Emelyn shot Dumbledore a confused and terrified look before returning her gaze to the man in front of her. She placed a hand on the armrest of the chair to steady herself as she felt as though she might faint. Of all of the things that Dumbledore could have told her that night, this was the last thing she expected. Was she really supposed to believe that the man standing in front of her was her uncle?

Dumbledore could have told her that she had to pass a very difficult test before getting to Hogwarts. Or he could have said that the sky was actually water, and she would have believed him. For him to tell her that she had a living and breathing family member to live with? It seemed impossible.

The man was quiet, clearly unsure of what to say as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark brown suit jacket. He just stared at Emelyn, who could only stare back.

Emelyn quickly noticed the little things that could mean they were related. The color and shape of their eyes, their similar noses, and even the color of their hair was nearly identical. His hair was flecked with grey; hers was sprinkled with a deep red.

He seemed to take in her expression, a slight frown crossing his face. He watched her carefully, and Emelyn became aware that she would begin to breathe hard and then not breathe at all. She was almost positive that if her heart were beating any faster, all of Diagon Alley could hear it. Emelyn swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and found herself slightly annoyed.

"You were here the other day," Emelyn said accusingly, breaking the silence. "You were sitting downstairs the day I arrived." Her eyes began to narrow as she glared at him.

Dumbledore cast the man a look, his eyes twinkling brighter than ever with a hint of pure mirth behind them. "Remus Lupin, did you forget to tell me that you were here in the Leaky Cauldron recently?"

The man was quiet for a few moments more, a slight flush creeping into his cheeks as he looked over at Dumbledore. It had been years since he felt like he had done something wrong, and he was thoroughly embarrassed. "I was," he said, averting his eyes. "When you told me about her a few weeks ago, I wanted to be sure for myself. You remember how things were back then, Dumbledore. There's no mistaking it now that I'm standing right in front of her…."

He trailed off as he looked back up at Emelyn, trying to mask his expression as best as he could.

"It's just like looking at Margaret, is it not?" Dumbledore offered softly. The man glanced over at Dumbledore and nodded in response, momentarily speechless as he returned his gaze to Emelyn.

"Margaret?" Emelyn asked quietly, looking between the two men before stopping on Dumbledore.

"Your mother," Remus answered just as quietly. "My sister…"

Emelyn looked back at Remus, feeling a knot forming her throat at his words. Margaret, she thought to herself. Margaret… She returned to staring at the crackling fire, unsure of what to do with that piece of information besides reciting it to herself in her thoughts. Emelyn had never known her mother's name before.

"I'll leave you two for a moment," Dumbledore said into the silence. "I believe I might try and pay the goblins of Gringotts a visit now rather than later. I'm certain that someone will still be there."

Dumbledore seemed to float out of the room, moving a lot quicker than Emelyn would've expected for a man of his age. As the door closed behind him, the crushing silence became more evident as it left Remus and Emelyn alone together.

Emelyn returned her gaze to Remus and opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. She had no idea what she wanted to say. She couldn't understand what was happening and was sure none of it was real.

In a way, she felt as though she was living out one of her daydreams, where a long-lost family member showed up to pluck her from Saint Nicholas'. She had spent many hours sitting in her classes at school, just staring longingly out the window. She would imagine the day she would be whisked away from the children's home by her new family. Now that the daydream was a reality, it was suddenly a lot different than what she had imagined. It was terribly awkward and not entirely hugs and kisses like she believed.

"Would you like to sit down?" Remus finally asked, motioning over to the chairs in front of the fire. "It would be more comfortable than standing."

