DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the content referenced/quoted. Warning for swearing.

...

The Dog

She is almost eleven when she next sees Remus. He has grown since she last saw him lingering awkwardly on the platform when they first met. His face is definitely paler, with raised red marks poking out from underneath his hairline.

They had been exchanging letters throughout the year. She told him about her muggle life filled with muggle things and bombarded him with muggle treats - Remus, it turns out, has quite the sweet tooth; he tells her about his studies, the Marauders and the pranks they pull, the friends he has made. While Cass speaks of Lily, Alice and Marlie, of magic and libraries and changing staircases, friendship blooms between Emilia and Remus.

He becomes more relaxed the more they write, but something about the boy pricks at her.

She waits until he has cleared most of the crowd before rushing forwards.

"Remus!" She launches herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his thin middle. He stumbles under her weight.

She grins up at him with a bright smile, "I haven't seen you in like forever, what have you been up to? How'd that last prank go? What did your head of house say? Did you get detention? Did Gryffindor win the House Cup? How's your mum, is she still ill? What are-"

"Well, well, well, it looks like Remus has a fan club."

Emilia's words come to an abrupt halt. She pulls her gaze from the bashful Remus, who is turning more red by the second, and towards the other boy. He is slouched over his trolley, a lazy smirk across his face. He stares at her almost expectantly, for what she's not sure.

She can smell musky leather and smoke and wet dog and salt; it's a comforting scent, as if she's known it her whole life.

"Who are you?" Emilia says rudely. His face flickers, eyebrows rising at her words.

"Em," Remus pats one of her arms as she tightens her grip around him. "This is my friend Sirius."

She looks up at her friend - he must have shot up at least a few inches - and then squints at the other boy.

"Are you sure?"

Remus blinks at her, "Yes, I'm sure."

Emilia huffs, "You said all the girls were falling over him because he was pretty. He's not pretty."

Remus' face brightens as a big barking laugh rips from Sirius. Emilia blinks innocently at the boys, unsure of what was so funny.

"I think I like you, little one," Sirius huffs between laughter.

"I'm not little!" Emilia releases Remus to stomp her foot, "I'm almost as tall as Remus, see!"

She waves her tiny hand in the air, but it doesn't even meet Remus' shoulders. Sirius starts laughing again and Emilia scowls.

"Just you wait, mister, I'm still growing! Cass said so. Right, Remus?"

The boy stares down at her helplessly. Useless.

"Eh, hang on a minute," Sirius draws her attention again. She scowls harder at him. She might not be a witch, but maybe she can develop powers like that Greek snake lady and turn him into stone. Then she can have Remus all to herself. Maybe.

"By Cass, do you mean Cassandra Withers?"

Emilia pulls a face, "No one calls her Cassandra, weirdo."

Remus sighs and looks up at the ceiling. Emilia wonders if he is praying.

"Sirius, this is Emilia Withers, Cass' little sister. Emilia, this is Sirius Black."

She glances between Remus, staring at her hopefully, and the weird boy, who is just staring. Eventually, she sighs and holds out her hand for him to shake.

"Emilia Withers, friends call me Em, but you can call me The Best Withers."

Sirius shakes her hand, lips twitching with mirth. She's not sure why he finds this so funny, she's being serious.

"It's nice to meet you, Best Withers," he says. "My friends call me Sirius, but I suppose you could call me The Best Black."

Emilia shakes her head, "I don't know any other Blacks, that would be a biassed thing to say."

Remus sighs at her words and Sirius dissolves into laughter again. She thinks he is a little odd, different from Remus, but she decides that she might like that.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Remus asks eventually.

"Cass wanted to say goodbye to all of her friends, but they all just kept talking about hot wizards and I got bored so I thought we would come to say hi before you left the station."

"We?"

Scratchers pokes his head out of her jumper collar and Emilia grins up at the exasperated Remus.

"Holy shit," Sirius says. The Kneazle blinks at the boys before disappearing back under her collar. "Is that a Kneazle?"

"Yeah, that's Scratchers."

"Cool." Sirius turns to Remus, "Can we keep them?"

"You can't keep me, my mum is coming to get me," Emilia states seriously. "She says you're to come over during the summer, Remus. She's promised to make those Blondies again, if you do."

The boy grins. Emilia notices Sirius shooting him a strange look, and she wonders if these friends of Remus have noticed the odd things about him as well.

"I said I would catch up with James before he left," Sirius says suddenly, clapping a hand on Remus' shoulder. "I'll see you over the summer, hopefully."

He turns to look down at Emilia and smirks at her.

"I will be seeing you again, Best Withers."

"You have to write," she says, "That's the rule."

Something flickers across Sirius' face at her words. Something dark, lonely, like First-Year Remus. Her chest hurts at the sight of it. After a moment, he nods, a wide grin splitting his face, "Alright, Withers."

"I look forward to hearing from you, Black."

He chuckles and heads off into the crowd, slipping into the growing mass of bodies.

Scratchers pokes out as the boy leaves. Remus reaches out to pat his head and the Kneazle nuzzles against his hand.

"I've got something for you."

Remus looks up, "What is it?"

She slips a hand into her backpack, rummaging around until she finds the hard rectangle parcel. She pulls it out. It's wrapped in an old newspaper, crinkled slightly at the edges from where it had been bashed along the journey.

He takes it and carefully peels it open. A book sits heavily in his palm and he raises an eyebrow at the title.

"'Emma'?"

"It's my favourite copy," she says. "I was going to send it to you before school finished, but I forgot. I thought you might enjoy it."

"You thought I might enjoy Jane Austen?"

"Well, you like books and you like me, so I thought a book I liked wouldn't be a bad idea."

He looks at the book and then at her as she stares up at him with a hopeful look. He sighs and then pulls her in for a tight one-armed hug. His face presses into her hair, and he inhales her scent deeply. Fresh oranges, sweet but sharp, it makes him think of Autumn when the leaves grow warm and fall from the trees or the lazy sunset that paints the sky in pink and red hues. Emilia tightens her arms around him.

Eventually, he releases her. He pets Scratchers' head, ruffles her hair and heads off into the madding crowd. She watches him go until his figure has vanished, like Sirius' before him.

Then she heads off to find her sister, a warmth swirling in the pit of her stomach.