[Spitfire : Prologue]

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January, 1979

         Rain pummeled against the Knight Bus windows as the magicked vehicle sped down the busy muggle-infested road. Albus Dumbledore, one of the most prominent wizards of the wizarding world, sat calmly on a swaying seat with a sleeping baby girl coddled into his extravagant purple robes. The girls face shifted from smiles to grimaces as she dreamt silently in her fluffy-white blanket.

Many events occurred that night which the little girl was completely oblivious to. Events that left her birth father covered in his own dried blood and tears as he watched his former Headmaster take his child away from him. Although, he did not fight for the girl to stay. Instead, he simply watched in silence as the long-bearded man packed a small duffel bag of her toys and clothes before he apparated away with her and the bag in his arms. Never to be seen again by her father for many years to come.

The bus abruptly stopped causing a few of the distracted passengers to fly out of their seats, Dumbledore already having his hand clutched on a metal bar beside him, stayed in place. A miniature head dangling on a string off the mirror in the front of the buss called out the address; "1102 Hardhome Drive!" Also known as a small area in Greenwich, London where the little girl was going to spend the rest of her childhood.

The Headmaster stood up, the child in his arms shifted with a small whine, he walked down the small aisle with the duffle bag swaying on his opposite arm arm. He searched through his pocket, pulling out three galleons. He handed all three galleons to the bus driver who thanked him mercilessly for the overpayment.

Once he was out of the bus, it was gone with the blink of an eye. Only smoke left behind, hinting that it was once actually there. The cold rain dripping from the sky caused the little girl in Dumbledore's arms to whine, he quickly covered her with a handkerchief found in his pocket before he made his way down the street. The rushing of water from a nearby lake cooed the girl back to sleep, Dumbledore smiled softly as he turned to a dimly-lit cottage-home.

    The outside lights were on, its grass was freshly mowed and inside there was a flashing of lights; most likely from a television. Dumbledore walked up the small rocky path to the door, the metal awning blocking the rain as Dumbledore left three soft knocks on the door. The lights inside quickly shut off, leaving the home in complete darkness.

The Headmaster stood calmly, he turned toward the side of the house and watched as a dark-skinned woman, her hair half braided, came from the side with a wand despite being a squib, pointed towards the porch. She quickly lowered her fake wand with a gasp when she realized who it was, "Merlin, Albus, you scared me half to death! I had to pull out my muggle-shop wand." She said. Dumbledore laughed and she looked at his arms which coddled a small baby. "Oh, let's go inside, shall we?" She ran barefooted toward her door, opening it and allowing the three inside.

Dumbledore walked in, immediately fascinated by the chandelier dangling from the woman's ceiling. "I'm sorry for coming without notifying you first, Ms. Snow." He apologized, taking a seat on her red-cushioned sofa. "I didn't expect for this exchange to happen so quickly, though it seems Mr. Black couldn't handle two weeks without becoming involved in his first fistfight."

"So it is her . . ." Whispered the woman, Kendra Snow. She looked up at the Headmaster, a man she grew up knowing about.

Kendra Snow was not a witch, despite being mistaken for one almost everyday of her life as she worked at a cafe in the magical village Hogsmeade. She was a squib, a descendant of a family of witches and wizards who just so happened to not have the magic gene running through her veins. Her mother, on the other hand, was one of the most famous witches in the twentieth-century of magical London. She sang and dressed in flamboyant outfits, performing in front of large crowds with magical creatures like hippogriffs and imps fluttering by her side. Kendra believed Dumbledore had an intimate relationship with her mother, but nobody confirmed it before her mother tragically passed away from Dragon Pox.

"Albus, I don't have anything set up yet." Confessed the young woman, staring at the baby with panic swimming in her dark brown eyes. "The rooms still being insulated, I haven't gotten my raise yet at the cafe—it'd be a surprise if I'm still in this house by March . . ." She rambled, making sure her voice was low enough to not awake the baby.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes creasing in amusement. "Don't worry, Ms. Snow, I'll help you financially until you're up on your feet. As for the room, I'll have some builders sent here tomorrow to finish up the building. I reckon you'll have somewhere for her to sleep tonight? A drawer, perhaps, maybe even a shoe?"

Kendra smiled, her stress vanishing for a moment. "Dumbledore, I think she's a tad bit too big now to be sleeping in a shoe. And, are you sure? I could ask for a loan from the bank, with both the cafe and my daycare job I could most likely pay it all off before anything too brash happens . . . "

"I will take care of the costs, and you will be taking care of a very important someone." Dumbledore told, removing the rain-wet handkerchief from the sleeping baby girls face.

Kendra grinned, her head tilted in awe as the seven-month-old was placed into her arms. "It's unfortunate what happened to her mother, I only met Aspen once but I could tell already she was an amazing mother. Oh, and the father, Sirius Black, yeah? From one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families? Poor lad is probably distraught . . . say Dumbledore, how did you know Aspen was going to . . y'know, die?"

Dumbledore smiled softly, a sad gleam in his eye. "Unfortunately I cannot share that information with you, Kendra. For both the child's sake and yours, we are living in terrible times, Ms. Snow, even the littlest of information could jeopardize the life of you and everyone you love. Even little Cassie here. Speaking of terrible times, I need you to . . . to promise me a few things."

Kendra nodded, "Of course, of course." She said, Dumbledore looked at the little girl sleeping in her arms and Kendra took that as a hint to place her down. She did so, placing the coddled baby beside her on a bundle of pillows before she turned back to the Headmaster. With dread forcefully pulling itself through his veins, he pulled out his wand. He held out his hand and she did the same, wrapping her hand around his wrist while he wrapped his around hers. He twirled his wand and white wisps in the shape of string began to wrap themselves around his and Kendras wrists; an unbreakable vow.

"Will you, Kendra Snow, be the mother to Cassie Lyra Lee Black, and treat her as if she were your own flesh and blood?" Dumbledore asked, looking Kendra in the eye.

Kendra looked at the sleeping child, biting her lip nervously as she nodded, putting the delicacies of her life into a magical oath. "I will." She swore.

Dumbledore nodded and continued, "And will you raise her as an adopted child of the wizarding war, to keep her true past a secret until she figures it out herself?"

Kendra sighed, closing her eyes guiltily, "I will."

Dumbledore glanced at the little girl before looking back at Kendra, "And lastly, will you protect her from all harm to come? Even if you could get injured or killed in the process?"

Silence filled the room during Kendras hesitation. The wind outside seemed to blow louder as each second passed, the rain dribbling harder and harder while Kendras mind raced with thoughts. When she was first told her task, she was happy being able to do something concerning the wizarding war. She happily did as Dumbledore told and got a job at a daycare nearby the old flat of Aspen Lee and Sirius Black. She used her savings to redo her spare bedroom for a baby girl who Dumbledore somehow knew was going to be orphaned one day, at least, in a sense. Now was she really going to risk her life for a baby she's only met once before? For a little girl who had no relation to her whatsoever, to raise at the crisp age of twenty one?

"Ms. Snow?" Dumbledore asked, the white wisps still wrapped around their clasped hands.

Kendra blinked a few times, sucking in a deep breath before stating, "I will."

Dumbledore smiled and unclasped his hand from her wrist, the white wisps disappeared and Kendra Snow was now a mother to a metamorphmagus witch by the name of Cassie Lyra Lee Black, now named Cassie Lyra Lee Snow by unbreakable vow.

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Authors Note:

The beginning of my child's child's story.

April 11, 2019
1,557 words