Remus and Lyall sat quietly in the sitting room, teacups sitting on the table between their armchairs, still full. It had been a few weeks since he had last visited his father, but he needed the break before Apparating home. He knew that Arabella wasn't expecting him until the next day, but all Remus wanted was to be home.

"Was it a rough transformation?" Lyall asked Remus softly, a look of concern on his face. He couldn't stand the fact that he couldn't help Remus with his transformations, and he felt even worse knowing it was all his fault that his son underwent transformations at all. When he looked at Remus, he still saw him as a young child, sitting and trying to recover from another full moon.

"No worse than usual," Remus sighed. He sat up slowly, groaning at how his muscles and bones ached.

"Where did you go?"

Remus glanced over at Lyall and cast his eyes downward, not answering.

"Remy," Lyall breathed, his eyes narrowing, "you didn't go back underground, did you?"

"I had no choice," Remus whispered, staring into the crackling fireplace. "I-I didn't trust myself at home. I couldn't have her knowing."

Lyall sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You know that you can always come back here, Remy. I don't want you going back around the packs."

"It was the only choice I had right now, Tad," Remus said, glancing over at his father and ignoring the pained expression on his face. "It was so that Emma could stay safe. I'm not putting you through my problems again."

"It was never a problem, Remy. You know that."

"Then why did we always have to move if it wasn't?"

Lyall was quiet, unsure of how to answer. He couldn't ever deny having to uproot his family many times over the years when people got too curious. They nearly had to leave the house they were in, but Remus had moved out, and everything was quiet again.

"That's what I thought," Remus said bitterly. He leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hands. "I shouldn't have gone to the pack..."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid that Greyback is going to come around."

Lyall stiffened at the mention of Greyback's name. "It's been years, Remy. It's not like he knows about her. He wouldn't –"

"He does now."

The tension in the room was thick. Lyall didn't want to believe Remus. The possibilities of Greyback knowing…

"He…I thought I didn't know that he would be with the pack I was with. Sometimes, when I can't be home, there's a pack that will take me in," Remus said quietly. "I never considered the possibility that he could be there. I didn't…."

"He smelled Emma on you."

Remus looked over at Lyall, his face grave. "I thought that I had managed to get her scent off me before I left. I already worry because she doesn't listen to me, and her scent is everywhere at the cottage. She has a habit of going outside when I'm not home, barefoot no less, and I don't know how to get her to stop, and I can't tell her without scaring her."

"There isn't going to be an easy way to tell her," Lyall said. "I never wanted to admit it, but it was a thought I had as well."

Remus shook his head, shifting in his chair to try and relieve the aching muscles in his legs. "I never should have taken her home," he said dryly. "It was a stupid idea."

"Remus John, don't you care."

"I can't be the reason she gets hurt."

"As long as she is with you, I know that you will keep her safe."

"Tad, what if I can't? What if I'm the reason that Greyback gets her, too?"

"I would be the reason why," Lyall said sadly. "It would never be your fault; it would be mine. I'm the reason…I'll never forgive myself." Lyall sat up straight and fixed Remus with a hard stare. "But things will never get to that point. We won't let it happen – there's no use in worrying."

"If only it were that easy," Remus said, a wry smile crossing his face. "If only. The only solace I can find is that he doesn't know where the cottage is."

"Who's Emma with now?"

Remus sighed, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "She's home with Arabella – do you remember her? Dumbledore and I thought it would be our best bet for now. At least, that was before... Well, she has half-breed Kneazles that could be on alert, but they wouldn't do much."

"Arabella Figg? The Squib who was in the order?"

"The very same."

"Well," Lyall frowned. "At the very least, she's in good hands for right now."

"You know, Emma cuddled on the couch with me for the first time earlier this week," Remus said, wanting to change the subject. "I didn't think she would ever get that comfortable. I know she used to do it when she was smaller, but…."

