December 1979

Remus paced the floor of his small flat nervously. Sirius watched the werewolf from his seat on the couch, tapping his foot impatiently. Sirius sighed heavily, but he knew that his friend would spill his guts soon enough. At long last, Remus stopped pacing, standing directly in front of Sirius and blurting, "Padfoot, I want to have a baby."

Sirius sat back for a moment, shocked, then bit his lip, smiling. Trying and failing to hold back a laugh, Sirius quipped, "Moony, I think you're coming to the wrong person with that request. I do believe the person you need will be a female."

Remus narrowed his eyes at his teasing friend. "Not funny, Sirius. Come on, I mean it. I want to have a baby."

"Why are you talking to me about it, then?" Sirius asked, tilting his head slightly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "James is the only one of us with any knowledge about knocking up witches. Why don't you talk to him? You know how I am; I do everything I can to avoid fathering a child."

Remus answered, "Because I don't have a girlfriend or a wife? I don't want to get a girl pregnant. That risks passing on my, err, problem, to a child, and I couldn't take that chance."

Sirius shrugged. "So then go to St. Mungo's and the Ministry and adopt a baby. What's the problem?"

Remus rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath. Reminding himself to be patient, Remus said gently, "They know I'm a werewolf. They aren't going to just let me adopt a child all by myself. I have to have a non-werewolf witch or wizard adopt the child with me to guarantee the child's safety, or they'll turn me away."

Sirius frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, Remus. What are you going to do?"

Remus sat down beside Sirius, his fingers fidgeting on his wand anxiously. "Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you, Sirius. I was… well, I was hoping that you would help me get her."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at Remus. "Her? You mean you've already picked out a little girl to adopt?"

Remus flushed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, well I suppose I have. Remember how I've been volunteering at St. Mungo's the last couple months?" Sirius nodded. "Well, three weeks ago, I got placed in the maternity ward, and this young woman apparated in, in labor and totally alone. We tried to ask about a father, but she said there wasn't one. She died in childbirth; there was nothing anyone can do. The little girl was just so beautiful, and they let me hold her and feed her for a couple weeks, and I just…" Remus swallowed hard. "I know she'll probably be ok at the orphanage in St. Mungo's, but I just… I just can't leave her there."

Sirius smiled, then patted Remus on the back of the shoulder. "I understand, Remus; the little witch has already managed to wrap you around her little finger. Ok, I'll sign whatever papers you need to me to sign to help you adopt this girl."

Remus said slowly, "Actually, it's a little more than that. We'd both be adopting her, so you'd be her father too. You'd have to help me name her, and give her your last name too, and help me out by taking her away from me and keeping her safe during the full moon. I don't know if you'd want to be a part of her life in any other ways, but you'd be more than welcome to."

Sirius thought about it for a few moments. "Remus, I don't think I'm cut out to be a father. I want to help you out though. Maybe… maybe if you could be her father, I could just be like a godfather of sorts, like James is going to have me be with his kid. I think I could help you in that way, and of course I would babysit on full moons."

Remus smiled broadly, and threw an arm around Sirius's shoulders. "Thank you, Padfoot! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Sirius laughed softly. "You're welcome, Moony."

January 1980

It took nearly two months before Remus and Sirius had managed to jump through all the hoops to secure the adoption of the little baby girl. Sirius couldn't help the smile on his face as he watched Remus take the ten week old baby into his arms for the first time since the adoption became final. A witch who worked in the legal department of St. Mungo's caught Sirius's attention and asked him to give her a name for the new birth certificate. Sirius waved Remus over, and the witch repeated her question. Remus glanced at Sirius before responding, "Quinn Phoenix Lupin-Black."

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "I knew I wasn't remembering that right. I'd have named her Phoenix Quinn Black-Lupin, and then where would we be?" Sirius teased.

Remus rolled his eyes as the dark-haired woman handed Sirius the final piece of paperwork, which listed both of them as the baby's fathers and held no mention of a mother, as Remus didn't know the dead mother's name. Remus held the baby close to his chest as the two men apparated back to Remus's flat. Once inside, Remus seemed to hesitate, then asked, "Umm, what now?"

