Four Houses Shikako Could Have Been Sorted Into (And One That Was Her Home)

AN: This story was originally written for the Dreaming of Sunshine Crossover Fanfiction Forum, but it's big enough that it really needs its own fic. It's based on Silver Queen's OC Shikako (Shikamaru's sister) from the amazing story Dreaming of Sunshine being subsequently reborn in the Harry Potter universe. There was a debate as to which house she would end up in. This was my response, to bring things back on topic. It's probably not entirely necessary to read to get this, if you just think of these as 4 potential OC's, but if you like Naruto, you should read DoS at sometime anyways, so... this can be your incentive to do it now, or something.

Naming notes will be at the end of each ficlet.

Gryffindor

1. Elaine "Lainy" Weasley is the fourth Weasley of her generation, almost a year younger than Percy, but slated for the same school year because he barely missed the cut off for the year before.

2. Having so many older brothers is something of a shock after growing up with one sibling. She is, of course, used to having extended and adopted family around, but it's something different altogether to be smashed together with three other people that all look like you and all need the same two people to take care of them. She thinks she likes it.

It's a good thing she's always been fairly independent, though. It's not that her parents are neglectful or anything, far from it. They love her and her brothers very much, and almost smother them with care and affection. It's just that she now has three rambunctious brothers (Five, by the time she can walk and talk), and there's limited resources in the family. As the interloper, she tries not to take more from her beloved brothers than she has to.

3. She loves her family. Really, she does. But sometimes they embody the worst parts Shikako's boys – pranking, moodiness, immaturity – and she wants to scream. The urge to murder someone is soooo much easier to relish in when you don't actually have the means to do it.

4. Hmm. Smart, Clever, Hard Working… but brave, so very brave. And more than a little reckless. Better join your brothers in GRYFFINDOR.

5. Percy follows her into Gryffindor almost immediately. She thinks he probably would have been happier in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff (or even Slytherin, if this was a different era where the house was less tied to Death Eaters), but Weasleys always go into Gryffindor. Elaine knows he's brave enough to qualify for Gryffindor– he continues to stand up to Fred and George, after all, and she knows he'll ultimately always fight for his family – but he's just so… not reckless. Gryffindors drive her poor brother crazy. Perhaps it's for the best, though. Someone has to be the voice of reason, and it's nice that it won't always have to be her.

6. Even with her natural curiosity growing up, she learns that Hogwarts still has a lot to teach her. The adults tell her she's 'too young' for a lot of what she wants to know. She's related to Fred, George and Ron as much as Percy, though, and realistically it's only Forbidden if you get caught.

7. She and Percy both make prefect, unfortunately the same year Harry, Ron and Hermione are slated to come to Hogwarts for the first time. It's a bit of a rough year, though Percy says it might have been better if she hadn't ended her Prefect's welcoming speech to the house with "don't get caught."

8. "Red hair, freckles, hand-me-down robes… you must be a Weasley!" No kidding, is her first thought. Lainy is used to clans with similar traits, and how recognition is a necessary skill to make sure you don't go down on the wrong side of a kekkei genkai. With this (Malfoy?) boy's level of deduction, he might even have been able to figure out that someone with brown hair and white eyes is a Hyuuga, or maybe that someone with red eyes wearing a fan crest on their back is an Uchiha. Idiot. Lainy rolls her eyes, ready to step in, but Ron's got everything under control. She beams with pride in her little brother. It's soooo entertainging to see a gobsmacked Malfoy.

9. She can't even be mad when she finds out three first years took it upon themselves to "solve" a mystery and "stop" Voldemort from returning. She would have done the same thing when she was their age (the first time) and they did succeed in their goal with no fatalities. Percy thinks she's lost her mind. She helps Fred and George prank his room when they return to the Burrow at the end of term.

10. Percy is a bit of a pompous worrier, but Lainy's usually more understanding. Ginny could come to her with her problems when they were growing up (and who do you think taught her to pick the lock on the quidditch shed?), so she comes to Lainy with her fears over the diary. Lainy promises they'll deal with it together. It takes a little while, but Shikako's always been good at blowing things up.

11. No one understands why the dementors affect her so badly. The Weasleys are a good family, so she shouldn't have such terrible memories. People start to ask uncomfortable questions, until she tells Dumbledore about the diary, and how it must have affected her. He quietly gets those questions dropped.

12. Her boggart, just like her mother's, is her loved ones, hurting and dying. She never manages a ridduklus charm that succeeds. There's nothing funny about such things.

13. When she graduates, she is offered a position as Professor Babbling's apprentice for her rune work. She eagerly accepts the chance to work towards the equivalent of a seal mastery. Her younger siblings complain that she'll still be around Hogwarts to boss them around.

14. She's so mad that she isn't one year younger when the Triwizard Tournament is announced.

15. When "Mad Eye" takes Harry away after the Third Task, Lainy follows. She stuns him before he finishes monologuing, and stands guard over him when Harry and Dumbledore leave. Lainy senses the Dementor long before it gets near Crouch Jr., and her Patronus stops him from being immediately kissed, so Crouch's soul survives long enough for Voldemort's dirty little secret to reach the masses. Lainy punches Percy rather than let him side with the Ministry.

16. Lainy argues with her mother over the Order issue. The 'kids' were involved in the thick of things, and they'd be safer knowing than not. Besides, with what they'd been through, they really were grown up enough for this. Lainy doesn't just think that because twelve was the legal age of adulthood in her past life, either. Objectively, they really are quite grown up.

17. Whether Snape is a competent Defense teacher or not, extra practice is never a bad idea. Lainy uses her power as a TA to restart the Defense Association, officially this time. Harry acts as the team captain to her coach, and they drill those poor, unblooded kids into the ground.

18. DA students, despite being in the thick of the fight, have the highest survival rate in the midnight skirmish against the Death Eaters that invade Hogwarts. Lainy loses three fingers on her off hand to wasting curse, but manages to take down the entire squad of Death Eaters in her corridor.

19. Lainy stays at Hogwarts as long as she can under the New Order. When the Carrows shoot a potentially lethal cutting spell at a first year muggleborn, it's the last straw. She pulls the young girl out of the way and draws the dark siblings into a duel. The ensuing battle gives the girl the time she needs to make it safely to the room of requirement with the others. Lainy uses some well-placed runes to mimic her old touch blast, and disappears into the shadows, retreating to fight another day.

20. Bellatrix aims a killing curse at her baby sister. Lainy steps in to take it instead. It doesn't kill her, thanks to Harry's sacrifice, and gives her mother a chance to rally and take the crazed woman down. For months after, Percy yells or scowls over her stupidity every time he sees her. She says she loves him too.

21. She helps George make the fireworks for Fred's funeral. She hopes one day to find her way to the afterlife so she can ask if he enjoyed them.

XxXxX

*Elaine means "fawn" (aka: girl deer) and fits with the Weasley scheme of old-fashioned muggle names. (William, Ronald, George, Percy…)