"She trusts you," Lyall said, smiling at Remus. "All it takes is a little time. I'm sure there's a part of her that remembers."

Remus met his father's gaze with a grin. "It was such an incredible feeling to just hold her like that again. Remember how she always used to fall asleep on my chest?"

"Merlin, remember how much she would cry when you had to leave before Margaret got back here?" Lyall laughed, shaking his head. "It's like everything is all right in the world again."

"And it scares me knowing that I have to do everything I can to take care of her," Remus said. "It makes me wish that she was mine and not Margaret's. I know that I'll never have my own children, but for a moment –"

"I used to feel the same way when you and your sister would cuddle with me when you were children. You two meant everything to me. I'm so sorry that I could not protect you the way that I should have, and I hope you know that I tried the best that I could." Lyall looked over at Remus sadly, wanting to reach out but knowing his son was in pain. "Never say never about having children, Remus. In the meantime, that little girl is as good as yours."

Remus stared at Lyall before looking at the clock on the mantel. He watched the pendulum swing back and forth for a few minutes and cleared his throat. "I should probably head home," Remus said, giving Lyall a small smile as he stood. He winced as his muscles stretched out and reached for his cane that he had leaned against the chair.

"You don't have to go home right away. You could stay the night," Lyall offered, standing up.

"No, I think I would rather be home with Emma," Remus said, making his way towards the front door. "But I appreciate the offer – truly, but I think I would feel better being home with her."

Lyall followed his son to the front step of the house and clasped him gently on the shoulders. "I know Emma goes to school soon, so you won't have a reason to come see me. I hope that I get to see you before she comes back home for the holidays."

"I'll try to visit more," Remus said. "I, uhm, I want to try and fix a few things around the house. I could probably use your help."

"Gladly," Lyall said, releasing his hold on Remus. "Hey, did you ever show Emma that photo yet?"

"No, not yet," Remus said. "Soon. I'll make sure to keep in touch this time, I promise." He gave Lyall another smile, turned very carefully on the spot, and disappeared from his father's home with a pop.

Remus felt much better when he arrived on the familiar front pathway to the cottage. It was an overwhelming feeling of relief to be among the familiar scents and the comforts of home. He knew it was late, and he hoped that Arabella wouldn't be too disturbed. There was an amber glow radiating from the living room window, which meant that someone was in the living room. Otherwise, it appeared that the rest of the house was dark. Hopefully, that meant Emma was finally sleeping.

With agonizingly slow movements, Remus made his way up the path. As he reached the front door, he paused, trying to listen carefully for any noise from the inside. Not hearing any, he shuffled through his keys and opened the door. He was too tired for any magic.

As Remus walked in, Tufty, Arabella's golden cat, sat just inside the door, his ear flat back against his head. Upon realizing that Remus wasn't an intruder, the cat began to weave himself between Remus's legs, purring. Remus was glad that he had taken the time to meet the cats first; otherwise, he might have attacked. Cats never seemed to like him, usually sensitive to his dark nature, but Mrs. Figg's cats didn't mind him. Perhaps it was the Kneazle side of the creatures – they were incredibly smart.

Mr. Paws sat on top of the couch, blinking lazily at Remus with his amber eyes as he closed the door. Remus only made it a few steps further when he noticed that Emma had fallen asleep in the middle of the couch. It was another moment that he wanted to commit to memory; he hoped it meant that she was finally comfortable.

Emma was lying on her side, curled up, with her back facing the fire. A pillow was tucked under her head, and a hand rested in one of the lighter-colored cat's fur. Snowy, Remus realized, was curled up against Emma in the empty spot between her body and the couch back. Mr. Tibbles lay on the cushion next to Emma's head, facing the fire, his eyes closed as he soaked in the warmth. He smiled, seeing that Emma had one of his cardigans and her teddy bear wrapped in her arms tightly. It was one of the sweetest things he'd ever seen.

"Remus, is that you?" Arabella Figg turned the corner into the hallway, looking at Remus in surprise. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow night."

