Emma wasn't sure that she had ever seen her father so angry with her before in her life. She thought that he couldn't possibly be angrier with her than during her ill-thought-out moment with his stolen Firewhiskey, but this was different. It wasn't as though she was particularly proud of herself or what she had done, but Fenrir's plan went off mostly without a hitch. She just wished that things were different.

Remus sat in the chair next to her bed, arms folded tightly over his chest. His jaw was clenched, and he refused to move his gaze from whatever he was staring at on the floor. Emma wasn't sure that he had even looked at her once he started to realize everything wasn't entirely what it seemed. Luckily the Healers didn't seem to notice anything different. To an outsider, he just looked like an over-concerned parent who didn't know what to do. Unfortunately, Emma was all too familiar with the disappointed expressions of Remus Lupin.

Emma whined as she shifted in her bed, her hand shooting up to clutch hard at her shoulder to keep pressure on her tight skin. She was given a potion to keep the pain at bay, but she swore Fenrir's bites were potent enough to break through it. Her shoulder hurt with a never-ending dull throb that pulsated through the rest of her arm and down her spine.

The Healer still in the ward shot her a look, but Emma forced a tight but shaky smile on her face. The woman stared hard at Emma, trying to judge if she needed to intervene and do something for her, but eventually decided that she was okay. The Healer took a few moments to check on the rest of her few charges and finally leaving the room. Emma almost wished that she stayed just to ease the awkward silence.

"It's not the same without Elle," Emma muttered, taking in the overly familiar walls of the ward. She scrunched up her nose as she found the painting of the strange man that always seemed to stare at her and promptly looked away. She grimaced as Remus let out an angry huff through his nose in response, and Emma gave an involuntary shiver.

"What did you do?" Remus asked quietly after a long and heavy silence. Each word seemed to be punched into the air, and Emma frowned. She knew that he would be upset, but she didn't expect him to be angry.

"I did what I had to do," Emma whispered. "I needed to leave…."

"And who decided that you needed to leave?" Remus asked, finally turning his head to look at Emma. He was leveling her with the stare that she hated most – the one that said he was deeply disappointed in her. "You were fine where you were for a few more days. What would possess you to let this happen?"

"I wasn't fine there for a few more days!" Emma snapped. "And what makes you think I had anything to do with this anyway? You know how Fenrir is."

"Ordinarily, yes, I would be inclined to agree with you," Remus said, standing up just enough to turn his chair to face Emma's bed. He sat back down with a heavy thud and leaned closer towards her. "Except I already talked to him, and none of this was ever meant to happen. I would think you would know better than to fall for whatever he has to say."

Emma stared back at Remus in confusion. She laid back against her mattress and twisted herself to lay on her side. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"It doesn't matter," Remus grumbled. "The point is he was supposed to keep you safe –"

"You talked to Fen?" Remus gave a slight nod in response. "Daddy, did you make a deal with Fen?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it? What did you do?"

"God, Emma," Remus hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose and ignoring Emma's questioning. "I need you to walk me through everything that happened tonight. Why was the Cruciatus used?"

Emma's stomach knotted painfully, and she pulled the thin blanket she was under up to cover part of her face. Though she didn't want to, she turned her attention to the painting on the wall just to keep her attention focused elsewhere.

"It wasn't very strong," Emma said quietly. "Fen had Jude's wand. He wanted a way to make sure that Jude would be convicted of using it while it's illegal."

"Fenrir was the one who cast it?" Remus asked, an eyebrow lifting at Emma's nod in response. His lips pressed into a thin line, looking almost torn. "Well, there was no reason why he had to cast it on you. The adrenaline from him…." Remus gestured towards the reopened bite wound on Emma's shoulder with a deep frown. "That should have been more than enough. There was no reason you had to be touched with the curse at all."

"It wasn't enough," Emma said, barely meeting her father's eyes. "I was too…."

"Too what?"

Emma wasn't sure how to explain the bits of information that she learned that night and wasn't sure that she wanted to. Everything felt like a blur and like it blended all together. One moment she was learning things that she wanted to know for months. The next, she agreed to Fenrir's new deal on Soleil's terms and found herself in Saint Mungo's again. As soon as she was in the hospital, everything seemed to move at an overwhelming speed. Emma had no idea how she kept her act on for so long.

