There were a lot of things that Emma hated. She hated the return back to Hogwarts after spending time away. She hated the idea of uncertainty and returning to the seemingly frigid temperatures of Scotland. But most of all, she hated having to sit in Moody's class for the first day of classes.

Emma had no idea what Moody was talking about, too into her thoughts to care. She was still reeling over everything she had discovered with Greyson, and sitting in class seemed pointless when there was too much to figure out. Emma wasn't even paying attention to Persephone, who was staring hard at her throughout the class. It was clear that Persephone wanted to talk, but Emma didn't really feel like it. However, Persephone had other ideas.

Rather than waiting for Emma to pay attention to her, she gave Emma a swift kick underneath the desk. Emma bit back a yelp when Persephone's foot connected with her shin, and she shot Persephone a look.

"What?" Emma hissed, eyes darting between Persephone and Moody to make sure that he wasn't paying attention.

"What's up with you?" Persephone whispered back. "You're being weird again."

"I'm not being weird again," Emma muttered. "The holiday just went much different than I thought I would."

"What do you mean?"

"It's…it's a long story."

"Longer than the one where you didn't tell me you and Greyson were together?"

"Effie, I'm not talking about that," Emma grumbled. "You were –"

"Lupin! Moon!" Moody barked out. "Pay attention! Whatever girly chitchat is going on can wait until after class!" He let out a grunt and reached into his coat to pull out his pocket watch. "On second thought, you two are lucky – take fifteen, and we'll pick the lesson up after."

"I was what?" Persephone prompted as the class exploded into noise as everyone started talking.

"You were right," Emma said. She sighed when Persephone gave her a funny look. "About Greyson. But I'm not talking about that. There are more important things for me to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Such as the appointment at the Ministry where I was supposed to be told I was going home. But I imagine you already knew something about that."

"It…it came up," Persephone said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not exactly surprised," Emma admitted. "But the date…."

"Oh, they rescheduled it already?"

"For Easter."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"They scheduled it the same day as Elara's trial."

Persephone paled considerably, jaw dropping. "And isn't that the date of –"

"The day my mother died? Convenient, right?" Emma snorted and shook her head. "Not only is it two days before the full moon, a move I never would've expected, but it's the day my mother died. It all feels like…like it's –"

"Emma, don't," Persephone said quickly. "Elle didn't –"

"Just because we don't think she did anything wrong, it doesn't mean that the Ministry will agree. It's a wonder that they're even going this far with me."

"Because Remus is your father."

"But he's also a werewolf."

"But so are you…."

"Gee, thanks," Emma muttered, smacking Persephone's arm with a hissed out shh! "I love having that little reminder."

"It's not…it's not a bad thing, Emma. It just makes you different."

"By being considered one of the darkest of creatures?"

"Well, it's not like anyone knows. No one even suspected when Newt was here."

"No one knows yet."

"But you think they will?"

"I think when things get reported to the Prophet, it'll be obvious. A custody case involving a werewolf and a trial for a werewolf is on the same day? Feels like it'll be a bit more than coincidence."

Persephone frowned and nodded. "I guess I can see your point," she said quietly.

The two fell silent, listening to the rest of their classmates talking. Emma pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she looked around the room before turning her attention back to Persephone.

"The night of the Yule Ball, you told me to be careful," Emma said. "Why?"

Persephone's face immediately went white, her eyes growing wide as she met Emma's gaze.

"What do you mean?" Persephone asked. "Why would you ask me about that?"

"Something happened that night," Emma replied. "Something I have a feeling you already knew about."

"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Effie –"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Emma," Persephone said sharply. "I just figured it was the Yule Ball, and if you and Greyson were together –"

"Persephone, we both know that's not what you meant."

"All right, settle down," Moody said gruffly, his magical eye trained on Emma and Persephone as he turned around to face his blackboard. "We've still got another hour left of class and a lot of material to make up for. If you're lucky, I'll let you out early."

