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Chapter 2 - The letter
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It was a hot morning. Dawn had sat down at the kitchen table with the window open. She was eating her cornflakes and watching the TV when a large snowy owl swooped though the window and dropped a letter on the table beside her and sat there looking at her expectantly.
Buffy came down and saw the owl on the table. "Did I get my head banged a little too hard patrolling last night or is there an owl sitting on table??"
"So I'm not the only one seeing it then?" Dawn asked in disbelieve. "It em... dropped this letter."
Dawn picked up the letter and looks at it
Dawn Summers
Sunnydale
California
USA
"It's addressed to me." She told her sister.
She looked at the back and there was a red wax seal there with a crest on it, it had a lion, snake, badger, and raven, with an H in the middle. Below was the writing saying 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus' she had no idea what this meant, so she broke the seal and took out the letter and read it.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf Warlock, Supreme Mugwump,
International Confed. of Wizards.)
Dear Miss Summers
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please fined the enclosed necessary books and equipment.
You have missed us somehow and we are pleased to find you as your talents show great potential. Unfortunately you shall be starting in 5th year. We feel you shall have no problems catching up as allot of 5th year is repeating old work as well as new. You will also be required to go to extra classes for 2 hours at the end of the day to catch up.
The wax seal on this envelope is also a portkey that will activate on 31st August that will take you to London when you touch it. There you will be met by a member of staff named Hagrid. School term starts on 1st September.
"It's a letter telling me I've been accepted into Hogwarts." Dawn answered her sister's questioning looks.
"What?"
"I been accepted into Hogwarts."
Buffy picked up the letter, "This got to be some one of Ethan's seams. You can't go."
"Why not! I want to go!"
"Magic is not something to be taken lightly Dawn. Look at Willow, she's got herself hooked on Black Magic."
"But I know better. I know what it can do to people. Please, this is something I got to do."
"It's going to take you to London. It could also be some sort of trap from the watcher's council. Want to take you away from me."
"Can you at least phone Giles about this? See if he has anything good to say about this school see what he thinks?"
"Well ok. Guess we can call him now. It should be late afternoon there."
They walked to the phone, and Buffy got out the number and dialed. She let it ring, wondering what his reaction would be to her, they didn't part on the best of terms.
The phone picked up. "Hello."
"Hello, Giles." Buffy answered nervously.
"Buffy? What's the matter?"
She felt a little guilty that the only time she ever phoned him was when she wanted something. Taking him for granted was one of the reasons he had left. "Well, em... It's about Dawn."
"Dawn? My god is she ok?" He asked concerned.
"Yes, yes she is fine Giles. No need to worry." She added quickly as she knew he would be worried.
"Then what is it?"
"Well the strangest things have been happening around her lately, she turned my sweater pink after an argument. Then she had a bad haircut. Cried herself to sleep... when she woke up in the morning her hair was back to normal. Then... well Ethan Rayne paid us a visit. Think he just walked into the wrong magic shop. Anyway he insisted the weird stuff was Dawn doing accidental magic. Course we didn't really believe him thought he was up to something. Then he mentioned something about her being very talented and should be going to Hogwarts. Talked about telling someone called Dumbledore. Well em this morning an owl flew though the window and dropped her a letter, saying she got accepted into Hogwarts."
"Really?? That's great news! Tell her I said congratulations!"
"You don't think it's a fake?"
"No reason for it to be.... it had the seal on it didn't it?"
"Well yes, said it was a port key."
"Well there you have it. Just tell her I said to make sure to send me an owl to let me know how she is going."
"So you think she should go?"
"Well it really depends what she wants to do. The choice is hers alone Buffy. If the choice was made for her the school will know and next thing you know you get more and more and more letters. Buffy it is a great honor to go to Hogwarts, I went there myself. Though I always claimed to go to a different one. Wesley did to if I recall right. So did Ethan."
"Yea and Anya claims to been one of the first students to ever go there." Buffy turned and said to Dawn. "Well Dawn, looks like your going."
"Don't worry about her Buffy, Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world to be."
"Ok. I trust you. Here Dawn wants to talk to you."
She hands the phone to Dawn who is very excited now. "Wow!! I can't believe I'm going Giles! It's great news!"
"Yes, as I was telling Buffy it is a great honor to go to Hogwarts. I went to it myself."
"Really?? What house where you in? Anya explained all about the houses, she was a Slytherin. Picked by the house founder them self so she claims."
"Yes, somehow that doesn't surprise me. As for myself I was in Gryffindor. It's a good house. Dumbledore himself was a Gryffindor you know."
"Yes that's what Anya said about him. What about Ethan, we are betting he was in Slytherin."
"Well yes he was as a matter of fact." Giles replied quite amused at Dawn's excitement. "As for Wesley if I remember right he was in Ravenclaw."
"So what house you think I'm going to be in then Giles?"
"Hmm. Don't really know, no one knows until they are sorted. Usually you can take a good guess though. You are quite brave, considering the things you have faced in the past so maybe Gryffindor. On the other hand you are very smart, so it could be Ravenclaw. But that wild streak of yours could have you in Slytherin."
"I don't think I want to be in Slytherin if they produce people like Ethan."
"Well to be fair they are not all bad in Slytherin but there is allot of them you can't trust as far as you can throw them. Just don't let the head of Slytherin house Professor Severus Snape intimidate you. He likes to scare his student's into line. I know him rather well, he's done some bad things in his past he is not proud of, that makes him as grumpy as he is today. But it is all in his past, and I'd trust him with my life, and believe me when I say these days as far as his students are concerned his bark is worse than his bite. He would never openly admit it but he would never respect a person that never stands up for them self."
"Ok, so don't let Snape intimidate me ok."
Well Dawn, will hopefully meet you in London, ok? Make sure you get everything sorted, can be confusing at first."
"Ok. I have to use this thing called a portkey that will activate on August 31st, says it will take me to London. Going to meet someone named Hagrid."
"Ah, Hagrid. Will defiantly be there then, not seen old Hagrid in a long time. Not since I left school anyway. He was in my year and house at school. Though he got expelled in 3rd year, but stayed in as the game keeper. Never met a kinder person."
"What did he get expelled for?"
"Well that's kind of personal. Can't tell you that. Let's just say he got cleared for it a few years ago. Anyway I'm afraid I'll have to be going. I'll see you when you arrive in London."
"I'll see you then Giles. Bye."
