Alrighty, so this next post has a flash back in it... It's pretty long. Well they've all been pretty long, but this one may be longer. I didn't want to split up the flashback... I hope you enjoy...

Hearing the rasping on the door, a little girl with red, curly hair and pale skin jerked awake from her reverie. Looking from the window to her bedroom door, she heard a fist pounding again. Her snowy owl hooted his annoyance from his cage.

“Are you almost ready? It’s seven,” a voice came from the other side of the door.

“Nearly. I was just reading a book. Sorry. You know, you can come in, Rems.” Emily laughed to herself, though not quite sure why. She could tell Remus was not happy with her decision to still go. She looked up from the carpet, when she heard the door creak open, and smiled.

“I’ve been knocking for ages, why haven’t you answered?” Remus sounded irritated.

“Sorry, I was staring off into space, just deep in thought. Why are you in a grumpy mood?”

“I’m in a ‘grumpy’,” putting air quotes around the word, “mood because you shouldn’t be going. You need a good night’s sleep, Ems. You don’t want to fall asleep during the Sorting, do you?” Remus’s stare was more like a glare. You could definitely tell it was his time of the month.

“I’ve already told you. I’m not going to miss our last night home together. Why is this time so different from the others, Rem? Besides, I can sleep on the train.” They had this argument so much over the past few days; it was like tradition. Remus couldn’t help but think how grown up she sounded. She was fourteen, not seventeen. How did she mature so much over the years?

“This time is different because you can’t just sleep in, in the morning. You most likely won’t sleep on the train because you’ll want to catch up with everyone. Ems, don’t be stubborn. Just stay home this once.” His voice was trying to sound like he was getting the final word, but Emily wasn’t having it.

“Alright, Mr. Puss In Boots, you are going to have my company whether you want it or not. I will meet you there in an hour or so. Bye, Remus.” Emily turned away from her godfather. He was starting to make her mad. He just didn’t understand.

“I never said I didn’t want you out there, just that you shouldn’t be.” Remus walked over to where she sat, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Ems, I guess there’s no more point in arguing with you. I’ll go take my potion and meet you there in an hour.” Remus made to turn around but Emily grabbed his hand. Standing up, she gave him a hug.

Emily held him tightly. He was her best friend, her godfather, her everything. “I’ll meet you under the moon,” she breathed into his chest, playing with the half-ring on her left forefinger.

“Meet you under the moon,” said Remus, patting her on the back and then he turned, walking back to the hallway.

Remus went down the stairs, flipping lights as he went, and walked into the kitchen. He took one of the vials from beside the cauldron and took a swig. A chill went down his spine and he shivered. He looked through the kitchen window at the sun. It was pink with orange surrounding it. Letting out a great sigh, he walked out the back door and towards the forest.

Upstairs, Emily was folding her robes and placing them in her trunk. After she put in her last pair of socks, she started piling in her books, making sure everything was organized. She grabbed Hogwarts, A History from her desk, making sure she left her bookmark on the right page from where she left off. Deciding it was too quiet, she skipped over to her radio and pushed the power button. It was still on the CD she was listening to yesterday. Hearing a rock song, she started banging her head along with the beat. She went back to her trunk, placing her new quills and parchment on top. Looking around her room to make sure she didn’t forget anything, she spotted a picture frame. Sighing, she walked over and grabbed it from her shelf. She smiled as she looked down at a picture of herself and Remus. She was seven and they were carving pumpkins. She remembered that night exactly...


Looking out her window, a little girl saw the flurry of kids, in their costumes, tracking down candy. It was Halloween and the redhead was getting ready to carve pumpkins. Downstairs, a straggly looking man was clearing off the table and preparing for the festivities. He was thinking about five years previous on this same night. A tall, thin wizard and a short, stern witch had brought a baby girl to his doorstep. That same girl was upstairs sitting on her window bed, wondering why her overprotective godfather wouldn’t let her go house to house like the normal kids and gather candy.

Sighing, the middle aged man stood up, wondering if he could possibly bear to tell her the truth.

“Emily, it’s time to carve the pumpkins! You’d better hurry up before I do it all.”

Running down the stairs, laughing, the little girl cried, “Don’t you dare, Rem, you know I’ve been waiting for this all month!”

“Don’t worry, I saved a little for you,” chuckled Remus.

“You had better have saved it all for me.”

“Well, aren’t we a bit greedy this Halloween,” he joked.

Emily and Remus sat at the end of the table in front of the huge pumpkin they had picked out the previous night.

“What do I need to do first?”