Emelyn nodded and sat back down in her chair, still unsure of what was happening. She watched as he slowly sat down in the chair that had been occupied by Dumbledore only moments before. As he sat down, Emelyn couldn't help but stare at the scars that lined his face, illuminated by the glow of the fire. They looked deep, as though his face had been raked with nails or like he was attacked by a bear. Though she wanted to know where they came from, she didn't think it was appropriate to ask. She looked down at his hands that were equally as marked, though not as deeply as the scars on his face. What had happened to him? When she looked back up at his face, she couldn't help but notice his sad expression mixed with another emotion, but she couldn't be sure what that was. Emelyn let out a nervous giggle while Remus gave her a small smile.

"Would you like to speak first?" He offered, watching her intently.

Emelyn having no idea what to say only shook her head in response. She had many questions, but she wasn't sure how to form them just yet. Emelyn felt that if she let Remus speak first, maybe the questions would come easier.

Remus nodded, unsure of what he would say. In the two years that he had gotten to spend with Emelyn, he had never been able to see her as much as she wanted. Perhaps the beginning would be the best place to start.

"Well, as you now know, your mother was my sister. My name is Remus Lupin, and it has been a very long time since I've seen you."

"You've seen me before?" Emelyn asked, startled.

"Yes, when you were born and several times after. Your mother and I weren't very close, so I wasn't given many opportunities to see you. After everything that happened to your parents, I…I wasn't even sure that you were alive."

"Why weren't you close? What happened to them? All I can remember is life at Saint Nicholas's. I didn't even know that I had a life outside of that." Emelyn asked, her voice finally returning. Questions burned at her, and she wanted to know more but was afraid to know the answers.

"Well…" Remus's lips twitched slightly at how many questions she just tossed at him. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but he wasn't sure how to answer her questions. "I was very sick as a child, and unfortunately, that took a lot of our parent's time. Your mother made it a point to tell me on several occasions that she resented me for that very reason." His expression grew sad, but he masked it quickly, hoping that Emelyn hadn't noticed.

He gave her a small smile before continuing, "I don't particularly blame her. Unfortunately, you wouldn't remember your life outside of the children's home, even if you wanted to. You might after today, but possibly not. We won't know for another few days."

Emelyn gave him a puzzled look, not understanding. Remus sighed and continued.

"I didn't know any of this until recently, myself. As Professor Dumbledore explained it to me, all of the child residents of Saint Nicholas are administered a potion twice daily. This potion would be mixed in with your morning and evening beverages."

"A potion?" Emelyn interrupted. That must be why all of the drinks tasted terrible.

"Yes," Remus answered. "The potion doesn't have permanent effects, but it's a specially designed potion to help keep you from remembering the horrors of your past. Of course, this would mean you would have to have the memories to begin with. Rather than take the chance, it was decided to eliminate the possibility altogether."

"So, we've had our minds erased?" Emelyn looked petrified at the very idea, and Remus didn't blame her in the least.

He thought of how it would be best to answer her question. Remus wanted to try and help her understand without overwhelming her. When Dumbledore told him of the measures taken to care for children in wizarding children's homes, he was flabbergasted. Remus never expected so many precautions to be made. It was with Dumbledore's insistence that additional precautions be taken as he "didn't want to repeat history." Remus wasn't sure what Dumbledore meant by his words, but he didn't press to learn more.

"Yes and no, but only temporarily," Remus said after a few minutes. "The potion is no longer administered when you come of age, or you've been brought to a new family. It also depends on whether you've been adopted or accepted to Hogwarts – like you. Although in the case of young witches and wizards, the new family has the option to continue administering the potion."

Emelyn opened her mouth to speak but closed it as Remus held his hand up to her. He could see that she was concerned, and rightfully so.

"I will not be continuing it," he said softly, smiling as a look of relief crossed her face. "However, you have been given the potion in small doses while being here." Once again, Emelyn opened her mouth to protest, but Remus gently took one of her fisted hands on her lap into his and chuckled. He gently unfolded her fingers and ran his thumb over her tense knuckles. "But you had your last dose this morning. I disagree with it."

