A/N: Thank you for reading! A review said that they don't like that Harry likes cooking because it was something he was forced to do. Many people are forced to do things, especially as children, that they may not have chosen themselves but ended up liking them. I was forced to take piano lessons as a five-year-old. I didn't like it at first, but as I got better at it, I learned to love it. Someone left a suggestion about Sirius' reveal. I had already written this but was surprised to see that great minds think alike 😊 Thank you for reading. I have been a bit overwhelmed with the kind comments, follows, and favorites. -Lux
Chapter 8: A Peculiar Dogfather
Sirius Black never thought that he would live to regret his decision of becoming an animagus. Today he did. The day had started well enough. Emma had woken up extra early to go out for a jog and took him with her. He couldn't help his doggie self from getting ridiculously happy when she showed him the leash. How mortifying. He was even salivating in anticipation of all the smells, the wind in his fur. The only thing he didn't like was that he had to pace himself to Emma, and now that he was much healthier, the dog within had a lot more speed and endurance. Luckily the snow was almost gone now, and Emma had stopped putting shoes on his paws. They were dreadful. He understood she was trying to prevent his paws from getting burnt with the cold sidewalk.
There weren't many dogs in their neighborhood, and the few who lived there steered clear from Sirius. To them, he was weird. He smelled like equal parts human and dog and acted weirdly when it came time to relieve himself. Regular dogs would just lift their paw and mark their territory. Sirius would always find a lonely bush and hide to do his business. When they came back from the jog, everyone else was having breakfast. Sirius' stomach rumbled. He was starving. Today he got lucky. The Grangers had decided to cook him human food but especially for him. It was healthy but didn't have much flavor. This morning, however, he even got some bits of bacon from Hermione.
During Sunday morning, Father Martin stopped by after mass. Sirius really liked him. He always gave him human treats like cookies or chips. Sometimes he would give him raw baby carrots or apple. The dog had grown fond of him. He considered Martin a friend. But this morning Pa-Foo had to reconsider. Hermione and Harry were putting a puzzle together in the porch. Sirius was proud because with each passing day, Harry's stutter was slowly receding and he was less jumpy. Sirius had been with the kids but went to the kitchen to do puppy eyes. He could smell the croissants that the adults were having from the porch, and they smelled heavenly. Emma was a wonderful baker and croissants were Sirius' favorites.
As he got close, he heard Father Martin tell the Grangers that there was a castration campaign at the local vet. Bloody hell! Sirius thought. There were very few things that Sirius would not do for his godson. Having his doggie balls surgically removed was one of those. He was terrified. He had to morph back! The problem is that he didn't want to do it abruptly. The kids! He thought. He needed to morph just in front of the kids first and then have them talk to the Grangers. It was a risky plan, but Dan and Emma weren't the types to think children were nonsensical just because they were children. Sirius forgot all about the croissants. He had to think things through.
The Grangers had come to an agreement to help Harry transition. Daniel would work from 7 am to 1 pm. Emma would work from 1 pm to 6 pm. The only time the kids were really alone was from 12 to around 1.40 pm while both parents were commuting. Sirius had to make the most out of it. The moment of truth came sooner than the dogfather expected. He knew that Daniel would always take longer to come home on the 15th and the 30th day of the month. The doctor would stop to get groceries in his way home. That bought Pa-Foo an extra hour to explain things to the kids. Today was the 15th.
As soon as he heard that Dan's car was far enough, he started with his plan. He ran around unplugging all phones and closing the doors. It took a while to lock the doors with his paws. The man suddenly had a deep appreciation for his functioning human thumbs and wrists. Then, he went to the living room and started howling loudly. He was trying to howl something that sounded like Harry. Soon enough, the kids came downstairs, asking him to stop. The neighbors could get upset.
"Pa-Foo, stop!" Harry said. Hermione shooed him.
Sirius gently bit Harry's t-shirt and pulled him to sit on the sofa. He then did the same with Hermione. Both kids looked puzzled. He had decided to try two different routes. When the Grangers decided to start teaching Harry how to read and write, they had bought ABC blocks to teach Harry the letters while playing games. Sirius quickly ran and got all the letters he needed. The kids looked at each other completely puzzled. Pa-Foo was not a normal dog, but dogs couldn't read, right?
