Written for Sam. Feel better :)

Word count: 1071

A New Addition

The shelter was large and quiet - though not the kind of quiet that would fill one with unease, more like the peaceful kind of quiet. It was lit with several white glowing bulbs that seemed to make the walls glow, and somehow Harry knew that this was the place, that this was the one. From Hermione's suddenly more attentive behavior, she felt it too.

That wasn't to say that the other shelters they had visited had been bad, per se, but they definitely hadn't had the spark that Harry hadn't even known he was looking for.

It had been kind of a spur of the moment that lead to Harry deciding that he and Hermione needed a dog. They had just been walking on the street one late afternoon when they had spotted a boy running after his dog, his parents watching with fond smiles, and it had just hit him: he wanted this.

Getting Hermione to agree had been relatively easy. For all that his girlfriend appeared to be a cat person, she was actually more of a 'all animals go' kind of girl, and when Harry had shared his newly discovered dream with her she had smiled and agreed, wishful smile on her lips.

Which was how they had ended up here, in this shelter, looking at the dogs.

"What about this one?" Harry asked, looking pensively at a big, black dog of mixed race. It looked imposing, but friendly enough, its tongue lolling out of its mouth in a mimic of a playful smirk.

Hermione moved closer, sending one last longing look at one of the pug pups she had been looking at as she did so (well, Harry thought as he realized somewhat mournfully he'd have to take a closer look at those too if Hermione liked them so much, at least they wouldn't look out of place with Crookshank).

"I don't know," she said, tilting her head to the side in the way she did when she wasn't quite sure how to voice her thoughts. "He does seem nice…"

"But?"

Hemrione bit her lip. "Well, don't take this wrong, Harry, because you know how much I love your family-"

"-oh, that does sound serious," Harry quiped. "The only times you tell me you love them is when you're about to tell me that you don't actually love them."

Hermione shot him a dark look, and Harry raised his hands in mock-surrender, smiling.

"Oh shut up, you prat," she replied, swatting him on the arm. The fond smile on her face contradicted her actions though, and Harry's smile only widened. "You know I love your parents."

"They love you too," Harry said, because it was true. James and Lily Potter had been enamoured with Hermione Granger ever since Harry had brought her back home with him, on that day where they became friends after he and Ron had chased away the girls trying to bully her. Sometimes, it even felt like his parents loved his girlfriend more than him - a fact that, when mentioned, never failed to make his mother roll her eyes and Hermione blush.

Hermione smiled, pleased. "But, well… This dog kind of reminds me of Sirius?" She winced.

Harry blinked, and took a second look at the dog that was staring unblinkingly at him with big, soulful eyes. "You know, I think I can kind of see it, now that you've mentioned it…"

Hermione looked relieved as she sighed. "Well, I just don't think that this would be a good idea. I mean, if he's anything like Sirius…"

She shivered, and Harry echoed the feeling. His mind spent a moment considering the possibilities, drawing up scenarios where his godfather and the dog met, and well… Imagining what his godfather and a dog as playful and mischievous-looking as this one could get up behind their back to was actually rather terrifying.

(it would make a lovely prank though, if Sirius were to get this dog for himself - the chaos would definitely be entertaining if nothing else)

"We could keep them apart?" Harry suggested half-heartedly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed as if she had sensed his earlier thoughts, and Harry caved in, sending her an apologetic look that didn't seem to. They moved on, eventually coming right back to the pug pups Hermione had been so fascinated with earlier. Somehow, Harry wasn't surprised.

"Aren't they adorable?" Hermione cooed, kneeling as she petted one of the puppies.

Harry had to admit that she was right. There were five pups in total, their coats an off-white color speckled with greys and soft maroons. Four of them were waging their tails as they pressed closer to Hermione, eyes adorably set on his girlfriend, but Harry only had eyes for the last pup.

It looked different from the others somehow, and not only because it was the only one of the puppies not being drawn in by Hermione and the promises of treats. Instead it looked at Harry too, head cocked to the side. It wasn't until the puppy moved that it revealed its unseeing left eye, and Harry gasped softly.

The gasp drew Hermione's attention, who took one look at Harry and the pup, and smiled fondly. "I should have guessed," she said, rolling her eyes. "You and your people saving thing…"

Harry rolled his eyes right back at her, resisting the urge to stick out his tongue. He didn't argue the saving people thing - somehow he always lost that argument - and instead shot her a pleading look.

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Yes," she said. "Of course I agree with you. He'll fit right in with us."

Harry very carefully resisted the urge to make his victory dance (Hermione had pretended not to know him last time he had, and that hadn't been nearly as funny as everyone else had thought it was), though he did send a thumbs-up to the dog who barked happily at them and wagged his tail enthusiastically.

"Come on," Hermione said playfully, grabbing him by the elbow, "let's go fill the paperwork so that we can all go home sometime this century."

"Ugh, paperwork," Harry whimpered. "Do we have to?"

Hermione laughed, but dragged him onward, unrepentant as behind them the puppy (theirs, or at least he would be soon enough) kept barking.

Well, at least he wasn't about to do paperwork for nothing.