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Messalina paced nervously in her living room nearly tripping over the edge of the coffee table. She fixed her purple, black and white dress once again, being sure that the seams that ran from her neckline to her wrists was straight and that the tight bottom wasn't revealing too much. She checked to be sure that there wasn't too much cleavage and that her black pumps were spotless. She smiled softly as she adjusted the bracelet Remus had given her, the cool metal calming her. Lupins were only a minute late but it didn't make it any easier on her.
"Lina stop moving, you'll mess up your hair!" Mrs. Prewett cried grabbing the girl's arm to fix her wavy curls.
"You already made it semi-permanent!" She snapped and looked back at the fireplace.
"Love, they're coming don't worry about it!" Mrs. Prewett said with a small laugh, patting her daughter on the shoulder. "You know, Samuel was an hour late for our first date and now look at us."
"But Sammy's late for everything!" She groaned perching herself on the arm of a chair her back perfectly straight as she drummed her fingers against the fading fabric. As she stood up to continue pacing the fireplace turned green and Remus stumbled out of it coughing slightly. He was dressed nicely, with black dress pants, a white long-sleeved dress shirt and a black tie.
"Sorry I'm late, Mum kept forgetting things and coming back to get them. Hello Mrs. Prewett, Lina." He smiled at the both of them and Messalina grinned back at him picking up the clutch that matched her dress and held all of her necessities for the night thanks to an undetectable extension charm.
"Bye Mum P." Mrs. Prewett kissed her on the forehead, ushering her forward.
"Have fun Lina, be safe!" Messalina assured the redhead that she would be before stepping into the fireplace with Remus, holding onto the crook of his elbow which he offered her.
"Potter Manor!" She felt like her stomach was going to be torn in half for what seemed like an eternity before she stumbled out of the fireplace, still holding onto Remus. Brushing the soot from her legs and smiled at Remus who quickly lead her away from the ornate fireplace, across freshly polished hardwood floors and outside. They paused slightly at the door which had white curtains billowing in the wind around it, looking across the freshly mowed lawn where white tables were sitting house elves scurrying around holding plates.
"Where is every-" Lina began but was cut of by James' loud voice.
"Remalina!" The couple looked at each other as the black-haired boy raced towards them.
"Remalina?" Messalina asked raising her eyebrows.
"It's your pet name." When they looked confused he continued. "Y'know like Jily is mine and Evans'?"
"When did you come up with these?" Remus asked after scoffing.
"I couldn't sleep last night." James shrugged. "Didn't have anything else to do."
"You need a hobby." Messalina shook her head a grin on her face, the fireplace turning bright green before Peter burst out of it coughing.
"Hey Pete," James clapped him on the back making the smaller boy cough even more. "You're right on time."
"Is Sirius coming?" Peter asked brushing the soot off of his dress clothes.
"I don't think so, his parents were pretty mad at the station yesterday." James' confident demeanor cracked, briefly showing nervousness before smoothing back into place.
"You have a piano?" Messalina cried, grabbing Remus' arm as she strode across the room to where a well polished black piano was sitting. Leaving Remus to stand beside the piano she lowered herself onto the matching bench.
"Do you play?" James asked and Lina nodded her face falling slightly before smoothing out to normal. She closed her eyes, her fingers wiggling over the shining keys and biting her lip lightly. Messalina smiled faintly up at Remus before cracking her knuckles and beginning to play something that seemed familiar but none of them could place it. After a minute James began to laugh hysterically doubling over.
"What?" Remus asked but she continued to play though now she was grinning and a second later Peter snorted and began to giggle loudly.
Realization dawned on Remus and he shook his head but he was grinning. "Werewolves of London? Really Lina?"
"Remus don't you live in London?" Peter asked once he got control of himself.
"I did, in first year." Remus shook his head and Messalina stood up as Mr. and Mrs. Potter hurried past them.
"Boys, Messalina, stay near the fireplace! Guests will be arriving any moment now, no pranks!" Mrs. Potter called as a house elf rushed in after her.
"Mistress Potter! Mistress Potter!" Mrs. Potter followed the nearly sobbing house elf outside once again as Mr. Potter disappeared upstairs. James groaned and threw himself onto the couch in front of the fireplace. Peter followed, Remus and Lina doing the same quickly as the fireplace turned green and a very well dressed couple emerged.
