Emma was exhausted by the time everyone finally left the house. The very moment she could, she immediately ran upstairs to change into her pajamas and back down to sit on the floor in front of the fire. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, dropping her chin on top with a frown.

She felt conflicted again. On the one hand, she was running off the high of Greyson saying that he loved her, but on the other, she was horrified. Greyson's life was just as manipulated as hers, and it was just one more thing for them to have in common. It was bad enough that they both lost their mothers young, but to learn just how much was controlled behind the scenes? Emma felt ill thinking about it. She felt guilty even though she wasn't the one doing any of it, but it still felt like it was her fault.

Emma was startled when she felt something cold touch her cheek, and she turned her head to find a black, furry face next to hers. A small smile crossed Emma's face, and she adjusted herself to hug Padfoot sitting next to her and buried her face in the scruff of his neck with a sigh.

"This is still absolutely bloody weird," Emma muttered, lifting her head to meet silvery eyes. "The whole being a dog thing. But it's not so bad." She pressed a kiss to the tip of his snout and hid her face back in his fur. It was rare that she had a moment alone with just Sirius, even if he was Padfoot, and though she was still a little mad at him, he was there. She hoped that they would eventually figure things out, but she would push it aside for the moment. There were more important things to worry about than being angry with Sirius.

Emma lifted her head once more when she felt a soft touch on her arm. She looked over at Remus, who was crouched next to her, a mug in hand.

"Thought you might need this," Remus said, passing the mug over to Emma, who took it with an appreciative hum.

"You always do make the best hot chocolate for me," Emma murmured, taking a sip with a content sigh. She shifted herself to lean against Remus's as he sat down next to her. "Been a while since we've done this…"

"Well, I think it's more than appropriate right now," Remus sighed, reaching out to scratch Padfoot's head as he placed it in Emma's lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," Emma said, shifting her mug to one hand so that she could run the other through Padfoot's fur. "Probably not as confused as Grey, though. I feel guilty."

"Why would you feel guilty?"

"Because it feels like my fault. All of it."

"Emma, we went over this before," Remus said softly. "You had no control over the things that happened to you before I finally had you. None of it was your fault – no one blames you for any of it."

Emma peered up at Remus and swallowed hard with a slight nod. She settled herself into his side, resting her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her. The fire felt nice against her still chilled skin, and both Remus and Padfoot were warm.

"I'm happy too, though," Emma whispered after a long while. "Which makes everything even more confusing."

"Are you?"

"I am," Emma said, feeling the start of a blush creep into her cheeks. She met Remus's curious expression with a giggle. "Grey told me he loves me."

"Ah, that would explain the matching smiles you had when you both came back," Remus said lightly. "And did you tell him you felt the same way?"

"I did," Emma giggled. "Because I do. I just wish I understood anything that was going on."

"What do you mean?"

Emma had just started to open her mouth to speak when there was a sudden knock at the door. Remus looked over his shoulder at Elara, who stood up quickly.

"I'll go look," Elara said, making a quick departure from the room. Emma settled herself against Remus and sipped her hot chocolate, trying to ignore just how tired she was. If their guest was anyone they needed to worry about, Remus or Padfoot would have gotten up already. It was enough for Emma to just ignore the conversation for a moment.

"It appears we've picked up a stray," Elara said upon her return.

Emma felt Remus twist himself to look at their newest arrival, and Emma found herself sitting up straighter to look as well.

"Grey?" Emma said in surprise. He had changed into something more casual since his departure, coat haphazardly thrown on as if he just left wherever he came from in a hurry.

"Sorry," Greyson said quietly, shifting his bag up higher on his shoulder. He glanced over at Emma and then turned his attention to Remus. "I wasn't quite ready to go home. Had a bit of a row with my parents and didn't particularly feel like going back to my flat and staying there. I feel like my mates would be a bit too much to deal with." Greyson looked lost, and Emma couldn't help but wonder how many times she looked as helpless as he did. "I'll leave if you want me to, of course," he added quietly, "but…"

Remus carefully separated himself from Emma and rose from his spot on the floor with a sigh. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his expression sympathetic. "Get yourself comfortable," Remus said. "Luckily, we've all been through this before, so you're in good company. Plus, I think my daughter would be quite disappointed if I turned you away." Remus studied Greyson for a moment before asking, "What would you like to drink?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Greyson said, straightening up. "Thank you for letting me stay."

Remus was quiet for a moment, pursing his lips. "You're a hot chocolate person," he said decidedly as he made his way back to the kitchen. Padfoot lifted himself off the floor with a stretch to follow Remus and Elara back to the kitchen. Greyson couldn't quite bring himself to look at Emma and remained frozen where he was for a moment. He swallowed hard and made his way up the stairs, returning moments later wearing his pajamas.