"I don't understand," Emelyn said, feeling a small wave of relaxation as Remus gently massaged her aching hand. She hadn't realized how tightly she had been clenching her fist, and she awkwardly flexed her other hand, trying to loosen up the muscles in her fingers. She frowned slightly at how comfortable she felt with her hand in his. Was he really telling her the truth?

"If you somehow understood, I would be astonished," Remus admitted. "In all honesty, I'm not sure that I understand either."

"You don't?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really. I disagree with having your memories, and your powers suppressed. In order to grow, we need our memories to become stronger. As much as the memories may hurt, they're important to us becoming the people that we're meant to be."

"That's wise," Emelyn said.

"Not really," Remus said with a small laugh, placing Emelyn's hand back on her lap. "Not when you're an old man like me."

"You're not that old, are you? Certainly not as old as Professor Dumbledore is." Emelyn gave him another cursory look and was surprised when he suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

"No, I'm not as old as Professor Dumbledore. I'm 31, but I feel so much older," he answered.

"That makes a lot more sense," Emelyn said. "You said that Professor Dumbledore came to see you and to tell you about me?"

"He did."

"But you didn't know about me? Well, you didn't know that I was alive?"

Remus paled slightly at her question. "I didn't," he said with a sigh. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him. "Like I said, Margaret, your mother, and I didn't have much of a relationship. I was surprised that I was even given the opportunity to see you when you were born – you were such a tiny little thing back then." He took another look at Emelyn and cast his gaze to the fire. "I'm sorry that I didn't try harder."

"What do you -"

"I believe that would be all for one night," said Dumbledore as he walked back into the room. "You two will have plenty more time to talk." His blue eyes seemed to be twinkling more in the firelight now than before he left. He stood in the middle of the two chairs, looking at Emelyn and Remus. He reached into the pockets of his robe and produced a small key, holding it out to Remus.

"I think she should have it," Remus said quietly, motioning for Dumbledore to pass the key to Emelyn.

Emelyn shot Remus a curious look but then took the key as Dumbledore offered it to her instead. A light flush crept into her cheeks as she looked at the key she now held in her hands. It was a funny-looking thing and felt heavy despite its size. "Thank you," she said.

"Everything is taken care of for you at Gringotts, Miss Emelyn. When you require money, you may visit the bank and will be given access to your family's vault. Ah, if I remember correctly, your vault number is 513."

"Thank you again."

"Now, I do believe that it would be dinner time for you, Miss Emelyn," Dumbledore said. "Why don't you head down and get something to eat. I have a few things that I need to discuss with your uncle."

Emelyn slowly stood up and looked up at Dumbledore and then to Remus, feeling slightly odd about going downstairs to eat by herself. She suddenly felt her stomach rumbling as it let out a noise. She cringed as it did so and gave a nervous smile.

"Go along; you need to eat something," Remus said, smiling at her.

Emelyn left the room without another word, looking back at the two men as she closed the door. She wanted to eavesdrop, but the nagging feeling in her stomach told her that food was more important at the moment.

As the door closed behind Emelyn, the two men waited before speaking. Remus sighed, placing his head in his hands.

"I can't do this," he said, shaking his head. "Margaret never would have let me."

"And yet she made you Emelyn's godfather," Dumbledore offered, sitting in the seat Emelyn had just left.

"Yes, but she never wanted to."

"Remus, I don't think that you give yourself any credit. What happened to Margaret and Jude was very unfortunate. We were all too focused on Harry to realize that Voldemort's followers would retaliate the way that they did."

"And that is exactly why I can't do this," Remus said, sitting back up in his chair and glaring at Dumbledore. "That is exactly why. We were all too worried about Harry to even think of the others. None of us thought to check on Alice and Frank, and we certainly didn't think to check on Margaret and Jude or any of the others."

Remus stood up suddenly from his chair and walked over to the fire, putting an arm up against the mantel and leaning his head on his arm.

"At the time, Harry was the most important thing to worry about," Dumbledore said sadly. "I knew that Voldemort would return then, and I still believe it now."