"I decided to come home a little early," Remus said quietly to Arabella, peering down at Emma. "I missed her."

"She's a sweet little thing, isn't she?" Arabella said, looking over at Emma and calling the cats over to her. "She's incredibly polite. You're a fortunate man, Remus." She sighed, looking back over at Remus. "I suppose since you are home, I'll get out of your hair and be on my way."

"Stay, Arabella," Remus said earnestly. "I can sleep on the couch and move Emma to her bed. Please, don't leave on my account."

"Don't be silly, Remus. You need to sleep in your own bed," Arabella said, shooing Remus away with a smile. "It's no trouble at all. The cats travel very well." Arabella returned to his room and returned with two cat carriers and her oversized handbag.

Remus was quiet as he leaned on his cane, eternally grateful for the woman's help. "Thank you again, Arabella. Are you absolutely positive that you don't want to stay the night?"

"Trust me, Remus, it's fine. That little girl has been waiting all weekend for you to come home. All I ask is that you call the Knight Bus for me," Arabella said, waving Remus off when he tried to take her bag. "If you ever need me to watch her again, please send an owl. She was an absolute delight."

"Thank you," Remus said, following Arabella down the walkway. He flung out his wand arm, wincing at the loud crack of the Knight Bus arriving, and helped Arabella on board with a smile. As the large purple bus disappeared, Remus sighed. He was glad to finally be home.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Emma managed to sleep through the near-deafening crack of the Knight Bus's arrival. Remus leaned his cane against the wall near the front door and slowly walked to the couch, wondering if he should leave her where she was. He didn't particularly like possibly waking her up, but she still had her shoes on and hadn't changed for bed. He couldn't imagine that she was completely comfortable and decided to take on the job of getting her into bed.

Remus suppressed a snort and shook his head at the irony of Emma finally wearing shoes. She refused to wear them outdoors where they were important, but she fell asleep in them on the couch. However, now he had a daunting task – get Emma's trainers off without waking her up.

Working slowly, Remus carefully took Emma's shoes off of her feet. He was able to get her first shoe off easily, but as he undid the laces of her other shoe, she began to stir. Remus froze, gritting his teeth as he held her foot in his hand. The task was far more complicated than he thought it would be.

When he was sure that Emma wasn't about to wake up, he let out the breath he had been holding. He let the shoe drop to the floor, and he set her foot down and frowned, rubbing his forehead as he tried to figure out how to get his cardigan. Deciding it would be better to just leave it for now, he pondered how he could get her into her room without too much difficulty.

Of course, he could use a spell to get her into bed, and he strongly considered the idea. Considering his current condition, it would be the best scenario, but it had a higher risk of waking her up. He could still just leave her on the couch, but he felt more comfortable with her being safe and sound in her room. That left only one solution – he had to pick her up and carry her himself. Remus waved his wand to put out the fireplace with a resigned sigh and turned back to his mission of getting Emma into bed without waking her.

Remus approached this situation even slower than removing Emma's shoes. He gently rolled her onto her back and scooped her into his arms, trying to push aside the burning sensation in his arms and chest as he picked her up. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, glad that she was still asleep and he hadn't disturbed her. He ambled over to her room and muttered a spell under his breath so that her blanket moved to the foot of her bed. He carefully lowered her down onto the mattress and let out a silent cheer that he had accomplished his mission. Even better, he could take his cardigan back.

Holding his breath, Remus untangled Emma's arms from around her teddy bear and his cardigan. He unfurled her fingers from the fabric of his cardigan, tossed it over his shoulder once it was free, and replaced Emma's arms around her bear. Mission accomplished, Remus tucked Emma underneath her blanket. Maybe he could handle everything better than he thought. He brushed a lock of hair out of Emma's face and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Remus made his way out of Emma's room with one final look. His hand was on the doorknob to close the door behind him, but he stopped hearing Emma's quiet and sleepy voice.