She was practically Apparated into the Dangerous Bites ward, tearful and inconsolable, and inspected. Emma felt ridiculous having to cry as hard as she was, trying to speak through heaving sobs and explain the story that Fenrir had told her she had to sell. She had to try and tell the frazzled nurses that she had argued with Jude that day, and he had cast the Cruciatus curse on her in retaliation. The weak strength of the curse being cast on her by Fenrir was just enough to make it seem as though hours had passed since. A few of the Healers immediately ran off presumably to contact someone at the Ministry, and Emma continued telling her tearful tale.

Emma's sobs only grew as the Healers inspected her body closely, muttering at the bruises on her arms and the wide one on her ribs. The bruises didn't hurt in the least, done in such a way that they would fade quickly enough, but they were ugly to look at. Fenrir wanted to make it look as though she had at least struggled, and the effect must have worked. The Healers working on her cast each other silent and overly familiar looks – they were disturbed by what was in front of them.

She blanched when the closest Healer began to inspect and clean the fresh and reopened bite on her left shoulder. Fenrir promised he wouldn't go deep with his bite, but a big part of her felt he went further than he was supposed to. He could be reasonably restrained with his actions, but when it came to the allure of biting someone, Emma couldn't see him holding back, especially with her.

The Healer was methodical and careful but nowhere near as gentle as Elara was. She spoke softly, working quickly and asking Emma questions.

"Do you know who did this to you?" the Healer finally asked, carefully dabbing the Dittany and silver mixture into the wound to stop its bleeding. "I imagine it was dark in your room, and you might not have seen."

Emma sniffed and just barely turned her head to look at the witch. It was the very question that Emma had been waiting for the woman to ask, and she took in a deep breath before answering. She wasn't at all surprised by the way the witch nearly dropped what she held in her hand when Emma managed to whisper, "Fenrir Greyback." The Healer finished up what she was doing quickly, promised Emma that she would have a change of clothes soon, and rushed off.

There was a strong sense of relief for Emma when Tonks came barreling into the ward. If any other Auror walked in, Emma wasn't sure what she would have done. Another and very unfamiliar Auror followed Tonks into the room, looking slightly overwhelmed. The young man following behind her was staring at Emma with wide, dark eyes as if he couldn't believe what was happening. Tonks, on the other hand, was almost a literal fireball. Her hair was a bright fiery red, short and spiky as if her anger and fear decided to manifest themselves on her head. Emma could only imagine that it might have done precisely that after learning of her talent.

Emma hadn't gotten very far into retelling her tale when Remus was escorted into the ward looking as fearful as ever. His sudden appearance turned her voice into a shaky mess, and her tears began to fall once more – he wasn't supposed to be there. Remus showing up was never part of the plan, and it threw Emma off.

Remus sat down quickly in the chair next to her bed, putting a hand on her knee and squeezing it tightly. Emma wanted to look at him, give him a pleading look to just leave, but she couldn't bear him knowing the truth just yet. Tonks gave Remus a sympathetic look and urged Emma to continue on with her story. Emma let out a pathetic whine, trying to resist the urge to kick her legs out in frustration and have a tantrum.

With Remus there, it felt impossible to get through the very fabricated story. The more Emma told, the more suspicious Remus started to look. Emma dared to glance at him out of the corner of her eye by the time she reached the part where Fenrir was meant to have bitten her in the story. When Emma mentioned the lie that Jude had sent him to finish things off, she could tell Remus knew. His eyes hardened; he very slowly pulled his hand from her knee and crossed his arms. Emma could see the disappointment in his expression before he looked off elsewhere, only speaking when Tonks addressed him. It didn't do much to help with her guilt in the least.

Emma could sell the story to the Healers and even Tonks and the strange little man with her, but she could never lie around her father. After Tonks left, the ward had grown silent, and Remus let his disappointment be known. At least he had finally broken the silence and talked to her.

"I don't know," Emma said weakly. She let out another whine as another sharp pain shot through her shoulder. She wasn't at all looking forward to having to deal with that pain all over again.

Remus's expression softened considerably, and he reached out to take one of Emma's hands in his. Sometimes he couldn't stay angry with her for too long, and Emma was grateful for it. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles a few times before lifting himself out of his chair and climbing into the bed with her. Emma quickly settled herself into his side, curling up and resting her head on his chest just like she would if they were home. She couldn't even find it in herself to be ashamed when the tears she had been holding back started to fall silently down her face.

"We should tell Grey," Remus said, adjusting Emma so that she was laying more on his chest.

