The ability to lay low at Malfoy Manor was exceptionally easy for Emma to do following her trip to Diagon Alley. She didn't have to worry about seeing Fenrir, but there were tell-tale signs that he was still around. The following day after her trip to Diagon Alley, Emma woke to find that Figaro had received her own special "welcome home" gift that could only come from Fenrir based on the scrawl on the note.

"Well, that's just odd," Emma said to herself as she pulled Figaro close. "Please don't tell me that you let him touch you." Figaro's soft purring seemed to say otherwise. She could hide out as much as she wanted, at least until the weekend and the draw of the full moon came once more.

Emma could never decide if the first morning was always the worst or if it was the full moon itself. It felt like her entire body was on fire and bathed in ice, all at the same time. She remained in her bed for as long as she could until she finally couldn't stand it anymore. Spending her time surrounded by the letters scattered on her bed that she had finally started to receive from her friends once more wasn't making her feel any better. The only thing that she could do was get up and move.

After a quick shower that somehow left her even more irritable, Emma went down to the dining room, hoping breakfast was still waiting. If anything, she would crack and ask a house elf to make her something to her liking. Soleil was practically salivating over the idea of a fairly rare steak, but the idea of it made Emma nauseous. She wanted something normal like toast and eggs, perhaps cereal if she felt daring. Her usual ravenous hunger during the moon wasn't as present as usual. Being away from her actual family wasn't helping things.

Emma's irritation grew when she entered the dining room, immediately freezing in place when she realized there were others. She frowned as Narcissa fell silent from the conversation she was having, and, of all people Emma didn't want to see, Severus Snape turned in his seat to acknowledge her presence. Emma had hoped to avoid all contact with Snape until the term started, but fate seemed to have other plans.

"Miss Lupin," Snape greeted her, his voice as icy as ever. "How…delightful…to see you again."

Emma rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. She was sure Snape seeing her was as delightful as encountering a massive bowl of slimy slugs. Then again, Emma thought as she surveyed Snape's appearance, perhaps that would be delightful, the greaseball. The start of a sneer startled to curl Emma's lips when she noticed the smoking goblet full of Wolfsbane sitting on the table. Emma could feel every murderous thought she had since before leaving Hogwarts rising to the surface.

If Snape had just brought the potion with him to the Shrieking Shack, if Snape had just kept his mouth shut, then she wouldn't be in the position that she was in. Everything in her life to that point was entirely his fault.

"Are you feeling all right, dear?" Narcissa asked Emma with genuine concern.

Emma felt herself deflate slightly as she looked over at Narcissa. She had seen Narcissa's look of concern several times since her arrival at Malfoy Manor, mostly directed at Draco, but it felt different. Emma didn't want to say it felt motherly, but it was close enough. She knew she had to look like absolute death to Narcissa, and the underlying shadow of fear was settled beneath the worry.

"I'm fine enough," Emma replied curly, wincing internally as she did. She didn't want to be mean, but the last thing she wanted was to let her guard down around Snape. With how things were going, she could see herself landing in the Ministry for something.

"I would suggest that you take the potion now rather than later, Lupin," Snape said. "The last thing we need is to have an incident like last month."

"That incident was not my fault," Emma snapped. She crossed the room to snatch up the goblet, not caring that the potion sloshed around precariously as she did so, and she downed it as quickly as possible. Emma immediately regretted it, as she could feel the potion threatening to make its way back up, especially since she hadn't eaten anything just yet. She groaned, immediately sitting several places away from Snape so she didn't have to be closer to him than needed. She rested her head on the table with another groan, taking deep breaths to keep herself from being sick.

"Emma?" Narcissa asked softly.

"I believe it is safe to assume that Miss Lupin has ignored proper instructions during this particular time," Snape said coolly. Emma could hear him lean back in his chair and practically feel his dark eyes boring into her head. "She should be eating before having the potion, and as it is nearly noon, I would assume that she would have taken the time to do such a thing."

"I wasn't hungry," Emma muttered. "And I certainly wasn't expecting you to be here."

