Chapter 12: The Rings Of Hogwarts

                                    

                                          
**NOTE: SOME OF THESE THINGS IN THIS CHAPTER I FOUND ONLINE AND REALLY LIKED. SHOUT OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT PUT THOSE UP THERE. AND ALSO THE ONES THAT MADE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.** 
                          
On the first Sunday after the holiday break, Morana, Aura, Tess, and I were taking a walk. Morana was standing next to Aura, Aura was next to Tess, and Tess was next to me.
                          
We were wearing the outfits that we gave each other for Christmas. We also were discussing an important topic: the differences between the Hogwarts Houses.
                          
"Gryffindor," Aura began, "is well known for bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry."
                          
"Hufflepuff," Tess said, "is well known for loyalty, fair play, honesty, and tolerance."
                          
"Ravenclaw," I said, pointing to my shirt, "values wit, creativity, and wisdom."
                          
"Slytherin," Morana said, "values ambition, cleverness, cunningness, resourcefulness, and pure blood heritage."
                          
"The Gryffindor colors are deep red and gold. And it is symbolized by a lion." (By the way, we are talking about our own Hogwarts House.)
                          
"The Hufflepuff house is symbolized by a badger, and the colors are yellow and black."
                          
"The Ravenclaw colors are blue and bronze, and it is symbolized by an eagle."
                          
"Why not a raven?" Morana asked.
                          
"Eagles are a symbol of strength of mind," I answered Morana.
                          
"Oooooh, okay! That makes sense! Slytherin is symbolized by a serpent. The house colors are green and silver."
                          
"The entrance to the Gryffindor common room is on the seventh floor hidden by the portrait of the Fat Lady. To get into the common room you must say the correct password every week."
                          
"The entrance to the Hufflepuff common room is located near the kitchen. To get into the common room we must knock on a fake barrel, I won't tell you which one, to the beat of 'Helga Hufflepuff'. I'm pretty sure it's the only common room to keep people from the other houses out. We do that by pouring vinegar on them."
                          
"I thought that was a rumor!" Morana said.
                          
"Nope." Tess shook her head, a smile on her face. 
                          
"Okay," I said. "To enter the common room, located in a high tower, we must answer a riddle asked by the eagle door knocker."
                          
"Seriously?" Morana asked. She sighed. "Glad I'm not in Ravenclaw," she muttered. "The common room is located in the dungeons, under the Black Lake, behind a stone wall. Like the Gryffindors we must say the correct password, but it's every fortnight. Oh, and many people believe that people that are sorted into Slytherin often get involved in the Dark Arts."
                          
"No duh," I said. 
                          
We kept walking, and after a few seconds I heard Morana fall to the ground.
                          
"Ouch!" she said, still laying on her stomach. "Son of a -" She turned onto her back and sat up. She didn't look angry anymore. She was looking at the thing she tripped over. "What's this?" 
                          
I couldn't tell. It kind of looked like a box. 
                          
"Help me pull it out," Morana told us. We all walked over to it and pulled it out of the ground. We all sat around it. Morana got the dirt off of it, then tried to open it, but it was locked. Morana took out her wand, and she said "Alohomora!" It unlocked.
                          
"I didn't know you were left handed, Morana," I told her. I never realized that Morana did things with her left hand until she did that spell.
                          
"Seriously?" Tess asked. "You knew her for a year!"