More than once, Emma wished that she was sitting in class with her father again. Moody was a good teacher, but Emma couldn't stand how over-excited the man seemed to get over such dark spells. She felt he really shouldn't be so excited about the idea of putting them through another round of working with curses. Luckily the rest of the class passed by without issue. When Moody decided to dismiss them early, Emma was delighted. She packed up just as quickly as the rest of the class but found herself moving slowly. Persephone gave Emma a funny look as she left, quickly joining Pansy, but Emma didn't take much notice.

"Hey, you're moving slow," Justin said, prodding Emma's side. "What gives?"

"I, uhm…" Emma looked up at Moody, who was standing at the blackboard, erasing what was written and working on what he needed to write for the next class. "There's just something I need to talk to Professor Moody about."

"Is everything all right?" Justin asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'll see you in Charms." Emma waited for the class to clear out before making her way up to the front of the room. She stood awkwardly at Moody's desk, not entirely sure that she wanted to say a word to him, but there were questions that she had. Emma cleared her throat, not at all surprised that Moody didn't turn to look at her. He had to already know that she was there with his magical eye.

"Professor Moody," Emma said, hoping to prompt the man to turn around and acknowledge her. He turned his head slightly, expression blank.

"Lupin," Moody said gruffly, magical eye swiveling around to look up at Emma. "What do you want?"

"I, uhm, just had a question or two for you," Emma said, shifting nervously. Why did she decide to ask Moody any question at all? "I finally got around to looking at the books you lent me over break."

"Ah!" Moody said, turning fully to face her, a rare smile crossing his grizzled face. "And?"

"They were…informational," Emma said. She reached into her bag and pulled the books out, holding them out to Moody. "I thought you might want them back."

"Bah," Moody said, waving Emma off. "They're for you."

"But aren't –"

"Consider them a gift."

"Oh," Emma said quietly, slowly putting the books back away in her bag. "Uhm, thank you, then."

"But you said you had questions?" Moody prompted, sitting down and propping his wooden leg up on a nearby chair.

"I did," Emma replied, setting her bag down on the floor. "The books – why those specific books?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

"Not particularly."

"Well, you're practically a potion's prodigy like your mother," Moody said, reaching into his coat and pulling out his flask. He took a long swig from it, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Considering you've got an infectious disease of your own, I thought you would like to know more about how they work."

"And the book on mythology?"

Moody's sudden barked-out laugh startled Emma so much that she jumped. "Well, I couldn't resist," he said in explanation. "It seemed funny."

"To give me a book with a heavy focus on the mythology behind the wolf Fenrir?"

"Well, isn't it funny to you?" Moody asked, leaning back in his chair. "The most feared werewolf being named after a myth?"

"I mean, I suppose it's funny," Emma muttered.

"It's almost as though he chose it himself," Moody continued on, looking more amused by the minute.

Emma gave Moody a surprised look. Was he trying to lead her to the conclusion that she had already made? Even worse – did Moody know what the books contained? Or was it just a complete coincidence?

"Right," Emma said, clearing her throat. She was prepared to bid Moody a farewell and started to turn but then stopped herself. "You said that you knew my mother?" Emma questioned, resisting the urge to grimace at the look Moody gave her. "Y-you said a while back that you knew her, and you just mentioned today that she was a potion's prodigy. I thought you said that you knew her from the Ministry."

"I did," Moody said, tone gruff. "But you already knew that."

"I know," Emma replied. "But is there…is there anything you could tell me about her? I don't really have anyone to ask. I've read about the people she talked about in her diary, but –"

"They're either dead, or no one knows where they've disappeared to," Moody finished for her. "Or they're the people you already know." Emma nodded in response, and Moody's lips pressed into a thin line. He studied Emma for a moment with both of his eyes before removing his foot from the other chair and motioning for Emma to take it. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything," Emma said quietly. "I'm just surprised that you would know so much."

"I was an Auror," Moody replied with a laugh. "There wasn't much I didn't know."

"Oh, right," Emma giggled. "Of course. Did you know her well?"

