Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling. I am not making any profit, but simply having fun. I did however create Emma Winter.

Memories and dreams are in italics.

Edited in March 2021 during lockdown.

More than two weeks had passed since Logan had left the cottage in fury over his connection with Victor Creed and Emma missed him immensely. Her husband hadn't called the mansion and Emma was getting concerned that he might have found Victor only to lose to him. Even if Logan had regenerative powers, there was still no telling what Victor would do when confronted by Logan who had just realised that the terrifying feral was his brother. The witch worried constantly about her husband, and every day she asked Xavier if he had called. Every day she got the same answer as Xavier shook his head with a deep frown on his face. Logan wasn't famous for calling to let anyone know what he was up to and the professor doubted that the feral would call.

Friday nights wersweet suffering for Emma, even though she knew that Logan was doing what he needed to make peace with his past. The mutant needed so many answers and the best person to give them to him was Victor Creed. The witch couldn't help worrying about the two brothers meeting and the resulting bloodbath that was bound to happen. Logan had a volatile temper, but Victor was so much worse, a wild beast that was completely out of control.

Ororo, Scott and the others wanted her to socialize more when Logan left, but Emma always refused to do anything on Fridays. In her mind, those evenings were reserved for her love and he was not easily replaced, not even by her friends at the mansion who had her best interest at heart.

"What are you talking about so heatedly?" Scott asked at dinner the third Friday after Logan had left. The man enjoyed the quietness of the mansion since Logan had gone and it was as if all the stress in the world had left him when the hairy mutant had run away. Xavier's official version was that Logan was on a special mission, but everyone who knew Logan well knew that he had simply disappeared like he always did. The only difference was that he was newly married, and his wife was anxiously waiting for his safe return.

"I was trying to get Emma to come with us to the club, but she's stubborn as a mule and won't budge," Ororo complained unhappily after trying to change Emma's mind on the matter. It surprised Ororo how wilful her sweet looking friend was. On the outside, Emma was nothing but smiles and blushes, but underneath she was pure steel when it came down to something she didn't want to do. That evening Emma had made it very clear that she would not being going anywhere, no matter how much she liked her friends at the mansion.

"Still waiting on Logan while he's God knows where and doing God knows what?" Scott asked sarcastically and Emma looked at him with a deep frown. Scott had thought that Emma was smarter than to mope around because of Logan. He had seen too many hearts shattered by the mansion's Casanova, including Jean's. Brushing his mind over the memory of his late fiancée caused him immense pain; it was too soon for him to be thinking of her, he wasn't ready yet.

"Yes, she is," Ororo agreed with Scott before Emma had the chance to say anything. The witch glared at Ororo with unveiled irritation. There was no need to push Scott to hate Logan more than he did; the animosity was quite obvious without anyone helping to fan the flames.

"A leopard won't change its spots and Logan won't stop being an asshole. That's just how life is," Scott said cockily to Emma and was surprised to see how he had managed to rile her up.

He hadn't realized just how Emma was hurting over Logan leaving. The witch took a deep, steadying breath to stop herself from saying something too wicked back. Scott was provoking her and still, she couldn't seem to back down from defending her husband, her loyalty would always be with Logan. The witch knew she was walking into an open trap, very un-Slytherin of her.

"Tell me Scooter..." Emma said knowing full well how much Scott hated the nickname that Logan had picked for him so many years ago.

"Not a good start, sweet cheeks," Scott grumbled annoyed at her. He loathed the nickname that Logan had given him, it reminded him of endless arguments with Logan through the years. It was infuriating to him that Emma was teasing him, mentioning the nickname that Logan had used for so long to rile him up. Emma used it on purpose; it was a nickname that was connected to a time when Logan was chasing Jean like a prize. A bastard trick, but it was clear that Emma was not above using such tricks in defence of Logan.

"...You don't know anything about Logan, his life or what he's been through. Until you get your facts straight you should mind your own business."

"Or what, honey?" Scott said sweetly, knowing that nicknames annoyed her a lot. If there was one thing that Emma seemed to hate above all else, it was to be ridiculed. Scott had managed to anger her, that much was evident by her face that was set in a frown and the livid, challenging glare she sent him.

"Or you will answer to me," Emma said finally, her voice low and full of determination that made Scott laugh heartedly at her words. His young colleague spoke like she was some kind of a superhero and not an ungifted human in a house filled with mutants who could do unspeakable things.

"So now you are his protector because you two got married? I don't know what power bad boys have over you females but this is ridiculous. I bet that he won't be back, that he has run away with his tail between his legs."

