It's one of those nights where Padfoot roams the Forbidden Forest by himself that he sees him for the first time.
On some days unrelated to the full moon, Padfoot hunts the grounds of the forbidden forest, enjoying the freedom one's animal form can give which it's human counterpart cannot. It's one of those days when Padfoot sees, or more like, hears him for the first time.
It's a barely there rustle, harboring a very faint, new smell which Padfoot swears it's the first time he smells it, but at the same time somehow familiar. Either way, Padfoot focuses to catch the sound, and after a pause, trails after it.
After a short jog Padfoot sees it, or almost misses it. A little shape in the bushes, it's outline barely visible underneath the shadows of the forest, under the night sky. Almost hidden in the bushes is a tiny shape, a black blob of something. Tiny, beady eyes reflects the moonlight for a second and only then does Padfoot realize it's a shape of a baby animal. A pup? he wonders for a moment, locked in a strange eye contest of sort.
The pup remains quiet while so does Padfoot, and while be it any other days if he was feeling bored or curious, or if his friends were by his side Padfoot would've been more intrigued, but tonight he didn't really care enough so he turns around and goes back to whatever he was doing before. As he dashes off, he thinks he hears a small yip of a call but dismisses it. There aren't a lot of things that he deem worthy of his interest and a small, weak-looking thing like that definitely wasn't.
*****
A week or so later, Sirius is bored with nothing to do, nobody to play with, and no one to annoy. Then he recalls the encounter and decides he might as well engage a bit.
When Padfoot arrives at the edges of the Forbidden Forest, he sniffs and focuses to locate the new creature but comes up empty. He wonders around the forest for a bit before huffing in part disappointment and part annoyance. He's about to growl in frustration before he catches something else, and soon enough, Prongs gallops towards him in excitement, finally out of detention he was unfortunate to get caught alone. Barking in joy, tails wagging, Padfoot forgets about his frustration and enjoys a nice game of chase.
*****
By the time Padfoot meets the pup again, he almost forgot about him but under the waxing moon he is able to take in the details of the pup in front of him clearly for the first time.
It's definitely a baby, not much bigger than the first time Padfoot saw him almost months ago. Padfoot can probably still swallow him whole if he wanted to. It stands on four short, wobbly legs, bluish-gray eyes the only colour amongst its puffy, black fur. The pup is quiet but maintains their eye contact and Padfoot almost huffs, because this little thing is acting so posh or graceful despite being so tiny. One of the pup's ears is still folded though and that unbalance is rather cute, Padfoot thinks. Padfoot takes a step closer and the pup flinches slightly, before raising his gaze to maintain eye contact. Padfoot decides he wants to play a bit.
A second later the pup falls on his back as Padfoot nudges the tiny body with his snout, catching the pup off guard. And suddenly, the pup is no longer posh nor graceful, wiggling around to right himself, yipping angrily at Padfoot for such audacity. A little pink tongue can be seen between the black, fluffy mouth, equally pink pads of his feet swimming in the air as his short legs try to accommodate for the sudden loss of balance. Padfoot's own tail starts to wag and amused, he nudges the pup a couple more times against the complaint. Padfoot decides that the pup is somewhat interesting.
After a while and a few pathetic, less of a bite but more of a tickle sort of attacks later, the pup stands a few feet away from Padfoot and clearly dissatisfied. Padfoot's definitely satisfied, his tail lightly swiping the ground before he hears a familiar squeak from not too far away. Realizing that his friend's looking for him, Padfoot glances down at the pup again, and after a deliberation gives him one more nudge, making the pup fall on his bum again. There's an angry yip as he turns around but Padfoot tunes it out to focus on the squeaks instead as he dashes off.
*****
"A pup?" Remus asks, raising his eyes from the book on hold.
"Looked like it," Sirius shrugs.
"....in the Forbidden Forest," Remus repeats.
"Could be a wolf pup," Sirius pauses, "maybe."
"What if it was a baby Grim?" Peter mumbles, suddenly frightened. "What if you're in danger — "
"A tiny, Grim-like, black furred, little pup?" James cuts in. "Do you know what we have here, gentlemen?"
"What?"
James grins, "A mini-Padfoot!"
James and Sirius bursts out laughing, Peter timidly joining in a moment after. Remus frowns slightly before shaking his head, returning back to the book with a small smile on his lips.
The rest of the night is spent in their dorm rooms planning for new pranks and Sirius dismisses the thought of the pup for later.
*****
The later actually becomes relatively soon and relatively stable albeit not quite regular.
Padfoot is able to meet the Pup two to three times a month for the next few months, although not always when he roams the Forbidden Forest. Padfoot doesn't necessary miss the Pup per say, but when he sees him, the night is never boring as he chases (Padfoot always wins), wrestles (Padfoot always wins), and grooms (Pup always hates it) the little guy. Padfoot even teaches him how to hunt, although Pup spectacularly fails. Padfoots laughs at the pup's failure and the definite glare the Pup gives him.
Padfoot gives another big, sloppy lick and earns another barely-a-tickle bite with an angry yip.
*****
"What if he's actually an animagus as well?" Remus asks one day when Sirius returns to their dorm room.
Oh, Sirius thinks for a moment before dismissing that thought.
"Unlikely," he replies, "the Pup is so tiny and still a baby, so unless it's a bloody first year who's transfiguration talents are unparalleled, highly doubtful."
