Emma had no idea how she managed to get through most of Saturday morning pretending nothing had happened in the hospital wing. The moment had seemed so fleeting that she wasn't even sure if it had happened at all. If it weren't for the well-concealed kissed in bruises along her collar bone, she would just deny it all and save herself the heartbreak. It would be fitting for her to bare her soul to someone and tell them everything for the first time in her life and have it all backfire. She was notorious for terrible decisions, but she really didn't want Greyson to be one.

They kissed for what felt like hours, listening carefully for any signs that Pomfrey was about to walk in on them. Pomfrey's lack of appearance had Emma suspicious, but she chose to not question it, especially when Greyson's hands traveled to –

Emma wanted to smack herself for letting her thoughts wander and for wanting to act on the desperate need she felt. It was one thing to know that her thoughts had somehow aligned with Soleil's somewhere along the line; it was another to act on them. Kissing Greyson was already a bold step for her, and even when she felt things weren't moving too fast at all, she still worried. It only compounded the fact that George was not right for her; he never made her feel the way that Greyson did.

She felt it was fair to worry, to question everything, but when she fell asleep snuggled up against Greyson, things felt right. Emma had been silently amused at the possibility she had been fighting the inevitable and that Greyson would be her husband; she wanted him to be. Emma questioned if it was just a childish fantasy and her need to feel safe, but what they shared felt too real to be only fantasy. When she dreamed that night, the faceless man that existed in the life she thought about often was Greyson. Perhaps she had to start believing in Divination just enough to accept that she was wrong.

Even if Trelawney had been pulling things out of a hat to tell Emma, it was spot on. Emma never would have considered herself falling for Greyson, but she was falling and falling fast. They shared a connection that soothed her entire being, fretful thoughts and worries being pushed to the side. She wondered if Greyson had felt it too; he had to. Greyson told her he felt as though he'd known her his whole life. Emma was slower to come to that thought, but she felt she had known him her entire life, too.

Greyson made her feel like she was so much more than the scars that others immediately judged her for. He felt terrible that those were the first thing he had gone for in his fear, confessing to her with such a guilt-laden voice. Greyson pressed his lips to each scar across her face and the scars across her wrists, apologizing even though he wasn't the cause. He gently lifted her right arm, pausing for one long anxiety-inducing moment before pressing his lips to the bite there. When he kissed the one on her shoulder, Emma found herself breaking when he apologized for that as well, gently brushing away her tears with his thumbs. How could she not fall in love with Greyson after that? How could she deny that there was something between them? She couldn't.

But when she was woken up by Madam Pomfrey early that morning, he was gone. Emma was in her bed by herself, still curled up, the place where Greyson had been next to her cold as if he was never there. She looked over at the bed he had been occupying for the beginning of the night and found it was already made. When had he left?

Emma grew increasingly bitter when Pomfrey reluctantly released her to go make the Wolfsbane Potion. Her bitterness grew even more as she snuck through the castle, her robe thrown on over top of Greyson's clothes that she didn't bother to change out of. She stopped in the dorms to take a quick shower and change into clothes that were definitely were not Slytherin colors. How dare he leave without saying a word.

Stepping into the Potion's classroom felt almost like a slap in the face when it felt just like any other day. It was back to the same silence they had grown used to sharing, music playing softly from somewhere in the room. Soleil, who was usually quick to snap, was annoyingly settled and tried to tell Emma to wait and not act rash. It was so unlike the wolfish side of her that it agitated Emma further. Emma wanted to ask what Greyson's sudden problem was, but she couldn't find her voice to ask. Maybe she had read into things more than she thought, and perhaps Greyson did as well. Maybe they were both just confused, thrilled at finding someone who could understand them in a way that others couldn't.

Emma decided it would make sense if she had just been confused. She was emotional over Elara, exhausted from the full moon, and just wanted to be far away. Emma wanted to be curled up at home in her own bed where everything was safe. But what of Greyson? He didn't act as though she wasn't there, but he was quiet and subdued. Perhaps there was a flicker of worry in his gaze when their eyes would meet across the room, but he still didn't speak to her.

Even still, as confused as Emma felt she suddenly was, she realized one thing that she had to do. After avoiding the idea, Emma decided that she needed to finally end things with George. At first, Emma blamed it on her night with Greyson, but she didn't even feel too guilty about kissing him. To have someone finally show her an ounce of appreciation made her realize that she wouldn't get that with George. George was wonderful, but his sudden avoidance of her left her reeling. Whatever they had started to create the year before had fizzled out as quickly as it began. Emma had questioned if their relationship had been fear-based on what had happened to her, and she was starting to feel that way more and more. She was more willing to just let things end naturally, but it wasn't fair to just say nothing even though she wanted to.

Emma approached the situation of breaking up with George, nervous and unsure, and decided it was best to just get it out of the way. She ate a hastily eaten breakfast, ignoring the way Greyson's gaze followed her as she made her way to the Gryffindor table. Emma gave George a firm tap on the shoulder with a shaky smile asking to talk to him privately. Even though she knew that it needed to happen, she still felt sick to her stomach. She didn't plan to tell George about what she'd done – it wasn't as though it mattered, not really.

As they walked, Emma found herself reciting her entire speech in her head about how they weren't working. She wanted to tell George that she felt that their relationship was built out of them both being scared, and they were much better friends. They had fun together, had healthy competition, but the lack of communication made her feel like he didn't trust her. It all sounded good, the perfect things for her to say, and she swore she would handle it without crying. As emotional as she was, it was doable.

Tucked into the relative safety of one of the hallways off the entrance hall, Emma turned herself to face George. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, George spoke first.

"Emma, this isn't working."

