nod to “say whatever you will”, she continued, “Because, if I weren’t here to intervene, this is what was supposed to happen in the future. Now, I’m not sure who he might choose for the blood ingredient of his ritual, considering I’m the one who destroyed all his available soul fragments, not Harry.”
“You’ve destroyed all of them?!” Black exclaimed. But noticing Professor Dumbledore’s calm demeanour, he realised the headmaster must have already known.
“Yes, all but the one in the vault,” Scarlet said gravely. “I know Gringotts has very tight security measures, and until now, no one had been able to steal from its vaults. However, with all other soul fragments eliminated, I fear the one that remains might sense something and take action – perhaps bewitching a staff member to retrieve it or Pettigrew using his Animagus form to slip past security.”
“I understand your concerns, Scarlet,” Professor Dumbledore replied. “I share them as well. We’re doing our best to find a way to retrieve the cup for you - or bring you to it. But for now, there’s little we can do except continue searching for Peter Pettigrew.”
Scarlet nodded, then raised several other concerns. She mentioned ensuring Barty Crouch Jr. Had not swapped places with his gravely ill mother, trying they luck in Romania’s wilderness to search for the rat, sealing the passage hidden beneath the Whomping Willow, making sure next year’s Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher didn’t carry a bottle of wine or alcohol everywhere, to avoid the possibility of Polyjuice Potion being used...
Professor Dumbledore patiently listened to Scarlet’s suggestions, and after another round of discussion, he bid them goodbye and hurried off to take the necessary actions.
Black sat in silence for a long while, processing all the information he had just received in a meeting that had lasted no more than half an hour. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinised the red-haired girl. “Ancient magic, huh?”
“Yes, ancient magic. No more than that,” Scarlet shrugged, then turned her attention back to studying her runic stone, searching for a way to locate the rat.
Eventually, she found a ritual that required a crystal pendulum as the pointer. She performed the ritual, but to her frustration, it’s didn’t work.
“Why isn’t it working?” Scarlet muttered, examining the magic circle drawn on the stone floor with special chalk. She looked genuinely puzzled. “I followed every step, used the correct runes, and even have his picture here. What could be wrong?”
She continued her attempts for an entire day under Black’s watch, but the results were fruitless. Finally, she sighed in reluctant defeat. “Either I’m not talented at this kind of ritual, or I need something with a stronger connection to the rat.”
“What do you mean by ‘something with a stronger connection’?” Black asked, curiosity piqued. He had watched her closely, noting that the magic circle had glowed faintly – a sign that she was performing the ritual correctly. Yet the pendulum failed to point in any direction. When Scarlet tested it by attempting to locate Meiko and William, the pendulum moved, albeit slightly, proving the ritual worked. It just failed to find Peter Pettigrew.
“His hair or blood, or my clear memory of him – including how his tail curved – and let me tell you, I have zero interest in remembering what a rat looked the last time I saw him, just to turn him in to Professor Dumbledore,” Scarlet replied without hesitation. “I doubt the Weasleys would either. They didn’t seem to care much about the rat when it was still their pet. It’s not like they treated it the way some people pamper their cats, memorising every sound the cat makes just to avoid being scolded for petting it wrong. Otherwise, having one of the Weasleys join this ritual might’ve work.”
Scarlet paused briefly before continuing. “Or his birthdate, down to the minute, combined with his true name. Personal belongings he’s used recently and frequently might also work. But I have none of that – only a photograph of him in the papers when he was sent to Azkaban. As for his belongings, whatever he used as the Weasleys’ pet was burned to ashes ages ago. The connection between the photo and him isn’t strong enough for the ritual.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Black looked confused. “I can understand how hair, blood, memory, or belongings would work, but his birthday and his true name?”