Emma listened as Narcissa called for a house elf, asking for some food for Emma. In seemingly no time, Emma heard the pop of food arriving and a heavy plate appearing in front of her. She lifted her head enough to see that her very much desired toast was sitting in front of her, along with another dish of some sort of meat that had Soleil howling in delight. Emma sighed, reaching up to grab a piece of toast and taking a bite. It wasn't enough to remove the bitter taste of the Wolfsbane from her mouth, but it was a start.

"Miss Lupin should be eating something each morning before taking the Wolfsbane Potion," Snape said to Narcissa. "The effects of the full moon can be taxing, especially without proper preparations, all of which she should already know."

"I do know how to take care of myself, thank you very much," Emma snapped, her patience growing thin quickly. She sat up slowly, hoping that the slower she moved, the less likely the headache she was getting would remain at its current level. "I would take much better care of myself if I could brew the potion myself as I've done this entire time. It's much better when I do it."

"Are you questioning my potion-making abilities?"

"I am questioning why I cannot make my own when there is a perfectly acceptable location here."

"Because it is not allowed under the Ministry's orders. If you have any hope of ever returning to your beloved father, then I suggest not testing them even further than you already have. And I suggest that if you hope to return to Hogwarts, you keep your head low and don't draw any further attention to yourself."

"Testing the precious Ministry of Magic? I have done absolutely no such thing."

"Your connection to Greyback says otherwise."

Emma sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. "I do not have a connection to Greyback," Emma muttered. "I want nothing to do with him."

"And yet…."

"And yet nothing," Emma snapped. "I didn't ask for any of this, you know. I want nothing to do with Greyback, and I want to be home. If it weren't for you –"

"If it weren't for me, you would be dead," Snape sneered. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, and whatever desire Emma had to fight dissipated, the fire beneath her skin replaced by icy cold. "You would have died right on the floor of the Potion's classroom in your second year if I had not found you because you felt the need to waste your potential."

"She would have died?" Narcissa questioned, looking between Emma and Snape. "Is this because of the Chamber of Secrets?"

"It happened while trying to find the Weasley girl," Snape replied. "Miss Lupin decided to take advantage of the distraction and allow herself into my classroom and –"

"Don't," Emma snapped, glaring at Snape. "It happened. I get it. I was stupid. I would like to move on from it. I have other things to worry about right now."

"You could have wasted every bit of potential that you have if I hadn't stepped in," Snape repeated. "I think it's best you remember that because your potential will be wasted if you continue being reckless. You should be grateful that I am taking the time out of my day to make the potion not only for you but for your father, as undeserving as you both are."

"I could make it myself!"

"And that is why you should be grateful that I am taking the time out of my day to ensure you can continue making it. You are alive because of me, and right now, you cannot take any chances, especially with your…background. If you hadn't decided to try and end your life in my classroom, you would not be in this situation. If you had not decided to brew the Draught of Living Death and take matters even further into your own hands, you would be home with your oh-so-precious father. It is a wonder that you are Lupin's child and raised under his influence because if I didn't know any better, I would think that Black had taught you everything that you know."

Snape stood up and retrieved the still eerily smoking goblet. "I will return here each day at noon to provide you your potion. I expect you to follow the proper instructions before taking it. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Emma muttered, deflated. Emma could feel how Narcissa looked at her, and she dared to peer up at her from underneath her lashes. Narcissa wore an expression that was both shocked and surprised, along with something else. Emma quickly looked away, returning her gaze to the toast in front of her and giving a half-hearted glance at the plate of meat with a slight grimace. She didn't want to know precisely what the third emotion in Narcissa's expression was. The amount of pity Emma had received over the entire summer was already too much. She didn't want to feel pitied; she wanted to feel vindicated, that it didn't matter what her past had been, but what her future could be. She knew that Draco and especially not Lucius would be willing allies, but Narcissa potentially could be. But only if she could see past what everyone seemingly so many people considered Emma – a monster.

