Disclaimer: the characters in this story belong to the wonderful JK
Rowling who won't be wonderful for long unless she publishes the next
book!! Holly Clairsworth, Summer Lyon, and Cassandra Bartoli are my
characters. So is Joe.
1 Chapter 2
The young people sat congregated around the coffee table, stunned. Cardwell hadn't even let them ask any questions, and so many were flying around in their inquisitive minds. A fire crackled sharply in the brick fireplace, and Hermione jumped.
"Well," she said, "I think we need to find our bedrooms and eat. Then we'll talk about what we need to do to help Mr. Cardwell. And the world," Hermione added as an afterthought.
Harry nodded, his brow wrinkled in thought.
"Let's explore this mansion. Maybe it holds some clues too," he said.
The entire group stood up, almost in unison, and silently they filed out of the library. Upon entering the main hallway, which was hardwood floored with a maroon runner, Holly gasped.
"It's so gorgeous!" she said breathlessly.
"I see some stairs- let's go find our quarters," Cassie said, pointing to a mahogany staircase about 50 feet away.
One by one, the group climbed the sturdy stairs, and all entered the first room to the left. This room was painted a light shade of green, with a sanded wood floor accented by white rugs. The large queen bed was adorned by white sheets and green pillows. There was also a desk, a bookcase, and a door that led to a blue bathroom.
"This would be mine," said Ginny happily, "I've got great closet space too!" (A/N: you can see we've been house-hunting!)
The next room the group came to, the second on the left, was wallpapered with blue. The bedspread was greenish-yellow, and the wooden floors were polished to a shine. The large bay windows let in a lot of light, but held no view for Ron, since this was his room.
Each of the other members of the group found their room décor to their liking. After exploring the upstairs, they decided to go up into the attic.
As the mobile stairs creaked down from the ceiling, a dusty brown room came into view. Slowly Seamus climbed the rickety stairs.
"Lot's of space up here," he said to the others' upturned faces, "But something's odd. Just this feeling I have that I'm not supposed to be up here."
Summer knit her perfectly sculpted brows together, then started up the stairs after Seamus.
"Wait! Don't come up here," Seamus whispered, "I hear something…"
The next moment, Summer uttered a small shriek as Seamus toppled down the stairs, forcing her to jump quickly down.
"Don't come up here again!" a voice floated down from the attic, "Or you will be punished."
Harry, who had been holding the stairs down in place, let them go up with a clang. He then quickly locked the entrance to the attic.
"Let's go downstairs," Hermione softly said, "We really need to talk."
The group went quickly down the stairs, and as they reached the kitchen, they found Joseph Cardwell sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
"Ah," he smiled and looked up, "I see you've met our resident ghost. Don't be afraid, he's in a bad mood in the afternoon. Actually, he will be helpful to solving your mystery- but make sure you contact him around midnight- that's when he's the most honest and good-tempered. Lolly, that's what he's called, is really a smart ghost and remembers everything that he has experienced. And what he has experienced has to do with your quest. Make yourselves dinner, have a nice long talk. I will be back in the morning."
And Cardwell disappeared again.
Cassandra moved to the cabinet and started rummaging through it.
"What do you guys want for dinner? I can make you Italian, Spanish, or Mexican dishes- and if you really want to sample my disgusting British and French cuisine you can," she smiled.
"Cass, how can you shrug major things off like that?" Holly asked disbelievingly.
"I'm not shrugging them off- I'm just following Joe's advice. Really, you guys have to stop being so serious, or you'll be too scared of the things yet to come. Now, what do you want?"
"She's right," Ron nodded, "If you don't mind, I'd like some paella- if we've got shrimp and mussels and all the good stuff."
"Sounds yummy," Hermione said.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the last remains of the flavored rice was being cleaned from the plates, Summer sat back with a groan.
"My goodness, Cass. That was great. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"Thanks, and my abuela taught me during my stay in Mexico after graduation. The rest my parents taught me."
Holly stood up, and stacked the empty plates on top of one another, then carried them to the sink.
"All right, I say we go into the family room to talk about what we need to do," Draco said.
The group went into the more modern family room, where there was a television and a sound system.
"Yes! I can watch the game tonight!" Ron said, and made a dash for the expensive looking leather couch.
"Ron," Ginny said, "We need to talk."
Those who didn't fit on the couch pulled up poufs or armchairs to sit on. Cassie walked in with mugs of steaming hot chocolate.
"Just thought it might be nice," she said, then curled up in a blue armchair, hands clutched around her yellow mug.
"Okay," Draco said, "Who wants to start? I think that either Harry or Hermione should lead these things, they seem to have the best ideas."
"I agree," Holly said, a little loudly, while Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled.
