The first news Scarlet received upourning to Hogwarts was that the third floor had been reopened.

  Not all the traps had been removed, however. The Giant Wizard Chess set remained on dispy for anyone who fancied a game. Ron, overjoyed by the news, grabbed Harry and Hermione by the arms and rushed to be the first to py.

  But the Weasley twins had beaten him to it. After a match with the oversized pieces, they finally abahe idea of using life-sized character cards in Wizard’s Gambit.

  “It’d be tough to trol and a bit much for the faied,” Fred ented.

  “And we’d like it to be child-friendly, even for the little ones,” Gee added.

  “Sounds good. Have you finished setting up the rules for Wizard's Gambit?” Scarlet asked as she did her evening training.

  “Yep! Now all that’s left is to actually make the game and fiu.” Fred grinned. “We’ve figured out which runic character binations we’ll use as the programming nguage.”

  “Soon, our beloved Lady Scarlet shall bear witame demo!” Gee decred, g his fist proudly.

  “Great!” Scarlet hen asked, “Is Alexis free tomorrow night?”

  The twins exged gnces. “Suppose so. She’s in charge of character design, so she should be free if she’s not w on that,” Fred answered.

  “Good. I need her by tomorrow night.”

  “For the girls’ secret, yeah?” Gee teased.

  Scarlet hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes. Girls’ secret.”

  Fred and Gee shared a knowing look, now even more certain that this secret was anything but ordinary, though they couldn’t guess what it might be.

  When the evening of Scarlet’s request arrived, it came all too quickly for Alexis to brace herself.

  “You sure this is gonna work?” Alexis asked, her voice ced with nerves.

  “As long as you don’t chi out,” Scarlet replied, gng at her while leading the way to the headmaster’s office. “And stop making that face you’re making right now.”

  “I’ll...try...” Alexis whimpered softly. It felt ominous whenever she thought about meeting the greatest wizard of the era, who, acc to fanfics she read, was half the time portrayed as some mastermind behind the ses.

  Scarlet had already been given the password; Professor Dumbledore had gra to her during breakfast when she requested a meeting. She led them straight to the stone gargoyle, passed through the entrance, aered with Alexis trailing behind like a timid maid following her dy - or more accurately, like a nervous student following her ageless teacher.

  “Good evening, Scarlet,” Professor Dumbledreeted with a genial nod, his eyes twinkling. “And to you as well, Ms. Everhart. Please, make yourselves fortable.”

  Scarlet gave a respectful bow as she always did. “Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Here’s the proposal I’ve prepared - a revised and more detailed version. I sincerely hope you’ll sider it.”

  Professor Dumbledore accepted the proposal, handling it with a gentlehat belied the gravity of the subject. “A formidable task lies within these pages, no doubt. Still, I shall read it with an open mind.” He began sing the dot. As he read, Scarlet tried to gauge his reas – though, unlike Professor Snape, whose pupils experienced subtle ges whenever his emotions stirred, Professor Dumbledore racticed in masking his thoughts.

  Ohing Alexis had correctly observed was that Professor Dumbledore was indeed a mastermind – though, as Scarlet saw it, that wasn’t a bad thing. Having a clever and experienced man as an ally was far better than having him as an adversary. Scarlet had no desire to go up against a vilin with such a sharp mind.

  Professor Dumbledore didn’t take long to read through the proposal. “So, Ms. Everhart,” he began, addressing Alexis after closing the folder in his hand, “you are indeed a Seer, then? That is quite an unon gift, and not oo be taken lightly.” He g Scarlet, his gaze both gentle and probing. “And Scarlet, you stand by this cim, even with all its...plications?”

  “I do, Professor, if it helps to persuade you.” Scarlet’s tone was firm. Alexis chimed in at once, “I agree, and I fully support whatever Scarlet had pnned.”

  The Professor studied the two girls in silence.

  Sensing his reluce, Scarlet reached int and withdrew a small box. She ope, revealing a colle of broken fragments ed carefully in a sealing cloth. For the first time, Professor Dumbledore, who had remained impassive until now, straightened, examining the tents ily.

  “This is Rovena Ravencw’s Diadem,” Scarlet expined, her voice calm as if reg from a textbook. “It once held a fragment of the dark wizard’s soul. I destroyed it by stabbing the Horcrux, giving it a lethal blow. Queen Scáthach ter took it to the Shadowy Land, ensuring the soul fragment would have no ce of return. You should still be able to detect traces of dark magi the diadem. It’s a pity the tiara couldn’t be preserved intact...but perhaps you restore it, Professor.”

  Professor Dumbledore leaned forward, his fingers lingered over the fragments not toug them, for a long moment. “Rowena Ravencw’s diadem,” he murmured, almost to himself. “An a relic – ohat held knowledge and darkness in equal measure.” He straightened, his expression unusually solemn. “You’ve aplished a remarkable feat iroying this Horcrux, Scarlet. Few have faced such dark magid emerged unscathed. You’ve persuaded me, Scarlet. You have my trust and belief. However, Ms. Everhart must remain here at Hogwarts - a safe pce where Death Eaters ot reach her.”

  He turo Alexis, his tone sincere, “I’m sorry, Ms. Everhart, but we ot risk losing you.”

