Emma had no idea that she was going to be so utterly exhausted after the ceremony was completed. Professor Dumbledore decided to treat everyone to a lavish dinner at a nearby wizard-run establishment much to Emma and Remus's embarrassment. They had wanted to go home to process, but at everyone's insistence, they agreed.

Much like the Leaky Cauldron, the restaurant was hidden by a façade that they would think to look at. They walked by as if the building wasn't there at all and didn't bat an eye as the group disappeared into what seemed to be an abandoned building.

The dinner was an absolute blur to Emma. She felt like she was at the welcome feast all over again, and she felt as though she was about to burst. Emma was glad to see that Persephone's family apparently knew how to smile. They spoke jovially with Dumbledore and Lyall, laughing and joyful. It seemed as though the magic from the ceremony left everyone present in high spirits.

Emma felt her eyes beginning to close as she listened to the chatter surrounded them. Persephone was in a very spirited conversation with Professor McGonagall, who sat at their end of the table. Remus was listening politely to whatever Professor Dumbledore was explaining at the other side of the table. Caspian, who was sitting between his parents, was busying himself with listening to all of the conversations happening around him, a smile on his face. Emma gently slapped her face to wake herself up. When she opened her eyes, she found that Dumbledore was watching her, his blue eyes twinkling more than usual.

He waved his wand, and the glasses at the table were filled with a fizzy drink. He lifted his glass, and he inclined his head in invitation for the others to raise their glasses as well.

"Before we end the night, I would like to make a toast," Dumbledore began, turning his attention to Emma and Remus. "The bond of family is truly magic unlike any other, and to witness such a bond being made through old magic was a sight to behold. To Remus, I would like to wish you nothing but love and guidance on your new journey into fatherhood. To Emma, I would like to wish you nothing but the love of family that you deserve. I'm confident that with Remus's support, you will become a powerful and capable witch."

Dumbledore lifted his glass a fraction higher before continuing, "To the both of you, I wish you both many years of love and happiness as you navigate your journey together. To Emma and Remus."

Remus switched the hand his glass was in and put an arm around Emma's shoulders, looking like an incredibly proud father. He touched glasses with everyone at the table, leaving Emma's for last. They smiled at each other for a moment before drinking from their glasses.

Emma, who didn't even try the wine at Christmas and had never had alcohol before, pulled a face after a tentative sip. She very casually put her glass back down on the table. Remus snorted into his drink at Emma's reaction to the champagne and placed his glass back down quickly to keep from spilling it. He pulled Emma into his side, unable to keep the smile off his face as she snuggled into him.

"Are you tired?" Remus asked as Emma yawned and rubbed her eyes.

With a low and sleepy hum, Emma nodded, closing her eyes and resting her head on Remus's shoulder. She felt her hair fall into her face, but let it sit there. Her arms and body were far too heavy for her to move.

"I apologize," Remus said to everyone with a chuckle. He brushed Emma's hair out of her face. "I believe someone is ready for bed."

"It's a wonder that she hasn't crashed sooner," Sage said with a rare smile on her face. "Take the girls home and get your daughter into bed. I'm sure that my daughter will want to keep you up half the night talking about today."

"Are you ready, Persephone?" Remus asked, giving Emma a small nudge to wake up long enough so that they could leave.

"I'm ready!" Persephone said, leaping up from her chair. She ran over to her parents, giving them quick hugs and even pat Caspian on the top of his head.

"Come on, Little One," Remus said, giving Emma another small nudge and receiving a groan in response. "The quicker you get up and say goodnight to everyone, the sooner you can go to bed."

Grumbling quietly, Emma opened her eyes and pulled herself up from her seat with a yawn. She made her way slowly to Lyall, who stood up from his chair, his arms open wide. Emma stepped into his arms and hugged him, giggling as he squeezed her tightly. "Welcome home, cariad," Lyall said, kissing the top of her head. It was the first time Emma finally felt truly at home. She had her family, and she finally belonged to someone. It was perfect.

