Platform 9 ¾ was as loud as Emma always remembered. The nearby engine rumbled loudly, the steam rising from the smokestack hissed loudly, and it seemed as though the chatter around her was growing louder.

Emma was decidedly not ready to go back to Hogwarts like she thought but having to spend any longer with Fenrir was a miserable prospect. Fenrir had already gotten her up nearly an hour earlier than she needed to be just to make sure that she had truly packed correctly. He appeared genuinely amused when Emma started to yell at him, and the moment she finished talking, Fenrir was on her.

Fenrir shoved her hard against the wall, one of his massive hands pinning her shoulder. He grabbed onto her chin roughly with his other hand, and he bent low, head tilting slightly as his face twisted into his signature smile. She had wondered if the Fenrir she hated would make an appearance, and Emma wished that he hadn't. Nothing like being threatened by Fenrir shortly after waking up, she supposed. Emma was proud of herself for not being scared of him, at least not until he spoke.

"You ought to be careful, Rabbit," he practically purred. "Not much time left until I can finally shut that pretty little mouth of yours up." He lifted his hand from her shoulder to brush her fringe away from her face. Emma felt a chill go down her spine as Fenrir's eyes shifted down to her lips, and he traced his thumb along her bottom lip. "Only eight more days left, fy lleuad bach…Maybe I'll even be generous and allow you to wait to tell me your decision in person. What do you think of that, Rabbit? We can meet in Hogsmeade and discuss things like adults – like equals?"

It was a challenge, and Emma knew it. She wanted the extra time even if she already knew what she planned to do. Every bit of time she could get was important to her. Emma held Fenrir's gaze for a moment longer, her stomach churning at his little reminder, and then finally looked away. She wasn't going to answer him; if she did, he might change his mind again.

"That's what I thought," he said with a low growl. He leaned in closer to kiss her cheek before finally releasing his hold on her and straightening up. "You'll learn your place quickly, little one."

Emma let out a long breath, forcing herself to bring herself back into the present. She wasn't anywhere near Fenrir, and she could breathe, but she was overwhelmed by the day already. Rather than taking the Floo, Ellis opted to drive to King's Cross, and Emma was the lucky one to sit in the front passenger seat. It at least meant Jude wouldn't be arriving at the platform, she hoped. She glanced over at the Moon clan that was still talking further down the platform. Sage had Apparated to King's Cross and was talking with her children. Elijah's parents were somewhere further along the platform, reuniting with their son before he went to school.

She tapped her foot impatiently on the platform, waiting. She had already said hello to most of the people who bothered to come up to her. The number of people who had stared at her left her sick, and she wasn't looking forward to sitting in the Great Hall with everyone. She had heard the comments made in passing. Emma had talked to the entire Weasley clan, Hermione and Harry. Cedric had come up to her with a huge hug and Luna with her smaller, more compact but equally loving hug. Justin had practically barreled her over, and even Megan and Susan had stopped to greet her. She was just missing the most important person in the world to her.

Remus promised her he would be there, and as she looked down at her watch, she frowned. The train would leave London in twenty minutes, and that was nowhere near enough time with her father for her. The tears that pooled in her eyes were near-instantaneous, and she stared up at the sky. It was going to be a difficult year. Hopefully not as hard as her second year, but she was still worried.

Emma startled slightly as arms wrapped around her from behind, and finally, finally, a very familiar smell of cologne washed over her. She took in a moment to breathe in the familiar woodsy scent and nearly started to cry just from the brief moment she felt at home. Emma leaned back against her father and looked up at him with a sniffle, fully aware she was pouting. She felt so much better meeting green eyes that matched her own, full of love and adoration that her father reserved only for her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Remus murmured, kissing her forehead.

"I didn't think you were going to come," Emma said, twisting herself around so that she could hug Remus tightly. "I thought you said you would be here sooner."

"I know, baby girl, I'm sorry," Remus said, holding Emma's head to his chest. "I was, er…held up."

"Held up?" Emma questioned. She wanted to look up at Remus, but he kept his hand on her head. Emma sighed, snuggling into Remus's embrace instead. That seemed like a far better use of her time.

"Well…I'll just say that I wasn't expecting my morning to go the way it did," Remus sighed. "I'm all right," he added when he felt Emma tense up. "I just needed to remind someone that they're messing with the wrong family…"

"Daddy, what did you do?" Emma asked slowly.

"I might have…knocked…some sense into Jude," Remus replied just as slowly.

"Daddy, please don't tell me you fought Jude," Emma said, the hint of a smile in her voice. She knew that Remus was secretly a fighter, though no one would ever suspect it with his kind nature. Emma had been speechless when Sirius told her that Remus was the one who did most of the fighting. She thought Remus would deny it, but he only turned red and kept silent. Her father was absolutely brilliant.

