Emma woke up on Monday morning feeling beyond sick to her stomach. The idea of going to the Ministry just knowing they weren't going to let her go back home worried her. She had no idea where they could possibly send her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Though it was insisted that she wouldn't go back to Saint Nicholas's, Emma didn't trust that it wasn't still an option. If she remembered correctly, there were still two other facilities she could be placed in. There was Kindred Spirits in London, and the other, Hepzibah House, was somewhere up in Scotland. Emma didn't like the idea of having to go to either as she knew Fenrir would most likely be quick to follow.

Fenrir was a unique problem because there were things that she didn't understand about his obsession with her. It was clear that Fenrir knew a lot about her family, and clearly herself, and she had spent days pondering his motives.

At first, Emma thought it was about the money, but that didn't make any sense. After going through the entirety of the Black family tree, Sirius walked Emma through the vast fortune the family had. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of having money, and it was overwhelming, but it didn't seem like it was the sort of thing Fenrir cared about.

The few things she learned about Fenrir told her he wasn't struggling financially in any capacity. He had his own business ventures within the pack outside of everything else he was doing. Even if he didn't, Fenrir was menacing enough that it was easy for him to get work in the shadier parts of the magical (and Muggle) communities. Fenrir's moral compass was severely skewed, and it didn't appear that money was his motivation.

She had gone back to the deal Fenrir had made with Jude multiple times. For all the talk of being Fenrir's mate, Emma wasn't even entirely sure that was it anymore either. She had forced Remus to explain what exactly that meant, but he didn't have a clear answer because he didn't know. Fenrir wasn't a werewolf that ordinarily took a mate, so Remus was left completely baffled.

"Mates are complicated," Remus explained to her. "Werewolves, er, aren't necessarily monogamous, so for a werewolf to take a mate, it's with the understanding that it's meant to be lifelong. I suppose it's the werewolf equivalent of a spouse, but so few werewolves ever take a mate that I'm not entirely sure. I know there's a ritual to it, but I've never seen it."

"So, if there's a werewolf equivalent of marriage, is there one for divorce?" Emma asked pointedly.

Remus let out a quiet laugh of disbelief and nodded. "Of course," Remus said. "However, because magic is involved, I think anyone who takes a mate just remains with their mate. There's nothing to say that they can't be with others – an open marriage, if you will."

That had made Emma's nose crinkle with the thought. The fact Remus didn't have a definitive answer wasn't helpful. He had plenty of other information for her, such as pack dynamics and different roles, but she needed to understand what a mate was. The only information Emma had been able to gather from what Remus knew wasn't really helpful. It seemed like when someone had a role in the pack, that was their only role until they were moved. The only possibility Emma came up with is it was Fenrir's way of making sure that Emma would never truly gain power.

"It would make sense," Emma said, grimacing slightly at what she was about to say next. "Before that one full, Elara and I talked…"

Remus was not thrilled that Elara had told Emma so much, his expression turning less and less amused. Even after Emma finished talking, Remus continued to look stiff.

"I suppose you have a point," Remus eventually said with a sigh. "If he decides to have you as a mate, it doesn't necessarily mean he would allow you to serve as a leader. Just because he educated you in a way that you could become a pack leader, it doesn't mean you would. The titles aren't the same, as any werewolf can take a mate."

"But that brings up another problem," Emma said quietly.

"What's that?"

"When Fenrir and Jude made their deal…there was the suggestion of…'pups,'" Emma said with a shudder. "And with…what he tried to do…"

"That will never happen," Remus said sharply.

The conversation had ended there as Sirius had come back into the house, but Emma wasn't entirely reassured. She was small, and Fenrir was huge compared to her. Emma was already tiny next to Remus, but she was practically a chew toy next to Fenrir. Fenrir was pure muscle, and though Emma wasn't completely weak, she doubted she could overpower Fenrir physically. She was an even match with her wand, but that wasn't guaranteed.

Whatever plan Fenrir had wasn't clear in the least, and Emma had no idea what to think. The only thing that she could think of was following Elara's initial advice – find out who Fenrir Greyback was before his bite. Hopefully, that would give her the answers that she needed.

At least with Jude, she had a very vague understanding of who he was. He was a mystery, but at least there was a clear motivation, as sick and twisted as it was. Jude was someone else that she needed to find information on, but she had a better starting point with him than with Fenrir.

She couldn't imagine that someone could so easily give a child to a werewolf with the hidden motive of having them killed for being a girl. It was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow that even if Margaret decided to keep her, Jude still wouldn't have been happy. Jude was so disgusted by the entire situation that he was willing to throw her literally to the wolves. The only bit of solace she could find was that Fenrir didn't kill her because he didn't care.

It had made her wonder far too many times if things would have been different if she were a boy. Emma had spent hours having the internal debate with herself of whether or not things would have turned out how they did. From what she understood, Margaret still would have offered to give her to Remus and Sirius, but would things have been the same?

Would Sirius be happier with her instead of Harry? Would Remus still love her as much as he did if she was a boy? Emma tried not to think about it too much, but it crossed her mind frequently.

That led Emma to another frustrating situation; there was nothing wrong with Margaret. It had settled into her mind like a broken mantra – there was nothing wrong. It played out in her mind over and over again, and Emma had no idea how she was going to get those answers. She supposed she could ask Fenrir, but did she want to be anywhere near Fenrir again? Absolutely not. Emma had worried herself sick multiple times over the three first years who had been drug into a situation they didn't need to be in. No matter how many times Remus told her there were Aurors watching their homes, Emma trusted nothing. Ellis working at the Ministry was enough evidence that nowhere was safe.