"Well enough," Moody answered after a brief pause. "You said you've read her diary?" Moody asked, looking curious.

"Erm, yes," Emma said. "Don't really go anywhere without it."

"Did she ever talk about who her best friends were?"

"Uhm, I assume so," Emma said. "There was Jude, obviously –" Moody pulled a face at the mention of Jude and motioned for her to continue "– Neville's mum, Alice, a girl named Agatha, and a boy named Dirk."

"Did she ever mention someone named Barty?"

"Oh," Emma said, sitting up straighter. "Frequently. Very frequently, actually. They were the same year, I believe?"

"They were," Moody said with a nod. "Very close, too. I knew Barty just as well."

"I only know what she wrote about him. Not sure that I really saw her write anything mean about him, but then again, I haven't gotten very far. She wrote a lot, after all. He was a Ravenclaw, too, yeah?"

"Ravenclaw," Moody nodded. "Smart – maybe not as smart as your mother, but intelligent enough, I suppose. Certainly didn't gloat the same way as Lockhart or Jude for that matter."

"But Barty…isn't that the name of –"

"The one your mother was friends with was his son."

"Oh," Emma said in understanding. "Did you know Ellis?"

"Works at the Ministry, doesn't he?"

"I suppose that was a stupid question," Emma muttered.

"Not stupid at all," Moody said. "You're excited. Give a hungry dog a bone – or a wolf in this case – they're going to go scrambling. But I can't tell you everything. And especially not today."

"Why not?"

"There are certain things that are best found out in time."

"Sounds a bit like my father," Emma said, unable to keep the bitter edge from her voice. "Sounds a bit like everyone, really."

The bell signaling the end of class rung out in the classroom and hallways, and Emma frowned. It didn't take long for the hallway to grow noisy as Hogwarts made their way to their next classes.

"Best to head to your next class," Moody said, pulling himself up from his chair with a groan. "Not worth being late. I know Flitwick's fond of you, but I know he'd prefer his students to be on time."

"Oh," Emma said, standing up slowly and grabbing her bag. "Well, what can you tell me then?" she asked, watching Moody as he clunked back over to the blackboard. He was silent, continuing his writing before turning back to look at Emma. His expressions were usually unreadable, but the look he wore on his face left Emma even more lost.

"Go back through your mother's diary," Moody said, turning to face Emma so that he was looking at her with both eyes. "Read what she had to say about Barty. I think you'll learn more than you know."

Emma nodded, turning to leave, but Moody called her back.

"Lupin," he said gruffly, clearing his throat. "For what it's worth, if you were Barty's…well, even though you weren't, he would have loved you as if you were his own."

Emma had no idea what to make of Moody's comment but nodded and continued on her way. She supposed that she had something else to add to her list of things to research, but that would come in time.

Ordinarily, relaxing in the Hufflepuff common room could be seen as a relaxing prospect, but the return of everyone to the castle made it chaotic after a full day of classes. Emma, Justin, and Cedric took up their usual post on the couch by the fire. Emma leaned back against the arm of the sofa, legs plunked down on Justin's lap, guitar held awkwardly on her stomach. Cedric held his golden egg in his hand, staring hard at it, his brows knit closely together.

"Still haven't figured it out?" Emma asked, plucking out a note that she still hadn't mastered playing. "I thought we were going to come back, and the great Cedric Diggory would have had it all figured out."

"Absolutely no bloody clue," Cedric said, setting the egg down on the ground and leaning back into the soft sofa back with a groan. "Rumor has it Fleur and Krum have it all figured out already."

"Fleur and Krum are also cheating," Justin pointed out. "They knew about the first task before it happened."

"Well, so did Harry and I," Cedric replied.

"Ah, but Harry knew even before everyone else and then failed to tell you when he was supposed to," Emma added. She tried to play the note one more time, poking Justin with her foot when he grimaced at the noise. "Do you want to try, Finchy?"

"Pinky on the fourth fret, Emma," Cedric said, closing his eyes. He gave Emma a thumbs up when she finally played the note correctly, and she let out a triumphant shout.

