The Mystery At Hogwarts

[ButterflyDreamer]

It was a cold and stormy night, the clouds bursting angrily against the black sky. Cara sat with her back towards the fire in the Gryffindor common room, soaking up it's warmth. Voices could be heard echoing against the walls. The claps of thunder had awoken several students who were now reading or studying, trying to wait out the storm before attempting to return to their sleep. Car had a book open on her lap but couldn't force herself to pay any attention to it. Her wavy chestnut hair free flowing against her back and framing her face. Her blue eyes, mesmerized by the thrashing of rain that continually beat against the outside window she was facing. She was rather tired but, unable to go back to sleep for more than just one reason. She kept thinking about that note she received earlier "Meet me near the suit of armor on the third floor at midnight." -Your secret admirer.


She observed the time and realized the clock would strike 12 in fifteen minutes. She picked herself up and put her book away. Without making a lot of noise, she slowly made her way out of the portrait hole and into the corridors. Who was this secret admirer? She had butterflies in her stomach and they grew with each step. She was excited and anxious to finally know who had been sending her notes over the last two weeks. She couldn't wait. She was hoping that a certain boy she had been eyeing for the last two years finally noticed her and tonight they would finally tell each other how they felt. She passed dozens of pictures on her journey across the school, all of which were snoring in their portraits. She turned the corner and saw the suit of armor, but no one was around. She looked at the time again "5 minutes early" she whispered to herself. He's probably going to arrive right on time, she thought confidently, and stood around glancing in every direction, hoping to see his face.


Six minutes had passed and she plopped herself on the floor, a little disappointed. Had he been caught by a prefect or a teacher? She wondered, hoping that was the reason. She felt rather tired and sat herself against the wall, nearly nodding off. A flash of light burst in front of her followed by another, and startled she got to her feet and peered into the darkness. She hadn't even thought to bring her wand, how stupid of me, she thought. Another flash of light beamed straight for her, knocking her over and onto the floor. She felt a warm liquid substance against her neck and realized she had hit her head hard enough for blood to escape. She grasped her bleeding wound and tried to sit up. Dazed and frightened she scrambled to straighten herself up and began running towards the stairs, hoping to lose whoever it was that had singled her out. Howls of laughter could be heard all around her. Her eyes grew wide and let out a scream when she saw the masked figures ganging up on her. One coming at her from behind, another to her right, and the third around her left. She was trapped. Cornered. What would she do? Tears began to well up within her blue eyes and caused her face to puff up. She sank to her knees and covered her head, hoping it would all just disappear. Hoping that this was a nightmare. One of them shouted "Stupify!" and then everything went dark.


The next morning she opened her eyes and saw the celling of the Hospital wing; her head was throbbing and she began glancing around the room in a horrified expression trying to make sure they had not allowed her assailants inside. Madam Pomfrey rushed to her side quickly and began administering a healing potion and asked her kindly to lay her head back down. She had been in there since the night before and it was nearly 3pm. She relaxed a bit and closed her eyes again. Why would they do this to me? She began to softly sob and tears fell across her cheeks. She hadn't done anything to deserve this.


Two hours has passed and she entered the girls bathroom, her eyes fixed on a scratch that sat above her eyebrow, all that remained of the previous night. She tried covering it up with a strand of hair to no avail. She sighed and sat herself at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall in a near constant state of anxiety, wondering who had attacked her and why. What did they have to gain? What was their motive?


(Cara Danby, 7th year Gryffindor student, age 17, heterosexual, 5ft tall, wavy chestnut brown hair, Muggle mother and Wizard father, adventurous, caring, self-sacrificing, modest, loyal, slightly eccentric, sweet, and sensitive. Enjoys attention but doesn't seek to be the center of it. Clara grew up as an outcast, but it never turned her bitter. She takes life one day at a time and aims to enjoy it. She loves meeting people but can sometimes withdraw due to insecurities. She has several secrets and doesn't care to share them freely. Some of her favorite things include reading, singing, making herbal remedies and potions, gardening, painting, and surrounding herself with nature. She absolutely loves birds; crows especially. Her patronus is a cat.) Use an OC or canon character, PG only, violence is fine, possible themes: adventure, romance, suspense, mystery.

 

[AwesomeK13]

Kaleb came rushing into the great hall. His heart raced with anger and fear, his mind was in panic. One thing was on his mind. Cara. Kalebs best friend, and one of his only at Hogwarts. Kalebs footsteps were drowned out by the chatter of the people eating, but Kalebs mission wasn't being drowned out by anything. His determined steps, and worried expression, was very prevalent among those who looked at him. Which was many. He was coming into the middle of breakfast, and that caused people to notice his late entry. Kaleb ignored them and headed straight for the Gryffindor table. Relief ran through his body when he saw her brown hair. It was Cara. Kaleb sat down with a thud next to her, causing some caution in the other Gryffindors.


"Bloody Hell Cara! Are you ok?" Kaleb asked in a worried tone.