"Then I won't," he said, kissing the top of Emma's head, not bothering to hide his incredibly thinly veiled glee. Emma immediately began to giggle, burying her face into Remus's chest. He had wanted to get to Jude for weeks, and she didn't blame him for taking the time to annoy Jude. "He won't say a word to anyone. It sounds as though you've, much to my distress, have made some new allies. The fact I can even call them that – you have a gift, love. It scares me."

"He keeps getting bullied by werewolves," she giggled, leaning back to look up at Remus with a smile. "It's brilliant."

"Well, better him than you, sweetheart," Remus said, cupping Emma's face between his hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Emma said, closing her eyes tightly for a moment and taking a deep breath. "We should be going back together again. I don't know how I'm going to get through this year without you."

"You dealt with an entire summer with Greyback and half a summer with Jude," Remus said sadly. "I think that's far worse than what you'll experience at school."

"At least I won't have to deal with rogue Cruciatus curses," Emma muttered with a slight pout. "I suppose that's a bonus, but I don't know what to do when I just want to be with you. It's not like I have somewhere to escape."

A soft smile crossed Remus's face. "Did our time with the map not teach you anything? You have plenty of places to hide, love," Remus said. "You just have to pick your hiding spot."

"But Harry has the map."

"Ask him to borrow it – you're the new Marauders, now," Remus said.

"Well, I certainly hope that I make Moony and Padfoot proud."

"They certainly are – I promise," Remus chuckled. "I think Moony is proudest of all."

"Moony's only going to be proud for a little over a week," Emma mumbled, pulling herself away from Remus. "I think Soleil is going to make a really stupid decision, but it's…" Emma's eyes widened as she remembered the night she went to find Persephone, and she grabbed tightly to Remus's hand. "I haven't been able to tell you everything I learned yet, but I can't tell you out here like this."

A frown crossed Remus's face as he studied Emma's wide-eyed expression. "Why not?" he asked.

"There are too many ears," Emma said, with a pointed glance in Ellis's direction. "I'm not meant to know, and I, er…just trust me on this one."

Remus nodded, looking concerned. "Write to me then. That will be the safest option," Remus said. "The moment you're in your dorm and settled – write to me. Don't write to me on the train if it's important. Unless you feel I need to know before you arrive, keep what you know guarded."

"Emma!"

Emma turned around and was almost knocked over by a very excited Finley, who launched herself into Emma's arms.

"Hi, Finn," Emma laughed, holding the girl tight. Was she ever this excited at eleven? She glanced over her shoulder at Remus, and the fond smile on his face indicated that she must have been. Emma hugged Finley a little tighter. "How are you? I missed you, you know."

"I missed you, too!" Finley said, letting go of Emma and bouncing on the balls of her feet in pure delight. "I'm so excited! I can't wait to see Hogwarts! And I can't wait to get sorted! And I can't wait to see everything!" Finley giggled and leaned in close to Emma to say in a stage whisper, "And I really can't wait for you to show me the giant squid!"

"I'm sure my Papa will be very delighted to hear I'm making the squid new friends. He loved the squid," Emma said in amusement.

"Have you seen Raewyn? I want to see Raewyn! Oh, I bet she's so excited!" Finley chirped, looking around excitedly. "What about Brennan?"

"Oh, no, I haven't," Emma said, humming to herself. She took a look around the platform curiously. There was a strong possibility that they could have gotten on the train already. After all, Emma didn't know who their parents were and wouldn't know if they were still around.

Finley looked momentarily crestfallen and then perked up just as quickly. "It's all right," she said brightly. "They probably just got really busy. I haven't heard from them in almost two weeks."

Remus was the one who picked up on just how wrong that sounded well before Emma did. He gave the back of Emma's shirt a gentle tug, and she looked at him with curiosity. It was almost funny to Emma how they had managed to learn how to have silent conversations with each other. She searched her father's eyes for a moment, slowly beginning to understand what he was thinking, and a chill ran down her spine. He couldn't have.

"Finn, do you know exactly when you last heard from them?" Emma asked as she turned back to Finley.

"The 21st, I think. I wrote a few times after but haven't heard back."

Emma's blood ran cold at the implication of what that meant. The 21st was the full moon, and if Finley hadn't heard from Raewyn and Brennan…

He didn't. There was no way that Fenrir had gone over the children. He had threatened to go after them, she knew that, but Fenrir couldn't have. He was with her for most of the night. He didn't smell of blood, and there were no traces of it in his fur. Fenrir wouldn't have been able to resist himself for two children if he had gone after them. There was absolutely no way he would have done that to her, would he? He couldn't be so stupid to do such a thing knowing that it would mean she would never join the pack. Fenrir knew her well enough to know that would have changed her mind completely.

"Well, maybe they were busy," Emma said, grimacing at the shrill warning horn from the train. "Finn, why don't you head on and find somewhere to sit? I'll, uhm…I'll come try and find you in a bit. Maybe they're on the train already."