"Thanks," Emma said, continuing to play random notes. She had never understood why Fenrir liked playing his guitar so much, but she had started to find it relaxing. Emma turned her head to find Figaro curled up near the fire when an idea crossed her mind. "You know what I find useful sometimes? When I can't figure out what to do, I just…relax."

"Relax?" Cedric asked, looking past Justin to look at Emma. "Sage advice coming from the one who can't ever seem to relax."

"Says the one who knows the appeal of taking a proper bath sometimes. Perhaps you should take the egg out on a date," Emma said, wiggling her eyebrows. "I hear that the Prefect's bathroom is, a, uh…popular destination."

"You can take the egg there before you take Cho," Justin snickered. "I'm sure the egg will be much more appreciative."

"Oh, shut it," Cedric said, shoving Justin hard. "Or maybe next time I won't let you and Ernie have a 'special night out.'"

"Ew," Emma shuddered. "Cedric, I think I could have gone my whole life without knowing that, thank you."

"You and me both," Cedric said, sitting up and picking the egg up from the ground. "And maybe I will take the egg on a date to the bath. Might be onto something with the egg being more appreciative than Cho."

"Trouble in paradise?" Emma asked as Cedric departed.

"Oh, you have no idea," Justin replied. "Absolutely no idea…."

January seemed to fade into February without any issue. The full moon came and went as usual, but at least Pomfrey had been reigned in, and Emma relished in finally having a private room. Instead of suffering on the uncomfortable cots of the hospital wing, she was able to curl up in a plush, oversized bed with warm blankets. It did wonders for Emma's mood.

Cedric bringing the egg into the Prefect's bathroom had somehow led to clues for the second task, but everyone was still confused by what the clues meant. Unlike the first task, which was delegated to only a select few knowing, the entirety of Hufflepuff was on the quest to figuring out solutions for the second task. Emma enjoyed sitting by the fire, listening to the new theories that everyone else had. All they knew was that it involved going into the Black Lake and merpeople, but everything else was vague.

Just as quickly as the first full moon of the year came by, the second one arrived just as quickly. Emma thought that she had just recovered from the first one when she felt the telltale pull of the upcoming moon. It was only a few days into February that the first Hogsmeade trip of the year was announced, and Emma begrudgingly sent off her letter to Fenrir. She didn't expect Fenrir's reply in the least.

Fenrir insisted that he wouldn't be in Hogsmeade that month, which Emma desperately wanted to believe but couldn't. She didn't want to see him, but it felt like a trap. She had no doubt that Fenrir had been in Hogsmeade after the Yule Ball, and she knew the werewolf too well to believe he would stay away. Still, she tried to push the thought aside. As long as Fenrir continued to send her the ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion, she wouldn't question it too much.

When Justin asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him, she decided to take the opportunity. It didn't matter that the weather was starting to warm up, and instead of snow, the entirety of Scotland had been doused in rain. The dampness in the air didn't deter the excitement that she felt.

"I'm surprised that Ernie didn't want to come this time," Emma said, absentmindedly rubbing at her arms as they walked with the rest of their classmates to Hogsmeade. She wasn't sure what it was about that particular full moon, but her skin felt tight and itchy. They were only three days into that moon cycle, but she knew it was going to be a miserable one.

"He didn't feel like being cold today," Justin huffed, pulling his hat lower over his ears. "Bit stupid if you ask me. Valentine's Day is in a few days!"

"Well, I'll be your Valentine's date this trip," Emma smiled, grabbing onto Justin's hand. "I think our boyfriends would be all right with it."

As the afternoon continued on, Emma began to think that things would be fine and there would be no surprise visits. She managed to have lunch with Justin at the Three Broomsticks with no issue, and they spent far too much time giggling in Zonko's. Emma happily added to her already expansive collection of chocolate while in Honeydukes. She even convinced Justin to join her at Madam Puddifoot's to poke fun at the couples that would be there.

