Remus's day had started out fantastic – he was bringing Emma back home. Finally.

He had spent a better part of the previous night finally unpacking Emma's things for her with Elara. They both nearly laughed at how terrible of a job she had done packing her trunk until they remembered just why it was done so badly. The two shared a look in an understanding of all of the things left unsaid and continued working silently. The less Emma had to do to settle in, the better.

Everything was cleaned meticulously; Emma's bedding and clothes were laundered and put away. Her bed was made carefully with the same amount of care Remus had taken the first time he brought Emma home. The knitted blanket from Molly Weasley was folded and sat at the foot of Emma's bed, pillows were fluffed and aired, and both Patches and Bee sat ready and waiting. Books were placed back on Emma's bookshelf, arranged in the way that Remus knew she preferred.

To make Emma's home return comfortable, he dragged Elara out to find her a new pair of pajamas. It took them some time to find clothing that would be soft enough for her, but they managed, and they sat waiting for her. Remus had a sneaking suspicion that a fair amount of Emma's wardrobe would be donated to a charity shop. They would have to go out to get her new clothes, but it was a start.

Figaro's bed sat in the space between Emma's closet and dresser with a small basket of toys close by. Small objects of Emma's that the kitten would be overly fascinated by were moved and put away. Elara had been very surprised by the tiny bundle of black fur but quickly became smitten.

"Remus Lupin – a cat owner," Elara teased as she played with the kitten. "Never would have guessed."

"Correction, it's Emma who's the cat owner. I just let the cat live here," Remus said, pulling a smirk from Elara.

"Right, and the fact I've seen you sneak Figaro several cat treats throughout the night is a figment of my imagination?"

"What cat treats?" Remus asked, feigning innocence. "These are for Padfoot."

That had inspired a good ten minutes of laughter as they finished cleaning. It had been one of the better nights that came few and far between. When morning came, Elara bid her final farewell with an overdramatic sigh.

"As much fun as it's been having a roommate for a while, I believe I've more than outstayed my welcome," Elara said as she packed. "I now return your couch back to you. Now, go get your little girl. I'm sure she's beyond eager to be home."

Remus very happily Apparated to a spot nearby the children's home. After being outside the building, it felt strange to finally push through the iron gate to head to the entrance. He had paused, hand hovering over the handle when he felt as though something was wrong. The air was tinged with something familiar but foreign. He shook off the feeling and blamed it on his anxiety of stepping into the place that had haunted Emma for nearly her entire life. It was unsettling to hear Emma's stories having never set foot in the building before.

Irma Bryce greeted him excitedly at the entrance. She was the interim director of the facility as her liaison duties were completed for the year. There had been talks of the woman taking over permanently, but she wasn't sure. Remus took a curious look around the entranceway, trying to keep himself from frowning. He had thought Emma was exaggerating when she said the interior was bland, but the woman was somehow the only pop of color he could see.

"I know, it doesn't seem like much, but it's clean, and well…I'm terribly sorry that Emma was never given the care she was meant to have," Irma said sadly, taking a look around herself. "Did you want to take a quick tour? I'm sure Emma's told you stories, but it's much different seeing it in person."

Irma insisted that the paperwork wouldn't take long, and after a quick look at his watch, Remus agreed. He confessed that he found himself curious and hoped that it would give him a better understanding of Emma's life by taking a look around. It was one of the few mysteries he had about his daughter, and he wanted to help her however he could. Irma, who had been in his corner from the very beginning, gave him a beaming smile.

Remus quickly understood how Emma wouldn't have been happy living in such a facility. While there was plenty to do, there wasn't anywhere to really hide. Nearly everything was open-air, the play area and children's lounge large and in view. Finn, Raewyn, and Brennan spotted them quickly and decided to join in on the tour, pulling him this way and that. They were excited to share their experiences, though they were much different than Emma's – they never had a reason to hide.

When Finn asked Irma if she could bring Remus up to her room, he nearly jumped at the chance. He had stopped doubting Emma's claims very quickly, but her room had been the setting of so many of her stories.

He wasn't sure why he was at all surprised when Finn showed him the room. It was somehow plainer than the entryway with two metal-framed bunk beds, the single window directly across from the door, and a small table and dressers. The room was exactly how Emma described it, and somehow that made the entire thing that much worse. He couldn't imagine her living in a room so devoid of anything that made up the very essence of her personality. Finn pointed to her bunk with the mention Emma had stayed in the same spot, and that had been the moment Remus nearly fell apart. He could suddenly understand Emma with a clarity that he never expected to have, and it just wasn't fair.

