Good Doggie

The full moon had passed a few days earlier, and as always, it had left Remus in a state of extreme fatigue. His muscles were aching, and he had to walk with a cane. The need for rest and calm was imperative; his boyfriend, Sirius, understood this. Sirius had decided to leave Remus alone, allowing him to take advantage of the fire in the Gryffindors' hall to finish the book he'd started.
Sirius, still full of energy, had placed a kiss on Remus's cheek before spending the day with James for a flying session across Hogwarts, enjoying the clear skies and fresh air. Their laughter still echoed in the ears of those who came across them.

Remus was comfortably ensconced in an armchair in the common room, a blanket draped over his lap, and a worn book in his hands. The crackling of the fire in the fireplace added a warm, comforting ambience to the atmosphere. Remus savored these moments of calm, losing himself in the pages of his book, letting his thoughts drift away from everyday worries and the constraints imposed by his werewolf condition.

As the day wore on, dinner time approached. Remus, wrapped in his blanket, glanced at the wall clock. He expected Sirius to pick him up, as he often did, and accompany him to the Great Hall. This gesture had become a habit, a comforting ritual for Remus, who appreciated his boyfriend's solicitude.

The minutes passed, but Sirius still didn't show up. Remus felt a pang of disappointment. He knew that Sirius was never far away, always ready to do him a favor. Tonight, though, he really wished Sirius had been there, by his side, to help him down the stairs. Finally, Remus closed his book with a sigh, picked up his cane and rose slowly to his feet. His legs weighed down with every movement. He headed for the common room door, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

"Need help?" Remus turned at the sound of the voice. Lily was offering him her arm with a smile.

"Gladly, thank you Lily." Remus accepted gratefully, gently taking her arm. Together, they began to descend the stairs. The movements were slow, but Lily made sure every step was secure, offering constant support.

"If Sirius isn't with you, he must be with James." Said Lily with a teasing smile on her lips.

"Yes, they decided to take advantage of the weather to fly. They were supposed to stay on the Quidditch pitch but I heard several people complaining about them, so I think they spread out a bit..." Remus sneered.

"Always breaking the rules those two." Lily said, rolling her eyes.

They continued their descent, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone. They could already make out the light and the sounds of animated conversation growing louder as they approached. As they entered, Remus looked around for Sirius. He found him standing next to James, talking with a young girl whose eyes were set on his. Sirius seemed far less excited by the conversation than she was. Lily noticed Remus's expression and, with a mischievous smile, whispered:

"Looks like Sirius has found a new admirer."

Remus raised an eyebrow, a slight hint of jealousy creeping into him.

"Really?" he said, trying to conceal his concern.

"Oh yes," Lily replied, laughing softly. "Don't worry, Remus. I'm sure he's just too polite to slip away."

Remus, determined to show Lily and himself that he had nothing to worry about, emitted a distinctive whistle. This whistle, known to Sirius, made him react immediately. Sirius turned his head, searching for the origin of the sound, and his eyes found Remus. A dazzling smile lit up his face.

"Remus!" exclaimed Sirius, breaking away from the conversation with the girl without an ounce of hesitation. "I was wondering where you'd been." Lily burst out laughing, amused by the scene.

"Well, I suppose that proves something, doesn't it, Remus?" Remus smiled, feeling his jealousy evaporate.

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Sirius quickly arrived at their level, immediately taking over from Lily.

"Is everything all right? Do you need anything?" Sirius asked, inspecting Remus's face. The latter felt his heart swell with emotion to see his boyfriend so willing to come and help him.

"I'm fine, Lily helped me." Remus reassured him as he walked over to the table where the others had just started dinner.

Remus felt much better now, reassured by Sirius's immediate reaction to his whistle. He remembered why he liked this man so much, why he put up with the little teases and the sometimes embarrassing situations. Sirius was his, and there was no doubt about it. They sat down at the table, joined by James and Peter. Conversation was lively, with laughter and jokes coming from all sides. Lily, amused by the whole scene, couldn't help teasing Remus a little more.

"So, Remus, do we often whistle at Sirius to get him to come?" Remus laughed, casting Sirius an affectionate glance.

"Only when it's important, Lily. Only when it's important."

Sirius liked to ride his Padfoot near the lake, it gave him a feeling of freedom comparable to the one he felt when he flew a broom. Remus was watching him from the apple tree by the lake, and the whistling had come naturally. Padfoot would come right back, jumping on Remus to be petted. From then on, it was their ritual. At the whistle, Sirius would come to him.

That's how it all started. A whistle. Just to show that Sirius only wanted him, that he would give up what he was doing to come close to him. The next day, Lily mentioned it to Marlene, and the information began to circulate rapidly among the group. As a joke, they would occasionally ask Remus to ask Sirius to do things.

"Remus, ask Sirius to stand up, just to see," James whispered with a smirk.

Remus, an amused smile on his lips, then turned to Sirius.

"Sirius, would you please stand up?"

Without hesitation, Sirius stood up immediately, his gaze filled with solicitude.

"Do you need anything? Are you cold?"

Remus shook his head, smiling. "No, no, finally you can sit back down."

