⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟
"Not your barbie girl"

Selena and Damien were hyper with excitement. Harry stood beside them, looking dull. The twins exchanged looks before bending down to his level, smiling at him softly.

"Just two years, alright? Then you can come with us. We'll send you owls every week." Selena ruffled his hair fondly.

Harry looked up at her, sniffling pitifully. "Promise?"

"On my honour," the twins chorused.

Emily looked at her godson thoughtfully. She sighed, knowing that he was definitely going to sulk in the twins' absence. It wasn't exactly surprising, seeing as how Harry had always followed the twins around like a puppy.

She reached into her bag and pulled out two packages. She gave one to Damien and the other to Harry.

"This is something your fathers used to talk to each other during the summer. Take good care of it, don't break it." She looked at them sternly.

   "You got it mum," the twins saluted in unison, grinning from ear to ear.

   The train whistled, warning that not much time was left before it departed. Emily hurriedly shoved her children into the train, assuring them that yes, she loved them and she would write back. It brought back memories, standing on that platform, but she never imagined she would be alone in waving off her children.

"Em?" Harry pulled at her skirt.

"Yes, dear?" She knelt down to his height at his insistence.

   "You know I love you very much, right?" Harry smiled at her, full of childish innocence.

   Emily let out a startled laugh, caught by surprise. She pulled him into a tight embrace to hide her tears.

   You know I love you very much, don't you, Em? You're the closest I've ever had to a sister.

   Despite Harry being nine years old, Emily hoisted him onto her waist. She wished desperately that Remus were here, or even Severus. The train had left quite a while ago, but Emily didn't want to return home just yet. Petunia and Dudley hadn't come since Petunia wasn't quite ready to brave to pass the magical barrier.

   "I love you very much too, kiddo." She booped his nose with hers with a fond smile. Harry seemed pleased with himself, grinning up at her happily.

   "I know. But Damien told me I had to keep reminding you that we love you too. Or you'll get sad and I don't want to see you being sad. Damien said you miss Uncle Sirius. I miss Mum and Dad, even though I can't remember them... Selena and Damien miss Uncle Sirius too... but we still have each other, right? And Uncle Remus, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Reggie and Uncle Sev."

   How could this small boy look so much like James and yet sound exactly like Lily?

"Yeah," she choked out between muffled sobs. "We've still got each other." She pressed a kiss to his forehead, heart heavy.

   Damien and Selena on the other hand, we're having the time of their lives. They stomped from compartment to compartment, yelling out for their friends: "Fred? George! Where are ya, ya gits?!"

The compartment on their right slammed open, two grinning identical redheads grinning at them before pulling the Black twins in and shutting the door. Selena ran her hand through her tangled hair, while Damien clapped George's back, all four of them wearing identical grins.

   Selena took much after her mother regarding her features, taking on the same slope of the nose, high cheekbones and angelic face, except for her father's stormy grey eyes. Damien, on the other hand, was a spitting image of Sirius, but had his mother's blue eyes.

   Both were quite similar with the small difference that Selena was much louder and boisterous than Damien. But both of them had a penchant for trouble and could never stay still. Growing up with the Weasley twins only made them worse, although Emily never seemed to mind, which often led to the Weasley twins coming over to the Black's instead.

   Harry was curious and had quite the sarcastic tongue, but he also had a strong sense of responsibility in not causing his godmother any trouble, so he mostly cheered them on from the sidelines.

   "I bloody missed you ginger gits," Selena threw her hands around the boys.

   "Yeah, yeah, let's skip the pleasantries. You reckon we'll all get into the same house?" Fred shoved her off with a laugh.

   The Blacks shrugged. "We don't really care what house we get into. Nothing's gonna change even if we end up in different houses, right?" There was a challenge to Damien's tone.

   "Course not!" George exclaimed. "Hell, I'd be thrilled if one of us managed to get into Slytherin. It'll make pranking them easier."

   "Imagine if we all got into different houses, into all four houses." Selena smirked.

   "Doubt Georgie and I'll get into any house other than Gryffindor, Lena. Our family's stuck to that house for generations." Fred sighed.

The train ride went faster than they had thought, and the trip across the lake and the ushering into the Great Hall went in a blur for Selena. Though she put on a brave face, she held her brother's hand in anxiety. She couldn't stay still as all the children with last names beginning with A were called out and had nearly chewed down her nails completely when it came:

"Black, Damien." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze before stepping up and wearing the hat. It was a long minute before it yelled out:

SLYTHERIN

Her heart nearly stopped, and whispers began rising around her. She knew what they were saying. What they had probably realised. Then the Weasleys whooped and clapped him on his back before he went to the table clad in green.

"It'll be fine, Lena. Who cares if he's in Slytherin, he's still our Damien," Fred whispered to her, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

"Black, Selena."

"There's two of them?"