"Oh hello boys and friend! James where is your mother?" The older woman asked, her equally ancient husband using a spell to get the faint soot marks off of them.
"Outside Helena!" Mrs. Potter called and the woman smiled at the boys before she saw Messalina. Then she grinned wider as though she might rip in two.
"It is not everyday that one of the boys brings a gorgeous girl like you to the summer parties! What's your name dear?"
"Messalina Lucien ma'am. It's very nice to meet you." She smiled brightly at the woman who nodded happily before leading her still silent husband away.
"Who was that?" Messalina asked when she was sure the pair was out of earshot. James shrugged from the couch and ran a hand through his hair making it messier. Lina snorted and sat down on one of the plush armchairs, Remus sitting in the one beside her.
More and more people apparated and flooed into the Potter's house, music entering the mansion through the open back door. Finally after a long break the last of the guests arrived, an older couple wearing very fancy clothing.
"You look very familiar. Do I know you?" The man asked bluntly staring at Messalina who squirmed slightly at the intensity of his gaze.
"I don't think so..." She trailed off as Remus stood up so he was directly beside her.
"The party's outside." He stated without beating around the bush.
"You're that Lucien girl aren't you?" The woman asked crinkling her nose and taking a step back. "I knew I recognized you as well."
Messalina stood up quickly and the woman squeaked nearly tripping over her feet to get out of the way. Messalina glanced up at Remus her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes full of confusion and hurt.
"I would hardly say that I'm a Lucien-" Messalina began but was interrupted.
"Once a Lucien always a Lucien! You can't change your views! You might as well have a Black in this house!" The woman spat as she stood behind her husband who nodded gruffly.
"One of my best friends is a Black." James snarled standing up. He vaguely recognized them from a previous event but he couldn't put a name to their faces. "Get out."
"Believe me boy we are not planning on stepping foot in here again! Do you have a werewolf in here as well?" Remus bristled and Messalina grabbed his hand. The man and his wife flooed out, mumbling the name of their home as if they thought that the four would follow them there. Silence enveloped the room before jazz music drifted in along with the sounds of a party. James cleared his throat and clapped his hands.
"We've got a party to get to don't we?" They followed the bespectacled boy as he walked through the lavish hall. Outside people had assembled in small groups, drinking from the long bar that had been set up. There was a tiled dance floor in middle of the tables and a few younger couples were dancing to an old jazz song.
As James and Peter went to claim a table, Remus waved to his parents who were talking to a grey haired man and a much younger blonde woman. When Remus hesitated unsure of what to do Messalina laughed quietly, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his around her hips.
Hope Lupin squealed when she turned to see her son dancing with his gorgeous girlfriend. She nudged her husband who was talking about the rising price of dragon heartstrings or something as equally boring with Mr. Potter and forced him to look at their son.
"Aren't they adorable?" Hope felt a pricking on her eyes. She and Lyall had never thought their son was going to have a girlfriend with his self-esteem and worry over his condition. They weren't entirely sure what had happened to change this but Remus seemed so happy that they didn't want to pry and ruin anything by chance.
When Messalina turned around she burst out laughing. She and Remus were at the bar getting drinks and searching for Peter and James, having no such luck until a second ago. "Rem, look."
The werewolf turned to see two of his best friends dancing with one another terribly. James had gotten rather tall and well Peter hadn't grown since second year. James had to stoop down slightly to rest his hands on the pudgy boy's waist and Peter was on his tip toes with his arms tightly around the black haired boy's neck. They kept kicking out their legs at random times and as Remus and Messalina watched they noticed that the dancing boys would only dance normally when Mrs. Potter was looking.
"I wish Sirius was here." Messalina paused, her fork halfway to her mouth and looked at James who was sitting across from her.
"You know, he'll probably just show up here one day when you're least expecting it." Messalina added, sticking the last of her salad into her mouth. "He probably just has to wait for the right time to get out of the house."
The rest of the evening went by rather slowly with guests leaving in large groups. Things weren't the same without Sirius, still fun but not as much as school usually was. Once everyone was gone around midnight the four teenagers found themselves wide awake and sitting in James' Quidditch themed room. He had a four-poster bed like the one at Hogwarts, the drapes red as well. Gryffindor banners were all around the room as well as posters for his favorite Quidditch team: Puddlemere United. Pictures of him and the marauders were all over the walls giving Messalina a slight headache. One caught her eye despite all the chaos, a photo of Remus with his arm around a big shaggy black dog and beside a stag with a rat in its antlers.