This little scene was repeated from time to time, eliciting laughter from the friends around them. Sirius, seeing no malice in these requests, always obeyed with unwavering fidelity. For him, it was simply another way of showing his devotion to Remus; he would always be there for him.

He knew Remus trusted him; with his handicap, he needed more attention than anyone else. If he needed help, Sirius had no problem coming to his aid.

"Remus, make him come with a whistle, just for a laugh," Marlene suggested one day as they all gathered in the common room.

Remus, reluctant at first, finally gave in under friendly pressure and emitted a light whistle. Sirius, who was chatting with Peter at the other end of the room, turned his head immediately, searching for Remus with his eyes. Finding him, he stood up and came straight to him.

"Do you need me?" he asked with his usual smile.

"No, nothing special," Remus replied, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I just wanted to see you."

The friends burst out laughing, finding the situation terribly funny. "Good doggie," joked James, provoking a new wave of laughter.
Sirius, unfazed, laughed along with them, believing it was all a harmless joke. He didn't see the harm in such requests and affectionate terms like "good doggie". For him, every request was an opportunity to show his love and loyalty to Remus.

But as time passed, these little requests became more frequent.

"Ask Sirius to bring me that book, please!" asked Lily, pretending she couldn't reach a bookshelf.

"Ask him for the salt!" Marlene laughed with a mischievous grin.

"Have him do a spin!" James rejoined, finding it all hilarious.

And every time, Sirius complied without question, always quick to help Remus if he needed it. Remus, though sometimes embarrassed by the extent of the teasing, let himself be drawn in by the general amusement. He found a certain form of validation in the fact that even in jest, Sirius remained by his side, ready to do anything for him.

Yet part of him knew that the situation was beyond his control. What had begun as a simple show of affection and loyalty had become a habit, an almost daily game. Sirius, unaware of the magnitude it was taking on, continued to respond to whistles and requests, always seeing it as an expression of his devotion to Remus. The line between genuine love and light-hearted mockery blurred more and more, until it became a normal part of their daily interaction, a game in which everyone seemed to participate except Sirius himself.

Every day, someone asked Remus to make Sirius do something. No one seemed to question the game, except Lily, who was beginning to feel guilty. When Remus and Sirius had gone to their room a little early one evening, she tried to make the others understand her thinking.

Lily glanced uneasily at her friends, seated around the fireplace. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Look, I know this is supposed to be fun, but I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the whole thing."

James, reclining on the couch, raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, Lily?"

"I'm talking about this game with Sirius and Remus," she replied. "It's gone too far. Sirius shouldn't be made fun of like that."

Marlene, sitting cross-legged on the floor, shrugged.

"It's just a joke, Lily. Sirius takes it well, he always laughs with us." Lily shook her head, determined.

"Maybe, but have you thought about how Sirius really feels? And Remus?"

Peter, who was nibbling an apple, added:

"Sirius is a big boy, he knows how to defend himself. If it really bothered him, he'd say so."

"And Remus loves it," James added with a smile. "It gives him a bit of power, and it's kind of cute to see Sirius run for it."

"You don't understand," Lily insisted, her tone becoming more urgent. "Sirius is being made an object of ridicule, even if it's just for laughs. What if one day he realizes everyone's laughing at him? How do you think he'll feel?"

Marlene sighed, clearly annoyed.

"Lily, you're overreacting. We're not doing anything wrong. Sirius is happy to oblige, and Remus appreciates the attention."

Lily clenched her fists, trying to contain her frustration. She could see this was getting nowhere, so she'd rather let it go for now. She promised herself she'd try to talk to them about it again later.

"Just... think about it, okay? Put yourself in Sirius's shoes. Imagine finding out that your friends, the ones you trust the most, have been laughing at you for months."

A heavy silence fell over the room. James finally shook his head.

"All right, Lily. We'll think about it. But really, I think you're worrying over nothing."

Lily, seeing that she hadn't managed to convince them, stood up with a sigh.

"All right, then. I just hope you're right."

She left the common room, leaving the others to their laughter and jokes, a heavy weight on her heart. She couldn't help thinking that it would all end badly, and she hated the idea that Sirius might one day discover the truth in this cruel way.

---

While Lily was trying to talk sense into the others in the common room, Remus and Sirius were comfortably ensconced in Remus's bed, enjoying the quiet of the room. The curtains drawn around their four-poster bed created a warm, intimate atmosphere, sheltered from the rest of the world.

Remus lay on his back, while Sirius clung to him, his face buried in his sweater. Remus gently ran his hand through Sirius's hair, who seemed to snuggle up to him even more with each caress.

"You know," Sirius said after a moment, breaking the silence. "I don't really like it when other people call me 'Good Doggie' I thought it was funny at first, but... it's been recurring lately."

Remus froze at Sirius's words, feeling a pang of guilt. He knew the whole situation had gotten out of hand, it seemed out of control, but he hadn't noticed that it had affected Sirius in some way. He wanted to say something nice, but nothing came out. Sirius straightened slightly to look Remus in the eye.

"You think too much, Moony. I know it's just for laughs..." Sirius placed his index finger on Remus's nose to make him stop frowning. "I'm not going to stop helping you just because they think it's funny." He said to reassure Remus.

