The idea of going completely mental had crossed Remus's mind so many times in the past twenty-four hours. His anxiety had started when there was no returning warmth of his bracelet from Emma the day before, but he assumed she was sleeping. The lack of the Wolfsbane Potion took its toll on her, and he imagined that all she wanted to do was rest. Her frantic writing in the middle of the night had scared him, and he grew even more worried at the understanding of Fenrir's plans. He couldn't let them happen.
As soon as he set foot in the Ministry and made his way to the holding facility, he made sure to tell someone that Emma needed accommodations. He had hoped that they would bring her to the Ministry, but that would have been too lucky.
Remus couldn't complain too much about the arrangement that he had to go through. He didn't particularly enjoy being locked in a cell like a criminal again, but it could be worse. He had taken the Wolfsbane Potion all week, and he would do whatever it took as long as it meant he could eventually take Emma home.
His thoughts were stuck on Emma, worried that something would go wrong despite all of their precautions. Remus tried to read his book, lounging on his makeshift bed and listening to the other werewolves in the facility. There were at least a dozen others, nowhere near as many werewolves that existed. He listened closely as they came in. He couldn't help but feel as though he was missing something important and kept hoping someone would say something that would give him information. Unfortunately, the conversations were mundane. None of the werewolves present were from Greyback's pack; that wasn't surprising.
He was bothered that Emma kept so much from him, but he understood that she was scared. As much as Emma wanted to believe she could handle things without help, she was very much a fourteen-year-old girl, which worried Remus most. He trusted her and her instincts, they had gotten her far, but he knew not to trust Greyback. After nearly two years of living with Greyback, Remus knew how the werewolf could be. He had an agenda, but Remus couldn't figure out exactly what it was other than trying to make Emma his.
Elara was equally as unsure even though she spent more time with Greyback. She had always sat somewhere in the middle of the pack, not having the same privileges as Remus. She approached the situation with the mindset that he hadn't hurt Emma yet, but that meant nothing if his plans held true.
Remus wasn't given any information on Emma's whereabouts before his transformation took hold. He was relieved that Emma finally responded to his silent reminders he was thinking about her. Still, it was weak, and that was abnormal. Remus could only hope that she understood the message he was trying to send her – only four hours, and then the night would be over.
The fact Remus knew nothing about Emma's whereabouts left him moody. It made Moony sit closer to the surface than he wanted even with the potion, but he forced himself to try and relax. Emma had to be okay. It didn't stop him from pressing his nose to his bracelet that had fallen off with his shift. He kept his nose pressed there for a long while before he gave up and pressed his paw to the bracelet. That was the reason he had chosen a paw print charm in the first place, after all.
When everything was over, and Remus was a man again, he listened closely for the Ministry official meant to check in on everyone. His still ringing ears caught snippets of the woman's conversation that entered, and he realized that she was talking about the children's home.
"Ellis was pulled from the case," said the voice. Remus listened closer as he dressed, grateful for the information he had been looking for. "Yeah, said it was conflict of interest or whatever. They pulled me off Black's case for now, and they're moving Ellis. I'll be heading over to Saint Nicholas's to check on the girl after this is done."
Remus listened hard as their steps came closer, hoping for more information. None came, but he finally had confirmation that Emma had been moved. That was all he could have hoped for.
He looked up as the steps came closer, and a figure was in front of his cell. Remus couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the woman in front of him. She was older than he remembered, but her scent was familiar.
"Nymphadora?" he asked, clearing his throat to try and rid his voice of its hoarseness. "Nymphadora Tonks?"
"Oh, shitting hell, it's not Nymphadora. It's Tonks," the woman said, her blue hair shifting to a brilliant shade of red in annoyance. She peered into the cell, her head tilting curiously. "Do I know you?"
"You do," Remus said with a bark of laughter. "Remus Lupin. It's been…well, it's been over a decade since I've seen you. You were…I think seven the last time I saw you?"
