After seemingly endless nightmares, Emma finally had sweet dreams for the first time in months. Visions of magic, finally learning the things from her books, and so much more danced in her head. She was excited, even in her sleep.

"Emma, it's time to get up."

Emma slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to bring the room into focus. A sleepy smile started to creep across her face as she met Remus's gaze. He stood leaning against her door frame, hands in his pockets.

"It's today," Emma suddenly squealed. She leaped out of bed and ran over to Remus, jumping up to throw her arms around his neck. "Today's the day!"

Remus was momentarily taken aback by Emma's immediate excitement but smiled and returned her hug, bending down to make it easier. "Yes, yes, it is," he laughed. "Now, get dressed as we'll need to leave right after breakfast." He let Emma go and placed his hands on her shoulders to inspect her. She looked incredibly well-rested and beyond excited for her new journey.

Emma let out a happy squeal and started to push Remus out of the room. "Get out, get out! I need to get dressed!" she giggled. "It's Hogwarts day!" Remus laughed as he allowed Emma to use all of her body weight to try and shove him out the door. He was surprised at how much strength such a tiny body could have.

"Okay, okay," Remus said, smiling at Emma's infectious energy. He found himself laughing even more as Emma slammed the door behind him. She began immediately singing about how excited she was to be heading to Hogwarts.

As terrified as he was about having Emma in the house, he knew that he would miss her while she was away at school. They still had a lot to learn about each other and even more to figure out, but things were heading in the right direction. She was spirited and curious and an absolute joy to be around.

After Emma got dressed, breakfast was an incredibly rushed affair. Remus had to repeatedly tell Emma to slow down, but she couldn't seem to eat fast enough. She was impatient and watched with wide eyes as Remus ate at a very reasonable pace. When she decided he was done, she shot up from her seat and grabbed his hand, pulling him up.

"Come on!" she said with a whine. "We need to go! We're never going to make it to King's Cross on time! I'm not going to be able to go to Hogwarts!"

"Merlin, Emma," Remus laughed, his eyes twinkling. He had never seen Emma at her level of excitement before, and it warmed his heart to see her so happy.

Their month together had been worrisome, but Remus was confident that things could only get better from that point on. The shy and quiet girl had opened up in the past week, and he found, with an ache in his heart, that he was going to miss her. He already found himself counting down to the Christmas holiday. But would she want to come home for her first Christmas? Remus tried not to think about it, but a part of him grew a little worried about the idea.

A selfish part of him almost wanted to try and figure out how to keep her home instead. He didn't mind the idea of being the one to teach her everything. In fact, he had loved trying to teach her basic spells to get her ahead. She was brilliant and figured things out quickly. Remus knew that she would always be a phenomenal witch, but to get to witness it? He felt incredibly blessed that he got to be a part of it.

Remus had given up on the possibility of seeing Emma again years prior. She had disappeared, and it was almost as though she never existed. Every search came up with nothing, no one knew where to look, and the missing person posters slowly vanished. Emma didn't exist in the magical or Muggle world, and Remus had given up all hope. Every dream he had died on Halloween in 1981. His life had never been the same.

When Dumbledore visited him, he swore that the old man had been lying. After all, the old Headmaster was one of the people meant to help find Emma. If Dumbledore couldn't find her, then no one could. Remus couldn't understand what happened or how they had all been entirely oblivious to Emma's location.

She had been right under their noses the entire time.

Remus couldn't allow himself to think about it when the very subject of his thoughts was staring at him with wide-eyed excitement. He had such few precious minutes left with Emma before she started another new chapter of her life. Remus needed to be present for them.

"We'll make it in time, love," he said, pulling Emma towards the living room.

"But how?" she asked him, exasperated.

"First, before I show you, you have everything packed?" Remus asked, looking pointedly at Emma's trunk. They had decided to leave Aurora's cage in Emma's room so that the owl could make the flight to Hogwarts. Aurora did not like to be caged up and preferred to fly, and though it made Emma nervous, she agreed it would be better. The trip to Hogwarts was a long one, and the idea of being stuck in a cage didn't seem right to Emma.

"It's not as though I had much to pack," Emma said quietly.

As much as Remus didn't want to admit it, the extra money that his father had placed in his account had been helpful. Remus didn't particularly want his father's help, but Emma came home with next to nothing. She had several books that had just been placed in her trunk, two sets of pajamas, and four complete outfits. Everything was incredibly well-worn, and though she tried to hide it, she was embarrassed by it. He never expected a child to have even less than he did.

That was one of the more challenging things about taking care of Emma – there wasn't enough time to get her more essentials. Though her entire wardrobe had been updated, he still felt it wasn't enough. Emma deserved to be spoiled for all the time lost, but she was nervous and unsure of the entire situation.

