Everything after the third task became a blur, and a kaleidoscope haze of blurred colors. There wasn't much that Emma could remember about that night other than Sirius's fear and the flurry that awaited her when she arrived in the hospital wing. Even weeks later, she couldn't recall who had pulled her from the stunned Hufflepuffs and brought her back into the castle. She could recall someone leading her quickly from the stands, but how she found herself in the hospital wing, Emma had no idea.

Emma took in the fearful and white faces of the others. Mrs. Weasley was trying to take care of what looked to be a sleeping Harry, Madame Pomfrey looked particularly harassed, and Ron, Hermione, and the eldest Weasley son stood anxiously in a group. Padfoot was curled up next to Harry, giving Emma a sympathetic look with his silvery eyes.

She was led to a chair close by and sat down while Dumbledore quickly gave them all a run-down of what had occurred that night. Mrs. Weasley gasped loudly where appropriate, but the others were quiet, trying to process what had happened. Emma wasn't sure that she was taking in a word of what was said. How could she? Cedric was dead.

Sensing her overwhelm, Pomfrey pulled Emma from her chair and practically deposited her into one of the beds to rest. It was all Emma could seem to do, and she latched onto Padfoot when he jumped from Harry's bed to hers. Emma curled herself up around Padfoot, needing the reminder that he was alive, and she didn't lose him, too. If she had, Emma had no idea what she would have done.

The night felt suddenly overshadowed by Cornelius Fudge bursting into the hospital wing. Emma was grateful that Fudge was so focused on everyone else that he completely missed Padfoot in the bed next to her. Emma listened in horror as the professors were yelling at Fudge either from his intrusion or whatever had occurred. Most surprising to Emma was McGonagall, who had always seemed to have a level head, shrieking about what had happened. When Padfoot jumped from her bed and back over to Harry, she let him leave. For the first time in her life, she didn't mind sharing him.

Emma was positively numb by the time Fudge had finally departed. She couldn't believe that he refused to acknowledge what had happened that night. Even worse, she couldn't believe that he had brought a Dementor along with him. Their only hope of having the community understand what had happened had been lost along with Barty Crouch Jr. No one would ever believe that Voldemort had returned if Fudge refused to believe it himself.

Dumbledore was quick to jump into action the moment Fudge left. He looked agitated, his typically sparkling eyes filled with a fire Emma had never seen before.

"There is work to be done," Dumbledore said, looking at the group around Harry's bed and taking in each face in turn. He directed his attention to Mrs. Weasley first, who agreed swiftly to Dumbledore's question. Bill was quick to volunteer to take a message from Dumbledore to Mr. Weasley. Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and watched as the pale-faced professor left the hospital wing with a silent nod. As if Dumbledore was looking for the hospital wing to be cleared of specific people, he dismissed Madame Pomfrey with a simple request to find Winky in what was supposed to be Moody's office.

"And now, it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are," Dumbledore said when Madame Pomfrey's footsteps had long since disappeared beyond the closed door. "Sirius, if you could resume your usual form."

Padfoot lifted his head to look at Dumbledore and stared for a long moment before turning back into a man. Sirius winced when Molly Weasley shrieked out his name, leaping back and pointing her finger at him. Emma quickly tucked herself under Sirius's arm and gave Ron an appreciative look when he told his mother to be quiet.

Snape was openly glaring at Sirius with disgust. His face was twisted with fury and horror, and he practically spat his words out.

"Him!" Snape snarled, glaring at Sirius. "What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," Dumbledore said in explanation. Emma looked up at Sirius curiously, but he shook his head, his silent way of saying he would explain later. "As are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."

Emma couldn't help herself from looking back at Harry. His expression had to be the same as hers – Dumbledore was asking for a miracle by expecting Snape and Sirius to somehow trust each other. They looked as though they would much rather strangle each other than ever dare find themselves on the same side.

"I will settle, in the short term, for a lack of open hostility," Dumbledore said with an air of impatience. "You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any of us."

Sirius begrudgingly let go of Emma long enough to shake Snape's hand. The two let go quickly, and Sirius promptly put his arm back around Emma's shoulder, pulling her tightly back into his side.