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Like hell if I know," he exclaimed. "You're the one who wanted a baby and read all the books and junk. Shouldn't you know?"

Remus simply rolled his eyes at his best friend. Looking down at the baby in his arms, Remus stared into little Quinn's grey eyes with fascination. Suddenly, he turned to Sirius and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

Sirius froze, unsure of himself. "Oh, Moony, I don't know…"

Remus smiled slightly and walked over to the animagus. "Come on, Padfoot; it's easy enough," Remus said encouragingly.

Sirius stalled. "Are you sure about this? When it comes to kids, I'm usually more of an observer."

Remus laughed softly. "Stop hesitating and just do it," Remus said softly. "Just make sure you support her head well, and everything will be just fine." When Sirius continued to stare at Quinn as though she were some sort of alien creature, Remus laughed even harder. "Sirius, you're overthinking it. If you're going to have to babysit her overnight at least once a month, then you need to bond with her. The first step in that process is to hold her."

"But what if she doesn't like me?" Sirius whispered, worry and fear shining in his eyes.

Remus cocked his head, the sudden emotion in Sirius unexpected, but understandable. "You're her father, or uncle, or godfather, or whatever it is you're calling yourself this week. She'll love you," Remus reassured him.

Sirius hesitated, then nodded. Remus carefully handed Quinn over to Sirius, who took her into his arms gingerly. Quinn cooed at him as he brought her close to him, reaching out towards his face with a tiny, fat hand. Sirius smiled, his face filled with awe as he looked at the tiny girl. Sirius murmured softly, "Hello, little baby."

Remus's smile grew wider as he watched Sirius with Quinn. "I told you she'd like you," Remus said smugly.

Sirius couldn't help the smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah, Moony. You were right." Sirius bounced Quinn in his arms for a moment, then frowned. "Umm, what do I do now?" Sirius asked, anxiety returning to his voice.

Remus shrugged as Quinn tried to grab Sirius's nose. Sirius easily captured her tiny hand and kept it away from his face, letting her hold his finger instead. "Just talk to her, I guess," Remus answered. "I've read in several books that talking to her is one of the best things we can do for her development, so I think we should talk to her as much as possible."

Sirius nodded slowly, and just as he was about to begin babbling to Quinn, there was a knock at the door. Remus left Sirius holding Quinn and answered the door, finding an excited James and a pregnant Lily standing on the other side of it. James exclaimed, "Moony! I'm so glad you guys are back already; we were hoping that you two would be done at St. Mungo's by now. We were hoping the little pup would be up still so we could meet her."

Remus smiled. "Oh yeah, Sirius has her in the living room. Come on in," Remus said, the happiest he had been in a long while. As the three walked back into the flat, Remus announced, "Sirius, look who's here to meet Quinn."

Sirius turned, his eyes lighting up when he saw James and Lily. "Prongs! Lily! Thank goodness," he cried, instantly handing Quinn over to Lily.

Lily cooed happily at the little girl as James grinned. "Shirking your father responsibilities already, Sirius?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Nonsense," Sirius scoffed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Just letting Quinn get to know her godmother."

James told them, "Wormtail should be here soon."

At that moment, the man being discussed tumbled out of the fireplace in a bout of green flames. Peter straightened his shirt as Remus exclaimed, "Wormtail! So glad you could make it."

Peter offered a slight smile. "Hey, guys."

Lily offered the baby to Peter. "Peter, meet Remus and Sirius's new baby, Quinn."

Peter took Quinn from Lily and said hello. The little girl nearly instantly started crying, and Remus quickly took Quinn away from Peter. "Sorry, Peter," Remus crooned as he attempted to soothe Quinn with his voice. "She's probably hungry. Or sleepy. I'm not really sure, actually."

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, it's hard to interpret her cries after half an hour of parenting," Sirius ribbed.

Remus rolled his eyes and carried Quinn into the kitchen, James following after him. Remus set about making a bottle for Quinn as James said softly, "I'm proud of you, Moony. It's an amazing thing you're doing for this little girl."

