AN: So, this is a bit different. I will get around to updating Carry the Notion eventually (I have ideas, don't panic), but I've wanted to do this for awhile. By the way, the following 'ficlets' aren't related at all to A Memory's Curse or Opposites Attract, nor anything else.

If you want to interact with me more and have input on future decisions regarding my stories (including this one potentially!) then head over to www. fanpirex. tumblr. com – without the spaces obviously.

Also, if you're curious about my head canon of the Potter universe, check out www. fpxpensieve. tumblr. com :D

Title: My Pet Bee

Summary: Five-year-old Hermione Granger finds an abandoned black dog in her garden and decides to adopt him into the family.

Genre/s: Friendship & Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Hermione G. | Sirius B. | [Mr. Granger & Mrs. Granger]

Rating: K

Warning/s: AU

Words: 2,187

Little Hermione was having the most wonderful day.

First her daddy had given her a new book about how bees were born and kept as pets in large containers, which really rather made her want a pet bee of her own. Then her mummy had taken her shopping for a new top, one that was bright yellow and reminded her of the honey that bees harvested. And lastly, she had gotten to eat a rare large vanilla and strawberry ice-cream because it was very, very hot—hot enough that she even spotted a few bees!

She beamed as she washed off her sticky hands and wiped any excess ice-cream from her numb lips.

The sun was still shining bright and she was anxious to go outside and play in the garden for a couple hours before settling in the shade to finish her new book.

Clutching the book tight, she made her way downstairs, kissed her daddy's cheek where he was reading the newspaper in his armchair and waved to her mummy where she was pruning a bush beside the patio doors. The grass was lovely and crisp beneath her bare feet as she ran to her favourite spot in the garden, a big tree that sheltered her from rain and was surrounded by pretty blue flowers, and she carefully put her book down.

Just as she was pulling on her imaginary gloves to pretend she was ripping out some pretend weeds in her imaginary picture perfect garden, a soft whine startled her. She glanced up at her mummy to see that she hadn't heard anything and would have shrugged off the sound if not for the second more drawn out whine that followed.

Hermione wandered cautiously towards the garden gate and peered out through the iron bars.

A quiet bark made her jump back.

Leaping to her feet with recognition, she unlatched the gate like she'd watched her parents do and edged towards the limp black dog collapsed in a ball not three feet away. Its large body shuddered as she got nearer and a whine was heard again.

Hesitantly, Hermione reached out a hand to touch its matted, dirty fur. "Doggy?" she asked softly.

The dog shuddered much more violently and rose quickly to whirl around. She squeaked in surprise, finding herself staring into two big eyes.

But the dog rapidly calmed and silenced its defensive snarl, staring back at the little girl with wariness. So Hermione mustered up her courage and reached out further to stroke its head.

Despite its grimy fur, she smiled when the dog closed its eyes and leaned into her hand.

"Who are you?" she wondered curiously.

The dog opened its eyes to look at her again.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she told it promptly.

The dog woofed quietly.

She grinned. "I think I like you. Come play with me!" She urged the dog to accompany her through her garden gate, but the dog whimpered and she suddenly realised it was limping. "Oh no!" she cried. "You're hurt! Wait here!"

And off she went, calling for her parents. Doctors Henry and Elizabeth Granger instantly rushed towards their daughter and the former scooped her up into his arms.

"What is it, darling?" he asked worriedly while his wife hovered over his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

She nodded frantically and wriggled to get down, "Yes, yes, I'm fine! But doggy isn't!" Grabbing her daddy's and mummy's hand, she pulled them both towards the gate. Bewildered, her parents followed.

When they saw the larger than normal dog, Henry kept his daughter back at a safe distance even as she pleaded with them to help. It wasn't until the dog whined pitifully that Elizabeth approached it and checked it over with caution.

She looked up at her husband with concern. "Dear, it's badly injured and malnourished. We should take it to the vets."

Swallowing, he nodded and let go of his daughter, allowing her to shoot over to the dog and throw her little arms around its neck. Henry fetched the keys then helped his wife and daughter load the dog into the car.

Hours later, the dog—a male, they had been informed—was all clean and disinfected and sporting a cone around his right foreleg.

The vets were now speaking with her parents as Hermione stroked the now conscious dog. The adults were discussing what to do with him when she finally spoke up. Throughout their conversation, she had been staring at the cone around the dog's leg. It was a sunny yellow and reminded her of her new top and book. That decided it for her.

She looked up at her parents.

"I want to keep him as a pet."

It had taken much pleading on her part, but now Hermione woke up every morning with a black shaggy dog watching her lazily.

The newly christened 'Bee' always curled up just beside her bed as if to guard her each night when she went to sleep, and she thought that he would have likely even jumped up onto her bed with her if his leg wasn't hurt.

Each morning she smiled brightly at him and leapt from under her covers to give him a cuddle. Her daddy helped her bathe him and her mummy bought dog food for her to feed him and the Granger household was an even happier place with its new addition.

Not long after finding the dog, an urgent report made its way onto the news.

"Mass murderer Sirius Black has escaped from prison. He is armed and incredibly dangerous, folks. For your safety, phone this helpline immediately if you spot this man."

Hermione was sitting beside her daddy at the time this message was released, with Bee curled up at her feet. The dog whimpered and her daddy looked at her very seriously. "Honey, I want you to be careful; no more going off on your own. Always make sure Mummy or I are with you, all right?"

