Stepping into Hogwarts felt strange after the summer Emma had, and she forced herself to step to the side and take a moment to breathe. Everything about the castle seemed the same, but there was an air of everything be different. In no time at all, it seemed as though everything had changed. Emma didn't know that she could miss Remus any more than she had the entire summer.

For one glorious and mildly painful year, Hogwarts had been her domain with her father – both of them, really. For a short time, she was able to live out the Marauders' legacy, adventuring through the stone walls of the castle with her father at her side. It was something she would have loved to do with Sirius as well, but Remus was her best friend in the entire world; it was bliss.

She felt privileged that she got to see her father in his element, carefree and sarcastic and so incredibly loving. It had been a struggle at the beginning of the year, but by the end, it seemed as though she blinked, and it was time to leave. With Remus at her side, Hogwarts had become home, but now she wasn't so sure.

Emma was in the middle of trying to collect her thoughts and herself when she was suddenly drenched by an unexpected water balloon. She let out an aggravated shout, wiping at her face in annoyance. Her gaze darted from the students walking into the entrance hall being pelted with water balloons and then up to Peeves cackling up in the air. Peeves flipped himself upside down with a wicked cackle and looked at Emma when she shouted his name in aggravation.

"Oi, lookit, it's the wee Loony Loopy Lupin," Peeves said, launching another water balloon into the crowd. "Bet you're really Loony and Loopy now!"

"Buggering fuck, Peeves!" Emma huffed as she watched Peeves continue to launch water balloons. She rolled her eyes and made her way quickly through the crowd so that she could make her way down into the dorms. At least Fenrir's coat – was it her coat, now? – kept her almost entirely dry.

Walking into the mostly empty common room was even stranger than walking into Hogwarts. She made her way into the girl's dorm, took a quick look around, and heaved a heavy sigh. This would have to be home for the next year again, and she wasn't ready for it. Having her own room made her spoiled; she knew that, but it gave her a safety net for when her thoughts were too much. With her own room, she didn't have to hide; here she would. Emma was in the middle of hanging up her coat when her dormmates walked in.

Hannah was front and center with Susan on one side and Leanne on the other with Megan and Sally trailing behind. All five girls immediately stopped talking, slowly coming to halts as they stepped into the room. Each of them slowly traced the scars on her face with their eyes before trying to search for her bites, which were hidden underneath her uniform.

"Emma," Hannah finally said, clearing her throat. "We weren't expecting you to be in here."

"Oh," Emma said slowly. She gave Hannah a funny look before pulling out her wand to cast a drying charm over herself. "Thought I'd just hang up Fe – my – coat." Emma ran her hand through her hair to try and fluff it back up and not stick to her head. She still loved how much easier it was to manage while short. "I, uhm…I'll meet you all upstairs."

Emma made a hasty departure to the Great Hall, feeling uneasy. There was something strange about Hannah's tone that made her worried. What exactly did she mean by saying they weren't expecting her to be there? She tried not to think about it, keeping her head low, as she walked quickly into the Great Hall.

Luckily most people seemed too preoccupied to notice Emma as she walked in, and she searched the table for Justin. Emma let out a sigh and quickly rushed over to where Justin was sitting and practically slid the length of the bench to sit next to him. She heaved another heavy sigh and dropped her head on Justin's shoulder with a slight pout.

"Uh, oh," Justin said, stopping his conversation with Wayne and Ernie for a moment to pat the top of Emma's head. "Someone having a rough time already?"

"Justin, I hate this," Emma said quietly, straightening up and holding herself close. She felt herself grow pale as she noticed Wayne and Ernie across the table, staring at her. Ernie's eyes were narrowed slightly, but Wayne seemed curious.

"Er, how was your summer, Em?" Wayne asked carefully. "I like how you have your hair cut." Emma watched how Wayne tried to avoid staring at her too hard, and she gave him a small smile. She had left Hogwarts looking as whole as she possibly could and returned as someone entirely different.

"I'd rather wait for the feast to start to tell everyone," Emma said quietly, grinning up as Justin slung his arm around her shoulders.

"I remembered from last time," he said, making sure that his arm wasn't dropped over the bite on her shoulder. "Do they still hurt?"

"A bit, yeah," Emma admitted, looking down at her left hand and frowning slightly at Fenrir's ring. She couldn't stand looking at it – it made her feel like she was married to him, but she was curious to see how different her magic would be. At the very least, it helped to ease the pain she still sometimes felt from her bites. "Not like before, though. I stopped needing potions every day to help. That was nice, at least."