"You are willing to bet on that?" Emma asked coldly, feeling her anger disappear. Scott was used to taking his frustrations out on Logan, since he wasn't around it seemed that Emma was next in line.

"Yes, I am. I bet you 100 bucks that your caveman won't be back," Scott said optimistically, wishing his prediction to be true. How he wished he had gotten rid of that brute forever. He was even willing to forget about his bike, anything for some peace at the mansion.

"I take that bet and say he will be back," Emma said determined and held out her hand for Scott to shake it.

"Ever the optimist Emma, I hope you won't be too miserable when you lose," Scott said gleefully, and not noticing the hurt that came into Emma's eyes at his words.

Yet another week had passed and the nightmares that had tortured the witch for years returned at full force. Emma woke from a tormenting nightmare that left her shivering in fright. As she gasped for breath, she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. Some were from the pain of the old memories, but a large part was from the sorrow of missing Logan.

The witch sniffed loudly, rubbing her tears away with the back of her hand. There was no way she would fall asleep again, not after such a nightmare. Emma sat up in her bed and looked around wide-eyed when the distinct scent of whiskey reached her nostrils.

To Emma's surprise, she saw Logan sitting close to their bed as if he had never left in the first place. No one had been notified of his imminent arrival and he had never called the mansion to speak to his wife.

"Welcome back," Emma said and rubbed the remaining tears off her face, before looking at Logan who was kneeling by her side of the bed.

"Hey darlin'," Logan said cautiously as if he expected Emma to blow up at him. She looked tired as if she hadn't been sleeping well for a while. One whiff of her scent was enough to tell him that she had been crying and Logan looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"I need to hold you," the mutant murmured before grabbing the witch into his arms and holding her tightly for the longest while, his nose sticking into her hair and scenting her.

"I missed you," Emma muttered, her voice raspy as she fought her tears and Logan held her even tighter.

"I missed you too, I'm sorry I didn't call," Logan admitted, and the witch pressed her cheek onto his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat for the longest time. She missed him and was simply happy he was back, just like he said he would.

"Did you find Victor?" Emma asked quietly and the mutant shook his head in denial.

"Three weeks, felt like three years. I ended up in Canada," Logan grumbled, not wanting to admit how much he had really missed her and how much those feelings had freaked him out. Even hunting Victor Creed hadn't felt as satisfying as Logan had hoped, not when a dark-eyed witch was waiting for his return.

"Did you find any traces of your brother?" Emma asked curiously and Logan moved to lay down on his side, facing the witch as they continued their talk.

"Nope, Creed was nowhere to be seen. Met other mutants that said he was working out of the country and should return this spring."

"So no one could pinpoint his location for you?"

"No, I even interrogated Mystique and got nothing out of her. Dunno if she was lying or not," Logan said tiredly ruffling his hair with his hand. Emma reached out, her hand gently stroking his beard that had gotten longer while he had been away.

"Would have been good to read minds like you can darlin'," Logan said gruffly, realizing how much he had begun to adjust to her talent, it certainly was comfortable to have a witch around the house.

"Not sure I would want to read her mind, thank you," Emma said warily in case he had any ideas. The witch didn't want to be used as a tool for interrogation, not even for a good cause. Especially not on one as rotten as Mystique, the stories of her were notorious around the mansion.

"No that's true. You have enough with the shit you see through me," Logan said tiredly as he looked at her with an emotional gaze. He had known deep down that his past wasn't pretty but the brutality of it shocked even him. The look of horror on Emma's face after some of the sessions still haunted him and probably would forever. At times he forgot how young she was, compared to him she was practically an infant. Still, the witch had lived too much horror in her own life, adding his brutality to the mix and the witch had seen a lot of horrors in a short life.

"Why do you do this for me? It's not good for anyone to see my past, especially not one as young as you are."

Emma gazed at him for a split second, studying his face before replying stubbornly, "you are my love, I said I would help you and I will. Stop trying to talk me out of something that is helping you. And it has helped me immensely to finally talk about the things I have seen."

"Nothing would change between us even if you didn't do that. Emma, you don't have to go through that to keep me around."

Emma snorted with humourless mirth, "You think that no one should care about you? Or is it that you don't want any strings attached so you can come and go as you please?"

"I do that anyway darlin'. I will leave when I must, only to return you when my business is done. You knew I would come back right?" Logan asked needing verification that the witch knew him more than most, that she hadn't thought he had done a runner. He needed to know that she had been certain he would be back to Xavier's, back to her.

"Yes, I knew you would be back," Emma smiled softly at him and stroked his wild hair affectionately, while Logan gave her a teasing grin.

