Dog Star

by: Raven Mirage

"No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless

absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation." Fran Lebowitz

ix
Complications

- - -

She was in the mists between sleep and awakening when she heard the soft, low beating; steady and reliable like the sound of a ticking clock. Delilah felt it's embrace, warm and comforting to every depth of her body and soul. In her groggy state she fought to keep that comforting feeling of belonging, but eventually consciousness won out and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled gently as she realized that she and Sirius had slept all night on the floor. During the night they had changed positions and she found her head laying against his chest, one of his arms draped over her.

Boy, would Father have a fit if he saw this... She thought as she reluctantly pulled herself from his arms. She dragged the sheet over his sleeping form then folded her legs against her chest. Drowsily she rested her cheek against her knees as she watched him in silence. She remembered his depression the night before, but as he slumbered it seemed to have disappeared. Like everyone he, too, returned to the most innocent state while traveling through dreamland. His usually hardened features were soft, making him appear younger. She reached out a hand and lightly ran her fingertips down the side of his face.

She wanted to do something for him. She recalled his words the night before and wished that there was some way to take all that had happened back. She couldn't understand why someone like Sirius had been caught up in all that pain. He was a good person. She could tell by the look in his eyes, mature and haunted, but soft and caring. She wanted to help him realize that there was still hope in the world. She knew she couldn't change the past, but was there something she could do to make his future look brighter?

Sirius came to, stretching to alleviate the stiffness that had set into his muscles during sleep. He suddenly realized that he was in human form. Had he slept like that? What if someone had seen!? He sat up and looked around.

"Jumpy, aren't we? Calm down. You're safe."

He shook his head and laughed. "Nearly forgot you were here. I'm used to being on my own." Alone. Always alone. It was a strange feeling, to know there was someone else there watching over you, helping keep you safe. It was good to have someone close that you could talk to and trust. It had been a long time since Sirius felt so much at ease, since the hounds had started biting at his heels. He didn't know if it was wise or not to put so much dependence in Delilah, but he didn't care about wise. He was tired of feeling afraid of being caught. He was tired of being alone.

Delilah smiled at him. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm here."

He smiled back. She had no idea how much her presence really meant. He had been practically on his own since his incarceration. Even his closest friends had deserted him because of the fact he had been labeled "murderer." He didn't blame them. The evidence had been piled in heap stating his guilt. Even so he wondered just what kind of friends would believe he was really capable of murder after all that they had been through. He thought of Remus and how he had tried to believe he was innocent right up until the end. Even he fell to the lies. That had hurt him most of all. Perhaps others could believe all that, but he had counted on Remus. Still, he didn't hold it against him. He had been told that three of his oldest, closest friends had been murdered and another was up for sentencing because of it. It was a hard thing to weigh.

He really didn't understand how Delilah could have come to trust him so easily. She had told him the reasons but they still didn't add up to him. Even when you had those elements that still didn't convince most beyond a reasonable doubt that one was innocent. What made Delilah different? How could she see the truth so easily where others missed it completely? It was a mystery like almost everything about her. Maybe there was something deep inside her that wanted an adventure, or something that made her want him to be innocent. He would probably never know.

-

Delilah watched Sirius think. She wondered what was going on behind those big dark eyes. Sirius was an enigma she didn't think she would ever understand, but that's why she liked him so much. She was always discovering something new about him, even if it was something small. Every little quirk or a deep secret. It didn't matter. Finding out about someone was always exciting for her, especially someone so interesting as Sirius. He had so much depth to him and he was truly amazing, but she could see that he found none of those qualities about himself. It was a pity because he had so much to offer.

She sighed lightly and opted to break through his thoughts. "Hey, Sirius." He raised his face to look at her. "Today's my day off. You got plans?" She grinned.

"Well," He cracked a smile, "I was going to sit around and stare out the window, then I was going to take a nap, then I might stare out the window again. Why do you ask?"

Moore was one of those small towns where you would expect everyone to know everyone else. It seemed very quaint and picturesque on it's main street which was lined with a mix of shops for natives and out-of-towners. Over the last few hours Sirius and Delilah had been in many of them. She had stopped to chat with a some of the workers there. One of her friends he had 'met,' Lenny, worked at his parents' bakery. After some teasing Delilah excused herself and left him to get back to his work.

