Disclaimer: I DOT NOT OWN ANY OF THE CONTENT RECOGNIZED FROM THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS! The characters, places, objects, creatures etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter One

Just as the dew prepared its fall from the leaf of the oak tree before him, so too did Remus Lupin prepare to fall onto the grass and sleep. It had been a long and grueling day. Not only had James and Lily just been murdered and Voldemort defeated, but he had also gotten a very unexpected and unpleasant visit from someone he believed to be long gone.

This visitor had come just after the horrible news had arrived. Remus was pacing back and forth in his study like an upset ferret, fighting off the tears that had been threatening to erupt like a burst fire hydrant.

Not only were James and Lily murdered, but Peter too and Sirius was the prime suspect. He felt so alone, so cast into darkness that he was unsure how much more he could take.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door. It was a quiet knock, almost as if the person behind the door did not actually want to be heard.

Slowly, cautiously, Remus approached the door. He opened it slowly, not expecting the sight to be a woman standing with a baby wrapped in a light purple afghan. "Melinda?" Remus gasped, feeling rooted to the spot.

The woman before him was a short, thin woman with long burgundy hair and a pointed nose. Her eyes were black as night, yet shone with a glimmer of sorrow. The baby in her arms had sprinkles of sandy brown hair atop her tiny head, her nose as pointy as her mother's. Remus stared from Melinda to the baby and, giving Melinda a quizzical look, bowed her in.

Remus had met Melinda at a party just after a friend of his had married the previous year. He felt bewitched by her and after only a couple of weeks and three dates, they had sex. Being that Remus had fallen so hard and so fast, he wanted to let her know of his secret that he was, in fact, a werewolf. However, she did not take this with compassion and left him, disgusted.

Since then, until this night, Remus had seen nor heard of her.

Melinda stepped in and shook her robes, dust puffed up from them in small individual clouds. She removed them and sat on the sofa by the fireplace. Remus merely stood in front of her, still eyeing the child with great interest.

"Let me guess…" he murmured, watching as the baby girl stirred in her mother's arms.

"Yes." Melinda finally said. "She is yours."

"And you didn't bother to come to me sooner because…?"

Melinda held up a hand to silence him. Though they had known one another for only a few short weeks before she decided to leave and only had one intimate encounter, Remus knew she was stern and didn't want her wrath when he was already in so much woe.

"I didn't come to you sooner because not only were things hectic with the Dark Lord, but I wasn't sure about her in the first place…" she paused here, scanning Remus' face for a reaction. He knew exactly what she meant, she was just too cowardly to say so.

"You weren't sure if she was like me…"

Silence fell between the two adults. The baby cooed in her sleep and he fire behind Remus crackled wildly. The flames danced in Melinda's eyes as she stared indifferently at the baby in her arms. "Yes…now I am. You once told me that there are only two ways a person can become a werewolf; by birth or by accident. You also told me that – for lack of a better term – the baby born a werewolf will have a birthmark signifying that they have the curse as well."

As she said this, Melinda removed part of the blanket from the baby to reveal her left leg. Just above her left knee, the baby bore a most peculiar brown birthmark. It was shaped like a crescent moon and almost seemed to shine like glass. Remus leaned against the mantle and wiped a hand down his face to cover his mouth.

"That is how I know for sure that she is yours." Melinda sneered, hatred almost pouring from her words. "I have been with another man since I left you, a NORMAL wizard—"

"I did NOT ask to be this way-!"

"But—she happens to be yours instead of his. I've come here to relieve myself of her. She is in your hands now." With this, Melinda stood and practically dropped the girl onto the sofa. She turned a heel and was nearly at the door when Remus grabbed her by the arm. "You cannot just come here after nearly a year without a word and carelessly drop a baby on my doorstep."

"She's on your sofa. And what does it matter to me? That, that…THING is no child of mine. Say what you will about it not being your choice, but I will have no part in her life if she is going to possibly kill me someday. You can handle this, you WANT to handle this. I can't and I won't."

Her eyes were littered with hatred and disgust as she ripped her arm from Remus' grasp. She threw her robes around her and swiftly sprinted out of the house as fast as she could. Remus just stared after her at the closed door. His shoulders grew weak and began to shake. Suddenly, the tears he had been fighting since he heard about the Potters now broke free and he fell to his knees.

He wept so loudly and so violently, he felt as though he would change without the full moon's wake ahead of him. As his sobs reverberated off of the walls of his home, so too did a new set of sobs join the mournful chiding. Remus looked up from his tear stained hands at the sofa; the baby.

He quickly stood and rushed to her. Her face screwed up and purpled as her cries grew louder. Remus reached for her and shushed as he began to rock her in his arms. "It's all right, little one…Remu-…I mean..Daddy's here. Yes…that's right. Daddy's here, sweet little flower."

As he whispered to her, the baby calmed and gazed up at him transfixed. Her bright, grey eyes suddenly dried and she smiled at him. Remus felt his heart swell within him and saw a glimmer of light at the end of this wretched tunnel.

Quick as a flash, Remus fashioned her a safe spot on his bed by arranging his bedclothes around her like a fluffy crib. He then sat at his desk and penned letters to Albus Dumbledore and other members of the Order to ensure their safety as well as tell them the news; that he had become a father.

Once he had sent the letters, Remus decided to walk outside to catch his breath.

As he stood before the oak tree in his front yard, he felt as though he would collapse. He stared up into the night sky, thankful that the moon was absent. He wondered why he felt no qualms about suddenly becoming a father. The answer came almost immediately. The moment he took a good look her, gazing down into her eyes he felt a love he'd never felt before. He knew that she was his and that she was a shimmer of hope after such dark times for him.

He looked back toward the house at the lit window, knowing she was sleeping soundly in his bedroom. His mind whirred suddenly with thoughts of having to tell her what he was…what she would become…

…And what to name her.

As though he'd heard it on the whispers of the fall breeze, it came to him.

"Tru…" he whispered. "Your name is Tru."

Dear Readers,

I deeply and sincerely apologize for my absence over the past 7 years. I would also like to express my appreciation for your extremely determined patience in waiting for continuance with "On Fire". This, as you can tell, is a re-envisioning of that story. After reading the original, I realized not only was my writing style particularly elementary at the time, but I was also running off on such a tangent that I failed to keep certain things TO THE BOOKS. With this story, I am not only going to try and remain more true to J.K. Rowling's genius, but also introduce superior character development from OF. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your never ending support once again. :) Expect Chapters 11-22 within the next few weeks. I PROMISE THIS TIME!

Love Always,

SL