Remus smiled, testing the heat of the milk on his skin. He decided that the temperature was good, and he stuck the bottle in Quinn's mouth, who stopped crying and drank the milk greedily. Remus turned to look at James and mumbled, "Thank you, Prongs. I couldn't help myself. I love this little girl; I can't imagine her not being mine."

James happily agreed. "She seems as though she was made to sit in your arms, Remus. Little Quinn Lupin-Black. It's pretty perfect. You're going to be such a great father, she'll never leave you when she grows up. You'll never be able to get rid of her."

November 1981

Remus sat on the couch of the flat, head in his hands and shoulders heaving. He absolutely couldn't believe what Sirius had done. His hands shook with grief and anger. Just the day before, James and Lily had sent him an owl, excited for Harry's second Halloween, and now they were dead, and it was all Sirius's fault. He'd heard that Peter and twelve Muggles had been murdered too before the Hit Wizards had finally arrested Sirius. He heard the pitter patter of tiny feet, then a small voice ask, "Daddy, where Padfoot?"

Remus sighed heavily, looking up to see Quinn standing about a foot away, her white gold blonde curls framing her wide, tear filled grey eyes. Remus smoothed her hair lovingly and shook his head, ridding himself of his own tears. "Padfoot has gone away, little pup."

Quinn frowned, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "Gone?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Remus scooped the toddler up in his arms, squeezing her to his chest. "Gone, Quinn. He's not coming back. We won't be seeing him anymore."

Quinn wrapped her little fat arms around his neck and clutched tightly to Remus. "Why?" she asked indignantly.

Remus shook his head. "Padfoot did something very bad, and now he has to go away," Remus croaked. "But I tell you what, sometime soon we'll get a dog. This dog won't be able to turn into a wizard and talk to you, but this will be better. Ok?"

Quinn nodded, but still wore a pout on her face. "Ok," she agreed.

Remus stood up, carrying Quinn in his arms. "Come on, little pup. Let's get you back in bed. Want me to read you a story?"

Quinn exclaimed joyfully, "Story, daddy!"

Remus smiled slightly at his happy little girl. "All right, a story it is."

January 1983

Quinn sat on the couch in the living room of her home, her Daddy and a witch he seemed familiar with talking quietly in the kitchen. She ignored them, content to sit on the couch with a Dr. Seuss book reading, and pretending to read any words she couldn't remember. Remus was talking with the witch in lime green robes quietly so that Quinn wouldn't overhear. "You're sure about this?" he said softly.

The Healer nodded. "I'm afraid so. Quinn has Asperger's Syndrome, a high-functioning form of Autism. She seems to have a mild case of it, though, so that's good news."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. He asked, "What do I need to do?"

The Healer whispered, "Just continue what you've been doing. Love her, take care of her, be patient with her. Her brain is hardwired a little differently from most people's, so she's going to have trouble, mostly socially. Her motor skills will take a little longer to develop, especially as she starts learning new skills. Sensitivity to light and loud sounds is pretty common, and she'll dislike a lot of strong tastes and textures when it comes to food. She might only show interest in one thing, or maybe just a few, and she'll seem obsessed over that thing. She'll focus on it and learn everything she can about it. Eye contact might be difficult for her, and she might make funny faces a lot. Her language patterns might be unusual, like oddly formal for such a small child. The biggest problem will be missing social cues and not understanding facial expressions or voice inflections. It might seem like she doesn't have any empathy. Sarcasm and humor might be hard for her to understand. Just be patient with her, and she'll be just fine. Usually, as a teenager children with Asperger's will begin to develop the missing social skills, plus they're often quite smart with unusually high IQs, so that's a good thing. She'll need fairly strict routines, but I have no doubts that by the time she gets to Hogwarts, she'll be able to manage herself just fine. She may need a little help at the beginning of each year at school creating a schedule and organizing her life, but after that she'll be just fine."

Remus nodded slowly, then glanced over at Quinn where she sat on the couch. "Ok. Thank you very much, Healer Milne. You've no idea how much I appreciate this."

