Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Family can be a tricky thing.
No two families are ever the same and often one person can have several separate families, sometimes you don't even have to be related to a person to call the person family.
Take Evangelina Black, for example, she had her parents, her dead mother and incarcerated father. She had her uncle who has been raising her since she was three, Lina looked at him like he was her dad sometimes but had no blood relation to her.
Then she had her dads cousin Andromeda, the only member of the Black family that doesn't scare the living daylight out of her, Andromeda was warm while the rest of their family was as cold as ice, she had a kind smile but Merlin good luck to any who crossed her or the ones she cared about, after all, she was still a Black by blood, she demanded respect just by the way she stood. Andromeda's husband Ted was a muggle-born wizard who she met at Hogwarts, at times he could be the complete opposite of her, joking around, teasing his wife at any chance he got, since he was a muggle-born he grew up in a much more relaxed environment, the couple looked at Lina as if she were there own child. The couples actual daughter Tonks was the first Hufflepuff in the Black lineage, and with her being only five years older than Lina the pair were like sisters.
Lina also had another two cousins, one being Draco Malfoy the son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, the couple wasn't Lina's favourite relatives but in two years time Draco would be attending Hogwarts he would, of course, be put in Slytherin and not have many chances to interact but they were blood so Lina would look out for him - not that he would need it mind you.
She also had her godparents son Harry Potter Lina knew he was being brought up by his muggle aunt and uncle but she didn't know how much he knew about their world so like Draco when he arrived at Hogwarts she would be there for him as family or as a friend, she didn't mind.
But friends could also turn into family, her Hufflepuff friends (her only friends in her house) already felt like family to her, she knew she could rely on them, they were there for her when no one else was especially Cedric.
Looking around the Weasley kitchen table the day after Christmas Day at breakfast Lina felt at ease, her eyes scanned the table everyone was either chatting away happily or laughing - including Percy - they were a family, a family that had accepted her without really knowing her.
"Your necklace is pretty," Ginny said to Lina, in her short time she had found her normal seat at the table, right in between Ginny and Charlie.
Lina smiled and subconsciously grabbed the necklace "thank you, it was my mother's."
"Was she pretty?"
Lina thought back to the mirror - Merlin that felt like a lifetime ago - her mother's face that used to be so vivid in her mind was now beginning to fade but that didn't mean she forgot the beauty she possessed "very." Ginny happy with the answer turned back to eating.
"Do you remember anything about your parents?" Charlie asked keeping his voice low so his siblings wouldn't eavesdrop.
She shook her head "not really, sometimes I think I hear their voices, saying goodnight or snippets of bedtime stories but nothing ever really more than that" she didn't want to tell him she often dreamt of laughter and a black dog and stag, he would surely think her crazy.
"I'm lucky I still have both my parents, all my siblings, I don't know what I'd do or what would happen if any one of us died" he looked horrified for even thinking of the notion.
"That would never happen."
"Oh yeah why not?" Charlie quirked up and eyebrow.
"Because I wouldn't let it."
Charlie laughed and ruffled Lina's hair, she immediately tried to flatten it down it was already crazy enough since she hadn't brushed it yet "Well then as long as my family always has you around I'll never have to worry."
***
Seven gingers and one brunette sat inside by the fire, the younger kids were drinking tea while Bill and Charlie were drinking butterbeer, they were talking about nothing in particular, just murmurs in different conversations, Charlie, Fred and George were trying to convince Lina to try out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team next year, something she was started to seriously consider.
At around two o'clock when dinner was nearly ready there was a knock on the burrow door, Lina saw Mr Weasley head to the door, a second later mumbled of words reached the living room, Lina looked around confused but all the Weasley kids looked as though they knew who it was.
"Just in time for dinner, Mollys really has outdone herself this year" Mr Weasley's voice trailed off past where the kids were to the kitchen, a couple of minutes later Mrs Weasley called for everybody.
As they all walked in Lina stopped dead in her tracks when she saw three new people at the table "Aunt Andie? Uncle Ted? Dora?"
The three turned around stopping the conversation they were having with Mr Weasley about ministry work. Dora launched herself at Lina tackling her into a hug, her hair turning bright yellow "surprise!"
Lina with difficulty wriggled out of her cousin's grip "how did you know I'd be here?"
"Well Charlie told me, and mum and dad are old school friends with Mr and Mrs Weasley we come ever year so when Mrs Wesley knew you were staying she wrote to mum."
Lina was at a lost for words, so this is what Dora meant by a Christmas surprise, "I didn't know that."
"Well, that would have ruined the surprise," Ted said pulling Lina into a hug, a much gentler one than his daughter "hello bumblebee."
"Hi, uncle ted."
"Is anyone else really confused?" Ron asked.
Percy shook his head and tutted "of course not Ron, it's clear that Lina is related to Mr and Mrs Tonks."
"Well yeah I ain't stupid but how?"
Andromeda answered this after giving her niece a quick hug "my cousin is her father" Andromeda had the Black presence where once she said something no one dared questioned it further, Lina hoped one day she would have that skill.
"Bloody hell, how many people are you related too?"
Lina shrugged "I'm not quite sure but I know it's a lot, I just don't speak to them all."
Boxing Day dinner was filled with even more laughter and chatter than any of the days before, Lina laughed at a horrible joke her uncle made and looked around the table, to her this was what being a family was all about, being together and having fun, the people at the table were only a fraction of the family she was blessed to have.