"I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow?"

Remus turned around to see Emma looking at him through sleepy eyes. The glow of the moonlight shining through her window bathed her in its silvery light. Emma propped herself up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes and blinking slowly.

"I'm sorry," Remus said. "Did I wake you, love?"

"No. Bad dream again," Emma yawned. "You're home early."

"I wanted to see you," Remus answered honestly. He sighed, stepped back into her room, and sat on the edge of her mattress. "I missed you."

"You did?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Of course, I did," Remus smiled. "I think someone might have missed me, too." He pulled his cardigan off his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her.

Emma blushed and laid back down, pulling her blanket up high so that only her eyes could be seen. "Maybe a little," she said, her eyes comically large. "You look terrible," she added, pulling her blanket down to frown at him.

Though he could continue to tease her, Remus knew that he needed to get some sleep. He had to go to work in the morning, and he had no doubt in Emma's statement that he looked terrible. He stood up slowly and tossed his cardigan back over his shoulder. "I think it's time for you to go back to bed, Little One," Remus said, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing her with a look.

"It's not time for bed," Emma said with another yawn. "'M not tired."

"Your yawns betray you, dear. Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Remus smiled at her and turned to leave once more. He had once again made it to her door before she spoke again.

"I have a question," she said, staring at him over the top of her covers.

"Is it something that can wait until the morning?" Remus asked, sighing when she shook her head. He watched and waited for her question and frowned slightly as she hesitated. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, looking out her window before turning her gaze to him.

"Are werewolves real?"

Remus's eyes grew wide in surprise at Emma's question. He wondered if Arabella had let his secret slip, but she was under strict instructions to not breathe a word of his condition. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat before answering her. "Why do you ask?"

Emma gave a non-committal shrug and pulled her blanket closer. Remus felt a mix of relief and horror at the sudden realization of why Emma was asking him such a question.

"Your nightmares are of werewolves, aren't they?" he asked, observing her. When she didn't immediately answer and only looked out her window, he knew that he could never tell her the truth about what he was. She was afraid of werewolves. Eventually, she gave him a slight nod, burrowing further into her blanket.

Remus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Werewolves are very real," he said, his stomach flipping at the horrified look on her face. "They're incredibly dangerous creatures, but…I'll keep you safe." Remus gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, but he felt queasy.

Emma stared at him uncertainly for a long moment before she seemed appeased and settled into her pillows. "Okay," she whispered. "Good night."

"Good night, Little One," Remus said, closing her door behind him.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the closed door, deeply regretting bringing Emma into his home. She would be better somewhere else. I can't keep her safe, Remus thought bitterly to himself. As much as he loved her, it was dangerous to have her with him. He rubbed his face, ignoring the prickling sensation that stung his eyes as he crossed the hall to his bedroom.

Remus sat down on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands, fisting his hands into his hair. A part of him wanted to get Emma placed into a new home, a much safer home than his, but the incredibly selfish part didn't want to let her go. Emma's presence in his life had been explosive and welcome, and he didn't think he could go back to how things used to be. She brightened his life in every way possible, just like she used to. Besides, he knew his father would never forgive him if he uprooted her life when she was just getting comfortable.

I could never forgive myself, Remus thought. The very idea of Emma going somewhere else left a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew that he could never let her leave, but the idea of Greyback coming after her terrified him. He looked up at himself in his mirror and frowned at his appearance. He really did look terrible.

With an exhausted breath, Remus kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it on the floor. He climbed into the middle of his mattress and splayed out. He didn't have the energy to bother getting changed. With the waning moonlight shining into his bedroom and whirling thoughts of Greyback on his mind, Remus fell into a fitful sleep.

When Emma woke the following day, she was surprised to see Remus up and making breakfast. She had already forgotten that he had come home early.

"Good morning, love," Remus said, glancing at her as he scrambled the eggs in the frying pan.