"Well, that's good, then," Justin said happily, pulling Emma closer and shooting Ernie a look. Emma felt relieved that at least one person in Hufflepuff was still her friend.

Justin slowly picked up his conversation with Ernie and Wayne as the rest of their classmates filed into the Great Hall. Emma was more than content listening to everyone else talk and took a look around the room. She had been worried that people would be overly focused on her, but tucked into Justin's side, she blended in. Emma was facing the Gryffindor table, and she gave George a small wave as he sat down with Fred. He cast her a funny look but then smiled and gave her a wave as he sat next to Lee.

Out of pure instinct, Emma looked up at the staff table to look for Remus, and her breath caught when she remembered he wouldn't be there. Her chest tightened painfully, and she allowed herself a small sniffle as her eyes welled up as she scanned the table. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, but there was one extra seat missing. Were they unable to replace her father's position? Emma sincerely hoped so because no one would be better than him.

Cedric sat down on her other side, and he gave her knee a gentle squeeze. "Hey, Emma," he said softly. "How are you doing?"

"All right," she said, pulling herself out from underneath Justin's arm. She looked pointedly over at the staff table. "I miss Dad. I know he's not here, but I just looked for him like he would be sitting up there."

"It's going to be weird without him around," Cedric admitted. "And how's he been?"

"Well, I hope he's been all right…Only saw him for the fifteen minutes this morning."

"What do you mean?"

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and a hushed silence fell as Professor McGonagall led the long line of first years in.

"I'll explain later," Emma said quietly to Cedric as she scanned through the new first years. A smile crossed her face as she found her three first years with varying expressions on their faces. They looked equal parts terrified and excited and were soaking wet. Emma almost wanted to question whether there was a sudden policy of having the first years cross the lake by swimming instead of the boats.

As Professor McGonagall set the stool with the Sorting Hat down, everyone turned their attention to the front of the room. Emma still felt that the Sorting Hat's song was one of the strangest Hogwarts traditions, but it was fascinating to see what it had to say. The moment the hat stopped its song, the Great Hall erupted into applause, and Professor McGonagall unrolled her parchment. The Sorting would finally begin.

The Hufflepuff table erupted in excited applause as Eleanor Branstone was sorted into their house, followed by Owen Cauldwell. Emma couldn't wait to see where her three would be sorted. The group of first years grew smaller and smaller until finally -

"Irisborn, Finley!"

Emma watched with bated breath as Finley stepped up to the Sorting Hat. She wondered if she looked just as small stepping up to the hat, and her smile only grew at the thought. The hat was taking its time with Finley until finally –

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuffs clapped, but no one clapped harder than Emma. Finley nearly tripped over her robe to rush over to Emma, who gestured for Cedric to move over. Emma felt so much like a proud mother and pulled Finley down next to her and gave her a huge hug.

"Welcome to your new home, Finn," Emma said, keeping her arm around Finley's shoulders. "I'll introduce you to everyone, but let's see where the others go."

Professor McGonagall continued to call out names, and Emma watched Brennan and Raewyn with curiosity. It felt like it was taking forever to get to them, and Emma wanted to know if she was right with her initial thoughts.

"Stratford, Brennan!"

Brennan looked terrified as he stepped up to the hat even though he knew what would happen. Emma had told the three first years what would happen, but clearly, it was still scary. If the first years had to deal with the same rumors she did, she didn't blame them for being scared.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Emma was thoroughly surprised as she watched Brennan make his way to the Ravenclaw table. She was so sure that Brennan would be a Gryffindor, but the Sorting Hat worked in very mysterious ways.

"Stratford, Raewyn!"

Raewyn seemed a bit more confident than her adopted brother. She stepped up to the hat with purpose and sat down, plopping it down on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Emma was once again surprised. She never expected Raewyn for Gryffindor, but seeing the girl's newfound confidence made Emma realize how wrong she was. At least she was right with Finley.

Finally, a "Whitby, Kevin!" was sorted into "HUFFLEPUFF!" and the Sorting ended. Professor McGonagall gathered up the hat and stool and carried them away.

Professor Dumbledore got to his feet, and everyone shifted their attention once more. He smiled at everyone, and his arms were held open in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he said. "Tuck in."

Emma began to laugh at Finley's awed expression as the empty dishes filled themselves magically. She reached out for the mashed potatoes and dropped a spoonful onto Finley's plate.

"Dig in, Finn," Emma said, nudging Finley with her elbow as she took mashed potatoes for herself. "You're going to remember today for forever." Finley smiled brightly at Emma and grabbed whatever she could as Emma gave introductions around the table. It seemed as though most of her housemates seemed keen to avoid her, but Emma tried to not let it bother her.