"That will do to be going on with," Dumbledore said, stepping between Sirius and Snape. Emma listened to the instructions Dumbledore gave Sirius, feeling almost hopeful at the words, "Lie low at Lupin's."

Sirius nodded, letting go of Emma once more and preparing to turn back into a dog. He was stopped first by Harry, who didn't want him to leave any more than Emma did. She gripped tightly to Sirius's hand, not wanting to let him go.

"I want to go home," Emma whined, unable to stop the tears that filled her eyes. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Oh, Pumpkin," Sirius whispered, hugging Emma tightly and keeping her head held against his chest. "I know. I know, I know, I know. Daddy and I have very important things that we need to do right now, do you understand?"

"Yes, but –"

"I know," Sirius repeated. "Just one more week. One more week, and we'll all be together again. Right now, you need to be here with your friends, where it's safe. Daddy and I need you to be safe."

Emma wanted to argue the point, but before she could, Sirius transformed and was gone with the swish of his tail. It took Mrs. Weasley putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from running off after Sirius like she wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to chase after him and head back home. Staying at Hogwarts felt wrong.

Returning to the Hufflepuff dorms felt like torture. Every part of the common room seemed to have been touched by Cedric in some way, and there wasn't a single dry face to be seen. The first few nights were the worst – none of them knew what to do. It felt funny that her father's old mentions of "one day at a time" suddenly held true in more ways than one. Taking things day by day was about all any of them could handle.

Emma thought that Fenrir had tact for the longest time, but a few mornings after the third task, she received a letter from him. After not hearing from him since the Easter holiday, Emma found herself annoyed to see he bothered to write at all. No amount of sympathy he felt that he needed to give made her feel better. She couldn't trust that it was genuine any longer.

Diggory was a casualty, Fenrir wrote. He was never meant to be a part of what happened that night. There was nothing I would have been able to do.

Emma could only be reminded that she had told Fenrir that Cedric needed to be kept safe. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if Cedric's death was her fault. She had been told that Voldemort would return, had heard the stories, but never said a word to Dumbledore. If she had something, would his death have been prevented? Was she secretly the reason why Cedric died? Remus insisted that it wasn't her fault, but Emma couldn't stop herself from feeling that it was.

Now is the time to make your choices, Fenrir had also written. I told you there would be a day that you had to pick a side. I trust that you'll make the right decision.

Emma finally picked up the book that Moody – no, Barty Crouch Jr. had tried to get her to read. She skimmed through it, not understanding why the book was so important until she came across a highlighted section on Dragon Pox.

There have even been known cases of Dragon Pox affecting Muggles. One such case is of a family from Spain, an incident which occurred in late 1977. The family consisted of four adults and three children. No one is sure of how the tragedy occurred, but it is known to have been one of the nastiest cases of the disease to date…

Emma continued to read on for as long as possible and started to slam the book shut, but she paused when she noticed something sticking out between the pages. Curious, Emma flipped through to see what it was and frowned when she saw it was a piece of loose parchment. She sighed, pulling it from the book to throw it out, but she noticed writing on it.

'It was meant for you' was all the parchment said, and Emma frowned at the overly familiar writing. She stared at the note rereading it over and over again, not understanding why such a thing would stick out to her. Emma thought back to the passages she read and looked down at the note, things slowly falling into place.

It was fake Moody's writing. The family in question had to have been Jude's. But what exactly did the note mean? It was meant for you.

Unable to handle anything else, Emma lifted the book from the table and threw it across the room. Pages that had fallen loose from its binding flew out from between the covers, and the loose piece of parchment settled itself on the floor as if it was meant to mock her.

It was meant for you.

After everything Emma had gone through, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know what exactly that meant. She stared at the fallen pages for a long while before finally gathering them up and stuffing them all back into the book. It looked as though she was being led to solving another mystery, but Emma didn't know that she cared to do so. She had finally gotten the answers she needed. What purpose did it serve to solve another?

The farewell feast was a somber occasion. A night that was usually filled with excited chatter about going home was silent. The banners that usually displayed the winner of the house cup had been changed to black drapes in honor of Cedric.

