Project Motherhood: Emilia and Rem - MetaMaster54610 - Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

The bright rays of the Sun shone all over Lugnica, bathing the entire country in warmth and light. Beasts, both natural and magical, awoke ready to start off a new day. The people of the kingdom were no exception, men and women of human and non-human alike waking up, most already walking around, setting up shop and preparing for work.

The Mathers estate also felt the full brunt of the Sun's rays, practically glowing as it was showered by the light. A few stray rays shone through the window on the east side of the mansion.

We cut to a luxurious green room, walls lined with golden markings, with a large canopy bed sitting in the middle. The blankets shifted to reveal a head of long, white (and rather dishevelled) hair, a pair of small, pointed ears sticking out on the sides. The hair framed a beautiful pale face, unblemished skin as white as snow. Soon, a pair of purple eyes blinked open, before squinting, the owner grunting as her vision was assaulted by the pesky sunlight shining through the curtains.

"Nnnghh...and I had such a pleasant dream..." Groaned the elf girl, lamenting at the end of such a nice experience. She stretched her arms, before shaking her head awake. A smile formed on her face, as if the tiredness she was feeling previously never existed.

"Right! Time to start off a new day!" She exclaimed happily. But before she could continue, the sound of the door opening caught her attention.

"Emilia. May I come in?"

Emilia perked up. "Oh, of course you can, Rem!" The door slowly opened, and the blue haired Oni stepped in, looking dutiful as ever.

"Good morning. Breakfast will be ready shortly. Afterwards, I would heavily advise you return to your studies." Emilia nodded her head.

"Right, right, I'm reaaally sorry I haven't been on top of that lately, it's just been such a chaotic few days, y'know? There was that big storm, and then a bunch of mabeasts showed up while we were in town and Puck and I had to help the best we could, and then I sprained my ankle on the stairs, and..."

"Yes, I know, you've had a difficult week, but things have calmed down significantly. I'd recommend using Beatrice's library for today. You can distract her with Puck and focus on your studies."

Emilia nodded. "Yes...But um...Rem? There's a few things I'm...kiiiinda struggling to understand, do you think maybe later you could come and lend me a hand...?"

Rem nodded, her expression unchanged. "Very well." A small, barely noticeable smile formed on her lips. "I have noticed you falling behind on a lot of different subjects which should be rather easy. Perhaps we should return to the basics?" She teased.

Emilia flushed in embarrassment, crossing her arms in a pout. "Mouuu, don't tease me like that Rem! You know I'm not that bad!" She yelled out.

The blue twin giggled in amusem*nt at the witch lookalike, before her face was set back to it's neutral expression. "Let's not waste time anymore, Emilia-sama. You have much to study today, and it'd be preferable if we started as soon as possible. I still have the rest of my maid chores to attend t-"

"No you do not." Another voice interrupted Rem. Both girls looked to see a second maid bearing a striking resemblance to Rem, only with bright pink hair instead of blue.

"Ah, sister. Good morning." Rem greeted her twin, Ram.

"Good morning Rem. And good morning to you too, Emilia-sama." Bowed the older twin, greeting the two other girls.

"Morning Ram!" Greeted the white elf enthusiastically, waving at her with a smile.

Acknowledging the greeting with a nod, Ram turned to look at Rem. "As I was saying, you won't be doing any chores besides helping Emilia-sama with her studies today, Rem. I'm going to take care of everything today."

Rem attempted to voice a protest, but a finger on her lips shushed her. "No. You've been overworking yourself afraid too much these days, sister. Something as easy as helping Emilia-sama study will be beneficial to your health..." Ram blinked. "...although I wouldn't exactly call studying with Emilia-sama easy..."

"Hey!" Protested the royal candidate in question.

"Regadless..." Ram continued, casually ignoring the annoyed elf. "...something as easy as that should serve as a refreshing activity for you." She put a hand on Rem's shoulder. "I only want you to be in good health sister. Besides, I've done every last chore in the mansion on my own before. It's not like it'll present me a problem."

The two sisters smiled at one another. "Very well, dear sister. I will help Emilia study. Come now... Let's go eat breakfast, and then we will go to Beatrice's library."

And so, after a hearty breakfast, the half-elf and the oni knocked on the door to the spirit's designated area. "Hmph. Enter if you must, I suppose." Came the youthful spirit's snooty voice. Emilia was quick to push the door open.

"Hello, Beatrice! Sorry to bother you, but I reaaally need somewhere quiet to study for today, so can I please come in?" She asked with a bow.

"Do what you must, I suppose. Just try not to make too much noise. A library is supposed to be a quiet area."

"Yes, of course, I understand, you'll barely even know I'm-" Emilia stubbed her toe on the table as she entered the room and cried out loudly in pain before forcing a smile. "...Here. Heehee..." Beatrice simply rolled her eyes.

"How very reassuring, I suppose." She huffed.

Rem giggled and took a seat next to Emilia. "Now then... Where were you again?"

And so the two of them spent several hours studying thoroughly, looking through every book they could find that was important to the royal candidate's studies. Puck had come out at one point to keep Beatrice satisfied, but after a point, his mana ran low and he had to return to the spirit world, leaving the young girl pouting.

Emilia sighed as she closed the last book for the day. "That was certainly difficult." She spoke up. "Being a royal candidate is hard work, but it must be done for the good of the kingdom!" She clenched her fists and nodded in determination,

"Yes, indeed. You've done well today. I'm impressed how well you've managed to retain information this time." Rem nodded with a smile. Emilia beamed.

"Hmph. She should have known most of these topics months ago, I suppose. She's going to have to pick up the pace if she plans to win the runnings." Beatrice huffed. Emilia pouted.

"Aww, come on, Beatrice, be nice to me, I'm doing my best!" She protested.

Beatrice opened her mouth to speak, but she noticed what appeared to be a flash of light. "Hmm? A strange trick of the light, I suppose..."

Rem tilted her head, but she saw the same light. "Wait... What in the world?"

"What is it, you two?" Emilia asked curiously before she too saw the flash of light. "Huh?"

All three girls' visions blurred. It was as if they were about to fall unconscious, the world around them fading away... Until the strange feeling ceased. They all opened their eyes. They found they had gone from within Beatrice's library in the manor to a small rocky mountain in the middle of a heavy snowfall.

"Ah! Wait what!" Yelled out Emilia, stumbling back at the sudden change of scenery and falling on her butt into the snow, before jumping back up with a squeak. "Eek! Cold!"

"Wh-what just happened?!" Rem asked, alarmed at their new location, her oni senses on high alert. "We...we were in the library a second ago? How did we get out here? An illusion?"

"No. If it were the case, Betty would have sensed the shift in mana in fact." Spoke the drill loli. "This is no illusion I suppose. This is one hundred percent real."

"B-but...if this isn't an illusion, then...how did we teleport here? Betty would have sensed if it was a teleportation spell of some kind, right?" Emilia asked.

"Correct I suppose." Nodded Beatrice. "However, the Forbidden Library has several wards placed to make sure outside spellcasting gets canceled out upon immediate activation. This could only mean that what sent us here isn't magic." Observed the spirit.

"Not magic?" Rem asked, dumbfounded. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"Yes. Though the only methods that do so are in the possession of the Witches of Sin."

"S-so, that means..." Emilia stuttered.

"The witch cultists..." Rem seethed out.

A cold silence grew amongst the trio as they considered the meanings such an idea.

"We should move. Now. If we're correct, and the witch cult has broken into the manor, it's only a matter of time before..." Rem stopped, the implications of such a scenario too much to bear.

Emilia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Rem. Your sister is powerful, some cultists won't be too bih of a problem. Though we should still hurry."

Rem nodded, slightly comforted, yet still worried sick. "Indeed. Let's move."

"Don't order me around, I suppose." Beatrice snarked.

"C'mon girls! Let's not bicker and star-wh-whoa!" Emilia suddenly lost her balance and fell onto the snow covered path. However, instead of stopping, she began to roll down the hill, going faster as she rolled further down.

"Emilia-sama!" Rem yelled out and was about to follow, before Beatrice grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Beatrice-sama!" What are you doing!? I need to help Emilia-sama!"

"And risk slipping and suffering the same fate as her I suppose? You idiotic maid, think for a second in fact!"

"Aaaahh! Soooommmeeeboooodyyyy heeeellllpppp!" Tze two girls looked down, and Emilia yelled as she felt herself getting dizzier as she spun down the hill. She was also slowly getting covered in snow, and before one knew it, she was encased in a huge snowball that seemed to get larger by the second.

"This doesn't bode well."

"That it doesn't."

Soon, the giant snowball slowed down, rolling towards a snow covered tree. However, instead of slamming into the tree and stopping, the snowball actually continued up the tree, bending it under it's massive weight, the tree creaking and groaning in protest.

After a few seconds, the tree somehow broke the fundamental laws of physics and launched the snowball high into the sky like a makeshift catapult. The snowball, Emilia still inside, flew through the air, making a funny whistling sound as it soared...right towards Beatrice and Rem.

"Uummm...shouldn't we be running by now? Asked the maid, watching the snowball rapidly descend towards them.

"Even if we did, factoring in the speed at which the snowball is flying at, as well as the softness and depth of the snow beneath our feet, we wouldn't be able to move in time. The only logical and plausible conclusion to this situation is-"

Beako didn't get to finish, as the snowball finally landed on them, a massive splash of snow accompanying it's crash. For a few seconds, nothing happened, before two heads dug themselves out of the huge pile of snow.

"Pwooof!" Beatrice spat out some snow that got in her mouth. "...that, I suppose."

Rem shook a small pile of snow off her head. More digging was heard before Emilia dug herself out as well. "Wooh! That was kinda fun, let's do it again!" She exclaimed...only to immediately be faced with Beatrice and Rem, both glaring daggers at her, and growling as they were surrounded by a purple aura of malice.

Emilia promptly shut up.

The other two girls dug the rest of their bodies free from their snowy tomb, and Rem let out a soft sigh before she extended a hand to Emilia. "Here..." The half-elf smiled and accepted the oni's offer for help, and soon she was pulled free from her confinement.

Emilia set to dusting herself off, as did Rem. Beatrice? She simply used her wind magic to blow the snow off of her body. Unfortunately for Emilia and Rem, it all ended up blowing onto them, as well as several feet of snow from the ground near the spirit, leaving them completely caked in the cold white powder, save for their eyes, which were both giving Beatrice an unimpressed look.

The spirit huffed and stuck her nose up in the air. "Well it's hardly my fault you were standing too close, I suppose!" She snorted, refusing to take responsibility for her actions. Sighing, Emilia and Rem shook themselves off. They looked down at the path once more.

"Okay... So we don't want a repeat of that... But it's the only way down, and we're in a hurry, so... um... Oh, if only Puck still had his mana, he'd be able to get us down there..."

Beatrice huffed. "As long as you take it slowly and carefully, you should be able to make it down without much hassle I suppose. Now get moving! We've no time to waste, in fact!" The little spirit was now perched atop Emilia's shoulders.

"Um... Beatrice...? Why are you riding on my shoulders?"

"Well you can't expect me to walk in such weather, I suppose! I'm far too delicate for such grueling excercise in fact! Now let's get moving already!"

Emilia huffed with a pout and began to slowly, carefully walk down the steep slope, Rem trailing along behind her. She was careful to watch her step this time. And she managed to make it safely to the bottom. Rem's crunching footsteps indicated she did too. She turned with a smile. "Great! We're making progress now!"

"Yes, but be careful, the ground ahead looks unstable." Rem warned.

"If you cause us to plummet to our doom, I'll kill your ghost I suppose!" Beatrice threatened.

Emilia pouted. "It's not THAT high up..."

And so the trio carried on. It was a rather narrow ledge, so they were forced to stay as close to the wall as they possibly could. They made it about halfway before they felt the ledge crumbling away beneath their feet. They tried to pick up the pace, but they were just inches away from safety when the ground beneath them was rendered nonexistant.

"YOU FOOLISH BRAT!" Beatrice shrieked as they all plummeted down to terra firma.

Their landing point? A trio of abandoned snowmen.

Unable to set themselves up for a safe landing, the trio screamed as mistress gravity forcefully pulled them towards the snowmen, and through some kind of miraculous (but not necessarily good) luck, each of them was heading towards a single snowman.

*Whoomp!*
Emilia fell first, crashing headfirst into her snowman, and pushing through it with her entire body. The branches fell off to make way for her legs, which took the place of arms, with her skirt ending up as a makeshift collar, one a renaissance nobleman would wear.

"Mmmmwwww..." Groaned the elf, both from cold and exasperation.

*Whoomp!*
The next one to fall was Rem. Unlike her white companion, she managed to land upright, having flipped in the air as to not land face first. She fell through the snowman entirely, the head obliterated and replaced with her own, same with the arms. Just as Rem was about to get out, something landed on her head. She looked up and deadpanned, realizing it was the hat the snowman was wearing before she landed on it.

"If this is a joke, it is not funny." She said bluntly, more than a little miffed at just how convenient the whole situation was.

*Whoomp!*
The last person to land was Beatrice. Due to being the lightest of the three, not only did she fall slightly slower than the other two, but she didn't even sink all too deep into her snowman. Just like Emilia, she landed headfirst, but only her head and torso was buried inside the snowman, her legs left to swing uselessly in the air. The snowman's arms were replaced with her drill tails, her own arms sticking out of it's head.

"Mmmrrrrrrffffff..." A growl sounded from inside the snowman, it's newly arrived denizen seething in barely restrained fury.

Rem kicked her leg out of her snowman, planted it into the snow and jumped out of the snowman, landing gracefully and patting herself off.

"Ah, there." She said. "Emilia-sama? Do you need...any..hel...p.." Rem trailed off, her eyes glued to the scene before her.
Somehow, Emilia managed to free herself out of her upside-down position and was now standing back on her legs. The problem?

Her entire body besides her legs was still buried inside the snowman.

"Mmmf! Mmmffgghh! Hllph!" She called out from inside the snowman, stumbling around and barely holding her balance.
"Wait, Emilia-sama. Let me help you with that!" She said, running over to help.

"Rmm! Hmmph!" Emilia called out, stumbling towards where she heard Rem speak.

Rem approached the stumbling elf and attempted to catch her and disperse the snow, only to move out of the way when Emilia nearly crashed into her. "Wa-wait! Emilia-sama, please stay still!" She said, only for Emilia to, again, almost crash into her. She kept stumbling around in an effort to catch Emilia and always having to move out of the way, lest she be buried in the snow alongside the elf. This went on for a minute, Rem constantly failing to catch the elf without the risk of getting covered in more snow.

Suddenly, Emilia yelped when her foot caught on a rock. She tripped and felt herself getting pulled towards the ground by the weight of the snowman...

...and slamming right into Rem, who stopped to take a breath, and suddenly found herself buried under the snowman alongside her elven friend.

"Mmmff..." Groaned Rem, exasperated at her terrible luck. Spitting out a bit of snow, she shook off a small pile on her face, and found herself...face-to-face with Emilia...who was lying on her...with her face way too close for comfort.

"Uuuhhh..." Emilia broke the silence, a small blush on her face. "H-hi, Rem."

The oni blinked, and then swiftly crawled out from beneath the elf, a small blush accompanied with wide eyes on her face.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, both girls got up and patted the remaining snow off their clothes. Suddenly, Rem realized someone was missing.
"Wait. Where's Beatrice-sama?" She asked. Emilia and Rem looked around trying to spot the third member of their little entourage, before a...sizzling...sound, caught their attention.

They looked towards the source of the sound, their eyes landing on the third snowman, whose body was...letting off...steam, for some reason.
The two girls watched as the snowman started to wobble, before it began rapidly shrinking and melting, it's buttons falling off one by one. Soon, the snowman was gone, along with a circle of snow beneath it, a very angry-looking and red-faced Beatrice balancing upside down on her head in the grass beneath the freshly melted snow.

The smaller spirit turned her head (while still balancing on it, somehow), looking towards her two compatriots. "And pray tell, what exactly is it you're gawking at, I suppose?" She growled out through her teeth, some of the snow around her still sizzling and evaporating.

The two girls did the smartest thing to do in a situation like this, and opted not to speak, lest they incur the wrath the likes of which the Wrath Witch would be proud of.

The little spirit huffed indignantly and rose back to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest, her cheeks puffing out from the indignity of it all. "Neither one of you will speak a word of this to anyone or I will make your life a neverending torrent of pain and misery, I suppose."

Emilia giggled into her hand. "Aww, you're kind of cute when you're angry, Bea-EEP!" Beatrice blew her into a large snowbank with her wind magic, covering her in snow once more.

Rem frowned at Beatrice in disapproval. "Now really, was that entirely necessary?"

"Hmph! Of course it was, I suppose! She was insulting me, in fact!"

Emilia burst her head out of the pile of snow with a pout. "I was not! It was a compliment!" Beatrice responded by dislodging more snow from the tree above her with her wind magic to bury her again. "Hmm, ths jst mn!" Came the half-elf's muffled protests.

After digging Emilia out of the snow, Rem let out a sigh. "Well... It's all right now, we've made progress at least. We're further down this trail. I just wonder how far away we were sent... I recognize none of these landmarks... They must have sent us to the mountains..."

"Yes, that would explain the mounds of snow I suppose." Beatrice shrugged. "We'd best hurry along now. Hmm... It appears to be a simple descent from here on in." Emilia and Rem turned to look where Beatrice was to see that they were standing at the top of a large hill, the type used for skiing or sledding.

"Yes,but we could run into some icy patches on the way down, and...Hmm? What's that?" Emilia looked over and saw something. It looked to be a long piece of... a strange substance she was unfamiliar with. It was flat in shape, blue and black in color, and it looked like it was...

"It's something we can slide down the hill on!" Emilia exclaimed. "We'll be at the bottom in no time if we just ride down on this!"

"...You will not convince me to get on that thing, I suppose." Beatrice said flatly.

"Oh come on, it's fun! I've done it plenty of times with Puck, except it was with little ice things... But anyway, just give it a chance! "

Rem turned to Beatrice. "It IS the fastest way to get to the bottom of this hill." She reasoned. Beatrice groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I suppose..." She muttered angrily.

And so they all sat upon the abandoned sled. Beatrice in the front, Rem in the middle and Emilia in the back. "Okay, girls, just lean in the direction I tell you to, and everything'll be okay!" She assured them.

"I very much doubt that, in fact." Beatrice snorted. With that, Emilia kicked off the ground with her feet, and down they went. Beatrice promptly began to scream in absolute terror as they picked up speed.

"STOP THIS THING AT ONCE, I DON'T WANNA DO THIS, STOP IT, STOP STOP STOOOOOOOP!" She shrieked in a panic.

Emilia, meanwhile, didn't know just how rough this trip down the hill was going to be. It was extremely bumpy, for one thing, constantly jostling the three passangers on the sled, and there were various rocks and branches under the snow that very nearly tipped them over at multiple points during the ride.

Emilia gave directions the best she could, but that didn't do much when there were dangers they couldn't even see, nor avoid no matter how badly they wanted to. Such as a massive ledge leading towards a huge drop. There was a good reason the no sledding sign was set up there, they were just unforunate enough to miss it.

All three girls cried out as they sailed over the edge of the cliff at breakneck speeds, and they quickly found themselves unable to maintain their grip on the sled. First it was Beatrice that went sent flying off. Then Rem. And Emilia soon after. All three soared through the air as the sled continued moving a few yards behind him.

"EMILIA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Beatrice shrieked, completely dropping her usual dialect in her blind rage and terror.

"I'M SORRYYYYYYY!" Emilia screamed.

After what felt like years, all three girls finally made impact with a huge pile of cold white snow.

The white substance flew in every direction, a cloud of snow rising up from the impact. The white mist settled down almost as soon as it appeared, revealing quite the unusual sight.

The three girls have been buried inside the snow with their entire bodies. However, by some comedic, universal coincidence, their butts were somehow sticking out of the pule, their undergarments thankfully still covered by their skirts.

"Mmmff..." Emilia groaned, becoming a bit angry herself.

"Hmph." Rem was just done, grunting once and remaining silent.

"Hhhrrrrrrmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhh..." Beatrice growled as her fury began to seep through, the pile of snow already beginning to steam from her anger alone.

Emilia attempted to dig herself out of the pile, her behind shaking as she desperately tried to wiggle herself out of the pile of snow.

Unfortunately, that set her up for a painful surprise.

The sled they fell off of didn't fall to the ground as of yet. It was actually still soaring through the air at high speed.

Straight towards the pile of snow the trio was stuck in.

Emilia managed to dig one of her legs out of the giant pile of snow, and was in the process of digging out the rest of her body, when the sled flew over her, running over hers and the other two's behinds at full speed.

Three simultaneous yelps of pain and surprise rang out in the pile of snow, Emilia practically exploding out of the pile with how hard she jumped. Landing on the snow with a small *poof*, Emilia let out a relieved sigh when she landed butt-first on the snow, the cold helping ease the sudden pain from the sled.

Unfortunately for them, the sled didn't stop there. It continued on it's trajectory until it finally stopped when it crashed into a tree directly above the pile the trio was stuck in. Rubbing her behind to soothe the pain a little more, Emilia was about to get up and help Rem and Beatrice when something hit her head.

"Ow!" She yelped, the object that hit her landing on the snow before her. Curious, she picked up the object, and realised she was looking at...

"A...piecone?" Emilia asked no one in particular. Suddenly, a crackling sound from above caught her attention. She looked up...

...and paled at the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of piecones heading straight towards them, as if the rain decided to stop using water and moved onto plant matter.

*gulp* "...Uh oh."

Famous last words, these were not.

Emilia quickly covered her head with her arms as the piecones finally reached them, a shower of spiky pain causing her and the others to yelp, the two others grunting as their butts took the full brunt of the impacts.

Soon, the giant pile of snow has been covered by an equally massive pile of piecones, the little wooden painbringers having covered the entire pile, including Emilia, who whimpered at the world of hurt she was in right now.

"Oooowwwww. That huuuurt." She groaned, her entire body aching from the painful experience, a groan

Said pain served a great deal to distract her from the sound of rumbling approaching their location. A massive machine with large wheels came into view, pushing the snow and cleaning the path for the people to walk on, simultaneously firing out snow from a long pipe on the side.
A snowplow.

As the snowplow pushed through the pathway, it eventually came near the pile of pinecones our group had been buried under. Suddenly, the machine stopped, letting out several loud sounds that suggested something was wrong with the engine...

*PFOOOFFF!*

...that is, until it ejected an absolutely ludicrous (and physically impossible for such a small pipe) amount of snow on the pinecones, burying the trio with EVEN MORE SNOW.

The strange noises finally ceased, and the snowplow continued forward, now driving so much faster than before.

As for the trio, silence permeated through the small clearing they landed on. One would assume they were dead. But the shifting of snow, followed by several pinecones and a head of white hair, would prove otherwise.

"Wh-what is go-going on?!" Emilia asked, in utter disbelief at the sheer amount of bad luck they've been showered with since they came here. While the first time was fun for her, the rest of it was just ridiculous. Is it a curse?

She would be snapped out of her musings when her senses picked up an unnatural spike in magical energy. Following her Mana Sense, Emilia turned around, spotting a faint rainbow glow buried deep under the snow.

The exact spot Beatrice was at before they got burned.

Emilia gulped, slowly turning around, pulled out a blindfold out of nowhere, and put it over her eyes. "Best when you don't see it coming." She whimpered, knowing full well what was about to occur.

And then, the forest erupted with magic.

"DARN THIS CURSED SNOW TO ALL HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK!" A fierce, if a bit childlike, voice screamed out towards the Heavens as the pile of snow and pinecones was dispersed in a microsecond. Beasts, statled by the noise, fled as far as they could, carnivorous or not. Emilia and Rem were blown away, just barely managing to catch onto the trunk of a tree before they got launched into the stratosphere. There, amidst all this chaos, stood Beatrice, her face sporting what could only be described as demonic fury, the likes of which even the Witch of Envy would be startled by.

Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, Yin and Yang magic united around the spirit, and with one flex of her hand, all of it erupted in a wave of magic that spread through the entire forest, carrying the concepts of 'snow' and 'destroy' in it's core. In an instant, all snow in the entire forest was annihilated, erased from existence. Every last snowflake and piece of ice having systematically been removed from reality. Not just destroyed, but outright REMOVED FROM THE FABRIC OF TIME AND SPACE. The clouds were no exception, for they produced the snow in the first place, and were forced to feel the full brunt of the magic as it rewrote their existence and removed them out of reality, leaving behind a bright, sunny sky in the middle of the clouds that surrounded the rest of England and continued to spill snow onto the ground.

The snowplow, which was several miles away from the girls at this point due to getting faster after dumping the extra snow. Unfortunately, that didn't mean it was exempt from Beatrice's magic. It carried the word 'snow' in it's name, and since Beako's magic was sent out to annihilate all things snow, the machine was no exception. The wave of magic reached the vehicle in an instant, and it's massive amount of pure FORCE, ripped the top half of the vehicle, revealing a young man with a shocked expression on his face.

The magic soon dispersed, and the young man was left in utter silence at the event that had just occurred. He looked over his window and saw the top half of his snowplow sitting on the ground unceremoniously.

"What the f-"

Back with the girls.

Beatrice huffed and panted, having nearly exhausted three quarters of her mana reserve. She fell backwards, sighing as she finally calmed down.

"I hate snow." She mumbled. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, soon landing on Emilia and Rem, who had foam on their mouths and were obviously unconscious from the whole ordeal.

"Uuurghh." She groaned. "Stupid elf I suppose." Shd got up, and went to prepare a fire to let them stay the night.

Now how did this go again...? Rocks and a pit. That was what she needed. That was simple enough. She prepared the pit she needed, and then she aimed her hand at the small bundle of sticks and cast the spell...

There was a large eruption of flame that cleared to reveal her standing in place completely charred black from the explosion. She coughed up some smoke, then her eyes began to twitch. "...This must be some sort of curse, I suppose. It is the worst curse anyone could possibly be burdened with, in fact."

Well, they'd narrowly avoided the far worse 'return by death', so she was entirely wrong on that front.

She turned to her unconscious companions and stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph... Weak..." She muttered. She looked up at the sky to see that the snow clouds were already beginning to come back. "Tch... Well, a temporary fix is better than none at all, I suppose." She walked over to Emilia and tapped her with her foot. "Wake up, I suppose!"

"Urgh...Too... much..." The half-elf whined. Rem was quicker to recover. She rose up with a groan, clutching her head.

"B-Beatrice, you really must learn to control your anger."

"Excuse me?! I have plenty of control over my anger, I suppose!" A small acorn fell on her head and she furiously kicked the tree responsible for it in a fit of rage, hurting her foot in the process. "OW! I WILL MAKE NATURE RUE THE DAY IT CROSSED ME!"

Rem noticed Beatrice tearing up slightly and let out a sigh. "I understand your frustration, you haven't been out of your library much before this instance..."

"Hmph! That's only a small reason I suppose!" The spirit huffed. "I refuse to take such embarrassment and indignity lying down, in fact!"

The oni picked the spirit up and embraced her. Beatrice glared up at her, lips formed into a pout, but she decided to allow it. "We have far more pressing matters at hand, Beatrice. What in the world was that sound outside of the snow? It was unlike anything I've ever heard... And...what is that strange black river?" They both looked out at the road before them.

"River? Hmph! It's obviously some sort of stone, I suppose, foolish maid."

"It does certainly look like stone." Pointed out Emilia, getting up and dusting off. She approached the road and reached down, feeling the unknown material with her hand. It felt, rough and coarse, as well as rather cold due to being recently covered in snow.

"It feels...unfamiliar." Spoke the elf, looking at her hand. "I've never seen this type of stone before. Certainly nowhere near or inside Lugnica." She turned towards the other two. "Did...did we get teleported all the way into a different country?"

Rem widened her eyes at the prospect, her worry suddenly increasing. 'Sister...' She thought, fear rooting istelf in her heart.

Beatrice meanwhile scoffed. "That's impossible, I suppose." She said. "Not even the Witches of Sin had the ability to teleport across countries in fact. Only Sekhmet of Sloth managed to do anything similar, and even then it was through the usage of a flying beast. Not even I am capable of such a feat, as powerful as I am."

"We can't discard the possibility, Beatrice." Rem spoke up. "Whatever that light was, it somehow managed to teleport us to a place filled with snow, and I clearly remember there being no snow whatsoever around us this morning. Us being in another country doesn't seem so out of place, wouldn't you agree?"

Beatrice pursed her lips in mild frustration. Loathe as she is to admit, they were right. She clearly remembers the sky being pristine and sunny back at the mansion. She saw so herself. A different country doesn't seem so out of the picture as she previously thought. "Hrmmm..." She growled slightly, frustrated at not being right. "Fine. I suppose you're right, as much as I hate to admit so. There was no snow before, that much was clear I suppose. But I still don't believe such an ability exists, in fact." She said.

Emilia giggled. "Awww, you look so cute when you're embarrassed, Beatrice." She cooed...

...only for Beatrice to point her hand towards her, a small magic blast gathering in her palm.

"Eek! It was just a compliment! I'm sorryyyy!" Emilia whimpered, jumping back.

"Hmph." Beatrice grunted. "At least you apologized." She dispersed the magic.

Rem decided to speak up. "Need I remind you we have no time to waste? Let's hurry up and find some civilization. We can ask the people there for directions towards Lugnica. I'm willing to bet this path leads to people, so let's quit our yapping and get moving." She said, worry for her sister lacing her tone.

"Hmph. At least the maid here is moderately smart. Unlike you, elf." Beatrice snarked. Emilia huffed, but nonetheless agreed. And with that, the trio began to head walk the road in hopes of finding a way back home.

Meanwhile, a certain old wizard widened his eyes, a massive influx of foreign magic present in the air.

It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before in his life! This... This sheer level of power... It was absolutely TERRIFYING! It put Lord Voldemort himself to absolute shame! Where had it come from?! Who was responsible?!

All he could do was send someone to look into it, and pray from the bottom of his heart that whoever it was was on the side of the light...

The three girls finally found their way to a nearby town. It had taken about two hours to arrive, and a few incidents had happened along the way. Emilia had fallen facefirst into some mud, Rem stubbed her toe on a rock, and now Beatrice was sopping wet from a car driving by and splashing her with a puddle of water.

It was obvious which of the three was the most angered by their accident.

"It's okay, there there, Beatrice, we're here now, it's all behind us..." Emilia tried to reason.

"An elegant being such as myself should NOT be subjected to such hardship, I suppose!" The little spirit shrieked.

"It's all right, you'll be fine..."

Rem noticed a pair of friends walking by and approached the two men. "Um... Excuse me, but... would you happen to know where Lugunica is from here?" Emilia and Beatrice approached.

The men stared at her weirdly, before they blinked and seemed to realize something. "Aw, dude, check it out, cosplayers, that's awesome!"

Emilia tilted her head. "Cos...players...? I... don't really know what you're talking about..."

"Ah, I gotcha, you're in character right now. Great acting!" The man knelt down to Beatrice's level. "Ah, got your little sister in on it too, huh?"

"Hmph! I have absolutely no relationship to this simpleton, I suppose!" Beatrice huffed, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Hey! That is SO mean, I'm not a simpleton, I'm smart!" Emilia protested.

"Ah, I love this one, she's so cute!" One of the two men ruffled Beatrice's hair, and she pulled away indignantly.

"At what point did I give you permission to touch me, I suppose?!"

"Ah. Right. Apologies, oh fair princess." The man said with a wink. "All right, you girls have gun, we'll just be on our way!" The two went off laughing, and the three girls watched them go.

"...That was...unusual." Emilia said simply.

"Hmph! The nerve, I suppose..." Beatrice pouted as she fixed her ruffled hair.

Rem was concerned. "They...genuinely didn't seem to understand what we were talking about..." She murmured. "That... That doesn't make sense! Lugunica is one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the world! How can they not know of it?!"

"Well, obviously it's because they're a pair of simple-minded buffoons, I suppose. Could you really expect someone of such lacking intelligence to know such basic knowledge, in fact?" Beatrice huffed.

"But it's not just them! What were those strange metal carriages?! There were no horses, no ground dragons, they were moving all on their own!" The maid insisted.

Emilia looked thoughtful. "You're right... The magic here is unlike anything I've ever seen... And just look at this place... These buildings are so much higher than anything I've seen when I went to town... And what's this?" She approached a nearby crosswalk and pressed the button on the light, jumping back with a squeak when it made a mysterious beeping noise. "Oh no, did I do something wrong?!"

"Don't go touching unfamiliar objects, I suppose!" Beatrix exclaimed.

"Right, sorry!" Emilia squeaked. She looked around nervously. "This entire place is so... unfamiliar... I don't know what any of this is..." She murmured.

"Yes, and that's what has me so worried." Rem nodded. "It's unlike anything our world has ever seen... We would have known of all of these strange sights somehow, surely. There would have been some record of it all. Where have we ended up...?"

"First time in the Muggle world, dearies?" The three girls turned at the hushed voice to see a middle-aged woman giving them a smile. "Ah, I can only assume it was a magic incident that brought you here, was it?"

The three girls looked at the woman suspiciously. Rem was already setting up her magic in the case of an attack.

Deciding to be the voice of reason, Emilia, still cautious, approached the woman with a smile.

"Hello, miss! Me and my friends here are a bit lost, and we'd like to ask you for help. Could you by any chance tell us which kingdom this is, and point us towards the nearest path to Lugnica?"

At that, the woman adopted a confused expression. "Well, Britain hasn't been a kingdom in years. And...Lugnica? I'm afraid I am not acquainted with such a kingdom. It certainly isn't on any map I've seen."

"That's impossible!" Rem exclaimed. "How could you not know! Lugnica is one of the most prospherous kingdoms in the world, right next to Kararagi! And...Britain? I've never heard of such a place. What do you mean it isn't a kingdom?!"

"Now now, there's no need for yelling. I'm sure we can figure this issue out if we all calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?! My sister might get killed if we don't hurry, and you're telling me to calm down?! Who do you think...you...are..." Rem suddenly began to quiet down. Her eyes fluttered, and she stumbled forward.
"Ah, Rem!" Emilia exclaimed and quickly went to catch her friend, and looked at Beatrice, who simply stared passively.

"It was necessary, I suppose. If I left her awake, her magic would have spiraled out of control, and collateral damage would be inevitable. You should be thankful, in fact." She said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Figg looked at the trio in her own suspicion. 'She didn't pull out a wand, yet I could tell she used magic to make that other girl fall asleep. Wandless magic, while not impossible, is incredibly rare. For someone so young to do it so casually...I'll have to report this to Dumbledore.'

She spoke up. "Erm, excuse me." The two looked at her. "Your friend here seems to have a lot on her mind right now. I can tell she is greatly worried, so why don't you come to my place and we can talk your problems out over a cup of tea?"

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. "Why should we trust you? For all we know you could be leading us into a trap, I suppose!"

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Hmm... I see... Are you on the run from someone?" She asked.

"Not...exactly. We're just concerned our home is under attack by the witch's cult. You must at least know about them, right?" Emilia asked.

Ms. Figg's expression turned confused. "Well, you'd have to be a little more specific, dearie, many witches have made cults for many reasons, you see. Why, I know of a cult that worshipped a gaming console of all things, those magic folk can get truly mad sometimes."

Emilia blinked. "A...gaming console...? What is... Wait... There are real witches?! Here?!" Ms. Figg clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Hush now, that's a secret, you cant go screaming it out at the top of your lungs!" She chided.

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. "And are YOU one of these witches, I suppose?" She was ready to attack at a moment's notice with that knowledge.

"Hmm? But aren't you a witch yourself, young lady?" Beatrice squawked indignantly.

"How dare you, I suppose!"

Suddenly, something began to glow next to Emilia, and finally, her guardian spirit came out for the day, perched atop Emilia's head as he cleaned his face off. "Ah... That was a nice little nap... Uh... Huh?" Puck looked around in confusion. "...Okay. We...are DEFINITELY not in Lugunica anymore. In fact... I don't recognize this energy at all... It feels so... otherworldly..."

Emilia's eyes widened. "Other...worldly...? Y-You don't suppose we've..."

"Another world...that's...there's no...but it's..." Beatrice stuttered as she failed to comprehend this new information. Otherworldly travel was practically a myth among the more magically attuned populace of the kingdoms. Some enthusiasts believe it to be real, but the majority often writes it off as a baseless fairy tale. For them to suddenly find themselves in a real parallel universe...it was just...

"I mean it does seem plausible, when you think about it." Spoke up Emilia. "The sudden change of weather, the unfamiliar buildings, a kingdom we've never heard of...it all seems to point to that." She said, in one of her rare moments of seriousness and intelligence.

Beatrice didn't want to believe it. It was far too absurd of an occurrence to be true. Nothing she ever knew about magic and non-magic ever pointed towards this being true. And yet, she found herself unable to refute Emilia's statements. The proof was just too solid.

"U-um..." Called out the woman. "Is everything okay dearies? Your friend here seems to have-"

"Lead the way, I suppose."

"Huh?"
Beatrice looked at the woman expectantly. "Well? You said you'll lead us to your house and talk about our problems with us. What are you waiting for?"

Puck looked at Beatrice in surprise. "Beatrice...do you really think it's true? That we're really-" Before he could finish, Beatrice raised her hand and stopped him.

"I haven't decided anything yet I suppose. It's still far too absurd for me to truly believe it. But..." She hesitated. "...I can't discard the evidence in front of me I suppose. As much as I loathe to admit so, you might be right, in fact. And if this woman can give us the answers, then I'm willing to cooperate, I suppose."

Puck chuckled. "Hehe. Wow Beatrice, never thought I'd see you like this. It's kinda adorable."

Beatrice immediately became flustered. She blushed and looked away. "Th-thank you Bubby." She jumped up and caught him in her arms, and began to affectionately nuzzle him with her cheek.

The woman smiled at the sight. "Alright, then. If that's solved, follow me. My house is a few streets away, but it's not a long walk."

Emilia quickly picked up the unconscious Rem and slung her over her shoulder, and with that, the group headed towards the woman's house.

They had a ton of questions to ask on the trip, and the woman was happy to answer each and every one of them. Emilia had taken the liberty of carrying the woman's grocery bag for her, since she was so kind as to let them into her home without really knowing who they were, and the woman was immensely grateful for it.

Meanwhile, Puck was maintaining his focus. "Hmm...If I can just focus my mana... The spirit world is connected to all realities... I might be able to contact someone..." He kept his eyes shut...before he gradually began to vanish from Beatrice's hold, much to the little spirit's displeasure.

"Hmph! Bubby left..." She sulked.

"Don't worry, he'll be back soon enough... Oh, is this your house? It...kinda looks like every other house in the area..." Emilia murmured.

"Yes, it's not very exciting, but I have to blend in, please come in, come, come." She led the group into her home, and almost immediately, multiple meows were heard as a herd of cats of varying shapes and sizes ran in to greet their owner.

Beatrice's eyes suddenly began to sparkle and turn starry. "IT'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF BUBBIES!" She squealed excitedly, kneeling down and extending her hand to pet one of the cats. Lucky for her, she chose one of the more agreeable and better socialized kittens, who was more than eager to lean into her touch, purring softly as she gently rubbed its head.

The lady chuckled at the spirit's happiness. "Make yourself at home sweetie. I haven't had the time to play with them in a while, so they're certain to enjoy the attention." She said, before ushering Emilia to come in.

The elf looked around the room, surprised at how...normal, it looked. She supposed it was likely because she was so used to the grandiose rooms in the Rosvaal mansions that a common room would seem rather scarce.

"You can place your friend on the couch over there. I'll go and set up some tea." She said that, and left for the kitchen. Emilia turned towards the couch and walked over, gently laying Rem down and covering her with a blanket. She then sat down and decided to watch over her friend until she woke up.

She giggled softly. Rem was kinda cute when she slept. ...She was kinda pretty, actually, she was kind of jealous. She was stuck looking like the widely despised witch of envy, while Rem's beauty was all her own.

Her thoughts suddenly stopped as her face reddened. She really WAS pretty...

Suddenly, she was snapped out of her musings when the sound of footsteps reached her ears. She looked up and found the woman carrying a tray with several cups and a teapot that is still smoking. She placed the tray on the table, and poured herself and Emilia a cup of tea each. She then sat down.

"Right. Now that we each have some tea, let's introduce ourselves." She offered her hand with a kind smile. "Arabella Figg. Pleasure to meet you."

Smiling at the kindness, Emilia shook hands with the nos named Ms. Figg. "Emilia. I...don't have a last name."

She looked sheepish at admitting that last part, and then looked over to the sleeping Rem. "That's Rem. I... don't think she has a last name...? If she does, I don't know what it is... And that's Beatrice playing with your kitties over there... Aaaand my own kitty was Puck, but he went back to the Spirit World, I think he's trying to do something..."

"Yes, I was going to ask about that one... The talking cat is a little out of the ordinary, after all."

And so Emilia set to explaining their situation, telling her everything that had happened since her day started. Well.. ALMOST everything, she didn't think Beatrice would appreciate her telling Miss Figg about their little misadventures on the trail.

It quickly became apparent to both women that Emilia and her party had come from another world entirely. And that was a very harrowing concept for the young half-elf. They were just... abruptly ripped away from all they knew and placed in this mysterious, bizarre world where nothing made sense!

She looked at Rem with a worried frown. If the Witch Cult really was responsible for sending them away, then who knew what they were doing to her sister right now... She really hoped it was someone else that was responsible for this sudden turn of events...

At that moment, Rem stirred, then slowly sat up with a groan, rubbing at her aching head. "Mmm? What? Where... Where am I...? Emilia...?" She turned to see the half-elf.

"Hi, Rem... Beatrice... kinda knocked you out... Because you were starting to panic, and... well... You know how you get when you panic..." The half-elf said softly, fiddling with a strand of her hair.

Rem's eyes widened. "E-Emilia... We... We need to find a way back... We have to get to Ram, who knows what they're doing to her-"

"Well, actually, everything's perfectly fine back in Lugunica." A familiar male voice echoed through the room before Puck materialized.

Emilia and Rem blinked at the sudden info. "H-huh? Puck, what do you mean?" Emilia asked.

Puck adjusted himself into a more comfortable floating position. "I meant what I said. Lugnica is a-okay! Nothing to worry about!" He answered, not a hint of deception in his voice.

"Then...does that mean...Ram...she's..." Rem stuttered, her mind and heart slowly coming to a steady calm as the realization of the spirit's words caught up with her. She felt something soft on her shoulder, and looked to see Puck sitting on her left shoulder, a kind and caring expression on his face. "Don't worry Rem. Your big sister is perfectly fine. I saw to that myself. We can't contact them yet, but I can still keep you informed on her wellbeing. You don't have anything to fear."

Seeing the spirit's honesty, the blue maid allowed a small, teary smile to settle on her lips. Emilia smiled warmly.

'It's always nice to see others happy when they hear their loved ones are okay.' She thought to herself, still looking at her friend's happy smile.

Soon, a light cough caught their attention, and the trio looked over at the woman opposite, who was watching them with a smile. Emilia spoke up.

"Oh right! Rem, Puck, this is Ms. Arabella Figg. Ms. Figg, this is Puck, my spirit."

"A pleasure." Said the tiny cat and shook Ms Figg's hand with his tiny paws.

Puck noticed the rather befuddled look on the woman's face and laughed. "Aw, what, never seen a talking cat before?"

"Well... No? None of my cats have said a word for as long as I've had them, and that is saying quite a lot..." Ms Figg murmured sheepishly. "And...what, pray tell, is...a spirt, exactly?"

"Oh wow, we really are in a different world entirely. Spirits are common knowledge back home! I... feel like we have a LOT to share with each other." The cat spoke with a tilted head. "Just looking out that window, I can tell there's a LOT that we don't know about either."

"I would imagine so..." Ms. Figg said, perplexed.

What ensued was something of a Q and A between the two groups. Ms. Figg wanted to know just as much about how things worked in their world as they did about this one.

She was quick to realize that their world was far more medieval, even in the Wizarding World. She learned that Emilia was half elf, which was strange to her, because the only elves she knew of were house elves, and this girl was... well... far too beautiful to be related to those funny looking little creatures.

She learned that Rem was meant to be an Oni. Like Emilia, she noted Rem was far too attractive to be any Oni she'd seen in pictures.

She learned many interesting things about their world, and in exchange, she did her best to teach them of hers.

Beatrice herself soon joined in on the conversation, gaining interest in this seemingly new (she still found it hard to believe) world. The trio listened raptly as Ms. Figg explained them all about the wizarding world. How almost all of it is governed by the Ministry of Magic, how people used wands to cast spells far more often than in their world. Emilia was surprised to find out that elves existed in this world as well, but was slightly saddened by the fact that they're seen as nothing more than slaves. Beatrice was surprised to find out that spirits don't exist here, despite the existence of magic, as well as many other things.

"So..." Emilia began. "...the people here use magic with primarily wands, and the people who can't use magic are called "Muggles", am I getting it right?" She asked. Ms. Figg nodded.

Rem then continued. "This world's elves are actually small and ugly creatures who work as slaves and servants, and demons and oni only exist in legends and myths."

"The closest thing this world has to spirits are these 'dementors', which are monsters that feed on people's happiness, and 'Patronus' who are spell-made spirits used to ward off dementors." Beatrice finished, each explaining a topic that seemed to catch their attention the most.

Ms. Figg nodded her head in affirmation. "Yes, that sums it up nicely." She was absentmindedly stroking Puck's back as he happily ate from a small tin of tuna, much to Emilia's amusem*nt. It was always surreal to see her spirit acting like an actual cat.

He looked up from his meal with a tilted head. "Wow. This place...honestly already sounds a lot safer than our own world. Haha... No giant flying whales, no vicious man-eating rabbits, just stuff you mostly seem to have under control."

Ms. Figg shuddered at that, terrified of the mere description of the White Whale or the Great Rabbit, immensely grateful she wasn't living in the same reality as such... THINGS. "Yes, well... It isn't all as safe as you'd like to believe, little cat... Sometimes a powerful wizard will go rogue, and will move on to become something to truly fear..."

All parties in the room were paying rapt attention now as Ms Figg went on to tell the story of a powerful dark lord that she refused to speak the name of no matter how much they pried. The man terrorized the wizarding world, made it his point to wipe out any who may have been born to muggle parents. Commanding an army of dark wizards and powerful dark creatures to kill and torture at his leisure.

And then, at the end , he had been stopped by one person: A little tiny baby by the name of Harry Potter, though the poor child had lost both of his parents in the process. The boy had been the first one to survive an attack from the dark lord, and had ultimately defeated him, and so he was given the name 'The Boy Who Lived'.

"The Boy Who Lived." Emilia said, in awe at such a wondrous tale. To think that such a great evil was slain by naught but a boy. A baby at that! But, his parents..."Oh poor boy. It must be so sad."

"To have lost his parents at such a young age, without even knowing them properly at all." Rem muttered somberly. Even she wasn't so ill-fortuned, and she had witnessed both of her parents die in front of her! At least she knew them enough to love them. This kid had no such luck.

Beatrice was instead pondering about something else. "Hmmm. This "He who must not be named" reminds me greatly of our own evil magic user I suppose. Satella, the Wicked Witch of Envy." She then crossed her arms. "Hmph. This "dark lord" sounds like nothing more than a charlatan. The Witch of Envy singlehandedly nearly drove all of humanity insane and almost wiped out the world, in fact. This self-proclaimed "dark lord" got bested by a baby of all things, when it took the entirety of our world's armies, the Great Dragon and the White Sage's combined efforts to defeat the Witch, and even then, it only got her sealed away. Pathetic I suppose."

Ms. Figg paled at those words. For someone to just casually dismiss THE most evil wizard in all history as a...*charlatan*...and this "Witch of Envy".

'She said this Witch of Envy nearly drove the world to insanity and destruction...all on her own...and she still wasn't able to be killed, just sealed away...'

Ms. Figg internally prayed to all existing and nonexistent gods out there that said witch NEVER came to this world. She doubted even Dumbledore and *him* combined would be able to stop her otherwise.

"Le-let's move onto something more lightheaded. Tell me about yourselves."

Oh boy, she shouldn't have asked that.

It seemed all three of these girls had an extremely tragic backstory that they weren't comfortable sharing the details of. Emilia was the last of her kind essentially, the only reason she was even still alive being that she was protected by her spirit, a small cat. Rem had lost her entire village save for her sister in an absolute massacre. And Beatrice was abandoned to spend her entire life waiting in a library until she was pulled into this whole other world away from her library.

Ms. Figg was more than a little disturbed by these stories, and that was not helped by the fact that it was clearly the abridged versions, there was much more that these girls did not feel comfortable sharing with someone that was more or less a stranger to them at this point.

Still... These girls were far from home, in a world they were unfamiliar with, stranded from the few loved ones they had. She couldn't in good conscience just leave them alone to wander. "...I see... Those stories are very tragic indeed, and your separation from all you knew certainly can't be helping..."

"I feel it may be for the best, I suppose." Beatrice spoke. "I believe...perhaps this was what mother told me to wait for... That I may find purpose in this new world..."

"But the other two had very important things back home, did they not? A campaign to become ruler, and a sister... I can't very well allow the three of you to fend for yourselves in an unfamiliar world, especially not one that works as differently from yours as the Muggle world. The three of you are welcome to stay for as long as you like, all right?"

"Ooh, thank you SO much! I promise we'll be the best house guests we possibly can!" Emilia spoke with a bow, Rem quickly following suit.

"Yes... Thank you for your kindness and generosity. I don't know what we might have done without your help." The maid spoke.

"Yes... Thank you, I...don't know if I could handle being stuck outside, I suppose." Beatrice mumbled shyly.

"Oh, you're very welcome, dears. No worries, I can't leave you in the cold now, can I?"

Beatrice pouted as she glared at the snow outside. She'd cleared snow out of that one specific area, but the snow here was still intact.

"I just have one question though." Emilia raised her hand. "You said you came from the wizarding world? But why are you all the way out here in the Muggle world?" Ms. Figg sighed.

"Well, for one thing, I was born without magic. Squibs like me are not treated kindly over there..."

"Squib?! How utterly derogatory, I suppose!" Beatrice exclaimed, outraged. "It is a backwards society they live in if that's what they call people born without magic, in fact!"

Ms. Figg smiled gratefully. "I agree wholeheartedly. But there is another reason. I've been tasked with watching over Harry Potter."

The girls blinked. "Wait... He's HERE?" Emilia asked.

"Yes. He lives right next door, actually." She looked out the window and nodded at the house just next to hers.

The three girls followed her gaze, and soon their eyes fell upon the neighbor house. Rather simple building, that one. Nothing but brown bricks, some windows, yada yada.

Emilia simply stared at the house, confused as to why someone so famous and heroic would live in something so...simple. That's the only word she can find to describe it.

For the other two, it was different.

"That house...something is VERY wrong with that house. My senses are on overdrive simply from looking at it." Thought the blue oni.

Beatrice held similar thoughts. "I can feel some sort of magic attached to that building, in fact. And the house itself...it reeks of despair. I suddenly have an irresistible urge to blow that wretched building sky high, I suppose."

While Emilia was unaware, the maid and librarian looked at each other, and nodded in a silent deal. They would watch over the house, observe it from afar.

Something isn't right, and they intend to get to the bottom of it.

They looked back at the house and frowned. Ms. Figg noticed their change in demeanour. "Hmm? Is something wrong, dears?"

"I dislike that house, It's aura mocks me." Beatrice spoke.

"Ah, yes, well... the folks running it really are the worst sort of muggle, as Minerva always said... Loud, rude, abrasive, and what an awful, awful child they're raising, he's spoiled and disruptive and he has absolutely no respect or regard for his elders..."

Emilia narrowed her eyes. "What kind of example is that setting for Harry?!"

Ms. Figg nodded. "Indeed, I ask myself the same question frequently. But at the very least the boy doesn't seem all that effected by their toxicity."

Rem tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I babysit the boy frequently, they bring him here when they have an important outing to go to and he can't come along. They say he was misbehaving, but... I can't believe it when they say that, really, the way he behaves when he's actually here playing with the cats..."

"Ooh! I wanna meet him! I bet he's soooo cute!" Squealed Emilia, her childish love for cute things going full overdrive. She was already imagining pictures in her mind, a cute, tiny baby boy dressed in a striped little sweater, playing with a toy on the floor. Her heart melted just from thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Rem thought that asking questions about the boy was more important than fantasizing about how cute he would be (although let it be known that she was VERY temped to choose the latter option). That way she could be prepared and know how to behave around him in case she ended up meeting him.

"Ms. Figg." She called out, the aforementioned lady turning to look at her. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few questions regarding the boy. Would it be a problem to indulge my curiosity?" She asked curtieously, as befitting of her duties as a maid.

"Not at all, my dear." Said Ms. Figg, waving it off. "And please, no need for such formality sweetie. I am flattered, but I'm no Queen of England" She said with a giggle. Rem nodded and began to ask questions. How he behaved, what he liked, etc.

Meanwhile, the third member of the party simply continued to stare at the house, eyes narrowed in suspicion when she spotted movement behind one of the windows. She watched as the door to the house opened, and a small boy came out.

Or, well, more like *flew* out, if anything.

The boy was small, about five years old. He wore baggy clothes, which Beatrice had a hunch served a purpose of sorts. One she couldn't quite figure out. His face, framed with short black hair, was rather tired and...was that...fear...in his eyes?

'Hmm. Most unusual I suppose.' She thought. She watched as the boy picked up a shovel and began to pointlessly try and shovel snow out of the backyard. '...What an utterly pointless and useless task, I suppose...'

She narrowed her eyes. That kind of hard, grueling work was not suitable for a child that young and small. The boy's family evidently had no business raising a child if they thought that was even remotely acceptable. And he was so... tiny...

Her eyes widened in surprise at the realization that he was tiny enough for even her to pick him up if she needed to. What were they DOING to this child?!

Rem learned from Miss Figg that Harry was extremely well behaved in spite of what his relatives insisted regarding him. He was soft spoken, polite and he didn't get in the way at all, he simply sat, watched the 'television', whatever that was, and played with the cats, one of which was rubbing up against her legs. She picked the small animal up, set it on her lap and absentmindedly stroked it as she asked her next question.

"So, he likes cats, we've established this, but is there anything else?"

"Well... He doesn't talk very much... Truthfully, I'm worried about him... He seems nervous and on edge much of the time... I've tried to tell Albus, and he said he would look into it as soon as he found the time, but... he's an extremely busy man, you see..."

"How so?"

"Well... He's taken up a lot of very high ranking and notable positions, dear. Positions that demand his constant attention."

"Like...?" Rem inquired, interested as to just who this "Albus" person was. From the tone of her voice, he sounded important.

"Well, for example, he holds the position of headmaster on Hogwarts, Britain's most famous school of witchcraft and wizardry."

All three girls looked at Ms. Figg incredulously, even Beatrice stopping her observation of the boy to look at her in confusion. "Hogwarts? What kind of moron would be stupid enough to name their school "Hogwarts", of all things?" She asked, her eye twitching at the fact that such a name was attached to a *magic school*. Something so prestigious shouldn't be holding a name so...so...disgusting, that's the word she was looking for.

Emilia put a hand on her mouth, struggling to suppress a giggle. "Hrm...hehe...Hogwarts...what kind of name is-hahahahaha!" She couldn't hold it back anymore, and broke out into a melodious laugh. "Hahaha! Ho-Hogwarts-ghahahahahahaha!" She held her stomach as she began to double over from her giggling spree. Even Rem chuckled a bit, finding it funny how a magical school held such an unorthodox name.

Ms. Figg snorted lightly. "Yes, yes, we've all questioned him about the name, but he was adamant on keeping it that way, I can't imagine why, it's hardly the most dignified name for such a prostigious school, but then Albus always did have a sense of humor..."

"Now you said he had other jobs?" Rem asked.

"Ah, yes, he helps run the transfiguration department at the Ministry of Magic. He is a columnist for Transfiguration Today. And most important of all, he's the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confedration of Wizards."

Emilia stifled another laugh. "M-Mugwump... Mugwump, that's a silly word, why...Why MUGWUMP, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She started laughing again, and Beatrice rolled her eyes.

"It's hardly THAT amusing, I suppose." She mumbled grouchily. Puck was snickering right alongside his 'daughter'.

"Sounds like this Dumbledore guy's biting off way more than he can chew at this point. If I were him, I'd try and get someone else to run things at that school, no way a ton of stuff doesn't fly by right under his nose if he's working so many important jobs at once." The great spirit remarked.

"I've wondered about that Severus boy myself, I have relatives that complain about him quite a lot..." Ms. Figg mused.

"Okay, so we know why he hasn't come to check on the child... but is the child okay?" Rem asked.

"Why don't you decide that for yourself, I suppose? He's outside right now." Beatrice spoke up about Harry's presence.

At that, both girls perked up. They moved over to the window and peeked through the glass, their eyes immediately landing on the boy. Rem immediately knew something was wrong. Her experience with children told her that that boy was FAR too thin for it to be healthy. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him wince when he accidentally stubbed his toe on a rock under the snow. She could even see a small tear slide down his face.

Emilia meanwhile simply observed the boy, unsure of exactly what to think. She had expected the "Boy Who Lived" to be some kind of rich, well-dressed, all prince-y like boy. This boy was nothing like her fantasy.

'My gosh, he looks so malnourished.' She noted. Even she, as naive as she was, could clearly see just how small the boy really was. Those baggy clothes did nothing to hide that fact. 'If I didn't notice the details, I would've thought he was two years old. He's so tiny. But not in the cute way I imagined.' She thought, her face adopting an expression of worry.

"Hm. It seems even the idiot elf knows when things are serious. Good job, I suppose." Beatrice said, before looking back out. "But seriously, you're right. A child so thin should NOT exist. Especially if he truly is 5 years old."

"Whoever the guardians are, I hope the magic I can sense around the house is a protective ward. Otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from reducing it to rubble." Rem spoke, a subtle line of fury lacing her words.

"I believe Albus claimed those are blood wards." Ms. Figg spoke up. THAT got Beatrice and Puck's full attention.

"You need to get that Dumbledore guy here. NOW." Puck spoke seriously.

"WHAT was that madman THINKING, I suppose?! The fool! He's endangered not just the child, but everyone in that house!" Beatrice exclaimed.

"Huh? What? What's going on?!" Emilia panicked slightly.

Puck turned to her with a frown. "Blood wards work like this: they're powered by the relationships and bonds we share with our blood relatives. Harry over there is living with his aunt and uncle, and his cousin. The wards are tied to not just the blood of the people they're protecting, but also their emotions. And no family stays in perfect harmony all the time... All those negative emotions? They can twist and destroy the original point of the blood wards and corrupt them. Corrupt the people they're protecting... It amplifies their feelings and emotions. Anger, paranoia, distrust, hatred... And looking at Harry... their sadness, their fear... their misery... If I had to guess... because he doesn't look mad at all... I'd say they never liked the little guy... And all the time he's spent with them, they've been...systematically tearing him down... trying to make him feel like he was...less than them... And at his young age, he completely believes it... And when you combine that with what the blood wards are doing to him... Increasing those negative emotions... Ugh... I don't even wanna think about what's going on in that poor kid's head right now... And I REALLY don't wanna think about what's going on under that shirt of his..."

Emilia gasped, covering her mouth in shock. If what Puck said was true (and she knew her beloved spirit would never speak lies to her), then the poor boy has been suffering both physically, emotionally and mentally, all at the same time, TIMES A HUNDRED, or possibly even worse.

Rem's hold on the edge of the couch tightened, the fabric gaining holes when her sharp nails dug into it like a beast would with it's prey. She had witnessed many horrors in her old world, a majority of which were the result of the witch cult. While this kind of thing was nowhere near what she saw back then, it was still terrible. No, terrible doesn't cut it. It was horrific.

And she was just a step away from bombarding the house with an army's worth of icicles.

The only thing that stopped her was the risk of catching the child in the crossfire. That's the LAST thing she would want to do right now.

While the trio was distracted with the kid, Ms. Figg got up and left the room, the trio too distracted to notice her. She walked over to a corner of the kitchen, approaching a golden cage with a brown owl. The bird screeched as it's owner walked over, opened the cage and pulled her out slowly, as to not disturb it too much. While the three otherworldly visitors were too preoccupied with observing Harry, Ms. Figg wrote a short letter addressed to Dumbledore, planning to let him know of the three otherworlders. She tied the note to the bird's leg, opened the window, and let the bird fly, it's destination already in it's mind.

Ms. Figg was certain of one thing. Dumbledore will have quite the surprise waiting for him once that bird arrives at Hogwarts.

Puck turned to Beatrice with a serious expression. "Betty? You and I need to work together to bring that barrier down. Let's get that window open now, come on..." Emilia hurriedly threw the window open and the two spirits turned their attention to the house.

Puck and Beatrice both closed their eyes and their magic began to activate. Every ounce of their focus went into the blood wards with the full extent of completely eradicating them from existence entirely. It took a few seconds for the process to begin, but eventually, progress was made.

It was as if several threads were beginning to come undone, unwinding and unraveling, slowly disappearing into the ether as the two spirits put all their energy into getting rid of this vile corrupted source of 'protection' that had been turned into a living hell.

As they worked, both Beatrice and Puck quickly found that their fears were entirely valid a thousand times over. Never in their life had they EVER felt such hatred, scorn, disgust and raw malice, and all directed at a child that looked no older than an infant!

It was absolutely revolting... It was the source of pure, raw envy, contempt and anger. The owner of the house harbored an overwhelming grudge against SOMEBODY that was related to the boy, and as a result, they were taking that anger out on the child.

It took a good twenty minutes, but soon enough, the blood wards were entirely removed from the house. Puck let out a sigh. "Well... We've prevented the problem from getting any worse but... I'm afraid the damage is done now... It won't take away from the anger and contempt these people feel for the little guy..."

"We need to go and get him!" Emilia exclaimed. "We...We CAN'T just leave him over there with those people! What if they hurt him some more?!"

"That is ill advised, I suppose." Beatrice spoke up. "If we simply take him, they'll involve this world's authorities, in fact. It would be considered kidnapping, regardless of what our intentions were I suppose."

"B-but...we-we can't just leave him! What if he gets hurt even more?! What if..." A hand was slapped over Emilia's mouth, before Beatrice shook her head with a sigh.

She spoke. "I understand your concern I suppose. But rushing things is never a good option, regardless of one's worries in fact." She spoke, her words carrying wisdom in them.

"Believe me, I too wish to bring the boy to safety, away from those monstrous humans in that house, in fact. But we can get in serious trouble if we make a wrong move. Our non-existence in this world would already be a cause for concern I suppose, but if they find out about our abilities, we could bring even worse problems to our doorstep in fact."

As much as she loathed to admit so, Emilia couldn't help but *know* the spirit was right. Them catching the attention of this world's authorities, coupled with the fact that a majority of this world know nothing about magic or even about it's existence, would only bring more harm than good. She realized the boy would definitely be negatively affected too. As much as she wanted to save him, she would listen to Beatrice...for now.

Emilia begrudgingly nodded, lips pursed. Beatrice accepted it at that.

She continued to look out the window at the boy, however, face scrunched up in worry. He didn't seem to notice that anything had changed... He was continuing to work on the garden as if nothing had happened. Seemed these barriers were extremely subtle.

At one point, Harry seemed to notice he was being watched. He turned to look as Ms. Figg's house, and then he saw the unfamiliar woman with long silver hair looking back at him. Emilia blinked, then waved at him with a warm smile, trying to establish she was no threat.

Harry responded by flinching away and returning to his work, and Emilia bit her lip. "Aww... Poor little thing... He can't even respond to kindness... He doesn't know how to..." She moaned sadly, resting her chin atop her arms as she watched him work.

Harry was worried. Who was that new lady? That was Ms. Figg's house, did Ms. Figg move out and that was the new homeowner? Did that mean Ms. Figg wouldn't babysit him anymore and he wouldn't be able to spend time with the kitties?

He nervously continued working on the garden. He struggled to toss the snow out of the garden. He didn't know why he was doing it... He was convinced that it was just an excuse to make him work more...

He wiped his runny nose, taking great care not to accidentally sneeze. If he did, he was afraid they'd hear him. Uncle Vernon certainly wouldn't be happy, and neither would aunt Petunia. He didn't need any more beatings for today.

Not like he didn't deserve it, but still.

It hurt.

He lifted up the shovel, continuing to dig through the harsh snow. Despite it always being so cold, he did like snow. It was one of the few joys he had in life. Even if it was, admittedly, a bit too cold for his liking sometimes.

He stopped for a second, and looked back at Ms. Figg's house. The window has been closed, and the curtains were draped over. Looks like the white lady was no longer watching him.

Harry trembled. What if.. what if it really was true? What if Ms. Figg really has left. What if he won't ever see the kitties ever again? What if...

Meanwhile, Emilia observed the boy as he continued to dig through the snow, her fingers trembling at the sight of the poor boy. It took all of her self-restraint to not just barge out of the house and take the little one in her arms and away from that accursed house. A small tear escaped her eye, and she sniffed. She then felt something soft on her shoulder, and looked back to see Puck, a gentle and knowing expression on his face.

"I understand your worries, Emilia." He said. "As your father, I can't possibly sympathize with you more on the matter of that boy. But as it stands, we are currently in no position to help him without bringing even more trouble to him. Trust me, we WILL save him. It's just that now is not the time."

"But it's so unfair, Puck!" She snapped, a rare occurrence for Emilia. "He's out there, freezing to near death, under the care of those...horrible people! And what are we doing? We're sitting here, when we could be helping him, healing him, ANYTHING!" She said, before slamming her face into the couch, staining the fabric with her tears.

Rem looked at her with a sad frown, then out the window at the child. Then, she turned to Beatrice. "Beatrice, do you perhaps know of any spells that could help ease the poor thing's burden, even the slightest bit?" Beatrice looked up at her.

"Yes... Yes I do, in fact..." She looked back out at the child and held up her hand. She focused her magic, and Rem noticed a nice golden glow surrounding the little spirit's outstretched palm, the same glow that seemed to envelop the little boy outside.

Harry suddenly felt... warm...? He felt all the cold and exhaustion seemingly...wash away. He felt energized, and he felt like he was working on a nice summer day rather than a freezing cold winter evening. He looked around, confused, trying to figure out what was going on.

The weather hadn't changed in the slightest. It was still a grey, cloudy, snowy day... Was he doing the freaky stuff again? ...No... He didn't think he was... He didn't feel the familiar tingling sensation that he always did when the freaky stuff activated...

He looked back at the house. The pretty lady with the white hair wasn't there anymore. Instead there was a woman with blue hair, as well as a girl a few years older than him with long blonde hair that kind of looked like drills. The blonde girl nodded at him.

...Did...Did she do it...?

Suddenly, the door threw itself open. "All right, boy, back in here now, you're done shovelling for the day, come and make dinner!" His uncle's voice barked.

Wincing at the sudden yell, Harry gingerly picked up the shovel, and began to head towards the house, Vernon already waiting there for him.

"Move it boy! Get in!"

He didn't get to say anything, and was immediately grabbed and tossed into the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

All the while, a certain blue maid and a drill spirit watched, their faces morphing to expressions of what could only be described as pure, unadulterated hatred.

Meanwhile, in the massive castle that contained the academy of Hogwarts, a certain headmaster was pacing around the room, his hand on his beard.

'This is absurd!' He thought. 'First, a massive pulse of pure magical power larger than even Voldemort and myself combined suddenly appears in the nearby forest, and now the blood wards he had set up around the home of the Dursleys have been dispersed. Just another concerning occurrence after another.

He had personally made sure that the blood wards on the house were reinforced to the very brink, so that even Voldemort himself wouldn't be able to unravel them. And now...now they're gone. Just like that.

He had sensed that the wards have been tampered with, and attempted to try and push back the magic that was doing the whole thing, only for his efforts to prove futile when the magic not only completely ignored his own, but outright dispersed it alongside the wards.

'This is a cause for concern.' He thought. 'If he has returned...I don't want to even imagine the possibilities.'

He made a decision. In a rush, he quickly left his office and headed down towards the classes. If he wanted to get to the bottom of this, then it would be for the best if he gathered some backup, just in case his fears were proven true.

The moment he left, a screech was heard. Fawkes, the red phoenix and Dumbledore's most loyal pet, looked towards the window, where a small owl, one he recognised was from Ms. Figg, had just landed, a slip of paper on it's leg.

Fawkes shook his head in exasperation. If only his master would stop leaving the room mere moments before something important happened. God knows things would be a lot more interesting.

Back at Ms. Figg's house, the group of four, and now Ms. Figg, were watching the house like hawks, Ms. Figg catching onto their concern. "...There has to be SOMETHING we can do... There just HAS to be... Who knows what that man's doing to him in there...?" Emilia murmured nervously, twirling a lock of her long silver hair on her finger.

"My owl is exceptionally fast, dear, he'll have made it to Albus by the end of the day I'm certain." Ms. Figg reassured her. Emilia turned to her with a worried expression.

"But what if Harry can't wait that long? What if that man ends up going too far this time and permanently injuring him or worse?! I can't just sit here and ignore this! I just can't! We have to help him somehow! I don't care if I get in trouble for it, I need to get him away from that house!"

Puck let out a sigh as he floated atop his daughter's head. "Okay, okay... I do know one spell that'll let you get ahold of the little guy without them seeing you, buuuut if I use it, it'll put me out of commission for three days. It takes a LOT of energy to pull off."

Emilia looked up at her spirit with determination. "Okay, Puck. Let's do it. It's a risk I'm willing to take... I'll be able to handle myself for a few days, anything to save that poor little boy." She held her clenched fists up to her chin and nodded her head.

Puck chuckled. "I knew you'd say that, you can never leave someone behind when they need you. Okay. So. Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna freeze time."

"What? But I thought your specialty was ice magic." Rem asked, confused.

"It is. I'm literally going to FREEZE time."

"That-That doesn't make any sense!" Ms. Figg exclaimed in pure disbelief. Puck tilted his head at her.

"Yeah, well... spirits on MY level get that kind of response quite a bit. We all have at least one unconventional power that a lot of people would say isn't physically possible." He turned to Emilia and Rem. "Okay, girls, so here's the deal. Practioners of ice magic like you two are completely unaffected by this spell. That means you'll both be able to go next door, grab the little guy and beat it out of there, and they won't be any the wiser. You can even smack the fat slob around a little if you wanna, he won't know who did it. But you only have about ten minutes to get it done. I'm gonna go ahead and scout things out first, make sure you know where you're going."

"But what if they see you, Bubby?" Beatrice asked worriedly.

"Nah, that won't happen! I'm small, I can hide no sweat! And besides, I'm a cat! We're born to sneak around and stay outta sight, it's not even hard!" Puck replied confidently.

Beatrice reluctantly bit her lip, unsure if her Bubby could actually make it. Puck immediately placed a soft paw on her forehead, making her look up with a slight blush. Puck gave her an adorable smile, which made it hard to believe he was really the mighty spirit everyone knew him as. "It's okay, Beatrice. I promise you I won't get caught. I swear it on my honor as a spirit! If I don't come back, you're free to haunt me for the rest of eternity." He added with a mischievous smile, making Beatrice giggle a bit. Rem sweatdropped.

"Uuh, I don't think that's how haunting works..." She said, only to promptly be ignored by everyone, causing her to pout.

Emilia clapped her hands, catching everyone's attention. "Alright, if you're sure this is going to work, let's do it." She said, looking out the window. "I don't want to see that boy suffer any longer. If we don't save him now..." Her face adopted a horrified expression, before she shook it off and replaced it with bravery. "...let's hope it doesn't come to that." She looked at Puck. "Are you ready?"

"Yup! As ready as ready can be." He said, doing a small salute (which Beatrice found extremely adorable).

Emilia nodded. "Then let's do it. Let's free that boy, once and for all." She exclaimed.

Rem smiled at Emilia. She always was like this... Utterly unable to let innocents suffer if she could do anything to stop it. She always had respected that about the half-elf.

"All right, I'm gonna be on my way now!" Puck then proceeded to effortlessly squeeze his way underneath the crack of the closed door. Everyone but Ms. Figg was flabbergasted at the way Puck just slipped right through that small crack.

"The term is cats are liquid." Ms. Figg said with a shrug.

Puck made his way to the house next door, and slid his way underneath the crack of the door just as he had at Ms. Figg's. He then hurriedly ducked behind a large pair of workboots, nose crinkling at the odor that came from it. "Urgh... This guy needs to wash his feet every once in a while..." Slowly, he peeked his head out from behind the shoe. His eyes promptly widened in shock and disbelief at what he was seeing. This sheer, unrelenting brutality forced upon a child that looked barely out of infancy... It was hard to watch, but he couldn't look away. He felt rooted to the spot in pure shock. All he could think was how devastated Emilia was going to be when she got wind of what was going on in here.

After what felt like several hours, the obese man dragged the limp, bloodied and exhausted child back to the cupboard under the stairs and harshly threw him in, making the spirit wince. "And you'll be STAYING there for a bloody WEEK, boy!" The man barked angrily. Puck scowled as the man stormed out of the room.

"Not if I have anything to say about it he won't..." He squeezed his way back outside and rushed to get back to Ms. Figg's.

Upon entering the room, he floated above them all. "Okay! Right as you enter the door, you'll find a cupboard underneath the stairs. That's where they keep him." Emilia was taken aback by her spirit's demeanour. He was visibly distressed, none of his usual laidback and playful attitude showing.

"Puck... how bad was it...?" Emilia asked softly. Puck looked at her and sighed.

"It's...it's bad, Emilia. It's REALLY bad... We need to get over there as soon as possible..." Ms. Figg went pale. What has been happening right under her nose?!

"Alright then!" Puck called. "If everyones ready, here goes."

Puck activated his powers, small trails of cold air dancing around him. Everyone in the room felt the sudden increase in strength as more and more cold whisps danced around the small cat. Everyone watched in anticipation as Puck began to bring his paws together...

