A/N: Written for my dear friend Numisma.

Prompt: Near x Sirius, 'Mr. Snuggles'

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Culture Shock

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If Sirius hadn't been here on Harry's request, he would have left already.

This strange child-- Near, he had heard people call the boy, what a strange name for a child-- cared nothing for fuzzy, friendly animals, and certainly wasn't giving up any hints on what exactly the situation was. Harry hadn't said much, and most of what he'd said hadn't made any sense, but Sirius had heard 'murder' and 'mysterious means' and hadn't needed anything else to make him interested.

The Ministry still hadn't officially cleared him, but since he'd made a position for himself as a sort of mystical detective, they'd left him well enough alone, since he was tidying up the nasty loose ends they didn't have the manpower to cover.

This was one of the weirder ones, though, and that was saying something. He'd never been to Japan before, and as it was harder to think in any case in his canine form, he was having a hard time sorting out the unfamiliar culture. At least the translation spell was working admirably and he didn't have to worry about figuring out Japanese on top of everything.

"Near, who is that filthy mutt? I thought you didn't like dogs," asked one of the other people in the room whose name Sirius hadn't yet learned.

"This is Mr. Snuggles," the impassive boy genius answered after a few long moments. "I like him." Then he reached out and pushed his hand over Sirius's head and scratched absentmindedly behind his left ear like he'd owned dogs all his life.

Sirius thought he would die of bliss.

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"Sirius? How's the investigation coming?" asked Harry, his impatient face wavering within the flames.

"Oh, swimmingly," replied Sirius, and cut off the connection just in time to switch back into a dog and curl up on the hearth like normal cuddly dogs do.

Near shut the door behind him and slumped down against it, looking as if somebody had sucked all the happiness right out of him. Sirius wondered if Japan had Dementors too, and decided not just as Near began to speak.

"I know you're not a dog," he said, shocking Sirius to the point of considering jumping out the third-story window. "It's okay," he continued, as though reading Sirius's mind, "My intuition tells me you aren't a threat to me... might even be on my side. I don't mind."

It was probably-- scratch that, definitely-- a stupid idea, but all the same Sirius couldn't stop himself. A moment later he was sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of the fire, fully human and meeting Near's placid gaze ruefully.

"Got it in one," he said, and smiled.

Near smiled back. "Can I still call you Mr. Snuggles?"

"If you like," Sirius answered, baffled until Near crossed the room and folded small arms around him, resting his face in the crook of Sirius's neck.

"Good," he said. "Good boy."

It was the strangest mission he'd ever been on, but by the spirits, it could have been worse.

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A/N: Er. Hahaha:D