Disclaimer: Am not J.K. Rowling or anyone else who has a claim in the profits of Harry Potter.
Ginny sat down on the bed and sighed. This was just too much. Was a Blibbering Humdinger going to drop by for afternoon tea next? Maybe she somehow got thrown into an alternate universe! She'd heard about them on muggle sci fi movies. That seemed to be the only plausible explanation for her re-Sorting, the nice Slytherins, her brother being reasonable, and the book-turned-mini-person on her table. "Nice Slytherins! My brother being, of all things, REASONABLE!" she shrieked at Lijara, "You! A book looking for me?! Argh!" She took a deep breath, and said politely, "Hello, I'm Ginny Weasley, nice to meet you."
Lijara seemed unperturbed, "Slytherins being nice, eh? Ol' Salazar must be having a fit in his grave," she chuckled, but sobered up when Ginny began banging her head against her bedpost, "Um…I know this is really odd, even in our world, but I'm not a book. I was just disguised as a book so I could find you-"
"Didn't I find you?" Ginny had stopped acting like a house elf and was now just staring at the mini person in front of her. Lijara had black hair, light blue eyes, delicate features, and was wearing a very elegant dress. Other than the fact that she was just about two feet tall, the only odd thing about her was how she seemed to be several shades too light. Like a ghost, she seemed to have some sort of bluish glow to her and bordered on transparent, although the qualities were much more muted in her than in ghosts.
"Well, yes, but that's besides the point. Do you want me to tell you what you need to know or not?"
"Need to know?" Ginny repeated blankly.
Lijara nodded impatiently, "Yes. As I said before your outburst, you're the First. First Member of Lijanhorn, that is. Oh, I may as well save you the time; you won't find anything in the library. The Founders were too careful for that. Anyways, Lijanhorn was a project of theirs- a house that was, if all went well, going to unite first Hogwarts, then the rest of the wizarding world-"
Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but Lijara waved her hand dismissively, "Let me talk, then you can ask questions when I'm done. Although Hogwarts was relatively united at the time, Sal, um…Mr. Slytherin felt that he was going mad, slowly, and he was afraid he would do something…for lack of a better word, bad, so he told the others, and they came up with Lijanhorn. And then they…called on me to assist them, naming me as the guide to the house. I guess I'm kind of like a Head of House. Only less stuffy."
She paused, as if trying to remember what she was supposed to be talking about, "Hogwarts is supposed to be divided by Houses, yes, but united in ideals," she said seriously, "Obviously, it is only divided. When you came to Hogwarts, I was awakened…well, sort of. I've always been aware of everything that went on in the school- maybe not everything, but a lot- but your arrival made me active again. I was kind of in a coma until you came," she gestured helplessly, "I don't know how to explain it. Let's just stick with the idea that your arrival woke me up," she said, seeming to talk to herself. She focused back in on Ginny, and shook her head, as if to wake herself up, "Sorry…Centuries of not talking to anyone…not really used to it. Anyways, I was the stool then. I'm not human, obviously, and I can't do magic in the traditional sense. Well…I suppose I could, if I took the time to learn…but, for simplicity's sake, let's just say I can't do normal magic. But I can change form at will, sort of like that witch…Nymphadora was her name, I believe. I'm sorry…I'm off subject again, aren't I?"
Ginny nodded dazedly, but Lijara was already continuing, "I was having quite the conversation with the Sorting Hat while he Sorted students, and I was going to insist that you be placed in Lijanhorn right away, but, when your turn came, you were pleading so earnestly to the Hat to be placed in Gryffindor that I relented. I figured I could sort it out later, and I did," a note of pride entered her voice, "I changed myself into that crackpot Divination teacher and prophesized that 'A being of red locks and of six years study has been misplaced and should meet with Gryffindor's ruddy hat again,'" she had made her voice deep for the prophecy and sighed before continuing in her regular voice, "Not very good, and I think the Headmaster realized something was wrong, but, when he spoke to…Trelawney! That's her name! Well, when he spoke to her, she had no recollection of it, which is normal, so he seemed to accept it. That's why you were re-Sorted."
