No one knew the secret that haunted Remus Lupin for the past fourteen years. His first and only love, Elizabeth Malkovich, married him in a secret, private ceremony, and had given birth to his daughter, Lullaby Dream Lupin, while away on a trip to visit her parents in the United States.

When he received the news, he and Elizabeth decided that with the war against Voldemort, it was safer for his daughter to grow up in a place that would keep her safe.

In his less-than-perfect home, his pride and joy, his sweet baby angel, his little girl, sat on the window seat, writing in her diary, as she often did. Watching her with tired eyes, he began to think back to when she had entered his life officially.

No, it was not the day she was born. True, they had stayed in touch through letters and pictures. That all changed when he received a letter written in a messy scrawl, he knew something was wrong.

It was hard for Remus to truly believe that Elizabeth was in a car accident and that she had died in surgery.

That was three weeks ago today. He still remembered the letter, word for word, that he received from his daughter.

'Dearest Daddy,

I have no idea what to do. As my father, I hope you can tell me what to do. I suppose I should tell you why I'm so confused. Mommy was on her way home from work on Thursday evening when a logging truck came out of nowhere. She died while on the operating table shortly after two-thirty on Friday morning. With Gram-Gram and Papa-Bear both gone, I don't know where to go or what to do. I need you to help me figure out how to sort out my conundrum.

Love Always,

Lullaby D. Lupin XOXOXO'

He hurried to his daughter's side. He arrived the day before the funeral service. Lullaby had already decided what she wanted done for her mother.

After Remus had arrived, they went through Elizabeth's possessions and found a magically locking ceramic urn that was detailed with different colored pixies and fairies.

Remus recalled the night he gave that urn to his Lizzie-Bear. It was the night of their secret marriage ceremony. It was actually a three-piece set.

Her parents each had their ashes in the other two urns. His in-laws had died about five years earlier.

A cremation ceremony was less expensive, and after all the little details were sorted out, Lullaby would be able to take her mother and grandparents with her.

So, here they were, three weeks later, still getting used to actually being in close quarters with each other. It was the day before Lullaby's 14th birthday. All of her documents had been sent from Winterland Academy of Magic, nestled about two hours away from Salem, Massachusetts, and she would be starting school at Hogwarts in only one months' time.

It took Remus about a minute to realize that his daughter had stopped writing and was staring at him, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

Straightening from his position against the door frame, Remus opened his arms wide, inviting his precious Lullaby into them. The moment she was nestled against him, he wrapped his arms tight around her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lullaby's shoulders stopped shaking and her grip loosened. It only took a second for Remus to notice that she cried herself to sleep before he cradled her in his arms, then carried her into the tiny bedroom that they shared.

Remus had offered to take the living room, but Lullaby begged and pleaded that he share the bed with her. So, every night, Remus lay on his side, as did his daughter, facing one another, with Lullaby clutching onto him for dear life, like she was afraid he was gonna be taken away from her as well.

After he laid her down, there was a scratching at the door. Quietly walking through the kitchen, Remus opened the door, and a large black dog padded into the small house. Remus hurried to close all of the blinds and curtains in the whole house.

As soon as he finished, Remus returned to the kitchen, giving the go-ahead to change. Within seconds, instead of a dog, a man stood in the middle of the kitchen.

The two men embraced briefly before the new-comer asked his question.

"So, Remus, what's the big emergency?"

"Sirius, you remember my girlfriend, Elizabeth?"

"Malkovich? Yeah, of course. Why?"

"We got married in secret. Fifteen years, this Halloween. However, tomorrow is our daughter's 14th birthday. Elizabeth died three weeks ago, and I have no idea wha-"

"Remus, hang on a minute. You got married? And had a baby? And didn't tell me or James?"

"Lizzie had Lullaby while she was visiting her parents in America. We stayed in contact through phone calls and letters. With the war against Voldemort raging on at the time, Lizzie and I agreed on having Lullaby growing up away from the fighting and the deaths. And after what happened that night, I knew it wouldn't be safe to bring them home. Not with the Death Eaters out there. But now, there's a small problem."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"Lizzie died three weeks ago. She was an only child. And her parents died five years ago. I'm all Lullaby has left. She's transferring to Hogwarts this year."

"Elizabeth's gone? How? When?"

"In the hospital, on the operating table, after an accident with a logging truck. It was three weeks ago."

"So, where's the girl now?"

"Sleeping. An hour ago, she was writing in her diary. Twenty minutes later, she's crying and shivering uncontrollably. Fifteen minutes later, she's asleep from being physically and emotionally drained, barely touching her meals, and crying for hours on end. I don't know how to help her, Sirius."

"I don't know either, Remus. Who all knows about this?"

"Just you. And Dumbledore."

"Ask him what to do."

Remus stood there, thinking about it.

"You know what, I hadn't thought of that."

It was quiet in the kitchen, except for the scratching of a quill on parchment. Finally, after five minutes, Sirius got tired of sitting there. He decided to explore a little bit while Remus continued writing.