"It's funny being here, I swear!" Emma said, snickering as they sat down amongst the frilly pink tablecloths and Valentine's Day decorations.

"It's very pink," Justin grumbled, shooting Emma a look when a sparkling, golden cherub dropped a heaping handful of confetti over them. Emma couldn't stop herself from giggling as Justin plucked out a piece of heart-shaped confetti from his tea, looking unamused.

After a long browse through Dervish and Banges, Justin stretched his arms high over his head and yawned. Emma peered over at him curiously, a smile crossing her face.

"I think I want to head back," Justin yawned. "Bit of a day, yeah?"

"Oh, too much fresh air, Finchy?" Emma laughed. "Or are you just wanting to get back to your man?" A blush crept across Justin's cheeks, and Emma knew the answer before Justin replied.

"Both?" Justin said.

"Go ahead," Emma said, waving Justin off as she continued to browse through the store some more. "Go head back."

"You're not ready to head back?"

"No, not really. I want to head to Scrolls and Tomes and see what I can find. I'm doing a bit of a personal project...and I've got to get a birthday present for Grey. I'm hoping I can find one there for him."

"A personal project?"

"Yeah, just something that came up over the holiday."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Justin asked, hesitating on heading towards the exit. "You know, just in case?"

"No, it's fine. Go – I'm sure Ernie is going to be an absolute annoying prat if you don't get back at a reasonable hour. Gotta get your cuddles," Emma simpered. She snickered at the scathing look Justin gave her and waved him off again. "Really, I'm totally fine. Think I should be all right."

"All right, then," Justin frowned. "I'll see you later."

Not having Justin with her made her feel strange. It felt like it had been ages since she had been in the village by herself, and though she enjoyed it, she felt slightly on edge. The town was slowly starting to empty out, and though nervous, Emma felt like she could breathe. There were still plenty of people about, students and other witches and wizards alike, but it wasn't as busy as before.

Emma took a deep breath and made her way to Scrolls and Tomes just as planned. She enjoyed the simplicity of being surrounded by books and appreciated the moment to just be alone for a while. Emma was consistently surrounded by others, her friends not entirely willing to let her be on her own, and it was nice to be alone. She happily walked through the shelves picking up a book that she thought that she would find interesting.

It was surprisingly difficult for her to find what she was looking for. She wasn't entirely sure what sort of books she was looking for to help her get more answers from the holiday and quickly gave that quest up. Emma vowed to take time at some point to scour the library for anything she could find. She had names, and that was the important part. Instead, she switched her quest to find a birthday gift for Greyson.

Emma didn't expect finding a gift for Greyson would be as difficult as it was. With all of the time he spent in Muggle libraries, it seemed impossible to find the perfect book. He made it sound as though he owned more than enough books on potions, so that seemed like a silly purchase to make. She browsed the shelves, top to bottom until she finally found something that seemed suitable.

She picked up a wizarding children's book with a giggle. The cover featured a dark-haired boy with a stuffed bear, and Emma immediately thought of Greyson and Mr. Puff-n-Stuff. She was pretty sure that he didn't have the book and certainly hadn't read it. When she noticed several volumes involving the boy and his adventures with his bear, she grabbed them all. It was childish, but Greyson would appreciate the gift for what it was, and she was excited to give it to him.

With books purchased and wrapped, Emma left the store, tucking the package under her arm. She was in the middle of debating on shoving the books with her purchases from Honeydukes when she immediately froze the moment she stepped onto the street.

"Buggering fuck," Emma muttered to herself. Soleil seemed to surge forward all at once, and Emma nearly found herself reeling from the sheer intensity of it. Soleil was always frustrating to deal with, but for her to be so present didn't bode well. Soleil was practically snapping in the back of her mind, growling and howling with teeth bared in a warning. Emma stood in the doorway and took a quick look around in the hopes Soleil was overreacting, but she wasn't so lucky. It didn't take long for her to find Fenrir at all, and Emma's stomach dropped.