Tonks stared at Remus, trying to figure out who he was, and her eyes grew wide. "Oh, shit," Tonks said when she realized. "I remember you now. You were with my cousin, right?"
Remus chuckled nervously, not sure of how she felt. If Tonks was on Sirius's case, he didn't think there were favorable feelings. "I was," he said quietly. "You're going to Saint Nicholas's when you're done here?"
"Yeah, why?" Tonks asked.
"That's my daughter. I have a feeling that she hasn't had a good night, and I just need to know that she's all right."
Tonks studied Remus for a moment and then nodded. Remus could tell that she was thinking of all the Prophet's published articles, trying to discern whether or not he was lying to her. She was guarded, and he didn't blame her. Remus didn't exactly have the best track record according to the Ministry and his relationship to Sirius. "How old is she?" Tonks asked.
"She's fourteen and a fighter, but I can't imagine that things have been easy for her the past month," Remus said. "I just miss her, and we haven't spent a full moon apart in months. I just need to know that she's safe."
"Why wasn't she brought here for the night? At the very least, they could have put you opposite each other for the night."
"I'm not sure," Remus sighed, making sure his eyes filled with tears. He could play the game just as well as anyone else if it meant finding out that Emma was safe. No one needed to know that he had spent most of the past two weeks with her, especially after nearly getting caught. "I think it has to do with our case. Unfortunately, the legislation hasn't been kind even though she's very much mine. They don't want to let us be together, even though we're the same."
Tonks continued to stare, and Remus could see her wall starting to come down. "I'll see how she is, and the moment I can get back here, I'll let you know," she said gently. "When do you get out of here?"
"My stay started at nine, so I'll be here for a while."
"What's her name?"
"It's Emma," Remus said, starting to feel a little better. He had gotten through to Tonks like he had hoped. "You know, your mum might even have pictures of the two of you from when you were both younger."
That pulled a thoughtful expression from Tonks. "Really?" she asked in surprise. "I'll have to ask mum, then…" she turned to glare at the guard she was with when he pointed out she was taking too long. "Bloody hell," she muttered, turning back to Remus with a look suggesting that she was tired of the guard she was with. "I'll let you know how she is as soon as I can. I can't imagine it's been easy for you, either."
"You have no idea," Remus whispered when Tonks left.
The very moment Tonks had returned to the Ministry, Remus knew that something was very wrong. The energy in the facility had shifted, and the other werewolves were stirring in curiosity. Tonks hadn't been gone long at all, and her energy was all wrong. It was too frantic, too chaotic, but it was the pervasive copper tang of blood that had set Remus off. He didn't even need her explanation to know that it was Emma's.
"She's been bitten" were the only words Remus could focus on, and it sent him into a rage. It was very unlike him to lose composure the way he did, but he was angry. The very thing he tried to keep Emma safe from had happened when it shouldn't have.
"You need to calm down," Tonks said sharply, shooting looks at whoever was with her. "The Healer – Elara, I think she said her name was - said that I cannot leave here without you, but I can't take you to the hospital like this!"
"My daughter was attacked by Greyback because he's obsessed with her!" he roared, his hands ripping through his hair as he stalked through his cell like a caged lion. "How the fuck am I supposed to be calm? Contrary to popular belief, that little girl is not a werewolf, and now she very well might be! There's no research in how much time after a transformation we're still contagious!"
"I know that she's not a werewolf!" Tonks shouted back. "The poor thing was just huddled up in the room she was in, as human as can be!"
Remus needed to be with Emma, needed to hold her close and do what he could. Remus couldn't even begin to imagine how terrified she was. He was sure Elara was doing what she could, but he knew Emma. He struggled hard to calm down; every part of him focused on needing to leave to be with his little girl. It took the words of an older female werewolf a few cells down to finally bring Remus down to an acceptable level to be released early.
