Patricia trembled slightly, but was it from the cold or the eerie feeling she got from Melinda's words. "What clues?" she whispered, "Clues to what?" she added as she glanced at the other two girls.

Melinda could notice Astrid felt now uncomfortable about that situation. She blushed a little as well and tried to smile back to her friend.

Ay, Melinda, yes, you are sooooooooo discrete....She told herself sarcastically.

Patricia turned around to leave the room, feeling out of the loop about something...'searching for clues' Melinda had said. She grabbed her school bag and left over popcorn, giving the room another look as she did so, wondering what was happening around the school that was so mysterious.

The temperature dropped again as Astrid moved to the door.

Astrid's eyes grew wide as she felt the temperature start to fall again the closer she moved towards the door. She reached her hands out and started to feel along the wall and the door frame. There just had to be something in this room that was causing the cold. She scanned the area intently, desperate to find what it was.

The room became colder still, a faint fog issued forth from the mouths of the students with each breath.

"What have you found Astrid?" Anna asked, noticing the younger girl feeling along the edges of the wall. She lifted her hands and began to help Astrid search for the cause of the sudden drop in termperature. "I'm not sure what to do. It's so cold in here...." Anna eyes widened as she noticed the fog coming from their mouths. "This is creepy..."

"I don't think you're searching in the right direction, Astrid," Anna said. "Come back towards us a little. Stop moving Melinda..."

Astrid shivered and practically ran back towards Anna and Mel in the center of the room. "What is going on in here? Its simply frigid in here now!" she said nervously. "Maybe we should look for the clue here on this side." she said, nodding at Anna's comment.

Patricia froze (almost)literally in her tracks. The temperature had dropped again, even colder than before! She looked over at the Gryffindor girl, Astrid if Patricia remembered well, watching as steam rose as she breathed out.

"Oh... this is just...." Patricia articulated, "What In Merlin's name is happening around here?" Her voice rose as panic started to set in, "why is it so ruddy cold in HERE!" Patricia almost ran into Astrid. "Let's get out of here and get a professor or the Headmistress!"

"Let's go," Anna said, grabbing Melinda and Astrid by the arm and leading them to the other side of the room. "Don't go in the direction of the door, okay? It's like the clue is playing a game of hot and cold with us. Stay over on this side of the room, girls." As Anna talked, she began to search all over the area for any sign of the next clue. It had to be around there somewhere. Either that, or they would freeze one. "Cale? Where are you?" Anna asked. "Come over here and help us look."

"It's alright," Anna said, trying to calm down the young Ravenclaw first year. "We don't need to get the headmistress at all. I'll explain everything later, but for now, just help us look around. Let me know if you see anything."

As the girl moved from the door the temperature in the room rose back to normal.

The students moved to another part of the room and the air became slightly warmer.

Feeling much more relaxed, and not to mention warmer, Astrid followed Anna's lead and quickly started searching on the opposite wall. She checked along the bookshelves first and still wasn't sure of what she was trying to find. She turned to look at Anna and said, "Do you have any idea what I'm supposed to be searching for?"

"I don't get this," Anna fussed. "What is going on with the temperature?" Anna looked at the other students with a confused expression and shrugged. The previous clues had been easier to find. This clue, however, was harder to locate; and quite frankly, it was a little eerie. It was like the clue had a mind of it's own. "Feel along the wall," Anna instructed. "It has to be here somewhere."

"Yeah, I have a few ideas," Anna answered. "It's actually the next clue to the treasure, I believe. All four houses received a clue, and the one the Gryffindors received---or, the one Cale received to be exact---lead us here."

Astrid did exactly as she was told and felt along the walls. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the clue. She was determined that they were on the right track.

The temperature dropped as the girls searched the bookshelves and along the walls.

"Keep feeling the walls," Anna instructed everyone. "I have a feeling it's in here somewhere." Anna continued to move her hands along the walls, searching for anything out of place. She was looking for any type of soft place or indentation, as well...anything that would lead her to the clue. Hopefully one of them would find it soon.