When Kaleb had woken up in the morning, earlier than most as always. As normal he went to the common room and sat in the comfortable leather chairs. Reading a book titled "The dark Arts: Good or evil?". It was a restricted section book he had taken from the library. He loved reading Restricted Section books, even if they dealt with dark magic. He read quietly and waited for Cara to wake up, it was the weekend after all and he hoped they could do something fun together. When more people had gotten up, Kaleb was forced to hide his book back under his bed. Still no sign of Cara. Kaleb began to get worried, though he appeared emotionless on the outside. After still no sign of her. Kaleb went to a 4th year student named Holly, and asked her to check the girls dormitory for Cara. Still no luck. That's when Kaleb began searching the school for her.


Back at the Hogwarts table, Kaleb continued speaking to Cara, making sure she was ok.


"What happened? To you last night?" He asked, looking at her scratch and anxious face.


@ButterflyDreamer

 

[ButterflyDreamer]

She hugged her arms, trembling and met his worried eyes with her anxious gaze, eyebrows furrowed and face wrought with distress. Cara's eyes bean to well up and tears spilled out, rolling down her cheeks. "He... they... attacked." Those were the only words she managed to choke out as she cradled her face in her hands softly sobbing. The attack still fresh in her mind. Cara wanted to tell her best friend what had happened, but it was still so painful.


The weeks leading up to that horrific night were pleasant, and rather delightful even. Every Thursday evening, after she had finished dinner, a note was left in her book bag. She never knew who had left it but always anticipated it's appearance. Each would describe the author's affection for the recipient and was always signed as "Your secret admirer". She daydreamed about who might be behind it during her classes and sometimes into the night, far too eager to uncover the mystery. She had confided only in Kaleb, divulging her excitement to finally uncover her recent love interest.


...but now everything was in shambles and her heart was torn in pieces. Devastated. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, inhaling deeply to try and calm her nerves enough to explain. "Kaleb..." her voice trailed off, still so unsure if she could finish her sentence. "Kaleb, the notes... it was all a trap." She pushed a few strands of hair out of her face as tears still fell freely.

 

[AwesomeK13]

Kaleb couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cara, his friend, had been attacked. Kaleb could tell the subject was upsetting Cara, so he didn't want to push it too far. Who would attack her? He said to himself. His worry slowly turning to rage. Cara was well liked. She was a kind person who seemed to get along with everyone just fine. And yet, someone had attacked her. Worst of all, it was her secret admirer.


Kaleb remembered when she had told him about the notes. At first. He was suspicious, not because he didn't think Cara deserved someone to like her romantically. But because the noted seemed strange to him. But Cara was excited by them, he didn't want to crush her joy. So he went along with it, not saying anything to put it down. Now he wished he had. He was angry, at himself and whoever attacked her. Though his outside demeanour appeared calm. Inside him was a violent for wanting revenge.


Physical contact usually wasn't something he enjoyed, but he often made exceptions for Cara. This was another one of those times. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He stared menacingly at the other Griffyndors who were looking at Caras emotional state. They quickly looked away to avoid his eyes.


"It's ok Cara, you don't have to say anything more."


It was hard for Kaleb not to ask her about the attack, he wanted more information so he could hopefully track down the assailants. But he knew pushing the subjectwas unwise at the moment.


"Just tell me, are you ok?"

 

[ButterflyDreamer]

Cara was grateful to her friend, whom she often thought of as the brother she never had, ever since she arrived at Hogwarts. Being of muggle decent on her mother's side, she often felt left out and disregarded by many who held the belief that anything less than pure blood was inferior. But Kaleb accepted her and she felt comfort in knowing he was with her now, appreciating the protection he offered. She felt safe at his side.


"I... I spent all night in the hospital wing.. the only thing broken is my..." Cara's voice trailed off as she sniffled again, trying to wipe her nose on her sleeves. "...my heart." She finished her sentence with an infliction of bitterness and despair. She couldn't believe how stupid she was for thinking anyone could possibly like her. She hung her head low, in shame. Everything inside of her felt broken after her assault.


"I think... I just want to go back to the common room." She admitted as her eyes pleaded with him to accompany her back. She couldn't even think about eating anything, her stomach was tied in knots. She definitely didn't want to go anywhere by herself now, for fear that whoever her attackers were would prey on her again.

 

[AwesomeK13]

Kaleb felt her heart break, hearing her so defeated was like having a knife shoved in your heart. She was a very tough person in Kalebs mind. He clenched his fists and jaw, angry and confused at her being upset. He wished he was better at comforting people, maybe then he could know what to do to make her feel better. Sensitivity and comfort weren't his specialties at all. At least she had gone to the hospital wing, that helped Kaleb relax a little. he hesitated to ask if anyone was looking into it. He assumed there was, Hogwarts didn't tend to tolerate violence like this.