"You said your name is Remus? Remus Lupin?" called a voice, pulling Remus out of his anger-filled rant.
"Yes," he called, stunned out of his thoughts.
"Great. My name's Anna. Now pull yourself the fuck together," Anna shouted back, leaving Remus taken aback. "What's your baby's name again? It's Emma?"
"Y-yes," Remus replied, suddenly feeling like he was going through the five stages of grief in 10 minutes.
"Tell me about her," Anna called out.
It wasn't what Remus wanted to do surrounded by other werewolves, but he could talk about Emma for hours. He knew that he needed to calm down, and talking about Emma was the easiest way to do it. It felt like he had talked about Emma for hours when he finally calmed down enough. He had to sit down on the floor just to keep himself going, his voice cracking. When he couldn't handle talking about Emma anymore, he stopped, needing to breathe to keep himself from crying.
Anna was silent for a long while, and Remus thought perhaps she had fallen asleep. "I've read about you in the Prophet, and my heart broke for you when I saw what they did. They took my little girl away from me, too," Anna finally said. "I think almost all of us here have had our children taken away. A few of us have talked about you two. Some of our children have come back to us when they're of age, most of them don't. I think, over time, we've learned to accept it because that's just how our world is, but you shouldn't have to. Her being half-werewolf is more than enough grounds for her to be home with you; she's not entirely human anymore. Don't let these fuckers win."
There was a sense of urgency when they finally made it to St. Mungo's. He wasn't fond of having Tonks with him when he wanted to just be with Emma, but he had to be escorted. Remus wasn't expecting to completely freeze when he set foot in the ward, his eyes scanning immediately for Emma. He wasn't expecting her to be hiding, and he stared at Elara, desperately needing an explanation.
Elara looked at Emma for a moment before standing up from the chair at her bedside to meet him. "Hi, Remus," Elara said gently, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. "She's…she's as fine as she's going to be right now."
"Is she –?"
"Not a werewolf – Greyback was human. Her infection rate is slightly elevated, but that could be because I checked after the full," Elara said. "I'll recheck things in a few days, but it hasn't changed enough that we need to worry. The problem right now is she refuses to talk to anyone."
"She won't talk? What do you mean? What did he do to her?"
"I can give you some more details when we're out of here, but she's in shock. We managed to get her to share the memories of what happened so we can view it in a Pensieve. At this point, I know just as much as you do. She'll respond to people if they ask her questions, but she's exclusively non-verbal."
Remus nodded, glancing up at Emma. "Elara, why does she look drugged?"
"Maybe because she is," Elara cringed, squeezing Remus's arm, "just a little bit."
"What do you mean she is?" Remus hissed, his eyes widening.
"I may have had to go a little heavy-handed on the potions. She's not calming down enough for me to give her regular doses of anything. She's burning through them quickly – all of them," Elara explained. "I'm more concerned with keeping her pain relief going. It's…it's more than just the bites."
Remus searched Elara's eyes, looking for answers. "What do you mean it's more than just bites?"
"I'll just say that there's going to be absolutely no doubt that she's yours…"
"How about we go head up to the Pensieve room," Tonks suggested lightly. "We need another witness present to pull together a statement for the reports."
"From what I've gathered, it's going to be better if you're the one to do it, Remus," Elara said. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I want to give Emma another small dose of calming draught to hold her over until we get back."
Remus did not like the sound of that, but he begrudgingly left with Tonks. He didn't like the looks of the people in the room who had viewed the memories before they did to start on their respective reports. His stomach twisted anxiously when one of the Aurors said to view the memories over top of the Pensieve and not go into the memories. When Elara finally arrived, and they started to view the memories, he quickly understood the recommendation. He could barely stomach through the first. Listening to Emma's screams was going to haunt him for a very long time, if not for the rest of his life.
Remus was at a complete loss when they finally made it back down to the ward, shaky and pale. He wasn't even entirely sure how they made it back; he was too nauseated to think clearly.
