Sirius wasn't the only one Emma didn't expect for dinner; she didn't consider the possibility that Remus would make it a proper family dinner.
Emma froze on the stairs, her eyes growing wide as she spotted Lyall and Remus sitting on the couch. Sirius and Elara had started working on dinner, and she could hear their laughter from the kitchen. Elara was the much better cook between the two of them, but Sirius was slipping into his pure-blood upbringing. If they weren't having dinner catered, he was stepping in one way or another. Emma was surprised to hear that as a Black, she had also inherited a house-elf, and as curious as she was, Sirius refused to let her call him.
"Trust me, Pumpkin," Sirius shuddered. "Kreacher is the worst of the worst when it comes to house-elves. We don't want the little shit to come and ruin tonight."
Emma would have to remember not to mention anything around Hermione. If Hermione had any idea, she would have an absolute fit.
"Does he know?" Emma asked Remus quietly.
"I just told him," Remus said softly.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
Emma nodded, straightening up as she looked at her grandfather. It was one thing when she was only known as half-werewolf, and she worried that Newt's declaration would change things in her grandfather's mind. Emma still hadn't quite figured out her grandfather's feelings on werewolves and worried fiercely about his thoughts. She gave Lyall a questioning, almost challenging look and his face fell in understanding.
"Come here," Lyall said, standing up and opening his arms for her. Emma slowly made her way down the rest of the stairs, feeling incredibly unsure. She let Lyall pull her into his arms and hugged him back.
"This changes nothing," he said. "You're still my granddaughter, and nothing will ever change that." Lyall leaned back and cupped Emma's face between his hands, and smiled. "Now, why don't you tell me how your classes have been while we wait for everyone to arrive?"
Getting Lyall up to date on her classes and talking excitedly about the dragons she saw took up the rest of the time before dinner. Her head whipped around in the direction of the front door, and she paled considerably. Remus popped his head around the doorway into the living room, giving Emma a small smile.
"It'll be fine," Remus said. When Emma didn't move, he swapped places with Lyall, who got up to join Sirius and Elara, greeting everyone else. Remus took one of Emma's hands in his, tilting his head to get in her line of vision. "What are you afraid of?" he asked.
"I'm afraid that they won't like me," Emma whispered. "When all the Weasleys came to Saint Mungo's…"
"What happened?"
"Mrs. Weasley…she said that she wasn't too happy about George liking me – she was worried about the whole werewolf thing," Emma replied. "I don't think I was meant to hear it, but I did. I know it's different, but…"
Remus was quiet, rubbing Emma's knuckles with his thumb as he looked over at the fireplace. She could see that her father was running through his thoughts, a look of understanding crossing his face. He met Emma's gaze, his expression sympathetic.
"I don't think you have to worry about that this time," Remus said gently. "This is a completely different situation where the prejudice doesn't exist like with the Weasleys. And honestly, from what I'm hearing, it sounds like they're all genuinely excited to meet you."
"And what if I'm not what they expect?"
"You will be," Remus promised. "You're beautiful, Emma. Come on," Remus said, tugging Emma up as he stood. "You know I'm not going anywhere."
Emma swallowed hard and nodded. She tucked herself underneath Remus's arm and into his side, grabbing onto the back of his jumper like she always used to do when anxious. Remus smiled down at her, gently guiding her towards the entrance hall. All it took was her popping her head around the corner for her to completely lose her nerve. Luckily no one spotted her as she shrunk back into Remus's side. She shot Remus, a wide-eyed look of terror, and he sighed.
"Hold on, let me make this a little easier for you," Remus said, reaching back to unfurl Emma's fingers from his jumper. Emma let out a small, pathetic whine in distress, and Remus bent down to kiss the top of her head. "We'll do this in steps. But you also have to let go of my hand," he added when Emma refused to let Remus take his hand back.
A deep frown crossed Emma's face, and she reluctantly let go of Remus's hand.
"Go sit back down, love," Remus said softly. "I promise it'll be fine. I'll fix this a bit."
Emma sat back down, watching as Remus stepped out in the hallway to join the others. It was a terrible idea to have everyone come around, and she had no idea how she was going to get through the night. She couldn't understand how meeting Greyson's family made her feel sick, but she could handle being stuck in a room with Fenrir for two weeks. It seemed stupid for her to be so worried, but her stomach was in knots. Her head lifted when she heard a soft "Hey" from around the corner to the hallway.
"You all right?" Greyson asked, stepping into the room with his hands in his pockets.
Emma gave herself a moment to study Greyson. He had changed into a black button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone and black trousers. Emma was positive that Greyson could wear absolutely anything and still look incredibly handsome. It was like he was completely flawless, and she couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was he saw in her…
"No," Emma said with a huffed-out laugh. "I'm terrified. And I don't…I don't know."
"I gathered as much when your Dad decided to have nearly everyone move to the dining room," Greyson said softly as he stepped further into the room and sat down next to Emma.
"Nearly everyone?"
"Just about," Greyson said. "Told me quietly it would be a little easier for you to handle things in smaller groups. I didn't realize just how overwhelming it would be for you."
"To be fair, I didn't realize either," Emma said. "But I've always been awful meeting new people."
"Well, your dad pulled all of the adults into the other room, so it's just my cousins to start with. Will that be all right?"
Emma wasn't entirely sure that it would be all right, but she nodded and allowed Greyson to pull her off the couch. He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. She cast Greyson a sheepish grin when she reflexively gripped onto the back of his shirt.
"Sorry," Emma said quietly. "It's a bad habit I have when I'm nervous."
"It's all right. All that matters is that it makes you feel better," Greyson smiled. "You ready?"
