Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Bailey and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic Chapter 16
Much sooner than would've been preferable Bailey was rudely awoken from her well-deserved nap by the sound of the compartment door sliding open ruining the contentment of her serene slumber in one fell swoop.
Opening her eyes Bailey saw the perpetrator as the youngest redheaded boy from that overly large family on the platform whom the mother had indicated as Ron.
Tentatively, gesturing at the seat opposite her and Harry, Ron said "Anyone sitting here? Everywhere else is full up."
"No, sure, go right ahead," invited Harry.
Ron quickly sat down. He glanced at Bailey and then at Harry's face. He pretended he hadn't looked by staring out the window at the passing landscape.
The door opened again much to Bailey's annoyance allowing the twins to enter.
"Hey, Ron," said George.
Bailey knew it was him because the scent each twin gave off was relatively different. Regular people couldn't pick it up, but with her enhanced sense of smell, she could.
"Listen we're going down to the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there," said George, grinning.
"Right," mumbled Ron, visibly shuddering at the mention of a spider.
Bailey guessed Ron wasn't really fond of the insect all that much.
"Harry, did we introduce ourselves," said Fred. "Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."
"Bye," said Harry and Ron.
The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them. The three of them could hear the twins messing with each other as they walked down the hall.
"Are you really Harry Potter," blurted Ron, unable to contain himself any longer.
Harry nodded a tinge of a red hue on his cheeks.
"Oh, well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes. And have you really got…you know," said Ron, apprehensively, pointing at Harry's forehead.
Harry pulled back his bangs revealing the lightning-shaped scare and Ron's eyes grew the size of golf balls.
"Whoa, wicked," he breathed, awestruck. "So that's where You-Know-Who-?"
"Yes," but I can't remember it. Just a lot of green light, but nothing else," said Harry, shrugging.
Ron continued staring. Knowing that her boy didn't like being stared at Bailey rolled over to where she was lying on her stomach and barked.
Ron jumped in his seat startled he'd been so transfixed on Harry that he'd forgotten she was there with them.
"Bailey, no," said Harry, a hand on her back. He'd taken the harness off of her while she'd been resting having seen no reason to keep it on while they were on the train.
Bailey calmed now satisfied that her message got through to the new kid.
"Sorry about that," said Harry. "She's very protective of me."
"It's all right," said Ron, now looking at Bailey with wary eyes.
Drawing attention away from Bailey, curious, Harry asked "Are all your family wizards?"
"Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."
"So you must know loads of magic already," pressed Harry, eager to know more.
"A little my parents and older brothers use it all the time, but I'm not allowed to do so yet while I'm underage," said Ron. "I heard you went to live with Muggles. What are they like?"
Gloomily, Harry said "Horrible. Well, not all of them. My aunt, uncle, and cousin are, though. Things got better after I got my dog Bailey here, but it's still not the same as having actual siblings around. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."
"Five," corrected Ron. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."
Ron reached inside his jacket extracting a fat gray rat curled up fast asleep.
Cupping the body in his palms, far from impressed, Ron said "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being a prefect, but they couldn't afford – Hey!"
Without any warning, Bailey pounced lunging towards Scabbers barking and snarling erratically. Harry managed to grab her collar in the nick of time, pulling her back just as Bailey's teeth snapped inches from Ron's exposed fingers as he scrambled to distance himself from her. The noise woke up Scabbers. The moment he saw an angry dog in his face Scabbers immediately tried to crawl back into his owner's pocket squealing.
Ron exclaimed "What the hell!"
"Bailey, knock it off right now! Bailey," said Harry. "Bad girl! Very, very bad girl!"
Bailey ceased in her attempts to attack Scabbers, but she kept on growling at him. She was at a perfect point as a wolf or a feral dog would have while hunting prey. What Bailey and Ron weren't realizing was that Bailey was trying to convey something to them in the only way she knew how to communicate. Much to her frustration Harry and Ron weren't getting the message. That was not the rat Ron was holding. Trust her, she would know. When Bailey had been living on the streets as a stray she'd gotten pretty familiar with the odor rats naturally gave off and this one didn't even come close. Instead, the scent this rodent was giving off resembled one belonging to a human. Bailey doesn't have a clue on how or why, but this rat is actually a human. Whatever his intentions were she wasn't going to give him a chance to harm her boy. She wanted to make this very clear to whoever this is in disguise.
"What's up with your dog," demanded Ron.
"Sorry," said Harry, massaging Bailey's chest to soothe her, "she used to be a stray before I found her. I think she chased rats for food sometimes."
"Oh," said Ron, nodding.
To him that made sense to his mind.
Bailey continued to glare intently at the quivering bundle of fur concealed in Ron's pocket.
Neither of them could see it and that was driving her nuts on the inside. She'd just have to monitor this strange "rat" closely and if he ever made one false move…Well, you get the idea.
Authors Note:
Well I think Bailey's reaction to "Scabbers" was to be expected.
I don't even want to think of what Bailey's going to do to Pettigrew in the third book when his secret is revealed. Either way it won't bode well for him.