Tonks, disgusted by what happened, mentioned she would start the petition process to get an emergency hearing to bring Emma home. It would only be a temporary move, but she saw enough to feel that there was a good chance it could be approved despite the legislation. Remus didn't get his hopes up, but he agreed to start the process. He would do anything to get her out of the children's home, even temporarily.
He sat down next to Emma's bed, trying to steel himself. There was only so much he would be able to do for her, and he hated himself for it. Her wounds were just as mental as they were physical. Rather than figuring out what to do, he let Emma guide him through what she wanted. It was no longer about what he wanted; it was about what Emma needed.
When he realized that Emma wanted to touch his scars, he let her. It was one of the small things he could do for her, knowing that she wanted to understand. He remembered running his hands over his face when he was smaller, frustrated by the scratches on his face. Remus just hoped that she would be less self-conscious of her scars than he was.
Eventually, Remus couldn't take the separation anymore, and he got into the bed with Emma. Whatever hesitation she had over him being there vanished, and she launched herself into his arms. He fully expected Emma to break down the way she did, especially since she barely cried around him the past few weeks. She held herself together until she couldn't anymore, and that was the end of it. Emma had finally surpassed her breaking point, and he knew a good, long cry would help her; she needed it. With Emma back in his arms, Remus wasn't sure he was going to be able to ever let her go.
When Emma finally looked up at him, he had to work hard to keep his alarm off of his face. Elara wasn't kidding when she said that there would be no doubt about who she belonged to just on looks alone. It was already shocking to look at her and see himself, but it was going to be even more jarring. He just hoped that he could convince her that she was still beautiful, especially after she was just starting to appreciate how she looked.
Remus was glad that he could pull a small smile out of her as sleepy as it was. He was surprised when her eyes suddenly lit up, and she walked her fingers up his arm. It was something he did very frequently with her when she was a baby, and he was afraid to believe she actually had any recollection of it. It seemed too good to be true. With the smallest huff of a laugh, Emma pulled his face to hers just so she could rub her nose on his, and he knew - she remembered.
Remus was torn. On the one hand, one huge mystery was solved, but there was an even bigger problem on the other. Greyback following through to give Emma back a huge part of her life meant she was in even more danger. He would be even more determined to get Emma now, and Remus wasn't sure how to do that if she wasn't home.
However, he set those thoughts aside at the smile on Emma's face. She had been scared to have her memories, but clearly, whatever she remembered made her happy. It only served to remind Remus of how strong Emma was. Her recovery was going to be a process, it would mean going back to her constant ebbs and flows, but she managed to find a reason to smile.
He couldn't let himself think of Greyback when Emma needed him present. She wanted him to be happy with her, just to be distracted for a little while. Remus could find it in himself to celebrate the small victory, and he knew exactly how to do that.
A smile found its way to Remus's lips as he kissed Emma's face, careful to avoid her scratches, and she made grumpy little noises as if she didn't enjoy it. Emma relished in his attention, drinking up every bit of love he would give her after being deprived for so long, and a pleased little smile crossed her face with each kiss he placed. Remus felt much better knowing that she understood just how loved she really was. When she finally fell asleep, Remus was relieved to see it was with a smile on her face. She felt safe, and that would be enough for the time being.
The nightmare was over for the time being, or so Remus thought. They weren't strangers to working through challenging moments together. He didn't expect Elara to drop an entirely separate issue on him.
Jude suddenly leaving St. Mungo's was not a possibility Remus expected. Jude's sudden "miracle" of getting well was dangerous, and Remus regretted ever not believing Emma. The fact he was let out so quickly, able to walk out of the hospital as if nothing was amiss, was even worse.
"What do you mean they said he signed the paperwork and left before Emma even got here?" Remus hissed at Elara. "He's been here for twelve years, and they just let him leave? There's something wrong with that."
"You think I don't bloody know that Remus?" Elara hissed back. "I don't know what you want me to say!"