Finley was none the wiser and smiled. "I'll see you on the train!" she chirped. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Lupin!" she added before skipping towards her parents.

Emma whipped back around to look at Remus the moment Finley was far enough away.

"Daddy, he was with me," Emma said, trying to ignore the look on Remus's face. He was disturbed the first time she mentioned it to him and clearly still hated the idea. She didn't blame him for hating it – the only time he had seen Fenrir as a wolf as a human was when he was turned. The very idea that Fenrir didn't turn her left Remus reeling. "He transformed with the pack and came right to me! I know that he said –" Emma took in a deep breath, grabbing onto Remus to steady herself. "He wouldn't," she added, almost pleadingly.

"But that doesn't mean he didn't send someone else," Remus said, his forehead wrinkling as he tried to think. He swallowed hard, his face paling. "He's calculated, love. I'm just hoping that you missed them, but…"

"Hope for the best, expect the worse," Emma said quietly, finishing the rest of Remus's sentence for him. Remus nodded, and Emma huffed out a breath, launching herself back into his arms. "He better not have done anything to them…"

Remus sighed, pressing multiple kisses to the top of Emma's head. "Try not to think about it. Just…" Remus trailed off with a long breath. "We have to hope that it will be fine."

Emma nodded, squeezing harder to Remus when the train gave its final warning. "I don't want to go," she said quietly. "I don't want to know. I don't want to have to deal with everyone…Can I please just stay home with you? We can just run off and leave a note for Papa to find us. You know he would figure out where to go."

"If only," Remus whispered. "If we leave, then it will be a literal witch hunt through the entire world. Well, suppose it would be a werewolf hunt, really."

"As if it's any different with Papa now?"

"I know, sweetheart, I know. Believe me, I want nothing more than to do exactly that, but it's not wise, not right now. You'll be safer at school, and hopefully, someday soon, everything will be all right. We'll all get to be a family again. I feel sure of it."

"I certainly hope you're right."

"I know I am."

Stepping foot onto the Hogwarts Express hit Emma hard. She was officially going back to Hogwarts without her father. She would be labeled as a werewolf by her peers, and it would be a challenge to deal with. She stood in the doorway as the train started to move, wondering whether she would be better off staying there the entire time. Emma doubted that she would be too welcome, and she had no idea where she could sit. She looked down at the small package of chocolate bars Remus had pressed into her hand before pushing her towards the train, and she sighed. At least she had chocolate to keep her company if she couldn't find anywhere else to sit. That was a consolation prize.

It was mildly frustrating that not only did she have Remus's words sitting in the back of her mind, but she had Fenrir's as well. They both said the same thing – ignore everyone else, you're beautiful, do what you're supposed to do. But that was much easier said than done. Her father had relative anonymity while in school, though his predicament wasn't easy to work with, and Fenrir just didn't care. It was probably the most unhelpful advice she had ever gotten in her life. She wished that she had a chance to talk to Elara before leaving for school. At least Elara would have had genuinely helpful advice.

She blinked back her tears and straightened up, squaring her shoulders. Just like Sirius tried to teach her to do, she would have to fake her confidence until she genuinely felt it. No one would need to know she was on the brink of tears and that her stomach was churning like the sea in a storm.

Passing by each compartment made Emma feel like she was in a strange zoo or an aquarium. The occupants would see who was passing by, see it was her, and immediately begin to talk or just stare at her. She didn't mind when the compartment doors were closed, but the conversations weren't kind when they were open.

"What happened to her face?" was heard multiple times along with "It's the werewolf" and "Why is she allowed to come back?"

Emma couldn't help but feel as though she had inadvertently fallen from grace. She had been the Defense Professor's darling angel, and now she was considered unworthy of walking the halls of Hogwarts. The fall out after Remus left had been miserable, but the Prophet hadn't helped at all. She was silently grateful that Fenrir had ripped the paper out of her hand every time he saw her pick it up. As curious as she was to find out if there was another article, Emma didn't think she wanted to know.

After the seventh consecutive comment about her as she passed, Emma hiked her bag on her shoulder and walked a little faster. She would have to make the trip to Hogwarts as productive as possible. There were a lot of things she needed to accomplish that year, and Emma needed as much information as she could get. As much as Emma wanted to find Raewyn and Brennan, she needed to talk to Persephone; she had the most information of all. The real question was would Persephone tell her everything she needed to know?

"Lupin!" Emma heard a voice drawl as she walked past a compartment. She stopped to turn around to find Draco standing in the compartment door.

"What do you want, Draco?" Emma asked, already exhausted. She looked past Draco to find Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Theo, and Blaise staring at her. That was unfortunate. Needing something to do with her hands, Emma started to put her chocolate away and immediately frowned.

When did Fenrir find the time to add his coat to her bag? At least that meant he paid attention to her when she said she couldn't find a new coat. She knew his coat would have strong, lasting charms added, and despite being huge on her small frame, it would be warm. Perhaps this time she wouldn't tear it apart.