Hermione got up with Harry. Pa-Foo placed the letters to form a simple phrase:
"I am not a dog," Hermione read. She looked at the dog in front of her, at the blocks, and then at a stunned Harry with a frown. "Pa-Foo?"
He barked, nodding his head. Hermione was confused. "But you are a dog."
He moved his head from left to right. "No? Then, what are you?"
Sirius brought more blocks and removed others. Hermione read: "I am a man"
Hermione's eyes went wide. That was impossible. Or was it? Some princes were turned to frogs by mean witches. Maybe that was what happened to this doggie. "Did someone put a spell on you?"
Sirius knew the kid was very intelligent, but he was not expecting this. He nodded enthusiastically. Harry asked, "Are you Pa-Foo?"
The dog ran again, moving letters around and pulling others out of the toy box. Hermione read, "Padfoot?"
He nodded quickly again.
Harry had a flashback to the same dog licking his baby hands in his crib. He heard two voices:
"Padfoot! Stop drooling all over Harry!" a male voice said cheerily.
"Sirius Black! If my son gets any fleas in his bed, I will nutter you!" an amused female voice added.
"I am Sirius Black" read Hermione. She seemed to be thinking for a moment. She gasped and pulled Harry up from the sofa where he was sitting in a daze. Unbeknownst to Sirius, he had appeared as a dangerous criminal in muggle newspapers and news shows. "Harry! He's a criminal!"
What the bloody hell!? Thought Sirius.
"W-What?!"
Sirius had originally planned to go through the basics with just the blocks. But with this development, he thought it was better to rip off the band-aid as they said. Both kids were stunned when their dog transformed into a disheveled man with long hair and a beard, wearing tattered clothing. Sirius tried to smile in a nonthreatening way. Several things happened at the same time. Harry moved in front of Hermione to shield her with his body, and the little girl threw a vase that was on the side table at Sirius. The man barely had a chance to jump out of the way, and before he could say anything, the kids were screaming for help and running trying to get away from him. So much for subtlety, Sirius thought.
He ran after them and put his hand around their faces to cover their mouths. If the neighbors called the muggle police, things would get ugly quickly. The kids would make the Grangers proud. As soon as he covered their mouths, both kids bit him hard. He let go, but wandlessly silenced them.
"Harry! Hermione! Wait!"
Harry again wrapped his body around Hermione. The kids were trying to scream, and when they realized they couldn't, they looked angrily at him and started backing away quickly in fear that he would attack them.
"I will undo the spell so you can talk, but promise you won't scream. I'm Pa-Foo. Well, actually my nickname is Padfoot. When Harry was a baby, he still couldn't pronounce some sounds and that is why he calls me Pa-Foo. Please listen to me. Harry, I am your godfather; that is why you remembered my name when you saw me on the street that night…"
The kids' expressions were comical. They went through anger, disbelief, to more shock and surprise.
"Will you please not scream? I do not want to hurt either of you. Harry, Hermione, I have been your dog for almost three months now. You know me. I am not dangerous."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. It seems they were having a silent conversation like the ones Lily and James Potter would have. They looked back at him and nodded slowly. He lifted the silencing charm. Both kids asked simultaneously.
"Who are you?"
"I will answer all your questions but let us sit down to talk, alright?" Sirius offered, backing away from them slowly. And so, Sirius did just that. They all sat down in the living room.
"My name is Sirius Black. I was best friends with your parents, Harry. We were so close that they asked me to be your godfather. That means that when they died, I was supposed to take care of you."
Harry looked at him in confusion. "W-What were my p-parents' names?"
"Lily Jade Potter nee Evans and James Charlus Potter."
Harry looked surprised but happy. Any information he could get from his parents was a treasure for him. Hermione wasn't as touched by this and took over the questioning.
"Wait, then why did he have to live with those bad people if you were alive?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms. Clearly, she couldn't comprehend any motive other than death to abandon a child.
"The story those people told Harry about his parents was a lie. James and Lily were two of the brightest, most incredible, and hardworking people I ever met. They were NOT drunks, and they did NOT die in a car accident!" Sirius exclaimed. He took a deep breath.
