a/n: sorry if you get the notification twice - for some reason this chapter didn't upload correctly? take two!
Having Sirius around made things much easier for everyone. Emma was fractionally more open to things, though not by much. She was still high-strung and emotional, but Sirius seemed to be a natural. Emma didn't think he needed Remus's guide at all, though she found it hysterical once she got past the initial embarrassment of it. Her father knew her entirely too well, and it was such an incredible show of his love for her that he tried to make things easier for Sirius.
Emma was very content with her much shorter hair, grateful for the return of the waves in her hair. Sirius cut her hair to just above her shoulders, and she couldn't be happier running her hands through it repeatedly.
Sirius was determined to get Emma out of the house, and he did it fairly quickly. How he managed to convince her to go into the garden to spend time with him and Buckbeak, Emma wasn't entirely sure. Even though she helped Harry and Hermione save Buckbeak, the hippogriff still terrified her.
Lyall, not wanting to repeat Emma not eating, opted to follow Sirius's advice, courtesy of Remus's guide, and made a simple pasta for dinner that first full day together. The moment Sirius noticed Emma starting to nod off, he suggested they move to the living room for a little bit. With her head lying in Sirius's lap and the fireplace lit, Emma fell asleep in moments. Lyall was silently grateful that Emma had finally stayed up most of the day.
"She hasn't stayed up all day since she got here," Lyall sighed, picking up his glass of whiskey. He didn't drink often, but a nightcap seemed appropriate.
"I don't know how Remus did it by himself when she was doing poorly," Sirius said, running his hands through Emma's hair, gently massaging her scalp.
"It was difficult, especially because she hid it so well," Lyall admitted. "I had no idea that Christmas until Remus had mentioned it to me later on. It made all of the little things she did make sense. Not that she was odd or anything, but some of her reactions seemed a bit put upon when I thought back on them."
"She's a lot like Remus in that respect. It's one of the reasons why I'm glad that my Animagus form is a dog. It's helpful."
"Because she loves dogs?"
"Yes, but not entirely," Sirius said, looking down at Emma. "She might try to hide things, but I always know. Remus mentioned that he didn't like it when she was upset, but her being upset didn't compare to when she gets scared. I didn't think it could be any worse than when someone is sad or angry…but Emma's fear is potent. It's a wonder she doesn't have any cases of accidental magic when she's terrified. She has strong emotions, especially when she's happy or excited, but her fear…her fear can make anyone else scared."
"I've never thought about that before," Lyall said quietly. "I don't know why it didn't occur to me that it would be the same for you, too."
"Most people don't think about it," Sirius chuckled softly. "Emma had a mild panic attack over it one night when we were all together back at Hogwarts. She was in the middle of talking and just stopped. Remus and I thought something was terribly wrong. She looked at me with such incredibly accusing eyes and asked about it. Remus and I thought it was the funniest thing in the world; Emma didn't find it very amusing."
"That sounds very much like Emma," Lyall said, taking a drink of whiskey.
Sirius looked up at Lyall, studying him for a moment. "Why were you home so early? Not that I'm not grateful that you came home early, but it felt like you only left."
"I worked for maybe two hours before I was called into a meeting," Lyall said, a wry smile crossing his face.
"What happened?"
"I've been suspended from the Ministry pending investigation."
"They suspended you?" Sirius asked incredulously.
"With pay – for now," Lyall sighed. "But I don't know how long it'll be before they fire me."
"For what?"
"Not properly disclosing Remus's condition, not disclosing Emma's condition – aiding in Remus and his supposed kidnapping of Emma," Lyall drained his glass in one gulp and looked between Emma and Sirius. "They're…they plan to…"
Sirius froze as he stared at Lyall. "They're going to take her from you, aren't they?"
Lyall nodded slowly. "I heard it from Arthur Weasley earlier today. He knows that his son George fancies Emma and came to me as a favor. He works over in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and heard Emma's name this morning in a meeting. Made sure to listen in as much as he could. Said he would get in contact with Dumbledore to see what he can do."