Picking up the knife, Remus took hold of Emily’s hand, placing it on the knife with his hand on top of hers. “First, we are going to cut a hole on top so we can get the seeds out.”

“Why can’t I do it by myself? I’m a big girl,” Emily complained.

“You’re seven and the knife is dangerous,” stated Remus bluntly.

Emily blew out a huge gust of air, sighing. She leaned up on her godfather’s lap, putting the knife where she wanted to start the hole. They started carving, laughing the entire time.

An hour or so later, Remus was putting the top back on their jack-o-lantern. “It looks a bit scary, especially with the candle in it,” stated Emily, grabbing her godfather’s hand. With a tap of his wand, the pumpkin zoomed to the front window where the outsiders could see it. Remus towed Emily back to the couch in the living room.

“Emily, there is nothing to be afraid of. I want you to listen to me; I’m about to tell you a story.” Emily nodded for him to continue. “Once upon a time there was a boy. He was an orphan. His name was Tom, and he was brought up in an orphanage. At a young age, actually, about your age now, he started to realize that he was different. He could make things happen. You, of course, would realize right off the bat that it was magic. But he did not. Being raised under a magical household and knowing magic since you were born is very different from being raised by muggles and knowing nothing about magic. One day he was visited by a professor from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Remus paused, hearing Emily’s sudden intake of breath. “Yes, I know, you want to go there. Now if I may get back to the story,” he chuckled. “After finding out who he really was and accepting the offer from the professor, he awaited for this school to be starting. He packed everything he owned, shopped for his school supplies, and excitably went to King’s Cross Station on September first. He spent his entire first year at Hogwarts trying to figure out who his parent’s were, which one was magical, and basically just anything about his ancestry he could.”

“What house was he sorted into, Rem?” Emily interrupted.

Remus looked down into Emily’s hazel eyes, “Slytherin.” Emily nodded and Remus continued the story. “What Tom found out was that his father was not magical at all, therefore leaving his mother to be the one who was a witch. He poured himself into the books once again, spending every waking minute in the library. At school, Tom had formed a group of friends, who were later known as the Death Eaters. He left school as one of the favorites among teachers, everyone looking up to him. He decided to drop his muggle father’s name and be known as Lord Voldemort.”

Remus couldn’t bear to look in Emily’s eyes any longer, and therefore looked off in the distance as he continued, “Voldemort became the darkest, most evil wizard in the world. He killed and tortured whomever. He had followers whom did the same. One day, one of his followers overheard a prophecy. A prophecy that proclaimed that a boy would be Voldemort’s downfall. Of course, the Death Eater told his master, and Voldemort took action immediately. The baby boy’s name was Harry James Potter. Harry’s parents were prepared. They went into hiding, used a Fidelius charm, only telling one person where they were. The person they told betrayed them; Voldemort went to their house and killed the parents first. He tried to kill Harry, but in doing so, somehow made himself disappear. The spell backfired and no one ever saw Voldemort again.”

Remus was silent for a few minutes. He looked away from Emily’s searching eyes as he let a tear escape. “Rem, what happened to Harry?”

“Harry was taken to his Aunt and Uncle’s house. Emily, there is a reason I wanted to tell you this story. There is nothing in this world you should be afraid of. People today are still scared to say his name. I don’t want you to be. Nothing can ever hurt you in this world unless you let it. I’m not talking about physical pain, Emily, because, yes, you can be in pain. What I’m talking about is your heart. As long as you have love, you can accomplish anything, take on anything, and be anything. You are brave, intelligent, and courageous, Ems. Never live in fear, because it will eat away at you and damage you. Always, always, always step forward with dignity and take on whatever challenge may come with bravery. Emily, do you understand what I am saying?”

“Yes, I think so. You’re saying that even though there are evil people and dark things out there, I should never be afraid. I should keep my head held high and fight for what I believe in.”

Remus looked at this little girl in his lap, wondering how on earth she could only be seven years old. She seemed so much more grown up, insightful even. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he nodded. Emily glanced over at the once scary pumpkin and giggled. Looking down, Remus wondered, “I just told you a story of the darkest man in the wizarding world, and you’re laughing?” He gave his goddaughter a quizzical look.

“It’s just that I thought that pumpkin was scary, but after hearing that story, it looks really pathetic.” Emily giggled again. Looking over at the windowsill, Remus joined in on the laughter.

After calming down a bit, Remus started to frown. This expression didn’t go unnoticed by Emily. “Do I have to go over to the Morgan’s tonight?”

“I’m afraid so, Ems. I have some work that has to be done tonight. You can’t stay at the cottage alone. Come on, Em, smile. Is your bag packed?”