"What's this?" She asked pointing at the picture. For a moment panic spread across James' face but before anyone could comment on it Remus began speaking.
"The uh animals around here are very...friendly." Messalina didn't seem to buy it but having nothing else to go on she laid down on the carpeted floor once more. James was sprawled across his bed his hand under his chin to keep from falling over. Peter had situated himself on a black sofa near the bed, Remus sitting against the wall.
"I'm boooored, let's do something!" James cried suddenly sitting up, frightening Peter to the point that he rolled right off the sofa.
"And what do you propose we do?" Remus asked grinning as Peter flopped back onto the sofa.
"We could do the Bertie Bott's bean thing." Peter offered but James shook his head.
"I did that yesterday."
"By yourself?" Remus asked glancing at Messalina who was biting back a laugh.
"Who cares who I played with, all that matters is that I won. Besides we always play Bean-Until-You-Barf, let's tell secrets!" James' voice dropped down to a whisper at the end and Messalina snorted.
"Are you a first year Hufflepuff girl? No." James rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at her head that she easily caught.
"Then what do you suggest doing?"
"I don't know its your house. What do you guys usually do?"
"Measure our-" James began but Messalina covered her ears shaking her head. Once James was quiet she removed her hands. "Toenails."
Messalina crinkled her nose and groaned. "You are impossible!"
"Thank you." James' chest seemed to puff out with pride and it was all the other three could do not to burst out laughing.
"We could begin to plan our back to school prank." Peter offered but James immediately shot it down.
"Not without Sirius."
"What about Truth or Dare?" Remus asked and Messalina sat up looking at her boyfriend.
"I haven't played that since Gideon dared Fabian to run through town naked in the middle of winter!" The boys gave her a weird look and she shrugged. "Mum P wasn't very pleased."
"Alright truth or dare it is," James rubbed his hands together grinning. "Remus you go first."
"Alright Lina, truth or dare."
"Dare." She laughed as Peter's eyes widened and James grin doubled.
"I dare you to..." He whispered something in James' ear, the latter hurriedly getting up to search through his drawers.
"Found them!" James yelled half a minute later, racing back to his seat to sit cross-legged his eyes full of glee.
"Oh Merlin." Messalina regarded the pair warily and behind her Peter gulped.
"Eat two Exploding Bonbons at once." Remus concluded, James pulling the blue bag out from behind his back giddily. Messalina took the bag, pulling two of the multicolored sweets out. She stared at them in the palm of her hand for a moment before putting them in her mouth. After a moment her entire body flinched as she bit into the cocoa and coconut dynamite. As she chewed some more there were several small twitches before they were gone.
"Remus, truth or dare?" Messalina asked as James put the bag away grinning widely at the success of his dare. Lina scooted over to Peter murmuring in his ear. Remus bristled slightly when he noticed the blush on the pudgy boy's cheeks but brushed it off easily. Lina was gorgeous, what guy wouldn't like to have her that close to him?
"T-that's a good one." Peter nodded enthusiastically and Messalina stood up, moving to sit beside her boyfriend against the wall.
"I dare you to put Peter's sock in your mouth until its your turn again." Peter removed his grey sock quickly along with his shoes and other sock, throwing them in the direction Messalina had left hers. Remus took the sock and reluctantly shoved the entire thing in his mouth aside of the ankle part that hung out.
"Jwames twuth er dware?" James asked and the scarred teenager grinned as he put his arm around Lina.
"Dare." Remus mumbled something incoherent to James and Lina pulled the sock out of his mouth. "What was that Prongs?"
"I said 'I dare you to sit in Peter's lap until its your turn again." James clapped eagerly, scooting over to the frowning boy. James climbed into his lap putting his arms around Peter's neck and staring at him longingly.
"Truth or dare my one, my only, my Peter?" Remus snorted into the sock and Messalina buried her head in the side of his neck laughing.
"Truth." Peter looked at James suspiciously as the bespectacled boy's adoration turned to excitement.
"Who's hotter Lina or Evans?"
"Ew! Peter you do not have to answer that!" Messalina cried but she didn't move; enjoying how Remus smelled of the library and the woods.
