A big thanks to celtic-roses for following this!
And I am not J.K. Rowling, I own nothing other than my OC
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Messalina's First Year:
One Week before Christmas Break
If there was one thing that Messalina Lucien had learned in the three months that she had known Fabian and Gideon Prewett, it was that when they went quiet and thoughtful, she should be worried. The last time they had gone this quiet, they had dyed Lucius Malfoy's hair pink for an entire week. It meant they were scheming something, something big.
And so Messalina regarded the two third years warily as she continued on with her potions essay until one of them, Fabian, she thought it was (she was getting better at keeping them apart) sighed dramatically. She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows as he frowned deeply at her.
"Lina, I'm bored!" He whined, nudging Gideon (or so she thought) roughly in the side.
"I have to do this, Slughorn'll kill me if I don't," Messalina gave him a small smile before continuing on with her work. She really liked the twins but was worried that if she said or did anything 'wrong' they were ditch her so she tended to agree with anything and everything they said. Fabian groaned and splayed himself across the table, his head quite close to her still drying essay.
"Lina!" He wailed, making the brunette rubbed her temples. She hadn't been able to fall asleep the previous night, debating whether to go home or not for Christmas break. Home was, well home, but she was afraid she would get burned off the wall when they asked who she was friends with. Her patience was already wearing thin, and she was quite irritable. "Lina!"
"NO!" The sudden outburst shocked each all of them and Messalina's eyes bulged as she covered her mouth with her dainty hands.
"Lina said no-"
"That's a first, isn't brother?"
"Yes it is, interesting."
"Very interesting, indeed."
"Should we-"
"I think we should."
"Lina, come home with us-"
"For Christmas." The first year was so shocked she didn't even know what to say so she just sat there with her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "We'll take that as a yes."
"Won't your family be upset that you're bring me home?" She asked once she finally regained her voice.
"What do you mean?" Gideon asked from where he was flicking little scraps of parchment at a group of four first year boys, one of whom was Sirius Black. Messalina smirked at the sight before turning her gaze back to the twins.
"A pure-blood I mean. One from a terrible pure-blooded family."
"We're purebloods too, you know. And you're not that terrible. Besides, Fabe's told mum all about you and she really wants to meet you," Gideon teased, making Messalina roll her eyes at him.
"She was the one who said you should come home with us for break," Fabian stated with a proud smirk just as James Potter, one of the first years who had gotten the parchment flicked at him, spun around angrily.
"Will you three stop it?!" He demanded and Messalina felt the urge to laugh. A rather large piece of balled up parchment was sticking out of his black hair and was slowly making its way down to his ear.
"Oh and Lina, have you ever held a baby before?" Fabian inquired as though James hadn't even turned around. Gideon flicked another piece of parchment, this one hitting Peter Pettigrew in the forehead. "Molly's just popped one out, she got married last year."
"We lit the cake on fire!" At that Messalina burst out laughing, getting the attention of the other first years around them. Remus Lupin, a boy who looked older than eleven, turned just in time to see her fall straight out of her chair and onto the ground.
Christmas Break:
Platform 9 3/4
"Oh Fabe, there's mum!" Gideon cried, rushing forward towards a short woman and a very tall man, both with shockingly red hair like the twins'. Beside them stood a man of average height and a short, plump woman with what looked like a little boy in her arms, all of them having their own shades of red hair. Fabian slowed down, making sure that he had both his and Messalina's trunks before exiting the train.
"You really don't have to hold my trunk, Fabe, I can carry it." She insisted as they climbed from the train. All her worries about going back home for Christmas had flown out the window as they had approached the platform, leaving her excited for the break.
"I'm a Gryffindor Lina, I've got to be chivalrous...plus mum would kill me if I didn't." Messalina smiled and followed him through the crowd to the group.
"Mum, Dad, Molly, Arthur, little Billy, this is Messalina." Gideon stated dramatically, bowing to showcase the nervous brunette.
"Um hi, I'm Messalina-" She was cut off by Mrs. Prewett excitedly hugging her and then beginning to ramble.
"Oh you're just as pretty as the boys said you were! We're so glad to have you here with us, our house isn't anywhere near what you're probably used to, but-"
"Mum!" Gideon whined loudly and Messalina tried not to laugh at the look on Molly's face.
"It's very nice to meet you," Lina said quickly before Mrs. Prewett could launch into another rant.
