219
The Lionpaw House Tower
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You and Aaron join the train of students from Lionpaw house. All the first years are chattering to each other, excited to visit their house tower for the first time.

Your route twists and turns, down passageways and corridors, through archways and cloisters. At times you pass by stained glass windows that stretch far up to the high ceiling and coloured light streams through the passageway. At other times the stone lined walls are dark and low with just the occasional torch flickering from the wall to illuminate your passage.

At last the line of Lionpaw students arrives at an archway framed in brilliant blue and gleaming gold.

"Well Lionpaws!" shouts out an older girl at the front of the line. "We have arrived at Lionpaw House tower! First years, this will be your home for the next 6 years - remember that only Lionpaws can pass this archway, so if you have any friends in other houses..." there are boos and laughter from the children at this remark "...you will have to fraternize elsewhere! Into the Lion's den everyone!"

With that she turns and leads you all inside.

You realise that the stone archway is carved in the shape of a lion's open mouth, with sharp stone fangs hanging down like stalagmites.

When you pass through the archway you can't help but stop and stare, your mouth hanging open almost as wide as the lion's jaws you have just passed through.

You are confronted by a large bright circular space. Dangling from the ceiling far above are golden globes enchanted with a magico-flourescent light that illuminates a patterned marble floor. As you enter the room a handful of spell-bound goat-sized magical snails swivel their eyes stalks in your direction - doomed to forever slither the marble flagstones, the snails buff them to a gleaming brightness as they go. Scattered around are luxurious sofas, comfy armchairs and expensive rugs.

Doorways leading to staircases are spaced at regular intervals around this enormous room. Above each doorway is a little sign and you read some of them:

"Bedrooms. Snack store. Swimming Pool. Virtual reality gaming room. Sauna. Infinity Pools. Steam Room...." you look at Aaron. "Did you know about this? This place is amazing!"

Alex Bleazely, Aaron's older brother hears you: "Listen Arthur, if Hogsnorts is going to attract the best talent and compete with the top international universities like Yale, Cambridge, Dorkstrang and Hull we need the best facilities. Right, I'm going to change into my swimming trunks - last one in the Jacuzzi is an eggy drifter!"

Alex and Robert Bleezely dash off, followed by two or three other Lionpaw students, whooping and hollering.

"Let's go and find our bedrooms Arthur," says Aaron.

You go up the staircase marked "Bedrooms" and when you reach the next floor you see two more doorways, one with a sign saying "Arthur" above it and another with an "Aaron" sign. By some magical warping of space the inside of the Lionpaw House tower must be much bigger than the outside.

You push open the door to your bedroom.

A softly carpeted corridor opens onto a cozy little living room. Another door leads to a spacious bathroom containing a large bathtub with four carved iron lion feet at each corner. Finally your bedroom itself, in the centre of which is a giant four-poster bed, festooned with blue and gold drapes. On the pillow is a cuddly little toy lion and a small mint chocolate. A window in your bedrooms looks out over the Hogsnorts school grounds far below where the sun is sinking below the horizon.

You take off your shoes and jump backwards onto the bed. I could be happy here you think to yourself as you crunch up the mint chocolate - already it feels like home. With a smile on your face you fall fast asleep.