A slight smile crossed Emma's face at his familiar Slytherin Quidditch t-shirt, the one that matched the smaller one she had taken as her own. He settled himself down on the floor next to her, hugging his knees close to his chest. Emma worried her lip between her teeth for a moment, watching Greyson and unsure what to say.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked softly.

"Don't know," Greyson replied.

This wasn't the version of Greyson that Emma was used to at all, sad and almost despondent. Emma understood all too well the abrupt loss of control that came with such unexpected news, but this was new. She still struggled with the idea that so much of her life was never her own, and she didn't want Greyson to feel the same way.

"It's scary," Emma said slowly. "You go through your life knowing one thing, and then suddenly you find out that everything is different."

"None of it makes sense," Greyson said quietly. "And to know my parents always knew? That if they really wanted to, they could have done something to help you?"

"It was better that they didn't," Emma said with a sigh. "Knowing firsthand what Fenrir is capable of –"

"But it was never fair to you. If they had done something –"

"Then all of us would most likely be dead," Emma said with an edge to her voice she wasn't quite expecting. She sighed at the startled look Greyson wore and scrubbed her hands over her face. "The point I'm trying to make is that it's clear he wanted to keep us apart. If your family stepped in, who knows what he would have done?"

Greyson remained silent, his lips pressing into a thin line. He lifted his arm and pulled Emma into his side, resting his cheek on top of her head. "I love you," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"I love you, too," Emma whispered back, snuggling close.

For perhaps what felt like the millionth time that day, Emma found that Greyson being there made sense. Certain little traditions, such as the one that was going to occur, felt more fitting with him there.

Emma lifted her head only when Remus returned with another mug of hot chocolate for Greyson. Remus hesitated for a moment and settled down on the floor next to Emma, and Padfoot took his new spot next to Greyson. Greyson gave Emma a slightly worried look when Padfoot dropped down to the floor and placed his head in Greyson's lap.

"You can pet him," Remus said gently. "Actually, he'll insist. Eventually, you'll forget that he's not actually a dog."

"He helps a lot like this," Emma said, reaching over to scratch the spot between Padfoot's shoulders. "This is his favorite spot, but he likes the spot behind his ears, too."

"A-are you sure?" Greyson asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. His hand was hovering just over the top of Padfoot's head, and Emma pressed his hand down until it connected with his fur. "Oh, I wasn't expecting him to be this soft."

"Well, that's one way to give him an even bigger ego," Elara sighed, settling next to Greyson and Padfoot. "He's going to talk about that for weeks."

"I'm never going to hear the end of it," Remus sighed, "but it's not the worst thing."

Emma resisted the urge to point out that Remus and Elara had soft fur as well and chose to drink her hot chocolate in silence. Greyson was fascinated by how soft Padfoot's fur was, and it was a decent enough distraction. Sirius as a dog naturally gravitated towards the people who needed comfort most; it gave him a purpose, and she wouldn't distract from that.

"Welcome to the place of deep conversations," Emma said, gesturing vaguely to the fireplace. "Lupin tradition since the moment Dad took me home."

"It's not a terrible tradition," Remus said. "Your second year was a challenge, but it wasn't terrible," Remus added at the pained expression on Emma's face. "Those were some of our better talks."

"Didn't make it any less traumatic," Emma muttered.

"We got through it, no? You got through it."

"And now we've got an entirely different thing to worry about."

"Something that involves all of us," Elara pointed out. "We know a lot more than we did before, and so much more makes sense."

"What exactly is known now?" Greyson asked. He took a long drink of his hot chocolate, eyes fixed on the flames in the fireplace. "I still don't understand."

"We know the motive behind a fair amount of what Fenrir has done over the years," Remus replied. "We didn't know what his motivation was. We now know that there's a strong possibility that he doesn't want to harm either of you because he wants you both for different reasons."

"But that's not to say that he can't flip like a switch," Elara added. "None of us are completely out of the woods yet."

"Oh, and I'm sure he will once he realizes what's been going on," Remus admitted reluctantly. "I'm beyond positive that it won't be good, but you two have built-in protections. For you, Greyson, he wants to have his biological child out in the world…for Emma…"

Emma pulled a face and shuddered. "We don't need to discuss what he wants with me, thanks," Emma grumbled. "I'm pretty sure that we've gone over that far too many times to count."

"What does any of this mean?" Greyson asked. "If he was so desperate to have a child, why not me? Not that I particularly care knowing what I do now, but…"

"It all comes down to power," Elara said. "Every little thing Fenrir does is about power. His power over the packs, his power over innocent people. He thrives on intimidation, on his very nature, to get exactly what he wants."

"Fenrir is worried about losing his control," Remus added. "With you, it was far more difficult because there were third parties involved. It was no less manipulative, but Emma was placed in a situation where he had unfettered access to her. He tried to mold her into what you would have been if he kept you."