"I might look for Victor again at some point but not anytime soon. You have captured my heart and I don't enjoy being away from you," Logan admitted to the witch that grinned happily at him before kissing him softly on the lips. The mutant held the witch close to his chest and the beast inside started to purr with contentment having his mate so close to him.

"Xavier was certain too you would come back even though he was not happy to get no notice from you. Hank, Ororo and I covered your classes. Scott was otherwise indisposed," Emma said sarcastically noticing a humorous smile creeping over Logan's face at the mention of Scott, his arch-rival.

Logan raised an eyebrow in humour, "I'm sure Scott didn't think I would come back. He has been hoping I'd get fired since I started here."

The witch laughed readily at that and then replied smugly, her eyes twinkling with delight, "I think he hoped you didn't. We made a bet you see. I just won one hundred bucks simply by you returning to me."

Logan chuckled at that before saying sarcastically, "so you two made a bet if I would come back? Thanks for the confidence darlin'. Good money you got there."

"No worries, I'll buy you dinner next time we go out on a date."

"That's a deal, it will taste even better as Scooter will pay for it," Logan said smiling playfully at Emma who laughed quietly. Life had just not been the same without Logan around.

"Perhaps next time you should let Charles know before you storm off. I don't think he was very impressed with you."

"I know darlin', my temper got the best of me. I was gone before I knew what had happened," Logan admitted sincerely, his large fingers playing with a rebel curl that had broken away from her long braid.

"Yes, it was a surprise to me as well," Emma admitted quietly but the witch knew that her husband had many loose ends connected to his past. Logan leaving after their last session was not about Emma, it was about him trying to get his life back on track.

"I bought you a present, well it's for the both of us," Logan said happily and pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket before handing it to his wife.

Emma stared at him surprised before opening the paper quickly. It was a property deed to a huge land in Canada. The witch grinned at him teasingly, "So you decided to buy half of Canada for us?"

Logan chuckled before kissing her softly and then he said, "It's ours as far as the eye can see. In the middle of a beautiful forest, you will love it."

"I'm sure I will," the witch said happily, "so we will go there in June when our contract here expires?"

"That's the plan, I'm going to build us a log cottage so we will be ready when winter comes," Logan said, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"I can't wait for us to go," the witch said happily before handing the deed back to her husband. The mutant grinned proudly, he had spent a ridiculous amount of money on their land, but it was far away from anyone so they would be able to live out their lives in peace without worrying about anything. The land was wast and filled with natural resources and prey for him to hunt. If they would ever have children, their little family would be well protected away from the dangers of the world.

"I'm sorry darlin', I won't run off like this again," Logan said solemnly realizing he had never promised anyone that he wouldn't leave without a word. Not even Rogue who was like his kid.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Logan. Just let me know in advance. I missed your presence and your purring," Emma said smiling timidly at him, her hand placed on his chest which was rumbling with the loud purring sounds of content that were coming from the mutant that was staring at her so adoringly.

"And the laughs. I missed laughing with you," Emma murmured as an afterthought, immediately feeling her face burn bright with embarrassment. Her once impenetrable walls had been broken down by Logan in a matter of months.

"Seems you can't live without me," Logan chuckled teasingly, feeling his heart flutter at her words and the way her face shone bright red with embarrassment.

"I'm glad to hear it, coz I missed you a lot," Logan said squeezing her tightly to his chest, before sticking his nose into her hair for that delicious cinnamon smell.

Home.

Emma was home to him.

Finally, it was Friday again, Emma and Logan were sitting at the cottage after grabbing something to eat. There was comfortable silence as the two sat out on the veranda, enjoying the crisp winter air. Logan was smoking a cigar, drinking a bottle of beer, and his mind seemed far away as his eyes stared towards the horizon.

Emma was wrapped in a thick blanket as she sat beside her husband, her head on Logan's shoulder as she stared into the dark night sky. Her mind busy mulling over things long since passed. There would be a legilimens session that evening and she wondered what would come out to show how unhappy she had been while she had been Madame Snape.

The witch didn't want to show Logan the time she had been with the Order of the Phoenix, drinking herself into a stupor with some of its members. It was far from her proudest moment, no matter how unhappy she had been at the time. She had been celebrating her birthday with a few close friends and hadn't realized how late it was until the first rays of the morning sun started to shine through the pub windows.

That evening she had gotten home in one piece, a little miracle in itself, after using a portkey that Snape had given her as a wedding present. It was a simple gold band that, when placed on her ring finger, would transfer the witch straight into their shared quarters at Hogwarts.

That night after arriving in the dungeons, a furious Snape had loomed over her like a vulture, his black eyes unreadable in the light of the fireplace.