"What made you even think to look?"
"The fact that Greyback said he didn't want Jude and Emma to meet," Elara said, crossing her arms. "I just want to know who his associate is because they're obviously not another werewolf." Elara looked at Remus curiously when he shot her a skeptical look. "Really, Remus? Don't be starting this shit right now. You know damn well that I would never do anything to hurt Emma."
Remus huffed out a breath, holding Emma a little closer. "I'm sorry," Remus muttered. "I just feel like it's like the damn war all over again. This was the same shit that led to Sirius and I not talking."
"Well, don't you dare think of trying to pull that shit with me. You know that I'm scared too, Remus. You are not the only person who loves her."
"Well, you never should have fallen in love with her in the first place! That was never supposed to happen!"
"How can you not love her, Remus? You have the sweetest and most caring girl in the world. She's very hard not to love."
Remus fell silent as he looked down at Emma, kissing the top of her head. "I know," he said quietly. "Fuck. Elara, I don't even know what the next move is supposed to be."
"It's the same move it's always been. You get her home."
"And with Jude being out, you're aware how much difficult it's going to be? If he decides he wants her, they're going to give her right back to him."
"Remus, there's no other option. She has to go home with you. Just remember, Jude already made a mistake if he had a plan to try and get her."
"And what's that?"
"He's not the one sitting in bed with her right now," Elara said pointedly. "I can tell you that you two are winning people over in this room. The people in this ward know your story, and right now, they don't see two werewolves. They see a father that made sure to be here when his daughter was attacked. We can't lose hope just yet, no matter what the papers say. You'll have your girl back one way or another."
Elara and Remus talked for a little while longer about what to do until she insisted her take a sleeping draught. Remus wanted to stay up just in case Emma woke up, but that fear was unnecessary. When he woke up hours later, she hadn't moved from where she was and was still curled up against his side, head tucked under his chin. He was sorely tempted to get up just to stretch his legs, but he liked watching Emma sleep, still needing the reassurance that she was breathing. It wouldn't hurt him to get some more rest. He could worry about everything else later on.
TMCTMCTMC
Emma startled out of her sleep violently, her eyes snapping open with the underlying feeling that something was wrong. Her dreams had been weird, mixing everything that happened and things that she wasn't sure were real or not. It was the vision of Jude standing over her bed that had pulled her out of her sleep, and Emma was so sure he was right there. She jumped when Remus touched her arm, and her wide-eyed gaze turned to him.
"Hey," he said quietly, blinking sleepily at her. "What is it, baby?"
That was a hard question for her to answer, and Emma took another frantic look around. She had almost forgotten that she was in the hospital. Emma took in the dimmed lights and the darkened sky outside the window with a frown. She was surprised that Remus had actually stayed with her, taking up the spot next to her.
Remus studied her for a moment and opened his arms for her. Emma shifted herself close to bury her face in his shoulder. Her heart was racing from nerves, and Remus ran his fingers through her hair, making soft, soothing noises to try and calm her down. She didn't want to feel like she did all over again.
When Emma finally pulled away, she met Remus's eyes. He looked just as exhausted as she felt.
"Hi, sweetheart," Remus whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"
Emma's face twisted slightly at that question, and she pressed her face back into his shoulder with a quiet groan. She wasn't even sure how she felt. Emma suddenly leaned back again to search for his watch and squinted hard at the time. How long had she slept? Her eyes widened, and she looked at him in alarm.
"You needed it, baby girl," he said, trying to keep himself from smiling at Emma's scandalized expression. "Sweetheart, you needed to sleep. It's all right."
She had slept for twenty hours straight. Emma felt it was an unreasonable amount of time for her to sleep. Emma couldn't stay in St. Mungo's – not now. She needed to go back out into the world, and she was determined to do just that. With a huff, Emma started to sit up and immediately regretted it. Not only did it make her lightheaded, but she had completely forgotten why she was in the hospital in the first place. She could have done without the sharp pains.