"No," Emma said, "but I'll have to get this over with at some point."
Emma wasn't sure what she expected when Greyson pulled her into the entrance hall, but she certainly didn't expect to see three girls. When Greyson told her about his cousins Sam, Charlie, and Alex, she expected to see three boys that looked similar to Greyson. Instead, three girls with matching blue eyes and dark brown hair turned to look at her. Emma had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out of embarrassment. It was such a stupid assumption for her to have made.
"She's pretty, Greyson," said the smallest girl, staring up at Emma in awe. She ripped her hand out of the tallest girl's hand and ran up to Emma, throwing her arms around her tightly. "I like you!"
"I told you not to do that, Alex," Greyson said in exasperation. "Pretty sure Mum and Dad told you to wait before we came in."
"It's fine," Emma laughed, peering down at the dark-haired girl. She detached herself from Greyson to give the girl a hug. "Hello, I'm Emma."
"Hi, I'm Alexandra," she said. "I'm seven!"
"Are you?" Emma asked with a giggle. "I'm fifteen."
"That's about how old Charlie is." The girl who spoke next was a few inches shorter than the tallest one. She pulled Alex off of Emma with an apologetic look. "Hi, I'm Samantha or Sam. Based off of the expression you wore, it's safe to say that Greyson didn't tell you that we were all girls."
Greyson gave Samantha an offended look that immediately fell. "Oh, bugger, I didn't, did I?" Greyson asked with wide eyes. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Emma. It didn't even occur to mention it."
"It's not the first time he's failed to mention it," Samantha said, waving Greyson off.
"Hi," said the final girl, giving Emma a quick hug. "I'm Charlie or Charlotte. Or even Lottie – it depends on the day. I'm not too fussed by what name you use."
Something was jogged in Emma's mind at the name Lottie, and she took a good look at the girl. She looked very much like her sisters, with blue eyes with dark brown hair. Charlotte was a few inches taller than she was with a kind smile. There was something familiar about Charlotte, but Emma couldn't figure out what. All three girls looked the same, so it wasn't as though a particular feature stuck out.
"You're my age, yeah?" Emma asked. "I think Greyson mentioned that to me last night."
"Yep," Charlotte said. "Turned fifteen in July a few weeks after Sam turned twenty."
Emma tucked herself back into Greyson's side, suddenly very shy again. She latched onto the back of Greyson's shirt tightly, hoping to not give away how nervous she was. What followed was possibly one of the most painfully awkward silences Emma had ever experienced. She tried to remember her manners and cleared her throat.
"Uhm, did anyone offer you anything to drink?" Emma asked, cursing herself for the nervous tremble in her voice.
"Ah, your Dad – Dads? – did," Samantha said. She gave Emma a small smile before looking at her two sisters and jerking her head in the direction of the dining room. "Come on, let's go sit down with everyone and give them some air before they're forced to be with everyone." Samantha turned back to Emma as she lifted Alexandra up onto her hip. "It really is nice to finally meet you, Emma. Greyson doesn't stop talking about you whenever he's with us."
Emma smiled in response, unsure of what to say as the three girls made their way to join the others. The moment the entranceway was clear, Emma let out a deep breath, turning herself to hug Greyson tightly.
"That was terrible," Emma moaned. "They have to think I'm mental."
"Emma, you are shaking like a leaf," Greyson said softly, rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her nerves. "I promise they don't think you're mental."
"I could barely even handle saying hello. Of course they think I'm mental."
"Emma, they're just as nervous, even if they don't show it. If they were magic, all three of them would be Gryffindors, especially Alex. Drives my aunt and uncle insane, actually."
Emma let herself laugh. "You know, for two people who complain about the magical world so much, we really do make a lot of comparisons to magic," Emma said.
"Sometimes it's just a bit easier," Greyson sighed. "It's such an easy explanation for a lot."
"But not for everything."
"Unfortunately," Greyson agreed.
Emma sighed, relaxing in Greyson's embrace. She knew that they would have to join the others, but for the moment, she was content where she was. Greyson's energy was calming, and it was exactly what she needed.
"Do you think they would notice if we just slipped off and did our own thing?" Emma asked quietly.
"After a while, probably," Greyson chuckled. "I predict it would take exactly ten minutes before someone would come to find us."
"I say five," Emma said with a sigh. "Can I just pretend that I'm really sick and just go upstairs to hide? It's not that far off from the truth, honestly."
"Is that really what you want to do?" Greyson asked after a pause.
"A little bit, yeah."
"Well…I'd like for you to meet the rest of my family, but if you're really that uncomfortable, I'd rather try again a different day. Mum and Dad really want to meet you, but I don't want to make things worse."
Emma thought about it a moment, hiding her face in Greyson's chest. She desperately wanted to go and hide, and his willingness to let her leave was reassuring. Remus and Sirius would understand, but she knew how much effort it was to get everyone into the village.
"No," Emma said resolutely. "I don't want to be rude. They're here, and I know it's complicated because they're Muggles." She straightened up and pulled away, crossing her arms and hunching over slightly. "I can do this."
"You can," Greyson said with a smile. He pulled Emma back under his arm and turned in the direction of the dining room. "Shall we?"
Stepping into the dining room felt like an actual nightmare to Emma. If Greyson didn't have his arm around her, she would have absolutely slipped off and back up the stairs to hide. It seemed like the entire room was transformed, the once six-seat table now transformed and stretched to support all thirteen people. The fireplace on the one end of the room was lit, and a few wine bottles sat on the bar.
Sirius was busy with Greyson's cousins, apparently more than willing to show off his Animagus form. Lyall and Elara were talking to who Emma assumed were Greyson's aunt and uncle, while Remus was talking to Greyson's parents. Emma was silently grateful that Remus knew how to handle her meeting new people as he subtly pulled Greyson's parents a little further away.