"Start moving books around," Anna instructed. "Pull them out...just make sure you put them back. I don't want the Headmistress coming in to find her classroom demolished. Look all around the bookcase and the surrounding wall. The temperature stays warm as long as we're on this side." Anna proceeded to move around several items on the bookcase, keeping one hand on the wall and one on the bookcase.

"I don't know Anna, its getting colder again. I'm gonna check towards the center of the room. Maybe on the floor or by the Professor's desk." She scooted along, and searched each chair. She searched the projector that the Professor had used during the lesson and even peeked under her desk.

Anna nodded and followed Astrid to the center of the room. She glared at the projector and then burst into a small fit of giggles. Suddenly, that weird chocolate song popped into her mind. Anna shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Soon enough, she found crawling across the floor with Astrid, looking for anything near the center of the floor. "You don't think it could be jammed somewhere into this old desk, do you?" Anna asked, examining the desk with her hands. "Maybe it's in the floor or something...I don't know. This one's hard to find..."

Patricia looked on, jaw dropping, as they all moved to one side of the room, feeling the walls for something...but what? The Gryffindor prefect had calmed her down with her simple words. So, she came closer to the group and felt a bit warmer than at the other end of the room. She looked at them, searching in every nook and cranny for, whatever! She got closer still and observed the wall in its entirety. It looked fine to her, but she looked on, hoping to get some information about what was happening.

But when they got on all fours in the middle of the room, she just had to ask. "What are you looking for in particular? Something solid, liquid or vaporous?"

Anna blinked and looked at the first year girl. Did first years usually speak with such complicated words? "Erm...solid, I believe. It's usually a scroll or something like that. Although, this clue is freaking me out a little. They all seem to have a mind of their own." Anna shok her head at the thought of parchment having a mind of its own. Hopefully someone would find the clue soon, and they could get out of this room. It was really eerie with just the few of them in here.

"Where is the frazzling clue?!?!" Anna exclaimed, sighing loudly and glaring at that projector once again.

Cale looked around and groaned. "What in the name of Merlin is going on with the temperature in here? If anyone finds an open window do us all a favor and close it," he grumbled moodily, heading into the center of the room and checking on the floor under the desks once again. He wasn't sure where this clue was and if they didn't find it soon, he was going to leave. He didn't have much more time--or patience, for that matter--and he was getting cranky. He pushed back some of his curls and looked around on the floor, on the underside of desks...everywhere that was within reach.

Just as Anna lead them around the room, Mel followed. And when they stood by the wall, the temperature, went colder. Ugh...what was that about. She started to search around the room walls, just as Anna had suspected, but then Astrid mentioned the center of the room, the desk. Something was obviosly going to be there, as Anna had said, it's like the game Hot and Cold, get close to it.

She was almost sneezing because of the freaky temperature changes.

"Patricia...keep looking around the books, the walls..." She suggested to her first year friend. "...while Anna and Astrid start to look at the desk and the center of the room." She ended her sentence, then sneezed. Ughhhh...that was enough for her, getting sick before time.

Astrid could tell that her friend was getting a bit desperate for the clue to be discovered. She felt like they were getting close. Now she just had to FIND it. She looked up, she look down, she looked at every chair and table. Where, Oh where was the blooming thing.

"I thought I told you to stop being a big baby," Anna said, looking over at Cale with an amused expression. She knew that was the last thing he wanted to hear, but it was too fun to play around with him. Besides, he could never get mad at her---could he? "Just keeping looking around. You're pretty much stuck here, Cale. It's kind of freaky in here, and I don't think I could stay without you here, too. So, yeah, just...keep looking." That said, Anna continued to search the area for any sign of the clue.

As the Gryffindors began crawling along the floor the temperature in the room increased a bit. When the girl neared the professor's desk the temperature spiked as if someone had lit a bonfire in the room.