"I have somewhere I need to be," Emma said when Draco didn't immediately answer.

"Well, aren't you rude," he scoffed. He looked back at Theo, who reached down for something on the floor and handed it to Draco.

"Mother's asked me to give this to you," he said, holding out a medium-sized parcel and an envelope to Emma. "Haven't a clue why, though."

Emma frowned as she slowly took the box from Draco. She had no idea why Narcissa would be writing to her or what she would give her. The package was heavier than Emma expected it to be and she was surprised. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in emerald green paper and tied with a silver bow – how very Slytherin. She looked at the envelope, her frown deepening when she read the words Toujours pur. When she looked up at Draco, he was staring at her hard.

"What?" Emma asked, lifting the flap of her bag to tuck the gift into her bag. She stared at the envelope for a moment, brushing her fingers over the words. Did Narcissa know?

"Why did Mother write the Black family motto on the envelope?" Draco questioned.

"Trying to learn about Mummy's secrets now, Draco?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do you think she would feel about knowing that?"

"You've clearly got secrets of your own, Lupin," Draco said.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Emma asked, putting the envelope in her bag and crossing her arms.

"You know exactly what that means," Draco said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't, thank you," Emma huffed. There were a few things Draco could be talking about, and she wasn't sure she cared to know exactly what it was he was referring to. "And if you don't mind, I have somewhere to be."

Emma continued on her way, ignoring Draco as he called after her. She didn't care to know what he had to say, although she was curious to know what Narcissa would give her. She had to know that they were related, but how? Did Sage tell her? They were all cousins, but it seemed odd that Sage would say a word, but what did Emma know? Everything seemed to change every day

Persephone was a few cars back, which was mildly annoying. She had to walk by far too many people, and the moment Persephone saw Emma outside the compartment, she paled. Persephone leaned over Daphne's lap and slowly cracked over the compartment door, giving Emma a sheepish grin.

"Hi," Persephone said quietly. "D-did you need somewhere to sit?"

"I do, but I need to talk to you," Emma said pointedly. "I'm not waiting until we get all the way to school."

Persephone stood up slowly, casting Tracey and Daphne small smiles. She stepped outside the compartment and motioned for Emma to lead the way. The two walked in relative silence, Emma purposely ignoring every compartment they passed. She looked up just long enough to wave at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they passed, and then Fred, George, Lee, and two of the girls on the Gryffindor team. She wondered how Figaro was doing with Luna…

They found an empty compartment all the way at the back of the train, and Emma went in quickly. Persephone followed, locking the door behind her and casting a muffling charm. She stared at Emma for a moment and then sat down.

"So," Persephone said slowly, "where do you want me to start?"

"No idea," Emma said quietly. "There's…a lot we need to talk about. But I think there's only one logical place to start right now. Let's start with Greyson, though. What's the deal with him?"

Persephone nodded, taking a deep breath and crossing her arms. "Well, he's a bit like you, really," Persephone said quietly. "Orphaned, but not really. His mum apparently met Fenrir at some pub, and they had a relationship for a bit – an actual relationship. She knew what he was and everything and didn't care."

"Was she his mate?"

"Fenrir had a mate?"

"Yeah," Emma said quietly. "Said he had one at the beginning of the war."

"If Fenrir had a mate, she might've been just before Greyson's mum then," Persephone said, worrying her lip between her teeth. "That would make sense, at least. A mate would imply that she was a werewolf, wouldn't it? Either way, no – she was a Muggle woman, actually. She apparently pissed Fenrir off at some point. He attacked her – not transformed, mind, and then left her for dead. Turned out she was pregnant with Greyson. She wound up passing away sometime after giving birth to Greyson. His aunt took him in and raised him like a Muggle."

"And he's not a –"

"No. Oh, Merlin, he absolutely hates werewolves, if you couldn't tell. He doesn't even have any wolfish qualities like you do because his blood wasn't infected with lycanthropy like yours was. Your situation is so much different, and werewolves are made, after all, not born," Persephone said. "Well, unless you count the whole two werewolves getting together during the full moon thing, of course. But those are actual wolves, no? Regardless, I think Greyson would rather die than be a werewolf."

"So, he knows who his father is, then?"

"His aunt didn't want to keep the information from him. Apparently told him just before he started at Hogwarts out of fear Fenrir would try to find him."

"This is unreal," Emma said after a long pause, a frown crossing her face. "Greyson's mother was attacked, and she kept Fenrir's child? That's absolutely mental."

"Greyson didn't really understand it either," Persephone replied. "He said his aunt said they loved each other. I can see that Fenrir loves you in his own way, so he's clearly capable of love in some capacity, so maybe. Perhaps it was a full moon when Fenrir went mental, but Greyson doesn't know what to believe. Greyson loves his aunt and believes her, but could never understand how you could hurt someone you loved. He harbors a lot of resentment towards Fenrir, especially for never being around."