Harry whispered, "Then, h-how did they d-die?"
"Harry, they didn't just die. They were killed by an evil man. They managed to save your life, but not their own." Sirius really would have preferred to tell the Grangers first. Now, if they wanted to use him as a punching bag, he'd let them. No parent wants their child to have to talk about such things at that age with a stranger.
"Killed how? What do you mean save Harry?" Hermione fired quickly. She grabbed Harry's hand as a show of support. His hand was clammy and trembling.
"The first thing you need to know, kids, is that magic is real," before Hermione could ask more questions, Sirius continued. "I trained to be able to become an animagus. That is why I can morph into a dog. I wasn't able to morph until now because I was sick and weak. I also didn't have my wand. Now that I am healthier, I was able to transform without it. Remember before, when you tried to speak, but no words came out?" both kids nodded. "That is a spell called Silencio, which essentially means quiet."
"A wand like the magic wands of magicians? Like when they pull rabbits out of hats?" Hermione asked with a doubtful look.
"Yes! Well, no. It's similar, but not the same. A wand is an instrument to channel and control magic. Wizards and witches can do magic without a wand if they train to do so," Sirius explained. He was glad Hermione was so smart and mature for her age.
"What happened to your wand?" Hermione was very curious and he expected the questioning, but Harry's teary-eyed question cut him like a knife.
"W-Why d-did you l-leave me with t-them? D-Do you h-hate me?"
"No, Harry! I don't hate you! I love you. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't come before because I was in prison for a crime I did not do. The wizarding police broke my wand" Sirius hung his head in shame.
"What did the police say you do?" Hermione asked, pulling Harry behind her. She had heard the news report saying he was dangerous and had killed thirteen people.
"They said I told the evil man who killed your parents where they were, but I didn't."
"What?! The news said you killed 13 people!"
"I didn't do that! Hermione, please believe me!"
"How should we believe you!? Harry could have died! They beat him and burnt him and insulted him all the time… they didn't even give him enough food! Look at him!" Hermione yelled. Objects started levitating around them and lights flickered. Harry was too shocked to react. Despite the pain he felt when Hermione said that, Sirius also felt joy inside. The little girl was, in fact, a witch.
"Hermione, please calm down."
"You abandoned Harry! Do NOT tell me to calm down!"
"I didn't! He was taken away from me!"
"No! If you had loved Harry enough, you wouldn't have put yourself in a position to lose him!" Hermione yelled angrily, hugging Harry, who was again rocking himself back and forth. Every word she said felt like a drop of acid in Sirius' heart. Not only because she was right, but also because she sounded exactly like Lily Potter would have sounded. Before he could say anything else, he heard Dan yell: "Kids! Duck!"
The Grangers were frantic. Mr. Granger had called the house from the supermarket to find out what the kids wanted for dinner so he could buy it, but no one was picking up. The kids were told to stay inside. They never disobeyed this because they knew he would be home soon enough. He asked Emma to call the security company and check the cameras to make sure the kids were okay. She did so and called him back in a panic. There was a man inside the house!
Both drove as fast as they could to protect their kids. They were so scared they didn't even think to call the police. Dan told Emma to come in through the back and he would go in full offensive mode from the front. He parked a couple of houses down and ran to the front door. Emma Granger had never ignored traffic lights but she ran at least two red lights to get to her babies. Luckily she kept a small handgun in her glove compartment.
The children did as they were told. Or rather, Hermione pushed Harry down and covered him with her body. As she was surprised, all the levitating objects fell back down. A knife flew from Dan's hand and hit Sirius' right thigh. Another knife followed to Sirius' left arm. The man didn't even wince. What Hermione had said was more painful than anything else. He sat down with his hands in the air in clear surrender. "Daddy!" Hermione ran to her dad. Dr. Granger was about to call the police. "No! Stop!"
"Who the hell are you and how did you get into our house?!"
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. This man was his godfather. That meant he was family. That was what Father Martin taught him. The Grangers always told him that family doesn't hurt family, but Mr. Granger attacked his godfather. Harry didn't know what to think. He was crying freely now. His eyes seemed to be looking into the void. His expression was vacant and heartbroken. Sirius wanted to comfort him, but as soon as he stepped towards Harry, he heard the uncocking of a gun close behind him. Emma Granger was pointing at his head.