"But Bee can protect me," she protested. The dog barked softly.

Henry didn't pause. "Bee is injured and wouldn't be able to protect you if, heavens forbid, you were in great danger. Now promise me you won't go anywhere alone."

She sighed, though didn't argue further because her daddy was always right. "I promise."

A few months later and Bee's leg had healed enough for the cone to be taken away. Hermione had been given strict instructions to exercise him thoroughly and she had risen to the duty with determination.

After no sightings or mentions of the escaped serial killer for so long, her parents were more lenient on letting Hermione go out on her own now. Though she still wasn't allowed far, they let her walk Bee around the block every day before dinner when the sun was high and lots of other children were still playing outside.

They lived in a nice neighbourhood and she had fun telling Bee about different memories she had growing up there as she carefully led him down the roads. The dog seemed to listen intently to her as usual and she was so glad: It made the bullies at school seem like pointless nuisances that were easily forgotten.

But one day as she walked Bee, several children flocked around the two and forced them to stop. With a rapidly sinking heart, she recognised them to be her main bullies.

"Hey, Frizzy," one of the boys jeered, "where's all your books?"

Another taunted, "Do you have so many books because you have no friends?"

Though Hermione thinned her lips and refused to speak, Bee started to growl low in his throat and lowered his neck to glare at them angrily. One of the girls looked at him in disgust. "Look at it—so pathetic. Just like you, bookworm. No wonder you get along."

"He's not pathetic," Hermione argued, unable to stop herself. She immediately regretted it when the group of bullies crowed in delight.

"Ooh, look at that," a boy sneered, "little miss know-it-all loves the mutt."

And it seemed like the boy was about to continue with his mocking but when he stepped just that tiny bit closer to her, Bee snapped his sharp teeth at him and snarled loudly.

Startled, the boy stumbled back and one of the girls wailed with fear. Another boy, however, bravely stepped forward and tried to push Hermione, apparently ignoring the dog. This was clearly a mistake as in mere seconds the boy was pushed to the floor roughly, earning some scrapes on his elbows, with Bee's two front paws atop him.

"Get away from me!" the boy cried. The other bullies ran away now, scared of the furious canine, leaving the fallen boy behind.

Hermione jumped into action, worried about the boy despite his horrid teasing and also concerned that Bee had hurt his leg again from shoving the boy.

She gripped Bee's collar, pulling him away with all her might and he let her without much fuss though he continued to growl. The boy scrambled to his feet and fled quickly, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Bee, you shouldn't hurt people!" she scolded, still shaking with anxiety and adrenaline.

The dog looked at her with wide innocent eyes and whimpered at her.

"It doesn't matter if he was being mean to me," she continued, frowning. "Don't do it again."

He bowed his head sadly and whined until she threw her arms around him. She buried her face in his soft black fur and crumbled a little.

"You could have hurt yourself too," she cried and hugged him tighter. Sniffling, she sat back on her heels and rubbed at her red eyes.

Bee whined again and pressed his wet nose against her cheek before licking at the tears. She laughed tearfully. "Thank you though. I love you, Bee," she smiled at him and embraced him again. "Don't ever leave me," she mumbled into his neck.

Unbeknownst to her, the dog closed his eyes mournfully.

Weeks and weeks later, for the first time since she had found him roughly six months ago, Bee wasn't there to greet Hermione in the morning.

She spent hours searching for him around the house and made her mummy and daddy put up 'lost dog' posters on nearly every lamppost in their town. The next day she woke up feeling crushed that he still wasn't there to greet her—but yet her hope remained.

When a month had gone by, her parents started looking at her with sadness and remorse. She ignored them; their pity wasn't needed because Bee would never abandon her.

He was just lost, that was all.

Six weeks after he'd disappeared, she found her little book about bees, hidden in an alcove beside her desk. It must have fallen down there some time ago. She read through it again and cried a little as she turned the pages.

Several more months past though and then Hermione began to lose hope. After sightings of the criminal Sirius Black, she again was not allowed to go out alone. Her life consisted of her room, where she read until exhaustion hit her, and school, where the bullies started teasing her again now that her furry guardian had vanished.

She didn't go outside anymore. Not to play or even to read. She couldn't face her own garden, remembering it only as the area she'd found him.

She remained lonely for years to come. Never again did she ask for a pet and her parents didn't mention anything about one either. Bee remained in her heart and nothing would ever replace him.

And when a letter came through her letterbox from a school named Hogwarts, she wondered whether magic would be able to find him for her. She tried and tried to find some kind of spell to help her, but none were of any use.

For the first couple of friendless months at Hogwarts, she would lay at night on her new bed in Gryffindor Tower and agonise over why he had left. Maybe he had seen her use accidental magic, though try as she might she couldn't think of any such occaison.

There had simply been no need for magic to have come to her aid; not with him there beside her, guarding her.

He had made her so happy. Maybe she hadn't made him happy. Maybe that was why he'd left.

She didn't care; he was her first friend and she would love him all the same even if he did willingly abandon her. She secretly hoped he hadn't but she wouldn't blame him if he had. No one liked her, the know-it-all swot. Not even her fellow witches and wizards.

When her birthday came around on the nineteenth of September, she spent the day alone in the library, surrounded by her beloved books. And though she had no cake to eat or candles to blow out, she made a wish. She wished aloud, albeit quietly, for a friend at Hogwarts.

In her head and in her heart, she wished for her first friend. Her pet Bee.