"We can't tell Grey," Emma whispered. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to think of the idea of Greyson knowing what had happened. The very thought made her sick "I don't want him to know about this."

"But you know werewolf attacks are always reported," Remus said gently. "He's going to find out eventually. I would rather he find out from me." He sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of Emma's head and squeezing her a little tighter. The only sounds that could be heard in the ward were the noises of the other occupants moving and Emma's soft sniffles.

"Now what?" Emma asked with a yawn.

"I'm really not sure."

"Do you think that this made things worse?"

"I don't know." Remus sighed once more as Emma tried and failed miserably to hold back another yawn. "Get some rest, love. I'll be here when you wake up."

Emma appreciated that Remus always meant what he said, and he was indeed still in the ward when she woke up. He had clearly gone home for a moment to change his clothes and take a shower. Remus was staring hard at the papers he held in his hand, his face blank. Emma stared at him in a mix of curiosity and confusion, not understanding why he appeared so pensive so early in the morning.

Remus slowly looked over at her, lifting up the papers he held in his hand. Emma could only look at him expectantly.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "it's finally done."

"It's done?" Emma croaked out, her face growing warm at her morning voice. "What's done?"

"Our trip to the Ministry just got considerably shorter," Remus sighed. "This was at the cottage this morning. Jude seems to have fled, and no one can find him, but his wand was left behind…."

Emma couldn't believe it. Had the plan worked just as Fenrir said it would? She wanted to believe in the possibility, but she didn't dare allow herself to get too excited right away.

"Does that mean I get to come home?" Emma had to hold herself back from squealing in pure delight at Remus's nod. She sat up quickly and let out a squeak, her eyes filling with tears at the pain. She cursed herself for already forgetting about her shoulder.

Remus sighed, reaching over to the nearby nightstand and grabbing the potion bottle waiting for Emma. She took it gingerly, downing the oversweet liquid quickly and thrusting the bottle back out for her father to take. He set the bottle down and stood up, leaning over to kiss Emma's forehead.

"You get to come home," he said softly. He lifted a hand to brush back Emma's hair from her face, shaking his head. "I just wish that you would have waited. I'm still very much upset with you. I don't understand what exactly could have happened that you felt the need to do something like this."

The sheer relief Emma felt was swept away as the reminder of what she learned washed over her like a tidal wave. She wanted to tell Remus exactly what transpired, but she was still confused and unsure of what to say. While parts of the story felt clear cut, not all of it did, and she felt incredibly numb. For the moment, she would hold her new knowledge to herself. It wasn't as though it made much of a difference.

"So, what do we do next?" Emma asked.

"Well, you'll be discharged from here either tonight or tomorrow, and then I have a fair amount of paperwork I have to fill out," Remus said with a sigh. "We'll have to make a stop at the Ministry tomorrow regardless to get that all taken care of. There's just one little addition that I'm not too pleased about."

"And what's that?"

"They require you to be placed on the werewolf registry now versus later."

Emma stared wordlessly at her father, her jaw dropping. She couldn't believe that they would make her be placed on the registry when she wasn't of age in the wizarding community just yet. Her being added to the registry was going to pose a lot of issues in her future. Though she wasn't sure how difficult it would make things right away, she was more worried about everything in her future.

"Okay," Emma said quietly. "And we do that tomorrow?"

"We do," Remus confirmed. "Just after the Ministry opens, we'll be there. I thought it would be best to get it done and over with so you can get settled back home. The only issue is the full at the end of the week. That will have to be figured out tomorrow as well."

"Why? Can't I just stay home or stay with Grandpa?"

"The issue is you'll be on the registry."

"Oh," Emma said quietly.

"It'll be all right," Remus said, setting his papers down and standing up. "I imagine that you're hungry, though. I'll let one of the Healers know you're up, and I'll get you something to eat."

Emma nodded, returning her father's gentle smile. Her smile fell when she realized he wasn't leaving just yet.

"There's more, isn't there?" Emma asked quietly, her stomach dipping at his nod. "What is it?"

"Grey knows," Remus said, his expression sympathetic. "I couldn't allow him to find out what happened from the Prophet. He'll be by later in the day."

Emma wished she could just melt through the floor and disappear. Somehow facing Greyson seemed even worse than dealing with her father.

Greyson arrived at Saint Mungo's in the late afternoon, looking terribly frazzled. Much like Remus, it was very unlike Greyson to lose any form of composure. After talking to another set of Aurors and dealing with the Healer's over-attentive care, Emma couldn't stand the idea of having Greyson there. She tried to silently ask her father for help with her eyes, but Remus only gave her a smile in response.