"Your hair looks nice, Em," Megan said, plastering a smile on her face after Justin and Ernie finished talking about their summer.

"And what did you do this summer, Emma?" Leanne asked, and suddenly several pairs of curious eyes were on her.

"Oh, where to begin," Emma said, humming to herself. She glanced over at Finley, who was watching her curiously. "Well, let me just start at the beginning. First, I was cruelly separated from my father because Snape had to be an absolute cunt and get him arrested just for existing. You lot remember that, right? I remember who bothered to come help me pack at the end of last year. Anyway, I was forced to live back in the children's home I came from, and that's where I met this little one here. My lovely sperm donor made a miracle recovery at St. Mungo's. That same night, I was attacked by Fenrir Greyback – and that didn't include what he tried to do the day before. It was the worst twenty-four hours of my life. Then the Ministry finally decided I could go home for a few weeks, and I actually got to enjoy my summer. But then my sperm donor decided he all of a sudden gave a shit about me and tried to gain custody over my actual father. I spent the past two weeks having to live with Fenrir Greyback with a single two-day break where I got to go home. Sound about right, Cas?"

Caspian turned a bright shade of red when he was addressed, and he turned back to his food. "Yes," he finally muttered after a long pause. There were collective gasps at the realization of just what Emma said and what Caspian confirmed.

"Emma, you were with Greyback?" Cedric asked, looking alarmed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Believe it or not, he was the safer option for me," Emma said quietly, meeting Cedric's horrified expression. "Jude, my sperm donor, is…he's a lot."

"Oh! I heard that Jude's out of St. Mungo's!"

Emma felt herself start to grimace, and she twisted herself in her seat to look at Neville.

"Yeah, Jude's out," Emma said slowly.

"I bet you're happy about it," Neville said with a beaming smile. "I mean, he's your dad and all."

Emma felt nothing but guilt as she took in Neville's delighted look. He wanted to be so happy for her, but he didn't even know the situation.

"I, uhm…"

"He's shit," Emma heard Caspian suddenly say. Emma turned to look at Caspian over her shoulder and cast him a curious look.

"Jude," Caspian said, clearing his throat and straightening up slightly as their audience suddenly grew. "Jude…is shit. He shouldn't have interfered in Emma's life. There's no way that he's Em's dad. If Fenrir wasn't there, there are no guarantees that Emma would even be here."

"There were no guarantees I would even have been here even with Fenrir," Emma pointed out.

"No, but you had a better chance of being alive with Fenrir, regardless."

"You know my Dad works in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, yeah?" Cedric said, still looking alarmed. "Someone could have had Greyback arrested."

Emma couldn't help her laughter. The idea of Fenrir getting arrested was possibly one of the funniest things she had heard, and she clutched hard to her stomach.

"Merlin, Cedric, do you not realize how impossible that is?" Emma asked, wiping her tears away. "Might have gotten him, but he never would have been held down. He's too smart to let that happen. Why do you think he's not in Azkaban already?"

Cedric's frown deepened at the thought. "Well, someone should have known at least."

"It was safer if others didn't know. It's…things are complicated to explain."

"So you side with Greyback then?" Ernie suddenly snapped at Emma. "I mean, why else would you be defending him?"

"No one is defending Fenrir," Emma scoffed. "I'm the last person who would ever do that."

"You call him Fenrir!" Ernie shouted, his hold on his fork becoming white-knuckled.

"Because that's his bloody name!" Emma shouted. "Oh, will your pants be in an absolute twist if I tell you that I call him Fen?"

"Merlin, you're no better than the rest of them."

"The rest of who?" Emma questioned.

"Emma, don't," Justin said, putting a hand on Emma's arm. "You know how Ernie is."

"No, Justin, just like everyone else I've had to deal with, I'm very curious to know what Ernie MacMillan has to say," Emma said, dropping her utensils and crossing her arms and pinning Ernie with her stare. "I'd like to know what absolute shit I get to deal with this year because Ernie won't be the first, and he certainly won't be the last. So, yes, let's hear what the fourth year pure-blood Hufflepuff prince has to say."

"You're not any better than the rest of the werewolves," Ernie sneered. "Like your kind."

"Tell me, Ern," Emma said, leaning towards Ernie with a dark chuckle. "Did you or did you not say that my father was the best Defense professor that we had at the beginning of last year?"

"Yes, but –"

"Did you or did you not say that you hoped that he would still be teaching this year at the end of the year?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then what is the issue?"

"He's a werewolf! Just like you!"