Emma had kept correspondence with the three first years while being home. They seemed happy with their new families, and that made Emma happy. Raewyn and Brennan had wound up going to a family together and became adopted siblings to a younger couple. Finley was adopted by an older couple and had older siblings that had graduated Hogwarts. Emma was happy that they were happy, glad to find that they had families where they belonged; she knew how important that was.

The sense of belonging to someone, truly belonging to someone, was an overwhelming and heady feeling. Sometimes Emma had to take a step back to remind herself that she was where she belonged, if only the rest of the wizarding community felt the same.

It shouldn't have been of any real surprise that an unfamiliar owl found its way to Aurora's perch in the middle of her thinking of what to do about Fenrir. Emma frowned at the owl, trying to rationalize that it couldn't be from Fenrir. With a sigh, Emma crossed over to the owl. She took the letter held between its beak and ran a hand down the owl's back.

"You want a treat, little guy?" Emma asked quietly, grinning slightly when the owl nipped at her finger. She reached over to her jar of Aurora's owl treats and held it out for the owl to take. "Does this require a response?" When the owl flew off, Emma had her answer.

Emma glanced over at her clock to check the time, and her frown deepened. The note was cutting things close, and it made Emma look out into the yard and into the woods. Remus had put his massive expanse of security charms back up, but that didn't mean anything when Fenrir knew where the cottage was. It was enough of a deterrent to keep Fenrir out, but Emma doubted that her time at the cottage was entirely free of him. Still, Emma was curious – perhaps the note wasn't from Fenrir at all.

'I did what I could for you, but I can't help you today. You are on your own. Remember the things I taught you fy lleuad. You should know enough to figure things out on your own, but you're going to have to be smart about what you do. Your father and the dog wouldn't be the only ones upset if something were to happen to you – remember that. Yours, F'

"Shit," Emma hissed as she hastily shoved the letter into her pocket. The fact Fenrir sent her a letter because he was worried was not reassuring. Fenrir Greyback was not someone who often worried, if at all. Emma desperately hoped that it didn't mean what she thought it did.

Emma startled at her bedroom door opened, and Remus's head popped into the room. He studied her for a moment, concern etched into every line of his face.

"Are you all right?" he asked, stepping into her room slowly. He held a bottle of Wolfsbane in one hand and shoved his free hand into his pocket.

"Y-yeah," Emma lied, giving Remus a shaky smile. Remus's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly not believing her. It was stupid to not tell Remus that Fenrir wrote to her, but it didn't seem worth it. She knew it was ridiculous to not just tell him, but for some reason, Emma couldn't convince herself to just tell him. "Just nervous," Emma finally added, trying not to react when Remus's eyes flicked over to Aurora's perch.

"Of course," he said, his lips twitching into an uncertain smile. He lifted the bottle of Wolfsbane in his hand. "Should probably take this before we leave." It was an oddly fitting send-off.

Heading to the Ministry with all of her things in tow seemed like such overkill. Poor Figaro hated the Floo despite every precaution they had taken for the cat and meowed pathetically in her carrier. Remus gave Emma a sympathetic look as he cast a silencing spell on the carrier, and Emma felt terrible. She wanted nothing more than to take the kitten out and hold her, but there was an incredibly long list of rules for the day.

Speak only when spoken to, wands are to be left in a designated section of the room, no charms of any sort could be activated – the list went on and on. The appointment was only meant to determine whether Emma could stay home or not, but it felt like they were preparing for battle. Every piece of documentation that Remus and Emma had from the Ministry and elsewhere was carefully filed and put together. It seemed like overkill at first, but then Remus went over who would actually be present, and Emma was no longer surprised. Dolores Umbridge was one of their biggest enemies in the situation, and Emma wasn't looking forward to finally having a face to the name.

It was with sheer relief that they weren't going all the way down to the courtrooms. They dropped Emma's things off at the cloakroom, visited the wand weigh station (which Emma still didn't understand), and made their way to the lift. They only had to go to level two to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and over to the registration department. It was a much quicker trip than to level ten.

"It'll be fine," Remus said, grabbing onto Emma's hand to keep her from pulling at her clothes the moment they stepped off the lift. "I'll be there the entire time."

Emma shot Remus a look and pulled her hand from his so that she could tuck herself under his arm. "Yes, well, you've already done this several times," Emma muttered. "This entire thing is stupid."

"I know it is," Remus sighed. "But it's just how it is for…people like me…"

"And that's why I'm going to change all of this the very moment I can," Emma said. "No one should have to go through this…"

Emma had stupidly thought that she would know right away what Fenrir was worried about as she followed Remus. She had wanted it to be evident the moment they got off the lift, but there were no indicators. Nothing stuck out as odd, the witches and wizards they passed cast glances at them, but no one seemed out of place.

It wasn't until Remus started to slow down as they approached a junction in the hallway that Emma started to get worried. He eventually slowed to a complete halt, putting a hand on Emma's arm to keep her where she was.

"I should have known," Remus growled out quietly.

"It's Jude, isn't it?" Emma asked, her stomach dropping when Remus looked at her and gave a slight nod. She hoped that Fenrir's note was just going to be something to throw her off, but if Jude was there…Well, she didn't entirely blame Fenrir for being worried. Fenrir had made it clear that he wasn't fond of Jude, but it bothered Emma that he refused to do anything about it. "Now what? If he's here…"

Remus frowned and shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted, rubbing his jaw roughly. "How much do you know about Jude?"

"Not enough, I don't think," Emma replied, her voice breaking. She knew something would go wrong, but she didn't expect it to be because Jude was there. "This was just supposed to be with us."