...and then, he just clapped, and everything turned white.

Emilia blinked.

Rem blinked.

Then both blinked at the same time.

"That was it?" They asked at the same time.

"Hey, it's not flashy, but it's effective! Look!" Both girls looked at Beatrice and Ms. Figg. They were frozen in time, completely unmoving.

"Wow..." Emilia breathed before her eyes widened. "Agh! We have to hurry! Rem! Come help me, let's go and get him!"

"Yes." Rem nodded as the two women rushed out the door. They hurried over to the identical house where Harry resided, and Emilia nearly tore the door off its hinges trying to get in. When she saw the cupboard under the stairs, she was quick to yank it open... and she screamed out loud as soon as she saw what was inside.

Rem followed Emilia's gaze into the cupboard, but instead of screaming in horror, her face remained calm, her fury burning like the fire that destroyed her home.

Lying in the cupboard, covered in bruises, with nothing but a blanket on his tiny person, was Harry Potter, the boy they came to rescue. The sheer extent of the abuse the two were looking at could not ever be put into words. All that needed to be known was that Emilia was right to push them into saving the boy.

Rem sincerely doubted he would have survived if they didn't act sooner.

She put a hand on Emilia's shoulder, causing her to look at the maid, the expression of horror still plastered on her face.

Rem began to speak. "Stay calm, Emilia. As a royal, you need to show your bravery as unwavering. What we're seeing here is no doubt terrifying, but we can't show fear now. We came to help, and that's what we'll do. Besides..." She looked at the boy for a second. "...I doubt the boy would want his savior to look at him in fear when he wakes up." She spoke, her voice seemingly cold. Yet Emilia could sense it. That unbridled rage, waiting to be let out.

Honestly, she would be lying if she said she wasn't angry herself.

Taking a few deep breaths, Emilia nodded, steeling her nerves. She walked over to the cupboard, knelt down, and scooped up the boy in her arms. Making sure to adjust him so he wouldn't be hurt.

Once that happened, the girls began to head towards the exit, the door still slightly broken from their earlier break in. As soon as they arrived in the living room, they noticed the three people frozen in time, a fat walrus of a man, a horse-faced woman, and a pudgy kid that resembled a younger version of the walrus.

Just by looking at them, Rem knew who they were. The feeling she got from them was proof enough.

These were Harry's abusers.

"Emilia-sama, go back to the house." She said.

"H-huh!?" Emilia exclaimed, puzzled by this sudden development. "But why? We only have eight minutes 'till Puck's spell wears off! What are you-"

"Perfect. That's seven minutes enough." She answered simply, not letting Emilia finish.

"Rem, what are you doing? What's going on?" Emilia asked.

"Emilia-sama, I need you to leave. Prepare a bath and clean up the boy. Try to heal him using your magic if you can without Puck. Don't worry about me." She said.

"B-but-"

"I'll be back shortly." She said, her eyes fixed into a small glare pointed at Emilia.

The elf in question gulped, and nodded. She quickly left the house, Rem closing the door behind her. Rem then looked out the window to make sure Emilia was heading towards the house. She turned around, and stared at the three disgusting peo...no, demons, in the room with her.

"Consider yourselves lucky that murder would only bring us more trouble than it's worth." She said. She then reached behind her back, the rattling of chains was heard, before her hand came out from behind, holding a familiar black chain attached to a black handle on one end, and a large ball with red spikes on the other.

"Trust me however..." She held the chain in her left hand, the handle of it in her right.

"...you'll be surprised to find out just how much the human body can survive."

Emilia heard the sound of Rem's weapon making impact with something, and she winced when she heard the sounds of bones shattering. It was very surreal to hear that without the sound of agonized screaming to go with it, though she knew it was going to happen as soon as time started once more.

As she entered the house, she snuck a glance out the window and saw Rem was relentlessly assaulting the Dursleys. All she could see was silhouettes, but she winced at the sheer brutality she was inflicting on the fat man in particular. She briefly wondered if it was too far... And then she looked at little Harry in her arms and those thoughts were squashed down immediately.

She went to do as Rem had instructed and prepare a bath for the poor thing, Puck floating alongside her, visibly tiring out. "Well... Little guy's looking like he's gonna be okay..." He let out a yawn. "Ugh... Time's running out..." Emilia hummed in response as she ran the bathwater.

"Please hurry up, Rem..." She murmured. Thankfully, Rem had finished with only thirty seconds to spare. She calmly left the house, hands clutching at her apron as she made her way back to Ms. Figg's house, her weapon dispersed. Her tracks were covered. They would never know it was her who had done this to them.

She had shown the parents no mercy, but the little round child, she had decided to let off with a spanking. She didn't know if he was anywhere near as bad as his parents, but his eyes told her he had a vicious mean streak, and he was very much undisciplined.

As soon as she closed the door to Ms. Figg's house, time resumed, and the sound of agonized screams could be heard from next door. Beatrice and Ms. Figg were visibly shocked at the sudden noise. "D-Did you... You were just supposed to bring the child back here, I suppose! What were you thinking?! If you harmed them, it could lead to severe consequences in fact!"

"They deserved it." Rem said swiftly and coldly. So coldly in fact, Beatrice almost (almost) flinched. In all the years she had known the blue oni, she had never seen or even heard her sound so cold.

"...I'll go check on Emilia." She said, heading up the stairs towards the bathroom.

Rem watched Beatrice ascend the stairs, before looking at her hand. She could see small, barely visible patches of red on the skin of her hand, from how hard she was gripping her flail. Rem stared at her hand in silence for several seconds, her gaze unblinking.

"Tch. Monsters. The lot of them." She said.

Meanwhile, the drill-haired spirit reached the top floor of the house and walked over to the bathroom door. She knocked on the wooden surface twice, the elf inside responding.

"Who is it?"

"Beatrice. May I come in, I suppose?"

"Oh. Yeah sure."

Beatrice blinked at the sorrowful tone in the elf's voice. She opened the door, her eyes treated to the sight of Emilia kneeling next to the tub.

She gently shut the door, and walked over to the kneeling elf. Her eyes wandered into the bathhub, landing on the sleeping form of the boy, his cheeks stained by trails of tears.

"What..." Suddenly, Emilia spoke, catching her attention. "I don't understand. What..." Emilia slowly turned her head to look at Beatrice, the spirit slowly gaining an astonished expression at the sheer...no, despair would be far too mild a word.

"...what did this boy ever do wrong, Beatrice?"

Beatrice's lips formed into a thin line as she looked down at the injured child. There was no answer to that question. Nothing she could say could ever come close to explaining why he'd been treated the way he had. The injuries marring his tiny form were abominable.

"...I don't know, I suppose. There is no reason, in fact." Was all the little spirit could think to say. She approached the tub slowly and leaned down to look at the little boy resting in the bathwater as the half-elf gently cleaned him off the best she could.

"Y-Yes... You're right... There IS no reason, none at all, this just..." Emilia took a deep breath and shook her head. "Stay focused, Emilia, stay calm, just clean him up..." She muttered to herself, trying to force herself not to succumb to her anguish.

Beatrice remained silent as she watched Emilia tending to the child. The water was absolutely filthy and disgusting by the time she was finished, turning a sickening mixture of red and brown with the combination of the dirt and the blood...

Rem stepped into the room a few minutes later to see if everything was well, Ms. Figg trailing behind her, feeling guilt for not making a stronger effort to save the child. When Ms. Figg saw the state of the bathwater, she fainted on the spot after a choked sob. Rem caught her and carried her out of the room, sparing a sad glance back at the bathtub, laying Ms. Figg down on the couch before going back up to check on the child and her two companions.

"...How is he?" She asked softly as she took a kneeling position next to Beatrice. "Oh... He hasn't woken up yet..." She was just beginning to wonder if Harry WOULD wake up, when suddenly, he twitched slighty, and his eyes slowly began to open.

"Hm...wha...?" Harry's senses began to return as his eyes blinked tiredly open. His sight blurred as he tried to adjust himself. Suddenly, he realized something. He was sleeping.

He wasn't allowed to sleep during noon.

"A-ah!" He quickly got up. "I-I'm sorry uncle Vernon! I didn't mean to...fall..." He suddenly stopped when he realized he was no longer in his cupboard. Instead, he was in a bathhub, warm water surrounding him.

What's going on? Wasn't he in his cupboard? How did he get here? Is this a dream? Where is he? What...

He began to hyperventilate, unable to calm down, fear coursing through him.

Suddenly, a gentle feeling appeared on his shoulder. He flinched and looked to the side, his eyes squeezed shut, expecting to get hit. To his surprise however, the gentle feeling didn't go away. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked at his shoulder, finding a pale hand gently placed on him. His eyes followed the path of the arm, and soon he found himself staring at a pair of purple eyes on a beautiful pale face, framed with equally pale hair, and with a loving smile on it.

"Hey. How're you feeling, little one?"

Harry shrunk down in on himself slightly, looking nervously downward, not sure how to answer the pretty lady's question. He looked up at her. "Um...I...I...I feel...Um...Good..." He lied. After all, he was never supposed to tell ANYONE about what his uncle did to him...

Rem and Beatrice saw right through his lie. He looked around and noticed them... as well as the fact that he was in a very familiar bathroom. "M-Ms. Figg's house...?" He murmured softly. Emilia nodded with a smile and gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"Yes, you're at Ms. Figg's house right now..." She said softly. "And we're going to make sure you NEVER have to go back to that horrible place ever again... You poor thing... How could they treat you so horribly?" She murmured softly. Harry leaned into her touch. It was kind of like a kitten. It was cute!

Rem rose back to her feet. "I believr we should bring him out of the bath now... He's been cleaned off... Here." She grabbed a towel from the nearby shelf and unfolded it before reaching over and gently grabbing the small boy out of the tub.

She carefully bundled him up in the towel, leaving his tiny face peeking out, and then held him up against her shoulder, gently patting his back. "There there now, child, it's all right, you're safe now..." She whispered, gently patting his tiny back.

Harry flinched when he felt his back getting pat, expecting for it to transition to hitting him, but none of that ever came. The blue-haired lady continued to gently pat his back, while hugging him against her shoulder.

Despite his initial fear, Harry could feel himself getting more...comfortable. He winced, realizing it won't last. The lady and her friends will hit him, just like uncle Vernon did. Not like he didn't deserve it. He is a freak after all.

And freaks only deserve to be hit.

He heard the blue lady sigh, and she soon turned around, with Harry finally getting a better look at the other two. His eyes first fell on the white lady, who had gentle purple eyes with blue pupils, inside which Harry could feel himself getting lost, as if he was looking at an angel.

'She's so pretty.' Thought the little boy. He then looked at the smaller girl, the one with weird hair, and realised her eyes had pink butterflies in them.

'Is she...is she like...me?' Harry asked, wondering if her eyes were like that because she was a freak like him.

'No, there's no way.' He thought. Why would someone like her be the same as a freak like him? It was ridiculous.

Maybe it was something he did?

He probably did, he supposed. He can't control the freaky stuff, so he's probably gonna make the yellow girl angry. Maybe then she'll hit him.

Beatrice noticed the way he was looking at her and tilted her head to the side. "Hmm. He seems to have less than pleasant thoughts on the mind, I suppose..." Emilia frowned at that and stepped forward, gently cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Aww, you poor thing..." She said softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. Harry winced, then leaned into the woman's touch. It was nice... One of the pretty ladies was holding him nice, and the other was also being nice to him... He felt his fears and doubts slowly ebbing away...

Rem smiled at the half elf, and then held the child out to her. "Here you are, Emilia. I can tell how badly you want to hold him." Emilia blinked, then accepted Harry into her arms with a big smile and gave him a gentle squeeze, nuzzling the top of his head.

"Aww, look at you... You're so tiny..." She cooed gently as she began to rock him back and forth in her arms. Harry timidly looked up at her as she showed him affection. She was still being nice... When was she going to drop the facade and hurt him...?

But... WAS it a facade...? She looked so... genuine. She was being so careful and gentle and her voice sounded so... soothing... Was... Was she actually worried about him...? Did she care...? But why? Why would she care about HIM?

It didn't make sense. None of it did. Why would such a pretty lady like her be so kind to a freak like him? Why didn't she start hurting him from the get-go? Harry didn't know, and he was afraid he'd be punished if he asked.

Emilia looked at Rem, her eyes speaking her intentions for her.

"Right away, Emilia. I shall prepare the bed for him." She said, bowing slightly before she left the bathroom, and headed towards the room.

Emilia looked back at Harry, giving him a gentle smile. "Say little one, are you hungry? I can make you some food if you'd like." She offered.

Harry looked at her confused. "But...I'm not allowed to..."

"Huh?" Emilia asked, blinking. "What do you mean you're not allowed?"

"I'm not allowed to...to eat normal people food...I'm too freaky for that."

Emilia widened her eyes subtly. 'Too...freaky? Just...just what did these people do to him?!' She thought in horror. She shook her head and spoke up. "Nonsense Harry. You're not a freak, you're a wonderful little boy, and you-what's wrong?" She asked, seeing how Harry was staring at her with a horrified expression.

"You...your ears..."

Emilia winced as he looked at her ears. "Y-You have different ears... You're different, just like me... That...That means people are mean to you too... That... People shouldn't be mean to you... You're too nice and too pretty for people to not like..."

Emilia gasped and teared up slightly at the little one's words. To think, this child was so pure, wholesome and innocent that just the thought of her being mistreated for her own appearance was more disturbing to him than the abuse that he himself received...

"Oooh... You're such a sweet little thing..." Emilia whimpered softly, burying her face in the child's hair. "And you're wrong about what you said... You are NOT too freaky to eat food... You're too much of a sweetheart, too cuddly and adorable to be hated like that, to be... to be HURT like that..."

Harry looked at Emilia. He noticed that she didn't have any signs of real injury anywhere. She didn't have any bruises, any cuts, any scrapes, welts or dislocated facial features. He wondered if they were all under her clothes... But that didn't seem likely.

She also didn't have any signs of being really hungry like he did. Her body looked normal. Proper. Where he looked like he was mere moments away from turning into a skeleton, she looked like she was eating a healthy diet every day. Harry felt relieved. He was glad he wasn't being treated bad like he was. Only he deserved that.

Emilia squeezed him gently. He had no idea how right he was... While she was never hurt physically [Puck would never allow it], she had received her fair share of emotional and verbal abuse over the years. This child's sympathy meant the world to her.

She took a breath and gently cupped his chin to look at her. She gave him a stern look [though she really couldn't pull it off and just ended up looking cute.] "Now you listen to me, mister. I don't wanna hear you say all that mean stuff about yourself anymore, okay? You ARE allowed to eat just like everyone else. You are NOT a freak. And you did NOT deserve to be treated like that. You're an adorable little boy and I fell in love with you the minute I saw you."

Harry looked down, uncertain. He didn't fully believe her, but he knew better than to argue. "Um...M-Miss...?"

"Oh! Emilia. You can call me Emilia!" Emilia said with a closed-eyed smile.

"Oh, sorry... Miss Emilia... Um...How do you know my name...?"

"Oh! Right! Ms. Figg told me! She told all of us!"

"Ms. Figg?!" Harry perked up at that, a small smile appearing on his face. He thought Ms. Figg had left and had taken all the kitties with her. He was afraid he'd never see them or play with them again. To hear that she is still here, that she didn't abandon him...

It made him happy.

It made him so so happy.

Like nothing ever did.

"Oooh, you look soooo cuuute!" She nuzzled her cheek against his head, cooing at him all the while. Harry didn't know why Miss Emilia was acting like that, (probably his freaky stuff ruining everything), but...he liked this. He liked the feeling she was giving him. He leaned into her touch as they soon began to walk down to the dining room.

Once they were there, Emilia sat Harry down on a chair and booped his nose. "I'll go make us something to eat. Do you have preferences?" She asked. Harry shook his head no, and Emilia nodded, deciding to improvise something, before heading off into the kitchen. Harry sat in the chair by the table, silently waiting for Miss Emilia to return. Suddenly, footsteps caught his attention, and he looked behind, recognising the girl from before, the one with butterfly eyes.

The girl walked over to a chair and sat down, likely waiting for food as well. After a minute or so, she noticed he was watching her. Harry flinched when she looked at him, causing her gaze to soften. She adopted a kind smile, and spoke.

"Hello there little one."

Harry blinked, then looked down nervously. This girl was bigger than him by at least three heads, but she was still smaller than Dudley. Either way, he was nervous about talking to people around his age, they would normally end up harming him.

Dudley and his friends made a game out of hurting him as much as they possibly could, and he was worried this girl would want to do the same thing. He looked back up at her, and noticed she was simply looking at him with a tilted head and a small frown.

Beatrice was a very prickly spirit, and many would say she was difficult to get along with. And...well, those people would be right, she supposed. But she had to admit that she had an extreme weakness for things that she thought were cute.

Her precious Bubby was among those things. As well as the small army of cats that lived inside this house. And she had to admit, this little boy was very much on the list of things that she thought was adorable. Was it because he was smaller than her?

She idly wondered if it was possible for her to pick him up. Tilting her head, she moved closer to the chair, outstretched her arms... and she took Harry into her hold, the boy letting out a small squeak as she did so. "...Goodness, you are VERY small, in fact..."

"Mm...m' sorry for being small...you can hit me if you'd like..."

Beatrice was at a loss for words. "Hit you? Why would I ever want to hit you I suppose? And why are you apologizing for being small? Do not ever do that again, do you understand?" She chastised him lightly. Harry looked down in shame, causing Beatrice to sweatdrop.

"Sorry...I didn't wanna make you angry..."

'Oh dear.' She thought. 'Now I've made things worse. I don't know how to work with kids, in fact.' She thought. She heard someone entering the room, and saw Rem approaching the table. Seeing the opportunity, Beatrice got off the chair and walked over to her, before lifting Harry towards her.

"Here. I don't know how to work with kids I suppose. Keep him entertained." She said, more demanding than offering.

Rem blinked, before nodding and accepting the boy, taking him in her arms. Beatrice huffed and sat back down, pulling a book out of...somewhere, and losing herself within it.

Rem watched Beatrice for a few seconds, before her eyes moved over to Harry, who noticed her and looked at her in curiosity, but also fear.

Rem chose to simply ignore the large amount of the latter.

She adopted a smile and looked at Harry with as much compassion as she could. "Hello Harry. It's nice to meet you. My name is Rem."

Harry looked down nervously. "Um...H-Hi Miss Rem..." He mumbled shyly. The maid gently ran her fingers through his messy dark hair with a closed-eyed smile. He really was a precious little thing, he was so tiny and so desperately in need of affection...

"There there now, little one, it's all right... You're all right..." She said gently. "I've dealt with those people that put their hands on you..." She spoke softly. She idly wondered what had happened with them. Luckily they had passed out from the pain, and Dudley had fainted when he saw the state his parents were in, meaning the authorities were unlikely to be called, at least for a while.

Harry looked at her with a tilted head. "Wh-What do you mean?" Rem frowned and winced slightly. She...REALLY did not need to share the gruesome details of what she had done to those pigs in human skin, it would give him nightmares for certain.

"Oh... You don't need to trouble yourself worrying about it..." She said softly before hugging him against her chest and gently stroking his hair. "Right now, you just need to focus on getting some rest... That way your natural magic can heal you faster..."

Harry tensed up in the blue-haired woman's arms. She sais the bad word like it was nothing! ...Was it a grownup word that only grownups could say? He remembered how much trouble he always got in if he ever said that word in his family's presence...

Rem noticed his distraught expression, and asked with a raised brow. "Is everything alright, love? Did I say something wrong?"

"You...you said a bad word...you can't say that word...you'll get hurt if you do." He said.

"Bad word?" Rem asked, now thoroughly confused. "What bad word?"

"The..." Harry hesitated. Was he allowed to say that word? What if Miss Rem hit him? But...she was saying that same word so easily, so...maybe it's alright? "Magic." He said, before looking away and expecting a hit.

Only it never came.

'Magic? That's what I said?' Rem thought in confusion. Why would he be afraid of the word magic? It didn't make sense...

...unless...

'Hold on...could it be...' Rem looked towards Harry, a small frown dripping with unimaginable anger settling on her face.

'Did those PIGS seriously torture him into thinking magic by word alone was bad?'

Safe to say, Rem was sad that she didn't do something worse to them now.

She narrowed her eyes at the house across the street. 'No...No, I can't kill them, I can't kill them, I can't fall onto that path again...' She exhaled through her nostrils as she realized she may have made a mistake in attacking those people.

Yes, they were awful, awful people that MORE than deserved it, but she very much doubted this world's law enforcement would agree with that... She was more or less enacting vigilante justice. If she had been acting in self defense, it would be one thing, but no, she had made the choice to strike while they couldn't defend themselves.

...She would accept the consequences of her actions should it come to that. It would be more than worth it to stand up for this helpless little one when he was harmed so horribly... Emilia would still be here. She could work everything out with the child.

She sighed and have the little boy a gentle squeeze. "Magic... is a wonderful thing, Harry... It's nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to feel you'e worth any less over. It can do truly amazing things... I can show it to you if you'd like..." She whispered softly.

Harry looked at her in awe. She was saying everything his uncle thought was wrong, but she sounded so genuine, so sincere, that he felt like he HAD to believe her... She gave him a smile, and he felt that doubt melt away just a little more.

"O-okay..." He said. "I...I wanna see m...m..." Harry hesitated. Looking up, he saw Rem still giving him a kind smile. She nodded, urging him to continue.

Harry gulped, but note continued. "I...wanna see...ma...magic." He finished, and looked up. Rem's smile widened.

"There, was that so hard?" She asked, playfully booping his nose. Harry giggled at the touch. Rem then raised her hand, before a white mist gathered in her palm. She breathed out, more white mist coming out of her mouth.

"Goa."

As soon as she said that, the white mist began to swirl, whistling like a silent wind. Harry watched in awe as a shiny blue crystal began to form inside the mist.

After a few seconds, the mist disappeared, and the crystal gently landed in Rem's palm. She gave it to Harry, who hesitantly touched the blue crystal, widening his eyes at the cold feeling it had.

He quickly realized it was ice. He had seen plenty of it during all the time he'd spent shovelling snow out of the back yard for... um... he didn't know what the reason was, actually, he was pretty sure his uncle just wanted to work him to the bone.

But he had never seen ice quite like this before. This ice was sparkling in the light of the house, it was in the perfect shape of a diamond, and it was smooth and soothing. In fact, he felt some of the aches in his tiny hand ease slightly as he touched it.

Rem smiled. "It's a very special kind of ice too..." She looked over to the fireplace, approached it and held the ice directly over it for a full thirty seconds before returning to show Harry that it hadn't melted, not even the slightest bit of water dripped from it.

"It...It didn't melt...?" Harry asked with a tilted head. Rem nodded her head, scooped him up and set him down in her lap gently, running her fingers through the little boy's messy dark hair and giving the ice crytal to him to hold. He took it in both hands and looked down at it.

"That's right... The ice is extremely powerful." She gently tapped it with her finger. "It won't melt, and it will only shatter under the strongest forces imagineable... Some use these crystals for decoration. It's a beautiful gem, is it not?"

"Yes...it's...so pretty..." Harry whispered, amazed by such a wondrous thing. The ice that doesn't melt, doesn't shatter. He had never seen anything similar. It was...beautiful.

Rem put a finger on her chin. "Decoration...ah!" She gasped, catching Harry's attacks. He looked up, and watched as Rem pulled out a small string. She took the ice crystal from Harry, before creating a small hole in the middle of it. She then pulled the string through the hole, before tying it. She then slid her hand across the string, causing more ice crystals of various sizes to grow along the length of the string. Once done, she admired her handiwork for a second, before nodding and placing it on Harry. The boy looked at the new necklace, surprised. He looked at Rem, who smiled.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Ye-yes. I like it a lot. Th-thank you, Miss Rem." He said. Rem giggled.

"Aww, such a well-mannered boy." She poked his tummy with her finger, causing him to giggle lightly. Rem smiled as she watched him laugh. The boy probably never had something so nice given to him.

She was glad that his ability to enjoy things wasn't killed by those pigs as well.

Suddenly, steps alerted the duo at the table, and they looked up to see Emilia walk in, a pink apron over her dress.

"Dinner is ready!" She said with a huge smile.

Beatrice looked up, then her eyes narrowed in distaste at the apron Emilia was wearing. "...And just where did you get that eyesore, I suppose?" She asked. Emilia squawked indignantly and clutched at the pink apron, offended by the remark.

"Hey, I think it looks cute, and I didn't wanna get my clothes all covered in food and stuff! Besides, it's not even mine, I just found it in the kitchen so it must be Miss Figg's, so there, you just insulted our gracious host and now you're rude!" She huffed and stuck her nose up.

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Hmph... It doesn't matter, I suppose, let's just get the child fed..." She sat at the table, only to pout slightly as she realized her head just barely found level above the side of it. Well, at least she was taller than Harry, even on Rem's lap his eyes barely peeked over it.

That... was actually really sad.

He was so tiny, it just wasn't right. Children his age were not usually this small, it wasn't natural.

This bot needed to eat, and he needed to eat badly.

...So did she now that she thought about it.

"So then. What did you make, I suppose?" She asked the half-elf.

Rem smiled, before retreating back into the kitchen for a few seconds. She soon returned with a large black pot, something smoking from beneath the lid. She placed the pot in the middle of the table, before removing the lid. The trio (mostly Rem since Beatrice and Harry were too small to see anything, something Beatrice loathed with her entire being) looked into the pot, the steam clearing to show...

"Ta-da! Fresh rice sprinkled with yellow turmeric and a dash of pepper with pieces of carrot and peas." Emilia said, puffing her chest out in pride.

Beatrice sniffed the air, her nose taking in the smell of the warm dish. "Huh...it...seems I may have underestimated your skills, I suppose." Beatrice said, surprised at the fact that she just said that out loud.

Rem herself was also surprised. She never expected Emilia to be such a good cook. Then again, she DID teach her how to, and she was the best (and only) cook in the Rosvaal mansion, so she supposed she shouldn't be so surprised.

"It smells...so good..." Harry spoke up. Emilia's heart melted at his little voice.

"I'm glad you like it, Harry." She said. "Here, I'll...oh." Emilia then rubbed her head sheepishly. "I...think I forgot the plates." She turned around. "I...I'll be right back!" She scurried away into the kitchen.

"I take it back, I suppose." Beatrice said. "That elf is a bloody idiot in fact."

Rem looked at the little spirit with a frown. "Come on now, it was a simple mistake, you don't have to be so hard on her." She chided lightly. Beatrice simply stuck her nose up in the air and let out an adorable huff as she crossed her arms. Evidently the oni wasn't getting through to the spirit any time soon.

"She...She cooked for us, so... shouldn't...you...maybe be nice to her...?" Harry said timidly.

Beatrice looked at him with one eye open, and he winced slightly. The little spirit let out a sigh. "Very well. She is... adequate."

Emilia entered the room with a stack of plates, giving Beatrice a small glare as her cheeks puffed out slightly. "Hmph! So this is the thanks I get? You're mean, Beatrice, you're really really mean!" She exclaimed, making her disapproval with Beatrice's harsh words clear.

"Yes, yes, I hear that quite frequently, I suppose." Beatrice waved it off.

"...I think you should apologize to me." Emilia said with her hands on her hips. "I worked hard to make this dish special and you're being a big bully to me. If you wanna eat, tell me you\re sorry!"

Beatrice stared flatly at the half-elf. "...I suppose I'll starve then." She said simply.

Rem's brows creased in annoyance. "Beatrice, I understand this is your usual attitude, but there are times where it's best to drop the snark. I agree with you on the matter of Emilia being a bit clutzy..."

"Hey!"

"...but you shouldn't insult her efforts. She herself said she went out of her way to make this dish before us special, so you could at least show some appreciation. She's trying her best, after all." She said.

Beatrice was about to retort, when Harry suddenly spoke up.

"M-miss Emilia really tried...to-to make this good. Please don't say bad words to her Miss Beatrice. She'd be sad if you did." He spoke.

Beatrice simply watched them, Rem giving her a look that said "You know I'm right." She stared at them for a minute, before Sighing in annoyance.

"Fine, I suppose!" She looked at Emilia, before biting her lip, but otherwise continuing.

"I...I apologize...for insulting you." She finished, a crimson blush on her face.

Emilia giggled as Rem nodded in approval. The elf began to pat the little spirit on the head. "Aww, thank you, Beatrice. See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Beatrice's eyes twitched. "Don't push it, I suppose." She said lowly. Emilia removed her hand from the little spirit's back, deciding it best not to push her luck too far. She'd be happy with the apology.

It was rare for the little spirit to ever apologize.

She sighed before she grabbed the utensil she'd been using, scooping the food onto a plate. She made sure to give Harry the first plate of food, and Rem looked at it with a small frown and her head co*cked to the side.

"Emilia? I feel this might be a bit too much for him to handle at this point in time."

Emilia blinked and tilted her head. "But... But he's so thin, he needs to eat..." She said softly.

"Yes, but we can't feed him too much at one time, Emilia, it's not healthy to suddenly over fill him with food when he's gone without for so long."

"That is correct. It could lead to genuine harm to him in fact." Beatrice nodded her head.

"Here..." Rem took Harry's plate and carefully portioned it by scooping some of it onto the other plates. "This will be enough to satisfy his need for food without hurting him."

Harry looked at the plate of food in front of him. It wasn't a big plate... but it was still more food than he had ever seen in his entire life!

"I..." Harry didn't know what to say. He genuinely didn't. He never expected this would ever happen. Him? Eating normal people food? It was practically impossible!

And yet, here he was.

Here he was, sitting at a table, being offered normal food (one that looked delicious too) without being deceived. He still couldn't believe it was happening.

He never wanted this to end.

"Th-thank you...Miss Emilia. F-for...giving me so much food. I'm sorry I can't eat all of it..."

Emilia patted him on the head. "Aww, don't worry about it, sweetheart. You need to eat, so don't apologise for that. I was just...a bit careless, is all."

"Mm..." Nodded Harry. Rem picked up the spoon, before scooping up a small bit of yellow rice, a single pea at the top, and offering it to Harry.

"Here Harry." She said. "Say aaahh."

Harry complied. "Aaahhh..." And the spoon was placed in his mouth, before slowly sliding out.

The three girls watched as Harry chewed the food, tensing in anticipation at his reaction. Did he like it? Did Emilia make a mistake?

And then...

He started to tear up.

Emilia began to panic. "Eep! No, no, please don't cry, I'm so sorry I didn't make it right!"

"N-No...I'm...I'm not crying because I'm sad..."

Rem giggled into her hand. "It seems he likes your cooking so much he's shedding tears of joy, Emilia."

Emilia put a hand over her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh... Good... I'm so glad..."

She took a knee by the boy's seat and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. He returned it. "Thank you..."

The half elf giggled and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome..." She rose back to her feet after pulling away, then went back to the pot.

Rem and Beatrice watched as she scooped some of the meal onto their plates. She looked back into the pot when everyone was served.

"Okay, good... Plenty left for Miss Figg. ...Um... Has anyone checked on her...?"

"Oh dear!" Rem squeaked before hopping to her feet and rushing to check on the unconscious woman.

"Hmph. Sloppy caretaking, I suppose." Beatrice huffed.

Emilia giggled, adjusting Harry in her lap, before she took her own spoon and began to feed him.

Both girls watched with smiles (Beatrice's barely noticeable) as the boy enjoyed his food. Emilia's heart melted at the smiles and happy sounds Harry made with each spoonful. She also played with him as she fed him, poking his tummy (and deciding to ignore how thin it was), and cooing at him constantly.

"You're going to spoil the boy, Emilia. Stop, I suppose." Beatrice said, but deep down she was grateful for Emilia's behaviour towards the boy. She knew the boy deserved every bit of love he could get, and if there was someone who could give him just that, then Beatrice was absolutely certain Emilia was the only person fit for such a role. This comment was more of a non-serious jab, and Emilia knew that.

Didn't stop her from playfully poking her tounge out at her, though.

Just as Beatrice was about to respond, Rem walked into the room, hands on her apron.

"Ms. Figg seems to still be unconscious. Luckily it's nothing serious. She's just asleep. She should wake up in a moment." She then looked over at Harry, who sat in Emilia's lap, munching on the rice in his mouth with an adorable smile that nearly broke Rem's calm facade.

Yes, facade. There's no way she wouldn't be internally squeeing at the sight.

At all.

She smiled, doing her best to contain herself. "Are you enjoying the food so far, Harry?"

Harry looked up at her with a smile and nodded his head. "It's the best food ever!" He declared happily.

"Awwww, thank you!" Emilia cooed, squeezing him gently. "Rem taught me everything I know, y'know! I bet she could make it even better than I can!" Harry looked at Rem with a tilted head, and the Oni let out a sigh of slight exasperation, smiling.

"Honestly, you heap far too much praise on me, I'm just a humble maid." She said softly. Sure, she was more or less the one doing almost the entirety of the work back at the manor, but she was, at the end of the day, still just an average, normal everyday maid.

...How were things going back at the manor now that her sister was working alone?

When would she reunite with her sister?

...WOULD she ever reunite with her sister...? Or was it possible that she was trapped here for good, far away from her, never to see her again? Well... at least Puck could travel back and help them keep in SOME form of contact, even if they couldn't meet face to face...

She felt a sudden pain in her heart.

She was already missing her older sister.

She prayed from the bottom of her heart that they would see one another again.

Emilia noticed her distress, and walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Rem looked at her in surprise.

Emilia smiled. "Don't worry, Rem." Said the elf. "If there's anything I know about you and your sister, it's that she's STRONG. Stronger than anyone I know."

"Ahem." Beatrice called, an angry expression on her face.

"Okay, ALMOST everyone I know." Emilia rolled her eyes. "Look, the point is, your sister is more than strong enough to fend for herself. You don't have to worry about a thing." She said.

"And besides, Puck said everything is perfectly fine back in Lugnica, so we know for a fact that nothing has happened that would be the cause for worry. So relax, and enjoy your meal, missy!" Ordered Emilia, but instead of pulling off a commanding look, she just looked adorable.

Rem giggled at the sight, before nodding. "Very well, Emilia. I shan't worry about it too much. I shouldn't be underestimating my sister like that." She said, and Emilia clapped in delight.

Beatrice blinked. "I sometimes can't decide wether or not to call you unbelievably intelligent or irreversibly stupid, I suppose."

Emilia narrowed her eyes as her cheeks puffed out slightly. "Heeey, that's mean, Beatrice, come on!"

"Hmph! Well then if you have a brain, you should use it more often in fact." Was the spirit's response.

Harry winced at the harsh words, worried she was gonna turn on him next.

Rem noticed this and gave Beatrice a frown. "Honestly, at least wait until you're not in the presence of the little one if you're going to berate her."

Beatrice looked over at Harry, saw how nervous he was getting, and let out a deep sigh. "Very well. I will only berate the elf for her lack of intelligence when the child is not in the room or is asleep I suppose." The little spirit relented very reluctantly.

"Or...you could maybe just stop saying mean stuff to me altogether...?" Emilia tried hopefully.

"Hmph! Don't push your luck, I suppose!" Was Beatrice's response. Emilia sat down and crossed her arms over her chest with a pout.

Rem sat back down, and continued to feed Harry, who happily enjoyed every bite. The other two decided to stop waiting and began to enjoy their own meals too.

Soon, the entire meal was over. Emilia made sure they saved some of it for Ms. Figg, before placing the lid over the pot and putting it back on the stove in the kitchen. She came back into the dining room to collect everything else, but Harry's yawn caught her eye.

"Awww." If Emilia knew what ice cream was, she would be certain her heart was made of it. How else could this tiny little baby before her melt it in mere seconds with naught but a yawn? "Is your widdle tummy making you sleepy, Harry?" She asked.

Harry nodded, not feeling like had to be afraid of sleeping around Emilia and Rem. "Mmm...m'sleepy..." He said, yawning again.

Rem smiled, shaking her head. "Come on, let's get you to bed, little one." She said, before getting up and heading towards the stairs, Emilia following suit.

Meanwhile, Beatrice watched as the two women headed to put the tiny boy to bed. She sighed as she shook her head. "They're so going to spoil that boy rotten, in fact. Not like he should get anything else right now, I suppose." She said to herself...

...before noticing the still uncollected dishes and utensils.

Which Emilia was supposed to take into the kitchen.

"What the heck am I supposed to do here!?" She angrily exclaimed.

No response. She huffed and stuck her nose up. "Well, whatever, I suppose. I'm not dealing with it."

But the dishes were cluttering up the area and seeing them just sitting there when they weren't in use was annoying her to no end, she needed to properly organize this. No, no, she would not relegate herself to cleaning up after the white haired brat!

"...Uuuugh... I HAVE to clean it up, I suppose..." She relented, hopping down from her seat and grabbing all the plates and utensils before carrying them towards the sink. She quickly found she wasn't quite tall enough to reach it unfortunately. "...This is highly degrading." She huffed as she stood in place holding the plates. One of Miss Figg's cats was feeling mischievous, climbing the shelves, and it decided it was going to knock a bag of flour off the shelf and empty it all over her. Beatrice glared up at the cat. "You're lucky you're adorable, I suppose." The kitten mewled in response.

Emilia and Rem found the first bed they could, and Rem gently set the child down and tucked him in up to his chin.

Harry nestled into the warm blanket. He'd always wondered what one of these things felt like to sleep in, and it was better than he ever could have imagined.

Emilia crouched down beside him, taking a knee, and then gently rested her hand on the top of his messy dark hair. "There we go, nice and cozy..." She whispered softly, stroking his messy dark hair. Harry hummed softly and turned to look at her with a sleepy smile.

Rem remembered something and quickly left the room for a moment.

As Emilia tended to Harry, Rem came back holding two items: a small blue blanket and a teddy bear wearing a bow tie.

"I made sure to bring these along when we rescued you." The maid explained, gently setting them in the child's arms.

"Puddles!" Exclaimed Harry the moment his eyes landed on his beloved toy and his favorite blanket. Rem walked over and offered Harry the plush, which he immediately embraced tightly, as if afraid it will leave him.

"I see you're attached to that toy, Harry." Emilia said. "Did someone give it to you?" She asked.

"It was...aunt Petunia said...it used to be my mama's...she hated it...so she gave it to me..."

He hugged the bear even tighter. "Puddles was always there for me...whenever he would get torn up, my...freaky stuff would fix him back...he always listened to me when I cried...I was scared I lost him..." He said.

Emilia and Rem looked at each other in a somber manner, their faces wearing expressions of sadness. Emilia then spoke.

"Don't worry Harry." She said. "Those bad people will never hurt you again. We...made sure of it." She looked at Rem in silent gratitude.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about." Said the blue maid. "All you need to do now, is go to sleep and rest. You've had a long day, and you need sleep." She spoke, placing his blanket over him. Harry immediately hugged the fabric, nuzzling his face into Puddles' soft wool.

Emilia placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Good night sweetheart."

"Sleep well." Rem finished. And with that, they left the room, gently shutting the door behind them.

Harry watched them go tiredly, silently wishing that they would stay with him, but he knew he couldn't ask too much of them, they had already done more for him than he could ever ask for. He closed his eyes once more, and silently waited until sleep claimed him...

Emilia and Rem stood outside the door for several seconds.

"...Do you think he'll be okay...?" Emilia asked softly.

Rem turned to her with a tilted head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... do you think he'll be...okay to sleep on his own...? What if he has a scary dream and needs us and we're not there...?"

Rem smiled softly. "Don't worry... I'll come and check on him frequently." She assured the half elf.

Emilia was pacified by that. "Oh, good... Thank you, Rem..."

The oni nodded her head. "Now then, we'd best go and see what Beatrice is up to. And I should check on Ms. Figg again to see if she's awake now..." The two of them went downstairs and heard something in the kitchen. It sounded like something shifting.

Peeking in, they saw Beatrice in the process of struggling to push a chair towards the kitchen sink. And she was covered head to toe in flour.

The little spirit noticed their presence and turned to them with a glare. "And just WHAT do you two find so amusing, I suppose?!"

Emilia put a hand on her mouth, struggling to contain her laughter. Rem was far more subdued, though she too found the scene to be comedic.

"O-oh...pfft...nothing...Bea-haha-Beatrice...y...pfft..you look so...hehe..." Emilia sputtered as she talked, finding it hard to suppress her laughter.

Beatrice glared at her in barely restrained contempt. Her fist balled up, small arcs of electricity briefly sparking before dissapearing.

"You're lucky execution would only bring me more trouble than it's worth." She hissed out through her teeth. "But at least I can still do this!" She summoned a portal under another bag of flour on the shelf, causing it to sink in. She opened another portal above Emilia, causing the bag to fall on her head and burst, covering her head to hip in flour.

"Pfoo!" Emilia spat out some of the flour that got in her mouth, before shaking off the flour on her head. She blinked at Beatrice, before crossing her arms. "Awww... Why do you always have to be such a bully, Beatrice?" She said, stomping on the floor in annoyance. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"You're seriously asking that right after laughing in her face?" Rem asked.

"I mean what specifically!" Emilia shook her arms, getting more annoyed by the second.

Beatrice stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph. I will not apologize for who I am."

Emilia crossed her arms over her chest. "Well who you are is really mean, so maybe you should!" Beatrice responded by dumping more flour on her head, and she let out a groan of frustration. Rem gave Beatrice a stern frown.

"Beatrice, leave her alone, I understand you're in a bad mood but taking it out on Emilia will solve nothing."

Beatrice pouted and turned away with her arms crossed. "Hmph... I'm upset because the adorable little fluffball betrayed me, I suppose..." The kitten that had initially knocked the flour on her head hopped down and rubbed against her legs affectionately.

"I think he's trying to ask for forgiveness." Rem giggled softly. Beatrice was too grumpy to forgive the tiny adorable kitten. She crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air. The kitten began to mewl up at her, trying to get her attention. She tried to hold strong, not wanting to give in. The kitten leaped up into her arms and batted lightly at her face with its paws. "Awww, who can stay mad at that widdle face?!" Beatrice cooed and nuzzled the kitten.

"Can someone help me clean off please...?" Emilia asked softly.

Beatrice used a spell to drop water on the half-elf.

"I didn't mean it like that." Emilia said, and tried to wipe the flour off of her...only for something sticky to latch onto her hand. "Huh?" She looked at her hand, finding some yellow substance on her hand, covering her entire body. "What is-?"

"It seems like the combination of water and flour caused you to get covered with wet dough." Rem said, Emilia's eyes widening.

"A-ah!" She exclaimed. Lifting up her arms, her face morphed into disgust. "Uuuughhh...I feel so disgusting." Shd moaned, wet dough dripping on the floor, even forming a small puddle under her feet.

"Hmph! That's what you deserve, I suppose." Beatrice stuck up her nose again, as unapologetic as ever.

Rem narrowed her eyes, a plan to punish Beatrice already forming in her mind. She turned to Emilia. "Go take a bath upstairs. Call me if you need help." She said. Emilia nodded, slowly turning around and walking away up the stairs, moaning at the wet sounds her steps made as she walked.

Rem turned around and approached a closet, pulling out a broom and a rag. She tossed the broom towards Beatrice, who caught it and stared at it in confusion.

"And want am I supposed to do with this?" She asked.

"What else? Clean the kitchen." Rem said, soaking the rag on the sink, before starting to scrub away at the wet dough.

"What?! Such manual labour is out of my jurisdiction, I suppose!" Beatrice protested.

"Well, it entered your jurisdiction when you started to misbehave." Rem replied simply.

"I will not be degraded like this, maid! I am a powerful spirit and I demand respect!"

"Well if that's the case, then perhaps you should stop behaving like an impudent child." The maid responded with a shrug as she continued to wash the dishes.

"Hmph!" Beatrice sulked, but didn't say much else as she reluctantly began to do as she was told and sweep the floor. She slipped on some of the wet dough and fell into a small pile of it facefirst. "UGH!"

Rem smiled. "Karma is very much real, Beatrice. What you inflict onto others, you bring onto yourself." She said simply. The spirit began muttering under her breath as she brushed the wet dough away from her face and returned to her assigned task.

The two of them worked for close to an hour, Rem making certain Beatrice was doing her task to her best ability.

Soon enough, the kitchen was completely spotless. And Emilia came back downstairs,her clothes somehow cleaned off from the dough. She was so grateful Puck taught her that one spell to keep her outfits clean... Speaking of which...

Emilia narrowed her eyes at Beatrice. "I'm telling Puck."

Beatrice immediately paled at those words. She adopted an expression of fear, nearly dropping the broom. "Ah! No!" She ran up to Emilia. "Please, don't tell Bubby! I promise I won't bully you any further, I suppose! Just please don't tell him!" She begged, her hands clasped together.

Emilia stuck up her nose this time, crossing her arms under her chest. "Nope. That won't work on me. You've been bullying me ever since we first came to this world. Even I have limits, Beatrice. And you just crossed them." She said.

Beatrice nearly had a tear escape her eye. "I'm sorry, okay! I apologize for all the things I said, in fact! Just pleeeease don't tell Bubby anything!" She said, ignoring her dignity to apologize out of her own volition to Emilia.

The elf for her part continued to ignore her. Beatrice now felt her tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm truly, truly sorry for all the abuse you've had to go through because of me. I don't want Bubby to stop playing with me, so please, forgive me! I'll do anything!"

At that, Emilia reacted.

She opened one of her eyes and looked towards Beatrice. "Anything?" She asked, suspicious. "Really?"

"Yes, anything, I suppose!" Beatrice said, now having regained some hope.

"Hmmm..." Emilia put a finger on her chin in thought. Rem watched, interested on how this will unfold. Beatrice gulped in anticipation. What kind of demand would the elf place upon her?

After a minute, Emilia finally decided. She bowed down, getting to eye level with Beatrice, and opened her mouth.

"Be a big sister to Harry."

Beatrice blinked. "A...A big...sister to Harry...?" She looked confused. "H-How am I supposed to do that, I suppose?" Emilia noted the little spirit's demeanour. She didn't seem angry or indignant about the request. She seemed... uncertain. Worried...

"Well... It's simple. You have to be very nice to him. You have to spend time with him. And you have to be there for him if he needs someone and Rem or I or anyone else aren't around. Just... think of him as a part of your family now. Because... he needs a family..."

Beatrice looked down at the floor uncertainly. She... Could she...? What if she... How was...

Her head was swimming at the moment with many different thoughts, all of which involved heavy amounts of self doubt and confusion. COULD she do this? What if she messed it up? She didn't know how she was supposed to interact with the little one!

What if she messed it all up?

She looked up at Emilia, and the half-elf had to admit, Beatrice did look extremely adorable.

"I...I...What if..."

"Go on, Beatrice, whatever you have to say, get it off your chest." Emilia encouraged.

"...I don't know if I can do it..."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm not a good person, and he won't like me, and he'll want nothing to do with me, I suppose..."

"Huh?" Emilia asked. "Why? Why would he not want anything to do with you?" Beatrice looked away, a pained expression on her face.

"Mother didn't want to..."

"Eh?" Emilia rose her brow, confused. "What did you say? I couldn't hear-"

"Because Mother didn't want anything to do with me! So why would Harry!?" Beatrice suddenly yelled out, more tears falling down her face.

"Huh?" Rem tilted her head. "Mother? I didn't know you have a mother, Beatrice."

"Had." The spirit corrected. "The Witch of Greed, Echidna, was my mother."

At that, both girls' eyes widened. "E-Echidna?" Emilia stuttered out. "THE, Echidna? The woman said to have had all the knowledge in the world? THAT Echidna?!"

"She...was..." Rem looked astounded. Words couldn't express the sheer surprise she felt at this revelation.

"Yes, she was my mother, I suppose, and she didn't want me anymore so she left me waiting for something..."

"What were you waiting for?" Emilia asked softly.

"I don't know, I suppose... I've been waiting for that answer for centuries..."

Emilia and Rem exchanged glances.

"What were your exact instructions, Beatrice?" Rem asked.

"To...To wait in the library until my purpose became clear, I suppose."

"And where were we when we were transported here?"

"...The library..."

"Beatrice... Do you think it's possible your purpose resides here in this world?" Rem asked gently.

Beatrice's eyes widened. Was... Was her purpose to help Harry...?

"Do..." Beatrice whispered, just enough for the other two to hear. "Do you...really...?"

"Perhaps? It could be true." Rem said. "The details are all there. The place we were in at the moment of transportation, your instructions from Echidna.

It all comes together and makes some sort of sense." Rem said, the pieces in Beatrice's mind falling into place.

Beatrice considered the idea. Was...was this really what Mother intended? Was caring for Harry the key to her purpose? Was caring for Harry her purpose all along?

"It...makes sense, I suppose." Beatrice said, the possibility hanging in the air. "Mother DID say my purpose will come at some point, and this...this seems to be the most plausible idea."

Her expression became worried again. "But what if I fail? What if I end up hurting him in some way? What if I make him cry? What if...what if..."

"We all make mistakes, Beatrice!" Emilia chirped lightly. "You don't have to worry about that, if you do make a mistake like that, you'll learn from it and you won't do it again! Just give Harry a big hug, and I'm sure he'll forgive you, and everything will be okay again!" She assured the little spirit.

Beatrice sighed and looked down. "I...I suppose...? But... This is a very big deal for me, I suppose... If this IS the mission mother left me with, then... then I mustn't fail it... I can't... I have to succeed..." She donned a determined expression. "I WILL succeed in fact."

"Yay! That's the spirit! You can do it, Beatrice, I know you can!" The half-elf cheered on Beatrice, who felt her confidence rise slightly. Suddenly, they all heard a soft groan from the couch in the living room, and they looked over to see Ms. Figg was awakening from her fainting spell.

"H-Harry... What happened...Harry? Harry, I..." Rem was quick to rush to her side, clapping a hand on the woman's shoulder. Ms. Figg snapped her head over to look at her. "Where's Harry?! Is he all right?!" She asked frantically. Rem nodded.

"Harry will be just fine... He's resting in your guest room. Is that acceptable?"

"Oh thank goodness." Ms. Figg breathed out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her face then became worried again. "But...will he be okay? All those injuries...the poor boy..."

Emilia placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to worry. We bathed him and he was healed. His injuries were quite severe, but with a bit of healing magic, he will be perfectly okay." Spoke the elf with a smile, calming Ms. Figg's heart, if only just a little.

Ms. Figg walked over to the table, Beatrice pulling out a chair for her to sit on. The woman fell back on the chair, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Oh, dear..." She said, her voice laced with hurt. "If only I had seen it sooner...he was so skittish all the time. Always flinched whenever I gave him a pat on the head." She shook her head. "And those...people..." She struggled to call them that. "The way they behaved around him...always so roughly dragging him away. I thought it was because he didn't want to leave, because he loved it here...oh, how could I have been so blind!"

The group of girls all looked upset when they heard those words.

"...It...was fairly clear what was going on, I suppose..." Beatrice spoke tentatively. "Perhaps you could have put a stop to it... Perhaps you couldn't have... It's difficult to say for certain, in fact..." The little spirit let out a sigh. "You were...merely following your orders, I suppose?"

"Yes... Yes, Albus told me to keep an eye on him and not to involve myself too much to avoid drawing attention, but... But... Ooh... I've failed...!"

Emilia and Rem exchanged glances. "It's not too late to make it right though!" Emilia insisted. "Sure... it happened, and I wish so badly that it didn't but... we CAN make it better... It'll be hard... And it'll take a reeeeeally long time... But we can do it!"

"Are you certain?" Ms. Figg asked, unsure about Emilia's optimism. "He has been through so much. So much suffering, and I could've done something to help. And yet I didn't! How can you be so sure he'll ever trust me again?" She asked.

Beatrice spoke up. "Like I said, it isn't certain that you could have done something. But the boy still clearly loves you. And I can tell that the cats aren't the only reason." Saying that, a cat jumped into her lap, and Beatrice smiled as she gave it a big hug. "Although they are a big part of it, I suppose."

Rem shook her head at Beatrice's childishness. "Look, the point is, while you may have failed him once, that doesn't mean you will again. He still trusts you completely, and he still loves you unconditionally. All you need is to apologize. Show him that you're truly sorry for the mistakes you made, and I'm certain he will forgive you. My sister always did so when we were kids, so I don't see why Harry wouldn't as well."

Ms. Figg looked down at her feet, he fists clenched. Could...could she really do it? Could she actually fix it? She didn't know...

...but she can try. She can at least try. It's the least she could do for the boy. If she couldn't help him before, she can certainly try now.

She looked at the three girls before her with a small smile. They... were something truly special. Frankly, the way she saw it, someone like them would have been MUCH better suited to the job Albus had bestowed upon her, she felt undeserving of it after this had happened.

She let out a soft sigh. "Thank you... I must admit... Harry and I were never...close, per se... He is a good boy, but I never know how to act around children, I usually just let him play with the cats or watch the telly... But I am glad that he still liked me well enough..."

Emilia and Rem smiled at that. "Aww, that's all right, Miss Figg. You tried even if you don't like kids and that's good enough, you were nice to him and that's all that matters in the end. He'll be okay. Just leave it to us! We know how to handle children!"

Rem nodded her head. "I did come here with two of them after all."

"Hey, I am much older than you I suppose!" Beatrice protested.

"I am not a child! Don't be mean to me!" Emilia whined.

"Then why are you whining like one?" Rem asked with a cheeky smile.

Emilia crossed her arms, huffing and she looked away. The maid was about to tell her she looks like a pouting child, but decided against it. She's already been bullied enough by Beatrice today. She needed a break.

Not for long though.

Beatrice was about to say her own part, only to suddenly freeze up. She stayed silent for a few seconds, not even moving.

Emilia noticed this. "Uuh, Beatrice? Is everything okay?" She asked, a confused expression on her face.

Beatrice remained silent, but turned around to look at the entrance to the dining room. She stared at it in silence for a minute, not moving a muscle or even making a peep.

"Uuh, hey. Beatrice, are you oka-" Emilia attempted to ask again, only for Beatrice to suddenly raise a hand to silence her.

Beatrice lifted her other arm up and began to gather some magic into her palm, pointing it towards the entrance.

"Beatrice? What are you doing?" Rem spoke up.

No response.

"Hello? I'm talking to you, Beatrice."

No response again.

Seeing how the spirit was still silent, Rem spoke up again. "Beatrice! Are you listening to us?!"

"Three."

At that, the trio in the room got confused. "Huh?" Emilia asked.

"Two."

"Wh-what is going on? Beatrice what are you doing?!"

Just as she said that, the space in front of them suddenly distorted in a swirl.

"One!"

Beatrice fired the blast she had gathered up, a magical explosion engulfing the strange swirl.

There was a brief cloud of smoke from the spell that filled the room.

Ms. Figg and Emilia coughed from the sudden spell, and Ms. Figg rushed to open a window.

Rem narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the spot Beatrice had attacked.

What had gotten the little spirit so spooked...?

Then she noticed it wasn't just Emilia and Ms. Figg coughing.

It took several seconds for the smoke to clear...

And when it did, they saw a group of people standing in the spot where Beatrice had struck.

An old man, a stern looking woman wearing glasses, a rather greasy haired man with a large nose.

All charred black from the spell, coughing and sputtering, the greasy haired man cursing indignantly.

Rem acted quickly. She pulled out her morning star. "Identify yourselves immediately!"

"We...could be asking the same of you..." The woman spoke between coughs.

"You lot are the ones that tried to slip into Ms. Figg's house unnoticed, I suppose." Beatrice huffed.

"Tch... Impudent little..." The greasy haired man spoke up, trying to approach. Beatrice cast a spell to hold him in place.

"Come no closer." She said firmly. "Who are you and why did you try to break into her house?!"

"The first question should be asked by us!" The lady of the group spoke. She got up, pulling out her wand and pointing it towards the trio. "Who are you three? How did you get here? And..." She stopped when she looked at Beatrice."...how is she using magic without a wand?"

"We asked first." Rem said, tightening the hold on her flail. "Answer. Are you friend or foe?"

"Impudent little-" Spoke the greasy haired man, attempting to break Beatrice's spell, but to no avail. Before he could speak again, the elderly man spoke up.

"Now now-*cough*-I think this is all a misunderstanding on both ends." He got up, dusting his robe off and fixing his hat. He took off his glasses. "Ooh. Might need a replacement." He said, before throwing them away. He straightened his robe and cleared his throat.

"Now then, it appears we have guests over. Minerva, Severus, you know it's impolite to point weapons at a guest." He said.

"Professor, these people just attacked us out of nowhere! You can't possibly-"

"Yes, I can, Minerva." Interrupted the older wizard. "And besides, the blue haired one asked if we were friend or foe. They clearly did not expect our sudden arrival, so we can't blame them for making countermeasures, can't we?"

"I...I suppose not." The woman said, lowering her wand. She still kept a tight grip on it though, just in case.

The elderly wizard clapped. "Well, now that that has been resolved..." He offered his hand. "...allow me to introduce myself and my colleagues. I am Albus Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. The woman next to me is Minerva McGonagall, and the man you currently have restrained is Severus Snape. Both are my mist trusted associates." He spoke. "And you may be...?"

Emilia was the first one to step up. "Hi! My name is Emilia, and this is Rem, she's a maid as I'm sure you can tell by the outfit, and this is Beatrice! She's a spirit. And we're from another world!" She revealed with a chipper smile. Rem and Beatrice looked at her flatly.

"...Do you take us for fools, girl?" The greasy haired man spoked in a dull tone.

Emilia sweatdropped. "H-Huh...?"

"Do you honestly think you can fool us by weaving some sort of ridiculous tall tale? From another world... Absolutely ridiculous, how did you expect to get anywhere when that absurd fantasy story is the best excuse for your intrusion your feeble mind can muster up?"

Emilia winced. This man's words felt much... harsher than Beatrice's. There was no haughty arrogance or amusem*nt in his tone, just bitterness and distrust.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that! That's my job, I suppose!" Beatrice stepped up, eyes narrowed.

"It's no one's job, Beatrice." Rem rolled her eyes. "But I agree that he is out of line."

Beatrice's eyes widened as she looked at Dumbledore.

"...You said your name was Albus Dumbledore?" She said with a suspicious glare. The old man tilted his head, then nodded. "...So you're the one that made the foolish decision to erect blood wards and leave Harry with relatives who hated him, I suppose!"

"Mistake?" Dumbledore asked, confused. "I am afraid I don't follow. And...Harry? Are you talking about Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I am, I suppose!" Yelled out the spirit. "And I'm also talking about how you made the mistake of giving Harry to a family that despises his very existence, and has been abusing him for years in fact! And the abuse was only strengthened thanks to those blasted blood wards of yours! You're lucky we removed those blasted enchantments when we did, otherwise the boy would have died, in fact!"

Dumbledore looked surprised. "So you were the ones I sensed unraveling my spell." He said.

"Yes. That was us." Emilia spoke up. "And if we didn't do it, something terrible would have happened." She walked up to Dumbledore and SLAPPED him in the face, before speaking as tears leaked out of her eyes. "How could you have done that?! Do you have any idea what that boy has been through?! When me and Rem found him, his wounds were so severe I wouldn't have been surprised if he DIED in my arms while I was carrying him!" She yelled in an uncharacteristic bout of rage, something both Rem and Beatrice knew was uncommon for Emilia.

"She is right." Rem said. "I haven't seen such gruesome injuries since..." She stopped, before continuing. "Regardless, that boy would have been dead if we hadn't found him when we did. If we arrived even a mere few moments too late...I shudder to imagine what we would come to witness." She said.

Dumbledore stared with wide eyes at them, not believing what he was hearing. The woman turned to him with a furious glare. And the greasy haired man looked... unreadable.

"But... But how...? The blood wards... They were supposed to... They were supposed to protect him, how could this have happened?! This was never supposed to happen, how could..." He panicked internally over his lapse in judgement causing a child this much pain.

Beatrice scoffed. "Protect him? Those things protect no one, in fact!"

Rem nodded her head. "Beatrice told us all about what they cause..." She explained to the old man just what Beatrice and Puck had told them, and judging by the look on Dumbledore's face, she could clearly see that he was shocked, that he had no idea what the blood wards truly entailed. That made his transgressions SLIGHTLY better. But at the end of the day, that did not absolve him of all guilt. When she finished, she asked the one pressing question on her mind. "Why didn't you check on him?"

Dumbledore did his best impersonation of a fish at that question. "I...I didn't... I..." He turned to Miss Figg. "A-Arabella... Didn't you notice anything...? Why didn't you report anything like this?!" Arabella looked down and shook her head.

"They covered their tracks so thoroughly I didn't realize anything was wrong... You'd told me they'd be... cold with the boy, but I never imagined it was that bad...!"

"And do you know what the scariest thing is?" Beatrice asked. "Cold would've most likely been how they would've treated him if those wards WEREN'T placed, in fact. You could've spared Harry so much pain if only you didn't place those blood wards." She said, her voice steady and leveled.

Dumbfounded, the old headmaster stumbled back, McGonagall catching him in time. He was moved over to a chair, sitting down and leaning his head into his hand.

"To think...to think my foolishness...it nearly cost a boy like that his life...oh God...oh what have I done..." He said, the weight of his actions finally catching up to him.

The three girls said nothing, opting to let the old man reminiscence on his actions. Despite that however, Emilia, the ever-soft angel she is, felt even a bit sorry for him.

She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her. She gave him a smile.

"You don't have to worry." She said. "Harry is healthy. We saved him in time. We gave him a bath, we fed him, and we put him to sleep. He's in the land of dreams as we speak."

Dumbledore gave her a grateful nod. "Thank you...if you hadn't shown up...I never could have forgiven myself if he...if he..." He couldn't finish, and returned to regretting.

"I told you we shouldn't have left him with those PEOPLE, Albus..." Minerva said in a low, unreadable tone of voice. "I told you they were the very worst sort of muggle... I... Oh... Damn it all..." She choked out a sob and buried her face in her hands.

Severus Snape, meanwhile, stood in place, taking in the information he had just learned.

So... Harry Potter, the son of his hated enemy, was, in the end, a victim of abuse.

He wasn't the spoiled, pampered brat he'd expected him to be.

Quite the opposite, he was treated worse than he had ever been,

At least he'd never been on the brink of death at the hands of his own family.

He didn't even know how he felt right now...

"While you question the choices that led to this whole ordeal, I'll go check on Harry." Rem said. She turned to leave, but stopped. "Emilia, would you like to come with me?"

"Ah! Yes, let's go together, I also wanna check on him." She nodded, and they both went up the stairs, heading towards Harry's room.

Meanwhile, Beatrice dropped the spell on Snape, causing him to stagger back and fall to the floor. Beatrice simply ignored him. Ms. Figg got up.

"Would anyone like a cup of tea?" She asked.

The two girls climbed up the staircase, soon arriving before Harry's room. Rem leaned forward and put an ear on the door to try and listen in.

"What do you hear? Emilia asked, twiddling her fingers.

"Nothing." Rem replied. "It seems like...wait." She stopped, her eyes narrowing, before suddenly widening. She quickly opened the door, rushing in with Emilia behind her. They entered the darkened room to find Harry shifting in his blankets.

Both women were heartbroken at the sight. They knew all too well what was happening right now.

After all, the both of them frequently suffered from nightmares as well. They knew exactly what it was like...

Emilia was the first one to react. She rushed over and took a kneeling position beside Harry's bed, placing a hand on his side and giving him a gentle shake. "Harry? Harry...It's me, it's Miss Emilia..."

He was too deep in his nightmare to awaken so easily.

Emilia sighed and carefully gathered him up in her arms, cradling him like an infant as she gently rocked him back and forth, humming softly.

Rem approached as well, and, recognizing the song, joined in, both their voices creating a soothing melody that chased his nightmares away.

And then, his eyes slowly began to open. Emilia pouted slightly, thinking that he looked so cute when he was asleep, but he was every bit as adorable when he was awake, so it was alright she guessed. Harry looked around with a soft grunt of confusion.

"H-huh?" Harry blinked tiredly as his vision slowly cleared. He looked around, noticing he wasn't in bed anymore. He looked up and found the smiling faces of Emilia and Rem looking down on him.

"Miss...Emilia...and Miss...Rem?"

"We're here, sweetie pie." Emilia said, brushing away a bit of hair from his face. "We saw you shifting in your sleep. Did...did you have a...nightmare?" She asked.

Harry shuddered immediately, causing Emilia to wince. She expected as much, but she was at least hoping it wasn't true. Rem sighed as she shook her head. She sat on the bed, inviting Emilia to sit next to her.

The Witch lookalike complied and sat down on the bed, adjusting Harry into a more comfort position. She took a breath, before speaking.

"Do you...want to talk about it?"

Harry looked down nervously. "C-Can I...?" He asked timidly. "W-Will they h-hurt me if I do...?"

"No. No, they absolutely will not." Rem reassured him gently. "I will make absolutely sure of it. I promise you will be okay."

"Okay... Okay... Um... I was... I was back home, and... And I was in my cupboard... And..."

Rem and Emilia listened on sadly as Harry described a nightmare about his abuse, the abuse that still and likely always would haunt him.

And the worst part?

They had no idea whether or not any of it was exaggerated by the dream.

"A-and then he took this big plank, and s-started to hit me again and again and again and..." Soon, Harry couldn't take it anymore. He let tears flow freely as the two girls watched with sadness, Emilia's heart breaking to pieces as she watched him cry.

Soon, her own dam burst. She began to sob as ger arms wrapped around Harry, his own little arms returning the gesture. The pair snuggled into each other, the smaller one seeking comfort, the bigger one seeking to grant it.

All the while, Rem observed from the side. On the outside, her expression was cold. Uncaring. As if she didn't even care that the boy had just experienced what might have been not just a nightmare, but a memory of his past.

Inside, however, she was shattered.

She has gone through many nightmares herself. Almost all of them were of...that night. Each every one of them would wake her up with a scream, causing her to break into tears each time. Not even as she got older did they ease up. In fact, they seemed to have simply gotten even worse as she aged. But she was an adult. She could power through it.

Harry? He was a child. A five-year-old boy. He isn't supposed to suffer the same, or worse.

She now regretted not killing those beasts when she had the chance.

She looked out the guest room window and showed her emotions with a deep scowl, a look of pure anger that made it very clear she desired nothing more than to finish what she had started with that sub-human vermin. ...No... It wasn't worth it...

She then noticed something. The old man and his two companions seemed to be... approaching the Dursleys' house. She tilted her head to the side. Were they... going to confront them on their treatment of Harry? Well if so, she prayed that it wouldn't end well for the awful people...

She took a deep breath and turned back to Harry and Emilia. Both were in tears. She winced. She couldn't just sit by idly while they sobbed in anguish.

She moved closer to them, and she carefully wrapped Emilia, and by extension Harry, up in her arms.

The half elf let out a soft gasp and turned to look at the maid. Rem gave her a small, sad smile. Emilia sniffled in response, but did her best to smile back in spite of it. She turned in the embrace, just for the sake of making sure Rem had Harry in a more comfortable embrace.

Harry continued to sob into Emilia's chest when he felt the second pair of arms around him.

He turned to look at Rem through his tears as well, and she gave him the same smile she gave Emilia.

"It's okay. Both of you." She said, her voice as gentle as a willow. Emilia's eyes widened. She had NEVER heard Rem sound so gentle.

Rem closed her eyes, remembering a fond memory of the past.

*the past*

*"AAAAH!" A young Rem screamed as she was jolted awake by yet another nightmare. She gasped several times as she touched her chest, not feeling the arrow that was lodged in her heart a second earlier. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she reeled back from the shock ofnit all.*

*Suddenly, the door to her room burst open, and her elder sister, Ram, jumped into the room, an expression of worry on her face.*

*"Rem!" She yelled out, when she noticed her little sibling sitting up in her bed, her pupils gone, her irises empty, with tears streaming down her cheeks.*

*Ram's face softened, and she placed the candle she held in her hand on the table in the corner, before walking over and sitting on Rem's bed. She grabbed her hand and stroked it with her fingers.*

*"Another nightmare?"*

*A nod.*

*Ram bit her lip. "Rem, look at me." She said. The blue twin looked up at the older sibling.*

*Ram immediately embraced her younger sister in a hug. Her heart sank when she didn't feel Rem returning the gesture. "You can speak." She said. "You know I'll always listen."*

*Rem didn't respond.*

*The present*

"I know you're scared..."

*"...I am too..."*

"...but we're here..."

*"...and that's what matters."*

"So don't let past fears..."

*"...hold you away from the now."*

"Look forward to the Sun of tomorrow..."

*"...and throw the past into the trash where it belongs."*

"And if you still cannot do it..."

*"...just know this. I am here..."*

"...for you." Finished the blue oni, her voice gentler than anyone has ever heard it be.

Emilia looked at Rem with wide eyes, in pure amazement of what she had just said to the little boy.

Her words were so... tender... So gentle and loving and full of care...

She felt her heart melting at them...

Harry looked up at the blue haired maid with wide eyes. Her words had brought his tears to a halt, albeit very briefly, because the gentle, soothing words were quick to bring a fresh set of them to the forefront. He'd never felt so... reassured in his life.

He timidly reached up with his tiny arms, reaching towards Rem, wanting to give her a hug.

Emilia smiled and held Harry out for the blue haired maid to take.

Rem accepted without a second thought. She reached out, Emilia gently placing the tiny boy into her arms. Harry immediately latched onto her, his arms wrapping around her as tightly as he could muster.

Rem chuckled, nuzzling his head with her chin, before beginning to hum a lullaby. Emilia watched with a smile as Harry's eyelids began to flutter, letting out a small yawn as he desperately fought to stay awake. Eventually, he succumbed, and was soon snoring away, not a nightmare in sight.

Rem sighed as she got up from the bed, tucking Harry back into his blanket, the boy nuzzling in as he hugged his precious toy.

She walked back to admire her handiwork. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, and turned around to see Emilia smiling at her.

"That was so beautiful."

Rem smiled, blushing slightly as she looked away. "Oh... I was only repeating something my sister said to me..."

Emilia giggled. "Well the fact that you remembered it word for word and knew just how to use it to make Harry feel better is still pretty amazing in my book. Thank you, Rem... I never could have thought up something so reassuring..."

Rem smiled at the half-elf. "You're welcome, Emilia..." She looked down at Harry. "...If we leave him, he might have another nightmare..."

Emilia let out a sad hum as she looked down at the sleeping Harry.

Taking a knee, she leaned down and kissed his forehead gently, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"Hmm...I'll stay with him." Emilia said. Rem looked at her in surprise, before shaking her head.

"I suppose I should have expected it. You do have a bleeding heart after all." She joked, Emilia huffing before looking back at Harry.

Rem spoke again. "I'll let the others know you'll be here for the night. Take care of the boy. He needs it now more than ever."

"Mm." Emilia nodded, before climbing over and gently sliding under the covers. The boy immediately turned around in his own blanket, reaching out when a white hand wrapped around his own. She planted a kiss on his head, and watched as Rem walked away.

The blue maid turned around and looked at the white elf. "Good night, Emilia."

"Night, Rem."

The half-elf smiled back at the maid sweetly before resting her chin atop the little boys head with a content sigh.

Rem closed the door gently behind her and made her way downstairs to find Beatrice and Miss Figg at the table, Miss Figg eating some of the meal Emilia had made.

"This is quite tasty." Miss Figg spoke up.

"Yes. I taught Emilia everything she knows. But... where are the others?" Rem asked, looking around for any sign of Dumbledore and his three companions. Beatrice simply pointed outside the window, directly at the Dursley's house next door.

"Yes, they wanted to have...words with Vernon and Petunia." Ms. Figg sighed.

"And they wanted to speak with you afterwards as well." Beatrice finished.

"I see. Emilia as well? She just went to sleep with Harry." Was Rem's reply.

"No. They said they'll talk to her at a later date. For now, they want to speak to you, I suppose." She said, before turning her attention back to the book in her hands.

Rem nodded and headed towards the door. Opening it, she stepped out onto the porch of the house.

She looked towards the house. Her hearing could pick up the sounds of things moving, likely furniture. Deciding to get it done, Rem approached the house, soon arriving at the door.

Mentally preparing herself, she took a breath, before stepping forward, and entering the wretched house for the second time today.

She looked around to see the wretched family of three. The parents were unconscious while the child was asleep.

Seemed they took things easier on the boy. Good. A child shouldn't suffer the same price as his parents for their sins.

The trio turned to notice her. "Ah... Good... You have arrived..." Dumbledore said. "We were going to return to Arabella's to speak with you, but this works much better."

"Yes. What did you need?" Rem asked.

"Our first order of business is to thank you." Minerva said sincerely. "If it hadn't been for you and that other lovely young lady... who knows what would have become of Harry?"

"And the second is that I wish to offer you and your friends proper housing." Albus spoke up.

"Proper...housing?" Rem asked, tilting her head. "I'm interested. Please continue."

Dumbledore nodded. "Right. As I was saying, while I'm certain Arabella wouldn't be opposed to having permanent guests in her house, but I believe you'd likely feel...uncomfortable, if Harry continues to stay anywhere near the Dursleys. Am I correct?"

"You are. I don't want that boy anywhere near that dog pound of a house." She said, her brows already creasing at the very thought of them.

"Thought as much." Dumbledore nodded. "And as a way to repay you for what you did and all the help you brought, I'd d like to offer you a place to live, since I believe you have no other place to go to. Am I correct?"

A nod.

"Hm. I happen to have a good friend by the name of Hagrid. He is well-versed in searching for good houses due to him constantly travelling on errands I send him on. I'm absolutely certain he'd be willing to give you one of his many homes for perhaps use. Of course, that's only if-"

"We accept."

The old man blinked owlishly. "You... didn't let me finish."

"I don't care what the conditions are. We will do all we can for little Harry. I may not have known the child for very long, but I've already grown extremely attached to him, as has Emilia, and Beatrice enjoys his company as well. Any price is worth that child."

Dumbledore beamed at her. "I see. You will make excellent guardians indeed."

"Oh thank you... Thank you so much..." Minerva said gratefully.

Severus sneered.