Emma slowly made her rounds thanking everyone for coming. She was surprised to receive hugs from Persephone's family, and even more surprising, Professor McGonagall. With goodbyes over with, Emma tucked herself back into Remus's side, keeping an arm locked around him.

"Before we leave, I just want to thank everyone for coming out today and joining us for such a special occasion," Remus said, smiling at everyone at the table. "It's been…a very long journey to get to today, and thank Merlin, we have a reason to all be together like this. Professor Dumbledore, thank you for facilitating everything, and of course, for dinner. Ellis, Sage, Caspian, Professor McGonagall – thank you for joining us. Your company was very welcome." Remus turned towards his father. "And Dad – thank you for helping with everything. I know that things haven't been easy for either of us, but…I'm glad that you've been here for all of it."

Lyall walked around the table to clap Remus on the shoulder. He looked ready to say something poignant, but instead, to everyone's amusement, he simply said, "Go home."

With both girls in tow, Remus led the way out of the restaurant and to the Leaky Cauldron so that they could use the Floo to get back home. It was a beautiful day.

However, things weren't meant to remain as perfect as they were. Remus swapped bedrooms with the girls so that they had a bigger bed to sleep in. He was alarmed to see Persephone walking out of his room and into the kitchen with a worried expression. Remus slowly put his cup of tea down and closed the book he was reading.

"Hey, Remus? Emma's not doing too well right now," Persephone said, shuffling nervously. She was scared to see that Emma had woken up covered in sweat but shivering as if she was cold.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, trying to keep his voice still. He didn't want to make Persephone any more anxious than she already was. It was clear that she was distressed, but he wasn't sure if it was nightmare related or something else.

"I-I think you should go see. She asked for you," Persephone said, her brows knitting close together.

Remus plastered a kind smile on his face and stood up, following Persephone to his room. He paled considerably when he saw Emma curled in on herself, shiny with a cold sweat and paler than he had ever seen her. He felt his stomach knot as he stared at her, worried that something had gone wrong, and he had passed his lycanthropy to her. Everything had been done deliberately to avoid spreading it, but what if the dagger hadn't been cleaned off thoroughly? It was only cleaned with a cloth. Why hadn't he double-checked?

The way Emma looked was how his father had once described how he looked when he was infected. Fear was coursing through Remus's system. He made a terrible, terrible decision. They didn't do enough research, something went wrong, all of the "What If?" situations they discussed must have happened. Remus tried to reframe his thinking for a moment, only able to settle on the bond not taking. None of the possibilities seemed like good possibilities, but Remus couldn't panic.

"I think I'll head home to leave you with her," Persephone said quietly. "I don't want to be in the way. I just hope she's all right."

"I'm sorry," Remus said quietly. He had hoped that the holiday could be fun for both of the girls, but as usual, life had other plans. "If she starts to feel better, you're more than welcome to come back. I know that you were both excited to spend the entire holiday together."

"It's all right," Persephone said with a sincere smile. "Thank you. Please send me an owl to let me know how she's doing." She gave Emma a nervous look as she began to retrieve her things. Persephone gave Remus another smile as she made her way to the living room.

Remus listened to the sound of the Floo being used and let out a heavy sigh. He shakily walked over to where Emma was curled up and sat next to her, brushing her hair out of her face. He pressed the back of his hand against her forehead with a frown. She felt like she was on fire.

Emma stirred at Remus's touch, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes. A small whimper left her lips, and she curled in on herself a little more, closing her eyes tightly. With a shiver, she pulled the blanket she had thrown off back over her body.

"What hurts, sweetheart?" Remus asked, not sure of where to even start to try and make things better.

"Everything," Emma whispered hoarsely, reaching for Remus's hand to hold onto it tightly.

