Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.

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Old Man and His Dog

Harry woke early so he could go jogging before Krum and his friends were on the pitch exercising. He didn't want hear to Durmstrang students yelling about his dentures and arthritis.

He dressed in his jogging clothes in his dorm room then went to Remus's room. He felt like jogging all over the school five a.m. Saturday morning was more than enough exercise.

Remus opened the door for him. "You're here early."

"I wanted to beat Krum and his mates," Harry said. "Is he awake or do I jog alone?"

Remus rubbed Sirius's back; he was in the bed and human. "Come on, luv, wake up."

"I need to dress," Sirius said.

Harry sat down and picked up a magazine. "Weekly Witch interviewed me. It should be out soon."

"They interview lots of people that don't make it to press," Remus said.

"I made myself sound like a real mama's boy," Harry said. "They gave Minerva a copy of the article which she showed Severus. The whole campus must know that I'm with Professor Snape, even Madame Maxime commented about it."

"How is that going?"

"He let me in his mind last night. That was spooky."

"I won't ask what you saw although I'm dying of curiosity."

"I won't tell you. He's a complicated man. The more I find out about him, the more I don't feel worthy of his affection."

"He tried to date Lily once. James hung him upside down."

"He's very sensitive."

"Let's go." Sirius, now wearing his jogging clothes, put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Running around the castle was enough exercise," Harry teased.

"It's not metered exercise. Too many stops and starts. Let's do stretches at the pitch and then go around the lake." Sirius smiled at Harry.

They didn't beat the Durmstrang boys out there. "Look! The old man brought his dog," one yelled.

The other Durmstrang students laughed and started barking.

Sirius growled at them then he continued stretching.

"The mutt's feelings are hurt," Krum shouted.

"We'll see after the second task," Harry shouted. "Who's licking their wounds."

"Old man, you're out of your league," Krum said.

Another boy said, "An old man and a girl, Krum, all you need to do is show up."

Harry responded to the remark with silence. He finished stretching and started briskly walking toward the lake.

When they were on the snow free path, Sirius set the pace for the run.

"Maxime's comments must have hurt," Harry said, while keeping up with Sirius.

"I spend more time as a dog. It was an honest mistake."

"I know it hurt. You were human this morning."

"I fell asleep that way. Besides, I needed to use the toilet and the snow and salt gets in my paws."

"She insulted me, too."

"Huh?"

"She talked like I must be desperate to sleep with someone as ugly as Severus."

Sirius barked. "I don't know what you see in him."

"He's sensitive and you never have to tell a legilimens to move his leg because he's cutting off your circulation."

"I wouldn't want a bloke in my mind."

"It's not like that." Harry laughed. "He can't probe deep without me knowing. He knows what I want."

"I thought he was following me about. I didn't realise that he was reading my mind."

"When he was young, he couldn't control it. He heard everyone close to him."

Maxime ran over to them. "Mind if I jog with you."

"Go ahead," said Harry. "Does Fleur run? I see Krum most mornings."

"Potter, trying to get all my secrets?" Maxime ran beside him.

"No," Harry said, "I never see her in the pitch. In the first task, she displayed the best use of magic. It's a shame it backfired; we could have had a three way tie."

Maxime said, "'Ello, Snuffles."

Sirius gave her a hostile look and growled at her.

Harry commented, "I wouldn't care about this tournament if Krum and his mates didn't limp about and the few that speak English didn't make comments about my imaginary arthritis."

"You aren't old," said Maxime.

"To a bunch of eighteen year old boys, I'm ancient," said Harry.

"Snuffles, do always change in ze bluff?" asked Maxime.

"Most of the time," said Sirius.

"Don't your clothes change with you?" asked Maxime.

"That has it's own problems," Sirius explained. "Whatever was in your pocket is part of your fur until you change back. No matter how stupid that thing is you or someone else needs it."

"Do you zink like a dog when you're human?" asked Maxime.

"I'm never actually a dog. I'm an animagus. I don't know how real dogs think." Sirius barked.

"Perhaps, Harry's bloke could scan you and a normal dog and see if zere is a difference," Maxime said.

"I don't know if I want the answer," Sirius said. "The latest research shows that dogs are smarter than people give them credit for."

"One researcher found that many dogs knew more hundred words," Harry said. "In Yukon, dogs know the paths. The humans can be clueless or unconscious and the dogs will make it home."

"Do you have normal instincts?" asked Maxime.

"I must. I wouldn't survive without them. Lily showed me The Shaggy Dog on The Wonderful World of Disney. I didn't see the whole thing, but what I did see that boy had no instinct," Sirius said.

"You couldn't survive if you didn't have the normal instincts and learned behaviours," Harry added.

"Olympe, I don't want your pity," Sirius said.

"Snuffles, I'm sorry," Maxime said. "You're beautiful the way you are. I shouldn't 'ave called you a poor creature."

"You shouldn't be ashamed that you're half-giant," Sirius said.

"If people learn I'm 'alf-giant, they zink I'm a barbarian. They write zings like Skeeter wrote about Rube," Maxime said. "Someone at the party must 'ave overheard us and called Skeeter."

"She's an animagus. She could have been anywhere. With all that snow, we'd never see her. Also we don't know what form she takes," Harry explained.

"Ask 'er to meet you at 'Ogsmeade and zap 'er. I would suggest Fleur do it, but 'er interest seems to lie in your direction," Maxime said.

"I'm the underdog," Harry said. "I'm thirty years old, have amnesia and a bad heart."

"Running with you this morning, you don't feel like ze underdog," Maxime said.

"That's a high compliment. Thank you," Harry said.

Sirius slowed their pace.

"We must do this again," Maxime said.

"We're not giving out any secrets," Sirius said.

"I'll bring Fleur with me next time," Maxime said.

"Do you think she could keep up?" Sirius said. "I'm not slowing down for her."