“Not just any birthdate,” Scarlet explained, “but the exact time of his birth, down to the minute, and his true name. With those, I can locate the specific soul I’m searching for. Names can be shared by many, so having a precise birthdate ensures I target the right person. In Peter Pettigrew’s case, his name is probably unique, but the pendulum still didn’t respond. That means either there are others named Peter Pettigrew, or I’m simply not skilled enough at this ritual.”
She sighed. “Well, even if I managed to get hold of his hair or blood, I’d probably let Meiko handle the search - she’s the expert in this field. If only she’d met him before; it would’ve been so much easier to track down that rat.”
Black nodded thoughtfully. “So, are you giving up?”
“Yup, I have other things to do. I can’t spend the rest of my holiday working on this ritual for a rat that will probably die the moment it shows its face in front of me,” Scarlet said with a shrug.
“What other things?” Black asked, trailing behind her as they excited the basement. “Off on some business venture?”
“Exams.” Scarlet replied, catching his surprised expression. “I was supposed to fly back today and take a day to relax before sitting my exams at a Muggle school. If it weren’t for that rat, I wouldn’t have had to rush back a few days early.”
“Muggle school exams?”
“You don’t seriously think I’d introduce myself to clients by saying I graduated from Hogwarts, some unknown school in the middle of nowhere, do you?” Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I need valid graduation or exam certificates if I want to deal with them professionally. And I need them to apply for universities...Don’t ask me what universities are; ask Meiko. Why can’t Hogwarts come up with a better way to conceal its existence? I feel like I’ll be seen as uneducated in the normal world, even though we actually are educated. Hogwarts certifications are useless in the Muggle world...Anyway, I’m going to study now.”
Black watched the grumpy Lady of the Red House retreat to her room. He scratched his head, pondering how he was supposed to accompany her to the exams. Probably best to consult Willam or Meiko about this bodyguard matters.
On the morning of her exam, Scarlet arrived at a secondary school at half-past eight after a two-hour ride.
It was a public school for ordinary student, specially opened during the summer holidays to host exams for those who self-studied, were home-schooled, or were retaking their tests.
The parking lot was packed with cars, and groups of parents stood chatting, exchanging tips about home-schooling their children. When Scarlet entered the area with Meiko and Black in tow, curious eyes followed them. It was obvious to everyone that the two adults weren’t her parents.
“Scarlet!”
She looked up and saw Justin, another Hufflepuff, waving eagerly as he jogged toward her.
“Hi, Justin,” she greeted with a polite smile. “You’re here for the exam too?”
“Yup!” Justin puffed out his chest with pride. “With you as my inspiration, I had no excuse not to prepare for the Mug—uh, usual exams as well!”
“It’s best to have a home tutor if you’re aiming for good score,” Scarlet said with a tone of concern. “I sometimes struggled and had to send letters to my tutor. Learning everything on your own isn’t as practical – or as easy - as it seems.”
“I figured as much when I saw you constantly sending letters with owls,” Justin smirked. “Bet they weren’t all business-related, eh?”
“Yeah, some were for my tutor,” Scarlet admitted.
Justin nodded in understanding. “I took a page from your book – got a few home tutors and studied the subjects through letters. Let me tell you, it’s not easy to find someone capable of teaching that way.”
As the two carried on, discussing the challenges of long-distance learning with tutors, Black leaned toward Meiko and whispered, “Why have I never seen this tutor of hers at the Red House? Are they hiding or staying elsewhere?”
Meiko replied in a hushed tone, “There’s no tutor. Milady studies all the subjects by herself, using books.”
Black frowned. “Then why not just say so?”
Meiko rolled her eyes. “Too much extraordinary draws unnecessary attention. Milady is already known for her tight schedule and business venture; she doesn’t want more attention interfering with her life.”
If it were me, I’d let everyone at Hogwarts know about this, Black thought to himself. He couldn’t understand Scarlet’s choice but decided to keep quiet and observe.
“Hello there, you must be Scarlet. Justin had told us so much about you,” said Mrs. Finch-Fletchley, Justin’s mother, as she approached with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Mrs. Finch-Fletchley. Nice to meet you,” Scarlet greeted her with a polite bow.