"Right," Greyson said in understanding. "Let's start with my aunt and uncle, then."
Elara turned her attention to Emma and Greyson as they approached, and Lyall's smile was fond. Elara placed a hand on Lyall's arm with a smile.
"I'll go check on dinner really fast," Elara said, giving Emma a wink.
"Nice of you to finally join us," Lyall said gently, giving Emma a pointed look which she blushed at. The man and woman in front of Lyall turned around with kind smiles, but Emma still found herself attaching more firmly to Greyson's side, not quite able to look at either of them. She suddenly couldn't blame Newt for the way he didn't really look at anyone; it was awkward to have someone's attention.
"Aunt Peggy, Uncle Charles, this is my girlfriend Emma," Greyson said happily.
Emma couldn't deny the flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Greyson's girlfriend. She wasn't sure that she would ever get used to it, but the pleased way he said it made her happy.
"Hi," Emma said quietly. "Sorry," she added, holding her hand out and forcing herself to look up at the two in front of her. She froze slightly when she looked at Peggy, something once again tugging at something in her memory. She knew Peggy, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Peggy looked exactly how she thought a person named Peggy should look in her mind – thin with her light brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. All three of Greyson's cousins took after their mother with their pale skin. Charles seemed to fit his name as well, and Emma was struck by the sudden realization that Greyson was taller than his uncle. Really, he was taller than everyone in his family. She could see bits and pieces of the family relation in Charles's dark hair, but it was more evident that Greyson looked more like Fenrir.
"Oh, she really is beautiful," Peggy said with a sweet smile. Emma wasn't sure that her face could get any redder, and she felt so hot from embarrassment that she swore she would spontaneously combust.
"She is," Charles agreed. "It's nice to finally meet you, Emma. My nephew truly cannot stop talking about you."
"All good things, I'd hope," Emma said with a weak giggle.
"As if I could find one bad thing about you," Greyson laughed, bending down to kiss the top of Emma's head. Emma wanted to make a comment about how she could pick out at least a dozen bad things about herself, but she kept quiet.
Exchanging typical pleasantries of "How are you," and idle small talk made things a little easier for Emma. She never enjoyed talking about herself, but she didn't mind talking about mundane things like the weather just to get comfortable. Charles had mentioned a book that he was reading and had managed to capture Greyson's attention quickly.
Emma took a moment to cast Remus a nervous glance. He responded with the slightest lift of his eyebrow and a gentle tilt of his head in question. She gave a slight shrug and glanced over at Sirius, who was still Padfoot. Alexandra was overjoyed by Sirius as a dog, while Charlotte and Samantha were fascinated. Emma worried about more people knowing Sirius's secret, but she had already told Greyson. No one would believe a Muggle's claim that Sirius was an Animagus. Remus gave Emma a knowing smile and gave a slight jerk of his head for her to join him. She wasn't quite ready, but the final introductions would have to happen eventually.
"Grey, I think I'm being summoned by Dad," Emma said quietly as Charles turned to say something to his wife.
"Are you?" Greyson asked. "Are you ready to meet my parents?" He chuckled softly when he noticed the look on Emma's face. "Bit of a stupid question, yeah? Come on, this one will be like ripping off a plaster."
"Excruciating and painful?"
"Ah, someone's extra cheeky today," Greyson sighed, pulling Emma away and towards Remus. "I mostly meant once it's done, it's done."
Remus was doing an excellent job of hiding his smile as they approached, still keeping himself engrossed in the conversation at hand. While his smile wasn't on his lips, Emma spotted how his eyes glittered in pure amusement. He turned his attention to Emma, a proud smile on his face. It was all Greyson's parents needed to see to know to turn around, and Emma froze.
While Greyson looked nothing like his uncle, she could see where he had to look like his mother. Greyson had made jokes that his aunt and his mother were accused of being twins while growing up. The sisters were apparently very similar in looks, and Emma wished she had a photo to look at. If that was the case, Emma could see his mother in Greyson.
His aunt's eyes were kind and full of love as she looked up at Greyson, a hand pressed over her heart; Emma could understand how he easily called her mum. Even his aunt's husband had an incredibly proud expression on his face. There was so much adoration for Greyson reflected in their eyes that it made Emma's heart ache with joy. She had seen the same expression on Remus's face so many times over the years that she was glad to see that Greyson had someone give him the same look. When his aunt looked back at her, Emma was startled to see that her eyes were glassy.
"Mum, Dad – meet Emma," Greyson said proudly.
"Oh," Greyson's aunt said, with a watery laugh. She opened her arms up for Emma with a shaky smile. "I know we're just meeting for the first time, but I feel like I already know you. May I?"
"I…yes," Emma said, startled. She was entirely thrown off by the entire situation. Had many people ever asked her if it was all right to hug her? She could recall very few instances, and how was she supposed to say no to the woman who had raised Greyson? She very slowly pulled herself away from Greyson and allowed the woman to pull her into her embrace.
Greyson's aunt was around Elara's height, just tall enough for Emma to find an equal footing in their hug. Emma thought she would be able to handle something as simple as a hug without getting emotional, but it struck her hard how significant the moment was. This woman had stepped in to do exactly what her mother would have done if things had been different. The last time she had been held close in such a motherly way was by her own mother when she was younger. This would be the closest she would ever get to such a thing again, and Emma felt her eyes water at the thought.
"We have heard so much about you, love," Greyson's aunt said. "And oh – I'm so sorry. I'm Linda, but you can call me whatever you feel comfortable with." She gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back, holding onto both of her hands in hers.