Emma certainly wasn't expecting that to come out of George's mouth, and her mind went blank. She blinked owlishly at George, opening and closing her mouth several times before clamping her mouth shut. She set out to break up with George, not the other way around. What the fuck?

"You're…you're distant," George said in explanation when Emma didn't say a word. "I know you've got a lot going on, but you don't talk to me. You'd rather talk to someone else that isn't me, and I feel like you keep pushing me to the side."

That was a complete lie, and Emma knew it, and the nerves that had settled in her stomach were replaced with anger. If she thought she was angry with Greyson from earlier, she was even more furious with George. She talked to George…not the same way she talked to Justin or Cedric, for that matter, but it wasn't like she didn't speak to George. The issue was George didn't talk to her. She had spent hours just talking about her day to George, but he seemed to barely listen to her.

"George, I don't…I don't understand what you mean," Emma said slowly. "I talk to you."

"But it's not the same," George said, sounded broken. "If something happens, you always go to Justin or Cedric first."

"We're in the same house," Emma replied. "I can't help that Gryffindor tower is halfway across the school. Yes, I'll tell them first because I see them more, but I tell you the exact same things, just a little later."

"But you don't tell me everything."

Emma could never deny that because up until Greyson, she had never told someone every little thing about herself. Greyson could understand because they were the same, even in their differences. It wasn't like she could tell George everything about Fenrir – it wouldn't make sense – and he only commented about fighting Fenrir, which did no good. She was aggravated that George was jealous that she talked to other people. It wasn't like he told her everything as he avoided telling her what was so important about the parchment he was pouring over with Fred.

"I tell you as much as I possibly can, I don't really know what you want me to say."

"But you don't tell me everything."

"You don't tell me everything either, George. That's not fair."

"You don't even give me a chance to help you," George said, changing tactics. "You get angry with me if I try."

"I don't get angry with you," Emma snapped.

"You're getting angry with me now!"

"Because I have asked you every single day what's wrong, and you haven't said a word!"

"Because what was the point? Even if I somehow managed to get you to talk, you would still go running off to Justin."

"Because he's one of my best friends!"

"And what am I supposed to be?"

Emma pressed her hands into her eye sockets until she saw different colors behind her eyelids with a growl. How was this devolving so fast? She had plans! She had an entire speech she wanted to say! But she had been so completely and utterly derailed that she didn't even know what to do any longer.

"You know what," Emma said, pulling her hands away to level George with an aggravated stare. "You know what? You're right. This isn't working. I already knew it wasn't working, but this really tells me that things aren't working."

"That's it? You're not even going to fight?"

Emma let out a disbelieving breath. Was George serious right now?

"I don't know what you want me to say, George," Emma snapped. "If you're going to be jealous about who I talk to, then it's obviously not going to work. Makes me feel a bit shit that you're trying to make me feel guilty because you're not the only person I talk to."

George stared at Emma for a long moment before nodding, almost to himself.

"Guess that's it then," he said quietly. He opened his mouth to say something else before closing it and walking away without another word.

That was it? Emma could only scoff, crossing her arms as she watched George's back as he departed. That was single-handedly one of the most unfulfilling things Emma had ever done, and she didn't even get a chance to say anything she wanted. It wasn't a good speech by any means, but it was a speech, and she had planned to say it. George had utterly blindsided her by beating her to breaking up, and it was shit. She swore to herself that she wouldn't cry, but she wanted to out of sheer frustration.

Emma had no idea why she was at all surprised to find Greyson suddenly at the end of the hallway, hands jammed into his pockets. His expression was equal parts curious and concerned, and Emma, in her aggravation, shot him a venomous look. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she glared at Greyson before she ultimately decided to push past him, storming onto the grounds. The castle, and Greyson, felt too stifling, and she hoped that being outside would make her feel a little better.

Emma stomped down to her tree by the lake, dropped to the ground hard on her bottom, and slammed her back up against the tree trunk. She folded her arms over her chest, glaring at the squid's tentacle over the top of the water, her breathing coming out in frustrated puffs. Emma's day was not going to plan, and she wasn't even entirely sure how she wanted it to go.

What did she really expect? Did she expect to wake up still pressed up against Greyson, her head resting on his chest like when she fell asleep? Did she expect to wake up with the soft press of his lips to hers or perhaps to the delicious scratch of his beard against her cheek? It was such a foolish thought for her to have, but she still craved to have him close. Her angry musings were disrupted by the subtle crunch of the dirt next to her being disturbed and warmth against her arm.

"Oh my God," Emma huffed when she turned to head to scowl at the very object of her thoughts. "I didn't think someone could possibly be more aggravating than my father, and here you are." Greyson's face twisted slightly in annoyance, and he rolled his eyes at her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, his tone soft.

"Aggravated," Emma murmured, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees. She wanted to make herself as small as possible, preferably far away from Greyson, but she had a feeling he would follow. Emma kept her eyes glued to the giant squid's tentacles and ignored the chattering Bowtruckle even when they slowly made their way down the trunk to greet her.

"Why?"

"Because I had this whole speech to give while breaking up with George, and he broke up with me instead."

"And that bothers you?"

"Yes! Because I was meant to be breaking up with him and not the other way around! I was meant to be doing the breaking up, not be broken up with."

"Were you just breaking up with George because of last night or –?"

"It wasn't just because of last night, you idiot," Emma said, casting Greyson another aggravated look. "And don't you dare ask me if I regretted last night, because I don't. You made me realize I should have done it days ago…"

Emma fell silent, trying to resist the urge to lean against Greyson. As usual, he smelled wonderful, and Emma wanted to be close, but she was angry with him, too. Greyson had been weird with her all morning, left the hospital wing without a word, and now he was trying to talk to her? How much more annoying could he be?