"If he's still that small despite being at least a good few months old, doesn't that seem even more odd?"
Good point, Sirius thinks for a moment before shrugging.
"Then check the Map for me the next time I'm with him, Moony?"
Remus gives him a fond but you're stupid look. "The Map doesn't cover the Forest, Sirius."
Right.
*****
His suspicion for the Pup grows as Padfoot tries, and fails, to catch the Pup closer to the castle grounds. As Sirius, he cannot find the Pup but as Padfoot, Pup always runs away before any chance of wands can be involved. Even when Padfoot tries carrying him by the scruff, Pup wiggles too much that he has to let go unless he wants to hurt him. Padfoot is no doubt faster than Pup but unfortunately Pup's small frame has a surprising advantage when the chase occurs within the deeps of the Forest filled with fallen logs and untamed greens.
Padfoot growls in frustration before shifting to Sirius as he rushes out of the Forest, hurrying towards the dorms. He's told Peter to keep watch of the Map while he was out tonight so the moment he's in, he shouts:
"Anyone suspicious coming out of the Forest??!"
Wormtail shrieks in surprise before answering no, and Sirius growls in frustration before jumping onto the bed.
A couple of minutes later as Peter tries — and fails — to cheer him up, James arrives in the dorm also in a bad mood grumbling about Regulus suddenly appearing in the hallways, getting in his way of attacking Snivellus.
Grumbling together, they decide to enlighten themselves with more plans for attack on the Slytherins. It definitely makes Sirius feel better.
*****
Sirius definitely does not feel better as the weeks continue on with no sight of the Pup after the last failure at capturing him.
Graduation is nearing and time is running out, but Padfoot cannot find his Pup within the Forest anymore.
As time flies, Padfoot finally catches sight of his Pup, hidden within the thick bushes on his way to the Shrieking Shack on the last full moon before graduation. Padfoot hesitates, body almost flying out to tackle the Pup but his ears catches the howl in the air. It's the last full moon before graduation, and Padfoot was running late for their years long promise.
Pup hold his gaze steadily like the first time they've met, his tiny form slightly bigger, but definitely smaller than Padfoot himself. Another howl breaks through their stance and Padfoot turns away to dash towards his friends.
As he runs towards the Shrieking Shack, Padfoot hears a quiet yip, but ignores it, again.
His friends takes priority for him, over everything.
Always.
*****
Padfoot never finds his Pup again and Sirius graduates. On the day of the graduation, the air fizzling with a mix of joy and excitement for their future, as well as nervousness and determination for the upcoming war which they will all fight at the front lines.
Glancing around his home of 7 years for the final time, Sirius catches a glimpse of a familiar gray eyes mirroring his own except for a hint of blue, and he locks his eyes with his own brother.
Regulus stands near the back edges, hidden under the shadows, almost concealed by all the moving bodies around them, graduates, families, professors alike. Regulus doesn't say anything or call out, and neither does Sirius, but he maintains eye contact steadily.
Without a word Sirius turns around, joining his family as James' arm around his shoulders as he drags them towards Evans.
Surrounded by the Marauders and the Potters, Sirius ignores the flicker of something that passed in those bluish-gray eyes as he walks out towards their future.
He doesn't hear anything before they disapparates to the Godric's Hollow.
*****
Sirius had been prepared but fighting a war is definitely different than fighting a battle. He is stressed and cranky most of the time, on edge almost 24/7, worn out and has seen too many deaths than necessary. And some of those blood lies on his hands.
Almost a year has past since he graduated and became a member of the Order and it's one of those nights where Sirius conducts a secretive mission by himself that he sees him again, or so he thinks.
With everything going on, his Pup was never a priority in his mind, perhaps just another memory of his Hogwarts days and his nightly animagus adventures. But now, here on along the muggle streets of Islington, lurking in the shadows, there exists a figure of a black dog who gazes him with tired, but steady eyes.
Sirius isn't too sure if this is his Pup, because he wasn't Padfoot right now nor could he turn into him just to get a good sniff. It's definitely larger than the last time he's saw Pup, still smaller than the size of the adult Padfoot is. It's hard to tell the colour of its eyes with the limited lights available in the middle of the night, and it's too close to Grimmauld for Sirius' brain to think straight with the weeks of overwork, the urgency of his mission, and the barely suppressed news of the Head of the House of Black on his deathbed.
The dog doesn't say anything and Sirius can't draw his wand without compromising his mission as well so they stand there hidden in the shadows in silence. The dog looks as tattered as he was, his fur was definitely clean but lacking the shine of a well-breed grace that Pup emitted as a pup. He looked skinny in the extremely tired way, his gaze steady while weary at the same time.
Then, as if resolved, a flicker of something passes in those eyes as the dog turns on his back first, and runs out of sight and disappears into the night without looking back.
Sirius vaguely realizes that it's the first time that he's the one that's left behind first.
For once.
*****
More things happen and more blood are shed, as more time flies with less time for reminiscence.
Sirius hasn't seen the dog which he believes to be his Pup again, and never gets the chance to as he fights for his life and the lives of his loved ones.
*****
A few weeks later, words spread of the disappearance of one Regulus Black.
*****
Padfoot never sees his Pup again, and neither does Sirius.