"I have a feeling my wife isn't going to want to let you go," the man still standing near Remus said. He reached out and grabbed Greyson to pull him into his side, looking every bit a proud father. "I'm Oliver."
"It's nice to finally meet you both," Emma said, giving them both shy smiles. She gave Greyson a small smile before looking over at Remus, who suddenly wore a curious expression. Emma wasn't sure what his expression was about, but he quickly slipped into something more neutral. She was about to give Remus a questioning look, but Elara stepped back into the room with a wide smile and said, "Dinner's ready!"
Dinner conversation Emma could easily handle, and she felt a lot better sitting between Remus and Greyson. Sirius, delighted at the idea of being around other people, especially Muggles, managed to lead most of the conversation. He was fascinated to hear that Oliver and Linda worked in the medical field. He was fascinated to hear about Charles's time in a Muggle office while Remus related to Peggy as a teacher. Once again, Emma felt as though there was something she was missing, but the conversation turned to her.
"So, Emma," Oliver started to say. "Linda and I grew quite used to Greyson coming home with some of the most outlandish stories from school. Do you have any interesting stories that no one would believe?"
"Oh," Emma said in surprise. That was a question she wasn't really asked before. "Other than looking like a complete idiot because someone made me melt my cauldron while Greyson was teaching, I don't know."
"I've got one," Remus said, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Oh, this will be a good one, I'm sure," Sirius said excitedly.
Emma genuinely had no idea what story Remus could possibly tell, and she immediately ran through every possible moment from her third year. She couldn't think of anything particularly interesting, and she looked at Remus, incredibly worried.
"Emma fought a troll in her first year," Remus said with a smirk. Emma immediately groaned, hiding her face. "Greyson, did she ever tell you that?"
"You fought a troll…in your first year?" Greyson asked, looking at Emma in amazement.
"I didn't fight the troll!" Emma said. "I was just there!"
"Technically, you helped," Remus insisted. "And technically, you also got blamed for it."
"Oh, I was livid for that one," Emma sighed, shaking her head. "I really didn't do much, though. I was trying to help figure out what was wrong with a classmate, and a troll got into the castle. It was just a freak thing that I was there."
"But a troll?" Greyson asked in alarm.
"Are trolls big?" Peggy asked, looking intrigued.
"Aunt Peggy, they're massive," Greyson breathed out. "Easily twelve feet tall at the minimum, so imagining Emma at – what were you, twelve at that point? – is alarming."
"I want to see a troll!" Alexandra piped up.
"I remember Remus telling me that story," Elara said. "I still can't believe it even years later."
"Nor can I," Lyall said, reaching for his glass of wine and taking a long drink.
"I couldn't either when I received the letter about the incident," Remus sighed, putting an arm around Emma's shoulders and pulling her close to kiss the top of her head. "Was absolutely petrified and so incredibly proud at the same time. I'll forever be in awe of how incredibly talented my little girl is."
"She is beyond talented," Greyson agreed. "An accomplished dueler, from what I hear. Makes potions well above the skill level of someone her age, and she can cast a spell that most adults can't even succeed in casting."
"You make me sound far more impressive than I am," Emma said with a blush.
"Because you are impressive, Pumpkin," Sirius said pointedly. He sat back in his chair happily when there were murmurs of agreement. Emma felt like she was growing impossibly red at the praise.
"What stories do you have of Greyson from school?" Remus asked.
"Oh, God," Linda said. "Where do we even start? Every single Quidditch injury, the time he blew up a cauldron in his second year –"
"You blew up a cauldron?" Emma snickered as she met Greyson's guilty expression.
"Added a bit too much Boom Berry juice while learning how to make the Wiggenweld potion," Greyson said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really proud of it."
"Oh, I've got a good one," Samantha said, giving Greyson an innocent smile. What about the time Greyson forgot to bring Mr. Puff-n-Stuff to school his first year?"
"Sam!"
"Mr. Puff-n-Stuff?" Emma asked, smiling at how Greyson was the one to cover his face, his cheeks bright red.
"Greyson's got this teddy bear that he's had for ages," Charlotte said, giving Greyson a cheeky grin. "I might have been younger, but I do recall him being so upset about it during Christmas."
"And why wasn't Mr. Puff-n-Stuff mailed to school?"
"Because I didn't want Mr. Puffy to get lost," Greyson muttered, shoving the palms of his hands into his eye sockets.
Emma tried her best to keep herself from smiling and covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laugh. "And…do you still have Mr. Puffy, Greyson?"
"Knowing Greyson, he probably has Puff-n-Stuff in his bag with him," Samantha said.
"Sam!" Greyson said sharply.
"Samantha Jo, you promised you would behave!" Charles said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, please," Samantha said, waving her father off. "If Emma doesn't hear embarrassing stories about Greyson from us, she's never going to hear them."
"Is that true?" Emma asked Greyson, still trying to keep herself from smiling. "Do you have Mr. Puff-n-Stuff hiding in your bag?"
Greyson still kept his face half-hidden behind a propped-up hand as he turned to look at Emma. He stared at her for a long moment and took a deep breath in through his nose before giving his head a slight tilt. Greyson made a soft noise of embarrassment and nodded.
Emma tried very hard not to laugh, but she couldn't stop herself. The idea of Greyson carrying around a childhood teddy bear with him was beyond sweet, and she loved it. She loved him.
"Oh, you are never going to let me live this down, are you?" Greyson asked with a sigh.
"No, never," Emma giggled, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. "But I'd also like to meet Mr. Puff-n-Stuff and hear about his adventures."