"I had a thought this morning while you were still sleeping," Greyson said softly into the silence. "I have an interview next week to tutor a student here. The only information that I was given from Severus was that it's for a student from a wealthy family, and cost would not be an issue. I was also informed that said student is known to be a bit of a problem, and I would be working with them before the interview but not know who they are. I found myself wondering – while being entranced by you sleeping, might I add – but I found myself wondering if that student is meant to be you."

Emma's hardened expression softened minutely as she cast Greyson a sidelong glance. Was that why he was weird that morning? She studied him out of the corner of her eye and then nodded.

"Oh, bugger me sideways," Greyson hissed, eyes growing wide. "Please tell me that you're joking."

"Bit of a problem?" Emma asked, turning her head to look at Greyson, her brows furrowing at his look of distress.

"More than a bit," Greyson sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. "Things were already complicated as it is, but this makes it even worse. Did you even realize that it was supposed to be me who was interviewing for the position?"

"I knew about the whole finding a tutor thing, but it didn't occur to me right away that it would be you," Emma said. "Persephone was the one who pointed it out, and then the more I thought about it, the more I realized it made sense. It's the exact sort of thing Snape would do to get under my skin."

"And did it?"

"In more ways than one," Emma said with a mischievous glint in her eye. She couldn't help her giggle at the exasperated look on Greyson's face and cleared her throat, trying to be more serious. "I already told you that Snape has a grudge against my fathers, but he has one against me as well. I'm not surprised that he would try to use you as a weapon against me, and I'm sorry about that, but somewhere along the way, that changed. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want it to matter. Is that why you were trying to act like nothing had happened?"

"I didn't want to be right," Greyson replied. "I can't be here as your tutor and then want to…"

"Want to what?"

"Have more nights like last night with you," Greyson said quietly. "I have no idea how it would work."

Emma's stomach did a pleasurable squirm at Greyson's words while Soleil, hazy as ever, happily danced on all four paws. She was relieved to know that she worried for no reason and that Greyson wanted more nights with her. Heat settled low in her belly at the possibility of what more nights could imply, and she carefully shifted her legs to a new position. Down, girl, down, Emma thought to herself to Soleil's barking amusement.

"Well," Emma said slowly, leaning in closer towards Greyson, "I suppose it's a good thing that there's a week until your interview, then. And since I'm now officially single, and you're not actually staff, and you're technically still a student while getting your Mastery…I don't see why we couldn't take the next week to figure things out. You know…figure out how things could work." A sly grin crossed Emma's face as she adjusted herself to sit up on her knees to be on Greyson's level.

"Besides, who said that I'm even going to hire you, anyway?" she asked, her smile widening at Greyson's mock offense. "After all, your interview will be with me, Mr. Fenmore. Consider your interview starting now. Ought to make sure you put your best foot forward." Emma took a quick look around to make sure no one was nearby. When she was satisfied that they were alone, she leaned forward to kiss Greyson with a content sigh. "I'm not that easily impressed," she whispered against his lips.

After a lengthy discussion out by the lake, they agreed to give things a try. They were both curious to know if there was more to their feelings. Ordinarily, Emma would want to spend her day in bed, but instead, she found herself spending her day with Greyson. It was easy for her to make up an excuse as to why she was suddenly spending her time with him. Everyone knew of her love of potions, and it didn't seem odd to the Hufflepuffs when she said she had somewhere else to be. The only person who seemed to pick up on the oddness of the situation was Persephone.

Persephone gave Emma a curious look when she walked into the Great Hall with Greyson, a disbelieving smile on her face. Emma only shrugged in response, running a hand through her hair. She hoped that it wasn't still messy from Greyson's hands tangling in it, and Emma was glad that it was short so she could make things less obvious. Persephone kept her eyes locked on Emma as she sat down with the other Hufflepuffs. Her eyebrows raised as Greyson's hand lifted to squeeze Emma's shoulder before heading to the staff tables. Emma returned Persephone's curious look with a smug smile and a half-shrug.

Greyson seemed to take Emma's comment about not being easily impressed as a personal challenge. On Sunday morning, when Emma walked into the Potion's classroom beyond exhausted, he had a gift for her. Sitting where she usually worked was a brand-new cauldron wrapped with a bow and a new potions kit sitting beside it.

"Happy birthday," Greyson said, leaning against the nearby table with a smile. His smile faltered slightly seeing how tired she looked, and he put a steadying hand on her upper arm.

"Greyson? What is all this?" Emma asked with wide eyes. "Happy birthday?" she repeated in question.

"Belated birthday present," Greyson explained with a shrug. "It looked like you set up your scales for the first time on your birthday, so I figured they were new. For what you do, it only made sense to have everything updated."

"This is…this is too much," Emma said, peering quickly into the wooden box full of shiny vials and mixing cups. She didn't want to know how much everything cost, especially for an entirely new setup. None of it was second-hand, which Emma never minded, and everything practically glittered just to show off how new it was. It was too much, and she could very well afford it all herself if she wanted to. Emma was okay with everything she had already, and though she really liked the idea of having new things, she didn't feel that she deserved it. She was perfectly content with borrowing a cauldron for the next month and picking up a new one in Hogsmeade the next month.

"Emma, you can't continue working on potions with the bare minimum in equipment," Greyson said lightly. "You would have needed to upgrade at some point regardless. Consider your cauldron melting a blessing in disguise, and I wanted to do this for you. I told you, talent like yours shouldn't be wasted. Besides, I can't return any of it, so you're just going to have to use it."