“If it wasn’t, can we stay?”

“Haha, no we cannot.”

“Then yes, they’re packed,” pouted Emily.

“Good. Now go and get them and I’ll walk you to the Morgan’s.”

Emily hopped down and ran up the stairs to grab her bag. While up there, she hopped on the bed and laced up her pink tennis shoes.

“Hurry up, Ems, we’ll be late!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she ran back down the stairs.

“Alright, let’s go.” Remus took Emily’s hand and started out the door. He turned back around while on the porch to lock it.

“I’m not going to have any fun. They don’t even have kids.”

“You say this every time, and you always have fun. I’m sure you’ll play games and watch movies. Mr. Morgan will probably show you some magic. You will have a blast. I promise.”

“Will you tell me a story from Hogwarts before you go. Please, Rem, please,” Emily begged.

“I guess, but only one.” They continued their walk down the sidewalk. The sun was still up. Looking up in the sky, Remus thought about how long he had and which short story he should tell. “Okay. In his first year at Hogwarts, Rick had three best friends: Patrick, Jimmy, and Sean. Every month, Rick would leave his best friends and go hide out in a shack that was put up just for him by the headmaster. See, every month, he would turn into a monster. A werewolf. His friends noticed how he disappeared once a month on the night of the full moon every time. One day, the day after another one of his disappearances, Rick’s three best friends confronted him. They told him about their suspicions, and Rick confirmed them. The three came up with a plan so they would be able to stay with Rick when he transformed. They decided that they would become anamagi. Jimmy and Sean, being the smartest in their year, found the books they needed and went to work straight away. It took them four years to get the spell right, but when they did, Jimmy turned into a stag, Sean turned into a dog, and Patrick turned into a rat. Always after that, on the night of the full moon, the three would transform into their anamagi form while Rick turned into a werewolf. It made the transformation much more bearable for Rick, being able to play with his best friends. Rick couldn’t believe what his friends had done for him. He was never able to get the words out to thank them properly. The End.”

Emily looked up at Remus, smiling. She loved stories from Hogwarts. She couldn't wait until she’d able to go there. She glanced around. They were one house away from their departure. Emily absolutely hated having to be away from Remus. Somehow she knew something horrible was to happen. Every time Remus came back in the morning to get her, he looked hollow and ghostly. She was always terrified for him, but he smiled it off and she smiled with him.

They made their way up the narrow walk. Emily frowned to herself. Remus knocked on the door three times. They heard light footsteps before the door opened and a woman exclaimed, “Happy Halloween, oh it’s you two. Hello, Remus, Emily.”

“Hello, Maggie. Thank you so much for watching Emily for me. I’ll be back in the morning to get her. Emily, be good and do whatever Mr. And Mrs. Morgan tell you. Understand?” Remus looked down at his goddaughter and her pouting lip, waiting for her to respond.

“Yes, I understand, Rem. Hello, Mrs. Morgan. How is your Halloween going?”

“It’s been the same as usual.” She laughed her throaty laugh while Remus knelt down.

“I’ll see you in the morning. Stop worrying.”

“I’m not worrying.”

“Okay, so that worry line etched on your forehead is for what?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rem.”

Remus laughed and Emily joined in. She stepped closer, putting her arms around his neck. “I love you, Ems,” Remus whispered in her ear.

“I love you too, Rems. Be careful,” Emily whispered back.

Without another glance, Emily tightly held her duffel bag on her shoulder and walked into the Morgan’s home. She heard Mrs. Morgan say her silent goodbye to her godfather and then shut the door. She wandered over to the couch, thinking about the Hogwarts’ story she just heard and how stupid Remus must think she really is. Doesn’t he know that she’s quite observant for her age? He leaves her with the Morgan’s once every month. At the full moon. He comes back looking like he’s seen some kind of awful ghost every time. She’s not dumb and she knows that the story he just told was closer to his heart than he led on. That story was about him, and in a few hours time, when the moon is up in the sky shining bright, she is going to hear the same howl she hears every time she comes over here.

“Why, hello, Emily! I thought I heard someone at the door. How have you been?” Mr. Morgan’s booming voice filled the room. He sat down in the rocking chair opposite her.

“I’m good. Remus just dropped me off. How are you?”

“I’m good. Just got a job at the Ministry."

“Oh, really? What department?” Emily perked up a little. Conversation is exactly what she needed right now to get her mind off of Remus and what he’s about to go through.

“The Department of Law Enforcement; it’s quite exciting.”