"God, that's so incredibly fucked up," Emma groaned. "I was practically raised by his father, and the entire time he's existed. I mean, I wouldn't ever want to subject anyone to that, but…I can understand why he's angry."

"I know."

Emma and Persephone stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them knowing what to say. Emma's face twisted up slightly the more she thought about things.

"Greyson Fenmore," Emma whispered to herself, testing the name out. "Was he named after Fenrir or another family member?"

"Fenrir," Persephone breathed out. "I was hoping you would pick up on that. The whole 'the second' thing started as a joke as Greyson can sometimes act like a right snob. We used to joke that he was the reigning king of Slytherin."

"He sounds like a dream," Emma muttered.

"He's really not terrible at all," Persephone replied. "You two just had a rough go of it. If you met him our first year, you would have loved him from the start."

"I doubt it. Remember how long it took for me to be able to handle dealing with you? And just think – somewhere in my mind, I knew that I knew you already, but I couldn't stand you."

"I think that was because we got into a fight just before the last time we saw each other," Persephone said, worrying her lip. "Might have gotten angry with me when I said I wasn't sure if we were going to see each other again."

Emma frowned slightly, trying to pull up the memory. A sad smile crossed her face when she made the connection. They had indeed gotten into a huge fight over it. It was just before term let out for her primary for the summer, and her heart had shattered into a million pieces when Persephone told her.

"Well…that's all done and over with," Emma said quietly. "Does Greyson have a middle name?"

"Er, it's Randolph. Greyson Randolph Fenmore."

Emma nearly burst into a fit of giggles. "Greyson Randolph Fenmore," she snickered. "That's an abysmal name for a werewolf. No bloody wonder Fenrir changed it, but clever, no? Barely had to change his name at all."

"It's Fenrir. What do you expect? That's how he is."

"Hmm," Emma hummed softly, her smile plastered to her face. "Hey, Eff, do you think when I'm forced into my arranged marriage with Fenrir, I'll go by Fenmore or Greyback?"

It was Persephone's turn to stare at Emma.

"Oh, shit," she said slowly. She looked as though she was working through a difficult puzzle, and it was making Emma nervous. Persephone tilted her head slowly as she looked at Emma. "I wonder…"

"What? You wonder what?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, you just reminded me of what Trelawney –"

"No!" Emma shouted, pointing a finger at Persephone. She knew exactly where Persephone was about to take the conversation and began shaking her head. It had been a long time since Emma had thought about that particular class, and they had gone through the conversation multiple times. Trelawney was mental – there was no way it could be possible. "Absolutely not."

"Emma, you and Greyson would be perfect! I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner!"

"Effie, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, would ever convince me that Greyson fucking Randolph Fenmore is meant to be my future husband. It came from Trelawney, and we all know how she is!"

"But Emma, it fits! He has the blood of –"

"No! Greyson Fenmore will never be my husband."

Persephone crossed her arms as she studied Emma closely. She let out a grumpy, "Humph!" and then crossed her legs. "Emma Fenmore sounds lovely," Persephone said. "And technically, if you were to marry Fenrir, you're still marrying Greyson Fenmore…just the older one."

Emma groaned, scrubbing her hands down her face. Everything was getting stranger and stranger, and she wanted to start researching right away. She needed to know everything.

"Would you believe it, Fen wound up giving me his name already?" Emma asked, flopping over sideways onto the seat to lay down. "He told me that I would have been Emma Fenmore if he would have taken me. Emma Hope Fenmore." Emma's face twisted as she shot Persephone a look. "It's terrifying because it doesn't sound half bad."

"See? Then you have to marry Greyson and not Fenrir!"

"I don't really have a choice with Fenrir," Emma said quietly. She lifted her left hand to look at the ring on her finger. "I mean, it's not exactly marriage with werewolves, and certainly not what Fenrir wants. He just wants children, I think…among other things, but children are certainly high up on his list of priorities."

"You're not…"

"Effie, I don't know," Emma sighed. "I really don't know. I'm certainly not interested in having his children. I would never be interested in that. But things are changing though, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?" Persephone asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"Voldemort's going to come back, isn't he?"

Persephone swallowed hard and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shoulders slumping.

"What makes you think that?" Persephone asked quietly. "There's no reason why you should think that."

"I just spent the past two weeks with Fenrir," Emma said pointedly. She wasn't going to bring up what she heard, wanting Persephone to tell her herself. "He tells me things when he thinks I should know it."

"He actually told you that?"

"He said he doesn't want me on the wrong side of things…kept trying to convince me that being with the werewolves was smarter. Fen said it would be safer if Dad and I were with him at this point."

"And what do you think?"