"You're her grandfather. Regardless of the situation, that wouldn't change. Even if she wasn't ours, on paper, she would still be Maggie's. Why would they dare take her away from you?"
"Apparently, they deem me unfit to care for her."
"Lyall, if she winds up in the wrong place –"
"I know."
Sirius sighed, looking down at Emma as he ran his hands through her hair. They knew that it would be a problem for Remus to get Emma back, but the situation was easier to manage knowing she was safe. "Do you know where they plan to move her?"
"No idea. Another home, possibly, but I don't know who. It could be literally anyone."
Silence fell between the men as they just watched Emma sleep. Sirius ran a hand over his face, meeting Lyall's gaze. "Did you know that Greyback wrote to her?" Sirius asked softly.
Lyall looked horrified. "What? No," he said with a growl. "When?"
"The day Remus was arrested – when they got back from school and just last night."
"What did he want?"
"To talk to her, I presume. His last message said to meet him over at Clyne Gardens at dusk."
Lyall froze and shook his head. "We can't let her leave the house, then."
"Lyall, we can't keep her locked up like I was. She's not going to be a prisoner while in her own home."
"And if Greyback gets to her? She doesn't even have a wand."
"As if one of us wouldn't be with her. And we get her one whether she wants it or not."
"You have to remain hidden, and she's not allowed to have a wand."
"And why the bloody hell is she not allowed to have a wand? She didn't break any laws."
"For the same reasons they've suspended me – not disclosing her father's condition and not disclosing hers. If Dumbledore didn't step in as quickly as he did, I'm sure they would try to take her to court, too. Someone has to deem her fit enough to have a wand."
"She's fourteen, for fuck's sake. Even if she were a werewolf, she wouldn't have to disclose that information until she's of age."
"She wouldn't have to sign the registry until she was seventeen. She would still need to disclose her condition."
Sirius looked over at the fireplace with a frown. He was tempted to ask Lyall to relight the dying embers, but he felt it would be better to bring Emma up to bed sometime soon. When the flames died out, he would take her up, Sirius decided. He just hoped he could get her upstairs without waking her up like Remus could.
"Does she know the story about Greyback?" he asked quietly. "About why he attacked Remus?"
Lyall looked down at Emma and shook his head, his lips pressing into a thin line. "No, I don't believe so," Lyall replied. "She heard…she heard Remus and I get into a fight at Christmas. She knows that I knew she was yours and Remus's, but I don't know if she would have heard anything about Greyback. I can tell that she's still upset about it, and rightfully so."
"She needs to know the truth, Lyall. If the Ministry decides to take Emma, then she needs to know what Greyback is capable of."
"She doesn't need to know!" Lyall said sharply.
"Lyall, if you don't tell her yourself, then I will," Sirius said, careful to keep his tone level.
"Absolutely not."
"Are you going to tell me what I can and can't tell my daughter?"
Emma whined softly, stretching out her legs. "What are you two fighting about?" Emma mumbled, turning her face into Sirius's leg to try and block out the light.
"Nothing at all," Sirius said gently, rubbing Emma's back to try and soothe her long enough to relax. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"
"You're talking about me, and I want to know why," Emma said, turning her head to blink a single bleary eye at Sirius. "What is it?"
Sirius looked over at Lyall expectantly. "If you don't tell her, I'm going to have to, Lyall."
"Tell me what?" Emma asked curiously. She sat up slowly and leaned against Sirius as he put his arm around her shoulders. It wasn't at all the same as leaning against Remus, but she would take it.
"All of this is my fault," Lyall said softly. "The current situation," he added when he saw Emma's confused look. "With everything that's happened, if it weren't for me, things would have been fine. It all starts back before Remus was bitten."
"Is this…is this about Greyback?" Emma asked. "Is this what you and Dad were arguing about at Christmas?"
"Part of it, yes," Lyall said, rubbing his jaw. "Though, I don't blame him for everything else that was said. Has he ever told you the story that led to him being attacked?"
"Only parts of it," Emma said, glancing up at Sirius. "He's never told me the whole story, though. I don't understand why it's your fault, though."