Emma met Greyson's gaze, completely speechless. He turned her attention to the cauldron that had her initials etched into the rim, and she let out a disbelieving breath. Greyson was determined to make sure that she couldn't protest his gift as the potion's kit had a plaque with her initials on the front. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth at Greyson's gentle urging to really look in the potion's kit.

Curious, Emma cracked open the wooden box and frowned slightly. Everything seemed like it belonged, fresh ingredients in very full bottles and empty bottles for her to fill as she pleased lining one side of the box. However, there was one bottle in the box that pulled Emma's attention.

Tucked in the corner where she would possibly miss it was a bottle with a wax-sealed stopper and a massive label with just her name on it surrounded by drawn-in stars. The writing on the label didn't match the other ingredient labels, and she realized it was something of Greyson's creation. She took a moment to take in his neat, looping script before picking up the bottle to turn it around to look at its contents.

If Emma hadn't realized it before, she would have said that was the exact moment she started to fall in love with Greyson. In the vial, suspended in water, was a shrunk down stalk of a yellow lupin flower. It felt so incredibly unfair that he would give her a gift like this when she was already so emotional, and she was grateful Snape left them alone in the mornings. She looked up at Greyson, embarrassed by the tears in her eyes.

"It's just in case you need a reminder of who you are," Greyson said, pulling Emma close so that he could hug her from behind. He dropped a soft kiss to the spot near her temple, and Emma melted back against Greyson with a sigh. "With how many names you've had, I'm sure it's easy to forget sometimes."

Emma already hated full moon days more than anything, but she hated her first one at Hogwarts without Remus even more. When Emma woke up Monday morning, she was tired. It seemed stupid that she would be at the castle, and Remus was once again forced to go to the Ministry for his twenty-four-hour stay. She still didn't understand why he was forced to lose an entire day for only one night, but Remus went. The only thing that made her feel better was knowing he would be with Elara. They were still working on figuring out how to get her out of the same cells Remus was forced into when he was arrested. Her trial wouldn't be for months, and it was stupid to keep her there for so long. Still, Emma refused to allow herself to think about it lest she add to her emotional turmoil.

The irony was not lost on Emma that she had spent the past two full moons with Fenrir, and now she was spending it with his son. Of course, that first summer holiday moon didn't really count, but he was around before and after. She counted it only to remind herself that he attacked her and that every good thing he did for her didn't matter if he could still hurt her. Between her frustrated tears of exhaustion, Emma found herself giggling stupidly while working on the Wolfsbane Potion. Emma was glad that she already had the conversation about Fenrir with Greyson because she wasn't sure she could handle it in her current state.

The idea that Greyson could make her so happy seemed ludicrous every time she thought of who his father was. It just didn't fit in her mind that the most savage werewolf of all time had the sweetest possible son in the world. Greyson was cunning and sharp, but he had such a hidden softness that made Emma melt time and time again. He seemed unreal, the product of her wildest imaginations, but Greyson was very much real, and Emma hoped that he could be hers. Funny how that happened…

She was silently grateful that Professor Sprout gave her permission to skip that morning's Herbology class due to the full moon. Emma took a much longer shower than usual after brewing that morning to relax her sore muscles. Just like every other month, she found herself thinking about how she wanted someone to bite her just to make the lead up to the full moon easier. She didn't relish the idea of her bones shattering into pieces and turning into a wolf, but sometimes it still felt like it would be easier.

Emma had to practically drag herself up to the Great Hall for breakfast. She wanted to just skip eating until lunch, but Remus would have her head if he found out she didn't try to eat something. Emma mentally prepared herself for the knowing looks she would get when she stepped into the room, but she wasn't prepared for what actually happened.

She had clearly set foot into the Great Hall just a few minutes too late. Greyson was holding onto a furious Justin, and Cedric held onto Ernie, who was sporting a very bloody nose. Snape, who had the unfortunate job of breakfast duty, was yelling at the both of them. Emma searched for Persephone, who grimaced in response at her questioning look. With a groan, Emma took in the faces of the other Hufflepuffs, who looked equally horrified as they spotted her. She flinched when she noticed Snape had spotted her as well, his lip curling in disgust.

"Lupin!" Snape snarled.

"What?" Emma snapped, aggravated that Snape was going to yell at her for something she wasn't even there for. What had even happened?

"Detention! Tonight!"

Emma immediately began to splutter. He had to be joking, but Severus Snape wasn't someone who made jokes.

"I didn't do anything!" Emma shouted in indignation.

"You are the reason these two idiots were fighting, so therefore – you will be joining them in detention."

"But it's the full moon tonight!"

"And you are not a werewolf, so therefore you will be serving your detention with Mr. Fenmore tonight at seven. If I hear any more complaints, you can make it all week. Do I make myself plain?"

Emma nearly started to complain just to have an excuse to spend more time with Greyson, but he gave her a look that told her not to. She clamped her mouth shut, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from saying another word, and nodded. Soleil wasn't happy about her not saying a word, but she was just sleepy enough from the Wolfsbane to not put up too much of a fight. She sat down awkwardly at the Hufflepuff table away from everyone else, not wanting to deal with whatever had happened. Sprout came shuffling into the room, already yelling at Justin and Ernie; Greyson and Cedric still holding on to the boys still trying to fight. Caspian took the time to make his way over to Emma.

"What happened, and why was I responsible?" Emma asked Caspian, keeping her head ducked as she tried to eat.

"Well, you remember how you were telling Cedric that you melted your cauldron the other day?"

"Yeah?"

"Ernie was the one who did it."

Emma's head snapped up to look at Caspian in surprise. She had wondered if he had something to do with it when Greyson mentioned someone possibly altering her potion, but she had hoped…

"Ernie did it?" Emma asked in disbelief. Caspian nodded, shoving more food on Emma's plate, humming to himself as he debated what she should eat.

