Huge thanks to lilrilakkuma, goassamermouse101, and Guest for their reviews! Sorry about the longer wait, my life was crazy for a few months but I should be able to update more regularly! Thank you so much for reading, I promise the next few chapters will be a lot more exciting than these last few!
When Remus woke up that morning, he was certain that if he looked at the map, he wouldn't find Messalina in her bed. No, he was pretty sure that she wouldn't show up on the map at all as she would be hidden away in the Room of Requirement like the evening before. And sure enough, when he opened the map he couldn't find her name anywhere. It was nearly six in the morning and so it was easy for him to see that she wasn't in any other parts of the castle, as only a few people were up and about so early. Graham Pucey was on his way to the owlery, Dumbledore was once again in his office, pacing as usual, and Regulus Black was at the Black Lake, motionless. Apart from Pucey being out of bed, none of that was out of the ordinary as it appeared Dumbledore never slept and that Regulus Black couldn't get enough time to himself. Remus had shrugged out a sweater and trousers quickly, the cold morning air making him shiver and break out in goosebumps. He folded the map up once again, tucking it into the back pocket of his pants.
As quietly as he could, so as to not wake any of the other Marauders, Remus slipped out of the dormitory and padded his way silently down the steps to the common room. Lost completely in thought, he ran straight into a distraught looking Lily Evans who was clutching a book tightly in her hands.
"Couldn't sleep," She explained, holding up the copy of Jane Eyre and shaking it. She let out a nervous sort of laugh that put Remus on edge and he just nodded, walking down the rest of the stairs with her in relative silence. "Have you seen Lina yet?"
"No," Remus responded, wanting more than anything for Lily Evans to disappear so that he could go find Lina to figure out what was wrong with her. But at the same time, he was happy for Lily's irksome presence because it meant that he could put off going to see Messalina and he didn't have to think about doing anything other than talking to Lily. "Have you?"
"No, she shut herself in the dorm last night and when Marlene and I went up, she had pulled her curtains and gone to bed," Lily explained, shaking her head in sympathy. "She's gone now, though, who knows where at this time of morning."
"No idea," Remus lied as they walked into the common room, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh don't you lie to me, Remus Lupin," Lily said with a laugh that sounded far more natural than the one she had let out earlier. "That's the map in your pocket, isn't it?"
"What map?"
"The one that tells you where everyone is at all times," Lily explained, throwing herself onto a couch with a cheeky grin at him. "Oh, don't look so surprised, James and Peter told me when Sirius tried to kill Graham Pucey, Jenny Marquette, and John Higgs the day Messalina got sick."
Remus looked so flabbergasted that Lily took pity on him, gesturing towards the portrait hole with a more serious look on her face. "If anyone could break her out of whatever's the matter with her, Remus, it would be you."
"Yeah, well we'll see about that," Remus muttered, looking down at his shoes.
"Yeah, we will," Lily told him firmly. "Now go get Messalina back from herself."
Had Remus gone the directest route from the common room to the Room of Requirement, he would have made it there in ten minutes. However, Remus found himself going the longest route possible and it took him nearly forty-five minutes to get to the tapestry with the dancing trolls on it. Once there, though, Remus wasn't sure what he would need to think of as he wasn't sure of Messalina's current state of mind. And so he began with what he thought was the broadest, I need somewhere to be alone and think. Unsurprisingly, nothing appeared on the wall opposite him and so he sighed deeply, thinking once again. It took him nearly ten tries and twenty minutes before he figured out: I need somewhere to escape where no one can find me.
An old, battered green door appeared in front of him and Remus stepped forward hesitantly and grabbed the cold door hand, swinging it open. It was silent in the hallway and so Remus nearly jumped out of his skin when the door creaked loudly. He took a few seconds to calm his racing heart before walking in and closing the door securely behind him.
It was a small, cramped living room. The walls were a deep maroon color, the soft, cushy carpet a dark brown color that went well with the old, velvety armchairs around the room. Everything in the room looked worn but well cared for and very comfortable. There were stacks of books on tables around the room but they struck Remus as being strategically placed so that the room looked lived-in and safe, as most of the titles seemed to have something to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts.
There was a roaring fire in the corner of the room, an armchair pulled close to the fireplace and Remus could just make out the top of Messalina's head over the back of the chair.