Emma sat down at the table and stretched. "Good morning," she said. Emma looked curiously at the newspaper on the table and picked it up. She had seen Remus reading a copy of the Daily Prophet a few times, and she still found it fascinating. The format was so similar to a standard newspaper but incredibly different at the same time. It was a magical newspaper, after all. Remus mostly liked to do the crossword puzzle, but Emma liked to read the paper while he tried to convince her to partake in the crossword. "You got the Prophet today?"

"Thought you might like to read it – catch up on everything you've missed since last week's copy," Remus said with a slight shrug. He turned the burners off and divided the eggs onto the plates he had sitting out on the counter. "What would you like to drink this morning? Tea? Pumpkin juice?"

"Pumpkin juice!" Emma said excitedly. She had never had pumpkin juice until she'd started living with Remus, and she found she enjoyed it more than apple juice.

"Pumpkin juice it is," Remus said with a grin as he placed Emma's plate down in front of her. "How was your time with Mrs. Figg?"

"Fascinating," Emma answered, poking a bit of egg onto her fork and contemplating it. "I didn't know that there was a name for people who had magical parents but couldn't do magic. That's rather sad."

"Yes, they're called Squibs. They're very rare, and it is rather unfortunate," Remus said, dropping off Emma's glass of pumpkin juice. He returned to the counter to fix himself a cup of tea. "What did you think of their cats. Rather impressive little creatures, no?"

Emma's face lit up at the mention of the cats. "I loved them," she said. "I think I want one."

Remus laughed as he made his way to the table, plate and cup of tea in hand. Emma certainly knew how to make him feel young again with her infectious youthful excitement. "They're certainly remarkable. Very smart and very loyal."

"And cute!" Emma added.

"Yes, and certainly adorable," Remus agreed, smiling at Emma over his mug.

"How was your trip?" Emma asked, scooping scrambled egg into her mouth.

"Exhausting," Remus said, hoping he looked better than last night. He certainly felt more awake after taking a long, hot shower.

"You looked it last night," Emma said, taking a drink of pumpkin juice. A small frown crossed her face as she looked up from the front page of the Daily Prophet she was scanning. "Do you have to work today?"

"I do," Remus said sadly. "I wish that I didn't. I missed you dearly."

Emma nodded in thought and then gave Remus a cheeky grin. "I think I miss Mrs. Figg and her cats."

"You are a cheeky little thing," Remus laughed. "Tell me everything you and Mrs. Figg did while I was away."

Once Remus returned home, it felt like time was moving quicker and quicker. Emma and Remus didn't have much time left together before she had to leave, and he had every intention of making sure their time together was well spent.

Each night when he came from work, he would make them dinner and teach her basic spells. By the time August reached its final night, Remus had succeeded in teaching Emma Lumos, Nox, and Wingardium Leviosa. She struggled with the summoning spell, Accio, but her progress was promising. He had worried that her powers would be stunted, but she was just as powerful as he had hoped.

"Professor Flitwick will give you extra points for having those spells mastered," Remus told her at dinner, a proud twinkle in his eye. "Are you sure that you don't think you'd be a good Ravenclaw?"

"I'm sure," Emma laughed. "I've decided that I want it to be either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, but I'm still not sure which I would like to be."

Remus smiled, knowing that Emma had been worried over which house she would be sorted in. He knew wherever she wound up, she would make friends. Remus had long since determined her biggest fear was over making friends.

"Have you stopped having your nightmares?" Remus asked curiously.

Emma looked up at Remus and quickly looked away, shaking her head. She moved her fork on the plate slowly, pushing the peas on her plate around as if they were in a dance.

Remus sighed and put his fork down. He clasped his hands in front of him, studying Emma, who avoided his gaze.

"Do I need to send you with some Calming Draughts?" Remus asked. He had to give her one the previous week as she was nearly close to having a panic attack over which house she would be sorted into. Chocolate didn't help in that situation.

"No, I don't think so," she said quietly.