"Whoa, slow down there," Remus said, sitting up quickly, placing a hand on hers. "You need to take it easy."
The last thing Emma wanted to do was take it easy, and she shot her father a look that said exactly that.
"Here," Remus said, reaching over to the side table and handing Emma a glass of water. "I imagine that you're thirsty. Do not try to drink it all at one time," Remus added quickly.
The moment he mentioned it, Emma realized that her mouth was dry. She went to drink it and then stopped herself, passing it back to Remus. Emma couldn't help but feel like Jude had been there, and she didn't trust it.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Remus asked. Emma gave a slight shrug in response, and Remus looked at the glass for a moment before setting it down. "Are you hungry?" he asked her, and Emma nodded fervently. "All right, let's head up to the tearoom and see what we can get you. I'm sure you want to stretch your legs."
Emma felt silly walking around in a dressing gown and slippers, but she didn't entirely mind. Her muscles were tight, and while she appreciated being out of bed, she was too energetic and too exhausted at the same time.
The moment they made it to the tearoom, Emma settled herself on the bench window seat so she could look out at the sleepy London morning. The sun was just starting to crest the horizon, lighting up the already overcast day. The sidewalks were still empty, but the streets had cars driving by at an increasing frequency. It seemed weird that life could go on like normal outside the hospital when things definitely were not. She started to catch her reflection in the window and quickly pulled her gaze away to look elsewhere. She still wasn't ready to see what she looked like.
Remus sat down next to her and handed her a cup of tea. "Careful, love, it's hot," he reminded her gently. "I tried to cool it off a little for you, but I was afraid of overdoing it – nerves, you know. Didn't want to make it too cold for you."
She gave Remus an appreciative grin over the top of her mug as she took a tentative sip. Her tea had just the right amount of warmth and was made perfect, like always. The honey he added to her tea was soothing, and she was grateful for the addition.
Sitting with Remus reminded her how much she enjoyed quiet mornings with her father when everything was quiet and still. Quiet moments like these meant that they didn't have to worry. Emma set her mug down and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her head on her knees to continue watching the world outside. She needed the brief moment of peace amongst the chaos just to breathe.
"Hey," Remus said after a while. Emma turned her head to look up to see Remus holding a piece of parchment and a quill. "I asked for them to lend me these while we were waiting for our food to be ready. How are you really feeling?" he asked as he handed her the parchment and quill. "I know you try to put on a strong front..."
Emma considered it for a moment, stretching her legs in front of her, giving Remus a cheeky grin when she dropped her feet in his lap. She placed the parchment down on her lap, twisting the quill in her hand before writing, 'I'm fine.'
"Are you sure?" Remus asked gently, tilting his head to see what she wrote.
'I'm fine now,' she wrote with a pointed look at her father. 'But I'm scared.'
"Well, that's perfectly understandable. A lot happened to you in a short amount of time."
Emma shook her head, scrawling out quickly, 'I'm scared of Jude.'
Remus frowned. "What do you mean?"
'He's not here, is he?'
Emma stared hard at her father, waiting for his response. Reluctantly, Remus shook his head. "No…he had a very convenient recovery and left early in the morning," he said. "Did you know he was going to leave?"
Emma's brow furrowed slightly, and her eyes were glued to the parchment. 'I hoped he wouldn't. Everything Fenrir has told me has come true, and that scares me. I was hoping he would have lied. I think everything would be easier for me if he did. And there's so much I still need to tell you…' Emma's face twisted slightly, her eyes becoming glassy. 'I'm sorry.'
"Sorry for what? Emma, none of this is your fault. If I were you at your age, I wouldn't have handled myself with half the grace that you have," Remus said with a mirthless laugh. "You make it seem so effortless, and I have been nothing but proud of you. When you're ready to talk, you will, but right now, you need to rest."