"He was trying to turn me into a weapon," Emma said, causing the entire room to fall silent. She swallowed hard and set her mug aside, no longer sure she could stomach drinking her hot chocolate. "He tried to turn me into something that I wasn't, and I'm still horrified to learn how I used to act. I wasn't exactly a very good child."

"He didn't destroy your soul," Remus said softly into the quiet that fell once more. "He failed to ruin the very thing that makes you who you are."

"He seemed careful in making sure that you still maintained some sort of innocence," Elara said gently. "Both of you had some sort of innocence growing up, really. As terrible as Fenrir is, he's good with children. I think it's a big part of why you and Emma get along so well – forced to grow up far sooner than you should have but still taken care of. It was the same care but in two different circumstances. We all know Emma could have used a little extra love growing up, but we certainly make sure she gets enough of it now."

"Putting all of that aside for right now, it's clear you two are both in very powerful positions," Remus said. "You two are wanted by him, and that's good. If Fenrir had any desire of taking either of you out of the equation, he would have done it already."

"My father essentially expected us to go through life without ever knowing each other, though?" Greyson questioned. "The magical community is large, but it feels as though it would have been impossible to go through life without meeting. It's still a wonder that we didn't really meet my last year of school."

"There was another influence at play," Remus replied with a frown. He glanced over at Elara, who gave a swift nod in response. "Persephone."

Greyson's hand in Padfoot's fur stopped moving, and he looked at everyone curiously. He looked confused but intrigued by that bit of information. Emma was surprised that Greyson was being told about that part of things, but she supposed it didn't matter. If their line of thinking was correct, Persephone was part of everything, too. Emma just hoped that they were wrong.

"Persephone? Persephone Moon?"

"That's where it all starts to get complicated and where things start to get a little hazy. We have our answers with Fenrir, but we don't entirely know everything yet. We have a very strong suspicion that Persephone has been a part of things for a very long time. Her father, Ellis, is very close friends with Jude. We know that Fenrir forged their friendship early on, but Emma was unaware of it until recently."

"What? Emma didn't know she was friends with Persephone?"

"It's a much longer story for a different day. I think at this point, it's better that you know exactly what we're working with – in time. I'd like to sit down and run through everything we know at this point to piece together what we know. For now, I think I would like to focus on the immediate future and making sure that Emma can come home. If she has to go back to the Moon's…"

"We're not going to think about that right now, Remus," Elara said firmly. "Emma gets to come home for Christmas. The Easter hols are far off, and there are still several appointments that have to be attended. At least the case has been made private."

"My case has gone private?" Emma questioned. "When did that happen?"

"Recently. Jude petitioned to keep it closed when Newt started his research," Remus said with a shrug. "Can't say I'm too fussed by it. I'd rather your personal information not be released to the public. It's been getting dangerously close to that point. You've been in the Daily Prophet far more often than you should have been, and I don't want you to have another target on your back."

"I've got enough of one as it is," Emma sighed. She shifted herself out from underneath Greyson to tuck herself into Remus's side and closed her eyes. This was a much different version of the fireplace talks, and she listened quietly to the conversation being had. It was everything that she already knew, but Greyson didn't, and she allowed her mind to shut off for a while. She didn't need to listen to the facts and the theories again; she had heard them all already. However, that didn't stop her mind from wandering.

"I have a question, though," Emma said quietly, sitting up and looking at Remus curiously during a lull in the conversation. Remus looked at her expectantly, his head tilting with his curiosity. "If whatever Fenrir's started to set into motion is true with me, and if I were to…somehow take him down –" Emma glanced back at Greyson with a slight frown "– and Grey and I are still together...does Grey have to be a werewolf, too? I know it's early, but…"

It was clearly not the question Remus expected her to ask, and a stunned look crossed his face. He looked past her and over to Elara, who hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, no," Elara replied after a long moment. "But that's why I've said that you can change everything and why your father gets annoyed with me – because he's terrified and rightfully so. Emma, if you were to take Fenrir's place, you would have total control of the entire werewolf population. It would all come down to what you want. The amount of responsibility you can have…It's unlike anything any of us could imagine."

Hearing the words said out loud and thinking them were entirely two different things, Emma realized. She couldn't quite process Elara's words, and Emma refused to look at anyone as she tried to work through the idea once more. Every time she thought she was sure she could do it, she immediately lost hope. It seemed too farfetched.

Her? Little Emma Lupin, who was barely taller than the pups, leader of all of the werewolves? It was what Fenrir was looking for her to do in the end, but with her at his side. The idea of her doing it alone seemed mental, but if she could have someone at her side…

"I'm going to bed," Emma said suddenly, pulling herself off the floor. She couldn't let herself think about it any longer, not right that moment. Without bothering to wait for anyone to tell her goodnight, Emma scrambled upstairs and to her bed. She fell asleep the very moment her head hit her pillow.