"Because I was incredibly foolish and angered Greyback years ago," Lyall sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Things were getting dangerous and quickly. Things weren't nearly as peaceful as they are now. Voldemort was just growing into power by then, and he was recruiting all matters of dark creatures to try and overthrow the Ministry. It was…it was a terrifying time, and it never got better by the time you were born.
"I had been with my department for a while, and I was brought in to help with questioning Greyback over the deaths of two Muggle children. He insisted that he was a Muggle – caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was brought in with two others. He acted as though he had never met a wizard before in his life and pretended to be horrified by the children's deaths. He was very young then, can't have been any more than twenty-one. If I didn't know that he was a werewolf, I might have believed him, as well.
"Two of the members of the questioning committee believed that because his clothing was so dirty, and he had no wand that he was telling the truth. The rest of the committee wound up agreeing. I'll confess that he was an excellent actor, but I could see right through him. I knew he was a werewolf almost right away."
"How did you that he was a werewolf?"
"Quite honestly, he looked like shit," Lyall said gruffly. "You know how you and your father get before the full moon. A Muggle wouldn't have looked so incredibly ill. The full moon was the next day, and it made sense. The committee didn't believe me."
"Why didn't they believe you?" Emma asked, her forehead wrinkling as she tried to think of a possible reason why someone would discount the possibility. "If you knew that he was a werewolf, then why didn't they just keep him? If they kept Dad at the Ministry, there had to be somewhere they could've put Greyback."
"There was, but they refused to listen to me. The committee kicked me out of the room, and I told them it was the stupidest decision they could make. I said the worst possible things I could say about werewolves before leaving," Lyall said, a flicker of regret crossing his face. "And needless to say, Greyback escaped. Greyback killed the worker meant to cast a memory charm with the two men he had arrived with. The next night, he broke into Remus's room and attacked him to teach me a lesson."
"Grandpa…what did you say?" Emma asked breathlessly. She couldn't imagine what her grandfather could say. He could have a temper, but she only knew him as quiet and mild-mannered like her father. Though it never seemed that Greyback needed much provocation to attack, she didn't know what her grandfather could have said. It didn't make sense.
Lyall cleared his throat, casting his gaze downward. "I said that werewolves were soulless and evil monsters and deserved nothing but death for what they were. It was inexcusable of me. I was very ignorant."
A heavy silence fell in the living room, and Emma leaned further into Sirius as she tried to let that process. "You don't believe that now, do you?" Emma asked, feeling stupid as her voice cracked. Did that mean he felt the same way about her now, too?
"No," Lyall said quickly, earnestly as he met Emma's gaze. "How could I? Remus has never been anything but my sweet and clever Remy. I could never…I could never think that about you or your father." Lyall swallowed hard, pulling off his glasses to wipe at his eyes. "I don't know where your father got it in his head that I felt that way about him. Once it was there, I couldn't get him to believe otherwise, and we suffered because of it. I would have done anything for my children, and I still would…If I could change things…"
"Well, we can't change anything now, can we?" Emma said quietly.
"No, we can't," Sirius said, kissing the top of Emma's head.
"It wasn't the only time Greyback came around," Lyall muttered. "It was part of the reason why we moved so much. A lot of it was to keep the neighbors from realizing what Remus was, but a lot of it was to keep Greyback away. He wanted to take Remus as his own."
"Greyback wants me to be Dad's replacement, I think," Emma said quietly. "He didn't get Dad, so he wants to take me instead… But he also wants me to be like Dad – educated."
"How do you know that?" Sirius asked in alarm. "Why would you say that?"
"I had…I dreamed a memory with Jude and Greyback. It was a memory of sometime before I turned two that I remembered," Emma explained to Sirius's horror. "I explicitly recall Greyback saying I was too small, so he was willing to wait to take me…but I don't remember much else."
"Lyall, would that be true?" Sirius asked, tightening his hold around Emma's shoulders.
"It very well could be," Lyall responded quietly. "Most of the children that Greyback takes are around five like Remus. Emma's was certainly on the smaller side even as a toddler; it wouldn't have been entirely unlike him to wait."
"Grandpa, what exactly happened to the two children?" Emma asked curiously. "If it wasn't the full moon, what happened to them?"