Mrs. Finch-Fletchley looked around and noticed Black and Meiko standing behind Scarlet, their presence clearly out of place. She asked curiously, “Where are your parents?”
“In Japan...or maybe Hong Kong, busy with work,” Scarlet replied, gesturing to the two adults. “This is Mr. Black, my bodyguard, and Ms. Inoue, my head housekeeper and also a bodyguard.”
Both Justin and his mother blinked in confusion. Justin asked, “Why do you need bodyguards?”
“Business matters,” Scarlet sighed. “My dad is about to sign a major contract with a large corporation. If it goes through, it’ll secure another five years of revenue. The stakes are so high that some competitors have decided to...act less than honourably.”
Justin gasped. “You mean...they’re targeting you? But why?”
“Because if something happens to me, my dad will be affected. Our stock price would plummet, and he’d almost certainly lose the contract,” Scarlet explained with a shrug. “That’s the short version, anyway. It’s more complicated than that.”
“Oh, my, dear, you must have been through so much, having to travel with bodyguards for your safety,” Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said sympathetically. “Would it be too much to ask what kind of business your father is involved in?”
“I’m not entirely sure which project this involves – he has several ongoing at the moment,” Scarlet said as she pulled out a business card. “But if you’re curious, you can call this number. It’s my dad’s secretary. Mention my name, and she’ll help with whatever she can.”
“I’ll definitely give it a call,” Mrs. Finch-Fletchley said with a nod. Then, with a raised eyebrow, she added, “I hear you have your own business as well. Would you mind telling me a bit about it?”
“Of course, I’d love to!” Scarlet began, but before she could elaborate, the school bell rang, signalling that it was time for students to head to the exam hall.
Scarlet quickly handed Mrs. Finch-Fletchley another card, this one with William’s name written on the side. “This is my card. The number leads to my office. Mr. Graywood is my manager, and he handles most of my business when I’m not available. You could contact him if you’re interested.”
With that, the conversation ended, and both Scarlet and Justin rushed toward the exam hall, their clear-covered bags containing their stationary in hand. The adults remained in the shaded parking area, exchanging polite nods as the children disappeared into the building.
Mrs. Finch-Fletchley soon found a seat near the corridor and began making phone calls – many of them. Black observed her for a long moment before realisation dawned on him. “Is she trying to find herself a new client?”
“Not for herself – probably for our Young Master Kyle,” Meiko replied and after a moment’s thought.
Black blinked, both impressed and puzzled. “I don’t think Kyle needs her to promote his business.” He had to admit, though, Kyle did seem far more reliable than he was.
“Maybe it’s for networking,” Meiko speculated, though she didn’t sound entirely certain. “Our corporation has strong connections in East Asia but lacks a proper network in Europe and America. Milady might be thinking of expanding those connections, especially after the site visits during her time in Japan and Hong Kong.”
“So...the entire conversation earlier was just a strategy to expand connections?” Black asked, half in awe and half in disbelief.
“Probably. I don’t question Milady’s decisions; I simply follow them,” Meiko said as she stood, glancing around. “I’m going to patrol the school grounds. Are you coming?”
“Certainly.” Black remembered William’s advice about guarding Scarlet and decided he’d better stick close. “I’ll follow your lead.”
His reply earned him a strange look from Meiko, though she eventually nodded in understanding. “You’ll need some guidance in this line of work, especially since you also have to guard your godson.”
“What?” Black froze, taken aback.
Meiko continued as she led the way, gesturing to various areas a bodyguard should monitor. “Milady has been paying an unusual amount of attention to Harry. It’s different from how she interacts with the Weasleys – more like genuine concern of his safety. I can’t say way, but I suspect he may be in some kind of danger. Whatever the case, I advise you to stay vigilant, Mr. Black.”
Black’s mind raced with thoughts, connecting fragments of information. After a long silence, he finally replied, “I will.”