The overall mood when she woke up was subdued. The sky outside the window was grey and was threatening either snow or rain. Whatever snow had fallen the previous night had already melted with the warmed air, but it was still unclear what the temperature outside was like. All Emma knew was that she was warm and comfortable and didn't relish the idea of having to head back to the castle.

Rather than enjoying the morning, it felt like everyone had places to be. Elara had to be brought back to her flat, Greyson had already left for work, and Remus felt like he had to be in several places at once. Remus handed Emma a note from Greyson expressing his apologies for leaving so early. She pushed aside her feelings of disappointment.

Emma, already expecting things to go the way that they did, went about her morning like normal, and made sure to give Remus and Sirius extra long hugs. There was only a month left until the Christmas holidays, but she wasn't sure how often she would be seeing everyone. Rather than allowing Emma to walk on her own, Remus sent Emma back to the castle with Padfoot. She couldn't say that she entirely minded having company on her walk back towards the school's gates. It was a much warmer day than she thought.

"Everything is going to be all right, right?" Emma asked Padfoot as they approached the gates. "Things are going to work out?"

Padfoot barked in response, and Emma giggled at the sound as it echoed throughout the clearing before the gates. He ran around her legs twice and then jumped up onto his back feet, settling his paws on her shoulders so he could lick Emma's face and make her laugh more.

"Ew! I hate when you do this!" Emma laughed, pushing his face away. "Did anyone tell you that you've got dog breath?" A mischievous grin crossed her face at the near scandalized look on Padfoot's face. "Just kidding. Minty fresh! Now get back to Daddy before he has a fit over you being gone too long. I think I can make it back to the castle all right."

Emma felt like her day was never-ending, and she felt as though she didn't have the time to get much done. She had every intention of asking Harry how it went telling Cedric about the dragons, but the Gryffindors were hovering around him all through Herbology. She couldn't have asked him even if she tried. Much of the same happened in Care of Magical Creatures, but with Hagrid hovering too close to Harry.

Every opportunity Emma thought she had to talk to Harry was impossible. It wasn't until after Ancient Runes that Emma finally had a chance to get answers from someone. She was walking down the staircase when she spotted Cedric near the third floor, and she sprinted to catch up with him.

"Cedric!" Emma shouted, pushing through the crowd in front of her to reach him. "Cedric! How are you?"

"All right?" Cedric chuckled, a slight edge to his voice.

"I'm fine," Emma huffed out. "But how are you? The first task is tomorrow."

"I know," Cedric said, pulling Emma off to the side and off the staircase. "I…Harry told me what the task involves this morning. But I'm not sure that I believe him."

"This morning?" Emma questioned, her mouth falling open in surprise. "He told you this morning? He's known since Saturday night. I made him promise to tell you!"

"Well, I know about it now," Cedric said. He gave Emma a funny look as he dropped his bag to the floor. "It's really true, then? The dragons? He wasn't lying about it?"

"No, he wasn't lying about them! I've seen them, and they're huge!" Emma said, crossing her arms and practically spluttering with her aggravation. She couldn't believe that Harry had waited to tell Cedric. "Harry could've – bloody hell, had I known he was going to wait to tell you, I would've sent an owl! Fleur and Viktor already know, and I cannot believe Harry didn't tell you right away!"

"Emma, it's all right!" Cedric insisted. "I know now. It's fine."

Emma was about to say something else to Cedric, but she heard the loud clunking of Moody's wooden leg heading in their direction. She could barely stand being in the classroom with the man, and she dreaded being near him with the hallway relatively empty as students filtered down to the Great Hall for lunch. There was something about him that bothered her, but she couldn't quite figure out what. She felt that a lot of it had to do with his magical eye and how it always seemed trained on her during class.

"Oh, no," Emma muttered, not daring to look past Cedric down the hallway. "Is Moody heading this way?"

Cedric glanced over his shoulder curiously and then back at Emma. "Er, yes?"

"Shit," Emma hissed. "I'm going to go. At this rate, there's only going to be on bloody Hogwarts champion because I'm going to literally murder Harry for being an arse." Emma made to make a quick retreat, but Moody had other ideas. She had only made it several steps before she heard him call for her.

"Lupin!" he shouted after her, voice gruff as ever.

Emma immediately stopped where she was and cringed. The hopeful part of her had been hoping he was stopping to speak to Cedric, but that was wishful thinking. She reluctantly turned back around to face Moody. She plastered a smile on her face hoping that she wasn't grimacing, and shot Cedric a glare as he smirked at her as he left.

"Did you need something, Professor?" Emma asked.

"You're a difficult one to get ahold of," Moody said. "Did you know that?"

Emma huffed out a laugh and shrugged one shoulder. "I've been told," she muttered. "And did you need something, though, Professor? I'd really like to get down to lunch."

"I was curious to know how things were going with your case."

Of all the things Emma expected Moody to bring up, her case wasn't it. She let out a soft laugh and shook her head.