After a minute, Ginny realized that Lijara was done. "Oh," she managed to get out, and Lijara looked at her expectantly, "I don't know what to say…" Which was true. She had not the faintest idea of how to respond to it, as her brain was just trying to process what Lijara had said and had she called Salazar Slytherin Sal? And then Mr. Slytherin? Another few moments passed in silence as Ginny's brain attempted to catch up with her mouth. Finally, she asked apprehensively, "So I'm supposed to unify all of Hogwarts?"
"Mmm…yes, that's about it."
"You're out of your fucking mind," Ginny said conversationally, "Would you like some tea? I like tea. I like coffee, too…but mostly tea. I like dragons, too. Do you like dragons?"
"I'm getting the impression that you aren't taking this very well…at all…what's wrong?"
"What's wrong? You've been 'awake' as you put it, and you need to ask what's bloody wrong? Well, I'll tell you what's wrong! I was torn away from my few friends in this school to unite the whole damned school! Slytherins are being fucking nice! You stuck this whole fucking task upon me without so much as a fucking please! My brother apologized for being over-fucking-protective. About fucking! You- you stool! Fucking book! Book fuck!" Her voice was shrill, as she not-so-coherently 'explained' the situation. She was hysterical as she pointed her finger accusingly at Lijara, "Your-fucking-fault!"
Lijara seemed taken aback, "Well…yes, I suppose it is my fault," she said cautiously, "And I know that this is a bit much to ask of anyone. I'm sorry."
Ginny, however, had reached her quota for angry rants for the day, and was taking deep breaths as she tried to calm down. Massaging her temples, she looked up, "It's okay. It's just…a lot at once."
"Well, I do have some good news in that department, then," Lijara said brightly, "Before you unite Hogwarts, you get to choose some members for this House. Only upper-classmen, though, because Lijanhorn is just a temporary tool to unite the school."
Ginny seemed nonplussed, "And how, exactly, is that good news? Its just more work!"
Lijara frowned, "You could look at it that way," she paused to think, "Actually…I guess you're right. Well, how about I show you to the House's real lodgings, then?"
Ginny sighed, and nodded. It was just too much to process, so why not go see her fourth room in as many weeks? "Just-" she yawned, "Lemme take a nap first, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, she sank back into the pillows and promptly fell asleep.
Lijara glanced at her charge askance, and settled down to wait for her to wake up.
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Ginny was awoken by the sounds of someone screeching, rather rudely, in her opinion. As she rubbed her eyes blearily, she realized it was Ariana shrieking, and she jumped off the bed.
"-NY! GINNY! WAKE UP THERE'S A NASTY SLYTHERIN HERE! WAKEEEE UPPPP! GI-"
"Ariana, it's okay, open the portrait, I'm coming out," Ginny said after running a brush through her hair. Ariana quieted immediately, and swung open to reveal one Blaise Zabini. Ginny stepped out, not noticing that she was followed out by, of all things, a ring before Ariana's portrait swung shut, "Um…hello. What brings you here at this time of night?"
"I didn't see you at dinner, so I brought you some food," Blaise said, smiling as he revealed the parcel of food he had been holding behind his back, "Hungry?"
"Thanks…" It still unnerved her to talk to a Slytherin without attempting to hex it. "Would you like to come in?"
"Why, Weasley, are you so wanton that you shall invite me into your bedroom but hours after we've met?"
Ginny blushed furiously as she tried to not think about the summer. She failed. After a very brief awkward moment, she shrugged, and said impudently, "Why, Zabini, are you such a failure of a Slytherin that you don't jump at the chance?" Blaise's eyes widened only a fraction, but, in the unemotional world of Slytherin, it was enough for Ginny to know that she had surprised him. Feeling like she had the upper hand, "Fine, you win. If you come in, I promise I'll be a lady. I won't try to seduce you."