So the brat was going to grow up in a house with two women that were no doubt going to spoil him, likely turning him into a carbon copy of that wretch that was his father. He felt the annoyance already settling in as he imagined the boy coming to Hogwarts with a sense of entitlement and arrgoance-

"What is that disgusting expression on your face?" Came the harsh demand of the blue-haired maid, her eyes narrowed.

"I suggest you watch your tone, girl." Snape hissed out. "Just because Dumbledore respects you, that doesn't mean I do too. That boy will be spoiled into a carbon copy of his swine of a father by you tw-"

He didn't get to say everything when his face was suddenly grabbed in a vice grip by the blue maid, who seemingly teleported right in front of him.

Her face remained calm as she began to lift the greasy haired wizard up, still holding his face in a monstrous grip. She looked at him straight in the eye as her voice rang out.

"You know, I'm not known for being kind to those I dislike. When I see someone as a threat or object of annoyance, I make no effort to sugarcoat my disdain for them. I make it very clear that they're an eyesore to me, and that, should it come to that, I would gladly execute them on the spot if it was needed."

She pulled his face closer to hers, her eyes narrowing. "So I'm going to say this once, and I'll say it to make it as clear as possible. If I ever, EVER, hear you insulting Harry or his parents, who I'm absolutely certain were lovely people..."

As she spoke, Snape and Dumbledore watched in shock as a pink horn grew out of her forehead, electricity sparking around it.

"...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be about as dangerous as a flea compared to the pain I will inflict on you. Am I clear?"

A nod.

"Good." The horn disappeared, and Rem let go of Snape...and by let go, we mean slammed him into the ground, leaving a crater and a cloud of dust.

Brushing away her hair, Rem looked back at Dumbledore. "Now, about that house."

"Ah... Y-Yes... Of course..." The old man nodded, still surprised by what just happened.

Minerva gave Severus a look of disapproval. "Do grow up, Severus, honestly..." She remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Indeed, you were out of line." Dumbledore nodded.

The greasy haired man scowled as he rose to his feet and dusted himself off, outraged at that woman for defending bloody Harry Potter... Well, at the very least the boy's treatment at his relative's hands would hopefully keep his narcicisstic tendencies curbed a little bit...

Rem gave him a warning glare and he promptly disregarded all thoughts such as that, convinced she could read his mind. Well, on the bright side, he would be able to talk about it all he wished in private... The blue haired maid turned away with a sigh.

"Is it possible that we could have housing that would allow us to understand and learn of both worlds?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Dumbledore asked.

"We're in a world far from home. And we've discovered that there are two separate worlds as well. I feel it's important we understand both the best we can."

"I see... Well... I do know Hagrid has at least one home on the outskirts of our realm, though reaching the wizarding world from there does require a spell..."

"That will do just fine." Rem nodded.

Yet again, Dumbledore was caught off guard by the maid.

"A-are you sure? Almost no one knows this spell besides a select few individuals. It might be hard for you to-"

"The three of us have the ability to sense magic, and Beatrice has a powerful teleportation spell that could instantly transport us to the wizarding world should the need ever arise. I assure you, headmaster. There's nothing to worry about. All we need is proper housing and a means of receiving income. The rest, we can solve on our own."

"Ah, yeah. Almost forgot about money." Dumbledore said, just now remembering. The girls will obviously need money to purchase resources to take proper care of Harry, and since they have no understanding of their value system, Dumbledore would need to teach them about it.

"Hmm... I'm sure we can find something for you to do without much effort..."

"You are a maid, yes?" Minerva asked.

"That is correct. I've worked as a maid at my lord's mansion for several years now, and I've been the best at my job since the day I started..." The maid nodded her head, wincing slightly at how much her sister struggled ever since she lost her horn.

"Hmm... If Beatrice can easily transport you to wherever you need to be, perhaps she could bring you to Hogwarts to work there... Or I could just as easily create a portkey that will bring you there almost instantly... But what of the other one...?"

"Emilia will likely stay home and tend to Harry, he needs someone by his side during the day." Rem explained.

"Ah, yes, that seems reasonable." Dumbledore nodded. "Well then, I believe those are all the matters settled. We shall return to our work, and I believe you should rest. It's been a long day after all."

"Indeed." Nodded the maid. "Good night professor. And good luck." She said, turning around and walking away.

Entering the house, she found Ms. Figg asleep on the couch, with Beatrice sitting on a chair near it, immersed in yet another book. Deciding not to interrupt her, Rem quietly sneaked through the living room, before climbing the stairs towards the room. After some walking, she eventually arrived in front of the room.

Gently pushing the door open, she took a peek inside, finding Emilia and Harry snuggled into each other in a warm embrace, the younger of the duo snoring softly. Smiling, Rem snuck in and shut the door behind her. Walking over to the bed, she took off her shows and apron, leaving her in just her black dress and stockings. She slowly lifted the blanket and snuck in, making sure not to disturb her two sleeping partners.

She pulled the covers on, only to suddenly feel something on her side. She turned her head to find that Emilia has unconsciously placed her hand on her side, a dumb, sleepy smile on her face.

Shaking her head with a smile, Rem snuggled into the pillow, her eyes fluttering to a close.

"Good night you two. Sleep tight."

And with that, our trio finally got to rest after a whole day of misadventure.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

[Quick author's note: I plan on making most of these fics yuri romance fics from now for a couple reasons. One, it lets me cover more ground. I can do more than one mother per story, meaning I'll be able to basically get two in there for the price of one, and when you have as many ideas as I do, then that goes quite a long way. And second is that I think the romance angle adds a lot more to the story itself. Building up the relationship and exploring how they work as a couple is actually a lot of fun, and I think it keeps the whole 'abused child is adopted' thing from getting too stale. So yeah. Expect a lot more lesbian romances in the future.]

The morning sun flowed through the curtains. Rem and Emilia, both early birds, woke up at more or less the same time. Emilia saw the maid laying down and smiling at her, and she blinked owlishly. "O-Oh... Rem... Hi."

"Good morning, Emilia." Rem nodded with a smile. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes... Yes, I slept just fine, thank you... And Harry seems to be okay too..." The half elf smiled down at the little boy as she gently stroked his back before pressing her lips against his forehead, prompting him to snuggle in closer with a coo.

Both women giggled softly at the little boy. "He's so cute, Rem... I love him so much..." Emilia said softly. Rem silently agreed, shifting slightly so that she too could embrace the child. He seemed to be shifting about, trying to snuggle into both of them at the same time.

"Yes... He is a precious boy, isn't he?" Rem murmured.

"And yet they hurt him... They hurt him and didn't even think twice about doing it..."

"...Yes... I know... I can't comprehend it either..."

She then placed her hand on his hair and ruffled it with her fingers gently. "But he's here now. With us. That's all that matters."

"Yeah." Emilia nodded, a smile grew on her lips.

Soon, the little boy let out a yawn as his tired eyes blinked open. He looked up to find the faces of Emilia and Rem watching over him.

"Good morning, sweetie." Emilia said, stroking his face with her fingers.

"Did you sleep well, Harry?" Asked Rem.

"Mmm...morning, Miss...Emilia...Miss Rem." He said tiredly, stretching his tiny little arms. "M...slept good...no nightmares."

Emilia giggled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Good..." She said softly.

Rem nodded. "We stayed with you all night to make sure you would be okay."

Harry smiled up at them sleepily. "Thank you..." He said softly.

"Of course, Harry..." Rem whispered. "Any time you need us, we'll be there."

"That's right." Emilia nodded. "And right now, I think you need us to make some breakfast!"

As if on cue, Harry's tiny stomach began to growl.

Harry blushed and looked away. Emilia let out a giggle. "Looks like I was right! Now come on." She picked Harry up in her arms, before puffing out her chest and pointing her finger forward. "To the kitchen we gooooo!" She said, before speedwalking out of the room.

Rem watched as Emilia left the room, sighing and shaking her head. "That goofy elf girl." She said. "Hopefully Harry doesn't become as hyperactive."

She turned around and began to fix the bed. After smoothing out a few creases on the blanket, she examined her handiwork, before nodding in satisfaction.

"Just one more thing." She said, before picking up Harry's blanket, neatly folding it and placing Puddles on the bed, positioned him to look like he's leaning into the pillow.

"Perfect." She smiled at her work, before turning around and leaving the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

She walked down the stairs, opening the window next to her and taking in a breath of fresh air, before turning back and arriving at the bottom of the stairs.

She smelled something in the air. Emilia was cooking again. She looked over at the living room. Miss Figg had seemingly gone to bed. And Beatrice? Well, she was sprawled out on the couch with the cats covering all except her head.

Essentially, the little spirit had a kitty blanket.

The maid put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh and patted Beatrice's head.

As if sensing it, the little spirit pouted and shifted her head slightly in her sleep.

Even when not conscious she was as snooty as ever.

It was cute when it wasn't irritating or causing them grief.

The delicious smell filled her nose again. She immediately turned and entered the kitchen, coming to see Emilia flipping pancakes on the stove, wearing a different apron from yesterday.

Emilia took of the pan and placed the pancake on one of the two plates next to her. She turned her head and smiled as she spotted Rem standing in the doorway.

"Ah! Rem! I figured you'd stay back and make sure the room is tidy, so I decided to start cooking without you."

"No worries." Rem waved it off. "Your cooking skills do need some training. You may continue."

"Heeey." Emilia pouted. "My cooking is great!"

"Never said it wasn't. Just that it can get better." Rem made a smug expression. "Perhaps in another hundred years you'll be at my level."

Emilia stuck her bottom lip out in a pout as she sulked in Rem's direction. The oni giggled into her hand at her reaction. "You're mean, Rem." Emilia huffed, turning back to the meal.

Rem smiled softly and took a seat in the chair next to Harry, turning to him with a warm smile.

He turned to look at her, and returned the smile the best he could. It was weak, but he was making the effort.

Harry then climbed down from his chair carefully and made his way over to her.

He stood before her and reached up to her with his tiny arms.

He wanted her to hold him.

Rem leaned down and picked him up by the armpits. She sat him gently on her lap, ruffling his hair a bit, causing him to giggle.

"Aaaaaand here it is!" The two looked up to see Emilia setting down 5 plates, along with one giant plate with a...rather large tower of pancakes.

"Uum...Emilia." Rem began. "Doesn't that seem a little...unstable."

"Whaaat? Nonsense, it is perfectly sta-whoaaaaAAAGH!" Emilia quickly pushed the tower up to keep it from falling.

Quickly taking a fork, she began to distribute pancakes to make sure the tower doesn't fall. After she distributed all pancakes across the 5 plates, Emilia sighed in relief as the tower was now small enough to NOT tip over.

She grimaced down at her hands, grateful she had thought to wear gloves to ensure they didn't get all sticky.

Rem sighed and shook her head. "Remember, Emilia... Presentation is just as important as preparing the meal. No matter how well you make it, if not presented just right, it could ruin the whole thing."

Emilia crossed her arms and pouted. "You stack them high all the time!"

" Yes, but I worked hard to perfect that skill. Gradually, over time, I grew accustomed to stacking them well enough that I could make large piles like that without issue. You are still a learner. You aren't ready just yet."

"Awww..." Emilia whined. Harry winced as a memory came back. He had been three. He'd made pancakes. He'd stacked them too high... They fell off the plate,,, They landed in his uncle's lap... And then he... He...

He began to panic slightly at the memory, which did not go unnoticed by the two women.

"Harry? Harry what's wrong!?" Rem asked, getting up and setting Harry down on the chair. She knelt down and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Calm down, honey. Breathe deeply. In..." Harry's breathing slowed down, and he did as Rem instructed. "...and out." Harry breathed out, his mind slowly calming down.

Emilia walked over and knelt beside them, placing a hand on Harry's head. Harry, still scared from the terrible memory, flinched in fear at the touch, before easing in once he realised it was Emilia.

"What happened, sweetie?" Emilia asked, her face set in a worried expression. "Did you see something? Remembering something?"

Harry looked away. "N-no...it's nothing..."

"No. No it isn't." Rem said. "If something made you cry, all you need is to tell us. Don't be afraid. We're not going to hurt you. Ever." She said, enveloping Harry in a hug, Emilia following suit.

Harry teared up slightly when he felt himself being embraced from either side. He let out a choked sob. "Oh, Harry..." Emilia moaned, tightening her hold on him. He began to cry softly, and both women held him that extra bit harder, to let him know that they were there, and he was okay.

"I...I made breakfast... And it fell... and he... And he..."

"Shhh... Not just yet, dear... Let yourself calm down first..." Rem urged gently.

The little boy cried for a few more minutes before managing to regain his composure.

He told them more of the abuse he suffered at the Dursleys hands, how his uncle had punished him for accidentally stacking the pancakes too high and causing them to topple.

The two girls had different reactions. Rem's hands clenched tight, her anger still enough to prevent her from accidentally stabbing through her skin. She bit her lip, struggling to hold back her rage, and looked down.

Emilia meanwhile chose to ignore all those terrible things she was hearing from her boy. Instead, she picked him up in her arms and hugged him, letting him cry into her chest.

Harry let his eyes leak. His fears had resurfaced, despite all the good that he had experienced yesterday. What's worse, he made Miss Emilia and Miss Rem sad. When they were so nice to him.

He should just be punished. He doesn't deserve all that they gave him.

Emilia gently stroked the back of his head and closed her eyes. "Hey... Hey, Harry, you're thinking mean things about yourself right now, aren't you...? I want you to try reeeeally hard to stop doing that, okay...? It's not true... None of it is true..."

Rem took a deep breath to force herself to calm down and moved closer, gently resting her hand on the child's back. "Emilia's right, little one... You mustn't let their lies get to your head... They were horrible, poisonous people that only wanted to hurt you..."

"But... But they were supposed to...to be my f-family... Wh-Wh-Why did... Why... Why wouldn't they like me...? What did I do wrong? Wh-What did they want me to do?! I'm so confused... I... I tried so hard to be what they wanted me to, but they still wouldn't stop hating me, they wouldn't stop hating me...!"

Rem gently stroked his back as her memories went to a particular quote she remembered her sister say.

"Every child deserves a family, Harry." She said, her voice calm. "But not every family deserves a child."

"H-huh?..." Harry was confused. He stopped sniffling for a moment and looked up at Rem. "Wh...what do you mean...?"

Emilia picked up on what the oni was talking about. She gave Harry a kind gaze.

"What Miss Rem is trying to say is...sometimes, not all families are kind and warm, Harry." She said. "Some people ate just too angry, too cruel, too...evil, to have a good family."

Harry looked down at the floor and whimpered softly. "But... But they were a good family... They... They all loved each other a lot... They... They only hated me..." He said quietly. Emilia let out a soft 'Awww...' and squeezed him gently, kissing the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, Harry... It's not your fault... They were just... a family of awful bigots that hate what they don't understand... And also... I...kinda understand how you feel." Harry paused at that and slowly looked up at her with wide eyes. She took a deep breath.

"You see, sweetie, back where Rem and Beatrice and I come from, there's a... a person... that looks exactly like me... And she did a lot of reaaaally bad stuff... And... because I look just like her... Well... A lot of people... don't really trust me... They... never hurt me anywhere NEAR as bad as those PEOPLE did to you, but still, I understand what it's like to be made to feel like you're bad just because of what you are... After a while, you kinda start to believe it... don't you?"

Harry sniffled again. "B-but..." He began. "But you're so pretty...and you're nice...why would they hate you...?"

"The woman I'm talking about was pretty and kind too." Emilia said. "But...something happened, and...she started hurting people. Kind of like what they did to you, only...a LOT worse." She spoke.

Harry looked up at Emilia. He...he couldn't understand. Why? Why would they hate Miss Emilia? Was it because of that scary woman she was talking about? But Miss Emilia isn't her! She was kind to him! She cooked him dinner! She gave him hugs and kisses! Why would anyone hate her just because she looks like some scary woman?

He could understand himself. He's a freak, so he deserves it. But...Miss Emilia isn't a freak like him. She doesn't deserve to be hurt.

"I know what you're thinking right now." Emilia interrupted his train of thought. "You're thinking that you're the only one that deserves to suffer... That it's okay for you to be hurting, that you should just quietly endure it..." She sighed softly and turned to Rem with a soft smile.

"I used to think the exact same way. Every time someone would say something horrible about me... I would internalize it. I thought they were real problems that I needed to work hard to fix, but really... they were just a part of who I was... Things like my appearance... My hair... My ears, my eyes... I tried to be kind to others at the cost of my own well being... I ignored their mean words, I let them say whatever they wanted... I didn't feel like I deserved to defend myself..."

Rem looked guilty, but Emilia gave her a reassuring smile. "It all changed one day when Rem stood up for me... I remember we were in the market... Someone said something so awful to me that I thought I was gonna start crying right there, and Rem? She got mad, and she yelled at that man, and... I didn't know how to feel, because I thought it was what I deserved... But Rem told me that I didn't need to just... take that kind of treatment. She encouraged me to stand up for myself, to realize I was nowhere near as bad as they kept saying I was... And over time... I started to like myself a lot more..." She kissed Harry on the forehead and moved some of his locks out of his eyes. "And now we're trying to do the same thing for you." She pressed her forehead against his, looking into his eyes. "We want to get you out of thinking that it's all your fauly and that you deserved this pain... It isn't true..."

Harry sniffled, looking up at the two women.

Is...is this real?

Were they actually, seriously not hurting him? Are they really trying to help him?

"Why?" He asked, tears sliding down his face. "Why do you...why are you so nice to me...?"

Emilia hugged him closer to her chest. "Because you deserve it. You deserve all the love you can get. All of that and more."

She gently stroked his back. "You were denied it for so long, and for no good reason, and I just can't stand it... I won't let an innocent little boy suffer like that if I can do anything to stop it. We're helping you for two reasons. One, you're worth helping. And two, because we just want to."

Rem beamed at the half elf and nodded her head. "She's right, Harry... You very much are worth helping... You're a sweet little boy, that much is plain to see... You're very well behaved, you put others before yourself... And you're a child." Harry looked at her, head tilted, and Rem gave him a closed-eyed smile. "It is natural instinct for any adult to want to help a hurt child in any way they can." Harry opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. "Nothing about THEM was even remotely natural. They... I don't know WHAT they are, but they are certainly inhuman..."

Harry tilted his head. They weren't human? They looked human to him.

Rem picked up on it and spoke again. "Look, all you need to know, is that you're never seeing them again. You have nothing to be afraid of. Ever again."

Emilia nodded. "That's right. You have me, you have Rem, you have your new big sis, there's nothing to be afraid of with us around."

Harry immediately calmed down, only to pause as something Emilia said caught up with him.

"Huh? Big sister?"

As if on cue, Beatrice walked into the room, yawning softly and rubbing at her eye with one hand as her other arm held one of Miss Figg's kittens close like a teddy bear, the tiny cat purring as it slept soundly. "Mmm... Good morning, I suppose..."

Emilia giggled. "Awww, Beatrice, you're so cute!" She chirped. Beatrice groaned and rolled her eyes.

"It's far too early do deal with your patronizing comments, I suppose..." She muttered in exasperation before noticing Harry. "Oh... Hello Harry... I see you've awoken." She said quietly, awkwardly, almost shyly in fact. Harry nodded his head.

"Hi..." He greeted timidly.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. The spirit looked away with a small blush. She then looked back at Emilia and Rem.

"You blurted it out, didn't you?"

"Uuuhh..." Emilia froze up. "S-surpise?"

Beatrice sighed, slapping her forehead and shaking her head in exasperation. "I suppose I should've expected this."

She walked over to the table, approaching Harry, and placing a hesitant hand on his head, ruffling his hair gently.

"Hello Harry. Meet your new big sister, I suppose." She smiled, looking genuinely kind. Even Rem and Emilia were impressed at just how...unusually adorable Beatrice could look when she wasn't all sour.

Harry felt himself relax. He awkwardly spoke up, looking at Beatrice. "U-um...hi, big sis Beatrice."

Beatrice tillted her head. "Yes, I suppose I am..." She smiled slightly. Hatty tilted his head before Emilia set him down in front of the little spirit gently. He blinked and looked up at the half-elf, sho smiled at him encouragingly and nodded her head.

He looked up at Beatrice. She was small, but he was smaller still, small enough that he head to look up at her to meet her eyes. The blonde spirit simply looked at Emilia with a raised brow. She was about to speak when she noticed something contact her leg.

Blinking, she looked down and discovered that Harry was in the process of trying to give her a hug. 'Trying' being the key word, because he was so tiny that even she was too big for him to wrap his tiny little arms around completely.

Beatrice smiled, her heart heating up at the small sight before her.

"Aww, look at you." She leaned down, wrapping her arms around Harry's small body. She lifted him up and hugged him, nuzzling him into her cheek.

"Mmm, you're so adorable. I'm going to love being your big sister, I suppose." She cooed. Harry leaned into her embrace, his arms wrapped around her waist.

Emilia internally squeed at the sight. It all looked so adorable. She couldn't ever stop saying it, Beatrice is super adorable when she isn't all sour and moody and isn't acting like a huge bully.

Rem leaned on the table, her face adopting a smirk. "I'm so committing this to memory."

Beatrice pouted and looked at them with a blush. "Hmph! Stop staring at me with that knowing expression, I suppose!" She demanded of Rem. "And you! Stop thinking I'm cute right this second, I am not cute, I am a perfectly proper lady!"

"Daww, you sure are! A very cute one!" Emilia replied with a giggle. Beatrice huffed and looked away, She looked like she was considering something that she quickly decided against due to not wanting her precious bubby to be angry at her.

She sighed and walked over to the table, setting Harry down in his chair again when she saw he hadn't finished his breakfast just yet. Rem smiled. "Well, you've certainly opened up to the idea of helping to take care of him, just last night you were so very awkward about it."

"Yes, well..." Beatrice began. "...I suppose I had a...revelation of sorts."

Emilia tilted her head. "A revelation?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

Beatrice began to pet Harry, the boy nuzzling into her hand as she stroked his hair gently.

"It was a dream of sorts. One involving...Mother."

"Mother?" Rem asked. "You mean Echidna?"

Harry looked up at Beatrice. "Big sister has a mommy?"

Beatrice nodded her head and closed her eyes. "Yes, I suppose... But I haven't seen her in a very long time, in fact..." She sighed softly. "I was waiting for her to speak with me again for such a long time, and... she finally came to me as I slept..."

Flashback...

Beatrice had falled asleep when some of the kittens had come to snuggle up to her, and she found herself in... a garden... 'Hmm... A curious dream this is, I suppose...' She thought to herself, looking around. 'Now just what kind of place is this...?'

"Oh, this is far more than just an ordinary dream, my child." Beatrice gasped, eyes wide, and slowly turned around to see someone sitting at a table. A familiar someone, with long flowing white hair and a long black dress. "It has been a while, hasn't it, Beatrice?"

"Mo...Mother?" The little spirit whimpered out, tears welling up in her eyes. She hesitantly pushed herself up on her feet, her legs trembling at the sight before her.

"Is...is it...really...you?" She asked, still in disbelief.

Echidna smiled (a smile Beatrice remembered fondly), and spoke again. "Yes. Yes, my dear child. It's me. Come here." She said, spreading her arms and inviting Beatrice in for a hug.

Beatrice didn't hesitate. She didn't hesitate for even a second.

The moment Echidna spread her arms, Beatrice knew what her mother wanted. She *ran.* Her tiny legs carried her through the grass as she practically flew towards her mother's awaiting embrace. As soon as she got there, she threw herself into Echidna's arms, wrapping her own tiny limbs around her waist and burying her face into her chest.

"Ah...ah...aaaahhhh!" Beatrice cried, waterfalls streaming down her face. It was real. It was real! The smell, the feeling, the gentleness. It was all real. Echidna was here. She was right here. Her mother is in her arms again!

If this really was a dream, Beatrice never wished to wake up.

Echidna looked down at her child and teared up slightly. "Oh, Beatrice... I'm so, so sorry for leaving you behind..." She whispered softly, shifting her hold on her daughter and nuzzling the top of her head with her cheek. "I haven't been the best parent to you, have I...?"

"I...I... I don't care, I missed you so much and... And I'm just... Just so happy to see you again!" Beatrice sobbed as she looked up at her mother. Echidna smiled sadly and kissed the little spirit's forehead, sitting down in her chair and seating Beatrice on her lap.

"Oh, you're much too forgiving, my dear... I'm sorry... I've... had a revelation recently... I've realized that I've been so very selfish... I failed to think of anything but my own curiosity, and I would probably still be like that if it hadn't been for Harry..."

At that, Beatrice was confused. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at her mother. "Harry?" Shd asked. "What does Harry havd to do with this. Did...did he bring me here?"

Echidna shook her head. "No no, Beatrice. That was me. I brought you here, but Harry is the reason for that." She took her teapot and poured some tea into two cups, handing one to Beatrice.

"Tell me, Beatrice..." She began, taking a sip of her tea. "Do you believe in the theory of the multiverse?"

Beatrice looked down at her tea. "I...am unsure." She said. "While it is true that the universe we're in now is...certainly not ours, I...still have a hard time believing all of it. For all my life, such a thing was the stuff of fairy tales. But now..." She looked up at Echidna.

"Now I'm not so sure anymore."

Echidna tilted her head. "Hmm? Not your own-Oh. Oh no, no, no, dear, no, you haven't left your own world." Beatrice stared at her mother with a flat expression that just screamed 'What.' Echidna laughed into her hand in amusem*nt. "It's certainly a convoluted method. You see, my dear, to reach the part of the world you and your friends find yourselves in now, you have to find a very specific rock wall on the very, very edge of the furthest kingdom, and you need a skilled practioner of magic to move the wall out of the way to access this new world. It is a convoluted mess, to be certain, but perhaps for the best, it was created to keep entities such as the great rabbit, the white whale and the witch cult out."

Beatrice was stunned. "But... But... No one has ever written about this place, I suppose... Is it really so unknown to our world...?" Echidna nodded her head.

"It is. Even down to who may have created it. I feel much better now that you're there, my child... You will be far, FAR safer..."

Beatrice looked down. "H-How do you know Harry, I suppose...?"

"Well, that brings me back to the multiverse theory. You see, Beatrice... There is another reality where Harry... was not rescued from his relatives. And their abuse grew worse by the day... Until..."

Beatrice gasped. "U-Until he... You don't mean he..."

"Yes... He didn't make it... And when he reached his afterlife, he was just... so traumatized, and afraid, and young I felt... something inside me that I had never felt before... I picked him up off the ground... I held him close... And eventually... I was his mother..." Beatrice looked at her mother.

"I...So... You..."

"Yes... I brought you and the other two here for one simple reason: to save your brother's life." Echidna replied with a nod of her head.

"...Will... we return, I suppose...?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not... The spell was a one-way trip, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to use it again for several years at least... I'm sorry to do this to you and your friends, but I...I just can't stand the idea of him being hurt again... Of... losing his life..."

"...Would you not have a chance to raise him in this reality as well if you had left it alone, I suppose...?" Beatrice asked.

"No... No, my dear, perhaps there was once a time where I would have been so selfish as to allow him to perish so that I may hold him in my arms... But... watching my other self raise him, care for him... I finally understand far more about empathy... I love him... He taught me so much... He taught me how to love... He taught me how to find joy outside of satiating my own curiosity... I intend to see you like this far more frequently, because you are my daughter, and I had to raise another child entirely to realize how much I utterly failed you... I abandoned you for the sake of satiating my own curiosity and thought nothing of it... Oh Beatrice... Can you ever forgive your mother for being such a fool...?"

Beatrice looked down. Her hand gripped the handle of the cup as it trembled. Try as she might, try as hard as she could, she really couldn't bring herself to...to...

NO! She shouldn't be thinking like that! Her mother is here! She finally reunited with her after so long! She should not be thinking those thoughts! It's not right! It's not right! It's not...it's...it...

Why did it feel right?

Beatrice nearly broke down. Try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to fully forgive Echidna.

Ridiculous.

And yet she knew, deep down, that it was right.

"I...can't." She spoke, her words heavy as a hammer. "At least not fully, I suppose."

Echidna nodded. She knew it was right. She left her own daughter alone for YEARS. As much as it hurt to hear her daughter say that, she knew she was right.

"It's not fair I suppose."

Echidna looked down at Beatrice, who was staring up at her with tears in her eyes. "It's not fair, in fact." She said again.

"Look at me. I just reunited with my own mother, whom I haven't seen for thousands of years, and the first thing I say is how I can't forgive you for leaving me. What kind of daughter am I if I can't even forgive my mother?!"

Echidna's heart broke upon hearing this. She shouldn't be listening to those...terrible words.

"No, Beatrice, you-"

"You're not a terrible daughter, ya hear me?!"

Beatrice's eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice. She whipped her head around to see a blonde woman, her hair tied into a side ponytail. She was pointing dramatically at her, tears in the corners of her eyes. "H-Huh...?" The little spirit spoke in confusion, still tearing up.

The woman let out a scream as she ran towards her, then she did a front flip and landed directly by Beatrice's chair, making a small crater in the ground. Before Beatrice even had time to think about it, she was pulled into a tight embrace by this unknown figure.

"Now you listen to me! You are an AMAZING little girl , do you hear me?! You were hurt badly by your mother, and you're not obligated to just hand out forgiveness to those who hurt you! Forgiveness is earned, not given! Echidna made a MASSIVE mistake leaving you behind!"

Beatrice looked at this new woman, confused and slightly afraid. Minerva looked back at her with tearstained eyes and squeezed her gently, resting her chin atop her head, and Beatrice couldn't help but feel reassured. "Your feelings matter, Beatrice! YOU matter! YOU are important! People love you! I hated seeing you cooped up in that library, not living your life, not finding friends, not letting anyone else in! I don't wanna see any more of that, do you hear me, young lady?!"

Beatrice looked up at this new woman, awestruck. Echidna laughed into her hand.

"Ah, Beatrice... Allow me to introduce you to Minerva. She is the witch of wrath... and she is also the love of my life."

At that, Beatrice's mind grinded to a screeching halt.

"L-love?" She stuttered out, slowly comprehending what she just heard. "Love of...your life?! And...the Witch of Wrath?!"

Echidna giggled at her daughter's obviously confused and more than a little alarmed at the information. "Yes. Quite the surprise isn't it?"

She looked up at Minerva, her eyes filled with a kind of adoration and love Beatrice had NEVER seen her show. "But it's the truth, my daughter. After adopting Harry, I learned about emotion and how it felt to feel. Eventually Minerva joined in, though it was mostly because she wanted to be near Harry as much as possible. Over time however, things changed. We began to see each other in a new light, and we slowly began to fall for each other. Eventually, we realized our feelings were more than just a one-time crush. They were real."

Minerva looked up and met her eyes with her love's, smiling widely. "And we couldn't be happier for it."

Beatrice stared at her mother in pure shock. "Wait... Does that mean that..."

"Well, yes, I suppose that would make Minerva your stepmother." Echidna replied with a wide smile. Beatrice looked over at the blonde woman.

Minerva smiled back and gave Beatrice a tight but gentle squeeze, and the little spirit let out a soft squeak.

She didn't know how to feel about this new development... Minerva seemed like a very pleasant woman, especially when one considered she was allegedly the witch of wrath, but... her own mother had left her behind and then the next time she saw her, she finds out that she has a second mother now?! The little spirit... was confused, to put it very simply. "I...I... I'm not...sure how to process all this, I suppose..." She said softly, looking down at the floor.

"It's okay... You'll be here a lot more now, to see your mother... We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other then. Don't feel pressured to call me mom either... Don't you do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, do you hear me?!" Minerva put on that same stern voice, and Beatrice smiled wryly.

"I suppose." She said simply.

Echidna laughed softly. "It really is amazing... We don't have Harry in this reality, yet just watching him was enough to bring both of us close together..."

"Mother... Will you bring Harry here in his dreams as well?" Echidna shook her head.

"No, my dear... You see... Harry is not our son in this reality... He is the son of Emilia and Rem."

"And that's why we're counting on you. After all, you are his big sister, so it's your job to look out for him, and keep him safe!" Minerva declared.

Beatrice's eyes widened. She had accepted Emilia's offer to be Harry's sister figure, but... all this time... she really WAS his older sister...? Well... In an alternate timeline, but still!

Well...alternate timeline or not, nothing changed the fact that she's his sister now. That is her duty, and her wish.

And she'll be darned if she ever messed up a single detail.

Taking in a deep breath, Beatrice looked at her mothers (felt so weird to say that). "Don't worry. You can count on me, in fact. Harry shall have a life the Heavens themselves will be jealous of!"

Minerva squealed as she tiptoed in place. She immediately picked her up again and enveloped her in a bone-grinding hug.

"Ooh, look at you! So strong, acting like a real woman already! Now if only you were taller and the picture would be complete!" Minerva gasped. "Ah! But no! You're too cute to grow up!"

"A...ack..." Beatrice struggled to breathe as she swung her legs, desperately trying to make Minerva let go. "Pu...put me...down...you're...crushing me..."

"Minerva, dear, remember your strength." Echidna reminded gently. Minerva squeaked and put Beatrice back down in her chair. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, please forgive me!" She bowed down on the floor and grovelled to Beatrice for forgiveness.

"Um... Okay..." Beatrice replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. She didn't really know how to feel about Minerva, she was certainly... um... eccentric, not the kind of person she expected her mother would fall for... Echidna laughed softly into her hand at the way the two interacted.

Just then, there was a sudden surge in the air. "Ah... It seems it's time for you to wake up now, my child..." Beatrice looked at her, distressed. "Oh, no, don't be worried, I promise you will see me again very, very soon. I will never abandon you again, ever."

"Wait! But..." She hesitated. "When...will I see you again."

Echidna got up, approaching Beatrice and wrapping her in a hug.

"That, I do not know." She said. "What I do know, is that you WILL see me again. Do not think this to be the last time. I'll always be here." She looked up at Minerva.

"WE will always be here."

Beatrice enveloped Echidna in her own hug, before her body disintegrated, particles blown away by the wind.

Echidna got up, staring at the spot where Beatrice stood a moment ago. Her face was blank, her eyes unblinking.

"How could I have been so stupid."

Minerva placed a hand on her shoulder.

She and Minerva were now watching Beatrice explain the story to the rest of the group.

"You changed as a person. That's good enough for me." The blonde said simply. Echidna gave her a weak smile, then looked down at the ground, clutching at her dress and sighing deeply. Minerva took a seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"She was my daughter, Minerva... And I left her behind without so much as a second thought... Minerva... What if... What if my counterpart ends up leaving Harry behind...?" Minerva narrowed her eyes at her. "I know you would never allow it, my counterpart would very likely end up spending the rest of eternity planted headfirst into the earth, but... just the thought that I might..."

Minerva spun her around to look at her, causing her to let out a squeak. "Listen to me and listen to me well! You are NOT that person anymore! You LEARNED, you GREW, you CHANGED, and nothing will ever take that away from you! And if you ever relapse, know that I'll be right there to knock some sense back into you!"

Echidna laughed softly. "...If that ever does come to pass... I want you to beat me senseless until I'm back on the right track-"

"No! No, I will NEVER hit you, NEVER!" Minerva was crying again. "Stop saying stupid stuff like that, I'm not gonna hit the woman I love!" Echidna sighed.

"You have such a warm, open heart, Minerva... It truly is your best feature..." She smiled wryly, and then she lunged forward like a snake to pull the blonde witch into a kiss.

*meanwhile, back in the real world*

"...and that's what happened." Beatrice finished. The reactions were varying.

Rem simply stared at her, her face blank. "Hmmm, it appears I was right. This WAS your purpose all along. And...to think that this is still our own world, just another place..."

Emilia meanwhile, had different things on her mind.

"Awww, Minerva and Echidna sound so cute together!" She said, hearts in her eyes. "I bet Minerva is such a good mom. I really wanna meet her someday."

Beatrice winced at that. As much as she genuinely liked Minerva, the woman's hugs were monstrous. If she didn't know that everything attacked by Minerva gets healed, she'd honestly think that woman could strangle a White Whsle to death.

"Yes, well..." She spoke. "...she is a bit...eccentric. But nonetheless seems to be a great mother."

Emilia giggled softly. "Think you'll ever accept her as your stepmom, Beatrice?"

The little spirit twirled her hair around her finger. "It's too early to say for certain, I suppose..." She sighed softly. "But I will give her a fair chance, I suppose..."

Rem smiled softly. "I'm sure that's all she could ever ask for..."

Harry looked around at everyone, confused and out of the loop..

So... there were two pretty witch ladies, and one of them was Beatrice's mommy, and she was HIS mommy in another timeline, and that made Beatrice his big sister in another timeline, and...

Wait... They said that Miss Emilia and Miss Rem were sent here by her to be his... his mommies...? ...But that couldn't be right... They weren't just going to show up one day and decide to be his parents, that didn't make any sense to him at all.

Emilia looked at him with a smile, remembering that little tidbit too. She picked him up and set him in her lap, gently stroking his head. She wouldn't push anything on him, she'd wait for him to ask when he was good and ready.

"You'll understand when you're older, Harry." She said. "Now's not the time to be thinking about that. Right now, you need to your tummy.

Harry nodded, eager to finally eat after the whole situation from earlier.

Soon, the family of 4 was seated at the table, enjoying their peaceful meal. Emilia and Rem exchanged small talk, Harry listening even though he didn't get most of what they were saying, and enjoying his food.

Soon after, the meal was done. Rem collected the dishes and began to dutifully wash them in the sink. Beatrice returned to her book from yesterday, while Emilia pondered something.

Rem noted her friend's actions and turned to ask. "What are you thinking about, Emilia?"

"Hmm..." Said the half-elf. "...well, I've been thinking...now that we've saved Harry, and now that we have a home arranged...what now? What do we do after that?" She asked.

Rem let out a soft hum as she pondered the question, scrubbing away at the plate in her hands. "Well... I suppose we'll do...whatever we need to..."

"...What about the Royal Selection...?" Emilia realized.

Rem turned to look at her with a soft frown. "I'm sorry, Emilia, but... I don't see how you could win it... You're very far away from Lugunica, and I don't see how we'd ever make it back in time..."

Emilia sighed softly and looked down, clutching at her skirt. "Yeah..." She said softly.

It appeared she wouldn't be fixing her reputation in Lugunica any time soon...

Seemed that she was always going to be known as the half elf that looked like the witch of envy...

Then, it clicked.

"Ah! That's right!"

Rem looked over to see the half-elf bearing a small grin on her face.

"I think I got it!" She exclaimed. "Let's make a new life here!"

That even made Beatrice pause. "Are you suggesting we forget everything we have back home, I suppose?" She asked, looking up from her book.

"Ah...um, well.. "

"Rem has a sister back in Lugnica, you know." She spoke. "Do you want her to forget her? To never reunite with her again? Is that what you're suggesting, in fact?"

"N-No! No no no that isn't what I meant!"

"Now Beatrice, don't try to demonize her." Rem chided lightly.

"Mmm." Beatrice grunted, focusing on her book once more. Not like she cared that much about going back or not, she didn't have much back there.

Rem sighed. "She isn't wrong... Without a way to return home... We have no choice but to make our lives here count..."

Emilia smiled sadly. "Don't worry, Rem... I'm sure you'll see Ram again someday... And Puck can let you two be pen pals!"

Rem giggled softly. "Yes, I can still be in contact with my sister... How is Puck? He's still exhausted from using that power of his I assume?"

"Yes, from what I can tell, he's gonna be out for a couple more days, but he'll come back!" Emilia chirped.

"P-Puck...? Who's Puck?" Harry asked.

That's when Emilia remembered. They hadn't told him about Puck yet. She needed to fix that right this instant.

"Puck is a very special friend of mine. He's a spirit who looks like a cute little kitten, and he always follows me around on my adventures." She spoke, Harry getting a hopeful expression on his face.

"Ki-kitty."

Rem giggled. "Looks like he didn't hear anything past the kitty part. Can't say I blame him." She said. Truth be told, she always did consider Puck to be exceptionally adorable, even amongst all the other critters she has ever seen. Puck was just that special.

"U-um..." Harry spoke up. "Ca-can I see him? Where is he?" He asked.

"Oh, Puck lives in this green gem here." Emilia said, pointing to the green gem on her chest. "He's sleeping now, he had a long day yesterday, so he needs a bit of a rest."

"Oh. Okay." Harry nodded before looking at the gem. "Have a good sleep, Puck..."

"Awww..." Emilia cooed, giving the boy a gentle squeeze. "You are such a sweetheart..." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. He beamed at the affectionate gesture.

"Oh... Good... I'm trying to be..."

Rem finished with the dishes, then looked over at the leftover pancakes on their plate, satisfied that there would be enough to Miss Figg when she woke up. She imagined it was probably a tiring day for the poor woman yesterday, so she may be out for a bit...

She took a seat at the kitchen table with the rest of the group.

"Now then... What will we do today...?" Emilia mused, finger under her chin.

"I have an idea, in fact."

Emilia, Rem and Harry all looked at Beatrice, who had put away her book. She took a deep breath and murmured something to herself, before looking at them.

"I'd like to spend more time with Harry."

Rem and Emilia blinked. They honestly shouldn't be surprised.

"I see." Rem said. "But...what will me and Emilia do?"

Beatrice had a steady answer. "I had overheard that Dumbledore can arrange us a house to live in. If you want, I can take care of Harry for the day, while you go and scout the houses they have available."

Emilia and Rem exchanged a glance.

"Hmm... Well, I suppose we could do that, but I'm not sure if he's still here anymore..." Emilia murmured.

"I could send him an owl if you'd like." Ms. Figg replied as she entered the room, still looking groggy but very much awake.

"An... owl...?" Emilia tilted her head.

"Oh yes, I keep my owl in the shed outside." Ms. Figg nodded. "We use them to deliver messages."

"I see. And how long will it take to get this message to Dumbledore?" Rem asked.

"Oh, it would take about ten minutes or so. My owl is quite the speedy bird, I must say." Said Ms. Figg proudly.

"I see." Emilia said, before clapping her hands with a smile. "Well then, it's decided!" She exclaimed. "Harry will be staying here with Beatrice, while me and Rem go house-hunting!"

She bounced in her chair from the excitement. "Ooh, I can't wait to see all the amazing houses they'll show us!"

Harry tilted his head. "A...new house?" He asked. "W-will...will I see Ms. Figg and the kitties again?"

Emilia gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't you worry, Harry." She reassured him. "We'll come down for a visit every opportunity we can get. Isn't that right you two?" She asked.

"Yes, of course. Wouldn't want Harry to miss her after all."

Beatrice crossed her arms. "Hmph. I...I'm only doing it for the Bubbies, I suppose. Not another reason, in fact." She looked at Emilia. "And stop giving me that look."

"It's okay to care about your baby brother, Beatrice." Emila said with a closed-eyed smile.

"...Yes, I know..." Beatrice sighed, looking at Harry with a small smile. "I promised mother I'd care for him..."

"That's all well and good, but you should try to care for him on your own terms as well." Rem replied.

Beatrice simply hummed as she climbed down from her chair and approached Harry, lifting him out of his. "Yes... Perhaps so..."

She held him at a slight arms length, a little reluctant to hold him the same way Emilia and Rem did. He looked back at her, eyes curious.

She began to wonder just what it was they were going to do today with the other two out and about.

Play with the kittens? Maybe read a book or something?

"Hmm...how about a little trip around town?" Ms. Figg chimed in. "I heard there is a new playground that just opened. I could take them to play together in the snow."

Beatrice pondered that suggestion. 'A trip around town? It certainly seems plausible. I could use it as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the surroundings. And Harry and me could play in the snow togethe-...oh. Right.'

She hated snow. She loathed it with all her being.

Her eyes fell to the boy held in her arms.

Perhaps...maybe if it's with him...then maybe...

Emilia winced. "Oh, I'm afraid that would be a bad idea." She spoke, confusing Ms. Figg. "You see, Beatrice doesn't like sno-"

"I'll do it, I suppose."

Emilia snapped her head over to Beatrice with a shocked expression. Beatrice huffed.

"You look like a suffocating fish, I suppose." She said with a pout. "I may dislike the awful white nightmare, but I am willing to cast aside that distaste for the sake of my younger sibling. It is that simple, in fact." The little spirit stuck her nose up and huffed.

"How very mature of you, Beatrice." Rem remarked.

"With you, I struggle to differentiate between sincerity and sarcasm." The little spirit pouted.

"Hmm. Well consider yourself lucky I'm not my sister." Rem replied simply.

"Hmph. That one has a truly harsh tongue." Beatrice replied with a snort.

"Yeah... She uh... reeeeeally does..." Emilia sighed. "Okay... So, we just wait around a bit for the owl, and hope Mr. Dumbledore shows up then?"

"Yes. I'll go send it off." Ms. Figg said before leaving to send a message to Dumbledore.

Beatrice looked at Harry, giving him a smile. "Well then, it looks like you'll be spending time with your big sister today, Harry?"

The boy beamed at the thought of spending time with his new big sister. He reached out towards her with his arms, and Beatrice pulled him in, immediately getting embraced by Harry's tiny arms.

"Yay! I get to play with big sister!" He exclaimed, clearly excited.

Emilia giggled. "Aww, look at him. So eager to play with you, Beatrice." She cooed, before placing a finger on her chin. "Hmmm...do you even know how to play, Beatrice?" She asked, curious.

Beatrice blinked, then looked affronted, puffing up slightly and blushing a bit. "Of couse I know how to play, I suppose!"

"Really? Because from my understanding, you spent all your time sitting in the library." Rem said with a small frown.

"Yes, well... Well... I... I used to play... When... When mother was still around... But... It's..."

She looked down and let out a sigh. She hadn't played in such a long time... She forgot what she was supposed to do...

Harry looked up at her. "It's okay... I don't know how to play either..."

'OK, now that's not funny. At all.' Thought the three women.

Surprisingly, Beatrice was the one to come to the rescue.

"Well then, today's the day we fix that, I suppose." She said. "There's no way I'm letting my younger sibling live without ever playing once in his life. I promise you, in fact, today will be the most fun day you're ever going to have." She said determinately.

Harry beamed again at Beatrice's words. This is it. His first day of playing. He had always watched as Dudley and his friends played in the snow, while he was never allowed to. So to finally be not only allowed, but encouraged to play, it brought a smile to his face.

"Ah, but first..." Rem said, pulling out a set of warm clothes big enough for both Beatrice and Harry to fit into them nicely.

Beatrice tilted her head. "...Where did you get those, I suppose?"

Rem shrugged her shoulders. "Never underestimate my ability to knit fast." She said simply.

"When did you have time to knit though? After everything that happened yesterday, I didn't think- Rem, did you knit all this in the time it took for you to come downstairs for breakfast?" Emilia asked. Rem simply smiled proudly, pleased with herself.

"...Consider me impressed, I suppose." Beatrice said simply as she slipped on the pink jacket Rem had knitted. There was a hooded jacket and a pair of gloves. "But where did you get the material?" Rem looked back over at the Dursleys' house.

"I stole it from the creature's domain." She said simply.

"Ah. Very well then." Beatrice nodded, leaving it at that. She knew Rem would do something like that. Not like those animals deserved any of their belongings. And she can't blame her for calling them creatures.

Frankly, she herself had a whole list of names for them that would make a sailor blush.

"Alright!" Emilia exclaimed. "I'll go check on Ms. Figg and see if the owl is back. Rem, come with me." She then looked towards the kid duo. "You two can go wait outside in the yard. Beatrice, try to teach him how to play. I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Beatrice nodded. "Come on, I suppose." She said, approaching the door and leaving the house, stepping into the cold white of the snowy yard.

Beatrice's gaze flew over the environment. Every house was covered almost completely in snow. The green grass from yesterday was completely invisible, having been covered in a white blanket of cold.

As Beatrice gazed upon the white expanse before her and Harry, only one thought came to her mind.

"Now what?"

She looked around at the area around her and tried to figure out what she was supposed to do.

She looked down at the snow beneath her feet, then bent down and scooped some up into her hand.

"Um... Okay... I...think I'm supposed to... perhaps... do... this...?" She tossed the powdered snow up into the air and it rained back down. "...Or...perhaps not, that doesn't seem very fulfilling... Oh dear... I have no idea what we're supposed to do, I suppose..."

Harry tilted his head. "Y-You never saw anyone else play in the snow...?"

Beatrice shook her head. "No. I spent all my time in a library, I suppose..." She sighed.

"Oh... Lots of books...?"

"Indeed."

"Um... I...saw my cousin playing in the snow a lot..."

"And I'm guessing you weren't allowed to do the same." Beatrice sighed, Harry nodding shyly. The spirit knelt down and cupped his face in her hands. "Now you listen here, I suppose. "

The boy looked into her eyes, the pink butterflies in them shining brightly. "Those days of staying cooped up in the house, cleaning dishes and burning yourself while cooking are done, in fact. I will not tolerate any work on my little brother's side. You are a child I suppose, and as such, you deserve to have the best fun in the world. No amount of inexperience on my part is going to ruin that." She said determinately.

She got up and approached a small pile of snow before them. She picked up a bit of snow in her hands, before walking back to Harry.

"Would you like to see a little magic trick?"

Harry hesitantly nodded. He was still a bit apprehensive about speaking the word magic out loud, even with Rem's little trick from yesterday.

Beatrice smiled, before wisps of colourful magic began to gather around the small pile of snow in her hand. She turned around and blew at it, causing the snow to disperse into a white mist, which floated into the air before beginning to form a shape.

Harry's eyes widened. The snow was in the shape of a kitty cat! It even moved around like one, padding around in the air, sitting down to lick its paws, and then curling up for a nap!

"Kitty!" Harry cheered, clapping his hands. Beatrice smirked and stuck her nose up in the air proudly, satisfied with what she had just done. "And now watch this..." She formed another figure with the spell, and she created a saucer of milk for the snow cat.

Harry giggled and clapped his hands as the frosty feline began to drink from the saucer.

Beatrice felt her chest warming up, and she smiled warmly, the smirk completely replaced.

"Aww, look at them." Emilia cooed from the window where she was watching and waiting for Dumbledore's response.

Rem smiled down at the two and nodded her head. "Yes, Beatrice is doing an excellent job... She truly is living up to the role Echidna bestowed upon her. ...Honestly, I'm still a little shocked to know that our Beatrice is the daughter of the witch of Greed..."

"I'm shocked that she's the daughter of a witch at all." Emilia said, watching as Beatrice continued showing Harry new and exciting shapes in the snow.

"She was always so mysterious. But to think that she hid such a huge thing from us...and...how much she was really hurting...I wish I did something to help."

Rem placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We had no right to pry, Emilia." She said. "In fact, if we did, I'm almost certain she would have blasted us into oblivion in one gesture."

"I know, but..." Emilia argued, ger bleeding heart on full throttle. "...but we could've tried, at least. We could've tried to help, we could've been there for her every once in a while. And not just Puck, but me and you too."

Rem sighed softly. "We... all have our own issues to push through... I suppose... it just never came up..."

Emilia frowned. "But Rem... That means we should all be helping each other... We've lived under the same roof for so long, yet... we never tried to get her to really open up."

There was a moment of silence before Emilia spoke again.

"...She was alone... She was all alone the entire time..." She had her moment of realization. Rem turned to look at her.

Emilia sighed. "You had Ram... And I had Puck... We had others we were close to that we could vent our problems and struggles to, but who did Beatrice have? No one... She's been alone with this for such a long time..."

Rem looked at her with a blank stare. As hard as it was to admit, it was correct. Each resident of the mansion had someone they could vent to. Someone whose shoulder was always available to cry on. Someone who would listen when they ranted about nonsense, with a smile on their face.

Everyone had someone.

Everyone except Beatrice.

Rem sighed, before her gaze fell on the duo outside. A smile graced her features as she watched the two siblings in all but blood play around in the snow.

"That was then, Emilia." She said. Emilia looked at her.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that's it's all in the past." She walked over to the window. "This is her chance, Emilia. To finally have someone to talk to. Have someone to be there for her. She may have not realised it at the time..." Harry threw a bit of snow at Beatrice, the spirit laughing as she stumbled backwards into the snow.

"...but the moment she decided to save Harry, she finally gained the one thing she wanted the most."

Emilia's eyes widened in realization. "Oh... You're right... You're absolutely right, she's not alone anymore! And neither is Harry! Oh my gosh, they were both completely alone until now... Now they found salvation in one another! It was meant to be, Rem!"

Rem smiled warmly.

"And it's not just each other they have, Emilia."

"...Yes. Of course, you're right. We'll both have to be there for them all we can."

Rem nodded. "We neglected poor Beatrice for far too long..."

"Perhaps that's why she was so harsh to me..." Emilia murmured.

"Hmm... Maybe so... it doesn't make her abrasiveness right, but it makes it understandable... Perhaps... the fact that you resemble the witch... triggered some of her... repressed resentment towards her mother? It may not be the same witch, but it is someone closely associated with her..." Rem said softly.

Emilia frowned. Then she looked down. "...I'm glad to be away from our world, Rem... I'm glad to be somewhere where no one will judge me for the way I look..."

"Yeah...no one..." Rem looked away, old memories resurfacing. None were bad.

Emilia noticed the maid's expression of pain, looking at her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Rem?"

The maid looked up to see her friend, her pale face covered in the white light that shone dimly through the window.
"Is everything okay?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. "Are YOU okay? Do you feel sick?"

"N-no." She said, shaking her head. "I-I'm fine. No worries."

Emilia frowned. "Rem, I may be a bit of a klutz, but I'm not that big of an idiot to not recognize when my friends are hurt." She said, putting both hands on her shoulders and making Rem look her in the eye. "Tell me. What's wrong. I refuse to stand by and let you hurt even more. Tell me what's on your mind, and I'l-"

"How do you do that?"

Emilia blinked at that. "Hmm? How do I..."

"How do you stay so... wondeful despite how much our world hurt you...? How much I hurt you...?" Rem asked softly.

Emilia frowned. "Rem... I... What are you..."

"Emilia... Don't say you don't know what I'm talking about... I was horrible to you when I first met you..."

"I mean, you were reaaaally cold, but-"

"I told you to your face that you were a monster, Emilia... I told you I hated you, just because you resembled the witch of Envy... I didn't care to get to know you as a person... All I saw was how you looked on the outside..." The maid was beginning to tear up.

"And despite that... You didn't even cry. If anything... you just got even more determined to convince me you were worth having as a friend... Why...? What did I do to deserve your kindness, Emilia...? You'd have been well in your right to turn me away forever, but you never stopped trying to win my favor... Why did you try so hard to befriend me...? Why did you try so hard with the kingdom that looked down on you...?"

"Because I recognised your feelings." Emilia said.

Rem looked up at her with teary eyes, slightly confused. "H-huh? I...don't understand..."

"I lost my people too, you know." She said. Rem noticed a small tear well up in her eye. "My mom was killed before my very eyes. By a friend no less. And I even lost control of myself and repeatedly killed Pandora, the Vainglory Witch." She spoke, her voice trembling with each word. "I can't remember when I've ever felt such pain in my heart. It's something I still have nightmares of."

She looked up and gave Rem a smile, the tear in her eye flowing freely down her cheek. "But then I met Puck. He became my first friend after I was unfrozen. He became my father figure, guided me through everything. He was so kind to me."

"And that's what made me want to befriend you, Rem. That's why I ignored your insults and harshness. I saw the pain you hid, and when I found out why you were hurting, I immediately recognized your feelings. That's why I wanted to be your friend. I didn't want you to drown in your sorrow. I wanted to be your Puck, just like Puck was my Puck...if that makes sense."

Rem giggled at Emilia's little mistake, wiping the tear from her eyes. She gazed at the white half-elf, no longer seeing the Witch of Envy, but an angel.

One who was her best friend.

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Emilia in a tight embrace.

"Eep!" Emilia jumped slightly at the sudden display of affection. She was quick to recover, and smiled as she returned the hug.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Emilia..." Rem whispered softly, audibly crying into her shoulder. The half elf tightened her embrace, trying to convey without the use of words that all was well and there were no hard feelings on her part. Sure... The things Rem said had hurt... But she could handle that pain if it meant helping her.

"It's okay, it's okay... I forgave you a reaaaally long time ago, I'm not mad at you at all..." She whispered softly. Rem's sobbing grew a bit louder at that. Emilia rested her chin on the top of Rem's head as she unleashed her pent u guilt after several years.

Rem was fairly quick to stop crying, pulling away from the half elf with a teary-eyed smile. "Thank you, Emilia... You've done so much for me... You've tried so hard to help me through all I've been going through... I haven't appreciated it nearly enough..."

"Oh, you've helped me too, Rem! I couldn't even boil water until you taught me how to cook, and you were an amazing help with my studies!"

Both girls giggled at that before exchanging another quick embrace before there was a knock on the door.

"Ah!" Both girls quickly separated, jumping away from each other. Emilia nearly tripped over a footstool, quickly catching herself just in time to avoid falling.

At that moment, the door opened, and in peeked a familiar wrinkled face with a long beard and bew glasses.

"Good morning, ladies." Said Dumbledore. "I hope I haven't arrived at an inappropriate time?"

The girls composed themselves, Rem clearing her throat. "A-ahem..." She began. "...n-no, it's alright, professor. We were just..." She looked at Emilia, giving her a look that said "Help me out here!".

"Ummm..." Emilia started. "We were...discussing what we want in our new house!"

'Thank God for your rare moments of wit, Emilia!' Rem thought gratefully as she let out a sigh of relief. Turning to Dumbledore, she spoke.

"Yes, that's right. We were discussing what we wanted to have for Harry and us three once we find the house we're looking for."

The old man's eyes twinkled under his glasses, and Emilia got the sense that he was getting the wrong idea between her and Rem.

"I see, I see. Well then. Shall we get the search started? I imagine you'd like to return to Harry sooner than later." He remarked.

Emilia nodded her head. "Oh, yes, we wouldn't want him to miss us too much."

Rem bowed. "We are in your hands. Please lead the way."

"Very well." The old man nodded his head before turning to Miss Figg. "We'll be on our way now, Arabella!"

"Happy hunting!" Ms. Figg called out. "I'll take good care of the children!"

Rem briefly debated whether or not she should tell her Beatrice was many centuries older than her.

'Nah. She'll find out eventually.' She waved it off, following Emilia and Dumbledore.

Meanwhile, outside in the snow. Harry giggled as he moved his arms and legs to make a snow angel. Beatrice watched from the side in amusem*nt as the boy laughed genuinely, likely having fun for the first time in his life.

"Enjoying yourself, I suppose?" She asked. Harry at her with a big smile.

"Yeah, big sister Beatrice. I love it!" He exclaimed, getting up and rushing over to embrace her in a hug. "This is fun!"

Beatrice chuckled, ruffling his hair a little. "Of course. I said you'll have the best day in your life, and I intend to go through with it in full, in fact." She said.

She stuck her nose up in the air smugly, confident in her abilities, as the door opened up behind them.

"All right then, dears, Emilia and Rem are on their way out to go house hunting. Shall we be on our way?" Ms. Figg asked as she joined them outside, wearing a heavily padded trench coat to keep herself shielded from the harsh cold weather.

"But of course we are, I suppose." Beatrice said with a nod.

"Yes please Ms. Figg." Harry said politely.

"You remembered to leave food and water for the bubbies correct?" Beatrice asked sternly, not wanting to risk the cats going hungry while they were gone.

'Only one day of knowing them and she already acts like she's their owner.' Ms. Figg thought with a shake of her head.

"Of course. Don't worry, dear Beatrice. I've left them everything they'll need, no need to worry." She assured her.

Beatrice nodded in approval. Ms. Figg clapped her hands. "Right! Shall we get going then?"

Harry twiddled his thumbs, an expression of uncertainty on his face. Beatrice noticed and looked at him. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"U-um..." He stuttered. "I'm scared. What if...what if no one at the park will like me? What if..."

"They'd best like you, or they will have to deal with me, I suppose." Beatrice said with a huff.

Ms. Figg laughed. "Well there you go, Harry, Beatrice will be watching out for you as any big sister would."

'That is correct, in fact. Any sister worth anything doesn't allow anyone to harm their siblings in any way."

Beatrice made a mental note to try and reign herself in from attacking any children that might hurt her little brother.

She couldn't quite make any promises though.

Inside the house, two kittens were looking outside and meowing in distress that they were going. Oddly enough, rather than Ms. Figg, they were looking at Beatrice as they did it.

Being the cat loving midget she is, Beatrice immediately noticed. Her heart shattered so hard Ms. Figg could practically hear the sound of glass breaking.

The little spirit immediately zoomed over to the window, her eyes leaking anime tears as the kitties meowed for her.

"Aah! Don't cry my little Bubbies!" She whimpered. "It won't be for long! I would love to snuggle with you, in fact, but this day shall be spent with my little brother, I suppose." She dramatically threw her head back. "Oh, what injustice for me to leave you all alone! If only I could take you with me!"

Meanwhile, Ms. Figg and Harry simply stared at the spirit's dramatic episode. Harry blinked.

"Big sister Beatrice is talking weird."

Ms. Figg shook her head. "Oh, what a drama queen. It's not like she won't be seeing them again."

Ms. Figg looked thoughtful. 'Hmm... I've been having a hard time getting those two to bond with me and she did so without even really trying...' She thought to herself.

Beatrice rejoined them, sniffling slightly and wiping some tears from her eyes.

"How very cruel of me... I must do something to make it up to them when we return... Extra chin scratches, perhaps a big hug..." She said softly. Ms. Figg laughed softly in amusem*nt and shook her head, impressed with the spirit's care for the small furry friends.

"You're quite the cat lover, aren't you?"

Beatrice huffed. "They're much better than smelly, greasy, noisy dogs, I suppose." She said haughtily.

"Mmm-hmm. Kitties aren't scary like doggies are..." Harry said softly.

"Oh, you're scared of dogs, are you dear?"

Harry shakily nodded. He still remembers Ripper, the dog of his aunt Marge. He was always afraid of him, how he would always bark and bite and-

"Harry, you're thinking bad thoughts, are you?"

Harry was snapped out of his mind by Beatrice's voice, his big sister looking at him with worry.

She placed a hand on his head, petting him gently. "Don't." She said gently. "Now's not the time to be remembering bad things in fact. Like I said, I promised to make this the best day in your life, and nothing will stop me. Not those pigs, nor anything."

A pile of snow fell somewhere nearby, and she whipped her head around to glare at it. "Not even YOU, in fact." She all but snarled.

Harry and Ms. Figg noticed the unbridled hatred in Beatrice's eyes, and Ms. Figg rested a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right, dear?"

"Hmm? Yes. Yes, I'm just fine, I suppose. Merely showing my nemesis I won't be deterred."

A small clump of snow fell atop her head, and her eye twitched.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was leading Emilia and Rem to the fireplace. "Um... Mr. Dumbledore sir... what exactly are we to do here...?" Emilia asked. The old man responded by holding out a strange powder that she had never seen before. Floo powder.

"I'm glad you asked, young lady." He said. "Please, hold out your hands."

Confused, the girls complied, offering their hands. Dumbledore placed a bit of Floo powder into each hand, the girls inspecting the strange substance.

"Hmm..." Emilia hummed, bringing the powder to her nose and sniffing it.

"Ah...ah...ACHOO!" Emilia sneezed. Small sparks suddenly...sparked, in front of her nose. Emilia blinked, quickly moving the powder away from her face.

"I suggest you don't keep it too close to your faces." Dumbledore said. "That little devil of a substance has quite the fiery temper when agitated." He spoke with a joking tone.

Rem looked at her powder, inspecting it with a critical eye. "What...is this?

"Ah, why it's floo powder, of course. It will bring us straight to our destination."

"Oh... Um... How...? Do we... mix it with something...?" Emilia asked.

"No, no, not at all. You simply stand in the fireplace, clearly state the name of the place you wish to go, and then you throw it down and you'll be on your way!" The old man replied.

Rem tilted her head. "This seems rather... unorthodox..."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Emilia said, eyes sparkling. "Show us!"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Very well. But first, let me tell you the location we're heading. You must speak clearly and make sure you don't misspeak. If you do, you will end up in a random location."

Saying that, he stepped into the tall fireplace, the coal cracking under his shoes. He took a deep breath as he lifted his hand that held the powder.

"Hagrid's house north of Hogwarts." He said, before throwing the powder beneath his feet. A green fire erupted and engulfed him, the old wizard disappearing in a blaze.

Emilia and Rem gasped at the sight. They looked at the fireplace silently, very surprised at the sudden disappearance.

"That..." Rem began. "...is highly-"

"COOL!"

Rem blinked.

"I was more thinking along the lines of unsafe, but-wait what?"

"I wanna try!" Emilia exclaimed as she ran into the fireplace, extending her hand just like Dumbledore did.

"Emilia!" Rem called. "Wait! Wouldn't it be-"

But before she finished, it was already too late.

"HAGRID'S HOUSE NORTH OF HOGWARTS!" Emilia said excitedly, throwing down the floo powder and vanishing in a burst of flames.

Rem stared wide-eyed where she had been, and then she took a deep breath.

"Oh Emilia..."

She was keeping her calm, but she was truthfully worried about the half-elf...

After all, she had just watched her disappear in a burst of flames.

Had it hurt her in any way?

...Only one thing to do now...

She looked down at her own floo powder and let out a sigh before stepping into the fireplace.

"...Hagrid's house, north of Hogwarts..." She said softly before throwing down the powder and vanishing in a burst of flame.

At that exact location, a fireplace suddenly came to life, a green burst of flames swirling inside it, only to disperse and reveal the excited half-elf.

"Whoo!" She cheered. "That was fun! Now then, time t-whoa!"

Just as she was about to step out, she felt herself step onto...nothing. Just empty air. Before she knew it, Emilia tripped out of the fireplace, hitting the ground and starting to roll down a hill. She grunted as her body slid down the grassy and rocky surface, before she eventually hit a hard stop against a tree.

Her vision blurred, her head ringing like she'd just slamming face first into a gong. Before she knew it, spots appeared before her eyes.

"Hehe. Twirly funny dotsss, spinning all day~y~y~yyyy..." She mumbled, disoriented.

And then a large pile of snow fell down on top of her, burying her under the cold white mound.

Mere seconds afterward, Rem emerged from the fireplace. She stood for a moment to take in her location.

"Hmm? How peculiar... Why is this fireplace outside...?" She murmured. She looked down to see it was elevated by something, very likely a tree stump or a discarded table. "Ah. Perhaps he's renovating... Emilia?" Rem called out for the half elf, gracefully hopping down and landing harmlessly.

No sign of the half elf. That wasn't a good sign... Had she ended up in a different location where she wouldn't be found...?

Suddenly, she noticed the large snow pile at the foot of the tree slowly beginning to rise up, higher, and higher... Until Emilia's butt burst free from the top of the pile.

"Ah!" There you are!" She exclaimed, quickly running over to the snow pile. She began to quickly dig through the snow, eventually digging deep enough to pull Emilia out.

"Hhhmmm-FAH!" Emilia yelped as she was suddenly yanked out of the snow pile. The duo stumbled backwards, Emilia falling on top of Rem.

"Ah! I thought I was gonna suffocate!" Gasped out the half-elf. She looked around, before looking down to find Rem, whose back she was currently sitting on.

"Get...off...me...can't...breathe." Groaned out the oni, struggling to speak from a lack of air.

"Ah! Sorry Rem!"

She hopped back to her feet and bent down to help the smaller woman up. Rem let out a soft sigh and dusted some snow off her apron.

She looked at Emilia with a small frown. "You were reckless, Emilia, be more mindful from now on."

"Huh? But... But Mr. Dumbledore showed us how to do it, so it was okay, right?"

Rem sighed. "Perhaps so, but it didn't look or feel very safe... And you were far too quick to assume your surroundings, judging by the view I just received."

Emilia's face turned red. "Eep! You didn't see anything, did you?"

"...Well..." Rem looked away, a slight tinge of pink appearing in her cheeks.

"Aaaah! You saw it!" Emilia sqealed in embarrassment as her face flushed. She turned around and covered her eyes, groaning as her ears burned.

Just as Rem was about to reassure her, a gruff voice called out in the distance.

"Oi! You lasses there?!" A male voice called. Rem and Emilia both turned around and looked up to find a large man dressed in brown fur. The man had quite the beard, and the girls were pretty sure they've never seen someone so incredibly big.

"Hello?" Rem called, waving her arms in the air. The large man looked down to find the two girls at the bottom of the hill.

He made his way down, practically bounding down the hill at full speed, and Rem quietly wondered if she should do something to defend herself, but before she had much time to thing about it, she and Emilia were promptly snatched up by the hulking man and pulled into a tight bear hug.

"Thank ye so much fer savin' im!" The man was now sobbing messily. Rem and Emilia exchanged a confused look as he squeezed them tight. "I knew those Dursleys were nutin' more'n a couple'o right monsters but Professor Dumbledore said they'd be fine with 'im! I'da never brough 'im f'I knew what they were gonna do to 'im!"

Emilia and Rem realized he was talking about Harry. Rem's expression turned sympathetic. "It's all right... Harry's okay now, he's going to be... We're going to take very good care of him, that's a promise... Now... do you think perhaps you could let us go? You're hurting my spine."

"Ah, yeah. Right." The large man nodded, before gently setting them down. Emilia stretched her arms, wincing at the sound of joints popping, while Rem massaged her pained back.

"Right. Best introduce meself, eh?" The man said, before extending his hand with a smile.

"Rubeus Hagrid. Groundskeeper o' Hogwarts. Nice ta meet'cha."

Emilia gave a polite smile of her own. "Nice to meet you too. My name is Emilia, and this is Rem." She said, extending her own hand. Hagrid's massive hand wrapped around her tiny one, and Emilia struggled to suppress a scream at the sheer force of the grip crushing her hand.

She gave the man a strained smile. "Ah, righ' sorry, guessin' I'm still a little emotional.." The half giant loosened his grip and Emilia let out a sigh of relief. Dumbledore joined up with the group shortly afterwards with an amused chuckle and a twinkle in his eye.

"Hagrid is the owner of the homes we'll be looking at." Hagrid puffed out his chest pridefully.

"Yes indeed, got enough homes ready for ye to have plenty o' options ter stay in fer as long as ye need!"

"Oh! But... why do you have so many homes...?" Emilia asked with a tilted head.

"Ah, that's right." Dumbledore spoke up. "I believe I only said this to Miss Rem yesterday evening, but I have a tendency to send Hagrid here on certain errands around the Wizarding World. And since those errands often take a few days or a week to finish, he needs someplace to stay."

"Indeed." Hagrid said. "An' dere ain't no way I'll be stayin' on one a' dose run-down 'otels. This big boya needs a pro'er home for a good rest while I'm on those trips."

Dumbledore nodded. "As such, Hagrid has plenty of different houses all around the Wizarding World, not just in Britain, but also in America, Africa, even Asia."

"Aye, those Japs do be 'ospitable, gotta say." Hagrid said with a smile, remembering his few trips to Wizarding Japan.

He chuckled. "'Course, if it's a place closer ta the muggle world yer lookin' fer, I got plenty o'those too, lots ter do there see..." Emilia and Rem exchanged a look before Rem made the decision to speak up with a polite bow to the half giant.

"Thank you, sir, we'll trust your guidance. A home on the balance between the muggle world and the wizarding world would be idea, as I feel there's much we all have to learn about both sides." She said politely. Emilia nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, there's two different sides to this world, it wouldn't feel right to only learn about one while completely ignoring the other." She agreed. Truthfully she was just excited to learn about both. It was like they were making discoveries their world never would!

"Well 'en, I believe dere's plenty o' homes I've got jus' at the edge of both. Enough magic fo' daily stuff, yet enough ta keep ya as muggle-lookin' as possible."

"Excellent." Rem nodded. "Again, thank you for your cooperation. We don't know what we would have done without you to help us."

Hagrid waved it off. "Ah, don't sweat the small stuff. Ye've done a great favour to Harry, to all o' us. It's da least we can do."

"Thank you." Emilia said gratefully. "You're such a kind person, Mr. Hagrid."

Dumbledore clapped his hands to gather their attention. "Ahem. While I certainly don't want to interrupt your exchanges of gratitude, I believe we have homes to check out, correct?"

"Ah! Yes." Hagrid said. "Now then, les go check out what I've got fo' ya."

Meanwhile, Ms. Figg had just arrived at the park with Harry and Beatrice. The woman was content to sit back and watch them from the park bench as Beatrice held her little brother's hand and led him throughout the park. It was large, and beautiful, and there was a lot to see.

A lot of trees. And a hill. And... What was all this stuff...? She looked at the playground equipment and tilted her head to the side with a raised brow, approaching it. "Hmm... How curious, I suppose..." She mused, touching the slide with her finger. "What is this stuff...?"

Harry approached. He had never played on any of this stuff personally, but he recognized it based off of all the times his cousin had bragged to him about all the fun he had when his parents brought him here. "It's a slide... You go down it." He explained.

Beatrice blinked. That's...that's it? You just...go down it?

"That's disappointing, I suppose." She said. Truthfully she expected something more.

Suddenly, Harry tugged on her dress. She looked down at him, his pleading eyes staring into hers.

"Ca-can we go? Just one time. It's okay if you don't want to, I...I'll be fine." He said.

"Nonsense." Beatrice said. "You and I will have fun, and if this "slide" is what it takes, then I shall do it for you, in fact."

Harry immediately beamed at Beatrice's answer. Beatrice made a mental note to try and make him smile as much as possible. That beaming light was far too precious to be extinguished.

"Now then, how do we go about this? Hmm..."

"Um...you're supposed to...climb up that..." Harry pointed towards the metal ladder." And then you sit and...let yourself slide down."

Beatrice looked up at the ladder and narrowed her eyes. Climbing to the top of what, from her perspective, was a huge ladder, directly above the cold white hell that she hated with all her heart, was not a good idea... But it would make her brother happy.

"All right then, Harry, you go up first, I suppose." Beatrice said with a nod. Harry looked at her, then carefully began the process of climbing the ladder, Beatrice watching him carefully in case he lost his grip and fell. Thankfully, he made it without issue.