"Well, we won't know just yet," Emma sighed. "They only recently moved to make the case private. Jude's idea, apparently…but I'm not sure how much I believe that." Moody barked out a laugh to Emma's surprise as he pulled his flask out and took a long drink.

"The idea of Nickels doing anything on his own is hilarious," Moody said gruffly. "We all know that he wasn't led to that decision himself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Greyback would have had something to do with that."

Emma frowned slightly at the mention of Fenrir. "What would make you say that?" she asked. While she had no doubt that Fenrir was the primary influence in the situation, it seemed odd to come from Moody.

"Dumbledore, of course," Moody said, clapping Emma hard on the shoulder. "You know, I haven't told you this, but it's a right shame what happened to your mother. I knew her, you know."

"You knew my mother?" Emma asked, trying to shake Moody's hand off of her shoulder.

Moody nodded jerkily. "I did," he grunted. "Beautiful and wicked smart to boot, she was."

"How did you know her?"

It took Moody a moment to answer, his attention elsewhere for a moment. Emma nearly jumped when his magical eye suddenly turned to face her.

"Jude worked at the Ministry, you know," Moody pointed out. "Might actually recall when you were smaller, actually. Little red-headed thing, you were."

Emma huffed out a laugh. "Once upon a time, I was," she muttered. "Never did care for the red hair. You really knew my mother, though?"

"Well enough," Moody said. "I know you've certainly got your potions skills from her. She was always creative with everything she did. What happened to her…" The slight semblance of a frown crossed Moody's face. "The point is, Jude deserves to pay for all of the things he's done."

"Right," Emma said slowly. "I, uhm…I agree."

Moody nodded with a quiet grunt. "I have a few books to give you," he said, taking a few steps back down the hallway. "Remind me after class tomorrow. Enjoy your lunch, Lupin."

The rest of the day left Emma on edge. If she was nervous, she had no idea how Cedric was handling things.

The Hufflepuff common room was buzzing with excitement, but the group surrounding Cedric was far quieter. Everyone was excitedly wondering what the first task would be, but Cedric brought a few of the other Hufflepuffs in on the secret.

Emma was leaning against Justin on one of the sofas. Cedric sat on one of the other sofas flanked by three of his other friends and part of the Quidditch team crowding around him.

"What are you going to do?" Justin finally asked.

"No idea," Cedric said.

"Well, a dragon's eyes are sensitive," said Briar, one of the girls in Cedric's year. She ran a hand through her hair anxiously and crossed her arms, her legs bouncing.

"Dad said a decent stunning spell could probably work," Emma said, feeling as unhelpful as ever. "I mean, they're big, but I'm sure you could manage it."

"I'm too nervous," Cedric said in exasperation, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He placed his head in his hands with a groan. "I can't do this!"

"Cedric, you can do this!" Emma said resolutely. She sat up straighter and waited until Cedric lifted his head to look at her. "You learned from my Dad, and you can't tell me that you can't manage a stunning spell. I know he made sure that everyone could manage at least that much."

"He has to do something else," said Zacharias Smith sharply. "What if he has to go against all four dragons?"

"It's definitely only one dragon," Emma huffed. "One dragon per champion."

Zacharias looked as though he was about to argue, but Anthony, one of the other boys from the Quidditch team, spoke up next.

"Whoever gets the Horntail is going to be in trouble," he said. "If it's one per champion…"

"Well, Cedric's not going to get the Horntail," Emma said. "Or the Fireball, for that matter."

"Which leaves the Swedish Short-Snout or the Welsh Green," Cedric said, rubbing his face roughly. "The Welsh Green is smaller than the Short-Snout."

"Either of them would be all right," Justin said. "Just as long as it's not the Horntail."

The common room continued to buzz with noise until Professor Sprout made an appearance later in the evening. It was a rare moment for the woman to enter the dorms and all of Hufflepuff seemed to fall silent as they turned to look at her.

"It's a big day tomorrow," Professor Sprout said, a nervous but proud smile on her face. "I know that you all are excited, but I think we all should get some sleep. Tomorrow afternoon will come before we know it! Off to bed, my sweet badgers."

The Hufflepuffs had never been more reluctant to go to sleep in their lives.

Breakfast seemed like a rushed scramble as the Hufflepuffs rallied around Cedric. Every single Hufflepuff was wearing their support buttons for Cedric, giggling as they flashed POTTER STINKS at each other. Cedric looked sick, but a slight smile would cross his face each and every time he saw the flash of the buttons.

No one could pay attention during their double Defense Against the Dark Arts class that morning. Emma didn't even bother taking the time to really look at the books Moody gave her after class, and she shoved them hastily into her bag. The fourth years paid even less attention in Charms, but Flitwick seemed just as excited as the rest, not bothering to try and teach an actual class. In seemingly no time at all, lunch was over, only interrupted by Cedric leaving with Professor Sprout with shouts of good luck, and they were heading outside.