"Does anything burn? Or does it just ache?" Remus asked, phrasing his question carefully. He tried to brace himself for the answer that might come from Emma's mouth.

"It doesn't burn," she answered quietly. "It just hurts."

That was a relief for Remus to hear, and he let out the breath he had been holding. He brushed the back of his fingers on his free hand against her cheek. She's not a werewolf, he thought to himself, grateful for one small victory. With one hurdle crossed, he was still left at a loss. What could the issue be?

"Do you think that you could handle a bath?" Remus asked, knowing that she would feel a little better if she felt clean.

Emma opened her eyes and looked up at Remus appreciatively. She managed a weak nod and reluctantly let go of his hand and buried herself back in the blanket.

"I'll go draw a bath for you, Little One," he said, leaning down to kiss her warm forehead. He figured that he could make some quick Floo calls while she was in the bath. Hopefully, he could get some answers.

The moment Emma retreated behind the door of the bathroom to get in the bath, Remus ran to the fireplace to make his calls. He managed to get ahold of his father, who was at work at the Ministry. Lyall, though having a hectic day, took an extended break to stop at St. Mungo's so that Remus could stay with Emma. Lyall was just as concerned that Emma was doing so poorly.

It felt like an eternity for Lyall to step through the fireplace. He wasn't at all surprised that Remus was sitting impatiently on the couch, deep in thought as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

"Where is she?" Lyall asked quietly, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping.

"Having a bath right now," Remus sighed. "It was the only thing I could think to do. I don't know when she'll be out – although I should probably knock and see how she's doing."

Remus did a quick check on Emma and made his way back to the living room, sitting down heavily on the couch, his head in his hands. "What did they say?"

Lyall sat down next to Remus. "I have to be quick because it's been terrible today, but the good news is that she's fine," Lyall said, clasping Remus's shoulder. "The bad news is that there isn't much you can do about how she's feeling."

"That makes no sense," Remus huffed. "She's fine, but I can't do anything?"

"They said it's common in blood magic, especially for the type of magic that was used, despite how it was done. It's tricky magic, and since on a base level, it's changing her chemistry and magic, there's bound to be reactions." Lyall squeezed Remus's shoulder at his panicked look. "Your blood wasn't introduced to hers, so it's fine. There is no need to be concerned about that."

"But what if something went wrong? She looks as though she was infected."

"It's because of the changes. The bond took hold, but they believe that if her reaction is so severe, her magic is what's fighting. It's mostly common with younger children, but she's young enough that it could still be an issue."

Remus groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "If I knew that she was going to feel like this…"

"It's for a week, at most," Lyall said. "I was told that you just need to treat it like the Muggle flu for now."

"So why can't she have something to help?"

Lyall sighed and gave Remus a knowing smile. He knew that Remus was going to be a fine father with how concerned he was. "They don't want to introduce potions into her system because they don't know how her magic is changing. They don't want to create a negative reaction and make things worse."

Remus didn't look at all thrilled by that answer and shook his head. "I knew it was going to be difficult, but not like this. I just can't help but feel as though something went wrong."

"Remus do not go there," Lyall said sharply. "We did not spend months researching and going through the entire process for you to start doubting things now. She will be fine."

"And if she isn't?"

"Remus John Lupin do not even begin to entertain the thought. Emma needs you now, and you have a job to do. If her fever doesn't break in a few days, then bring her to St. Mungo's, but for now, all you can do is wait." Lyall stood up and made his way over to the fireplace. "You made a binding life contract with that little girl, and you best make good on it. Let me know if you need me, but right now you need to figure this out by yourself."

Lyall stepped into the fireplace and disappeared with a flash of emerald green, leaving Remus no more confident than before.

Emma and Remus were growing desperate as the day turned into night, and she wasn't feeling any better. Emma was miserable, and she was exhausted from being exhausted. Remus was frustrated because all he could do was let things happen. He had been able to get Emma up and at least moving around, but she never made it far. When she sunk down onto the couch, he decided that perhaps that would be where she needed to stay. Couches to a sick child were like a special sort of medicine, and he hoped it would help.