"And that suddenly changes everything about him?" Emma asked. "You know, you did this to Harry our second year, and I can't believe you're doing this to me now. Again. You know, I don't know why you were ever bloody sorted into Hufflepuff because you're a terrible Hufflepuff."

"So are you, werewolf."

"Emma's not a werewolf," Finley interjected, her brows knit together as she glared at Ernie. "I've met both…both Greyback and Mr. Lupin. They're both completely different. And Emma's not a werewolf! She's half!"

"Doesn't change that they're all werewolves!" Ernie said, looking at Finley with annoyance that she dare say anything kind about Remus.

"Emma's not a werewolf, Ernie," Justin said, sounding exhausted. "How many bloody times do we have to go over this?"

"She was bitten by a werewolf – so she's a werewolf!" Ernie said, gesturing to Emma. "I mean, look at her. She looks just like Lupin! Hell, she looks just like Greyback, too."

"Clearly, you did not pay attention when Snape decided we had to learn about werewolves early," Emma said, looking at Ernie as though he was stupid. "How are werewolves made?"

"You have to be bitten by one!"

"Yes, right, perfect. Excellent observation, but there's one key factor in that particular situation. Do you remember what that is?"

"Being bitten by a werewolf makes you a werewolf!"

"Yes, but they have to be bloody transformed!" Emma said pointedly. She huffed out an aggravated breath, pulled up the sleeve of her cardigan, and unbuttoned the sleeve of her blouse. She rolled her sleeve up to show the bite on her arm. "Fascinating how similar a werewolf's bite is compared to a human's, isn't it? Especially when that werewolf is Fenrir," Emma said sharply as everyone surrounding them turned to look at her and her exposed bite. Emma swallowed thickly and then loosened her tie so that she could unbutton the top few buttons of her blouse. She very slowly pulled aside her collar to show the bite there, not at all surprised by the gasps.

"He bit me twice, while human," Emma said, suddenly aware that more than just the Hufflepuffs were paying attention to her. She knew that she would have the same conversation multiple times, but hopefully, the Hogwarts rumor mill would work quickly. "I know the werewolf's identity wasn't published in the Prophet because he wasn't caught, but it was Fenrir. He had his reasons – he always does – but I'm not going to discuss them. It's absolutely no one's business other than mine. I want it to be very clear that I absolutely do not support Fenrir Greyback or his actions, but I did what I had to so that he wouldn't hurt me again. I'm not stupid enough to believe that if he wanted to, he could have killed me – staying on his good side was far more important.

"I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm not entirely human any longer, but that was something that happened at the end of second year. I've lived as a half-werewolf for an entire year, and none of you were even aware – don't you dare act as if that changes a thing about me. I have never transformed, and I will not transform unless I'm bitten by a transformed werewolf at the full. However, I have to take the Wolfsbane Potion because of how ill I get – that was the 'super-secret' project I was working on last year while in Potions. You can make all the stupid comments you want about me, my looks, and what I am, but don't you fucking dare say a thing about my father. He's not here to defend himself, but I will be damned if I won't do it for him. I have no issue in teaching if you're willing to learn, but don't pretend as if any of you know my life or what I've had to go through. If any of you think that it's right that the Ministry is keeping me from my father, then don't even bother talking to me."

A hush fell over the nearby Hufflepuffs as Emma rolled her sleeve back down and buttoned the sleeve up. She took a quick look around at everyone, not focusing on anyone for very long. With a quiet sigh, she picked up her fork and knife and continued to eat. Very slowly, the others did the same, and conversation started to pick back up.

"Are you all right?" Finley asked Emma quietly.

"Yeah, I'm all right," Emma replied, giving Finley a small smile.

"Are you sure?" Cedric asked.

"It's okay if you're not," Justin added.

"Dad and I already talked about how difficult things would be," Emma said. "Well, in the short amount of time we actually got to spend together, obviously. I'll get over it at some point."

"Well, you've got me," Justin said, knocking his shoulder against Emma's.

"And me!" Finley chirped.

"And you're not getting rid of me," Cedric said.

"Thank you," Emma said softly. "Honestly."

Emma had desperately hoped that the rest of the feast would go without too much fanfare. She didn't mind talking quietly with the others, but she didn't miss the new looks she was getting. Having any association with Fenrir was a significant blemish on her reputation regardless of why she knew him. She was grateful that a few people understood, but would she be able to convince the others that she did what she had to? Emma wasn't entirely sure any longer.