"I would still rather make it myself," Emma added under her breath, still unable to look up from her plate and especially not wanting to look at Snape.

"You will be permitted to brew your own Wolfsbane at the start of term, but for now, you must follow the rules set in place for your own good. You have been given an opportunity here, Miss Lupin. I suggest that you do not squander it with the same recklessness as your fathers and the company that you so choose to keep."

Emma expected Snape to say something else, but instead, he made his way to the fireplace, dropped a pinch of Floo powder, stepped into the green flames, and disappeared. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions, and ate slowly, not daring to interrupt the silence in the room.

"He cares for you, you know," Narcissa suddenly said.

"Pardon?" Emma asked, slowly lowering the fork she had full of whatever meat was sitting on her plate. From her limited knowledge, she was sure that it was deer, but she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she wasn't particularly fond of it, even if it made her feel slightly better.

"Severus," Narcissa replied, eyes still on the slightly green fireplace. "I can see it in how he speaks to you."

"Well, he has a funny way of showing he cares, then," Emma scoffed, popping her fork in her mouth and chewing. "He's had it out for me since…well, it's complicated, I suppose."

"Severus has never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve," Narcissa said with a thoughtful nod. "He's had a difficult past, and it's made him guarded. I have known him for a very long time, and I can assure you that he has a soft spot for you. He wouldn't make it a point to mention your potential several times if he didn't find it true."

"But if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here," Emma said, gesturing around the room. "I could have been home where I should be. I wouldn't…" she gestured vaguely to her face. "I wouldn't look like this. I can't forget the things he's said and done to me."

"I don't excuse his behavior in the least," Narcissa said gently. "I do not agree with the decisions that he has made that have forced you to be here, but Severus tends to go after others to try and protect himself." Narcissa fell silent, allowing Emma to continue eating, but Emma could feel that Narcissa wanted to know more about what Snape had brought up.

"There were two girls – sisters - that I had lived with while in Saint Nicholas's – the children's home – that wound up following me to Hogwarts, both only a year younger than me," Emma said quietly, giving a slight shrug and ignoring the now curious look on Narcissa's face. "The one girl, Chloe, was sorted into Hufflepuff, she wasn't too awful, and I don't believe she wanted to be a part of things, but the other one, Jocelyn, who's ironically a Slytherin, didn't make things easy. She had gathered a little group of her own to follow me around all through second year, used to whisper things to me in the hallways, tell me that my mother deserved whatever fate she had because of me."

Emma met Narcissa's stunned expression and gave a sad smile. "Maybe what happened to her was my fault in the end, but it ate away at me. I didn't feel like I fit in anymore, felt worthless, and basically didn't feel like I was a human any longer. Figured if all of the things they were saying to me were true, then what was the point? What happened with the Chamber of Secrets was just convenient. I had always planned to do it that night. I brewed myself a Draught of Living Death but apparently hadn't done it correctly."

Narcissa remained silent for a moment, taking a deep breath in through her nose and letting it out slowly to compose herself. "And what happened next? If you don't mind my asking, of course. I don't mean to pry."

Emma shook her head. "Well, I suppose that's what leads us to where I am now," Emma sighed. "I had botched the potion, had it nearly perfect, but had done it in a way that I believe it effectively became a poison. I had, erm, taken other measures to end things just in case. It was Snape who found me. Brought me to the hospital wing and apparently patched me up as best as I could, but I wasn't pulling through.

"When my father decided that he was going to adopt me officially, a special sort of potion was made in the process to facilitate any future issues such as the one I had placed myself in. No one was sure what would happen if they used it as there weren't many studies on the effects of werewolf blood within Europe, just werewolf venom. As it turns out, just the infection caused by sharing blood will lead to effects, but because it occurred outside of the full moon and didn't involve teeth, this is where I'm at."

"And the girls? Jocelyn and Chloe, you said? Did they ever receive any punishment at all?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Emma answered with a shrug. "They left me alone almost all of last year. It had a lot to do with my dad, I'm sure. A few comments were made here and there, but I stopped caring. Chloe eventually apologized, and I believe something was done, though she wasn't entirely a part of it, but as for Jocelyn? I don't know."