Lyall's face turned grave, and he looked over at Sirius, who only gave a slight nod. Lyall nodded in response, swallowing thickly. "Two girls – ten and fourteen. They were…"
Emma felt incredibly ill, and she shook her head quickly. She had read enough about Greyback to know that it wasn't going to be good. It was why she still had doubts that Greyback wasn't the one to hurt her. The fact that there were two others made it even worse.
"You don't have to say it," Emma said with a shuddering breath. She understood.
"Do you understand why it's important that you don't go to Greyback?" Sirius asked gently. He reached over to take Emma's left hand, turning it so he could look at the scar on her wrist from Greyback. "We're not letting him do the same to you. He's done enough."
"You act as if I'm going to have a choice," Emma said, pulling her hand out of Sirius's. "Papa, if no one has been able to stop him before, why now?"
"You do have a choice! You're important to us, and we're never going to let you get into that position."
"That's what Daddy said, and yet I still find myself around him."
"Because you let yourself!"
"Last time, yes, but the other two times I didn't!"
"You went to Greyback?" Lyall asked sharply. "Why would you do that?"
"It wasn't on purpose, not exactly, and that's not the point right now!" Emma shouted. "What about all of those other children? Weren't they important to their parents? All the girls that had to go through the same thing as I did when I was younger? We don't even know what happened in that entire time that I don't remember. What about all the boys who have to grow up thinking that their worth will be defined by violence? Papa, I love you, but I know what I have to do. I'm going to have to be the one to stop Greyback."
"Emma Hope, you are not going anywhere near Greyback!" Sirius said sternly.
"And you all act as though I have a choice on whether or not he comes to me! If this is how he works, then there's no getting around it."
"Emma! He is dangerous!"
"So is Daddy – so am I! I'm not afraid of Greyback!" Emma shouted, shooting up from the couch, her hands balled into tight fists. "I am not going to let Greyback be the one to dictate my life and force me to live in fear. I am not going to be afraid of him. I know he's dangerous, I know what he's capable of, but I know that I can be smarter than him."
"Emma, you are fourteen, going on fifteen. He is so much older than you are! He is incredibly smart and terribly clever."
"He's been doing this for far longer than you've even been alive, cariad," Lyall said.
"Just because he's older than me, it doesn't mean he's smarter than I am!" Emma said, shooting Sirius and her grandfather venomous looks before stomping up the stairs.
Sirius and Lyall stared at each other incredulously as Emma's door slammed shut. "How is that girl not a Gryffindor?" Sirius asked breathlessly. "She's going to get herself killed!"
"Remus told me that she's been very vocal about it," Lyall sighed. "I don't think anything we tell her is going to make her change her mind."
"We have to try and explain to her how dangerous it is," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "She doesn't understand what she's trying to get herself into."
"Oh, no," Lyall said, standing up. "You're on your own for that one. If Remus can't get through to her, then I don't think any of us will."
"What? You're not going to back me up on this one?"
"When she gets into that mood, you have more chances of convincing a Goblin to forge something for you for free," Lyall said darkly as he made his way to the kitchen.
"Some help you are," Sirius muttered, making his way upstairs. He gently knocked on Emma's door. "Sweetheart? Can I come in?"
"Go away!" Emma shouted; her voice muffled from the other side of the door. Based off of the sound, Sirius could hazard a guess that Emma had wrapped herself in her nest of blankets to try and hide.
"I'm coming in," Sirius said sharply, trying the door and letting out a quiet growl when he found it locked. It had been a long time since he had used wandless magic, but he channeled every bit of himself that he could into unlocking the door. Regular doorknobs were at least easy to open, and he smirked when he heard the click of the lock.
"No!" Emma shouted in aggravation as her door unlocked. Sirius could hear her jumping off of her bed to lock the door again. Before she could reach it, Sirius had the door open, and he pinned Emma with a hard stare.
"Sit," Sirius said firmly.
"No," Emma said sharply.
"Sit. Down."
"No! I won't!"
"Emma Hope, sit down."
