A Cryptid's Cookies PV

Word Count: 350

Date: September 14th, 2026
Time: Afternoon
Location: Grounds, Hogwarts

Xio had been following the clues from her Crypt Club notices with intense focus and absolute delight. She loved a good treasure hunt, and when the new notice arrived, she already had three possible ideas for the “secret” location.

She ran to the Ballroom first, on the fourth floor of the castle, convinced that the note about “we will dance” meant exactly that: a place where people danced. She searched the room quickly, briefly distracted by the beautiful sunlight reflecting through the grand windows, but it soon became clear this wasn’t where the clues were leading.

Her other two options were fortunately right next to each other, though that meant they were on the opposite side of the castle. Fueled by excitement and adrenaline, she took off down the stairs as fast as she could, rushing past other students like a blur.

She had to pause when she reached the edge of the Herbology building, pushing on with all her might as she stumbled into the grand Conservatory. She gasped with delight at the variety of colors and plants Hogwarts had to offer. She moved through each of the rooms, tempted by the many ingredients she might use for potion practice later, but she stayed focused on her mission. Quickly, she redirected herself toward the Hogwarts Grounds. So far, all the clues had shared a common theme: flowers. It was a delightful thread to follow.

Then she got her second wind, another rush of adrenaline surging through her body. She raced out of the Herbology building and sprinted across the grounds, scanning the perimeter. In the distance, she spotted an older classmate standing near what looked like a picnic at the far corner of the grounds. She slowed, doing several double-takes, uncertain whether she was about to intrude on something private or had finally found something important.

At last, she moved toward @Ezra Calloway, just briefly catching a glimpse of him, in a hesitant half-skip, half-trot, stumbling only once in the dirt. But that was enough to send her tumbling forward before she reached the blanket. She did not immediately try to get back up, the adrenaline-crash immediately rushing to her brain at once.

OOC Notes: This was so exciting and I absolutely LOVED every moment! XD

Today was September the 14th, the day we started the scavenger hunt. Three days ago, all the members of ‘The Unravellers’ received a note covered with codes and clues. I had teamed up with my friends, Xio Arcana and Bella Light. Together, we figured out what each code and hint meant, but we could not be sure if we were right until the hunt began.

Where could it be? I thought as I racked my brain. There were so many places the prize could be. One clue led to Platform nine and three quarters, while another led to the ballroom and a third pointed us towards the courtyard, the grounds, and the Herbology Greenhouses! Wait… the grounds? I have seen plenty of wildflowers there! Gathering my equipment, most of which I probably would not need, and set off to find Xio and Bella.

I found the two friends near the ballroom. They had probably been searching there for the prize, as one of the clues was, 'In the next one, we dance.' I told them excitedly what I had found, and we left to go down to the Grounds.

I sprinted down the hill, narrowly dodging a potential collision with a first year carrying a box of glass phials, with Xio and Bella right behind me. We had found the prize.

OOC Notes: I think we found the prize, unless this was only the first post ... either way, I had fun cracking the codes!

WC: 402
Mentions: @Xio Arcana, @Nessarose Goldwins, @Ezra Calloway

It was the day! The day where Bella's Unravellers Club was supposed to give out the first clue! She was so sure that it could be in...one of five places. She quickly grabbed her school notebook and flipped to the list she and her friends Xio and Nessa made earlier.

Places it can be:
- Courtyard
- Herbology Greenhouses
- Ballroom
- Grounds
-Platform 9 3/4

Bella shrugged. She planned to just quickly go to each one, look at it, and if it looked normal and nothing was there, she would leave. Hopefully she would meet up with either Xio, Nessa, or both along the way.

She really really didn't think it was Platform 3/4 simply because they weren't really allowed outside of Hogwarts during the school year. Bella hoped it wasn't there, as if it was, she would either have to sneak out or miss it.

First, Bella ran to the courtyard. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair, and a smile lit up her face. However, nothing looked especially out of place. She shrugged, and enjoying her time, ran to the next place on her list, the herbology greenhouses.

It was fun seeing all the plants again, and she was especially sure to be careful, since several of the plants looked...dangerous.

At the ballroom, Bella was delighted to see that both Xio and Nessa were already there. After a quick talk and discussion of the clues, they agreed that it was maybe...probably...at the grounds.

Laughing and racing each other, the three friends ran to the grounds, sprinting through the hallways, outside, and into the bright sun. They saw a picnic on the grounds, full of tasty treats and a card game, waiting for them. As Bella ran up the last hill, she was surprised to see Ezra Calloway, who she knew was a Hufflepuff second-year, there, too.

As the friends scrambled to look and see if there was a clue on the picnic blanket, they saw a note:

Dear Unraveler,

Congratulations! You have found me! Now enjoy a picnic and games as a reward for your sleuthing. We shall meet again next time.

Your Secret Keeper.

Laughing at the mysterious circumstances, Bella knew that they have found, at least, the first prize.

OOC Notes: This was so fun to write and solve! Can't wait for the next one!

𝕷ooking at all the clues he received over these past few days, Robin had a rough idea of where the secret meeting place would be. The boy did not anticipate himself joining another club, since he was already a member of a few and the president of one of them. This semester would also be a very busy time for the Ravenclaw, seeing as he was given the opportunity—and the burden—of organizing this year's fall ball alongside some of his peers. As a mere second year, that felt like a big responsibility. Robin frowned in dismay whenever he set eyes on his weekly schedule, tasks crossed out, moved around, and added in the gaps made him nauseous. A disorganized mess, he thought bitterly. Still, the concept of The Unravelers was too intriguing for his curious mind to ignore. It is in his nature to walk down the unpaved path as long as it seems interesting, despite knowing all too well that forests are the home to terrifying beasts.

