Remus returned to find chaos at the burrow, Ron appeared to be attempting to scrub his face off while the twins sat laughing. Mrs Weasley was livid, "honestly will you two ever grow up!? Imagine getting a child to help you with such a prank! I don't blame you Caelen dear. And your poor brother!"

"Awe ikkle Ronnie will be fine mum!" George choked through laugher.

Fred nodded his agreement, "if you ask me it's a right improvement!"

"Improvement!?" Ron squeaked angrily, "look at me you've made me a girl! A bloody girl!!"

Remus tried to stifle a snicker when Ron moved the washcloth revealing long black eyelashes, rosy red cheeks, and coral lips, although the cheek color may have been due to his anger rather than whatever prank the twins had concocted. He looked at his daughter, the sternest expression he could muster plastered on his face, "Caelen what did you do?"

The little girl, sat between the twins on the couch both keeping an arm around her little shoulders protectively, staring at her toes. "I'm sorry daddy," she whimpered her eyes filling up with tears.

"Ah come on now it was our fault wasn't it George?"

"That's right Fred totally our doing, why little Lupin warned us off it even!" The twins insisted completely unfazed by their mother's glare.

Remus eyed his daughter knowing better from her guilty expression, "Caelen?"

"I did it," she whispered in a tiny frightened voice, "we thought it would be funny. He wanted the candy anyway, but I didn't know it was permanent."

Ron could be heard squeaking in panic, "permanent!? They've made me a girl and it's permanent!" He shouted through the wash cloth as he began scrubbing his face again.

Caelen flinched at his outburst earning the boy a deadly glare from his older brothers, "there you see, Caelen here only meant to share a sweet." Fred insisted.

George nodded grinning, "that's right, besides its only semi-permanent he'll be back to his ugly old self in no time, isn't that right Fred?"

"Right you are George."

The little girl glanced up nervously at her father. She breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to him when he gave her a small wink, "now then we mustn't go around pulling practical jokes on others," he began in a fatherly tone as he lifted the girl into his arms, "but I do think he makes a rather handsome girl." Remus teased chuckling.

Molly gave an unwilling smile then turned back to glare at her twins, "go on to your room, just you wait till your father gets home!" She snapped shooing the boys away.

Ron let out a wail as the boys batted their lashes, blowing kisses his way as they rushed up to their room.

Remus snickered slightly as Ron left for his room wailing about his face, "sorry about that Molly," he apologized for his daughter, who was hiding her face in his shoulder.

"Oh it's not her fault Remus, I don't blame Caelen," the woman reassured him. "Those twins of mine just don't know where to stop! Honestly dragging your little one into their schemes, poor tyke was scared to bits she was!"

"It's fine Molly she's fine and had a bit of fun I'd imagine, although I'm sorry for Ron I do hope it wears off quickly." Remus responded barely containing his laugher.

Caelen looked up at her father smiling sheepishly now that she realized he wasn't angry, "he started it really," the girl whispered, "he said I'd never be good at quiditch since I'm so small for my age and you're more bookish than sporty so I haven't got a chance."

"You can do anything you want to do cub," Remus responded kissing her head, "and besides being small could help you go faster it's not exactly a disadvantage unless you wanna be keeper or maybe a beater?"

"I'm gonna go tell him!" The girl declared squirming to be put down and racing off up the stairs screaming at Ron.

The man chuckled as he watched his daughter scurry off, "I think being around your children is going to be very good for her Molly. It's only been a couple hours and she's already coming out of her shell."

Remus lay cuddled with his daughter in Bill and Charlie's room that evening, they'd be back sometime in the coming weeks for the quiditch World Cup but for now Molly had insisted the pair stay there. The original plan had been for Caelen to bunk with Ginny but one look in his daughter's nervous, tired eyes had Remus toting her up with him.

Caelen rolled over cuddling closer to her father, her little fists curled against his chest. "Daddy?" She whispered into the darkness.