"No Wormy, you have to! Me and Sirius have been debating this and-"
"Please tell me you haven't been comparing my girlfriend to Lily." Remus shook his head disapprovingly and James nodded quickly.
"We have, before we go to bed."
"Ew, stop!" Messalina shook her head and stood up Remus following suit.
"Lina don't worry you're almost as fit as Evans!" Messalina lightly shoved James over as she padded past him picking up her shoes.
"Messalina." Peter stated and the girl in question turned around and when he didn't say anything else raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"Oh I was just saying, I think you're fitter than Evans." Peter blushed deeply as James righted himself in the small boy's lap, putting his head on his shoulder.
"That's enough for tonight!" Remus called as he and Lina exited the room. James and Peter scurried to follow them, far more tired than they had been twenty minutes ago.
As the boys walked Messalina to her room she was astonished by the hundreds of portraits that lined the walls reminding her of Hogwarts. James pointed out that the hall that all the Marauders' rooms were in and her's that was only a hallway away many times each time waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Entering her room she was shocked to see just how big it was. It had to be twice the size of her's and the twins' rooms combined and the furniture inside must have been more than the Prewett's entire house and Gringotts' vault put together.
"There you go Lina, see you in the morning." James nudged Peter and the pair began to walk away slowly.
"Goodnight Lina." Remus leaned down nervously and Messalina met him halfway kissing him lightly on the lips. She smiled at him when they opened their eyes before closing her door.
"Night Rem." She reached her fingers to her lips and giggled slightly before reaching into her purse and pulling out her pajamas.
Messalina had been in bed for a half hour and was just drifting off to sleep when she heard a clanging in the distance and muffled yells. Opening her eyes, she sat straight up listening to see if she would hear it again. When she did she climbed out of bed padding barefoot into the hallway. She vaguely recalled James telling her that his room was one hallway over to the right. She walked quickly, trying not to awaken any of the portraits of the Potter ancestors that were slumbering peacefully on the wall.
Stumbling into a room she blindly guessed was James' she turned the light on to see Peter half asleep as well. He covered himself up immediately and Messalina fought the urge to laugh as she heard the clanging and shouting in the distance.
"Which room is James'?" She hissed and Peter looked scandalized.
"You're going out with Remus not James!"
"I know that you idiot! Which room is his?"
"The one across the hall!" Peter squeaked his head barely visible over the comforter. She left his room swiftly and using the dim light supplied by Peter's room she opened James' room.
"James!" She turned on his light, hurrying to his bedside to shake him awake.
"Hm? Wha-?" He reached for his bedside table putting his glasses on. "Lina?"
"There's someone at your gate, I can hear them. Listen!" It was slightly louder, the sound of the gates clinging as someone shook them. James seemed to wake up far quicker, jumping out of bed. The clock on his wall read one sixteen in the morning and Messalina followed James as he ran into the hallway.
"Go wake up Remus and Peter! I've gotta wake my parents up!" James told her before running into the darkened hallways.
Messalina knocked slightly on the door she figured had to be Remus' since it was next to Peter's. When she didn't get a response she opened the door and turned on the light, a sense of déjà vu overcoming her. Her boyfriend was fast asleep his hair a mess.
"Remus!" She hissed and when he didn't answer she shook him awake roughly.
"Hm? James, go 'way." She shook him harder and his eyes opened before widening. "Lina! What's going on?"
"There's someone at the Potter's gate, I heard them. James is going to wake his parents up." Remus nodded and sat up pulling his covers off. For a moment Messalina couldn't help but stare at his bare chest marred with long scars. Subconsciously she reached up at her own that were just beginning to go away with plenty of anti-scarring serum.
"I've gotta go tell Peter." Once she had explained it to the boy they were all standing in the now well-lit hallway James came running over to them.
"Dad's going to check it out. He said we can't go with him but we can wait in the foyer." And that was how the four now sixth-years stood peering out the bay window in the Potter's extensive foyer.
"Who's that with him?" Messalina asked squinting in the dark light.
"Is that-it can't be Sirius!" They all rushed to the door with James' guess to see Mr. Potter helping someone who looked remarkably like Sirius Black inside.
"Sirius?" Peter asked as Mr. Potter walked in past them, helping the slightly bloody teenager sit down. "Sirius?"