Their first trip to pick out entirely new clothes for her had nearly ended in a panic attack because she was so overwhelmed. Emma had never been given a choice to pick out her own things, instead left to the mercy of whatever they gave her at the children's home. The idea of being able to make her own decisions had been nearly crippling for her. Rather than making one single trip, Remus decided to split the task into multiple trips. If they had to go out for groceries, he always made sure that they picked up new clothes for her. Building up her confidence in making choices was a struggle, but he wouldn't give up on her, despite the challenge.

After their near-disastrous first trip out, Remus quickly realized just how shy and nervous Emma was. If it weren't for the fact that he needed to keep the job he had, he would have just quit right away to spend time with her. There was a strong possibility he could stretch things to the end of the month, but he had an extra mouth to feed, and he was stubborn. While he accepted the money from his father, he refused to accept the funds pulled from Emma's parent's Gringotts account. That money went right back for Emma to use herself later on. He felt that he was stealing from her, and he needed to figure out how to take care of her. The only way he rationalized still working was it gave Emma time to get used to being at the cottage. He didn't want her to feel as though she needed to stay in her room all the time. The cottage was her home as well, after all.

"When you come back for Christmas, I'll make sure that we get some more shopping done for you," Remus said, turning to the jar he had sitting on the mantel and picking it up. "And if there's anything I come across that you might need, I'll make sure to pick it up. I'm not going to forget about you while you're away, you know."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, immediately turning bright red. "That was incredibly ungrateful of me to say…."

"Don't apologize," Remus said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "You said nothing wrong."

That was another thing that he found curious about Emma. The anxiety he understood, but she was always worried about saying the wrong things. She wasn't entirely unlike himself when he was her age, far more confident in the company of books. Remus had to tell himself that she would be fine at Hogwarts. He made friends quickly, and so would she.

Emma looked up at Remus and gave a small but uncertain nod. "Okay," she said, looking at the jar in his hand. "What's that?"

Remus plastered a smile on his face and opened the jar. "This is how we'll be getting to King's Cross," he said.

"With powder?" Emma asked in confusion as she looked in the jar. She gave Remus a skeptical look. Emma had started getting used to how strange magic was, but the idea of powder bringing them anywhere was a stretch for her mind.

"This is Floo powder," Remus explained with a laugh. "I'll admit that I don't normally have this, but I thought it would be best. You don't want to try Side-Along Apparition, so that leaves this as our only option since we had a late start."

Emma peered into the jar again, not understanding. "How is a powder supposed to get us where we need to go on time?"

"Hold your hand out," Remus said, glancing at the clock. "Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to explain how exactly it works. All you need to do is step into the fireplace, say where you're going, and then drop the powder. It'll bring you immediately to where you need to be." Remus took a small handful and placed it into Emma's outstretched hand.

"Pardon?" she asked, looking at him, horrified.

It probably wasn't the best time to have explained how they were traveling, but Remus couldn't dwell on that. If they wanted any longer, she really would be close to being too late.

"Just step into the fireplace and say, 'Diagon Alley.' It'll take you to the Leaky Cauldron, and we'll make the walk from there. You'll want to keep your elbows in so that you don't hit another fireplace. Most importantly, don't panic."

Emma gave Remus an even more horrified look, and he groaned. He should go with her, but the addition of her trunk would make things a little too tight. He barely fit into the fireplace with his height; the two of them plus Emma's trunk was a recipe for disaster.

"I promise it'll be all right," Remus said, gently pushing Emma over the hearth and into the fireplace. "I know it's strange, but we don't have much time. I'll take your trunk with me so you can focus. Remember, just say, 'Diagon Alley.' Very clearly."

"You can't be serious," Emma said, absolutely appalled. "There is no way that this is going to work."

"Trust me, it will work," Remus reassured. "Remember – Diagon Alley. Think about it as you say it. Er, perhaps keep your eyes closed as well. You'll wind up in the Leaky Cauldron, I promise."

Emma let out a groan and looked at the powder in her hand. She gave Remus an uncertain look and took a steadying breath. Remus had already told her about all of the strange things she would be doing at Hogwarts. This wasn't the weirdest thing in the world, she decided. With one more skeptical look, Emma dropped the powder, and as clearly as she could, she spoke the words, "Diagon Alley."

Emma felt herself spinning away as green flames erupted around her body in a rush of air. She grew dizzy as she tried to think about winding up in Diagon Alley. Emma kept having to force open her eyes as rooms whipped by her vision. She barely had any time to register the things that she was seeing. It wasn't until she had passed by several rooms that she realized she was moving by other fireplaces. The next thing Emma knew, she stumbled out of the flames and fell hands first out onto cold stone.

"You all right, there?" a female voice asked from in front of her.