"If you move one more step to touch our kids, it will be the last thing you ever do!" she was incensed. Sirius had no doubt she would follow through with that threat. He backed away from Harry who looked up in fear at Mrs. Granger.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. My name is Sirius Black. I am Harry's godfather. I didn't get into the house. I was already here. I have been living with you these past three months. I know this sounds insane, but I am Pa-Foo" Sirius said with his most formal and apologetic expression.
"WHAT!?" Both adults yelled in unison.
"It's true daddy. He transformed in front of us!" Hermione said, holding back her father's arm. He had two more hunting knives ready to be thrown.
"Transformed?! What does that even mean?!"
Sirius replied "I will do it again, but I need to remove the knives. In my dog form, they will do a lot more damage. I will not throw them, don't worry." Sirius pulled the knives out and placed them on the floor. In regular circumstances, the Grangers would have warned him against that, but they were too shocked. However, Mrs. Granger kept the gun pointed at Sirius, but Dan and Emma went to the sofa to hold their kids. Sirius focused and went back to Pa-Foo's form. Emma gasped. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't believe it. Daniel's jaw went slack. He just wrapped his arms protectively around his family. Emma joined them, and Harry jumped in her arms and hid his face. The dog-man barked, wagged his tail, hobbled with his injured leg to sit in front of the family, and transformed back to a man.
After this demonstration, there was a shocked silence that stretched for a while. All that could be heard was Harry sniffling and Emma whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
"Daniel, Emma. I know you must be feeling upset. You may do with me as you please after you hear me out. I will not resist."
"Fine, but you make a wrong move, and I will end you. I am going to tie your hands and feet as a precaution." Daniel went to the window and closed the curtains. He used the ornate cords that were keeping the curtains open to tie the man who accepted this quietly. Emma quickly reconnected the nearest phone and called the surveillance company and told them that it was a false alarm. That the man was a family friend. Hermione got bandages and helped Sirius wrap his cuts so they would stop bleeding.
"Well, we are listening."
"This story is painful for me to tell. Please let me finish, and then I will answer every question you have to the best of my abilities."
"Alright," Dan said: "Begin."
Harry had settled himself back in Mrs. Granger's arms while Hermione was curled up in her father's lap.
"Magic is real. The transformation you saw was magic. I am a wizard. Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter were a wizard and a witch. Harry is a wizard, and I have reason to believe that Hermione is a witch. I imagine there have been occasions when unexplainable things happened involving her. Before, when she was upset, objects levitated and the lights flickered. I went to a magic boarding school called Hogwarts with Lily and James. We were very close friends. So much so that they decided to name me Harry's godfather… In the wizarding world, there was a war going on… kind of like your World War II. Our evil man was Lord Voldemort instead of Adolf Hitler."
Sirius was proud he remembered all the facts Lily had told him about muggle history. How her grandparents had gone into hiding and had helped hide their Jewish friends. The Grangers looked like they had a million questions to ask, but they refrained.
"Like your Hitler, Voldemort was an evil man obsessed with blood purity. In Hitler's case, he believed in white supremacy. In Voldemort's case, he was obsessed with the purity of wizarding blood. When a magical baby is born of a witch and wizard that come from wizarding families, they are considered purebloods. If a witch or wizard marries a non-magical person or a muggle, their children are considered half-bloods. Magical children born of muggle parents are called mudbloods."
He saw the Grangers look of outrage. He needed to make his position clear.
"Mudblood is a horrible word. Only bigoted pureblood supremacists use it. They use it as an insult. The Potters, Remus Lupin, and I were in a special police force of sorts. We were fighting the bigots. We lost many friends in the war." Sirius' eyes darkened at this. He shook his head and carried on. "There was another member of our friend group who was not in this special force. His name was Peter Pettigrew." Sirius raked his hands through his hair. He cursed inwardly. "We all thought he was our true friend. However, Voldemort was told in a prophecy that Harry would be his downfall. So he went after the Potters. There is a magical ritual that makes a location essentially invisible. For this ritual, those going into hiding choose a secret keeper. Lily and James wanted me to be their secret keeper, but I was afraid I would be too obvious a choice since I was Harry's godfather. So, in the end, they chose Peter."