"Isn't their father in Azkaban?"

"I hear their mother's one of the best Aurors out there, though."

Ah, another Black? Interesting.

Shut up and get on with it, Selena griped, eyes still flitting to her brother, who looked hopeful.

Oh, you wish to join your brother? Even if it means you might be shunned?

I don't care, we still have Fred and George. She snapped.

Interesting. Such loyalty and love. You're brave enough to stand by your brother, yes, and I see much ambition in you. You and your brother, I think, can achieve what many has failed for so long.

Quit it with the riddles, you mothball ridden bat! Just tell me where to go.

Oh oh oh, such a sharp tongue. Good luck, Star of Night, for you are to be in

GRYFFINDOR

Her eyes met Damien's, but instead of the disappointment she expected, he gave her a nod of encouragement. She took a deep breath, forced a smile and winked, skipping right over to the table of the lion.

It's gonna be alright, Lenny. We'll still have each other. Who cares what they think. Besides, isn't uncle Reggie a Slytherin too? Not all of us are destined for evil.

Of course you're not, Selena snorted. And we still have classes together. Maybe it will do us some good to spend time apart.

That's pretty mature of you. Was there something in the pudding?

We haven't started eating yet, dummy. Selena shot an amused smile towards her brother, both of them finding each despite being on opposite sides of the wall. Soon enough, Fred and George joined her and they began to dig in.

"Hey, Selena right? I'm Angelina Johnson." A dark skinned girl introduced her, caramel eyes twinkling in a friendly manner.

"Nice to meet you," she replied politely, unsure of what to make of the girl. All her life she'd grown up around boys, with the exception of Ginny Weasley, but that counted for little.

"Relax, girl. I'm not gonna eat you up." Angelina laughed at Selena's alarmed expression.

Just then, Bill showed up, completely ignoring the twins and roping Selena into a chokehold, rapping his knuckles over her head.

"Bill, get off!!" She whined, trying to break free.

"Not a chance. You're stuck with me the entire year. Oh, and Charlie, your mum's got our word that we'll keep an eye on you and Damien." Charlie grinned, taking a seat beside her.

"How are you gonna keep an eye on Damien? He's in a different house." She raised an eyebrow at him, complete disregard for his Head Boy title.

"Regardless of which house he's in, I can still give him detention." He smiled sweetly.

"Oh, come on Bill, don't be such a spoilsport." Fred and George whined in unison.

"That goes for you two as well, mum told us to keep all four of you out of trouble." Bill gave them a sharp look before going back to his friends.

"I didn't realise you were so close with the Weasleys." Angelina said casually.

Selena raised a challenging look. "Yeah, so?"

"Easy, tiger. I was just trying to make conversation, jeez. You like Quidditch?"

That was a mistake on Angelina's part. Once Selena started talking about Quidditch, she never shut up. Fred and George observed in amusement as Angelina looked mildly alarmed but listened all the same, eventually smiling at the girl's enthusiasm.

   When they were walking up to their dorms, Fred and George threw an arm around her shoulders from each side. She looked at suspiciously as they grinned innocently at her.

   "Our wittle Lena is making friends, she's growing up." Fred wiped away an imaginary tear.

   "We're the same age, Fred." Her deadpan voice made it clear that she wasn't in the mood. Probably because she was still a bit miffed that Damien had ended up in Slytherin. But she was yet to realise that teasing from the twins was the least of her worries and that Damien was already finding out.

   Damien kept to himself, biting the inside of his cheek nervously, a habit Emily had tried so hard to get rid off with little to no avail. Until a decent looking boy with startling blue eyes came forward and offered his hand.

   "Adrian Pucey."

   Damien took the hand warily. "Damien Black."

   Adrian grinned. "I know. Emily Black is pretty famous, you know. At least I know for sure you're not as stuffy as the others."

   Damien smiled despite himself. He quite liked the dungeon setting of the Slytherin common room, and the ambience it offered. And he seemed to be making a friend.

   "Your sister got sorted into Gryffindor, right? Talk about polar opposites, man. Reckon she'll still talk to ya?"

   "Of course she will," Damien snapped. "We never cared about which house we get into. It's silly to just label one house as the best and the other as evil."

   "I guess that's true. Sirius Black was in Gryffindor and look where he is now." Damien and Adrian whipped around to glare at the second year who made that remark.

   "My father is not a murderer!" Damien snarled, gripping his wand.

   "You would say that." The older boy grinned, goading him. "Who's to say you won't follow your father's footsteps? I'd be careful, Pucey, they say Peter Pettigrew was one of Black's closest friends. You might end up being the first on his list as well."

   Nobody saw it coming, but they all saw it happening. Damien threw himself at the stupid, sandy haired, loud mouthed git and knocked him out with one punch to the jaw.

   Adrian whistled appreciatively. "That's a mean right hook right there."