"So Madam Snape finally decides to grace her husband with her presence," Snape drawled sticking his face close to hers as a way to intimidate the young witch. Sighing deeply with frustration, Emma turned to leave, not willing to spend yet another evening fighting with her so-called husband. All they seemed to do was argue which made Emma try to stay as much away from Snape as possible. The two had never gotten along, and the resentment that Snape had had for the witch had magnified by his promise to Dumbledore to protect Emma Winter from Voldemort.

"Do I repulse you so much that you can't even answer me?" Snape hissed grabbing her shoulders tighter than she had expected from the potions master.

"You don't repulse me, but I would appreciate you taking your hands off my person," Emma hissed, looking into his dark eyes and for the first time noticing the deep worry lines that were engraved on his face. With a start, she realized that Snape had been worried about her and the trouble she might have met staying out until morning, while Death Eaters roamed freely in the magical world killing whomever they wanted.

In a twisted way, it was good that someone worried about Emma's miserable life, especially when Dumbledore was gone, even if that person was unfortunately Severus Snape. In a moment of softness, she leaned in to kiss the wizard gently on the cheek as thanks for caring even a little bit about what happened to her as evil took over the magical world.

The two, husband and wife, stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Emma decided in her drunken mind to walk away, the kiss would be quickly forgotten if the two continued to ignore each other. The two never discussed the swift kiss Emma had given Snape on the cheek, nor the conflicted look the wizard had given his young wife as she stumbled drunkenly away from him.

The next morning they both behaved as if nothing happened, the explosive arguments stopped even though their animosity reached new heights with every day that passed. Something had shifted creating a bond between Emma and Severus that couldn't be broken. It wasn't love, nor was it hate but a little fraction of respect for each other grew and hope that they would both get out of the war alive.

It was a difficult relationship that became even more complex the closer the wizarding world came to the final battle of Voldemort.

"So last session I ran out before I got to see yours. So now you owe me a memory," Logan said as he stood up to go close to the pensive that Emma had set on the table in the living room.

"I know, I picked out the memory before you left hunting for Victor," Emma said seriously as she pointed her wand against her forehead. A small slither of a wispy blue hue came from her forehead and she directed it to a bowl beside her, then the both of them put their faces into the liquid that was waiting for them.

Emma was heading towards Snape's headmaster office to have a word with him. The Gryffindors needed help; the spineless Weasley had left Harry and Hermione behind to fend for themselves. They had contacted her after desperately trying to contact Ron to see if he had made it home safely.

The witch was following her instinct by going to Snape. Emma trusted the wizard just enough to reveal to him the location of her friends; they were in a forest and needed help desperately. Severus was a snarky bastard to everyone, but Emma had come to know him enough to know that underneath it all, he meant well. It was obvious to Emma that he had done many things to help the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore. Ever the anti-hero, Snape, would never have admitted to such noble Gryffindor behaviour.

Emma and the trio were all so young, so lost and so over their heads in the magical world that usually excluded young ones from important information that could save their lives. They all felt like puppets in a game for grownups, but Dumbledore was lost to them, slain by the hands of Severus Snape.

"Severus?" Emma called, as she entered the headmaster office that used to belong to Dumbledore. It had not changed at all since that time; Snape had not been very interested in personalizing anything. However, Emma did notice that the bowl of lemon drops was gone. Dumbledore always had it on hand to give to students, guests, and faculty.

Snape was nowhere to be seen but that didn't surprise her, the wizard was hardly ever home after he had become a headmaster. Endless meetings with the Death Eaters or Voldemort kept Severus Snape as a very busy man.

Emma walked by his desk, her fingers tracing the old wood while she stared out of the window deep in thought. Her leg bumped into an open side drawer that Emma had never seen open before and being the nosy little git she was Emma simply had to take a look. It was a magical drawer, so when closed no one but the owner would even know that it existed.

The witch looked around quickly and feeling momentarily guilty for snooping, but something pushed her forward none the same. It was not often that anyone had the opportunity to snoop on anything connected to the newest headmaster of Hogwarts, nor would many even dare to attempt to do so. Emma knew Severus would be livid if he caught her in the act, and yet again, about to stick her nose where it was not wanted.

However, the Slytherin in her welcomed a fresh turn of events, a new challenge to break out of the cage she had been thrown into months earlier. Nobody would ever know. Emma tried to convince herself of that, as she opened the drawer a little more to be able to see what was in it. Within the drawer were handwritten letters and a vial filled with a bluish hue that suggested that it was a stored memory, ready to be seen in a pensive.

It had to be a memory from Snape, as Dumbledore had kept his memories out in the open. The old wizard had stored them in vials on a shelf, close to where Fawkes had rested up until Dumbledore's death.