Remus gently took Sirius's face between his hands and stroked his cheek with his thumb.

"You shouldn't have to make fun of yourself to please them. You're more than that to me, Pad..."

A gentle smile played across Sirius's lips.

"What am I to you then?" Sirius teased.

Remus pretended to think, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Well, you're my favorite heating pillow, my daily distraction, and... the best chocolate supplier in all of Hogwarts." Sirius burst out laughing, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Ah, so I'm essentially a comfort accessory and a chocolate machine?" Remus smiled in return.

"Exactly. And also the love of my life, but you already knew that."

Sirius leaned over to place a kiss on Remus's lips.

"I can live with that. As long as I'm your favorite."

Remus laughed softly. "Always."

---

The group dynamic didn't change, despite Lily's request. Sometimes it was funny, almost cute as James put it. Most other times, however, it bordered on disrespectful. How could Sirius not notice? Remus had been refusing a lot of requests lately. He'd asked them to stop asking Sirius to do things on his behalf; they were old enough to do it themselves.

But nothing stopped completely.

One evening, Sirius had taken Lily aside for a chat. He knew James's feelings for Lily better than anyone, and with the year already well underway, he'd decided to give it his best shot. Being with Remus had taught him to observe a little more, and he had the impression that Lily's gaze rested a little often and for a long time on James.

"What did you wish to talk about? I hope you didn't bring me here to play a trick on me, Black." Lily said suspiciously.

"No, nothing like that." Sirius laughed, raising his hands in a sign of peace. "I wanted to talk to you about James."

"I should have known, you only have James or Remus on your lips." Replied the redhead, crossing her arms.

"As I'm sure you know, James has feelings for you." He began, ignoring her previous intervention. "I think you've both started off on the wrong foot, I think you should give him a chance."

Lily sighed, she'd heard this conversation a hundred times before from several different people.

"James is my best friend, I know everything about him." Sirius said proudly. "I know how painful it is to sleep next to him, he clings to you like a Koala to its bamboo."

"Eucalyptus." Lily corrected.

"I know he's almost never full, he always has food in his bag, or in his pockets. He ate in the middle of a Quidditch game and we almost got eliminated for cheating in second year." Sirius continued. "He has a cat, which he loves more than anything. He's given it a ridiculous name which I won't tell you, you'll find out when you go to his house."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"He smells bad from his feet, but really. It's an infection. I wonder how his socks are still in one piece. He laughs at everything and always at the wrong moment. He doesn't hide any of his emotions, he cries, he laughs, he gets angry. He's ashamed of nothing." Says Sirius

"Not even of his cat's name?" Smiles Lily

"Not even."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Lily insisted, intrigued.

"Because I know he's full of flaws, I know he goes too far sometimes, I know he's not perfect. But if you'd just give him a chance, you could see that he's so much more than that."

Lily remained silent for a moment. She had accepted her feelings for James for some time now, without ever admitting it out loud. Sirius was a good friend, a good friend who didn't deserve what was happening to him.

"And why do you want so badly to help me see that?" Sirius smiled slightly.

"Because James is my best friend, and I want him to be happy. I think he'd be really happy with you."

Lily bit her lip, her smile fading slightly. She looked at Sirius with a new intensity, a gleam of guilt in her eyes.

"Sirius, you really are a good person."

Sirius frowned, a slight confusion in his gaze. "What are you talking about, Lily?"

Lily took a deep breath, deciding it was time to tell him everything.

"Sirius, there's something you need to know. Something about what James and the others are doing... what we're all doing. Myself included." Lily's heart quickened, feeling a nervousness rising inside her.

"What? What are they doing?"

Lily lowered her eyes, unable to hold Sirius's gaze.

"It's about that nickname, and all those little things Remus asks you to do."

Sirius felt a lump form in his stomach. "Go on..."

Lily inhaled deeply before speaking.

"It all started with that whistle a few months ago. It started as a joke, just to prove that you always came when Remus called. We thought it was funny, and it became a kind of game. Remus asks you to do things, and you do them without hesitation."

Sirius straightened, his eyes darkening.

"And you think it's funny to see me obey like a dog?"

Lily shook her head, guilt beginning to shine in her eyes.

"At first, it was just an innocent joke, but it got out of hand. I've felt uncomfortable for a while, but I didn't say anything. I'm so sorry, Sirius. James and the others... they didn't think how much it would hurt you."

Sirius felt a dull anger rising inside him, but he tried to control it.

"Why are you telling me now? Christ, I just painted you a picture of James as if he were a saint, and you tell me he didn't care about me?"

"To see you trying to help James, while he and the others are laughing at you, it's... it's unbearable. We've all participated, I beg your pardon Sirius."

Sirius clenched his fists, trying to contain his anger.

"Thank you for telling me, Lily. I'll sort it out." Lily tried to lay a hand on Sirius but he dodged it.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius." Lily repeated.

"You should have thought of that before."

He left the library, his heart heavy and without a glance at Lily. He was boiling with anger and humiliation coursed through his veins. If he'd known, he'd never have spoken to Lily.