With stomachs full and sleepy haze creeping through the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood to speak again. She snickered at Dumbledore's mention of Filch's requests. There was a general uproar that there wouldn't be any Quidditch that year, and Emma cast Cedric a disappointed look. Persephone had already told her that there wouldn't be Quidditch, but she had been hopeful.

"It's all right," Cedric said. "We can still play, I'm sure. Just not officially. We'll get a team together and see who else wants to play."

"Good," Emma grinned. "I've been practicing."

Dumbledore continued on, but just as he was about to explain what was happening in October, the doors of the Great Hall were thrown open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning on a staff and wearing a long, black traveling cloak. Every head immediately turned to look at the stranger in the room. A flash of lightning lit up the room, and the man dropped his hood, shaking out his long, dark grey hair. He slowly made his way towards the staff table, a clunk heard with every other step.

Emma didn't think someone could look scarier looking than Fenrir.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore asked brightly into the stunned silence. "Professor Moody."

This man was her father's replacement? Emma tilted her head slightly, not too sure about this strange-looking man. No one in the room clapped except for Dumbledore and Hagrid. Moody seemed entirely unbothered by his lack of applause.

Emma's thoughts about Moody were interrupted as Dumbledore explained what event would be taking place. The Tri-Wizard tournament seemed interesting until Dumbledore mentioned that the competition had a death toll. Even if Dumbledore said that it was open to everyone, Emma wasn't sure if she would participate. She was more interested to see what the other two wizarding school students would be like. Emma couldn't stop her groan when Fred voiced his aggravation over the age minimum needed to enter the competition. She could already see Fred and George plotting out how to enter the competition, and she shook her head.

"Oi, Ced, are you going to enter?" asked one of their housemates.

"Not sure yet," Cedric chuckled. "But the prize money would be nice, yeah?"

With Dumbledore's dismissal, Emma joined the crowd heading down to the dorms. She pushed Finley to follow Cedric down, and she wedged herself in between her dormmates at the back. The news of the Triwizard Tournament was exciting and seemed to be the topic of discussion. The closer they got to the dorms, the more the conversation shifted to the annual first-night sleepover. It was one of Emma's favorite traditions, and she wondered just what they were planning to do that year.

"Are we doing the big sleepover in the common room this year, or are we going to be in here?" Emma asked excitedly as they walked into the fourth year girl's dorm. It was weird to be back in the dorms again, even though she had stopped in earlier.

"Er, about that," Megan said slowly. "We don't think it's a good idea if you join us."

Emma turned around to look at the other girls in surprise, stopping her walk over to her bed to grab her things. "What do you mean? It's tradition…"

"Well, with what you are," said Sally slowly. "We're not sure that it's safe."

"Safe? With what I am?" Emma questioned. She couldn't understand what the other girls were referring to. The only one who didn't seem to have a comment was Susan, but even she was quiet.

"Well, because you're a werewolf, you know," Hannah said softly.

"But I'm not," Emma said brokenly. "I said that at the feast."

"You were attacked by one," said Leanne. "You said it at the feast. It was all over the Prophet."

"Yes, but he wasn't transformed, either. He was human again, like I said," Emma said. "I get sick around the full, just like I did all last year, but I don't…I don't transform. I'm not dangerous."

Emma looked pleadingly at Susan to say something, but Susan kept her gaze elsewhere, not wanting to look at Emma. Not even 4 hours into being back at Hogwarts and the problems were already beginning. She looked between the other girls, crestfallen. The idea of them not wanting her to join the sleepover even after explaining things hurt.

"You know what, it's fine," Emma said, plastering on a smile. She slowly made her way over to her bed with a slight shrug. "Have fun…"

There was a long moment of everyone looking at each other before the other girls started to gather their things. They tried to keep their excitement subdued, but the more they gathered, the more excited they became. Emma stared for only a few moments longer before stepping into the small inset where her things were, and with one final look, she closed her curtains.

Emma's favorite part about the Hufflepuff dorms was that the room's layout changed the moment third year arrived. Having the four-post bed was nice the first two years as she still had privacy, but nothing compared to having her own section of the room. Even if the "rooms" were only curtained off and didn't have a door, a well-placed silencing charm and a closed curtain meant she would be left alone. She could still have her own little domain, and Emma felt that made the Hufflepuff dorms the best.

She set about arranging her things in a way that she'd like. She pulled her things out of her trunk slowly, her blankets being added to the bed and books being set aside for the moment. A small smile crossed her face as she found her favorite photos and put them on her nightstand.

The first, and by far Emma's favorite, was from her fourteenth birthday with her and Remus. She had missed it while in Saint Nicholas's and had been overly excited to be reunited with it; it was one of her favorite memories.