Conversation luckily shifted to hearing about Greyson's cousins. Samantha was in university and wanted to do something in history. Charlotte wasn't sure what she wanted to do but was in Year 10 just like Emma would have been and didn't look forward to preparing for university. Alexandra, who was in Year 3, proudly declared she wanted to be a giraffe to everyone's amusement.
As pudding was served, the conversation naturally gravitated towards Peggy and her teaching. It was something that Remus related to effortlessly, and Emma was glad that Greyson could include his input. But the more Peggy spoke, the more Emma found herself watching the woman carefully between bites of chocolate cake.
"Oh, mum!" Charlotte said. "Do you remember the time you made Sam and I share a birthday party that one summer? I think it was the summer before Year 4!"
"That was a tremendous party," Peggy said. "I remember that we made sure to invite yours and your sister's entire year."
Emma found herself listening to the story of Charlotte and Samantha's birthday party very closely. As they described the party decorations, Emma couldn't help but feel she could imagine the multi-colored balloons everywhere. They were tied to trees and to some of the playground equipment in the area they reserved. She could practically see the streamers perfectly, fluttering in the faint breeze. When Charlotte began to talk about a girl who had climbed up the slide to try and grab the pink balloon overhead, Emma froze. It seemed impossible that it was the same party conjured up in her mind, but too much of it was clear.
She remembered specifically having to beg Fenrir to let her go to the birthday party. It was one of the times that Fenrir was around, and Ward was dead-set on letting her go even though Tracey was. Emma wanted nothing more than to feel like she belonged with her peers even though they thought she was weird. Going to the party was the highlight of her summer even if she didn't know the girl the party was for that well. It had taken days to finally get Fenrir to agree to let her go, and he walked her as far as he could without getting too close to the park. If Charlotte were to say –
"Remember how scared we all were because she fell off the slide, but no one knew who she belonged to?" Charlotte asked. "I remembered her from school, but we didn't know who her parents were."
"I didn't fall off the slide," Emma said quietly, staring hard at Charlotte. "I was pushed. By Tracey, actually."
The silence in the room was palpable, thick with sudden tension. Emma silently cursed herself for bringing up her thoughts at all since it meant everyone's attention was on her. Remus and Greyson looked at each other before looking at Emma in alarm. Elara sat up straighter in her chair as Lyall leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. Sirius made absolutely no movements whatsoever except for the flicking of his eyes between Emma and Charlotte. Peggy, Charles, and Oliver all cast each other looks of surprise while a guilty expression crossed Linda's face.
"What do you…Tracey?" Charlotte asked. "You can't mean Tracey Donahue, do you?"
"I do," Emma said quietly. She looked over at Peggy, recognition finally hitting her as she looked over at Alexandra. If everything lined up correctly, Peggy was pregnant with Alexandra at the time. "You taught in the classroom next to Mrs. Bolton, didn't you? Mrs. Sinclair, right? Year 3? I remember Charlotte giving me the invitation before term let out and being jealous she had her own mum as a teacher."
Emma thought it would be impossible for the situation to get worse as the awkward silence grew. Peggy was staring at her with wide eyes, Charles looked confused, and Charlotte and Samantha seemed absolutely stunned.
"I was at that party," Greyson said quietly after a long moment. "I remember Aunt Peggy being a nervous wreck because she didn't know what to do."
"We didn't get there until after Emma left," Linda said, rubbing her forehead. "On purpose."
"Mum? What do you mean we didn't get there until after Emma left on purpose?"
Linda worried her lip between her teeth, setting her fork down and pushing her plate to the side. She looked over at her husband, who wore a guilty expression as well.
"I was hoping that this wouldn't happen," Linda said, her tone apologetic. "Not Emma being in your life, of course, Greyson – she's brought such a light to your life, but I was hoping that she wasn't the same girl."
"What do you mean?"
"I think there's a lot we need to talk about," Linda said, propping her elbows up on the table and steepling her hands in front of her face.
"Yes, I think there is," Remus said coolly, his arm going back around Emma's shoulders protectively.
The only one able to finish their cake was Alexandra, who had no idea what was going on. Lyall and Elara took Greyson's cousins into the kitchen to begin cleaning up. At the same time, Peggy and Charles decided to take a walk through the village to give everyone a bit of space. Rather than staying in the dining room, the others made their way to the living room to get comfortable.
Emma sat on one end of the couch with Remus to her left and Sirius seated at the opposite end. Remus's hand was gripping Emma's knee in a show of solidarity. Greyson remained standing, leaning against the couch with his arm around Emma's shoulders as his parents took the armchairs.
"What is going on?" Greyson asked sharply when everyone was settled. "Why did it sound like you knew who Emma was years ago?"
"Greyson, baby, before I explain, I need you to understand everything we ever did was to keep you safe," Linda said, keeping her gaze on Greyson for a long moment. She let out a long breath as she looked over at Emma. "I certainly never expected to have this conversation ever in my life."
"What do you mean?" Greyson asked, his eyes narrowing.
"We weren't…entirely truthful about what we told you about your father growing up," Oliver said slowly.
"Perhaps this is a conversation best had with just the three of you," Remus said, his tone still icy.
"No," Linda said quickly. "Because it involves Emma, too." She swallowed hard, rubbing her temples and shaking her head. "Fenrir always made it clear that Emma and Greyson were never meant to meet, but we didn't know who Emma was over the years."
"What do you mean Emma and Greyson weren't meant to meet?" Remus asked, his grip on Emma's knee tightening. "I don't understand how that could even be a situation. If you knew that they weren't supposed to meet, how did you even know about my daughter?"
"It's been a complicated situation," Linda said.
"So, he's known about me this entire time?" Greyson asked. "He's known of my existence and hasn't done a thing about it?"