Within minutes, Sirius located the bedroom, where he spotted Lullaby, squeezing a pillow for dear life. He couldn't believe this little girl was Remus' daughter. She was simply stunning.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that her long, sleek black hair had a lovely purple tint when the light hit it just right. Her skin was like that of a porcelain doll: light and creamy in color, and after grazing his fingers over her arm, found that it was as soft and smooth as velvet.

Leaving the room, he thought about how lucky his friend was to have a child to take care of. He entered the kitchen just as Remus was placing tea and muffins on the table.

"Your daughter is beautiful, Remus. You're lucky."

The two men sat down at the table, across from each other, sipping their tea.

"Thanks. She'll be awake in about half an hour. She cries for about fifteen minutes then sleeps for an hour. She's too upset to eat and when she does, it's only two or three bites. She writes in her diary almost twelve hours a day. When she does sleep longer than an hour, it's only when I'm with her, letting her squeeze the breath out of me. Three weeks, Sirius. And next week is the full moon. I don't know what to do."

Sobbing, Remus put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Suddenly, there was a noise in the door way.

"Daddy, are you okay?"

Looking at his daughter, Remus wiped away the tears as Lullaby rushed forward, her thumbs removing the tears for him.

"Daddy, please don't cry. I don't wanna see you sad, Daddy."

"Lulls, I have something to tell you, Princess. In a few days, I'll have to leave you with someone else."

"Why, Daddy? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, baby, you didn't do anything wrong. It'll only be for a week. Lullaby, I've a prob-"

"Mommy already told me. You're a werewolf. But, Daddy, I don't wanna leave you."

"It's only for a few days, I promise. I just can't have you around during the full moon. I'm trying to keep you safe. Oh, here's Dumbledore's response."

Remus pulled the letter from the owl's beak then read it silently once before reading it aloud.

" 'Remus,

I truly have no idea what you're going through right now, but I believe that the Weasley's will be able to help during the full moon. It also happens to be the Quidditch World Cup, and coincidentally, I have a ticket for the same box as the Weasley's. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend this year. Arthur will swing by after work tomorrow to meet the girl.

Regards,

Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore'"

"That man is still a bloody wonder."

"Yes, he is, Sirius. Oh, Lullaby, this is an old friend of mine, Sirius Black."

"S-S-Sirius B-B-Black? Daddy, are you crazy?"

"He was wrongfully imprisoned. Trust me. I trust Sirius with my life. And, Sirius, this is my daughter, Lullaby. She'll be fourteen tomorrow. Speaking of which, it's time for supper, so we can get to bed. Your first birthday with me. Big day planned for us. Thanks for your help, Sirius. See you later, unless you wanna stay here. Arthur won't here for about twenty-one hours. Stay here with us tonight."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. I call couch!"

"Scratch what I said before, Daddy. You're not crazy. He is. I think I'm actually just gonna get a protein shake then go back to bed. I'm not very hungry."

"Baby, you're never hungry. Please, I beg of you, eat at least one full meal. You're starting to waste away. No sleep, no food, and nothing but tears. Please, baby, for Daddy, eat."

Remus pulled his daughter into a hug, whispering into her soft hair. When he looked at her after she pulled back a little, he noticed that her vibrant Amethyst-colored eyes were, yet again, glistening with tears. She nodded lightly and gave him a tiny, barely-there smile.

"Okay, Daddy. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be nice. And a glass of milk, please."

Sighing as he got up, Remus began to make his daughter what she had asked for. 'Well, at least it's more than what she normally eats. I'm happy about that.' It placed it on the table where, a minute ago, Lullaby had been sitting.

Puzzled, he began to look for her. Shaking his head, Remus found her sitting on the window seat, once again, writing in her diary. He walked over and put her sandwich and milk on the table beside her.

"Here you are, Lulls. Thank you for eating. I expect every bite to be eaten."

"Of course, Daddy. Thank you."

After sitting next to Sirius, Remus reclined back and let out a soft sigh.

"Heh. Parenthood that rough?"

"No. With her being awake most of the time, I don't get very much sleep. And with the full moon coming up, my energy levels are gonna be so far down, it won't be funny."

It was silent for about five minutes before Lullaby was finished eating. Looking up, Remus saw his daughter watching Sirius with cautious eyes. And glancing at Sirius, he noticed that his friend was watching Lullaby carefully, apprehensively, looking for any clue as to discomfort.

"Daddy, I'm going to bed. I'm quite tired. Please feel free to stay out here, with your friend, and catch up. Good night, Daddy. Good night, Mr. Black."

"Sirius. Please, call me Sirius. And good night, Lullaby."

"Sweet dreams, baby. Are you sure you don't want me to tuck you in?"

"I'm sure, Daddy."

Turning, Lullaby headed for the bedroom and closed the door the moment she was fully inside. In the living room, Sirius let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

"Well, she is a little angel, isn't she? Once again, you're so lucky. I still can't believe you didn't say anything to me, James, or even Lily. You know what? Go to bed. Mr. Weasley won't be here until the evening, so we can talk tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Now, you need your sleep. Good night, Moony."

"Good night, Padfoot. See you in the morning."