Author's Note: For Liza. This is a very belated birthday present, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long. Enjoy :)
Also written for…
Hogwarts Assignment #3. Lesson: Home Economics, task 5. Task: Write about someone who doesn't have a home.
(Writing Club) Second Chance Soulmates. Task: You can feel pain when your soulmate feels pain.
(Writing Club) Book Club. Prompts: punishing a child, desk, patronize
(Writing Club) Showtime. Prompt: "Would you like to join us?"
Duelling Club. Prompts: Remus/Sirius, adorable, cardigan
(Writing Club) A Year in Entertainment. Prompt: Jello
OTP Prompt List Challenge. Prompt: Fall/Autumn
Hope's Home
2,230 words
"Great show tonight," Peter called as Sirius walked past him on the way to his motorbike.
Sirius didn't bother looking back. "I know, I'm awesome."
He slung his guitar over his back and lit up a cigarette, enjoying the cool night air after another successful gig. If things kept going like this, he may be able to afford his own place by the end of the year…
As suddenly as he'd had the thought, Sirius was on the ground, howling in pain. He was vaguely aware of Peter and some other pub patrons running over to check on him, but he couldn't tell them what was wrong. It felt like his right leg had been run over though it looked fine. His face stung from numerous cuts, but his hand came away free of blood.
His soulmate was injured.
-Three Years Later-
"Welcome to Hope's Home. How can I help you?"
Sirius eyed the redheaded greeter wearily, purposefully standing several feet from the help desk.
"Do you allow dogs here?" he asked quietly, tightening his grip on Sunny's lead as the little pup sniffed at the desk.
The greeter leaned over her desk, smiling at Sunny.
"Of course, Hope loves dogs."
Sirius smiled and stepped forward to pick up the small dog as she tried to sneak around the desk.
"Good. This is the third shelter I've looked at today, but none of them would let me keep Sunny."
The woman nodded sympathetically as she reached into a drawer, pulling out a dog biscuit.
"It's horrible. Dogs deserve just as much love. Don't you, cutie?" she cooed at Sunny, feeding her the biscuit. "I'm going to need you to fill out a form and then we can get you all set up, Mister…"
"Black," he offered. He set the puppy down again and took the empty chair by the desk. "Sirius Black, and this is Sunny."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Lily. You'll meet my husband, James, later on. We're the dormitory prefects."
"Fancy title for glorified babysitters."
She smiled. "It's really not like that here. Hope just wants to help as many people as she can. You're basically free to do whatever you want while you're here."
Sirius nodded, still suspicious. "Okay. So, about this form…"
:-:
"You'll be staying in here," Lily told him, leading him into a room marked 'Men D1.'
There were ten sets of bunk beds inside with a row of cabinets lining one wall. Sirius had to admit that for a shelter, it looked pretty clean. The beds were all neatly made up with quilts and knitted blankets and there were no bottles and wrappers littering the floor like the filthy shelters he'd been in before.
"You can put your things in an empty cupboard and then hit the showers. I'll have James bring you some fresh clothes while I take Sunny to get checked out."
"You have a vet on staff?"
"Oh, no. Hope's son owns the clinic down the street. He gives free check-ups to all the shelter pets."
"That's nice..." Sirius said, reluctantly handing over the lead. Lily laughed.
"Don't worry. You'll have her back by dinner."
:-:
The bathroom was so clean Sirius wondered if it had ever been used.
He took his time, enjoying the feeling of the hot water on his back. It was getting colder out, and while Sirius enjoyed watching the leaves change colors, it wasn't a good time to be without a place to stay, especially for Sunny. If he didn't have her, he might've been able to brave another month in the cold.
There was a pile of clothes laid out on the counter when he stepped out of the private shower stall. Everything fit perfectly, and the t-shirt even sported the logo for a band he'd played with, before…
A man with glasses and messy hair waited for him outside the bathroom, grinning when Sirius emerged.
"Sirius Black, I'm a huge fan," the man said, grasping Sirius' hand. "I saw you perform at the music festival last year. You're amazing."
Sirius carefully removed his hand from the other man's hold. "I'm not really giving autographs right now."
"Oh, no, sorry. I'm James Potter, Lily's husband. I, um, got a little excited when she told me you were here – not that I'm happy about your situation! And I mean, not that she knows who you are … Lily has terrible taste in music." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm meant to show you around."
Sirius let himself be led through the shelter, listening carefully to the rules, though there weren't many.
"Basically just don't steal and don't get into fights and you'll be good," James told him.
They were in the Rec Room now, which was in itself bigger than some of the pubs Sirius had played in, and it seemed to be where everyone congregated when they weren't eating or sleeping. It was a chaotic mix of activities. One corner of the room was blocked off by tall bookshelves with a sign that read 'Reading Nook.' There were at least twenty tables where people played board games and talked over tea. A row of computers took up one wall, and an archway led into a playroom for younger guests.
It was hard to tell who was a guest and who was a volunteer in the room; everyone looked well-dressed and happy. The only real mess in the space came from the dog and cat toys left on the floor.
"This is … really nice," Sirius commented, watching a cat lounging atop a bookshelf.
"Well, Hope likes everyone to feel as much at home here as she does."
"Where is this Hope woman?"
James smiled. "In the kitchen. She's cooking up a big meal for us tonight or she'd be out here, talking with everyone. Hope loves people."
Sirius followed his adoring fan to a couch, above which was a portrait of an older couple.
"That's Hope and Lyall."
Sirius studied their faces. "Were you a guest here too?"
"No, my parents were volunteers here for years. Lily and I met here when she started volunteering." James smiled. "Can I ask why you're here? Last I heard you were working on a second album."
