19 December 2015

Although Harry and Daphne had wanted to wait until the summer, an opportunity to adopt a dog came up right at Christmas. James had overheard a conversation in the Ravenclaw Common Room and immediately brought the news to Harry: Isaac Bailey's grandmother was moving into a retirement home over the holiday, and her dog couldn't go with her. Now the family was looking to rehouse the dog in a loving home, which, James claimed, could be them if Harry acted quickly enough.

There'd also been puppy-eyes involved. It was James' last resort when he was trying to get what he wanted, and this time, it worked effectively.

On Saturday morning, the day after Christmas Break began, the Potter family all piled into the car for the drive - or rather, flight - to Shropshire. They were late on leaving because Teddy overslept and Andromeda had difficulty getting him through the Floo. Teenagers, she muttered as if it were a curse word, and Harry heartily agreed. He had to deal with hundreds of them on a daily basis.

Dawley was a small town, and Harry would have flown straight over it if Daphne's Direction Spell hadn't pinged with their arrival. He made a sharp turn that had the younger children laughing and Teddy swearing from the back seat.

'Sorry,' he mouthed at Daphne's withering glare as they landed in front of the house.

"If you'd just listened to the directions," she muttered darkly, folding up the map and canceling the spell, but a small smile at the corner of her mouth offset the words.

Excited, the children climbed out of the car and darted toward the house. Teddy took his earbuds out for the first time all day and followed them at a more languid pace. Daphne and Harry exchanged a look.

"Teenagers," she sighed, and there wasn't really anything for him to add.

The woman who opened the door greeted them with a smile. "Mr. Potter, I take it?"

"That's me," Harry said with a charming grin. He didn't have to interact with his students' parents very often, so he usually resorted to treating them the same way he would a fan. "This is my wife, Daphne, and our children, Teddy, James, Calla, and Damon."

"Gina Bailey," she said, shaking his hand, and then turned to call, "Isaac, your professor is here! Honey, get off the couch and..."

"I can't move!" her husband protested. "Maud'll wake up if I move."

Mrs. Bailey huffed and looked at the Potters. "I'm sorry he's so lazy," she said.

Both Harry and Daphne smiled. The show of domesticity didn't really change between Muggles and wizards.

At last, they had all gathered in the living room. Isaac even came out of his room, though he avoided eye contact with Harry. He seemed uncomfortable to have his professor in his own home.

"You must be Maud," Harry said to the dog in Mr. Bailey's lap. She seemed content to stay there and observe them from afar, but she did sniff at Harry's hand when he extended it to her. "What breed is she?"

"We're not sure," admitted Mrs. Bailey. "My mother got her from a neighbor. The Haywards kept a lot of strays and didn't neuter any of them. Maud could be a mix of, well, anything."

"Definitely some spaniel in her, though," said her husband, fondly pulling on one of the dog's ears.

"Can I pet her?" Damon asked eagerly.

Mr. Bailey smiled at him. "You certainly may, young man."

He gently set the dog on the floor and Damon immediately curled up with her, stroking her fluffy ears. She licked his face and he laughed. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey seemed to relax a bit more as they watched Damon interact with the dog.

"We think she's about four," said Mrs. Bailey. "She's in good health. All she really needs is… is a new home."

Her voice cracked a bit on the end and Mr. Bailey reached over to squeeze her hand. Their son looked appalled at the show of emotion. Teenagers, Harry thought.

Mrs. Bailey wiped at her eyes. "Sorry. Between this and moving Mum, I'm a little stressed right now."

"We understand," Daphne said gently while Harry nodded sympathetically.

He always let his wife handle the emotional side of things. Over the years, he'd gotten better at understanding emotions, but he still had trouble fully connecting to them. A part of him would always be the lonely little boy in the closet.

After a moment, Mrs. Bailey collected herself and continued listing the dog's general care routine. Isaac also mentioned that Maud liked 'emo music,' which had Teddy lighting up. Harry met Daphne's gaze in shared misery. Neither of them appreciated Teddy's taste in music. The two boys digressed into a discussion about their favorite artists until their parents reined the conversation back to the matter at hand.

That included the payment for Maud. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey had already decided the Potters were a perfect fit for the dog.

"It's like a birthday gift," James said happily when it was all negotiated. By that point, he'd ended up on the floor with the twins and Maud, while Teddy and Isaac disappeared to play video games. "Or Christmas. Whatever. Can I rename her Marauder?"

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bailey blinked.

"I suppose," she said after a long pause.

Grinning, James lifted the dog and nuzzled their noses together. "Welcome to the family, Marauder!"

The sight was so adorable that Harry wished he could take a picture of them. Instead, he shared a smile with Daphne, utterly content in their expanding family. The dog would definitely be a part of the Christmas photo he sent to Dudley.

AN: A fluffy short piece :)