Unsure of how to proceed, Remus walked silently over to the armchair, afraid to scare Messalina, but he needn't have worried. Messalina was staring into the fire, seemingly lost in her thoughts but when Remus came to stand beside her, she turned her head to look at him. There was a hollow look in her eyes that he had never seen before and though her eyes were red and puffy, Remus couldn't see any tears.
"Get out!" Her voice was hoarse but there was such a bite to it that Remus involuntarily took a step back. "GET OUT! I'm in here for a reason because I don't want to see you! I don't want to see any of you but you lot are all too self-absorbed to realize that people other than you have feelings! I don't want you here, if I had, I wouldn't be in here! Just leave me alone!"
Remus took a few steps backward, putting his hands in the air in surrender. "Lina-"
"I WOULDN'T BE UP HERE IF I DIDN'T WANT TO BE ALONE!" She screamed at him, turning her head away from him and towards the fire again.
"Lina," He began, unsure of what to say. She had turned to look at the fire once again, a steely look on her face, but she surprised him by launching herself at him the instant he said her name, sobs racking her body as she clung to him. This made him more nervous than anything else she could have done and she wrapped her legs around his hips, crying into the crook of his neck. He stood stock still for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around her and walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and sank down onto it slowly.
After a few minutes of this, Remus realized that she saying something into his neck and gently, he pulled her head from his neck so that he could look at her. Dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that both were two or three sizes too big for her, it made her look even more vulnerable than she already did as she stared into his eyes with her own bloodshot eyes.
She seemed to take a moment to collect herself, wiping her tears from her cheeks as though embarrassed by them. She let out a small, anxious laugh, not unlike the one Lily Evans had done earlier, before looking up at Remus. She didn't seem to know how to start though and so Remus prompted her gently.
"What happened, Lina?" His face was full of such genuine concern that Messalina had to look away, biting her lip as though that would keep her from crying. She slowly untangled herself from him and sat down beside him, rather than straddling him.
Remus kneeled in front of her, holding her hands tightly in his own as he looked up at her, a look of concern and sympathy in his dark eyes. She looked down at him, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes as her lips began to quiver. Messalina attempted to pull away but it was in vain as Remus held her firmly in place.
"What happened?" He asked again softly, eyebrows creased.
"C-caradoc's dead," She whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. She heard his sudden intake of air and felt him sit on the couch beside her. Without looking at him, she leaned over and put his head on his chest as she began to sob.
"Dearborn?" Remus asked quietly, running his hand through her dark hair soothingly. She nodded into his jumper and he pulled her closer. "What happened? How do you know?"
"I saw it," She whispered, grip tightening on his jumper. "I watched him die."
"Where were you?" Remus questioned gently, running one of his hands through her dark hair.
"At my new house," She mumbled, leaning heavily into him. "He is-was a part of the Order, and the mission went bad. The twins brought him back and he died."
"When?"
"Three days ago, when I was released from St. Mungo's," Messalina said quietly, shifting in his arms so as to be able to look at the fireplace. "I woke up and he was in the dining room, dying. Bleeding out. They said there was nothing they could do for him."
Remus felt his heart breaking for the handsome young man who had lost his life in addition to the beautiful, strong woman in his arms. He could sense the change in Messalina, her sweet, constantly joking personality was gone, replaced with someone who had seen more than they should have, especially being sixteen years old. He didn't know what to do other than to attempt to comfort her. With every word and detail she told him, he came up with even more questions, especially regarding the Order and why she was back at Hogwarts when the break was beginning in just two days.
"Why are you back?" He asked after a few minutes and panicked when he instantly felt her stiffen. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just that break is starting. I would've thought you'd want to spend the holidays with your family."
She relaxed, sniffling a few times before answering him. "I need daily check-ups with a healer and I didn't want to have to floo to St. Mungo's every day, it makes me nauseous and sick. So I decided to come back until I feel better."
Remus knew that that wasn't the only reason she was there but he decided not to push it, instead, he kissed the top of her head and stroked her soft hair, looking into the fire. He could feel her breathing growing steadier and her grip loosened enough for him to look down and see that she was fast asleep, mouth opened slightly and eyes closed tightly.
He sighed deeply, gazing down at the beautiful girl in his arms. It was in those moments he spent looking down at her that he realized something that made him want to flee from the room without looking back. He was in love with her.
Next Chapter on Messalina:
Messalina reunites with Graham Pucey and discovers why he's in such a good mood. Remus confides in the other Marauders about his revelation as everyone, except Messalina, prepare for the Christmas break.