When Remus awoke from a passed out exhaustion, his stomach lurched into his throat and his heart pounded in his chest. He tore his blanket down and dressed quickly, undoing the cell lock masterfully and bolting for the basement door. He could smell her and nothing seemed amiss, but his mind began racing with thoughts of what could be, nonetheless. He made it to the living room breathlessly and in a fair amount of pain when his eyes fell on where she lay, sound asleep with his cloak next to her on the couch, face puffy and red with tear stains. Her novel was far away but a pair of winter ear muffs were clutched close in her hands.

Remus' heart ripped in two.

He couldn't bring himself to wake her, and his breathing was short and difficult already, so he chose to rest himself on the armchair opposite the couch. As he eased himself into it, he conjured another blanket and rested his head to the side, breathing through the pain.

•

He wasn't sure how long he slept, but as he opened his hazy eyes they came to rest on his daughter's sweet face over him.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered. "You were bleeding."

It was then he realized a warm cloth was dripping onto his arm from where she held it up to his cheek. He reached to hold the cloth in place of her, but even raising his arm was taxing.

"You're still shaking. Let me."

He swallowed hard and nodded, trying not to let either emotion in his mind win the war they were battling.

Shame and embarrassment.

"Still?" He asked hoarsely.

"You've been shaking all morning. At least since I woke up."

"How long?" His words were coming short as most of his stamina was depleted.

Emeline fell into this rhythm with him quite easily.

"I've been awake hours now."

"Okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm okay since you're okay."

"Your ears-"

"- I didn't want to hear you in pain. I couldn't or else I would've destroyed the promise I made you."

"All night?"

Emeline looked at him sadly as he opened his eyes again. It was so painfully bright.

"Em," his shaking hands found hers and pulled them close. "All night?"

"I didn't cry all night. Just most of it."

He appreciated the sentiment of her joke but knew it was not genuine.

"My darling." He murmured sadly, giving in to sleep once more as his hands slipped out of hers.

"It's alright, dad. Everything is alright."

•

It was evening once more and Emeline was still wide awake, reading at his feet. His energy was slowly returning in regard to staying awake, but his whole body was still sore and would be those following few days. He was grateful they were one week away from returning to Hogwarts together, as Remus was always appreciative of time to recuperate. He looked down at Emeline quietly. Her curls were pulled into a ponytail and she was huddled at his feet like a cat. A flickering candle sat beside her and a chocolate bar was in the hand her novel was not. Though, when she moved her hand to turn a page, Remus saw the trim tinged with blood. He drew his wand gingerly and whispered under his breath. The blood slowly withdrew from her sleeve until it was good as new.

She smiled, though never looked up from her novel.

"You're not so secretive with your magic, doomsday."

"Who said I was doing it in secret?"

"Touché." She finally closed her book and turned to face him.

"Better?"

Remus tilted his head side to side.

"So so. The first day is always the worst. The exhaustion lifts first. I could take a lap around the castle now in my mind however, my body would never allow it."

"I see." She responded quietly. "A continual battle between mind and body which makes sense I reckon."

Remus had never really looked at his recuperation time that way and nodded.

"I suppose you're right."

"Well, are you hungry? I've made dinner. Though it's likely a little cold now."

Remus cocked an eyebrow at her and laughed.

"You cooked? You cooked what?"

"I reheated breakfast."

"Ah, yes. That sounds more accurate. I'll take whatever you have left."

She sprung to her feet and headed to the kitchen while Remus contemplated standing. It was probably in his best interested to stretch and freshen up but the toll of the moon always left that decision difficult. He resolved to get moving, for Emeline's sake mostly, so that he could try and recover as quickly as possible for the rest of their holiday together. Grabbing his cane and lifting himself out of the chair, he caught himself mid stumble and straightened out. With a quiet groan and then deep breath, he smiled watching Emeline moving about the kitchen and turned to head to his room.

Before he could walk, a piece of parchment caught his eye on the coffee table and he glanced back at Emeline before grabbing it up and turning his back to her.

It wasn't like Remus to intrude on privacy, but in light of the moon, his instincts of protection took over. He had to know if it was George. His breath caught in his throat as he read what was in front of him.

It was George.

But it was much worse than that.

He didn't know what to feel in his heart. Hurt? Betrayal? Fear for the entire school finding out?

Whatever it was, anger erupted inside of him with such fervency he couldn't see straight. The timing was a perfect storm after the events of the night before and when Emeline re-entered the living room, plate in hand, he turned to face her with eyes much like she'd seen last night.

He tried desperately to control himself and managed through clenched jaw as he held up the parchment: "Emeline Mara, explain now."

"Dad!" She ripped the parchment from his hand and set his plate down angrily. "I think the only explanation I'd be content to give is that this is my personal business. Why are you going through my things?"

