Chapter 13 – The First Mystery Part 2

I approached the receiving room, a fancy name for a lounge or a room full of couches and comfy chairs, and took another centering breath. As I told Susan, it was showtime. Opening the door, I saw my Mom, Dad, and sister Grace on a long leather couch facing The Minister, Mr. Potter, Kingsley Shacklebolt (I just love that name!), and a tall ginger man on another long couch with an equally long coffee table in between them. Dad seems to be red-faced and spitting mad, but Mom is doing a good job calming him down with whispered words. Grace sits like the elegant little lady she was. [A/N: For a description of Cassandra Leoren and Reynold Leoren, please refer back to Chapters 1 and 2.]

If Susan was a punk rock princess, then Grace was an elegant empress. She had a haughty, noble air around her that was pronounced loudly by her upturned nose and narrowed eyes. 13-year-old Grace II Leoren had the long, platinum blonde hair of her namesake, our grandmother, that was usually straight and curled at the ends, but today was in an elegant braid. Her heart-shaped face, with just a bit of remaining baby fat, and her dazzling sky blue eyes draped behind long blond eyelashes easily told of a majestic and regal lady-to-be. For now, however, she was just my adorable sister who always acted like a perfect lady. She hated it when we said it, but her trying so hard appear older was just plain cute. She wore an elegant summer dress with lots of bows and ribbons and that matched the ones tied into her hair. She had distinctly cute earrings and other accessories that adorned her small frame and was looking down her nose at The Minister Of Magic who seemed to be tense.

Everyone turned to look at me when I entered and I did a small bow towards the group of Ministry officials.

Raising from the bow and looking over to my family I say, "Dad, it's alright. Grandpa and I assumed that they would have no idea about the tracking spells. The Ministry has been very kind and generous to us, so let's put that issue aside for now, yeah?" Not waiting for his response, I look over to the Ministry group. "Minister, Mr. Potter, Mr. Shacklebolt, and...?"

"Hello, Jordan! I'm Ron, Ron Weasley." The tall red-haired man said standing and holding out his hand. "I am Hermione's husband and friend of Harry and Kingsley here."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weasley," I took his huge hand and shook it with a grin as I asked, "Are you a member of the Ministry as well?"

"No..." Mr. Weasley says taking his hand back to rub the back of his head awkwardly, "Not anymore at least. I am the co-owner of Weasley & Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, actually."

"Oh! That's cool!" I say, trying to keep the conversation positive and moving along, "I would love to visit sometime!" I turn to the Minister and say, "As long as you vouge for him, he is fine to stay. I know you must have a ton of questions, and I am willing to explain much of it, but I need a couple of things from you first."

The group of ministry officials...and the ice cream man all share a look before Mr. Potter nods and asks, "What do you need, Jordan?"

"I would like for you to arrange a group of your most trusted friends and coworkers, no larger than eight with you all included. They can be part of the ministry or otherwise," I say with a courteous smile to Mr. Weasley, "but they need to be people who will agree to keep this secret and, more importantly, agree to be put under a secret-keeping spell."

"Jordan, we should talk about this first." My Mom says sternly, and I turn back to her. "It will be alright," I respond, "Plus it will be easier to explain some of the gaps in knowledge Grandpa and I have with more informed people. I will keep what we agreed upon last night a secret and tell the full story to you all later. I suspect that this conversation will allow me to have a better understanding of what all I saw and learned, anyway."

Mom and Dad nod slightly and seem to relax a bit. Grace looks up at me with her same imperious glare, but I can see the concern in her eyes. I walk over and put my hand on her shoulder. With a confident and comforting squeeze, I whisper to her and my family, "It will be alright, Gracey. I know what I am doing. Grandpa and I planned this all out last night."

She nods and the Ministry group turns back to me after a quick huddle between themselves.

"That makes sense, I am sure it is sensitive information. We can agree to that and I can cast the Fidelius Charm if needs be." Mrs. Granger says and the others nod in agreement. "We will organize this and be back shortly." She says and stands with the rest of the group.

"One more thing, if you don't mind?" I ask politely, possibly pressing my luck, but I am following the plan and we need this to work in our favor. "Could you call the Headmasters of Hogwarts as well? Some of this discussion will include pertinent information for them."

"I can call the Headmistress..." Mr. Shacklebolt starts but is interrupted by a knock at the door.

The door to the room is opened by the family butler stationed outside and a woman looking to be in her late 40's walks in with a small smile on her face. "That will not be necessary, Kingsley. I came to deliver the Hogwarts letter and meet the boy personally." She has sweeping dark green robes and a matching pointed witches hat. Her features are severe, but her eyes twinkle with mirth and kindness. "I do hope you will be a better heir than our last one, Mr. Leoren."

I turn to face her fully and offer hand again, "One of the Headmasters of Hogwarts, I presume?" I say and shake her hand.