"What is it cub?" Remus replied quietly.

"Are we hiding at the burrow because of me?"

Remus sighed wrapping his daughter snugly in his arms, "we're staying at the burrow for now because of Gena. It's not your fault she's the way she is little one. I don't want to have to worry about her coming after us all the time though, so until I can come up with a better solution we'll just avoid the cottage. You like it here with the Weasleys don't you?"

Caelen nodded, "yes, but I feel bad you can't go home because of me."

"I would rather have you and never go home again than be there without you," he promised her sincerely. "Now get some sleep cub, I expect George and Fred will have more schemes to get you into tomorrow."

Caelen quieted thoughtfully, "daddy do you think, when I go to Hogwarts, do you think I'll be a Gryffindor? Like you?"

Remus snuggled the girl close, "you've got, what five years, before then haven't you cub?"

"Four daddy I'll be seven soon." She argued.

Remus was ashamed to realize he didn't know his daughter's birthdate. Having been so busy with teaching and trying to keep her safe he hadn't thought to ask. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "when is your birthday little one?"

"July 3rd," she responded giggling slightly, "I found out the day I found the papers that led me to you."

"You mean you didn't know your birthday before then?" By this point he felt he should have known the answer. His daughter had never had Christmas before living with him. She'd never had shoes or a warm coat, it really shouldn't have surprised him that Gena had never deigned to celebrate his child's birth. Still, the knowledge that not only had she refused to celebrate it but she'd refused to acknowledge the day existed disgusted him.

The little girl shook her head sadly, "I did ask once, it didn't go well." She admitted shuddering slightly.

Remus squeezed her close sadly, "well we'll have to fix that won't we?" He responded in a choked voice.

The next morning Remus approached Molly once Caelen had run off to play with her children, "Molly could you help me with something?" He hesitated uncertainly, "you see I've never uh I've never planned a child's party before and uh it's Caelen's birthday on Saturday, first one she's ever had a chance to celebrate. I'd like to do something special for her.."

She smiled eager to give the girl any love she could, "You leave it to me Remus, seems I'm always planning someone's birthday."

Molly did plan the party. Caelen awoke to find herself all alone for the first time in a long while. She stumbled down the stairs searching for her father and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she went. As she rounded the corner to the kitchen everyone jumped out and shouted "surprise!"

Caelen jumped a tiny squeak leaving her throat. She looked around the room in awe, purple and yellow streamers hung around the already crowded room. The twins were pelting Ron with balloons, Molly held a chocolate cake happy birthday Caelen was written across in turquoise icing and seven candles waited for her.

Remus rushed over worriedly when the small girl burst into tears, "hey what is it?" He questioned gently wiping her tears.

"You guys are the best," she whimpered into his shoulder, "balloons and cake for me and it's my birthday and and.." The girl hiccuped completely overwhelmed at the realization that these people loved her. To them she was worth a cake and a birthday and the effort that had required.

Her father held her close carrying her over to stand her next to the cake and the waiting candles, "here you are cub make a wish," he whispered gently.

Caelen looked around a watery smile on her lips, her eyes glistening with tears, "I already have everything I've ever wanted," she whispered glancing up at her father.

"Just wish for the first thing that comes to mind," he replied gently kissing her head.

After cake, and the very messy chocolate mouth that came with it, came presents. As the others began piling gifts in front of her the girl once again burst into tears. "I get presents too? Really?"

They all simply nodded, the animosity in the room towards Gena growing to an almost tangible state. Everyone in there hated her for neglecting the small child. The twins had gotten her a small broom, much to her father's displeasure. It wasn't that he didn't want her to have one, he simply worried she'd get hurt. Ginny, having noticed the girl's interest in books, bought her a large book of fairy tales and quiditch through the ages. Ron hadn't known what to get so he gave her an assortment of sweets. Mrs Weasley had knitted her some colorful socks, Caelen grinned broadly instantly putting them on her feet and wiggling her toes happily, "look daddy! I have rainbow toes!" She giggled happily.