It was her turn next, and she climbed up after him, taking great care to be as cautious about it as possible, not wanting to fall down to the white powdery snow below. And luckily enough, she managed to make it up with Harry with no incident!

She carefully sat down, Harry in front of her, before hugging him as to not let him fall accidentally.

"Um, now...we go down." He said.

"Right." Beatrice nodded. "Now, how did this go-whoa!" She exclaimed when she suddenly began to slide down, the smooth surface only speeding up their descent. Though as soon as it began, it ended.

Beatrice found herself at the bottom of the slide, blinking as her mind caught up with the experience. Harry happily clapped his hands, having his first time at the slide. It was just like Dudley described it. It was fun.

Beatrice noticed Harry's happiness at the experience. She smiled at her little brother's childlike joy.

Looks like her role as a big sister is coming along nicely.

Unfortunately, the ride was not going to end entirely well for them. Because directly at the bottom of the slide, waited a massive pile of cold white snow, eagerly anticipating the moment they were going to crash into it.

How had it gotten there? It had fallen down from a nearby tree branch shortly after they had taken off down the slide.

And when Beatrice saw it, her eyes widened, and she squeaked out "Oh no..."

Sadly, she wasn't able to stop both of them in time, and the two kids soon found themselves headfirst in the snow pile.

Beatrice swung her legs angrily, furious grunts echoing from inside the snow. Harry simply swung his own legs, with a bit less effort involved on his side than Beatrice.

With one last angry grunt, the snow started to steam, before the pile began to shrink and wobble. Soon, the snow was gone, the water from it absorbed into the snow beneath the duo's feet. Beatrice angrily grunted, before looking over at Harry, who was getting up from this unintended snow accident.

Concerned, Beatrice quickly approached him and took his hand. "Harry! Is everything okay? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Harry tilted his head to the side. "Hmm? No, I'm okay, thank you. Snow's fluffy." He said.

Beatrice sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, that is it's one redeeming quality, I suppose, it won't harm one physically in fact..."

Still... he hated this cold white nuisance so much, she wanted it all to vanish off the face of the earth. She gave the snowy ground a pout before turning her attention back to Harry. "...Do you want to go down once more, I suppose?" Please say no please say no...

"Um... Maybe a bit later..."

Beatrice blinked, then shrugged. 'Oh well. Good enough, I suppose.' She thought. She picked Harry up, patting the snow off his body, before setting him back down.

"Alright then. We'll do it again later if you want." Hopefully he doesn't. "Now then, anything else you'd like to try out?"

Harry looked around, observing the various things on the playground. His eyes then fell on a red carousel isolated in the middle of the playground.

"Um...can we go there?" He pointed at it.

Beatrice tilted her head. What kind of strange contraption is this?

She approached the strange thing and studied it suspiciously, eyes narrowed as she touched it with her index finger.

It seemed harmless enough... She gave it a poke, and it began to spin slowly. "Ah. I believe I see the purpose. We're meant to stand on it as it spins about, I suppose."

Harry nodded his head. "Uh-huh. It can go pretty fast, or at least that's what Dudley said..."

Beatrice nodded. "Well... I would suggest we avoid going TOO fast..."

She just knew trouble would follow if they did.

"Yeah...don't wanna slip." Harry nodded. Him and Beatrice climbed up onto the carousel, with Beatrice silently thanking whoever it is that made red seats on it so that they could sit. She picked up Harry and sat him in her lap, before plopping down in one of the seats.

"Now then, how do we go about this?" She said, her eyes soon landing on what looked like a small, wooden flower-shaped table. She examined it with a critical eye, hmming in thought.

"I believe I need to do something with this. But...I don't know what." She said.

Fortunately, Harry knew. He'd heard Dudley's stories after all.

He reached out and grabbed the flower with his hands, before using what little strength he had to turn it. Beatrice watched as the carousel began to spin in the opposite direction of the flower.

"I see now." She said. "You grab this..." She grabbed the flower herself. "...and then you turn it, causing the contraption to spin. The more strength you turn it with, the faster it spins."

Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I um... think that's it..." He said softly before carefully pulling on the contraption to make it spin slowly. Beatrice grabbed it as well to help the boy out. They were spinning a bit faster now. She was trying to be careful not to make it spin too fast...

Unfortunately, elsewhere in the park, someone had tripped and dropped their boot, sending it flying. Through a freak accident involving a ton of ricochets and chain reactions, the boot ended up striking the contraption with enough force to send it spinning wildly out of control with the two siblings on it, making them resemble blurs from the sheer speed. Ms. Figg was quick to get up and try to help. She reached them and grabbed onto the ride, abruptly stopping it... and sending the two passengers flying off. She could only watch as they went.

"IIII HAAAAATEEEE THIIIISSSSS!" Beatrice screamed as she and Harry rocketed through the air. Before the two siblings could do anything to stop, they soon landed in *yet another pile of snow*, this one even thicker than the last one.

The only thing that prevented Beatrice from exploding and doing the same thing she did in the forest was the presence of her little brother. She didn't want to hurt him by accident, so she opted to simply doing what she did previously and melting the snow through sheer fury.

Just like the last two times, the snow melted in an instant, freeing the two children from it's cold prison. Beatrice shook what little water was caught in her hair, and she looked to find Harry shaking off some snow from his head. But instead of crying like she feared he would, he was...smiling?

"That was fun, we went so fast and we got to fly!" Harry cheered excitedly. The little spirit blinked and tilted her head to the side, perplexed by her brother's reaction. No child she had met would respond to that sort of thing so jovially.

"...Yes, we...certainly did, I suppose..." She said softly with a sigh before picking him up and holding him, inspecting him closely for any signs of even the most mild of injuries, but thankfully, Harry seemed to be just fine. She sighed in relief.

"Oh goodness, are you two all right?!" Ms. Figg called over as she ran to assist them. Beatrice simply sighed and nodded her head, knowing deep in her heart that that was not going to be the last of it, but stubbornly trying to ignore that feeling.

Ms. Figg checked them over, dreading any possible injuries, and sighing in relief when she saw none. She gently patted off some more snow off of Harry.

"Just...try not to get hurt. Okay? I...I don't want another mistake like the last one."

Beatrice nodded. "You needn't worry, Ms. Figg. Harry is safe in my hands, in fact." She looked down. "Even though it's becoming harder and harder to make it a good, memorable day for him." She muttered to herself.

"What was that dear? Is everything okay?" Ms. Figg asked.

Beatrice looked up at her. "Oh, yes, I suppose. It's.. it's nothing." She took Harry's hand. "Come on, let's find something else to play with."

Meanwhile, Emilia and Rem were preparing to see their first house. They each took some floo powder from the large satchel Dumbledore had brought.

"Perhaps we could go first this time." Rem spoke to the old man. "So that you can notice if one of us misspeaks."

"An excellent suggestion." Dumbledore nodded.

"So what house do we go and check out first?" Emilia asked.

"Yes, what shall we say when we use the powder?" Rem inquired.

Hagrid spoke this time. "Ah, that's right. Da words ye need ta say are: Cottage 60 miles from Hogsmeade."

The two girls nodded. Emilia went to climb in, only for an arm to stop her.

"Not this time, you don't." She said firmly. Emilia pouted. "Awww. But why not?"

Rem gave her a look that said *Are-you-freaking-serious-right-now?*

Emilia gulped. "Uuuh, yeah...okay, you go first."

Rem nodded. She walked over to the fireplace, climbing in and sighing.

'Here goes absolutely nothing.' She thought.

"Cottage 60 miles from Higsmeade." She said, before dropping the powder and engulf herself in fire.

Emilia watched her go with a bright smile. "Okay, my turn now!" She chirped, taking some of the powder.

"Now don't get too excited, remember the proper words now." Dumbledore warned her.

"I know, it's okay, I got it! Cottage 60 miles from Hogwarts!" Emilia chirped, throwing the powder down and vanishing.

Dumbledore and Hagrid were quick to join them.

Dumbledore disappeared first. Hagrid was about to do the same, when something dawned on him.

"Hol' up." He said. "Didn't dat white one say "60 miles from Hogwarts."

He immediately paled ahen he realized what was at the location Emilia mentioned.

"Oh God. I gotta get ta her before Aragog finds 'er. Or any of 'is kids."

He quickly threw the powder into the fireplace, disappearing immediately.

*Meanwhile, in a dusty run-down shack*

Emilia appeared with a bright smile. "Okay! Let's..." She blinked and looked around at her surroundings. "...Um... Okay... This place is kinda... not nice..."

She stepped out of the fireplace and tried to feel around with her hands in search of any kind of light source, unable to see properly.

"Um... Rem? Mr. Dumbledore? Mr. Hagrid? Anyone?" She called out.

No answer.

She blinked. "Oh. I said the wrong thing, didn't I?"

Emilia fell to her knees and began to hit herself in the forehead.

"Argh, stupid, stupid stupid STUPID! I got lost again!" She yelled, berating herself harshly. "Me and my stupid excitement."

After a minute or so of berating herself more, she eventually got up, dusting off her clothes. "Well, standing around and berating myself won't bring me anywhere." She snapped her fingers and created a glowing crystal that shined through the darkness. "Might as well see if there's...a way..."

Her words died in her throat when the light shone upon what looked to be a long, thin line running along the floor.

She narrowed her eyes as she studied the line closely. "...Spiders...?"

Many were afraid of spiders, but she didn't mind them all that much, they kept other bugs away after all.

Maybe if she followed the trail of arachnids, she could find a way back to civilization...? Content with this decision, she carefully trailed along behind the spiders, taking great care not to step on any of them, Wouldn't be nice to crush her guides after all.

She was so focused on following the spiders she failed to realize she was moving deeper into the woods.

Meanwhile, a burst of flames appeared in a discarded fireplace covered in plant matter. The massive bearded man that is Hagrid stepped out, nearly stumbling as he got out of the fireplace.

"Ah, thank God I left dat piece 'a junk 'ere of all places." He said. "Well, better find the lass before something bad happens..."

Emilia looked about left and right, when she heard the sound of what appeared to be some kind of explosion, causing her to tense up. She then heard something skittering about behind her and turned to see a massive spider.

She went rigid, then took a few tentative steps back as the massive arachnid started approaching her... only to hear something else directly behind her.

She turned to see it was a massive scorpion-like creature, pale white.

As soon as these two beasts saw each other, they were quick to call for their respective backup.

A pair of loud screeches echoed out, causing Emilia to flinch and civer her sensitive ears. She opened her eyes and paled as she saw a ln absolutely MASSIVE army of spiders crawling out of the dark woods.

She went to turn around, only for her blood to run cold when another army, of those massive white scorpions, crawled out of the ground. She was knocked back when the ground suddenly burst up under her feat. She screamed and hit the ground, looking up to find another scorpion directly above her, staring at her with it's many, *many* eyes.

She screamed at the top of her lungs and she began launching ice spells in every direction imagineable, blasting spider and scorpion alike, freezing them all solid as they began to fight each other. Eventually, the many-legged monstrosities began to see Emilia as a genuine threat that needed to be taken out of the picture. The skrewts all rushed her, charging up, and she kept firing, but they were coming from every angle imagineable...

Hagrid was rushing to reach the half-elf, when he noticed a massive explosion occurring off in the distance. He stared with wide eyes... And then he heard the sound of screaming. He noticed something coming down, and he tried to rush into the right position to catch Emilia... He was off by several feet, and there was a massive impact with the ground that created a large crater a few feet away from him.

The half-giant blinked, then turned around to see Emilia lying at the bottom of the hole. Her head was planted firmly into the earth, all the way up to her shoulders, and her butt was sticking up in the air in a very undignified manner.

"Mmmmmffffrrgghhh!" Screamed Emilia in the ground. She was really getting sick of having her face buried.

"Ah! 'Ere. Lemme 'elp ya." Hagrid said, grabbing Emilia by the ankles, and pulling with all his strength.

"Mmmmfffhah!" Emilia gasped as she was yanked harshly out of her dirt prison. She took several deep breaths, desperately filling her lungs with air.

"I thought...hah...I was...hah...gonna die!" She shook her head and looked at Hagrid. "What were those things!?"

Hagrid scratched his head awkwardly. "Ah. Dat musta been the Acdomantulas. Scary suckhas, dem things. And the thing that blew ya up was a skrewt. They're mostly calm 'til ya provoke 'em."

Emilia pouted. "Hmph..." Then she realized she was hanging upside down and hurriedly held up her skirt. "Eep! Um... Okay, please put me down..."

Hagrid blinked. "Ah, sorry, lass!" He dropped her... and she fell right back into her hole headfirst, slightly deeper this time.

"Mm cmm NNNNN!" She shrieked, standing up and shaking her rear end about a few times before bursting free after a few seconds of pushing, brushing dirt and soot off herself with a pout.

Elsewhere, Rem was pacing back and forth worriedly outside the fireplace they had come in from, before the flames burst and Emilia came out, looking filthy and grumpy.

Rem let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank heavens you're here..."

And then she paused at the state her friend was in. "What the heck happened to you?"

"I teleported to the wrong place, and ended up in a war between carriage-sized spiders and exploding crab things."

Rem blinked. She looked at Hagrid. "Did she eat something suspicious wherever she ended up?"

Emilia angrily shook her arms. "But I'm telling the truuuuth!" She yelled.

Hagrid just chuckled and gave her a pat on the back. One that nearly slammed her into a shelf in front of her. "Heheh. The lass' right, ya know. She got into a turf war between a nest o' acromantulas and a local herd of blast-ended skrewts. Crawly buggers, I tell ya."

Rem tilted her head and raised a brow. The half-giant didn't seem to be lying... And this WAS a different world...

She let out a sigh and grabbed Emilia by the shoulders. "Be more careful, Emilia, you could have been killed!"

Emilia sighed and rubbed her arm. "I know, I'm sorry..." She sighed.

"From now on you're going first so I can come after you if you go to the wrong place." The maid said sternly.

"Yes, Rem..." Emilia sighed with a slight pout. She didn't mind Rem going first, but she didn't like being made to feel like she was some kind of child being scolded by her mother. She was an adult for heaven's sake, she deserved to be treated like one!

"Right, then!" Said Dumbledore, snapping his fingers. Emilia's clothes returned to their natural cleanliness, and Emilia sighed at the refreshing feeling that went over her body.

"I believe we have a check out. Now, shall we?" He said,

Rem nodded her head. "Yes, let's look at this house." As they were led off, they didn't realize there were several small blue creatures snickering behind one of the books. Small pixie like creatures...

Back with Harry and Beatrice, Harry was looking around in search of what he wished to do next as Beatrice patiently waited.

*back to Beatrice and Harry*

"What in the world is this?"

This was the question asked by Beatrice. She and Harry have been trying to get used to "having fun." Beatrice nađe sure to clean up any snow piles in front of the slide. Once she did that, she and Harry went on the slide again, this time not getting faceplanted into the cold substance. They went on the carousel again too, and this time, Beatrice placed an invisible magic shield to protect them from randomly flying objects. Just like with the slide, everything went well, and Beatrice found herself actually liking the carousel.

Now, they were standing before another attraction. A large red metal structure with two weird plates hanging on it by four long chains.

In other words, a pair of swings.

She tilted her head to the side and approached the strange contraption. She grabbed it with her hands. It felt... loose, somehow, not firmly rooted in place like the other objects were... She gave it a light nudge and watched as it moved forward and back.

"Oh. I think I get it, I suppose. You're meant to sit on this as it moves forward and back." She said with a nod of understanding. Harry nodded his head.

"Mm-hmm. It's a swing." He explained.

"Ah... A swing... An apt name for it, I suppose..." Beatrice acknowledged.

"Hmmm...now how do we go about this?" She asked herself.

She grabbed onto the two chains holding the plate before her, and climbed up, now finding herself standing shakily on the plate.

"I...don't know what to do next." She said, her face morphing into exasperation. She really was out of her depth when it came to having fun.

Harry looked at her for a second, before he walked over behind her. Beatrice observed him in silence.

"What are you doing?"

He reached up with his tiny hands and then gave the swing a light push.

Beatrice blinked. "Oh. I see. It's meant for two, I suppose... One must push the other to maintain momentum..."

"Actually... Maybe you can keep it going if you... sit down and use your legs...?" Harry guessed.

"Oh? How so?" Beatrice asked. "Perhaps you could sho me."

She hopped down, grabbed Harry and set him down on the swing in a sitting position.

And then she realized his legs were a bit too small, not being able to reach the ground.

Her brows formed into a flat line, and Beatrice grunted. "Hngh. Looks like that plan is out of the equation, I suppose."

Sighing, she decided to go with the only other alternative. One that was significantly less safe.

"I'll push you, and you tell me if you feel like you're too high. Okay?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Okay."

And with that, Beatrice gently pushed the swing. The chains let out a small sound as the swing began to move forward-backward. Each time it returned, Beatrice would push just a wee bit harder than previously.

Once the swing was at a decent height, another idea came to mind. She climbed back onto her own swing, and then began to focus, creating a gust of wind that gently rocked their respective swings back and forth, back and forth...

They went higher and higher at a gradual pace, and Beatrice was being careful to make sure that she didn't lose control of her wind magic and accidentally create a gust of wind that was too powerful and ended up blowing them off the swings,

She quickly found that she actually enjoyed this quite a bit. There was something... comforting about the light back and forth motions of the swing. It was easy to simply lose oneself in their own thoughts, something meditative about it...

So lost in her head she was, that she failed to properly control her magic. By complete accident, she accident blew a particularly strong gust of wind. One that catapulted them both off the swings and sent them flying through the air, screaming all the while.

"Not agaaaaaaiiiiinnnn!" Yelled/whined Beatrice as she and Harry zoomed through the air, eventually crashing into the cold wet snow. When the cold mist settled, the duo was nowhere to be seen, only a huge mound of snow in their place.

Suddenly, four eyes opened on the pile. The eyes blinked and looked at one another, before quickly splitting away.

Beatrice let out a deep sigh of exasperation, crossing her arms over her chest underneath the snow. "Oh this is so unfair!" She groaned out loud. "Why must everything we attempt go so terribly wrong?" She hated the snow, she really, really did.

Harry giggled slightly. He knew his sister didn't like this, but... he would be honest, he thought it was all kind of funny, and a little bit entertaining. After a few seconds, the two of them popped their heads free from the mound of snow they were under.

Beatrice spat some melted snow out of her mouth, then shook her head to get some of the cold white powder out of her hair before digging herself free, grabbing her little brother and carefully lifting him up into her arms and out of the snowbank.

She set him down and patted the snow off of him for the THIRD time that day. She then grunted and turned around, glaring into the snowy ground before her.

"You..." She growled out. "I am slowly getting sick of you and your shenanigans, in fact." She said, before angrily kicking the small pile of snow before her, sending white mist flying into the air...

"Ah! Oof!"

...and yelping when she accidentally slipped and fell on her butt. Another growl escaped her mouth and her eye twitched.

"That's it!"

She jumped back on her feet, before rainbow light glowed in her hand. She might be trying not to ruin Harry's day, but even she has her limits.

She swum her arm down, intent on erasing all the snow in the immediate area. But before she could do anything, her hand suddenly froze up just before hitting the snow.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shaking her head left to right. 'No... No, no, no, you will NOT do anything ridiculous on that level and risk harming your brother, compose yourself, Betty...' She thought to herself, shaking her head.

She rose back up and stood straight once more, clearing her throat and turning to look at Harry, who was looking up at her with wide eyes and a tilted head. She simply smiled back weakly and gently rubbed the top of his tiny black haired head.

"I'm... all right, Harry, simply... a little perturbed, I suppose..." The little spirit sighed softly. Harry nodded his head in understanding. He didn't mind it personally, but he could see how his big sister would have issue with the snowy mishaps. He gave her a hug to try and cheer her up.

Beatrice looked down at Harry as his tiny arms wrapped around her in a hug. A small smile grew on her lips, and she closed her eyes before returning the hug equally.

'This feels...nice.' Beatrice remarked in her mind as she and Harry remained in the hug, the snowflakes falling gently around them.

She looked at Harry again. "Alright. That's enough of that." She said, letting go of him, prompting Harry to do the same.

"Now then, I believe we have a few more things to check out, in fact." She said, pointing at something behind Harry. He turned around, only for his eyes to widen.

In front of him was a giant, colorful miniature house.

He looked at the rocking horse and tilted his head to the side. He had seen horses briefly from the few glimpses he saw of them on TV, but he didn't see any legs on this one, so he didn't think it was going to run around and take them for rides.

Beatrice was fairly confident she knew what was going on with this horse though. She gathered Harry up and set him down on top of the horse, before quickly clambering up after him, with no small amount of effort due to her own small stature.

When she was on the rocking horse, she huffed out a breath, then smiled down at Harry. "Now then... Let's see, how does one make this creature move...?" She kicked down at the equipment's sides with her heels. "Giddy up, I suppose! ...Move along, in fact!"

...

...

Nothing happened.

Beatrice growled. "I believe I said MOVE." She yelled out.

The horse still didn't move.

"Grrhhh..." She growled. "Move already, you stupid creature!"

"Umm..." Harry spoke up. "I don't think...I don't think it can hear you...I don't think it's alive..."

Beatrice blinked, before she facepalmed. Of COURSE it wouldn't hear her. It was a toy.

This "fun" was seriously starting to eat away at her nerves.

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Hmph... Very well then... Let's see..." She began to shift herself back and forth, and the rocking horse moved alongside her. "Oh... All right then, it seems to be working..." She nodded her head as she continued her movement.

Harry helped too, and soon enough, they found their pace, the horse toy gently rocking them back and forth. Beatrice stuck her nose up in the air and smiled smugly. "Yes, we are riding our noble steed into the sunset, Harry!" She cheered enthusiastically.

Truthfully she had always wondered what it would be like to ride a horse, and while she knew that this was very unlikely to be an accurate representation of what it was like, it would at least make for an adequate substitute. It was quite fun!

Harry giggled as the wooden horse bounced back and forth, up and down as Beatrice cheered from behind him. He is so happy that his big sister is having fun after all the mishaps they've gone through previously. It was nice to see his big sister happy for once.

Unfortunately, that happiness had to end eventually. Good things never last long, after all.

The house bounced up, before going down, causing the spring underneath it to creak. As soon as it went back up, the spring suddenly extended, and with a loud *toiiiing*, the two siblings in all but blood were launched yet again into the air.

This time Beatrice didn't scream. She didn't even let out a sound. Instead, she just looked forward to see where they were about to land, before sighing and wrapping Harry in her arms to shield him in case they hit something hard.

"I have no idea what the heck I expected I suppose."

This time, their landing point was not just into a pile of snow, but also the playground's sandbox covered by the thick layers. Both of them wound up landing headfirst, getting buried up to their torsos. Their legs stuck out in thei air, while their torsos were buried in the snow, and their heads were buried in the sand underneath.

Beatrice blinked in their confinement when she realized what had just happened. "...Sand...? Why is there sand here, I suppose?" She asked in confusion before realizing that was a bad idea when she got a mouthful of the soft loose silt.

"Ah! Bah! Bleh! Chagh!" Coughed Beatrice, trying and failing to prevent more sand from entering her mouth. Snarling, she instead summoned up a small gust of wind (since she knew Harry was near her), and blew through the sand until enough of her body was free to get out.

With a *pop* Beatrice's head was freed from the snady prison, only for the spirit to feel something cold on her head. She reached up and touched it, before her eyes fell flat at the cold feeling of snow.

"What a nuisance I suppose." She huffed, shaking her head and the snow off of it. She looked around to find Harry's for buried almost halfway in the sand pit.

She was about to reach over and grab him, only for Ms. Figg to beat her to the punch, having come running over as soon as she saw what had happened. "Dear oh dear oh dear..." The woman tutted as she carefully lifted Harry up and set him back down next to his big sister.

Harry just blinked owlishly, then looked at Beatrice. "Um... Is flying what we're supposed to be doing on the playground...? Dudley never mentioned anything like it before..." He said softly. Beatrice groaned out loud and buried her face in her hands.

Meanwhile, Emilia and Rem were being given the tour of the first house Hagrid wanted to show them. It seemed like a very nice house... Both girls would be happy to live here. Unfortunately, the Cornish pixies that lived within thw walls had other plans...

"Wow! This painting looks so beautiful!" Said Emilia as she observed an ornate looking painting of what looks to be the night sky, with some strange yet oddly beautiful swirls of white on it.

"Ah, I believe that is the Starry Night, by Van Gogh if I remember correctly." Dumbledore said. "One of my personal favorite paintings. A shame the moving version for the magical people isn't yet complete."

"You have moving pictures?" Emilia asked, stars in her eyes. This Wizarding World only seems to be getting more interesting by the minute.

Rem proceeded to ignore Dumbledore as he began to explain to Emilia the workings of a moving painting. She walked over to a shelf with several porcelain and obsidian figures, each looking like an animal of sorts. Doves, fishes, foxes...wait.

"What...kind of animal is this?" She asked, observing what looked like a strange obsidian figure.

Unbeknownst to her, that was ANYTHING but an animal.

The animal in question turned to look at her, and she blinked owlishly at it. It tilted its head to the side, and then began to hover in the air with a small pair of wings, getting in close as if trying to inspect her curiously. Rem smiled. It appeared to be some sort of fairy...

Suddenly, the tiny winged beast decided to jab Rem directly in the eye with its tiny fingers, causing the oni to cry out slightly and stumble back, clutching at her hurting eye... and end up stumbling over a broomstick that had been conveniently left in her path.

She fell back, then tried to regain her balance for several seconds before she felt several small things shoving into her from behind, sending her stumbling forward right towards a small bin filled with trash. She ended up landing headfirst in the bin, her head getting stuck in it as her rear end was left sticking up comically in the air.

The commotion didn't go unheard by the other people in the house. Dumbledore and Emilia turned to look at Rem, while Hagrid peeked out from the kitchen.

The trash can fell over, spilling it's contents all over the floor. Rem spat out a plastic cup, before shaking her a banana peel off her head.

Emilia ran up to help her. "Rem! What happened? How did you fall into the trash can?"

"Some weird creature poked me in the eye, and I stumbled backwards over a...broom that somehow found itself behind me."

She narrowed her eyes, looking around for the creature, but saw nothing. Emilia tilted her head to the side curiously. "I don't see anything... Maybe it was just some dust or something?" Rem looked at her with a flat expression on her face.

Dumbledore frowned as he had a hunch what might be going on. "Hrmm... Seems this humble abode has been invaded by Cornish Pixies in your absence, Hagrid. We'll need to find a way to remove them from the property so they can live here comfortably."

Emilia tilted her head. "Cornish pixies? Well that doesn't sound so bad-" Suddenly, a jar fell down from a shelf directly above her and landed right in her head, resulting in it getting stuck tightly around her head.

If it wasn't for the fact that Emilia was on the receiving end of this, she would have probably started giggling at the sight of someone's head being stuck in a jar.

Sadly, that wasn't the case this time.

"Huh?" Emilia squeaked out, her hands immediately reaching up to try and take the jar off. Unfortunately, every attempt was met with failure. She attempted one more time, squeezing her fingers in to try and pull it off...

"Ah! On no!"

...only for her fingers to get stuck as well.

"He-help!" She said, her voice slightly muffled by the glass. "I-I'm having trouble breathing!"

Rem grabbed Emilia around the midsection while Hagrid grabbed ahold of the jar and pulled with all his might, putting so much force into the pull that the half-elf was sent flying backwards, right into the Oni, sending them smashing into the wall behind them.

Emilia gasped for air while Rem groaned out loud... And then a pile of random objects fell down on top of them from the open closet door they had crashed into and buried them. A few seconds later, their heads and torsos burst free from the pile.

"...I want these things OUT." Emilia said with narrowed eyes. "They are NOT getting away with that!" Dumbledore nodded his head.

"Very well then, we'll search for them. I know precisely how to handle these creatures." He assured her.

"Aye. Now that biggest problem will be gatherin' up the lil' gremlins." Confirmed Hagrid. Rem helped Emilia up, and the group proceeded to split up in an attempt to cover more ground.

The pixies opted to stay away from the two wizards, seeing how they're going to be far too risky to prank without getting caught.

The girls on the other hand...

"Hmmm..I wonder where they could beeee." Emilia spoke innocently as she approached the fridge, where a group of pixies was hiding in wait. She opened the drawer.

"Hmm. Not here!" She said. She then approached the wooden box that is used to store bread, before sliding it open. "Not here either!" She said.

The pixies giggled as they heard Emilia approach the fridge. The elf grabbed the handle of the door.

"Or maybe they areeee..."

And then she swung it open, revealing a bunch of pixies who squeaked the moment the light shone on them.

"Aha! I've got you no-"

Unfortunately, it's exactly what the pixies planned.

Before she even had time to react, Emilia found herself being relentlessly pelted with various different food items. "EEEEK! NOOOO! STOP IT! STOP, NO MORE!" She shrieked, staggering back as stale carrot sticks hit her. Then she felt tomatoes splattering all over her body.

The pixies then proceeded to grab a plate of old spaghetti and slam it down on the top of her head, before they then proceeded to squirt her with various condiment bottles, sending her stumbling backward, until she triggered a tripwire nearby.

She turned around... just in time to see a pie come swinging down from a rope on the ceiling and smash into her face. This sent her tumbling down the nearby flight of stairs... Where she saw, waiting down below, was a whole bunch of pies laid out all over the floor, waiting for her to land.

Emilia grunted when the back of her head smacked hard against the edge of the last stair, before her entire body was dunked into the pies. One plate was even catapulted into the air upon her landing.

Emilia groaned into the pie her face was in, before slowly lifting her head up, letting the plate slide off of her face. Two eyes opened inside the cream, blinking in shock at the whole turn of events.

"What-"
*CLANG*

The plate that was launched into the air fell straight on Emilia's head, interrupting her sentence.

The impact forced her face back down into the pie she had landed in previously, and she laid there with a groan of frustration, rear end sticking up in the air, which was then quickly pelted by the pixies with various different food items that she didn't have the energy to turn around and look at.

She laid there in defeat and just allowed herself to be abused... until eventually, Dumbledore rushed into the scene and cast the spell that would stop this particular batch of pixies. "Peskipixi pesternomi!" He called out, and the pixies cried out as they were suddenly ensnared in an orb of magical energy that they banged against in a desperate effort to escape, but to no avail.

Dumbledore knelt down and helped Emilia back to her feet, the entire front of her body dripping with heavy dollops of cream. "Well done, my dear, you found some of them!" He praised. Emilia simply let out a quiet whine in response to him.

Meanwhile, Rem silently tiptoed through the hallway as her senses were on high alert. Her voice was completely muted so she could hear every possible twitch.

'I should probably watch out for tripwires or traps. Dumbledore said these pixies are known for pulling cruel pranks, so I must be-.' She thought to herself, before her thoughts froze.

She spotted the door to what she assumed was the bedroom, which was strangely half open. As silently as she could, she slowly slid the door open, only for a suddenly fall and spill a strange black liquid on her head.

Before she could even react, a mass of high-pitched giggles rang out, before a whirring sound was heard, and a cloud of feathers was suddenly blown into her face.

She stood in place for several seconds before her eyes opened up from underneath the thick coating covering her body, twitching slightly as she realized she had been made to look like some sort of chicken creature. She exhaled through her nostrils, and wound up sneezing as a result.

She spat some of the liquid out and turned to see the cackling little pixies. She clenched her fists, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the creatures. She didn't want to do anything that might damage the structure of the house, as tempting as it was to just try and smash them with her flail.

She didn't realized that there were more of the blue skinned demons sneaking up on her from behind, holding a bucket of something. When they slammed it down atop her head, it was revealed to be honey, and Rem cried out in shock as the little pixies began to bang at the bucket on her head with spoons, the reverberations causing her to stumble about awkwardly, trying to yank the bucket off her head.

Disoriented and confused, she didn't know where she was going, until eventually, she managed to pry the bucket free... just in time to see herself in the process of falling out the open window to the snowy ground below.

"WhooaaaAAAH!" Luckily, her fingers managed to snag onto the edge of the window, stopping her just before she plummeted down into the cold ground below. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, only for her to sputter when a feather latched onto her tounge.

She luckily managed to spit it out, and lifted her other arm to climb back up. But just as she was about to climb back in...

"Don't you dare."

The pixies giggled at the oni's words as they grabbed her fingers and began to try and pry them off to make her fall. She didn't go without resistance however, and fiercely pressed the fingers into the wooden edge.

She gritted her teeth as hard as she could and glared defiantly at the blue monsters, who simply snickered in response as they set to trying to force her to let go of the ledge. Rem proved to be far more stubborn than they let on, and they began to get frustrated.

Then they got an idea. Looking up at the latch of the window, then grinned maliciously, before they flew up on closed it harshly around the oni's fingers. Her eyes widened in shock as she let out a cry of pain, and then they promptly opened it.

That was when she lost her grip and plummeted down towards the large pile of cold white snow that taunted her far down on the ground.

WHUMP!

A white cloud exploded the moment she landed into the snow pile. Her entire torso was buried into the white powder, only her behind and legs sticking out, thankfully covered by the skirt.

"Hmmmmm..." Groaned the oni. Seriously, if this is some sort of curse for them to constantly fall face-first into snow at every opportunity, she was seriously considering learning fire magic.

She soon dug herself out, shaking her head to remove the snow from her hair...

"Oh Flügel dammit."

Only to realise that the honey and the black substance caused the snow to stick on her.

Now she was a feathery, sweet, inky and freezing work of pixie art.

Her eyes narrowed in displeasure as she glared up at the pixies... Only to find they were all trapped inside a large orb of magic. Dumbledore, Hagrid and Emilia were all looking down at her, and she could see that Emilia was just as targeted as she was judging by all the food remnants covering her.

Despite this, she waved her hand at the maid with a wide, bright smile on her face. "We're almost done, Rem, just a few more!" She called out. Rem let out a sigh of exasperation and shook her head.

"A few is far too many if you ask me..." She murmured. She made her way back inside, trying to be careful not to cause too much of a mess on the carpet. She would have to clean this house if they were going to move in after the pest control.

Emilia ran up and hugged Rem, paying no mind to the mess she was covered with, not even caring when she herself was lightly coated in it, and giggled softly. "C'mon, Rem! You and me will look for the last ones together, okay? Safety in numbers!" She chirped.

"Yeah, better to be together and...why do you look like you rolled in cake?"

"Why are you dressed like a chicken?" Emilia asked with a tilted head.

Rem's eye twitched, before she groaned and turned around. "Let's just capture the remaining pixies and end this whole farce already. I wanna be with Harry." She then walked off towards a shed.

Emilia blinked at the maid's retreating form, before scratching her head. "Did I...say something upsetting?" She asked herself. She then shrugged, before coming back into the house. The cakes were from the fridge after all, and she really didn't want to be standing in the freezing cold at the moment.

She idly wondered why the cakes had been baked. Did the pixies literally learn to bake just for that specific prank? Hagrid and Dumbledore went off in the opposite direction to cover as much ground as possible. Emilia walked by Rem's side and grabbed onto her hand.

Rem blinked and turned to look at the half-elf, head tilted and expression curious. Emilia beamed. "We should keep each other close, Rem! That way they won't have such an easy time getting us!" She chirped. Rem smiled back and shrugged.

"I suppose that makes sense. Now, just follow my lead..." The oni led the half-elf through the halls of the house in search of the last pixies. She didn't know exactly where to look, but she made sure to leave no stone unturned. They could be anywhere.

"It seems the pixies like to hide in narrow spaces." Emilia spoke up. "Maybe we should check out the broom closet."

Rem's hair stood on end. The broom closet. That was just begging to be made into the grounds for a nasty prank.

She *really* wasn't in the mood for more shenanigans.

"L-let's check out other places first." She suggested. "I uh...I wanna make sure we storm every nook and cranny. Can't be too safe, am I right?"

Emilia tilted her head. "Huh...alright!" She exclaimed with a smile.

Rem sighed in relief and made her way over to the nearby kitchen. And then the den. And basically everywhere until there was nowhere else to look but the broom closet. She groaned out loud and tightened her hold on Emilia's hand. "Perhaps Albus and Hagrid found them already?"

Emilia frowned. "But they would have told us if they did, right?" Rem sighed.

"I suppose..." She reached over and pulled the door open... And was relieved to find there was nothing inside the closet.

But that was because the pixies were directly BEHIND them.

"Hmm...maybe the, have captured them alre-AH!" Emilia yelped when something roughly shoved her directly into the closet. Unfortunately, since she was holding onto Rem's hand, that also meant that Rem was on for the ride as well.

Before they could even do anything, the two girls stumbled into the closet, and the pixies slammed the door shut. Unfortunately, the closet was meant to be opened from outside, so the girls were now literally locked in the closet.

Meanwhile, Rem and Emilia had a different predicament. Whilst being locked in the broom closet was already a big issue, the two had more pressing matters at hand.

Mainly the fact that they were so close to each other.

So close that the only thing they could see were each other's eyes.

So close that their lips were touching.

So close that-hold up, what was that last part?

Both girls let out a squeak before they pulled away, their faces red as tomatoes. Emilia looked away from Rem, her hands resting on her cheeks as she processed what just happened, her face becoming gradually more and more crimson by the second.

Rem was not faring much better. She was standing stone still, staring with wide eyed shock at Emilia, her cheeks tinted pink as she slowly processed what had just occurred. She had... technically speaking... KISSED EMILIA. KISSED HER!

It was... rather nice, actually... Her lips were soft and delicate and her face was so very beautiful- She forced herself to look away, still rigid, and cleared her throat awkwardly. Emilia spoke up. "Oh wow, that was reeeeally close, I could have gotten pregnant..." She murmured.

At that, Rem's mind shut down.

"What?"

Emilia looked at her. "Don't you know, Rem?" She asked, face still red. "Don't people get pregnant when they kiss someone?"

"I...huh...wha...?" Rem's mind kept short-circuiting as it tried (and failed) to comprehend what Emilia just said. Her mind was in disarray as it tried to catch up to two things:

1. What Emilia just said

And

2. That she just KISSED Emilia.
KISSED HER.

Granted, it had been extremely brief, and it was only a few seconds of their lips touching each other, but still, it had been close enough as far as she knew! She shook her head, then took a deep breath to compose herself. "Emilia... That is not how that works." She said evenly.

"H-Huh?! But... But that's what Puck told me! He wouldn't lie to me!" The half-elf insisted. Rem stared at Emilia with a small frown. Puck...was WAY too overprotective of the half-elf. Rem took a deep breath and began to explain how it worked to the half-elf.

Dumbledore and Hagrid had just found the last of the pixies, and were now in search of Emilia and Rem. By the time they found the two women in the closet, Rem had just finished up her explanation, and Emilia was standing tall and rigid, her face an atomic red as she processed this new information.

"Aye...what happened 'ere?" Hagrid asked. The girls turned around to find the two men looking at them with one eyebrow raised.

"Thank you for coming." Rem said. "Those pixies threw us into the closet when we checked it to see if any were inside." She pulled Emilia out of the closet before shutting it. "Did you capture them all?" She asked.

In response, Dumbledore smirked before lifting up a transparent orb with a swarm of pixies, squeaking madly inside as they attempted to escape. "I believe they won't be a nuisance any longer."

Hagrid then spoke up. "Aye. Nasty lil" blokes." He said, before grabbing the glass orb and stuffing it into his bag. "Nasty lil' blokes. Threw me into a thorn bush. Now I got pricks in me beard!"

He shook the bag around a bit just to jostle the pixies inside the orb violently, before letting out a sigh. "So, ye lasses think we got a sale 'ere?" He asked. Rem stepped up and nodded her head politely.

"Yes sir, this house is very much ideal now that those things are out of the picture. Thank you, we'd love to move in as soon as possible." Hagrid beamed.

"Ah, I knew ye'd love it 'ere, it's a right nice home it is! Now then, why don't ye run along now and go an' get the rest o'yer family and I'll stay behind and tidy things up a bit?"

"Thank you." Emilia squeaked, still embarrassed. And then, in a flash of light, Puck emerged.

"Ah... Now that was a good nap! I feel completely-Huh?!" Emilia grabbed him and held him up to eye level.

"WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME?! BABIES DON'T COME FROM KISSING! REM TOLD ME THEY COME FROM MEN AND WOMEN...AAAAAH!" She clutched at her head and screamed.

Puck's eyes widened. "NOOOOO! YOU TOLD HER! REM, HOW COULD YOU?! HER INNOCENCE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED!"

Rem just gave him a flat look. "You know she would have found out eventually, right?"

Puck flew up to her and started violently tapping her cheek with his paws. "I knoooow, but I wanted her to keep her innocence until she had a boyfriend!"

"Well, it's no longer possible." Rem just shrugged her shoulders.

Puck angrily grumbled before crossing his arms. He then noticed the state the two girls are in. "Uuuh...what'd I miss?"

"Don't ask." The two girls replied at the same time. Puck blinked. "Huh? But-"

"Don't."

"Ask."

The cat formed spirit laughed softly. "Well, you girls do look pretty silly right now! But uh... you two are gonna have to get cleaned off. Just wait there for one sec..." Emilia's eyes widened, but before she could open her mouth to protest...

WHOOOSH!

A geyser of water erupted from underneath her and Rem, utterly drenching them. But at the very least it did clean off all the muck and filth that had covered their persons. Emilia pouted and stomped her foot. "Puuuuck! The weather outside is way too cold for that!"

Puck simply giggled, stuck his tongue out and lightly bonked himself on the head. Dumbledore approached the cat spirit. "What an unusual familiar you have here, Miss Emilia. I can't say I've seen anything like it. I don't suppose he's an animagus, is he?"

"A...what?" Emilia asked with a tilted head, before moving to squeeze out the water in her hair. "I've never heard of such a term."

"Ah, right." Dumbledore stroked his beard, just now remembering the girls' predicament. "Well, to put it simply, an animagus is a wizard who has the ability to transform into a specific animal using magic."

"I...don't think such a term or ability exists back home. " Rem said, using her ice magic to freeze the water on her body bit by bit, and moving her body to break off the thin layer of ice. "I do remember an old maid of Rosvaal's named Frederica, who had the ability to transform into a beast however. Perhaps I'll ask her about the term if we ever reunite."

Puck spoke up. "Nah, I'm no human! What you see here? Well, that's pretty much what you get!" The small spirit approached the old man. "Gotta say, I like the beard. Gives off a real mystical vibe, y'know? But I like that guy's beard juuuust a bit better. Makes him look like he knows his way around the wilderness!"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Why thank you."

Hagrid looked visibly pleased at Puck's praise as he ran his fingers through his long bushy beard. "Aye, never shaved a day in me life! Takes a lotta work to keep this beard lookin' well!"

Puck decided he was going to sit in Hagrid's beard for a little while. "So, uh... what's this place, anyway? Where's Betty? And how's the little guy? He doing okay?"

"Oh, he and Beatrice were left back at Ms. Figg's house to spend some time together. Ms. Figg said she'll take them around town to explore. As for us..."

"We went to try and find a house to live in!" Emilia spoke cheerfully. "We decided that having a home of our own here would be more optimal than just living with Ms. Figg. And so, we left to find a new house."

And so, they went on to explain the situation to Puck. How they were taught about using Floo powder, and about their various shenanigans during their first time using it.

Mainly just Emilia messing up.

Puck sighed and shook his head. "Honestly, Mili, I just can't take my eyes off you for even a minute!" He chuckled. "Seems you're always getting yourself into some kinda trouble." Emilia pouted and crossed her arms over her bust, turning away from the great spirit.

"Hmph!" She stuck her nose up indignantly. "It's not like I ask for any of this stuff to happen to me!" Puck laughed and left Hagrid's beard to perch himself on her shoulder, gently rubbing her cheek with his tiny paw in a reassuring manner.

"I know ya don't. ...But that doesn't change the fact that it does anyway!" Emilia stomped her foot.

"I don't need to be babysat all the time!"

"Yeah, just most of the time." Puck replied cheekily. He loved teasing his daughter.

"Oooooh!" Emilia fumed, her face crimson as she flushed in anger. Dumbledore silently tiptoed backwards in case the half-elf did something.

Luckily, nothing happened. Well, except Emilia walking over to him and offering her hand.

"Floo powder. Now."

Dumbledore blinked. "Already?" He asked. "Wouldn't you like to check the house out a little more-"

*"Now."* She growled out. Deciding that not angering the half-elf was the better course of action, Dumbo raised his hands in surrender and simply gave her a handful of Floo powder. Emilia gave him a nod.

"Thank you." She then went into the living room and walked over to the fireplace. Walking in, she prepared her hand.

"Number 6, Privet Drive."

She vanished into the fireplace, and Rem blinked. "Well then... I wasn't expecting that... She even chose the right location..." She let out a soft sigh and bowed politely to the group before her. "If I could get some floo powder as well, I would appreciate it. I'd like to reunite with Harry."

"Yes, of course..." Dumbledore handed her the floo powder.

"I'll stick around and scope the place out, see if I can figure out where best to put stuff!" Puck chirped, raising his paw into the air.

"Very well." Rem nodded. "We'll be back shortly with Harry and Beatrice. Then I'll see about preparing something to eat."

"Ah, in dat case, I'll visit da store fer some groceries. Need ta restock after all." Said Hagrid, before swiftly heading out to do shopping.

Rem turned to look at Dumbledore. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" She asked.

Dumbledore smiled, but shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Miss Rem. There's some urgent matters to attend to at Hogwarts, and I really don't have the time."

Rem gave a simple nod. "Very well then." She turned around and continued to explore the house, intending to clean up whatever mess the pixies have left with their pranks.

*meanwhile, with Harry and Beatrice*

Beatrice was sitting on the armchair in Ms. Figg's house, sulking and resting her hand on her cheek. It had all gone so wrong! It was supposed to be a fun filled day spent with her small brother, a memorable time at the park just playing and having fun!

Well, the MEMORABLE part was on lock, but not for any of the reasons she wanted it to be! Now all Harry was going to remember is the fact that he fell in the snow multiple times and it was a complete and total disaster! Ugh! She had failed miserably!

Harry was sitting in a chair next to her with a cup of hot cocoa. He looked at her with a tilted head. "Beatrice...?" He asked softly. "Are...Are you okay...?" Beatrice looked at him with a low hum, then let out a sigh and turned to acknowledge him.

"Yes, I suppose... I'm just... sorry we didn't have a very fun day like I promised you..."

Harry tilted his head. "Huh? But...I had fun."

Beatrice stopped at that. "You...you did?"

Harry gave a simple nod.

Beatrice adopted a confused expression. "Wha? But...but how? All we did was get thrown around into snow and cold. We barely got to enjoy anything on the playground, in fact! How could you have possibly had fun in all that chaos, I suppose?"

"But it was fun." Harry stated. "I...I loved playing with you. E-even though we always ended up in snow, I didn't get hurt, and it felt nice. And you were there too!"

Beatrice stared at him with wide eyes for several seconds. She set her mug of cocoa down, then walked over to the boy and pulled him into an embrace. "I...I'm very glad to hear that, I suppose..." She murmured softly, giving him a gentle squeeze.

Harry hugged her back with a warm smile... And then, they both jumped when they heard the sound of a loud burst of flames. They snapped their heads to the fireplace to see Emilia stepping out with a light huff before she closed her eyes and took a break.

She looked around, then saw Harry and Beatrice, and Harry immediately ran over to her. Smiling widely, she knelt down and outstretched her arms, pulling him in close for a hug and picking him up as she rose back up to her feet, giving the boy a gentle squeeze.

"Hi, baby! Did you have a good day with big sister?" She cooed gently, lovingly pinching the child's cheek.

Harry giggled at the pinch, and spoke up. "Yeah, big sister and I had lots of fun! We played in the snow, we went to the playground, we spun around, we had so much fun!"

Emilia chuckled and looked at Beatrice. "Oh, is that right? You actually had fun, Beatrice?"

The spirit crossed her arms with a huff. "Hmph. Stupid snow ruined everything, I suppose."

Emilia giggled. Looks like Beatrice's grand fun day didn't go quite the way she had planned.

A second later, the fireplace ignited once more and Rem stepped out, dusting some soot off her apron, and approached Emilia and Harry with a small smile. "Hello Harry, it looks like you had a good day." She said warmly. Harry beamed at her.

"Mm-hmm, it was fun!" He chirped. He started to tell Emilia and Rem all about what they had done at the park, and the two women were mildly dismayed to learn he had been dragged into Beatrice's mishaps. Beatrice noted the way they looked at her and huffed ingdignantly. "Well it's hardly my fault, I suppose! The snow is entirely to blame for all of it, in fact!"

Rem sighed. "I'm beginning to think you're correct..." She looked over at Harry once more and smiled before gently taking him from a pouting Emilia and sitting him in her lap. "Well, Harry... Emilia and I found a new house for us to live in."

Harry looked down, a bit sad at the news. "Oh...will we see Ms. Figg again?"

Rem nodded. "Well of course, Harry!" She said. "There's no way we could separate you from her. We'll just be living somewhere else."

Harry looked up with a smile. "Yay!"

Emilia giggled at his joy. He really loved Ms. Figg, didn't he? Or was it the kitties he truly wanted to see?

Nah, probably both.

Suddenly, a grumble echoed through the room, and Harry blushed slightly. Rem chuckled. "Looks like someone needs food in their belly. Come on, let's eat and then we'll head to our new house."

"Wait one moment!" Ms. Figg approached, looking at Beatrice, who had two kittens hanging off of her shoulders and clothing. "Young lady... would you like to take those two little ones along with you?" Beatrice's eyes widened at those words.

"You... You want me to bring two of your bubbies along with me to this new house, I suppose...?" She murmured softly. Ms. Figg nodded her head.

"They seem to really like you. So cold and standoffish to me, but they can't get enough of you. And Harry too. I can tell that you'll give them a far better forever home than I ever could."

"Come here you beauties!" Exclaimed Beatrice as she ran up to Ms. Figg and snatched the two cats into her arms. She nuzzled them into her cheeks with a happy smile and teary eyes. "I will take such good care of you two! I'll feed you, and I'll pet you, and I'll bathe you, and I'll-"

The other people in the room simply stared at Beatrice with an amused smile as she ranted about everything she was going to do to make the kittens' lives heaven. The cats themselves didn't seem to mind Beatrice's overly smothering affection all too much. In fact, they actually enjoyed it, as they affectionately rubbed themselves against her face with soft purrs.

Beatrice then remembered. She turned around and walked over to Harry, before placing the cats in front of him.

"Harry, these two bubbies will live with us from now on. We'll have pets, in fact! Aren't they adorable?"

Harry was excited as he gently gathered the small cats in his arms and hugged them close. "Pumpkin and Tabitha are gonna come and stay with us!" He cheered. Beatrice blinked at that and tilted her head to the side before speaking.

"Oh, Pumpkin and Tabitha... I never took the time to learn my new bubbies' names!" She exclaimed. Harry giggled and approached her with a smile. She sighed and smiled back. "Well, I know now, I suppose..." She said softly, stroking their tiny heads.

"Um... Ms. Figg, will the cats be able to take the floo powder?" Emilia asked.

"As long as they're held close." Ms. Figg replied.

"Oh, thank God." Emilia said, placing a hand on her chest in relief. "I really don't want a repeat of that...incident."

Ms. Figg tilted her head in confusion. "What incident, dear? Did something bad happen?"

Emilia looked away, a red blush dying her face crimson. Rem sighed and shook her head. "Long story short, she once accident froze every pet in the village near the mansion we lived in."

"I didn't mean to...poor animals got hurt when I lost control." She said dejectedly.

Rem placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all in the past now, Emilia. I can guarantee that you won't be freezing any pets from now on." She looked down. "And look. It seems one of them has already warmed up to you."

She looked down and saw that Pumpkin seemed interested in her, wriggling around in Harry's arms and trying to move over towards the half-elf the best he could. Harry smiled and walked over to her, holding out the hand holding the tiny orange kitten.

"Pumpkin wants to say hi to you." He said softly. Emilia blinked, then smiled warmly before extending her hand and allowing the tiny kitten to step into it, before holding him up to her chest and hugging him close. Pumpkin mewled softly and purred, cuddling up against her.

"Aww, hi, Pumpkin, you're so cute..." She cooed softly. She idly wondered if Puck would be jealous, and then she quickly decided that he deserved it for teasing her. 'It'll teach that mean old cat a lesson!' She smiled triumphantly at her decision.

"Your face is telling me you're planned some sort of revenge." Rem said. "I'm guessing it's Puck?"

"He deserves it for lying to me and teasing me." Emilia simply answered.

"Fair enough." She nodded, before clearing her throat. "Now then, I believe it's time we had lunch. Emilia cooked yesterday. This time, I'll be doing the cooking." She then went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

"Oh you're gonna love Rem's cooking, Harry!" Exclaimed Emilia, putting Pumpkin down and picking the boy up. "Her food tastes even better than mine. I guarantee you'll love every bite!" She said, nuzzling her nose against Harry's, eliciting a giggle from him.

She giggled as well and took a seat on the couch, setting him down on her lap. Beatrice sat down on the floor and played with the kittens, trying not to give too much attention to just Pumpkin and Tabitha, not wanting to neglect the other cats that wanted to play with her.

Ms. Figg went to offer to help Rem in the kitchen, but Rem assured her she could take care of everything, and so the older woman set to filling the cats' bowls up so that they could have their lunch as well, Beatrice smiling as the swarm of felines rushed over and began to eat.

Rem searched through the cupboard and fridge to figure out what it was she was going to prepare for their afternoon meal.

"Hmm...let's see here." She ignored the rice. They ate that yesterday. "I need something light for Harry to swallow, but supple enough to be enjoyable for the others."

Her eyes scanned over the contents of the fridge, before landing on a can of tomato sauce. Her cooking instinct took over, and she took the can out, before her sight was set on the cupboard. She set the can down, and opened the cupboard.

She immediately noticed a bag of yellow powder, with the word "polenta" written on it.

"Hmm. I believe that's what the powder made from corn is called." She hummed. "I suppose it should be enough." She grabbed the bag along with a jar of rosemary to sprinkle in.

She turned the knob on the over, and was pleased to find she had chosen the correct dial, before setting the pot containing her makeshift meal on the burner. Then, she put her hands on her hips and smiled as she watched it begin to cook.

She looked over at the living room and saw Emilia tending to little Harry, and she smiled softly. It was very clear to her that the half elf absolutely adored the boy. That was relateable... She felt more or less the same way, albeit less smothering with her affections.

Still, it was sweet to see the way the two of them interacted with each other... Emilia was so gentle and tender with Harry... When the white-haired young woman pressed her lips against Harry's forehead in a kiss, however, she had to look away to hide her blush as she remembered what had happened earlier that day in the closet.

'Those darn pixies.' Thought Rem bitterly. 'If it wasn't for them, I...I...'

She what? What exactly?

As much as Rem admitted it, the moment itself wasn't all too bad. Sure, it was incredibly awkward, and Rem did find herself feeling super embarrassed at the whole thing, but...it felt...

It felt oddly nice.

Now don't get her wrong. Rem was absolutely certain she had no such feelings towards Emilia. It wouldn't be okay. She and Emilia were friends. Sure, they are rather close and friendly to each other, but they're still friends at the end of the day.

Yeah, that's right. Friends.

That's all.

She looked back at the half elf and found herself blushing again. Emilia WAS very beautiful though... Her long, silky, snow white hair, her sparkling purple eyes, her slightly pale skin, and her choice in attire made her extremely pleasing to the eyes.

Emilia noticed Rem was looking at her, and she turned with a warm smile. Her smile... It was a lovely sight... Rem forced herself to smile back and nodded back at her before turning back to the cooking to hide her blush. She felt her heart beating just a little bit faster than it had been before.

She found herself wrestling with her feelings for the half elf. ...What WERE her feelings for Emilia...? She was attractive, to be certain, no one would deny that, but... did she truly feel THAT way about her? She wasn't even interested in women... was she...?

'Am I...really...' She mused in her mind, before a puff of steam caught her attention.

"Ah!" She gasped when she realised that the water was bubbling and was on the edge of spilling out. She quickly lowered the temperature, before placing a lid on the pot.

"Phew." She breathed out in relief. "Almost made a mess." She said.

She let out a sigh, before grabbing a chair and sitting down, placing her hands on her face. 'Oooh...' She moaned. 'What is going oooon...why do I have these thoughts?'

"Rem? Are you all right?" She heard Emilia call over, and she winced when she realized the half-elf had seen her. She turned to smile weakly and nodded her head in affirmation. Emilia was convinced and beamed back at her. Beatrice was giving her a look, brow raised.

Rem looked away and focused on the meal she was preparing, letting out a soft sigh. 'Honestly, I can't let these thoughts take over while I'm working, what sort of maid would lose herself to such distractions?' She internally scolded herself.

She buckled down and forced herself to put all of her focus on the cooking, not wanting to make the same mistake she had earlier. Soon enough, the meal was almost finished. She began to collect the bowls and utensils they would need.

Taking out the plates from the top cupboard, Rem gently placed them on the table, before arranging them neatly in a perfect circle.

She then moved onto utensils, taking out several spoons and placing them into the plates, like a waiter would in a restaurant. She knew that polenta doesn't need anything more than a spoon to be eaten. So she left it at that.

"Right. Now that the first part is done, I think I'll make some tomato sauce to add to the food. It's the best fit for a dish like this."

*meanwhile, in the living room*

"Ah, would you stop pulling on my hair, Tabitha?! That hurts!" Whined Emilia as the kitten named Tabitha kept tugging on her hair with it's teeth.

Pumpkin seemed to catch on that Emilia was displeased, and so he began to swat at his sister with his tiny paws, meowing at her indignantly. Tabitha turned to him and then lunged, playfully tackling her sibling, sending them both rolling onto Emilia's lap, where they began to wrestle one another.

Emilia sighed in relief and straightened her hair out before pouting at the wrestling kittens. "How would you like it if I bit YOUR hair, Tabitha? Not very much, I bet!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her nose up with a pout.

Harry giggled as he watched the two kittens playing with one another, and Beatrice simply smirked. "Well, it would seem that I'm the true Bubby whisperer." She said smugly. Emilia turned her pout on her, eyes narrowed. Beatrice simply looked triumphant.

Tabitha and Pumpkin eventually stopped rolling around on the carpet, before Tabitha jumped up and landed on Harry's lap. She placed her paws on Harry's shirt, letting out a meow, as if she was asking to be pet.

Of course, what else could Harry do besides return the affection?

He began to gently pet the kitten on the head, eliciting small purrs as the fluffball tilted it's head to follow the boy's hand.

Emilia gazed at Harry with a smile, before turning to Beatrice with a smirk of her own.

"Hmph. Looks like Harry's superior to you, Beatrice." She smugly stated. "He didn't even need to pick it up. It just came to him."

Beatrice replied simply. "That's because he's an adorable child, much like myself. You on the other hand are an angsty teen. Of course the cats would like us more."

Emilia promptly shattered like glass.

"I...I am NOT angsty, I don't angst over anything, and I am not a teenager, I am nineteen years old, that is two years a legal adult back home in Lugunica, you don't get to say that I'm an angsty teen when that's not even true!" Beatrice watched with a flat expression as Emilia ranted and protested.

Pumpkin noticed the woman with the pretty white hair was upset and decided he wanted to do something to help her, so he hopped up onto her leg, just barely missing her lap, latching onto her stocking with his claws as he lightly dug his claws into her skin.

"EEP! Um... Pumpkiiin... Careful... Don't...Ow! Don't climb up, you're digging into- OW! Pumpkiiiiin!" She whined as the tiny orange cat finally managed to climb up onto her lap, sitting on his haunces and purring, his tail swishing about back and forth in anticipation of love and affection.

Emilia let out a tired sigh and smiled before gently rubbing the cat's tiny head. "Oh, you're quite the little troublemaker... But I just can't be mad at a cute little face like that..." She said softly as Pumpkin curled up on her lap and tried to use the sound of his happy purrs to make the half-elf happy.

"Awww, who could ever get mad at such a widdle cutieeee!?"

Obviously, it worked.

"Come here you." Emilia cooed, snatching Pumpkin in her arms. The kitty meowed when it was picked up, before Emilia gently set it up in her arms, hugging it with all the warmth she could muster, and gently running her fingers through it's fur.

"Mmmm, do you like it?" She asked. The cat responded with a purr of bliss, turning over to show it's belly.

Meanwhile, Beatrice simply stared in mild surprise. 'Colour me impressed. She actually did it.' She thought.

And then she realized she was the only one of her current family besides Rem, who was cooking, to not have a bubby to cuddle with, which made her pout and cross her arms, cheeks puffing out slightly. One of the older cats in Ms. Figg's collection hopped up next to her, as if sensing her dilemma, and then laid itself down atop her lap.

Beatrice beamed and gently stroked the cat's head. "Aww, you're not as tiny as my bubbies, but you're every bit as cute as they are." She cooed. The cat meowed in response, enjoying the attention he was receiving. Now everyone was satisfied...

"Lunch is ready everyone!" Rem called out, prompting the entire house to enter the kitchen. Rem had even taken the liberty of filling the cats' bowls for them. Beatrice looked at the meal with a tilted head, curious.

"Hmm. A strange concoction, to be certain. Is it a sauce of some sort?" She asked curiously.

Rem shook her head. "I believe it's a sort of mash made from dry corn grains. It's simple enough to cook, almost anything goes with it to my knowledge, and it's soft yet supple enough to be enjoyable to everyone."

Beatrice observed the dish before her. It certainly seemed tasty, but then again, anything Rem cooked was tasty. She had yet to taste anything the oni had cooked that wasn't tasty enough to be a world class dish.

Tentatively picking up a spoon, she scooped up a bit of the yellow mash, with a stain of sauce on it, and placed the spoon into her mouth. Chewing for a few seconds, the spirit hummed at the feeling on her tounge.

Harry was next to take a spoonful. He made sure to be nice and slow about it, just in case they decided they didn't want him to eat anymore and he had to put the spoon down. His face lit up at the taste, and Rem beamed at him happily, glad he liked it.

"Mmmmm! So good!" Emilia cheered through a mouthful of her food. Rem looked at her with a deadpan expression, her brow raised slightly. Emilia pouted and looked down before swallowing. "I know, I know, I shouldn't talk with my mouth full..."

"It is quite tasty." Ms. Figg agreed as she ate her share of the meal. "Thank you again, Miss Rem." The oni beamed at her, then looked to make sure all the cats had their food, not wanting any of them to have been forgotten and left to go hungry.

Thankfully, the cats all had their bowls filled. Rem wanted to double check in case she missed one bowl, but luckily all of them were full.

UNluckily however, a majority of the cats were now about 50% done with the food. Meaning they are likely to start bothering them for more.

And true to Rem's suspicions, one was already tapping it's paw on her foot, meowing as if it wanted more food.

Rem sighed and shook her head. "This is why I never wanted a pet." She whispered. It's not that she was against keeping pets. It's just that they tend to be rather...annoying, when it comes to food.

Beatrice was quick to respond, hopping down from her chair and all but scrambling to find the cat food so she could fill the bowl once again, scanning every bowl and refilling each one she thought wasn't quite full enough. Rem sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Beatrice, honestly, you're going to spoil them." She warned. The little spirit let out a huff and stuck her nose up in the air.

"I know that! That is very much my intention! I will give my bubbies the world, I suppose!" She said with great conviction that Rem almost had to admire.

"If they eat too much they'll get fat." Rem warned her. "You can't keep putting food in their bowl every time they ask for it."

"There's nothing wrong with a little extra weight, I suppose! You should be ashamed of yourself for judging the bubbies based on their body weight, in fact!" Beatrice huffed.

Rem stared flatly as Beatrice stopped paying attention to the bowl, watching as the pile of food grew bigger and bigger.

"Beatrice."

"Yes, I suppose?"

"The food."

"Eh?" Beatrice asked, before realizing the bag in her hands was strangely light. She looked to find...

"Ah! Too much too much too much!"

...a huge pile of cat food spilling over the bowl, with the bag in her hands completely empty.

She fell to her knees and grimaced as she watched the cats eagerly digging into the food. "Oh no, I overfed the bubbies, I'm a terrible pet owner..." She moaned as she clutched at her head in frustration. Ms. Figg simply laughed in amusem*nt.

"Oh, this happens more often than you realize, these little troublemakers get into the bags of food all the time when my back is turned, it was destined to happen regardless." Beatrice teared up slightly, relieved that she hadn't screwed up TOO badly.

"Hmm. Seems I'll have to keep a close eye on Pumpkin and Tabitha then," Rem mused, looking at the two kittens that would be joining them as they eagerly devoured their food. "They could prove to be quite troublesome." Ms. Figg shrugged.

"Oh, Pumpkin won't be a problem, he's a very calm cat. Tabitha... you may have some troubles with her."

Rem's eyebrows fell flat. This is NOT gonna be a welcome experience.

"Like...what?" Rem asked, holding back her irritation as her gaze settled on Tabitha, who was licking her paw without a care in the world.

"Well, for starters, she can be a bit messy when she eats anything not solid, like say, meat. She tends to drag it around and eat it on the floor instead of in the bowl where it was put. And she also doesn't like to stay in the house for too long. You should always be sure to let her out, or else you'll find a lot of your furniture and glass on the windows scratched up. And also-"

"Please. No more." Rem interrupted. She REALLY didn't want to listen any further. Those problems were MORE than enough.

She didn't much care for cats. Nor dogs, for that matter. Both were trouble. But she couldn't deny the rest of the group she was with the chance to have them as pets.

She just wished they had gotten something like a bird, or a turtle, something that wouldn't cause trouble around the house for her to deal with. Still, at the very least one cat was well behaved... She'd just have to keep a sharp eye on that little tabby.

Tabitha seemed to notice she was staring at her, and she meowed before padding over and brushing up against her legs. "Ah. I see. You're acting cute to throw me off guard, are you? Well I won't fall for it." Rem said sternly. Tabitha simply meowed in response.

Rem's eye twitched. For as much as she prides herself on her dedication to her opinions, even she has a weakness for cute things. Part of the reason why she wanted to save Harry as soon as possible.

There's no way she's leaving a sweetie pie like that with those beasts.

Tabitha made another meow, starting to purr softly as she rubbed against Rem's leg. The maid's fingers began to itch.

Must...not...succumb...to...cute...

"Oh get over here, you!" She finally caved in, scooping up the cat and giving her a big, warm hug.

She let out a sigh as she exasperatedly stroked the kitten's fur. "You may be adorable, but that doesn't mean you will get away unpunished when you cause trouble." She warned the kitten sternly. Tabitha simply meowed again and Beatrice giggled

"Tabitha seems quite talkative, I suppose." She remarked. Rem sighed through her nostrils and cradled the kitten in her arms. Emilia reached over to pet the tabby, and Tabitha gave her a light playful nip on the finger, causing her to squeak and pull away.

"She wasn't trying to hurt you, Emilia, she merely wanted to play." Rem reassured the half-elf.

"Biting isn't playing, she should learn to play more gently." Emilia huffed with a pout.

"Oh, she always plays like that." Ms. Figg spoke up. "All you need go do to make her stop is tell her she hurt you, and when you try to pet her again, she'll lick the spot she bit you on. She may be rowdy, but she knows when to stop."

"I sure hope she does." Rem said dryly, only to get a lick on the cheek. She shook her head with a sigh and set Tabitha down, the cat immediately returning to her share of food.

"Right, I believe I should start eating myself. The food will get cold if I don't get to it now."

And with that, she went back to the table, and dug into her plate of food.

The dinner went on in relative peace, Emilia cooing as she fed Harry his food, the boy enjoying every bite with a big smile.

"I've been meaning to ask...what's the new house you chose like?"

Rem looked up. "Oh, it's a very nice home... A two story house, four bedrooms, close to the borders of both worlds in case we want to visit one or the other... We had to deal with a mild pest infestation, but with that out of the way, it is an ideal place to live."

Emilia smiled brightly. "Yep! You're gonna LOVE it, Harry! A nice big yard for you to play in..." She stroked the boy's hair gently, and he smiled up at her. He was allowed to play now... He had freedoms that he was denied when living with the Dursleys...

Miss Emilia and Miss Rem were so nice to him... He was so grateful that they had come and taken him away. They were his real family. Them and his big sister. The Dursleys... he didn't know what they were, but they sure weren't family.

Miss Emilia and Miss Rem, and his big sister Beatrice...all of them are his family now.

Wait...does...does that mean...

Is...is Miss Emilia his...his mommy...?

And...what about Miss Rem? Is she his mommy too? Does he have two mommies?

He decided to put that thought away. He didn't wanna ruin the moment they were having right now.

And so, the small family talked over dinner. Ms. Figg kept asking about their new house, and Emilia enthusiastically answered. Beatrice ate in silence, but was still listening in on the conversation, for she too, was interested in just what kind of home the two girls picked for them. All the while, Harry and Rem simply enjoyed the lunch, content with being surrounded by people they love, and who love them just as much.

Eventually, the family of three were finished with their meals, and Emilia grabbed Harry out of his chair and set him down on her lap. "Okay, Harry! You ready to come and see our new house now?" She asked with a wide, beaming smile.

Harry nodded his head, smiling softly. His caretaker's happy smile made him happy too. Emilia gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then rose to her feet, Rem and Beatrice following suit. Rem bowed. "Thank you for being such a gracious host, Ms. Figg." She said gratefully.

"Yes, thank you so much for everything!" Emilia chirped with a closed-eyed smile.

"You were most pleasant and accommodating." Beatrice said with a soft smile as she gathered Pumpkin and Tabitha into her arms.

Ms. Figg simply waved it off. "Oh, please..." She said. "It's you who were pleasant company. I cannot even begin to thank you enough for everything you've done."

She then knelt down and ruffled Harry's hair. "I'm sorry we have to part, Harry. But don't worry. You and the girls will still visit from time to time, so it's not a goodbye forever."

Harry nodded, before wrapping his arms around the elderly woman. "Thank you Ms. Figg. For...for being so nice to me. I'm gonna miss you."

"Oh, sweetie." She sighed. "I'll miss you too. I really will."

The two broke apart after a few minutes, and after the goodbyes, they all made for the fireplace. Rem picked Harry up, planning to bring him along with her so that he could safely travel without making any mistakes, and she pulled out some of the floo powder, handing it to Emilia, who held Pumpkin, and Beatrice, who held Tabitha.

"Rem, yes, I DO remember the address I'm supposed to say!" Emilia whined indignantly, upset that Rem had so little faith in her ability to remember. Rem frowned and raised a brow. "Oh? Then recite it for me." Emilia beamed proudly.

"Fifty miles from Hogwarts!"

"No. It's SIXTY miles from HogsMEADE. ...Emilia, you go first, I want to hear clearly what you say so that I can come and collect you if you say the wrong thing." Emilia pouted and walked into the fireplace with her floo powder.

"And hold onto Pumpkin tightly, don't drop him!" Beatrice fretted worriedly.

"Sixty miles from Hogsmeade..." Emilia sighed as she threw the floo powder down, causing her and the cat to disappear.

"Whew." Beatrice sighed in relief, before adopting another worried face. "Ah! But what if Pumpkin got singed by the fire? The poor Bubby's fur will be all black and-"

"I'm sure they're fine. Both of them." Rem assured her. Beatrice gave her a look.

"I'm not worried about that elf, I suppose. Bubby is a bigger concern in fact!"

Rolling her eyes, Rem sighed before entering the fireplace. Harry grabbed onto her and gave her a worried look.

Rem smiled gently, before planting a kiss on his head. "Don't worry, Harry. As long as I'm here, you're not getting a scratch."

She tightened her hold on him, then looked over to Beatrice. "Okay, Beatrice, remember, you need to say 60 miles from Hogsmeade." Beatrice stuck her nose up in the air with an air of indignance.

"Of couse I already know that, I suppose! I am not a scatterbrained dolt like the half-elf!" Rem raised a brow, but decided not to say anything. It seemed Beatrice would settle for verbally abusing Emilia behind her back to avoid getting in trouble with Puck.

'...Sixty miles from Hogsmeade." Rem sighed before tossing the powder down, causing her and Harry to promptly vanish in a burst of flames. Beatrice looked down at Tabitha. "Well, let's get it over with, I suppose." She took her own floo powder and threw it down. "Sixty miles from Hogsmeade." And with that, she and Tabitha were gone as well.

Back at the new house, the once empty, black fireplace suddenly went alive, green flames dancing in a small maelstrom that soon dispersed to reveal the last pair of Rem and Harry. The two stepped out of the fireplace, Rem waving away the smell of coal.

Rem's eyes blinked open as she spotted the other two girls standing just in front of the fireplace. Emilia gave a triumphant smile as she puffed her chest out.

"Hm! See? I can do it myself, like I said."

"Only after she told you the exact words after you messee it up the first time, I suppose." Beatrice chipped in. Emilia's face drooped.

"You couldn't have let me enjoy my moment?"

"What moment?" Beatrice huffed, rolling her eyes. Emilia sat down on the couch, sulking in defeat and crossing her arms over her chest, and Rem just sighed softly and gave Beatrice a disapproving frown, to which she responded with a huff.

Rem shook her head. "Well, Harry... This is our new home now..." She held him so that he could get a good look at his surroundings. "It's nice, isn't it?" Harry looked and smiled softly. It really was a beautiful home... But it was big... Even bigger than the Dursley's house.

"Um... So... How long will it take for me to clean it every day...?" He asked nervously. Rem sighed softly.

"Oh Harry, don't worry about that... I will handle the majority of the cleaning." She reassured him gently.

"All by yourself? But that's not fair... I should help too." He said softly.

Rem's heart melted at his words. He really was such a precious angel.

She knelt down and cupped his face in her hands. "Look, I know you want to help me. And I appreciate that. I truly do. But you're too young, Harry. You should be out, playing with other kids. I'm the adult, and I will handle the cleaning. You do your best to have fun and enjoy your new life, and I'll handle the chores. Okay?"