"Yes, but if Jude's here, then that means…" Remus trailed off, a long stream of Welsh escaping his lips. He turned to Emma, placing his hands on her shoulders and pinning her with a hard stare. "This is going to make things a lot more difficult. This is a very new development, which means things will take longer than they should have. My solicitor is only going to be able to do so much in this situation, especially if Jude has one as well. Things are automatically going to go in his favor because he's…human."

"But the Ministry considers me a werewolf, so I don't understand why this has to be so bloody complicated. Even if things weren't as incredibly fucked up as they are, Jude wouldn't even know what to do with me. He doesn't even know me."

"Remember that," Remus said pointedly. "He doesn't know you. He's going to think that he does, I'm sure he's heard plenty of things through third parties, but he doesn't know you. I know that this will put an incredible amount of pressure on you but latch onto that information. I don't care what you have to say – I can guarantee Jude will use Fenrir's involvement in your life as leverage. Don't lie about things, be honest –"

"But I don't want to say something that'll hurt you –"

"It's more important that you don't go anywhere with him, not alone, at least," Remus said, his gaze imploring her to listen to him. "Do you understand?"

Emma let out a quiet whine before nodding. She didn't want to do this, and she certainly didn't want to be in a situation where she could hurt Remus. The entire situation made her nervous, and when Remus pulled her into his arms, Emma held tightly to him.

"Also, please watch your language," Remus said softly, forcing Emma to snort. "You know I don't care, but I don't need them to find issue with something else."

Walking around the corner of the hallway was a terrifying moment as neither knew what would be happening. It seemed almost comical to see Jude and Ellis talking as if everything was normal – just two friends catching up, but they knew the truth.

Jude outside of St. Mungo's was very much like the memories she had of him. Tailored clothing with his freshly cut, slicked-back hair. Emma didn't think anyone more punchable ever existed in her life. He turned his head to look at them only when Ellis pointed out their presence, and Emma gripped hard to Remus's hand to stop the growl she could hear forming.

"It's not worth it," Emma whispered to Remus.

"It would be if I could tear him apart," Remus said through grit teeth.

"Easy there, Moony," Emma said, biting back her grin. "Or should I start calling you Cujo?"

"I really need to start being careful with what movies I let you watch," Remus sighed, moving to the side of the hallway. "Or what books you read, for that matter."

"Remus!" called a voice from the direction in which they came. Remus turned to look and put a hand on Emma's arm and gave it a squeeze.

"Do not move from this spot," Remus said, glancing up at Jude and Ellis. "If he comes anywhere near you, come right to me. I'd rather talk to Mr. Hadley nowhere near them, but people need to see that you're here."

Emma made sure to give a grumpy huff of protest as Remus bent down to kiss the top of her head. He brushed his knuckles against her cheek, cast Jude and Ellis another look, and made his way over to his solicitor.

She felt like she was trying to watch a tennis match, her gaze bouncing between Remus and Mr. Hadley to her left and Jude and Ellis to her right. She knew that she didn't need to keep an eye on Remus, he was exactly where he was, but Jude and Ellis were getting closer. They weren't too subtle about it, either, and each time they would get stopped, Emma could see the look of frustration on Jude's face.

Others who were meant to be a part of the meeting were slowly beginning to show up. There was Tonks who stopped to talk to Remus for a moment before saying hello to her and then stopping outside a door. Another woman came by, around the same height as Tonks, who did the same with Remus, cast her a quick glance before speaking to Jude and Ellis. Another man walked completely past everyone and straight to Jude. Emma assumed that was his solicitor, which wasn't a good sign; Jude wasn't coming to play. Several other people went down the hallway, and in Emma's distraction, she realized that Jude was nearly right next to her. With a squeak, she practically ran over to Remus and Mr. Hadley, tucking herself under Remus's arm.

Remus's hold on her was extraordinarily protective and was second nature to him. He barely reacted to her presence, not missing a beat in his conversation with Mr. Hadley. With only the slightest glances away from Mr. Hadley, Remus took a look at where Jude was and tightened his arm around her shoulders.

Emma's face immediately flushed when Mr. Hadley looked at her, blue eyes bright and glittering. The man almost reminded her of Mr. Weasley and seemed very kind.

"Ah, so this must be Emma," he said kindly

"'Lo," Emma said shyly, shrinking further into Remus's side.

"Oh, she's a shy little thing, isn't she," Mr. Hadley asked, looking back at Remus with a smile.

"You have no idea," Remus said gently.

"Hello…gentleman."

Emma refused to look up over at Jude, and she clutched harder to the back of Remus's jacket. Goawaygoawaygoaway, she kept silently willing for Jude to recognize the fact that he wasn't wanted there. When Remus reluctantly reached over to shake Jude's hand, Emma shot him a look at his betrayal but forced herself to remember it was all a game. She stared hard at a spot on the floor, trying to ignore what was going on. She was a living nightmare all over again.

"And what about you?" Jude said pointedly to Emma.

She slowly lifted her gaze to meet Jude's, aggravated that he would dare address her at all. The desire to claw at him sat at the surface, but Remus was quick to tamp that down, Moony's influence slowly seeping in. Emma hoped that she secretly had the same ability that Remus did, and Moony knew exactly what Soleil was yelling at him. It wasn't very pretty.

"What about me?" Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Well, er," Mr. Hadley looked between the three of them, "perhaps you should give him a hug, Emma. Better to make it seem like all parties are agreeable."

"I really don't know that's a good idea," Remus said carefully, his grip on Emma's arm tightening.

Emma thought about what to do as she turned her head to glare at Jude. "It's fine," Emma finally said. There was a long list of questionable things she would rather do than hug Jude, but she had to play the game. The moment she relaxed her hold on Remus, she regretted it.

"Oh, how sweet," said a voice that sounded far too sickly sweet for Emma's liking. She wanted to rip apart whoever the voice belonged to limb by limb and toss them into the nearby fire. They had no idea what they were talking about.