  “Um...” Alexis hesitated. “I get that, and I do want to stay somewhere I won’t be a burden to you all, but holy, I don’t think Hogwarts is as safe as you think.”

  “Oh?” Professor Dumbledore’s eyes, full of curiosity, met Alexis’s. “Ms. Everhart, it seems you have glimpsed much that eludes the ordinary eye. May I ask what it is that gives you such grave doubts about Hogwarts’ defenses?”

  “Okay, so...” Alexis bit her lips and g Scarlet, who gave her an encing nod. She took a breath, then tinued, “I know this sounds weird, but some of the things I’ve read, or seen...There’s more, not included in the proposal si’s focused only on hunting down the Horcruxes. So... year, you’re pnning tilderoy Lockhart as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, right? Well, he’s a plete disaster for the school. He doesn’t teaything useful; all he does is make us read his books – stories he actually stole from real adventurers. He obliviated them and cimed the tales as his own. It’s criminal. He just ends up weakening the students’ defense skill when, ter oh Eaters infiltrate Hogwarts.”

  Professor Dumbledore raised brow prompted her to tinue, and Alexis rattled off the series of impeding camities.

  Alexis leaned forward, voice serious. “Oh, and before that, there’s the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. If we mao get the diary from Ginny - or better, from Lucius Malfoy - then we’ll be in the clear. But if it falls into any student’s hands, it’ll release the basilisk, putting everyone here in real danger.”

  “Oh! And then there’s Barty Crouch Jr. impersonating Mad-Eye Moody - you hired him as another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, aurned out to be a Death Eater! A student died iriwizard Tour! What else...oh, and Umbridge! She’s not even a Death Eater, she’s from the Ministry of Magic, but she’s so evil she was literally every student’s nightmare. Some fel says she’s even scarier than Voldemort.” Alexis noticed Professor Dumbledore’s dismayed expression and added, “Um...so, holy? I think the safest p the world might be that tiny spht behind Scarlet.”

  Professor Dumbledore looked weary, and after a long pause, he replied, “I see.”

  Scarlet tinued, “Professor, everything’s shifted siook down Quirrell. So, what Alexis saw may not even happen. We take it as a reference point, though. I’ll keep a close eye on any new Defence Against the Dark Arts substitute teachers, in case a Death Eater tries to impersohem. After we’re doh the Horcruxes, I’ll see to them.”

  Professor Dumbledore listened with a slight frown but remained posed. “It pains me, Ms. Everhart, to hear that Hogwarts’ sanctuary has failed some of its most vulnerable students, even in a world beyond my own. He paused, colleg his thoughts. “You may have doubts about my role, and I ot fault you for them. But as long as I am headmaster, I will strive to offer every prote I .”

  He noticed the doubt in Alexis’s expression, but Scarlet gave a firm nod. At least oudent here believes in me, he mused.

  After a moment, he tapped his fiips thoughtfully and asked, “Five Horcruxes remain. Besides the one in Harry’s scar, how do you propose we find aroy the rest?”

  “Leave the locket to me; I’ll ha during the summer break, just as outlined in my proposal.” Scarlet reted her pn. “As for the diary, we either wait for Lucius Malfoy to slip it into Ginny’s belongings, as Alexis saw in her vision and as I detailed, or I could take the initiative – pay the Malfoys a visit, persuade them, ahe Horcrux there. Also, I’m curious about the Dark Mark. Mr. Malfoy must have caught my hint from the st time we met.”

  Alexis stared, astonished. “You WHAT?”

  “I hi it,” Scarlet expined. “When I met Mr. Malfoy at the station during Christmas break - when Dratroduced us - I noticed something odd on his forearm, though it was covered under long sleeves. I didn’t ect it with the Dark Mark at the time; I just thought it looked...strange, maybe even a bit familiar, but I couldn’t pce it. Now that I know he has the Dark Mark, that sense of familiarity was likely the same feeling I get around the soul fragments. Do you think I could talk him down, give me the diary in exge for me keeping his Dark Mark a secret?”

  “Um...” Alexis thought back to all the fanfics she’d read, plus the inal storyline. “He’d do just about anything for his family. That’s his ot. Does that help?”

  “Probably. At least I know what ao approach him with.” Scarlet noticed Professor Dumbledore’s odd look and shrugged. “Busiactics. I o master persuasion if I’m going to win over ts iure.”

  Professor Dumbledore nodded. “I appreciate the trust you’ve both pced in me,” he replied, his gaze warm but thoughtful. “Though your paths may be unorthodox, I sense a great siy behind them.” He looked to Scarlet, his eyes twinkling again.” For now, let us proceed as outlined in your proposal – cautiously. I’ll take oask of iigating the Gaunt family’s remains, and, if need be, sider the vault of Beltrix Lestrange.”

  The three of them cluded their discussion, and Scarlet left the office feeling thhly satisfied.

  Alexis, still processing, muttered, “We...we just left? Just like that? He agreed to go along with your pn? Really?!”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.” Scarlet replied with a bright smile. “Now get some rest. I’ll try to send him another proposal before the summer break.”

  “Another proposal?”

  “How to stay safe when you’re up against the Killing Curse.”

  “...You seriously thinking a ade of ants could protect you from the Killing Curse?”

  “Worth a try. Goodnight.”

  “...Goodnight.”