"He was the one who named you…not your mum. Of course he knew."
No one could have expected those words to leave Linda's mouth, but when it came to Fenrir, it wasn't that surprising. At least it wasn't for the Lupin-Black family.
Greyson was still for a long moment before he decided to sit down on the arm of the couch. His hold around Emma's shoulders dropped, and Emma reached for his hand instead, lacing her fingers with his. This was something that she most likely would wind up understanding on some level, but she didn't understand how she was a part of things.
"Fenrir has always been a part of your life," Linda continued quietly. "Not directly, but he always made sure to check up on you. He often sent someone else in his place – very rarely did he ever come by himself."
"Is that who that man was that I always used to see?" Greyson questioned. "The tall one with the long face?"
"Raoul?" Emma asked in surprise.
"Who's Raoul?"
"He's Fenrir's second and has been for at least the past 20 years," Remus explained. "If Fenrir doesn't want to deal with things, he'll send Raoul in his place. Fenrir prefers to stick with the pack as much as possible, wherever possible. Especially during the war."
"So what was the purpose of Raoul?" Greyson asked. "Why couldn't my father come around himself?"
"Because he told us that he had another child to worry about," Linda said flatly as she looked over at Emma. "His concerns were elsewhere."
Emma suddenly felt ill with the dawning understanding of the situation. Remus's grip on her knee was nearly painful by that point, and she had no doubt he had realized the same thing that she did.
For the longest time, Emma thought she was Fenrir's replacement for her father. It fit neatly in her mind with straightforward explanations. Fenrir wanted her to look like her father – he was the pup that got away. Fenrir spoke of Remus with a sort of reverence, his chief complaint being that Remus refused to accept he was a werewolf. He was fond of Remus in the way a father might be, but then Emma thought about how Fenrir treated her over the years.
Things clicked a little more in place in Emma's mind. Fenrir always made it clear to her that he wasn't her father growing up, that there was someone else he needed to worry about. He made it clear that someone else was her father but never said who and never made a point to clarify. Fenrir had mentioned that he had to take care of her and that the "someone else" was being taken care of, but she was more important to him.
Fenrir's mention of giving her the Fenmore name over the summer if things had been different made a lot more sense. When she learned of Greyson's existence, it seemed like a strange move, but everything made more sense.
Emma was never meant to be her father's replacement; she was meant to be Greyson's.
She made to pull her hand out of Greyson's, but he tightened his grip. Emma looked up at him in confusion, worried that he was angry with her, but his expression was the exact opposite. He held her gaze for a long moment and turned his attention back to Linda.
"Go on," Greyson said tightly. "Might as well get it all out now since you've obviously been keeping this information from me my entire life. Clearly, I'm not the only one who deserves an explanation."
"We made a deal with Fenrir after we lost your mother," Oliver said when Linda couldn't find her words. "Fenrir was determined to get you, but we refused to let him."
"You have to understand, we didn't care that Fenrir was a werewolf," Linda said, mainly to Remus. "We didn't understand any of it, but he was good to Eliane until he wasn't. Fenrir was around frequently and took excellent care of her, so how could we care that he was a werewolf? He made my sister happy, and she fell in love with magic; someone transforming into a wolf once a month didn't matter to her. When she got pregnant with Greyson, he became possessive, and he attacked her one night. We weren't sure that she would pull through, but a wizard nearby knew who Fenrir was and had her taken to Saint Mungo's. Obviously, Eliane and Greyson both survived, but Eliane became sick."
"She became infected from the wounds," Elara said as she stepped into the room. She leaned against the other side of the couch, taking a look at everyone. "Sorry, I let Lyall take over with the girls. He's doing a great job keeping them occupied." Elara gave Linda and Charles an apologetic look. "Sorry, I've seen my fair share of werewolf inflicted wounds, so I can only imagine what she went through. It's bad enough for magical beings; I can't imagine how it is for Muggles."
"Then what happened?" Sirius asked. "How is Emma even a part of this?"
"Well, that's part of the problem," Oliver said. "We don't exactly know because we had no idea that it was Emma that Fenrir was referring to."
"We have to go back to the deal that was made," Linda explained. "Greyson was young enough that we moved around frequently. It was when he started primary school that we ran into issues. We think Fenrir took it as a game – let us leave and then come find us. Luckily Fenrir started coming around less and less, and Raoul started to show up in his place. Raoul explained that there was a war going on, and Fenrir was needed elsewhere."
"Fenrir said that if we didn't have children of our own and devoted our time to Greyson, he wouldn't get hurt," Oliver continued. "Fenrir wanted to take Greyson with him, but he wanted to wait until things were more settled. He wasn't entirely willing to risk Greyson facing any harm with the war. Obviously, we agreed. We already saw Greyson as our son by that point, and we would do anything to ensure his safety. After realizing what Fenrir was capable of…"
"You did exactly what I would have done in your situation," Remus said. "He's dangerous on a good day. If he had a motive, then it was even more dangerous."
"But that still doesn't explain Emma's involvement," Sirius said quietly.
Linda sighed, looking over at Emma and Greyson, her expression sad. "That's where it starts to get complicated," she said. "Fenrir came to us one day the year Greyson turned seven, I believe, and said that he had no desire to take him any longer. He wanted him to be taken care of, but he had another child to look after – a little girl, he said."
"Fenrir never gave a name of the girl he was referring to?" Elara questioned. "He just one day had a little girl to take care of, but no explanation?"
"Well, we initially thought it meant that Greyson had a little sister," Linda sighed. "He was careful to never give her identity out of fear that we would seek her out. Fenrir made it clear that they were never to meet, and we were to never know who she was. Believe me, if we knew who she was, we would have taken her to try and keep her safe."