There was nothing sweet or kind about the way Jude ripped her away from Remus to pull her into his excuse of a hug. His fingers dug hard into her body as if he wanted to rip her skin away from her bones. Her knees nearly buckled as Jude's fingers dug right into the bite on her shoulder, and she was forced to grab onto him for support.

"I'm so lucky to have a wonderful little girl like you."

Emma could feel the way Remus's eyes shooting daggers just as she went completely limp. Fenrir had purposely tried to desensitize her to the phrase during their long nights, but it didn't work. If Jude didn't have such a firm hold on her, she would have flinched more, bracing for the fire-hot pain of the Cruciatus. She swore that she would be sick on the spot, angry hot tears filling her eyes. Emma didn't think anyone could possibly be worse than Fenrir, but Jude was much worse. She couldn't let him hold power over her.

With all the force she could muster, Emma shoved her hands up between herself and Jude and pushed off of him hard. When his hold on her broke, Emma wanted to run straight back into Remus's arms, but she didn't – she couldn't.

"You do not have a little girl like me," Emma snarled at Jude through gritted teeth. "And you never will."

Jude, every part the arrogant man Emma felt he was, bent down to be on her level, his hands on his knees. He looked as though he was trying to level with a toddler, which infuriated Emma more than anything.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" he asked with a deceptively innocent smile.

Remus quickly pulled Emma back under his arm. "You did what you were asked to do," he said to Emma, his gaze sharp as he looked at Jude. "And don't you dare talk to her like that again. She's not your daughter, Jude – I suggest remembering that."

"Well, we'll find out about that soon enough," Jude said smugly.

Jude was about to say something else, but they were all called into the room. Emma lingered in the hallway with Remus, glaring at Jude's back as they left.

"I don't like him," Emma said quietly to Remus, rubbing the bite on her shoulder. "I didn't think it was going to be possible to hate someone more than Fenrir, but I think he's just done it."

"I don't like him either," Remus said. "How's your shoulder?"

"Fine," Emma muttered, still rubbing the bite. She sighed as Remus bent down to kiss the spot near her temple and then looked at her, waiting for an honest answer. "It hurts…but nowhere near as much as when I got it. I'll be fine."

"That's better," Remus said softly, kissing Emma's cheek. "What did I tell you about acting like you're fine when you're not?"

"That I'm too proud and too bloody stubborn for my own good. Repeatedly. Probably several times in the span of five minutes," Emma said with a slight smile.

"There's my girl," Remus said. He straightened up and turned to Mr. Hadley. "Suppose we should join the others."

"Now, Emma, since the nature of this meeting has clearly changed, you might not have to speak today," Mr. Hadley said as they walked. "I know that this is going to be intimidating, and there's a strong possibility certain scenarios will be brought up that will make you uncomfortable. They'll go over all of this when we all sit down, but if you need a break, just let us know. Do you understand?"

"Er, yes," Emma said. She was already ready for the meeting to be over, and it still hadn't started.

Emma didn't expect so many people to be in the room, and she tried to figure out who was sitting at the rectangular table. She knew Tonks, and she obviously knew Jude, but the others were nameless faces. That is until Emma spotted a squat woman with mousy brown hair that looked like a toad. Emma had to cover up her snort with a cough – Remus's description of Dolores Umbridge was too accurate.

She took another look at the people present and took a good look at the tall woman sitting next to Umbridge. She had short grey hair, and Emma tilted her head slightly as she studied the woman's face. The woman bore a resemblance to Susan Bones, but much more serious looking, and Emma found that curious. Was this Susan's aunt? Emma cast Remus a look, asking him silently if her suspicions were correct, and he gave a nod.

Emma wasn't too sure that she liked the seating arrangements. Amelia Bones sat at the head of the table where they were near. Mr. Hadley sat to Amelia's right, Emma sat in the middle, and Remus sat to her right. Tonks and another woman who Emma assumed was an Auror sat to Remus's right. Umbridge sat directly to Amelia's left, followed by Jude's solicitor. Jude sat directly across from Remus, and two other men sat to Jude's left. Another man sat at the other end of the table facing Amelia.

Remus, to his credit, ignored Jude's looks, but Emma didn't. She didn't miss the way people kept looking at her either, their eyes following the scars on her face before finding the mark on her shoulder. It felt like Umbridge barely bothered to hide her contempt, disgust worn on her face as she looked at Emma. Remus was quick to grab onto Emma's hand, giving it a light squeeze, and Emma frowned at him. One of his eyebrows arched slightly, and he gave Emma a small smile. She let out a quiet huff and laced her fingers with his, holding on tight; Emma had no intention of letting go.

"Well, we have some new faces here today," Amelia said once she had herself situated. She smiled at Emma, and Emma immediately felt her face heat up. "I'm Amelia Bones, Susan Bone's aunt. It's nice to finally meet you, Emma."

"Susan's told me a lot about you," Emma blurted out, sinking down slightly into her chair in embarrassment.

Luckily Amelia laughed. "Oh, you are a true Hufflepuff, aren't you? Well, that's all right," she said, looking down at the papers in front of her. "Now, Jude met with us a week ago, but this is Emma's first time here. Would everyone mind introducing themselves?"

The Auror next to Tonks was Tasha Langley and had been pulled in after Fenrir attacked her. The two men sitting to Jude's left were the two that had written to her early in the summer. The skinny red-haired man was Morey Hopkins from the department they were in. The slightly balding, severe-looking man was Hilliard Robbie from the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures department. Emma had a feeling she wouldn't like him much, but he barely looked in her direction. The man sitting at the end of the table was Graham Bradshaw from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but Emma didn't know what he did exactly. Jude's solicitor's name was Brian McIntosh, and to Emma's amusement, Mr. Hadley's first name was Leif. Umbridge barely needed to introduce herself, and Emma discovered the sickly sweet voice had come from her.

