The lake, the massive and enchanting castle, and the distant shadows of the trees hidden far from sight...Scarlet felt a flicker of recognition, deemed it a famous scene from the movie.

She enjoyed the view, but she wasn’t as amazed as the other students seemed to be. During her time as a caster, she had witnessed far more extraordinary sight, and the hidden realm of the Isle of Skye was infinitely more magical and breathtaking compared to this...Well, seeing deaths and ghost crowding that shadowy realm wasn’t something you’d find in ordinary places. In fact, that realm was more terrifying and thrilling than anything else - not exactly the kind of place a living mortal would choose to linger, no matter how beautiful the view might be.

The lighting’s pretty dim here. Maybe I should suggest the school install some candles or lamps for the next first-years. Quite a hazard if anyone slips and falls into the lake because they can’t see in the dark, Scarlet thought to herself while she blindly followed the person in her front until they reached the gate.

The gate swung opened, revealing Professor McGonagall - the same professor who had sent her the letter and taken her shopping in Diagon Alley. In Scarlet’s opinion, she seemed like a responsible lecturer, and she was actually looking forward to attending her classes.

The students followed Professor McGonagall to a small chamber off the hall, where she briefed them about the Sorting Ceremony. Scarlet was initially confused, but when she saw the old hat, battered hat, she remembered the scene where the hat talked.

It must be an iconic moment if I recall it so well, Scarlet mused.

Her gaze wandered to the long tables and the candles floating above them, wondering if the wax ever dripped onto the food. And the plates and utensils, which seemed to be made of gold or silver, made her worry about heavy metal poisoning. Well, it’s magic, so probably safe to use? I’m not very good with chemistry...Or is it physics?

The Sorting Ceremony began after the hat finished its song. One by one, each student tried on the hat, which then shouted out their respective houses.

Scarlet waited her turn with little concern, though she noticed Harry and Ron, and even Hermione and Neville gathered around her, their nervousness evident. Hermione was particularly jittery, mumbling something rapidly under her breath – probably spells or something similar. Scarlet patted each of them on the shoulder, offering a subtle comfort. “You’ll be fine, no worries.”

They all nodded quietly, still looking anxious but perhaps slightly reassured.

“Granger, Hermione!”

The bunny teeth girl went up and promptly sorted into Gryffindor, which made Ron groan in disappointment. It seemed they still hadn’t quite warmed to each other, despite Scarlet’s earlier intervention in the storyline.

Then, to Scarlet’s surprise, her name was called.

“Hong, Scarlet Smith!”

Looks like they updated my name after Professor McGonagall’s visit. Scarlet thought, recalled that her name on the acceptance letter hadn’t included “Hong” as her last name.

She strolled to the stool, placed the hat on her head, and waited to be sorted.

“Well, you certainly have an interesting past,” whispered a small voice in her ear, “Not one for wilfully showing off, not particularly ambitions, and your wisdom seems to have accumulated over time...Hmm...”

I’d prefer a place near the kitchen, Scarlet thought, knowing the hat would pick up on it. Gryffindor, with its bravery front and centre? Not really my style. Ravenclaw sounds like a house that loves to learn, but honestly, I’m not that eager for it. Slytherin, cunning as you sang? I’m not, though I wish I were – might’ve made life easier. So... I guess Hufflepuff?

“You know yourself quite well, and Hufflepuff’s common room is indeed near the kitchen. HUFFLEPUFF!”

Scarlet removed the hat after hearing the shout, left it on the stool, and walked toward the long table that cheered for her arrival.

Neville, to her surprise, was sorted to Gryffindor, the house of the brave...Well, Hermione surprised her as well - she had expected her to be placed in Ravenclaw. But upon reflection, it made sense that the trio of protagonist would all end up in Gryffindor. After all, red is always the colour associated with main characters in shonen anime, symbolizing bravery and willingness to venture into the unknown – qualities that drive the story forward...Great, I love yellow, Scarlet thought with satisfaction, a colour rarely chosen by main characters in combat anime, far from trouble and drama.

Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin, and only then did she notice that the Slytherin table seemed full of “nobles”...oh, right, purebloods. Well, it wasn’t surprising; after all, the wealthy often had to be cunning and ambitious to secure their best interests.

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Then came Harry’s turn. The hat shouted his house after a moment of silence, and the Gryffindor table erupted into loud cheers. She could hear the Weasley twins yelling “We got Potter! We got Potter!”

Finally, Ron was sorted into Gryffindor, just as she had expected.

Ron sat beside Harry and glanced over at Scarlet, seeming to hope that she would join them in Gryffindor as well.

Nope, I prefer it here - somewhere near the kitchen, Scarlet thought to herself as she raised her cup in a distant toast to Ron, who responded with a toast of his own.