Harry bit his lip. He was still unsure, he did want to help Miss Rem out. But...he didn't wanna make her sad by not having fun either. It wouldn't be fair, when she and Miss Emilia and big sister Beatrice did so much for him.

"Okay...I'll let you clean. M'sorry..."

"Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for."

Emilia knelt down by Harry's side with a wide, beaming smile. "You don't have to worry about that, Harry! I'm gonna help Rem with the chores! And if you reaaaally wanna help, maybe we can bake together sometimes!" Harry seemed pacified by that answer, and he gave Emilia a hug around the leg, which prompted her to squee and snatch him up.

Rem frowned at the half-elf. "You... want to help with the chores, Emilia? You're certain? You're absolutely CERTAIN you want to do that?" She asked. Emilia looked at her, head tilted to the side and frowning in confusion.

"Well of course, I have to help in any way I can, I can't just leave everything to everyone else! Why?"

"Oh. No reason, it's just... you're... Well..."

"As graceful as a newborn deer walking on thin ice, I suppose." Beatrice remarked.

Emilia gasped indignantly. "Wha?! Hey, that's wrong!" She yelled out. "I'm perfectly capable of cleaning stuff, right Rem?"

The maid in question grimaced. Several memories popped up in her head.

Emilia cleaning up the dust, and dumping it on Ram's head instead of into the trash.

Emilia dusting the shelves of the Forbidden Library, only to sneeze and dump a pile of books on Beatrice and herself.

...Emilia accidentally washing her maid dress with the colourful clothes, painting her entire uniform in pink.

"Eeeehhhhh..." Was all Rem could muster to say.

Emilia huddled up in the corner, a dark raincloud forming over her head, raining down on her as she let out a m***. "I can't do anything right..." She whined. "I should have just stayed in the forest where I rightfully belonged, I just make things worse..."

"Oh no, Emilia, don't be like that, you're not the BEST at working on the chores, but it is the thought that counts, after all..." Rem attempted to comfort her friend, but Emilia simply whined in response. Harry saw she was sad and gave her a hug.

"It's okay, Miss Emilia, I know how to do chores, I can teach you..." He said softly. Emilia felt even worse when she heard those words because on top of her own insecurities, she was reminded that Harry had suffered nonstop horrendous abuse.

"No. Nonono, Harry." She said. "You shouldn't be doing that. Like Rem said, you should be playing and enjoying the life you deserve, not teaching a dumdum like me how to do basic chores."

Harry shook his head. "But I wanna help you. I don't want you to be sad because you can't do chores, so I wanna help you so you won't be sad."

'Oh Flügel he's so precious.' Thought the trio simultaneously.

Emilia shook her head, a smile growing on her face. "It's okay. I know you want to help. I appreciate it so much. But you're still young, Harry. When you grow up a little, then you can help me with chores." She pinched his cheeks gently. "For now, just be a cute little tyke who likes to play with kittens and his big sis, alright? Rem can teach me everything I need."

Harry looked uncertain, but eventually, he did relent, nodding his head in understanding. "Mmkay Miss Emilia..." He said softly.

Emilia smiled and gave him a squeeze. "Aww, good boy... Now c'mon, we gotta show you around our new..."

"Hey, Mili!" Emilia blinked, then turned away with a pout when Puck floated into the room. "You doing al-" He stopped when he saw Pumpkin and Tabitha. "Wh-Who are they?"

"They're your replacements. You teased me, so I'm gonna replace you with these two." Emilia said, trying to get some petty revenge.

"Ah! Nooooo!" The tiny spirit squeaked out in terror. "I can't be replaced! Puck is only one!"

"Yes. Only one teasing furball." Emilia said, before picking up Pumpkin. "These two don't talk, so they can't tease me, and they're so much fluffier than you. So, ble!" Emilia stuck out her tounge mockingly. Pumpkin purred as she nuzzled into Emilia's long hair, the half-elf giggling as she pet the hairy puff.

Puck meanwhile flipped over and fell to the floor with a gasp. "I've been replaced! By a fleabag! I'm done. My life is over!"

Fortunately, someone was there to comfort him.

A certain child of a someone, that is.

"Talking kitty...!" Harry spoke softly as he knelt down and gently gathered the tiny cat into his tiny hands. Puck allowed himself to be picked up and looked up at the boy. He grinned.

"Well, looks like you're doing a lot better since the last time I saw ya! Guess that magic of yours is really helping, huh? And I bet Mili and Rem have been taking really good care of you!" Harry didn't reply. He simply held Puck in a gentle hug.

Puck grinned at Emilia. "Well well! You wanna replace me, huh, Mili? Fine. Guess I'll just have to replace you too. And I got the perfect replacement right here." He nuzzled his face up against Harry's cheek, looking about as smug as smug could be.

"Ah!" Emilia gasped in surprise. She had wanted to make Puck regret teasing her by briefly replacing him with the two new cats.

She hadn't expected to be replaced herself.

That's cheating!

"No fair!" She whined out. "How come you get to tease me and still get away with it scot free?! That's not how vengeance is supposed to work!"

"Guess I'm just too cute not to be loved by anyone." He shrugged his shoulders mockingly, before closing his eyes in bliss as Harry began to pet him behind the ears.

Emilia hugged Pumpkin close as she pouted indignantly. "Hmph... Well you're... You're a... You're a dunderhead!" She said as she turned away and stuck her nose up in the air. Puck opened a single eye in response to that statement and chuckled.

"I told ya once, I'll tell ya again. Nobody says 'Dunderhead' anymore." Emilia simply huffed in response. Puck turned to Harry. "It's good to meet ya! My name's Puck! And you must be Harry! Emilia's told me a lot about you!" He explained warmly.

"Hi Puck... Yes, I'm Harry and um... thank you for letting me pet you..."

"Awwww, geeeeeeez!" Squealed the furball spirit in delight at the adorable creature before him. "You are my new favorite master!" He said, before landing in Harry's arms and nuzzling his face in with a purr.

"Haaaaaah..." Emilia breathed out in disbelief, falling to her knees. Her spirit, her first real friend after awakening, her *father figure*...now betrayed her for Harry.

Rem placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your loss will not be forgotten, my friend." She said solemnly, before leaving the room as if nothing happened.

"Hmph!" Beatrice flicked her nose up. "Serves her right, I suppose."

Emilia let out a long whine and Puck laughed. "Aww, don't look so upset, Lia, you know I'm just messing with ya! Can't take away a father's love now, can you? It's perfectly normal for a parent to quickly take to their new grandchild, isn't it?"

Harry blinked. The kitty was Miss Emilia's daddy? But Miss Emilia wasn't a kitty, she was a pretty lady. Though she DID have pointy ears, kind of like a kitty... Was her mommy a human while her daddy was a kitty? So may questions...

As Harry tried to puzzle this out, Emilia gave Tabitha a squeeze, pouting... And the tabby promptly jumped out of her arms, having grown bored with her and wanting to explore her new surroundings. Puck watched her go with a smirk. "Heh. She's a stuck-up girl, isn't she?"

Unfortunately, Puck's remark caught Tabitha's attention. The tabby turned her head and spotted Puck, and grew curious upon seeing him.

Approaching cautiously, she sniffed the spirit in Harry's arms. "Uh, hello?"

Suddenly, Tabitha stopped sniffing and moved onto gentle licks, as if cleaning Puck of dirt like she would herself. "He-hey, what are you doing?" Exclaimed Puck, and before long, Tabitha suddenly snatched him out of Harry's arms by the crook of his neck, like a mother cat would with a kitten. Harry let go of Puck, and the people in the room watched as Tabitha carried Puck over to the big pillow next to the fireplace, setting him down before laying next to him, wrapping herself around him protectively.

Puck was protesting all the while. "Hey, hey, hey, come on, you can't do this, you're literally a kitten, I'm well over a million years older than you, this is degrading, let me go, come on!" Tabitha responded by pulling him even closer and purring softly.

Emilia was in hysterics at the scene, clutching at her stomach as she laughed uproariously. Harry was giggling as well. Beatrice's eyes were sparkling as she held her hands up to her cheeks. "SO ADORABLLLLLLLE! BUBBY'S MAKING FRIENDS WITH MY OTHER BUBBIES!"

Rem had come into the room to see what the fuss was about, and she had to smirk at the sight. "Well then, it seems you have your revenge after all, Emilia." She said. Puck was more or less resigned to his fate now, sitting with a grumpy expression as Tabitha mothered him, It was funny. Tabitha was by no means a large kitten. Puck was just so tiny that she dwarfed him in comparison.

"So...is Mister Puck Tabitha's baby?" Harry asked with a tilt of his head.

Rem chuckled. "Hm. Not exactly, but he is small enough for her to see him as a kitten, so she decided to be his mother."

She picked Harry up in her arms, bopping his nose. "Just like me and Emilia did with you. Even if a little different." She said, Harry giggling at the funny feeling on his nose.

"Now then..." Emilia said, recovering from her laughter spree. "I believe it's time Harry explored the new house in full. Shall we?"

She hopped to her feet and skipped off merrily, Rem smiling in amusem*nt and giving Harry a gentle squeeze as she followed after her, holding Harry against her side. "Now slow down, Emilia, we can't just rush through the house, we must take our time and explain what each room is."

Emilia stopped, smiling sheepishly. "Right, sorry... Oh, we also need to pick out rooms too!" The half elf was clearly excited. Rem had to smile. It seemed that being away from the pressure of the elections was doing Emilia quite a bit of good.

"Now then... You saw the den area."

"We'll snuggle together by the fireplace and drink hot cocoa on cold days!" Emilia promised him with a wink, making him smile.

"Indeed we will." Rem nodded. "And the kitchen is over here... I'll have to get myself properly acquainted with it."

"What about you, Beat-" Emilia didn't finish, simply giving a blank stare. Rem raised a brow, and looked behind to see..

"Hn. And what are you, pray tell, finding so interesting, I suppose?"

Asked Beatrice, who was sitting on the sofa right next to a cabinet full of books, which were now neatly placed into stacks on the floor.

The two girls blinked. That...when did she even pull all those out? When did she have the time to stack them?

When did she already read a quarter of them?!

"I believe I asked a question, in fact." She spoke up again. "What is it you find so interesting to stare at so intensely, I suppose?"

"Um... It's...nothing. Just... enjoy your books." Emilia said with a sheepish smile. Beatrice huffed, sticking her nose up in the air. Pumpkin was curiously prodding at the stacks of books before he decided he wanted to climb on them, hopping up to land on the stack.

The little spirit watched fondly as the kitten proceeded to play by hopping back and forth between the various stacks of reading material before he eventually got bored and decided to give himself a bath. "Awwwww, so cute!" Beatrice cooed.

Rem and Emilia exchanged a smile, then decided to be on their way to give Harry the rest of the tour. First they showed him the restrooms. Then, they showed him the dining room. And eventually, the time came to select a bedroom for each member of the house. Unfortunately, there were only three bedrooms for four people.

"Two of us are going to have to share a bedroom." Rem said simply. Emilia turned to her with a tilted head.

"We can share!" She volunteered immediately.

At that, Rem's face exploded in red.

"H-huh?!" She gasped. "Share? With...with you?!"

Emilia tilted her head. "Uuuh, yeah. Why? What's wrong. Do you not wanna share? I can go to Beatrice's room if you want."

"No no!" Rem quickly discouraged her. Partly because she secretly didn't want to be alone.

And largely because she didn't want Emilia to die.

"Are you crazy?!" She asked. "Beatrice will KILL you if you try to sleep with her in her room!"

Emilia pouted and crossed her arms. "Beatrice is so meeeeean..." She whined. "I could stay with Harry!" Rem tilted her head and considered it.

"Hmm... I feel it's important for a child like Harry to have his own space he can retreat to if he needs to." She said softly. Harry tilted his head at her, and she smiled back. "Yes, his own spot to play, and sleep, and relax..." She kissed the top of his head.

"So that means you and me are the only real options to share a room!" Emilia chirped. Rem sighed and smiled softly at the half elf.

"Yes. I suppose we are." She honestly didn't mind this in the least. She hoped this could be an opportunity to further explore that strange feeling she had felt in her heart when she and Emilia's lips had made contact earlier that day...

"And now, the most important part!" Emilia clapped her hands, before walking over to the light blue door right across Beatrice's room. Emilia grabbed the doorknob, giving a wide grin to the other two.

"Get ready for the most amazing, most breathtaking, most incredible-"

"Just open the door Emilia."

The half-elf's mouth froze mid-sentence, and her brows fell flat, her cheeks puffing up. "Hmmm, you couldn't have let me make it memorable for him, could you?"

"If I did, we would have spent the whole evening without even stepping through the door."

Emilia let out a whine before begrudgingly pulling the door open to show Harry the sizeable bedroom. "This is your room, Harry! I decided it when we were looking around earlier! Isn't it nice? The walls are painted blue and it has a lot of space to put your stuff, and...oh, um... We still need to get you a bed, don't we...? And... a bunch of other stuff too actually..."

Rem tilted her head. "Well, it's a good start nonetheless." The oni looked around to try and figure out the best way to go about arranging the things Harry would need. The furniture, the bed, every corner of the room she commited to memory to ensure Harry's room looked nice for him.

"But until we can get you a bed, I guess you're gonna have to come and sleep with us!" Emilia chirped. Harry felt... he didn't know how he felt. He got his own room, just like Dudley? And he was going to have a bed? And other things too? It was much too good to be true!

"Do..." He began. Do I really deserve all this?" He asked.

Rem tilted her head. "Uh...I don't see why you wouldn't."

"But...all this stuff...this new big house...I know you said I don't have to clean anything anymore...but...I..."

"Harry, look at me."

Harry looked up, and was met with the kind visage of Emilia, who was gently holding his face.

"You deserve this. All of it. And not just this, but even more. You never had anything you deserved as a kid, but now that we're here, we are making sure that not a single detail of what you deserve to have is missing or out of place. Not. Even. One. Detail."

As she said that last part, she waggled her finger in front of him, ending it by lightly poking his nose. He looked at her finger in slight bafflement before looking back up to see Emilia smiling warmly at him. "We're here to take care of you now, and we are gonna do so the very best we can, so just leave everything to us, sweetie!"

Rem smiled and nodded her head. "That's right, dear..." She gently rubbed his tiny head. "We are here to not just protect you, but care for you as well. Always remember that you're every bit as worthy of care and affection as any other boy your age..."

Harry felt moisture beginning to form in the corners of his eyes, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He wasn't sad, so why did he feel like he was about to cry?

"You can cry, sweetie." Said Rem, planting a kiss on his forehead. "The room can wait. Let it all out, don't be afraid."

"N-no." He sniffled a little, before wiping his face. "I don't wanna cry now. You...bought this house, a-and I...wanna see it. For you."

The two girls' hearts melted at that. 'So considerate of him.' They thought.

"Are you sure?" Emilia asked. "You don't want to...let all that out first? It's not good if you keep all those feelings bottled up inside you, you know."

"But I'm not sad, I'm happy..." Harry wiped his tears away. "I don't know why I feel like crying... There's no reason for me to cry... So why...?" Emilia smiled softly and gave the boy a gentle squeeze, rocking him back and forth gently in a soothing motion.

"People don't always cry because they're sad. Sometimes they cry because they're scared... Sometimes they cry because they're mad... And sometimes they cry because they're happy... Any emotion can make you cry if you feel it strongly enough." She said gently.

Rem giggled into her hand. "Yes... That is true..." She gently cupped Harry's cheek and smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad you feel this way, that you're happy enough to cry... It shows us that we're doing a good job bringing you out of the nightmare you were living in previously..."

"S-so..." He stuttered. "People...don't always cry...when they're sad?"

The two girls nodded, and Emilia spoke again. "And you, sweetheart, are crying because you're happy. You cry because you finally feel good after all the terrible stuff you were put through. It's only natural that you'd want to leat all that out."

"Oh...okay..." He said, wiping off his tears with a sniffle.

Rem gave a kind smile. "Now then. Let's wipe those tears away. We have a room to show you, now don't we?"

Harry put on a smile and nodded. Rem gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Just don't be afraid to express your feelings anymore, okay? It's not good to bottle things up..." She whispered, she herself knowing full well how bad it was to restrain pent up emotion.

Emilia smiled at the maid as they looked around the room. Harry had no idea where anything would go, mainly because he didn't know what he was even going to have. A bed, maybe...? One of those lights Dudley had...? And maybe even some blankets and pillows...

Rem took all of ten seconds to take stock of the room and figure out where everything was going to go. 'Dresser here, bed over there, toybox there...' She had a game plan in mind, and she nodded her head in satisfaction. "It isn't much to look at right now, but we will get you all you need, just wait." She said gently to the boy.

"Wow! You already made a plan in your head so fast?!" Emilia said with stars in her eyes. "That's amazing!"

Rem bashfully rubbed her head. "Ah, it's nothing. If I can clean an entire mansion on my lonesome, organising a child's bedroom is no sweat off my nose."

"It's...really big." Harry said in amazement. "This is where I will sleep?"

"Yup!" Emilia nodded enthusiastically. "Though it's only so bit because there's still lots of stuff missing. Once we bring all that stuff in and place it properly, your room will be complete."

Harry sniffled slightly before wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "Aww..." Emilia cooed, squeezing him gently. "You're such a little sweetheart..." She whispered softly. "Don't ever change, okay...?" Harry nodded into her chest, taking her words to heart.

Rem smiled. "Until we've got your room set up properly, you can sleep with Emilia and I." She said. Harry smiled up at her. He liked sleeping with them the night prior, it had been extremely warm and comforting... He was excited to spend more time with them...

And he was also a bit reluctant to have his own bed, because if he did, that meant that they weren't going to be there. And the scary dreams would get him...

His hairs immediately stood on end at the thought of more bad dreams, and he buried his face into Emilia's hair.

"I...I don't want my own bed...the scary dreams...they'll get me if I'm alone..."

"Aww, sweetie..." Emilia said, stroking his back comfortingly. "No bad dreams are going to bother you with us around...you know that, right?"

"Besides..." Rem continued. "...you can always come to our room whenever you have a nightmare. We'll always let you in."

"A-are you...are you sure...that the bad dreams...won't...come for me?"

"Positive." Both girls answered at the same time.

"You may have nightmares, but they will never become reality so long as we draw breath." Rem said softly. "We took you away from those horrors, and we intend to keep you away from them... We are willng to fight for your safety and happiness, so just leave everything to us..."

Emilia nodded her head and beamed at him. "That's right, you can rely on your new family, we'll make it all better, just you wait!" She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

Harry was stunned. He...actually had someone he could rely on...? He didn't have to fend all for himself anymore... People were going to actually take care of him! This time, he couldn't keep his tears at bay. He began to sob, and both women smiled sadly.

"Let's check the room out some other time." Rem said, patting Harry on the back. "It's been a long morning, and we all need some major rest."

"Yeah...let's go Harry." Emilia whispered. "Your first sleep in your new house."

Harry sniffled a little. "O...okay..." He said, wiping away the tears.

The two women left the room with him, Rem gently shutting the door, before entering the living room.

"Beatrice." She called, causing the spirit to look up from the book for a moment.

"Yes?" She asked.

"We're going to have a rest. If you need anything, be sure to come and let me know. Don't wake Emilia or Harry though."

"Understood." Beatrice nodded, absentmindedly petting Pumpkin as she returned to her book.

Rem looked over to find that Tabitha still had Puck in her forelegs, and the great spirit had ended up falling asleep there.

'He was complaining about being treated like a baby, yet now he's fully embraced the role.' She thought with a smile and a shake of her head. "What an indecisive spirit."

"Did you say something I suppose?"

"Nothing! Don't think about it!" Rem quickly said, before retreating away to join Emilia and Harry.

Beatrice sighed before returning to her book. "Haah. What a rag-tag bunch, I suppose." She said, smiling as Pumpkin rubbed his face against hers.

She found she was feeling a little bit sleepy herself. Yawning softly, she leaned against the couch and closed her eyes. 'Perhaps I'll get some rest as well, in fact...' She thought to herself before sleep claimed her.

Emilia carefully tucked Harry into the bed, making certain that he was nice and comfy, smoothing out the blankets, making sure he had his teddy bear, making sure the pillows were soft enough, anything to ensure that he was nice and cozy.

Harry felt a sense of content and relaxation that he had never felt before in his life as Emilia fussed over him. He really felt like he mattered to her in this moment, and that meant more to him than he could ever even describe. When Emilia was satisfied, she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"There we go, nice and comfy." She said. Harry giggled at the kiss, before snuggling his face against Puddles.

The door slid open, and in stepped Rem, smiling as she silently closed it.

"All snuggled in I take it?" She asked.

Emilia nodded. "Mm. Nice and comfy with his beloved toy to boot. I'm so jealous of youuuuu..." She cooed, gently pinching his cheek.

Rem rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. "There's nothing to be jealous of, Emilia, you're going to be joining him just mere moments from now." She replied. Emilia giggled and nodded her head.

"Oh I know, I'm just being silly..." She carefully slipped up the corner of the blankets and climbed in next to Harry, gently pulling the boy in close. Harry liked being held by Miss Emilia. She felt... cool. Not quite cold, but not really warm. Instead her body exuded a soothing slight chill that he found extremely comfortable.

Rem joined them shortly afterwards, and in contrast to Emilia, she was extremely warm. He felt both women embracing him from either side, and he felt a sense of joy swell up within him. It was so nice and comforting... He felt like they were his parents...

"Sleep well, sweetie." Whispered the half-elf, placing a second kiss on his face.

"If you have bad dreams again..." Rem began. "...we'll be here to chase them away."

"So don't you worry about a thing. Alright?"

"Mhm..." Harry nodded. "Yes...ma...ma..."

He finally let himself fall asleep.

'Did...did he say...' Emilia started, but felt herself unable to continue, as she and Rem both succumbed to the exhaustion, and joined Harry in the land of dreams.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Rem didn't sleep too terribly long, a mere couple of hours. It was still mid-day, after all, and she needed to make dinner. She was used to working on little sleep. She rose from the bed, yawned just once, then looked down to see Harry was cuddled up close to Emilia, both sleeping soundly, their snores echoing through the room. Rem smiled at the sight and gently stroked Harry's hair, then looked back to Emilia. 'She looks very peaceful when she sleeps.' She thought to herself fondly. She truthfully felt slight envy towards the half-elf for being able to sleep so soundly. She still suffered from the nightmares of her village's destruction all these years later...

'No." She thought, shaking her head. "I shouldn't think about that now.' She walked over to the window of the room, sighing as she observed what little she could from the closed curtains. 'The past is the past.' She thought. 'I shouldn't dwell on what's over, and what's likely never happen again. Those times in my life are over.'

She looked over at the pair still snuggled in the bed, their faces set in expressions of peace and bliss. 'I should focus on the now. If I think about those things, it will only ruin their happiness. That's the last thing I want for them.'

She smiled softly and approached them, leaning down and giving Harry a gentle kiss on his temple, causing him to coo cutely and squirm slightly in his sleep, which in turn caused Emilia to stir slightly before her eyes fluttered open and she let out a yawn. She blinked tiredly before looking around, then remembered where she was and smile. "Oh... Hi, Rem..." She murmured softly, giving Harry a gentle squeeze. "I didn't sleep too long, did I? I know we were just taking a short nap..." She murmured.

Rem shook her head. "No, you're all right, Emilia... We both had a very busy day, far more so than you're used to." She looked down at Harry and nodded. "And Harry needs someone to hold him as he sleeps to keep his nightmares at bay."

"Mmm...right." Nodded the half-elf, her eyes tiredly trying to adjust to the light.

Rem gently pushed her head back down on the pillow. "Don't. You've been through a lot today. Rest more. I've had my sleep. I'm gonna go clean up whatever little mess was left by the pixies. You sleep a while longer."

"Mmmmmm...alright..." Emilia yawned as she closed her eyes again. Soon, her breathing slowed down, and she fell asleep again. Rem gave her hair a few more strokes before getting up and approaching the door. She grabbed the knob and sighed.

"Right. Time to see if those pests left any other nasty surprises behind." She stepped outside the room and exhaled through her nostrils. She knew that if there was anything left over from those damned pixies, she was likely to take the brunt of it, but at the very least she would prevent the rest of the family from being the victim, Harry most especially. She walked down to see what was going on in the living room, expecting to see Beatrice still reading. She ended up finding Puck still sleeping with Tabitha, Pumpkin playing with a piece of string he found... And Beatrice plowed headfirst into the wall, her legs and butt sticking out, pressing against it with her legs to try and pull herself free, her muffled rage audible through the wall.

Rem sighed. "Ah. So it seems they DID leave a few things behind for us to deal with after all." She said simply. Beatrice's yelling became louder, and Rem decided to help, lest the spirit end up waking Harry and Emilia. Walking over, she grabbed Beatrice's waist, and with a firm yank and a *pop!*, Beatrice squeaked as she was pulled out of her trap.

"Gah!" She grunted. "What in the name of Flügel was this?!"

"Are you injured, Beatrice?" Asked the maid. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know, I suppose!" She said. "All I remember is walking down the hall to find something to eat, and all of a sudden a loose floorboard suddenly slams itself into my face. I staggered back and found myself stuck in the wall, my head ringing from the impact." She huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. "I was there for an hour, I suppose..." She grumbled.

"I see. I'm sorry about that, Beatrice. I was about to make dinner, as soon as I made sure there were no more of these traps, so why don't you sit down and regain your bearings? I'll be sure to make something nice, okay?" She assured the little spirit gently. Beatrice huffed softly but nodded her head nonetheless.

Rem nodded. "Now, where was this loose floorboard-" She received her answer when she took a single step forward and it sprung up and hit her in the face. Rem stood in place, the board smacked against her, for several seconds, before sighing in exasperation. "I found it..." Gently pushing it back down, Rem used her magic to freeze the floorboard shut, preventing it from springing back up again. "There. That should do it until we find a more permanent solution."

"Thankfully your ice is as sturdy as it is lasting. It takes about...3 days to fully melt, correct?"

Rem nodded. "Correct. It should be enough until I go to the store to buy something to weld it down with more solidly." She then scratched her head sheepishly. "I just hope that Emilia or Harry won't accidentally slip."

"Bah. Nonsense." Beatrice waved it off. "Harry is smart enough to see it, and even that half-elf isn't stupid enough to-" Beatrice walked over to the board...and promptly slipped on it with the very first step. She landed headfirst in a potted plant, her head getting buried in the dirt, and she let out a muffled groan before pulling her head out, the dirt clumped on the top of her head with the plant within sitting snugly within. Rem put a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, and Beatrice simply pouted.

"Hmph... I don't need to take this mockery, I suppose!" She declared, pointing at the oni. Rem sighed and looked at the spot.

"Perhaps I could put some carpet over it for the time being..." She murmured. "You may want to clean yourself, Beatrice, we can't have you tracking dirt through the house after all."

Beatrice pouted and stuck her nose up. "Fine, I suppose..." She grumbled. And with that, Rem set to investigating the house for further leftover traps. And sadly, her fears came true. Searching through the house, she wound up finding several traps, some of which were potentially dangerous. Mainly for Harry.

'If I ever catch a single pixie in this house, I'm gonna make them suffer through their own traps.' She thought bitterly, a soft yet sharp edge on her mental voice. "Hmm, yah!" She grunted as she threw out the dismantled remains of the last trap she found onto the massive pile of traps she has collected. She let out a huff as she glared at the remains of the pixie's torment. Then she turned and walked away from the discared traps, stopping to put out the fire that was growing on the back of her clothing. Of course she had triggered every single one of the traps...

She shook her head and made her way to the kitchen to make dinner like she had promised Beatrice. She began to look through the pantries, and was pleased to see they were properly stocked up. Dumbledore had made well on his promise it seemed. Now what would she make... She noticed a bag of pasta on the shelf and tilted her head.

"Mushroom pasta..." She said, a finger on her chin. Mushrooms were soft enough for Harry, and Beatrice is more likely to enjoy the meal (surprisingly, the little spirit loves mushrooms) more than usual. "It's settled then." She said, grabbing the bag of pasta, before closing the drawer and pulling out a pot out of another.

Beatrice, having cleaned herself up, huffed as she walked into the kitchen. "Stupid soil, sticking to my hair like a pest, I suppose..." She grumbled.

Rem turned around and spotted her. "Ah, Beatrice. I see you're clean now."

The spirit nodded. "Indeed I am. I'm assuming you're cooking dinner now?"

Rem nodded her head in affirmation. "Correct. And you shouldn't have to worry about any more of those awful traps, they've been disposed of." Satisfied with that, Beatrice decided to take a seat at the dining room table with one of her books. Pumpkin decided to join her, jumping up on one of the chairs and struggling to pull himself up for a few seconds before hopping on top of the table and padding his way over to Beatrice, who looked up to notice him. "Beatrice, please get him off the table..." Rem groaned.

Beatrice huffed and grabbed the orange furred kitten. "Hmph. I'll have you know Pumpkin is VERY clean, I suppose." Rem rolled her eyes.

"I simply don't want anyone, human or animal, climbing on the table we eat on."

"The food is on plates in fact, and is therefore not even touching the table, so it doesn't matter if Pumpkin has been on it." Beatrice replied confidently.

Rem stared flatly at her. "You fail to understand the point, Beatrice. Just get him off the table."

"Oh very well." Beatrice grabbed Pumpkin in her hand, causing him to meow, and set him on her lap.

"That's...*sigh*" Rem attempted fo tell Beatrice that the cat is still too close to the table, and she won't be able to eat properly with it in her lap, but decided against it, simply returning to her cooking. The spirit was nigh impossible to convince when it came to cats. Beatrice huffed triumphantly, sticking her nose up as she cuddled the purring kitten close and nuzzled him with her cheek. It was nice to have her very own bubbies... Puck was Emilia's, and Pumpkin was hers. She decided to say Tabitha was Harry's since Rem was a filthy heathen who didn't love cats like the rest of them did.

Rem's nose scrunched up. "Why do I get the feeling that you're insulting me in your head?"

"Hmph. I have no idea what you're talking about I suppose."

Rem then gained a mischievous smile. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I throw away these mushrooms I've been planning to add to the dinner, would you?"

Beatrice suddenly froze at that and gave the maid a narrow glare. "You...you wouldn't..." Rem's answer? She whistled a tune as she absentmindedly gathered the mushrooms on the cutting board and moved to the trash bin.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Beatrice cried out, tears forming in her eyes as she reached her hand out. "I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHIIIING!" Rem sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I suppose you didn't, fine..." She relented, putting the mushrooms back on the board. "Just show more respect."

"Very well... You're not a heathen..." Beatrice grumped.

"...You were thinking of me as a heathen because I don't care for cats?"

"Only heathens dislike adorable little bubbies."

"...There's an inherent flaw with that mindset."

"Hmph." Was the only response Beatrice gave. Rem decided not to push the issue any further.

"Now, please be more quiet." She pleaded. "Harry and Emilia are still asleep. I'd hate to wake them up." Beatrice nodded. Even with her opinions, she didn't want to disturb Harry while he had his peaceful sleep. And also Emilia she guessed. Mostly Harry though.

Rem hummed as she neatly chopped the mushrooms into smaller pieces, taking great care to keep them smooth and straight. She then took the board and slid the mushrooms into the pot, before pouring in water. Turning on the stove, she began to stir the food gently, occasionally sipping the water to see if anything should be added. A few spices later, and she was satisfied with what she had concocted. Smiling softly, she stirred it, quietly humming a tune while Beatrice played with Pumpkin. At that point, Tabitha padded her way into the room, carrying Puck by the scruff of the neck as he looked around grumpily. "Ugh... Heeeeelp... This is sooooo degrading..." He moaned, clearly unhappy with his current situation.

"Tabitha. Drop him." Rem ordered sternly. Tabitha simply stared at her like she was the dumbest creature she had ever seen in her entire life. "Tabitha. Drop." She tried again, and got the same result. Rem facepalmed and reached down to try and take Puck back. Tabitha leaped back, back arched, fur and tail standing on end in warning. "...Beatrice, control your cat." Rem groaned, not wanting to be bothered with this right now.

"Tabitha, come over." Beatrice called, tapping her leg to call the cat over to the couch. It worked, and Tabitha soon jumped onto the couch, tapping a spot for herself with her paws, before laying down and letting go of Puck.

"Ah! Thank you, Beatrice." Puck exhaled in relief. "My nape was getting sore!"

"Aww, don't be angry at her like that, Bubby." She said, giving him pets. "She just sees you as a kitten, and wants to take care of you. That's all."

Puck huffed and crossed his arms. "Well I'm not a kitten to be babysat. I'm a thousand-year old spirit! I don't need to be babied." Tabitha promptly started to clean him. "Ugh... Stoooop..." Puck groaned in frustration, trying to push her away with his paw but not quite being strong enough physically to do so. Tabitha let out a long, whining meow and batted at him to chide him before going back to what she was doing. "...Okay, I like the orange one better." Puck declared. Pumpkin looked at him and meowed before standing up and lightly batting at him with his paws in a playful manner. "See, he's just trying to play, I'm not being treated like-GAH!" Pumpkin lightly tackled Puck, and they both fell to the floor. "Oh, that's how it's gonna be, is it? Okay then, bring it on!" Puck threw himself against Pumpkin with all the force his small body could muster. Which wasn't very much at all.

Pumpkin easily overwhelmed him and pinned him to the ground, lightly nomming on his head in a playful manner, and Puck responded by striking him on the nose with his squishy little paws, catching him off guard and allowing him to break free and lightly ram Pumpkin from the side. Pumpkin played along and flopped over. "Haha! Gotcha!" Puck laughed triumphantly, standing atop Pumpkin... who promptly shot up and used his front paws to pin Puck to the ground. Puck laughed as he wrestled with Pumpkin, grateful not to be treated like a kitten, as Tabitha hovered nearby fretfully, meowing in concern.

Beatrice placed a reassuring hand on her back, causing her to look at the spirit. "It's okay, Tabitha. They're just playfighting, I suppose." While she was convinced, she still decided to intervene should it get out of hand.

Meanwhile, Puck pushed with all his might at Pumpkin's paw that was on his face. "Nnnghh...c'mon...move it..." Deciding to comply, Pumpkin lifted his paw, letting Puck get up a breathe a sigh of relief. "Ah! Finally! Freedom!" He exclaimed, before turning to look at Pumpkin. "Oh, now you've done it." He said, rearing up, and launching himself at the bigger cat

As the cats rolled about on the floor, Rem focused on cooking, grateful that they weren't disturbing her or pestering each other at the moment, even if she knew it wasn't likely to last. Soon enough, the meal was simmering on the stovetop. After it was ten minutes to completion, she decided it was time to go and wake Harry and Emilia and bring them down to eat. She made her way upstairs to check in on them, and smiled when she saw they were both sleeping warmly and soundly. She hated to wake them, but the needed to eat, so she swallowed the urge to leave them to sleep and gently shook Emilia by the shoulder, causing her to stir slightly, blink her eyes open, and then sit up with a yawn. "Mmm... Hi Rem..." She murmured, cuddling a still sleeping Harry in her arms.

"Hi." She answered. "Have a good nap?"

"Mmm...yup..." Nodded Emilia, only to immediately regret it when her ears began ringing.

Rem chuckled. "Heh. Looks like your brain is still sleepy even if you aren't."

"Uuugh..." Groaned Emilia, hand on her forehead. "I shouldn't have...done thaaaat..." She said groggily. Suddenly, the tiny boy in her arms stirred. He let out a soft groan and shifted in Emilia's arms, burying his face in her chest. She sat up slowly and hugged him close to her bosom, gently patting his back with a small smile. "Okay, sweetie, it's time to wake up now..." She whispered softly.

Harry pulled away and rubbed at his eyes with his tiny fists, trying to get the sleep out of them. Emilia giggled into her free hand and held him out to Rem, who took him gently. "Sorry I had to wake you, I understand you're very tired, but supper is finished." She said gently.

"Oh... Mmkay..." Harry mumbled softly, still struggling to wake up.

"Oh, you poor thing..." Rem sighed softly. "You're exhausted... Don't worry, we'll make sure you catch up on your sleep..."

Emilia nodded. "Yup. This was just an afternoon nap." She said. "Tonight, you're gonna be even more comfortable."

"Mmm...okay..." He let out one past yawn, and stretched his tiny arms to wake up properly.

Rem got up. "Alright. I've prepared the dinner, and Beatrice is waiting for us down stairs. Let's not keep her waiting." 'Or else we'll never hear the end of it.' Went unsaid. Emilia nodded, and went to get up, before her legs suddenly stiffened, and she found herself unable to get up.

"Ah! I..can't get up!"

Rem placed a hand on her chin. "Hmmm. It seems as though your body still isn't awake well enough." She observed.

Emilia let out a displeased whine and grabbed at her legs with her hands,shaking them a bit in an effort to wake them up, but to no avail. "Aww..." She whined. Rem sighed, then set Harry down gently. "Sorry, sweetie, can you walk downstairs so I can help Emilia?"

Harry tilted his head, then nodded. "Mm-hmm." He said. Rem gave his head a gentle pat before she knelt down and gently placed her hands beneath the half-elf... then gently lifted her off the bed and into the air, picking her up in a bridal carry.

"Eek!" Gasped Emilia, her face turning crimson at the motion. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Rem looked away with an equally red face. "Believe me, this is embarrassing for me too."

"O-oh..." Emilia said, looking away as well. An awkward silence soon enveloped the room. Neither girl was willing to break it, too preoccupied in the current moment. "U-um..." Emilia then spoke up. "A-am I heavy?"

Rem blinked, then looked back at her with a tilted head. "No. Not at all. You're almost as light as Harry in fact." Emilia smiled brightly, then giggled softly into her hand.

"Aww, thank you, Rem, that's sweet..." She said softly. Rem sighed and shifted her hold on the half-elf slightly before carrying her down the stairs, smiling as she felt Harry clutching at the hem of her skirt as if he was trying to hold her hand, allowing her to lead him down to the kitchen. When Rem entered the room, Emilia and Puck turned to greet her and Emilia, only to give pause when they saw the way Rem was carrying the half-elf. "Hi everyone!" Emilia greeted chipperly with a wave.

"Hi." Harry said softly.

"Uuuuhh..." Beatrice said, for for once in her lifetime......she was at a loss for words.

"What...exactly did I miss here?" Asked Puck, ignoring the fact that Tabitha was holding him by the crook again.

"Ah...right." Emilia said with a blush.

"We can explain." Rem said, her face equally crimson.

"We're listening." Both spirits said in unison.

"Well, I guess I slept weird, because my legs are asleep right now, and Rem reeeeeally wanted me to come down to eat dinner with you all, so she decided to carry me down instead! That was nice of her, right?" Emilia chirped before giving a closed-eyed smile.

Beatrice and Puck looked at Rem and noticed that she was very visibly blushing as her eyes shifted away from the half-elf slightly. Beatrice was quick to catch on to the oni's mindset. 'Hmm. Seems the maid is developing a special attachment towards the brat, I suppose.' She thought.

Puck was of a similar mindset. 'Oh, she is gonna have to prove herself worthy of MY Lia!' He thought to himself overprotectively.

"R-right." Rem said, still looking away. Suddenly, a faint smell caught her attention, and she looked to find... ...the water in her pot slowly bubbling over.

"Ah! The dinner!" She exclaimed, having seemingly completely forgotten the embarrassing situation. She teleported next to the table, pulling out a chair and setting Emilia down in one swift motion, before zooming over and turning the stove off. The water settled down, and she quickly picked up a fork, taking a piece of mushroom and pasta and placing them in her mouth. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that dinner hadn't been ruined, then turned to the cupboard and searched for something she could use to drain out the pasta safely. Her eyes widened when she saw a strainer, and she pulled it out with a wide smile. "This is PERFECT... Such an amazing invention... Why doesn't Lagunica have anything like this...?" She murmured softly to herself before carrying the strainer to the sink and grabbing the pot full of noodles, carefully pouring them out into the strainer.

The water flowed through easily, and she carefully picked the strainer up, jostling it lightly to try and dry off the noodles. When she was finished with that, she turned her attention to the cupboard again and grabbed plates to serve everyone up. Soon enough, everyone had a plate of food, even Pumpkin and Tabitha with their bowls of food on the floor on the other side of the room.

"Ooh! Shroomies!" Exclaimed Emilia, causing everyone to look at her weirdly.

"What?" She asked. "That's how mom called them."

Puck shook his head with a sigh. "Still so childish, despite the age."

"Alright alright. Ignoring Emilia's rather childish remark..."

"Hey!"

"I didn't make this food so it would go cold. So if you'd please, we can all now dig in. Enjoy!"

Beatrice was the first to eagerly dig into her food, happily chewing away. Emilia followed suit shortly after, followed by Puck. Rem looked at him. "Try not to let the cats see you, I don't want them getting the idea that they can come over here and-"

"Mew!"

She groaned out loud and looked down to see Tabitha sitting beside her chair, looking at her expectantly. "No." She said firmly. Tabitha meowed again. "No. You have your food, eat that." Tabitha let out a long, whining meow and looked at Puck. Rem got the message she was trying to send.

"Why does HE get to eat people food at the people table and I don't?!"

Having understood what the cat was asking, Rem's brows fell flat. "Puck at least knows how to have manners and not make a mess all over the table. Once you learn to do the same, I'll let you eat with us at the table too."

'Uhuh. As if.' went unsaid.

Tabitha let out an angry meow, before moving over to Beatrice and patting her dress with her paw. She meowed again, catching the spirit's attention. Beatrice winced, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, my little one. As much as I loathe the fact, the maid is right. Bubby simply has better manners.'

Tabitha let out a dramatic meow and flopped over onto her side, essentially proving to everyone present that she was an absolute diva. Rem rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'Pets...' She groaned internally. 'More trouble than they're worth...'

"Aww, poor Tabitha." Emilia said with a giggle. "Go on, go eat your food." Tabitha stood up again and padded over to her food bowl. She made a conscious effort to eat as messily as possible out of spite.

"I'm cleaning that." Beatrice spoke up just as Rem opened her mouth, causing it to snap shut with an audible click.

"Excuse me, what?" She asked. Was this a dream? Is it reality? Did Beatrice actually say that she will be doing the cleaning? Of her own volition?!

"Do stop gawking at me, I suppose." She spoke up, her brows lowering slightly. Rem continued to stare. "...Stop it!" Beatrice now whined, pouting and crossing her arms.

"You...are volunteering to clean up?" Rem was in shock.

"Of course, I suppose! They are the cats I chose to bring along, in fact!" Beatrice huffed in response, sticking her nose up.

" So responsible!" Emilia patted Beatrice's head, and Beatrice moved out of the way with a glare.

"Don't talk down to me, I suppose!"

"I...I...I, wow, I...I mean, I'm surprised." Rem stuttered out an answer. "You NEVER voluntarily choose to do chores. Oftentimes we have to make you do them."

"An act I certainly do NOT appreciate, in fact." Beatrice added.

"Regardless..." Rem continued. "I'm pleasantly surprised. You are finally developing from an immature little girl into a young woman. I'm glad to see you grow, Beatrice."

Beatrice looked away with a slight blush. "Hmph. Could've done without the immature part, but thank you for the praise, I suppose." She looked back at Rem. "But yes. I did say I will not be a more responsible person. I intend to go through with that promise to the very end. No matter what."

She looked at Harry with a small smile. "I have to be a good influence on my brother after all..." Harry tilted his head at her and she simply nodded back before returning to her meal. Tabitha seemed to realize she wasn't getting any attention for her actions after she'd finished eating, and she laid down on the ground with a discontent meow. Pumpkin approached her and lightly nudged her with his nose and she lightly batted at him to try and ward him off. He responded by tackling her, resulting in the two cats play fighting around the kitchen... and also rolling around in the food Tabitha had gotten everywhere, spreading it all over the place.

Rem's eye twitched, and she nearly slammed her head on the table, stopping herself just before she accidentally made a mess of her own. "As a maid, seeing a mess while being unable to clean it immediately is living torture." She groaned, Emilia giving her a compassionate look and stroking her head. "There, there." She whispered.

"Um...Miss Rem looks really sad." Harry spoke up. "I can clean up the mess if you want."

"Absolutely not." Beatrice suddenly said. "You wil NOT do any of that at any point. I brought the cats, I will clean after them." She gave Harry a pat on the head. "Your job is to sit back and play."

Harry tilted his head to the side. He wasn't sure how to feel about any of this... He had known nothing but work all his life... He had played a little bit at the park the day prior, but he'd had Beatrice acting as his guide the entire time he was there. What was he supposed to do if he wasn't working...? He looked back and forth between Emilia, Rem, Beatrice, and even Puck, hoping for some answers, and each one of them noticed his confusion, but only Beatrice truly understood. "You can simply find something you enjoy doing. That is all it means to play, I suppose. Just as long as it's safe and you won't wind up badly injured from it, in fact." The little spirit explained to her brother.

"Um...okay..." He looked over at Puck.

"Ca-can I play with you, Mr. Puck?"

The spirit in question chuckled. He had a feeling the kid would ask that. "Sure! We're gonna have so much fun together." He pointed at Emilia. "This little twerp is too old for me to play with her like we used to, so it's gonna be nice to play with you for a change."

Emilia stuttered indignantly. "Ha-whah? What do you mean I'm too old?! I'm barely 19! And what do you mean "twerp?!"

"Oh, honestly, do you think it's appropriate to call Emilia names in front of the little one?" Rem scolded. Puck stuck out his tongue and bonked himself on the head.

"How could you say mean things about me?! I thought we were closer than this! Well you know what, Puck? I like Pumpkin and Tabitha better! They're not mean to me, and they don't call me names and they're not sassy!" She stuck her nose up in the air.

"Um... D-Don't say mean stuff about Miss Emilia... She's not a... Not a what you just said, she's really nice, I think you should tell her you're sorry." Harry said innocently.

Puck blinked, before shrugging. "Eh, might as well." He turned to look at Emilia, plopping his ears down and putting on his cutest eyes. "Please, Emilia, will you forgive little old meeeee?" He asked in his cutest voice that he could muster.

Emilia's response? "Hmph." She grunted, looking away with her nose up in the air. Puck promptly broke.

"Ha-whah?!" He stuttered. "That always works!"

"Not anymore. Because I'm replacing you with Pumpkin and Tabitha, they're better than you." Puck crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Okay, fine! If that's how you're gonna be, then I'm just gonna replace you with Harry!" He declared, floating over to sit on top of Harry's head, puffing his chest up and looking smugly at the ceiling. "So you can have fun with your little furballs and me and Harry will have WAY more fun, how's that sound, huh?"

"Hmph. Do as you wish!" Emilia said, looking away haughtily. Harry looked back and forth between the two, before taking Puck in his arms and holding him out towards Emilia.

"Miss Emilia and Mr. Puck shouldn't fight. They're friends." He said innocently. "Mr. Puck, can you please apologise to Miss Emilia again?"

"Huh? And why would I do that when she doesn't wanna forgive me?" Puck asked.

"But...but Miss Emilia is your friend. And...friends shouldn't fight. Right?" Emilia bit her lip. She WANTED to be mad at Puck, she really, REEEEAAALLY wanted to be mad at Puck, but she also couldn't bring herself to say no to Harry. She took a deep breath, swallowed the thick lump of pride that was welling up in her throat, and turned to look at Puck.

"All right, I guess I'll forgive you. However! How! Ev! Er!" Emilia wagged her finger in Puck's face with the first two syllables before poking him on the nose with the final one. "You have to be nice to me from now on and not call me mean names!"

Puck laughed softly. "Aww, c'mon, Lia, it's all in good fun, you know I don't really mean it!"

"You need to be a good influence on Harry and not say stuff like that in front of him, I don't want him thinking it's acceptable!"

Puck shut up at that. "Ok, yeah. That makes sense." He nodded. "I promise I won't tease you around Harry, and only when you're alone."

Emilia smiled triumphantly. "Great! That's-wait, hey!" Puck giggled, sticking his tounge out. Emilia's face went red, and she snatched Puck and began to roughly rub his head with her fingers. "Raaah! You little tick! Take that!" She said mock angrily. Puck tried to bat her fingers away.

"Ah! Stop it Emilia! That hurts! I'm sorry!" Puck said, refusing to admit that he secretly found this amusing.

Rem let out a sigh and shook her head. 'For two people claiming to be father and daughter, their relationship is very strange...' She thought to herself. Still, it was a delightful interaction to watch regardless, it was clear that the two of them were extremely close if they could rib each other like this. Hmm... Is this the kind of relationship she should have with her sister? It seemed rather than playfully taunting each other, they dedicated their energy to playfully taunting those around them instead. She looked over at Harry with a tilted head. Would this be the kind of relationship they should strive for with him? ...No. No, absolutely not, he was far too sweet and adorable to tease like that and she would never even humor the possibility.

'Are...are we even good enough for him?' Thought Rem. She never had any experience dealing with kids. Neither did Emilia, and especially not Beatrice. So... So...are they really deserving of even being Harry's caretakers? They have no idea how to take care of a child. What if they say or do something that hurts him? What if they accidentally awoke his trauma again? What if they end up losing him to someone even worse? What if...what if...

What if... What if...they're just not good enough for him? What if she failed someone she cared for again...?

Emilia noticed Rem's expression and tilted her head. "Rem?" The maid looked up at her concerned face. "Is everything okay, Rem?" Emilia asked softly.

"Oh... Um... Yes. It's all okay, Emilia, don't worry."

"...I don't believe you." The half-elf murmured softly. "...Would you rather talk about it in private?"

Rem bit her lip, and nodded reluctantly. "Yes." She whispered. "But when dinner is over and everyone's in bed. Then we can talk." Emilia nodded, and the family returned to their dinner. Thankfully the cats didn't bother them anymore, and the dinner was spent in relative silence, which was only broken when someone asked for seconds. Or even thirds.

Before long, the meal was over. Rem diligently collected the dishes and placed them in the sink. Her current thoughts just took away all of her spirit, and she just wanted to go to bed. She can wash the dishes tomorrow anyway. She did make sure to properly soak them first, however, just so that the food wouldn't crust onto them and make them more difficult to wash. She looked over and saw that Harry was already sleepy once again. Emilia noticed as well, and she gently picked the boy up and hugged him against her shoulder, running her fingers through his hair. "Hmm... Seems playing with Puck will have to wait until tomorrow..."

"Yeah, I could tell by looking at his magic reserves that the little guy's seriously overtaxed. I don't think he'll have the energy for too much play for at least a week or two." Puck agreed, nodding his head in affirmation. Rem looked over with a sad frown and bit her lip. Oh how she wished Harry hadn't suffered so much, she hoped he regained his youthful spirit soon...

"Come on, let's get him to bed." Emilia spoke. Rem and Puck fully agreed, and Rem followed Emilia back up the stairs, while Puck attempted to dissappear, only to suddenly get snatched by the neck by Tabitha. He tried to protest, but yawned and figured he can let himself sleep like a kitten. Just this once. Meanwhile, Emilia slid under the covers along with Rem, both having changed into sleepwear, with Harry snuggled between them, already fast asleep. "There. All comfy." Emilia whispered.

She leaned down and gave the boy a gentle kiss on his forehead, giggling softly as he cooed in his sleep. "He's so cute, Rem, just look at him, he looks so sweet and innocent when he's sleeping..." She said softly. Rem nodded in silent agreement, lips curving into a soft smile. The two girls looked at each other, then made to join Harry beneath the covers. However, neither one laid their heads to rest. No, they both knew they needed to have a talk. "...Rem... I want you to tell me what's on your mind, okay?" Emilia said softly.

"...I...I'm worried. I'm worried I'm not suitable for Harry. ...I failed my sister, what if I fail Harry as well?"

"Rem, we've talked about this... Ram's horns weren't something you could control..."

"Yes, but I smiled, Emilia... I watched my sister lose a part of her, and it made me smile... That was my greatest failing as a sister..."

"You aren't completely pure, Rem." She said. "I...I often felt jealous towards the other royal candidates. I sometimes found myself wanting nothing more than to encase ice and leave them to get a cold." Her face went sour. "Especially that Priscilla woman. Even I have limits, and she didn't cross them. She made one of her servants wipe them away and then continued forward."

Rem nodded. "Indeed. I can agree with that sentiment. That woman gets on my nerves. But...I didn't know you can be jealous, Emilia. I didn't even think that you ever did feel jealous if you could."

Emilia hugged herself. "But how could I not be? I mean, they're all so beautiful, and I look like the witch of Envy... People hate me on sight, and have nothing but praise and respect to give to all of them... Oh, look at me, it's so ironic, I look like the witch of envy and all I feel is envy towards others, I'm so sinful..."

Rem looked at Emilia with a small frown. "Honestly, Emilia? I think you're far more beautiful than any of them could ever be." She said softly and sincerely. Emilia gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth and blushing beet red before looking away.

"I...But...But I look like what you hate, Rem...!" Emilia breathed out. Rem shook her head.

"You already taught me that looking like the witch of envy doesn't mean anything... You're not Satella, you're Emilia... I understand you're frustrated with how you're treated and want to prove yourself, but at the end of the day... Well... if you do look like the witch of envy, then she must have been truly beautiful despite everything." Emilia's eyes widened. For Rem, REM, the most devoted hater of the Witch Cult, the Witch of Envy, and everything she represents, to compliment her looks, while knowing full well that she's actually talking about the half-elf beg her... Ahe couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Eeeeeeeeeeek!" A squeal escaped her lips as her face began to steam with how red it was. She turned away and covered it with her hands, flustered beyond belief.

"Ah! Careful! You'll wake up Harry!"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry this is just so sudden I wasn't expecting it you think I'm beautiful you really think I'm beautiful I don't even know what to think I feel all heated I..." Rem clapped a hand over Emilia's mouth and smiled softly at the half-elf.

"It's okay, Emilia... It is." She said sincerely. "You have something that the witch of envy could never have. Inner beauty. You are beautiful inside and out." She said softly and sincerely, so much so that Emilia began to tear up slightly.

"Oh Rem..." She said softly before throwing her arms around the oni and burying her face into her neck. "I...I never realized just how much I needed to hear somebody say that to me... Thank you..." She whimpered. Rem felt tears leaking onto her shoulder from Emilia's eyes. Rem simply returned the embrace and let Emilia cry into her shoulder. She knew full well no one has ever told her these words. To hear them must've warmed her heart to no end. Rem knew it did for her.

And for some reason, she was glad to be the first to tell the half-elf this. After a moment or so, Emilia eventually separated from her, brushing back her hair with a sniffle. "I-I'm sorry. I made your nightgown all wet.

"No no no." Rem waved it off. "It's nothing. You needed to vent, and I was here. It'll dry off overnight. No big deal."

Emilia gave her a teary smile. "Thank you, Rem... It really does mean a lot to hear those words coming from you of all people..." Rem winced and looked away. Emilia blinked. "Oh, no, Rem, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything!"

"No... No, it's just... I'm remembering how... I treated you when you first came to live as the Roswaal Manor..." Rem said softly, looking down at the floor. "I can't understand why you ever wanted to be friends with me when I was so cold and callous..."

Emilia tilted her head. "Oh... Right... I remember it now..." Memories of her first few months with Roswaal and his maids flashed into her mind.

(Years before)

A young Rem sighed as she walked through the gardens of the Roswaal mansion. She always did this whenever she was...not in a stellar mood. The smell of flowers brought her mind at ease. Made her relax. Made her forget. She knelt down and smelled a particularly red rose, humming in satisfaction at the sweet smell.

"Do you like them? I put a loooot of work in them."

Rem tensed up at the unfamiliar voice, and then she remembered what she had been informed of by Master Roswaal. He was sponsoring one of the royal candidates. And this royal candidate in question just so happened to be the one that looked like the witch that had indirectly ruined her life. She didn't look in the direction of the voice, she just turned and walked away at a brisk pace, not wanting to look at the face that had caused the cult to take everything barring her last remaining family from her. The candidate was undettered, and was following along, still trying to talk with her.

"So, how's your morning going along?" She asked, strutting along with her side-by-side. Rem pointedly ignored her and sped up her walk, attempting to create distance between them. Sadly, it did not work, because her "companion" sped up her own walk and returned to her side.

"Ooh! Is this a new game? Are we racing?" She said with excitement. Rem grit her teeth and sped up her pace some more. But no matter how fast she walked, Emilia always seemed to match her pace perfectly, continuing to talk in her [as far as she was concerned] annoying voice. She ignored her every word, not paying the slightest bit of attention, until finally she reached the next room she had to clean. She hurriedly entered, slammed the door shut [taking some satisfaction out of the sound of the half-elf crying out slightly as an idication that the door had hit her in the face], and then locked it as she set to work on cleaning up the room.

Her mood was more or less ruined now. She was sharing the same living space as a living, breathing reminder of what had caused her life to go wrong, and now that living, breathing reminder had made the decision that she was a friend of hers. "Hey! Hey, why'd you lock the door?" The pest called from outside the room. "Hey! Lemme in! I wanna see you clean! I've never seen you do it before!" Rem decided to do her best to ignore the annoying girl as she set out to work on the room.

First, she neatly folded the sheets on the bed, careful to even out any and all creases she could find, before fixing the entire thing in an orderly manner. "So, what's your favorite game you like to play? Mine's hopscotch." She then went to dust off the shelves. Taking the feathered duster, she hummed as she collected the dust off the wooden furniture, making sure to not miss a single speck.

She then moved on to-

"Hey! Are you okay in there? You're not saying anything!"

She couldn't take it anymore.

She threw the door open and glared at the girl, who seemed to wither slightly under her gaze. "I am TRYING to work. I need you to be QUIET." She hissed angrily before slamming the door once again, leaving the young half-elf standing alone.

"...Oh. Um... Okay, sorry, could have been less... um... harsh about it..." She said softly, twirling her finger around her silver hair as she walked away from the door.

Rem snorted at those words. Less harsh... As if she deserved kind treatment being what she was...The door opened, and Rem turned to snap, only to see her sister walk in. "Rem... We talked about this." Ram said gently but sternly.

"Sister, she looks just like her!"

"I know. But she isn't. And it's our job to work for her sake as well as Lord Roswaal's now, so you need to try and be a little bit more tolerant."

Rem huffed. "She was pestering me."

"I know. I'll talk to her about not bothering you while you're working. But at least try to act civil towards her."

Rem narrowed her eyes. "...I promise to try. And ONLY to try."

Ram nodded. "That is all I could ask." The pink haired maid left the room, leaving Rem to her task.

Back in the present day, Emilia rubbed her arm. "So you were a little harsh that day... But that's okay! You weren't the first or the last one to treat me like that, and you WERE one of the few that got better about it."

"Emilia, I literally almost broke your nose when I slammed that door in your face. Sorry about that by the way."

"Eh. It's all in the past." Emilia waved it off.

"But you nearly got injured because of my ignorance and hatred. I still can't forgive myself for doing that to you."

Emilia put a hand on Rem's shoulder. "Hey, hey. None of that. Like I said, you got better about it. The past isn't important anymore." She then gave Rem a flick on the forehead and a boop on the nose. "So I better not see you wallowing like that again. Got it, Missy?"

Rem let out a sigh. "...You know that wasn't the only thing I did to you, right?" Emilia tilted her head to the side with a frown. "...Do you remember that one day, when you were outside in the snow, clearing your mind after all those studies, and you kept finding patches of ice...?"

Emilia blinked before wincing. "Aaaaah... So uh... you were the one making me slip and fall all those times, huh?" Rem closed her eyes and nodded solemntly. Emilia sighed. "That was a reeeeally embarrassing day, I admit... But uh... I remember it was also kinda fun...?"

Rem stared at the half elf. "Fun? You found fun in what I put you through that day?" Emilia giggled softly into her hand.

"Oh, it was only about three pranks you played on me, I can take a joke!"

"Emilia, I wasn't joking, that was me venting frustrations."

"Well... we were young, so it's okay, you grew and matured!"

"...I still remember it so clearly..." Rem sighed.

Flashback...

"And now...this..." Young Rem stuck out her tounge as she took great care to sweep off the last patches of dust on the cupboard in Master Roswaal's room.

She put the vase back down, setting it back to it's original position, before walking to the door and observing the entire room.

She sighed with relief. "Finally. The last room is done. Now I can finally take a break." She looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Hmmm...have I scrubbed the ceiling clean yet?"

Before she can continue this train of thought, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze landed on a window on the right side of the room.

It was the half-elf. She was prancing around outside in the snow like she didn't have a care in the world. Rem's eye twitched slightly. 'Leave it alone, Rem, just focus on your work...' She thought to herself. But then... a little...prank wouldn't hurt, right?

It's not like anyone would trace it back to her or anything... She could make it look like a simple accident... She smiled mischievously, deciding to take a little bit of vengeance on the one that resembled the witch of envy, and then pointed at the spot Emilia was about to walk.

A patch of ice formed underneath the snow, out of Emilia's view. Now she just needed to wait and see what happened with it.

Speaking of, the half-elf in question hummed a peppy tune as she strolled through the cold, foamy mess covering the backyard.

"Hmmm...I wonder if the roses are okay. I don't want them to freeze to death." She murmured as the snow crunched under her shoes.

Unfortunately, she was so deep in worry for her beloved flowers that she failed to notice Rem's patch of ice under her feet. This caused her to slip and yelp and she suddenly found herself lying in the snow. Her eyes blinked in surprise and she pushed herself up, grimacing at the pain on her behind.

"Aww..." She groaned. "That was dumb..." She stood up again, and ended up stepping on another patch of ice that Rem created, causing her to fall facefirst into a snowdrift. She pushed herself up, blinking owlishly as her face was caked in snow.

She shook the snow off, then rose back to her feet. "Hmph! I guess the snow's not deep enough to keep the ice covered... Oh well..." She took another step forward... and another patch of ice caused her to slip and end up with her upper torso buried in the snow.

Rem meanwhile observed with giggles as the witch lookalike kept slipping on the ice she created.

"Look at you." She spoke with contempt. "Look like the legendary devil that nearly destroyed humanity, and yet you can't even stay upright on slippery ice." She concentrated her magic on the newest patch of ice Emilia stepped on.

"Weren't you the one who destroyed my village!?"

Suddenly, the patch tilted, causing Emilia to stumble backwards with a yelp. Unfortunately, she stumbled back onto the previous patch, causing her to slip again and end up with her head buried in the snow.

Rem took a moment of triumph... but paused when she noticed something. The half-elf was...crying? She had tears in her eyes as she struggled to stand up. She didn't seem truly heartbroken or anything, but she did seem frustrated and upset by what was happening to her. ...She'd... never expected to see someone with the Witch of Envy's looks shed tears...

"Rem." She heard her sister's voice and winced. "You're not accomplishing anything by tormenting her. This is not vengeance. She had nothing to do with any of it. You've just harrassed and bullied an innocent girl to tears." Rem looked down at her sister's stern words.

"S-Sister...I..."

"No. Don't. Just stop it." Ram said firmly. "The girl is important, and whether you like it or not, we are bound to take care of her, not harm her. You are to stop hurting her immediately, do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Rem nodded her head slowly and looked back out the window, where she saw the half-elf being tended to by her spirit.

Present...

"Oh. Okay, yeah, I had a feeling that was probably you, it all seemed so...convenient..." Emilia said softly.

"...And yet you still wanted to befriend me..." Rem said softly.

"Well of course. We live together, and...I wanted so badly to be close to the people I was living with... But Roswaal kind of made me uneasy, Ram was always around him and didn't seem to care for anyone that wasn't one of you two, and Beatrice never left her library... I just really wanted someone besides Puck to be my friend, and... well... I dunno, I guess you just seemed like the best choice..."

Rem bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Emilia... For what I did to you that day... It was so cruel and hurtful and thoughtless..."

She was stopped by another boop on the nose. "Hey! What did I just say a few minutes ago? No wallowing like that! Or the boops will become the flicks." Rem rolled her eyes. This girl...she was so childish, even in something that should be serious.

She supposed that just gave Emilia her charm. She could be funny and relaxing to be around, even when the situation isn't as lighthearted as the half-elf herself. "Alright, alright. Sorry." Rem apologised. "But seriously, I made you *cry*, Emilia. CRY."

Emilia smiled sadly. "You weren't the first one..." Rem winced.

"That makes it even worse. I contributed to your suffering and still you wanted to be my friend..."

"Yes. I did. And I still do." Emilia grabbed Rem's hands and smiled, making direct eye contact with her. "I won you over eventually... And I still remember it so clearly..."

Rem smiled. "Yes... Me as well..." She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. It was two small, hand-knitted dolls that looked like her and her sister.

"You kept them!"

"Of course I did, it was a gift from a friend... How could I not give you a chance when you put so much time and effort into lovingly crafting these...?"

She remembered the day so clearly...

The dishes clinked as Rem set them down into the sink. She let out a sigh and wiped her forehead with her arm. Then, her nose picked up the smell of the dirty dishes. And she cringed. "Ugh. I shouldn't have cooked fish today." She grimaced. Not only was the fish so hard to scrub off, but the smell just made her want to throw up every time she caught it.

Sighing, she decided to bear with it and start cleaning. She was a maid after all. It's her job. Sadly, not even this would be a peaceful chore, as much as she wished it would be. She heard the sound of the half-elf sneaking around behind her, and she huffed silently. Seemed she finally realized she didn't want anything to do with her. Good. Even if she couldn't harm her anymore, it seemed saying only the bare minimum of what was necessary to her was all it took.

Hmm. It seemed that she was hiding something behind her back. "...What do you have, half elf?" She asked suspiciously. Emilia tensed up. "Oh... Um... Just a... a surprise... That's all..."

"A surprise." Rem said flatly. "I see." She wanted so badly to stop her, but she wasn't allowed to interfere with the royal candidate. She looked at the half-elf with an unreadable expression as she backed out of the room, smiling nervously and still looking directly at her. She sighed and returned to her chores. This was the last one of the day...

When she finished, she returned to her living chambers with a sigh. The door was slightly ajar. ...She hadn't left it open. Did her sister go inside? No, that couldn't be it... Lord Roswaal wasn't the type to go into her room either... ...Was the half-elf in her room? She scowled at the mere thought and threw the door open. What she saw was two hand-knitted dolls of herself and her sister, with a note. Rem froze up at the door. That...

When did...

Did the half-elf make those?

She walked over to the bed, never removing her eyes off the dolls. She stopped, before reaching down and picking up the doll that resembled her. Her eyes ran over every stitch, every thread, every detail about the toy. Her fingers slid over the surface of it. She couldn't find any creases, any overused strings. The doll was clearly made with great care.

The half elf had given her a gift...? Why? What reason did she have for such a thing?! She wasn't her friend, she made it no secret that she only tolerated her mere presence, so why did she make the decision to take the time to make these for her?! She looked them over. The half elf had admittedly gotten a few details very slightly off, the hair was a bit shorter, the skirt was too long, and the eyes were the wrong shade of blue. But these were such minor things, and frankly, she was impressed she knew any details considering how often she avoided her. ...Why...? Why did she make these...?

"Um...D-Do you like them...? R-Ram taught me how to sew, and... I wanted to... to give you a surprise to say that I'm sorry for what I did to make you hate me..." The half-elf's voice sounded from the hallway.Rem turned around and her eyes flew to the door. She didn't spot it at first, but she soon caught a small glimpse of the half-elf's face. The girl in question squeaked before quickly moving back to not be seen. Rem blinked a few times, before approaching the door slowly. She reached out towards the door, before her hand hesitated.

'What...what should I do?' She asked herself in her mind. This entire situation confused her greatly. Why would the half-elf do this? Leave her toys, attempt to apologise, even befriend her? When she hasn't shown any interest in either of those last two? Her thoughts were so deep, her hand unconsciously moved, and before long, her mind was interrupted when she came face-to-face with the half-elf.

Emilia tensed up with a light squeak and then looked away shyly. "Um... Hi Rem... Sorry... I just... I'm sorry I came in your room without asking, I just didn't think you'd take them if I tried to give them to you, and... I just... thought it'd be better if I gave you them as a surprise..."

"...Why...? Why would you give these to me? Why would you take time out of your day to make me a gift? I don't understand. It doesn't make any sense to me." Rem said with a deep frown. Emilia closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"Because... Because I reaaally wanna be friends with you... I don't want you to hate me... I'm trying so hard to make up for looking like her... I'm sorry me being around upsets you, I just wanna try and help you feel more comfortable..."

Rem's entire world shattered. "I...I...I can't...what..." After everything she's done. After all the "pranks" she pulled. After all the things she did to hurt her, just because she looked like the thing that ruined her life.

This girl. This ignorant little half-elf, who has gone through so much suffering because of her own hatred. She still wanted to be her friend. She still wanted to make her feel comfortable around her. She still wanted to be close to her. And she was APOLOGISING.

Rem turned away from Emilia and clutched the two dolls close. Her shoulders began to shake slightly. Emilia put a hand to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry, I...I'll leave, I didn't mean to-"

"No... Stay..." Emilia was taken aback by those words.

"S-Stay...? You...You WANT me here...? Really, Rem?!"

"Yes... I...I'm..."

She had to say it, but the words kept dying in her throat.

"I'm s... I'm so s...I'm... I'm... I'M SORRY!" She finally got out.

Emilia took a step back in surprise at the outburst. "S-sorry?" Emilia asked. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For everything!" Rem said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I'm the one who hurt you so much."

Emilia tilted her head. "What are you talking about, Rem? What did you do?"

"I...I made you slip on ice a week ago. I hit you in the nose with a door. I...ignored you and broke your heart...I'm...I'm sorry-"

"To be honest, I kinda already knew."

Rem winced and closed her eyes. "And you still wanted to be friends with me? Your... Your bully?" Emilia let out a soft sigh and smiled warmly at the oni.

"Yeah... I do... Because... well... I'm tired of being alone with just me and Puck... I want more friends so badly... Being all alone is the worst... Especially since Puck can't be with me too much or he gets sleepy..." She took a step towards Rem. "So... Do you think maybe we can start over, and... maybe be friends?"

Rem looked down at the floor and clutched at her apron before she let out a soft sigh. "Yes. Yes, let's... Let's start over... And be friends." She agreed. Emilia gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Really?! Oh yes! Yes!" The half-elf tackled the oni in a hug. Rem blinked twice, then smiled softly at Emilia and allowed it. She closed her eyes. She was a half-elf... But she was good hearted. She wasn't like the witch of envy after all...

Present...

"...Are you certain you admitted you knew it was me? I feel like tonight was the first time I ever told you..."

Emilia blinked. "Um... Well... Maybe...? It WAS a long time ago... I might have just been thinking it."

"That would make more sense, yeah." Rem nodded with mischief in her voice. "You do tend to pretend a lot when you don't know anything."

"Heeeey!" Emilia exclaimed with a red face. "That's not true! I'll have you know my behavior is 100% real the entire time! Hmph!"

Rem giggled at the immature little claim. "Sure, sure. You definitely knew what I was talking about last week when I was teaching you customs and traditions."

"You can't blame me for that one. That was soooooo boring. I almost fell asleep on the spot."

Rem laughed softly into her had. "You DID fall asleep on the spot. I had to wake you several times." Emilia fidgeted and clasped her hands together. Rem let out a sigh. "There's much about the world you must understand, and not all of it is fun and exciting."

"I know..." Emilia sighed. "I did remember everything... Despite how boring it was, it did stick with me, all thanks to your teaching." Rem beamed with pride.

"You think I'm a good teacher, do you?"

"Oh yes, Rem, you're an amazing teacher! Remember all the things you've taught me?"

Flashback...

"Remember, the knife has to move slowly, but you also have to make sure you put in enough strength, so the peel is a long, continued string, instead of bits and pieces."

"Oh, so like this?" Emilia asked, gently placing her knife on the (po)tato, before slowly sliding it over the surface as she began to peel the skin off.

At the same time, Rem observed from the side, her eye studying every detail. "Carefully. There's a small part that's rotten. You can't peel over that, so you need to slice it off."

"Ah. Okay." Emilia nodded, before setting the (po)tato down on the chopping board, and lifting her arm up.

"No no no. Do not swing the knife down like you're about to execute it." Rem shook her head, grabbing Emilia's wrist gently, before helping her adjust her arm properly.

"Here..." She held her arm above the rotted part. "All you have to do is lightly saw away the piece of tato..." Emilia obeyed, and the rotted portion fell onto the cutting board. She beamed and clapped her hands together. "Yay, I did it!"

Rem smiled and nodded. "Now, this will be the last one you peel for the day. Then you need to get back to your studies." Emilia nodded her head and saluted.

"I won't disappoint!"

Three hours later, Emilia was sitting down, staring at the book, feeling like her brain was on fire. But she couldn't stop trying to understand it. She HAD to get it right!

"The...royal Palace has...three times...the..." She could feel her head getting lighter. She felt sleepy. She... She could just... It...wouldn't hurt, right? To...take a...a little rest... Yeah...just a short na-

"NO!" She suddenly screamed out. "I don't need sleep! I need answers!" She said, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself awake. She narrowed her eyes, hunched over, and stared at the page until her eyes began to hurt. Ugh... Why was life so complicated? She heard a light knock outside her bedroom door, and she was so focused on her studying that the small noise startled her into falling backwards, out of her chair and onto the floor. "Ow! Aww..." She whined as she sat up and rubbed her aching head. "Um... Who is it...?"

"It's me, Rem. May I come in please?" Emilia quickly hopped to her feet and pulled the door open. There stood Rem, calmly holding a tray containing some tea and several sandwiches. "I assumed you must have been getting hungry by now. Is your studying going all right?"

"Oh, um... yes, yes, absolutely! I really understand how the...things work with the...stuff and...all that..." Emilia said sheepishly.

Rem tilted her head. "There's no shame if you're struggling to understand a few things, Emilia."

"No! Nononononono! I assure you Rem, I'm fine!" She said, and looked around the room for any kind of excuse. "Umm..." She saw the pile of books next to her. "Look! All these books are the ones I managed to study through! I know what I'm doing!"

Rem's brows flattened. "Emilia-sama, those are fairy tales. You removed them off the shelf to get to the important books."