"See boys, she has manners." Molly teased and looked down at the little boy in her arms. "I'm Molly, this is my husband Arthur and our son Bill."
"It's nice to meet you, but I must say they feel no remorse for your wedding cake." Arthur laughed at that and little Bill reached out and made a cooing sound.
"Come now, let's back to the house. It's quite busy here," Mr. Prewett stated, easily shrinking all of their trunks so they could fit in his pocket.
The Prewett's House
Christmas Morning
The Prewetts were not well-off in money in any way. It was a lot different in their small house than the mansion that the Luciens lived in, but it was a welcome change for her.
Lina slept in Molly's old bed in the room next to the twins, even though the house was teeny compared to hers, the Prewett house seemed so much warmer and more comfortable than the hers. So at six thirty in the morning, Lina was roughly shoved off the bed and onto the floor in a tangle of limbs and blankets. Blinking confusedly for a few seconds, she looked up and saw the twins standing in front of her, identical grins on their faces.
"It's Christmas Lina! Get up, get up, get up!" Moaning slightly, she sat up and put her back up against the bed so she could rest her head on the mattress.
"Why am I on the floor?" Her voice was raspy from sleep and the twins smirked.
"You wouldn't wake up! We took the covers off and everything!" Not sure what he meant by everything, Lina made sure she was dressed before she stood up, still dizzy from the fall.
"What time is it?" She asked, her voice hoarse.
"Dunno, the sun's not up yet."
"We wanna open our presents!"
"I thought your sister and her husband were coming over to open presents at nine." At that the twins visibly deflated and Gideon groaned.
"We forgot about that..."
Even though Lina's pile of presents wasn't nearly as large as anyone else's, she was having the best Christmas she had ever had. There were no screams from her parents directed towards the house elves, only happy shrieks from Bill as the twins chased him around the house. It wasn't cold at all, a fire was roaring in the fireplace and the smell of cooking food filled her nose. She wasn't perched on a couch with perfect posture, instead she was slouching on the carpeted floor laughing as Arthur brought up a story from his work at the Ministry. She was having fun.
From the twins she had gotten numerous boxes of Bertie and Bott's Beans and a box of her favorite toffee from Hogsmeade, which the twins always managed to smuggle her to using the many secret passageways they knew of. Mrs. Prewett had knitted her a scarlet quilt with golden 'M.L.'s all over it and Molly Weasley had made her a matching sweater with an M on the front of it.
It was the smallest load of presents she had ever received, but it felt real for once, like thought had actually been put into it. This meant much more than getting the newest broomstick from her father, beautiful but uncomfortable new dresses from her mother, and some new hairclip from her cousin Antonin who lived with them. Christmas with the Prewetts was peaceful and she thought that this was what the holidays were supposed to be, surrounded by delicious smells and people who actually liked her. That was until a very regal black owl appeared, a red envelope in its sharp beak. It came in from who knows where and dropped the letter in front of Lina before it disappeared back out the window.
She didn't even have time to move before it began to speak. "Messalina Lucien, your father and I are terribly disappointed in both your house placement and your choice in companionship. You staying at the Prewett's hovel is enough for your father and I to realize what must be done about you.
Messalina Magdalena Lucien, you are hereby disowned by the Lucien family. All communication between the respectable company of the Lucien family and you is hereby disallowed. Your Gringotts account will be reabsorbed into your cousin Antonin's personal account. You will have to find your own living arrangements as you shall never be welcomed back into respectable society again. Good-bye Messalina, do not reply to this letter."
Everyone stared at the note ripped itself up and fell into a pile in front of the girl who didn't look any worse for the wear besides a single tear running down her porcelain face. Her mother's voice was far colder than Messalina had ever heard it, making it freeze her spine.
"Lina, you can stay here. I just cannot believe it!" Mrs. Prewett cried angrily and shook her head as the twins hurried in and in a single scoop grabbed Lina and pulled her out of the room. By then tears were falling freely from her dark lashes and she fought to make them stop coming.
Once they made it into the twins room she fully burst into tears and one of the twins, in her state she couldn't tell them apart from her own father, rubbed her back while she cried into the other's shoulder.
"Did you hear that Lina? You can stay with us," The one rubbing her back stated excitedly after a few moments. Messalina lifted her tear streaked face and looked at the one she had cried on, Fabian, who bulged out his eyes making a ghost of a smile appear on her face.
"Forever." He whispered manically and rubbed his hands together finally getting her to laugh slightly.
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