The students fell silent as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster, got to his feet, beaming at them with his arms wide open.

Scarlet recalled the information about him from the cards she had seen on the train with Harry and Ron when they were enjoying their Chocolate Frog. She had no interest in the collecting the cards, nor in the Chocolate Frogs they loved - her tastes leaned more towards Asian desserts, where the highest compliment was “not too sweet”. But she appreciated the packaging and the idea of distributing the cards; she could always borrow someone’s collection if she needed more information about the wizards and witches.

The best wizard in the world, huh? Scarlet mused, still debating whether she should approach him or Professor McGonagall about the rat...Or perhaps she should first meet with the professor in charge for Hufflepuff?

“Welcome,” Professor Dumbledore began. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!”

He sat back down, and Scarlet remained stunned for a few moments while everyone else clapped and cheered. But soon, she came to her senses, and found herself rather liking this old man. She had experienced many speeches from directors, principles, headmasters etc., on the first day of school or at various events, and they always lasted at least fifteen minutes - a hypnotic mumble to most people’s ears – despite claiming, “I would like to say a few words”. This was the first time she’d actually seen a headmaster keep his promise of “say a few words”!

Not sure if he’s a reliable guy, but at least he’s witty, Scarlet mused as she noticed the table was now full of food...Well, typical British fare. Scarlet sighed silently. Oh dear, I need to know figure out how to get in touch with the kitchen - I need East Asian’s food!

It’s not that she disliked British food; it was nice to have it occasionally, and British dishes could be delicious too. But she preferred food with less salt, sugar and spices, and only certain East Asian cuisine meet her preferences.

Her housemates around her began chatting about their families while munching on their portions. Some were pureblood, some were half-blood, and some were from Muggle families.

“I was supposed to attend Eton before I received my Hogwarts letter.” said the boy sitting next to her. He looked at Scarlet earnestly, “Hi, I’m Justin Finch-Fletchley.”

It was only then that Scarlet noticed his uncommon last name. Based on his mention of Eton...a wealthy boy from two families with heritage? Probably not too deeply rooted, though, since he seemed innocent and naive. Or perhaps he was the second son of the family? Scarlet mused as she picked up her cup and offered a toast; her hands weren’t particularly clean after holding a few slices of bread to accompany the roasted meat, which was laden with spices that were too strong for her taste, “Hi, I’m Scarlet Smith.”

Justin asked tentatively, “Are you...are you the Scarlet Smith? The one who wrote that book?”

Scarlet blinked. “You mean...Akahime’s Diary?”

“Yes, it’s you! It is you!” Justin grinned broadly, “I’m a huge fan! My mum is too! Could you sign an autograph for me? Oh, I must send my mum an owl - I meet Scarlet Smith in real life!”

Scarlet never thought she’d meet a fan at Hogwarts, but she didn’t mind, “Sure! Do you want me to sign the book, or that a piece of paper do?”

“Can I have both?” His eagerness was written all over his face.

“Of course. Meet me when we get to our dorm, and I’ll sign it for you.”

Their conversation attracted attention from others, and soon the whole long table discovered they had a famous novelist among them as more of her fan approached her for autographs as well. It wouldn’t be long before the entire Hogwarts knew about it, and possibly even the professors.

Hope they won’t mind. I can promise the book writing won’t interfere my school performance, Scarlet thought to herself as they finished their dinner and the headmaster began giving the start-of-term notices:

- First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students.

- No magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, will be in charge of enforcing this rule.

- Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

- The third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.

The first few notices sounded normal, but that last one...Scarlet thought for a moment. Telling someone that a place is forbidden without giving a reason could provoke them to explore it just to see what’s there. So...a bait for Gryffindors? Or specifically, a bait for Harry and his two best friends? Is this how the adventure begins?

“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” announced the headmaster, which Scarlet found bizarre. Why do we need to sing the school song before going to bed? Isn’t it supposed to be on the Monday morning as the start of the week?

“Everyone picks their favourite tune,” said the headmaster, “and off we go!”

...What? There’s no melody for it? And...is this karaoke?

Scarlet stood stunned, watching the golden words float above them...then joined in, singing in a low pitch and fast pace. Luckily, she wasn’t the only one who did that; others did the same. But the Weasley twins...Scarlet remembered how exasperated Mrs. Weasley had looked when she mentioned her twins. Okay, she got the idea now.

The headmaster gave the loudest and most merry clap in the hall when the Weasley twins finally finished. “Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”

Finally! Go go go! I need to organize my notes before sending them to Ron for answers! When will we receive our schedule? Plenty of tasks swirled in Scarlet’s mind, slowly arranging themselves according to necessity and urgency. Of course, the first thing tomorrow must be sending dad my letter. Hope he’s doing fine...