Dear Dad, Jeff, and Carol,

How is SUNNY California? England is gray and rainy. Not very fun. My friends and I are at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Guess what? I've become involved in a very important organization. I'll tell you more later.

Love and Sunshine,

Dawn

I was the only one out of all the SMS students who was sorted into Slytherin. The Sorting Hat had whispered to me that only pure-bloods were sorted into that House, but he would make a special exception for me because of my "cunning people into feeling guilty about littering the precious earth" and "always bragging about how much better California is than everywhere else." First of all, I am not cunning, I am compassionate about the Earth's rights. And second, California IS better than anywhere else. Even New York City, so Stacey can stuff it.

The Slytherin dormitory was located in the dungeon where it was WET and COLD. I was not happy. I am a California girl. I need hot weather and sunshine. (Sunshine, by the way is my nickname). The Slytherin students didn't seem happy to have me as a guest either. They were taking their roles as pure-blood withes and wizards way too seriously, calling me "filthy Muggle" and "Mudblood" to my face. I'd have to remember to ask Jessi if "Mudblood" was a racist term when I returned to Stoneybrook. Since Jessi is black she's an expert in racism. I would be sleeping in a room with three thirteen year-old Slytherin girls.

After a miserable night of sleeping in that cold, damp dungeon, I was glad when morning finally came. My stomach was rumbling and I hoped that a nice vegetarian breakfast would be served. I followed some students up to the Great Hall and saw Stacey and Claudia sitting at a table. I decided to go sit with them. This is because I am an individual. Not just any individual, but a true individual. I do whatever I please. Before the BSC always sat together at lunch, I sometimes sat with Mary Anne and Kristy, and other days I would sit with Stacey and Claud. I go back between California and Connecticut whenever I please. Besides, I knew these Slytherin students didn't want me to sit with them anyway.

"Hey, Dawn, have a seat!" Claudia called to me as I neared their table.

There was a free spot between her and a girl with bushy brown hair, so I sat down.

"Dawn, these are our roommates," Claudia told me, as she introduced three girls to me. "Lavender Brown" (a girl with blonde hair sitting next to Stacey gave me a wave), "Parvati Patil" (a striking Indian girl sitting next to Lavender looked up from her breakfast and smiled at me), and "Her-mee-o-nee Granger."

"Hermione," the girl with the bushy brown hair corrected. She lowered her voice. "You were sorted into Slytherin, weren't you?"

"Yes, and I HATE it!" I cried. "Everyone is so mean to me and it's cold down in the dungeon!"

Hermione looked relieved that I said this. "Don't mind the Slytherins. They're all imbeciles, especially Draco Malfoy."

"Draco Malfoy!" I cried. "What a great stage name. Yours is great too, Hermione. What's your real name?"

Hermione gave me a withering look. "Dumbledore told us that you lot think this is a theme park, but this is a real school with real magic! We are real wizards and witches. Here, I'll prove it to." She reached into her robe pocket and took out a wand - Claudia, Stacey, and I gasped as she did this. She pointed at her bacon with the wand and announced in a clear voice, "Wingardium Leviosa!" We watched in awe as the piece of bacon (eww, bacon) began to levitate.

"Bravo, bravo!" Claudia said clapping her hands.

"Magnificent trick!" said Stacey. "You could easily get an act in New York. Or Vegas! So is this like a school for aspiring magicians?"

Hermione put her face in her hands and the bacon dropped back onto her plate. I looked at my own piece of mutilated pig flesh and made a face. "There wouldn't happen to be anything else to eat?" I asked. "Like maybe fresh-squeezed orange juice, organic vegetarian omelets with alfalfa sprouts, and California-grown watermelon?"

"You could always ask Dobby and the rest of the House Elves to make you a special breakfast," I heard a voice behind me.

Stacey looked up and I saw her fluttering her eyelashes. I turned and saw that a tall, red-headed boy had spoken. He and a shorter, dark-haired boy with glasses sat down next to Hermione.

"Ron!" Hermione said in a contemptuous voice. "That's not funny!" She turned to me to explain. "They actually keep House Elves here and use them as slaves to cook the food and clean. And these poor creatures aren't allowed to ever be free!"

"Hermione, they like what they do!" said the bespectacled boy.

"They don't know any better, Harry," Hermione replied. "If they knew they didn't have to be slaves, I know they would change their minds." She looked back at me. "They don't even get paid for their services!"

I gasped in horror. "That's awful! Why has nothing been done about this?"

Hermione shook her head sadly. "The laws here are different than in the Muggle world." She perked up. "However, I'm trying to put a stop to it. I've put together my own organization called S.P.E.W. - Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare. It's a great cause and together we can -"

"Hahahaha, that spells spew!" Alan Gray, who was sitting further down the table, exclaimed loudly.

Hermione glared at him. "Anyway, I don't have a lot of members right now, but you are certainly invited to join."

"I'd love to be a member of spew!" I cried. "I mean, S.P.E.W. Hey, maybe we can organize our own protests. I'm great at those!"

"Great, maybe you'll finally get off our backs about it!" said the boy named Ron.

The boy named Harry looked at his watch and groaned. "Oh no, we have Potions with Snape in ten minutes!"