Astrid jumped back slightly, startled by what had just happened. "Whoa! That was wild!" she said. That was a much bigger reaction than a floorboard flipping upside down. "Lead the way, Anna!" she said excitedly, as she watched in fascination.

Anna blinked and then turned around to face Astrid. "You want me to lead?" she asked, her heart starting to race a little at having to enter this unknown area first. Anna turned back around and stared at the crack. Could she really do this? Oh where, of where was Cale when she needed him? He wouldn't have let her go in first...or would he? Anna took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well," she said aloud, still staring at the crack, "I am a Gryffindor, right? I don't wear these scarlet robes for nothing!" With that, she squinced her eyes shut and stepped into the area opened up by the crack. "You better be right behind me, Deschain..." Anna lifted her hands up, her immediate instincts telling her to search along the walls first.

Astrid nodded enthusiastically. She was far too excited at the moment to be afraid. "Well, Prefect Greingoth, you ARE our leader, aren't you?!" she asked. Then she giggled and ran up to stand beside her. "We can do this together if you like." she offered, holding out her hand for Anna to take.

Maddox walked in and looked around at all the students around the staff table. He raised his left eyebrow when he saw Astrid was one of them. He wondered if this had to do with that treasure from last year. He hadnt heard anything about it since he and the others that were involve figured out the clues and got them back to Hogwarts.

He slowly walked over to Anna and Astrid with a smug grin on his face and said, "Ladies, you look like you need some help." He was a bit confused but was hoping someone would explain to him what was going on.

Anna turned and looked at Astrid as she spoke, considering for just a moment what the younger girl had just said. "I'm your prefect, but we're all in this treasure hunt together. It's the only way it'll work. I think the treasure refuses to be found by only one person or one House alone," she said. "Come on, Deshain...we've got a treasure to find." Anna held out her hand and grabbed ahold of Astrid's, leading the way further into the crack. As Anna walked, she kept her right hand on the wall, dragging it along as she walked.

Mariska noticed that an awful lot of students from all houses were eagerly pressing their hands upon the crest now, and then suddenly the wall pulsed. Mari gasped, her green eyes widening as the crest suddenly slid back and then the wall cracked open, all the way to the ceiling.

She spluttered a bit as dust and stone fragments fell onto the group and she looked over at Anna and a little Gryffindor girl, one she thought was named..Astrid, or something like that. She nodded and brushed off her shoulders, taking her wand out. " If we all go in together, we'll be safer, no?" She said, her curiosity intense now and dictating her actions. She supposed that was why she had been put into Ravenclaw; She was always eager to see what was just around the corner, to learn of something new.

"I think you absolutely right. Let's go." She said. As they started to make their way, hand in hand into the crack, Astrid heard a familiar voice.
"Maddox! Come here!" she called, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "We need your help." Astrid pulled him closer to her and smiled. "That's Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff!" she announced to no one in particular. "Now we need a Slytherin!"

"Who's that?" Anna asked Astrid, trying to turn around and see who else had just entered the crack with them. Anna had heard voices, but she wasn't sure who they belonged to. She blinked, trying to focus her eyes in order to see who their newest company was, but all she could see by now were shadows. "The more the merrier!" Anna called out, addressing everyone now in the crack. Being the first inside was starting to get a little on the claustrophobic side. Turning around and running back out wasn't an option for her. It was either proceed further or...well, proceed further. Having decided that, Anna released Astrid's hand. "Sorry," she whispered. "I need one hand to see and one to search." Anna ran her hands along the wall and in front of her as she spoke.

Mariska looked over as a Hufflepuff student joined them, but she couldn't make out much in the shadows. She laughed as the little Gryffindor girl ran over and grabbed his hand, finding the little interaction quite cute. She then looked forwards, wondering just what they'd find in the wall.

Amanda walked up and noticed Anna and Astrid with a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff. She thought that she knew what this was about, it was about this treasure that was hidden in the school. She stopped and noticed them walking into the crack in the wall, so she figured that she might as well follow. She walked forward into the crack, taking out her wand and muttering "Lumos" She was able to see easily now.

Maddox laughed. He loved it when Astrid, whom was about a foot shorter then him, manhandled him. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." He raised his eyebrows and said, "Now what am i doing?" He stared at the hole in the wall a little more confused.





Maddox watched as Anna went inside. "Um, Anna, wouldnt it be better if you had your wand to light the way instead of groping the wall like that." He grinned.

Mari looked over her shoulder again as she heard more voices and she heard one, a male voice, say that more light would be better. " Why don't we all, " She said, putting emphasis on the last word," Use some light?" She said, and with that she silently cast Sinistra Lumina feeling like she might want to keep her wand hand free. The little ball of glowing light was now in her left hand as they made their way further into the wall.

Astrid watched as Amanda took out her wand. Excellent idea! she thought. Wasn't it funny how we forget the obvious when we're excited. As soon as Anna dropped her hand, she reached inside her robes and pulled out hers. "Lumos" she said. "There! That's better!"