The blonde woman nodded and smiled at Remus. "Of course, Mr. Lupin. If you have any questions about her Asperger's or need any help, give me a Floo call, ok?"

Remus smiled slightly. "Thank you," he mumbled.

September 1991

Quinn followed her father onto Platform 9 & ¾ through the wall barrier, glancing nervously about herself. Except for short trips to Diagon Alley, Quinn didn't think she'd ever seen so many people in the same place at once. The place was loud and crowded, and Quinn wasn't quite sure she liked it. She tugged on her father's tan coat sleeve, and he turned to her with half a smile on his face. "Daddy," she said softly. "Are you sure I can't stay home with you again this year?"

Remus turned to his daughter with a patient smile and gave her a tight hug. "No, little pup, I'm afraid you have to go. You'll love it after you get used to it; I promise. You'll make new friends and learn new spells and how to make potions. Professor McGonagall will be there, and she'll help you create a schedule and get everything organized. It'll be like an extended visit instead of just every now and then when Grandpa can't take you in at the full moon." Quinn wouldn't meet his eyes, staring at the wand she held as she twirled it nervously in a repetitive motion between her hands, her light blonde hair hanging in her face. Remus sighed and said, "It'll be ok; I promise. Be brave for me, little pup; ok?"

Quinn nodded, looking into his face but still didn't meet his eyes. "Ok, daddy," she said.

It was the morning after the Welcome Feast, and brand new Gryffindor Quinn Lupin-Black was strolling cheerfully down from Professor McGonagall's office to the Great Hall for breakfast when she was cornered by Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. Draco asked haughtily, "Is it true?"

Quinn trembled as she asked, "Is what true?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Is it true that you're Sirius Black's daughter?" he asked impatiently.

Quinn fidgeted nervously, eyes darting around the room looking for an escape. She knew that she was technically also Sirius Black's daughter and that he was in Azkaban and why, but Remus had barely talked about him, so Quinn only knew the basic facts. She nodded and answered, "Yes, I guess so."

Draco said proudly, "My mother was Sirius Black's cousin." Then he thought for a moment. "You're adopted though, so don't think that being his so-called daughter makes you a proper pureblood and us cousins."

Quinn furrowed her brow, confused, her eyes settling on the knot of Draco's green and silver necktie. "Ok," she said slowly. "Can I got to breakfast now?"

Draco tilted his head to one slightly, as though he couldn't quite grasp what Quinn was thinking. He smirked slightly and said, "Just because you aren't a proper pureblood or my cousin doesn't change the facts though. You're still the heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and that comes with a lot of prestige and fortune. I think I'd like to be friends of sorts. Nothing particularly close, but friendly enough to do favors for each other."

Quinn muttered, "Can the first favor be letting me go to breakfast?"

Draco sneered. "You don't have any interest in my offer?"

Quinn replied, "I have no problem being friends with anyone here, but a proper friend would let me go get breakfast before time runs out on my schedule."

Draco frowned. "What schedule? We haven't even started classes yet."

Suddenly, Quinn found herself surrounded by two tall, red-haired boys, whom Quinn quickly realized must be identical twins. The one on her left asked, "Malfoy isn't bothering you, is he?"

Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Not really, except he won't let me go to breakfast, and my schedule is going to run out of breakfast time before long," she complained.

The ginger twins looked slightly confused by that, but the boy on her right recovered more quickly. He said to Draco, "Shove off, Malfoy. Leave the girl alone." He offered Quinn his arm. "My lady, I'd be more than happy to escort you to the Great Hall for breakfast."

Quinn giggled slightly at the boy who talked like a Muggle black and white movie. She threaded her arm through his and allowed him to sweep her away from the three Slytherin first years, his brother just behind. The twin whose arm she didn't cling to said, "Sorry about Malfoy. The boy's a git. Just ignore him."

Quinn nodded. "Thank you," she said softly.

The twin who had her arm announced, "I'm Fred Weasley, by the way. That there is my twin brother, George. Don't worry though; everyone mixes up our names, so don't feel badly if you get us confused."