"That party Charlotte mentioned – Fenrir came to us out of nowhere and said that we had to arrive later," Charles added. "Added in all of the typical threats to make sure that Peggy never returned teaching that year. Then again, it was convenient timing because they were about to have Alexandra."
"I had no idea you were from York," Remus said. "I never would have guessed."
"We're not – we're from London. Peggy and Charles only lived near York for that year because they didn't want to keep raising the girls in the city."
"I don't understand," Greyson said, his brow furrowing. "I don't understand why it would matter if we met or not. It's not like we weren't in school together for that one year, though I don't know how we missed each other then."
"I was never supposed to go to Hogwarts," Emma said. "If Fenrir had his way at that point, he would have taken me with him. Things weren't ever meant to go the way they did, but once everything was set in motion, it couldn't be stopped. My Dad knew that I existed; I received my Hogwarts letter, so the school knew about me. If I disappeared again, it would have been too suspicious even if Fenrir tried to fix the mistakes that were made." Emma leaned against Greyson with a frown. "I now have a feeling that we were kept apart on purpose when we were in school together."
"That still doesn't entirely explain why Fenrir didn't just take Greyson anyway after the war," Remus said with a frown. "If he's known of Greyson this entire time, it just seems unlike him to let him run free."
"We didn't care what Fenrir did as long as it meant that he didn't hurt Greyson. He did enough damage with Eliane," Linda said. "If another werewolf came across him, Fenrir was quick to rectify the situation." Linda didn't have to elaborate for them to understand exactly what Fenrir's method of fixing things involved. "The only other people who know the truth other than the people in this room and our family are the other alphas."
The living room fell silent with the gravity of the situation. Emma still felt sick, not understanding how Greyson could still have such a firm grip on her hand. Really, she couldn't understand how he could hold her hand at all. Even though she didn't know what was going on growing up, Emma felt guilty. So many things came down to her.
"You're wrong, Remus," Elara said quietly. "It makes perfect sense."
"What do you mean?" Remus asked. "There's no logical reason why Fenrir would let Greyson live a normal life but then take Emma instead."
"But you're wrong," Elara said, looking over at Emma. "Emma is exactly why Greyson got to live a normal life. Do you remember what Emma said Fenrir told her?"
"About that Divination nonsense?"
"I don't know that it's entirely nonsense," Sirius added quietly. "It's almost like…like with Harry. Didn't you tell me that blood magic was involved?"
"Yes, but –"
"Whatever Fenrir saw, he decided to set into motion himself," Elara said. "I have a feeling that Fenrir had an entirely different plan of how things would go. If Fenrir wanted Greyson safe, keeping him out of the magical world was the best bet until it was time to pull him back in. There's a strong possibility we'll never discover the answers to everything that happened in between then and now, but we know the important things."
"And what is so important?"
"Fenrir wants power," Elara said slowly. "And if Greyson were a werewolf…"
Remus and Elara appeared to be in an intense staring contest with each other. Elara's eyebrows suddenly lifted, and Remus cocked his head to the side. They were silent for a few more moments, and Emma startled when Remus's hand tightened on her knee once more.
"Oh," he said, turning his head to look at Emma and Greyson. He gave Emma an apologetic look as he rubbed her knee for a moment before lifting his hand to rub his jaw. "It was the perfect plan. By keeping them apart, it meant that Fenrir would never have to relinquish his power. But, of course, things changed, and they met anyway…"
"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "Why would he have to relinquish his power?"
"Because if Greyson was a full werewolf, Fenrir would eventually have to pass the packs down to him," Remus said. "As Greyson is Fenrir's son, he would be next in line…"
"And Fenrir practically hand chose Emma to serve as an alpha," Elara finished.
Greyson understood what Remus and Elara were trying to say well before Emma did. She was still trying to process everything else when she noticed everyone was looking at her. The realization of what was being said hit her like a freight train. Everything Fenrir had told her was once again true – he still hadn't lied to her. Fenrir had to have come to the exact same conclusion as she had but was trying to change how fate played out however he could. If Emma never met Greyson, Fenrir would have chance to have things go the way he wanted. Whatever Fenrir saw was never about him and Emma; it was always about her and Greyson just like she thought. There was no other explanation.
"I need some air," Emma choked out, ripping her hand out of Greyson's, rushing out of the room. She tossed her boots on and didn't bother throwing on her coat, practically sprinting out into the frigid air in her dress and cardigan. It was nothing short of a miracle that no one bothered to stop her.
Emma was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice that it had started to snow sometime during dinner. The village was covered in its first light dusting of snow that was still falling overhead. It was quiet and still and exactly the opposite of her very thoughts. Her breath came out in swirling plumes as she held herself close to keep warm. Where she was going, she had no idea. All she knew was that she needed to get away.
As she walked out onto the high street, Emma had to pause for a moment. A few of the stores had started to put up their Christmas lights early; multi-colored bulbs flashing against the wide windows and brick-faced buildings. If her thoughts weren't so jumbled, she would enjoy the village's sudden picturesque look much more.
The snow fell slowly in just the way that Emma loved most – fluffy and carrying with the light breeze. She shivered as the wind brushed past her, and she regretted not grabbing a coat on the way out. Emma knew that she should head back, but she couldn't – not yet.
She was lost and confused, unsure of what to think. It wasn't as though she hadn't settled into the idea of being an alpha in the future, but it seemed bizarre. Her? An alpha? Everything from the past few months seemed absolutely ludicrous, made-up, non-existent; it couldn't be real.