Emma felt miserable listening to Dumbledore tell the tale she had heard the week before in the hospital wing. To have the entire student body learn of the horror that Cedric had to experience was a pain that Emma didn't expect. She leaned heavily against Justin for support, resting her head on his shoulder and letting herself lose focus for just a moment. Emma couldn't stand to hear the story told once more. She would never be able to forget the kindness and steadfast Hufflepuff bravery that made up Cedric Diggory; she would never be able to forget the pain of losing another member of her pack.

The journey back to King's Cross was far different than it was heading to Hogwarts at the beginning of the year. Instead of the heavy rains that plagued the trip, the sky was bright blue and cloudless. It was the sort of day that should have been enjoyed and not spent in sorrow.

Emma's companions were different on the way home, and she felt that loss as well. Though she felt comfortable surrounded by Justin, Ernie, Susan, and Hannah, it didn't feel the same. Nothing was the same, and nothing would ever be the same again. They tried to keep the conversation going, but the more they tried, the quieter they became until only silence remained. It was hard to be optimistic over their upcoming fifth year when they didn't know what lay ahead.

When the train pulled into the platform, Emma made sure to be one of the first ones off the train. She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as she crossed through the barrier, worried that she would have a repeat of the previous year. Emma scanned the crowded platform and bit back her tears when she spotted Remus. She dashed to him, tugging her things behind her and dropping her trolley holding her things when she was close so that she could throw her arms around him. For a moment, everything was okay, and that was what Emma chose to focus on.

The mood in Lupin cottage was nothing short of subdued if not hurried. Both Remus and Sirius were constantly on the move, and Emma was just left to watch. It seemed like they both writing and sending owls as much as possible with the occasional Floo call. At other moments, someone Emma had never met before would stop by the cottage.

Whatever was happening, Lupin cottage seemed to have become the headquarters for something.

After being home for only a few days, Emma was startled to find both Dumbledore and the real Mad-Eye Moody in the living room. Remus looked grim, and Sirius looked angry, leaving Emma confused.

"What's going on?" Emma questioned, not leaving her spot near the stairs.

Remus looked between the others for a moment, waiting to see if any of them planned to volunteer any information. When no one seemed inclined to do so, he sighed, looking over at Emma.

"We're leaving tonight," he said.

"Leaving?" Emma asked, brow furrowing. "Where are we –"

"Come here, Lupin," Moody said gruffly, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a piece of parchment. "I need you to read something."

Emma looked warily at Moody, still not quite believing that he was really Moody. She wasn't sure that she wanted to read anything else from Moody – imposter or not. Dumbledore picked up Emma's hesitation and plucked the parchment from Moody's fingers, and held it out for Emma to take.

"Please, this is important, Emma," Dumbledore said lightly. "We need you to read this and memorize what it says."

Still not entirely convinced, Emma slowly crossed the room. She looked down at the parchment and read: The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

Emma's stomach did several funny little flips as she read the note several times to make sure she was reading it correctly. She remembered the stories from the war that Remus had told her, had heard of the Order of the Phoenix before. Sirius had spoken to her about Grimmauld Place, his childhood home, before. What did the Order of the Phoenix and Grimmauld Place have to do with anything?

She lifted her eyes from the parchment to look at Remus and Sirius, barely jumping when Moody snatched the paper from her hand and set fire to it.

"We'll answer all of your questions later," Remus said gently. "Breakfast is waiting for you. Please go eat, and then we need you to pack all of your things. Be sure to bring anything you would miss with you."

"Why are you making it sound as though we're not going to come back home?" Emma asked, her brow furrowing. Something flickered across Remus's face, and Emma's stomach sank once more. "We're not coming home, are we?"

"Go eat, love," Remus said. "We'll explain everything tonight. I promise."

The very moment Emma finished her breakfast, she was ushered up the stairs and instructed to pack. She painstakingly went through all of her things, trying to judge what she would miss, and was grateful that not much had been unpacked. Emma gathered all of the things she had missed while at Hogwarts – her small collection of books, her drawing supplies, and several of her favorite blankets. She gathered Figaro's scattered belongings and made sure that Aurora's cage and supplies were ready to go. Emma felt less guilty packing her trunk as heavily as she could with the knowledge that someone else would be in charge of their belongings.