Narcissa nodded almost to herself as she stood. "Continue eating, dear," Narcissa said, giving Emma a small, sad smile. "If you'll excuse me, there are a few calls that I need to make."

Emma was eternally grateful for what felt like small favors as, for the most part, she was left alone throughout the week. She couldn't say that she was happy about it, but she was able to remain mostly in her room to rest, trying to ignore the worst of the full moon's pull as it approached. She would begrudgingly get up just long enough to eat a simple breakfast, Draco watching her curiously before deciding she wasn't worth the trouble, and then Emma would stay close by long enough to receive her potion. She would unwillingly take it and then promptly return to her bed, curling up and hiding under the covers until a house elf would bring her dinner.

When the full moon finally struck, like in moons past, Emma continually wished that everything would end. She could feel her body trying to will itself to crack and break and change into whatever form Soleil wanted to take, but it never could. Her muscles threatened to snap from the sheer pressure, her joints burning as though they already had. The only thing that was keeping her going was Figaro's warm body curled up next to her and the thought that maybe there would be a day when she could see the full moon as she remembered it; beautiful and full of promise and not with pure hatred of what it meant each arrival. It was far worse to experience alone.

The morning after the full moon felt almost like a fever dream to Emma this time around. Then again, it always did to some degree. At some point in the middle of the night, the full moon had shifted just enough that the effects finally wore off. The cold sweat covering her body made her shiver, and the sharp aches that wracked her entire body finally dulled to a point where things were manageable. She anticipated spending another day in bed to let herself recover to a point where she could manage to walk without feeling like everything would snap beneath her skin. However, when she awoke in the morning, curtains pulled back just enough to see the light of day creeping across the horizon, Emma realized she felt fine.

For one long, miraculous moment, Emma felt as though things were finally looking up when it came to the full moon. She felt great. The pain that had made her miserable was gone, something that she attributed to Figaro's assistance, especially with the kitten pressed against the spot between her shoulders for most of the night. It was a lovely feeling, but when Emma opened her eyes, she realized something was entirely wrong. Figaro was curled up near the window in her bed, enjoying the sun's warmth as it appeared. But something was touching Emma's back, and she now had no idea what it was. Her initial thought was that Narcissa had sent one of the house elves to apply some sort of heating pad to her back to lessen the pain, but then whatever was touching her back moved.

Several things registered all at once – she was absolutely not alone, there was a definite shift in balance in her mattress, and whomever the hand belonged to was not Narcissa's as it was far too broad and nothing at all like Narcissa's slender hand. Emma didn't particularly want to look, but she whipped her head around to see who was in her bed and let out an ear-piercing loud shriek when she saw it was Fenrir. He wasn't even paying attention to her and was instead leisurely reading a book, a hand rubbing Emma's back. Emma immediately scrambled away, falling off of her bed and onto the floor, landing hard on her hip with a loud clatter as she tried to catch herself on her nightstand which had joined her.

"Oww," Emma groaned, deciding to lie flat on the floor to try to calm herself. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute out of the shock of having Fenrir there. It was even odder having Soleil's overly obnoxious chant of "wunus" repeating in her head.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," she heard Fenrir say before muttering something in what sounded like Welsh. Emma listened to the subtle creak of the mattress as Fenrir got off the bed and the heavy thuds of the boots he always wore as he walked around to where she was. Emma stared up at Fenrir from her place on the floor, startled to see that Fenrir looked far better than how she felt. A bright pink flush crept up Emma's cheeks in embarrassment at the unamused expression on Fenrir's face. "Every time I think you can't possibly be more dramatic, you prove me wrong."

"Well, last time you decided to come by unexpectedly after the full," Emma muttered, gesturing to her face, "it didn't exactly end well."

"How many times have I told you I was keeping you safe?"

"Oh, yes, because literally mauling one's face is the perfect method of keeping someone safe."

"You're alive, are you not?"

"Clearly, but I'm sure there were other options."

