Chapter 1

Sophia Sorin was curled up on the stairs, reading a book. She spent most of

her time on the stairs rather than the couch. After all, she was rather short for her age, eleven, and she fit perfectly on the steps, resting her head against the wall. She was very intent on the book she was reading, even though it was nonfiction. To any of the kids from her muggle elementary school she had graduated from two months ago, it would have appeared to be fiction, for it was about becoming an animagus, the name for a person, specifically a witch or wizard, who has the ability to turn into an animal at will. Sophia, however, knew of a secret world, hidden from those who had no magical abilities, otherwise known as muggles, because her mother happened to be a witch. Sophia had felt primal instincts awakening in her lately, wolfish instincts, and she wanted to have a wolf body to go with it. Hence, the research on animagi. Of course, she would have to wait until she started at Hogwarts, the boarding school for the education of British witches and wizards, because she didn't really know how to do any magic yet. Sophia was actually American, but Hogwarts was supposed to be really good, so she had open-enrolled there. When, when, when, would she get her Hogwarts letter?

As if she had summoned it with her thoughts, an owl landed on the window sill and gave the window a hard rap with it's beak. Sophia got up, bursting with excitement. Maybe this would be her Hogwarts letter! There were screens in front of the windows, plus Sophia didn't like the smell of open windows, so she walked out onto the deck, gave the owl a treat, and came back inside with the letter the owl had delivered.

She peeled open the envelope and started reading the letter inside:

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 Ms. Sorin,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts

School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

There was a second piece of paper as well, which read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First year students will require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Sophia: WAIT, WHAT? We have to wear NAME TAGS?! That's horrible!

Chase: Yeah! That IS horrible, especially if you're trans and you're trying to change your name! Wait, why do you have a problem with the name tags?

Sophia: I just don't like it, I want to have a sense of anonymity, or however you say that. I don't want to just walk around displaying my name, what the heck.

Chase: Off topic, but how come they don't punish students for saying slurs in Hogwarts? Is Dumbledore just too lazy to or something?

Sophia: Yeah, I suppose so.

Chase: Because in the sixth book when he heard Malfoy say it, he was all like, "Durrrrrrrghhhhh, don't say that word." But when McGonagall goes, "Oh, here's this really racist kid in my class he just goes, "Oh well, boys will be boys."

Sophia: Actually, did anyone ever report Malfoy for that? Did a teacher ever hear about it?

Chase: They told Hagrid.

Sophia: Oh, yeah, hey they did tell Hagrid. He should've done something about it.

Chase: Yeah, and McGonagall probably would have heard because the entire Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams got into a huge fist fight over it.

Sophia: Oh yeah.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

By Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

By Phyllida Spore

Magical Draughts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

A note on open enrollment:

You will be meeting one of the Hogwarts professors outside of the entrance to the airport. He will help you get around Diagon Alley.

Sophia: How come these teacher's just happen to have names that perfectly correspond with their subjects? Like "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi By Phyllida Spore"

Chase: We've been over this Sophia, it's because JK Rowling has no creativity. Remember the tarot card thing?

Sophia: Yeah, and Professor Sprout?

(Note: Chase is referring to the fact that Tarot cards and Divination are an actual practice and the person who created the original tarot deck is named "Sybil" so Sybil Tralawny's name is a rip off.)

Chase: Y'know you don't really realize how uncreative JK Rowling is until you really hyper analyze her work.

Sophia: Really? My dad has always mocked JK Rowling for her lack of creativity.

Chase: Well, I mean it's because so many people are like "Well JK Rowling isn't that great of a writer but her creativity and the world she created from that creativity is what gets reader's so invested." But if you really hyper analyze the story it's not that creative at all.

Sophia: Well, the world and the intricacies in the story are cool but the names are uncreative and a lot of it is a rip off.

Chase: Well, I mean like if you actually studied Paganism and witchcraft in real life, a lot of the stuff that JK Rowling mentions in her book is already existent, like the ingredients in Potions and the concepts of all the classes like Divination, arithmancy, astrology, runes, etc. Already exist and are a part of witchcraft in real life so JK Rowling just copied most of that and her entire series is kind of a ripoff.

Sophia: Oh yeah, so I guess it is kind of a huge ripoff.

Sophia immediately ran and showed the letter to her parents, and her mom helped her to pack up her things by placing a charm on the suitcase that made the inside impossibly roomy. Sophia put all her stuffed animals in, along with a Rubik's cube, and the basic necessities like clothes, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. She felt bad about her stuffed animals being trapped in the dark, crowded suitcase, but she had to get them to Hogwarts.