It almost seemed like Emma wasn't going to have to talk as everyone discussed what had changed. Mr. Hadley was confused about why none of them were informed of Jude's involvement and was displeased with finding out that day. McIntosh brought up the three weeks of requested silence, which brought up a conversation about how three weeks wasn't honored. The silence was meant only for Emma to recover. There was a ridiculous amount of back and forth between the solicitors, with one of the other people present interjecting into the conversation.

For a long while, Emma thought she wouldn't have to speak at all. She kept her gaze fixed to a spot on the table, listening closely to what was being said and focusing on the feeling of Remus's thumb rubbing hers. It was a soothing and rhythmic pattern that helped to soothe her nerves, and Emma idly wondered if it helped him as well.

As she was underage, most of the conversation was left to Mr. Hadley, which Emma didn't mind. Whoever suggested the man to act as Remus's solicitor was brilliant, and Emma wondered if it was Elara's recommendation. She always seemed to find people willing to work with werewolves, but Elara was charismatic in a way that left Emma envious. Emma lifted her gaze slightly when it came up that she would most likely need her own solicitor moving forward. That wasn't a good sign at all, and she avoided turning her head to look at Remus with worry over how much it would cost.

"Right, well, I think we've heard enough from Remus and Jude to start making decisions on Emma's care for now," Amelia eventually said to the table. "Which leaves Emma as the only one we haven't heard from just yet. As this is a decision that will affect her, it's only fair that we hear what she has to say." Amelia turned her attention to Emma. "Did you need a brief recess, or shall we continue?"

"I should be all right," Emma said, taking a shaky breath.

"Perfect," Amelia said. "Remember, Jude, Remus, neither of you are allowed to speak at this time. However, your solicitors are allowed to participate. Whoever has questions may ask them now."

Emma wasn't at all surprised when Umbridge was the first to speak. Other than Jude's solicitor, she was going to be the difficult one to work with.

"Well, Miss Nickels," started Umbridge

"It's Lupin," Emma said tersely, her lips pressing together as Remus squeezed her hand in warning.

"Ahem, Miss Nickels – I have my concerns. Namely regarding your relationship with Mr. Greyback."

Emma had to pull her lower lip between her teeth to keep herself from laughing at Fenrir being referred to as "Mr. Greyback." Umbridge was clearly just going to jump right into the worst of things, and Emma gave a slight nod for her to continue.

"Well, nearly everyone involved in this case has been made well aware of your incidents involving Mr. Greyback. I'm sure, like myself, the others fail to understand the nature of your relationship with Mr. Greyback," Umbridge said. "The children's home was one of the safest possible places you could be. I confess that I wonder if you were perhaps suggesting that you would be interested in sleeping with Mr. Greyback before your attack."

Remus's fingers tightened painfully around hers, and Emma's jaw dropped as she looked at Umbridge. Emma gave Jude a sidelong glance, her eyes narrowing as she noticed him cover his mouth to hide his amusement.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Emma finally said to Umbridge in disbelief.

"Well, it appears that you two were…close. I'm just wondering who is truly at fault in this situation."

"This line of questioning is highly inappropriate," Mr. Hadley said.

"Is it? The point of this meeting is to explore all possibilities. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Nickels have already undergone their questioning. The only one we have yet to hear from is Miss Nickels. I just want to make sure that we have all of the information before making a decision."

"I fail to see how that's at all relevant," Emma said sharply.

"Well, considering Mr. Lupin is a werewolf, I think it's important that we know the facts."

Emma pulled her hand from Remus's and clasped her hands in front of her on the table and leaned forward. "What exactly are you implying?"

"Well, he's a werewolf; there's nothing to imply. It's in his nature."

"Emma, you don't need to answer this question," Mr. Hadley said. "That's not the point of this meeting."

"No, I want to know what exactly she's trying to say," Emma said. "I'm very curious to know where this conversation is going."

"Well, all werewolves are depraved creatures –"

"So you're suggesting that my own father would try to rape me?"

"It's not as though it's not unheard of. Werewolves are mindless beasts, after all."

Umbridge was completely unhinged; Emma was sure of it. Emma nearly burst into laughter at how absurd the entire situation was. This was not what she expected to walk into, and she was disgusted. This was what people thought about werewolves? Emma couldn't believe it, and she leaned back slightly her jaw dropping. It was the sort of thing that could easily be associated with Fenrir, but her father?

"Emma, you really don't need to answer," Mr. Hadley repeated.

"No, it's fine," Emma said, turning her attention to Mr. Hadley, who gestured for Emma to continue. "Let me make several things clear, Miss Secretary –"

"Madam Undersecretary –"

"Same bloody thing," Emma said with an aggravated huff. She knew it really wasn't, but she didn't care. "I do not appreciate the fact that you would dare accuse me of pursuing that sort of relationship with Greyback. I really do not appreciate the fact that you would dare lump my father into a category with Greyback who deserves a category by himself –"

"Well, it's not as though he's really your father, is he?"

"I look exactly like him," Emma bit out. "I would never seek that sort of relationship with Greyback, and never have I ever willingly sought him out. I tolerate his presence at best as it's in my best interest to not anger him. I highly doubt I need to remind everyone in this room of the true nature of Fenrir Greyback. His attack was a vile action on his part, and I will never be able to erase it or hide the fact of what he's done to me. I never asked for this, and I honestly thought he would kill me multiple times while I was in the children's home. Never once in my life have I worried about my safety or wellbeing with Remus John Lupin. I fear that I now have to be specific as it's obvious there's confusion of who my father really is."