"No! Stop acting like you're my dad!" The words slipped out of Emma's mouth before she could stop herself, and the moment they did and saw the look on Sirius's face, tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, quickly turning around to try and hide her tears. "I didn't…I didn't mean it. You were…you were dad first…"
Sirius sighed, gently pulling Emma back over to her bed and sitting her down. "It's going to take a lot more than that to hurt me," Sirius said with a soft chuckle. He knelt down in front of Emma, brushing her tears off her face. "No, I think Remus was dad first, even if he didn't know. We made sure he was the first one to hold you besides your mother, of course. I know I've been a poor excuse of a parent, being locked up in Azkaban and the whatnot. I don't know what I'm doing. Taking care of you was much easier when you were barely taller than my knee. Your biggest troubles were me putting the wrong trousers on you or putting them on backward – terribly hard to tell which way was the front. Now, you're almost fifteen, and you want to take on the world with strong opinions and even bigger dreams. Not too different than me and Moony – stubborn and sure that nothing would happen to us."
Emma let out a small laugh, rubbing her eyes. "I'm tired of this," Emma sniffled, unable to meet Sirius's eyes. "I sound like a broken record, and I know that, but I don't want to be here. We should be home. I know that wasn't going to be easy, but we had a plan."
"I know," Sirius said, taking Emma's hands. "I know you don't want to be here, and I know that we should be home. But that doesn't mean you go running straight to Greyback because you don't want to be here."
"I'm not running straight to Greyback," Emma sighed. "I don't…run to him, he comes to me. I just feel like none of you listen to me. Papa, I had to make my own decisions for ten years without you or Daddy. That was ten years that I spent with him. If I got this far around him, then nothing is going to happen to me. If he bites me and I become a werewolf, well…it's not as though the Ministry hasn't decided that's my fate, anyway. I've had enough scares over the possibility that I don't care anymore."
"That's not the point. Emma, you are only fourteen –"
"Almost fifteen, yes, I know. But I can –"
"This is so much bigger than you are, sweetheart. If you get hurt –"
"Then it's my own fault! There are only two more years until I'm of age –"
"Which means you are still a child!"
A dark look crossed Emma's face as she finally met Sirius's gaze. "I haven't been a child in years," she said quietly. "I was taken away from everyone at two and forced to live in a children's home. I met Dad again, started at Hogwarts, and became friends with a girl I had apparently been friends with my entire life.
"My second year, I felt so unloved by everyone around me that I thought it would be easier to end my life. I didn't want to be a burden, and even Daddy made it seem like he didn't want me. I didn't understand that he acted the way he did because he was scared…
"Fast forward to last year, I suffered for months before Daddy told me what actually happened and what he was and what I was. A month later, I met you, and I found out what was done to me. And now, I'm not allowed to be home with Daddy because of what he is. I can't have my things. I have essentially become a monster to people I thought were friends. I have nearly no recollection ten years of my life other than that they happened. The only proof I have are the pictures that Greyback gave me.
"My entire life has involved Fenrir Greyback, and it's not going to stop just because you and Grandpa think you can stop him. I stopped being a child a very long time ago. I am more than capable of making my own decisions."
Sirius gently brushed his thumbs over Emma's knuckles as he thought about what to say next. He desperately wished he could have Remus there because he would know the right thing to say. Sirius did not.
"Well, we want you to be a child now," Sirius said. "You have done far more than any of us have ever expected of you. Please, let us take care of you."
Emma studied Sirius for several long minutes before she finally nodded.
Having Sirius and Lyall around suddenly felt stifling to Emma as each day passed. The first day together was fine, but by the third day, she was miserable. She loved them, she wouldn't ever deny that, but it was difficult. They had entirely different energies compared to Remus.
Lyall was quiet but was somehow more insistent than Remus ever was. Sirius was energetic, trying to make up for lost time and embracing the relative freedom he had in the house. Emma had taken to pretending to fall asleep at random points. Though she doubted Sirius believed her, Lyall fell for it every single time. She could curse Remus for failing to add a note that sometimes she desperately needed space.