"So, how do like Moore so far, Siri?" Delilah asked as she crouched in front of him, pretending to re-adjust his collar and leash. He wagged his tail enthusiastically and nudged her hand with his big, furry head. She smiled. "Well, I'm glad." She stood back up and glanced around, trying to decide what they should do next. "How about lunch?" Sirius agreed whole-heartedly and she began to laugh.

As she led him down the semi-busy sidewalk he couldn't help but appreciate all the things she was doing for him. He understood exactly why Delilah was taking him out on the town. She was trying to get him out of the house and back out in the world. He guessed she wanted him to see that the world was still a great place to live in.

However, she didn't have to take him into the world to see that. Just being with her was enough of a reminder. After all that time in Azkaban he was beginning to think that good people were in short supply and that no body gave a damn anymore. The new motto was "just as long as someone takes the rap." As long as there was someone to blame for the problems, just as long as there were no loose ends to tie up. As long as it was easy. No one had cared to look deeper into Sirius's problems, no one wanted to see the truth. Until Delilah.

She truly wanted to help him and see that the right thing was done. Not only that, she wanted to be his friend. She was reaching out to him in ways he thought were dead. And the way she had held him the night before, he didn't think he had ever been so close to anyone in his life. There were few people he had ever been honestly open with, and for some reason she was one of them. He only hoped that he was right to trust her.

-

Delilah ordered a burger with a small order of fries, complete with a caffeine packed soda. She asked the waitress for a dish of water for her "dog" and a couple more burgers. Sirius happily scarffed those down and lapped up the water gratefully. It wasn't the best meal he had ever had, but combined with the wonderful day he was having it seemed like it.

Time spent with Delilah made him want to forget all his other troubles and leave them behind. Maybe it was the dog in him that made him want to give in to the urge to just walk away from the situation at hand, but he understood he couldn't, nor did he desire to. No matter how much he wanted to stay here, to stay with her, he couldn't. He would eventually have to leave her and he found himself fighting with that truth. An awful truth.

He really cared for her, cared more than he had for anyone for a long time. He had tried to talk himself out of the way he felt, but he couldn't. He was falling swiftly for this strange young woman and there was nothing he could do about it. Before his life had been unceremoniously stolen he hadn't really noticed all the great things. He took for granted the love and affection that was around him. Yes, he knew they were there, but he never seriously thought about having them stripped away or what it would be like not to have them. Now he realized that everything could be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, and you had to live every moment.

The thing was he didn't want to give up any moment he might have with Delilah. Maybe he was being selfish. She didn't need a fugitive hanging around her for keeps. She didn't deserve to live a life looking over her shoulder or worrying who might be watching. She didn't deserve to have a man like Sirius come in and mess everything up for her. She had her life and it seemed to be working well for her. She had her problems, but that was natural. He didn't have a right to add to them, no matter what he felt. Or what he thought he felt.

Twelve years in prison, Sirius, he tried to convince himself once more. These feelings could mean anything. But he knew it was a lie. He knew how he felt, and as he miserably curled at her feet he realized just how complicated things had become.

"All right," Delilah said, "it's getting late and I had one more place I wanted to show you, if that's all right?" She grinned at him and patted the top of his fuzzy head.

He agreed, lifting a paw and resting it on her knee. He had forced himself to stop brooding about what was inevitable and try to enjoy what time he had left here, and he wasn't going to allow himself too much more. He had to leave soon and he planned to. He didn't need to get even more attached to her than he already was, although he didn't know how much more attached he could possibly get.

Suddenly an all too familiar voice broke into his thoughts. Dread swept through him and for the first time since he met Delilah he felt true fear.

"Good day, Ms. Tanner." said the Minister of Magic. He was standing only a few yards away, shielding his eyes from the last bits of glare from the evening sun, and despite the fact he was wearing muggle clothes, a suit of gray and blue, and a hat perched on his head, it was unmistakably him.

Delilah started, her eyes filling briefly with the same fear that Sirius was feeling. Then she composed herself, climbing to her feet as she addressed him, "well, hello, Minister." She greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Business, I am afraid," he replied casually. "There seems to have been some sightings of that dreadful Sirius Black," girl and dog tensed, "you wouldn't have seen any sign of him would you?"

