Dear Dad,

How's New York? This place my school is visiting is pretty wild! I've never seen such a place like it, not even NYC! I don't even know if you'll get this postcard because I can't seem to find a post office around here anywhere…

Luv,
Stacey

When the Hogwarts express stopped, we had to take several boats across a giant lake, then these horseless carriages carried us the rest of the way to the majestic castle. It was so very distant.

"Whoa, this place is bigger than Kristy's house!" Mallory exclaimed in an awed voice. She was sitting in a carriage next to Dawn and Mary Anne. "And Kristy lives in a mansion."

I couldn't really blame Mallory for her giddiness. After all, the castle was pretty overwhelming and you have to remember she is only eleven.

Once we had reached the castle, everyone hopped off the carriages. A woman wearing a witch's hat, long billowing robes, and square-rimmed glasses greeted us. "Good evening, I am Minerva McGonagall and I welcome all of you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Her accent was so dibble! I was dying to ask her how much money she made impersonating a witch, but decided she was probably suppose to be in character at all times, and besides, it didn't seem appropriate.

"Now if you'll please follow me into the Great Hall…we're going to have all of the students be sorted into the Houses," Minerva said as she began to open the double doors that entered into the school."

"Ooh, just like it says in the book!" Mary Anne whispered excitedly just as Alan shouted, "Hey, is it okay if we call you Minnie?"

The older woman turned around to glare at him over her glasses. "My students call me Professor McGonagall and I would hope for the same from all of you as well."

We all gulped and nodded. Wow, she really did act like a teacher!

We all followed her inside where long tables were set up with hundreds and hundreds of kids were eating dinner. I found it a bit weird since it was after seven o'clock and didn't Scotland have child labor laws? I know in America there's a certain time limit child actors can work. I know this because Jessi used to baby-sit for Derek Masters, you know that child star of P.S. 162? (It's such a lame rip-off of Head of the Class, but don't tell Jessi I said that!) So why were all these kids, pretending to be wizards and witches at this make believe school, still working? I knew Dawn was feeling the same way as me because I could see her getting all huffy.

"Ah, here they are now!" a tall, frail-looking man with long white hair and a long white beard with moon-shaped glasses and a tall white cane smiled at us.

I heard Mal gasp beside me. "It's Gandalf!"

God, Mallory is such a dork. And a Ringer. Though I did have to agree with her that he did look a lot like Gandalf. (I've never read the books, but I have seen the movies…Orlando Bloom is buttery!) (That's another word my friends and I made up - it means good-looking)).

"My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am Headmaster here at Hogwarts. If any of you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me! And now, let's proceed with the Sorting…" He pointed to a tall, black, point hat sitting solely on a stool. All of us gasped as it called out the first name, "Bentley, Austin!"

Austin slowly walked up to the stool and stared reluctantly at it.

"Go on, dear, put it on," Professor McGonagall encouraged him.

He did and we all watched as the hat seemed to be whispering something in his ear then called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Professor McGonagall showed him where to sit. We all watched as one by one the students of SMS were sorted into one of the four Houses of Hogwarts. Alan Gray was sorted into Gryffindor and I prayed that I wouldn't be sorted into that House. However, when Claudia was also invited to Gryffindor, I changed my mind. How bad could it be if my BFF were there?

"McGill, Stacey," the Sorting Hat called my name after it had just sorted Cokie Mason into Ravenclaw.

I walked up to the stool and placed it on my head.

"Ahhh," said a voice in my ear and I almost jumped. "You are a divorced kid. And you have diabetes. You must be very brave to put up with all of that…GRYFFINDOR!"

Well, the hat was right. I was very brave. My parents thought so, as well as all of my friends. I walked over to where Claudia was sitting at a long table next to an Indian girl and sat down next to her. As we watched the rest of our friends get sorted, I glanced down the table and my heart nearly stopped when I saw HIM. The cutest boy I had ever seen. He was tall (well, even though he was sitting down, I could tell he was tall) and he had bright red hair, dreamy blue bedroom eyes, and adorable freckles. I have liked a lot of boys in my thirteen years of life, but I've never met redheaded guy except for Mallory's sort of boyfriend, Ben Hobart. He looks like a male version of Mal, so he isn't exactly cute. (I don't know why Mal would want to date someone who looks like could be her brother). The cute boy wasn't paying any attention to the Sorting, but seemed to be immersed in a conversation with the dorky kid with glasses sitting next to him and a girl sitting across from him who was in desperate need of a major hair makeover.

Still keeping an eye on the cute boy, I watched as Mallory was sorted into Hufflepuff (no surprise there), Mary Anne and Kristy were both sorted into Ravenclaw and guess what? Dawn was the only one out of all us SMS students who was sorted into Slytherin.

I turned my attention back to the boy. I had to find out his name. I was in L-U-V!