Quinn smiled slightly as the trio entered the Great Hall. "Ok, I won't," she said cheerfully.

The Sunday after classes had started, Quinn sat in Professor McGonagall's office having tea with McGonagall and her father. Quinn told Remus excitedly all about her first week, and he smiled indulgently at her as she practically bounced in her seat. It seemed that Gryffindor tower suited her as well as Remus had hoped when he received Quinn's owl after the Sorting Ceremony. Remus frowned as she told him about Draco Malfoy confronting her in the corridor, but couldn't help the grin on his face as she explained about the Weasley twins rescuing her. Finally, McGonagall shooed Quinn away, sending her back to Gryffindor to work on homework. Remus asked McGonagall, "Does she seem as though she's doing as well with it all as she says she is?"

McGonagall gave Remus a small smile. "Mr. Lupin, Quinn is doing beautifully. She seems to have made several friends as well, although only one in her own year, a Miss Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born. She seems fascinated by Miss Granger's tales of the Muggle world, but mostly they sit together in the library and read. However, it would appear that Fred and George Weasley have taken it upon themselves to be her personal knights. Every time you see her in the Great Hall, they're always with her. I can't tell which one is which, but one in particular seems to be quite taken with her. She's always hanging on his arm, or sitting beside him with his arm around her. They seem to be very protective of Quinn. I believe she's making excellent choices of friends, and none of them seem to mind her more odd mannerisms."

Remus shook his head, biting his lip in worry. "Is she happy here?" he asked anxiously.

McGonagall answered, "Mr. Lupin, I would say that your daughter seems very happy here."

Remus smiled slightly and nodded. "Good," he said softly. "That's all that matters."

July 1993

Quinn sat on the front steps of her home, the book in her hand ignored, as she stared at a large, playful black dog bounce around in front of her. Though it was nearly dark out, Quinn could see the dog's unusually grey eyes begging her to pet him. After watching the dog for several minutes to ensure that it wouldn't change its mind and bite her, Quinn slowly reached out and began scratching its shoulder. The dog instantly licked Quinn's cheek, making her laugh softly. She continued to tangle her fingers in its shaggy black fur and scratch behind his ears until her father stepped outside, saying, "Isn't it a little dark out here for reading that…" Remus trailed off, freezing at the sight of the dog.

Quinn smiled up at Remus. "It is, but this dog showed up. He's so sweet, but I think he's homeless. Can we keep him?"

Suddenly, Remus grabbed Quinn by the arm and pulled her to her feet, forcing himself between her and the dog, his wand pointed at the animal. The dog whined softly and lowered himself in a submissive stance. "No. Quinn, get in the house."

Quinn frowned. "Dad, what's wrong? It's just a dog."

"Don't argue," Remus said firmly. "In the house. Now."

Quinn quickly obeyed, shutting the door behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her father start yelling at the dog. It scared her; she didn't think she'd ever heard her father yell outside of a Quidditch match. "How dare you? Are you really this stupid? It's bad enough that the Aurors come by at least once a week to make sure you haven't tried to make contact with me or Quinn; you're lucky I don't call them right now and have them drag you back to Azkaban, and I'd make sure they knew you were an Animagus this time around. You stay the bloody hell away from my daughter, Padfoot."

Quinn ran to the nearest window at the mention of the name "Padfoot." She hadn't heard the name in years. Looking outside, Quinn saw that the dog was gone, and in its place stood a man in tattered prison robes with wild black wavy hair and a pale, gaunt face. She barely heard the man say, "Moony, please, listen to me. I'm innocent; I can explain."

Remus growled threateningly, "I don't want to hear about how bloody great and powerful your blasted Dark Lord is to convince you to betray James and Lily or murder Peter and those Muggles. Leave. Now."

Unable to help herself, Quinn slipped quietly out the front door again as Sirius Black replied coolly, "Remus, it wasn't like that. It was never like that. I'm telling you, I'm innocent, and if you'd just give me the chance I could prove it."

Remus snapped, "I'm not giving you the chance to do anything. Get out of here before I change my mind about calling the Aurors. The only reason I don't in the first place is so Quinn doesn't have to see you arrested."