"I am Minerva McGonagall, the only Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." she corrects, "Hogwarts hasn't had multiple Headmasters since the 1200's. It was deemed impractical, or so the old school records have told me."

I wave my hand to offer a comfy leather winged back chair for her to sit in. "I see, well, it is an honor to meet you! We have much to discuss...and yes, I will be attending Hogwarts." I say with a laugh.

She hands me a letter with another smile and sits down in the offered chair. A maid comes in at this time with a tray of finger foods and an assortment of drinks and she goes around the room asking if anyone would like anything quietly.

"Well then, I will assemble the rest and be right back, no need for you all to come with," Mr. Shacklebolt says and nods to Team Ministry, my family, and Headmistress McGonagall before heading out of the room, taking out a cell phone from his pocket as he walks and flipping through the contacts.

"Well then," I say clapping my hands, I will read through the letter with my family and we can relax a bit before the serious stuff starts. If you all want something, please ask our maid and she can get it for you. We can serve breakfast if you missed it and I will see about serving lunch during our conversation later.

For the next 30 minutes, my family and I read through the acceptance letter and talk about all it contains. Headmistress McGonagall offers small comments or answers questions when we have them but otherwise enjoys her lemon tea in contented silence. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter partake in the offered breakfast and stuff it all down within seconds after it was delivered. Mrs. Weasley reprimanded them for their behavior and lack of manners but has no problem snatching food for herself off of Mr. Weasley's plate, despite turning down a plate of food herself.

'How am I doing so far, Grandpa?' I ask Gryffindor in my head.

'Fantastic, Jordan my boy! Mysterious enough to make them interested, and polite enough to get them to do as you ask. You would do great in court politics with a few years of training, I wager.'

'Hard Pass.' I think dryly and go back to enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

[A/N: The acceptance letter if you want a refresher on what it says: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hogwarts_acceptance_letter]

* * *

I was mid-explanation of my war game with Mrs. Granger-Weasley, I had found out that she kept her old name and hyphenated her married name, and, surprisingly, Headmistress McGonagall who were both very interested in the complex rules I had made, when there was another knock at the door.

Mr. Shacklebolt stepped in followed closely behind by two more gingers (A tall scarred man and a tall athletic woman), a hairy giant, and an old little person with a handlebar mustache. This seemed all a bit too surreal to me, and I couldn't help to admit it sounded like the start of a bad joke.

"Leoren family, allow me to introduce Bill Weasley, Ginny Potter," (the gingers) "Rubeus Hagrid," (the giant) "and Filius Flitwick." (the...gnome?)

"Ah...Pleasure to make your acquaintance." I say simply as my family stands and gives their greetings as well. A short round of hugs follows as greetings are shared amongst the Ministry group as we watch. After that finishes up, I turn to them all and say, "Has Mr. Shacklebolt given you the run down? I will need you all to agree to a secret spell so that we can continue."

"Sure.' Bill Weasley states evenly, "We are no strangers to secrets. What do you need us to do?"

"First," I start, only smirking slightly, "A freebie for you all." I look up at the ceiling of the room. "Melody, secure room for private communication, please."

A familiar sound of thunking from the doors and windows and the sight of barriers being put up at all entrances follows. "Room Secure, Master Leoren. No listening devices found." A melodious female voice states. I had thought of the name last night in bed as I remembered how monotone the house's voice was. Just a bit of humor on my part. I was not expecting a sudden and complete shift in the personality and tone to actually match the name, however, so everyone in the room was equally surprised by the voice.

"Blimey!" Hagrid exclaims.

Many of the witches and wizards around me jumped to their feet and pulled their wands out, ready for a fight as they looked around wildly, but the Minister and the Headmistress remained seated calmly.

"What was that voice, Jordan?" Mrs. Granger asks with an eye roll at her husband who had the most explosive reaction of them all.

"That was Melody!" I say, my smirk turning into a full-faced shit-eating grin. "This manor house is a construct and Melody is the core in charge of it all. She controls all of the functions inside the house and on the manor's property."

"Astounding!" Mr. Flitwick exclaims and several lights flick out of his wand lighting up circles in the air, displaying some of the inner workings.

"Please stop that, Filius. It is rude to stare at my inner workings without asking first. Someone might think you a pervert." Melody, my house, says wryly.

"Oh! Sorry, my lady, I meant no disrespect. I am just beyond excited by what you represent to the magical world!" Mr. Flitwick exclaims, not at all upset at the insinuation.

"I am flattered to hear it." She preens.

I am starting to regret giving Melody a name...What was it that Grandpa had told me last night?

'Oh, Jordan, before you go to bed I wanted to warn you about naming constructs. There is a reason they did not have names until now. Names have power and giving a construct a name, more specifically a magical creature like a witch or wizard giving one a name, causes that construct to start developing a soul and a personality. It is ancient magic that not even I understand much of. Just promise to be careful, alright?'