Walking back in the direction of where the dragons were made Emma anxious. Justin, chipper as always, chattered excitedly at her side. How he could act so unbothered by the dragons, Emma had no idea. She was equal parts horrified and nervous, and she could only imagine how Cedric was feeling.

Emma had completely tuned out Justin's chattering and even mostly ignored Persephone when she came to join them. It was the loud barking that pulled her out of her thoughts, and she skidded to a halt at Persephone's audible, "Oh!"

Barking the entire way was a very familiar black dog, and he was heading in their direction. Emma stared with wide eyes as he caught sight of her and started to run even faster, and she looked at Persephone in horror. She was under the impression that

"Emma, that's not…is it?" Persephone asked.

Emma managed a noise that was half-squeak, half-groan in response.

"Oi! It's the dog from last year!" someone shouted, and Emma cringed as Padfoot slammed into her legs, nearly knocking her over.

"Oh, it's Lupin's dog," Emma heard someone else shout, and she rolled her eyes. She motioned for Persephone and Justin to head on their way.

"I'll maybe meet you lot," Emma huffed out to the two, who looked unsure of whether they should leave. Rather than worry about what they were doing, she crouched down to be on Padfoot's level, holding onto his head and staring into his eyes. "Whose idea was this?" she asked, brushing her nose against his. He gave a soft wuff with a wide doggy smile, and Emma shook her head. It appeared that both Remus and Sirius had decided it would be a good idea. "Well, it's a good thing people saw you with me last year, and you've been established as my stray. This is stupid, you know?"

The way Padfoot threw his entire body forward to knock Emma onto the ground told her that he didn't care much.

"Did Daddy come?"

Padfoot barked once more with the faintest growl.

"Oh, he couldn't," Emma sighed. "But fine," she huffed, pushing Padfoot away as he ran around her. She stood up carefully from the ground, struggling to keep herself upright as Padfoot kept himself tight to Emma's side. "Let's go."

Emma was amazed at the tall stands that had been set up around the enclosure. It seemed there was no shortage of people around, including Ministry officials, and Emma shot Padfoot an aggravated look. Emma wasn't sure why she thought the Triwizard Tournament would be a closed-off event for the students, but it clearly wasn't. Students were meeting with parents, official-looking witches, and wizards were talking to other official-looking witches and wizards.

"This was an absolutely terrible idea," Emma muttered, pulling Padfoot around the stands to go to the section of seating near the forest. "Please just stay quiet," she said as she walked up the stairs to find a place for them to sit. The stands were high up with views of the entire enclosure that held a massive nest full of eggs with a single golden egg in the middle. Emma frowned as she settled into a seat at the end of a row and sitting near a group of what looked like second year Ravenclaws. "There are too many people here."

Padfoot pressed his nose against Emma's cheek as he sat down next to her, not caring to hide much to Emma's aggravation.

"Could you be any more obvious?" Emma questioned, shooting Padfoot a look. She took a look around and frowned. Most people seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that a massive black dog was sitting next to her but didn't escape notice altogether. The group behind her was muttering quietly about Padfoot, and Emma let out a resounding groan. Just once, she wanted to not be a topic of discussion, and she hoped that her spending time with Padfoot the previous year would dispel most rumors.

She was about to complain to him again but was too focused on the fact that Persephone was heading her way. Persephone sat down on the other side of Padfoot with only the smallest half-glance in Emma's direction with a silent look to play along.

"I see your stray has come back," Persephone said, glancing at Padfoot curiously and then back at Emma. "Nice to see him again. Was worried when he hadn't been around, but he must have come out of the forest with all the excitement." Persephone leaned closer towards Emma, brows knitting together as she dropped her voice, "Why?"

"Probably to see Harry," Emma said quietly, putting her hand on top of Padfoot's head to try and push him lower on the bench. She tried to plaster a smile on her face, though she was sure it came out as a grimace instead. "It's nice to have him back. Was worried he was lost, too."

Persephone nodded, taking a look around as if she was looking for someone. There were more quiet words from the group behind them, and the idea of a stray being in the forest seemed logical. No one ever knew what creatures resided in the Forbidden Forest, and a dog seemed like a likely possibility.

"Makes sense," Persephone said loud enough for the people behind them to hear before dropping her voice again, "but watch for Moody. He hasn't said a word to anyone about another dog besides Fang being around, but he's most definitely looking this way. Or at least the magic eye is. He was watching the entire time you two were finding a place to sit."

"Does he know?" Emma asked quickly. Padfoot was cowed by the mention of Moody and slunk down low on the bench, dropping his head on Emma's lap.

"Not sure," Persephone admitted. She looked back over at Emma and gave her an almost sad smile. "I know that we haven't talked much, but I thought you could use some assistance in selling the story of your stray dog again," she said with a much lower voice. "I have a feeling he'll be around more often."