After two days of Emma avoiding both men, Sirius finally seemed to get sick of it. The moment Emma tried to escape from breakfast, Sirius had a fistful of Remus's jumper in his hand.
"Don't you dare think about sneaking upstairs again," Sirius said, an eyebrow arching as he took in Emma's glare.
"I thought you were going to be the fun parent," Emma muttered.
"I am the fun parent," Sirius huffed. "That's why we're going on a walk. You need to get out of the house, and since you've refused going out with your grandfather to get some new clothes, we're going to the park."
"To the park?" Emma asked, her face twisting at the audacity of the very idea of going to a park. She just wanted to stay in her room and be left alone.
"Sirius, I don't think that's a good idea," Lyall said lightly.
"Not your daughter, Lyall," Sirius said, standing up. He gave Emma's shoulder a squeeze and motioned for her to head to the entryway. "Come on, get your shoes on."
Being outside was more helpful than Emma expected. She didn't feel as trapped walking to the park, and Sirius as a dog was an enjoyable companion. As they walked, he chased whatever bird he could find just for entertainment, barking happily.
"Snuffles, you need to be careful," Emma laughed as he found a cat to chase down the road. "I think I'm meant to have a lead for you, and I don't."
That seemed to tone down Sirius's antics. As fun as they were, she didn't need one of the neighbors to call a dogcatcher. She couldn't even imagine how she would be able to explain that one to her grandfather and the very idea of it made her grimace. That would be a complicated thing to fix.
The park they went to arguably was not much of a park at all so much as it was a wide, open field surrounded by trees with a trail. There was a small play area, but it didn't hold any interest to Emma. Instead, they made their way down the trail. To Sirius's absolute delight, there was a stream that he immediately ran into. To Emma's horror, he grabbed firmly onto her sleeve with his teeth and tried to pull her into the water with him.
After spending several minutes convincing him that she didn't want to go in, she settled for foraging through the wildflowers. Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself, snapping his teeth at whatever fish he could find. Emma was much more content sitting and watching him while making him a flower crown of purple flowers.
When Sirius had his fill of the stream, he gladly made his way over to Emma and shook himself out.
"Are you bloody kidding me?" Emma shouted, wiping her face off and glaring at Sirius. "Bit rude of you, yeah?" Sirius only smiled in response, tail wagging and tongue out. With a heavy sigh, Emma dropped the flower crown she made on top of Sirius's head. "Come on, I want to find a tree to get away from you." Sirius didn't seem to mind in the least, and they made their way back to the open field.
The park was surprisingly populated, but it was a nice summer day, and Emma realized it wasn't surprising at all. They were close enough to the shore that the cool breezes rolled inland, cooling off the area and keeping away the stifling heat. Emma found a decent tree to climb and found the sturdiest branch to perch upon. She was still terrified of falling, but the branch she found was stable and a perfect resting spot. Sirius laid in the shade down below, head resting on his paws. Emma leaned back against the wide trunk with her eyes closed, focusing on the rustle of the leaves and the people who walked by.
Being up in the tree reminded Emma of the first week she ever had home with Remus and her unfortunate drop climbing down. She didn't understand why Remus didn't want her playing in the trees, never received any explanation, but after finding out Greyback came around, it made sense. Remus had been hoping to avoid issues with Greyback right at the start, worried that he would make himself known. Who would have guessed that it wouldn't have mattered? No matter what Remus did, Fenrir always would have been there.
She idly wondered if Remus would be more willing to extend the security lines in the backyard. Climbing trees was such a simple pleasure for her, and she wondered when exactly she started. Much like most of her thoughts, she was acutely aware that a memory existed, but she didn't know what it was. It was frustrating that she couldn't remember, and it felt like as time moved on, she remembered less and less.
Her eyes snapped open with a harrowing thought, and she straightened up slightly. What if Fenrir had a jar of her old memories? It seemed like a logical possibility having watched Dumbledore extract her memories at the end of her second year. Her stomach knotted at the possibility that was what Persephone was referring to. If that was the case, how was she meant to not be tempted? The idea of anyone holding onto her memories like that was not a possibility she wanted to think about.