Sirius scowled. "My so-called friend and bandmate made off with all my money. We'd been sharing a flat for a while and everything was going great, and then he was just gone one day." He played with the hem of his t-shirt to avoid James' gaze. "He'd even done an interview talking about how hot-headed I am and … well, needless to say no one will work with me now."
"There was nothing you could do to stop it?"
"I tried. The damage was done. I had to sell my guitar to pay the rent. I'd just gotten a job at a restaurant when I got evicted."
James sighed. "Well, we can't help with your music career, but we have lots of resources to help you find a-"
He was interrupted by a small brown ball of fur jumping up beside him on the couch. Sirius immediately pulled Sunny onto his lap.
"Where did you come from?" She barked in reply and leapt down to the floor, joining two small boys who were making their way over.
"Sirius, this is my son, Harry," James said as if the resemblance was not obvious. "And this is Teddy Lupin, Hope's grandson."
The boy with light blond hair gave Sirius a smile and handed over Sunny's lead. "My dad said that Sunny is healthy."
"Thanks, kid."
"Can we play with her?" James' son asked hopefully. Sunny was already running circles around the boys. Sirius laughed at her. It had been a while since she'd been able to play with others.
"Yeah, I think she'd like that."
:-:
Dinner was served promptly at seven. The Potters had said their goodbyes by then and had gone home, leaving Sirius to dine with Teddy and Sunny at their own little table in the Dining Hall.
"How old are you?" Sirius asked around a bite of the best roast chicken he'd ever had.
"Five," Teddy answered, never taking his eyes off the adorable puppy by his feet.
"And you spend all day at the shelter?"
"Uh-huh, or with Dad-"
"Teddy!"
The boy flinched and slumped in his chair as Sirius watched a light-haired man in a navy cardigan run through the hall, stopping at their table. He couldn't help but notice how attractive Teddy's father was even with a scowl and a series of small scars on his face.
"Edward Remus Lupin. I told you to go straight to the kitchen to help your grandmother after you returned that dog."
Teddy hung his head. "Sorry."
"Go apologize to your grandmother and help clean up the dinner dishes."
"Yes, sir." The boy took several defeated steps toward the kitchens before turning around and waving at Sirius. "Thanks for letting me play with Sunny."
"Anytime, little guy. We'll be here for a while."
The men watched Teddy head into the kitchen and then turned awkwardly to each other.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner," Dr. Lupin said quietly. "I'll just go-"
"Would you like to join us?" Sirius offered quickly, eager to see more of the man. He pushed his dessert dish towards Teddy's empty seat. "We have jello."
Dr. Lupin chuckled. "Are you sure? Jello is a rare treat around here."
"I need some way to thank you for looking over Sunny and I'm a little short of money at the moment."
"No thanks necessary. She was a star patient."
The doctor sat down and after a moment's hesitation he reached for the bowl. "Tell me, Mister…"
"Sirius, please." He smiled at the doctor. "I didn't catch your name."
"Remus Lupin. Well then, Sirius, what do you think of Hope's Home so far?"
Sirius leaned back in his chair, looking around the hall. His eyes landed on a family with three small children. They seemed so happy together, as if they were not in a room with a hundred other people.
"It all seems too perfect," he said, turning back to Remus. "Everyone is happy and clean. The volunteers aren't patronizing and distrustful. If I wasn't set on getting out of here soon, I might want to stay a while."
"You've been in shelters before, then?"
Sirius shrugged. "Years ago. I ran away from home when I was sixteen. I managed to survive on the streets for ages before it got too cold, but the shelters weren't worth the trouble, honestly. I got accused of stealing a lot; everyone was fighting and drinking. I got a job as soon as I could just to get out of there."
"Then, if you don't mind saying, why are you back?"
"It's a long story, and I've talked enough about myself already." Sunny pawed at Sirius' leg, whining for food. He tore off a small piece of chicken for her, but in the puppy's excitement she nipped at his finger as she took the meat.
"Ouch," Remus muttered. Sirius turned to find the vet inspecting his own hand.
"Are you alright?"
Remus nodded, brow creased. "I just got a pain in my finger. I can't figure out where it came from."
Sirius stared down at his own finger, which was a dull red where Sunny's tooth had grazed it. It hadn't broken the skin. Curious about the coincidence, he bit down on his tongue as hard as he dared.
Remus hissed in pain, his hand flying to his mouth.
"Did you bite your tongue?" Sirius asked innocently.
"I didn't think so, but…"
"Do me a favor and pinch yourself."
"Excuse me?"
Sirius sighed. "Every time I get hurt, you're able to feel it." He held up his finger, now back to its normal coloring. "Sunny bit my finger, I bit my tongue. I think we're soulmates but I want to be sure. Pinch yourself."
"You're crazy," Remus accused, crossing his arms. "We're not soulmates."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I … lost mine, three years ago."
Sirius' face fell. "I'm sorry. How did it happen?"
"Car accident. I was lucky to have survived with just a few scars from the windshield."
Sirius studied Remus' face, paying close attention to the scars now.
"It's not impossible to have a second soulmate, you know."
Remus glared at him. "I'm not your soulmate."
"So you didn't break your right leg in that accident?" Remus hesitated and Sirius smirked. "October thirteenth, three years ago. That was the first night I felt my soulmate, through a broken leg and a few cuts on his face."
Remus looked away. Sirius worried that he was angry with him, that he and Sunny would be kicked out of the shelter for the suggestion, but Remus didn't look angry when he turned back.
"I didn't know this was possible … getting a new soulmate. I don't want you to think I'm unhappy. I just need some time."
"Of course. It's not like I'm going to demand we move in together or anything." Sirius grinned at him, barely managing to contain his excitement. "But I would still like to get to know you and Teddy a little better. Tomorrow's Saturday, maybe we could go for a picnic?" Sunny barked her approval.
Remus smiled. "A picnic sounds wonderful."