The silence that fell was palpable, and Emma startled slightly when Remus started to rub her back. Emma took a shaky breath and leaned back in her chair, leaning closer towards Remus, just wanting to be close.

"What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Greyback?" asked Mr. McIntosh.

Emma turned her attention to the man sitting directly across from her, studying him for a moment. His dark eyes were boring into hers, and Emma quickly cast her gaze aside, worried that he could do Legilimency. That would just make things worse, and she wouldn't put it past Jude to find someone just as sneaky as he was.

"That's a very complicated question to answer," Emma said slowly.

"How so?"

"Well, it depends on the context, I suppose," Emma said with a slight shrug. "But he's not part of this discussion. The discussion is why you insist on keeping me away from my father."

"We're trying to reunite you with Mr. Nickels."

"That man is not my father."

"Per your records –"

"He is not my father."

"Again, if you would please stop interrupting –"

"I will keep interrupting until you understand that I'm sitting right next to my father."

"You are obviously very confused –"

"Nothing is confusing about it. Jude wasn't even around when I was a baby."

"And how can you say that? You were a baby?"

"Doesn't matter, does it? I know for a fact that the man sitting right next to me was around far more often than the one across the table. I think that's more than enough information for me to know."

"And what makes you think that?"

"There's photographic evidence. Who's holding me in most photos looking like an absolutely proud father? Remus Lupin. Know who's nowhere to be seen? Jude Nickels. I don't even think I've ever seen a photo of Jude and me together in my life."

"Perhaps he was the one taking the photo."

"Curious when he can be found lingering in the background, not interested in what's going on in the room. Now, unless he's waving his wand half-way across the room and has some charm that allows him to see through the viewfinder, I doubt he's taking the photo," Emma said sharply. She rubbed her forehead, trying to give herself a moment to breathe and calm her anxiety. "I look exactly like the man sitting next to me, and you're going to tell me that it doesn't matter?"

"That was all done with a potion."

"Doesn't change the fact he's my father," Emma insisted. "This man has done more for me in three years than anyone has ever done for me my entire life."

"He's still a werewolf."

"He is not Greyback."

"But he's still dangerous."

"By that argument, then so am I," Emma said, glancing over at Robbie. "I received a letter stating that I would be required to be on the Werewolf Registry at seventeen. I think that's point enough that I should be with Remus and not Jude. Jude wouldn't even know how to take care of me. Remus is always going to know."

"That still doesn't change the fact that until you're seventeen, we would be putting a child back in the home of a werewolf," Umbridge said.

"And again, the Ministry has literally classified me as a werewolf, so I don't see what the issue is," Emma snapped. "We have documentation of the letter I received from Mr. Robbies informing me of my requirement to be on the registry. Obviously, he wouldn't have had so many comments about me earlier if that weren't the case."

There were soft mutterings around the table, and Emma leaned further back into her chair. She was angry, and if it weren't for Remus rubbing her back, she probably would have lost her composure completely.

"Well, if the issue is Emma feels that she looks like Remus, then we could run through the blood adoption all over again," McIntosh said.

"Actually, due to Emma's biology, you can't," said Mr. Hadley. "Emma is in a state of in-between, not quite human, not quite a half-breed. Her infection overrides her entire system, and a blood adoption wouldn't take. The only way a blood adoption could take place again is with very specific circumstances."

"And what would those circumstances be?"

"Well, there could be a cure for lycanthropy overnight," said Mr. Hadley with a laugh. "Or it would have to involve another werewolf or a canine Animagus. As there are no canines on the Animagus registry, that would leave only another werewolf."

Emma's stomach did a funny little flip, and she sat up a little straighter. Mr. Hadley just mentioned a dog Animagus as being a reason a blood adoption could take place. With Emma's infection, it would never override Remus's input into her genetics. Her thoughts immediately went into a tailspin as she tried to think of everything that had happened with Fenrir. There were so many moments that Fenrir had implied that she was a Black. Emma had started to feel like she had some of Sirius's features, as subtle as they were. There wasn't a possibility that she really could be a Black, could there?

Her thoughts immediately returned to when Fenrir brought back the rest of her memories. There was the funny-looking potion that seemed familiar and foreign to her. She had never heard Sirius mention following through on the same process as Remus, only paperwork. Was there a possibility that a potion had been made and the ceremony had only been half completed?

Emma was jarred out of her thoughts when she heard more talking, and she had to pay attention. Apparently, the small bits of information she had given wasn't good enough, and there was idle chatter of giving Jude temporary custody. That wasn't good at all, and Emma had to think fast.

The last thing she wanted to do was think about Fenrir, but she thought back to the note sitting in her pocket. He said to remember what he taught her, but there was a near endless list of things he taught her growing up. What would be most beneficial in this situation? She had to try and think like Fenrir, and that was a disturbing thought.

As she looked across the table at Jude, Emma felt she had to put that aside and focus on something more important. She took in the near-smug look on Jude's face and the worried look on Remus's, and she knew exactly what she needed to do.

Fenrir had drilled it in her head at a very young age that she had to be several steps ahead. Even better, he had taught her the best way to throw people off unexpectedly with her small size – just start crying.

With only the smallest half-glance in Remus's direction to try and warn him to follow along, Emma forced herself to start crying. It didn't take much to start, already feeling incredibly emotional, but she was nowhere near the level of theatrics she had to put on. Emma kept the ruse up for as long as she could, trying to ignore the stunned silences and the sympathetic looks of everyone except for Jude and Umbridge.