Remus made sure to keep Emma surrounded by the fluffiest pillows they had in the house and wrapped her in his large, cozy blanket. He kept the fireplace lit to keep her cold chills at bay and surrounded her with as many books as she liked. Even though she never touched them, she would stare at them longingly. Remus, unable to deny her anything, read to her until she would fall asleep for an hour or two.

By night, Emma decided that mindless television was precisely what she needed, and Remus took twenty minutes to himself just to breathe. As long as she was distracted enough to not think, she was all right. He had to admit that so was he.

Remus sunk down in one of the kitchen chairs, watching the flickering colors of the television lighting up the darkened front of the house. He finally had a moment to eat and relax before going back to taking care of Emma. Remus, in his worry, spent the entire day doting on her and making sure she was comfortable. Trying to get her to eat and drink anything at all had been a struggle, but he managed to do it. He never imagined that after twenty-four hours, everything would have gone the direction it did.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Remus looked at the pile of dishes in the sink he needed to wash. He gave his wand a weary wave so that the dishes began to clean themselves. He preferred to wash them by hand, but he didn't have the energy or the time. Remus knew that he would have to rewash some of the dishes the next day – he never bothered to completely master household charms – but at least it was a start.

He stood slowly from the table, trying to mentally prepare himself for returning to the living room to continue caring for Emma. Remus didn't mind, it was what he signed up for, after all, but he wished that the first half of her holiday wasn't so bittersweet. Scanning the counter to see what else he needed to clean, Remus's eyes were drawn to the small pile of chocolate bars sitting near the tea kettle.

Remus picked up one of the bars of chocolate thoughtfully. He knew that Emma loved chocolate, and the Healer from Emma's first ever check-up mentioned chocolate could be helpful. Thinking even further, he remembered that his mother, his sister, and even Lily frequently went to chocolate as a pick-me-up. He stared at the chocolate in his hand for a moment before deciding on his course of action. It wasn't much, but maybe it could help.

He padded back out into the living room and sat down next to Emma. Her eyes were practically glazed over as she stared at the television, barely even registering he was there. Remus carefully opened the wrapper and broke off a piece of chocolate, smiling softly as the noise drew Emma's curiosity.

"Eat it. It'll help."

Emma peered up at him, a crease appearing between her brows. She pulled one of her hands out from underneath her blanket cocoon to take it from his fingers. Emma stared at it for a moment before putting it slowly in her mouth. A slow and sleepy smile crossed her face with a happy little hum. It turned out that Chocolate was just the medicine that she needed.

In the early evening of the third day, Emma's fever finally broke, and Remus couldn't have been more relieved. He wasn't sure that his heart would handle another day of Emma being so sick. Though she told him that he didn't have to, Remus slept in his armchair that night, still worried that she might need him. He wanted to stay close to her just in case.

The days and nights had been much longer than Remus ever expected. He sat vigil, watching as she slept fitfully and trying to calm her as best as he could. She was fidgety and anxious, and their short walks around the house weren't helping much as she was weak. When Emma didn't feel too terribly warm, she would snuggle up to him on the couch and complain about how hot he was instead. Those were the moments she would relax enough to finally fall asleep. He would run his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp to ease her headaches, and refused to stop until she would wake up again.

Knowing he had to keep watch on Emma, on the second day, Remus Apparated into town to stop at the payphone to call out at his current gig. He half-listened to his ex-boss screaming at him on the other side of the phone, barely reacting when he was told that he was fired. Remus hung up the phone just as his previous employer told him to not bother setting foot back into the building.