"Slipped extra lionfish spine into your potion like Greyson had mentioned," Caspian said, shoving a fork into Emma's hand. "Eat," Caspian added pointedly. "Anyway, Ernie was bragging about it this morning, thrilled that you finally messed up during class. He had been waiting for a moment for you to not pay attention and levitated – I think he said – three over and in your potion. It was perfect because the Ravenclaws just pay attention to what they're working on and had no idea what was happening. Justin obviously wasn't too happy about it. They might be best friends, but it didn't stop Justin from full-on punching Ernie in the face."

Emma had to force herself to eat, no longer hungry at all. She refused to look at anyone, embarrassed that Justin would feel the need to punch Ernie for ruining her potion in class. It had been terrible when it happened, but Emma had gotten over it until the thought was fresh in her mind.

Her mood was sour for the entire day, even with her extra time to sleep courtesy of Professor Sprout. She had hoped that her nap before Care of Magical Creatures would help, but it did nothing for her. Emma took a few minutes to write to Sirius in her notebook before even giving up on that to try and make herself feel better. She was just glad that Sirius was still sticking around for as long as he was.

Not knowing how the night would go, Emma practically begged Harry to let her have the Marauder's Map at lunch. She had to remind him that they decided to have shared custody of the map and her needs were much bigger than his right then. If she had to hide from the rest of the Hufflepuffs for the night because it was the full moon, Emma needed to know where to go. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance that night, and Harry reluctantly pulled the map out of his bag.

"Don't plan anything around the full moon," Emma said pointedly, shoving the map into her bag. "You can have it every other time."

Harry didn't seem too thrilled with that, Emma but didn't care. She was petulant and selfish in her aggravation, but Moony and Padfoot came before Prongs on the map. The map was more her father's legacies than his as far as she was concerned, but she was too much of a Hufflepuff.

Seven o'clock came far too quickly for Emma's liking and the increasing nearness of the full moon. She shot Greyson a look before plunking down heavily onto one of the stools in the classroom, pressing her head to the table. Emma had expected Snape to be present, but it appeared he was taking care of Justin and Ernie's detentions elsewhere.

"What stupid shit is Snip Snop expecting me to do?" Emma grumbled as Greyson sat down next to her. Everything hurt – her head, her back, her limbs…All she wanted to do was sleep or at least be in bed lying down. She relaxed slightly at the warm press of Greyson's hand rubbing the sore spot between her shoulder blades.

"You're not doing anything," Greyson said gently. "He wants you to, but I'm not going to sit here and be complicit in making you suffer any more than you already are. I knew that you were going to feel unwell because you told me, but I didn't realize it was this bad."

"Hmm," Emma hummed softly, turning her head to look over at Greyson. "This is my reality every month. Regretting things yet?"

"No," Greyson whispered, his knuckles brushing against Emma's cheek. "This isn't fair to you."

"Greyson, please," Emma said with a slight whine. "I can't handle you being nice to me right now. Just tell me what Snape expects me to do."

"Well, you know Severus, and now that I realize the extent of what he'll do just to make you miserable…"

Emma groaned in understanding. "How are there already cauldrons that need to be cleaned? It's the beginning of the year."

"The first years this year seem to be, er…a bit of a mess. Not all of their parents chose to buy them the correct cauldrons for first year work, and more cauldrons than usual have been borrowed."

"And Snape wants them all cleaned by hand," Emma said, feeling even less amused than before as Greyson nodded. "Well, best I get started."

"Emma, you don't have to do this. I'll do it."

"It's not worth having Snape get pissed at you, too," Emma said, slowly lifting herself from her chair. "It's fine. I actually like cleaning cauldrons."

As the night wore on, it was most definitely not fine, which seemed par for the course in Emma's life lately. Emma genuinely enjoyed cleaning cauldrons any other time, but it was miserable when the shooting pains from the full moon started. An embarrassed flush crossed her face as she nearly dropped the cauldron she was working on and pulled a thinly veiled look of worry from Greyson. She accepted him helping her, but she genuinely wasn't sure she could handle him being any nicer than he already was. All she wanted was relief from the pain, but she wasn't sure it would be possible with no werewolf around to help. She wasn't about to ask Greyson to try and help her in that regard because she didn't want to be disappointed if he wasn't half-werewolf enough to offer that relief.

Around nine-thirty, about an hour and a half after moonrise, Emma couldn't take the pain anymore. She had been able to get through by breathing through the shooting pains and trying to focus on Greyson's endless rambling to try and distract her. It wasn't impossible to get through, but it was difficult. The repetitive motions of cleaning cauldrons didn't help, and she burst into tears at the sudden flare of fire in her very bones.

"I can't keep doing this to you," Greyson said resolutely, pulling the cauldron Emma had aside and waving his wand to clean the other cauldrons. "I already feel like an absolute knob head for letting you do this much. Come on, you're done."

"Snape's going to know they weren't done by hand," Emma protested, wiping her face with her sleeve and reaching for the cauldron that Greyson pulled further away.

"He'll get over it," Greyson said, tugging Emma up from her chair. "Can you make it back to the dorms or no?"

"I don't know," Emma murmured, feeling her face heat up as she sniffled and tried to stop her tears. She couldn't look at Greyson, knowing the look he would already have on his face. He was quiet for a long moment, and Emma only looked up at him, startled by his aggravated growl.

"Fuck it," he said, grabbing Emma's bag and taking her hand. "You're staying with me tonight. My room's just down the hall, and I'll come up for an excuse for you in the morning if I have to."