"I'm sorry," Emma sniffled, shooting Remus a very quick apologetic look and desperately hoping he understood what she was doing. She looked up at Jude, working hard to suppress her smirk at the disgusted look on his face before she looked at everyone else. Emma lifted a hand to gesture vaguely in Jude's direction. "It's just…I've missed him so much, and I don't want to hurt either Jude or Remus. I love them both. How am I supposed to be apart from either?"

Jude made a choking noise, and Remus immediately covered his mouth to hide his smile. Emma had seen Remus do the action so often, quickly shifting his face into one appropriate for the occasion. It was never something she had to do with Remus, but she had heard plenty of stories of him having to hide his expressions. He never wanted to look too amused during his pranking days, and Remus was a complete natural. No one would even know the difference.

He gave himself a moment to compose himself and reached out to put a hand on Emma's arm in the perfect charade of understanding.

Emma Lupin – 1. Jude Nickels – 0.

"I understand," Remus said gently, rubbing her arm. "I know you don't want to hurt anyone, and I'm sure Jude understands as well, yes?"

A flash of rage flickered over Jude's face, his jaw clenching tightly as he looked across the table. He was a good actor as well, as he put on his best sympathetic expression. "Yes, of course," he said tightly. "But Emelyn, pet, it's time for you to come home. We have a lot to catch up on."

Someone passed Emma a handkerchief, and she took it with all the grace she could manage. It helped her to wipe at her eyes to hide the fact her eye nearly twitched at Jude calling her pet. She could excuse being called Emelyn, as she had gone by that for so long. Being called pet was more nauseating than anything Fenrir ever called her and made her feel uneasy. There was something sinister behind it, but she wasn't sure what just yet.

Emma let out a choked sob, hanging her head and peering up at everyone through her eyelashes. She was going to milk her performance for everything it was worth.

"I'm not sure that it would be wise to stick us in one home," Emma said, dabbing at her eyes. "I'm just worried after what I was told before the first time I visited St. Mungo's. I know that Jude was combative with my mother in his…incapacitated state. I fear that because we look so similar that I might bring forth the same issues." Emma took a great sniff, straightening up slightly, but holding herself close. She made sure that her eyes welled up with tears again, and she fixed Jude with a hard stare to show she wasn't backing down. "I don't want to cause Jude any undue stress."

There were murmurings as the committee flipped through the paperwork in front of them to confirm that information. The way the muscle in Jude's jaw jumped was incredibly telling. Emma silently added another tally to her score.

Emma Lupin – 2. Jude Nickels – 0.

"Well, that won't be an issue at all," Jude finally said dryly. "You look absolutely nothing like your mother with those scars on your face."

Absolute bastard, Emma thought to herself as everyone suddenly looked up, and all eyes were on her. That was an incredibly sore subject, and a low blow, but Emma had to admit it was a clever move.

Emma Lupin – 2. Jude Nickels – 1.

It was the perfect opportunity to pull the tears back out, and Emma began to sob again. After this performance, she would expect an award – perhaps drop out of Hogwarts to find a magical drama school. If she had read into things correctly, one actually existed. Maybe they would be a touch kinder to a werewolf. It did its purpose, and everyone else went back to their paperwork on Jude's stay in St. Mungo's.

"Oh, sweetheart," Remus said gently, reaching over to Emma to pull her close, stroking her hair. "If you were with me, you never would have been attacked."

Emma gave a feeble nod, and there was soft, "Oh's" from at least two people at the table. She would consider that a win for Team Lupin and mentally added a third tally. All that mattered was that they stayed ahead.

"Keep doing what you're doing because you're the only one with a handle on this situation right now," Remus whispered in her ear, making sure to keep quiet enough that no one would think it was anything more than soothing words. Emma gave another small nod, burying her face in his chest.

"Well, that does change things a little bit, yes?" asked Mr. Hadley. "It wouldn't be right to pull Emma from one potentially dangerous situation – not that I believe Mr. Lupin is of any danger towards Emma – only to stick her into another one."

"I think that the ultimate goal should be reunification. However, your records from St Mungo's do suggest an issue at hand, Jude," said Amelia, her lips pursing slightly. "I think we need to take into account that Emma's situation is unique. It's very uncommon to deal with the affairs of a werewolf, or in this case, half-werewolf. We have to look at what's best for Emma's living conditions, and it appears we're now at a standstill.

"Professor Dumbledore has already sent over Emma's file from Hogwarts and has proven to be an exemplary student. As she does not transform at the full moon, there's no reason to bar her attendance. That at least solves one issue concerning Emma's care."

"But she's –" Umbridge started to say

"Not a full werewolf, and therefore not dangerous," Amelia said, cutting Umbridge off. "As she does not transform, she is not a liability. The research done in Emma's condition is only one of several isolated cases. We have talked to medical professionals in other countries that have dealt with a similar situation, and they all say the same thing. As long as Emma doesn't receive a bite from a transformed werewolf, she's human, just with an infection.

"That being said, as there are concerns about whether or not there will be an issue if Emma and Jude are placed in the same home, we need to go a different route. I propose that we go in a different direction, for the time being, and find a third party to take over her care. The next few weekends can be split to offer Emma an opportunity to get to know Jude and to spend time with Remus."

Emma Lupin – 4. Jude Nickels – 1.

"I think I have a suggestion for a third party if you don't mind," Jude offered, and Emma felt her entire body grow cold. This could potentially be a huge issue. "I know that Ellis's daughter and mine –" Emma had to suppress a gag "– are close friends. I don't see Ellis or Sage having an issue with taking Emma in for a few weeks. After all, Remus and I will get the next two weekends before the school year begins."

"Or Emma could go back to her Grandfather's to keep her with family," Remus suggested. "I don't believe that Ellis and Sage would be interested in an extra mouth to feed, even for a few weeks."

