September 2, 1971
On her second day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, abright and glorious day,Dorcas Meadowes found the Perfect Tree. It was situated on the east side of the lake, protected from sight on the northern, southern and western sides by a tall row of gnarled hedges. The tree itself was a mighty oak, live and strong, its green leaves vibrant and plentiful. There weren't quite enough leaves to block out the light to those underneath its limbs, though. That was the first reason why it was the Perfect Tree: good light, not too patchy.
Well, actually, that was the second reason. The first reason was that it was out of sight and out of the way so she wouldn't have to worry about her stupid classmates bothering her. That was, first and foremost the function of the Perfect Tree: to be out of the way. The second function was to provide good light for reading. And the third and final function was to provide a bench.
Well, actually, Dorcas thought, that should have been the first reason. Oh, bother with it. The list was mixed up enough already, and the fact remained that the bench was the decisive factor in choosing this tree. A low, thick limb curved around the bottom of the trunk, wide and flat. Very bench-like, perfect sitting level for a tall eleven-year-old wanting to sit and read the days away.
A tall pile of books had been her starting-school present from her father and she was determined to read them all. She even knew what most of the words in most of the titles meant. Dorcas planned to have them all done by Christmas Break. She was going to prove she'd earned her spot in Ravenclaw.
Of course, before one could read, one needed a Perfect Tree in which to read the books. It's what she had had at home in her backyard and she knew she would find one here, looking perfect enough to have been conjured especially for her.
Thoroughly pleased with herself, thinking that this was a sure sign that she was going to do well here at Hogwarts, she sat down and opened up the first dusty novel in her bookbag.