Emilia's eyes twitched, and she sighed as her head fell. "Yeah...I have no idea what I'm doing. But..." She looked up at Rem again. "But I'm not allowed to be like that. I am a royal candidate, Rem. I'm supposed to know everything."

Rem closed her eyes and shook her head. "It doesn't work that way, Emilia. NONE of the other royal candidates know everything, why would you be expected to?" Emilia looked away and rubbed her arm, looking deeply ashamed of herself.

"I mean... I'm supposed to know all the things they know... And I don't know all the things they know, and... I just... I dunno... I feel kinda stupid..." She admitted softly. "Like I'm worse than they are... I... I already look like what they all hate, and I can't even get these basic facts right... Do... Do I even deserve to be here...?"

"You absolutely do." Rem interrupted her train of thought, causing her to look up at her. "Listen, Emilia." She began. "I am nothing more than a lowly maid. It isn't my right to question the will of the Great Dragon, so I can't say anything about the matter of your ownership of the throne. But what I do know, is that knowledge cannot be simply had on a whim. It needs to be earned." She pointed at the pant in the pot on the table near the window. "Take for example this plant. It was a seed but a few months or years ago, and yet, with proper watering and placement in the sunlight, it grew into a beautiful decoration for your room. You're no different than the plant."

"Are you saying I can sprout leaves and flowers from my body?" Emilia asked with a tilted head. "I never knew I could do that."

Rem stared blankly at the half elf for several seconds, trying to process what she had just said, before shaking her head. "N-No. I'm saying that, like this plant, you can grow to be so much more than you are currently. At the moment, you understand little, but with enough help and hard work, the seed of knowledge will sprout inside your mind, and you will master your studies."

Emilia blinked before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I get it, you're saying that I'll grow like the plant! The plant got bigger and I'll get smarter and then I'll pass everything with flying colors! Um... That IS what you're saying, right? I'll feel foolish if I'm wrong..."

Rem laughed softly into her hand. "Yes, Emilia. That is what I'm saying. Now then... I've finished my work for the day, so why don't I help you with your studies a little bit before it's time for us to go to sleep?"

Emilia scratched her cheek. "Uuum...Rem..." She began. "Are...are you sure this is something you can help me with?"

Rem tilted her head. "Hm? I fail to see why not. Is there something wrong?"

"N-no, not really." Emilia shook her head. "I'm actually really grateful that you want to help me. Really, thank you for that. But..."

"But?" Rem asked with one brow raised.

"I don't think you'll understand this stuff though." Emilia said. "Like, you've never been taught about these kinds of things. I don't wanna bother you with what you don't know."

Rem tilted her head. "I work under a man of very high profile, and I have ever since I was just a young girl. I've picked up more than a few things during my time here. Now then... Why don't you tell me what you're working on so that I can help you?"

"A-are you sure?" Emilia asked, still uncertain. "I reeeally don't wanna be a burden to you."

"You aren't." Rem interrupted swiftly. "I am more than happy to help."

"But you must have some chores to do!"

"I already did all of them?"

"But...wait, all of them? Already?!"

Rem gave a wink. "Heh. Never underestimate the power of a maid. We can be monsters when we want to." She sat down next to Emilia at the desk. "Now then... Let's get to work, shall we?" Emilia quickly found that Rem was much, MUCH wiser than she could ever hope to be, and she was a big help on her studies. She knew most of the material, and when she didn't know it, she caught onto it very, VERY fast. And she was patient and knew just what to say to help her understand everything.

By the end of their session, Emilia felt like she knew so much more than she had going into it. She stretched her limbs with a sigh. "Thank you, Rem... I never would have gotten this without your help. D-Do you think maybe you could tutor me again someday...?"

Rem smiled. "Any time you need me, I'll be happy to help, Emilia."

"A-any time!?" Emilia asked, surprised. "But...don't you have work to do?"

"I'll see with master Roswaal about letting me tutor you." The maid said, giving a little smirk. "Heh. I bet he'll do anything to get you off his neck."

"Hey!" Emilia exclaimed, pouting.

"But it's true." Rem continued. "You've been pestering him for help for the past three weeks. I'm surprised he hasn't snapped already, to be honest." She said. "So getting me to tutor you should be no problem for him."

Emilia's cheeks puffed out a bit, but she let out a soft sigh. "Okay. Thank you, Rem." She said sincerely. Rem nodded her head.

"It's my pleasure, Emilia."

Present...

Emilia sighed softly. "Well... It's all kinda useless now, isn't it? We're really far away from our world, we don't know how to get back... I guess I'm just... not in the royal selection at this point... And yet... Honestly...I'm...kind of okay with that... Because... I can have a fresh start, I don't need to prove anything here because there's no prejudice against me..." She looked at Rem. "...Um... I'm sorry, that was selfish of me to say, I know you still have your sister back home, you must miss her terribly..." Rem's fists clenched, and she bit her lip, looking at the pillow sadly. Emilia gasped quietly. "Ah! Sorry! Didn't wanna make you sad. I am so sorry-"

"No no. It's...it's fine. You didn't mean it."

"But I still hurt you. I...I know how much you are hurting because you're worried for Ram. I didn't watch what I was saying, so I accidentally reminded you of that fear. So...sorry."

Rem sighed. "See? This is why you deserve to be a queen more than any other candidate. You're actually considerate of your people's feelings."

Emilia blinked twice. "Y-You... You really mean that...?"

Rem smiled softly. "Yes, Emilia... I do. I remember that one time, when you accompanied me on an errand run, and we wound up stopping multiple times to help just about everyone we came across, even if it was detrimental to you..."

Emilia thought back on it and smiled softly. "Oh... Yes... It didn't always go the best, but their gratitude made it all worth it..."

[Flashback begin]

The soft crunch of the soil as Emilia and Rem walked through the city was a refreshing change from the flat floors of the mansion. The two girls breathed in the freshness of the air as they walked through the streets at a leisure pace. "Ooh, this is my first time grocery shopping!" Emilia said in excitement. "I can't thank you enough for taking me out with you today, Rem."

Rem sweatdropped. "I...really don't think it's that interesting, Emilia-sama. It's just grocery shopping. Nothing interested about it."

Emilia clasped her hands together, stars in her eyes. "But it is, Rem, I never get to go to town for... um... obvious reasons..." She pointed at a spot on her clothes where someone had thrown a tomato at her. Rem's eye twitched before they narrowed.

"Who?" She asked firmly.

"Rem, it's not a big deal-"

"Who was it? I wish to speak with them."

"No, Rem, it's fine, really, I didn't even see who actually did it!'

Rem closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't want anyone hurting you."

Emilia waved it off bashfully. "Aww, that's just so sweet of you, Rem." She cooed. "But I'm serious. No one is hurting me. At most it's just insults and rotten fruit. Nothing more."

Rem's brows fell flat. "That still hurts your self esteem. That's basically the same thing."

"No it isn't!" Emilia kept on stubbornly. "It doesn't hurt as much as an actual injury! Besides, no one has hurt me nearly as much as before. Now I return to the mansion with only three scratches instead of the usual six! That's an improvement!"

Rem stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at Emilia with wide eyes. "...Emilia..." She took a step forward and grabbed her hands. "If anyone is hurting you, I want you to tell me exactly who they are so that I can make it entirely clear to them that I WILL not tolerate ANY kind of abuse towards you."

Emilia looked away. "But Rem, that's not a good look for me... I can't have the maid that works under my sponsor go around beating people up for every little thing-"

"They caused VISIBLE MARKS, Emilia. That is not a LITTLE THING. They HURT you, and they can't be allowed to get away with it." Rem said firmly.

"It...It wasn't so bad, honest, it was just... a prank that went too far, they just tripped me up is all, it's no big deal!"

"It is to me. I care about your safety. You are important, Emilia. I won't just sit by quietly and allow you to be harmed. I was sworn to protect you the moment you set foot in that mansion, and while I did a poor job initially, I intend to rectify that. You can trust me, Emilia. I am your friend. And your protector."

Emilia sighed. "If...If it happens again... I'll tell you... Okay...?"

"That is all I could ever ask. Now come, let's..." They stopped when they heard what sounded like...sobbing. The two girls exchanged a look, before moving to see who was causing the sound. They entered a rather narrow alleyway, where they spotted a child, likely a boy, sitting on the ground against the wall and crying.

Emilia gasped. "Ah! Oh dear!" She said, running over to the tiny boy, Rem following more slowly. She knelt down, placing her hands on his shoulders gently. The boy looked up at the two women. The white one gave him a concerned look, same as the blue one. Neither were his mom.

He flinched and looked away. "Um...Um... I'm...I'm not supposed to talk to strangers..." He said softly. Emilia smiled softly.

"That's a very good lesson for your mother to teach you. My name is Emilia, and this is Rem. So I guess that doesn't make us strangers anymore! Now... Are you lost, sweetie?" The boy sniffled and nodded his head. "You poor thing... Don't be afraid. Rem and I will help you find your mommy, okay?"

The boy looked uncertain. "R-Really...?"

"Of course!"

"Y-You won't kidnap me, right?"

"I pinkie promise you I will not kidnap you." Emilia replied with a warm smile.The boy hesitated nonetheless, but accepted. You don't break a pinky promise after all. Having made the promise, Emilia scooped the boy up in her arms, letting him lean his head on her shoulder. "There. Now, can you tell us where you last saw your mommy?"

"U-um..." The boy began. The trio exited the alleyway, and he pointed towards the way Emilia and Rem came from. "Th-three houses from here. She...she disappeared all of a sudden, and I can't find her anywhere."

Emilia nodded her head. "Was there a big crowd? She probably lost you in it. Don't worry! We'll find her! I bet she's looking all over the place trying to find you, we're bound to bump into her eventually!" Emilia turned to Rem with a tilted head. "Is it all right with you, Rem? I know we came to shop..."

"It's perfectly fine, Emilia. It is important to help your future subjects after all." Rem replied with a shrug.

"Subjects...?" The boy asked softly.

"Ah. Um... I'm kind of a royal candidate, but it's not that important right now!" Emilia chirped.

"A...royal candidate?" The boy's eyes widened. "So you're gonna be queen someday?"

"N-not really." Emilia said. "I still have to beat the other candidates."

The boy tilted his head. "So...you're gonna beat up people to become queen? I thought the queen was supposed to be nice."

"No no, she isn't beating anyone up." Rem said. "Emilia-sama is one of the five royal candidates. She needs to show everyone that she can be a better queen than the other girls, so that she herself becomes queen."

"Oh. Um... None of the other candates came to try and help me find my mama, so I think you're the best one!" The boy chirped. Emilia blinked, then smiled widely as he eyes began to glisten with tears.

"Oh, thank you, I'm so happy you think that you sweet thing!" She gave the boy a gentle squeeze and he giggled softly.

"What does your mother look like, little one?" Rem asked.

"Oh, she's got long black hair and she's wearing green! It's a long green dress, and she also has a shopping bag in her hand, and she has...um... I think her eyes are green, but they might be brown too, I don't know, I keep getting them mixed up..."

"Okay! So...wearing green..." Emilia hummed as her eyes began to wander over the crowd, searching for the green wearing woman. Suddenly, she spotted a piece of green in the crowd. "Ah! There she is!" She exclaimed, before running towards where she last saw the colour, Rem following suit.

She and Rem moved deftly through the massive group of people, wearing through them without bumping into anyone. 'I've gotten better at avoiding bumping into people.' Emilia thought. "Come on." She said to Rem. "I saw the green right he-" She was interrupted when she crashed into something and fell, thankfully shielding the boy from the impact with the ground.

"Oof..." She groaned, looking up and finding herself face to face with a large, noble looking man in...green. A man whose face immediately became disgusted when he realized who he was looking at. Emilia shrunk back under his harsh gaze and looked away. "Um... I'm...I'm so sorry, I was just...trying to help this little one find his mommy and I thought you were her, and you're not her and you look really really mad, so I'm just gonna go..."

"Tch. You'd best, you disgusting waste." The man scoffed angrily, causing Emilia to flinch. He turned to walk away, only to feel something grab onto his arm, rather harshly at that. He turned to see the maid that was with the half devil looking at him with an unreadable expression. "What do you think you're doing?! Unhand me!"

"Apologize." Was Rem's response.

"What?! I will do no such thing, what gives you the right to make such a ridiculous demanAAAAND!" He cried out as Rem's grip tightened ever so slightly.

"APOLOGIZE." She reiterated a bit more firmly.

"Y-you...let go...you moronic...I'll have you executed!"

"Not before I have your wrist executed you won't." She said, increasing the grip on the man's hand. The man was screaming so loudly at this point that the commotion had gathered up a crowd. Emilia gulped. This audience...it made her feel uncomfortable.

"Ah! Alright, alright! I'm sorry! Please! I don't wanna hand! Please let goOOOOO!" He continued to scream when Rem crushed it with even more force.

"Like you mean it." She hissed out.

"Rem." The onie felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Emilia, who was frowning softly. "Please let him go. It's okay.

"Emilia... He was saying such awful things to you..."

"I know. But two wrongs don't make a right. Let go of his wrist. It's okay." Rem hesitated, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. And so she released her grip on the man, who ran away cradling his injured hand, snivelling and whimpering. Emilia looked around at the crowd and nervously squeezed the small boy in her arms. "Um... Is this child's mother among you, by any chance...?" She asked with a small, sheepish smile, shrinking in on herself slightly from the stares she was receiving.

Rem sensed her discomfort and stepped in front of her. "We've been trying to help the child find his mother. He's lost. If she is amongst this crowd, please come forth, your son misses you."

"Sweetie!" A woman suddenly yelled out. "I'm here! Mommy's here!" She yelled.

"Mommy!" The boy jumped out of Emilia's arms, and ran over to his mother. The two embraced immediately, crying tears of joy in unison.

"I'm sorry, mama." The boy cried. "I-I didn't mean to lose you."

"It's okay, honey." The mother assured him. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have let you go. I am so sorry."

"Awwww." Emilia said, clasping her hands. "They're so sweet together."

Rem smiled and nodded her head. The child was now pointing at Emilia with a wide beaming smile. "The pretty nice ladies helped me look for you!" He chirped innocently, causing Emilia's eyes to widen before glistening with tears.

"P-Pretty...nice lady... Rem, he called me pretty, he thinks I'm pretty, Rem, he doesn't think I'm a gross evil freak of nature, he likes me!" Emilia was so overwhelmed by emotion that she latched onto the maid and cried into her shoulder comedically loud.

"Oh, there there, Emilia, it's all right." Rem assured her friend, gently patting her back. The mother seemed to be approaching, and Rem tensed up instincitvely, ready to leap to Emilia's defense should the woman prove to be ungrateful.

"Thank you." The woman said, tears streaming down her eyes. "I cannot express my gratitude to you enough if you hadn't taken him with you, I...I shudder to imagine what would've happened to my boy, all alone." Emilia's eyes subtly widened. Was this what gratitude looked like?! She...she liked it. She liked it a lot!

"Th...thank you. I...um..."

The woman bowed her head in gratitude again and thanked her once more. And then, she and her son left, the boy waving back to Emilia, who smiled and returned the gesture. Emilia turned to Rem with a wide, beaming smile. "Did you see that, Rem?! She was happy! She didn't hate me!"

Rem smiled. "Well of course. You helped her. You gave her a reason to like you. Doing the right thing will lead to desireable results."

Emilia beamed. "I'm gonna help everyone I can from now on! I'm gonna prove to them all that I'm nothing LIKE her! Just you wait!"

Rem nodded her head. "Well... Perhaps we'll find someone else in need as we do our rounds."

"Mhm!" Emilia nodded. "Onwards! Let's help people! Banzai!"

"Banzai." Rem said emotionlessly.

Emilia sweatdropped. 'So cold.'

And so, the pair continued on their little trio through the city. Rem allowed Emilia to look around for people to help, while she stayed off to the side and did her original job, that being collecting groceries. "Hmmm...these (po)tatoes seem fresh, judging by the-" Suddenly, she felt something grab her wrist, and before she could think, she was yanked backwards.

"Come on Rem! I just found someone else who needs help!"

"Oh, okay, but can it wait until I've...Oh, all right..." Rem simply tossed the coins needed to make her purchase to the merchant and took the tatoes she was holding with her as she allowed herself to be dragged along. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, a little girl's cat got stuck in a tree, and I need someone on the ground in case the poor thing falls out while I'm trying to grab it. If it falls, you can catch it!" Emilia explained. Rem nodded her head in understanding.

"I see, I see. ...I hope the cat is friendly, I know they can be absolutely nasty towards people they're not familiar with."

Emilia tilted her head. "Oh, it'll be okay! I know how to win the cute little thing over! Just let it sniff my fingers a bit and it'll be putty in my hands!" She declared confidently.

"...Well, maybe, maybe not..." Rem murmured.

"Oh, there it is!" Emilia ran to the little girl. "It's okay, sweetie, I found my friend and now I can get the kitty down!"

"A-alright." The girl nodded. "B-but please be careful! Tubby can be a bit prickly."

"Aww, don't you worry about us." Emilia assured her as she ruffled her hair. "I'm sure Tubby will like us. He will be alright in a jiffy." Having said that, Emilia moved to climb on the tree. Having done so quite a lot in her childhood, she was practically an expert. Rem however didn't know that.

'How did she climb up so fast!' She exclaimed in her head. 'She was on the bottom a few seconds ago, and now she's almost at the top! In a few seconds!'

Emilia clambered onto the branch the cat was on, and he promptly puffed up and let out a low warning growl. "It's okay, kitty, I'm just here to help you!" She assured the cat gently, reaching her hand out to it. "C'mere, just let me help you-"

The second her hand came near the cat, all hell broke loose as the feline immediately latched onto her and started scratching her face relentlessly, causing her to cry out in surprise and pain. "AGH! NO! BAD KITTY, STOP, I JUST WANNA HELP, GET OFF ME!"

"Tubby! Bad! No! Leave the nice lady alone!" The little girl called out. Sadly (for Emilia), the cat didn't listen to it's master. It continued to violently scratch at the half-elf, who was screeched loudly as her face was mauled by the feline.

"GAAAAAAGH! STOP IT! BAD KITTY! BAD KITT-OWOWOWOWOW GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GWT IT OOOOOFFFFFF!" She screamed, the cat's assault forcing her to step back. Right over the edge of the branch. "Ah! AH AAAAAH!" She cried, the cat hissing with her as they both plummeted towards the ground.

Now, at this moment, Emilia expect several things. Hitting the ground in a painful way. Smacking branches along her fall. Getting buried in the soil to observe the cool bug she just found.

She didn't expect to land in a pair of arms. Bridal style.

She opened her eyes slowly to see that Rem was cradling her in her arms as the cat lay perched safely atop her head, still growling before it hopped off and landed in the little girl's arms, much to her delight and relief. Rem was looking down at the half-elf with great concern. "Emilia, are you all right?"

Emilia found her face feeling very warm all of a sudden. 'Rem has...really nice eyes, they're so...blue and clear and pretty, and...oh, she's really worried about me, and... why...why's my heart beating so fast right now? I...I must still be reeling from the fall, that must be it...'

"Emilia?"

"Um... Yes! I'm...I'm okay! I'm perfectly fine, thank you, Rem, you saved me, and you also saved the cat!"

"Yeah, she caught you and then moved her head so that Tubby would land on it, it was so cool! Thanks for saving Tubby! Sorry he scratched you up like that..." The little girl said softly.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, it's just a few scratches, they'll heal before you know it!" Emilia assured the girl with a smile.

"Okay! Thank you, pretty lady!" The girl hugged her purring kitty close, happy to have her friend back safe and sound, and went back into her house with him.

Rem looked down at Emilia with a concerned frown. "I had a feeling you would get hurt... Here..." She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, and gently dabbed at Emilia's face with it.

"EEP! That STINGS...!" Emilia hissed.

"I know, I'm sorry, just bear it, it'll help the scratches heal faster..." Emilia allowed Rem to dab at her face, doing her best not to flinch, until she was finished. Rem set Emilia back down on her feet and let out a sigh. "Honestly, I really do need to keep an eye on you."

"I-I'm sorry..." Emilia murmured softly, looking down.

"It's perfectly fine, Emilia, I'm just a little bit concerned, you seem to get yourself into less than favorable situations frequently."

"I know..."

"Well... I suppose it doesn't matter for now. We still have more shopping to do, come along." As they walked, Emilia questioned herself. Her heart was still beating pretty quickly. Surely she would had to have calmed down from the adrenaline by now? And why did it only get faster when she looked at Rem?

'Hmmm, don't focus on that now! People need help!' And so, Emilia forced herself to push the weird feelings back, even if they did pop up on a few occasions. Her eyes diligently scanned the streets around her, looking for anyone who might need their help. And because of that, she would end up missing a few things. Like, say, the box just under her feet.

"K-ah!" Emilia squeaked as she suddenly fell forward, having tripped over the wooden box. She hit the ground face-first, with birds flying around her head.

"Oi! Watch your step! Those are my new porcelain vases!"

"Oh, sorry, so sorry, I didn't break any did I?!" She asked frantically. Rem sighed at the half-elf.

"You sure are accident prone today..." Emilia pouted and crossed her arms.

"Well... Sometimes it's just like that, okay?" She huffed.

"I see. Well... we're just about finished with the shopping..."

"Rem, look... That merchant looks like he's struggling a bit." Rem tilted her head, then looked to see a man, rail thin, seeming malnourished, that seemed to be desperately trying to get the disinterested crowd to buy some of his wares. It seemed he was selling quash, and from the looks of it, it wasn't in the best condition.

"Oh dear. It seems the conditions to grow his crops were not favorable." Rem murmured.

"Please, I know they're not great, but I can give you a discount, my son is starving, just buy one, that's all I ask! Half off! Just ONE coin!" The man was pleading with passersby.

Emilia frowned, opened her satchel to see how much she had from her own allowance, and then stepped forward. Rem tilted her head. "Is she going to...?"

Emilia placed her money down on the stand. "How many will this get me?"

'She really is!' Rem exclaimed in her mind in surprise. She seriously underestimated just how generous and kind Emilia really is. That only made the fact that she treated her so harshly before sting even harder. With Emilia, the merchant spotted the half-elf and the money she carried. He looked over and gasped.

"Th...this..." He looked at Emilia.

"M-may I ask for a name?"

Emilia tilted her head. "Ummm...Emilia."

"Miss Emilia..." The merchant began. "This...this could buy you the entire stock!"

Emilia perked up. "Okay then! I'll take it all! Um... I'm... not sure how I'm gonna carry it, but..."

Rem approached with an abandoned crate she found. "Put them inside." She instructed. Emilia beamed and began the process of placing the squash into the crate, the vendor helping as well, thanking Emilia profusely for her generous donation. Rem watched Emilia's bright, smiling face and she found herself smiling as well. It was kind of cute how happy she was to have helped this man when he needed money the most. And so, the pair of them were walking back home, Rem carrying the crate of squash while Emilia carried the other bags.

"...So um... I know we can't do much with that squash, but... I just couldn't let that man's son go hungry..." Emilia murmured.

"We can't do much with the squash?" Rem turned to Emilia with a tilted head. "Nonsense. I've already identified thirty six different dishes I could prepare with this. Even if it isn't in the greatest condition... a skilled cook can make anything taste delicious."

Emilia nearly dropped the bags she was carrying. "Th-th-thirty six?!" She half-stuttered half-screeched out. "You identified...that many dishes...in a few minutes...just from some SQUASH!?"

Rem tilted her head again. "I don't see what's the problem. It's pretty normal for a maid like me to be able to identify dishes from just one ingredient."

"Yeah, but THIRTY SIX! Thirty six different dishes for one, single, not even that fresh ingredient!"

"That's nothing. I already know of 2327 different and delicious dishes for the soon-to-be stale fish in our fridge."

Emilia stared at Rem in pure disbelief, and the maid giggled into her hand. "I'll make something with it tonight, to show you precisely how capable I really am." Emilia's shoulders drooped.

"Rem is...amazing... Just... incredible..."

"Why thank you, Emilia."

Present...

"...Rem... Can you help me to understand those feelings I had towards you that day...? They... They haven't left me ever since, and every time I ask Puck he gets weirdly pouty and says I'm just overthinking things."

Rem blushed. '...She...Could... Could Emilia be in...'

She shook her head, and then let out a soft sigh. "I may be able to shed some light on this, Emilia... Because... Because I've felt similar feelings when I look at you... For you, it began when I saved you from physical danger. For me... it began when you saved me from mental anguish while my sister wasn't available..."

Flashback...

Rem awoke within a flash.

Her eyes blinked open as her face scrunched up in disgust at the smell of something...burning?

"H-huh?" She groaned, her shpulder feeling oddly sore. "Where...am I?"

...

"Ah!

She looked around as her vision cleared, coming face-to-face with the sheer destruction of...well, *everything.*

"Wh-what?" She said fearfully. "Where is-ungh!"

Suddenly, the pain in her shoulder spiked up. She went to grab her shoulder, only to suddenly feel something...wooden.

She slowly turned her head to look, and her eyes widened when they landed on the broken body of an arrow.

One that was currently lodged in her shoulder.

Suddenly, Rem felt something inside her chest. Her hand went to touch her chest, when she suddenly spat out blood.

Turns out the arrow was lodged in her lung.

She fell to the floor, eyes wide, and mouth spewing a warm and red liquid. She grabbed her chest as she began to spasm.

"M...mom...dad...R...R... big sis...Ram..."

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. tears forming in her eyes as she trembled violently. She heard them... Their voices... They were laughing, they were speaking the word of the witch, they were killing everyone without an ounce of remorse!

She hated them... HATED them! She wanted to kill them, but she couldn't move, why couldn't she move, these were small wounds, she should be able to fight, WHY COULDN'T SHE MOVE!

Her parents. Screaming. Screaming... They stopped screaming. They were dead.

Eyes opened. Saw her sister... Her horns were severed... She fought. It didn't help. The smile... She smiled again... Why? Why?! WHY?! WHY WAS SHE SMILING?! She was a bad sister, she watched it a second time and she reacted the same way!

Bodies... Bodies everywhere... Make it stop...

"Rem!"

Make it STOP!

"Rem, please!"

MAKE IT STOP!

"Rem, please, wake up!"

Rem shot up with a sharp gasp, and ended up knocking heads with something. She looked around frantically, none too fazed by the sudden impact, and then she remembered where she was. The Roswaal Manor... Safe... It was just another dream...

She looked over... Usually her s*** would wake her, but she wasn't home, so who...

Emilia. She was sitting on the side of the bed. Looking at her with a weak smile. Nursing a small bruise on her forehead. The spot where she had accidentally headbutted her.

"Oh thank goodness, Rem. Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"E-Emilia, you...I'm...I'm SO SORRY, Emilia, I...I hurt you..."

"No, no, you didn't mean it, it's okay, it was an accident, I understand!" Emilia was quick to reassure her. "I'm WAY more worried about you, Rem... You... I heard you crying in your sleep, and... I had to come and help..." She scooted closer and pulled Rem into a hug, gently stroking her back. "That must have been such an awful dream to make one of the strongest people I know feel such fear... I'm so sorry you were scared, Rem..."

Before Emilia could continue, she was wrapped up in a tight embrace, the sheer strength making her cough a little. "P...please...don't apologise...it's my fault...it's all my fault...I'm a...a mon...ster..." Emilia returned the embrace with her own, slightly less but still quite tight hug. She began to rub circles into the maid's back, letting her sob into her shoulder."

"Hey. None of that." She said. "You're not a monster. Never were. And never will be."

"B...but I..."

"No buts! Those are for sitting." She said. "Rem, listen. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened back then. You were a child. You couldn't have-"

"Emilia, I smiled! I smiled when...when Ram...got her horn cut off. How could you not call me a monster for that?!"

Emilia blinked. "...You smiled... Why did you smile?"

"Because I envied her... I envied her so much, she was always better than me, and...for the briefest of moments, I thought... I could finally have a chance to be the superior sibling... How...How HORRIBLE is that, Emilia? My own sister was mutilated, and I was momentarily overjoyed, even as my village burned around me and I was surrounded by the corpses of my loved ones. I SMILED at my hurt sister..."

"And then you realized it was wrong." Rem looked at Emilia with wide, tear-stained eyes. Emilia continued. "You recognized that it wasn't right to be happy about it... You can't be a monster if you know right from wrong, now, can you? You're not bad, Rem. Yes, it was wrong of you to smile when Ram was hurt. But that doesn't change the fact that you very clearly love her, and the fact that you still feel bad about it to this day proves to me that you are NOT a monster. You've done EVERYTHING you can to make up for it, and Ram doesn't hold it against you."

As she said this, she held Rem close, keeping her head against her chest as she gently stroked her hair. Rem teared up slightly. Emilia was being so tender and gentle and loving in her gestures.

"...Rem... It's been hard... Hasn't it? You've been holding a lot of pain back... I know you have... I can see it in your eyes... Did...Did you ever cry for the loss of your village?"

"I...I wanted to be strong... Like...Like Ram..."

"You don't have to force yourself to hold back just to feel stronger. In fact, I think crying will make you stronger than ever. Please don't hold this pain inside you anymore... Please share it with me, and let it all out... I'll be right here with you the whole time..."

Each word Emilia spoke caused Rem's resolve to further falter.

"Are you..." She began, hesitant. "Will you...really...?

"Hm?" Emilia tilted her head.

"Will you...really...listen to me?"

"Yes." Emilia nodded. "Every last word, cry, outburst, whimper. All of it."

"And you...you're gonna...stay with me?"

"For as long as you want me to. And even if you don't, I'm staying anyway." At that, Rem's dam finally broke down. She latched onto the half-elf's nightgown and pressed her face as firmly into her chest as she could as she began to cry loudly, the sound muffled by Emilia's chest. The half-elf smiled sadly as she gently stroked the oni's back in a soothing manner.

"I...It was a-a-awful, they...they were all dying, all around me, couldn't do anything, couldn't save them, and...and..." Rem had to stop to cry some more. "And I miss mother and father! They...They loved me, and I always thought they liked Ram more, but it wasn't true, it was never true, they...they loved me just as much and I didn't appreciate it until they were gone!"

"Yes... I'm positive they loved you VERY much... Any parent has equal love for both children..." Emilia murmured into Rem's ear.

"And I... I... Rem can't do things like she used to anymore, she was hurt so bad, and... and she... she always stayed s-strong for...for me! She...She always loved a-a-and s-supported me and I d-didn't appreciate it until she g-t m-mutilated saving meeeee!" Rem didn't say anything else, she just cried into the half-elf's chest as she held her close. Emilia teared up as well, but she maintained her composure. Rem needed her to be a reassuring, comforting presence, she couldn't just burst into tears alongside her. Still... seeing the oni like this... it broke her heart...

"There there... It's all right... You're safe now... I'm here with you... You're an amazing person, one of the strongest and smartest I've ever met... That's it... Just keep letting it out... Get all the pain out of your system, you're doing amazing..." She felt Rem wrap her arms around her tightly as she continued to sob and she smiled softly.

It took thirty minutes before Rem was finally finished. She laid in Emilia's arms for a few more seconds, sniffling and taking deep, ragged breaths before pulling herself away. Her eyes were red and puffy, prompting Emilia to grab a tissue from the nightstand and hand it to her. She took it gratefully and dabbed at her eyes.

"Thank you... I'm...I'm so-"

"Nope."

"...What?"

"You were about to apologize. I don't want you to. I helped you because that's just what friends do for each other." Emilia insisted. Rem smiled softly and dabbed the tears away.

"...Thank you, Emilia... You're... You're a true friend..." Rem hugged the half-elf again. She closed her eyes as she felt Emilia return the embrace. ...She smelled...wonderful... Like a fresh garden of white roses... And she had a very soothing coolness to her... Her ice magic made her body temperature slightly lower than average... It was like embracing a nice spring breeze. And she felt Emilia's hands gently rubbing her back. She was so tender, so gentle and loving...

Rem realized her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt warm in spite of Emilia's cool body temperature. And all she could think of right now was...was the half-elf. She felt...warm feelings towards Emilia. Did...Did that mean she...

She had just fallen in love with Emilia...?

She pulled back from the hug, then saw Emilia's smiling face, and the warm feeling grew stronger, her heart began to beat faster, and she felt like she was in a volcano with how warm her face felt. Emilia tilted her head to the side. "Rem? Are you okay? Your face is so red!"

"Um... Yes, I'm...I'm fine, I...I..." She looked down. "I...need to get some more sleep..." Emilia sighed.

"Rem... If it's okay... Since you had such a bad nightmare... I wanna stay with you tonight." Rem somehow turned even more red.

"St-Stay with me...?"

"Yeah. It'll be like a sleepover! We'll sleep in the same bed and everything!" Emilia chirped innocently. Rem's heart felt like it might give out.

'Sleeping in the same bed with her?! That's...That's too much too soon, I-' She stopped when Emilia gently laid her head back down onto the pillow. Then, she carefully, delicately, gracefully slid into the covers next to her and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close.

"There... I'll be right here for you... If you have another scary dream, I'll be right here to help you through it. Does that sound good?" She asked with a smile. Rem nodded stiffly. "Good. Good night, Rem." Emilia kissed Rem on the forehead.

The oni turned beet red at the kiss, a small, unheard gasp escaping her lips. She looked at Emilia, who was now patting her own pillow to prepare for sleep.

"There. All puffy and comfy." She remarked, before looking at Rem. "Do you want me to puff up yours too?"

"N-n-n-n-no, I-I-I'm fine." She stuttered out, still recovering from the kiss. "I-I don't like them too s-soft."

"Aww." Emilia pouted, before smiling again. "Alright then. To be honest I like 'em a bit solid too. Puffy is the best, but the other one is comfortable as well."

"R-right." Rem nodded with a sweatdrop. 'How did we move on from talking about trauma to pillow preferences?'

Emilia let out a sigh and laid down next to Rem, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in close, resting their foreheads together. "Okay... I'm gonna get cuddled up nice and close... That way those scary dreams won't come for you. Does that sound good?"

"...Y-Yes... Yes, I...Yes..." Rem breathed out.

Emilia felt her heart beating uncontrollably just the same as Rem did, but she didn't recognize WHY it was beating, she merely assumed she was tired and needed rest. "Okay... G'night, Rem... Sweet dreams..." And with that, the half-elf closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

Rem stared at Emilia for a few seconds as she slept. Her face was at peace. She looked cute when she slept. ...Rem was internally debating with herself. WAS she in love with Emilia? ...She wouldn't deny that she was extremely beautiful. And she was the best friend anyone could ever ask for... She cared. She cared with all her heart, and she wanted to see her happy and safe... She did everything she could to befriend her, even when she had been awful to her. She was strong mentally. Naive... but such a sweet, loving person... One that was determined to earn the favour of those around her, and rarely held grudges against anyone...

She was there for her. No one aside from her sister had been there for her when she needed it... At least not since their parents died... Emilia...cared...

Rem smiled softly, and closed her eyes. She accepted the fact that she was in love with the half-elf... But she wasn't sure if she would ever admit it... For now... she enjoyed the cool, soothing presence of the half-elf as she cuddled up close to her. She slowly snaked her arms around her, and as she fell asleep, she cuddled as close to the half-elf as she dared. They slept soundly that night.

Present...

Emilia giggled softly. "Ah, I remember when Ram saw us the next morning, she said something to you that made your face so red. And Puck was kinda pouty the next morning, I dunno why that was..." She looked at Rem. "You said you felt the same thing I do sometimes when I look at you. The warm face, the beating heart... What does it mean, Rem?"

Rem closed her eyes and sighed softly. "It...It means you're in love, Emilia..."

"In...love?" Emilia asked.

Truth be told, she knew absolutely NOTHING about love. After all, she WAS frozen for several years in an ice block. Amd she was an inexperienced child when it happened too.

So, safe to say, she had no idea what love like that really was.

"Rem..." She began. "How does love work?"

Rem blinked at that question. "Uuuuhh...I'm afraid I don't understand."

"What I meant to say is...how does this love thing work? I often feel the same way when I look at Ram and Beatrice, and Harry. But...when I do it with you, I get this sort of feeling like...like it's special when I do it with you. Why is that?"

Rem closed her eyes. "Well... There is a very special kind of love that one only feels when they look at someone that they...see as their significant other. It's difficult to explain, Emilia... I suppose the best way I can put it is...when you have these feelings, it means you have a deep, powerful, burning connection with the person in question that makes you wish for nothing more than to spend the rest of your life by their side... That you...look at them, and you imagine...what it would be like if they were your other half... You...may feel the desire to... to marry...them..."

Emilia blinked. "Oh... Like...Like in the books I've read...? Where a man and a woman come together... And they slowly start to find themselves growing closer and closer, and then they have a special ceremony to truly establish that they're in love and intend to stay together forever?" Emilia paused, looking down at the bed. "But... But Rem... We're both girls... Is...Is it...okay for me to feel this way towards you...?"

Rem looked at the half-elf, finding herself beginning to tear up as she smiled softly. She gently grabbed Emilia's hands and gazed deeply into her eyes. "If so... then we're both wrong." She whispered softly. Emilia blinked.

"So it IS wrong...?"

Rem giggled softly and closed her eyes. Emilia's obliviousness was so endearing. "I don't think it is, Emilia... What I'm saying is that I feel the same way towards you... As soon as I learned just how loving, kind and compassionate you were, that night when you helped me when there was no one else to do so... Emilia... That was the night I fell in love with you..."

Emilia's face began to turn red. "I-I'm heating up again...! M-My heart... It's...It's out of control, Rem, I...I... Rem, I feel so warm, and...and so excited, and happy, and... and... I... Oh... Is... Is this what true love feels like...? This is the special love..."

"The love that you share only with that special person in your life... The one you wish to spend your whole life beside..." Rem said softly.

"I...I can't calm down, Rem, what should I do...?" Emilia breathed.

"...Remember when I told you how pregnancies happen, Emilia? You thought they were from kisses?" Emilia's entire body was beet red at this point.

"Eep! Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes...! W-We can't do that here, Rem, Harry's sleeping, it's soooo inappropriate!"

Rem blushed. "N-No! No, I meant... a kiss...is for very special occasions. Occasions like this." Emilia froze up on the spot.

"Uh...Um...Oh...I...Can we..."

Rem gave Emilia's hands a gentle squeeze, smiling softly into her eyes, and the look she was giving her caused Emilia to feel an overwhelming sense of relief and comfort. The oni slowly leaned forward, and the half-elf considered leaning back, but something compelled her to do the opposite and slowly move her head closer to the oni... Emilia closed her eyes in anticipation... And then, their lips made contact.

Then life exploded.

In their minds, their eyes snapped open. As if fireworks had gone off, showering the sky in colour, their senses were overloaded with emotion.

Rem's heart beat faster and faster. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sweetness of Emilia's lips. This...this was even more beautiful than when Ram would give her comfort during a nightmare.

Emilia was in a similar situation. Rem's lips felt cold, yet refreshing, as if she had just drank a glass of cold juice on a hot summer day. Unconsciously, her hand went to Rem's face, cupping her cheek and they enjoyed this new sensation.

The kiss lasted for several minutes. The two girls were so deep in their enjoyment, that they almost (almost) forgot about Harry. Only after feeling him shift slightly did they separate.

The girls gasped, taking in deep breaths to catch some air after the whole thing. Their faces were flushed, so much that if it weren't for their hair, they would have completely blended in with the dark.

"Wow..." Emilia breathed out.

"That...was..."

Rem needed a moment to catch her breath. Emilia finished her sentence for her, gently cupping her cheek and giving her a soft smile. "...Amazing...?" She asked softly.

"Yes... Yes...It...It was amazing..." Rem breathed.

"...I...I DO feel a lot better..." Emilia said softly. "...I...I love you, Rem..."

Rem began to tear up, smiling softly. "I love you too, Emilia..." The two women smiled at each other, tearing up, before they both leaned forward and rested their foreheads together.

"...So this means we're... y'know... a couple now..." Emilia said.

"Well of course it does..." Rem said softly.

"...What do couples do?"

"Hmm... Well... I imagine we would go out and do something fun... Just the two of us..." Rem said softly.

"And leave Harry and Beatrice behind?" Emilia asked.

"Oh, make no mistake, we'll still do family outings as well... But every couple needs some time just for themselves." Rem explained.

Emilia beamed. "It DOES sound kinda nice... I look forward to when we have our chance to spend time alone together."

Rem giggled into her hand. They leaned in and gave each other another kiss on the lips, this time only lasting a few seconds. "...I'm glad I won't get pregnant, because now I can kiss you whenever I want." Emilia said.

"Yes you can." Rem chuckled. Suddenly, the small bundle between them began to squirm around, whimpering and weakly sobbing.

"Help... Hurts... Miss milia...Miss rem... Make'em stop please..." Harry pleaded in his sleep.

"Ah! Harry!" Emilia exclaimed, her and Rem quickly adjusting themselves in the bed to give the boy some space.

Emilia gently began to shake Harry in an effort to wake him up. "Harry!? Wake up! It's okay, we're here!"

Harry's face scrunched up, before his eyes snapped wide open, with him now wide awake and breathing rapidly. He looked around in fear, only to realize where he is.

He looked up and found Emilia and Rem staring at him in worry.

Then, he broke down.

He buried his face into his hands and began to sob softly. Emilia and Rem were quick to converge in on him, Rem lifting him up and Emilia embracing her from the side so that they could both give the poor crying little boy a tight, warm embrace.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry..." Rem whispered softly. "It's all right... We're both right here for you..."

"Yes, that's right... It's okay... Miss Emilia and Miss Rem are gonna keep all the scary bad stuff far, far away from you, promise." Emilia agreed. Harry cried for a few minutes into Rem's nightgown before he finally managed to calm himself, still shaking in Rem's arms.

"I was back with them, I was alone with them again, and you weren't there and they told me you left me back there because you didn't want me anymore and that you hated me and that you didn't want to look at my face and that you thought I was ugly and...and...and..." Rem silenced him by gently putting her index finger over his lip.

"Hey. Listen to me, dear." She whispered, cupping his face in her hands. "We. Would NEVER. Leave you with them. Ever."

Harry sniffled. "I-I know...but...I'm still scared...do you think...I'm ugly?"

"No, Harry." Emilia spoke this time. "We do not think you're ugly. Someone as cute as you could NEVER be ugly."

"Anyone who does is getting a mace to the back of their head."

"Hey now. No need for jokes like that."

"I'm being serious." Rem answered coldly.

"..."

"Okay, well, the point is, we don't think you're ugly, Harry." Emilia continued. "You are the most precious little angel we've ever seen. We would never abandon you. You don't deserve any of that. You deserve to be happy, and be loved."

She pulled Rem, and by extension, Harry, in closer and leaned down to kiss him on the head. "Me and Rem love you, sweetie... And so does Beatrice, and Puck, and even Pumpkin and Tabitha. We're all here for you, and we are NEVER going to leave you behind... You're family, Harry. Family ALWAYS stays together, no one gets left behind or forgotten. You're going to be okay, because as long as you're a part of this family, you'll be protected."

"Yes... Yes, Emilia is absolutely right, sweetheart..." Rem agreed softly, giving the half-elf a soft smile. "I promise you, we will protect you with everything we have... No one will ever harm you like that again and get away with it. Not as long as I'm breathing."

Harry sniffled. "F-Family...? I'm... I'm family...?"

"Oh, of course you are, honey." Emilia cooed gently. "Me and Rem and Beatrice and Puck? We all come from completely different places, but we still consider each other family, and it's the same with you."

"B-But...if I'm f-family... and... and Beatrice is my big sister, then... Wh-What does that make you and Miss Rem...?" Harry asked softly.

"...Well... what would you like us to be?" Rem asked.

Harry thought about it. ...What did he want...? ...They... They acted like... He closed his eyes and thought. Miss Emilia and Miss Rem saved him. They took him into their home. They fed him. They cleaned him. They comforted him. They gave him a better life. So... He could only think of one thing...

He looked back and forth between them. "M-Mommy..." He said to Emilia, before turning to Rem and saying "M-Mama... Is... Is that... Is that okay? I'm sorry if it's not please don't hurt me..."

'He...he said it.' Emilia thought.

'He actually said it for real.' Rem spoke in her mind.

The two girls gave each other a look, nodding once, before they leaned down, planted a kiss on Harry's head each, and then wrapped him in their arms.

"Yes..." Emilia began

"We would love it." Rem said.

"From now on...we're your moms, Harry." They said in unison.

Harry began to tear up. He had parents... He... He actually had parents again... He looked back and forth between the two of them, and they both laid down with him held snugly between them, their arms wrapped around him from either side.

"It's okay now... Mommy and mama are here, and we always will be." Emilia cooed, giving the little boy a gentle boop on his nose.

"Yes... Just get your rest, dear, we'll be right here with you to keep you safe." Rem whispered softly.

"Th-Thank you, mama... Thank you, mommy... I love you..." Harry whispered softly as he tried his best to cuddle up to both of his new mothers at the same time, wanting both of their affection equally and being unable to pick between them.

"Just fall asleep and enjoy your dreams, Harry." Emilia said, pulling the covers slightly up. "We'll be by your side the entire time."

"Mmm..." Harry nodded, feeling his eyelids slowly weakening.

He knew there was nothing to be afraid of this time though.

After all, his new moms are with him.

Rem pulled him into a hug, snuggling him into her cheat. She then felt something wrap around her, and looked to find Emilia, completely red in the face, pulling both into her own hug.

The two women smiled softly at each other. "...Rem... We... We just...became...a traditional family, didn't we...? We're...We're in a romantic relationship, and we have our adopted son too..." Emilia murmured softly, beginning to tear up.

Rem closed her eyes and let out a soft giggle. "Yes... Yes, I suppose we are..." Harry heard them, and looked at Rem sleepily, and she simply kissed his forehead. "Shhh... Go to sleep, precious, we're here..." She stroked his back soothingly, and his soft snores filled the room.

"...I...I feel so happy, Rem..." Emilia said softly. "I'm so, SO happy... I feel so...complete..."

Rem nodded. "As if a void has been filled..."

"Yeah... Yeah, like... this was just... meant to be..."

"Perhaps it was... Perhaps this is what fate intended for us..."

"Fate...has been very kind."

Both women smiled at each other before they leaned forward, their lips connecting once more.

This kiss lasted a bit longer, this time with no interrupting. Which meant they had the time to fully immerse themselves in it.

Eventually, they had to separate to get some air, but their faces weren't flushed from a lack of it.

"Ah...much better this time." Emilia breathed out.

"Are you...*pah*...saying the last one was...lackluster?"

"N-no, not at all!" Emilia said. "It's just that it didn't get interrupted like the last one, so I got to..." She looked away, practically glowing.

"To...what?" Rem asked.

"To...to..." Emilia gulped. "To enjoy the taste more. You...have really sweet lips."

Rem blushed and laughed softly as she closed her eyes. "As do you, Emilia. They taste like fresh fruit." Emilia giggled and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against Rem's. "...We became lovers and parents within the span of less than thirty minutes..."

"Yes... Things can happen very quickly, can't they? One moment you're living life as normal... And the next... everything just becomes... better..." Rem whispered.

"...I love you, Rem... It feels so good to say that... I never realized how badly I WANTED to say it..." Emilia said softly.

"...I knew how badly I wanted to say it for a year now, my love, and now I'm so happy that I'm free to share these feelings with you without anything holding me back... I love you too, Emilia... With all my heart..." The oni replied softly. The two women snuggled in closer to each other, making sure to keep Harry cuddled close, their noses touching together.

They stayed like that silently, basking in each other's affection. One, cold yet welcoming and friendly, the other strong, unwavering, yet soft and warm.

Their eyes were closed, and their mind soon became exhausted. Eventually, the small family fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

That night, they all dreamed the same thing.

A family of four.

Living in permanent peace.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

The next morning, Rem awoke slightly before the sun began to rise, then saw Emilia and Harry were asleep in the bed next to her. The events of the prior night came flying back to her, and she began to tear up slightly with a wide smile on her face.

She gently cupped the half-elf's face and stroked her cheek, and she responded by subconsciously reaching over and grabbing her hand, letting out a content hum and gently nuzzling it in her sleep with a smile. Rem laughed softly. She was so cute...

Still... She wanted Emilia to help her make a special breakfast for everyone. And she decided to give her... her lover a special wake-up call. Slowly, the oni leaned forward, and then she gently pressed her lips against the half-elf's own.

At first, Emilia had no idea. She simply chuckled in her sleep at the sudden sensation, which she very much liked. Then, she opened her eyes, which instantly widened at the sight of a red faced Rem giving her a deep kiss. That said, she wasn't about to let it all go to waste. She closed her eyes and continued the kiss, letting herself melt in the delicious taste. They stayed like that for a while, before eventually separating to get some air.

"Ah...ah..."

Rem chuckled. "Good morning...my love."

Emilia squealed as her hands covered her face. "Aaaah, I can't believe this is real!"

Rem smiled and closed her eyes, giggling softly. "Yes, it is a bit surreal, isn't it...? I certainly wasn't expecting to confess my love to you last night... But I'm very glad I did... And I'm even more glad that you reciprocated..." Both women exchanged a hug.

Then, it was time to get out of bed. They changed into their day clothes, Emilia's usual attire and Rem's maid outfit. "So um... Do we wake Harry up?" Emilia asked.

"No... I want us to work together to prepare a special breakfast for him... This is a truly momentous occasion, Emilia. Not only are we together, but we're also parents now... We need to celebrate this with a very special breakfast." Rem explained.

Emilia perked up. "Oh! Good idea! And we can tell Beatrice and Puck all about it!"

Rem laughed softly. "I get the sense Puck may not be entirely happy."

Emilia pouted. "Hmph... Well he needs to stop being so overprotective."

"He cares about you, Emilia." Rem said. "He is your father figure after all."

"I know that." Emilia answered. "But...he can be so overbearing sometimes. Like he doesn't give me any freedom whatsoever."

"I can understand that much. Roswaal rarely let us out of the mansion, though that was mostly because he didn't want anything to happen to us."

"Yeah...speaking of caring..." Emilia said, looking at Harry. "I'm sure he'll be scared when he realizes we aren't around. What do we do?"

Rem tilted her head to the side. "Hmm..." She approached the sleeping boy slowly, then leaned down and kissed his forehead before giving him a gentle nudge. Harry jolted and looked around wildly, sitting up.

"M-M'sorry, I'll get to work, I'll-" Rem cut him off by pulling him into a gentle embrace and stroking the back of his head, softly shushing him.

"It's okay, Harry, it's just mama..." She said soothingly. "Mommy and I are going to go and make breakfast... We just wanted to let you know so you're not scared if you wake up and we're not in the room..." She gently laid the boy back down. "Try and get some more sleep... One of us will come and get you when it's time to eat." She kissed his cheek.

"Oh... M'kay... Love you mama... Mommy..." Harry mumbled before closing his eyes again.

The two girls observed him for a minute, processing what he said.

"So...we really are..."

"We're parents...we're really parents..."

Emilia couldn't take it. She walked around the bed and embraced Rem in a tight hug. "I can't believe it. I always thought I was going to be a parent with a man...a king...but you're way better."

Rem blushed at the sweet praise, and returned the hug. "I'm glad you think so, Emilia."

Emilia let out a soft squee and gently nuzzled Rem's face. "I'm soooo happy you love me back, Rem, seriously..." The oni returned the gesture with a small bashful smile.

"I feel the same, Emilia..." She gave her a quick peck on the lips and the half-elf squeaked slightly before giggling. "Now come on. Let's go and make breakfast."

"Okay!" Emilia saluted, and happily followed along behind her girlfriend with a delighted giggle. When they made it downstairs, Emilia looked around with a tilted head. "So, what do you wanna cook today, Rem?"

"Well, first let's see what's in the pantry." Rem replied. "Hmm... This mixture looks promising... Pancake... mix...?"

"Pancake mix? That sounds good!" Emilia chirped, looking at the label. "...Hey, did they charm this stuff to be in our reading language?"

"Thankfully so. It comes with instructions. I'm unfamiliar with this recipe, so we'll have to follow it to the letter..." She looked over at the fridge. "Hmm..." She pulled it open. Some eggs would do nicely as well... And some bacon too perhaps. And there was also a bag of what appeared to be tatoes, chopped up into smaller chunks. ".Hash browns..." She read aloud.

"Ooh, those look crispy." Emilia said, before putting a finger on her chin. "Tatoes seem more like a lunch food, though."

"No one says they can't be for breakfast too." Rem responded. "And these "hash browns" seem easy on the stomach, too."

"Hmmm...a buffet consisting of...pancakes, bacon, and hash browns...easy on the stomach, but still filling enough for breakfast."

"Seems good enough."

Emilia nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it. Ooh, I can't wait to taste more new food!" She said, clapping in excitement.

Rem laughed softly. "Indeed. I just need to properly read over these instructions, we wouldn't want to botch anything..." Emilia looked over the pancake mix and frowned as she read the instructions. "Oh... Um... The oven... It's that... thing with the flat top, right? Um... And then... the pre-heat... Um... Oh my goodness this place is strange..."

Rem looked over with a tilted head. "Oh? Here, let me show you how it works." She took the package of pancake mix, read the instructions for all of ten seconds, and then promptly gathered the required utensils before expertly setting to work.

"...How do you already understand exactly how this thing works? It's so... confusing and metal!" Emilia exclaimed.

"A great maid can work with anything she's given." Rem replied simply as she effortlessly poured in the required amount of batter into the pan. "Emilia, would you crack some eggs into the pan in front of you? I'd say two for each person is the ideal way, so ten will do the trick."

"Okay!" Emilia nodded. Using all Rem had taught her, she easily cracked the required amount of eggs and stood back as she waited for them to cook properly.

"Well done, you've learned well." Rem said with a smile. Emilia beamed with pride.

"Alright. Now for the next step..." Rem stopped to take out the pancake and place it on the plate, before placing more batter. "...you should work with bacon."

"Okay." Emilia nodded enthusiastically. She placed the large chunk on the chopping board, taking out a knife.

"Now remember, you need to cut them into thin, but not TOO thin, almost transparent strips. If they're too thick, they'll be hard to chew on, and if they're too thin, all you'll get is a fried feather." Emilia listened intently, following the maid's instructions closely. She sliced the bacon into strips, just how Rem told her to, and ended up with twenty strips in total. "Two for each. Perfectly balanced. You're doing great!"

Emilia let out a soft squee and clapped her hands together excitedly. "I had a great teacher!" She said happily, causing Rem to let out a soft giggle as she continued her share of the work. The rest of their cooking went on like this, with Emilia expertly following Rem's instructions, until finally, every inhabitant of the house had a plate of food, with the cat dishes being filled as well.

Rem let out a content sigh and nodded her head. "Excellent work, Emilia. You're a very fast learner." She praised the half-elf, who was glowing at this point.

"Thank you, Rem!" She chirped. "Now, it's time to wake up Harry!"

"Yes. But first..." Rem grabbed Emilia's chin and pulled her into another kiss. Emilia blinked, but giggled into the kiss and closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink deeper into it.

The two of them didn't hear the footsteps coming into the kitchen, and so didn't notice when a sleepy Beatrice walked in with Puck on her shoulder, the latter cleaning himself with his paws. "I smell cooking, I supp-" Beatrice froze at the sight of Emilia and Rem passionately making out before her.

Puck noticed it too, and he stiffened up, fur standing on end. "No.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yelled as he flew off of Beatrice's shoulder and directly at Rem at full speed. His sudden shout prompted Emilia and Rem to break their kiss just in time for Puck to fly at Rem's face and deliver a series of fast and rapid punches.

Which might have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that he was doing so with his squishy little cat paws, which only left Rem standing in place, blinking as she watched the great spirit pounding at her face with his paws with comical tears streaming down his face.

"No! No! NOOOOOOOO!" He wept, completely undignified and not caring the least bit. "She was so innocent! You ruined her! You ruined my precious little baby!"

Rem simply stared blankly. 'THIS is the supposedly strongest spirit in the world?' She thought.

"Puck, what do you think you're doing?!" Emilia said, hands on her sides.

"Ah, Lia!" He said, flying over to her and inspecting her. "Are you okay? Did she do anything? Did she touch you somewhere? Do you feel warm? Did you do the deed? Tell me you're okay Lia!!!"

Emilia sighed and closed her eyes before she grabbed Puck by the cheeks and began to pull on them. "That's quite enough out of you, Puck. Rem and I confessed last night that we're in love with each other. She helped me recognize these feelings. I felt them for a long time, and you told me that I was just tired or hungry or something else like that! Well now I know that all this time I've been in love with Rem! Why didn't you teach me about love, Puck? Why don't you want me to fall in love?"

"Cush I dowant oo ta gwop oop!" Puck whined, his voice muffled by Emilia pulling on his cheeks. "I wammted oo to sty incent frever!"

"Puck, you know you have to let me grow up at some point, right? I need to have life experiences like this. I can't be sheltered forever. You lied to me about where babies come from, and you lied to me when I was in love with Rem, and I'm suspecting you've probably lied about a bunch of other things too. But Puck. I LOVE Rem. And I WILL be showing that love every single day, whether you like it or not. So. To answer your questions. I was the one to initiate our first kiss last night. She kissed me awake this morning and it was the best wake-up call I've ever had. She uh... might have touched my butt a little just now..." Rem tensed up and blushed. She hadn't even realized it! "I feel VERY warm and VERY happy. And um... no, we didn't do... that thing she told me about. But... I'd like to... someday..." She admitted shyly.

After receiving this info, Puck then reacted the same way any other sensible father would. That is to say, he went limp as a ragdoll. "Ah! Puck!" Emilia gasped, adjusting him in her hand. "Puck! Are you okay? Wake up!"

Rem sweatdropped with a shaky smile. "I, uh...think he fainted."

"Huh? But why?" Emilia asked. "Was it something I said?" Rem shrugged.

Suddenly, a flash of fur leapt up in front of her, causing her to yelp in surprise, and when she looked back at her palm, Puck was nowhere to be seen. She looked over to see that once again, Tabitha was holding him by the scruff of his neck. She padded over to the corner of the room, laid down with him and began to lick him, as became her usual routine. Emilia sighed and closed her eyes. "Well... He had to learn it eventually, and he needs to understand that he needs to let me grow up and mature." She said firmly. Rem smiled at the half-elf and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, you're absolutely right, Emilia. He coddles you way too much, you need more life experience to truly make it in this world. You've done very well all things considered, but there's still so much more for you to understand-"

"Ahem! Don't act as though I'm not here, I suppose!" Both women blinked when they realized Beatrice had seen it too.

"Ah, right!" Emilia exclaimed. "Sorry. We didn't mean to ignore you."

"Hmph! Just try not to do it again, I suppose." She said, flicking her nose up, and walking over to the table, sitting down, and looking at them expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for, in fact? Bring the food out!"

The two girls blinked. "Uuuh...you're not...gonna say anything?" Emilia asked.

"About what?"

"About...you know..." Rem gestured between herself and Emilia. "Us?"

"I don't see why I should, I suppose. It's not my problem."

"But...aren't you surprised?" Rem asked.

"Oh, please. I noticed the signs from the moment you returned from that grocery trip. You were so obvious it was hilarious how you didn't notice it sooner."

Both girls turned red at that. They exchanged a glance. Were they really so obvious that everyone noticed... EXCEPT for them? Rem knew that her sister was aware of her feelings for Emilia, she had given 'subtle hints' in the past, but Beatrice too?! Rem shook her head. "Yes, well... Harry... also called us his mothers last night for the first time." Beatrice perked up slightly, an eyebrow raised, but didn't have much of a reaction beyond that.

"Well, it was inevitable, I suppose. Mother did tell me that you were his mothers in this timeline, in fact."

Emilia blinked, then smiled widely. "Heeeeey..."

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Beatrice asked.

"If we're Harry's parents, and you're his big sister... Then that means you're also our daughter, and you have to treat us with respect!" Emilia declared triumphantly, one hand on her hip as the other pointed at the little spirit, who just stared at her with a flat expression on her face.

"...Believe what you must, I suppose. I've no intention of playing into such a ridiculous delusion. I know who my mother is, and it most certainly isn't either of you. Need I remind you I'm several centuries your senior, I suppose? Respect your elders, in fact!"

"Awww, come on!" Emilia said. "Wouldn't you like to have parents out in the real world just like you do in the dreams?And besides, people will definitely see you as our daughter if they see me and Rem with you and Harry."

"I could care less what those idiots on the street think, in fact! Echidna is my mother, and that's final!"

"I'm sure Echidna would want you to have someone you could call a parental figure when you're not in the dream world. She'd probably tell you to relax and enjoy your life a little. Wouldn't it be okay to at least play along and see if you like it after a while?" Beatrice went to answer that, but stopped. That...actually did sound like something Mother would say. Or at least, THIS more considerate version of Mother. Would...would it really be okay?

Beatrice pouted and crossed her arms, looking away. "It's weird, I suppose!" She declared. "I've never seen you two as parental figures, you've been acquaintances! I can't just suddenly believe you're my mothers!"

Rem looked at Emilia. "Now, Emilia, we mustn't push her, I can understand why she wouldn't see us in that light. I'd imagine she's... Harry's half-sister to us. She has her own mother, separate from you and I, yet she's still Harry's elder sister. Therefore... I do believe that makes us... her aunts."

Emilia perked up. "Oh! Okay! I can work with that! Beatrice, I want you to call me Auntie Lia from now on!"

"No."

Rem shook her head in bemusem*nt at Emilia's crestfallen expression. "Perhaps it's best we simply leave this be, dear. Now, why don't you go and wake up Harry while I serve everyone their breakfast? And... attempt to get Puck back from Tabitha..." She gave the cat an annoyed look, which she responded to by looking at her and holding Puck closer in her forelegs.

The two met eyes, and electricity flashed between their gazes. Tabitha hissed, holding Puck even closer to her. Rem's eye twitched, small arcs of lightning flashing around her forehead, a small spike slowly forming. Beatrice and Emilia looked at the two, Emilia with a slightly nervous face, and Beatrice with caution. "Uuh...I'm gonna... go get Harry now." She quickly said, before zooming out of the room, leaving Beatrice alone with two beasts. The spirit just gained a blank face.

"Why do I always get stuck with the problematic ones, in fact?

Back upstairs, Emilia slowly opened the door to see Harry was still fast asleep, innocently sucking his thumb as he slumbered. "Awwww..." She cooed at the sight, smiling warmly. "He looks like an angel..." She didn't even want to wake him anymore, but she knew she had to, so she sighed and begrudgingly knelt down and scooped him out of the bed into her arms, giving him a squeeze. "Harry... It's time to wake up for breakfast, sweetie..." She murmured, jostling him lightly.

"Hmm...?" Harry groaned softly, looking around in confusion at the room before rubbing at his eyes with a quiet whine. "Mmm... G'morning, mommy..." He mumbled softly, leaning his head against her shoulder. Emilia giggled and patted his back gently.

"Good morning, dear, did you sleep good?" She felt him nodding against the crook of her neck. "Good... Are you hungry? Rem and I made a yummy breakfast to celebrate you calling us your mommies!"

"Oh...that...wasn't a dream?" He asked. "You're...really my mommies?"

Emilia nodded. "Mhm! We're officially your parents now."

Harry looked up at Emilia in silence. Then, he jumped up and latched around Emilia's neck. "Mommy! I have mommies!" He exclaimed, feeling like he's about to cry.

"Oh!" Emilia gasped slightly caught off guard by Harry's sudden hug. She then smiled and returned the embrace with equal affection. "Yeah. We're your mommies now..." She still couldn't believe it. Her, a parent! And with a wife instead of a husband to boot! This was way different than what she was taught. And yet, Emilia still found herself liking this way more than the typical version.

She couldn't really imagine herself married to anyone other than Rem... She felt something... so special about the Oni, something that she couldn't describe... Add little Harry to the mix, and she was just so... overwhelmingly happy. ...Hmm... Rem wasn't technically her wife right now... They needed to have a wedding. But... They didn't really have many people to invite to one...

'Maybe it can be a small wedding? Just us, and our little family. We can invite Dumbledore and his friends too, as well as Ms. Figg.' A smile appeared on Emilia's face. "Yeah...I think I would like that."

"Huh?" Harry looked up at Emilia. "Did...did you say something, mommy?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Just me talking to myself. Nothing special sweetie." She adjusted him in her arms. "C'mon. Mama is waiting us downstairs with the food."

"Okay mommy." Harry said with a small smile, cuddling up to Emilia as she softly stroked his hair with a smile.

"You're so cuddly..." She cooed, kissing the top of his head. "I'm so, SO glad we got you out of that awful place, you deserve SO much better than what you had to deal with over there, poor thing..." Harry looked up at her.

"Th-Thank you... mommy..." It was clear he was still getting used to being able to call her that. "I...I'm happy now... I think... I dunno... I'm still kinda scared, but... I...I feel a bit... less scared... kinda..."

Emilia giggled. "I'm glad you feel that way. Everything is gonna be okay from now on! No more yelling, no more fighting and no more hurting!"

"LET HIM GO ALREADY! YOU'RE A COMMON HOUSE CAT! HOW ARE YOU THIS STRONG?!"

MROOOOOOWW!"

Emilia blinked when she set foot into the kitchen to find Rem and Tabitha were in the middle of a tug of war, with Puck acting as the rope, the great spirit still limp and defeated from Emilia's earlier revelation, his tiny feline body stretching out as both maid and cat yanked as hard as they could, all while Pumpkin stood between them, periodically batting at the limp Puck, and Beatrice was on the floor laughing and clutching at her sides at how ridiculous the whole scene was.

"Ummm..." Emilia began, but her words died in her throat when the chaos just got louder. Beatrice continued to roll on the floor in laughter, even coughing a few times for losing her breath, before resuming her cackling. The tug of war seemed to have only gotten more painful for poor Puck (who was thankfully still out cold so he couldn't feel any of it). Eventually, it did end. It ended by Tabitha having enough and letting Puck go, causing him to slam into Rem's face, making her stumble backwards and plant her head into the sink.

Rem stood still for several seconds, submerged in water from her head to her shoulders, before she finally pulled herself out of the sink, soaked to the bone, her eye twitching in pure annoyance. "...I hate that cat." She declared as Tabitha smugly laid down with Puck and continued grooming him.

Emilia rushed to Rem's side and carefully set to drying her off with a towel. "Oh, Rem, are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Yes, my pride is the only thing that was harmed..." Rem sighed, her expression softening when she saw her son was awake. "Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"

"Hi mama." Harry reached out for Rem with his tiny hands, and Emilia handed him over with a smile. Rem took him into her embrace and gave him a gentle squeeze, smiling softly before pressing her lips against his forehead.

"Ah... Now why can't YOU be as sweet and loving as Harry?" Rem asked Tabitha pointedly. The cat simply looked at her with what she just KNEW was a glare despite the limited capacity for facial expressions cats had.

Harry clutched at Rem's apron. "Tabitha's not trying to be mean. She just wants to be a good mommy to Mr. Puck. Like how you and mommy have been good mommies to me." He said innocently.

"I know." Rem sighed out. "But Puck still needs to be around Emilia. He's her spirit, so he needs to be by her side." As if she knew what Rem just said, Tabitha hissed towards Emilia as well, before taking Puck and running out of the room, back into her basket. Emilia blinked.

"And what the heck did I do?!"

"She probably sees you as a danger to Puck." Rem shook her head. "Cats are such good mothers. Part of what makes this one so bothersome."

Emilia's cheeks puffed out as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I am NOT a danger to Puck! I just need a little bit of space every now and then, that's all." She said with a pout. Pumpkin sat down at her feet and meowed up at her and she smiled and picked him up. "Aww, you're not a little troublemaker, are you, Pumpkin? You're a sweet little kitty." She cooed. Pumpkin mewled and playfully batted at her nose with his paws, causing her to giggle. "You kitties need your breakfast too, let me fill your bowls up!" Emilia chirped, making her way to do so.

Beatrice had finally managed to calm down. Rem sighed. To the little spirit's credit, she HAD been making an effort to call Tabitha over to her, it's just that she was struggling to do so between the unstoppable laughter. The little spirit rose to her feet. "Well then. This has been an eventful morning, and we've yet to even eat our breakfast yet."

Rem smiled. "Ah. Yes. I made something special for breakfast, Harry. It's to celebrate the fact that... well... Emilia and I are your mothers now..."

"Thank you mama!" Harry tilted his head. "Um... But... If you're my mommies, does that mean you're married like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon...?"

"H-huh?" Rem perked up, confused and flustered. "Married? Already?"

"No, not yet, Harry." Emilia said, chuckling. "We haven't had a real wedding just yet. We need to date a little first, before we start thinking about that."

"Oh...so..." Harry asked. "You're my mamas...but...you're not married..."

"Yeah, it does get a bit confusing, hehe." Emilia rubbed her head sheepishly.

"But rest assured, we're still your mothers, Harry." Rem said, putting a hand on Emilia's shoulder. "Even if we never get married, though not to say we won't, we'll still be your parents, regardless."

Harry smiled and cuddled in close to her neck. She laughed softly and gently patted his back. "Now then... We really do need to go and eat breakfast... We wouldn't want it to get cold now, would we?"

"Oh, right. Um... But Puck..." Emilia looked over at Tabitha, who narrowed her eyes into slits as she held Puck protectively.

"Tabitha." Beatrice called out, prompting the cat to immediately hop to her paws and rush over to her. Beatrice extended her arms and caught Tabitha as she leapt up to her, smiling and gently scritching under the tabby's chin as she purred.

"...How are you so GOOD at that?!" Rem exclaimed. Beatrice stuck her nose up in a smug manner.

"Well, I'm just naturally gifted with cats, I suppose." She said.

"Well, that means Puck is free now..." Emilia went and scooped up her father in one hand, trying to wake him by poking and prodding at him. "Puck? Puck, come on, time to wake up now... Puuuuck..."

Puck groaned out weakly, his head lifting up slowly as he came to.

"Whah? Ow...why does my back feel like a rubber band that was stretched to it's limit?" Rem winced. Maybe she should've been more careful with how she was handling Puck. Even with his existence as a great spirit, she imagines it must still be painful to be pulled like that.

"That, uh...that was me..." She spoke up. "I got into a tug of war with Tabitha, and pulled on you too hard."

"Huh?" Puck said, still groggy, before his eyes landed on Rem. Suddenly, he remembered what happened earlier...

"Uuuuuggh..."

...and promptly fainted again.

Emilia gave him a flat look, walked over to the sink full of water, and casually dropped him inside of it, waking him instantly and causing him to fly right back out, coughing, sputtering and spitting. "Heeeey, what the heck, Lia?! What'd you do that for?!"

"Cause you're being a drama queen, Puck! Me and Rem are in love and I'm happy and that should be okay with you! You want me to be happy, right? Well I'm VERY happy that me and Rem are together, I've loved her for a reeeeeally long time and I didn't even know it cause you kept trying to convince me I was just hungry or sick or something else stupid like that!" She crossed her arms over her breasts. "You kept so many secrets from me because you didn't want me to grow up, but I'm a woman now, I'm not a little girl. You HAVE to let me grow up, Puck. I NEED to learn and understand all the things you kept trying to keep me sheltered from. I'm not a little girl anymore, and it's time to stop treating me like one."

"I...but...but I...ah..." Puck struggled to get any kind of word out, unable to come up with anything to counter Emilia's arguments. Realising he had no way of winning, he slumped, his ears falling down. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Emilia tilted her head.

"I'm sorry. It's just that...I'm your father figure, Emilia. And just like every other father, it hurts to see their kid grow up and develop. They, just like me, want their kid to be a kid forever. I guess I just...have a hard time accepting your development because I want my little Lia back."

Emilia took a deep breath and smiled softly. "That's never gonna happen!" She declared happily. Puck winced at that. "I'm happy you care so much, Puck, but it's time for little Lia to be big Emilia! I'm ready to grow and mature, and I hope you'll be there to support me every step of the way!"

Puck chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "You got it, Lia."

"Good! Now, first say you're sorry to your new daughter in law for hitting her."

Puck turned to Rem with a small smirk. "Sorry for wailing on ya back there, Rem. Hope I didn't mess you up too bad." He said with a wink.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll live." Rem replied with a small sigh and a light smile.

"And now... Meet your new grandson!" Emilia gestured to Harry.

Puck's ears perked up at that. Of course! He forgot the most important part of it all. He flew up to Harry, before landing into his arms and nuzzling into his chest. "Hi Harry! I'm your new grandpa!"

Harry got confused at that. "Grandpa? But...Mr. Puck is a kitty...how are you my grandpa?"

"Puck is basically like my father." Emilia said. "He's been by my side ever since I grew up, and he's been taking care of me like a parent. So, since he's my father, that makes him your grandfather!"

Harry processed this for a moment, before hugging Puck close with a smile. "Hi, grandpa Puck!"

"Heya there, grandson! Lia, you're gonna have to get me a little rocking chair and a cane and a big fake bushy beard so I can properly look the part." Puck said, looking over at Emilia from his spot in Harry's arms.

"Wait, what does that make Tabitha...? Is she my great grandma now...?" Harry asked, confused.

"No. Cause she's not my mom!" Puck huffed, sticking his nose up.

"Aww, don't say that, Bubby, you'll hurt Tabitha's feelings!" Beatrice cried out, hugging Tabitha protectively.

Emilia blinked. "Wait, if Tabitha thinks Puck is her baby, and I'm Puck's daughter, then does that mean she's my grandma...?"

"Dear, you're thinking much too deeply about this, Tabitha is just being difficult." Rem sighed, squeezing Emilia's hand. "Besides, I'm almost certain most cats consider themselves the parent."

"Huh...so she would see me as her kitten?"

Rem sweatdropped. "Again, too deeply."

"Ah...right. I guess you're right. Hehe." Emilia rubbed her head sheepishly.

Beatrice huffed. "Can we please get to the eating portion of the morning? I'm starving, I suppose!"