Remus was grateful when Irma suggested that they go back downstairs so that he could sign the paperwork and take Emma home. The children grouped up again quickly and told Remus that they would gather up the cards they made for Emma. He gave them polite smiles and very gladly followed Irma back downstairs and to what was once Ward's office. Irma pointed out the staff area as they passed, and Remus walked by slowly, that strange feeling returning. His hair on the back of his neck raised, and Remus was frustrated he couldn't place the feeling. He had considered asking Irma to let him stop to just let Emma know he was there, but he continued to follow the woman.

The overwhelming and nearly suffocating feeling of dark magic covered the expanse of Ward's office, and Remus nearly staggered with the weight of it. The air was thick with it, and Remus had no idea how Irma was walking around as if nothing was different. He knew that he was sensitive to energy with his condition, but Remus was positive that others could feel it. Fenrir's scent was equally strong in the room, masked only slightly by two different and warring colognes. Remus had to force himself to keep his nose from twitching, overwhelmed by the sheer number of smells in the room. He had so many questions, but he was more concerned with getting Emma home, so he pushed them to the side.

The paperwork was standard and similar to the same release paperwork he had filled out the first time. The difference this time was the paperwork stating that Emma's move was only temporary and on Ministry orders.

"I believe that as long as no one else steps in, your custody is going to be free and clear," Irma said gently as they went through the paperwork. "You'll still have to go in front of the Wizengamot regarding you not registering even though your fine was paid, but I think the issue of Emma's custody will be dropped at the appointment. I think Minerva might have scared the committee the other day."

Remus could only hope that was the case.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until there was frantic knocking at the office door. The door opened, and three small faces peered in, wearing very similar closed off expressions. Remus's stomach sank as the scent of fear, a bitter tang that made Remus sick, rolled into the room along with Fenrir's very scent.

"Mrs. Bryce, can we borrow Mr. Remus, please?" Finn asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes, of course," Irma said, flipping through the paperwork. "I'll take care of the rest of these forms, and I'll be with you in ten minutes or so."

Remus was quick on his feet and gave Irma a very hasty handshake before rushing off with the other three.

"It's the mean one!" Raewyn said, on the brink of tears as he followed them. Remus didn't have the heart to tell them that he already knew, and he was disgusted that the three were even near him. Remus was even more disgusted that Fenrir would dare get near Emma again.

Remus caught the very tail end of what Fenrir said and was seconds too late to go after him like he wanted. He was assaulted by the coppery scent of blood, Emma's fear, and of course, Fenrir. When Moony wanted to throw himself forward into his mind, he didn't bother to try too hard to stop it. He didn't bother to hide his growl, very aware that Fenrir still hadn't left. Moony was snarling, snapping in his mind in fury that Fenrir would dare linger after causing harm to his child again.

Remus was poised to launch himself out the windows, his wand out to finally attack Fenrir for all the damage he had caused. It was Emma's soft whimper that brought him back to where he needed to be, and he was immediately reminded of the scent of blood. His eyes flicked over to Emma, searching her over for any visible injuries, and his heart stopped when he saw the knife on the ground next to her.

He practically dove to the floor, frantically pulling Emma close to check her over. Remus froze at the sight of blood on Emma's hand, and he gently lifted her face to look at him. He searched her eyes for any signs of pain, an eyebrow quirking slightly when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"It's not mine," Emma whispered, voice trembling just as hard as the rest of her.

Remus searched Emma's eyes for another moment longer and looked down at the knife, taking a subtle sniff of the air. It took him a moment to process that the scent of blood didn't belong to Emma after becoming familiar with it from her injuries. He grabbed onto Emma's wrist to look at the blood on her hand and shook his head. There was no way that Emma had actually stabbed Fenrir. "You didn't," he hissed, brows knitting together.

Emma only managed a weak nod, glancing down at her hand and whimpering. Remus quickly charmed her hand clean and grabbed the knife to do the same. He flipped the blade back into the handle and tucked it into his pocket. In seconds, Remus was back on his feet, ready to launch himself out the window to find Fenrir, but Emma latched onto his hand tightly.

"Don't," she said pleaded with him, her eyes wide and glassy.

"But Emma, he –"

"I know," Emma said shakily, "but don't…" Emma looked over at the windows as if she could see precisely where Fenrir was, and she looked broken as she looked back at him. "Please, don't leave me…"

Remus was fighting against every instinct he had. Moony was telling him to not listen to Emma, to finally make up for every wrong for her, but his human side was pulling through. He knew that Emma wouldn't forgive him easily if he went. Another growl escaped his lips, but he forced himself back onto the ground. Emma launched herself into his arms, clutching tightly to him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He could practically feel Fenrir's aggravation when the crack of Apparition echoed out in the otherwise quiet morning. Fenrir was looking for a fight, but then again, so was he.