Emma didn't have the time to question Greyson as he pulled her along behind him. Soleil stirred just enough in Emma's mind to point out that Greyson holding her hand provided a small sense of comfort. The wolf also pointed out that Greyson was taking her to his room and not bringing her back upstairs. That was an unexpected step, and Emma was torn between being very nervous and excited. She was sure they would be breaking about a hundred school rules, but she had the map in her possession.

She had seen Greyson annoyed before, but Emma had never seen him angry. When he closed the door to his room with a resolute thud, Emma couldn't pull her eyes away from his face. It gave her pause to see an expression so familiar and yet so foreign on Greyson's face. Her surprise must have shown as Greyson's face immediately fell in realization.

"I'm so sorry," Greyson said quickly, looking panicked. "I looked –"

"Don't say it," Emma said, cutting Greyson off. She closed the space between them, reaching up to pull his face between her hands. "You are not your father, and I've told you that repeatedly. I just wasn't expecting you to get so angry."

"Because it's not fair," Greyson said, pulling Emma's hands away from his face to hold them in his hands. "You shouldn't have to suffer the way you do. I don't understand where you pull your strength from because I could never do it."

"If I don't, then I don't move forward," Emma said. "I don't have a choice. I wake up and just have to get through it."

Greyson sighed, kissing Emma's forehead and frowning. "God, you are burning up," he muttered. "Come on, let's get you into bed."

Emma took a moment to take a look around the room. She always enjoyed the rooms in the dungeons as the windows opened up to the lake. It worried her that one day the windows might break and the water would come spilling in, but there were so many magical reinforcements in place. She enjoyed watching the lake creatures going by, and even the fish, both Muggle and magical. Nature always seemed to be the one place where both worlds seemed to easily collide, learning how to live with each other.

The room Greyson was in was a small suite. Everything was within reach and wasn't too unlike her room at the Moon's; a large bed, small sitting area, and an en-suite bathroom. There were little touches of Greyson scattered around the room, his suitcase sitting near the dresser, his belongings strewn about. She smiled when she noticed that he had brought his own blanket along with him, a dark blue quilt that looked very well-loved. His robes hung up on the coat stand near the door, and she brushed her hand over his tan overcoat sitting adjacent to his robes.

"Here," Greyson said, pulling Emma out of her musings as he stood in front of her with pajamas for her. "I'm sure I packed extras of everything, so if you need to take a shower or anything…" He let the words sit out in the open, and Emma felt herself blush.

"Oh," she said softly, taking his pajamas. "I just realized I haven't given you back what you let me borrow in the hospital wing."

"Don't worry about it," Greyson said. "It's fine."

Emma wasn't planning to take another shower that day, but she did if only to ease her aches and pains once more. It wasn't much, but it calmed the dull throb in her very bones just enough to get her back out into the main room. As she stepped out into the suite, she felt very much covered in Greyson's scent from borrowing his shampoo and body wash and wearing his clothes. She was also very aware that this was very new territory and had no idea what to do. Soleil delighted in it, and Emma could practically see the wolf wanting to rub herself on every inch of his scent.

"Take the bed," Greyson said, looking up from his book from his spot on the sofa. "I'll just stay here tonight."

"You don't have to," Emma said quietly, cringing slightly the moment the words left her lips. "I just mean the bed is big enough. And I, uhm…"

"You what?"

"I usually sleep better with someone else when it's a full moon night, but you don't have to," Emma said hurriedly. "I know it's weird." She gestured vaguely to his bed before awkwardly sidestepping towards it. "I'll be fine."

"Well, if it makes things easier for you," Greyson said after Emma settled herself awkwardly in Greyson's bed. He hesitated for a moment before setting his book down and crossing the room to sit next to her. Greyson was equally as unsure as Emma, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at her. "Where do you want me?"

"Next to me," Emma whispered. "Like the other night, if that's all right."

Greyson nodded, slipping under the blankets and holding his arms open so that Emma could settle herself next to him. She looked at him uncertainly for a moment, debating whether or not it would be okay, but then curled herself into his side. The relief was instantaneous, and she let out a long breath in contentment. Whatever lycanthropy Greyson had soothed the worst of her symptoms. Apparently, half-werewolves offered the same relief, and Emma felt infinitely better in Greyson's arms. Soleil lamented the absence of the rest of the pack, wanting to be with Moony, but she was overjoyed at being so close to Greyson. Emma was too.

"I'm so sorry," Emma murmured, resting her head on Greyson's chest so she could listen to the sound of his heartbeat. "Full moon nights are difficult, and being around other werewolves offers a special type of magic when I'm next to one. It's a shared thing with werewolves, but I wasn't sure if it would be the same with you. You have no idea how much better I feel. I don't know that I'll stay up long at all."

"Don't stay up, then," Greyson said, stroking Emma's hair. "Just rest."

Emma didn't need telling twice, and she drifted off startlingly fast. She had no idea that she could feel so safe or loved being held by someone who wasn't in her immediate pack. The last person she expected to bring her such incredible peace and comfort was Greyson, and Emma feared the idea of losing it. With Greyson, her mind wasn't a constant turmoil of terrifying thoughts. While she was still scared, Greyson made her hopeful. His energy was calming and gentle and exactly what Emma thrived on. She felt as though she always needed to move. If she didn't, Emma worried she would cease to exist, but Greyson forced her to slow down. If only she had realized it sooner.

When she woke up that morning still in Greyson's arms, she felt her heart swell with the delight of still being close. But her heart broke at the idea of it not being able to last. Greyson's comment of not being able to be her tutor and be with her had struck Emma harder than she thought it would. In theory, it would be perfect to have him there all the time; he was an excellent teacher, and she would love it, but it wasn't feasible. She could already picture the jokes she would be able to make about kissing her teacher, but there were too many factors and too many challenges.

