This fic is a crossover between Dogsbody by Dianna Wynne-Jones and Harry Potter by J K Rowling. It would probably be useful to have at least a passing knowledge of both.
Sirius is not Sirius Black. He is Sirius the Dog Star. Sol is the star of our system, the sun.
I really would suggest you track down a copy of Dogsbody for this fic. It's one of the best books I've ever read. It got me obsessed months before the first Potter book, and whilst my appreciation for Harry waned slowly over the years as Rowling published more books, Sirius is still as fresh as the first time I read the book. It's never lost its charm.
Disclaimer- I own neither the Harry Potter world nor the Dogsbody world. They belong to their authors. For now…
"No! Absolutely not! Why in all the cosmos would you even contemplate…" Sol raged on at his closest neighbour and friend. Sirius simply stood there, waiting for his friends temper to burn out.
"Sol, I have to do this. It's not right, the way I left, it's not... finished. Please."
Sirius knew that it would be hard to convince Sol, but he also knew that Sol would eventually give in. He was too nice not to.
"Finished!" Sol looked shocked. "Only the mortal creatures care about that! You have all eternity! You don't need to finish things! Just get over this bloody whim of yours, I won't send you back you know! Don't give me that look!"
Sirius sighed, eyes sad, lashes drooping. "I have been one of your mortal creatures, Sol. I cannot shed the instincts of a lifetime."
"Two years! That is hardly enough time to-"
"A lifetime." Sirius cut across his friend. "That is eternity to those who live it."
Sol suddenly looked lost.
"Tell me what to do, Sirius. I can't send you back as that dog, it is but a mortal memory now, and if I send you as some other mutt, you will come back more addicted to 'life', to endings, than you are now. Your instincts will only grow stronger. You don't even seem like the old, wild, bright Sirius any more. How can you think more like a denizen after a second lifetime, a second eternity?"
He started to drift away, back to his sphere. Sirius cast out one more plea, his voice emotive, the words catching in his throat slightly.
"Please, Effulgency…" By appealing to him as master of his sphere, Sirius showed his desperation; for such a proud star this act was the very epitomy of distress. .
Sol turned slightly, but didn't stop moving away. It would hurt too much to have to give in, and having Sirius- his Sirius, who once appealed to him the same way in the form of one of Sols' own creatures- use this title was almost more than he could bear.
"I need to think about this."
And all Sirius could so was wait for his friend to return. As long as he thought, Sirius would wait.
Sirius, or to be precise the immortal lord and denizen –effulgent- of the luminary sphere Sirius, was utterly miserable. It had been several years since he had been trapped on earth in the body of a dog, with only Sol, the sun, to help him. He had the misfortune to be falsely accused of murder and banished as punishment with the promise of redemption only if he found his Zoi, an object that held much of his power and had been used to try and kill him by the same star that committed the murder in the first place. If he failed to find it, he would die with the dogs body that was his prison. Luckily, he had retrieved it eventually, once his brain was developed enough to think of more than his next meal and the interesting smells around him. However, just as his dog self was influenced by his true nature, now that he'd returned to the skies, his mind became corrupted by ties to earth that he couldn't shed. He wanted to go back and be able to say thank-you and sorry to the girl who was his owner, Kathleen, the one who was most hurt when Sirius shed his dogs body, leaving only a green-eyed canine corpse.
It was another several months of misery and empty space (if that were ever true) before Sol returned. He looked resigned. Sirius's heart leapt even before he started talking.
"Alright. What incarnation would you like to take this time?"
Sirius grinned triumphantly, his smile blazing brightly. Reluctantly, Sol smiled back. It had been a long time since Sirius had shone with such fierce joy, since his eyes had glistened with more than tears. As much as Sol hated the plan, he missed his friends warmth. He just hoped this would not further extinguish his light in the long run. Sol didn't think he could bear that.
"Not a dog, that's for certain!"
Neither star could resist the laughter that overwhelmed them, Sirius' barks mingling with Sols' roar of mirth.
For the first time, things were looking up for Sirius. With Sol on his side he could do anything and everything, the faith of his friend embedding in him a firm core of hope.
"So, back to my question. What will you be this time, Sirius? You're going to have to live with this decision for a long time, so choose carefully."
Sirius stood up straighter, eyes alight with possibilities.
"I wish to be a human, somewhere relatively near Kathleen. One with green eyed parents ideally, so my eyes might go un-noticed."
Sol nodded with approval.
"Very well thought out. And do you want to be magical or non-magical?"
Sirius' eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that an option? There are magical humans?"
Sol beamed with pride.
"Earth is my masterpiece. It holds the seeds of everything, and magical humans certainly qualify as part of everything. They aren't as abundant as the non-magical variety, and keep themselves so well hidden that most non-magical humans aren't even aware of their presence. They would probably be your best choice, as any remarkable incidents would merely be seen as magical talent making itself known"
"Really?! It sounds fantastic! Almost too good to be true!"
Sol chuckled at Sirius' enthusiasm, a little sadly though, at his naivety. After so many years of existence, Sirius' innocence remained untainted..
"It certainly is true. I'll jus go see if there's a breeding couple that matches that description available."
And that was that. It was no more than two days before Sol found a likely match. A wizarding couple in Britain, and the female of the pair had extraordinary green eyes. She was due to give birth any week now.
Convincing the luminary judges that it was a good idea was another task entirely. Polaris seemed to accept Sirius' decision with no more than a nod of the head- he never seemed surprised by anything, it could be creepy at times- but Antares and Betelgeuse were not so understanding.
"What in all the blazes do you think you'll achieve from this?! You just got back from that miserable little rock, and now you want to go down again?!"
Sirius winced. Sol looked so angry at the 'miserable little rock comment, and neither knew what to say.
"I-It's n-not your d-d-decision, Ant-tares. L-let them t-try, if th-they want t-t-to." Polaris cut across, quiet as always, but his voice carrying the ever-present undercurrent of authority. Sirius looked into the eyes of the small white star, and saw sorrow, but also the determination that justice would be served this night, come hell or high water, on his honour as a judge.
"W-we s-s-sent him d-d-down there in th-the f-f-first pl-lace. A-as long as h-he h-has a s-suitable r-r-rep-placement p-picked out, w-we c-cannot stop them."
Betelgeuse grumbled, as only a red giant can.
"I don't like this. What if the replacement denizen for the Sirius sphere is as corrupt as the last? He started to damage Sols' system, he was so bloody awful at his job! What'll you do about this one?!"
Sirius looked at his friend.
"Sol, you were always a better judge of character than me. Will you help me? You'll be nearest to the replacement, so you'll be the first to know if something goes wrong. Please help me pick someone. We can…" He took a deep breath. "We can offer the companion sphere as a permanent home if they do the duties of Sirius for as long as I'm away, and listen to any advice you might give them." Sirius could hardly stand letting someone into his companion star, but it was time to give it up.
Sol smirked.
"I would be glad to."
"Th-then it's s-s-settled!" Polaris said in a way that allowed no argument from the other judges.
And it was.
A small un-named star from a crowded system was offered a chance at a new sphere, Sirius', with the promise of an important sphere of his own after if he took good care of that of one of the most influential and powerful Effulgents in the charted skies. His only task other than the care and protection of the sphere, was to pass on the Zoi for the system he was monitoring to the human with the eyes of a major Effulgent when it was grown up enough to find it quickly and keep it easily. He accepted eagerly.
That day, Harry James Potter was born.
And so the scene is set. Let the plot begin!
Next chapter.
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