"Take care of my child, Sirius. As though she were your own."
These words caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting Slytherin to ask me something like that.
" I - " i had no idea what to say.
He was asking me to care of his daughter. He was trusting me with her.
There were a lot of questions swirling my mind, as if it was a bee hive and the questions were bees.
Can I do this? Would she even want me? What if she never accepts me? What if I fail her? What if I make her feel less than Sylvie?
And what would Sylvie think? Would she accept her as a big sister?
I looked up and saw Slythra curled up around Slytherin. She couldn't actually touch him, yet she was there as if his body was corporeal. She was crying ever since he woke her up.
A part of my heart was breaking seeing her cry like that. She was just a child after all. I didn't know her age but given that Slytherin ask me to take her as my daughter... She was still young enough to need a father.
" Dad? " She looked upto him, as if confused by the statement as well.
Maybe she had no idea either.
Her vulnerability, her childishness, her sadness, and her pain of losing a loved one... It all reminded me of Sylv.
Slowly, her tears, her voice, her smallness... it all blurred, until for a moment, I could almost see Sylvie sitting there instead.
My daughter. My little girl.
And in that moment, I knew my answer.
If I wasn't enough, I'd become enough. If she couldn't accept me, I'd give her time. I would not replace him, nor fit into his shoes. I would raise her as myself, with the same love I gave Sylvie.
And Sylvie, my Sylv... I knew her heart. She would accept Slythra with open arms. She was more compassionate than her own father.
If not me, then who else? Slytherin took care of my mother and me. I owe it to him. And I ow it to myself.
I drew in a sharp inhale, steadying myself, and nodded once.
"I will try my best. Slythra will be as much a daughter to me as Sylv is."
Slythrein simply studied me. His eyes softened, and I thought I saw relief flicker there.
"Good,"he murmured, almost to himself. "Then I can rest knowing she will not be alone."
But his gaze lowered to the trembling figure pressed against his chest. His hand lingered on her hair, stroking gently as he whispered, "Slythra… what do you think, child? This is not just my wish. It must be yours too."
Her breath hitched. She had been clinging to him as if letting go would shatter her entirely, and now the weight of his words pulled her head up.
Red-rimmed eyes met his, and then mine,full of confusion, hurt, and something like fear.
"I…" Her throat closed.
For a moment she couldn't speak, her eyes darted between her father and me, torn apart inside as if she was weighing all options.
And as she should, it was a big decision for both of us.
Finally, she pressed her lips together, trembling, and let the words fall.
"I don't know if I can trust him. I don't know if I'm ready. But… you do. And he has Sylvie. I've seen how he cares for her."
She turned, just slightly, and looked at me through her tears, wary, uncertain, yet there was a trace of faith, and recognition.
Her lips pressed together hard, fighting fresh sobs. Finally, she nodded, voice raw.
"I'll try, Dad. For you… I'll try."
----
For a heartbeat, silence filled the cavern, broken only by the ragged sound of their breathing.
"My brave girl,"he whispered to Slythra, his voice thick, unsteady in a way she had never heard before. "Even now, when your heart is breaking, you still try."
He bowed his head against hers, his forehead almost touching. His smile trembled at the edges, not with pride alone, but with the unbearable ache of letting go.
"You honor me, Slythra. You honor your mother. And you honor yourself. I could not have asked for a better daughter."
She found his voice cracking, as though it refused to leave his chest.
He swallowed hard, holding her tighter.
"Thank you" he took a pause, " and I am sorry for not being here anymore."
Just as the words left his mouth, his body started to shine.
It wasn't bright as sun, or fire.
No, it was as if light reflected from a mirror. He came closer to her, and kissed her forehead. And for the first time in her life, she felt his warmth...on the verge of his death.
" Dad? " She couldn't believe it. She looked towards him for any answers, but all she got was a smile. But this time it wasn't the usual smile as she could clearly see the sadness buried beneath it.
His body had become corporeal for a second, and then it started to break. It was as if it was built of thousands of feathers, and they were being pulled now.
One by one.
Her eyes widened as the first feather slipped free, pale and weightless, drifting down as though time itself had slowed to watch.
Then another.
And another.
Each one glowed faintly after breaking,then dissolving into motes of light before they touched the ground.
"No…" Her voice cracked as her hands darted out, trying to catch them, as if holding even a single feather could tether him to this world.
But they vanished against her palms, leaving only warmth that faded too quickly.
His body unraveled piece by piece, It was neither violent, nor sudden.
It was quiet, too quiet for her.
And that quietness was cruel in its own way.
"Please,"she whispered, the word shattering as it left her lips. " Please, not yet…"
A feather loosened from his arm, spiraling into the firelight. Another slipped from his chest.
"Sirius." His fading voice cut through the silence.
"Yes?" Sirius did not move, eyes fixed on the breaking form.
"You'll find the diary here, after I'm gone. But remember, whatever it holds doesn't change who you are. You are strong and face what comes without fear. I have faith in you."
He looked towards Slythra and smiled at her, even as half his lower body had dissolved into light, feathers drifting upward like ash caught on a breeze.
She pressed herself against her father, trembling, as though her body could hold together what the world insisted on tearing apart.
Her tears streaked down his chest, soaking into feathers that vanished the instant they touched. But the feathers only came faster now, breaking loose in fragile streams, scattering like birds freed from a cage.
"Take care of her, Sirius," he said at last, his voice softer.
"I will," Sirius answered, his own words heavy, strained.
For a fleeting moment, Slythra felt warmth against her cheek... her father's warmth, real and alive, something she had only ever dreamed of.
But it slipped away as quickly as it came, fading from heat to chill before she could fully embrace it.
His hand, still resting on her head, grew lighter with every breath until it was no more than air.
Soon, his whole body drifted away, and only his face was left. That too, was withering with time.
His lips moved, soundless, but she read the words,
'I love you, my sweet daughter.'
She fell to her knees, clutching at the stone where he had been, her tears soaking the dust.
Her breath hitched. "I love you too."
The last feather drifted and dissolved into nothingness.