Oh well, he thought to himself as he Apparated back to the house, hoping that Emma was still asleep. It would have been time to leave anyway. He paused for a moment outside of his front door, his blood running cold as he ran through his mental calendar. The full moon was only a few days away, and he had no back-up plans for taking care of Emma. As much as he wanted to worry that day, he had to wait until it got closer. He didn't want Emma knowing why he was leaving, but he needed to make sure she was well enough before making plans.

He had become incredibly worried the moment Emma started complaining about her skin itching the previous day. It was so close to the moon that he was nearly positive that something had gone wrong. It took him several hours to try and calm himself down to try and reason with himself. Remus realized that Emma's skin was probably sensitive from her fever. He managed to convince her to take a shower and borrow his oversized pajamas to change into when she was done. It gave him a time to try and come up with a contingency plan for the full moon and make some calls.

Best case scenario, someone could come watch Emma for the night. Better scenario, Emma could have Persephone come back. Worst case scenario, he would have to leave her home alone. He didn't want to entertain the worst-case scenario, but he had no choice. Emma would be thirteen in a few months, and she had spent the long days in the cottage by herself. One night wouldn't be the end of the world.

The shower and the soft fabric of his pajamas were exactly what she needed. Emma made a small comment about him looking as terrible as she felt with a slight frown. She was worried that he was catching something as well. Remus assured her that it was because he was worried about her. He was relieved when Emma quickly dropped the conversation in exchange for chocolate and sleep.

By the fourth day, Emma was finally starting to feel more like herself, though a little different. She still had dark circles around her eyes, but color had finally begun to make its way back into her skin. To their amusement, every time she sneezed, it caused sparks to erupt from her nose. It took Remus a solid hour of trying to convince Emma that it was fine, and it meant that her magic was leveling out. It probably would have been much faster, but he couldn't stop laughing. She was like a tiny dragon, and her temper with him made the visual that much funnier.

His laughter left Emma thoroughly unconvinced and pouting for most of the day until he told her to send an owl to Persephone to say she could come back.

"I have to go on an overnight trip for work tomorrow," Remus lied as they had a simple lunch. Emma's appetite hadn't come back yet, and he wanted to ease her back into regular meals. "I don't want you traveling anywhere just yet while you're still recovering, but I would like someone here with you. Invite Persephone back for a few nights."

Remus didn't have to tell Emma twice as she scrambled to her room to write a quick letter to Persephone and send it off. Emma was beyond thrilled when Aurora returned later that night with a note saying that she could come back around eight in the evening the next day. That was perfect since it meant Emma wouldn't be left alone for long.

The morning Remus had to leave Emma looked much more like herself. Still tired, still pale, but her cheeks had more of a rosy glow.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked as she sat down across from him at the kitchen table.

"Much better," she said with a smile. Her smile faded quickly into a frown as she took a good look at how Remus looked. He knew that he looked as terrible as she had looked a few days prior, but at least he had a built-in excuse. Remus saw the way Emma looked at the thick stubble on his cheeks in curiosity. It wasn't a look he wore often, but he didn't have a chance to shave, and there was no point in doing it now.

"But now you look terrible," Emma said quietly, sounding almost guilty. "Are you all right?"

"It's nothing, Little One," Remus said, placing his book down on the table and standing up to make her a cup of tea. "I've just been worried about you, that's all."

"Right," Emma said quietly, accepting her cup of tea from Remus.

"Persephone said she was coming tonight, correct?" Remus asked, sitting back down and taking a sip from his own cup of tea.

"Yeah," Emma said, pulling her legs up onto the chair and crossing them. She looked at Remus over her cup, studying him. "She said she would be here around eight tonight."

"I wish she could be here a little earlier, but it's all right," Remus said with a slight frown. "I have to leave here around five. We'll have dinner together, and then I have to be off."

It was Emma's turn to frown, but she was used to him leaving. "It's only for the one night, right? You'll be home tomorrow?"

"I'll be home by tomorrow afternoon," Remus said with a smile. "Like I said, it's a quick trip. I'm sure with Persephone here, you won't even realize that I'm gone."