   Damien looked back, grinning despite himself. "Not as good as when I use my left."

   To his relief, he was to share a dorm with Adrian and two other boys who left them to their own devices. But it didn't take away the fact that most people either looked at him in fear and disgust or in awe and approval. The former was because he was Sirius's son, and the latter was because he was Regulus's nephew.

   Many of the Pureblood Society still believed that Regulus was loyal to The Dark Lord and pretended to denounce him like many others. But Damien knew how much his uncle hated Voldemort, for breaking apart so many families including his own.

   "Don't mind them. It's because of their parents most of them are the way they are." Adrian told him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch away.

Adrian faltered, a bit confused. Damien explained apologetically, "Sorry, I'm not comfortable with physical contact, and we've only just met-"

"Oh, ok. It's fine, Damien. I'll keep it in mind." Adrian smiled reassuringly.

Selena, on the other hand, was tackling another first year to the floor and beating the utter crap out of him. Fred and George, not knowing why she was lashing out, tried to pry her off of the poor shmuck.

The rest of the first years and a few of the seniors watched in muted awe and horror at the brute strength of such a tiny kid.

"Say it again, I bloody dare you!" Selena snarled, baring her teeth like a wild animal.

With some difficulty, Fred and George managed to drag her off and restrain her from throwing herself at him again.

"Am I wrong, though? Just because your mum's an Auror doesn't change the fact that your dad's a murderer and your uncle was a death eater! The apples don't fall far from the tree, mark my words, you and your brother are probably the same!"

This time, it was the twins who leapt at the boy, only to be held back by Bill and Charlie. There was a steely, wicked gleam in Selena's eyes as she stepped forward.

"You know, if you really think that my brother and I are going to be killers, one would think you'd have the common sense to shut up. Wouldn't want to be the first of our victims now, would you?" The cold tone of her voice, the calmness that masked the storm in her grey eyes, sent chills down the other children's spines.

"Selena!" Percy snapped. "That's enough."

"Oh, you would tell me to stop, Percy." Selena rolled her eyes. "But you don't get to tell me what to do. I don't care what happens, what any of you say, but anyone who trash talks my family," she turned to the boy, eyes aflame, "better watch their backs. After all, insanity does run in my family. Maybe you should remember that I'm related to Bellatrix Lestrange as well." She stormed off to the girl's dormitory.

   She quickly changed into her night clothes and buried herself under her sheets, hugging her pillow close. She missed her mother, missed Harry, and missed her brother. Why did no one understand? Why are they all so ready to hate?

   "Hey, Selena? You okay?" A familiar voice asked. Selena reluctantly pushed back her covers and forced a smile.

   "Yeah, Angelina. I'm all good."

The covers were ripped from her person, causing her to sit up, snarling. "Just leave me alone, Johnson, what do you care?!"

"I was under the impression we were going to be friends. I don't know if you've heard but friends look out for each other." Angelina was calm, but stern.

"I've got friends. They look out for me." She sounded childish to her own ears.

"The Weasleys? Sure, but they can't come up here behind you, can they?" Selena made to argue but was quelled by Angelina's glare. "Look, I won't act like I know you best or that I understand exactly what you're going through. I know you're not having an easy time with all the judgement going around and your brother ending up in a different house, Slytherin, that too. I imagine you've never been apart from him for most of your lives."

Selena nodded mutely, the fight leaving her. Angelina sat beside her, holding her hand. "For what It's worth," the girl offered a small smile, "I don't think your dad's a killer. Or that either of you are evil."

   Selena met her gaze, thoughtful and searching. Then a small grin pulled at her lips. "You know, you're not half bad yourself, Johnson." She stuck out a hand.

   "Is that supposed to be a compliment, Black?" Angelina mirrored her grin, taking her hand.

   "As close to one as you're gonna get."

   Selena plopped down opposite to Damien at the Slytherin table, flanked by the Weasley twins. They glared at him fiercely, making Adrian grow tense beside Damien. Damien, however, was completely unbothered and continued to eat his pudding.

   "Can't believe it, betrayed by my own brother. How could you?! I ought to bury you alive." The twins nodded along, glaring harder.

   How could you take the mirror that mum gave us?! You should've called me before talking to Harry, but you just had to hog him to yourself, didn't you?!" Damien looked at her calmly, an amused sparkle in his eyes.

   "If you had joined me, you would've kept Harry up past midnight and I doubt mum'll be pleased about that. You can take the mirror tonight, Harry was practically crying for you."

   "Of course he did, I'm his favourite sister."

   "You're his only sister." Damien pointed out, but Selena ignored him, and snatched his barely eaten pudding.

   Damien simply took another serving of pudding without complaint. Adrien glanced between the Gryffindors and the teacher's table. McGonagall made to stand up and come to them but Dumbledore glanced at her, signalling to leave them be. It was beginning to raise whispers around them, but the Weasleys and the Blacks didn't seem to care, enjoying their breakfast peacefully.