"Ow," Emma finally muttered, holding onto him tighter.

"What is it, love?" Remus asked, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "What did he do?"

There was a long moment of hesitation from Emma, and she slowly detached herself, keeping her gaze averted. Slowly her hand came up to touch her neck, and Remus swore he saw red when he saw the forming bruises beneath her fingers. A steady stream of swear words escaped as he gently lifted Emma's face to look at the new injury inflicted. He swallowed hard, stroking Emma's cheek. "Anything else?" he asked, and she shook her head before throwing her arms back around his neck. "We need to take you back to the hospital again," Remus said quietly. "This is something else that needs to be documented."

"No," Emma whined, drawing the word out with a dry sob. "I want to go home. Please, I just want to go home…"

Remus felt himself shatter into a million pieces. Though he knew that it was important that everything be documented, he couldn't do it. He knew that Emma would heal, the bruises mostly for show, to prove a point. Fenrir wanted to warn that if he wanted to, he could kill Emma, but he wouldn't. Remus had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly which game Fenrir had played with her, having been on the other end far too many times to count. He could almost hear the exact conversation, and he knew there was only one decision to make.

"All right," he whispered to her. "We'll go home."

Emma didn't want to say goodbye to her three friends, and it didn't take much to pull the information out of her. She refused to go into too much detail, but Remus could piece together that Fenrir suggested he had new targets. It nearly threw off the plan of going home right away, but Irma quickly took over the situation when she came into the room. All it took was Remus saying Fenrir's name for Irma to understand, lips pursing and face flushing with embarrassment. Fenrir was too good at what he did, too well-practiced, but Remus didn't care to explain that.

"Just get her home," Irma said, looking pointedly at Emma, who was clinging hard to Remus's arm. "The other three were meant to be moved from the facility throughout the week, but I'll make sure they leave much sooner. Everything will be taken care of."

Remus knew he wasn't going to be able to Apparate in the condition he was in, and he didn't want to subject Emma to the stress. When he suggested that they take the bus into the town closest to theirs, she readily agreed. It gave them both time to try and decompress and take solace in the closeness of one another.

When they made it into town and started their walk to the cottage, Remus cast sidelong glances at Emma. Her expression grew more and more pensive as they walked, her frown growing.

"This feels too much like the last time," Emma finally said with a frown. She latched onto Remus's hand tightly. "It feels strange to be doing this all over again…"

"It's a bit odd," Remus admitted.

"Want to know the scary part, though, Daddy?"

"What's that, love?"

"Nothing ever really changed from the last time," Emma said quietly. "The only difference between then and now is that we know about it."

Remus wished he could argue that point, but he couldn't. Somehow everything and nothing had changed all at the same time. Everything that was happening now was going on behind the scenes, secrets kept and finally told. He vaguely wondered how different things would have been if he had known the truth right at the beginning, but Remus already knew. He never would have believed it; he had become too much of a cynic. Remus never could have imagined that he could find such happiness or any real sense of fulfillment. Emma had filled in all of the cracks of his broken heart in a way he never expected, and it was what led him to feel such incredible guilt. There was no reason why Emma should have experienced more at fourteen in peacetime than he had at eighteen during the war.

A soft laugh left Emma's lips as she held onto his hand a little tighter. "Wouldn't it be funny if Papa were home, too? That would be nice…" Remus was only partially somewhat inclined to agree. As much as he craved Sirius's company, he felt it would be too much for Emma to handle right away.

Emma's mood perked up slightly as they turned onto the road to the cottage, and Remus nearly let out a breath of relief. If she let go of his hand, he knew Emma would run the rest of the way back home. He could feel her anxious energy, knew she wanted to get comfortable, and figuratively and literally wash away the past two weeks. She wanted to play with Figaro and had spent most of their walk talking about how excited she was and questioning Aurora's owlish opinions on the matter. She snickered when Remus said that Aurora gave her hoot of approval.

Their return home came to a screeching halt, almost literally. A piercing squawk rang out, sending birds soaring out of their perches.

"That wasn't Buckbeak, was it?" Emma asked nervously, peering up at Remus with wide eyes. "He's not…Papa didn't actually come home, did he?"

