"Sirius!" James called happily as he exited King's Cross. Sirius ran towards him, wagging his tail. He leapt up, paws outstretched, making himself limp as James rubbed his fur with his knuckles. Sirius lolled out his tongue, a sort of doggie grin on his face. This was pure bliss!
"Alright boy, let's go home." Sirius dropped to all fours as he followed James out of the station. People stopped to watch them leave.
"They're they go again, the old boys—"
"I can never get over it, he comes everyday—"
"How you think that man trained Sirius so well—?"
"Amazing…"
James grinned at the daily comments. People seemed to love this sight, a dog following its owner in the morning, and coming back for him at night. People like James, who used the trains almost religiously, stopped their own routines to see the pair come together, depart after a loving embrace, and unite again later. Other who didn't used the train so much, or not at all, would come to see them, amazed, or those who were critical were dragged to the station to be proven wrong. Almost everyone who saw them though, believed there was something stronger going on, something that couldn't be explained.
And both of them enjoyed the attention, though not to a huge degree. James knew it was a reminder of their Hogwarts days, where everyone would follow he and Sirius around, almost stunned, wanting to know what the most popular lads at school would do next. However, James would admit to not basking in the attention as he would've a few years ago. Right now, he was trying to keep out of the spotlight, not due to his arrogance, but for his and his family's safety.
Lord Voldemort had marked them for death. For some insane reason, he'd gotten it locked in his head that Harry, a boy who could barely walk or talk, was his greatest nemesis. (James had said something like "that's absurd!" at hearing this, only to get whacked around the head by his wife). And it was true; the Dark Lord was after them for the fourth time. James shuddered as he pictured their last encounter in his mind—Muggles screaming, blood and corpses flying everywhere, and he and Lily Apprating away just before a green flash struck them. The memory still made him halt with fear, imagine the Killing Curse coming their way.
Sirius, noticing James's sudden halt, licked his hand. The other scratched him between the ears.
"I'm alright Pad, thanks boy. But we gotta get going." And they headed off home, both grinning from ear to ear.
Their smiles melted away, however, as they realized what was going on at home. Instead of Lily or Bathilda, Kingsley Shacklebolt met them at the front door.
"You're wanted in here Potter," he said gruffly.
James stared at him for a moment, unable to speak.
"But, but the meeting's not till—"
"Quiet! You want the neighbors to hear this? Now get in and we'll explain everything." And grabbing James by the tie, he dragged him inside, his concerned dog at his heels.
James glanced down the hall, confused, as Kingsley continued pulling him by the tie through his own house. Into the kitchen they went, where more than thirty people were packed into the little kitchen. There were so many people, and so few places to sit, that the room almost seemed to be spilling out flesh and robes and wooden sticks. He just couldn't take his eyes off them.
Sirius, on the other hand, wasn't so easily upset. After his nose and instinct confirmed that nobody was about to attack his master, he relaxed, tongue hanging out, and he walked on. Legs and the hems of robes swept out of his way as he reached his food bowl. He gulped down his food, obvious to the dark conversation going on around him.
James sat beside Lily on the counter, the only available spot. "What's going on?" he asked.
Dumbledore, the lone standing person, paced the little space he had. His tone was very grave.
"We lost Benjy Fenwick, James, only a few hours ago. The Death Eaters blasted him to pieces. There're only a few bits of him left."
Dumbledore pulled out a box no bigger than a cigarette pack. James gasped.
"What exactly happened?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He'd really liked Benjy—a really smart guy, loads of humor despite working at a funeral home.
Snape sat up. The two glared at each other.
"I have solid knowledge of the incident. Benjy was coming home from his cover job, not knowing he was being stalked by the Dark Lord's followers. They cornered him at his doorstep, though that's all anyone can say on the—"
James stood up, cursing as he whacked his head on the ceiling. Sirius was on his feet, teeth bared.
"You bastard! You killed him alongside them!"
"Don't you dare!" Snape withdrew his wand. James did the same, though still rubbing his head—
"That's enough!" though it was said softly, Dumbledore's voice hit the two men as hard as a mountain. They relaxed and sat down, with an occasional glare as Dumbledore continued. "We do not need anymore untrustworthy behavior than is already present. That is what Voldemort"—he ignored the gasps—"feeds on, what keeps him going."
Sirius relaxed as the atmosphere calmed slightly. He curled up on a blanket, gnawing on a pig ear (he had a hefty supply of them now) as the talk continued.
"This is his war, and we are an army," Dumbledore said, still pacing the space he had. "We work together as a team, to try and overcome what has already happened. People are dying, innocents caught in a genocide. The Ministry is, for lack of a better term, acting ignorant. They turn their heads away as people die and disappear and become Voldemort's"—a few people squeaked—"marionettes, doing his bidding without their consent. This is what we are trying to do, stop him and his follows in an ongoing slaughter."
There was a sudden, piercing wail from upstairs. Lily excused herself, mauvering her way around people, as she went to tend to Harry.
"Voldemort is again on our trails," Dumbledore said. "And I think there is something going on, flipping back between his side and ours."
"You mean there's a spy?" squeaked Peter, hardly visible over his chair.
"Perhaps, though here or with him I cannot be sure. And while my heart wishes to believe that none you would ever turn their back on the Order," his eyes swept over them, turning to ice on Snape and James, "my mind says it is more than a possibility."
By now Sirius had had enough. His belly was fully, James was fine, and he'd had enough of all these people. He walked towards the backdoor, cringing as a few people stroked his back, and went through the cat flap to his doghouse. The remains of a rat were beside his water dish. He rolled over it again and again, loving the smell and wanted to be lathered really well in it. Ah! He lay on his haunches, panting and wagging his tail. This was the life!
Having no real knowledge on the passage of time, Sirius couldn't incorporate the hours that the meeting went on for. Darkness covered the sky when James came out. He yawned as he knelt down to pet Sirius.
"Blimey, now that was a long meeting. Glad you missed it, eh boy?"
Sirius licked James on the face. He had no idea what he'd meant, but he liked anything the man said.
"Dumbledore doesn't want any of us going to our jobs anymore. Says it's too risky, but we still need people undercover, to protect the Muggles, you know? He's thinks I've got the cunning and the skill to keep undercover. And you of course. What do you think?"
He grasped the dog's head in his hand, a look of concern on his face. "Do you understand me?"
Sirius looked away; he didn't like such close forced contact. He whined and wriggled out of James's' grasp, and started to run around the yard, crouched in anticipation of play.
James shook his head, and started back for the house. Sometimes he didn't know what was going on in Sirius's head. The more time passed, the more he seemed to act like his canine counterpart. It didn't seem voluntary anymore, like around Lily or when they were out on the street together. Sirius licked his face and acted like a fool when it was just the two of them together. James couldn't help feeling angry—this was all Snape's fault.
He jumped at a wet sensation on his hand. He looked down—a black snout touched his palm. Big grey eyes looked longingly at him.
James smiled. "C'mon boy, let's go inside.
They went to the station the next day, with James under extra security. And as always, Sirius, his loyal companion, met him there at the end of the day.
