There used to be a Boswell’s near us with a lot of joke items such as whoopee cushions, stink bombs, gelling liquid, etc. And so I thought about having a “Fred & George” scavenger hunt where they would get you to clean up their junk (the joke items) as part of the clues. I love origami and there are several scenes in the Harry Potter films where the characters send or receive letters that are folded in some origami pattern and I thought I would incorporate that as well. Many of the following origami cards came from Origami Card Craft, by Karen Elaine Thomas.

All the clues together…

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The Clues

In the present box was a…

Howler

The howler was derived from the Kiss from Origami Card Craft (altered to use a single sheet of paper).

The howler, still closed.

The howler, opened. This Howler is more like the one Harry receives in the Order of the Phoenix

Unfolded…

To save you reading my handwriting (which was surely part of the challenge), the text of the opening clue is…

“FRED & GEORGE…”

…Whoops, sorry about that
We repurposed one of Mom’s old howlers to tell you
— that we’re organizing your Christmas scavenger hunt this year.
Yes, we got told off to clean out our junk
— fabulous prototypes you mean…
Right, George, “fabulous prototypes”
— for the Muggle market.
and we thought
— why not let someone else do it!
Exactly, but we arranged for a nice treat at the end!
— So, just follow the clues
To find the next — what did you call them?
— fabulous prototype
that will lead you to the next!
— Your first clue is:
 
Where would you go to find a place to sit!

After searching several chairs, you find one with a cushion and behind the cushion were…

Fart-in-a-can and Secret Plans

Exactly as it says on the tin ¹…

and top secret plans²

The twist is that if you open the Secret Plans the normal way, you only see insults³…

Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.
Mr Prongs agrees with Mr Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.
Mr Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a Professor.
Mr Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.

But if you turn it over and open it, you see the real clue…

Well done!
— Knew you could do it!
We thought we had a real winner “hear”
— sometimes you want the smell, sometimes you just want the sound
but for some reason, it was “silent” in the market.
— in any case, your next clue is:
speaking of smell…

Where would you go for a bad smell?

I’m always intrigued how my daughter will go right to the spot for clues that I think are real stumpers and then be lost for what I thought was easy - of course, I clean the kitty litter…

Stink bombs and a Pin-wheel

The clue was a varient of the pin-wheel card from Origami Card Craft, with the corners folded down to accentuate the pin-wheel.

Unfolded…

In plain text…

So, when the noise only version didn’t work,
— we tried a smell-only one
which also didn’t work.
— But you now reap the result
and the smell.
— In any case, the next clue is:

Where would you go to be in the dark?

Clearly, a lot of dark places in one’s house but, for her, it was too easy as we had gotten to calling her secret closet the Room of Requirement. In the closet was a …

Mystic Smoke and a Fortune Teller

Mystic Smoke - an alternative to Peruvian Instant-Darkness powder

A standard Fortune teller fold, what made it distinctive was the paper, a gift from my mom. It has some very decorative borders that show off well in many of the folds.

And your fortune…

Another sure-fire
— flop.
The thought was either an alternative to Peruvian Instant-Darkness powder
— and when that didn’t work
an instant thundercloud potion!
— that also didn’t work.
Moving on, the next clue is:

Where would you go for an electrifying time?

Another stumper, but she finally thought of the panel for the circuit breakers in the larder and found a…

Blah-Blah Pen and a Round-Square Card

The blah-blah pen, supposedly it had a twelve ways of saying “blah blah blah blah”…

The clue was a flat fortune teller, but what made it stand out was the rounded corners and pattern on the paper.

Unfolded to reveal the clue…

So this one…
— yes, this one…
Well, we were thinking a muggle version of the Muffliato spell…
— Let’s just move on to —

Where would you go to find a dry spot?

We had just started a little succulent section in my office and nestled among these were…

Gelling liquid and a Napkin fold clue

The clue is a well-known napkin fold. As above, the border of the paper really makes this one stand out.

Unfolded…

Getting warmer here!
— Yes, this one actually works!
But don’t slip it in your Dad’s coffee
— Like we did…
Again, moving on to the last clue

Where would you go to find distracted muggles?

I thought this was going to be an easy one, but eventually she looked behind the TV and found…

Decoy Detonator and a Crane

We had gotten this Decoy Detonator replica when we went to Harry Potter world and here was a great use as the final joke item.

The clue is a version of the crane, again from Origami Card Craft.

Unfolded…

You found it!
— And so, here is one that actually seemed pretty successful
— until the cease and desist letters started
— And so, for your treat:
Where would you go to find a baby dragon?

And the answer, that she got right away, is the Pizza Oven - it is a nice big spot that, when cold, was great to hold her present: a dozen chocolate frogs

(And quite a few more):

Footnotes

1. Contains gaseous fart sounds, no smells added. ↩

2. This was a twist on Yami Yamauchi’s Magic Wallet ↩

3. Well known insults from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ↩