The Grangers felt an impending sense of doom. Harry and Hermione were listening very carefully.
"We didn't know at the time that Peter had gone dark. He gave their location to Voldemort, and he went in there to kill Harry. But Lily and James wouldn't give up their child. James was killed trying to buy Lily some time to give Harry a protection that even that madman couldn't get through. She begged him to spare the baby, but he wouldn't. Voldemort offered to let her live if she gave Harry up. Can you imagine? He said she was young and could remarry and have other children. Lily adamantly refused, and Voldemort killed her too."
Sirius' eyes had filled with tears, and he seemed completely broken. Everyone in the room was dealing with too many emotions. There was confusion, sadness, fear, sympathy, and belief. They believed him. Harry was sobbing softly into Emma's shoulder. Harry was much more than the Grangers had bargained for. But they refused to change their minds. He was a part of their family now.
"He then tried to kill Harry. That is why he has that scar on his forehead. Lily's protection saved Harry's life. Voldemort hasn't been seen or heard of since. Many people believe he's gone. I'm not so sure. Anyways… There is another man who calls himself The Leader of the Light. His name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
The Grangers looked at him with barely concealed mirth. It was a ridiculous name.
"He had helped with the ritual. He knew who betrayed the Potters. When I was told that my best friends were gone and Harry was hurt I lost it. I am ashamed to admit that I was blinded by pain and rage, and I went after Pettigrew. I wanted revenge. I couldn't believe he had betrayed them. I found him in muggle London. He blew up a street killing thirteen muggles and cut off one of his fingers when he saw me. The Aurors, which are like magical police, arrived after the explosion. When they saw me covered in blood and holding my wand, they threw me in our prison, which is called Azkaban. I was there all these years without any trial. I managed to escape a couple of days before I found you. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I am deeply sorry that I couldn't transform to tell you all this earlier. I did not want to lie to you. I felt really bad knowing you are probably two of the kindest people I have met and I stayed here without you having any clue who I really was. I couldn't leave because I didn't want to leave Harry. He… He's all I have."
Sirius was crumbling down the more he spoke. His head hung low and tears fell to the carpet. Harry knew pain. His godfather was in pain. He sneaked out of Mrs. Granger's arms and placed his small hands on Sirius' shoulders.
"P-Padfoot?" Harry asked, to get his attention. "Don't c-cry. I remember w-when you l-licked me in a c-crib. I was much s-smaller, and I h-heard two voices… I think it w-was my p-parents"
"Lily didn't want my fleas on your things… but I didn't have any fleas." Sirius sobbed. He was surprised to find Harry's skinny arms around his head. Sirius looked at the Grangers as if asking permission to touch the boy. The Grangers nodded. Sirius wrapped his tied arms around the boy. It was a while before either could calm down. Emma went to the kitchen to make hot chocolate. The drink was an exception at the Grangers, but she thought they all needed a bit of liquid love.
"I hope you understand that while we want to believe you… Everything you just said sounds crazy." Daniel was looking at him with an expression he had only seen before in victims of the Confundus charm. Silence stretched between the adults. Harry was still holding Sirius. The godfather realized that the kid was smelling him. When Harry was a baby, spending time with two uncles with a particular sense of smell had made him keen on smelling the people he loved. Sirius smiled. His Prongslet probably had no clue why he did that. But Sirius did, and that was enough for now.
"I understand. You have been extremely kind and patient to both myself and Harry. I will pay you back for everything as soon as I can access my accounts," Sirius said, smiling. Mrs. Granger came back with a tray full of hot chocolate and biscuits.
"Absolutely not. We did what we had to do. We have grown to love Harry, and the social worker entrusted his care to us." Daniel said in a defensive tone. They would not just hand Harry over.
Sirius sighed. "I know. However, I will not give him up either. I want you to come with me to Diagon Alley. It is a hidden, magical place where I can go to my bank to give you proof of my identity. I would have to go as a dog because I am still a wanted man. But you could all join me so I can give you proof. Harry's parents' will was not read. Otherwise, he would have never ended at the Dursleys."
"Who was he supposed to go to?" Emma asked taking a small sip of her cocoa.
