Title: The Pound
School: Mahoutokoro
Year: 4
Grammar School Challenge: Commas
Word Count: 845
The night Sirius ran away from home, he didn't tell a soul. No house elves, no adults, and no friends. He didn't write a letter to James like he'd promised he would, and he didn't tell Regulus what had happened because he couldn't—he was too busy running. The greenish glow of his mother's wand still haunted him. On her lips, he could still see the curl of an incantation for the killing curse that had barely missed him. He didn't know what to do and people kept staring at him. Sobbing, and feeling more out of place than he ever had in his life, he transformed. No one looked twice at the sad, shaggy black dog.
Just a stray.
Regulus, however, sent a letter that night to James, Remus, Peter, and Lily. Each individually, each asking if Sirius was with them because he hadn't come home when he was supposed to. James was worried but he had no idea what they were supposed to do. The Potters set off with Lily, searching for Sirius in all the wrong places, while Peter just fretted and tried to get the Marauder's map to work outside of Hogwarts. Remus, though… Remus knew.
He mounted his broom and he flew, barely hesitating, to the middle of Muggle London. Landing behind some trees in Central Park, he couldn't help the anxiety that flooded through his system or the fear that churned against his insides. It must have been bad. It had to have been bad because Sirius hadn't even told Regulus where he was... What would have been that bad? But the thought alone made Remus want to throw up. Taking a deep breath, Remus forced himself to focus. He could only imagine Sirius doing one thing in a situation like this. So, steeling himself, Remus glanced up at the harsh, prison-like building and entered beneath the government-issued sign. Animal Control Center.
"Hello, I'm looking for my dog." The man glared, clearly annoyed at having been pulled away from his crossword. "He's black and shaggy and he lost his collar." Putting the paper down, the man huffed some sort of irritated sigh at him, but Remus forced himself to hold his ground. Even if his hands shook, even if the idea of someone being angry made his skin clammy. This was Sirius he was talking about, though. Sirius Black, who had been there for Remus when no one else had, who had plopped down next to him on the train, who had worked tirelessly for years
now to convince him that he was loved.
"Looks like you're in luck." Oh, thank Merlin! Internally, Remus felt his lungs relax as he granted them a bit more oxygen. He had to breathe—had to keep it together. When the man emerged from the back room with a black dog, on a leash and looking angry, Remus couldn't stay stoic. Just for a second, he let himself drop to his knees and pull the dog tightly in against his chest, burying his fingers in that familiar, thick coat.
"Pads, thank Merlin you're okay." The muggle man didn't hear him, thankfully. Remus paid the fine with muggle money, barely hearing a word through the rush of adrenaline that was finally hitting him. Of course, it would hit now, when he didn't need it anymore. He accepted the lecture, he listened to the warnings, and he promised to keep a better eye on his dog, but he was distracted the entire time by his hand—still tangled in coarse, black fur.
As soon as they were outside, Remus took the cheap, temporary noose-like leash off and discarded it. Padfoot shook himself, still drenched from the rain, but didn't transform back. Honestly, Remus couldn't blame him. But the dog followed him in a silent, unspoken leap of faith and they walked. Together, step by step.
"You are loved, Padfoot." That was all he could think to say, really, because that was the only thing that had ever helped him. Sirius didn't say a word, though Remus knew he'd heard, but he didn't mind. He understood better than most. That fear, that desire to hide from the Earth itself, and that urge for silence that pressed on his lungs… He understood it all. So, wordlessly, they walked.
"Siri," A large, fur-covered head lifted in his direction. "Let's go home, yeah?" The dog nodded and nuzzled against his thigh in gratitude. He could see, even just from looking at Padfoot, that it'd been bad. As they wandered back towards where Remus had hidden his broom, he couldn't help whispering to the shaggy black mess of fur. You are loved. You are wanted. You deserve better than that place. We love you. I love you. We're here for you, Pads. We're going home now—for real, for forever. Padfoot stayed silent, but Remus hadn't been expecting the dog to answer. Instead, he just kept walking. When they were back beneath the cover of Central Park's trees, he raised his wand and called the Knight Bus to take them back to the Potter's.
AN Thanks for reading!