"We have no daughter."  Mrs. Blakely stated simply.  Remus gasped.  How could these people be so indifferent to their own daughter?  They were even worse than the Dursleys.  Gwen silently stood up and left the room.  Remus followed her.  She went to a small room, apparently it was hers.  She shoved a few clothes and some books into a small bag. 

            "Can I bunk with you for a while?"  Gwen asked, looking up at him with tears in her bright blue eyes.  Remus couldn't say no.  He nodded and led her to his house.

            "It's kind of shabby.  Nothing like your parents' house.  There're no carpets or anything.  And the food's not very good, but you won't starve."  Gwen dropped her things on the floor and hugged him.  Remus was surprised.  He had never been hugged before.  Not like this.  Not like he was the only she trusted in the world.  All he could do was stroke her hair comfortingly and wonder what he had done to deserve this.  Without warning the fireplace lit up.  Remus knew what was coming, but if she was going to live with him, she would have to get used to stuff like this.  The flames in the fireplace turned green.  A figure stumbled out, slightly disoriented after its trip.

            "Hey Moony!  Guess what?  You have a kid."  Remus groaned.

            "Sirius this is," he paused.  He didn't even know the girl's name.

            "Gwenhwyfar Blakely.  Call me Gwen."  Sirius looked back and forth between the two of them.

            "Explain."  He finally said, sitting down on Remus' overstuffed chair.

            "She was bitten.  Not by me.  By some stupid idiot who forgot to take his or her potion.  Her parents disowned her.  She lives with me now."  Sirius glared at him.

            "You're not supposed to have kids."  He said shaking a finger at Remus.

            "Technically, I didn't.  But Padfoot, I can't let her go to some muggle orphanage.  And I"

            "Dumbledore is never going to allow her to live at Hogwarts with you.  And you know it."

            "I'll talk Dumbledore around.  He took pity on me."

            "Dumbledore isn't talk-around-able."

            "Is that even a word?"  Interjected Gwen.  She loved arguments and decided it was high time to get in on this one.

            "No."  Said Remus at the same time Sirius said 'yes'.  Gwen grinned.  Sirius recognized a kindred spirit and began laughing.  Remus joined them a moment later.

            "I like you Gwen, for all you're a muggle."  Sirius said, clapping the ten year old on her back.

            "And I like you whatever your name is for all you're a-what's a muggle?"  She replied.  Sirius couldn't answer, he was laughing so hard.  Remus explained.

            "A muggle is someone who's non-magical."  Remus looked ready to explain, but Gwen interrupted him.

            "I get it.  You guys are magical.  Like wizards or something."  Remus was amazed.  This girl was taking things extremely well.

            "Yeah.  And his name is Sirius Black."  He said, pointing a thumb at the laughing idiot.  Sirius managed to stop laughing long enough to stand up and take a bow.

            "The one and only."  He said proudly.  "You should probably go take a nap or something."  He suggested.

            "I'm nine.  I don't take naps.  And you'll only talk about me, so why do I have to leave.  I know my story better than you do.  And I'll never go to an orphanage.  I'd only run away."  Sirius shrugged.

            "Suit yourself."  They went into the kitchen and Remus busied himself making tea as Sirius and Gwen got into a staring contest.  Remus set cups of tea in front of them.

            "Could you fix it for me, Moony?  My reputation as Stare-Master is at stake."  Remus sighed at his friend's weirdness and fixed it, shoving into Sirius' hand.  Gwen didn't touch hers.

            "I don't drink tea."  She replied to the look he was giving her.  "And don't ask how I saw that look.  I felt it."  Sirius chuckled.

            "You know, it's a real shame she's a muggle.  She could give us a run for our reputation as the best pranksters in history.  If she had the right partner of course."

            "You think Harry's kids aren't pranksters?"

            "Nope.  They're all quiet, sedate little things.  Just like him."

            "Who's Harry?"  Gwen asked.

            "My godson."

            "Oh" Sirius and Gwen continued staring at each other for three full minutes.  Remus got fed up with them.  He was getting irritable in his old age.

            "Will you two just call a truce or something?"

            "I guess we could."  Replied Sirius.

            "But I've never called a truce before."

            "And I don't want this to be the first."

            "Because I'm really enjoying the competition."

            "But if it's really necessary."

            "Then I guess we should."

            "Truce."  They said at the exact same time.  Remus shook his head.  They were worse than the Weasley twins.  He stopped shaking his head to find that they were now staring at him with the intensity that they had been staring at each other with.  Remus rolled his eyes.

            "I'll never win."  He muttered.

            "So what are you going to do, Moony?"  Asked Sirius.

            "I don't know Padfoot.  I really don't know."

            The three sat up late into the night, discussing their problem.  It was finally agreed that, if Gwen wasn't allowed to live at Hogwarts where Remus was going to be a teacher the next year, she would live with Sirius.  Gwen was about to ask where Hogwarts was and what Remus taught when she gave a big yawn.  It was her fourth.

            "You'd better get to bed.  You have school tomorrow missie."  Remus pointed out as he showed her to her room.

            "Do I have to go?"  She whined.

            "Yes.  You missed school today.  You have to go tomorrow.  Where do you go to school?"

            "St. Andrew's"

            "Oh."  Gwen slept well that night.  For the first time that she could remember, she was happy.