"I'll go get tea for you both," he said, quickly leaving Emma in Greyson's care.

Emma glared openly at Remus's back as he left and begrudgingly turned her attention to Greyson. He swallowed hard as he inspected Emma, almost as if he expected her to be worse off than she was. She had read the article that had come out in the Daily Prophet that morning, and with Rita Skeeter's influence, things were made out to be worse than they were. The narrative had effectively changed from her being a dangerous werewolf to a poor, unfortunate child attacked by her "father" and "savage werewolf Fenrir Greyback."

She hated it.

"H-how are you?" Greyson stuttered out. He immediately settled himself down into the chair next to Emma's bed and pulled it close.

"I'm fine," Emma huffed out. "You don't need to be here."

"Yes, I do," Greyson said, not keeping his confusion out of his voice. "You're hurt and my…." Greyson trailed off, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry."

"I'm fine. Honestly."

"Your dad…he said that this was all –"

"Planned?" Emma questioned quietly, her eyebrows raising as she looked at Greyson. He nodded, looking unsure of himself, and Emma snorted. "Yes, it was."

"But why?" Greyson asked. "I don't understand."

"It was just something that needed to happen."

"It was something that needed to happen? Emma, that makes absolutely no sense."

"It doesn't need to make sense, Grey."

"I don't understand how you could have let him do this to you," Greyson said sharply. "He could have killed you! There was absolutely no reason for this."

"But he didn't," Emma hissed back. "It was all very…well, quite honestly, it was rather clinical." Emma huffed, ignoring the pain as she crossed her arms and glared at Greyson.

"He still hurt you."

"Because he had to!"

"He didn't have to do anything! Fuck, Emma – he just went and ripped right through your shoulder and gave you another bite."

"It's in the exact same spot as the other one."

"What?" Greyson asked slowly. He watched as Emma very carefully pulled back the collar of her shirt and lifted the bandage that covered her bite.

"It's the exact same spot as the other one," Emma said quietly, covering herself up once Greyson had a moment to look. It was the one thing that made agreeing to Fenrir's plan that much easier. He promised that it would be quick, and he would effectively reopen the previously healed wound and not add to the number of scars she had. "I don't even have another scratch on me. All of it is cosmetic, really."

"And that's supposed to make it any better? He supposedly did you a favor by going to the exact spot that he already went for before?"

"Better than the alternative."

"Emma, do you even know what you sound like right now?"

"Grey, I don't need to hear this from you," Emma said through grit teeth. "I had to have this conversation already, and I'm not about to have it with you. You are not my father."

"Well, neither is he."

Emma's eyes narrowed considerably, and she felt her lip begin to curl with her anger. She could feel Soleil practically nipping at her heels, agitated by what Greyson was daring to insinuate by his comment. Emma didn't want to be angry at Greyson, but she didn't appreciate what he implied.

"God, Grey, I didn't even want you here!"

"Well, that's just bloody ridiculous," Greyson huffed. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine!"

"You're in the hospital. Oh, yes, you are perfectly fine. You're entirely all in one piece, just like we all wanted. Yes, Emma, you are in absolutely excellent condition."

Emma couldn't take it anymore. She knew that no matter what she said, Greyson was never going to understand. While she didn't entirely blame him for hating Fenrir the way he did, she couldn't discount just how flawlessly his plan had worked. Emma wanted to go home, and he made sure she was able to do exactly that. Greyson was never going to see it that way. He was only going to see his father as the enemy and nothing more.

"Just leave," Emma said, her tone full of venom.

Greyson looked as though Emma had slapped him. He straightened up in his chair, staring at Emma in sheer disbelief. His lips parted, startled that Emma's tone had shifted so dramatically. He searched Emma's face, looking for any sign that she didn't mean what she said, and his expression went blank. The moment Greyson's expression changed, Emma turned her face so that she didn't have to look at him.

"Fine," Greyson said after a long pause. He stood up slowly as if waiting for Emma to tell him to stay and that she changed her mind. Rather than giving him the response he was looking for, Emma glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Just remember that this doesn't just affect you," Greyson said, bending in a way so that he was in Emma's vision. "You're not the only one that's hurt."