Everything had to be a dream. She had to still be in her third year and in her bedroom across from Remus's having the weirdest dream ever. But then Emma heard Greyson call her name, and she turned to find him, and she knew that she was very much awake. She wasn't creative enough to make Greyson up in her mind.
"Emma!" Greyson said, running up to her and throwing his coat around her shoulders. "It is absolutely bloody freezing out. Why did you go out without a coat? It's snowing out!"
"Because I can't think, Grey," Emma said, her teeth chattering in the cold. "Or I have too much on my mind. I don't know anymore. I don't even know what –"
Emma was immediately cut off by Greyson's mouth on hers, and her mind went completely blank. He was kissing her with an urgency and a fire that they didn't even have back when they were trying to figure things out. It wasn't at all what she was expecting to happen, but for a moment, they were entirely alone in the village. The chill in the air was replaced with an indescribable warmth, and Emma wanted nothing more than to get lost in it.
Greyson only pulled back when they were both completely breathless, his hands cupping her jaw. He pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and taking a deep, steadying breath. Emma did the same, if only to get air back into her lungs, and placed her hands on his chest to keep herself grounded. Greyson's heart was beating fast and hard beneath her hands, and Emma nuzzled her nose against his affectionately. She didn't know a lot, but she knew exactly how she felt about Greyson.
"I'm so fucking confused," Greyson finally said with another deep breath. "Never in my life did I expect to hear what I did tonight." When Emma opened her eyes again, Greyson was already watching her. His lips twitched slightly as he leaned back to look at her better, his gaze searching and unsure.
"I'm sorry," Emma said quietly, not sure of what she could say.
"Don't be," Greyson sighed. A more familiar, mischievous grin crossed Greyson's face, and he began to laugh. "It's a damn good thing that it turned out that you're not my sister."
Emma burst out into laughter, leaning into Greyson. If they were going to search for miracles in their absolutely bizarre situation, that was one of the biggest. It didn't stop her from feeling any less guilty over something she couldn't control, but at least they could say they weren't siblings.
"Oh, God," Emma laughed. "I made jokes about being Luke and Leia when I realized how screwed up Papa's family tree is. I know that we're not related, but this is somehow even worse than Papa's family!" That only made them laugh even harder, holding onto each other to try and keep upright.
When their laughter finally slowed, Greyson bent down and kissed Emma to silence the last of her giggles. Emma mused that it was an effective method of keeping every part of her quiet, her mind sufficiently blank for the time being.
Greyson's expression was much more serious when he pulled back and straightened up, his hands never leaving Emma's jaw. He glanced up at the sky and met Emma's eyes.
"I'm incredibly confused about a lot of things right now, and I don't know how to say the things I want to, but there's one thing I know for certain," Greyson said, swallowing hard. "I love you, Emma."
If Greyson's goal was to make her completely forget everything, he did an incredible job of it. Emma's lips parted in surprise, and her breath caught in her lungs. Greyson still loved her after everything they had learned that night? It wasn't exactly how she pictured the moment at all. But as Emma took in the snow freezing to Greyson's hair, his pink cheeks, and the way their breaths intermingled in matching puffs of smoke, she realized it was perfect.
"I love you, too," Emma whispered, a smile splitting on her face at the relieved look on Greyson's face. She stood on her tiptoes and pulled Greyson's face down to hers to kiss him once more. She wanted to say the words over and over again, but the cold was starting to seep back into her skin, and she started to shiver again.
"Let's go back," Greyson said. "It's far too cold for you to be out in this."
The mood in the house was still subdued when Emma and Greyson stepped foot back in the house. Peggy and Charles had returned at some point and had taken over the couch with their three children. Alexandra was asleep on Peggy's lap. Charlotte was lying down with her head in Charles's lap. Samantha had wedged herself on the other side of her father, leaning against him. Remus, Sirius, and Elara were huddled by the fire in conversation, and Lyall was talking to Greyson's parents.
Everyone looked up and gave them soft smiles, but no one seemed willing to say anything just yet. Remus looked back at Elara and Sirius, who gave the slightest of shrugs at his questioning look. He sighed, beckoning Emma and Greyson over, looking solemn.
Remus crossed his arms over his chest as he looked between the two of them. "We were doing a lot of talking while you two were out – all of us," Remus said, looking back at Greyson's parents. "And in light of what we know now, I think we've all come to one conclusion. I think I feel much more confident in my decision about what you brought up earlier today, Emma."
Emma looked up at Greyson and then at Remus in surprise, holding her breath. She wasn't sure what Remus would say, especially now. He still looked worried, but there was something more resolute in her father's stance.
"And that decision is?" Emma asked, trying to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice.
Remus straightened up, pulling himself up to his full height. He studied Greyson for a moment before his gaze fell back on Emma, the smile on his face matching the sly smiles on both Elara and Sirius's faces.
"It's time to show Fenrir not to mess with a Marauder," Remus said. "Give him hell."
a/n: This. Was. SO HARD to write. Trying to get the flow right while still making everything sufficiently awkward? OH BOY.
So...more questions answered. ARE WE SURPRISED? CAN WE SAY WE'RE SURPRISED? I think saying we're surprised is a terrible idea because it's Fenrir. Lots of new characters to add, weird six degrees of separation moment, blahblahblah.
BUT THE TWO BABIES FINALLY SAID THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO YAY.
Anyway, first task is coming up. MORE DRAGONS. YAY.
To all of my late night readers (and I have a feeling I might have some with this chapter - oops!), please go to sleep, have a good night, I love you! To all of my other times readers, I love you, too and have a wonderful day!
Shard - THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR COMMENTS SEND ME AND I LOVE YOU SWEET BEAN. CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS CHAPTER'S SCREAMY REVIEW OKAY I LOVE YOU BYE.