"I would pay for it, of course," Jude said with a shrug. "I'm not sure that Lyall would be the best option considering his track record."

"And unfortunately, your father is still on suspension until mid-October, Mr. Lupin," said Robbies. "Otherwise, that could possibly have been a potential move."

"I vote for talking to Ellis to see what he thinks," Mr. Hadley said, "unless Emma, you have any other suggestions."

Emma had exactly zero suggestions, but she had to try. All she could do was throw out names and hope that one of them would stick.

"Er, the Weasleys," Emma suggested.

"Too many children," said Hopkins.

"The Grangers?"

"The Grangers? Who are they? I've never heard that surname before," said Auror Langley.

"Er, they're the parents of my friend Hermione," Emma said slowly. "She's a Muggle-born, and we met before our first year when Professor McGonagall took us to Diagon Alley."

"I think with your condition, it would be better to stick with a magical family," said Mr. Hadley. "Do you have any other possibilities?"

"I think it would be fine to leave her with Muggles," Umbridge muttered.

"There's the Longbottoms," Emma said slowly. She didn't particularly like the idea of staying with Neville, but it was better than nothing.

"Augusta already has Neville to worry about," said Bradshaw.

"The Diggory's?"

"That could be a possibility considering he's in the same department as Lyall," said Robbies with a slight shrug. "We could ask."

"It would be preferable to put Emma in an actual household instead of in another children's home," Mr. Hadley pointed out.

"Perfect," Amelia said, clapping her hands, "we'll consult with Ellis and Amos and go from there. How about we take a brief recess for lunch, and we can pull Ellis and Amos in to decide what to do next?"

The moment everyone at the table started to stand up, Emma sank in her chair, completely exhausted. Things weren't going to plan, and she nearly started to cry for real. Her entire body was shaking from her nerves, and Emma felt she was running a marathon. She wanted to go home and get back into her bed and sleep. As far as she was concerned, the meeting was utterly useless, and it didn't even matter that she was there. Everyone mostly talked around her, and she started to feel as though she ruined everything. It was evident that there was very little support for her to go home, and her input wasn't even necessary. As long as Jude was there, it would be a problem; she didn't know what to do.

"Where did that come from?" Remus whispered to Emma, cupping her cheek to turn her face towards him. "That was an award-winning performance, and while I'm impressed, it makes me a little concerned."

"If you would believe it, Fenrir did something helpful for me," Emma huffed out, leaning into Remus's touch. "It's a long story, but I'm currently trying to pretend I didn't learn it from him at all. As the daughter of two of the most ingenious men in the world, I'm claiming my Marauder status for my brilliance. I like to think that you and Papa taught me everything I know. I am both of my father's daughter, in case you've forgotten."

"You're aware of how dangerous things are about to get, yes?" Remus asked, brushing his thumb over the swell of Emma's cheek. "If that's where you wind up, you're going to put right into the middle of things.

"I know," Emma said quietly. "But is it really any more dangerous than dealing with Fenrir on my own?"

"You have the potential of dealing with three grown men at one time, and Emma, you forget that you're a fourteen-year-old girl."

"There's not much more that can be done to me that hasn't been done already," Emma said with a wry smile. "And you've taught me how to defend myself. I'm unstoppable with a wand."

Remus hummed softly, standing and tugging Emma up with him. He enveloped her into a tight hug, his body curling over hers, and Emma took advantage of his comfort. She closed her eyes as one of Remus's hands came up to stroke her hair, and she tried to follow his breathing pattern to calm down. It was clear the hug was for him as much as it was for her, and Emma felt safe. She didn't understand how anyone could look at them and see anything less than the love that they shared because there was so much of it. There was love, there was an incredible amount of trust, there was safety, and most importantly, there was home. And then, of course, there was Remus saying stupid things that annoyed Emma to no end.

"You know, you don't have to defend me," he whispered to her.

"I will never let anyone talk bad about you just because of what we are," Emma said back, squeezing Remus as tight as she could. "I will defend you, no matter what."

"I'm used to what people have to say, fy nghariad. It's fine," Remus insisted. "Even when people didn't know what I was, it's not as though I haven't heard it all."

Emma leaned back slightly to look up at Remus. "But that doesn't make it right," Emma said. "I never realized…I knew people said bad things about werewolves, but I didn't know it could be that bad. Not everyone is Fenrir…"

"But that's all people see," Remus sighed, slowly pulling away. "And speaking of which, Emma, what of the full moon on Sunday? It's evident they're not going to let you come home, and he could attack you again."

"Well, good news for me is Fenrir basically laid out the exact reasons he won't bite me," Emma said, swallowing hard. "Which means I'm going to be in for a very uncomfortable week again."

"Emma –"

"I'll be fine," Emma said quickly. "I'm going to have to be. Besides, I think I've got a more dangerous monster to worry about. I'm starting to realize that not all monsters have fur, fangs, and walk on four legs one night a month –" Emma looked over at where Jude was standing, conversing with his solicitor, for a long moment "– sometimes they walk on two legs every day of the year."

a/n: I never thought I would hate someone more than Fenrir, but I cannot stand Jude and I genuinely hated writing him more than Fenrir. Although, Umbridge might be high up there, but that's Umbridge and it's expected, but dear lord I hate the woman.

And now, for my obligatory reminder - if you're one of my late night readers, please go to bed.

ShardAura - We needed fluff before this chapter. This chapter is WOOOOOSH a lot. The real start of GoF fun is coming up very, very, VERY soon. Like, two? chapters soon - so YAY. Also - hahahaha. I'm sorry! I am totally guilty of staying up all night reading, too, but I just want everyone to sleeeeeeep.