Emma and Greyson glared at each other, the air between them tense. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he leaned in to kiss the spot near Emma's temple. When he straightened back up, he looked as though he was about to say something else but thought better of it. Instead, he turned on his heel and left the ward, not bothering to look back. Emma couldn't say that she entirely minded.

Remus returned to the ward looking confused when he didn't see Greyson. He peered around the room as if he was missing him and slowly approached Emma's bed. Remus eyed Emma closely as he set down one of the cups of tea and shoved his free hand in his pocket.

"Where's Grey?" Remus asked.

"Gone," Emma muttered. She took a quick look at the cup of tea in Remus's hand and promptly turned and laid down on her side. The pain in her shoulder was excruciating, but she didn't want to look at her father.

"Is…everything all right?"

"I don't know."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"All right, then," Remus sighed. Emma was glad that he decided to change the subject to something else entirely and ignore whatever had just happened.

Unfortunately, Emma didn't have the luxury of being able to go home that night and was forced into another night's stay in the hospital. The Healers were concerned that the bite on Emma's shoulder wasn't healing as well as it should. It was slower to close and required the bandages to be changed more frequently, much to Emma's annoyance. It was only due to the bite not bleeding nearly as often that she was allowed to leave the following day.

Having to get ready to head into the Ministry while in the hospital felt strange. She didn't like being in the small bathroom and changed as quickly as she could. Emma only looked at herself long enough to make sure that her hair was all in order, taming her waves and making sure they sat neatly. She practically sprinted out of the bathroom and attached herself to Remus's side, not wanting to be far away from him again. Once everything was in order, and Emma's discharge paperwork was given, they were on their way.

Even though it had been months, stepping into the Ministry felt almost routine. She wasn't fond of the guest entrance, felt it was funny, but went through the motions. They would walk through to the wand weigh station, walk through the vast lobby and towards the next set of elevators, and then get off at the required destination.

Emma frowned as they made their way down the hallway to the massive room that housed the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It felt strange to be going to a place she didn't feel like she needed to be. Some days Emma could handle the idea of being considered a magical creature, but walking down that hallway made her want to feel more human. She wondered if there would ever be a day that she would be able to feel one way and one way only. Emma wished that Remus would have decided to get her records taken care of first instead of getting her placed on the registry.

To say that that department was massive was a gross understatement in Emma's opinion. It felt as though they had stepped into a part of the Ministry that was just as large as the massive lobby, and she was overwhelmed. There were several more hallways one could walk down, and small offices dotted the nearby walls. Several desks were set up in the middle of the room, with one large desk in the middle that Emma assumed belonged to whoever needed to welcome visitors.

"Come on," Remus said gently, pulling Emma towards the hallway to the right. Emma looked back behind her as they walked, trying to figure out just where the other two hallways led.

It took Emma a few moments to realize that they were heading in the direction of the Beasts division of the department. It wasn't until they passed offices specifically for the Goblin and Centaur Liaisons that she managed to piece it together. They continued on to the second to last door on their right, and Remus opened it swiftly, gesturing for Emma to step in.

The Beasts division seemed to be a much smaller version of the room they had left. A desk was placed right at the entrance with a bored-looking witch with blond hair sitting behind it. She barely looked up from her book when they stepped in.

"Welcome to the Beasts division," the witch said around a yawn. "What is your purpose for your visit?"

"Hello," Remus said. "My daughter is here to be added to the werewolf registry." It was the quickest Emma had ever seen someone snap to attention. The witch immediately sat up straight, her blue eyes immediately focusing on Emma.

"Oh," she said, closing her book with a snap. "You're the Lupin girl, aren't you? The one who was just –"

"Yes," Remus said, quickly cutting the witch off. "If you don't mind, she's rather tired. I would like to get her back home as soon as possible."

"Uhm, yes, of course," the witch said, walking around the desk. "I'll be just a moment. Our usual staff isn't available, and I need to find someone who can take care of things for you."

"This feels weird," Emma muttered when the witch left.

"I know," Remus replied, pulling Emma back into his side. "But it'll be fine."

If Emma thought just being in the Beasts office was weird, it was infinitely stranger when she saw who followed the witch back into the room. She frowned at the man who stepped in, holding his hand out, and promptly introduced himself as, "Amos Diggory!" He was a man that required no introduction in Emma's eyes – Cedric looked a lot like the younger version of his father.