If Emma didn't know any better, she would think Fenrir was an ordinary and very average wizard standing across the way. His hair was tied back as he leaned against the wall of one of the buildings, cigarette held in hand. Rather than looking absolutely feral and in a rage, Fenrir looked level – clean, even. He mostly kept his head down, a surprising move on his part, but his eyes were locked on her. Emma didn't think it was a good sign at all – an even-tempered werewolf wasn't necessarily so, and Fenrir was a wildcard.

Emma sucked in a sharp breath, wincing as the cold air hit her lungs far too quickly. Fenrir's gaze was sharp, and an eyebrow lifted in annoyance, much to Emma's dismay. When he gave the subtle jerk of his head and started to walk in the direction of the Hog's Head, Emma groaned. She had no choice but to follow.

She had expected Fenrir to continue all the way to the Hog's Head Inn, but Fenrir seemed to change his mind. The moment they were halfway down the street, he stopped and whipped around to stare hard at Emma. Fenrir straightened up to his full height, crossing his arms with his half-smoked cigarette held between his teeth. Even though the street was oddly empty and there were plenty of places for Emma to run, she still felt trapped. The air between them was thick and heavy with tension, and though Soleil had her hackles raised, Emma felt unsure of herself.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be here," Emma said, breaking the silence between them. She shifted the books under her arm to cover her front as she felt Fenrir's eyes roving over her body, and she suppressed the urge to shudder. Emma wasn't sure that she could look at him fully and kept her gaze low.

"Well, things change," Fenrir said with a shrug.

"What do you want?"

"Figured I would check up on you."

"Why? It's not as though you knew I would be here."

"How was your holiday? I'm sure it must have been difficult with things getting moved around at the Ministry."

"And you know something about that?"

"I had a feeling," Fenrir shrugged, discarding the cigarette he had and replacing it with a new one.

"You had a feeling?"

Rather than answering her question outright, Fenrir nodded towards the books in Emma's hand. "Who's that for?" he asked.

"What?" Emma questioned, daring to meet Fenrir's eyes.

He was hoping to see you while you were awake with the young one to punish you further, Soleil mentioned unhelpfully in the back of Emma's mind. He always planned to be here. He's not pleased with you. Emma suppressed the urge to growl at herself in annoyance - she had already come to the same conclusion herself.

"The books," Fenrir said.

Emma looked down at the brown paper-wrapped books in her arms with a frown. She tried to think of why she had the books and could only come up with one reason that could possibly work.

"They're a gift," Emma said, holding the books out towards Fenrir. "For the children in the pack."

Fenrir's expression was immediately doubtful, but he took the parcel from her hands. He ripped back the paper to look at the books, looking surprised. Sacrificing Greyson's gift wasn't what she wanted to do, but if it could keep Fenrir from questioning her too much, it was worth it. She knew that he would understand.

"So, you decided to buy books for the pups? Just…on a whim?" Fenrir asked.

"Ducky and Boris mentioned that they liked stories," Emma said. "And mentioned that the quality of the books isn't the best. They're simple enough for the younger ones, and they need to learn how to read. It's not as though I couldn't have sent the books off or given them to you the next time I saw you."

"Oh, so are you telling me how to run my pack?"

"Last I checked, I was a part of it, too," Emma said pointedly. "And it's just a statement. By not letting the younger ones learn to read, you're doing them an even bigger disservice."

Emma noticed two things almost immediately after the words left her mouth, and she braced herself. One, Fenrir had gone through his cigarette far faster than usual, a sure sign that he was aggravated. Two, he was smiling.

"You're really going to sit here and pretend that I don't already know the truth?" Fenrir scoffed, shaking his head as he pulled out another cigarette. "Do you really think I'm unaware of who these were really supposed to be for? How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're stupid," Emma muttered, turning her head so that she didn't have to look at Fenrir. Show submission, Soleil told her. It wasn't a move that Emma was fond of, but it was better to be safe than walk herself into an even worse situation. "I thought we established that I'm free to live my life exactly how I want. I thought until I was seen of age outside of…outside of our world, nothing mattered."

