Sorry about the late update, its Thanksgiving here in the United States so I've been busy lately. Also I've been planning into the later aspects of the story so chapters should come out faster!
Anon: Thanks for your review I'm glad you like this. And in response to your question, the Marauders don't fully understand what's going on and are treading lightly until she tells them.
"How long do you think she'll stay with us?" Peter asked as the Marauders got ready for bed.
"What do you mean?" James asked as he undid his tie, throwing it into a pile beside his bed.
"I mean how long will she stay mad at them?"
"Lina's like...a kicked puppy. They kick her over and over, every time she gets mad for a moment then goes back like nothing happened. I'd say another week tops." Sirius added as he emerged from the bathroom accompanied by steam. "Besides we've got a Quidditch match Saturday, they'll have to spend time together at practice tomorrow."
Messalina nearly groaned as she climbed out of bed the next morning. She had hardly gotten any sleep, preoccupied with the thought that Shatter and Fabian had been in the room only a few hours before. His tie had been on her bed.
Taking a shower, Lina felt the freezing water clearing her mind. She dressed slowly, her hair dripping cold water onto the tiles and her robes. Yanking the thick grey jumper over her plain white shirt, Messalina heard Lily and Marlene McKinnon talking just outside the door.
"Lina, we're heading down to breakfast in a moment, do you want us to wait?" Lily rapped on the door and Messalina shook her head before realizing she couldn't see her.
"No that's okay Lily, you and Marley go on!" The brunette heard them leave the dormitory and as she put on her grey skirt, Madeline entered the bathroom without knocking.
"Oh, you're in here." The blonde sneered as she made her way over to the showers. "I thought you'd left with those two other annoyances."
"What made you think that?" Messalina asked coolly as she used her wand to dry her hair, murmuring the incantation under her breath.
"I could year you three positively shrieking earlier." Madeline Shatter stated loftily, turning on the shower. "It was a trashy thing to do."
"Trashy," Lina snorted as she used her wand to straighten her long dark hair.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Shatter asked her voice shrill as she stepped into the shower, her fluffy pink robe lying on the cold tiles.
"Yes in fact I do, Shatter. How astute of you to realize all on your own! Leave Fabian and Gideon alone, I don't know what you've done to Fabian but you need to stop!"
"How cute, you do have a crush on him! I owe him a lap dance now, oh well." She smiled brightly at Messalina displaying perfectly straight white teeth.
"What?"
"You don't hide your infatuation well Lucien. Everyone knows you're in love with him, to the point that you're mad at him for even looking at a girl let alone a smarter, hotter one." She called as she turned on the water.
Fuming, Messalina picked up her wand and pointed it at the shape behind the shower curtain. Muttering a spell she yanked her shoes on and walked down the stairs to the common room, the shrieks of the blonde making her smile. She knew for a fact that Shatter loved excruciating hot showers as much as Lina enjoyed her frozen one, and like Messalina hated the other's way to bathe. Shatter was getting drenched with buckets upon buckets of frozen water before she figured out what was happening.
xXxXxXxXx
"Messalina!" The girl smiled when she saw that Murphy was sitting beside the Marauders, James and Sirius' heads ducked down whispering furiously. Grabbing a bagel from a third year who wasn't looking's plate, the brunette sank down beside Remus.
"Hey Murph, what's up?"
"One of the twins was looking for you."
"I think it was Gideon." Remus offered before taking a sip of something. Messalina groaned and bit into her bagel when she noticed the twins were staring at her from down the table.
"Lina, thank you." Murphy piped up from where he was sitting two down from her and she turned to face him.
"What for?"
"Everyone wants to be my friend now! I'm the most popular first year!"
"Of course you are, Murph. You really are the coolest first year." Murphy turned red at the unexpected praise and ducked his head. "What are they doing?"
James and Sirius hadn't even looked up since she had sat down. "Dunno, they've done that since we first got down here." Remus responded with a slight roll of his green eyes.
"Practice at seven tonight." Messalina jumped when she heard Fabian's voice above her and glared up at him.
"Okay...bye!" She snapped when he hovered for a moment after his announcement.