"I was to be the first option. But since we were at war, Lily and James had an extensive list that absolutely did NOT include Lily's sister and her husband. It included Harry's godmother Alice Longbottom, Remus Lupin" Sirius was interrupted by Harry.
"Moo-y?!" the boy asked with wide eyes.
"Moony, yes. I am so glad you did not forget Prongslet."
"Prongslet?" Hermione asked. She was always curious about unfamiliar words.
"Yes, Harry's father was an animagus too. He could transform into a stag, and we called him Prongs. That is why we call Harry Prongslet."
"What's a stag?"
"A deer," Sirius replied. Hermione said, "Oh!" Sirius knew she was thinking about Harry's favorite plushie.
"Who do you mean we?" asked Dan, taking a bite of a biscuit.
"Moony, Prongs, and me… Pettigrew was also an animagus, a rat."
"And what a rat he was!" said Mrs. Granger with a frown.
"P-Padfoot?" Harry asked, timidly.
"Yes, son?"
"D-Do you have a p-picture of my m-mom and d-dad?"
"Not here, but I know where we can get some… Your parents' vaults in Gringotts, the wizarding bank, should have some family albums," Sirius said ruffling Harry's hair with his tied hands. Harry looked at Mr. Granger with a clear reproach in his eyes. He did not like to see Sirius tied up. Dan stood up and untied the man who smiled in gratitude.
"M-Mrs. Granger, c-can we g-go there t-today?" Harry asked with pleading eyes. The Grangers looked at each other and nodded.
"Yes, but we are all going with you," said Emma. She would not let go of Harry anytime soon.
"Of course, it will be great for you to see wizarding society, and since Hermione is a witch, you may want to open an account for her. Our currency is not the same as the one you use. We have galleons, sickles, and knuts. One galleon is roughly £3," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Kids, go get changed so we can leave as soon as possible."
After Harry and Hermione ran upstairs, Sirius thought he needed to thank the Grangers properly. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I know this day has been very confusing, and I want to apologize for all the trouble I have caused. I really wanted to come out as a wizard to you first. However, I thought you would shoot me before I could have said anything," Sirius rubbed his leg bandage. He hoped they could stop by St. Mungo's. "I wouldn't have blamed you. You two are incredible parents and wonderful people. Lily and James would have been really happy to know Harry was with you… I know you love him, and I do not want any fighting, but once I clear my name, I would want him to live with me."
"But… he's in our care. The authorities gave us temporary guardianship, and we want to apply for permanent guardianship and adoption." Emma would not let this man take her Harry away.
"I understand that, but as you will see today in the will, his parents decided who he should go to. I could never repay you for all the kindness you have shown us. And I don't want you to think I am going to flee with Harry and you will never see him again. Harry loves you. And I think he would hate me if I separated him from Hermione. You should have seen them before you got here. Harry was protecting Hermione with his body. As soon as I said my name, Hermione threw a vase at me. They bit me. You should be proud! Those two together will be a force to be reckoned with," Sirius said with a crooked smile. The Grangers chuckled.
"We are proud. Sirius, you were our dog for months. Call us Dan and Emma. We appreciate that you don't want to uproot him and separate him from us. Hermione adores him, he's her only friend. And we have grown to love him deeply," Dan said, offering Sirius his hand. Sirius took it.
"I know, and that is what I am grateful for the most, Daniel."
Emma pulled Sirius into a hug. "No offense Padfoot, but you need a shower."
"Come with me, you can shower and then put on some clean clothes... and shave."
"Thank you."
"I'll also bandage those cuts again. I hope there is no muscle damage. In the future, if you are stabbed, never pull out the knife!" Emma said with crossed arms.
"Yes, ma'am," Sirius said with a dramatic bow.
"I knew you weren't a trained dog!" Dan laughed while clapping Sirius' back. All the adults laughed.
An hour later, the Granger family was driving towards Charing Cross Road on Sirius' instructions. They had to find a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. Harry and Hermione were cuddled up to a clean and much better smelling black dog. Hermione was holding Harry's hand behind Padfoot. Sirius sighed. For the first time in a long time, he had hope in what the future would hold. He hoped Sharptooth remembered him.