"I can send an owl ahead and let Madame Pomfrey know that you might need something when you arrive. It's not a problem at all."

Emma frowned and gave Remus a reproachful look before her expression softened. "What house was my mum in at Hogwarts?"

Remus regarded Emma for a moment and then smiled. "She was in Hufflepuff. She was a year behind me."

"So, you were a Gryffindor, and my mum was in Hufflepuff," Emma said, nodding slowly as she thought about it. "What about my dad?"

"Well," Remus sat back in his chair. "I didn't know him too well, or at all, really. I believe he was in Ravenclaw. We didn't talk much."

Remus paled slightly, knowing that this conversation was going to come up. Emma could be curious when the mood struck, and he could not think of a suitable answer to the question in his musings. He wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question appropriately, but he had to try.

"Your mother and I stopped getting along when we were very young," Remus answered carefully. "Because I was very ill, I spent a lot of time with our parents. I believe your mother felt that she was cast off to the side because of me."

"You were very sick?" Emma asked, eyes full of child-like curiosity.

"Yes, very much so. I spent a lot of time going back and forth between school and home due to my illness." It wasn't exactly a lie, Remus decided. He was back and forth once a month, twice on the unluckier months. He just wasn't going home like he'd told everyone for years.

Emma stared at Remus for a moment before deciding to return to eating. Remus decided that he should as well.

"I don't think that she would have felt that way," Emma said, taking a thoughtful spoonful of her soup. "I feel like she would've been sad that she couldn't help you from being sick."

"Oh? And why do you say that?"

"I just have a feeling," Emma said with a shrug. "I don't know why I feel that way, but I do."

Remus considered Emma's words for a moment, wondering if there was possibly a hint of truth to her words. He wasn't sure he could believe it, but Emma was perceptive. "Perhaps you're right," he said quietly.

Silence fell between the two as they finished their dinner. Emma was incredibly nervous about the next day, and honestly, Remus wasn't that much better. Was this what it was like when his parents the night before they dropped him off at King's Cross? Remus gladly presented a rich chocolate cake with fudge icing when dinner was finished to lighten the mood. While Remus wasn't fond of chocolate, he knew Emma was. He found the recipe in a Muggle magazine and felt Emma might enjoy it. The smile on her face told him he was correct.

When everything was finished and cleaned up, the clock was approaching ten o'clock in the evening. Emma found herself yawning more and more as the night went on, stretching her arms high over her head to try and stay awake.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Remus asked her quietly. They had spent a portion of the day packing her things, and he listened patiently to Emma's nervous chatter. She nodded sleepily, her eyes slowly closing and her head drooping.

"I know that you're tired, but there's something important that we need to discuss before tomorrow," Remus said, sitting up in his chair and trying not to crack a smile at Emma's dazed look.

"What do we need to talk about?" she asked through her yawn.

"Well, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall sent me an owl this morning asking what your name will be when you get to school."

Emma gave Remus a look of confusion, not understanding what he was asking her. "My name is…is Emma. Why would I have a different name?"

"No, my dear – your last name," Remus said, slightly nervous.

Remus's words seemed to pull Emma out of her exhausted stupor, and she sat up straighter. "Oh," she said quietly.

"They weren't sure if you would like to be Emelyn Nickels or…or if you would like to be Emelyn Lupin."

"Oh," Emma repeated, looking unsure. "I've never thought of it before. I-I could be a Lupin?"

"Of course, you could be," Remus said softly. "You are a Lupin, after all. But you're also a Nickels. I don't want to force you into feeling like you have to change your name. It's been a part of your identity for as long as you remember."

"It has been," Emma said quietly, her brow furrowing. "I don't know."

Remus gave Emma a kind smile. "You don't have to decide right away. How about this – start your time off at Hogwarts as a Nickels and make your decision when you feel ready. There's no rush." Remus stood up from the table with a sigh. "Now, I believe it's time for you to head off to bed, Little One. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day."