"And what about the others, Albus? We failed them. We failed Lily and James. We should have known that Sirius was the traitor all along."

"We did what we needed to at the time, Remus. We made sure that Harry was in a safe place. None of us would have guessed that Sirius would have betrayed Lily and James. None of that has anything to do with now."

"It has everything to do with now," Remus said with a low growl. He turned around to look at Dumbledore, aggravated by how casually he spoke. "If Sirius hadn't betrayed Lily and James, they would be alive right now. Harry would have grown up with parents who loved him. Emelyn would have led a normal life and would have grown up happy and loved as well. Things would be different."

"But we would still be at war," Dumbledore said softly, rising from his chair to stand near Remus. "We would still be at war. Lily and James would still be in hiding. Margaret and Jude might still not have led full lives. You might not have even survived."

Remus stared at Dumbledore, his face set. "It would have been a better life."

"Remus, you can still stand in front of me and say that after seeing her?" Dumbledore's voice began to rise. "Harry has had a family. I make no expectations that he will have been brought up perfectly, but he has been safe. Emelyn was never given the same opportunity as Harry."

"I didn't know that she was alive," Remus shouted. "10 years of wondering what happened to the girl, and now all of a sudden she's here? Just standing in front of me as if she was a ghost come back to life. She's nearly twelve!"

"Which is precisely why you need to give her the opportunity that she was never given," Dumbledore shouted back.

Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin only stared at each other. Remus's breathing was heavy as a decade's worth of anger coursed through his veins while Dumbledore was as stoic as ever.

"I am not the one who should be taking care of her," Remus said with another low growl. "Not with the man that I am."

"A kind and gentle man? A man who has gone through so much more than many? A man who was more than willing to die for his friends during one of the greatest wars of our times?"

"You know what I mean, Dumbledore," Remus said.

"I don't, Remus. When Margaret made you her godfather, she made you her guardian if anything were to happen. As long as she is with you, she will be safe. That means more protection for her than any spell that we could cast."

"Being with me puts her in more danger than anything. Margaret wasn't thinking. She was right to avoid me and be angry with me for all of those years." Remus walked away from the fireplace and around the chairs, his arms crossed over his chest, trying to distance himself and Dumbledore.

"Remus Lupin, you are acting like a petulant child," Dumbledore practically shouted. "You may not agree with me, but you know I speak the truth."

Remus turned to look at Dumbledore again, suddenly feeling as though he was being scolded. "You may speak your truth, but I speak mine."

"Remus Lupin, right now, there is a child downstairs wondering what is happening and where you have been her entire life," Dumbledore said. He crossed the room to stand in front of Remus. He placed his hands on his shoulders, gripping tightly. "Right now, your sister's daughter, your niece, requires guidance. It is now your job to give her the love and care of her family. I suggest going downstairs and joining her for dinner and calming down. We will talk when you are both done."

Remus stared at Dumbledore for a moment, eyes narrowed. He sighed and then nodded.

Dumbledore gave Remus's shoulders another squeeze and let him go. As Remus turned to leave, he paused for a moment, shooting Dumbledore a look over his shoulder. "She can't know the truth, Albus. Not yet," he said.

"I'll keep your secret, Remus. It's your secret to share, after all," he said in response.

Emelyn had been very surprised to see Remus walking down the stairs while she waited for her dinner. She was even more amazed when he sat down at the table with her, a kind smile on his face.

They had an effortless conversation, Remus mostly asking her things about herself. He asked Emelyn her favorite color ("Blue." "Mine, too."), the things she liked to do ("Mostly read." "I enjoy reading myself. It's nice to escape sometimes, no?"), and what she wanted to do when she grew up ("Not sure." "I don't know what I want to do when I grow up, either."). Remus's last response had elicited giggles from her.