The second, Emma's other favorite, was one that had been taken with Sirius's assistance during one of the full moons they all spent together. Remus wasn't fond of it, didn't like having the physical proof of Moony's existence, but Emma loved it. All of her favorite people were with her, her pack, even if they weren't human in the photo. They were all curled up on the couch together, Emma's head resting on Moony's side, fingers twisted in his fur as they both slept. At her feet was Elara, curled up with her nose tucked into her tail, sleeping. Right next to her, half curled up but staring at the camera, tongue out and tail wagging, was Padfoot.

None of them had any idea how Sirius managed to get the camera set up and the timer put on without them knowing. Emma had quickly fallen in love with it when she took the time to have it developed. She had practically hunted Colin Creevey down just to learn how to develop the film herself the previous year, and her heart melted when the photo revealed itself. Emma begged and begged Remus to get her a frame for the picture, and it became a staple on her nightstand. It was risky having the photo, but it wasn't clear that Elara was a wolf with her face hidden, and Sirius looked very much like the happy family dog. With Remus being out as a werewolf, it didn't matter. With the set-up in the castle being similar to the cottage, no one would be able to believe that it wasn't taken at home.

Emma's third favorite photo was an older one that Remus had found from when she was a baby. Remus and Sirius were sitting next to each other at her grandfather's, and she was nestled in Remus's arms. Remus was playing with her fingers with Sirius's arm draped around Remus's shoulders. Sirius would lean closer to Remus to kiss his cheek, and they would look at each other with pure adoration.

Her fourth photo was one of the ones she had with Margaret. True to their personalities, they were both covered in paint, Emma's tiny fingers covered in multiple colors and paint splotches covering her face. Margaret would wave, hands equally as covered in paint, and she would pull Emma close to kiss her cheek. Her grandfather had found it in the short time she had spent with him, and Emma adored it. She just wished she had remembered to take it with her when she had to leave.

She stared at the photo for a moment before setting it down with an ache in her chest. It seemed so bizarre that Margaret was so bright, so vibrant, and it still hadn't sunk in that Jude had done something to her. It really didn't fit into her mind that there was a possibility that Persephone knew much more.

There were a lot of unknowns that Emma wasn't sure she would ever get answers to, mostly since she wasn't sure whether she wanted to know. Emma questioned whether it was worth being willfully ignorant of the situation or finding out more. She sighed as she continued to put her things where she wanted them; at least she had the year to figure things out.

Emma watched as Figaro slipped around the curtain and weaved between Emma's legs, her collar jingling as she purred happily. She sighed as she bent down to pick up Figaro, holding the kitten close and shaking her head.

"Fenrir spoiled you," Emma said, running a finger over Figaro's collar. It had been a very unexpected gift from Fenrir, one that had taken Emma far longer to notice than it should have. She had realized very quickly that Fenrir had become smitten with Figaro after catching him talking very sweetly to her. Emma never expected him to buy the kitten a gift. Emma was more than happy with the collar Figaro had, but Fenrir decided it wasn't enough.

The pretty red collar Figaro had was replaced with one Emma almost swore was made of pure gold fabric. It was soft to touch with a beautiful silver nametag in the shape of a crescent moon. Emma was touched that a small sun and a star were added to the ring holding Figaro's name tag. With as much flack as Fenrir gave her over Remus saying that she was the sun and Sirius was the stars, he didn't dare take that away from her.

When Emma asked Fenrir about the collar, he acted as if he had no idea what she was talking about, and that was the end of that conversation. She would keep his secret, but Emma found it thoroughly amusing. Emma thought Figaro's collar made it too obvious who she belonged to, which worried her, but Fenrir promised nothing would happen to the kitten as long as her collar was on. Much like everything else when it came to Fenrir – Emma wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Emma let out a yelp when she heard her name being called. She had been so lost in thought that she had missed the door of the dorm being opened, and she popped her head out around the curtain.

"What do you want, Ced?" Emma asked, eying Cedric curiously. "Are you even allowed in here?"

"Prefect," Cedric said in explanation with a laugh. "You all right? You're not out with the rest of us."

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Emma asked sarcastically. She pushed the curtain to the side so she could lean against the wall. "I'm dangerous and therefore not welcome to the sleepover."

"You're not dangerous, Emma," Cedric sighed. He began to pet Figaro, who was still sitting happily in Emma's arms. "Just come out. Who bloody cares what people have to say? You're not a werewolf, so why does it matter?"

"It matters," Emma said quietly. "I care. I'm just glad that it wasn't worse than it was."