"Why, no, sir." Delilah answered, her voice threatening to reveal the truth. "And I thought the last place he had been seen was more to the - -"

"Yes," Fudge interrupted, almost absently, as if there was something he needed to do and his mind was more on that than the conversation. He still hadn't noticed the canine at her feet. "But as it turns out he might have taken a detour through here. We received a few tips. There are a few more ministry officials around, so don't worry. If he is here we'll catch him." He patted her on the shoulder and completely missed the uneasy expression on her face. "I expect your father will tell you more when you see him." He stopped suddenly and directed his attention to Sirius, who was incredibly tense. "Well, who's your friend?"

Delilah's eyes widened, "uh, that's my new dog. He showed up at the pound some time ago and no one claimed him. He's quite the sweetheart." She grinned at Sirius and winked. She leaned down and scratched behind his ears. "You could say he's my guard dog."

"Well, if the sightings were correct you may need him." He looked around again, perhaps making sure no muggles were listening in. "On another subject, you know, we are still looking for talented aurors. You have already gone through the training and we could easily place you in one of elite units and - -"

Delilah's eyes suddenly flickered with many unreadable emotions before going coldly blank. "No, sir. Thank you for your offer but I believe we have been through this. I no longer want to be an auror. Now I think I have to be leaving, it's getting late and I have plans. It's been very nice talking to you. Come, boy." She turned and walked away; Sirius followed quickly, very concerned.

-

Delilah stalked away, the anger and frustration burning violently through her veins. Sirius was close at her heels, whining loudly. She kept her fast pace as she looked down. "No, I will not tell you what that was about. It's a personal issue and I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Another worried whine. She sighed. "Listen, Sirius, I don't want to get into this with you. It's old news," she shook her head and muttered, "and I thought that, if any one, he would know better than to bring up the subject. Especially at a time like this."

Delilah felt horrible. That was a piece of her life she had wished to leave behind forever. Of all things she had wanted to keep Sirius out of it. When she was with him everything seemed to fall into place. Whatever troubles were bothering her vanished when they were talking. It had never been that way with anyone ever before. And she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want to complicate their friendship with her past.

They continued walking in silence, just a typical dog and his owner. She knew Sirius must have been very troubled by her actions, and now, looking back, she felt foolish. She shouldn't have talked to the Minister like that. She had to learn to contain her anger in situations like that. He was probably going to mention this to her father, and then she would hear about it, endlessly, from him. Just wonderful.

"Hello, Delilah."

Delilah stopped abruptly as a figure stepped in front of them, blocking their path. "Jameson." She hissed. Sirius proceeded to growl, barring his teeth. This only made Jameson laugh.

"Try it, mutt." He said. "I'd like a reason to see your ass uthanized," he looked at Delilah. "And you know they'd do it, too. 'Vicious animal,' they'd say, 'it needs to be put down'." He chuckled darkly. "Then again, it would be a hell of a lot better than rotting away in Azkaban, now wouldn't it?" He said to the dog, but Delilah replied.
"What are you talking about?" She demanded angrily, "have you finally lost your mind?"

Jameson grinned, and then went on, ignoring her comment. "I see Minister Fudge is in town. I heard some one sent in a few owls indicating that Sirius Black was in the area. I hope he's still not around," he said slowly, "or else he'll find himself in the direst of straights." And with that he spun around, making his way down the sidewalk. "See ya around, Tanner," he called, "and keep that mutt of yours locked up. You wouldn't want anything bad happening to him, now, would you?" He disappeared into the crowd, his laughter echoing ominously back to them.

Delilah cursed. It was Jameson. That little rat had called Fudge into this. She looked down at Sirius, who was already gazing solemnly up at her. Without having to speak a word they knew: things had just gotten quite a bit more difficult.

Nine! Oh, yeah! It's been waaaaaaaaaaaaay toooooooo long. Hasn't it? It is very unforgivable. So unforgivable it should be a new curse. The Too-long-with-out-updating-curse. Hm… I wonder what that would be in latin. Oh well. Anyways. Sorry bunches. During the last few weeks of school I had to finish up m English Portfolio lest I not graduate and do my shadowing project, which to anyone who doesn't know what that is, you have to follow around a person at their job for most of the day and write a report about them and all this other jazz. It's also needed for graduation. After all that I felt wrote out. But now I've officially graduated and have registered for college and don't have anything much to stand in the way of my writing. Well, other than writer's block, which seems to have liked me too much as of late.

So. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review to let me know you're still reading. Missed all of you lots! Rave.

Next Chapter: Delilah and Sirius have some personal time and the truth comes out why Delilah doesn't like the Ministry.

June 10, 2004