"All right," Remus said after quick introductions were made, bending down to kiss the top of Emma's head. "Just to make things quicker, I'm going to head down to fill out the paperwork needed to bring you home." He took in her panicked expression and sighed. "I promise it'll be fine. If you really need someone, your grandfather is here. I would rather be out of here as soon as possible."

"You'll be all right," Amos said cheerily. "Come along with me."

Emma shot Remus a look before following Amos down one of the hallways. On either side of the hallway were offices, and Emma found herself confused when they stopped in front of a door that she swore didn't belong to an office. The door wasn't like the others and was entirely wooden without frosted glass in the front. Her face twisted in confusion when Amos opened the door, and Emma had no idea what she was looking at.

"Come in, come in," Amos said, walking into the room. "I'll be just a moment as I try to find what I need to get you all taken care of."

"Of course," Emma said slowly.

"Ah, well," Amos said, puttering around the closet-sized office in search of whatever it was he was looking for. "The person that's usually in charge is currently busy, which means one of us has to figure out what exactly we're supposed to do. As you can imagine, we don't see much traffic these days. Not too many werewolves are willing to be added to the registry."

"Can't imagine why," Emma said, nodding slowly as she took in her surroundings. The "office" was clearly used as storage. The desk was placed in the center of the room with a somewhat squashy chair behind it and two straight-backed wooden chairs in front. Piles of folios and books lined the walls in uneven stacks, and other magical objects were strewn about. Several magical, moving posters about werewolves were attached to the walls, and Emma scrunched up her nose as she stared at them.

"Take a seat, take a seat," Amos said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. He pulled out the drawers of the desk and flipped through its contents.

Emma sat down in front of the desk and watched Amos curiously. She had never met Cedric's father before, but Cedric had told her stories. Emma couldn't help but feel that Cedric had to take after his mother as Amos seemed overly proud and not quite as humble. Cedric was soft-spoken where Amos was loud, but she couldn't imagine Amos having anything but a steadfast loyalty. Emma jumped as Amos let out a loud "Aha!" and sat down in the chair across from her with a folder. He grabbed a quill with a flourish and gave her an expectant look as he opened the file and looked down at the top paper.

"So, name?" Amos asked, looking down at the papers in front of him before frowning slightly. "Ah, perhaps we should wait until your paperwork comes through if your father is going to get that taken care of – just to have an official recording, of course; need to make sure everything matches up. Date of birth?"

"Erm, the ninth of September," Emma said. "1979," she added quickly when Amos gave her an expectant look.

"Ah, yes," Amos said. "Cedric did say that you were a fourth year. How have you been enjoying the Tri-Wizard Tournament? Well, I suppose it's not exactly tri-wizard, now is it? Downright shame that Cedric has to share the spotlight."

"I think more people are paying attention to Cedric, honestly. He's brilliant."

"My boy is brilliant, isn't he?" Amos said with a proud smile. "Anyway – I suppose I can answer a few of these questions. Fourth year, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff," Amos muttered under his breath. "Ah – date your bite was received."

Emma frowned at the overly cheery expression on Amos's face. She knew he was just going through the paperwork in front of him, but it made her feel funny. Emma sighed, shifting anxiously in her chair and tucking her hands underneath her legs. She didn't want to remember the day Fenrir bit her, but it was permanently burned into her memory.

"The twenty-third of July," Emma muttered, casting her eyes downward. "I'm sure you remember it was Fenrir Greyback who bit me," she added bitterly. "I'm sure that's the next question."

"Ah," Amos said, scanning the paperwork and giving a slight shrug. "It is."

The rest of the questions seemed almost standard – her defining characteristics, a written description of where her bites were. Emma grimaced when Amos informed her that photos would need to be taken. Had she realized they would be taking pictures of her at all, she would have put more effort into her appearance.

"Well, the good news is that we have Newt Scamander's assurances that you don't actually transform," Amos said after photos were taken. "That means that you won't be required to come into the Ministry during the full. However, I believe at Dumbledore's insistence, your father won't be required to either. He had a tough time getting that approved."

Emma could only nod in response and let out a sigh of relief when Remus finally returned and stepped into the room.

"Sorry," Remus said. "Had a bit of a snag when getting the paperwork taken care of."

"Ah, well, Delores was down in the office, wasn't she?" Amos asked, gesturing for Remus to hand over the folder in his hand.

"Er, yes," Remus replied, sitting down in the chair next to Emma and grabbing her hand, and squeezing it tightly. "But that wasn't the issue."

Amos quickly skimmed through the paperwork in the folder Remus handed him and returned to the top page. He stared at it for a long moment and let out a laugh.