"Bugger," Remus hissed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Nothing ever seemed like it went to plan anymore, and he was annoyed with himself. He had to drop all of the security charms he had placed with the Ministry workers coming by and didn't think to put them back up. He wished that he had. "He's not supposed to be anywhere near here and in a completely different country."

"You didn't know?"

"If I knew, I would have told you," Remus sighed, looking at Emma apologetically. "I wouldn't dare surprise you like this." Buckbeak squawked again, and Remus cringed. He would have to set the charms right away just to make sure the hippogriff couldn't be heard everywhere if Sirius stayed. "What do you want to do?"

Emma's forehead wrinkled as she stared down the road towards the cottage, looking torn. "I guess get it over with," she whispered, worrying her lip between her teeth anxiously. "Might as well since everyone else has seen…"

Remus nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Emma's head. "I'll go in first, and if you change your mind about anything, just give me the word."

The rest of their walk was quiet, Emma trailing just behind Remus the entire time. Remus turned back to look at Emma to double-check she was still okay with the situation, and she nodded, still gnawing on her bottom lip. He nodded, opening the door and letting out a sigh. Emma slowly stepped into the room, tucking herself into Remus's side nervously.

Sirius was lounging on the couch facing the door, legs stretched out in front of him with Figaro lying on his chest. He barely looked up from the cat who had made herself at home and was enjoying Sirius's petting.

"Moony, when did we get a cat?" Sirius asked conversationally. "She's cute, but I didn't know we were cat people. Didn't think you were going to try and replace me so quickly." Sirius chuckled, grinning at the cat who stood up to butt her head under his chin. "Bit unexpected…"

Sirius's mouth fell open when he finally looked up from Figaro, his eyes darting between Emma and Remus. His expression shifted several times, unable to settle on one emotion. Emma quickly looked away from Sirius with a whimper, moving partially behind Remus to hide.

"Sirius," Remus said, his voice holding a hint of warning. Sirius snapped his mouth shut, keeping his eyes locked on Remus's, his entire body tense with the effort of not saying a word. Remus sighed again. "Sweetheart, take Fig from Papa and get yourself settled. I'm sure you'd like to relax after the morning you've had."

Emma nodded and started to make her way to Sirius to take the cat from his outstretched hands. She stared at Figaro for a moment before dropping her hands and going to her room without the cat, closing the door quietly. Remus listened closely for any noise and wasn't at all surprised that Emma had cast a silencing charm. She just wanted to be left alone, and he didn't blame her.

"Remus," Sirius said quietly, trying to find his voice. He set Figaro down on the couch and ran his hands down his face, shaking his head. "Our little girl…"

"Sirius, I know –"

"Her face –"

"Sirius, I know –"

"She was bitten –"

"Sirius, I know," Remus said, exasperated.

"She looks exactly like you."

"You have no idea," Remus muttered bitterly. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I saw the articles. It's…you know how it is – a werewolf attack gets spread everywhere in the magical communities…I had to come home."

Remus rubbed his temples. "Sirius, you can't make a big deal out of it. She's had a tough morning already –"

"What happened? Emma? It had to be our Emma?"

A sigh escaped Remus's lips as he sat down next to Sirius. "There's a lot that we need to talk about…"

Emma immediately sat down on her floor the moment she got back into her room, leaning against the side of her bed. She pulled her wand out, cast a silencing charm, and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wanted to be happy about being home, but she couldn't. Emma had missed her bed, missed her room, her books, and even the squeaky floorboard by her closet, but it all felt foreign to her.

She couldn't stop herself from going back to her conversation with Fenrir. He was right in his assessment that she wanted to feel powerful, and that was bothersome. She never wanted power before, but she couldn't deny the rush that it gave her. Did that make her like Fenrir? Knowing what she did about her younger self, Emma was starting to believe her desires were darker than she wanted to believe. The fact she could attack Fenrir, even in self-defense, made her feel like she could be just as dangerous as he was. Emma didn't want to be like him, but she knew that the unspoken parts of her personality held hints of his influence.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it wouldn't be worth returning to Hogwarts for her fourth year. Her classmates already thought she was a werewolf, and that rumor would be even stronger now; she bore the marks of one. Even worse, she was capable of acting like one. In an hour, her entire viewpoint of herself had changed, and she couldn't put aside those facts about herself any longer. The idea of going back to Hogwarts almost made her sick – she didn't want to hurt others, and she had unwittingly dragged three first years into her problems. Fenrir wasn't going to stop with just Ward and his family; as long as Emma refused to give herself to him, he would take things further.