Emma looked up to see who was speaking and was surprised to find a girl that looked to be her age staring at her. The raven-haired girl stared at Emma with a look of amusement and disgust.

"I'm fine," Emma said quickly, pulling herself off the floor. She gave a quiet hum as she looked around, pleasantly surprised to find herself in the Leaky Cauldron. Remus had told her the truth, after all.

"Are you off to Hogwarts?" the girl asked Emma, an eyebrow quirked.

"I am," Emma said, dusting off her clothes. "Are you?"

The girl nodded, giving Emma a once-over. "It'll be my first year. My name's Persephone. Who are you?"

Emma stared at the girl in front of her, mildly reminded of Hermione with her bluntness. She stretched her hand out towards the girl. "My name's Emma. First year."

Persephone regarded Emma's hand for a moment before shaking it. She let go immediately when her name was yelled out and looked in the direction of where her name was called. "Maybe I'll see you on the train," Persephone said, turning to Emma for a moment before running off.

Unsure of what to do, Emma sat at one of the tables near the fireplace to wait for Remus to come through. Several others had come out of the fireplace, but Remus hadn't yet, and she was starting to get worried.

She felt strange sitting in the Leaky Cauldron by herself. She watched as wizarding families came down the inn's stairs with trunks and owls and cats and even a few toads. All of the families she saw were loud and excited, smiling brightly as they talked. Was this how all families were? Although Emma had Remus now, she couldn't help but be a little jealous. The families surrounding her had always grown up together.

After a few minutes, Remus finally came through, holding tightly to Emma's trunk.

"I see you made it okay," Remus said, stepping over to where she sat. He pulled his wand out to clear off the soot on his clothes and did the same for Emma. Remus gave her a cursory look before letting go of her trunk with an apologetic look. "You've got a bit of soot on your face. Do you mind if I get it off?"

"Oh," Emma said, blushing. "No, not at all."

Remus gave her a small smile and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to brush the soot off Emma's face. "There," he said, gently taking her hands to make sure they were clean. "Good as new. What did you think of traveling by Floo?"

"I didn't particularly enjoy it," Emma said, moving to take her trunk, but Remus grabbed hold of it before she could. She sighed and relented, knowing he wasn't about to let her carry it.

"I don't really either," he admitted, "but it was the fastest way for us to go. I have a feeling that you'll like Apparition even less."

"Apparition is worse?"

Remus laughed and gestured for Emma to head towards the door. "I'll be sure to write and tell you all about it when you're at school. Now, let's get to the station."

Emma nodded and followed Remus out of the Leaky Cauldron. She couldn't stop smiling as they passed familiar shops and buildings. Had it really been a month since the last time she was here? It felt as though she had never left, but her knowledge of the magical world was still new. Perhaps it wasn't though, she mused. This was how her life was for her first two years in the world. What would it have been like if she had always lived like this?

She stared into the tall windows of the shops they passed by, remembering vividly walking past them with Professor McGonagall. She had no idea where they were going and was surprised when they wound up in the Leaky Cauldron. Emma had no idea that it was even there; it was so well-hidden. She remembered walking this exact path with Remus for the first time to head to King's Cross to head home, and it still seemed unreal.

After twenty minutes of walking, they found themselves in King's Cross. Emma had taken out her train ticket several times to look at it and promptly placed it back in her pocket. Platform 9 was their destination, and she had it committed to memory. She didn't want to get on the wrong train.

It wasn't until Remus loaded her trunk onto a trolley that Emma thought to ask how he carried it with no issue. He gave her a conspiratorial grin and whispered, "Magic is very helpful. However, best to blend in while we're here." Emma snorted in amusement and followed him eagerly as they walked through the station.

Emma stared at the platform signs as they walked, growing excited. Platform 7, platform 8, platform 9, platform 10… Emma looked at Remus in confusion as they paused near platform 9. There was no platform 9 , and she pulled her ticket out of her pocket to read it. There had to be a mistake – the platform didn't exist.

"I believe my ticket is wrong," Emma said, reading and re-reading the ticket several times.

"No, the ticket isn't wrong. It's just past there," Remus said, gesturing to the wall they were standing across from.

"Where?" Emma asked, staring at the wall and looking over at Remus as if he had completely lost it. The man had clearly lost his mind somewhere between the Leaky Cauldron and the train station.

Remus began to laugh and shook his head. "It's just past the wall. You have to walk through it."

"What do you mean you have to walk through the wall?" The idea of walking through a wall suddenly seemed stranger than traveling through a fireplace. "That's a brick wall!"

"Are you telling me that you're afraid of a wall?" Remus asked, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

"No, I'm not afraid of a wall. I'm afraid of running into the wall," Emma said, staring at the wall with a frown. "It looks solid. How are we meant to go through it?"