She didn't want to think about things when they had the rest of the week to get through. Emma knew that she would have to talk to Greyson again and soon but didn't want to have a harder conversation with him at all.

Emma slowly lifted her head from Greyson's chest to take in just how much light was filtering through the lake outside the window. The water still looked dark with only the stirrings of light filtering in from the sun. At the very least, Emma felt mildly rested, which meant the moon had shifted enough and the full moon had ended. She took a moment to watch the fish going by, a sigh escaping her lips as a Grindylow swam past. Emma would never like the ugly little creatures.

"'Morning," Greyson murmured sleepily.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Emma asked, a soft smile crossing her face as Greyson pressed a kiss to her hair. She had no idea what they were currently, but she loved whatever it was, and that would make the conversation they needed to have even more difficult. Could they even really be possible at all?

"No, I think I've gotten used to waking up this early," Greyson said, tightening his hold on Emma with a yawn. He hummed sleepily, adding a soft kiss to her forehead. "And this is a problem."

"What is?"

"Waking up to you still being here because I could get used to this," Greyson said.

Emma worried her lip between her teeth, her heart fit to burst at his words. She could very well get used to it, too, and wanted to, but she slowly sat up, pulling herself away from Greyson. She didn't want to have a difficult conversation with him so early in the morning, but she couldn't wait.

"Greyson, I think we really need to talk," Emma said quietly. "Really really need to talk." Greyson seemed like he had been waiting for Emma to say precisely that as he didn't seem surprised at all. He studied her for a moment before sitting up as well.

"I know," he whispered.

What came of their conversation was a whirlwind type of romance that Emma didn't think she would ever get to experience in her life. They decided to continue exactly as they were, being together with no conditions. While they had no definitive title to what they were just yet, it didn't matter. They accepted that there was, for the moment, a time limit to what they had, and they were going to take advantage of it.

Their relationship seemed to be built on stealing what they wanted. It was stolen glances across the Great Hall, stolen kisses in quiet hallways, stolen moments wherever they could find them, and most of all, stolen time.

After worrying about others for so long, Emma found it freeing to do something for herself and not worry about the repercussions. She wanted Greyson, and he wanted her, and that wasn't something Emma was willing to ignore for a single moment.

With Marauder's Map in hand, Emma inadvertently pulled Greyson into her pack, and Soleil was overjoyed. They explored and adventured in the exact way Remus wandered with Sirius. The map's secret was safe with Greyson, and he was fascinated to learn how much there was to the castle. He was just as interested in exploring the castle with her as he was in finding just how many places they could kiss. Emma was more than happy to do both.

When she found herself slipping out of the dorms and to Greyson's room in the hours while the castle was still asleep, Emma felt exhilarated. She didn't quite expect to use Elara's gift so soon, but Emma felt there was never a more perfect time or person to share it with. When Greyson pulled her into his bed with him, Emma found herself with a life-changing revelation.

Greyson made her feel alive.

He lit her spirit from the inside out, made her feel wanted. Emma found that she was finding herself all over again. The world could try to tell her who she was, but Greyson reminded her of who she really was every moment he could. She was strong, fierce, and brilliant, and after forgetting she was all of those things, Emma believed in herself all over again.

Emma felt like she ran through every single emotion possible on Friday. She was acutely aware that morning that time was running out. Emma tried to put on a brave face throughout the day, but it was hard. Time was ticking, but for the first time, Emma was living.

Even Dr. Wheeler noticed the significant change in Emma's entire demeanor, at first startled and then pleased.

"You look happy," Dr. Wheeler commented, a soft smile on her face. "I'm pleased to see it. What put that smile on your face?"

Emma tried to hide her smile, biting her lip to try and hide it, but she couldn't. She thought about it for a long moment, wondering if she could say the words out loud and admit it to someone other than Greyson. It took her a few moments longer to mull through her thoughts, but Emma decided that she could say the words out loud. She could admit when she was wrong.

"I've met the man I'm going to marry," Emma said, her smile starting off small and unsure before growing. Uncharacteristic girlish giggles escaped her lips as she pulled her legs up onto her chair, and she covered her face to hide her pink cheeks. She had never felt this way before, but her smile faded just as quickly as it came. "But it's complicated…"

Emma's heart broke a little further when she returned to the dorms to write out a quick goodnight to her fathers. It was decided that Greyson would decline his interview, but seeing it written so definitively by Remus hurt to see. Emma was sure that no one had told Remus who was supposed to interview for the job, and a part of her felt guilty not telling him. It was even worse for her to tell Remus that it wasn't worth trying to look for a different candidate. No one was going to be better than Greyson.

She waited as long as she could for the other girls in the dorm to fall asleep, observing the Marauder's Map. Emma watched Greyson pacing on the map with a slight frown, and she watched to see when the common room emptied out. The moment she saw the last person slip out of the common room, Emma was on her feet, pulling on her boots, and rushing to Greyson's room. She didn't even get a chance to finish knocking before Greyson pulled her into his room and into his arms.

"I'm leaving early tomorrow," Greyson said, squeezing Emma tight. "Before breakfast."

Emma had already figured that's what Greyson would do, and she nodded, not sure that she could speak. She didn't want to say anything just yet, wasn't sure what she would say. Time had moved much too fast for her liking, and even though it wasn't the end, she worried. At least within the castle's walls, there was safety for what they had.

"Hey, look at me," Greyson said softly when Emma didn't respond. She reluctantly lifted her head to meet Greyson's gaze. "We said that we would figure this out. This isn't the end – this is nowhere near the end, it's just the beginning…if you want it to be."

"Why did you just make it sound like you were proposing to me?" Emma asked in amusement.