She decided right then and there – she wasn't going to go back to Hogwarts. Emma was going to go on the run with Sirius, and Remus would go with them. They could go anywhere in the world with Buckbeak, and Remus and Sirius could teach her everything she needed to know. It made her happy when Remus taught her things, and Sirius was equally as talented if he helped make the Marauder's Map. They could finally find somewhere that accepted werewolves or at least had better laws, and they could be happy together. They would have to kidnap Harry, of course, but would it be kidnapping if he went willingly? She couldn't see Harry turning down the opportunity with the few things she knew about the Dursley's. It would be perfect. No more Fenrir, no more Jude, no more Ministry, and no more Dursleys for Harry. It would be just the four of them, their two owls, and their new cat. That was all they all needed.

Her heart ached at the idea of leaving George so soon, but it would be better. A clean break would be much better. If Fenrir knew about George, he would go after the Weasley's next, she was sure of it. The more she thought about every person he could attack, the worse she felt. It would be all her fault if anyone got hurt, just like Ward's.

After Fenrir let slip that the only reason Ward stopped because he wanted to watch what he planned to do, Emma could care less about the man's death. In a way, Emma had been able to find solace that the world was rid of one less sick individual, but Ward's wife and children didn't deserve to die. As far as Emma knew, they were innocent.

Emma didn't even realize she was crying until both Remus and Sirius came into her room, quick to hold her between them. It took her even more time to realize just how hard she was actually crying, taking in gasping sobs. Every single bit of pent of emotion she had been repressing for a month finally made its way to the surface. It felt like the aftermath of Margaret's funeral in terms of her feelings. But this time, she wasn't drowning. She wanted so desperately to give in to the desire to hurt someone – anyone – just so someone else understood how she felt.

She couldn't focus on a word Remus said to her, and she certainly couldn't concentrate on whatever Sirius was saying. It wasn't until she felt gentle prodding in her mind that she realized that Remus was trying to use Moony to calm her down. Emma knew that Remus had done it before but was never fully aware of the feeling. She was sorely tempted to fight against it, frustrated he would even try, but Soleil wanted Moony to be let in. Soleil recognized Emma's need for their little pack, and so she finally relented.

Being aware of the influence in her mind was strange. It felt like warm rain, trickling down her head and spreading out; comforting and familiar. She nearly fell back into her panic when she realized that she had felt the same thing with Fenrir, but it wasn't entirely the same. There was a distinct difference between their connections – Remus's was warm and welcoming; Fenrir's was pushy and demanding. It wasn't too unlike their human personalities.

The overwhelming feelings that followed next came as a jumble. All Emma could focus on was the feeling of warmth. There was warmth and safety and love and everything that she desperately needed to become grounded. Emma knew it was all true because Remus very rarely let Moony forward. What Emma found odd was Soleil's sudden call for Padfoot. That was new.

Her awareness of what was happening around her didn't come back all at once. She was aware of Remus holding her first, an arm wrapped tightly around her body and his hand holding her head against his chest. His breathing and his heartbeat were steady beneath her cheek, and it allowed Emma to find a spot to anchor to. Emma followed his breathing pattern when she picked up that he was trying to silently pull her through whatever was going on in her head. They had done this before – this was something she could handle.

Emma opened her eyes slowly, exhausted, and frustrated with herself. She had been doing so well and had vehemently denied she would break down the way she did again. To break down in a way that she didn't even realize that she did bothered her even more. Dr. Wheeler had insisted that it was okay, that it was normal and part of her recovery, but Emma felt she was much better than that.

"Sirius, do you mind grabbing –"

"On it."

A frown crossed Emma's face as she tipped her face up to look up at Remus inquisitively, wondering what Sirius was getting. She marveled that Sirius and Remus could have conversations with each other without having to finish sentences. They just knew, and Emma wondered if she would have that type of relationship with someone.

"Just a warm cloth to clean your face," Remus said gently in explanation. Emma let out a huff at that, turning her gaze towards her dresser just to look at something else. She had to look like a complete mess, but she was too tired to care.

Sirius came back quickly, kneeling back down on the floor. He suddenly looked unsure of what to do, looking to Remus for guidance. Remus sighed, taking the washcloth from Sirius.

"Look at me, baby," Remus said softly, smiling at Emma as she grumbled nonsensically at him. She closed her eyes at the first touch of the warm cloth and the gentleness that came with it. He went through the motions before allowing Sirius to take over, and Emma barely noticed the difference. Sirius was just as gentle as Remus, if not more so out of his nervousness of working around her scars.