She rubbed her temples as Soleil made a sudden appearance in her mind. The wolfish side of her was content to lay dormant around Sirius, seemingly picking up on his canine energy, but something set her off. Emma peered down at the ground to see Sirius still relaxing, apparently somewhere between awake and asleep. If he didn't seem bothered, then perhaps Soleil just wanted to be loud and annoying. That wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility as Emma still didn't know how to push her aside for the rest of the month. But Soleil was too insistent, and Emma realized she needed to pay attention to her instincts.
Emma immediately tensed up, looking around. She was aware that something was very off in the park. Families were walking by like normal, some with dogs that were overly curious over Sirius. Small children ran down the trail, squealing loudly. On the surface, things looked normal, but there was a dark magic lingering. A dark magic similar to hers.
Even though Soleil had been around Fenrir before, she had been quiet as Emma was fully aware of the werewolf's presence. This was completely different, a sharp and persistent feeling that a werewolf was present – one she needed to be afraid of. While Emma wasn't scared, Soleil seemed to be on some level. That didn't make Emma feel better at all.
Emma wasn't sure where he was at, but she knew he was lurking and close by. She sat up straighter, trying to look around, but still found nothing. Emma knew all too well that didn't mean they were alone; Fenrir was a silent predator.
"Hey, Sirius, I think we should go back," Emma shouted down from her perch.
Sirius looked up from where he lay, with a yawn, his head tilting slightly before his head twisted around. He sprung up on all four paws with a snarl, and Emma frowned. Fenrir had been practically underneath her and right behind Sirius. Sirius was far too tired to realize, and Emma didn't think to just look down at the other side of her perch. How could she be so stupid?
"I see you brought your dog," Fenrir said conversationally.
Emma glared down at Fenrir from where she sat. There were about a hundred things she wanted to say to him but couldn't settle on one.
"You know, dogs are meant to be on leads," Fenrir said, sounding almost bored. "Yours doesn't have one. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him."
"Funny," Emma said. "Suppose you should put yourself on one since you insist on acting like a dog."
"It would be unfortunate if he were to wind up in Azkaban again. I'm sure the Dementors are angry that he escaped."
"Why are you here?" Emma asked, purposely trying to ignore the small dig that forced Sirius to sit back down. She couldn't stand the idea that the threat of Azkaban, or worse, knocked Sirius down several pegs. "You said dusk at Clyne Gardens. Based off of the, ah, sun in the sky, it's approximately late morning, and we're nowhere near the gardens."
"We're close enough."
"Doesn't explain why you're here."
"I thought you would pull a little stunt such as this one when you didn't show up. Why don't you come down and we can talk?"
"I don't want to talk to you," Emma huffed. "Sirius, stop it," Emma added when Sirius started growling again.
"I can always make you come down…"
"How? I'm in a bloody tree," Emma scoffed. There was a sudden sound of cracking, and Emma felt the branch she was on give an ominous shake. She gripped tight to the branch as if that would offer any stability. "Well, that's not good," she muttered to herself.
"What was that about being in a tree?"
"You wouldn't dare," Emma challenged, shooting Fenrir a glare.
"Wouldn't I?"
A solid branch dropped down from next to her, nearly hitting Sirius as it landed hard on the ground. Sirius was on his feet again, snarling at Fenrir, and people were starting to look.
"How?" Emma shouted. "You don't even have a wand!"
"I don't need one."
There was another crack, and Emma groaned. She felt much better in the tree, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could safely test Fenrir's patience. Another crack of the branch and Emma didn't have a choice as she startled herself out of the tree. Landing directly right into Fenrir Greyback's arms, held almost like a bride, was not at all what Emma wanted.
She glared at Fenrir, pushing hard against his chest to get out of his grip with a shout of disgust. Emma dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and she groaned at the jolt of pain that shot up her spine.
"You did that one to yourself," Fenrir said, crouching down next to her.
"You were going to drop me out of a tree."
"Only if you didn't come down." Fenrir lifted a hand to stroke the scar on Emma's cheek, humming softly. "Well, that one didn't come from me."