The puppy dog eyes Emma received from Padfoot made her sigh in exasperation. "I think you're right," she said, scratching his back. "Can't say I'm too upset with that. He's a bit annoying most days, but he's my stray after all." Padfoot's tail began to wag furiously.

It didn't take much longer before someone appeared at the side of the enclosure where the tent was standing. Filling in the stand's front seats were the heads of the schools – Dumbledore, Maxime, and Karkaroff, along with several Ministry officials. Emma's nose wrinkled when she noticed the aggravatingly pink outfit of Umbridge amongst the officials.

"What is she doing here?" Emma growled, shooting daggers at the woman. She was glad that Umbridge was too far to really notice her amongst the crowd.

"She's practically in love with Fudge," Persephone said. "Crouch is the official judge from the Ministry, though. They're probably just here because it's the first task."

"I think someone needs to shove her in with the Horntail," Emma said. "Do you think if I took my wand out and just cast something to knock her over would anyone know or care?"

"I think you have spent too much time with Fenrir," Persephone said with a frown. "That is the sort of thinking he would have. Then again, he's just as likely to say he would eat her."

"I'd rather sound like Fenrir than have the community deal with her," Emma said, trying to ignore the look she was getting from Padfoot. She wasn't sure if it was disappointment or agreement in his eyes – the looks were very similar when he was a dog. "She's awful."

One final person scrambled up the stairs as a whistle blew over the sounds of everyone. It took Emma a long moment to realize that she recognized the man from the Quidditch World Cup, but she couldn't remember his name.

"Ludo Bagman," Persephone said when she noticed Emma's confused look. "He did the announcement at the World Cup."

"Ladies and gentlemen - welcome to the Triwizard Tournament!" Bagman shouted out to the crowd. "Welcome to the very first task of the tournament! Our four champions will come up against death-defying tasks that will test everything they've got!

"We have a special treat for you today. Our champions are going to come face to face with a dragon! There, right in front of you in the clutch of eggs, is the very prize our champions will need to retrieve – the golden egg. But first – our champions must get past the magnificent fire-breathing dragons that we brought along! Before you, you will see the majestic Chinese Fireball! The beautiful Welsh Green! The brilliant Swedish Short-Snout! And the incredible Hungarian Horntail!

Emma remembered just how charismatic Ludo Bagman was at the Quidditch World Cup, and he was doing an excellent job at getting the crowd excited. She covered Padfoot's ears at the loud uproar from the spectators. His hearing was sensitive enough as a man; she didn't want to know how bad it was as a dog. Padfoot gave her an appreciative look in response, and Emma chanced a quick kiss on the top of his head.

"Up first – Cedric Diggory!" Ludo said excitedly. "Mr. Diggory will be up against the beautiful Swedish Short-Snout –"

"Oh, Cedric is first," Emma said breathlessly, only half-listening to Ludo Bagman's announcement as the Swedish Short-Snout was brought into the enclosure. Her hand found the scruff of Padfoot's neck as she waited with bated breath. "At least it's the Short-Snout and not the Horntail," she muttered, half-hiding her face in Padfoot's fur. "We were worried about that."

"This seems almost cruel," Persephone said with a frown. "They brought female dragons?"

"Nesting mothers," Emma replied. She pulled her wand out and cast a quick silencing spell over Padfoot and double-checked that her idea of an almost bubble-like enclosure would keep his hearing safe. "They were none too pleased when they were brought in. I'll explain later because then it won't matter," Emma added when Persephone gave her a questioning look.

The Short-Snout immediately found her way to the nest of eggs and wrapped herself around it protectively. The dragon was wary of the crowd, growling at all of the faces peering at her, but only cowed by the dragon tamers nearby. Her blueish scales glimmered in the sunlight, and the golden egg reflected brilliantly against her skin. She seemed relaxed until a second whistle sounded and Cedric, looking nervous as ever, entered the enclosure, wand in hand.

Cedric seemed frozen where he was as he anxiously scanned the crowd. The dragon reared up on its legs and let out a mighty roar. There were shouts from the crowd as a massive plume of fire was sent in Cedric's direction. He dove hard to the ground, taking advantage of one of the rocks in the enclosure to hide behind. Emma thought she might be sick.

He cast a loud "Aguamenti!" to put out the flames burning nearby and popped his head around the rock. Without hesitation, Cedric went for the first idea they had come up with and yelled out, "Stupefy!" The dragon was less than pleased with the stunning spell that hit it and roared again, flapping its wings angrily. A nervous look crossed Cedric's face as he looked past the dragon and to the golden egg in its nest.

Something was suddenly lit up in Cedric as he pulled himself from behind the rock. Any spell Cedric could think of, he used. He tried to summon the egg towards him, but the eggs were clearly charmed. Cedric cast several knock-back jinxes in the hopes of distracting the dragon but only succeeded in angering the Short-Snout further.