"It didn't," Fenrir replied. "Until it became personal."

"It's not."

"But isn't it?"

Emma very slowly met Fenrir's gaze and swallowed hard at the dark look behind them. "I don't think it's personal at all," Emma gulped, taking a step back as Fenrir took several steps forward.

"Oh, but it is," Fenrir said. He heaved an overdramatic and heavy sigh. "And tell me, would you change your story if I told you that I have information on the rat?"

"You have information on Peter?" Emma asked. "What do you know?"

"I think I'll just keep that to myself," Fenrir said, tutting. "Shame…if you had decided to be honest from the start, perhaps I wouldn't have had to change things."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we had a deal, did we not?"

"Yes…"

"It's just unfortunate that I'm not sure that it's worth keeping," Fenrir said, lips quirking at the look of terror that crossed Emma's face. "Unless, of course, there's something that you need to tell me."

Emma could only shake her head no in response. She wasn't sure that there was a correct move for her to make anymore, and she paled at the way Fenrir's fists clenched in response. He was angry, and she knew that, but she couldn't give herself away.

"I had such high hopes for you," Fenrir said darkly. "Had such big plans for you, planned to follow our deal exactly as it was made, but now? It doesn't appear that it's worth it." Fenrir shook his head with a disbelieving laugh. "I never expected you to lie to me, at least not so much. I remember a time when you would tell me everything, but now you're nothing but a coward."

"I'm not a coward," Emma said sharply.

"Oh, really? Says the little wolf who's ready to run with her tail between her legs because she doesn't want me to know the truth?"

"I don't…." Emma frowned and took another step back just to have some more space. She couldn't deny that she wanted to run, but she was sure of one thing. "I'm not a coward, Fen."

"Well, we'll see about that, now won't we?" Fenrir asked, the smile on his face twisting further. "I want you to think really hard about your next moves because they might just be your last. Our deal? Forget it –"

"But Fen –"

"Don't you dare say another word unless you're going to do exactly as I ask," Fenrir snarled. Emma immediately clamped her mouth shut, staring at Fenrir incredulously. "That's what I thought. I could have made things very easy for you, but you only succeed in making things that much more difficult for yourself." Fenrir crossed the space between them, hand coming up to grip Emma's chin tightly and pulling her face up to look at him. The heat of the cigarette still held between his fingers seemed to burn her chilled skin, though he was careful to keep it away from her face. "And you've just made things that much more difficult for everyone else, as well. You, of all people, should know exactly what I'm capable of."

Fenrir leaned closer, shoving Emma's face away hard as he tucked the cigarette between his teeth to take a drag. "I expected a lot of things from you, but certainly not this," Fenrir growled. "Your father would never do such a thing – he would have owned up to everything by now. Now, your precious Papa, on the other hand? Well…"

Emma held herself close as Fenrir straightened up, alarmed at the tears that had sprung up in her eyes. He gave Emma a once over before dropping his cigarette to the ground and crushing the butt with the heavy heel of his boot.

"You're on your own now, Black," Fenrir said, his tone impossibly darker than before. "Unless, of course, you decide to do the right thing, but even then…." He tossed the books still held in his hand into the puddle in front of Emma. "Tell the little bastard happy birthday from good ol' Dad." Fenrir gave Emma one final, scathing look before Apparating with a deafening crack that made her jump.

Emma stared at the spot where Fenrir disappeared and rubbed hard at her eyes to wipe away her tears. She took a look around the empty street, took a shuddering breath, and bent down to collect the ruined books. Just when she thought things would be all right, Fenrir managed to change the game all over again.

It was just a shame that Fenrir didn't realize just how much she knew and how easily she could change it herself.

a/n: Henlo. I liked this chapter. HEHE. 8 ish chapters left of fourrrrr~

To my late night readers - please go to sleep.

For my afternoon readers - I hope you've had a wonderful day so far.

For my morning readers - Have a wonderful day!

I love you all~

Xoxo, Cat

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