"Right. Almost forgot." Rem nodded. She went back to setting up everything for breakfast, while Emilia took Harry into her lap, and sitting him down with her. Rem soon placed several plates on the table, before setting down the pancakes she made from the mix.

She'd found a small package of chocolate chips inside the bag, and had decided she'd sprinkle them in as well, Emilia perked up when she saw them. "Oooh, little bits of chocolate melted into the pancakes!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Yes, I know you love your sweets, dear. As do you two." She nodded to Beatrice and Puck. "And I'm sure you'll love it as well, Harry." The maid reached over and gave the boy an affectionate head rub. "Now eat up. Wouldn't want it to get cold now, would we?"

Beatrice was excitedly bouncing in her seat as she was given her dish of food. "Thank you, I suppose!" She said excitedly before digging in. Emilia smiled gratefully at Rem, then speared some of Harry's pre-cut food onto his fork. "Okay, Harry, open wide!" Harry obediently did so, and she gently fed him the portion of pancake. He chewed, then swallowed, clearly pleased with the taste, and Emilia giggled. "Good, huh?" He nodded eagerly. "Good! I helped Mama cook today, so I hope you enjoy it! Now, that's one for you..." She took some of her own breakfast. "And some for me!" She put it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed.

She went on like this the rest of the meal. One forkful of food for Harry, and then one for her, so on and so forth, until breakfast was finished.

"Man, that was swiftly done, eh?" Puck said, patting his belly. He had helped himself with some of the pancakes, having enjoyed every bite. Rem's cooking was just that good.

"Yes." Rem nodded. "Just goes to show how my skills haven't dulled. Emilia helped out too, so the food turned out even better." She spoke as she collected the plates and went to wash them.

"Correct in fact." Beatrice said. "By my approximation, it would take you growing older than 80 for your cooking to worsen."

"Aww, I appreciate the compliment, Beatrice." Rem giggled in amusem*nt.

Beatrice looked away with a soft huff and a light blush, clearly shy about handing out compliments to people. She was used to being standoffish, so treating others with kindness was very new to her, but it was what mother wanted her to do.

"Oh... Beatrice, have you had any more dreams about your mother?" Emilia asked with a tilted head. Beatrice blinked, then closed her eyes with a soft smile.

"Well... Yes... Just last night, I suppose..." She said softly before grimacing. "It was rather awkward to start with, it seemed she summoned me accidentally while she was very passionately kissing the witch of wrath and they didn't notice I was there for ten minutes even though I tried everything possible to get their attention."

Rem and Emilia blinked at that, their faces turning slightly red. "U-um...how...passionately?" Emilia asked.

Beatrice raised a brow but answered nonetheless. "There was...a lot of noise, I suppose-"

"Let's not talk about that in front of Harry, please." Rem interrupted her.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Just uh...curious...yeah..." Emilia said, rubbing her head sheepishly. She definitely didn't want any pointers for Rem.

Beatrice sighed. "But we did have a nice visit after they realized I was there, even if they were appropriately horrified that I'd been standing there watching them I suppose..." She smiled softly. "We had some tea, and some cookies, and they told me more stories of how they came to be..."

"Aww, I'm so glad you get to see your mother again, Beatrice, you've been so much happier these past couple days!" Emilia said with a bright smile.

"Yes... I... feel as though I've gotten the closure I needed... And I'm reassured that mother still cares greatly for me... Even if... she herself didn't realize it at the time..."
Beatrice closed her eyes. "What she did hurt me, but... she wishes to make amends and be my mother once more... And... I wish to give her that chance..."

"You're not that different from me and Emilia then." Rem remarked.

"Ah, yes. You two hated each other for a while."

"Yes. And just like I was willing to give Emilia a chance to prove that she's a good person, you are willing to give Echidna a chance to prove that she can be a good mother."

"Indeed." Beatrice nodded. "Although, she could have chosen a less...overbearing partner. That Witch of Wrath nearly broke my spine when she hugged me when we met in the dream."

"Umm..." Harry began. "Why did mama and mommy hate each other? I thought they loved each other."

Emilia and Rem exchanged a glance and smiled at him. "Well, you see, Harry, no one loves each other as soon as they first meet. I... was a naive child when I first met your mommy, and I harshly judged her just by the way she looked..."

Harry blinked at that. "But... But why? Mommy's so pretty! She has pretty white hair and pretty purple eyes!" He asked innocently with a small pout. Rem giggled into her hand as Emilia let out a soft squee of delight and kissed her son on the top of the head.

"Yes, Emilia is beautiful, that's for certain, but she also... looks a lot like someone else I know. Someone very, VERY bad that has caused a lot of pain to not just me, but just about everyone I've ever met... And I judged her for looking like this person."

"Oh. But... she's not that person. She's mommy... So... she's good... right...?" Harry asked softly. Rem nodded her head.

"Yes. You're absolutely right, sweetie... I learned that I was wrong when she continued to show me kindness no matter how cruel or harsh I was towards her..."

"And I NEVER hated Rem." Emilia piped up. "Not even ONCE. I wanted to be her friend so bad, and I just kept trying until I finally managed to make friends with her. And in the end... friendship became love!"

"Oh...I'm happy." Harry said. "I...don't want mama and mommy to hate each other. I don't want you to fight..."

"We will NEVER do that, Harry." Rem said. "There's nothing I could ever find about Emilia that would start a fight. She's too sweet to have something like that."

"Awww, thank you sweetie."

"And she'd verbally chew me out. I wouldn't stand a chance."

"Wha-hey!" Emilia exclaimed. "Come on, you know that's not true."

Rem gave her a flat look. "Emilia, you literally chewed out Lady Krusch over her treatment of her soldiers and made her a better army general that her army actually LIKES now."

Emilia looked away and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Was... Was that really because of me...? I kinda thought she decided to make that change all on her own and it was just a big coincidence..." Rem sighed softly and gave her a smile.

"You really have a way with words, Emilia... You won me over, you talked Lady Crush out of being difficult, and you seem to know just what to say to console Harry when he needs it most." Rem said softly. "You'd have been a fine ruler..."

"Ruler...?" Harry asked.

"Oh... Um... Well... I was in the running to be... in charge of a kingdom..." Emilia explained to the boy.

"Ooooh. Like a queen?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, like a queen." Emilia nodded.

"So, would you have a shiny crown?"

"Yep! Reeeeaaally big, shiny crown with lots of gems."

"And a big chair?"

"Uhuh! The throne. Oh, I always loved sitting on it. It was sooooo comfyyyyy."

"And...does...does that make mama...a king? But...I thought only boys can be kings."

Rem laughed into her hand. "Truthfully, it's hard to say if we would actually be together if we were still in our world... It feels like... you were the one that brought us together, Harry." Harry's eyes widened at that as he looked at his mother.

"M-Me...? I made you and mommy love each other...? But... But how...? I... I just... was there..." Harry murmured softly.

"Yes. And that's all you needed to do." Rem replied gently. "You're someone that both of us love dearly, Harry... Someone that we both want to take care of and protect and nurture." She leaned over to cup his cheek in her hand. "Both Emilia and I felt the need to care for you as soon as we first met you. Our feelings for one another had been slowly growing over a few years... And because we both wished to care for you... we wound up confessing those feelings. At least... I'm certain that has something to do with it."

"It certainly does make up a large part of it." Emilia nodded.

"So...you...already loved each other, and...I helped you co...conn..."

"Connect. Yes." Rem said. "Without you, I think it would have taken us much longer to fully accept and come out with our feelings. Your light in our life is what spurred our love on."

She closed her eyes and giggled softly. "We're very lucky to have you in our life, Harry... It's as though we were always meant to be a family..." Harry's eyes widened at the realization. Two mommies... a big sister... a grandpa kitty... He... He had a family... A REAL family...

A family that treated him nice, and cared about him, and loved him... A family that didn't want to hurt and abuse and torment him... A family that took care of him and made sure he was feeling okay... He... was properly a part of a family now!

Emilia caught on to his demeanour, and she smiled softly. "Uh-oh... I think everything is hitting him..." She said softly, giving him a squeeze. "It's okay, sweetie... Just take your time to process it all, I know you're dealing with some big changes in your life..."

Harry just whimpered. But it wasn't out of fear or sadness. No, it was joy. He was happy. He was really, really happy right now.

And how could he not be? He had a family! Not one that abused him. Not one that broke him over every little wrong thing. Not one that always yelled at him.

A real family.

That actually loved him!

"Oh, dear, something's wrong. Harry, please don't cry, whatever it is, we're here. Don't worry."

Emilia looked at Rem with a smile and shook her head. "It's okay, Rem... Harry's crying because he's happy." She explained softly. Rem blinked at that, but then realized Emilia was right when she saw the light in the boy's eyes that hadn't been there the last time he broke down.

Slowly, the maid rose to her feet, as the half-elf did the same, and the two approached each other. And then, they both pulled each other, and by extension, Harry, into a tight, warm embrace. Their goal was to ensure that Harry knew they were both right there for him, to keep him safe, warm and loved.

Harry felt himself snuggle in between his two mothers. Their warmth surrounded him, and he began to relax. "There. All better, isn't it?" Emilia said, smiling gently.

"Mmm...yeah..." The three stayed like that for a short while, enjoying each other's warmth. They loved moments like this. Moments where they just relaxed and hugged each other. Emilia was always fond of hugs. Every time she was hugged or gave a hug, she would gain an inexplicable feeling of immense joy. And since it's with her new family? That joy was that much more potent.

Beatrice let out a light huff. "Well are you just going to leave me out, I suppose?! I AM his elder sister, aren't I?" She demanded. Emilia giggled softly.

"Aww, Beatrice is a little fussy." She cooed. "C'mon over!"

"Hmph! Don't patronize me, I suppose..." Beatrice grumbled with her arms crossed. Nevertheless, she walked over and reached up. "I must regretably admit that I am too small, and I need to be lifted..." She grumped. Rem sighed and lifted the little spirit up with one free arm so she could join the group hug.

"Well don't leave me out of this!" Puck exclaimed as he flew over onto Harry's shoulder to nuzzle his face.

"This is getting a bit tight." Rem said with a sweatdrop. "My arms are a bit heavy."

"I don't mind." Emilia said, before moving her arms under Rem's to hold them up. "There. I'll help you."

Rem chuckled. "Thanks, love." She planted a kiss on Emilia's cheek, causing the half-elf to blush.

"Oh, you..."

"Can you two not flirt while holding two children and a cat in your arms, I suppose? If you drop us, I'm freezing you solid, in fact."

"NO!" Emilia squeaked out.

"Uh... Beatrice, freezing's kiiiind of a sore spot for Lia, soooo if you could NOT make threats like that..." Puck chuckled awkwardly.

"Mommy?" Harry asked, concerned.

"It's all right, dear, I won't let her do that to you." Rem assured Emilia before frowning at Beatrice. "Honestly, you should know better, don't you know about her history?"

"Hmm? No one told me she's had experience with freezing solid, I suppose."

"PLEEEEEASE stop saying it..." Emilia said, shaking slightly. "I don't wanna get trapped again and wake up and find everything gone..."

"Um...did big sister put mommy in the fridge?"

Rem blinked, before chuckling in mirth. "No. It's just that Emilia once got frozen in ice for a very long time."

Emilia pouted. "I grew up in an ice cube."

"Oh..." Harry said simply. He didn't understand how mommy got frozen, and he doesn't understand how she grew up inside the ice... But she's okay now. That alone was enough for him.

Beatrice looked down in slight regret. "I...apologize then. I didn't know, I suppose."

Emilia looked away and closed her eyes. "I...I woke up so many years later, and...everyone I knew was just... not there anymore, and... it hurts to think about it, and I never want to be trapped in ice again, ever..." She whispered softly.

"I see... Very well then... I'll simply settle for blowing a gust of wind powerful enough to make your hair messy, I suppose."

"What?! No, don't do that either, it takes me a reeeeally long time to get it looking good every morning!"

"No kidding..." Rem sweatdropped. She still remembers that one morning when she had to help Emilia untangle her MASSIVE mess of a...she doubted she could call it anything at all, much less a haircut.

Beatrice tilted her head. "How? I'm pretty sure pulling your hair straight into a cascade isn't that hard, I suppose."

"As if!" Emilia exclaimed. "It hurts so much! Every end has to be perfectly straight, not a single strand must have a swirl or twist, and don't even get me started on the loose hairs that fall out." She winced. "Ouuuuu, I hate cleaning hair out of the carpet."

"Perhaps you don't understand because you never truly bother with your hair, Beatrice." Rem said. "You pretty much have the same hairstyle as always. Without change."

Beatrice huffed. "And do you think my hair is easy to maintain, I suppose? It's extremely difficult to get it curling just right, in fact! You're the one who has the easiest hair to maintain, maid, your hair is short!"

"Hmm... I suppose that's fair." Rem relented.

"Um... I can help with your hair... Aunt Petunia made me brush her hair all the time when she had to go someplace and she didn't ever tell me I did a bad job..." Harry murmured.

"Awww, that's so sweet of you to offer, sweetie!" Emilia cooed. She wanted to say no to spare him unnecessarry labor, but the thought of her son innocently brushing her hair for her was just too cute!

"Well, I guess it's not as though it's hard, grueling work..." Rem mused.

"Thank you, Harry, but I'm afraid my hairstyle is very particular, I suppose." Beatrice spoke up. "It's very difficult to get it just right."

"I-I can try..." Harry said, but Beatrice interrupted him.

"Nay, little brother. You should work on your mother's hairstyles first. Mine shall come later when you're older and more skilled, I suppose." She gently patted his head. "For now, focus on something easy. We'll work our way up as we go. Understand, little brother?" She asked. Harry's heart warned up upon hearing Beatrice call him little brother. He has a big sister. Dudley was always hurting him, and he wasn't his brother. But...Beatrice...no, big sister Beatrice was so nice to him. She couldn't be like Dudley! She was too good!

He leaned over and gave his big sister a hug. She blinked twice, then smiled and hugged him back, gently nuzzling his face. "There there, small brother, just let big sister take care of you, I suppose..." She whispered softly. Emilia and Rem beamed at each other, their eyes conveying the same message. Beatrice was doing an AMAZING job as Harry's big sister... He clearly adored her with all his heart, just the same as he did them.

"Look at you two..." Rem said, tears threatening to well up in her eyes.

"I knew it! I knew you would be an awesome big sister!" Emilia beamed, kneeling down and embracing Beatrice in a hug of her own. Beatrice blinked again. Normally, she would have grumbled while roughly shoving Emilia away, before insulting her harshly. However, that was the old her. This new her is much different. Her old self would probably scoff and deny this ever happened, but Beatrice didn't care. She returned the hug, surprising both Emilia and Rem, whose eyes widened in considerable surprise.

She pouted slightly. "Well don't look at me like I'm some unknown life form, I suppose! I'm allowed to show a more open and friendly side every now and then, in fact!" She said indignantly.

"Aww, of course you are, Beatrice!" Emilia cooed, squeezing her gently. Beatrice looked away, face turning slightly red.

"It's embarrassing, I suppose..." She grumbled softly.

"You don't need to be embarrassed over being shown affection." Rem said gently.

"I...I received it so rarely growing up... Even mother wasn't one for physical affection until very recently..."

"That just means you need to brush up on what you missed." Emilia said, before lifting Beatrice up, adjusting her in her arms, and placing Beatrice's face on her chest. "I will always be there if you need a biiiiig warm hug. So don't hesitate to ask when you want to. Okay?"

"R-right. Okay, I suppose..." Beatrice stuttered, unable to keep herself from blushing at the very comfortable position she is in currently. Seriously, not even Echidna's hug was this nice. And she was her own mother! Granted, she was barely present to give her any affection at all, but still! 'How is this buffoon such a good mother figure I suppose?!' She asked in her head.

Rem smirked at Beatrice's position as she held Harry, who now had Puck sitting comfortably on his shoulder. Tabitha seemed more or less content to let the Great Spirit be for now, as she trusted Harry with what she considered to be her kitten. "Heh... Well, all things considered, that daughter of mine grew up just fine." Puck said with a nod.

"Yes. Even if it WAS a little stifled." Rem agreed.

"...Oooh, I should have known you were gonna hold that over my head..."

"Well, only a small amount, she could have sorted her feelings and emotions out much easier if you'd been truthful with her." Rem replied.

"True...but you can't blame me for wanting her to remain pure. I'm sure your sister wanted the same for you as well."

"Yeah..." Rem nodded. "Unfortunately her efforts were for naught. I became...I don't know what I became. But..." She looked out the window, observing the patches of snow on it. "The pure little oni girl from the past is long dead. Died alongside her parents." Puck stayed silent for a moment. He blinked up at Rem, before slowly floating up until he was at eye level with her.

*bap*

He slapped the bridge of her nose with his paw.

She blinked twice as she stared at him, and he did it again. And again. And again. It didn't hurt in the slightest, it was just... strange. "...Why are you assaulting me, if I may ask?"

"Eh. Cause you're saying dumb stuff."

"I speak nothing but the truth."

"So ya grew up a bit, doesn't mean you're not pure anymore. Honestly, if Lia has to end up with anyone, I'm glad it's at least someone like you that's responsible, knows when to get serious, nice to her and won't hurt her or take advantage of her."

"I would never..." Rem hissed out.

She remembers a few times when she and Emilia were ambushed by annoying thugs who saw them as easy pickings for their "plans." Safe to say, their limbs will likely not hold anything ever again.

"And that's what gives me peace." Puck continued. "As a father, I still knew deep down that, no matter how hard I try, Emilia will eventually find someone she likes. And as her father, I promised myself I will support her to the very end. And you have no idea how happy it makes me that it's you who became her center of the world alongside Harry." He spoke, holding her face between his paws.

Rem blinked twice at that, then closed her eyes and smiled softly.

"The center of the world..." She whispered. She liked that... She really, REALLY liked that... The love of her life, their son, their... step daughter...? And three cats that were going to be the death of her. If only Ram could be here to see this too... Then her family would truly be complete, and she would be absolutely overjoyed.

"Hmmm...I wonder how I could tell Ram about this. She has been pushing me to confess for the longest time."

Puck smirked at that. "Heh. Don't worry. I can deliver her the message, if you'd like. Remember, I can travel everywhere using my connection to..."

"The Spirit Realm. I remember."

"Correct." Puck nodded. "I can go and inform her. Though ONLY if you're okay with it."

Rem gave him a nod. "Yes. Go ahead. She would definitely want to hear about this."

Puck grinned and saluted the oni. "All right! I'll head off right away!" He chirped. "Be right back everyone!" And with that, he vanished into thin air, which alarmed Tabitha and caused her to meow at the spot he had been.

"It's okay, Tabitha." Beatrice hugged the kitten close. "Puck will be back."

"Mroooow!"

"I know, I know."

"Meeeeeeeow!"

"He's not gone forever, don't cry..."

Rem's face just went flat, her eyes turning into dots. "So melodramatic..." She said in embarrassment.

"Hush you!" Beatrice yelled. "You have no idea how painful it is for a mother to lose her child!"

"That's because anyone and anything that tries to make me lose MY child will get a flail to the face. The cat is just being overly dramatic." Beatrice pouted as she hugged Tabitha close to her.

'Honestly, who does that maid think she is.' She gave Tabitha a sad look. "She doesn't understand your pain, Tabitha dear. Ignore her simplemindedness."

Tabitha purred and nuzzled in closer to Beatrice as Rem looked at her with a frown. "Cats...are strange..." She murmured softly to herself before turning away to see Emilia giggling as she held Harry close.

"Aww, don't be mad, Rem, Tabitha just doesn't understand why Puck's gone, she's just a kitty, she doesn't quite have the ability to grasp these things yet!" She said. Rem let out a sigh and looked back at Beatrice and Tabitha.

"Yes, yes, cats are not all too intelligent..."

"How dare you!" Beatrice snapped, hopping to her feet. "Tabitha is VERY smart, in fact! I even taught her to do some tricks last night."

"...Cats can do tricks? I thought that was just a dog thing..." Emilia murmured.

"Hmph! So narrow-minded, I suppose. Observe!" She pulled a piece of cat food from out of a bag and tossed it. Tabitha immediately ran after it and ate it. "Ha! She knows how to fetch!"

"...No, she knows how to eat. If she were fetching it, she would be returning it to you." Rem replied.

"Ugh!" Beatrice cringed at Rem's blunt response. Especially so since it was correct. "Darn you, oni God!" Beatrice cursed the oni deity. "Your spawn is irrefutable!"

"Someone has to be."

"Nyhhhhhhhhhhh..." Beatrice snarled. Meanwhile, as the two girls bickered, Emilia and Harry simply watched from the side.

"Um...why are mama and big sister angry?"

"Just a little squabble, sweetie." Emilia said, kissing his face. "Don't you worry about it."

He giggled softly at the kiss, and Emilia pulled him closer and gently stroked the back of his head with a soft coo. "So cute..." She whispered. Pumpkin was jealous that Tabitha was receiving more attention than him, so he padded his way over to Emilia and meowed. "Hi Pumpkin. Feeling lonely?" Pumpkin meowed and jumped up onto her shoulder to nuzzle her face. "Awww, little baby kitty parrot." She cooed. "Wanna say hi to Harry too? Here." She grabbed Pumpkin in one hand and placed him in Harry's arms.

"Pumpkin!" Harry cheered, giving the small cat a gentle hug. Pumpkin playfully batted at his face with his little paws.

"Aww..." Emilia cooed. She stroked Pumpkin's head with her finger and he lightly and gently nipped at it in a playful manner, holding her hand in place with his paws.

Emilia giggled at the playful feistiness. "Hehe, stop it, you little rascal." She wiggled her finger out of his mouth. Pumpkin tried to bite it again, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his head. He began to purr, and looked up to see Rem, petting him with a gentle smile.

"Pumpkin is so much better than Tabitha." She sighed. "He at least knows when to stop being a nuisance."

Beatrice went to angrily retort, but stopped because the oni maid was yet again right. Pumpkin was definitely easier to manage than Tabitha.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, looking down at Tabitha. "Rem just can't handle the uglier sides of cat ownership, I suppose. I imagine she's more of a dog person in fact." Rem snapped her head around with a disapproving look.

"You dare accuse me of enjoying the presence of those disruptive, drooling, loud-mouthed-" Emilia put a hand on Rem's shoulder to calm her, and it worked almost instantly as her body slacked slightly. The half elf giggled softly and tilted her head.

"Rem's had... issues with dogs ever since Roswaal had that one meeting with that noble that brought his along to the manor." She explained.

"Hair shed everywhere... Cloth and carpet in tatters... Valuables shattered to pieces and scattered all over the manor... Food stolen from right under our noses... Muddy paw prints all over the floors... Wet dog smell... Constant whining, always barking... Staring at the dinner table, demanding the food I slaved away all day on... And the drool..." Rem seethed, muttering under her breath about her pent up frustrations. "And he laughed... Lord Roswaal thought it was greatly amusing..."

She felt a tiny hand grab hers and looked down at Harry. "Um... I don't like doggies either, mama... They hurt me..." He murmured softly.

"At least you understa-wait, what?" Rem immediately stopped when her brain processed what Harry just said. "They...hurt you?"

Harry twiddled his thumbs as her looked down in embarrassment. "Th-there was...aunt Marge. She had this...scary dog, called Ripper. He was... mean to me."

Rem grabbed his shoulders. "What did he do? Tell me, please."

"Umm...he would bite me a lot...he would growl and bark...and...he always destroy my stuff with his drool." Emilia had to tighten the grip on Rem's shoulder when she heard the familiar rattle of chains.

Harry continued. "He drooled all over one of the plushies mommy and daddy left me and ripped it up, and I tried to fix it but couldn't, and Miss Figg fixed it for me..."

"Aww, that was nice of her..." Emilia said softly. Rem, meanwhile, snatched Harry away. "Um... Aww..." The half-elf let out a reaction that was half 'Aww, that's sweet' and half 'Aww, that's so sad' as Rem cuddled the boy close and stroked his hair.

"I will NEVER let that happen to you EVER again..." She whispered softly to her son. "I won't let ANY creature hurt you anymore... I don't care if it's human, dog, cat, bear, or even a divine being, I will not allow you to be hurt anymore while I'm still standing, I promise you, Harry... You can rely on me to keep you safe..."

Harry leaned into Rem's touch, hugging her with his own small arms. "Mmmm..." He thanked in his head for his mama and mommy finding him. He...he was afraid of thinking what would've happened if they didn't.

Emilia meanwhile had different thoughts. 'A dog...was the cause of some of his injuries?' She thought. Her mind went to several memories of her...old days. Back when people still hated her much more than now. Some of them would sic dogs at her, which would chase her until she left the village or town. Or until she was exhausted. Those were the worst moments. She didn't wanna think about them.

Puck thankfully usually intervened at that point... But the initial moment was bad enough... And sometimes he couldn't intervene...

Silently, she joined the embrace from the opposite side, Rem giving her a sad frown as she recognized the look on her face. Both her son and the love of her life had experienced past trauma regarding dogs... A dog free household this would remain then. "I know it hurts, Harry..." Emilia said softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that... If I could change it, I would... My poor baby..." She whispered, beginning to tear up slightly at the thought of her young, tiny son being savaged by a vicious animal in the same way she had.

"Mommy...? D-Don't cry..." Harry said softly.

"Hmm? Oh... I...I'm sorry, I didn't notice that I was... I just... I can't stand the thought of you being hurt..." She responded softly.

"I am the same." Rem replied, wrapping her arms around both. "You are both my family now. My son, and my...wife." Emilia, despite her tears, blushed slightly at that word. "And you both can bet your magic that I'm going to protect this house, and those living here, from any that would try to hurt you. No mangy, drooling mutt is taking a single step inside without an icicle in their paws." She tightened her hold on them. "So please, don't be afraid. It hurts to see the people I love in fear..." Emilia noticed a slight tremor in her tone.

Emilia's eyes widened. Rem...crying? She had NEVER even entertained the concept. Rem was too strong to cry, right?

And yet she saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes. She slowly reached over with one hand, shifting her hold on Harry to keep him tucked in one arm safely, and gently wiped the tears away with her fingers. "Oh, Rem, please don't cry... I promise I won't be scared anymore."

"Me too!" Harry said urgently. "I don't want mama to be sad!" Rem laughed softly, the tears flowing more freely.

"I...I'm sorry... I am... very sad... I'm hurt that the ones I love most in this world were harmed so cruelly by the world around them... And yet, I'm also so happy, because you completed my family... My son... The love of my life... I'm so, so grateful to you both for being a part of my life..." She took a deep, shakey breath. "I just... love both of you so much, it makes me want to cry... I know that may not make much sense, but that's simply how I feel..."

"Then in that case, don't stop, I suppose." Instead of Emilia or Harry saying anything, the surprise occurred when Beatrice of all people spoke up.

"E-eh?" Emilia stuttered. "Beatrice...you..."

"Hmph. What's gotten you so slackjawed, half-elf? I say let her do it in fact."

"What..." Rem started.

"Ugh. I hate repeating myself. Just cry, in fact. Keeping that awful sadness garbage inside you for too long with just hurt not only you, but those closest you. So cry. Spew it all out. That's what the Witch of Wrath said."

The two women and their son looked back and forth between each other. It seemed all three of them still had tears to shed for the trauma of their pasts... They made their way to the couch. They sat down. They huddled in close together in a warm family embrace. And they all began to cry.

They cried for each other.

They cried for themselves.

And they cried because they felt free.

Beatrice watched on with a soft smile. She remembered her previous conversation with her mother and the witch of wrath. It seemed Minerva's advice worked for others just as well as it did for her before she had awakened.

She remembered crying herself back into the real world. She began to let it all out, and eventually lost the ability to stop. Her waterworks just wouldn't cease.

And yet...

She couldn't find herself complaining.

At all.

It felt good. To let it all out. She only now understood what Minerva meant by "spew it all out." She definitely felt more at ease in her soul, now that everything she was bottling up had been released.

She decided to sit on the sidelines and play with Tabitha while the others had their moment, Pumpkin busy offering his condolences by curling up between them all and purring softly.

After a few minutes, all three of them had gotten the pain out of their system. Now, they sat in a group hug, holding each other close, all smiling softly, enjoying each other's presence, before pulling away. "Ah... Beatrice was right. That was most relieving..." Rem murmured.

"Yeah... I feel like a huge weight's been lifted..." Emilia sighed.

"I don't hurt as bad anymore..." Harry said softly.

"Mew." Pumpkin looked up at them all, shifting his gaze, wanting to make sure all of them were okay.

Rem sighed, chuckling as she gave Pumpkin an appreciative pet. The kitten leaned into her hand as she did so, purring in enjoyment.

"You just wanted to make us feel better, huh?" Emilia said, scratching at the base of Pumpkin's tail. The cat purred even louder, throwing it's head back and licking Emilia's fingers.

"Hehehe! Stop, that tickles." She laughed, pulling her fingers away. Harry watched as his moms played with Pumpkin. He had a smile on his face, happy that his parents weren't sad anymore. He began to pet Pumpkin too, the cat laying down and wrapping his tail around the boy's arm.

Tabitha looked over and tilted her head. Beatrice laughed softly and let her go to see them as well, wanting to see how it played out. She hopped onto the couch with them, and Rem sighed. "Just don't be a nuisance." Tabitha meowed, decided she didn't want to deal with the maid and instead turned her attention to Harry. He was a good kitten, he loved her just like her new owner did.

"Hi Tabitha." Harry said softly, stroking her head with his finger, causing her to purr.

"So, she CAN be sweet and calm, just only with specific people..." Rem huffed.

"Hey I'm back!" Puck chirped as he popped up.

"Huh?" Emilia asked. "Puck? Where did you go?"

"To Lugnica obviously." He said. "Rem allowed me to tell Ram about your new love."

"Oh?" Emilia asked. "And...how did she take it?"

Puck sweatdropped slightly. "Eheheh. I uh...kinda had to stop her from organizing a wedding ceremony. It was a bit tricky to convince her, but she eventually relented."

"Ah, that's good." Rem sighed in relief. "I'm glad that she supports our love."

"She also said that if Emilia ever breaks your heart, she's gonna rip out and crush hers with her bare hands."

Rem sweatdropped. "There it is... And did you punch her for it too?"

"Nah. I get where she's coming from. After all, that's what I'm gonna do to you if you break Lia's heart, so it kind of evens out, right?" Puck lightly knocked on the side of his head and winked with his tongue sticking out. Rem laughed softly.

"I suppose it's only natural for elder family members to bond over their overprotective nature..."

"But I don't want mama or mommy's hearts being ripped out, that'll hurt them..." Harry murmured softly.

"Ah! Please don't think about that stuff." Emilia quickly said. "That's too...uhhhh..."

"Not for children, Harry. You should wait a little until you're old enough to think about that sort of thing."

"He shouldn't think about it in the first place!" Emilia exclaimed. "That's way too gruesome for a baby!"

"Oh, come now." Rem rolled her eyes. "He's got to learn how to defend at least. I can actually teach hi-"

Emilia yanked Rem's collar. "You. Are. Not. Teaching. Him. Weapon. Usage."

Rem tilted her head and looked at her. "Well, he will need to learn to use his magic as he grows older, and that requires a wand, which would technically qualify as a weapon." Emilia closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh of exasperation.

"I suppose so, but still, not now, he's too little, it's our job to protect him, he shouldn't have to protect himself." She insisted.

"Yes, you're right..." Rem relented, smiling softly at her son before she turned back to Puck. "Did you tell big sister that I'm a mother now too?"

"Oh, you bet I did!"

"And how did she respond?"

"Uuuuuhh..."

*flashback*

"Oh, also, Rem is now a mom."

Suddenly, the air grew cold, so cold even Puck shivered. Then, the windows began to crack rapidly, some even losing a few shards.

"She is bloody what now?"

*flashback end*

"Thankfully the mansion is still in one piece. I managed to convince her that it was an adoption and not...ya know." Rem shook her head with a sigh. Her older sister was so overly protective, it sometimes felt suffocating.

Puck chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "She seemed pretty happy for ya after I explained the situation though. She said she hopes she has the chance to meet her little nephew someday." Rem closed her eyes and smiled sadly at that.

"I hope so too... I really do..." She whispered. She wished her sister could have come here with them... But then... She was very attached to Lord Roswaal... VERY attached... To the point where she was worried because it didn't seem very healthy.

Emilia tilted her head. "Wait, did she think Rem was pregnant? We haven't done... THAT yet!"

"Not in front of Harry!" Rem whispered urgently.

"Eep! S-Sorry..."

"It wouldn't work anyway, Lia, it only happens if it's a man and woman-"

"What did I just say?!" Rem hissed harshly to the great spirit, who stuck out his tongue before Tabitha noticed he was back.

A loud meow rang out. Puck noticed it in time, but was too slow to react when he found himself suddenly snatched in the soft bite of his new "mother." "Oh, Flügel darn it!" He said in annoyance. "Would you put me down already!?" Tabitha heard his loud protest, and simply meowed in a low, threatening tone. Kittens these days. Need to respect their elders. Before he could protest any further, Tabitha carried him to their pillow, setting him down and beginning to lick him.

All three girls giggled into their hands at the sight. "Heeeeeeelp..." Puck groaned in frustration as he was groomed, clearly displeased with the situation but helpless to do anything about it.

"Aww, but Puck, you look so cute when Tabitha's taking care of you." Emilia cooed.

"Lia, you're a traitor!"

"Oh, she's having a good time, just let her spoil you!"

"She's not spoiling me, she's coddling me and I don't like it!"

"But you've never been cleaner!"

"I can clean myself!"

Rem let out a sigh. "Just bear it, Puck... Tabitha is far too much of a nuisance for me to be bothered." Rem said simply.

"Finally someone who agrees!" He said, only to be interrupted when Tabitha gave him another lick, before nuzzling her face against his. "Aaaahhhh, stop iiiiit!" He whined. Tabitha took it as a sign of distress, and as any cat mother would, she placed her arm on Puck, before laying her head on his and beginning to purr. "Oh...Goooood...why does this feel so...comfy..." Puck groaned as he suddenly felt himself get woozy. No! He couldn't waver. He's the Great Spirit! The destruction of the world! Oh, screw it. As much as he hated to admit, this was too nice to pass up.

He fell asleep seconds later, purring a little himself, and Emilia giggled. "Awww, no matter how much Puck tries to deny it, he loves his mommy's attention." Emilia cooed. Rem tilted her head to the side.

"Couldn't he just increase his size to ward her away from him? I've seen him do it in the past."

"Shhhh! Don't tell him to do that, I suppose! Watching Tabitha mother him is too cute, in fact!" Beatrice huffed. Rem gave her a flat look before letting out a sigh and frowning at Tabitha.

"Well, at least SOMEONE likes you." She said flatly. The tabby narrowed her eyes at her and tensed up slightly. "Well it would appear the feeling is mutual. Fine with me."

"Do you hate Tabitha, mama?" Harry asked sadly.

"...Only slightly..."

"Aww, Rem, you don't have to HATE her." Emilia lightly chided.

"I said only SLIGHTLY..."

"Slight hate is still hate, in fact." Beatrice said. Rem's eye twitched. That cursed cat is taking her family away!

"Like. I. Said." She began, before lightly smiling and patting Harry on the head. He wasn't guilty. "I only hate her, SLIGHTLY. S-L-I-G-H-T-L-Y." She spelled out. "Does that make sense."

"And like I said..." Beatrice began again. "Slight hate is still hate nonetheless."

"Beatrice, stop before my hand *slightly* twitches and you find yourself in an ice cube."

Beatrice stuck her nose up in the air. "Hmph. I've no further words for a cat despising heathen anyway, I suppose."

"I like Pumpkin!" Pumpkin meowed at the mention of his name and Rem gave him a pet on the head, causing him to purr.

"Tabitha's not a BAD kitty, she's just a troublemaker." Emilia reasoned.

"Exactly. I cannot abide by animals making trouble in a nice clean home." Rem huffed.

"...Y'know, Harry kinda reminds me of a kitten." Emilia spoke up, changing the subject. Rem raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And how do you figure that?"

"Well... He's tiny... And he's adorable... And he has big cute eyes... And his hair is fluffy now that it's clean... And he leans in when we show him affection, just like Pumpkin does! Look!" Emilia petted Harry and Pumpkin at the same time and they both leaned into the touch, clearly happy with the affectionate gesture.

Rem nearly shattered to pieces. Such cuteness was her weakness! Why did her love have the best weapon against her? That is just plain unfair. Rem sighed, leaning down to give Harry a pet as well. The boy giggled, happy with the affection he's getting from both moms. "See? He's just like a widdle kitten!"

"That he is." Rem nodded. She had to agree with Emilia. Harry was just like a kitten. Same behavior, and same cuteness. Well, if we don't count Tabitha. The same Tabitha who hissed as if she read Rem's thoughts.

Rem simply huffed, then let out a sigh. "Well then... I believe it's lunch time." She rose to her feet. "I'll go and prepare our meal." She felt a light tug at her skirt, then looked down to see Harry, looking up at her, standing on his tiptoes so that he could just barely reach her skirt.

"Um... Mama, can I help...?" He asked softly. Rem tilted her head to the side, considering it. She wasn't AGAINST Harry helping, but she didn't want to worry about him getting hurt in the process... But she couldn't bear to disappoint him, so she smiled.

"Of course, dear." She knelt down and picked him up. "We'll prepare something nice and simple..." She turned to Emilia. "Would you like to come and help as well, dear?" Emilia smiled warmly and tilted her head to the side, eyes closed.

"I think I'll leave it to you two! This is a good bonding excercise!"

"Mm." Rem nodded, blushing slightly at the smile. "Come sweetheart. Let me show you how to really cook."

"Okay mama." And so, the duo headed into the kitchen, leaving Emilia alone with the cats and Beatrice. Rem set Harry down on the counter, before pulling out a pot and opening the book of recipes.

"So, anything specific you would like to cook, or do you want me to choose?" Rem asked. Harry tilted his head.

"Um... I don't really mind, we'll make what you think is a good idea..." The boy murmured softly. Rem smiled and gently patted his head before looking down at the book, head tilted to the side as she studied the various meals.

"Hmm... How about... Oh, this looks nice... It's called... Miso chicken ramen..." She held up the book for Harry to look at.

"It's noodles! And... some eggs... and... um... other things too!" Rem giggled into her hand.

"Let me just see if we have the right ingredients, and if we do, we'll get started." She picked him up, holding him against her side, and moved to the cupboards, opening them in search of what they needed. She was grateful to find that they had everything.

"Let's see here..." Rem began, her finger on the pages. "First soak the beans for a minute and throw them into a pot to cook." She said. "Harry, please give me that blue bowl over there." Harry nodded and grabbed the blue bowl opposite to him. He gave it to Rem, who proceeded to place the soy beans in, careful not to miss a single grain. "There. Now we let it soak for a minute." She said, leaning down to open the cupboard. She pulled out a big pot, setting it on the stove with a *clang!*

"Are you making a lot for supper, mama?"

"It's lunch, dear. And yes, if we prepare plenty, then we can keep it in the fridge for later and save some time on cooking. Honestly, that fridge is such an amazing idea for an invention, how come we never came up with anything like that in our world? Food would be so much easier to keep... Um... Anyway... Yes, we'll eat some now and save the rest to eat on other days, likely in case Beatrice or yourself get hungry and Emilia and I are not available to cook." She smiled at her son warmly. "And besides... I just enjoy trying new dishes... This may seem like quite a lot for a simple lunch, but it's a wonderful opportunity to expand my cooking knowledge. When you enjoy doing something, you want to learn as much as you can about it." She gathered the needed ingredients onto the counter as she spoke. "Cooking always was my preferred out of my many duties at the mansion back home, it's a relaxing, quiet task, it can be quite relaxing if you allow it to." She lightly booped his nose. "And you're welcome to help me whenever you wish."

"I like cooking too." Harry began. "I...used to burn and cut myself a lot, but...it was really fun. The food always smelled so yummy."

'Oh, right. He was forced to cook.' Rem remembered with a wince. 'Well, at least the animals didn't deliberately try to fry him alive...or...did they?' She shook her head. 'No. Don't think about that right now. You're having fun with your son, and nothing will ruin that. Not ever." She thought. "That's good." She spoke. "That means I don't have much to teach you. Let's try to cook together so I can see just how good you are at it."

Harry nodded his head and smiled brightly, and Rem giggled. "Now then... What do you think we should do first, dear?" Harry looked at the ingredients laid out before them with his head tilted to the side.

"Um... Maybe we should... make the soup and noodles first...?" He asked timidly. Rem smiled and nodded.

"Very good, Harry, those are the first steps, everything after is supplementary. The broth and the noodles are the bulk of the meal. Now... you can help me prepare the broth, let's begin." Harry was excited. He enjoyed cooking on his own, but now he got to cook alongside his mama! It was gonna be FUN!

"Alright, so the first thing we need are bones." She began. "We have these big ones, which are usually the ones with the best taste."

"And we need to cook them, right?"

Rem nodded with a smile, ruffling Harry's hair. "That's right! We first need to boil them." She filled a pot nearly to the brim with water, before placing the large bones one by one. "When cooked, the bone marrow inside them releases a strong taste that is important for the broth's own taste. Although that usually takes a lot of time."

She tilted her head to the side. "Although I'm not sure why these bones were in the cupboard to begin with..."

Back at Hagrid's hut, he was looking for the chicken bones he had planned to give his dog Fang, having no idea where he could have possibly put them. Oh well. A nice juicy t-bone would probably suffice just as well.

Harry watched as the bones simmered in the pot. "Wow... I thought bones were the only part you DIDN'T eat..." He murmured softly. Rem giggled.

"Well, technically you don't EAT them. You drink them."

"Huh?" Harry grew confused at that. "Drink? How...how do you drink bones?"

"Well, you see..." Rem began. "What you drink from bones isn't just any part. It's the marrow. The soft part inside the bone. It's the most delicious bit and makes up almost all of the taste in food with bones."

"Okay..." Harry said, listening intently.

"When the bone is being cooked, the marrow inside is boiled and released out of the bone as a tasty liquid that is full of various healthy vitamins, minerals and...pretty much everything healthy but tasty."

Harry looked at the bones as they simmered in the pot. "Oh... Is that what's making the water change color like that...?" Rem beamed and nodded her head.

"Yes, that is correct!" Grabbing a chair from nearby, she picked her son up and gently set him down atop it. "Now, you can stir the broth as I add the rest of the ingredients. But don't stir it too hard or too fast. Do it at a nice, slow, gentle pace... Yes, just like that, you know what you're doing already, excellent work!"

Harry smiled. "I got burned a lot cooking for Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and Dudley, so I learned how to stir it without splashing hot water on me!"

Rem's smile became ever so slightly strained. "Ah. That's wonderful to hear, sweetie." She said, internally raging against the ones that had forced this skill onto her young son.

While she did agree that it was useful, forcing it on him, who wasn't even at the proper age to be cooking, is just plain wrong. She now regretted not doing anything more to them back in that house. Deciding not to pay any further mind to that, Rem grabbed her ingredients and began cutting them up and adding them into the broth. She added some potatoes and sweetcorn, before mixing in rice for the paste. Then, came the most important ingredient. The noodles.

"Now then..." She grabbed her son's shoulder gently. "You did an excellent job on the stirring, it looks just about perfect. Now you can help me break these noodles down into smaller pieces. Here..." She handed him a small handful, then picked some up herself. "Try to get them to around this size..." With one swift, expert motion, she snapped her handful of noodles into smaller pieces. "This way, they will fit properly into the pot, and they'll cook much easier." Harry nodded, then looked down at the noodles, then tried his best to immitate his mother's motion. Rem saw that he struggled ever so slightly to break them and felt a clench in her heart. He had been so starved that he couldn't easily break something as brittle as some noodles, it actually took him a small amount of effort!

"Here. Let me help out a little." She said with a heavy heart, grabbing a pair of scissors and slightly cutting the noodles, making them weak enough for Harry to break.

"I did it, mama! I did it!" He exclaimed. Despite her earlier heartbreak, Rem smiled as she witnessed Harry's pride and happiness at his success.

"Indeed you did, darling. Indeed you did." She said, ruffling his hair. "Now, let's put them in the pot." She picked up the noodles and placed them into the pot with her own. Turning up the heat a little, she observed the pot to make sure no accident could happen, like water spilling over the edge.

"Now then... Do you know what to do with the noodles?" She asked.

"Stir them around or they get burned!" Harry said with a smile.

"Correct. Very good job." Rem praised. "You really do understand how this works." Harry looked down.

"Um... Uncle Vernon REALLY wanted to make sure I did, he yelled at me when I burned it the first time, and then...And... And then..."

"Shhh..." Rem shushed him gently, caressing his cheek. "Don't think about that right now, sweetie... He is not here, he will never be a part of your life again, this I promise you..."

"Hm...o-okay..." Harry nodded, leaning into the touch.

"Alright. Here. I'll help you stir so that you don't burn yourself."

"Okay, mama." And so, Rem grabbed the ladle and handed it to Harry. The boy adjusted it in his hands, and Rem placed her own around his.

"Now, slowly, so that the boiling water doesn't get spilled anywhere." She said, guiding his hands so that he doesn't burn himself.

She was impressed with how well he seemed to understand it, but she kept her hand firmly wrapped around his, just to be on the safe side. Didn't want her son to get burned... When she was satisfied with the noodles, she turned off the stove and smiled at Harry. "Well done, dear. Now we'll put this to the side, and we can begin work on the toppings."

Moving the noodles to the side, Rem pulled out a series of various toppings.

"Let's see..." She began. "We have green onions, Chinese spinach, fish cake, Radish, sesame seeds..." Something green caught Rem's attention. She picked it up and examined it.... "Eugh." Before putting it away. "No way I'm using seaweed."

She looked at the recipe book again. "And sometimes they even put an egg on top of it, that could be quite tasty, let's do that..." She made her way to the fridge, pulled out the carton and set everything up to soft boil the eggs.

"I can do that..." Harry said shyly. "I made all sorts of eggs... Um... How do you want them...?" Rem tilted her head.

"Hmm... We want to boil them, but not TOO much, they still need to be relatively soft..."

"Oh. Okay. Um... I think I know how to do that, you put them in the really hot water for um... five minutes I think..."

"Yes, that sounds about right. Very good, dear, let me get it set for you..." She began to boil the water and set the eggs inside. "Now, while we wait, let's add the rest of the toppings on as well..." She laid out what she decided to use.

"Alright..." She began. "We'll start by adding radish. Then, we'll move onto the green onions, a few slices of fish cake, and then we add the eggs."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

"Now, let me do this. Even if you did use a knife before, you should still sit back and watch me do it." Harry gave a nod. Rem then turned to begin chopping. Harry watched intently as his mama worked expertly on the veggies. She chopped the onions into tiny bits, and sliced neat little flat pieces of radish while also cutting up the fish cake into even smaller slices.

It was really cool just how quickly she did it, and how she didn't hurt herself even once. "You're... really good at this, mama..." He said softly. "I wish I could do it that good so I didn't cut myself..." Rem exhaled through her nostrils and smiled sadly at her son.

"Well... Someday, when I think you're ready, I would be more than happy to teach you my methods. Then you can be an expert cook just like me." She said with a wink. Harry perked up at that. Him? An expert cook that could make food easily? That sounded amazing!

"Okay, mama...!" He said, trying not to be too loud or overexcited. Rem giggled and turned back to her work, Harry continuing to watch, until it was time to get the eggs out.

"Hmm... These look like they can be used to safely remove the eggs." Rem explained, holding out a pair of tongs to Harry.

"I don't have to use my hands...?" He asked.

"PLEASE tell me they didn't..." Rem said with wide eyes, looking over his hands for any sign of permanent burn marks.

Sighing in gratitude when she found none, she responded. "No, Harry. We have these...uh..." She picked up the paper they came with. "Tongs. We have tongs to take the eggs out. We don't need to use hands at all."

"Oh...okay." H nodded. Rem handed him the tongs.

Carefully, Harry handled them with both hands. He grabbed the eggs one by one, taking them out of the pot and setting them into the bowl Rem had prepared earlier. One by one, the eggs filled the bowl until the pot was completely empty. Save for the water.

Harry let out a sigh of relief as he looked down at his hands. "That's a lot better than my hands..." He admitted softly. Rem nodded her head with a sad smile and picked up one of the eggs, looking it over to make sure it had cooked just right. "Very good. It seems we're ready to start portioning it."

And so, the mother-son duo set to putting their concoction into bowls for everyone. Afterwards, Harry went to fill the cats' dishes. Then he went back up to his mother. "D-Did I do good, mama...?" He asked nervously. Rem smiled, then picked him up.

"You did VERY good, dear." She assured him, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You're my special little helper."

"I'm...special?"

"Mhm. You are. More than you realize." Rem nodded.

"I...I..." He began, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ah!" Rem gasped, quickly embracing Harry in a big hug. Harry in turn wrapped his won tiny arms around her.

""I...I'm special...I'm...really..."

"Yes." Rem whispered to him. "You are special. The most special little angel we've ever had the lucky chance to meet."

She gently moved a strand of hair out of his eyes and smiled down at him. "From the moment I first saw you, I just knew that you were special... That you were a precious little gem that I wanted to protect with everything I had..." She leaned forward to press a kiss against her son's forehead. "You've already become one of the most important people in my life, and I've only known you for a few days... That's quite special, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry sniffled slightly and nodded his head before snuggling in closer to his mother, who giggled softly. "Thank you... I love you, mama..." He whispered softly, causing Rem to tear up slightly.

"I love you too, sweetie... I love you very, VERY much. Now come... Let's set the bowls on the table..." They did so, and Rem gently sat Harry down in one of the chairs. "Lunch is ready, everyone!" She called out. Beatrice was the first one to enter. Emilia was next, but she looked rather... dishevelled. "...Emilia? What happened, dear?" Rem asked, concerned.

"Hmm? Oh... Um... I... tried to save Puck from Tabitha... I chased her around a bunch... She... wasn't having it..." Emilia replied sheepishly as Tabitha walked past her with a pouting Puck still held by the scruff of his neck.

"At least you tried." Puck huffed. "I swear, if this continues I'm going to start asking why this cat wasn't there when we fought the Witch of Envy. Flügel wouldn't even be needed!"

"You can say that again." Emilia nodded. She plopped into her seat, sighing in exhaustion as she began to fix her hair to normal.

Tabitha meanwhile put Puck down to let him run around the house for a bit if he wants. Puck immediately flew up and away from her, angrily rubbing the back of his head.

"Agh. My fur is all wet from her tounge now." He said grumpily. Tabitha just gave him a meow.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't 'wander off too far' or whatever, thanks for the concern, 'mom'." Puck replied to her sarcastically. Tabitha hissed. "I'm not a kitten, I can take whatever tone I want with you!" Tabitha let out a warning growl. "Oh, what are you gonna do about it?" Tabitha meowed. "...You can't ground me! I'm not a kitten!" Another meow. "Ugh... Fine, whatever, I'm just gonna eat, leave me alone..."

"...You can understand what Tabitha says, I suppose?" Beatrice asked as she sat down.

"Huh? Oh. No, I'm just being goofy." Puck chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Wow, this looks yummy!"

"Oh yes it does!" Emilia chirped. "It's noodles and... soup and eggs? Wow. I didn't know that was a thing..."

"It very much is. Harry and I followed a recipe book and everything. And he was a very big help, I must say." Rem praised her son, causing him to smile happily.

"Aww, I bet he was! And I also bet he put lots of love into it, so that'll make it taste even better!" Emilia cooed.

"Huh?" Harry was confused. "How...how do you put love in food?"

"Oh, she means you put great care into making the food super tasty and perfect for everyone who eats it. And I gotta say, this dish is certainly full of love."

He munched on a piece of fish cake. "Mmmm, especially these white things with the pink swirl in the middle. Ooh, I think I just found my new favorite food."

"I read about those, in fact. They're called Kamaboko. A sort of cake made of fish. It makes sense Bubby would love it, I suppose."

Puck looked at Tabitha with a smug grin. "Bet you wish you had some of this, didn't you?" He finished off the food and stuck his nose up at her. "Sorry, 'mommy', but you're just not good enough to eat at the sentient life forms' table, so there!"

"Don't tease her, Bubby!" Beatrice protested.

"Hey, I've earned the right to tease her at this point." Puck grumped, crossing his forelegs. "She's done nothing but patronize me since the second she saw me."

"It's really cute." Emilia said before taking a bite of her ramen. Puck sulked.

"My own daughter, betrayed me..." He sighed.

"Aww, don't be so depressive, Puck." Emilia gave him several pats on the head. "You know she cares for you, right?"

"I do. It's just that I'm not meant to be cared for. I'm a powerful spirit who can turn the planet into his personal snowglobe, not a kitty to be locked by a mother cat!"

"Meow."

"You shut it!"

Rem just sighed as she observed the pair of cats bicker between each other.

'If only we'd settled for a nice quiet fish.' She thought to herself. 'Or perhaps a turtle, they're more or less content to stay in their little spots...' She took a forkful of her lunch and smiled in content, pleased with how it had turned out. "I would say this recipe is one we should keep using."

Harry smiled and nodded as he too enjoyed the taste of his ramen. "Can I help next time too...?" He asked.

"Of course you can, dear."

"Ooh! And me too! I wanna learn how to make it!" Emilia chirped, causing Rem to giggle.

"Of course, my love, we'll all prepare it together as a family next time." She assured her half-elf lover, who squeed softly and clapped her hands in excitement. 'She really is adorable...' Rem thought.

How did she find herself someone so amazing? She honestly couldn't tell you. But she wouldn't trade her for the world.

"Ugh." Beatrice remarked. "That sappiness is making my lunch taste weird, I suppose."

"Would you like me to throw it away?"

"No! No, absolutely not!" Beatrice quickly stopped herself.

Rem shrugged. "Okay then." Before continuing with the meal.

The rest of the meal was eaten in a comfortable silence. Puck lay flat out on the table when he was done, his stomach bulged out slightly from eating so much. "Ah, I am STUFFED..." Unfortunately for him, that just made him a sitting duck for Tabitha to come and snatch him up. "Uuuuuugh, leave me aloooooone..." He groaned as he was carried off.

Emilia giggled. "I'm...sure Harry will get his chance to play with Puck sooner or later." She murmured.

"It's okay. Tabitha's happy." Harry said with a small smile.

"Ha! Harry appreciates the bubbies and values their happiness, I suppose! He's the perfect little brother because he gets what's truly important in the world!" Beatrice said smugly.

"I can think of several things more important than a cat being catered to." Rem said flatly.

"And I can think of several reasons why you're wrong, in fact." Beatrice huffed.

"Really?" Rem raised a brow. "Name them then. Go ahead."

Beatrice looked away with another huff. "Figure them out yourself then, if you're so smart, I suppose."

"So, nothing then. Didn't think so."

"Hmph." Beatrice didn't say anything after that.

"Whatever." Rem finished, before collecting the plates and moving over to wash them. She turned on the tap and let the water flow, before suddenly a white hand settled on her own.

"Let me do it." Emilia said, smiling.

Rem opened her mouth to speak, but Emilia gently clapped a hand over it. "Uh-uh! You cooked for us, and now it's my turn to do the work, now YOU get to relax!" She chirped with a closed-eyed smile that Rem simply couldn't say no to. She let out a sigh and smiled at her.

"Very well, my love." She gave Emilia a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the half-elf to start giggling as she clapped her hands over her cheeks and blushed. Rem stepped out of the room, noticing Harry was moving towards the kitchen chairs, and decided to hang back a bit to see where this went.

Emilia just got started filling the sink when she heard the sound of something scraping against the kitchen floor. Blinking, she looked over to see Harry pushing one of the chairs over. "Oh, Harry, you don't have to help me do this." She assured him.

"Um... Yeah, but... I wanna..." The boy murmured softly.

"Awww... Are you sure, sweetheart?" Emilia asked gently, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Mm-hmm. I wanna spend time with you too. Just like I did with mama." He admitted softly.

"Hehe. You're so precious, you know that?" She asked.

"Mhm." Harry nodded. "Mama told me the same thing."

"Well, she's right. You're the most precious thing in the world."

"Thanks, mommy." Harry said with a smile.

"Always."

And so, the pair got to work. Emilia poured some detergent onto the sponges, gave one to Harry, and both began to scrub away at the dishes.

And as they worked, they talked. "I did this a lot back at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's... It's... a lot easier when there's two people doing it..." Harry murmured softly. Emilia tilted her head to the side.

"Oh... Um... I AM doing it right, right? I just thought that the orange stuff was something you used to clean. I couldn't decide between it and the purple stuff here..." She pointed at the bottle of handsoap. Harry nodded his head.

"Um... Yes, that purple stuff is for washing your hands, you were right..."

"Oh, good!" Emilia chirped. "And just look at you, you're such a fast little worker!" She praised.

"Um... Thank you... I... I had to be because if I wasn't..." Harry paused. Emilia stopped and knelt down to pull her son into a tight hug.

"No. Do NOT think about that, sweetie."

"But...I'm still..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Harry." Emilia interrupted him again. "NOTHING. We, will NEVER hit you. Ever. Nor will we punish you."

"R-really...?" He said, starting to sob. "You...won't..."

"Never." Emilia finished. "You are the sweetest, most polite and gentle creature in the world. You don't deserve punishment because you NEVER did anything wrong. Those people were just horrible, and didn't deserve to have you as their family."

She picked him up gently and cuddled him against her shoulder as she heard him sob a bit louder. "Aww, Harry, it's okay..." She whispered softly, stroking his tiny, frail back. "Mommy's got you..." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing softly for a few minutes before calming down.

When she heard his crying cease, Emilia put him back down on his chair and smiled warmly at him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Now. I want you to ALWAYS remember what I told you, okay? You didn't deserve any of that, they were bad people, and you're a good boy. Can you repeat it please?"

"I...I didn't deserve any of that... Th-They were bad people, and... and I'm a good boy..." Harry said softly.

"Good!" Emilia chirped with a slight giggle. "Now, let's get back to washing these dishes!"

"Mm...okay." He nodded, and so, the two returned to washing the dishes.

"Now, you have to be careful not to press the green part of the sponge too hard, otherwise you'll scratch the plate and leave damage."

"Like this?" He asked as he scrubbed away on the plate.

"Exactly!" Emilia clapped. "Great! You're doing so well!" She complimented. She giggled softly. "The only reason I know not to do that is because Rem hammered it into miy head when I was helping her with her chores one time. You can't use the rough parts because they'll scratch up the dishes. And we want them to look pretty, clean and presentable!"

"Yeah!" Harry cheered along with her. Emilia beamed and gently patted his head.

"Good boy!" And as they continued to work, they continued to talk. Emilia wanted to know as much information about her son as she possibly could.

"So..." Emilia began. "What's your favorite taste of cake?"

"...Huh?" Harry looked up at her with a confused expression.

"Uh...cake. I-I asked what's your favorite taste of cake?"

"What's a...cake?" Emilia froze up at that.

'What?' She asked in her mind. 'He...he asked...what's a...cake?'

"Ha-Harry..." She stuttered. "Do you...not know what a...cake is?"

Harry scrunched his face up slightly, clearly thinking long and hard about it, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oooooh, you mean the big thing Dudley has every year on his birthday! Um...I dunno... I didn't get any..." Emilia's eyes widened and she let out an excited gasp.

"We'll ask Rem if we can bake a cake after we're done with the dishes!" She squeed, clapping her hands together. "We have soooo many things to celebrate! Rem and I just got together, and we also just adopted you! It's a VERY special day for all three of us!" Harry tilted his head to the side. Baking a cake...? With both of his new mommies...? That... sounded nice. He'd never baked a cake before, Aunt Petunia said she didn't trust him to get it right. But if he could bake the cake and then eat it afterwards with the help of his parents, he'd finally know what the fuss was all about...

"So...I can bake too?" He asked.

"Of course! You are part of the celebration too, so there's no way you'll be left out! Not with me and Rem around!"

"Yay!" He cheered. He would finally be able to taste a cake. And one he made himself too! He just hoped his new mommies would be happy with him.

"Hey..." Emilia must've noticed what he was doing and probably figured out his thoughts. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell me what's wrong."

"Um... I... I just don't wanna do it wrong and get you and mama mad at me, I wanna do good..." He murmured softly, looking down.

"And you will!" Emilia chirped. "Neither one of us is ever gonna ask you to be perfect. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world!"

"But... But what if..."

"Harry, we're not gonna stop loving you over a little accident. It could turn out perfect, it could come out burned and ruined, but in the end, what's important is that we have fun making it! And besides... I make mistakes all the time, and no one hates me for it!" Emilia explained.

"Huh?" Harry looked at her. "You...do?"

"Mhm! I make lots of mistakes all the time!" Emilia nodded.

"Um...what kinda mistakes?"

"Well..." Emilia thought back to all the mistakes she made recently. "I once accidentally shrunk Beatrice's dress when I washed it."

"Clothes can...shrink?" Harry asked. That was a new one for him.

"Yep! I think it has something to with the material. Anyway, when I gave it back to her, she could barely breathe in it. Rem had to fix it back to normal."

She giggled softly into her hand. "Beatrice was reeeeeally mad at me, she wouldn't even look at me for a week. It was... kinda cute, she kept puffing her cheeks out and looking away with a little huff sound! Like this!" Emilia immitated the face Beatrice had made and let out a soft "Hmph!" as she turned to look away before giggling softly as Harry let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, she'd probably do it again if she knew I was telling funny stories about her, especially to her favorite little baby brother."

Harry tilted his head. "So... Are you... Big Sister's mommy too...?"

Emilia sighed. "It's... kinda complicated... Beatrice has a mother that she refuses to let go of, and I doubt she'd EVER see me or Rem as her mothers, she just sees us as... acquaintances. But... well... Her mother... She really cares about you too! Even if you... haven't technically met her..."

"Big sister's...mama?" Harry asked. He didn't know big sister already had a mommy.

But...if she already has a mommy...then...who are mommy and mama to her?

And...big sister's mommy loves him too? Is she his...

"Is big sister's mommy my grandma?"

Rem tilted her head at that question. She went to answer, but stopped and thought.

'Hmmm...well, technically Echidna is old enough to be considered his grandma...and she IS the mother of his older sister...'

She looked down thoughtfully. 'But then she's ALSO his mother in another reality, so... um...' She looked at Harry with a small smile. "Um... I'm gonna say yes, but I'll ask your big sister to ask about that next time she sees her, okay?"

"Oh. Okay. Um... Will I ever see her...?" Harry asked.

"Um... Well... I don't exactly know. It's kind of... a weird situation, sweetie." Emilia explained, patting his head.

Up in the witch's garden, Echidna's entire body was a pale ghostly white as she sat in shock for a few seconds. "G-Grandma...?! ...Minnie, please tell me I'm not that old, I'm still a young lady, right!" She pleaded to her lover.

Minerva blinked, before looking away slightly.

"Uh, you...um...are as young as a flower!"

Echidna crumbled to dust.

"I'm a hag..."

The rest of the next 3 hours was spent with Minerva trying to console Echidna and convince her that she's not an old hag.

Back in the real world, Rem raised her brow. 'Why do I feel really bad all of a sudden?'

Tilting her head, she decided to go and check up on Emilia and Harry. When she entered the room, she saw that they had more or less completely finished washing the dishes, and were now seated at the kitchen table. They seemed to be looking over something. "Ooh, this one looks super nice!" Emilia pointed at a page in the book they were reading, and Harry perked up. Curious, the Oni approached, and she saw that they were looking over a cookbook, specifically one full of cake recipes. Emilia noticed her presence and looked up with a bright smile. "Hi, Rem! I was just telling Harry I wanted us all to bake a cake together! You know... To celebrate everything that's happened! We're parents, we're... we're in love with each other and want to stay together forever, we... Well, I just wanna have a special little thing to celebrate it, do you think that's a good idea?"

"A cake, hmm?" Rem remarked. "Yes, I do believe a big cake would be a perfect way to celebrate." Stars suddenly shone in her eyes. "A huge, 1.5m cake with pristine white frosting, chocolate chips and cocoa powder covering it in it's entirety. The inside a soft, yet perfectly delicious base, made of hazelnuts and almonds, complimented with bits of cookie inside!" Emilia and Harry simply watched as Rem listed off all the details of her supposed "perfect cake." Emilia rubbed her head with a sheepish look on her face.

"Ah. Well then. It seems Rem... really likes cake." Rem caught herself. blushed slightly, then coughed into her hand.

"Um... Yes, well... I... do enjoy sweets, admittedly. I would be more than happy to bake one with you two. I would ask Beatrice to help, but she's utterly hopeless in the kitchen, absolutely unteachable. Last time I let her near a stove, she very nearly burned down the entire kitchen."

"I can hear you you know!" Beatrice called from the other room.

"And am I wrong?!" Rem called back.

"...Your hair looks stupid, I suppose!"

Rem's mind froze up in astonishment. "THAT'S the best you can come up with?"

Beatrice snarked back. "It is! It looks like a blue upside-down broken bowl that's missing a shard, in fact!" Rem shut down for a moment in an attempt to comprehend that. She created an ice mirror and took a peek at her reflection. Then the ice cracked.

"Hmmmm..." She half hummed half snarled. "She's right...if that one bit of hair in front of my other eye wasn't missing, I would look like I'm wearing a blue bowl over my head."

"I think it would look cute like that." Emilia spoke up.

Rem looked away with a small blush and smiled. "Oh. Why thank you, dear. I do prefer to have a cute hairstyle over an overly complex bunch of drills and curls that's liable to get stuck in doors!" She said that last part loud enough for Beatrice to hear.

"My hair is elegant and beautiful and you're just jealous, I suppose!"

"What about my hair?" Emilia asked innocently.

"Your hair is beautiful, Emilia." Rem assured her.

"Um... Your hair... It's... Uh... No comment, I suppose!" Beatrice said with a pout, arms crossed.

"Awww, you like iiiiit!~" Emilia squealed, leaving her chair and scooping Beatrice up in her arms.

She began nuzzling her face against the spirit's affectionately. "I always knew you liked my hair. You always gave me that weird look whenever you saw me brush it. You wanna have the same one?" She asked.

Beatrice blushed as she struggled to get out of Emilia's embrace. "Shut up I suppose! I don't wanna have your stupid haircut! All you have is a bland, long stream, while my drills are elegant and show off my skill and status above you, in fact!"

"Now that's rude." Emilia pouted. "I put great care into my haircut!"

She grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around her finger. "I spend a reaaaally long time brushing it every day... Um... I... didn't really think to do it today though, so it's a bit of a mess right now, but... I do try to keep it looking nice! Mostly..." She looked at Rem. "Does my hair look okay...?"

Rem nodded. "Better than okay, your hair is breathtaking no matter how neat it is, you don't have to worry about keeping yourself perfectly groomed just for my sake." She assured her lover, getting a smile from her.

"Again with the flirting, I suppose." Beatrice muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, just let us have our fun, you big killjoy!" Emilia said, waving her arms in protest.

Beatrice hmphed. "If you're going to do that non-stop, try to at least limit it to private places, in fact. There are children here."

Rem spoke up. "I dislike to admit but she's right. Let's keep the flirting to a minimum around Harry, lest we get too into it and say something inappropriate."

Emilia went to say something, but realized and stopped. "Yeah, you're right. Let's keep that stuff away from Harry..."

"Speaking of, I'm gonna turn every girl that ever dares break his heart in the future into my Witch Cultist Chunky Salsa special."

Emilia lightly nudged her with her elbow. "Hey, hey, none of that, we're not going to kill anyone. I mean, you can beat them up a little, but you can't kill them because I don't want you to go to prison." Rem sighed and closed her eyes.

"And just for that reason?"

"Well... I also do believe life is very sacred and shouldn't be carelessly destroyed at the drop of a hat..."

"I see. Then I'll settle for putting them in a coma."

"That...isn't MUCH better, Rem."

"Anyone who would hurt someone as pure and sweet as Harry can't be any good."

"...Okay, fair point." Emilia conceded. "But, try to be gentle at least."

"Very well." Rem nodded. "I will gently smash them into the dirt."

"Reeeeeeem." Groaned Emilia in annoyance. Rem giggled in amusem*nt. It's so fun to make Emilia annoyed. Her purity makes her hard to anger, so the rare moments when she's annoyed can be quite precious. Mostly because she sounds and looks so adorable when she's annoyed.

"Alright, hehe, alright. I won't do anything drastic, I promise. But if someone hurts Harry, I won't hesitate to return the favour. You won't change my mind on that."

Emilia sighed. "You can throw them. That is the most I will allow. You can throw them as far as you want, but that's it, I'm not letting you get yourself arrested. Now come on, let's go and get started on that cake! We gotta have it ready so we can eat it after dinner!"

Rem smiled in bemusem*nt and nodded. "All right then... Let's do it." She gently picked Harry up and carried him to the cupboard, looking around to see if they had what they needed. "Hmm... Perhaps a quick trip to the store is necessarry... We're missing a few ingredients..." She mused.

"Ooooh, family shopping trip!" Emilia said excitedly.

"And I'm assuming..." Beatrice began. "...that I will be left to take care of the house while you two are away, I suppose?" Emilia laughed awkwardly and rubbed her head. Beatrice simply shook her head with a sigh. "Figures. Well then, you'd best prepare, in fact. Go off now, I suppose." She walked away, headed towards the living room.

"I will never get over how much she has matured." Rem said, making sure Beatrice was out of earshot when she said that.

Emilia nodded her head with a small smile. "Yes, it seems reconciling with her mother has been good for her..." She looked to Rem with a tilted head. "Is it mean to leave her behind after I just called it a family shopping trip? She's family too after all..."

"She is, but someone has to keep an eye on things while we're gone. We won't be gone long anyway..." She looked at the note Dumbledore had left them with. "Now then... A small safe behind the wall with all the money we'll need... Hmm... We may as well double check and make sure there's nothing else we'll need to pick up while we're out..." She mused. "Just let me take quick stock of the kitchen and we'll be on our way."

"Kay!" Emilia chirped, watching Rem walk off into the kitchen before turning her attention to Harry. "So have you been in this world's marketplace?"

"Um... You mean grocery store...? No... I wasn't allowed to be seen..." He replied softly.

"Grocery store... Hmm... Is it like a little shop?"

"Um... I think it's a really really big one."

"Oh! Wow... Um... I don't know where we're going or what we're gonna be looking for..." Emilia realized.

Before she could ponder this, a map suddenly appeared on the table in front of them.

Emilia was a little confused, until a yell came from outside the dining room, in the hallway.

"You're welcome, I suppose!"

"Oh...um...thank you, Beatrice!" Emilia yelled back. Her response was a "Hm.", before the owner of the voice went back into the living room.

Emilia blinked, before shaking her head and examining the new map.

"Ouuuuu, this map is so detailed." She groaned. The maps in Lugnica never had this much effort put into them!

She tilted her head to the side, closing one eye and sticking out her tongue as she tried to decipher it. "How did Beatrice even know...?"

"Mother told me!" Beatrice called back.

"Oh... Um... If she's watching Harry, I guess she WOULD know, huh? Okay... Um... Ooooh... Maybe Rem can help me figure this out, it's hard, I'm soooo bad at chartography..."

"Car...cart...what's...cartophragy?"

"Cartography, dear." Emilia explained. "It's basically a skill that lets you read maps."

"Um...how do you...read maps?"

"Well, you see, maps aren't read like books. To read a map, means to be able to know where you are on the map, and then plan and figure out which way you need to go to get to where you wanna be."

"Oooooh... That sounds kinda hard..." Harry murmured softly.

"Oh, it is... It REALLY is..." Emilia sighed. At that moment, Rem stepped out of the kitchen, holding a small shopping list and looking it over with a focused frown. "Oh, Rem. Um... Can you help with this map? I'm just not sure how to read it..."

Rem tilted her head and took the map, looking it over for all of ten seconds before nodding her head and putting it in her skirt pocket. "I know where to go, dear, don't worry, just follow my lead." She said.

"Wow., just that one glance is all it took for you to get it?"

"Yes, I learned maps at a very young age. Ram and I both. It was necessarry for the environment we grew up in." Rem replied.

"Grew up in?" Harry tilted gis head. "Where...did you grow up, mommy?"

Rem cringed at the memory, preferably to not talk right now. "I'll tell you some other time, sweetheart. It's...not a story for children like yourself."

"Oh..." Harry said, nodding. He could see his mommy wasn't comfortable, so he decided not to ask anymore. He didn't want them to get mad at him. Ever.

"Are...are you sure you know?" Emilia asked. "This is a completely different environment from what both of us know. We could easily get lost."

Rem closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Yes. After all, the marketplace and the city we came from are very different from where I was born, so I'm used to adapting to different environments." She gently grabbed Emilia's hand. "And if we do get lost, then we needn't worry, we're more than capable of keeping ourselves safe."

"Yes, but..."

"Now now, dear, you mustn't worry so much, we'll simply go to the store and return home. It will be easy. I will memorize the direction we walk from, and we will find our way back home. Do you trust me, my love?"

"...Yes, Rem. I trust you." Emilia said with a soft smile. "Lead the way!" Giggling, Rem grabbed Emilia's free hand, the half-elf holding Harry in her other arm as she led them out the door.

"Now then... It seems we're going to a store in the Muggle world... That's what this strange paper is for. Such an odd method of currency..." Rem murmured, studying the pounds she was given, with a woman's face on it.

Emilia gave it a look. "She reminds me of Priscilla."

"I can see why." The woman did look like a stereotypical noblewoman after all.

"Why do they use funny coloured paper for paying stuff?"

"Um..." Harry began. "That's money. Aunt Petunia said that...different coloured paper has a...different...val...vala..."

"Value?" Rem asked.

"Yeah, value." Harry nodded.

He looked at the one Rem was holding. "Um... This is one... And... this one is five... And there's ten... And..." Emilia and Rem listened patiently as he explained the numbers of the pounds laid out before them. Rem picked them up, then recited what he had just told them in an effort to make sure she understood, pleased with herself when Harry nodded his head in affirmation.