"And I can assure you there were not."

Emma frowned at Fenrir and finally looked around, taking in the ridiculousness of her situation. She was sprawled out on the floor with Fenrir looking half-amused at her predicament but also mildly aggravated.

"What do you even want?" Emma huffed, pulling herself up off the floor. "And why don't you look absolutely dreadful?" Emma dropped herself onto her mattress, her frown deepening. "How did you even get in?"

"The balcony," Fenrir replied with a shrug, crossing the room to sit on the small couch that had long since been added to Emma's room. "This is what it looks like when you stop ignoring what you are and embrace it." Fenrir reached into the front pocket of his half-buttoned shirt, pulling out a lighter and cigarette and lighting it. "I need you to do something for me."

"I'm not doing anything for you," Emma grumbled. "I don't even want to see you. Now, will you leave?"

"No," Fenrir said simply, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "I need you to do something for me, and you will do it without question."

"I will not, thank you very much," Emma said. She practically dove into her nightstand to pull out Fenrir's wand that she had stored. "And you can take this back. I don't need it." Ignoring Emma, Fenrir continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pouch.

"I need you to give this to someone who will be in attendance," Fenrir said by way of explanation. "Everything is in this pouch, and you need to give them my wand by night's end. I've heard you have your own, but it's best not to use yours if you need to defend yourself for any reason. You have the Ministry on your tail as it is; they don't need another reason to make things difficult. The one you are looking for will be at the edge of the camps."

"And if I supposedly agree to this thing you insist I need to do when I'm not even going to the World Cup, how am I supposed to know who this person is? Do you plan on giving me any of their information?"

"I won't need to," Fenrir replied, stubbing out his cigarette on his boot, tossing the butt on the floor, and standing up to approach Emma. "Soleil will find them first. If not, then they will find you first."

Emma found herself frowning once more, eying Fenrir curiously. "How did you know her name is Soleil?"

"She told me."

"When?"

"Does it matter?"

Emma was about to reply that it did, in fact, matter that the wolfish side of her would betray her name so easily, but instead flinched as Fenrir unexpectedly took a handful of her hair. She stared in complete shock that when she pulled away out of fear, he was still holding onto her hair, a knife in his other hand. Emma immediately felt the spot where Fenrir had grabbed, startled that he had managed to move so quickly, and gasped.

"What the fuck," Emma hissed, unamused that she was suddenly missing a substantial chunk of hair. "What would possess you to do that?"

"You need a change," Fenrir said, dropping the chunk of hair he held onto the floor, shaking out the errant threads between his fingers. Emma had no time to react when he reached out and repeated the process. "Besides, it will make things easier for you to blend in at the World Cup. Your photo has been plastered in the newspaper for weeks, and I can't have you being noticeable."

"Well, you ruined the whole not being noticeable thing with my face, and I'm not going to the World Cup!" Emma shrieked, running her hands through her hair to feel the spot Fenrir cut. She growled when she felt the jagged edges of her hair, further incensed as she stared at the strands held in Fenrir's hand. Emma let out another shriek when Fenrir quickly reached out at a terrifying speed and cut another sizable amount of hair.

"What is wrong with you!?" Emma yelled, staggering away and tossing whatever she could in Fenrir's direction. She grabbed chairs and her heavy books and flung them as hard as she could; she had half a mind to grab Figaro who was watching curiously from her bed, but she could never do such a thing. Emma didn't care about how much noise she was making as Fenrir easily deflected each item hurled his way, looking almost bored as she did so. Emma barely even noticed when the door to her room suddenly flew open.

"What madness is happening in this room?" Narcissa shouted, clearly aggravated by the noise. "Oh, it's you," Narcissa said with a slight sneer as her glare found Fenrir.

"Yes, lovely to see you too, Mrs. Malfoy," Fenrir said, taking advantage of Emma's momentarily lapse in throwing things at him to rush over and grab her. He very gleefully cut another piece of Emma's hair with a twisted giggle that was unlike him.