"Did you, you know, like Fabian?" Peter squeaked and Messalina turned to him and clutched her throat dramatically.
"Oh Merlin Peter, ew no! What would make you say that?" She made retching noises and Murphy laughed quietly.
"I dunno, you're making a big deal out of this?" Peter ended up sounding unsure but Messalina stood up anyway, dropping her half eaten bagel on the table.
"That's because I hate her!" Remus watched as the brunette stormed from the Great Hall, her robes billowing behind her in a way that reminded him a bit of Severus Snape.
"Where's Lina?" James asked a moment later when he and Sirius stopped whispering.
"She was- but- didn't you-" Peter began confused.
"I don't know." Remus shook his head at Peter and got his belongings together. "Class starts in ten minutes."
Messalina clutched the school broom tightly in her hands hoping they weren't too clammy to play Quidditch. She didn't want to play for maybe the first time since second year when she tried out for the team. She liked the attention, the thrill of the game, but she didn't want to see Fabian and Gideon trying to make up with her for what Fabian had and was still doing.
As she waited for practice to start, she was joined by the team's two other chasers: James Potter and Sirius Black.
"Hey Lina."
"Hello." She tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.
"You'll be fine, just imagine the quaffle is Shatter's head." The black-haired boys gave each other concerned looks when they saw the twisted smile that graced her features.
"Okay let's start!" Fabian called and Messalina stood right up making her way over to him, her practice robes billowing in the wind.
xXxXxXxXx
When they landed two hours later the sun had set and Messalina was covered in sweat. As the only girl on the team, she walked into the Gryffindor girl's locker room alone and left alone.
As she exited the locker rooms twenty minutes after practice ended, her hair dried from her shower and her Quidditch robes in a heap on the floor for the house elves to clean, someone ran into her. When she went to turn around a hand snaked around her waist and another was clasped around her mouth.
Her screams were muffled by the hand and she sighed slightly before biting it. The hand held on and she spun around to see Fabian Prewett standing behind her. Rolling her eyes she went to storm away but he grabbed her arm once again.
"What do you want?" She snapped, using her free hand to brush her hair away from her forehead.
"Listen-" He began but was interrupted.
"LET ME GO!" She shrieked pulling at his vice-like grip.
"Lina just hear me out!" Fabian yelled into her face.
"Now!" She demanded glaring at him.
"Lina! Shut up and listen to me for five minutes for once!" She stopped struggling and stared at him with wide eyes. "I broke up with her."
Messalina stared at him and began to laugh. "That's it? You had to attack me for that?"
"I was mad at you and I was stupid. I never cared about her, I just didn't want you to get hurt but that's all that happened." He said ignoring her previous statement.
"How. Could. You." She asked tears coming to her eyes. "Why were you even mad at me in the first place?"
"Lina, it's just that I need some time with Gideon before school ends." He felt bad for lying to the now crying up girl but he had to. Blinking away tears Messalina hugged him, the redhead holding her tight. She smelled like soap and broomstick polish. He regretted it, regretted everything that he had done since he had realized that he loved her more than brothers should love their sister. He didn't want it to affect their relationship any more than it already had, he wouldn't let them break apart again just because he was stupid enough to fall for her.
He knew it was just a phase, or he hoped it was. They spent every waking moment together and as Gideon had pointed out it was bound to happen to one of them eventually.
"Fabe?" Her voice was small and he let her go, keeping his hands on her forearms. "I'm sorry."
"Lina, it's not your fault, nothing has ever been your fault explicitly. It's my fault, it always has been." She hugged him again tightly as though she thought he would disappear if she didn't hold on.
"You're the best brother Fabe. Ever." He wanted to laugh at the look of pure innocence in her normally devious eyes but resorted to a smile.
"Well compared to Gideon-"
"What about me?" Gideon appeared at his brother's elbow a knowing smile on his face. "C'mon let's go to the kitchens I'm starved."
Gideon started off towards the castle first, his brother and Messalina following after him moving quickly at the thought of warmth and food.
When they were almost to the castle Sirius and James exited the locker room. James turned to Sirius after he noticed the two red heads and the brunette going to Hogwarts. "Told you...kicked puppy."