"Very good! Thank you, Harry." She gently ruffled his hair. "You're an excellent help." Harry beamed with pride at her praise. He was helping!

Emilia picked Harry up and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before gently holding him up against her side, his tiny body leaving his legs only going down just past her ribcage. "Wow, you really are a tiny little guy, aren't you?" She murmured, booping his nose lightly.

"I am...? Oh... I am..." He looked down. "Um... Sorry for not being bigger..."

"Aww, don't apologize! I kinda like you being all tiny, it makes it reaaaaally nice to snuggle and hold you!" Emilia chirped as they walked out the door. "And you also just look really cute!"

He was?" "I'm...cute?" He asked timidly.

"The cutest in the whole universe." Emilia confirmed.

"Thank you...mommy." He said with a small blush.

"Hehe, you're welcome." Emilia responded with a light pinch of his face.

"Ah!" The two looked to find Rem running after a paper leaf, likely money, being carried by the wind. "Ah, wait!" The trio took chase after the pound. Thinking quickly, Emilia fired a spell at it, encasing it in ice and letting it fall down. It hit the ground and the ice shattered, leaving the pound safely intact. Rem sighed with relief and picked it up. "I should have seen that coming, I'm so much more used to using coins that I didn't expect the currency to fly out of my hand like that. It seems there's much about this world that I've yet to accustom myself to..." She sighed. "I'm still not certain if I can ever get used to those strange carriages..."

"You mean the cars...?" Harry asked softly.

"Ah, yes, those." Rem nodded. "How do they move without horses or earth dragons pulling them along...?"

"Earth dragons?" Harry asked with a tilted head. "Um... Do they breathe mud like normal dragons breathe fire?"

Rem tilted her head. "Hmm? Oh! Well, no... They're essentially large lizards that we use to pull carriages back home." She explained.

"They're beautiful creatures to be certain. I wish I could show you one." Emilia murmured.

"We might get the chance one day. We can keep contact with Lugnica, and Echidna did say our worlds are split with a barrier. Who's to say we can't cross it again?"

"Oh, you're right! Now I remember!" Emilia exclaimed excitedly. "You hear that Harry? We might be able to see one someday!"

"Really? I can see an Earth Dragon one day?"

"When you're a bit older. I don't trust those things around you while you're so small." Rem said. "I hope you considered that too, Emilia."

"Ah...yeah, totally." Emilia bluffed. Truthfully, she was a bit too excited to show Harry an Earth Dragon that she forgot to consider his small size. It would be dangerous to let him anywhere near any big beasts without supervision.

She sighed. "They're super big. Bigger than any horse! Um... You... probably haven't seen a horse up close, but they're pretty big animals!" Harry nodded his head.

"Would they eat me...?" He asked softly.

"No. They simply... play a bit rough." Rem spoke up. "They don't know their own strength, and so they have a tendency to hurt their masters by accident..."

"Oh... And then they get sad." Harry said with a nod.

"Yes. And then they get sad." Rem said with a soft giggle. She looked at the passing cars and tilted her head. She would have to do further research on these strange things. Perhaps she could learn how to control one. It would certainly make getting around much easier...

"Hey! I have an idea!" Emilia spoke up all of a sudden.

"Huh? What idea?"

"Seeing how we both need a better way of transportation beyond just walking...aaaand since those cars look fun...."

"You want to see if we could learn how to drive one."

"Yep! That's right."

"Hmmm...I don't know. They seem unsafe." They moved so fast! What if there was an accident? Or worse, run over a poor animal! And they're so big, so they might get caught up in a traffic jam!

Traffic jams were a rarity back in Lugunica, but here, they seemed like they were likely to be far more common and likely to happen. There was so much to consider. They were so out of their depth here... Frankly, she was more concerned about Emilia driving one of these vehicles than herself, she was confident enough in her own discipline to drive well, but Emilia... not so much.

Emilia looked at her with a pout. "You don't think I can do it!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her bust.

"Emilia, it looks like a very complex process, and we don't understand much of how this world works..."

"I'm a good learner, I can figure it out!"

"I'm not saying you can't, I just... worry... That's all..."

Emilia's gaze softened. "Rem... I'm not a child. You don't have to stress out over me." She said softly.

"I know, but I love you, and I'm terrified of anything happening to you." Rem replied softly.

"Same goes for me." Emilia said. "I don't wanna lose you like I did mother. That's why we're in this together. We'll learn everything we need to with each other. That way we can cover all bases."

Rem nodded. "Hm, good idea. I'll be glad to fix your mistakes every time you screw up."

"Was that the only reason you answered me?"

"Partially, yes."

"Awwwww!" Emilia huffed. "You can be sooooo mean! Ram at least does it less often!"

"Yeah, but hers sting a lot harder."

Emilia winced and looked down. "Ram's reeeeally mean..." She murmured softly. "She told me my head looked like a watermelon except for the bad haircut..."

"...That haircut you got WAS pretty bad, dear." Rem spoke softly.

"I just wanted to try a shorter hairstyle!"

"But your hair is so much better when it's long and flowing. You have such beautiful hair, it's a waste to cut it all away." Rem replied sincerely. Emilia blushed and twirled a lock of her hair around her fingers.

"Oh... You really think that...?"

"Your hair is really pretty, mommy... It's...shiny." Harry said softly with a smile.

"Awww, thank you sweetie." Emilia said, flustered. "I didn't know my hair is shiny."

"It is. Especially under the Moon, where it stands out the best." Rem confirmed.

"Wait, really?" Emilia asked. "Huh. So that's why people wouldn't look at me with scorn whenever I took a walk through the town on a clear night. They'd give me these wide gazes full of wonder."

"No surprise there." Rem nodded.

Emilia ran her fingers through her hair with a small, bashful smile. "Um... We'll... have to spend some time outside in the moonlight when we find the time... Maybe... eat dinner as a family outside... and then when Harry's in bed we can just... sit together for a while..." She said softly.

Rem blinked at the suggestion. "...That... sounds lovely..." She murmured softly. Her face turned slightly red at the thought of sitting next to Emilia, and cuddling up with her in the moonlight, the glow of her silver hair lighting the night, maybe sharing a kiss or two...

Okay, she wanted to do it now, desperately.

Emilia saw how eager she looked, giggled softly and kissed her on the cheek. "Aww, we'll find a chance to do it as soon as possible then!" She chirped.

"Of course... we'll have to schedule our dates to accomodate for our child." Rem said, smiling at Harry.

"Dates? What are dates?" Emilia asked, tilting her head. "Like the fruit?"

'So innocent.' Rem thought, and made a mental note to punch Puck in the face later. "Right, you don't know about dates. Haaah, how do I explain this...." Emilia tilted her head. There were other types of dates than the fruit? "A date is essentially a...let's call it hangout session, between two lovers. The couple in question either arranges a special place they spend time in, or simply enjoy what they find the most fun while walking around. To put it simpler, it's a short event specifically for two lovers to spend time together and deepen their relationship."

Emilia blinked twice. "Oooooooooh. Wow! That is SUCH a good idea! Getting a little extra time to bond with the one you love!" Emilia said excitedly. "So... Like... Is this a date...?" Rem giggled softly into her hand.

"No, dear, a date is traditionally just between the two lovers. We brought Harry with us, so in this case, it's more of a family outing." The maid replied. Emilia nodded her head in understanding and beamed down at her adopted son.

"Did you hear that, Harry? We're on a family outing! Isn't that amazing?!" She asked excitedly.

"Y-Yeah... I... I can't believe I... have a family to do outings with..." Harry murmured shyly. Emilia kissed his forehead gently and giggled.

"We should do lots of these kinds of things! Ooh, and we can also bring Beatrice along, and Puck, and then we can also have lots of dates too, just me and Rem, and we can all get reaaaally close to one another and be the happiest family ever!" It was clear as day to Rem that Emilia was utterly overwhelmed by her excitement, and she giggled softly into her hand. Emilia was honestly so adorable... She was oh so lucky to have her as her lover...

She couldn't stand still, so she moved and gave Emilia and kiss on the cheek. Emilia stopped in place, blinked in surprise, and patted her cheek with a blush. "Hehe...thanks. Here..." Emilia decided to return the favor and kissed Rem on the nose. Then on the cheek... Then on the other cheek... Soon, Emilia was planting kisses all over Rem's face. Rem waited in slight amusem*nt to finish. Emilia was always overly affectionate after all. Just one of her cuter traits.

Soon enough, Emilia stopped and giggled with a closed-eyed smile as Rem stood calmly in place, hands clasped together and looking at her lover in bemusem*nt. "Well then..." Was all she could say. Emilia looked down at Harry in her arms.

"And don't think I forgot about you, sweetie!" She proceeded to do the exact same thing to him, and he giggled and squirmed a bit in her arms as she did so. When she was done, Harry was smiling wider than she had ever seen before, earning him just one more right on the forehead.

"We're lucky you don't wear any of that artificial makeup people use to enhance their beauty, because we would both have lipstick marks all over our faces if you were. But you certainly don't need that, your natural beauty is all you truly need." Rem said softly.

"Awwwwwww, thank yoooooou!" Emilia cooed with a smile and a blush. "You really know how to make me feel special, I can't believe you really think I'm pretty!"

"You're not pretty, my dear, you're beautiful." Rem said sincerely. Emilia felt a warmth welling up inside her. She LOVED getting these compliments! It made her feel... worthy of existence!

She always wondered if she would ever have someone complimenting her that way. And now that she does, she feels like the wait was worth it. All those endless days of scorn and glares have all amounted to what she has right now. A beautiful girl she loves and who loves her back. And a son both of them love. If this was a dream, she'd slap herself awake. Although she would drop Harry if she did that. No slapping then! "And...and you're beautiful too, Rem." Emilia said, struggling to speak due to the incredible joy in her heart.

Rem closed her eyes and giggled. "Oh, thank you, my love, I always thought Ram was the pretty one to be perfectly honest..."

Emilia blinked owlishly. "Wait... You're identical twins though. You're BOTH the pretty one."

Rem giggled. "Oh? Are you saying you might have chosen Ram over me then?"

"No way! I'm WAY closer to you than I ever was with Ram! We have a special connection!" Emilia squeezed Harry gently. "And I know Harry would also choose you over Ram every time!"

"Harry hasn't even met Ram, dear. ...Although I do hope we can change this fact someday, I'd love for her to get to know her nephew..."

Emilia tilted her head. "Hmm... I don't feel right taking Harry over to our world past the great waterfall... It's reaaaally dangerous, and this place feels so much safer... Maybe we could get Ram to come here!"

"She wouldn't leave Lord Roswaal."

"...Why does she love him so much...?"

"I...I don't know, my love. I can't even begin to imagine, I've always had a strange feeling about him..."

"Hmm... Me too... I only stayed with him out of necessity, I felt like he was using me for something..." Emilia looked down at Harry. "Oh... Um... Don't mind us, sweetie, it's just grown-up talk."

"I have an auntie?" Harry asked, tilting his head. "Would... Would she like me...?"

"Most definitely." Both girls said in unison.

"Ram is particularly fond of children. She'd love you in a heartbeat." Rem said.

"And with your cuteness and sweet little face..." Emilia continued. "...I'm sure even Lord Roswaal would absolutely adore you!"

"I'm not letting him near Harry?"

"Eh?"

"You heard me." Rem said. "He may be my lord, but he is immensely disturbing. I am keeping Harry away from him at all costs."

Emilia tilted her head. "Fair enough... He IS a bit weird..."

"What's a Roswaal...?" Harry asked.

"A clown." Rem said flatly.

"Reeeem, that's not nice." Emilia chided.

"But far from inaccurate... Just... don't worry about it, dear... Ah. We've arrived. Um... This IS the place, correct?" Rem asked. Harry looked at the large supermarket before them.

"Um... Yeah... It... It looks like a grocery store... I think... I see some food inside..." He murmured.

"Okay! Let's go and get what we need then!" Emilia chirped, grabbing Rem's hand and leading her into the building. She turned to see a row of strange metallic carts. "Oh! How convenient! They give you something to cart your groceries!"

"They look like really large baskets...on wheels." Rem noticed.

"Those are...shopping carts, I think." Harry said. "They, um...carry all the stuff you buy...and...you also need to put them back when you're done."

"Huh?" Emilia asked. "But why? Is it not normal to just bring them home with you to carry everything and bring them back when you're done?"

"Uncle Vernon tried to do that once...he...he got beat up by a policeman."

"What a spineless little..." Rem muttered, causing Harry to look up at her.

"Ah, it's nothing sweetie. Just some Rem talk, that's all."

Truthfully, she was more than a little bit pleased that a police officer assaulted that disgusting obese blob of a man, he deserved every ounce of pain the world could possibly throw his way... She approached the shopping carts, and carefully pulled one out. "Ah... It moves quite smoothly..." She murmured.

"Oh look! We can put Harry in here!" Emilia chirped, setting Harry down in the front of the shopping cart. "Awww, he fits in so nicely, you look so cute sitting in there!"

Rem giggled into her hand. "It will certainly save us the trouble of keeping an eye on him. He's not going to get lost now. Now then... Let's go and get what we need..."

"And maybe we can browse around a little?" Emilia suggested. "I'm kinda curious to see just what kind of stuff they sell in this world..."

"Indeed, I myself feel the same way." Rem nodded. "Particularly about the never before seen foodstuffs I can use in my cooking."

Emilia giggled. "Hehe, you really like cooking, don't you Rem?"

The maid nodded with a smile. "Yes. It was always one of my favorite jobs back at the mansion. And to use completely new and unfamiliar ingredients is an educational experience I refuse to pass up!"

"Uh...you're getting a little...passionate, Rem." Emilia sweatdropped as the Oni gained stars in her eyes. She knew Rem loved to cook, but not to this extent!

Rem blinked twice and cleared her throat. "Ah, apologies." She murmured, clutching at her apron. Emilia giggled.

"It's fine, it was actually kinda cute, you're always reaaaally serious, it's nice to see you loosening up more!" Rem tilted her head, then closed her eyes with a smile.

"Well, I am in an environment now were I feel I can afford to drop my regal facade at least a little bit. But I can't release it entirely, one of us has to be the serious one in this relationship after all." Emilia gasped, then puffed her cheeks out.

"Hey, I am PLENTY serious!" She protested. Rem giggled.

"Of course you are, dear." She replied before giving her lover a kiss on the cheek, which caused Emilia to blush and put her hands over her cheeks with a soft smile. "Now let's go inside." And with that, she wheeled the cart with Harry seated snugly inside, Emilia following behind her, silently giggling to herself and gushing softly about how happy she was to be with Rem.

And so, the trio took off further into the store. At first, they were sort of overwhelmed. The sheer amount of aisles, shelves, products...they never had to deal with this much on the market in Lugnica. Thankfully, Harry was here. Since he was far more knowledgeable with the stores of this type, the two girls had to rely on him to guide them through the chaos. At first, they didn't want to. They didn't wanna make him do anything, as to not be a burden. But unfortunately, they had to admit they had no choice. Harry was their only way of knowing where to go and what to take. Didn't stop Rem from vowing to make an extra big dinner to make up for his help though.

Emilia noticed that Harry seemed all too happy to help, though. In fact, he seemed so proud of the fact that he was being useful to them. It actually kind of reminded her of how she'd react back in Lugunica whenever someone offered her praise for what she'd done. She had been so used to scorn and disgust that any sort of positive reaction towards her actions was enough to make her feel overwhelmingly happy, and it was the same thing with Harry. And that... was something that they needed to keep going. They needed to continue making him happy just like this.

"So, this is supposed to be some sort of...tool?"

"Um, yeah...it's uh...used for...blowing away leaves."

"Hmm..." Rem said as she looked at the massive contraption that resembled a green box with a long black pipe.

"Ooh, can I see how it works?"

"W-wait, Emilia, you shouldn't-" Unfortunately Emilia didn't listen fast enough. She pressed a button, and was suddenly blown away with a shriek, followed by a loud sound that make Rem's heart skip a beat. She quickly turned it off, ceasing the noise. "Whew...quiet." She then blinked. "Uh...Emilia? Dear? Where are you?"

A groan was her answer. Emilia was now sitting on the floor with a bucket stuck on her head, the janitor looking at her weirdly. "Uh... That's... mine...?" He said, rubbing the back of his head. Emilia immediately set to trying to pull the bucket off, but it seemed stuck tight. Now standing, she started to pull even harder. Rem sighed and went to help her lover, grabbing on.

"Hold on, I'm here... You pull at the same time I pull... Now!" Both women pulled back with all their might, and while the bucket came off Emilia's head successfully, the force sent the half-elf stumbling back towards a large stack of canned foods. "Oh dear..." Rem sighed, seeing exactly where this was going.

CRASH!

And so, Emilia found herself face-first in a pile of metal and food.

"Ooooogh..." Groaned the half-elf in pain.

"Are...are you okay?" The janitor asked in worry. "Is she okay?"

"She's taken worse, sadly, so yes. She's fine."

"Mmmmnot..."

"Oh, dear. Let me help." Rem quickly walked over and began to move the cans off, before pulling up a dizzy and bruised Emilia.

"Uughhhh...my head is spinning...."

Rem helped Emilia to her feet and hugged her close. "There there now, it's all right, you're okay..." She whispered softly into her ear. She also subtly imbued the half-elf with a small healing spell, one that would heal the worst of her injuries without giving away that she was using magic. She just felt like that was something they simply should not do in the muggle realm.

When she pulled away from the hug, Emilia beamed. "Thanks, Rem... I'm okay now..." She murmured, giving her lover a quick peck on the lips before walking back to the shopping cart.

"Mommy? You're not hurt, are you?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Mm-hmm. Don't worry, sweetie, mommy's just fine." Emilia reassured him, rubbing his head.

"She just needs to be a bit more careful in the future." Rem said, stepping up with a small frown.

"I know..." Emilia sighed.

She really hated her clumsiness sometimes. Seriously, she was a royal candidate, and she couldn't even stand on her own two feet without tripping every other minute! And she also envied Priscilla's luck. That woman must have made it her life's work to be her enemy, since she must've stolen all of her luck and made her a clumsy wreck.

"Stop sulking. You don't look pretty like that."

Emilia was pulled out of her inner complaining by Rem's voice. "Huh?"

"I said..." Rem lifted Emilia's head with her finger on her chin. "...stop sulking. You don't look pretty like that."

Those words just made Emilia sulk even more. "Awwww..." Rem sighed.

"It seems that was the wrong thing to say... You're always beautiful, Emilia, but I don't like to see you upset."

"It's Priscilla's fault, she turned me into a klutz!"

"...How did she make you into a klutz?"

"With... With... I don't know, somehow!" Rem chuckled and hugged her.

"It's all right, dear, I'll always love you even if you do slip up frequently."

"Ah, but I don't wanna make you any more trouble..."

"It's no problem, Emilia." Rem said, patting her head. "I can take any kind of trouble you bring. No matter what."

"Are you sure? But..."

"Enough buts." Rem interrupted her. "Keep those for sitting. Point is, do. Not. Worry. I can do it. All of it. So do not be afraid to mess up a little."

"Aaaaaaah..." Emilia squealed with tears and threw herself around Rem in a big hug. Rem blinked in surprise, but smiled and returned the hug.

As this was happening, the janitor watched them with a smile.

"Ah, young love."

He returned to his work as Harry watched them interact with a tilted head. It was nice to see his mother being reassured when she'd slipped up and made a mistake. When HE made a mistake, he never got this kind of nice, gentle treatment... Well... Not from the Dursleys anyway... He was at least reassured by the idea that his new parents would... PROBABLY react more or less the same way if he made a mistake and messed something up. ...He hoped so anyway...

After they had their moment, the group went back to shopping, Rem pushing Harry along in the cart as Emilia looked around at the shelves, in awe at everything.

"Woooow!" Emilia zoomed over to a huge mirror next to the cosmetics stall. "Look at this! The mirrors back in Lugnica were never this shiny! They had better designs and frames, but this one is so clear!"

"It looks difficult to maintain though." Rem remarked. "I can't imagine the torture the poor person cleaning this is going through trying to maintain it."

"Yeah, it looks pretty expensive too!" Emilia said. She went to touch the mirror, before noticing Rem giving her a "Don't you dare." look.

"Uuuh...didn't mean to do anything! That's right! Nothing! Hehe..."

Rem grabbed her by the arm and lightly pulled her away. "Look, don't touch." She said simply. Emilia pouted, and obediently took a few steps back, looking elsewhere in the store.

"Hmm... Ah, more furniture... These couches are nice!" Emilia took a seat on one of the couches in question. "Hmm... Strange... What does this do...?" She pulled a small lever on the couch.

"Emilia, maybe you shouldn't-" Rem's words were cut off when the couch abruptly slammed shut on her.

"Hm!? Hmmm! Hmmmmmph mhhhhh!" Came out the tiny terrified squeaks of the half-elf now trapped inside the couch.

Rem just looked at the object, before sighing in exasperation. "What a troublesome girl. I clearly said not to touch, just to look." Approaching the couch, she opened it up, letting the silver haired girl out with a gasp.

"Ahhh! I thought I was gonna suffocate!" Said Emilia. Looking up, she found an upset looking Rem looking down on her wife with her arms crossed.

Rem sighed and extended her hand to her lover, who shyly accepted it and looked down in shame. "I'm sorry..." She said softly. Rem shook her head.

"Honestly, dear, if you don't know what it is, you mustn't mess with it. Especially with the foul luck you've had thus far."

"Oh, but it's all so interesting, Rem, this place has things you could never dream of seeing back home in Lugunica!" Emilia exclaimed, a couple passing shoppers giving her a weird look as they walked by.

"...Do be careful, we're supposed to be blending into this society." Rem whispered. "And you can't touch things without knowing what it might do, that could cause damages and lead to us having to pay for it..."

"...We need to learn about this stuff though, don't we? One of us has to get a job, right? We need to support our family." Emilia said. Rem blinked twice.

"Ah. Yes. A fair point... We'll need to work..." She murmured. "But where WOULD we work...?"

"Hmmmm...somebody needs to stay home and take care of Harry." Emilia said. "Beatrice is there, yes, but she's not exactly a good cook, so there's no guarantee she can make edible food for Harry."

*meanwhile with Beatrice*

The spirit looked up from petting Tabitha and gained a confused expression on her face.

"Why do I suddenly have an urge to cook an incredible dish with incredible spite behind it?"

*back with the family*

"Hmmm...maybe Dumbledore could help us with that?"

Rem tilted her head to the side. "Hmm... Yes... He's the headmaster of a school, perhaps it needs someone to keep it tidy..." She murmured. Emilia beamed and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, you'd be perfect for that job, you're so good at everything you do back at the mansion!" Rem giggled and returned the embrace.

"Thank you, dear. Now then... Let's go and get the foods we need..."

"Right!" Emilia agreed. While they were on their way, however, they stumbled upon a section of the store containing various colorful bags of rather appetizing looking snacks. "Hmm? What are these things...?"

"Hmm... They look vaguely similar to sliced tatoes... Only... sliced EXTREMELY thin... and... boiled in oil...? And it seems they've added flavoring as well. What a strange idea, however could that have been conceived?"

"...I'm... kinda curious now..." Emilia admitted.

"Hmm... I suppose there's no harm in taking a few... They do seem to be pleasant snack foods..." Rem relented, taking a few bags of differing flavors.

While Rem chose which flavours to take, Emilia took a look around, before gasping and running off.

Rem meanwhile gazed at the bags labeled with "bacon" and "onion" flavours, able to tell by the pictures on the bags.

"I can understand onions, but..." She began. "...how in Flügel's name does one make tatoes taste like bacon?" She turned around. "What do you...think...Emilia..." She sighed that last word out. "She's gone again." Putting the bags into the cart, she looked at Harry."Sweetie, which direction did mommy run off in?"

Harry blinked twice, then pointed in the direction he'd seen Emilia rush to. Rem sighed and patted his head. "Good boy." She murmured, pushing the cart in the direction Harry had specified. "Your mommy is quite the handful, you know, she's so eager to see everything she can that she just keeps wandering off from my sight. Be sure not to copy that sort of behaviour, okay?"

"I won't... I don't wanna get lost..." Harry murmured softly.

"And you won't just as long as you stay close to one of us at all times." Rem beamed with a smile. "...Although I wouldn't be surprised if mommy managed to get herself lost in here, it has happened before..."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes. We went to the market one day, I lost sight of her, and I wound up finding her at a small lost and found point they made in case children wandered off. It WAS her first time there, so I didn't tease her TOO much. My sister did though." Rem giggled. "You see, we have an established dynamic. I'm the serious one, and she's the silly, innocent one."

"Oh... What does that make Big Sister...?"

"Hmm... The one that reacts."

"And Mr. Puck?"

"...The overprotective father."

"And me?"

"Well, I would say you're the perfect little angel." Rem booped his nose with a smile, and he giggled. "Now, where is...Oh, there you are, what in the world are you doing over here?" Rem asked Emilia.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Rem, I just saw this cute little aisle full of these adorable little soft dolls and I had to get a closer look." Emilia chirped, holding up a plush avocado. "Look! They put eyes on food! How charming is that?!"

Rem blinked. 'Huh. Upon closer inspection, it does look quite cute. The googly eyes give a touch of silliness, while the small size and fluffy, soft plush give a welcoming and huggable feeling that-' Emilia and Harry just watched as Rem suddenly began to stare really hard at the avocado.

"Uh, Rem?"

"Hm? Huh? What? Did I miss a spot?"

"No, you, uh...spaced out for a moment."

She shook her head. "Hmm... I believe it's in our funds to buy it... And perhaps a second one as well for Harry..." Harry blinked twice.

"For me...?" He asked softly.

"Well of course. You need some things to keep you entertained while the rest of us are busy, don't you?" Rem gently patted his head. "We'll see what else we can find that you'd like, just so long as we stay within a budget, we can't throw all our money at playthings after all."

"Oooh, Rem, you're so sweet!" Emilia squeed, hugging her lover tight. Rem laughed softly and pulled a second avocado plush from off the shelf.

"I just pray this thing doesn't see more affection than I will." Emilia gave Rem a kiss on the cheek.

"That could NEVER happen! The stuffed toy's cute, but you're MUCH better! It might take some attention away from Puck though."

Rem giggled. "Oh, he's going to hate that toy now that you've said that."

"Ha. He has Tabitha and Pumpkin. I'm taking Puffers with me!"

"Puffers? You named it Puffers?"

"Yeah, look at him!" She presented the plush again. "He's so squishy and puffy and soft. I could use him as a pillow!"

"Now I understand the troubles Puck will go through.".

"Hey!"

Harry giggled softly at the interaction before looking at the plush Rem placed in his hands. "Do you like this, Harry? We can get another one if you'd prefer." Rem offered.

"I like it a lot cause it's a present from you..." Harry murmured shyly, squeezing the plush toy. Rem beamed and stroked his hair.

"You're a sweetheart, Harry... All right. Now let's see if we can find a few more things and then we'll go and get our groceries."

A few minutes later, Harry had settled on a toy car, a red rubber ball, and a couple small action figures. "What kinds of costumes are they wearing...?" Emilia murmured. "This one looks like he's dressed as a bat, and this one... He has a spider on his chest... And this one... He's in some sort of armour I think..."

"They're superheroes... Dudley watched them on the tv... They were cool..." Harry murmured.

"Super...heroes?" Rem tilted her head at that. "These terms are so unusual. What exactly differentiates them from regular heroes?"

"Maybe they look super cool while saving people? Is that super? Because they look super cool?"

"No, I don't think it's that." Rem shook her head. "But regardless, I believe we have plenty of things. Or is there something more Harry wants?"

"Do you want anything more Harry?" Emilia asked. "We've got plenty of money to spare. We can afford some more stuff, if you'd like."

Harry shook his head. "Um... No, it's okay, thank you. It's more than I thought I'd ever get to have..." He murmured softly, looking at the small amount of toys they had more or less picked out for him, truthfully he had just said yes to whatever they suggested, he was just happy to have anything.

"Aww, you're such a good boy, happy with what he has!" Emilia chirped, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Okay! We might come by some time soon and pick some other things as a surprise though..."

"You'll spoil him, Emilia." Rem giggled.

"He deserves to be spoiled though!" Emilia chirped. Rem rolled her eyes goodnaturedly.

"Well, since we have that finished, it's time to deal with what we came here for. Where is the baking section of this establishment...?" Harry looked up at the signs, trying to read them. His mothers did the same. They all promptly gave up.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find it if we just look really hard." Emilia chirped. It took them a half hour, but they did eventually find what they were looking for. "Oooooh, look at all this stuff, Rem, I've never seen so many strange looking treats before!" Emilia exclaimed.

"I've seen them." Rem said. "In fact, I've actually even made some of these back in the mansion on occasion. They weren't for us though. Mostly meant to be delivered to different noble families." She picked up a circular bun with chocolate on it. "These are donuts. They come in two shapes, this being one of them, and are most commonly either filled with or covered in some sort of sweet liquid, either chocolate or vanilla."

"Ooooh...sooo cool." Emilia said with stars in her eyes.

"And these..." She pointed at the twisted pointy things. "Are croissants. Weird name to write, but the food the name is attached to is worth the unusual. I myself have occasionally snuck one or two after making them."

Emilia squeed softly and clapped her hands. "We have so many different types of foods to try baking together, it's gonna be soooo much fun, I'm so excited for all the things we can do together as a familyyyyyyy!" Rem laughed softly.

"I'd be happy to show you and Harry how it's done. Beatrice as well if she's interested. But for now, let's focus on what we came for. We need cake ingredients... Hmm..." She picked up frosting, then blinked. "Oh, and what are these?"

"Sprinkles." Harry murmured softly. "It's like... little tiny candy you put on cake and cookies and stuff..."

"I see. Hmm... Would these go well with the cake, or would the tastes clash...?" Rem mused, weighing her options.

"Um... I think they're chocolate sprinkles, cause they're brown..."

"Ah. Then they'll go just fine with any flavour we choose to bake." Rem put them in the cart. "Frosting... sprinkles... Hmm... Some flour won't hurt..." Rem muttered under her breath as she grabbed everything the would need for their cake.

By the time she was done, the cart was halfway full with mostly baking ingredients and toys. Emilia blinked. "Hum. I said we have plenty of money, but are we sure this isn't too much?"

"Not like we need to worry too much." Said Rem as she threw in a bag of sugar. "Dumbledore continuously supplies us with money, so we don't need to worry too much."

"Feels like we're using the poor old man..."

"A necessary sacrifice. Think of it as his way to atone for his mistake. He will suffer along with his wallet."

Emilia blinked twice. "Um... That's kinda mean..."

Rem shrugged. "One day of splurging just slightly won't hurt him, I'm sure, it's not as though I intend to make this a regular thing... Harry... deserves this day, just... he needs to have something... He's been denied life's basic pleasures for so long, I want to bring it to him..."

"Aww... Okay, I understand." Emilia said with a soft smile. After paying at the till, they ran into a slight impasse. "There's... a lot of bags to carry, isn't there...?" Emilia murmured.

"Oh yes. Take as many as you can carry, I'll handle the rest, I've handled far more bags than this all at once." Rem assured her lover.

"Um... Okay..." Emilia took four bags, and Harry offered to take two of the lighter ones. She looked over at Rem, who expertly had multiple bags draped over her arms, one wrapped carefully around her neck like a necklace, and the bag of flour held securely in her arms.

Emilia looked at her four bags and pouted.

"Hm. Sometimes I envy your Oni strength..."

"Nothing to envy, dear." Rem nonchalantly replied. "Just a product of extensive training."

"No way. You Oni are just differently built."

"If you say so." The two women giggled at their little bickering. Harry looked between them with a smile. They looked so happy laughing together like that.

Harry was sitting comfortably atop Rem's shoulders, and Emilia was simply amazed at how good she was at multitasking, not only able to comfortably support him, but also able to easily carry all the bags. And so, the trio returned back home, pushing the door open to find Beatrice playing on the floor with Pumpkin and Tabitha, wiggling a piece of string back and forth on the floor that the two cats eagerly lunged to try and get. The little spirit heard them walk in and looked up. "Ah. Welcome back, I suppose." She said with a nod.

"Hello, Beatrice. I see you've kept the cats from destroying the house while we were away." Rem nodded.

"Pumpkin wouldn't destroy the house!"

"You specified Pumpkin only."

"I know..."

"Hi Beatrice." Harry murmured softly as he approached.

"Hello, Harry." She got up. "How was your little trip to the store?"

"It was fun. We bought lots of stuff. Mama and mommy bought me toys."

"As they should, in fact." Beatrice nodded. "I would have reprimanded them if they didn't."

"It's good to see you care so much about him, Beatrice." Rem said with a smile. "You're really fitting well into this big sister role."

"Well of course." Beatrice crossed her arms. "Only the best for my little brother."

She stood up, and Pumpkin snatched the string in his teeth and dashed off with it triumphantly, Tabitha whining as she chased after him, almost tripping Rem in the process, much to the oni's chagrin. "Now then, what did you get? Oh? It seems they're... lifeless figures, how odd... Such bizarre costumes, I suppose..."

Emilia and Rem giggled. "We thought the same thing. Apparently they're costumed heroes." Rem remarked.

"I see... They hide their identities behind masks. A clever trick, I suppose, to keep their loved ones safe, in fact..."

"Harry? Would you like to play with your new toys first, or would you like to start baking the cake?" Rem asked gently.

"Uh...cake...I-I wanna help make cake with mama and mommy."

"Awww, that's so sweet of youuuuu." Emilia cooed. "Okay. You can play with your toys later if you want. Now..." She went over picked him up. "We are gonna make the bestest cake in the world. Just the three of us."

"Ahem."

"Four of us."

"I'll go put the toys in his room." Rem said. "You three prepare the tools for the baking."

Beatrice hopped to her feet, still energized from the weird gut feeling that she had something to prove to Rem from earlier, and strutted her way into the kitchen. Giggling, Emilia followed along behind, carrying Harry and the bags Rem had left behind. "Now then..." Beatrice looked over the many ingredients set on the counter. "What shall we start with?"

"Well, we need to make the batter first, so..."

When Rem entered the room, the tools were all laid our.

Emilia nodded gingerly. "Yep yep! It was suuuuper easy, especially with Beatrice's help."

Beatrice smugly smiled. "Well, I am very good at organization, in fact!"

"Soooo, first we make the batter, right, Rem?" Emilia asked.

"Correct." The oni nodded, grabbing a measuring cup. She studied it closely. "Hmm... Unusual numbers, but I can take an educated guess as to how much we'll need..." She carefully poured the flour into the cup, frowned as she carefully studied it to make sure it was just right, then poured it in. "And now some water... I'd estimate four eggs... Sugar... Yes, very good, Harry, you know just what to put in, excellent." Rem praised her son with a smile as he brought forth all she listed and everything else she hadn't quite yet.

"Now, the next we add in the taste." Rem said. Emilia clapped her hands in excitement.

"Ooh, this is my favorite part!"

Rem chuckled. "I'm sure it is." She then pointed a spoon at her. "But don't you dare "sample" the cream again."

"The last time you did that Rem had to make it all over again, in fact." Beatrice smirked. "It was very fun watching you get scolded for it, I suppose."

"Oh, get off my back, the two of you!" Emilia complained. "I can't help it! It's just soooooo delicious! I just need a finger..."

"Which you then turn into the entire bowl."

"Hey!"

"But it'll taste way better if we finish it and make the cake, won't it? And... And we can't waste food..." Harry murmured shyly.

"But... But it's going in my mouth, so... it's not wasted." Emilia replied awkwardly. Rem gave her a stern glance and a raised brow and Emilia sighed in defeat. "Okaaaaay... I'll waaaaait... As torturous as waiting is..." Rem nodded her head in understanding.

"Now then..." Rem turned to Harry. "How would you like to handle this, sweetie?"

Harry blinked in surprise. "M-Me? Really? I never made a cake before..."

"I find that surprising, I suppose, with how clearly lazy and incompetent THEY were." Beatrice drawled, getting a light nudge from Emilia that made her huff.

"Well... Just follow mama's instructions, Harry, and all will turn out well, trust me." Rem assured him. Harry nodded his head obediently, and Emilia and Beatrice stood by and watched as Rem coached Harry through finishing off the batter.

"So first we throw in some grated lemon flakes. These are made by grating the lemon peels. They add a fruity taste to the batter which can then be combined with pretty much any other taste once the cake is done." Saying that, she handed Harry the bottle, and guided his arms so that he wouldn't throw too much in."There we go. Good. Now to fully finish the entire thing off." With that she let the others watch as she stirred, mixed, rolled and molded the batter to fit her standards, always starting over whenever she felt dissatisfied.

Harry watched her especially closely, wanting to learn how to do it the right way. His mama clearly had a very special way of doing everything. He wanted to know how to do it too, so that he could make her proud of him. Rem noticed how intently he was watching and beamed. "I see you're very eager to learn. Just like your mommy was." Emilia giggled into her hand.

"Yep! You're gonna be an amazing little student! If she can teach me, she can DEFINITELY make you the best cook in the whole world!" The half-elf said, gently rubbing her son's head. Harry was happy with the praise, his smile growing as he watched his mother hard at work.

Rem let out a soft sigh and nodded her head. "And done." She turned to Harry. "You see, Harry? The cake batter is nice and smooth... This is the ideal cake batter. You want to try and avoid lumps as much as possible, and you certainly don't want it to be runny. It should be smooth and soft, see?" She stuck a small spoon over the surface of the batter and gently pushed it across. Harry nodded in understanding. Rem giggled. "Now then... Do you want to guess what we're supposed to do next?"

"Oh... Um... Put it in the oven...?" Harry asked.

"Correct!" Rem ruffled his hair. "It goes into the oven."

She took the batter, and carefully to make sure she doesn't drop it, she opened the oven and slid it inside. Shutting the door, she adjusted the temperature and moved back to observe.

"Alright. Now it has begun baking." She nodded, turning to Harry. "And once it's done, the fun part comes around."

"The decorations!" Emilia exclaimed, arms high in the air.

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Yes yes, no need to shout, I suppose."

Emilia pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm allowed to be excited." She huffed. "Decorating cakes is fun, okay?"

"If you say so." Beatrice said simply. "Now what are we to do while we wait for it to properly bake?" Rem looked thoughtful.

"Hmm... We could make sure all the tools we'll need are properly prepared. And we'll also need to prepare the icing so it will be ready as soon as it's finished baking."

"Okay! What kind of icing were we gonna use again...?" Emilia asked.

"I believe my plan was a huge, 1.5m cake with pristine white frosting, chocolate chips and cocoa powder covering it in it's entirety. The inside a soft, yet perfectly delicious base, made of hazelnuts and almonds, complimented with bits of cookie inside..."

"Wow, you repeated yourself word for word, you really have your mind set on this specific cake." Emilia said with a smile.

"She hyperfocuses, I suppose." Beatrice sighed.

"What are you two standing around for?! Quick! Prepare the equipment!"

"But the batter still needs about 30 minutes to bake..."

"Just listen to her I suppose." Beatrice sighed in annoyance. "Once she gets going, she won't ever stop, in fact."

"Ah...I guess that's true." Emilia said sheepishly.

And so, the two girls pulled out the equipment used for decorating. Rem went through the list to make sure they had everything...about 20 times. By the time she was done, the batter had finished baking, and Rem wasted no time in pulling it out of the oven and getting to work.

"All right, everyone, it's time to add the icing... Watch carefully, Harry, you need to get a nice thick layer on your spatula, like this, and then you just carefully run it across the cake and make sure it gets nice and coated... Yes, yes, very good, just like that, you're doing amazing." Rem praised her son as he followed her instructions. "Oh, careful, not too much now, we don't want it to be overwhelming... Yes, much better, very good." Rem guided her son through the process of icing the cake, and when they were done, she beamed and gently rubbed his head. "Very good, you're mama's little helper." She cooed, causing him to giggle.

"Wow, good job, sweetie, it looks soooooo gooooood!" Emilia exclaimed, eyes shining brightly as she clenched her fists up to her face and leaned in close to the cake, only for Beatrice to lightly tug her back.

"Not so close, I suppose. With your luck and clumsiness, you're likely to trip and fall into the cake and ruin all our hard work, in fact." The little spirit huffed.

"Awww, I'm not THAT clumsy!" Emilia protested.

"Well..." Rem said with a sheepish smile.

"Reeeeem..." Emilia whined.

"Oh, you know I love you regardless of how accident prone you can be." Rem assured, giving her a quick kiss on the nose.

"Ah...erm...th-thanks..." Emilia giggled and stuttered with a blush.

Beatrice scoffed. "Oh, get over it already. You are dating, yet you somehow always get flustered at the slightest bit of affection."

"Stop iiiit! I'm still coming to terms! It's sudden!"

"That just makes your reaction all the more adorable, my love."

"Eeeeeek! Stop I'm gonna cook myself!"

"Are we still working on the cake?" Beatrice asked.

"Ah, right..."

"The cake..."

Beatrice facepalmed.

Getting over their little flirting session, the group quickly turned back and began working on decorating the cake. Each member added a signature touch.

Beatrice liked the edible glitter, so she made sure to liberally sprinkle as much on as she could. Harry carefully put sprinkles across the length of the cake, taking care not to make it look bad. Emilia used one of the icing tubes Rem had bought to make little art pieces atop the cake of her and her family. And Rem carefully added chocolate chips to spell out the word 'Family' on the cake. Or at least... 'Family' in the language of their homeland.

"Mama? What's that say?" Harry asked innocently, pointing at the chocolate chips.

"Oh! Well, mommy and big sister and I all come from another world, and that world... has a very different written language, so this is how we write 'family'. Because we're making this cake to celebrate the fact that we've become a family. ...It's amazing where family can come from, isn't it? We all come from such different backgrounds, yet here we are... A family of five... And two cats as well... All brought together by fate..." Rem murmured.

"And it's a fate we wouldn't give up for the entire world. Right Beatrice?"

The spirit gave a nod. "Indeed, I suppose. I...hadn't paid much mind to how sad and hollow our lives were before we came here. But now that I know, I refuse to ever return to our old home again. Not even the destruction of the Forbidden Library would force me."

"That's surprising. You greatly cared about the Library." Rem asked.

"Yes, well, after mother explained everything, I have realized how sad such an existence is."

She smiled softly at Harry. "I have so much more here than I ever had in some dusty old library full of dusty old books, in fact." Harry smiled back at her, then they all looked at the cake. "Hmm... Seems we were a bit disjointed on this cake, I suppose..." The cake was a bit of a cluttered mess, from all the various things they had added to it. Emilia giggled softly.

"Aww, I think it looks cute!" She chirped. "The messiness adds soooo much character!" Rem let out a sigh and smiled softly.

"It's perfect. Just perfect. It's almost a shame to cut into it."

"...We'll still do so, I suppose?" Beatrice asked with a raised brow.

"Of course, it's a cake, not an art piece. We will have some... after we eat dinner tonight." Rem replied.

"I'll put it away in the freezer, I suppose." Beatrice said, using her magic to telekinetically move the cake to the freezer. Swinging the door open, she slid the cake smoothly onto the shelf, and shut the door gently.

"There we go."

Emilia clapped her hands. "Alright! The cake is ready! Now...um...what now?"

"If you all don't mind..." Rem let out a yawn. "...I'll go take a nap. Even I am a bit exhausted."

Emilia nodded. "Alright. You go do that. I can cook tonight. But until then, anyone wanna see what that strange box in the sitting room is? I've been dying to see how it works in full!" She perked up. "And we even bought some of these strange bags of some sort of snack food! Look!" She held up one of the bags of chips they'd bought with a bright smile. "I have no idea what these things are, or how they're made or what they taste like!"

Rem laughed softly. "Be sure to save some for me, I'm curious as well..."

"Sure thing, sweetie!" Emilia chirped. "You go and rest now, I'll make sure to leave a whole bag for you, we bought like six of these!" She gently ushered Rem out of the room and into their bedroom.

"Emilia, I'm not a child, I can get myself to sleep!" Rem giggled in amusem*nt.

"Oh! Okay." Emilia released her. "Sleep tight!"

"Thank you, my love, I'll join you all soon enough..." Closing the door behind her, Rem climbed into the bed. Now it was Harry, Emilia and Beatrice.

"...Are those... sliced tatoes, I suppose?" Beatrice asked with a raised brow.

"Uuuuuhhh... Maybe...?" Emilia studied the bag. "They do kinda look like it, don't they?" She tried to open the bag, to no avail. "Um... How do I...?" She tried pulling at the top. Nothing. She tried biting it with her teeth. No dice. She squeezed the bag with her hands... and it popped open, startling her slightly. "Oh! Um... Yay, it's open! ...Oh, these would fit nicely into a bowl, I'll get one!" As Emilia left to do so, Beatrice looked boredly at the open bag.

"Hmph. These don't look like much, I suppose..." Reaching into the bag, she grabbed one and studied it closely. "I don't see why any would be interested in purchasing something like this." She put it in her mouth. Chewed. Swallowed. Paused. Then grabbed another one immediately after.

'Th-these...' Beatrice thought as she chewed on another slice. 'These are...delicious!' She looked at the bag. As soon as it had entered the house, the translation charm took effect, allowing her to read it. 'Crisps... A fitting name, I suppose.'

"There!" Emilia said, pulling out a big bowl. Placing it on the table, she shook out the crisps, arranging them so that they don't fall out.

"Hmmm, and there! Neat and tidy." She said, before spotting one that fell out. "Oh...wait. Hmmm..."

Humming, she grabbed the slice of tato, and examined it. It really was supremely thin. Shrugging, she popped it in her mouth, before her eyes widened at the taste and feeling.

"OH MY GOSH THESE ARE AMAZING!" She squeed, clapping her hands against her cheeks, eyes sparkling brightly. "Whoever made these is a genius!" She started helping herself to more.

"Now slow down, I suppose! Save some for the rest of us, in fact!" Beatrice chided, causing her to blush.

"M'sowwy..." She mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

"Honestly, at least SWALLOW before responding, that's repugnant!" Beatrice huffed. Emilia whined, finished chewing and hung her head in shame. "Now, your plan was to do something with that strange box thing in the living room, I suppose?"

"You mean the tv...?" Harry asked softly.

"I suppose." Beatrice shrugged.

"Oh! Right!" Emilia perked up and rushed into the living room. Beatrice rolled her eyes and carried the bowl of chips into the room, Harry following close behind, and when they entered the room, Emilia was looking at the tv. "Um... Okay, so... how do I...?" Harry picked up the remote and pushed the power button, turning the TV on and startling Emilia into falling flat on her backside.

"Ah! Mommy! I'm sorry please don't be mad I didn't think-"

"It's okay! I'm okay, Harry." Emilia said, noticing her son's distress. "Just...startled is all."

"Oh...are...are you sure?"

"Positive."

"You're not angry?"

Beatrice climbed up onto the couch. "If Emilia could get angry just from getting slightly startled, that would not be Emilia but an impostor."

"Oh...okay..."

"Now uh...what just happened?"

"Um... I turned it on..." Harry murmured softly.

"Oh, good job, you did it!" Emilia cheered. "Okay! Um... Wow... Uh... How does it...?" She pushed one of the buttons and yelped slightly as a channel came on. It depicted a news station. "Hmm? What's this man talking about?"

"Ah. It must be the news of this world. ...I despise the news, it's always so depressing..." Beatrice sighed.

"Um... We can see if we can find anything else..." Harry murmured, holding up the remote and pressing a button combination. This time, the screen depicted a show about a young girl and her talking monkey friend going on adventures. Emilia quietly joined them on the couch, and Beatrice promptly got fed up with the girl's incompetence after approximately two minutes of watching her.

"YOU are the one with the map, I suppose! Don't ask ME, in fact! You call yourself an explorer?! You're a disgrace! You shame the name of all the truly great explorers who have discovered wondrous sights and sounds! Oh, you're being hounded by a fox and you didn't think to bring anything to defend yourself with, in fact?! No blade, no bow, nothing?!"

"Ehe, maybe Beatrice shouldn't watch this then..." Emilia giggled awkwardly. Taking the remote, she switched to another channel.

This one depicted a group of men dressed like cooks. They all worked in rows of kitchen tables and appliances, diligently cooking their respective dishes.

"Ah, this seems nice-"

"WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE!?"

"Ah!" Emilia was startled by the sudden yell. "W-w-what was that!?"

Beatrice suddenly felt like she needed to cover her little brother's ears, this man seemed quite volatile. Her concerns were quickly proven right as the man began to scream a series of profanities that made Emilia's face turn beet red before she promptly changed the channel. "...He uh... He needs to be nicer to his employees, they won't wanna work for him if he's always yelling at them like that... Oh, what's this one? Oh, he's all dressed up, he must be on his way to a masquerade ball, look at the mask! ...Why is he following that girl with the big knife...? ...Oh... Ooooooh, he's trying to kill her... Oh, that's not good! Run! RUN! RUN FASTER, HE'S CATCHING UP! NO! DON'T GO IN THERE! IT'S A DEAD END! NOOOOO!" Beatrice immediately changed the channel just as the killer swung his weapon, thankfully sparing her younger brother the grizzly sight and giving Emilia a deadpan look.

"You should not be watching this, possibly less so than Harry, I suppose. You're horrible with horror in fact." Emilia pouted.

"I am not!"

"You needed to sleep with jars of fireflies in your room because I told you a ghost story that one time."

"Oh, hey, what's on now?" Emilia shut down the whole conversation.

"Scaredy cat."

"Meow?"

"No, not you Pumpkin."

This time, they were looking at what appears to be another colourful show. On the screen was a young boy with red and blue clothes, speaking to what looks like a yellow...triangle. With one eye. And a top hat.

What?

"Uh...what am I looking at here?" Asked Emilia.

"I...do not know..." Beatrice answered.

Before they could question anything further, the screen suddenly flickered and the triangle's single eye slowly turned to look...

...right towards them.

"Remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, byyyyyye!" The triangle said as it vanished into thin air. Emilia gasped in fright. "It... It knows we're here! It's talking to us! And... It said we're not real, Beatrice, is it true?!"

"Tch... Don't be absurd, I suppose. It's merely a storytelling tactic to make this being seem more intimidating, in fact." Beatrice huffed.

"I like the triangle, he has a funny voice." Harry murmured softly.

"...I still feel like he's watching me..." Emilia shivered, hugging herself.

"Honestly, books address the readers all the time, television should be no different..." Beatrice huffed. "Let's watch this show and see what happens..."

And so they settled on that show, and they quickly found themselves enjoying what they were watching.

The antics of the yellow triangle, Bill Cipher as they learned he was called, were incredibly entertaining to watch. His chaotic abilities always somehow found a way to make the small family laugh.

"Pfft...hehe...pain is hilarious...hahaha!" Emilia giggled.

"I do not understand how he could think that. But alas, he is a being of chaos, do I suppose it's his nature."

As the show continued, the episodes got increasingly weirder as they went on, even if Bill wasn't the biggest focus in most of them. Emilia nearly chocked when she saw the Time Baby.

It was so ridiculous!

Beatrice huffed and stuck her nose up."Honestly, can you focus only on the comedy? The story they tell is very intriguing and your uproarious laughter is drowning out their voices, I suppose!"

"I'm sorry, this show's too funny!" Emilia giggled. "Heeheeeheeeee! The balloon says 'I Eat Kids' now! That really backfired on him, haaaahaha!" The half elf all but cackled, causing Beatrice to groan. They heard approaching footsteps and turned to see Rem approaching the couch, looking as regal and composed as ever after her rest.

"Ahh... Hello, everyone. I see you've managed to figure out how the strange box device works." The maid noted with a nod.

"Rem! Rem! You GOTTA sit down and watch this with us, this show is so cute and funny!"

"And kinda scary. I like it..." Harry murmured with a small smile.

"Oh, and try these... these... crisp things too!" Emilia said with a bright smile.

"Hm?" Rem looked at the bowl of yellow leaves on the table. Raising a brow, she took one and ate it... "I need a recipe. NOW."

Emilia giggled. "Hehe, I knew you were gonna say that." She grabbed her hand and pulled her down on the couch. "C'mon, sit here."

"What exactly were you doing?" Asked the oni.

"We were trying out this TV thing here, and we ended up settling on this show called "Gravity Falls." It's really fun, if a bit scary sometimes."

"Scary?" Rem asked. "Should Harry be watching that sort of thing?"

"I like it..." Harry mumbled softly.

"It's harmless. No different than horror literature intended for children back in Lugunica, just given a visual form, it will be fine." Beatrice said with a light huff.

"Hmm... Okay, but if it gets too scary, let me know and I'll keep your eyes averted until it goes back to normal..." Rem said gently to Harry, who nodded. "...It seems whoever owns this home knows more about this 'muggle world' than they let on, I'm amazed they even have this..."

Rem quickly found herself hooked on the show, even moreso than Emilia and Beatrice ever were. It was greatly amusing and the mysteries intrigued her, it reminded her of the mystery novels she always enjoyed reading back home in Lugunica. She was so engrossed in the story that she hardly noticed when someone was speaking to her.

Emilia giggled. "Well. I wasn't expecting Rem to have THIS much fun with the show." She leaned over and kissed the oni on the cheek, which got her to turn to her with a small smile, quickly returning the gesture before looking back at the screen.

They ended up watching their first marathon of the show. Soon enough, they got so into it that they lost track of time.

It was only after Pumpkin meowed to get their attention that they snapped out of their focus.

"Ah! Pumpkin?" Rem asked.

"Hm...it appears we've been glued to the screen for too long." Beatrice said. "That thing is dangerous, I suppose."

"Hm." Rem nodded. "We'll need to be careful how we use it. We don't wanna miss something important while glued to the TV."

"Alright! Now I'm cooking!" Emilia said, jumping off the couch and running into the kitchen to start cooking.

They watched her head off before Rem turned to look at Pumpkin. "And I imagine you two are hungry as well, hmm?"

"I can feed them!" Harry hopped to his feet and made his way to the bag of cat food next to their bowls. Tabitha was currently trying to climb into it while also not letting go of her grip on Puck.

"Oh, hey, someone FINALLY noticed I was missing! Help me out here, Harry!" The spirit pleaded.

"Oh! Sorry, grandpa Puck!" Harry grabbed him out of Tabitha's mouth gently, and she let out a mew of protest, trying to grab at him with her front paws. "It's supper time, Tabitha, don't you wanna eat? You can't eat with grandpa in your mouth..."

"Don't bother, Harry." Puck sighed. "She won't ever listen." The tabby continued to pat Harry's hands with her paws, meowing to get Puck back. Harry felt bad for her, so he decided to try and play with both. He looked around and approached a yarn ball sitting in a basket near Tabitha's. He took it and rolled it over to Tabitha. The cat curiously inspected the yarn, before she started to play with it, pushing it with her paws and occasionally grabbing it with her claws. Now, this wouldn't normally be a problem. Tabitha was distracted so Puck was free at last, yeah? Except, Puck too found himself greatly interested in the yarn. And he was having a very hard time resisting the temptation.

Harry caught on and grabbed a piece of string from the yarn ball, holding it up. "Oooooh..." Puck inspected it. "Would ya look at that..." He began to bat at it with his paws. "Urgh... Come on... I can... Ugh... I can grab it, I can do it! Agh, curse my squishy little paws, I can't grab things, I want that string darn it!" Harry lightly tickled his nose with it, and he sneezed before looking at him with a pout. "Aww, come on, Harry, don't tease your granddad like that!"

"Oh, sorry. Um... Here..." He set the string down on the floor, and Puck leapt down.

"Yeeeeah! Now I got it for sure!" Predictably, his paws still couldn't pick it up. He opted to use his mouth instead. "HA! Mm gt th strng! Hmm... Snot nough..." He looked at the yarn ball and spat out the piece of string. "I need the whole thing, but that crazy cat's got it... What do do, what to do... Harry, distract her!"

"Huh? Uh..." Harry reached over and scratched Tabitha behind the ears, calming her enough to where Puck was able to swoop in and tackle the yarn ball away from her, latching onto it with all four limbs and hugging it close. "YES! THE YARN'S ALL MINE NOW!"

Beatrice watched with a coo as Puck embraced his feline nature.

"Oooh, my sweet little Bubby! He looks so adorable!" Sadly for Puck, Tabitha seems to have noticed him holding onto the ball, and she moved over to lick him. Puck noticed and tried to bat away, but he got a pat on the head of his own for his troubles.

"Hey! No touchy!" He said. "My yarn!" Tabitha didn't listen and pushed the ball, getting Puck underneath it. What followed was a back and forth, both Puck and Tabitha pushing the ball of yarn between each other and trying to steal it from the other.

And then Pumpkin decided he wanted in on the action and lunged at the ball from the middle, ripping it away from both of them as he rolled around on his back and batted it into the air. Puck flew up and caught it again. "HA! Mine now!" Tabitha leapt up after him and bit down on his tail, causing him to yowl as he lost his grip on the ball, sending it bouncing off of Pumpkin's head, prompting him to lunge for it. He pushed it into the closet and hid underneath a pile of rags so he could play with it undisturbed. Puck and Tabitha weren't about to be defeated so easily, however, and so they both went after him, throwing themselves into the pile of rags in pursuit of their yarn. All the while, Rem watched with a deadpan expression.

"Cats... They're such strange animals..."

She noticed Harry watching them blankly. Approaching him, she leaned down and smiled.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?"

"Huh? Oh...um, yes, mama."

"You don't seem like that's the case."

"Huh?"

"You look a bit downcast." She said, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you unhappy because the kitties aren't playing with you anymore and are with Puck instead?"

Harry shook his head. "Um... I was gonna play with Grandpa but the yarn got in the way..." He mumbled. Rem tilted her head.

"Hmm... Yes, I'm surprised they took more to their yarn than their food, honestly. Don't worry, they'll come back to you eventually, I'd be surprised if that ball of yarn lasted ten minutes the way they're assaulting it." Harry giggled as she gently picked him up. "Now, perhaps I could play with you in Puck's stead." Harry tilted his head. "Um... While Puck is busy." She booped his nose. "What would you like to do, Harry?"

"Umm...I don't know any games...m'sorry..."

"No need to apologise, Harry." Rem comforted. "You'll learn eventually. You've got plenty of time. Now then...I believe I have a perfect rookie game we can play."

She went back and sat down on the couch. "Now, the game I'll show you is called Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"Are we gonna cut paper?"

"Hehe, no." Rem chuckled. "This game is played entirely with our hands. No need for actual scissors and paper."

She showed him the rules of the game. Beatrice watched on with a deadpan expression on her face. 'Honestly, this is her idea of fun, I suppose? Well, what can one expect from a workaholic like her, in fact?'

"All right... Are you ready?" Rem asked. Harry nodded. "Good. Then let us begin... Rock paper scissors!" She chose rock. Harry chose paper. "Oh, very good, you won! Now let's go once more... Rock, paper, scissors!" She chose paper. Harry chose scissors. "Very good! Once more... Rock, paper, scissors!" She chose scissors. Harry chose rock. "You've won again!"

They kept playing. And Rem found that she just couldn't seem to win no matter what she did.

"Oh, dear...Ren sweatdropped. "It appears I cannot seem to win at all."

"Oh...are you mad? I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to win so much..."

"Goodness no, Harry. It's perfectly fine. In fact, you should be proud of yourself!"

"Really?"

"Yes. Not everyone is lucky enough to win every time in a game."

She gently patted his head. "Now then, perhaps we should play something else... Perhaps with those new toys we bought for you..." Harry perked up.

"Okay!" Rem giggled and gently took his hand.

"I've just put them back in our bedroom, let's go check up on them to make sure they haven't gotten up to any mischief in our absence, shall we?" She remembered being a young girl and being utterly convinced that toys were secretly alive whenever you turned your back on them. So silly of her...

"Ah! They CAN do that! I KNEW they were alive when we weren't looking!" Emilia declared triumphantly, as if she was feeling validated. Rem looked at her with a sweatdrop.

"...It was just a joke, dear..."

"...Oh. ...Well, there's no way of proving it's NOT true..." Emilia murmured bashfully.

"And there's no way to prove it is." Beatrice scolded. "So please stop acting like an immature kid."

"Harsh! What was the point of apologizing back then?"

"That was then. This is now. And I'm fulfilling my apology anyway."

"....Argh! I hate it when you win our arguments!" Rem sighed as she led Harry out of the room, leaving the two to bicker among each other."

Harry looked back at them and then at Rem. "Why are mommy and big sister fighting?"

Rem sighed. "Oh, they aren't fighting, they're simply... having a disagreement, and... having a debate..." Harry tilted his head.

"Oh... I hope they aren't mad at each other..."

"Um... Their relationship is... like that. Your big sister likes to tease your mommy, and your mommy gets a bit grumpy about it and defends herself, which only gets your big sister to tease her more to get a reaction out of her, it's... a little bit complicated..."

"...They don't hate each other, do they...? I want them to be friends..."

"Oh, of course they don't, they just have a unique way of showing their friendship!"

Harry tilted his head. "By... By arguing...?"

"By arguing. Not to say you should take that approach, I find it's much better to treat your friends kindly so they enjoy being around you, but I believe Emilia and Beatrice have... an understanding. They speak to each other in that manner because they know each other, and have known each other for several years. You certainly can't speak to a stranger like that..."

"Oh... Okay..." Harry murmured.

"Now then, let us see about these toys... Goodness these 'superheroes' wear strange clothing..." Rem held up the Spider-Man and Batman action figures, looking them over with a tilted head.

"It's so the bad guys don't know who they are, I think..." Harry murmured.

"Ah... I see... A wise choice. Their loved ones could be in danger if their nemesis was aware of their identity..." Rem realized.

"So, like...if bad guys don't know who they are, they don't know who their family is?"

"Correct!" Rem nodded. "Such a smart boy, aren't you sweetie?"

She ruffled his hair gently, eliciting a giggle.

And so, they went to play. They enacted a battle between the various "superheroes". They got so into their game, that they lost track of time, and so 30 minutes went by unnoticed.

Throughout the game, Rem wore a smile on her face. And for good reason.

It made her so happy that Harry was still able to hold on to his innocence, at least enough so to have that creative spark every child had when it came to their playtime. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door, and Emilia poked her head in with a small smile. "Awww, you two are having so much fun, it's cute!" She chirped. Rem beamed at her.

"Indeed we are. I assume this means dinner is ready then?"

"Yup!" Emilia chirped. "I tried to call you a couple times, buuuut you were so into your little game that you didn't hear me! C'mon, come and eat, don't want it to get cold now, do we?" Giggling, she left the door open and turned to walk back downstairs.

"Sorry, mommy!" Harry called out, rushing to follow Emilia.

"Awww, don't apologize, I'm glad you were having fun!" Was the half-elf's response as the smiling Rem rose from her kneeling position and followed after them, happy as can be.

'I really am the luckiest woman alive...' She thought to herself.

The trio went down into the dining room. Rem immediately noticed how the table was neatly set without a single thing out of place. She smiled. 'I taught her well.'

Emilia quickly went into the kitchen to grab the dinner. Rem meanwhile picked Harry up and set him down in his chair. Soon enough, Emilia came out of the kitchen carrying the food.

"Heeeere it is!" She said, before stopping and blinking. "Wait...huh? Something's missing?"

"It seems Beatrice isn't here."

"She must still be in the living room." Emilia said. I'll go get her." She set the food down on the table and entered the living room to find Beatrice reading yet another book.

"Beatrice. It's dinner time."

"You go. I'm not hungry."

"Oh..." Emilia said.

Beatrice returned her thoughts to her book, but before she could properly continue reading, she was suddenly lifted up, the book falling out of her hands and onto the sofa.

"Huh? What? Heeeeey!" She whined, struggling to break out of Emilia's grip. "I said wasn't hungry, I suppose!" Her stomach growled. "...Ignore that!"

"Come on, Beatrice, come eat with the family, don't make a fuss, please, we're gonna have a nice dinner and we reaaaaally want you to be a part of it! Do it for Harry?" Beatrice huffed.

"Oh, very well, I suppose..." She grumbled.

"Oh, good!" Emilia cheered, setting the little spirit down in her chair. "What were you reading, anyway?"

"Oh... I was reading a book about this world. I was trying to get a better feel for it, I suppose..." Beatrice replied softly.

"So, what did you learn from the books?"

"Many things, in fact." Beatrice smirked. "Supposedly, humans have a celebration here called "Christmas." It's meant to celebrate the birthday of what I assume to be their equivalent of our Flügel, someone named "Jesus." "

"Oh, wow! That's so nice!" Emilia exclaimed. "I wonder if we can celebrate it too..."

"According to the calendar, we have about 14 days until it comes."

Emilia gasped. "Oh, you have to tell us what we can do so we can do it right!"

"Well... We get a tree and we put it in the living room and decorate it... And we bake cookies... And we drink hot chocolate...And we... we watch christmas movies on tv... And we... leave cookies out for Santa..." Harry murmured.

"Santa? Who is Santa?" Emilia asked.

"He... He flies through the world with his reindeer every year and gives presents to all the good boys and girls, but I was bad so I never got any..." Harry murmured.

"That isn't true, I suppose. He just didn't know about you because your relatives did everything they could to keep you a secret from him, in fact. They were the ones giving you the coal every year, not Santa." Beatrice said.

"...Is this Santa Claus even real?" Rem asked skeptically.

"Of course he is, I suppose." Beatrice said curtly, giving Rem a warning glare.

"...Really?"

"Yes!"

"I'm not certain I buy it." Scowling, Beatrice motioned for Rem to lean down to her level so she could whisper in her ear.

"Of COURSE he's not real, I suppose, he's a fictious character parents came up with to provide their children with a sense of magic and wonder for the holidays, and mother asked me to keep up the illusion for Harry!" She hissed into the maid's ear.

"Oh...oh dear." She whispered out. Rising back up, she spoke.

"Well, it seems I'm wrong. Beatrice is correct. Santa is real. Silly me." She said, lightly bumping her head with her fist.

Emilia gave her a flat look. 'She really isn't good at lying.' She thought, turning to Harry.

"Well, I certainly can't wait to meet Santa! I bet he's a really nice guy!"

"Um...you also need to leave milk and cookies in front of the door for him. He gets hungry traveling so far...so you leave cookies and milk for him outside."

"Actually, it's supposed to be by the fireplace, he comes down through the chimney." Beatrice said with a tilted head. "At least that's what mother told me..."

"Ah, yes, the chimney, it's VERY possible to... to come down a chimney..." Rem said, her smile strained.

"Rem, is it really that out of the ordinary compared to what we're used to seeing...?" Emilia murmured.

"Of course not, that's why it's real!"

"...I'm... sure it's a spell of... some sort..."

"Anyway, it's time to eat, isn't it? Come on, let's have our dinner, what did you make, Emilia?" Rem asked,

"Ah! Right! Lemme show you!"

She opened the oven, putting on a pair of gloves, and pulled out what looked like some sort of...cheese food. "What...is this, I suppose?"

"It...smells exquisite." Rem said.

"This is a recipe I found for something called Lasagna. It's made from flat pieces of pasta, between which is a mix of red sauce and minced meat, with melted cheese at the very top to complete everything."

"How...do we eat this?" Beatrice asked.

"Okay, so... I guess I just... cut into it... like a cake... Um... Hold on, everyone..." Emilia pulled a knife from the drawer and carefully sliced the meal into pieces for everyone. "Oh wow, this is a little bit messier than I expected it to be, um... Oh... Sorry... It's a bit sloppy, but here..." Emilia smiled sheepishly as she set down a plate for Harry and Beatrice, then two more for Rem and herself.

"Hmm. I'm impressed, Emilia, this seems to be quite the complex dish, it seems you really are capable of just about anything if given the right instructions." Rem complimented. "You didn't even need my help."

"Awww, thank you! But um... maybe we should see if it... actually tastes good first, heehee... Uh... Go ahead, everyone, take a bite and uh... let me know if it's okay..."
Jan 1Beatrice was the first. Taking her fork and knife, she cut off a small piece, before slowly putting it in her mouth.

She chewed for a few moments, letting out slight hums as she did so. Eventually, she swallowed and looked at Emilia, who along with Rem was watching with anticipation.

"It's hot."

"..."

"E-eh?"

"It's hot, I suppose." Beatrice repeated. "The taste is exquisite, and the texture of the dough and meat feels good in the mouth, but dear Flügel is it hot in the mouth, in fact."
Jan 1Emilia's cheeks puffed out. "Of course it's hot, it's supposed to be hot, it's a hot meal, it's not supposed to be cold, that would ruin the whole thing, you're really bad at criticism, Beatrice!" Emilia stuck her nose up in the air and let out an indignant huff. Rem giggled.

"Oh, don't be upset, my love, Beatrice is just being her difficult to please self, frankly, she's giving the highest of praises when you know her personality." The maid assured her lover, who still sulked, her shoulders drooping.

"I guess so... Thanks, Rem... Do you like it...?" She asked with a small smile. Rem tilted her head, used her silverware to cut off a perfect chunk of lasagna, placed it in her mouth, and chewed. Emilia watched closely, seeing the smile on her face and the way her eyes warmed, and Rem looked up at her, beaming.

"It's amazing, Emilia, well done, I'm very proud of you, you prepared a complex dish we've never even heard of with utter perfection." She praised. Emilia blushed and looked away, smiling softly as she clapped her hands over her cheeks.

"Awwwww, thank yoooooou..." She said softly, giggling in delight at the praise.

"It's really good, mommy." Harry said with a smile, carefully trying to cut his up in an effort to imitate the way Rem was doing it. Emilia beamed and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Glad you think so, sweetheart!" She chirped. Puck flew in. Emilia frowned. "Puuuuck, I called you like twenty minutes ago, your food's waiting, come and eat!"

"Ah, sorry, Lia, I was just really invested in playing with this ball of yarn, and... Aww man, just noodles and sauce?"

"Sorry, Puck, but you're lactose intolerant, so..." Emilia said with a small apologetic smile.

"Yeah, I get it..."

"I did my best to make sure it tastes good all the same!"

"I'll be the judge of that!" He said, sitting down and cutting off a tiny piece for himself. He put it in his mouth, chewing for a few seconds...

Then he swallowed.

And then he cut off a seconds one.

After that a third one.

Emilia giggled as Puck began to steadily speed up the pace of his eating. "I take it you like the food?"

"You kidding, Lia?" He said, gulping down another piece. "This is wonderful! You're right, it IS tasty!"

"Hehe, knew you would like it!"

And so, the family enjoyed their dinner, exchanging light banter over the food. It took a while, but the plates were empty soon enough. Emilia stored the leftovers into the fridge, since there was FAR too much for everything to be done in one meal.

Now, it was time for the cake. The family of five sat around the table. Rem cut into it and served everyone their piece. They all bit into it.

"...It turned out perfectly." Rem said with a nod. Emilia hummed as she happily chewed on her slice. Beatrice was struggling not to drool over her piece of cake, and Harry ate his, all too happy. Puck tore into his like a wild animal. All in all... a good meal time.

"Well, you've certainly outdone yourself, my love..." Rem murmured as she carefully tucked Harry in for bed, the boy nestling snugly into the covers with a small smile. "Now we don't even have to worry about preparing lunch tomorrow." Emilia beamed.

"Aww, thanks, Rem, I'm just happy everyone liked it." Both women slipped underneath the covers next to their son and smiled down at him. "Now then... It seems we have a lot to do if we're going to get our Christmas celebrations done..."

"Oh yes." Rem nodded. "We must make our child's very first true celebration one to remember, even if we do have much to learn ourselves about the holiday..."

"Hmmm...actually, we have something right here!" Emilia said, looking at Harry.

"So, Harry...what does one do on Christmas?"

"Um..." He began. "You...put up a big tree...which you cover in pretty, shiny red, white and green balls and lights, and a star on top."

"A tree?" Rem asked. "Do we need to chop down a tree? And how would we bring it into the house?

"No...it's a...fake tree...like, made of metal and...pla...plas...plaste-"

"Plastic?"

"Yeah, that."

He looked down. "Uncle Vernon used a real tree once, and I cleaned up the needles, it was really messy..."

"Needles? Oh, it must have been one of those big pine trees, I love those, they're so pretty and they smell so nice!" Emilia chirped.

"Hmm... If we can find one that fits, perhaps we could use a real tree... And we bake, correct?" Harry nodded his head.

"Um... Gingerbread men... Sometimes a gingerbread house... and... and cookies shaped like trees and snowflakes and snowmen, and... whatever you wanna make..." He mumbled softly.

"Okay, we can do this. Am I to assume we're to have a nice dinner that day?" Harry nodded. "And what is traditional to eat on this holiday?"

"Um... Turkey, and mashed potatoes, and... and... Um... Whatever else you wanna make, I guess..." Rem nodded.

"I see, I see... This does sound nice..."

"And we give each other presents too. I... I don't know what to give you, but um... I can try and find something..."

"Awww, you don't have to worry about that." Emilia cooed softly.

"But I really wanna give you something, you're so nice to me..."

"Well... Whatever it is, I just know we'll love it!" Emilia giggled. "Rem and I will learn all we can about Christmas and I promise we'll give you the best one you've ever had! Okay?" Harry looked at her with a small smile.

"O-Okay... Thank you, mommy... Thank you, mama..." Harry yawned softly as his fatigue caught up with him, his eyelids growing heavy.

"You're welcome, sweetie... Rest now..." Rem whispered softly into his ear.

"Mmkay... Love you, mama... Love you... mommy..." Harry closed his eyes, and sleep overtook him.

"Hehe, he was reeeeaaaally tired, wasn't he?"

"Indeed." Rem nodded. "Poor dear. This day must have been exhausting for him."

"For all of us." Emilia said. "But at least we can now cozy up and drift away into the land of sweet dreams."

"Very sweet dreams." Rem agreed. She and Emilia exchanged a short gaze, before leaning in and connecting their lips. They stayed like that for several seconds, before pulling back and laying down.

"Good night honey."

"Night night, Remmy."

"Huh?"

And with a cheeky smile, Emilia fell asleep, with Rem following soon after, a red flush on her face the whole night.