Remus was lying on his back, his legs stretched carelessly before him and his arms cradling his head. The brisk night air breezed his face and the grass tickled the exposed skin of his limbs and the back of his neck.
This was one of his favorite things; lying outside on a cool night right between the winter and spring. It was warm with the perfect amount of coolness added in the mixture. He was never really a fan of summer. It was too hot and he has nothing to do. That would also be when he left Hogwarts. Left his friends.
So, he did not like summer.
Remus cast his gaze towards the moon. It was just barely a crescent and seemed to be mocking him. It's just waning now, but soon it will be full and the agony will come right back. It winked mischievously at him.
God, he must be losing it. He rubbed his eyes in exasperation, groaning.
When he looked back up, the first thing he saw was the muzzle of a wide-eyed, panting dog. It would have been hard to miss said dog, considering that the canine hovered mere inches over the werewolf's face. And if he hadn't seen Padfoot, the smell alone would have alerted him. From leagues away.
Remus made sure to remind himself to give Sirius the password to the prefect's bathroom. Sirius has proposed a shower strike that would last until Remus succumbed and gave him the password to the prefect's bathroom. The effort had lasted so long before the animagus was so confident that Remus would eventually cave. He wasn't wrong.
A bit of drool landed by the corner of Remus' mouth.
"Ugh, Padfoot!" He wrinkled his nose and clambered up in a sitting position. He reached out to pet the animagus and wiped his mouth with his other hand. Padfoot's tail began to wag quickly and he proceeded to sit down as well.
Remus stroked the dog's head timidly when Padfoot's head briskly snapped back against his hand and snorted, the gray eyes piercing the werewolf's amber orbs with a knowing look.
It's really amazing how... connected dogs are. They're really one of the few creatures that truly understand, that really know when something's up.
The brunette leaned over and gently wrapped his arms around Padfoot. He pressed his cheek into the mane of soft, black fur and closed his eyes. He could feel the animagus rest his head on top of his own. He could feel... Padfoot.
Remus is pretty sure he knows why Sirius' animagus form is a dog.
He doesn't say anything, though. He lets him pretend.
Releasing the dog, Remus returned to a sitting state. He smiled at Padfoot, eyes crinkling, as his thumb stroked the spot of fur underneath Padfoot's gray eyes.
The dog huffed and lowered its head, beginning to surreptitiously sniff at Remus' abdomen and trailing southward while giving the illusion of offering his neck to be petted.
"Padfoot? What are you—" Remus' face reddened. "No! Bad boy! Get your nose away from there!"
Padfoot snuffled playfully.