"Do you want to have a bath, love?" Remus asked her, and Emma agreed. A bath was very much needed.

Taking a bath felt like such a luxury to Emma, having not taken one in weeks. She stayed within the confines of the warm water and the bubbles until her fingers were beyond wrinkly. Ordinarily, Emma would get lost in her thoughts, but she forced herself to keep her mind blank. She focused on the warm water enveloping her body, soothing every aching muscle she had.

Emma left the confines of the bathroom to find Remus and Sirius in the living room talking quietly. They fell silent as she stepped into the room, and Emma stared at them for a moment before settling in the space between them on the couch. Emma curled up to lay her head on Remus's lap and dropped her feet on Sirius's lap. Remus turned on the television for her, and that was where Emma stayed for the entire day. She switched between who she snuggled with, getting lost in whatever show was playing and petting Figaro when she joined them. If Emma wanted to focus on the show playing on the television, she would snuggle with Sirius. She found that she loved the way Sirius would complain about things that were overly Muggle and could easily be fixed with magic. When Emma just wanted to nap, she would snuggle up to Remus and take advantage of how warm he was. The only time she really got up was for dinner and only at Remus's insistence.

Dinner was quiet, which Emma wasn't opposed to. She wasn't entirely ready for any real conversations just yet, and it seemed like Remus and Sirius weren't either. However, Emma couldn't help but feel Sirius's gaze on her, and it made her skin bristle. She stopped mid-chew to look up at Sirius to find him once again looking at her, his expression pained. She glanced over at Remus, finished chewing, and swallowed hard. Everything was still too much for her, and she needed to step away.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Emma said quietly, pushing her plate aside and getting up. She gave Remus and Sirius a tight smile. Emma scooped Figaro up into her hands from the counter, retreated into her room, and closed the door.

Sirius looked at Emma's door and over at Remus, looking crestfallen. Remus stopped eating, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and rubbing his face. He had a sneaking suspicion that the silence on the other side of her door meant she cast another silencing charm.

"What did I do?" Sirius asked quietly.

"You keep staring at her," Remus replied. "As much as she tries to insist that she's fine, she very clearly isn't."

Sirius fell silent, pushing his plate aside as well. "Maybe I should leave then...I shouldn't have come back…"

"No," Remus said, shaking his head. "She'll feel worse if you leave. She wants you here, but you can't keep…it's like when I yelled at you lot for staring at me in first year."

"It's hard," Sirius said. "Not that she's not beautiful still, but it's Emma…"

Remus sighed, knowing precisely what Sirius was talking about. He had the same thoughts over and over again. "I feel like it's all my fault," Remus admitted. "Every single bit of it…if I had just…" Remus growled, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling. "She asked me to bite her, just so Fenrir wouldn't. The fact she had asked me at all was disturbing, beyond absurd, that I never even stopped to consider the possibility of it ever happening. I promised her that she would never go through what she did…"

"Sometimes, I think it would be better if you just bit her," Sirius said quietly, lifting his hands in surrender at Remus's sharp look. "I know, Remus. I'm just saying that would it be so terrible if she were a full werewolf at this point? She has us…"

"Yes," Remus said sharply. "It's bad enough that she's half and has to experience how terrible people can be." He sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Even if I decided that I could be responsible for turning her completely, I still wouldn't have done it where her first transformation would have been at Hogwarts."

"You would have done it last month?"

"If I decided to, yes, but the system we had was working fine, and there was no need. I would never turn Emma just to turn her. I nearly did it anyway on accident, but I try not to think about everything that happened. I struggle enough with accepting what I've done already."

"And what if it's the only way she can stay with us? Turning her fully?"

Remus took a steadying breath. "I still don't think I could convince myself to do it even then…"

Emma was still up when Remus went to check on her later that night. She was curled up on her side, watching Figaro sleep and running a finger over the kitten's head with a sleepy smile. Emma barely acknowledged Remus's presence even when he sat down on the edge of her mattress.

"You know he doesn't mean it," Remus said quietly.

The smile on Emma's face slipped, and she gave her head a slight shake. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said.

Remus sighed and pressed his lips together. He wasn't going to push Emma when she didn't want to talk, and it had been a hard day. "Any room for me?" He asked.

"Maybe," Emma said, slowly picking Figaro up and turning onto her back to set the sleepy kitten on her chest. Remus sat down in the empty spot next to Emma, stretching his legs out in front of him as he leaned against the headboard.

"You really love her, don't you?" Remus said, watching as Emma continued to pet Figaro.