"Where were you on the train, anyway? I didn't see you."

"Oh. I took one of the last compartments to be by myself…"

Cedric's face fell at the defeated tone in Emma's voice. "Em, you can't isolate yourself like that. Why didn't you sit with George? If not George, then why not me or Justin?"

"Too many people," Emma said. "I just needed to be alone."

"Well, will you please come out with us? The little first year – Finn, yeah? – she's been asking for you."

"No, it's all right," Emma said, shaking her head. "I have to get used to being back in the dorms anyway. If I start crying, I'd rather do it while I'm hidden, and no one can see me."

"Emma –"

"Cedric, it's fine," Emma said, cutting Cedric off. "Tomorrow's a new day, and I just want to get used to things. I'll be fine – go do your whole prefect duties thing and have fun."

"But you're not going to close off again, right? You'll talk to someone if you need to?"

"Yes, Ced," Emma said, setting Figaro down and giving Cedric a playful shove. "I'll talk to someone."

Cedric nodded and held his arms open for a hug. Emma rolled her eyes but gave Cedric a hug.

"I worry about you, Emma," Cedric said. "A lot of us do, even if they don't show it."

"Well, we'll see about that, won't we?"

It was almost eerie how silent the dorm room was with only Emma and Figaro. After going through her routine of getting ready for bed, Emma felt entirely at a loss. She looked at the notebook that sat on her nightstand but couldn't bring herself to pick it up just yet. Emma knew that Remus was waiting, had felt just how warm the notebook was, but she didn't want to move. She curled up on her bed, staring at the notebook and frowning at the quill sitting beside it. Things had changed severely since that first interaction with Fenrir last November, but last Christmas had been a turning point.

Emma's entire body stiffened at the sudden sound of scratching at the window above her bed. It was not the sort of sound to be hearing when getting ready to wind down for the night with darkening thoughts. When it didn't stop, Emma very slowly sat up, and her mouth fell open in surprise. Just outside of her window was a very wet black dog.

"Papa," Emma half hissed, half whispered. She grabbed her wand from her side table, adjusted the curtains to make sure they were closed, and made sure her silencing charm was set correctly. Emma launched herself onto her feet on the bed and opened the window with a wide smile. This more than made up for how her day had been.

"It's a bit of a drop," Emma said as Padfoot's head dipped under the lifted window. His wagging tail told her that he didn't care, and she stepped back to allow him to drop in. She quickly closed the window as Padfoot's muddy paws dropped onto her blanket, and she covered her face with a giggle as he shook himself off. Within seconds a dog was no longer on her bed, and a soaking wet Sirius sat there instead.

"Come here, pumpkin," Sirius said softly, holding his arms open for Emma. She gave him a funny look, and he looked at himself and gave her a sheepish grin. "Perhaps not…"

"Oh, you know I don't care," Emma said, dropping down next to Sirius to hug him tightly. "Why are you here? You're meant to be on the run."

"And miss my sweet daughter's first day of school? I think not," Sirius said, peppering Emma's face with kisses. "Daddy's not allowed to have all the fun."

"This is so dangerous with you here," Emma whispered, burying her face into the crook of Sirius's neck. She didn't care that he was soaked completely through and that her pajamas were getting equally as wet. "You're absolutely mental, Papa."

"I'll be all right," Sirius said, rubbing soft circles on Emma's back. "I can stay here for a few days, and then I'll head home. I've got Buckbeak hidden in the forest right now. Now…tell me how the rest of your summer home was. I haven't had a chance to write to Daddy to know what happened."

Emma pulled away from Sirius with a sad smile on her face. "I never got to go back home," she said, handing Sirius her wand so he could dry himself off. Emma was appreciative when he added a quick cleaning charm to rid her blankets of his muddy paw prints. Sirius's magic was so similar to Remus's that she knew her blankets would smell just like home. "A lot has happened…"

Much like Remus, holding Sirius's hand gave her the strength to explain everything that happened over the past few weeks. However, also like Remus, his hold on her hand tightened painfully by the end of her story. She had gotten Sirius caught up to what Remus knew, and she pulled her hand from his to reach over to grab her notebook.

"But there's more," she said. "I haven't told Daddy yet, either. He told me to wait until I was settled in." She bit her lip, drumming her fingers on the notebook for a moment. "The other things are important, but I think what I got confirmation of today was most important of all."

"What? What is it?" Sirius asked, looking worried that Emma could have anything more to say. His jaw was taut, eyebrows knitting together with his concern, and Emma began to giggle, almost nervously.

