Position: Keeper
Prompt: Write a character preparing for their death (natural or otherwise)
Word Count: 1,205
000
He knew he was on borrowed time. He'd known for years, known it since six months into his captivity. He truly should be insane if not Kissed by now, it was something he knew, something he appreciated, and something he loathed.
Because he was well aware he was on borrowed time, the first chance he got, he'd head to the goblins. Not only was he a wrongfully imprisoned innocent, he was the last Black with a direct claim to it's lordship. He had a will to update and a title to claim, and the goblins wouldn't refuse him specifically because of those reasons.
He was extremely grateful he had thought to incorporate Padfoot as a security feature for his vault. Now he wouldn't have to show his face in public and have wizards and witches calling the aurors in fear because of the ministry's lies. He'd just walk in as Padfoot, go to the nearest open teller, and pass over the note he was carrying carefully in his mouth. The goblins would take care of everything else from there. Luckily, it wasn't actually that uncommon for certain members of society to use highly trained animals for obtaining "pocket change" while they were out in the alley. It wasn't used too much because of how hard it was to come by animals that could be trained properly for such a job, but it was still frequent enough that it was the perfect disguise.
First, though, he needed to get cleaned up. No self-respecting pureblood was going to use a "change animal" that looked anything less than perfect.
000
Charity dog washes at Hyde Park were a rare thing, but his luck was better than usual and he'd found one. He played the typical stray dog, hiding in the bushes and watching from a distance, slowly inching closer as if curious. He knew he'd gotten the attention of at least one person throughout the entire process, had seen them looking in his direction occasionally. Finally, what he was waiting for. An invitation.
"You like the bubbles, don't you, boy? Want to play some more?"
Yes, he liked the bubbles, they signified his first real bath in ages! The fact they were fun to play with was icing on the cake, really.
Grinning a doggy grin, Sirius Black bounded out of the bush he'd previously been hiding in, attacking any bubbles that drifted his way, and gleefully jumped into the tub of warm water and bubbles, sending bubbles and water everywhere, including on the teen who'd extended the invitation.
"He-hey! Wow, you really love bubbles!"
There were chuckles from the teen's fellow volunteer groomers as Sirius-the-dirty-dog-in-a-tub suddenly sneezed and sent more bubbles flying. His patience had been rewarded handsomely.
000
After his glorious bubble bath and grooming, he was ready for the next phase of his plans. Finding an empty alleyway with a trash bin, he transformed and started quietly rummaging through the bin, hoping to have struck gold. Eventually, Sirius found what he was looking for and almost shouted aloud in glee. A working muggle pen and a — relatively — clear piece of paper! A quick and careful tear later and he had a slightly smaller piece of paper that was completely clear, if wrinkled.
He didn't have a wand on him, but while he hadn't applied himself much in a few of his NEWT classes, wandless transfiguration he'd excelled at. It was probably the animagus training, now that he thought about it. As he completed the animagus training, his transfiguration skills had really improved. His talent in transfiguration had led to him being offered an apprenticeship by his former Head of House a couple years after graduation, both him and James. James had declined, wanting to settle down with Lily and start a family if possible, while still helping the war effort. Sirius, however, had accepted. He'd been due to start the apprenticeship that same November, on the 20th. Obviously, that'd gone about as well as his revenge against Peter, and for the same reason.
Speaking of Peter, he really should add a clause in his will concerning the traitorous rat. He'd have to keep that in mind, but first, his wandless transfiguration.
Clearing his head as well as he could, Sirius focused on the feel, the look, the smell, the color of the fanciest, most expensive parchment he'd ever seen, the stuff his great-aunt always used no matter the situation. Once he had the clearest image he could manage, he let his magic flow down his arm and into the paper, changing it to fit his desire. He felt the drain on his magic more than he had when he was a young man and free from the taint of Azkaban, but that was to be expected. His magic wasn't used to doing anything besides turning him into a dog anymore, and doing magic with a wand would have been easier in his current state. That was a luxury he just didn't have, though.
After he finished the wandless paper to parchment transfiguration, he quickly changed the tip of the muggle pen into one closer to that of a quill and wrote a quick note in his best handwriting. It was shaky and uneven, but it was the best he could do, and Sirius thought it actually looked pretty cool. Satisfied, Sirius reversed the transfiguration on the pen tip and threw it back into the bin before trying a wandless moisture repelling charm on the note, stuck it into his mouth, and changed back into Padfoot. He ran out of the alley, down the street, and though the secret Animal Access Point to Knockturn Alley and quickly made his way to Gringotts. Finally, he could prepare for the end of his borrowed time.
000
Walking into Gringotts as dog, no matter how big a dog he was, was rather daunting. Everything looked so much larger when he was walking around on for paws instead of two feet.
Steeling himself, his hesitation lasting only a second and not enough for anyone to truly notice unless they were looking for it, Padfoot regally marched down the length of the grand hall like he owned the place. He walked right up to an empty teller and placed the note in his mouth in front of the goblin behind the desk, sitting down perfectly to wait. He, and most of the human clientele, watched as the goblin carefully grabbed the note, opened it, and started reading. Finally, it refolded the note, set it down, and looked down at Padfoot.
"If you'll come with me, we'll have you sorted in no time," the goblin dryly remarked before getting up and leading the relieved Padfoot away.
000
"What can we do for you, Mister Black?" Sliptooth, the Black account manager, asked primly.
"For starters, I need to claim the Black lordship and name my heir. After that, I have some mistakes to correct and a will to update," Sirius promptly replied.
He knew he was on borrowed time, and by the time he was done here, the goblins would know, as well.