"Ah, but I was just being a gentleman when I questioned you're intentions."
Damn. Well…he is good-looking. Down girl, she scolded herself, this is school. The real world. She couldn't think of a witty repartee, "Fine, you win. Now that you mention it, though, I am but a blushing school-girl virgin in this scary world, and could use a gentlemanly protector of my virtue…"
"Somehow I doubt that," Blaise said dryly, "All of it. Not only do you have, what, six brothers-"
"Seven, if you count Harry," Ginny cut in.
"Whatever. I'll just leave it at you don't need another protector. Friends?" He said, holding out his hand.
Ginny eyed his hand suspiciously. He was, after all, a Slytherin. A Slytherin who had expressed interest in Muggle things and brought her dinner…but a Slytherin nonetheless. Suddenly, an idea struck her: she could make him a member of Lijanhorn!
"Already starting in on your tasks? Well, let me have a look at him and I'll tell you what I think."
Ginny started at Lijara's voice in her head, and hastily reached out to shake Blaise's hand, "Friends. But I have a better idea…No, not that," she said at the look on his face, "Wait here," she said, turning to go back into her room to get Lijara.
"I'm down here! I'm the ring…I followed you out."
Ginny reached down and picked up the ring, looking at it curiously. Momentarily forgetting Blaise's presence, despite the fact that he was only a few feet from her, "How?"
Lijara and Blaise responded simultaneously, "How what?" "I kind of rolled out…"
"Oh…Hi Blaise. I was talking to Lijara," she held out the ring.
Blaise looked at her as if he were about to Floo her to St. Mungo's, and Ginny could have hit her head at her own idiocy. "Lijara transform now before he tries to get me locked away!" She commanded, hoping Lijara could hear her, before speaking to Blaise, "I'm not insane, really."
Blaise raised his eyebrow, but Lijara chose that moment to transform back into herself. Ginny smiled in relief when the colored haze appeared and disappeared, leaving Lijara standing in the air above her hand, "Hullo Blaise. I'm Lijara. You must be one of the nice Slytherins."
"Nice?" Blaise looked disgusted, "I'm not nice. I'm cunning."
Lijara sniffed, "Ginny, I suppose he'll do…if he's willing to leave his precious House of Cunning People, that is. Just remember," her voice took on a warning note, "He was Sorted into Slytherin, and so he, and all of them, are not to be trifled with."
Ginny smiled and ignored Lijara's last few words, while Blaise was giving the floating being less-than-friendly looks, "Great! Blaise…how'd you like to be a member of Lijanhorn?"
"You're joking, right? No…you're not," he sighed, "Would I have to leave Slytherin?"
"Of course, you oaf. I'm supposed to unite the school and find members for Lijanhorn."
"Unite the school? You're bloody insane," he said, echoing Ginny's sentiments of a few hours ago, "But…leave Slytherin? What would Snape say? What would Draco say?"
She found it amusing that he cared more about Draco's opinion than about his Head-of-House's, but it did bring her attention to the fact that Lijara couldn't just waltz around and declare that she was destined to unite the school…and then the world…by stealing members of the other Houses. Lijara would have to be introduced to Dumbledore, and then, maybe, she could go about carefully choosing people. Or, at least, that's what the responsible side of her was saying. The impulsive side was leaning towards, well, impulsiveness. Her impulsive side won. "C'mon…it'll be fun! I don't have a Head of House, other than Lijara, and Lijanhorn already has rooms…that I was just on my way to see when I woke up, and the Slytherins can visit anytime they want and maybe some of them can even become members too and…" She trailed off, awaiting his response.
Apparently Blaise had an impulsive side too, or he was just plotting, because he grinned and agreed. Lijara rolled her eyes, "C'mon, you two. Let me show you your new rooms."