She set her notebook aside and stood up, making her way over to her trunk. Emma reached in to pull out the box that held the tapestry and the ring, nibbling on her lip.

"I received something today…from our cousin," Emma said quietly.

"Our cousin?" Sirius questioned.

Emma nodded, bringing the box over and setting it down between them. "Back at the beginning of the summer…when you thought you were keeping me safe from Fenrir…none of us knew that he had a very specific plan," Emma said quietly. "You attacking him gave him a chance to get what he needed without having to ask for it."

"What do you mean? What did he do to you?"

"Not to me – for me," Emma corrected. "He made it so that I wouldn't ever have to worry about who my family is." She pulled the lid of the box and pushed it towards Sirius. "I'm sure that you don't want to look at it, but I think that you need to see it for yourself. I don't think you would believe me otherwise. Narcissa had Draco bring this to me."

Sirius was intrigued and lifted the small box first. He opened it and froze, his eyes darting up to Emma curiously. "Why do you have this?" he asked.

"You have to keep going," Emma said, waving Sirius on to keep going. "It won't make sense unless you keep going…"

"All right," Sirius sighed, setting the small box aside and pulling out the tapestry. He took in a sharp breath the moment he realized what it was. "Why did she –" Sirius's sentence ended as abruptly as it began, and he lowered it slowly to look at Emma, his mouth falling open with his surprise. "How? How are you mine?"

"Fenrir has a specific potioneer that he works with, I don't know who," Emma explained. "He knew how Daddy made me his, and when you went after him, he managed to get enough of your blood. Apparently, that was why Fenrir wanted to talk to me to tell me that he could do that much. That day Fenrir gave me back my memories, he also decided to give me one more gift…he made sure that I would always be yours and Daddy's no matter what. You being a dog Animagus was apparently one of the best possible things in the world for me because it guaranteed your blood could also be mine."

"So there's no trace of Jude in your blood? You're really…you're really ours?"

"I should be, yes. Of course, we haven't been able to test that theory, but –"

Emma didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as Sirius pulled her into possibly the tightest hug that he had ever given her. She melted into his embrace, relieved that he took it well and was happy that he seemed to be delighted. Emma knew that Sirius loved her, he made that as clear as possible, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder. The way he held her in his arms was proof of it. He held her as if she was the last thing in the world that mattered to him.

"Papa, you're not allowed to cry," Emma said when she felt Sirius's body start to shake and the warmth of his tears on her shoulder. "This is good. Well, not everything else, but…"

"I have waited nearly fifteen years for this – longer really because I wanted this before you were even born," Sirius choked out, pulling back and taking Emma's face between his hands, his smile watery but genuine. "I always knew you were mine, but it was never the same. You were always my daughter, but this…"

"It makes it real," Emma said quietly.

"Now we've just got to get rid of that pesky Black name," Sirius said with a laugh. "You've only ever been Emma Lupin, and that's how you'll stay. You're our daughter, and I don't think I've ever been happier in my life."

"Good," Emma said, slipping herself back into Sirius's arms. "So am I."

"Does Daddy know yet?"

Emma shook her head. "No, I haven't had a chance to tell him," she said with a soft laugh. "I'm sure he's very anxiously awaiting to hear what I didn't get to tell him this morning. I can tell you both at the same time."

"Emma Hope, there can't be more than what you've just told me."

"There's so much more."

a/n: YES. My break is essentially at its end, so hopefully there will be more frequent updates. Trying to navigate the class schedules and the whatnot hasn't been fun, but I think I have it all figured out.

Anyway - It's super difficult trying not to rehash canon moments, and I'm so glad that this should be one of the only few times I have to. We've got the tournament and the Yule Ball, but Emma's not Harry so yay.

Ernie, Ernie, Ernie...didn't learn from second year, did he? Poor Emma's gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in the past two chapters, but also - surprise Papa Padfoot moment!

Also, if you want to come join the Gremlin pack, join the Discord! We have plenty of inside jokes, lots of fun, and everyone is amazing. Either punch in the link below (just remove the spaces) OR head over to my twitter bio and grab the link from there (link in my profile) -

discord . gg / 9gXkaaq2qJ

Maricate - I apologize - I didn't see your reviews last time! 's notifications have gone completely wonky. Will Emma be a double agent? No one knowssss~ (I do, but we'll pretend that I don't ahhaa). We'll definitely see about those super spy games!

Lucasjan - Emma's little ducklings are absolutely safe! Yay! I also think Emma's been informed to not isolate herself.

Shard - Aaahhhhh, plenty more coming. Thank you for sticking around! :3