a . d o g ' s . l i f e

A Dog's Life
[by victoria p.]

Rating: G

Summary: Padfoot goes home with some Muggles.

Notes: Thanks to Jen, Pete/Melissa, Dot, and Meg. Written for Corgi for Project Ficlet. She asked for a gen Padfoot story.

Date: November 3, 2003

The little girl was blonde, with ringlets spilling over her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and the same blue as the summer sky. She couldn't have been more than two or three, and she stared at Padfoot in amazement.

Sirius had almost forgotten such innocence existed.

She dropped her lollipop and flung her arms around his neck. While in human form, Sirius had little use for anklebiters, but as a dog, he'd learned they could always be counted on to scratch behind his ears and sneak him treats adults wouldn't let him have. When they weren't yanking on his tail or climbing on his back and demanding pony rides.

"Doggie!"

She buried her face in his fur, giggling as he nuzzled her.

"Sally! Sally, let go of the dog." Of course, there always had to be a parent around to ruin things. The woman stared down at him with a mix of horror and amusement.

"Nice doggie," Sally said, petting him and pouting at her mother.

He bent his head to lick at the lollipop she'd dropped. Grape. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a grape lollipop. The joy at such a simple thing was almost overwhelming to his doggy senses. Then he sat back on his haunches, attempting to look harmless and lovable.

The mother took the little girl's hand, tried to lead her away.

"Doggie home?" Sally asked, clinging to him with her free hand.

"Oh, Sally, I don't think so. Surely such a good dog already has a family and a home."

He cocked his head and whined, thumped his tail on the sidewalk. He could do with a few nights rest in a house, with fresh water and decent food.

"Doggie home." Even in dog-form, Sirius recognized the voice of command.

The mother sighed. She bent to check around his neck for a collar, then scratched behind his ears. He thumped his tail and licked her hand in approval. Petting was never bad. It didn't hurt to encourage it.

"Okay, Sally. We'll take him home tonight and put out flyers tomorrow. He belongs to someone, I'm sure, and his family probably misses him."

"Doggie!" Sally said, nodding happily, and Padfoot took that for agreement.

Sally and her mother lived in a two-bedroom flat with Sally's daddy (he was at work, and wouldn't he be surprised when he came home, Sally's mum muttered when she'd unlocked the door. Sally nodded happily, unworried about her daddy's reaction to their unexpected guest.), and a cat named Pepper. Pepper took one look at Padfoot and marched off, head and tail high in the air, disdainful of his muddy self.

Sally's mother set down a bowl of water for him, and he drank eagerly. June was a rough time to be wandering about with a heavy fur coat, even for a dog.

When Sally said, "Doggie! Bath!" he didn't resist, though he did take the opportunity to shake himself out, spraying Sally and her mum with sudsy water once they'd lathered him up out in the back garden, as he was too large for the shower stall.

Sally's father was indeed surprised to find a dog the size of a small horse ensconced on the sofa when he arrived home from the office, but Sally obviously had her daddy well trained, because he didn't argue much.

Padfoot ate three bowls of the crunchy cereal they put down for him, then sank into blissful slumber on the cool tile of the kitchen floor.

He thought he could get used to this. Living with Muggles wasn't so bad, if you were a dog. But he had responsibilities -- to Dumbledore and to Harry -- that couldn't be abandoned, even for a little girl who'd treat him like a king, a decent meal every night, and the opportunity to torment an uppity feline.

He woke before dawn and used the opportunity to change back into human form and take a quick, hot shower. In return for a decent meal and a good night's sleep, he set a simple defensive ward upon the flat -- a misdirection spell which would send burglars on their way, confused and forgetful. He wished he could do more, but he was hampered by his lack of a wand.

As the sun rose, he set out on his way. He thought he'd be at Arabella Figg's before nightfall, and that much closer to fulfilling his mission for Dumbledore.

End

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