Quinn moved forward, but still stayed behind Remus, watching everything curiously and casting concerned glances at Remus occasionally. Sirius tilted his head slightly as Quinn's movement caught his attention. "She's my daughter too, you know. I think I have the right to try to convince her of my innocence," he said softly as Quinn's grey eyes met his for a few seconds before she looked down at the scruff on his face.

"You will do no such thing," Remus shouted, making Quinn and Sirius both flinch. Remus snarled, "The only reason your filthy name is still attached to my baby girl is so that Gringotts doesn't revoke her right to access your vault so she can have things like clothes and schoolbooks, because Merlin knows I can't pay for them with the kind of jobs I've been able to get. That's the closest to parenting I'm ever letting you get to. If I didn't know that you'd most likely get the Dementor's Kiss right here and now if I called the Aurors, I'd call them, but I don't want Quinn to see that. If I ever see you within ten kilometers of my little girl ever again, I'll kill you myself. Get out."

At the mention of the Dementor's Kiss, Quinn had shivered, and Sirius's eyes had grown wide with fear. Quinn bit her lip and fidgeted nervously. Sirius took notice of Quinn's growing anxiety and smirked slightly, drawling, "I don't think Quinn likes it when Mummy and Daddy fight, Remus."

Sirius nodded in Quinn's direction, and Quinn turned bright red as Remus turned, shocked to find Quinn standing behind him again. "Quinn!" Remus exclaimed. "What are you bloody doing? I told you to go inside; that included staying inside. Get back in the house, now."

Quinn shifted her weight between her feet nervously, and she couldn't bring herself to meet Remus's gaze. "But, Dad," she mumbled. "He says he's innocent."

Remus didn't have to look at Sirius to know he would be grinning from ear to ear, but he turned his attention sharply back to the escaped prisoner anyway to make sure he couldn't steal his wand away from him. Sirius was indeed grinning triumphantly at the werewolf. Remus scowled and snapped at Quinn, "Like hell he's innocent. Quinn, you and I can talk in the house as soon as he's gone. He's not staying here though. Black, get the hell out of here before I do something in front of Quinn that I'll regret."

Sirius turned his grey eyes on Quinn and winked at her, and she couldn't help the warmth she felt spreading in her chest and the slight smile on her face. "Fine, Moony," Sirius said softly. "For her sake, I'll go. I'll find a way to convince you of my innocence somehow though; you'll see. Wormtail's the real traitor, and I'll prove it. You'll see." With that, Sirius shifted into a large black dog again, barking once and wagging his tail at Quinn before turning and running off into the night.

Remus sighed with relief when Sirius was gone and turned to Quinn, who waited nervously for her punishment for disobeying and not staying in the house. Instead, Remus pulled her to him in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. Quinn could feel Remus trembling slightly and hugged him back, squeezing as hard as she could. Remus buried his face in her hair and breathed her scent in deeply, reassuring himself that his little girl was safe. After a few minutes standing like that, Remus murmured affectionately, "Come on, Quinn. I think that was enough of an ordeal for both of us tonight. I'm not going to punish you for wanting to get a closer look of the other man who's last name you're forced to wear. Let's just get inside, all right? I'll make us some hot chocolate, and we can curl up on the couch and read, yeah?"

Quinn smiled against her father's chest. "Ok, Dad. That sounds wonderful." Letting her take a step back, Remus left an arm wrapped around Quinn and walked with her into the house. As he made the hot chocolate in the kitchen, Quinn watched him from the couch in the living room. In the small house, the two rooms were practically one, but neither father or daughter minded. As Remus brought the hot drink over and handed one to Quinn, she said timidly, "He didn't seem evil to me, Dad."

Remus sighed as he sat down, draping an arm over the back of the couch. "He never has," Remus muttered darkly. "But he's probably the most evil man out there, aside from the Dark Lord himself."

"I know," Quinn whispered. "But he doesn't seem it."

Remus kissed Quinn's forehead. "I know, little pup. I know."

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