She laughed at Maddox and said, "Going into the crack in the wall, duh!"

Amanda ran her left hand along the wall, moving her wand around to see everything she possibly could in the crack. She stopped when she noticed a light at the end of the crack, but she just figured it was from someone's wand, she shrugged it off and continued through the crack in the wall.

Karma reached out her hand to the other students that she had been helping. "Here," she said, also pulling out her wand and lighting it. "The more we can see, and the more in numbers, the safer we are."

Um...wow. Weird. But no matter how exciting this was, Camira was not going to put any part of her inside the crack. There could be some kind of trap. And of course the Gryffindors were the first to shove into it. Well, not her. She had self-preservation instincts, unlike her fellow classmates. No, she would just stand back and watch things unfold.

Oh dear. Sienna noticed a crowd, hovering expectantly near some... Wall or something. Hovering a little closer, she tapped someone's shoulder and asked timidly, "Um, what's going on?"

This was weird. Usually, crowds only formed when something fishy or silly or that sort happened.

Dominic blinked as the clumsy girl (Callie) smarted back to him. Shut your cakehole? Oh that was reallll intelligent... rolling his eyse, he shook his head ignoring her attitude. "So why are you still standing there if you just want a cupcake?" he replied, fighting the urge to stick his tongue out. "And I'm not the only one attached to the wa--"

But Dominic was unable to finish his sentence as the wall pulsed again. Only this time, the wall gave way and a large crack appeared. Though before he could inspect it further, gryffindors and a hufflepuff he knew as Maddox from the quidditch team, pushed passed him, flattening him against the remaining edge of the wall.

Was that ... did the behind-the-crest ... rumble?



Bewildered, the fourth year turned to the one person who didn't enter the crack. Also the one person he really was not in the mood to speak to after her little dramafest on the fifth floor. Camira Yaxley.

"Yaxley," he muttered sternly, before making up his mind. Dominic then turned and entered the little area after the others, attempting to make his way to the source of that rumble.

The walls began to shudder again. Clearly, they hadn't been able to fully open earlier, but now they parted completely. Beyond the wall was a shallow room, little more than the width of a hallway. There were four panels along the long wall across from the crack, one with each house crest on them.

Anna couldn't see all the people behind her, but she certainly could hear them. The louder the voices got, the more people she imagined crowding in behind her. She was starting to feel more and more claustrophobic, but there was no way she could turn back now. Where was the frazzling clue anyway? So the wall was just going to open up and then...nothing? Surely something had to be hidden in the depths of these walls somewhere. Anna continued to move her hands along the wall. Hopefully something would show up soon.

Just as she got that thought out of her head, the walls began to shudder again. Anna's eyes grew wide, and she waited wait her breath held to see what would happen next. Suddenly a small room could be seen, and Anna focused in on four panels, one with each house crest on them. "This must be ours!" Anna squealed, taking Astrid by the hand again and leading her to the Gryffindor crest. Anna touched the crest, trying to figure out just what mysteries it held.

Amanda noticed the wall with the four panels with each house crest on it. "Hey guys, come check this out!" She called, standing in front of the wall and the now opened room. What did this mean? Was it some sort of puzzle? She stood there staring at the four panels, trying to figure out what it meant.

Camira blinked. Dominic had said her name...randomly. Did he want something? She opened her mouth to say something, but he was already going to enter the crack with the others. She thought for a moment. The area was small and the prospect of herself flattened up against the wall right next to Dominic was definitely enticing. But no, he wasn't worth her dying over. Besides, someone needed to be out here to explain why there was a crack in the wall and why everyone was smooshed together in it, should the need arise.

All of a sudden the walls opened completely and there was a room. Okay, change of plans. Camira could not miss out on this. She walked over slowly and looked at the panels. Hmm...

Karma frowned and stared at the house crests. "Maybe each of us needs to go to our own house and do the same thing we just did," she said, lout enough for everyone to here. "But I don't know if that would be the right thing to do..."

Just as Dominic further entered the room, the crack fully opened itself to reveal a small room with four panels - each representing one house. All thoughts of those around him forgotten, particularly a fourth year slytherin who had refused to enter the dusty room even for a treasure, Dominic made his way over towards the Hufflepuff panel.

Touching the crest lightly with his fingers, the fourth year boy tilted his head, as though staring at it would help its mysteries to unfold.

Anna looked around the room, listening to what each person had to say. "I don't know either," she said, looking at Astrid and shrugging. "This is kind of focusing on house unity, though. Maybe we're supposed to go to a different crest other than our own or something. Why don't we all try going to our own house crest first, and if that doesn't work, we'll switch." She continued to run her fingers along her own house crest, waiting for some sort of indication that she was doing the right thing. She looked over and saw that Dominic had reached the Hufflepuff crest. Now all they needed was for Slytherin and Ravenclaw to reach their own, too.