"We've got potions together, you think we should give Uncle Sev an easy first day or see how far we can push him before he has to take points off of his own house?" Selena grinned.

"Hold on, Uncle Sev? You're not talking about Professor Snape, are you?" Adrian stared at her, wide eyed.

"Mmhmm. He's a family friend, but I don't think he'll play favourites, he strictly told us that he won't show us any partiality and that he'll throw us in detention without a second thought." Damien smiled, turning to his sister. "Should we see if he keeps his word?"

"Whatever you two are planning, we want in." George butted in, reminding them of his and Fred's presence.

"But of course." The smirk on Selena's face could only be described as evil. Adrian wondered if she should have been in Slytherin as well.

Sadly, for the four of them, they were caught before they could cause any trouble. Snape caught them trying to mix up ingredients and stared at them for a steady five seconds.

"Detention. All four of you. Come to my office after your classes are over."

"But Uncle Sev-" Selena tried to use her usual charm that usually broke her mother's friend, but he remained unusually resolute.

"That's Professor Snape while you are within this institution, Miss Black." Selena flinched like he'd slapped her, looking slightly hurt.

His sternness immediately melted a little, feeling a little guilty. "You know we must be strictly professional, at least while you are in class. And I did warn you I won't show any favouritism, Lena."

Selena smiled a little, but was hesitant. "You're not actually mad, are you? That I'm causing trouble on the first day?"

Severus chuckled at that, ruffling her hair slightly. "I doubt you really care, you little brat, or you wouldn't have tried test my words on your first day. But no, I'm not mad. Honestly, I'd be more worried if you were well behaved."

"He's not gonna tell our mum, is he?" Fred whispered to Damien, but Severus heard him.

"Oh, I'm most definitely telling your mothers. I'll leave Mr. Pucey out, since he seems to have been dragged into this mess against his will. The other four of you, however, I know too well to let you off just because it's your first day. Now hurry along to class." Severus shooed them out with a smile.

The passing students stopped and stared at the professor, unnerved that he was actually smiling and wondering if it were actually the end of the world.

It was needless to say, that over the next two years both sets of twins got into enough trouble, especially after they met one Lee Jordan, that McGonagall couldn't help but smile that mischief had come to Hogwarts again, in form of five children. And as she looked at the Black Twins, she found that somehow, they reminded her of four Marauders, and none of Peter's meekness or fear.

She had seen them growing up, of course. She visited them often, especially on holidays, under Emily's insistence. Surprisingly enough, she and Petunia got along pretty well. And Dudley had warmed up to the children, more or less joining the "Little Harry Protection Squad". But nine times out of ten, it was the twins scaring off the other kids who made fun of Dudley at muggle school.

   Emily had insisted that Harry and the Twins attend Dudley's school with him until they go to Hogwarts, and Harry was typically picked on for being scrawny and his loud sarcastic mouth, while Dudley was picked on for being a slow learner and big and clumsy. That's when the Twins came in, eyes flashing and fists flying.

   When Emily and Petunia had come to school because of the incident. The headmaster thought that he could easily keep them in line, them being single mothers.

   "I'm afraid their parents are demanding compensation and suspension for the children." He chuckled inwardly at their dark looks.

   "That's not happening." Emily told him simply, crossing her arms.

   "Well, they are highly influential people and Damien did beat them black and blue-"

   "Oh, I doubt he did it on his own, half the handiwork is Selena's, am I correct?" She cut him off. "It seems to me that you think women are incapable of violence. Those boys were harassing two of our children, so of course the twins were simply defending them."

   "Be that as it may, if the children had a father figure in their life, someone to discipline them, although I suppose your husband is hardly a role model, no wonder your son-"

   "You will keep their fathers out of this," Petunia spat. "Are those children so loose tongued and ill mannered to bully children smaller than them because their fathers are so good at keeping them in line?"

   "This is the perfect example that the upbringing matters. If at least your husband had been here, knowing Mr. Dursley's excellent countenance, Selena would know how to behave like a proper lady instead of behaving like a hedon, Damien would learn not to challenge those superior to him and Harry and Dudley would actually not be bullied for their lack of fathers. One is being raised by a divorced mother and the other's father is a criminal."

   "I would would watch what you're saying, if I were you," Emily's tone was cold as ice and the freezing fury in crystalline eyes made the headmaster wonder whether he had made a mistake.

   "I'm only stating facts as they are." He shrugged.

   "Well here's a few facts for you. I'm sure your wife would be really interested to know about one Miss Valerie." His face immediately paled.

   "Wh-How?"

   "I have my methods as an influential woman." She smirked, before walking out of the office.

   So it was safe to assume that the children got the best of both parents and used to the best of their abilities to cause havoc.