"Well," Harry began, "This is what I think. We each should be assigned to a certain part of the task of solving this mystery, since its not exactly a mission quite yet. We have to start with the 'coap' acronym- who's good with words? Wait- I shouldn't have asked. Herm, do you want to try and solve the acronym?"
"Yeah, I guess so- you guys can help me though, because I'm till a little confused," Hermione said, then sipped her hot chocolate.
"All right," Harry continued, "This is what I think. Once we find out what this acronym means, we can start researching for information we'll need to solve this case and save the world. I bet a bunch of clues are hidden around this old place, besides Lolly, so I think we should all do some investigating tomorrow. I'll pair you guys up, I don't think any of us should go alone after what happened today in the attic. Then maybe we should make a map of all the rooms and, if there are any, secret passageways. Later we'll go on from there."
Ron nodded.
"That sounds fair," he said.
"I think I'll pair you now, and then Ron can watch his game," Harry continued, "How about Cassie and Ron, Holly and Draco, Summer, Seamus, and Ginny, and me and Hermione. Is that OK with everyone?"
"Mmhmm," Cassie mumbled, staring into the cocoa powder remains in her mug.
Suddenly she jerked her head up, and exclaimed,
"Something's written in the powder in my mug! And it's a moving message that's kind of long, come see- quick!"
Everyone rushed over to the plush armchair where Cassie was sitting. She held the mug up, and Ginny started to spell out the message.
"A stationery store will give you a clue to your acronym puzzle. There are many clues hidden in the mansion, the most important one being hidden in the only 45 degree angle in the house, found in a secret room connected to the den. Find it, and you will be well on your way."
"Magic is really something," Cassie said in awe. She was a half- blood, and magical things had never ceased to surprise her.
Hermione eased herself onto the couch, her fair face etched with thought, and her eyebrows curved in puzzlement. Wheels seemed to be turning in her brain, and everyone sensed that, so they stayed silent.
"A stationery store…coap…how…" Hermione muttered to herself. After about five minutes, her face cleared.
"I think I have it."
(A/N: Do you guys have it? You'll see in the next chapter what the acronym stands for, and then all the action continues on from there. It'll be a lot more exciting, I promise. Before I forget- some of the plot is derived from a story called Chasing Death, Finding Love by emeraldfairy. But I don't need to cite that because I am emeraldfairy along with Holly Clairsworth and Summer Lyon, other authors on this site (and my best friends). Just wanted to tell you guys that so that you don't flame me or report me in case you've read that really dumb story. Ciao and review!!!!)
1 Chapter 2
The young people sat congregated around the coffee table, stunned. Cardwell hadn't even let them ask any questions, and so many were flying around in their inquisitive minds. A fire crackled sharply in the brick fireplace, and Hermione jumped.
"Well," she said, "I think we need to find our bedrooms and eat. Then we'll talk about what we need to do to help Mr. Cardwell. And the world," Hermione added as an afterthought.
Harry nodded, his brow wrinkled in thought.
"Let's explore this mansion. Maybe it holds some clues too," he said.
The entire group stood up, almost in unison, and silently they filed out of the library. Upon entering the main hallway, which was hardwood floored with a maroon runner, Holly gasped.
"It's so gorgeous!" she said breathlessly.
"I see some stairs- let's go find our quarters," Cassie said, pointing to a mahogany staircase about 50 feet away.
One by one, the group climbed the sturdy stairs, and all entered the first room to the left. This room was painted a light shade of green, with a sanded wood floor accented by white rugs. The large queen bed was adorned by white sheets and green pillows. There was also a desk, a bookcase, and a door that led to a blue bathroom.
"This would be mine," said Ginny happily, "I've got great closet space too!" (A/N: you can see we've been house-hunting!)
The next room the group came to, the second on the left, was wallpapered with blue. The bedspread was greenish-yellow, and the wooden floors were polished to a shine. The large bay windows let in a lot of light, but held no view for Ron, since this was his room.
Each of the other members of the group found their room décor to their liking. After exploring the upstairs, they decided to go up into the attic.
As the mobile stairs creaked down from the ceiling, a dusty brown room came into view. Slowly Seamus climbed the rickety stairs.
"Lot's of space up here," he said to the others' upturned faces, "But something's odd. Just this feeling I have that I'm not supposed to be up here."
Summer knit her perfectly sculpted brows together, then started up the stairs after Seamus.
"Wait! Don't come up here," Seamus whispered, "I hear something…"
The next moment, Summer uttered a small shriek as Seamus toppled down the stairs, forcing her to jump quickly down.
"Don't come up here again!" a voice floated down from the attic, "Or you will be punished."
Harry, who had been holding the stairs down in place, let them go up with a clang. He then quickly locked the entrance to the attic.
"Let's go downstairs," Hermione softly said, "We really need to talk."