Emma ripped her face back from Fenrir's hand. "No, and I'd like to keep it that way, thanks."
"Oh, but didn't I tell you I wanted to decorate your face for you?" Fenrir asked conversationally. "Don't think I haven't forgotten…"
"Sirius, stop it," Emma said sharply, turning her head to look over at Sirius. She gasped as Fenrir gripped hard to her chin, jerking her face around to look at him.
"What's her name?" Fenrir questioned. His eyes were boring into Emma's, and as stupid as it was, she held his gaze.
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked, feeling ridiculous as she shoved an arm out to keep Sirius where he was at.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Rabbit. Don't play stupid," Fenrir said, leaning in close. "She has a name now, doesn't she?"
Emma tried to pull her face out of Fenrir's grip, but he held tighter, and she didn't bother trying to stifle her growl. "I'm not telling you," she spat.
Fenrir's chuckle was low and dark, his head tilting slightly. "It's much easier if you just tell me," he said, licking his teeth. "She'll speak to me when she's tired of you holding her back."
"Get the fuck away from my daughter."
Hearing Sirius's voice gave her enough willpower to pull herself out of Fenrir's grip. She scrambled back quickly, staring up at Sirius in horror.
"Sirius, what are you doing?" Emma hissed, her eyes wide as she looked between Fenrir and Sirius. Sirius's sudden appearance quickly drew far more attention than she wanted, and her breath caught at the first loud screech of Sirius's name. She forgot that even Muggles knew who Sirius was, the Ministry determined to catch him. What was he doing?
"And I thought your dog was smart," Fenrir growled at Emma.
"Emma, get home now," Sirius shouted, throwing himself at Fenrir.
Emma stared in open-mouthed horror at what was happening until she heard other people screaming Sirius's name. They didn't care about Fenrir, didn't know who he was, they just thought Sirius was attacking someone like them. She didn't want to leave Sirius, but the dark look on Fenrir's face had her quickly on her feet. Without a second glance, Emma ran as fast as she could.
She still hadn't woken up from her nightmare like she'd hoped.
a/n: Action and Fenrir in the THIRD chapter? What is this? It's pure chaos. So, I thought I would bring up my upload schedule - I have no idea what it's going to be. I have a general outline and I can usually knock out a chapter per day (surprising, I know). I can guarantee one chapter a week, but chances are it'll be multiple updates a week. My current outline has around 40-45 chapters, but we'll see what happens. The idea that I can finish this story before the end of the year is totally terrifying to me since my average is around 5 months per book so far.
I have multiple scenes written over multiple chapters, and I'm trying to figure out what to tone down and what to make super intense. The current versions of certain chapters are VERY dark. If you're *into* super dark, then please, sound off in the reviews as I try to debate on what to do. The only thing I'll say is that not all of the dark scenes are with Fenrir, so hehehehe. ANYWAY onto my review replies!
Lu! You can totally say that! Lyall's presence definitely became super complicated after Christmas, and I think a lot of that has carried into now. The idea of Remus writing an entire guide on Emma makes me giggle - it just seemed like something he would do. Sirius has a lot to learn about taking care of Emma, so I'm sure he appreciated having an "instruction manual." xD You are too sweet - thank you, thank you, thank you. :)
Notthatcchhavi - Emma and Remus totally bonded like no tomorrow her third year. After everything they went through, I think they learned how to take care of each other. Their relationship is super unconventional as it is, but they've had so many shared experiences. Things are going to be a little chaotic for a while, I think, but Emma and Remus have gone through much much worse!
Guesty guest guest - Oh goodness, after the week you had, I was WORRIEEEDDDD about all of this. Silly Sirius was hopefully a good time at least. I feel like a lot of people don't really think about what happened with Remus after being outed by Snape. I wish there was literature on Umbridge's legislation because I imagine it was baaadddd. I can't imagine that something didn't happen immediately after, but because Harry wasn't that close to Remus, he didn't know. Unfortunately, it's a little more close to home for Emma, and I can't see Remus not getting arrested. You might be onto something with that trial *coughcough*. As for the Quidditch World Cup? Well…we'll just have to see, won't we? xD