Emma nodded, glancing up at Remus. "I do. Thank you for getting her for me," she said softly.

"Of course, baby girl. I couldn't imagine separating you two."

Emma hummed softly, scratching Figaro behind her ears and smiling as the kitten closed her eyes, pulling her paws underneath her body. "You don't say anything in Welsh to me anymore," Emma said quietly, resting her head on Remus's shoulder. "Why not?"

"I…I didn't want to be the one to stir up any memories," Remus admitted. Emma glanced up at him and nodded slightly with the understanding of what he meant. She tried to ignore that they used the Pensieve at St. Mungo's.

"I miss it," Emma replied after a long pause, voice cracking. "It…it scared me with Fenrir because I never really paid attention, but I'm supposed to be your cariad bach, and you haven't called me that..."

"Oh, Emma," Remus said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You are always going to be my cariad bach. You will always be my sunshine, my baby girl, and every other name I call you. That is never going to change." He brushed away the tears that had fallen from Emma's eyes with his thumb. "Even when you're 105, and I'm...bloody hell, 124, you will always be my little girl." He didn't think that he would make it that long, but the sentiment was still there.

"You're being awfully optimistic," Emma muttered. "I don't think I'll ever get to be that old."

"You will. You have got a very long and happy life ahead of you, love."

Emma didn't comment, just kept her gaze fixed on Figaro, scratching the kitten behind her ears. Figaro never stopped purring, and Remus was beginning to realize Emma liked the sound. He could see her fingers itching to pull the cat closer to her, but she let the kitten sleep.

Remus cupped Emma's chin and turned her face to look at him. "You know I love you, right? You know Sirius loves you?"

Emma swallowed and nodded but still didn't speak. She closed her eyes for a moment when Remus kissed her forehead again. It had taken her far too long to understand the gravity of such a simple gesture. Remus wasn't the only person in her life who extended such a moment with her, but he was one of the few who did it with tenderness. Everything he ever did for her was because he loved her, and she bit her lip hard to keep from letting the tears that pooled under her eyelids from falling.

She opened her eyes, not surprised to see Remus's smile that he reserved only for her, full of pure adoration. Emma sniffled, feeling her throat grow tight. She didn't want to cry again, but this time it was from the understanding that she was truly loved. Still, it didn't stop her from searching Remus's eyes, looking for any trace that he didn't love her like she thought. It was such an incredibly foolish thought to have; she knew that he loved her. The betrayal she felt with Fenrir ran deep, and it was hard for her to not be scared all over again.

"You have such sleepy eyes, my love," Remus chuckled softly, kissing both of her cheeks. "Rest. I'll stay here with you."

"You don't have to..."

"It's your first night back home – just until you fall asleep."

That was something Emma could agree to, and she closed her eyes, listening to Remus's soft humming. It didn't take long for sleep to overtake her.

"I really shouldn't have come back," Sirius said from Emma's doorway. "I should have known this was a terrible idea."

"Sirius, we went over this already," Remus said. "Don't you dare think of leaving."

"I'm not. I just…I don't know how to take care of her anymore. It's like I told her back round your dad's – it's not like she's a baby anymore. I just keep doing all the wrong things. I completely floundered earlier."

"Well, I have good news for you – I don't know what I'm doing anymore either. This is all new to me, too, Sirius."

"What do you mean?"

"I only know how to take care of myself, not someone like me. That's something that you're much better versed in than I am. I can help a lot with the mental side of things, but the physical aspects are foreign."

Sirius's expression went blank as he looked at Emma. Remus could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about it. "Well, maybe I do know how..." Sirius said after a few minutes.

Sirius was a caretaker by nature. It was something he kept well hidden, but he took care of the people he loved. After years of caring for Remus, he knew exactly how to take care of a werewolf. Remus only knew how to take care of himself and his injuries. Emma's were still new, and Remus worried about agitating things further. This was one area of care that Sirius could excel at.

Remus carefully slid himself out from underneath Emma, not wanting to wake her up with how quickly she fell asleep. Figaro woke up just long enough to stretch, arching her back with a yawn and jumping up to Emma's pillow to curl up.

"I think you'll be better at picking her up," Remus said gently. "She has a lot still healing right now on her body. I don't know how to adjust her easily. She would wake up at the hospital when I did, but I don't think she remembers it, which is a miracle."

Sirius nodded and, with practiced ease, managed to wedge his arms underneath Emma to scoop her into his arms. "I always forget how small she is," Sirius whispered. Emma barely stirred in Sirius's arms, and Remus gave him an encouraging smile. "She barely weighs anything."