The group went quickly down the stairs, and as they reached the kitchen, they found Joseph Cardwell sitting at the table reading the newspaper.
"Ah," he smiled and looked up, "I see you've met our resident ghost. Don't be afraid, he's in a bad mood in the afternoon. Actually, he will be helpful to solving your mystery- but make sure you contact him around midnight- that's when he's the most honest and good-tempered. Lolly, that's what he's called, is really a smart ghost and remembers everything that he has experienced. And what he has experienced has to do with your quest. Make yourselves dinner, have a nice long talk. I will be back in the morning."
And Cardwell disappeared again.
Cassandra moved to the cabinet and started rummaging through it.
"What do you guys want for dinner? I can make you Italian, Spanish, or Mexican dishes- and if you really want to sample my disgusting British and French cuisine you can," she smiled.
"Cass, how can you shrug major things off like that?" Holly asked disbelievingly.
"I'm not shrugging them off- I'm just following Joe's advice. Really, you guys have to stop being so serious, or you'll be too scared of the things yet to come. Now, what do you want?"
"She's right," Ron nodded, "If you don't mind, I'd like some paella- if we've got shrimp and mussels and all the good stuff."
"Sounds yummy," Hermione said.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As the last remains of the flavored rice was being cleaned from the plates, Summer sat back with a groan.
"My goodness, Cass. That was great. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"Thanks, and my abuela taught me during my stay in Mexico after graduation. The rest my parents taught me."
Holly stood up, and stacked the empty plates on top of one another, then carried them to the sink.
"All right, I say we go into the family room to talk about what we need to do," Draco said.
The group went into the more modern family room, where there was a television and a sound system.
"Yes! I can watch the game tonight!" Ron said, and made a dash for the expensive looking leather couch.
"Ron," Ginny said, "We need to talk."
Those who didn't fit on the couch pulled up poufs or armchairs to sit on. Cassie walked in with mugs of steaming hot chocolate.
"Just thought it might be nice," she said, then curled up in a blue armchair, hands clutched around her yellow mug.
"Okay," Draco said, "Who wants to start? I think that either Harry or Hermione should lead these things, they seem to have the best ideas."
"I agree," Holly said, a little loudly, while Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled.
"Well," Harry began, "This is what I think. We each should be assigned to a certain part of the task of solving this mystery, since its not exactly a mission quite yet. We have to start with the 'coap' acronym- who's good with words? Wait- I shouldn't have asked. Herm, do you want to try and solve the acronym?"
"Yeah, I guess so- you guys can help me though, because I'm till a little confused," Hermione said, then sipped her hot chocolate.
"All right," Harry continued, "This is what I think. Once we find out what this acronym means, we can start researching for information we'll need to solve this case and save the world. I bet a bunch of clues are hidden around this old place, besides Lolly, so I think we should all do some investigating tomorrow. I'll pair you guys up, I don't think any of us should go alone after what happened today in the attic. Then maybe we should make a map of all the rooms and, if there are any, secret passageways. Later we'll go on from there."
Ron nodded.
"That sounds fair," he said.
"I think I'll pair you now, and then Ron can watch his game," Harry continued, "How about Cassie and Ron, Holly and Draco, Summer, Seamus, and Ginny, and me and Hermione. Is that OK with everyone?"
"Mmhmm," Cassie mumbled, staring into the cocoa powder remains in her mug.
Suddenly she jerked her head up, and exclaimed,
"Something's written in the powder in my mug! And it's a moving message that's kind of long, come see- quick!"
Everyone rushed over to the plush armchair where Cassie was sitting. She held the mug up, and Ginny started to spell out the message.
"A stationery store will give you a clue to your acronym puzzle. There are many clues hidden in the mansion, the most important one being hidden in the only 45 degree angle in the house, found in a secret room connected to the den. Find it, and you will be well on your way."
"Magic is really something," Cassie said in awe. She was a half- blood, and magical things had never ceased to surprise her.
Hermione eased herself onto the couch, her fair face etched with thought, and her eyebrows curved in puzzlement. Wheels seemed to be turning in her brain, and everyone sensed that, so they stayed silent.
"A stationery store…coap…how…" Hermione muttered to herself. After about five minutes, her face cleared.
"I think I have it."
(A/N: Do you guys have it? You'll see in the next chapter what the acronym stands for, and then all the action continues on from there. It'll be a lot more exciting, I promise. Before I forget- some of the plot is derived from a story called Chasing Death, Finding Love by emeraldfairy. But I don't need to cite that because I am emeraldfairy along with Holly Clairsworth and Summer Lyon, other authors on this site (and my best friends). Just wanted to tell you guys that so that you don't flame me or report me in case you've read that really dumb story. Ciao and review!!!!)