'It's important information, though, and I was careless. If I had paid more attention, then this wouldn't have happened. All of this was my fault. I forgot to take the papers you wrote for Papa out of my bag, and Fenrir took them. I let him give me the potions, and I didn't even know what they were. I have my memories back, but at what cost? I was stupid, and I trusted Fenrir, and I knew not to.'
Remus sighed, squeezing Emma's ankle. "Emma, I know it seems like you made a mistake somewhere, but I can assure you that you didn't. This is what he does. If he…if he didn't get the information inadvertently from me, he would have gotten it elsewhere. You did everything you were supposed to."
'It doesn't feel like it.'
"Do you mind if I'm blunt with you for a moment?" Remus asked, watching as Emma looked at him in surprise for a moment and then nodding. "It's not going to feel like you did the right thing, especially when it comes to Greyback. He's very manipulative, and he makes people trust him. I went through it, Elara went through it…we just hoped you wouldn't have to, too."
'But how would it be your fault? There wasn't much more you could have done.'
"But I could have tried harder to figure something out for you. You shouldn't have had such a hard week, and if I had just done more –"
Emma reached out to grab Remus's hand, squeezing it tightly to make him stop talking. She sighed, scooting herself along the bench so she could climb into Remus's lap and put her arms around his neck. He slowly put his arms around her, kissing her cheek.
"I just worry about losing you," he said softly.
Emma leaned back from Remus, her lips pressing into a thin line as she stared into his eyes. Another sigh escaped her lips, and she cupped his face with her hands to pull it down so she could press her forehead to his. She hoped that he understood that it was her way of saying that he wouldn't.
Remus broke the news over breakfast that Arthur Weasley had stopped into the ward at some point while she was sleeping. Emma's face turned bright red at the idea that someone else had seen her – sleeping, no less. Being headline news in the Daily Prophet again was not something Emma wanted to be. However, a werewolf attack on a slow news day gave her prime real estate. George had apparently been a complete mess since he read the article. It only made Emma feel even worse that she never wrote back to him.
Even though Remus insisted it would be okay for her to say no to having visitors, Emma felt that she needed to take them. She would have to start seeing people eventually, and with her grandfather visiting that evening, there was no point in putting it off. It was never going to get easier, and she just had to accept the change. However, Emma wasn't expecting just how many Weasleys were going to arrive.
Suddenly there were Weasleys in the ward - a lot of them. Even the other occupants of the ward were curious to see so many redheads. It was a bit overwhelming seeing them all together.
She looked up at Remus, who appeared to be just as surprised by the Weasley brood. He had taught all of the children present, of course, but even it was a lot for him. Remus shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Let me take care of this," Remus whispered to Emma as he pulled himself out of their cuddle.
Emma's whine was pathetic, even though her father was still right there. Remus turned back to her with a loving smile. "I'm not going far - you'll still see me, sweetheart. I just want to explain the situation, so you're not overwhelmed with questions," he said, reaching out to brush the backs of his fingers against the unharmed part of her cheek. "They're going to have them, and I know you're not ready to talk yet."
Emma watched Remus carefully as he greeted the group of Weasleys, but she didn't bother paying attention to what he was saying. She was too busy trying to figure out if she should hide or not, and avoiding everyone's curious looks. Emma only looked up again when she heard footsteps, and she let out a relieved breath when she realized only Fred and George were coming over.
"Hi," George said, sounding breathless and nervous. The three all stared at each other uncomfortably, trying to find their footing. How were they supposed to all react? "I, uhm…Professor Lu- your dad explained that you're not talking right now. That's fine. I'm just glad that you're…you're all right."
"We thought you might need some cheering up," said Fred brightly. "And I think we have just the thing for you." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small book, and handed it to George.
"Dad took us to a Muggle charity shop before we came here. We decided to see what we could find for you, and we found this," George said. "1001 Perfect Jokes to Make Anyone Laugh."