"Be glad you didn't see her when she wasn't eating," Remus said darkly. "She's at least healthy now, relatively speaking. She's a bit thin right now, but her meals haven't been consistent until her stay in St. Mungo's."

"And she's trembling so much," Sirius said in alarm as he set Emma back down on her mattress.

"She hasn't stopped since the hospital," Remus said sadly as he pulled Emma's blanket up over her. "Elara thinks it's a combination of things. Her brain still has to process a decade's worth of memories being put together. Because of it, Emma's more aware of the damage done from the Cruciatus. She's anxious, and it shows. We can only hope that her being home helps to alleviate some of her symptoms."

Sirius frowned and sat down on Emma's bed. Remus was still unfamiliar with this version of Sirius – unsure and lost. He was so used to Sirius's confidence, sure and proud of everything he did. Azkaban had done a number on Sirius, but Remus never expected that trying to take care of their daughter would be a part of his downfall. "She hates me," Sirius said. "I know she does."

"Emma doesn't hate you, Pads. She's...the poor thing hasn't been able to catch a break in a month. That's the only reason she was allowed home; to try and let her have time to recover. It won't be enough, but it's a start." Remus reached out to take Sirius's face between his hands to kiss him. "Running off scared isn't going to help her, Sirius. I think it's time we finally try to figure out how to do this together and not play house while at Hogwarts. All that talking we used to do is a reality – because of you and because of…because of Margaret. She's our daughter, and right now, she needs stability. That means with you too."

Sirius reluctantly agreed.

For the first time in a while, Emma woke up without having a nightmare. Her room was still dark, but it was starting to lighten up. She looked to her left to find Figaro sleeping on her pillow. She turned her head to her right, not at all surprised that the overwhelming warmth she felt was Remus. Emma lifted her head and found Sirius as Padfoot sleeping at her feet. Her entire family was squashed in her twin bed, and a smile crossed her face.

Padfoot lifted his head and met her gaze with a yawn. Remus was still fast asleep, snoring much to Emma's amusement. Emma wished she could record Remus snoring because he never believed her.

Emma turned onto her side and scooted closer to Remus, freeing up space to her left. She motioned for Padfoot to take the empty space. They stared at each other for a moment before he lifted himself up to deposit himself in the spot between the wall and her body, resting his head on his paws. Figaro lifted her head to eye the dog up curiously and curled back up unconcerned.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Emma whispered, scratching the spot between Padfoot's shoulders that she knew he liked. His ears flicked slightly, his head turning minutely in her direction. "This is new for all of us still, and I think I'm too afraid of getting comfortable. I've done some idiotic things the past few weeks, and I thought I could handle everything, but I didn't do a good job like I'd hoped. I thought I was smart, but I realized that I'm really not. I should have known it was all a trick…"

Padfoot turned his head more towards Emma, pressing his nose to hers.

"I just wish that we could all just be a normal family - that's all I want," Emma said with a huffed out laugh. "I suppose we've never really been that normal though, have we? I've got a dog father and a wolf dad, but I think that makes me really lucky. We're not normal, but we're special because our family is just for us."

Padfoot snorted, and Emma groaned as snot hit her face, and an errant smile crossed her face. "Papa, that was disgusting," Emma said, rubbing her face. She let out a squeak when Remus's arm suddenly wrapped itself around her middle, pulling her back against his chest

"Emma Hope, please go back to bed," Remus mumbled. "It's late."

"Actually, it's early. The sun's starting to come up," Emma pointed out, grinning as Remus let out an exasperated sigh. His hand came up to smooth back her hair, and he kissed the back of her head.

"Whatever time it is, it's too much whatever time it is to be talking so much."

"There's never a wrong time."

"Sleep, fy nghariad, please."

The abrupt return to her usual name pulled a sharp breath from her, and she looked over her shoulder at Remus in surprise. He was looking at her just as surprised, and he was tense until Emma gave him a beaming smile. She was delighted to hear it and settled back down quickly, throwing an arm around Padfoot. They didn't leave her, she was still home, and finally, finally, the nightmare had stopped.

Lucasjan - eepp! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I'm also really glad you like my portrayal of Fenrir! I hate writing him, but I love writing him just because he's such villain. The cup is soon - I swear! It was supposed to happen already, but then Fenrir really needed some time devoted to him!

ShardAura - you may or may not be wrong about that hahahaha. I'm not sure about the "so far sideways" part yet, but it's definitely going to go sideways...at some point. Thank you, thank you, thank you!