"Well, preferably that's sometime in the future, but for the time being, it might be worth taking the time to make this real," Greyson said softly. He reached behind his back to pull one of Emma's hands forward, bringing it up to his lips to kiss and smiling. "If you've already fired me from the job I didn't get to even interview for, at least be my girlfriend."

Emma wanted desperately to say yes, the word on the tip of her tongue, but that wasn't what left her mouth.

"I need time," Emma whispered. "I can't…Greyson, I don't want to put you in a position where you can get hurt, too. You know what I need to do…"

"Don't do it," Greyson said, struggling to keep the pleading out of his voice. "You are worth so much more."

"Greyson, please," Emma begged. "Please don't make tonight harder than it already is. I don't want this conversation to be the last one we have. I just want to enjoy being with you one more night without conditions."

It was both the longest and shortest night of her life. Emma felt stupid when she stepped foot in the Great Hall the next morning, automatically looking for Greyson. She knew he wasn't there, but it had become a habit once again, and she sat near the end of the Hufflepuff table feeling dejected. The moment she was done eating, she wanted to hide for a little while.

"Where's Greyson?" Persephone asked, leaving the Slytherin table to sit next to Emma.

"He left already," Emma said simply.

"Why?" Persephone questioned, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. She looked up at the staff table as if she didn't believe Emma. "I thought you two were finally getting along."

"We were," Emma said, trying to be subtle about rubbing her eyes. Persephone was quiet for a long moment, studying Emma.

"Oh, Emma…" Persephone said softly in understanding. "You –"

"It doesn't matter what I did or didn't do," Emma said, cutting Persephone off. She didn't want to hear what she already knew. "He's gone, it would be too dangerous, and that's all there is to it." Emma was about to say something else to Persephone, but McGonagall stopped next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Lupin, I just thought you should know that you'll have a visitor tonight at six in my office," she said.

A visitor? A frown crossed Emma's face, and she nodded, unsure of who would come to see her. She sincerely hoped that Remus didn't immediately find another candidate to interview to be her tutor because she no longer wanted one. McGonagall gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and went on her way, and Emma sighed. She stared down at her half-eaten plate and shook her head.

"I've got too much work to do today," Emma said, leaving the table to head back into the dorms.

She hadn't felt the need to sequester herself in her bed in what felt like ages. Emma knew that September wasn't even over, but it felt like months had passed by already. Everything had felt like a fairytale, one written just for her, and she already regretted telling Greyson she needed time. She didn't want time, but she needed him to be safe. Greyson didn't entirely understand, but he agreed. Emma knew she had to let him go, but she felt they would always find each other no matter what. She just hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.

Much like everything else that week, the time to head to McGonagall's office came too quickly. Emma knocked on McGonagall's office door and took a deep breath when the door partially opened by itself. She had no idea who was on the other side of the door, and she really wasn't expecting who was sitting in front of McGonagall's desk. Emma closed the door behind her, sucking in a sharp breath as she met Remus's gaze. It took one good look at her father to realize just how stupid she had been.

He. Knew. Everything.

Emma could never truly keep anything from her father; he always knew even if he didn't tell her. She had no idea why she felt that this would be any different. Remus had always been able to read her easier than anyone else.

Remus's expression was difficult for Emma to decipher right away. It was stuck somewhere between resigned and concerned. He searched Emma's face before sighing, standing up from his chair.

"Come here, baby girl," he said softly, opening his arms open for her.

Emma wasted no time running over to Remus and hugging him tightly with a dry sob. She didn't realize how much she needed one of his hugs. She had missed his tight bear hugs and the way he held her close. Except it only made Emma feel even more stupid. She knew that she could tell him anything, but she had said nothing. Emma tried not to think about it and closed her eyes tightly, gripping tight to Remus's jumper.

"You fell in love with Greyson, didn't you?" Remus asked her softly, and Emma tensed up.

"How did you know?" Emma asked.

Remus pulled away and brushed Emma's hair back with both of his hands. He kissed her forehead and took her hands in his, bending to be level with her.

"Sweetheart, I've seen you fall in love before," Remus said. "I knew two weeks ago, but I was waiting for you to say something to me."

"You knew then? I didn't even know then," Emma said with a frown. "How did you even know it was Greyson?"

"There was no other logical explanation for you being so angry," Remus said, giving Emma a knowing smile. "That and you refused to tell me who it was that was bothering you. It didn't take much for me to put things together."

"You're not upset?" Emma asked, a nervous tremble in her voice. Remus's expression softened further, and he pulled Emma back into his arms.

"I have my concerns, but we can talk about it more later," Remus said softly, dropping a kiss to the top of Emma's head. "That's not why I'm here, though."

"Why are you here, then?"

"To see you, of course," Remus chuckled. "And there's a certain silver-haired someone just dying to see you in Hogsmeade." Emma looked up at Remus quickly, her eyes growing wide.

"Elle was let out?" Emma asked breathlessly.

"Elle was let out," Remus confirmed with a smile. "Go and get yourself a bag packed and come back here. You're spending the weekend with us – all of us. I think we all have a lot to talk about."


a/n: Did that seem like a whirlwind to you, too? Good. It was meant to. Want one shots of their time together? They're coming, I swear - but what parts would you like to see? I'm curious because I could write so many.

Also listened to far too many love songs writing this chapter.

To all of my late night readers, please go to sleep. I love you, and goodnight!

Maricate - Harry Potter time is absolutely weird, but I know for this chapter, it was 100% meant to be fast. When the heart knows, the heart knows. Also sorry on the vague Persephone answer hehehe.

starsinthesky - ahhhh thank you and welcome! Plenty of more story coming! :D

Shard - GREMMMMAAAA. It's begun, but also the author giveth and the author taketh away ahahaha.