"Black?" Amos asked around his barked-out laugh. "Emma Hope Lupin-Black… They actually allowed you to put Black in her name? What are you playing at, Lupin?"

"Well," Remus said slowly, his expression apologetic when he looked over at Emma. Emma couldn't believe that she had Black added to her name when it was decided early on it wouldn't be attached to her. She could only imagine what sort of explanation her father was going to have for that one. "She is. It was verified in records."

"She's a Black?" Amos questioned, looking between Emma and Remus as if they were playing a joke. "You can't be serious. The last living Black, at least in England, is Sirius Black. Am I really meant to believe that she's the youngest living heir to the Black family?"

"It was verified in records," Remus repeated. "And just to make sure of the validity, someone went ahead and checked with another family member."

"You don't mean to tell me that she's the daughter of Sirius Black, do you? Not many other members of that family it could be." Amos said, his eyebrows raising. Remus gave a one-shouldered shrug, and Amos's eyes narrowed. It was becoming more and more evident that he didn't believe them, and he stood up quickly. "I'll be back – just need a moment to check on something."

"You promised me I wouldn't have Black attached to my name," Emma said with a huff when Amos left and closed the door behind him.

"I know," Remus sighed. "And I'm sorry. It wasn't my first choice, but it's to help protect you."

"And how is it going to protect me?"

"Well, Papa's family is still held in high regard. Not many will compete with a Black, and it's not as though you'll need to disclose that information often. I'm trying to ensure that you'll always be taken care of and given what you're owed. I'm not letting this be the downfall for your future."

"You really think that me being a Black is going to make people ignore the fact I'm on the registry now?"

"There are two things that will always help you to get what you want," Remus said. "Fear and money. You had the fear part down perfect – it was the money that you were missing. The money bit is, unfortunately, where I won't ever be able to help you; not in the way I'd like at least." Remus let out a deep sigh and leaned slightly in Emma's direction. "Congratulations – you are now officially one of England's most influential witches," Remus said bitterly. "At least before it was just kept to us, but now…."

"This was Fenrir's idea, wasn't it?" Emma asked. "Making sure that it's on record that I'm not just a Lupin, but a Black?" Remus's lack of answer told her everything that she needed to know. Emma was about to complain about the sudden change, but Amos returned, stepping foot into the room swiftly and taking his seat.

"Well, I have to apologize," Amos said, studying Emma closely. "I dare say that there will be a day that you'll be just as popular as Harry Potter himself."

"That's what I was afraid of," Emma whispered.

By the time the rest of the paperwork was finished, Emma found herself exhausted. She had slept well with the aid of a sleeping draught, but being interviewed for what felt like hours was draining. Though she was annoyed that she was officially listed as Emma Lupin-Black, she leaned readily against Remus as they left. She was beyond ready to go home.

They went back up the elevator the way they came, Emma blinking her eyes sleepily as they walked. She closed her eyes on the elevator, ignoring the nauseating feelings of the rectangular box moving this way and that in unpredictable movements. Remus very gently took Emma's hand when they arrived back to the atrium to tug her out of the elevator. Emma perked up with the allure of being close by the fireplaces to Floo home.

She was confused by his very quick strides in the direction of the reception area, but Emma assumed it was because he wanted to get home. If he didn't slow down and insist that she get back under his arm, Emma wouldn't have grown suspicious. She decided to hang back just enough and let out a sharp gasp as she looked down the nearest hallway. How had she forgotten one of the most critical things of that day?

"Daddy," Emma said urgently, planting her feet firmly on the ground and latching on tightly to Remus's arm to keep him where he was. Emma refused to move where she was, panic rising up in her chest and gripping her fiercely. How could she have possibly forgotten that Elara's trial was that day? "Daddy! It's Elle!"

Remus froze, pulling his arm out of Emma's vice-like grip and plunging his hands into his pockets.

"Shit," he muttered, turning around to look at Emma. He looked down the hallway at Elara, who looked up from where she sat, her eyes wide and fearful when she spotted them. Elara gave him an uncharacteristically pleading look and gave a slight shrug. Emma looked between the two, stunned.

"You were trying to make sure we left before, weren't you?" Emma asked, hurt that her father would dare to do such a thing. "You didn't want me to know."

"It was at Elara's request," Remus said softly. "We were trying to protect you."