Remus looked down at the trolley he was holding and looked over at Emma with a grin. "Here's what we'll do – we'll send the trolley through by itself. If it goes through, then you know it's safe. If it doesn't, then you know not to try. Deal?"

Emma looked down at the trolley, looked over at the wall, and then looked up at Remus. "And what happens if it doesn't go through? It's just going to crash right into the wall!"

"I promise that it'll go through all right," Remus said, holding his hand out for her to shake. "Do we have a deal?"

Emma looked back at the wall with a scowl and then took Remus's hand. "Deal."

Remus smiled and took hold of the trolley, moving it closer to the wall while watching the people walking by. The current travelers of King's Cross were far too busy with their own lives to witness what was about to happen. It helped that several powerful charms were placed around the platform entrance to keep Muggles from noticing that people disappeared behind walls.

He paused several feet away from the wall and turned to look at Emma, who looked concerned. She was watching intently, not wanting to miss anything that was happening. He turned back to the wall, waited for a clearing, and then pushed the trolley. As a crowd of people walked past, the cart completely disappeared past the brick wall.

Emma stood stunned as she watched the trolley vanish. One moment it was there, and the next, it went through the wall as if nothing was blocking the way. Her jaw dropped, and she met Remus's gaze as he turned back to her with an amused expression.

Remus beckoned Emma to join him where he stood, making sure that he once again drilled the moment into his memories. He could see the wonder in her eyes, and he could clearly remember the first time his parents took him to the Hogwarts Express. Emma had to look exactly as he did back then, nervous and excited over the possibilities and terrified of going through the wall.

"Come on," he said gently, holding out his hand for her to take. "We'll go through together."

Though Emma didn't look entirely convinced she wouldn't smack into the wall, she gave a resolute nod and took his hand.

"You're sure that you didn't just use magic to make my things disappear?" she asked, staring hard at the wall as if her things would suddenly reappear.

"I promise," Remus laughed. "We'll walk through on three. One…" They took a few steps closer to the wall.

"Two…" They were now just in front of the wall.

"Three." Remus tugged Emma several steps forward, and he smiled at the awed gasp that escaped her lips. It was precisely what he had done the first time he was greeted with the bright red steam engine.

"Welcome to Platform 9 ," Remus whispered to Emma, watching as her eyes lit up at the sight. He pulled Emma over to where the trolley had wound up and grabbed hold of it with his free hand. Emma didn't seem to want to let go.

"It's real," Emma breathed out, half awed, half nervous. "This is all real…."

Remus frowned as Emma's face fell slightly, looking almost as if she was afraid to believe things were real. She looked around the platform, taking in the rest of the families surrounding them, before turning to look at the train.

"What is it, love?" Remus asked, bringing them over to a quieter section of the platform.

"I'm scared," Emma said quietly, squeezing his hand for emphasis.

Remus knelt down in front of Emma and took her hands in his. "I was scared, too," he said. "Petrified, really. I know that a lot has changed for you in a very short amount of time, but you have handled it tremendously."

"You're not scary, though," Emma said, meeting Remus's gaze.

If Remus thought he would miss Emma before, he would miss her even more after she made that statement. If she knew what he was, her opinion would change, but for the moment, he could pretend he wasn't a monster.

"Well, the good news is that there are a lot of other nervous first years starting their journey along with you. You're not going to be alone," Remus said. "You'll all be going through the same things together. It's an exciting time, love."

Emma sighed and nodded. "It's still scary."

"It's okay to be scared," Remus smiled. "Give it a week, and I guarantee you'll forget all about me."

"I doubt it," Emma said, looking around again. "I-I liked being home with you."

"And I liked you being home with me, but you're going to learn so much at Hogwarts. You are going to make the best friends you'll ever have. I promise that you're going to love it." A nervous smile crossed Emma's face, but she nodded, meeting his gaze. That smile faded as the train gave its first warning horn, and her anxious look returned. "Do you want me to help you get your trunk on the train?"

"I, uhm…no, I think I can do it," Emma said shakily. "It's not like I can bring you with me to help."

Remus sighed and stood up, pulling Emma into a tight hug. "You'll be all right," he said, not quite sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. "Write to me – every day if you want to. I'm afraid that I'll find myself lonely without you around. I've grown rather fond of seeing you every day."

When Remus finally let go of Emma, she looked a little surer but slightly embarrassed as she looked at him.

"I, uhm…I think I've grown rather fond of seeing you, too," she said nervously.

All Remus could do was smile at her in response. He gently urged Emma in the direction of the train and helped her get her trunk onto the train. Emma turned back once on board as if she wanted to say something but changed her mind. Instead, she gave him a slightly watery smile and took a deep breath, and went on her way. Her journey was only beginning.