Prelude
That somber night was permeated with an ominous premonition, a discomfort that had plagued Sirius Black since he realized Pettigrew's absence in the hideout he had visited. "He's been acting off," Lily had written in a letter, and worry haunted him. A sinister shiver ran down Sirius's spine as he arrived to find the place empty. He couldn't ignore the tightness in his chest, as if something ominous approached, an impending tragedy hanging in the air.
Crossing the skies on his motorcycle, he hoped to find James and Lily safe, embracing hope as his only companion on that night of uncertainty. Dark thoughts dominated his mind, an unsettling fear of seeing the Dark Mark rise on the horizon, a symbol of a foreboding fate that could not be avoided.
Godric's Hollow emerged in the distance, a vision distorted by the tears of anguish that the cutting wind dragged across his face. The Potter house was in flames, a ruin mirroring the turmoil in his soul. Landing, he desperately scanned the wreckage, as if every burned piece could contain the hope he longed to find.
Then, the faint and distant sound of a cry broke the oppressive silence, like a lone star in the night sky. A baby's cry. Sirius followed the sound, his heart beating irregularly in his chest, until he reached what remained of the house. There he found Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper, holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.
"Hagrid, what happened here?" Sirius asked, his voice trembling with anguish, his hands reaching out for answers and hope.
Rubeus looked at Sirius with teary eyes, a profound sadness echoing his own pain.
"You know what happened, Sirius. She survived, but her parents... they're gone."
The grip on his heart became unbearable at those words. He looked at the baby in Hagrid's arms, her brown eyes, inherited from her father, shining with an intensity that belied her tender age. It was Shaia Potter, the Girl Who Lived, and the responsibility to protect her weighed on his shoulders like a sacred burden.
"Give me the girl," he requested, reaching out to take his goddaughter into his embrace.
His hands longed to touch the soft and fragile skin of the red-haired girl, like a silent pact between godfather and goddaughter, united by tragedy and the hope that still glimmered amidst the ashes of that night of darkness. Hagrid, however, refused.
"Dumbledore asked me to take her to him," explained the half-giant, rocking the little girl in his arms to keep her calm. With the jolts resulting from his strength, however, it was likely to have the opposite effect.
"I...!" Sirius blinked, distraught, staring at his best friend's daughter. Dumbledore could probably keep her safe while he settled his scores — "Keep the bike." Approaching, Sirius observed the baby's face once again, storing the image of her smile — "I'll be back soon, my dear."
Sirius felt the world spin around him as he turned away from them, setting off in search of Peter Pettigrew. However, he also promised himself that he would raise Shaia as if she were his own daughter, as James would have wanted.