Emma huffed out a laugh as she sat up. "I think if Voldemort is going to return, then we're all going to be in trouble," Emma said quietly. "At first, I thought Fen was lying to me, just trying to find reasons to convince me to join him, but then I really thought about it. Jude left St. Mungo's for a reason. I don't think it's just because of me, although I'm a big part of it…" Emma trailed off, waiting for Persephone to say something. Emma left the opportunity for Persephone to say something, but she remained silent.

"So, where are you going to sit?" Persephone asked, shifting nervously, changing the subject. "Long ride back to Hogwarts."

To say Emma was disappointed would be a disappointment, but she ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach. "I think I'm going to compartment hop," Emma said quietly. "Luna has Figaro for me. I'll probably see George and then maybe find Justin. Dunno. The year's already weird. I think I'd really rather just be by myself, honestly. Fenrir was like my bloody shadow, and I had no time to myself."

"That sounds a bit lonely, no?"

"Well, I have a feeling the entire year is going to be a bit lonely," Emma replied with a small shrug. "Figured I should get used to it now…"

Persephone nodded and stood up slowly, smoothing out her clothes. "Are you…are you going to be all right?" she asked. "This year, you know? I don't want to have a repeat of second year."

"Not sure," Emma admitted. "I don't think I'd ever go that far again. I mean, I think Fen would literally figure out how to bring me from the dead just to kill me himself." Emma allowed herself to laugh at that. Fenrir was so obsessed with her that she had no doubt that Fenrir would figure out how to do it, and it wouldn't be pretty. "But besides that, I don't have my favorite place to go anymore. It's not like I can run to Dad's office to have a cwtch and have him tell me that things will be all right."

"Well, you know where to find me," Persephone said quietly. "I'd rather you not, but…we might not be sisters, but we are family no matter what. That has to count for something, right?"

Emma nodded and waved Persephone off. Persephone clearly didn't want to stay with her any longer than she needed to, and Emma was curious to see what Narcissa's gift was. The moment Emma felt Persephone was far enough, she dove back into her bag to pull out the box and the envelope. She carefully split the envelope to pull out the notecard.

I thought that these gifts would be important for you to have. I think they will be in the right hands, and I know that you would never receive these otherwise. I do not know how things came to be, but I have long since learned to stop questioning everything. Despite my cousin's views, I am willing to consider you family as you have done nothing wrong.

I apologize for my behavior at the Quidditch World Cup, but I was taken entirely off guard. I believe we all were that day. I wasn't expecting to meet you, and I wish we could have spent more time getting to know each other. However, I understood your need to stay away. You made the right choice, no matter where it was you went off to.

I hope that you will accept these gifts, they belong to you now. I believe you'll understand why I didn't send them to you sooner and instead sent them with Draco. The fewer who know, the better. It wouldn't do well if these were to fall into the wrong hands.

Toujours pur,

Narcissa

Emma sighed, reading through the note two more times before setting it aside. Clearly Narcissa was someone else who knew who she was without outright saying it. Emma stared at the box next to her for a moment before pulling it close. What would suddenly belong to her? She carefully pulled apart the ribbon and the wrapping paper.

Emma let out a soft gasp as she opened the box. There was a much smaller box hidden within the confines and something made of a woven fabric folded neatly. Emma stood up, set the small box aside, and pulled the fabric out of the box, and gasped once more when she was what it was. It took her a moment to process what she was looking at, but then she realized that it was a smaller version of the Black family tapestry. It was a recreation of the one that lived in Sirius's childhood home, but it was the Black family tapestry all the same. Narcissa had given her a beautiful gift, and Emma was appreciative of it.

When Sirius told her of the tapestry, she wasn't expecting something with such beautiful artistry. Then again, what else would one of the wealthiest wizarding families spend their money on if not for ornate pieces of work? Emma followed the tree branches' weaving lines, the smallest of smiles crossing her face when she found Sirius. This tapestry hadn't been affected like the massive one in Sirius's childhood home, and his face remained. He looked just as he did in older photos and looked so similar to Regulus. The pained way Sirius spoke of Regulus almost made her wish that she could have met – how weird to say – her uncle. Taking a deep breath, Emma's eyes traced the branch from Sirius, and her breath caught when she found herself.

Fenrir had actually done exactly as he said.

There, woven into the Black family tapestry's very fabric, was an artistic rendition of herself. Her name was written underneath the banner. Emma Black.

If Emma hadn't lived her entire life in an identity crisis, she would have been distressed, but instead, she found it hysterical. The very name Sirius didn't want her to have was the one she had – literally spelled onto the tapestry by whatever magic controlled it. She had to set the tapestry down as she burst into laughter before she suddenly burst into tears. Emma sank down to the floor, wiping hard at her eyes as her tears kept coming between her laughter. She was simultaneously horrified and beyond relieved.

She wasn't a Nickels. She would never be a Nickels again because it was impossible with what she was. Until she married, if she ever did, she would always be a Black. Just as she was a Lupin, no one was ever going to be able to take that away from her. She was Emma Hope Lupin-Black regardless of whether or not a piece of paper said that she was. But that made things that much more difficult. No one could ever know.