Emeline was not usually easily angered. She was very patient and polite, but she cornered now. And she knew she was wrong. Guilt flooded over her to the point of suffocation and it only spurred her anger further.

"You really can't leave it alone that George and I are friends?"

"I could care quite less what you are at this point in time, Emeline. What I do know is that he now knows something extremely detrimental to my ability to teach at Hogwarts and that was private family information between us!"

"Oh! Forgive me. So we're a right family now? Now that you've decided it! Nevermind shoving me away from being there for you in the hospital wing, but now that I've come for a holiday and spent the entire day caring for you, we can be a family and I'm on trial!"

Emeline saw red now that she'd mentioned the Hospital Wing and she realized that this is where her anger was stemming: the hurt of that day. Tears threatened to spill over from her eyes as her body shook. Remus opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"No. You can save whatever fatherly speech you've conjured up in your mind because it is the last thing I want to hear. I've been understanding and embracing of my entire world being flipped upside down over the course of the last year and this has been the cherry on top of a bloody awful time! I confided in my bestfriend because he found me distraught in the hallway after you turned me away. It may not have been fair, but neither were you. I'm utterly alone save for you and a few friends. My grandparents are gone, as miserable of an excuse for family as I now know they were; my mother is dead," she choked out, on the verge of hyperventilating. "The only home I ever knew I'll never return to. I just met you and I've been thrown into having you as a professor, a father, finding out about your condition and hosting my first full moon just a room away from where I slept acting like this is the most normal arrangement in the world! And I'm in an interrogation for trusting a friend?" She was rambling now. On and on she went as her words grew shorter and shorter as her panic took over. She felt trapped; alone and afraid. Her joyful bubble had finally burst and she glanced around frantically trying to steady the swimming of her brain and the rapid beating of her heart.

Remus might as well have been stabbed in the heart for the pain he felt as he watched his daughter completely explode under the weight of her life in front of him. He had seen her emotional, but to see this much anger and panic made him nauseated. Normally patient and good at counsel, he realized just how short he had been with her.

Thirteen.

She was thirteen and the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

She had a condition of her own, Remus realized.

Caring for others in place of herself.

When Remus pulled from his reverie he heard Emeline's voice once more. She had not stopped crying and scream-talking all at the same time. His mind buzzed with the inability to to even begin to know what to say, but he did know at the very least he had to lose this battle or he would be finalizing the one thought in her mind.

That his condition came before her.

And that's precisely what he had never wanted deep down.

If his anger was subsiding, surely hers could too?

"Em, please, stop."

He grabbed her shoulders much like he had during her breakdown the day he finally told her the truth. As he felt her shake underneath his grasp, he so desperately wanted to be able to take every fear and hurt away from her even if it meant absorbing it himself. He was meant to be her father; he knew it deep in the depths of his heart.

"I want to be whatever you need. That's all. And I can't fault you for telling George. I'm sorry I expected you to carry all of this with ease. I won't make you hold any of it alone. You're a child; my child. I was wrong."

"I feel so lost," she cried in response, still shaking involuntarily. "I feel like I don't know anything anymore, not even myself."

"You do know yourself, Emeline. You are bright and kind and incredibly witty. You're disorganized and outspoken and a right mess." He laughed slightly. "And-"

She looked up at him with tears still streaming down her cheeks. "- and nothing like you in that regard. I'm noth -"

"-Emeline, you are nothing like me and I needed that."

Remus searched her eyes for a semblance of calm and joy like he normally saw in her. He wanted that girl back - the one he observed from afar that was so fun loving and oblivious; the little girl before him.

"You're not hearing me, darling. To me - you are everything despite any of it. I haven't treated you fairly. To be truthful, you're like me in this regard: that I also no longer know who I am. Maybe that's a good thing." He offered her a soft smile and loosened his grip on her shoulders.

Her arms fell limper at her side and she sniffed the rest of her tears away as she attempted to release the panicked tension in her body. He pulled her in close and she caved into him, the last of her shaking subsiding slowly.

"I just want things to go back to normal."

Remus nodded, remaining silent to allow her as much time as she needed to speak into his chest, without him staring down at her awaiting response.

"I miss mum. I miss our home and the little garden she grew. I miss… not knowing so much."

He knew that comment was a double edged sword. Remus was sure there was much as of late she wished she could forget. He still chose to allow her silence from him.

"I wish we knew eachother sooner." Her whisper was the one that was almost inaudible between them. He ran a hand through her hair in comfort. "Maybe things would be different now."

"Different how, darling?"

"Both of us might be different is all." If it was even possible, her voice was quieter as she said those last words.

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

She pulled away to look at him and her eyes met his again.

They shimmered with something different now and she offered him a weak smile.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe it was a good thing.