The Unravelers, as far as Robin could tell, was a club dedicated to decoding encrypted messages and "unraveling" mysteries created by someone calling themselves the "Secret Keeper". They are indeed secretive, Robin was never able to even catch a glimpse of their appearance. Every time he received a new note or clue, it was delivered straight to his door addressing him specifically. There was a certain uneasiness that came with this convenience: the Keeper knows all members, yet the members know him not. Robin isn't a stranger to feeding his curiosity even when risks are obviously present in the void of unknown, so his suspicions only made him a bit more cautious and alert, it did not reduce his motivation to solve the riddles at all.

The boy finds fun in riddles, and even though the clues came in codes—something often associated with math—Robin still thought of them as riddles. Math isn't his favorite subject, but he agrees with the view that it is its own language with sound, logical structures. Logic is like a comfort blanket for Robin, its cold objectivity brings some well-needed certainty to his self-proclaimed chaotic life.

The date was clearly written on the top of the note, September 14th. He couldn't find clues for the exact time, though judging by the fact that the 14th is a Monday and they're all students, after classes would probably be the unspoken understanding. On to the location—where the actual decoding happens. After shifting around and converting the nonsensical scrambles into legible words and phrases, Robin reached the conclusion he now holds. There were multiple individual clues, some not as related to the others. Three distinct areas caught his eye: trial, dance, and flowers. There would only be one definitive location, so the others must indicate different things. The trial could be the process in which members of the club decipher the Keeper's message, so that's off the potential location's list. The other two each had locations associated with them, a dance in the ballroom and flowers in the Grounds. The Grounds, however, included a wide area that still needed to be narrowed down. Forbidden locations or places unaccessible to some younger years are excluded in his mind, since the Keeper would likely prefer more participation and thus would not want restrictions on the members' activities. The presence of flowers in various notes helped with the filtering process too. Not the Quidditch Stadium, not any outdoor club areas, the great lake, caretaker cabins, campgrounds, et cetera. Of course there are probably flowers in those places, but they are not the main focus, therefore it would be misleading to include wildflowers as a clue. That leaves the Herbology greenhouses, the courtyard, and the rest of the vast Grounds. At this point Robin already ceased to consider the ballroom as an option—peaceful, nature, flowers . . . they quite clearly point towards somewhere outdoors. So, would a secretive club host their first meeting in a classroom? The greenhouses seem like an unlikely choice once you think about it like that. Students everywhere, the professor might suddenly walk up to them . . . it just does not fit the overall vibes Robin got from The Unravelers. Speaking of, the courtyard would also be filled with students after classes end. Robin decided against going there to relax after watching the place drown in passing or staying people. A place isn't soothing anymore when everyone thinks it's soothing and decides to unwind at the same time. Consequently, it also wouldn't be a great place for this mysterious club meeting. Too many witnesses. That leaves the Grounds. Robin felt like he narrowed the location down only to reveal infinity. The Hogwarts Grounds were big, searching for the meeting place would cost hours if he's lucky.

Robin would have said that if he didn't have one last clue to utilize. " . . . follow your intuition and your sense of smell . . . " were the exact words on the notice. There will be a scent atypical to the Grounds, something nature cannot produce on its own, something artificial.

The boy squeezed his satchel strap as if that would accelerate his search. The winds blew and he let go of his satchel to tug on his robes and cover himself tighter. He wasn't unfamiliar with the Scottish winds, but something else sent a shiver down his spine. An excitement. A thrill of venturing into the unknown, the nervousness of a very real possibility that his train of thought went off rails and he was walking towards nowhere meaningful.

The hesitation vanished as he noticed something in the winds. A welcoming scent that made his mouth water. The sweet scent was accompanied by a burnt smell, yet it stimulated a growl in Robin's stomach nonetheless. The boy picked up pace in the general direction of the sweets, and he didn't need to go too far ahead to find a picnic set up with four people already standing around it. Robin made his way towards them, recognizing the only boy as someone he might have seen pass by in hallways or classes last year. The girls, on the other hand, did not ring a bell at all. They were huddling near a paper slip, and after reading it Robin confirmed that this was indeed the correct meeting place. The Keeper wrote that they'd meet next time, but honestly, they might be one of the members here. They might also have set this up some time ago and went into hiding, not showing their face yet even now.

Speculation would not do him any good at this stage. Robin stepped forward to pour himself a cup of tea and lifted the napkin to grab a cookie. He didn't pick out a less burnt one on purpose, cookies are cookies, after all.

ooc notes
banner and code by me
this was fun! my brain power was thoroughly challenged during the decoding process in chats tho haha (i'm not as smart as robin ooc at all lol)

WC: 208
Mentions: @Xio Arcana, @Nessarose Goldwins, @Millie Ann, @Robin Lockett, @Ezra Calloway
OPEN TO INTERACTIONS

Bella gathered around the picnic and the pastries and glanced at the other members, who were all happily munching on the well-earned delicacies. She knew that most likely, one of them was the organizer behind all this, but she had no idea who. Nobody looked suspicious, so she was starting to wonder if the organizer had already disappeared or if he/she/they were just really good at acting.

Bella glanced around at the students staring back at her, some familiar and others not as much. She knew she probably shared some classes with them, but there were just too many faces to remember and not enough time. Ah, well. At least this picnic would be a great way to know them better. It would be a fun way to meet new people!

"Hi! I'm Bella Light. First year Slytherin. Nice to meet you all! What do you think about these clues, the mystery, all of it? Fun, right? Did you guys think it was hard? There were a couple of places I checked before here, but isn't the prize so amazing? Of course, I would do it without the prize too, but it's really an added bonus! I can't wait to see what the next clue or mystery is!"