She was a very quiet girl. She lived with her parents and her brother, who would be starting Hogwarts the year after her. Sometimes they didn't get along, because he would become exasperated with her. Then again, almost everyone did. Even her parents. They seemed to have views parsecs away from hers. It was kind of odd, because everyone she knew would be just the opposite. Their parents were conservative, and they were liberal. Her case was the opposite. She was conservative, and her parents liberal. She believed strictly in keeping purebloods in charge. She hated Muggle-borns. Not that she had anything against Muggles themselves. Quite the contrary. She was fascinated by Muggles. She just didn't like the way they mixed with wizards, and so forth.

She had no friends. She spend her time reading and reading about different things. She liked to read about Muggle history, history of Magic, and anything she could get her hands on. She couldn't wait for Sept. 1, when she would finally be going to Hogwarts. She was looking forward to this. She wanted to go to Hogwarts. She also thought a lot about what House she would be in. She tried asking her brother which one would probably fit her most, and he always said he didn't know.

On Wednesday, they went to Diagon Alley to get her school things. She was looking forward to getting her own wand, so they went and got that first. She tried several wands, until, finally, Mr.Ollivander, the shopkeeper found the right match for her. Twelve inches, mahagony, with a unicorn hair. She was especially pleased with it, since she loved unicorns, and was glad that her wand contained a unicorn tail hair. Then, they bought her school uniforms. She was glad that she had to wear a uniform. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about what robes she wore, or how they looked, because everyone would be dressing the same way. Finally, they went to get the books. She loved the bookshop. Unfortunately, her parents didn't think gold spend on books was well-spend. So, she had to settle for buying only her schoolbooks, and not any of the other, better interesting books in the shop. She looked longingly over her shoulder.

While they had been buying the books, her brother and her father were at Quality Quidditch Supplies, arguing about their favorite teams.

"Hey, Dumbo."she said, when she saw her brother.

"Hey."he answered.

"Mom and I have got all my school stuff. You wouldn't believe some of the books I saw there."

"Really?"

He looked quite uninterested.

"So…what House do you really think I'll be in? Come on, be honest, I'd like to know what you think."

"Maybe in Ravenclaw."

"Do you really think I'm smart, Stupid?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, I hope so. But they must think I'm awfully stupid. I'm probably not up to Ravenclaw standards."

"You're too hard on yourself."

"I'm not hard on myself, I'm just realistic."

"Well, what House do you think you'll be in?"

"Maybe…Slytherin. I know I can't go to Hufflepuff, because Mom and Dad always say I'm lazy."

"What about Gryffindor?"

"I'm not brave."

"Well, I think you are sort of a Slytherin."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah, why not."

"Well, let's hope the next few days go by quickly. I want to get to Hogwarts. I hope I don't get lost, or anything."

She spend the next days going over her schoolbooks, and packing, to have everything ready for the first of September. When the day finally came, she got up early, and was anxious to get to the station. She put Sissy, Tza Tza, Ali, and Pietro, her cats in their carriers, and Hariff in his cage. She found an empty compartment and sat by herself to wait until the train got to Hogwarts, reading one of the books she had brought with her.

Sometime later, someone came into her compartment, and told her that Harry Potter was on the train. She couldn't believe it! Harry Potter! She had read quite a bit about him, and always wanted to meet him, but she wasn't sure if she should go and find him. He was probably surrounded by people, and she wouldn't have a chance to talk to him, and if she did, she would probably just make a fool of herself. So she stayed in her compartment. A girl came in with a boy looking for a toad, and the witch with the food cart. Aside from that, the journey went smoothly.

When they arrived, she heard someone say, "Firs' years this way, firs' years this way", and she followed the sound of the voice.

She saw that the one who was calling to them was a man who was twice the size of a normal man. She couldn't believe it. She felt a surge of envy. She always wanted to be very tall herself, though perhaps not as tall as this man. He took them to a lake, where they found several boats, and told them that should only be four to a boat.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the castle. She smiled to herself. I'm really, really going to like it here, she thought to herself, or at least I hope I will, she added. When they got inside, a teacher met them, and led them to another room, and told them about their Houses. Then the teacher left. As she waited with the other first years, a bunch of ghosts glided in. Several people gasped and some screamed. She, however, felt very sorry for them. It must be terrible, she though, having to live all over again, life is bad enough, living it only once, but twice, I prefer death, she thought.

Then, they were led into the Great Hall. It was a gigantic room, and the roof looked like the sky outside. There were four long tables, and a fifth, that from the looks of it, was the staff table. The teacher placed an old hat on a stool, and it sang a song, then she called the first years to come forward one by one, to try the hat on.

She quietly waited her turn. Then, "Dominguez,Layla"

She eagerly walked up, trying to make it seem casual, and put the hat on her head. She heard its voice whispering in her ears.

"Yes, yes, I see,"it kept on saying.

What do you see? What do you see?she asked desperately, wondering if the hat could tell what she was thinking.

"Very ambitious, very farsighted."it said. "Believes rigidly in following rules. Well, then, SLYTHERIN."said the hat.