Even though he knew little to nothing about helping others, he had picked up one piece of advice over the years. Distraction from something helped. He swallowed his anger and focused on helping Cara. "The common room does sound enjoyable.... But maybe if we did something, it would help you?" He didn't know exactly what they could do, it was sad. Kaleb was incredibly close to Cara, but seeing her so broken had boggled his mind. He couldn't think of any one event that could make her happier. "Maybe... like a walk or something?" he said hopeful. Whatever it was she decided to do, Kaleb knew he wouldn't let her out of his sight. And if anyone tried to attack her again, he would make sure they felt her pain tenfold. As he waited for her to answer the question on what to do. He awkwardly reached into his back pocket and brought out Cara's wand, silently setting it on the table next to her. Then looking down at his lap, blushing a little. Whenever he did kind things like ask a girl to retrieve Caras wand from he room, so that he could give it to her. He felt awkward and weird. For whatever reason, small or large kind acts made him embarrassed slightly. He was still glad he got her wand for her, he figured she would want it; back when he had frst started looking for her, he though it odd she didn't have it on her to begin with.

 

[ButterflyDreamer]

Cara smiled weakly at him, considering his suggestion, and realized maybe some fresh air would be beneficial. "A walk by the lake might be nice." Her voice barely above a whisper. She saw him set her wand on the table "How did you manage you bring it to me?" She asked curiously. "Did you have one of the girls find it for you?" She was grateful that he had brought it to her, still very frustrated with herself that she had managed to leave it behind. In her own defense though, she truly believed that her meeting wouldn't have required it. But it must have slipped out of her robes onto her bed earlier and she hadn't bothered to check and see if it was still tucked safely in her pocket.


Cara hadn't been able to truly relax or take her mind off of the trauma since it happened, so a bit of fresh air and time spent with Kaleb might help, she considered. It was far better than sulking in an armchair, hiding from the world, which is what she had planned on doing before he suggested something else. She wasn't normally so passive, but after her experience, it created a seed of fear that only further bloomed as time had passed, which created anxiety that she held onto closely.


She picked up her wand and placed it in her robes "Thank you." She said meekly, with a grateful expression. She felt more comfort knowing she had it back; she wanted to be prepared for the worst, because she was afraid the worst may be still yet to come.

 

[AwesomeK13]

Kaleb managed a slanted smile. "You're welcome, but yes, I had a girl grab it for me. Don't go anywhere without it anymore ok?" Kaleb sighed, he wondered if her having her wand would help if she got attacked again. Who knew how strong her assailant was. Kaleb shook the thought from his mind, Cara could handle herself. Though that didn't mean he wasn't going to protect her.


"Well, come on. Let's head to the lake" He said with some cheer, trying to lighten the mood. He stood up from the bench and put his hands in his hoodie pockets, grasping his wand that was inside the large pocket. He held it with familiar comfort, his mind on alert for anything strange. He was in a rare guard mode. But he tried to hide that from Cara, he stepped back so that she had room to stand. "I will follow you" He said softly. I think the fresh air will be good for her. He thought to himself. He hoped he was right

 

[ButterflyDreamer]

Cara stood up, and began slowly walking towards the entrance to the castle. She turned to Kaleb and smiled hoping he'd walk beside her. "It's hard to imagine how I felt before the attack" she said as they continued walking. "I don't feel safe." Her eyes traced the outline of the clouds, as they wandered over by the lake. She took a seat facing the water lapping up against the shore, hugging her knees. Her hair began blowing against the wind. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fantastic view. "I did need this.." She sighed, glancing at her best friend. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes again. "How- how could this have happened?" She whispered examining the grass she was sitting on. "Why?" She lamented as the memories came flooding back.

 

[AwesomeK13]

As Kaleb followed Cara out of the castle, he walked next to her, trying to seem high spirited for her. It was a nice day outside; a warm breeze blew across the campus, and the few clouds in the sky were large and puffy. It was a very nice day out, the kind of day that would cheer someone u if they were to step into it. Kaleb hoped it had that affect on Cara


Once at the lakes edge, Kaleb stood a few inches away from the clear water. He wasn't a fan of water and usually wouldn't go near it. But if it helped Cara, he would happily go to any body of water. He stood and looked at Cara. A sense of protection living strongly in his soul. When she spoke her broken words, and he saw the tears grow in her eyes. He clenched his fists and moved closer towards her, kneeling next to her. He felt a little awkward still, seeing such emotions around him. Sad emotions made  him feel weird, he didn;t encounter them often. But he tried to move past it by slowly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't talk like that. You are safe, this is Hogwarts after all." Kaleb struggled to find the words to cheer her up. But he had no idea what to say to make her feel better. He wished he was more in tune with emotions. So he just said what ever came to mind. "And maybe we are wrong, maybe this had nothing to do with your secret admirer, this could all be a coincidence. And don't worry about what happened, I know its still fresh in your mind and all. But um, just focus on the future. I promise you aren't alone, I am here for you. I will protect you, like friends are supposed to. And I, uh, er, Think that if anything like this happens again, you'll give the attackers Hell. You are an excellent witch. Keep your wand on you at all time, and dont be afraid to use it." Kaleb finished his little speech with a pat on Caras back. He smiled weirdly and cleared his throat, before starring at the lake and remaining silent.