Mr. Morgan told Emily all about The Department of Law Enforcement and his first day on the job. Emily tried to keep her thoughts away from her werewolf of a godfather. Every time the doorbell went off, Emily jumped up, causing Mr. Morgan to pause his story, to give the trick-or-treaters their candy. Mrs. Morgan finally came in and told her husband to stop boring ‘the child’ and they went to the table to eat dinner. Mrs. Morgan cooked spaghetti and garlic bread. Emily ate silently, wondering what Remus would eat for dinner. After dinner, they watched a Disney muggle movie about a mermaid.

Wishing she had fins, Emily fell into a dream-filled sleep. She dreamt about mermaids and prince charming, then about Hogwarts and Quidditch, which then, abruptly, turned into Remus in the woods, turning into a werewolf. When he howled, Emily woke with a start. Breathing heavily, she looked around. She was upstairs, in the guest bedroom of the Morgan’s house. She’d grown used to the smell of cleaning supplies and detergent. Mrs. Morgan was a clean freak and cleaned the house daily. Emily glanced at the window on her left. The purple drapes framed the moon gleaming down. She thought about her dream and about Remus.

“Gah! I wish it were the morning already!” Emily whispered violently. “I just want to go home.” Emily glanced at the clock on her right. It was three in the morning. The sun would be rising in a few hours time and Remus wouldn’t be in pain much longer. She smiled to herself wondering what they would do today.

Not being able to fall back asleep, Emily thought of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Thinking of Honeydukes made her really hungry, but it was too early for breakfast. So, instead, she thought about the story Remus told her the previous night. She thought about the three best friends that Remus had that decided to become anamagi to stay with him. Sitting bolt upright, Emily thought of a solution. She could become an anamagi. She could become some kind of animal so that she could stay with Remus during the full moon. Getting really excited, Emily smiled to herself, then suddenly frowned. Remus would never allow it, not to mention that he doesn’t even know that she knows. He would say it’s too dangerous and not for little kids. Putting her thinking cap on, Emily thought of a plan to persuade her godfather. And she came up with...nothing, nada, zilch. It was very disheartening. Rolling on to her side, Emily fell back asleep, dreaming of a white wolf and brown werewolf running around in the woods.

***
It was ten o’clock in the morning. Emily was finishing her scrambled eggs at the Morgan’s kitchen table when the doorbell rang. Emily hurriedly finished her chocolate milk, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and hopped up. She basically ran to the sink with her plate. She could hear Mr. Morgan in the background talking quietly to Remus. She pushed in her chair and ran to her godfather.

“REM!” Emily yelled.

Laughing, Remus bent down and picked up his goddaughter that was running at lightning speed at him. “Hey, Ems. Did you have a good time?” He gently put her back down.

“Yeah, it was fun. We watched a muggle movie and I got to hear all about Mr. Morgan’s new job at the Ministry. Did you have fun working last night?” she asked, putting a heavy emphasis on working.

Remus looked at Emily with a quizzical look on his tired face. How much did she know? Did the Morgan’s tell her? “Yeah, we got a lot of work done,” he answered indifferently.

“Mmmm,” was all Emily said. She grabbed her bag from the staircase and turned to the Morgan’s. “Thank you so much for having me. It was a lot of fun.”

“The pleasure was all ours,” replied Mrs. Morgan politely.

“Good Luck at your new job, Mr. Morgan.”

“Thank you, Emily, and I guess we will see you guys around.” Bill Morgan shook Remus’ hand and held the door open for them.

On the way out, Emily grabbed Remus’ hand, and the two merrily walked down the drive.

***
Hearing the clock chime eight o’clock, Emily woke, for the second time that night, out of her reverie. She laughed at the memory, remembering that that was the day she confronted him about his furry little problem and told him she wanted to be an animagus.

Placing a picture frame of her and Remus on top, Emily shut her trunk, latching it and set off downstairs, turning off the lights as she went. Walking outside, she felt a light breeze. She closed her eyes and felt her hair wave all around her face. In the distance, she heard a wolf howl. She took her wand from her pocket and pointed it at herself. In the next moment, she was a graceful, white wolf. Her fur moved to the wind and her paws scratched the ground. Hearing the howl again, she raced off through the thick trees to the painful cries.

“AWOOOOOH!” she howled back to what she knew was her godfather, hoping he would get the message that she would be there shortly.

That night, Emily ran around, allowing the werewolf to chase after her. He, of course, had no chance of catching her; she was too quick. She, as always, made sure that she only ran in the heart of the forest so he wouldn’t get a whiff of stragglers.


*Let me know what you think...