Emma looked between Remus and Elara and looked past Elara to the couple sitting close to her holding each other. Emma felt stupid when she realized that the couple had to be Elara's parents and felt even more idiotic for not realizing that they wouldn't be there for such a thing. It was Emma's turn to look at Elara pleadingly, but Elara's attention was just on Remus.

"All right," Remus said, seeing something that Emma couldn't. "You can go over."

Emma bolted down the hallway and straight into Elara's waiting arms. She held tight to Elara, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"Why?" was all Emma managed to squeak out.

"I wanted your last memories of me to be good ones," Elara said, kissing the top of Emma's head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want the last thing you remembered about me to be, well…to be this."

"But Fen –"

"Emma, we don't know," Elara said gently, leaning back to look at Emma. "We were never…there's only so much that could be done. I don't think –"

"He promised me," Emma said, searching Elara's eyes in earnest. "He promised."

"I know," Elara said, smoothing back Emma's hair quickly and pulling her back into a quick hug. "I know what you've done, and I know what he promised you, but right now, there's not a lot of time left."

Elara untangled herself from Emma's tight embrace and wiped quickly at her eyes. It was a gesture that was grossly unfamiliar to Emma from Elara, and her chest tightened painfully. She could feel the start of a sob threatening to make its way to the surface, but if Elara was trying to be strong, then so could she.

"Well, I suppose my parents won't have to send this to you, now," Elara sighed, looking back at her mother. She reached back for a package that the woman lifted shakily from her lap and shoved it into Emma's arms. "This is everything that you're going to need so that you can –"

"No," Emma said, trying to shove the box back to Elara. "No, I don't need this. You're going to be fine. Everything is going to –"

"Emma, please," Elara said with a hard and steady stare that forced Emma to be quiet. "This is everything you are going to need," Elara continued. "My research into the Wolfsbane Potion, the notes I was able to get from Newt, and everything I know about your condition. There's a lot more in here that's important that will help you."

"Elle," Emma whimpered, looking between the box, Elara and her parents. "This isn't…I don't need to take this from you. You're going to be fine."

Elara looked over Emma's shoulder at Remus and opened her mouth to speak, but her name was called before she could. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and looked back at her parents and then the tall wizard standing nearby to escort them down to the courtrooms.

"Emma, I need you to listen to me," Elara said, gently taking Emma's face between her hands. She brushed her thumbs over Emma's cheeks, catching the tears that were falling. "You are going to be fine without me. The moment I met you, I knew that you were special. I just didn't realize just how special you were going to be. You know exactly what you need to do, and you are going to do wonderful. You are going to be the change that werewolves need, Emma. You always were."

"But I can't do it without you," Emma whispered.

"You can," Elara said gently. "And you will."

Elara sighed when her name was called once more, the man's tone firm. She glanced over her shoulder to glare at the man and turned her attention back to Emma. Elara pulled Emma back into a very tight hug, peppering the top of her head with kisses.

"I love you so much, Emma, and I don't want you to ever forget that," Elara said. She only let go when Remus gently pulled Emma away and into his side. Emma wanted desperately to attach herself to Elara, but Remus kept a firm grip on her arm to keep her at his side.

"Go on," Elara said. "It'll be fine. We'll all be fine. But Emma, I need you to do one thing for me."

"What do you need me to do?" Emma asked.

"Give him hell."

Emma nodded in response, clutching tightly to the box in her hand. She wanted to say something to Elara's parents but could no longer find the words to speak. Her throat was tight, and fat tears filled her eyes.

"We already had the conversation we needed to have," Elara said, addressing Remus. "You know what I need you to do. For now, just take care of your girl."

Remus nodded, gently pulling Emma further back and turning her to face the other direction.

"Come on," Remus said gently, walking Emma slowly back down the hallway. "Whatever you do, don't look back. Elle wants you to remember her the way she wants you to remember her, and not like this."

Emma wanted nothing more than to disobey Elara's wishes and look back. She wanted to run back and fight, scream at everyone in the Ministry for what they were doing. Every part of Emma was screaming at her to lash out and find Fenrir for not doing one of the things she asked of him to keep her family together. Even in his anger with her, he still promised to do at least that much for her, and she was angry.

It wasn't fair that she was losing the person she found closest to being a mother.


a/n: I had a note here originally but I don't know where it went. I think it just said ow. Ooops.

To my late night readers - please go to sleep.

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

For my morning readers - Have a wonderful day!

I love you all~

Xoxo, Cat