Emma lifted herself up off of her chair with a yawn. She slowly made her way over to her room and turned to look at Remus with another frown. "I have a question," she said, fidgeting slightly.

"What is it, love?"

"I-I think I might have remembered something, but I don't know if I imagined it or not," Emma said. "I think it was something to do with you."

Remus was intrigued by the potential of Emma remembering something. She'd had no recollection of her time before she'd disappeared that he knew of. It reminded him of the photo sitting in his dresser that he hadn't shown her. "What do you think you remember, dear? Maybe I could help."

Emma walked back to her abandoned seat and sat down, worrying her lip. "Moo Moo," she said suddenly.

"Pardon?"

"I used to call you Moo Moo, didn't I?"

"Y-you did," Remus said, leaning on the table. "You remember that?"

"A little," Emma said quietly, her forehead wrinkling with concentration. "I remember a man with long dark hair, and I think he was telling me to call you a different name. I kept calling you Moo Moo instead."

Remus frowned slightly, a part of him bitter that she seemed to remember Sirius but not him. "That's correct," he said. "You really remember that?"

"Like I said, I remember a little. I don't remember much else. I don't remember you," Emma admitted, sounding almost guilty. "I just know that he was trying to get me to say your name. What was I meant to be calling you?"

"Moony. You were trying to call me Moony," Remus said, his old nickname feeling unfamiliar on his tongue. He had even stopped referring to his wolfish side by that name.

"Moony? Why would I call you that?"

"It's an old nickname I had from school. The man that you remember didn't think you could handle saying my name," Remus said, remembering the memory fondly. "You never were able to grasp saying Remus, though you did phenomenal with everyone else's name. In fact, I believe you got his nickname before everyone else's. It wasn't your first word, though."

"He had a nickname as well?"

"Yes, it was Padfoot."

"I remember Padfoot," Emma said, a light appearing behind her eyes. "You two had strange nicknames."

"If only you knew, love," Remus chuckled. "You had trouble with Prongs. Wormtail was a lot easier for you. Can I show you something?"

Emma nodded, and Remus made his way to his room. When he returned moments later, he sat in the seat diagonal to Emma, carrying a small photo album and the photo from Lyall's. He set the frame down, face-down, flipped through the pages, and paused as he came across the picture he was looking for.

Remus was much younger, surrounded by his old friends – Sirius, with his perfect hair, and James with his perpetually messy locks. They stood on either side of Remus, clasping his shoulders. In front of Remus was a small and round-looking man with mousy-colored hair. They all seemed to be laughing at something. Remus couldn't remember what, though.

"They were your friends?" Emma asked.

"They were."

"But they aren't now?"

"No."

"I'm sorry," Emma said quietly. "Were they mums as well?"

"Sometimes. She would leave you with your grandfather, and we would come to play with you. Speaking of which, I have a photo for you." Remus pulled the frame close and handed it to Emma.

"Is this –?"

"You were just born," Remus said, smiling at Emma as she looked at the photo. "Your grandfather came barging into the room and insisted that he needed a photo right away. That's your mum and me. I'm holding you, obviously. You were so small."

Emma's eyes flicked over to the photo album, looking at the faces of the laughing men. "You all used to watch me?"

"Yes, at your grandfather's. None of us had any real experience with children when we were older. You were excellent practice."

"I was a practice baby?"

Remus laughed, and he looked like his younger self for a moment. "Trust me, Prongs –" Remus frowned slightly, correcting himself. "– James needed all the help he could get before he had his son."

"You all had such odd nicknames," Emma said, yawning again.

"Get some rest," Remus smiled. "The morning will come sooner than you think."

Emma started to hand the frame back to Remus, but he pushed it back.

"Keep it. It's yours," he said, earning a rare smile from the girl.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Good night, Moo Moo."

"Good night, Little One."

a/n: I am amused at myself and the fact that all of this is written, but I still suck at posting. SORRY.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

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