Narcissa sent her the tapestry to help her maintain that silence. Emma thought back to Professor McGonagall questioning how she wanted her name to be listed, and she realized her school registry must have changed. If her school registry had changed, what was the issue with the Ministry? Shouldn't there be a record of her being a Black somewhere at the Ministry? Why was Jude given the opportunity to gain custody of her if that was the case?

The thought seemed stupid the moment it crossed her mind. She knew why Jude was allowed to try and gain custody. Jude wasn't a werewolf, nor was he a convicted felon on the run. With just those two odds stacked against her, Jude was the next best choice if no one else stepped forward. How was Fenrir ever expecting her to use her name to get out of Jude gaining custody of her?

Wiping her eyes again, Emma pulled the tapestry off the seat to look at it. Was Fenrir's plan for her to go to a different family if she couldn't go home? Was doing such a massive favor for her his way of creating a contingency plan if she had failed that day? Knowing Fenrir, he had at least five different plans in place for if she failed, but she had skipped over every single one of those plans. She skipped from plan A to plan Z in a matter of moments, but what could Fenrir's plan have possibly been in the first place? He was frustratingly tight-lipped on what his plans were, which Emma found stupid if the moment had already passed.

She couldn't have gone to the Weasleys, who she noticed was entirely absent from the tree – a decent enough sign they weren't too close in blood like she'd worried about. The Ministry already said no to her going to the Longbottom's. She doubted that he would have wanted her to go to the Crabbe's, and she knew nothing of the Crouch's. Who else could it possibly be? Emma scanned and scanned the tapestry until her eyes suddenly fell on the Black sisters. Bellatrix was in Azkaban. She didn't know Andromeda other than her being Sirius's favorite cousin, but she had at least known of Narcissa, and then it clicked for her.

Fenrir wanted her to go to the Malfoy's.

That would have been the much safer option out of everyone. No one would have questioned the Malfoy family's involvement if she had gone to them. The Malfoy's made sizable donations to different organizations that no one would have suspected…the entirety of the wizarding community would have seen her as a charity case. None of them would have realized they were, or at least Narcissa would be, taking care of a family member.

Emma couldn't figure out what would possess Fenrir to ever think that she would have figured that one out on her own. He greatly underestimated her…relationship…with Draco in the "before" times, before all of this came to be. Her friendship with Draco had become strained, at best. They could be friendly, but it wasn't the silent friendship and respect they had once had, but would she need to bring that back? Trying to be friends with Draco again seemed absolutely miserable, but he wasn't terrible when he wasn't arrogant. It was when his arrogance came into the equation that he aggravated her.

Wiping her face clear of the last of her tears, Emma carefully folded the tapestry back up and tucked it back into the box. She leaned forward from her spot on the floor and pulled over the small box with a slight frown. It was clearly a jewelry box. It was made of dark emerald velvet, and Emma pulled off the top with a soft gasp. Sitting tucked in the plush, velvet ring cushion was a Black family signet ring.

It was a brilliant silver color, the Black family crest emblazoned on the front just like the ring Draco wore with the Malfoy crest. Along either side of the crest, on the band, were engraved dogs meant to look as though they were holding the crest. Curious, Emma pulled the ring out of the box to inspect it closer. Engraved on the inside of the band was the Black family motto, and Emma huffed out a laugh. Nothing could be less pure than her with her blood. Fenrir was right – Walburga, her grandmother, would have a fit if she knew Emma existed.

Emboldened by the compartment's relative privacy, Emma decided to slip the ring onto her right hand just as she had seen her pure-blood classmates wear their rings. The ring sized itself to her finger, and Emma was awed by the possibilities. She would never be a pure-blood, that was impossible with how mixed her blood was, but she was a Black. And oh, Merlin, just how complicated had things just become?

On the one hand, she could find it in herself to love Fenrir for doing such an incredible thing for her, but on the other, he had made things worse. After being told that it was best if people didn't know her identity, she had no idea how she was supposed to use it to her advantage. Emma could always be Emma Lupin, which she preferred over everything, but Emma Black? Even Narcissa realized the same issue. The tapestry she sent Emma had to be her tapestry, and Emma's stomach sank at the idea other tapestries existed somewhere else. Who off of the family tree would care to own one?

As quickly as she had placed the ring on her finger was as quickly as she pulled it off and tucked it back in its box. She put the small box back with the tapestry, shoved Narcissa's letter into the larger box, and closed everything, shoving it back into her bag. Remus was going to completely lose it when she told him. Sirius was going to completely lose it.