Remus chuckled before handing her his present, "here cub this is from me."

She took the small box carefully opening it. Inside lay several more charms for the bracelet he'd given her for Christmas. A wolf and it's cub, a dog, a stag, and a laughing smiley face. "I love them daddy thank you!" She whispered hugging his neck tightly before holding out her wrist for him to attach the new charms.

Remus and Caelen returned to Hogwarts a day ahead of the others. Caelen, unknown to her father, having promised to line the Slytherin table with a mixture of Weasley's products set to go off the second day of classes.

The girl skipped happily down the silent halls, "are you excited for your new classes daddy?"

Remus laughed as he watched his little girl's excitement, "they should be quite interesting cub." He quickened his pace calling after her when she suddenly sprinted off down a corridor. "Caelen?"

"Mr Snape! It's good to see you again! Did you have a good summer!?" She chatted animatedly with the stern professor.

Severus stared down at the little girl completely puzzled as to why she continued to seek him out. "I suppose," he drawled out quietly.

Caelen beamed up at him, "that's good, we spent the summer with the Weasleys, did you hear what happened at the quiditch cup?"

By this point Remus had reached the pair, "sorry Severus," he apologized gently lifting the girl into his arms.

"Lupin," Snape nodded at the man. Deep down he wanted to know if Caelen had been at the quiditch World Cup. The thought of the small girl in the chaos the death eaters had caused upset him more than he would have liked. He refused to show he cared, however, and therefore said nothing and walked away down towards his dungeons.

Caelen watched him go sadly, "he needs love," she whispered shocking her father.

"I'm sorry what?" He asked in surprise.

"He's sad daddy, and he's lonely can't you tell?"

"Sweetheart I don't think anyone could tell that," Remus replied attempting to stifle his amusement. "Severus is an angry man, I'm relatively certain he doesn't want anyone, let alone need them."

Caelen shook her head sadly at her father, "everyone needs someone daddy. I can see he's sad, I'm gonna make him smile this year maybe even laugh!" She vowed adamantly.

Remus shook his head chuckling lightly, "if you say so cub."

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Caelen stared wide eyed, from her usual place between her father and professor Snape, as the visiting students paraded in, "don't they feel silly carrying on like that?" She whispered to the adults beside her.

Remus choked slightly trying to suppress his laughter, Severus' lips twitched almost imperceptibly and he continued to glare at the world.

The staff table was quickly full, more so than Caelen had ever seen it. She stared nervously around professor Snape eyeing the new defense teacher. "What happened to his eye?" She whispered loudly to Snape.

For the first time in a very long while Snape had to struggle to hide his amusement, "he used to be an aurror he's lost many things fighting dark wizards." The potions master whispered in reply.

Caelen stared nervously at the strange looking man, "he's frightening!"

Snape would have liked to reassure the girl, but it was not in his nature to do so. Instead, he looked to Remus pointedly.

Lupin, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, was already reaching for his child. He pulled her gently into his lap, "no need to be frightened cub, he does look a might mad but Alastor Moody isn't a bad man."

As was usual for the girl she dozed off before the end of the feast, Severus had flinched and caught her with a very uncomfortable look crossing his face when she'd nearly fallen off her chair landing in his lap. He passed the sleeping girl quickly to her father before escaping to his dungeons.

Remus chuckled at the man's flustered reaction and carried the girl to their new quarters, tucking her into bed gently before going to plan his first lessons.

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There finally got that ironed out this chapter I kept goofing up I couldn't decide which way to go I swear I wrote it at least six times erased and began again before coming up with this. Much happier now. I just absolutely love Fred and George taking Caelen under their pranking wings so to speak lol I'm having too much fun coming up with things for them to do!! Ok as usual comments make me really really happy so please comment away also votes votes are nice ok back soon laters