Narcissa sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Narcissa was tense, but in what Emma was sure was pure Black fashion, she kept herself composed. "Greyback, unhand her at once so that I can get the atrocity you have created fixed," Narcissa said, motioning for Emma to join her when Fenrir released her from his grip.

"I think it looks better," Fenrir replied with a shrug.

"You have hacked away at her hair," Narcissa answered with a frustrated huff. She ran a hand through Emma's hair and let out an exasperated breath. "She is a young woman, and you have done more than enough to make things difficult for her. And how dare you once more enter my home uninvited."

"I needed to speak to her," Fenrir said, nodding in Emma's direction. "You have been keeping her locked up in a cage, and this was the only way I was sure she would listen. She needs to do something for me when you head to the World Cup."

"We are not attending the World Cup," Narcissa answered with a sniff.

"Oh, please," Fenrir snorted. "I already know what's planned. If I didn't have things to do, I would be there. Sounds as though it will be a great time for everyone involved. Do I believe that it will lead to anything? Not at all, but it seems fun. Tell Lucius the plan is moving forward," Fenrir replied, standing up with a groan. It was the first time Emma had noticed that the effect of the full moon touched Fenrir in its own ways, albeit at a far slower pace than it happened for her. "And make sure that one is exactly where she is supposed to be. She will be elsewhere until the match is to begin." Fenrir gave Emma a pointed look before twisting on the spot and Apparating.

Narcissa sighed, sitting on the now abandoned couch and placing her head in her hands. Emma was surprised to see Narcissa looking so undone. It didn't matter that every time Emma saw her, she always appeared put together and unbothered. Whatever it was Fenrir was referring to had clearly rattled Narcissa in a way that Emma didn't expect, and it wasn't just his visit that left her off-put.

"This was never how things were supposed to be," Narcissa said quietly, almost to herself, as if Emma wasn't even in the room. "This wasn't entirely the life I signed up for. When the war ended…." Narcissa sighed, straightening up. "All I want is for my family to be safe."

"And why wouldn't everyone be safe?"

"There are…signs," Narcissa answered carefully. "Things from the past are returning, and I don't know what to believe. If this plan comes to fruition, well, then I fear we might all be doomed." Narcissa gave Emma a tight smile and released a controlled breath from her nose. "What do you say we get that hair of yours fixed up, yes? I believe that I can get an emergency appointment with the witch who takes care of the rest of the family. Get yourself dressed and meet me in the foyer."

Emma slowly gathered her things to get ready as Narcissa made her way to leave, giving her wand a swish to set everything straight in the room once more. Narcissa closed the doors quietly behind her, leaving Emma alone with her thoughts. Whatever it was that Narcissa was talking about had her worried, and Emma wasn't sure that she wanted to know exactly what it was.

a/n: Hallo allemaal! New greeting from me? Maybe. I have a lot of work to do, so maybe someday these author's notes will be in both Dutch and English.

Hi! So, not many new updates this time around except for just some small transitions at work. In my last update, I mentioned graduating with my bachelor's which was yay! And now I'm nearly done with my first semester of my master's degree! It hasn't been too difficult as I'm very familiar with the material, but it's been a little difficult as I have a professor who has changed dates on papers fairly frequently. Only a few more weeks to get through, though! I know I can do it. :) I'm looking forward to May when I'm finally done with my schooling, hopefully forever (or until I decide I want to get a second degree just because). Things are going to be in another set of transitions soon which may or may not work in everyone else's favor in terms of me writing. I don't anticipate my classes being overly difficult over the next two semesters as I won't be taking 4 accelerated classes as the same time, soooo...we shall see! I think my current goal is to try and update once a month with anything extra being a bonus.

Anyway, please feel free to join the Discord (fkntQT5Chf) and follow me at either mymoonyandstars or cstormwrites. I'm on basically everything and will be posting things soonish~

to all of my late-night readers, go to sleep.
to all of my afternoon readers, I hope you've had a wonderful day so far.
to all of my morning readers, good morning! I hope that you have a good day.

x,
cat