"I'm Emma Hope Lupin-Black," Emma whispered to herself, her smile widening before she shook her head. It was too much of a mouthful. "I'm Emma Hope Lupin," she corrected herself. "Sorry, Papa. I'm at least yours by blood now…"

It was such a ridiculous revelation to be made while sitting on the floor of a very lonely compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Then again, it seemed incredibly appropriate to be making the discovery that in everything but Ministry paperwork, she was officially, undeniably, truly both of her father's daughter. How was it Fenrir of all people in the world who had made that happen to her? She huffed out a soft laugh, happiness sweeping through her in brilliant, dazzling waves. Curious, Emma pulled out her wand from her bag and closed her eyes, pulling every happy feeling she had.

"Expecto patronum," she whispered when she opened her eyes, smiling as her Patronus burst forth from her wand and sat close by, not having anywhere to go. It was an incredibly flashy display of her happiness, but it was proof that she was happy. Despite everything she had gone through, somehow, she was stronger than she was before. Emma allowed the Patronus to stay for a moment, and she eyed it curiously. Was her Patronus Soleil? If it was, Fenrir was right – she was beautiful.

She let the Patronus fade, not wanting to think about Fenrir more than she had to that day. Emma had a long list of things to get through, and she just needed to get through the rest of the trip to Hogwarts and her first night back. Everything else would follow.

Emma didn't spend much time in one spot longer than she felt was necessary. She spent a portion of the train ride with Luna and Ginny, the three girls playing happily with Figaro. Emma finally had a moment to truly talk to Colin Creevey, and they spoke happily about photography. When she was done spending time with them, she made a quick stop to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She didn't spend much time with them as Draco came back to bother them, and Emma didn't want to deal with him. At least Figaro seemed to find a friend with Crookshanks.

Her journey along the train brought her over to the compartment with George and the others. She allowed everyone to pet Figaro, or rather, Figaro let everyone pet her. Emma nearly let out an exasperated sigh because the cat clearly seemed to favor werewolves over ordinary humans. Emma felt that Fenrir had spoiled the cat a little too much, but there wasn't much she could do. Eventually, Figaro would be fine.

Emma stayed just long enough to answer a few questions about what exactly had happened with her summer before she decided to head back to that lone compartment at the back of the train. As much as she wanted to spend time with Justin, she needed time to herself.

Emma pulled Fenrir's coat out of her bag, folded just as it was, and set it down on the seat. She dug through her bag to find Remus's old Gryffindor cardigan and pulled it on, and decided to lie down for a bit. Figaro happily curled up next to her, rubbing her face wherever she could on Emma's and making her giggle.

"What a pair we are," Emma said quietly to the kitten, scratching gently underneath her chin. "Surrounded by bloody wolves everywhere we turn. Suppose some of them aren't half bad, though, eh?"

The further north they went, the more the rain began to fall. The sky grew steadily darker and darker, and it seemed almost like how Emma was starting to feel. She still didn't know what the fate of the other two children was, and the idea of something happening to them terrified her. Emma wanted nothing more than to write to Remus, but he specifically told her to wait, and that would be what she did. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but it would be foolish of her not to obey. Her father was right – it would be much safer to write to him within the confines of the castle's walls.

Thunder rumbled, and lightning crashed as the train began to make its way into Hogsmeade station. Emma dressed quietly into her robes and stared at Fenrir's coat for a moment. She took a quick look outside her window and decided it would be a much better idea to wear it to the castle. At least she would keep warm and mostly dry. Fenrir's coat went down to her knees, so she was mostly covered and kept safe from the elements.

She stepped off the train with everyone else, frowning up at the heavy pelting rain. Emma was grateful that she wouldn't have to cross the lake to get to Hogwarts like the first years in this weather.

The platform was just as loud as in King's Cross, but when Emma heard her name being called simultaneously by three voices, she turned. Emma could have wept with her pure relief of seeing Raewyn and Brennan bouncing up and down in pure delight with Finley. She didn't even understand how she got to them so fast, but all she cared about was pulling the three first years into a tight hug.

"We slept in!" Brennan said with a laugh, happy to be pulled into their group hug.

"Mum and dad slept through their alarm, and so did we! We got back from a surprise holiday and we were exhausted," Raewyn explained. "They decided to just Apparate us here instead!"

"Good," Emma said, not caring that she seemed mental as she kissed all three on the top of their heads. They were still smaller than her, and she would take advantage of their heights for as long as possible. These three little misfits had unwittingly become a part of her little pack, and if Fenrir had hurt any of them, she had no idea what she would have done. Despite the sharp crack of thunder, the pelting rain, and the strong, blustering wind, Emma was beyond happy. "I'm so glad that you're here."

Even if everyone decided to hate her the entire school year, she had three guaranteed little friends who would stick by her. They had a special bond and an experience that very few of their peers would understand. Perhaps the school year wouldn't be so bad, and maybe, just maybe, every decision she was going to make would be all right in the end.

a/n: News flash, I didn't last the entirety of my break. OOPS.

To all of my late night readers, please go to sleep!