Despite his anxiety, he had to admit that her laugh was like music to his ears. Remus couldn't help but think of when she was a baby, and he had held her in his arms, feeling such pure joy. He was surprised to have those feelings suddenly rush back and wash over him so quickly. What he found even more shocking was that another feeling came along with it.

The more he watched her, the more there was a growing need to protect her. It was almost as if she had always been his own. He nearly chuckled to himself as a bitter thought crossed his mind. It was as if she were his cub, and he was the protective parent. He had the same stirrings of emotion when she was born, but now they were coming back far more potent than they had then.

Remus couldn't believe that this was the same girl he remembered as a two-year-old. She was withdrawn and wary but incredibly curious about everything around her. He almost wanted to pinch himself just to be sure that he wasn't dreaming. Remus glanced over to the spot he had sat the other day, just hoping for a glimpse of her. He had just wanted to make sure that she was real.

The moment he saw the familiar face of his old professor, he was sure that he had stopped breathing entirely. He couldn't keep himself from immediately being drawn to Emelyn, as if no time had passed at all. Remus had no idea what Emelyn would look like, but she was absolutely perfect. He knew that he should leave before she spotted him, but her gaze was almost like a moth to a flame, and he froze. No amount of preparation could have had him ready to look into her eyes for the first time in years. It was her smile that did him in – incredibly foreign and familiar at the same time.

Her accusing tone from earlier had made him worried Emelyn was angry with him, but it appeared she had already forgiven his transgression. If she was ready to move forward, then so was he.

As they finished their dinner, Remus couldn't help his smile as he saw Emelyn's eyes begin to glaze over as sleep threatened to overtake her.

"Time for bed?" he asked her quietly.

Emelyn tried her best to hold back a yawn but failed miserably. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed.

"Don't be. You've had a very long day. I imagine my intrusion didn't help," Remus said. "Come now, let's head back upstairs. I'm sure Dumbledore would like to bid you goodnight." Remus stood up, offering an arm to Emelyn.

Emelyn nodded slowly, hesitating a moment before taking Remus's proffered arm. They walked back upstairs slowly, Remus mostly supporting Emelyn as they walked. Each step they took led to Emelyn having heavier and heavier limbs as they walked.

"Er…I might have lied earlier," Emelyn said, her voice a near whisper.

"Oh?" Remus said in surprise. "About what?"

"My favorite color isn't actually blue," she said quietly. She hesitated for a moment and looked up at Remus with a shy smile. "My favorite color is yellow."

Remus chuckled at her incredibly innocent confession. "Mine is actually green. I think we were both a little nervous."

Emelyn blushed and said nothing, content to just let him lead her back to her room.

Dumbledore was sitting in one of the chairs, reading one of Emelyn's schoolbooks.

"Finished already?" Dumbledore asked, standing up from his seat. He smiled, seeing Emelyn, eyes closed, leaning up against Remus, legs unsteady where they stood. "Ah, yes. It is late, isn't it?" He gave Remus a look, his eyes twinkling. Emelyn opened her sleepy eyes and nodded.

Remus carefully walked her over to the couch near the bed, lowering her gently as she yawned.

"Remus, let's give her a moment of privacy so that she may get changed," Dumbledore said, placing a hand on Remus's arm and motioning to the door once more. Before closing the door, Dumbledore took out his wand, and with a quick flourish, a set of soft purple pajamas lay on the couch next to Emelyn. "Those should be suitable, no? Get into bed, Miss Emelyn. I will see you when the term begins."

With unsteady legs, heavy arms, and equally heavy head, Emelyn changed into the purple pajamas that Dumbledore had magicked out of nowhere. They were the softest pajamas that she had ever felt, and she wondered if she was able to keep them. She slowly walked over to the bed and climbed in, pulling the blanket up high. As her head touched the pillow, she felt the room growing very warm, and she quickly fell asleep.

