Sirius's heart bounded along with his furry legs as they stepped out into the night. It was with a sad sort of nostalgia that he realized he hadn't felt this alive since Prongs was alive. He had never really noticed how long fifteen years could seem to a man like him, a man whose only hope was to one day be able to run the same grimy sidewalk not as Padfoot, but as Sirius Black.

Remus's heart was pumping rather irregularly. I shouldn't be doing this, we shouldn't be

doing this, was a thought that was often accompanied by his tired heart missing a beat. But then he'd take one look at his best friend, watch Sirius sniff every flower and wag his tail with more happiness than he'd seen him in a long time, and the pumping of blood would slow. It was all going to be alright, the dog's watery blue eyes would tell him whenever they had the time to look up to Remus. And stop worrying, you're not a prefect anymore.

It was one of those heartbreaking chapters in life where you realize just how much you have lost from times before, and worse, how much you used to have. For where was that shiny prefect badge that Remus had taken so much care of in his time at school now? Hidden in a closet, shunned. He could not bring himself to look at it; just the sight of something so nostalgic filled him with emotions that weighed heavier than his transformations.

And as they ran together, wildly, robes and fur alike flying in the wind, they felt them.

Prongs's antlers out of the corner of their eyes. The clip, clop of hooves, faintly, faintly. A challenge to race.

Wormy's tail, slithering softly on the dirty sidewalk the bounded upon, a ratlike grin on his face as he struggled to keep up with the rest. Wait up, friends!

But the man and the dog would shake their heads, and their childhoods were once again a glimmer of their imagination, and they were forced to remember that James Potter was now no more than a statue and a gravestone, and that that was all they wished upon Peter Pettigrew.

They were alone, and yet they held tight onto the memories of each other, for now they knew that these were the ones that were still very much alive.

"Wait," panted Remus, growing tired. "Let's sit."

Sirius stopped abruptly, his eyes full of caution and his ears perked.

"Don't worry, Padfoot, it's not that." Remus sat down and scratched Padfoot behind the ears. "I just want to sit out here for a while with you. It's nice."

And so Sirius sat beside his old friend. It was true- though the chilly November breeze blew the long, dark fur on his back every direction, it was the kind of chill that you don't really mind, because the stars are out and the beauty of the outside world around you on a silent street is more breathtaking than the wind around you. In a way, the breeze contributes to the dark beauty of the block.

Sirius raised his paw at the sky. He had no memory of the stars ever being brighter than they were at this moment in time. Remus looked above. He nudged his friend.

"Do you see yours?"

Sirius shook his head. He'd never been able to, and no one had ever shown him how.

Remus locked eyes with the dog. "I can," he whispered.

Sirius looked up at Remus. Show me, show me!

And Remus smiled, the kind of smile that was worth more than the moon and the stars and the dazzling light of the sunrise all together. It was a smile he hadn't worn since Hogwarts.

"Well," he started, pretending to search the heavens, though he knew full well where the

star was. "Ah. I found it." He pointed to a white star that was clearly larger than all the rest. Sirius followed his gaze.

Wow.

"It's something, isn't it." Remus put his hand on Sirius's furry back. "But you know what's funny about it?"

Sirius shook his head no.

"You know it's huge. And it's really, really hot. It's also the brightest star in the universe. Sort of like you, huh?"

Sirius wagged his tail. Go on.

"But it's also part of something bigger. It contributes to a constellation by the name of Canis Major. When you add Sirius to about fifteen other stars, it creates a shape. A dog, actually, how weird is that?

"Sirius, I know how worthless you must be feeling right now. It's probably the worst feeling in the world. But I want you to know that you are the Canis Major constellation. You are a star that is bright, and warm, and huge, and you are caught up in something that is so much bigger than all of us. This impossibly large night sky.

"But you also have us. You have the Order. You have me, and you have Harry and Ron and Hermione and the twins and the whole Weasley family and Tonks and Kingsley and so many others, so many, Padfoot. We'll always help you make that shape of a dog, and we'll always be your comfort when it's cloudy. I promise."

Sirius put his head on the grey curb. His blue eyes were watering and he yearned more than he ever had, to be able to sit on this sidewalk as a person, and even more, he yearned for the right words to tell Remus just how much he meant to him.

But he couldn't. So he just settled for a wag of his tail and a look of his watery blue eyes. It wouldn't be enough for him. He just hoped it would be enough for Moony.