I do not intend to lead you to believe that I own Harry Potter, in fact I intend for you to believe quite the opposite; I adore it, J. K. Rowling, and all of those involved.

Preface:

As we all know Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a brilliant, clever wizard with uncanny wisdom and sophistication.

And as we all know, he's a bit of a nutter.

While his plethora of knowledge and experience is undeniable, his actions cause all of those around him, to believe that he may be slightly cracked.

In short; he's a mad hatter, but wizards of all kinds adore him, all the same. After all, the line between crazy and genius is very thin. Very, very thin. And on this particular January night, that line seemed practically transparent.

This night was frigid; window panes were frozen over to the point where every window throughout the castle appeared to be nothing but a solid piece of ice, the rusted metal suits of armor adorning the halls could be caught shivering at any given moment, and the roof of the castle was blanketed in so much snow, that it seemed quite miraculous the whole structure didn't just collapse. But regardless of the vicious weather, the students of Hogwarts slept well in their grand beds, spaced evenly around a blazing fire, and swaddled in their thick blankets.

Well at least they did for a while. For suddenly loud knocks and bangs could be heard throughout the first floor, and especially near the kitchens waking the entire gaggle of Hufflepulls who rested there. And then, in the next instant, as if the knocker had transported in some magical way, the same banging could be heard within the level under the kitchens, where the Slytherins slept. From outside the Slytherin dormitory, you could barely hear the commotion of teenage boys and girl awaking in the middle of night, over the loud banging sounds which still vibrated around the dungeon, shaking the glass window panes within the common room and threatening to spill the Black Lake in amongst the students, all dressed in green. And in case this was not enough, the banging then proceeded to echo its way up the magnificent staircases all the way to the seventh floor towers. First intruding upon the dozing Ravenclaw, and then lastly the Gryffindors.

Once the entire student body was sufficiently woken and confused, a loud announcement began, at an almost appalling volume. It was as if a bullhorn had been attached to speakers, and then the speakers had been placed strategically throughout the castle. The announcement went something like this:

'Morning, Dear Student. (At the simply mention of the word 'morning,' many students peered out of the nearest window, and saw that indeed, there were faint lines of pink spread throughout the sky which hinted at the near arrival of morning, but this fact did not help suppress the eye rolls, and pouts that arrived with the sound of their Headmaster's voice, so early, and unwelcome, in the morning.) While many of you, I'm sure, are desperate to close your eyes, and try to salvage the last few hours of near darkness, I urge you to give me your full attention. Here at Hogwarts, we have decided to create a new tradition. It will take place in the form of a game; a scavenger hunt, of sorts. But its purpose is far greater than any game you've played before. This game will test your bravery, it will test you wisdom, your loyalty, and your cunningness; all of the qualities that make a great wizard, and the bases of our housing system. Now, like all games, this one will have a winner. Whichever student is first to discover all of the mysteries, and complete the hunt I have fabricated, will win a prize of incomparable worth, and great power. Good luck, for those of you who choose to participate, and challenge yourself, and for those of you who raise your nose at this offer, shame on you. Here is one hint before I leave you, 'the best place to start is the beginning.'

And then the entire castle was silent.

This idea came to me, a few nights ago, and I just could resist. At first, I had intended for this piece to be nothing more than a one shot, but I decided to try my hand at a longer story, and so this tale will come in chapters, each chapter a new and exciting part of Dumbledore's little game, and each discovered by a different Hogwarts student – Harry, Luna, Draco, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George, ect.

I hope to have the first chapter, which will focus – quite predictably – on Harry himself, within the next few days. So please add this story to your alerts.

Comments are always greatly appreciated.

And I will more the gladly take any ideas that you may have regarding this story in particular, but also any other story that may be entertained in the future.

Thank you for reading.

Ashley Ann xx.