Emma had her doubts, but it was worth a shot. She gestured towards the book, curious to see what jokes could be found in the book. Fred and George's faces lit up as they looked at each other, and they opened the book, arguing over which joke to pick.
"Oh, this one is perfect," Fred said, stabbing the book with his finger. "Tell her this one!"
George looked at Fred with a beaming grin and turned to Emma, clearing his throat. "Did you hear about the circus fire?" George asked, grinning at Emma's confused look and head shake. "It was in tents."
Emma stared blankly at George for a moment before a slow smile crossed her face. George's smile grew impossibly wider at seeing Emma's smile. He flipped through the pages with such vigor that Fred had to snatch the book out of his brother's hand, worried he would tear the pages.
"Here, how about another," Fred said, flipping through a few pages. "Oh, I like this one. What do you think, George?" George read the joke that Fred was pointing at and nodded. "Wicked. Now, Emma, what are the biggest enemies of caterpillars?"
Emma looked between Fred and George, trying to search their faces as if that would give her some sort of clue to the answer. She gave a small shrug, and Fred started to laugh before giving her the answer, "Dogerpillers!" Emma had to cover her mouth to try and stifle her snort. It was such a bad joke, and she should have known the answer to that one.
Fred and George suddenly had a renewed vigor in finding the perfect joke to tell. They went back to arguing with each other, deciding whether or not a joke would be good or not. Eventually, they settled on a new one, and George looked up at Emma, clearing his throat. "How many tickles does it take to get an octopus to laugh?" George asked.
A soft sigh escaped Emma's lips. She knew it would be even worse than the last joke, but she mentally prepared herself for it. She shook her head, unsure of what George would say.
"Ten tickles!" George said brightly.
That did it. That was the joke that broke Emma, and she burst out into laughter at just how much worse that joke was. Her laughter turned slightly pained as she forced herself to try and relax her face, but it only made her laugh harder. The joke was so bad that she was going to commit it to memory. She loved it.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," George said quickly at Emma's pained expression, but she only shook her head. She reached out for George's hand and gave it a squeeze to show she was okay.
Emma let out a gasp of surprise and turned her head as she felt a hand stroke her hair. She took in the relieved tears in Remus's eyes and switched to holding his hand with a smile to show she was all right. He gave a slight nod, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
"Is it all right if I leave you for a little bit?" Remus asked her. He looked over his shoulder to look at the rest of the Weasley children and their parents and then over at Fred and George. "I think you'll be in very capable hands. But if you want me to stay, then I'll stay."
Emma's first reaction was to panic at the idea of Remus leaving, but he hadn't left her side. She didn't need him to stay, and as much as she desperately wanted him to stay, he looked exhausted. The hospital beds weren't comfortable, and she didn't think that he had a real moment of rest yet. She pulled her hand from his and lifted it to rub the stubble on his face with a sad smile.
"I know, it's scratchy," Remus said, rubbing his hand over his other cheek. A cheeky grin crossed Emma's face, and she pressed her hand to Remus's forehead, pushing him away. Fred and George let out gasps of surprise and started to laugh.
"Oh, is that you giving me permission to leave?" Remus asked, pulling Emma's hand away from his head to smile at her. She gave a small but unsure nod, and Remus sighed. "I promise I'll be back. Just an hour or two, and I'll come back. Just want to take a shower and see what I can bring from home for you. Do you want Boris and Bee?"
Emma's face lit up, and she nodded. She grabbed onto the sleeve of his jumper, silently asking if he would bring another one back for her.
"Of course," Remus said, looking at her bag sitting on the chair next to the bed. "Do you want me to replace the one you've had? Then you can have two of my jumpers – nice clean ones, and maybe, just maybe, I'll bring a third. Pretty sure you can never have enough of my clothes."
Her father was very correct in that assessment.
a/n: OKAY - I should now be back on my regular posting schedule from here on out.