Prompt 19 - Sparkle
@wolfstarmicrofic June 19, word count 470
“Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are,” Sirius sang to the tiny baby in his arms as he gently rocked her to sleep. But as soon as he stopped singing, Cassie’s little blue eyes opened, her face turned red, and she began screaming again.
“Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Sirius started again, his voice scratching a bit as he began hoarser from singing for so long. “Please, Cassie,” he begged. “Please, baby, Daddy needs to sleep.”
He kept rocking and humming the lullaby, hoping she’d drift off.
“See those stars up there, the ones that sort of make a little W. Those are your stars, my darling; they sparkle just for you.”
Cassie stopped crying and looked up past Sirius’s head as though at the night sky, but she was far too young to be able to see that far away, right?
“And then if we come down and over there, look, that bright star right there, that’s your uncle Regulus. He’s a good listener. If you ever need to talk to someone, come outside, and he’ll listen.” Sirius shifted slightly in the rocking chair as he turned them so they could see his star. “And that one right up there, the brightest star in the sky, that’s me. I will always be there for you, Cassie, even if I drive you insane like I do your Dada, I will always love you because you make me shine just that little bit brighter.”
Cassie’s little mouth opened in a yawn, making a sweet little o. Her eyes fluttered shut, and as her breathing evened out, Sirius slowly got to his feet. “And that one, the one illuminating us and helping us find our way. That’s Dada.” Sirius sighed happily as he looked up at the moon, closing his eyes and letting the moon’s light soak into them.
“Everything okay?” Remus asked as he opened Cassie’s bedroom door, letting in the light from the landing and turning off the enchanted ceiling.
“Astronomy lesson,” Sirius grinned as he stood up and carefully put Cassie into her crib. Remus came up behind him, and they watched her little chest rising and falling as she drifted deeper into sleep.
“Quick, let’s get into bed before she wakes up,” Sirius whispered, gesturing at Remus. They had no sooner turned when a soft little whimper escaped Cassie’s lips. “Oh, sod it,” Sirius grumbled and transformed into Padfoot, curling up on the floor beside the crib. Cassie sighed and fell back to sleep.
“Nighty, night, my darlings,” Remus murmured, closing the door and blocking out the light so that the enchanted ceiling above Cassie’s bed came to life again, reflecting the sky outside.