Ever the curious one, Emma was intrigued, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and mischief. Severus wasn't at Hogwarts; he might not return for the rest of the night as so often happened when he was summoned by Voldemort. Emma and Severus had been married for a few months and neither one stepped on the other's toes more than necessary.

For his part, Snape had done what he had promised her; even at personal risk, he had protected her from mad pureblood wizards like Malfoy and his brood. The witch had gotten a little softer spot for him when he had arrived home one evening completely mangled after a rough meeting with Voldemort. He later had admitted that it had been because of her as Voldemort and the others thought Snape might be turning rogue after marrying the daughter of known traitors.

The young witch stared down at the vial unsure what to do, as she knew the repercussions if and when Snape would find out. He would go after her if it were a sensitive memory and the witch was quite certain it was.

Finally, she grabbed the vial into her hand and walked steadfastly to a small table at the end of the room where a pensive sat ready to be used. Wizards hardly ever stored away memories unless they were so important that it was of utmost importance that they would not be lost.

The bluish liquid glowed in the dark and she hesitantly pushed her face into the liquid.

A few moments later she came gasping and sobbing out of the pensive. Emma looked completely out of her mind as she stared wildly around the room as if to find something to break. Finally, she took a shaky breath and ran out of the office without caring to put things back or hiding the trail from her husband.

At that moment she didn't care at all.

Before the vision ended, Logan turned to Emma who had stood silently beside him having watched herself from the past running out of the room.

"What did you see?" the mutant asked curiously, his hazel eyes studying her every movement carefully as if he worried that Emma would run away from him.

Emma answered with a bitter voice, "Snape was there when my parents were murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters. He was the reason why my life was spared when my parents were killed."

"Wanna drink?" Logan finally said unsure how to handle such heartache as to his wife watching her parents murdered and her life being spared by the wizard she detested. A drink always helped him at his worst, and he hoped it would numb some of the pain that he could see so clearly in her dark eyes.

Emma choked a sob and shook her head in refusal, no drinks would help her with the pain of watching her parents murdered. She sat quietly for hours on the veranda not moving and Logan sat quietly by her side, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Logan didn't want to press her to talk; Emma would talk when she needed to. The witch always gave him time to think, to brood alone with his thoughts and never complained or disturbed him when he felt like that. The least Logan could do was to stay out of the way and just show the witch that he was by her side.

Later that evening the witch stood up and stretched. Her hair was loose, like a curtain around her upper body and Logan loved to see Emma's hair as wild as her personality. The witch groaned in discomfort and Emma's sleepy legs shook before she fell straight on her ass. Logan chuckled but his mirth quieted when the strong scent of her blood filled the air around them.

Logan stalked to her, grabbed her arms rougher than he should have and lifted her hurriedly up to her feet.

"You alright?" Logan asked troubled, looking her down, checking for any damage.

"I'm fine, just a small cut," Emma murmured and showed her husband a small cut on her palm.

Logan grabbed her hand right away to inspect the cut better. The mutant pulled her hand closer to his face and his eyes shot to hers as if he were asking her permission to take care of it. Emma looked boldly back, her eyes were darker than usual, and curiosity filled her eyes as he lapped up the blood from inside her palm with his tongue.

It was the best way he knew of to cleanse wounds, something he learnt the hard way when he was a child, the only thing saving him had been his strange mutant powers. His brother used to do it often to clean his wounds when they were young. A feral would never clean the wounds of someone unless they were a mate or part of their pack. Doing it to Emma was a clear sign of how Logan's feelings for Emma, she was his mate and his instincts came naturally to him.

The witch stood completely still and transfixed on his tongue as it cleaned the small cut as if he were a giant cat. Small shivers were the only reaction he felt from her while he lapped up every drop of her blood, cleaning the wound the best way he could.

Finally, Logan put her arm down when the bleeding stopped but stared at her intently, the taste of blood kicked awake the beast within him. He had no idea why he had done what he did but he usually didn't allow the beast such free reign when it came to Emma. He was always worried he would hurt her, but the wildness within wanted out when the witch was near.

Meeting his intense stare Emma's heartbeat started to speed up. He felt the heartbeat speed up in her chest making her even more delicious in his eyes. At last, Emma put her hands on his chest and leaned in, smiling teasingly when his chest started to rumble with something close to a purr.

Logan bent down closer to her face studying it intently and listening to her frantic pulse. His intimacy was rewarded with Emma pressing even closer to him, her want mixing in with the strong cinnamon scent he loved so much. Finally, Logan crashed his lips on hers in a hungry kiss that the witch returned with vigour. The beast was out of its cage and his mate was hungry for him.