Okay, I came up with this idea literally an hour ago. I don't know how far this is going to go (I've still got a bunch of stories I need to update), but I'm going to try to write more about Naila. Wish me luck!

Chapter 1: I Introduce Myself and My Life

There's loud CRACK!ing sounds everywhere in the Great Hall. Almost no one actually makes it into the hoop in front of them as they attempt to Apparate, although one boy ends up hanging on one of the almost invisible rafters.

"HELP!" he cries, and McGonagall rushes over to help him down.

Oh, great. This isn't exactly helping my nerves.

But I take a breath.

And—

CRACK!

"Ow!" I cry out as I bump into my best friend, Emilia.

"Geez, Naila. Overshoot a bit?" she chuckles.

Emilia and I are—were—on opposite ends of the hall. She's Gryffindor and has her own set of friends, and I got shoved over with the rest of the Slytherins as usual. Normally, we would stick together like glue, which is probably why I ended up here. I know I'm her best, closes friend, and she knows she's my only friend. My only real one, anyway. It's weird that we look so much like each other, but it's kind of cool, too. The only differences are in our respective heights and our eyes.

Here's the weird thing about me. I've got honest-to-goodness golden eyes. I kid you not. If you held a chunk of gold next to my face, my eyes would match that gold exactly.

Apparently, it's part of our family's supposed curse. Way back in the seventeenth century or so, my ancestors were ridiculously greedy. They were one of the many we're-pure-blood-so-we're-superior families that dominated the magical world back then. One little thing, though. Somehow, one of my boneheaded ancestors managed to piss off a talented witch of the time by saying a bunch a sexist remarks and then asking her to marry him (and then the idiot wondered why he got cursed). The witch's name wasn't known until I was born. She said that someday, one of us would have the same name as her. That girl would have eyes the color of the thing my family sought after the most, and would serve as a constant reminder that the closest we would ever get to whatever that color happened to be was my eyes.

So, my eyes are gold. After my ancestor pulled that little stunt and got himself cursed, my family went almost completely broke, but we managed to stay pure-blooded this whole time. Whoopee. And I'm the one that gets the shaft of the deal, because I'm a physical reminder of all the selfish dreams my family lost that day.

That's what fills my head half the time. The fact that I'm a living, breathing family scapegoat.

Not many here seem to think so, though, so I've managed to get by. I grew up living next to Emilia, so she and I were already friends. I suppose I talk to a few people around here, but none of them are Slytherins. Neville from Gryffindor, Luna from Ravenclaw (I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's actually even remotely interested in her made-up animals, and it's mostly because they're hilarious), Marina and Jackie (twins) from Hufflepuff, and Emilia are the only people I talk to here. That, and a beautiful snowy white owl named Hedwig that seems to like me for some reason.

So when Draco Malfoy meets me after another half hour of us attempting to Apparate and looking like total idiots, I'm shocked. What would a guy like him want with a girl like me?

Apparently, something I can't give, because he leans in and kisses me.

So I do what any sensible girl would do, and pull back and slap him hard, right across the face.

"Go Naila!" some guy from Gryffindor from yells at me while Emilia snickers in the background somewhere.

"Come on, Jackson!" Emilia rolls her eyes. "Smell you later, Naila!"

We mock salute each other after Malfoy stalks away with a nasty-looking red mark on his face from the palm of my hand (good, I did it well), and go our separate ways. Her, to the Gryffindor common room. Me, to wherever I feel like going. I'm not going straight to the Slytherin common room. I'm going where I want, damn it, and curfew won't stop me.

I sigh as I walk across the grounds by myself. People go out of their way to avoid me. Most just see the green-and-grey scarf and immediately mark me as something awful, like the Ravenclaw boy that guides his Hufflepuff girlfriend away. The Slytherins, however, know me by my eyes, and stay clear out of principle. I made it clear from the beginning that I wouldn't take any of their pure-blood-is-perfection shit, and the younger ones think that if they touch me they'll get my curse or something. You can always tell if I'm there in a crowd, because there'll be a little circle of space around me about ten centimeters wide.

Someone out there thinks I'm pretty, though. I know that for a fact. I keep getting roses on top of my bed that glow gold. Kind of like the enchanted rose from that Disney movie Marina and Jackie are so obsessed with. Whoever it is must not mind that I'm Slytherin, because for Christmas this year I got a silver arm band in the shape of a snake. I wear it every day now, mostly because it's beautiful, but also as a reminder that I'm not alone in this magical universe.

I wander the castle grounds for ten more minutes, and then the castle itself for a good hour and fifteen minutes. Then, after a light dinner, I head to my dorm.

I, unfortunately, share it with a girl named Astoria Greengrass. Normally, I wouldn't mind, because she's usually pretty nice to me. But Astoria is one of those people who is always surrounded by people, and the people that surround her don't like me all that much. Of course, Astoria can't defend me, because they'd turn on her, but I know she hates watching them.

I don't mind them too much. Unless I'm thinking about my poor parents. Then everything seems awful.

I'm probably one of the only Slytherins that doesn't want to become a Death Eater. Why? Because Death Eaters killed most of my family years ago. My aunt and uncle were left alive, along with their five kids, but almost no one else is left. All seven of them are absolutely awful. The minute I graduate from Hogwarts, when I get off that red train fro the last time, I'm taking all my stuff and moving someplace far, far away from the rest of my family. Until then, I suck it up during summer break and live it up during winter break, when I go to Emilia's for the holidays.

I yank the green curtains around my bed closed, knowing it won't block out the insults. It will block out whatever they might decide to throw at me, though, so I do it anyway. As usual, Astoria's friends comment how awful it must be for her to share a room with a cursed girl. She says she doesn't mind, because I keep to myself.

I go to sleep, as usual, with the sound of insults in the background.

Well, that's the beginning. Let me know how you felt about it! Since I have no idea where I'm going with this, people's suggestions will play a key role. I've got the next chapter mostly figured out, though. Just wait. Poor Naila will have no idea what hit her...

Love you all!

-carrie