Oops.

"Jordan...you named our house... Melody?" Dad asks, confusion and a twinge of anger hinted in his words.

"I think it is a wonderful name!" Mom says, slapping Dad's arm as Grace giggles breaking her serious facade, "Melody, it is great to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other much better in the future. I would love to know all of your capabilities to better protect our family."

"Same to you Mistress Leoren, I could not be happier with my new name," Melody says, her voice like wind chimes in the breeze. "And yes, a full diagnostic rundown will be ready for you whenever you wish."

"So...um...Can you explain more of what is going on, please? What was that loud 'thunk' at the door and why are their barriers on every exit?" Mr. Potter asks worriedly as Mrs. Potter, next to him, looks around the room with a smile of wonder on her face. I cannot help but be struck by how beautiful she is...Flaming red hair, caramel eyes, a lithe athletic body, a look of playful curiosity and mischief about her...am...am I into gingers?

Focusing back on the task at hand, I say, "This was the freebie. Proof that I have knowledge to share with you all, just as you have much to share with me. Now we move onto the secret spell part. If anyone would like to leave, please let me know and you will be free to do so. I can turn off the securities as easily as I can turn them on." I say and wait for anyone to ask to leave. No one does, and so I continue with the next part of the plan.

"Alright, you can still leave at any time after this, but you will be under the secret spell from this point on and will have to keep what you learned after this point a secret...No need to look so tense!" I finish with a laugh trying to dispel the unease from everyone else in the room.

Bill Weasley, Ron Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Hagrid all look ready to bolt or fight at the drop of a hat. I need to calm them down so I implore, "Please, sit down and relax. This will be a long conversation, I imagine. No need to be uncomfortable!"

They take their seats wearily, Hagrid taking up an entire loveseat at the back of the room. "Great," I continue, "now before I activate this spell, allow me to explain what it does..."

"Jordan, you are not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts. The Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery bans the use of magic for those under the age of 17 outside of their school." The Minister interjects in full Minister of Magic mode.

"I...uh...what?" I stumble over my words. This throws a wrench in many of my plans.

"I will allow you to cast whatever you were going to under my explicit permission here and today, but please remember that you are not to cast spells outside of Hogwarts from now on." Mrs. Granger-Weasley states.

"Oh, so it is fine if I don't cast it right?" I ask for clarification.

The room goes silent and they all stare at me hard. "Do you mean to say, you have items that can cast spells on their own, Mr. Leoren?' Headmistress McGonagall asks this time.

"Yes," I answer plainly, no sense in lying to them at this point, "Most of my constructs can cast basic magic up to the 3rd circle."

"WHAT!?!" Several voices bark and I am, frankly, confused by this reaction. Is this really that unusual? ...I decide to soldier on as best I can.

"Before we continue this discussion, I really do need to enact this secret spell. Melody, if you would?"

"Of course, Master Leoren. Commencing spell 03-587, Secret Web." Three magical circles light up in the air above the group. The first one, about the size of a frisbee, lights up in violet. The second, larger by about 2 feet, lights up in indigo. The last circle, about the size of a circular card table, lights up in blue. The circles spin around each other quickly before combining into one singular spell circle of white containing the distinct features of each circle had before it. White strings of magical energy pierce each person's head, painlessly, and form threads that connect to the circle. The circle then stops spinning and shrinks to a minuscule size before entering inside my head, With that, the magic sets in.

[A/N: What the combined spell circles look like: https://www.deviantart.com/kannyl/art/Aegis-spell-circle-44818525]

Mouths hang open around the room as people stare at me. Even Headmistress McGonagall is wide-eyed at this display.

"How...?" She questions.

"What..?" Flitwick gasps.

"Did you see that?" Ron Weasley guffaws.

"Blimey!" Hagrid repeats.

"Right," I say, smiling at all the reactions, "With that, the spell, Secret Web, has been enacted. It is rather simple, being it is only a 3rd circle spell, but it is still useful. It will compel you to keep what is talked about in this room today a secret and stop you from accidentally talking about it offhandedly, but will not stop you from telling someone if you are determined to do so. Just keep in mind that if you break the promised secret, I will know. The threads of the spell are like strands of a spider's web, hence the spell name, and are all centered on me. So, I will know instantly if you break your word as it will break your thread to me. There is no consequence for breaking the promised secret but... I guess it is ultimately up to you what my trust is worth." I finish with a small shrug.

"Jordan, what do you mean by '3rd Circle Spell?'" Mr. Flitwick asks excitedly, "Is this forgotten magic from Gryffindor's time?"

"In a sense," I say, "but I am not the right person to talk about this with." With a flourish, I summon the Journal to my hands and announce, "Instead, why not ask Gryffindor himself?"

'Tag, you're it.' I think to Grandpa as I allow him to take over my body.