Remus called up the stairs near their usual dinner time to tell her they would be eating when they arrived at Grimmauld Place. Emma sighed, looking outside her window and watching as people she had never met before were casting spells outside the perimeter of the cottage. She slowly made her way to the door, leaning against it and taking a look around her room.

The walls had only been half-painted. Swatches of different colors were marked on the walls for her to choose from. It was something they could have done with magic, but Emma wanted to do it the Muggle way. Her desk stood empty as if she had never been in her room at all. She had never even gotten a chance to use it.

"Are you ready?" Remus asked, looking at Emma who still stood in the doorway of her room. "It's time for us to go, love."

Emma cast Remus a sidelong glance, taking in one final look of the room that she had barely been able to call hers. Apparently, she wasn't about to get that chance. She sighed, stepping out of her room and closing the door behind her. Remus lifted his arm for Emma to tuck herself under, and Emma plastered herself to his side.

"We're going to Apparate to where we need to be," Remus said, rubbing Emma's arm gently. "Are you ready?"

"We're going right from here?"

"We are," Remus replied. "We don't want to trigger any of the enchantments that were placed outside. This is easier."

"Okay," Emma said, swallowing hard and closing her eyes tightly. "I'm ready."

Emma braced herself for the nauseating sensation of being compressed and let out a breath when her feet touched solid ground. She opened her eyes, surprised to find herself in a small square. Remus took a look around and very quickly pulled Emma in the direction of the homes just in front of them.

"Is this –" Emma started to ask but was cut off by a quick "yes" from Remus. She frowned, looking at the numbers on the houses. There was a number 11 and a number 13, but no number 12.

"Think about what you read earlier," Remus said softly.

Emma gave Remus a funny look but did as requested. She had barely gotten through the thought of what she had read when the houses seemed to shift, and a door that wasn't in front of her before appeared. The occupants of numbers 11 and 13 didn't appear phased that an entire home had suddenly appeared and went about their business as if nothing had happened.

With a tap of his wand on the door, Remus pulled Emma into their new home. Emma thought she was ready to leave behind everything she knew once more, but one look around the entryway told her that she wasn't.

But a new chapter was beginning, and Emma was going to have to face it when it arrived.

a/n: Wow. 493,183 words and ten months later and we're finally done. This isn't my favorite chapter, but it goes in the pile of chapters I'm never fond of and somehow will be loved. That being said, I'm actually a little sad that this one is over. I didn't expect to be hit so hard emotionally by the idea of being able to hit the "complete" box. But here we are - we're done with year four and ready to move onto year five. I'm excited again.

Each part of the series has been special to me, but this particular installment has seen me through some incredible changes. I lost hope so many times writing this book, had given up so many times, but through this series, I found so much more than I ever could have expected. I have found friendships I never would have had otherwise, discovered myself all over again, and have been given permission to love like I have never loved before. I have been told repeatedly that I have given so much to my readers, but the truth of the matter, is you all don't understand how much you've given me.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by my side. Thank you to the ones who helped guide me through the worst of things and encouraged me to keep going. Thank you to to everyone who listened to me and believed me when I was sure that I was very much on my own. The temptation to thank very specific people is very high, but I'm sure I'll torture you all at a later time when I've been able to process that this one is finally over.

I love you all so much it isn't even funny.

In the meantime, as of September 3rd, 2021, I'm going to do some backtracking and doing some edits all over again. The series is approaching its two year anniversary and I've got some little things in the works.

If you're not on the Discord yet, what are you waiting for? Go join us! The link can be found in my bio. For anyone not on Discord, I launched a Facebook group where you can interact with me there as well. You can find it under The House of Moony and I'll try to be as active there as I am on Discord. I love to hear from my readers and you're all absolutely wonderful in your own ways. Also be sure to follow me on the rest of my social media as mymoonyandstars. I'm everywhere - not too hard to miss.

To all of my late night readers - go to bed!

For my middle of the day readers - hope you're having a wonderful day.

For my morning readers - good morning!

Until next time~

Xoxo,
Cat

P.S. - Book 5: Veil of Shadows will start October 9th! Be on the lookout