Emelyn wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but as she opened her eyes, she could see that the room was darker than it was before. Remus and Dumbledore were sitting in the chairs in front of the now dying fire. They had short drink glasses in their hands filled with a dark liquid. They spoke quietly to each other, but Emelyn tried to listen carefully. She adjusted her head gently on her pillow to watch them better.

"Remus, you worry too much," Dumbledore said, taking a drink from his glass.

Remus scoffed at Dumbledore's words, taking a drink himself. "I don't worry enough."

"Did you not see how she leaned on you when you came into the room?"

"She was exhausted. I probably would have done the same if I were her."

"She feels safe. I told you earlier that the bond of family holds a magic stronger than any other. A part of her knows that already."

"Albus – she was tired. Nothing more, nothing less." Remus took another drink.

"If you insist. You'll realize the truth in time." Dumbledore said, shrugging as he finished his glass. He procured a bottle from his robes, opening it and filling his glass once more. He held the bottle up towards Remus, who shook his head. Dumbledore inclined his head and closed the bottle up, and placed it back into his pocket. There was silence.

"You'll do fine, Remus," Dumbledore said after a few moments.

"I don't feel that I will."

"You will."

Remus sighed, taking a drink and finishing his glass. "And how do I tell her about me?"

"You will tell her when the time is right. It might not be now, it might not be tomorrow, it might not be in a few months from now, but you will tell her."

Emelyn's eyes narrowed as she watched the two, wondering what they were talking about. Both men suddenly turned to look over at Emelyn, who quickly crushed her eyes closed, hoping that they didn't notice she was awake.

"And if I don't?"

"That is your cross to bear, Remus."

Emelyn opened slowly opened her eyes again to watch the two. She watched as Remus looked down at his glass and then held it out to Dumbledore, apparently deciding he wanted more of what the dark liquid was. He took a long drink once his glass was full and let out a noise of disgust. "Bloody nasty when it first goes down," Remus said, swirling the liquid that remained in the glass. "And what do I do every month? Every summer? Every holiday that lines up?"

"We will figure that out when the time comes. If need be, she always has a home during the holidays. I expect that she'll want to spend time with you." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. Remus took another drink.

"You know about the end of August."

"I do, and that has already been taken care of. I will be sure to send an owl when the time gets closer." Dumbledore took a drink regarding the low flames in the fire.

"What about her parents?"

"Again, for you to decide, although I believe sooner rather than later would be better."

There was another silence, and they both turned to look over at Emelyn again. Emelyn nearly let out a gasp as she closed her eyes quickly. She waited a little while longer before she carefully opened her eyes, wanting to make sure that neither of them were still looking.

"She'll have questions," Remus said.

"You'll have answers."

"You know my home isn't suitable for a child," Remus whispered.

"I've had house-elves clean for you already. You'll receive money monthly from her vault to take care of her."

Remus was silent but gave Dumbledore a confused look. He shook his head for a moment and then took another drink from his glass. He didn't seem too pleased.

"You really think that I'll be able to do this?"

"I do. If not for yourself, if not for Emelyn, then for Margaret."

Dumbledore turned to look over at Emelyn. Emelyn was just a fraction of a second too late in closing her eyes, and she knew that Dumbledore had caught her watching them.

"However, the rest of this conversation can be had at another time. I believe it's time for all of us to get some rest." Dumbledore said, a hint of a smile in his voice. As he spoke, Emelyn found herself suddenly asleep again.

a/n: This was always one of my favorite chapters, and this was one I had technically written well before I started ever posting the series online. Emma once went by an entirely different name, and while my original opening - which is still very similar to this - was very different, this part was always the same.

I hope those who are just joining are enjoying this journey so far. And I'm sincerely hoping those returning are enjoying experiencing this all over again with me.

Enjoy~

For all of my late night readers - good night.
For all of my readers just starting their day - good morning.
For those who needed a little afternoon break - I hope that you've had a good day and continue to do so.

xoxo,
Moony