The crowd gasped at each close call; occasionally, there would be a shout of horror. Emma could only question why they insisted on using dragons for the first task and held tightly to Padfoot out of fear. Every time Cedric would get close to the egg, the Short-Snout would attack, and Cedric was forced back into his hiding spot.

Cedric stayed behind the rock for a long while, waiting for the Short-Snout to calm back down. Emma was sure she had stopped breathing and only took in a breath when the dragon settled back around the nest of eggs. Surely the dragon settling back down was a good sign, but Emma wondered if that had anything to do with the dragon tamers waiting around the edges. Puffs of smoke and fire erupted from the angry dragon's nose. When he felt it was safe again, he peered around the rock and looked into the crowd. What he was looking for, Emma didn't know, but Cedric's gaze settled on her.

He stared at Emma for a long moment and then looked at Padfoot, his brows knitting together, and it was like a light went off above his head. His gaze shifted back to the massive dragon in front of him, and a broad smile crossed his face. Emma sat up a little straighter, wondering just what he was going to do and why he was suddenly inspired by Padfoot.

Cedric threw himself back out into the open, ignoring the loud roar of the dragon. With all of the concentration in the world, Cedric pulled his wand up, and Emma thought he was going to cast another stunning spell. Instead, he pointed his wand at a rock, concentrating hard as he aimed, and within moments, a black Labrador was in its place. The dragon was suddenly no longer focused on Cedric but the dog.

"Oh, absolutely brilliant," Emma hissed as the transfigured dog made a break for it, and the dragon started to follow. It was perfect, and the entirety of Hogwarts seemed to shout in excitement as the Short-Snout chased after the dog. Cedric waited for a moment to make sure that the dragon was distracted before making a break for it.

Emma remained sitting next to Padfoot, but everyone else started to stand up as Cedric grew closer and closer to the egg. He was a quarter of the way, just a little further past that, nearly halfway, but just as Cedric passed the halfway point, the dragon turned around. The crowd shouted out in a mix of fear and excitement as the dragon stopped where it was and roared. She practically scrambled away from the dog that turned into a rock the moment Cedric's concentration was broken. The threat of the dragon only forced Cedric to move faster.

"He's not going to make it!" Persephone shouted.

"He's going to make it!" Emma said, a smile breaking on her face. "He's going to make it!"

And make it Cedric did. Just moments before the dragon got close, Cedric dove down into the nest of eggs to retrieve the golden egg. He rolled back onto his feet, holding the egg up high over his head triumphantly.

The dragon tamers immediately ran back into the enclosure as nearly every single person jumped to their feet in excitement. Emma was moments from joining them, but she froze where she was, half-standing, half-sitting. Her gaze wasn't fixed on Cedric like the others but on the dragon. The dragon's head reared back with a roar just as stunning spells were sent her way, but no one had time to stop the massive fireball heading Cedric's way…

a/n: This is a different sort of chapter note, but one that needs to be said. Well, at least in my mind I feel it does, and I hope that it resonates with at least one person who sees this. I'd also like to add in the disclaimer that I don't know if I particularly like this chapter? I have a tendency of hating chapters everyone else loves most. This one is definitely eeehhhhh in my opinion.

But anyway~

I've learned recently that life can come at you hard, and it can come at you fast. I have been pushed to limits I didn't realize I had and even further than that. It's been scary, and it's been terrifying.

In a way, this chapter felt oddly fitting, and I think that's why it's taken me so long to finish. The idea of losing control and realizing everything you've ever known isn't what you think brings forth such an incredibly overwhelming feeling of loss. I lost a big part of myself, or so I thought. I lost my motivation, this was no longer fun for me anymore, and life took over something fierce. There have been many moments where I have felt like I can't breathe and I'm struggling to pull through. It's been difficult, and I wasn't sure what I would find when I made it out. If I made it out.

Along the way, I started to find myself again. Perhaps not in the way I expected, but I realized I was me. But I also found something better - much better.

Not only did I find myself, I found my purpose again. I found that I could breathe again and that everything can be all right. In fact, I found something way better than all of that, but I'll get to that later on.

So, to my sweet readers and wonderful friends I've made along the way, I dedicate this chapter to you. I dedicate this to all of you and taking the time to just breathe.

In fact, I want you to do it with me - deep breath in, deep breath out. We are living and we are here and we have each other. It's been a long time since I've said it, but thank you to my lovely and wonderful readers and the amazing friends and family I've made from this series. I'm not sure how I would have gotten through everything without all of you. I can say a million and one things here, but I think those closest to me know exactly what I'll say, so I'll leave it at this - I love you all, thank you, thank you, thank you. And a little extra love is thrown in there for a certain someone. :)

ANYWAY, if you've made it this far - to all of my late night readers, please go to sleep and have very sweet dreams. For my morning readers, good morning and I hope you have a wonderful day. For all of my every other time of the day readers, I hope you've had a wonderful day so far. I love you all, thank you again.

We are now back to our regularly scheduled programming.