can you understand me?
Ohhh yeah bby lets go chapter 3
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Sirius had been walking forever. Well, Padfoot had been. It’d been a couple of days since he set off to find Harry. He’d had to stay as Padfoot, to not alert any wizards that were roaming muggle London. Sirius had to ditch the flannel, running from muggle dog catchers, the flannel tied around his collar had gotten stuck and ripped on a fence Padfoot squeezed through. Though it was no issue, he was close enough to Surrey to know where he was going.
Padfoot wasn’t wet from the sea or the rain anymore but he was still ungodly dirty. Sirius liked to stay clean, for the most part, so this was irking him more than anything. He had to put that in the back of his mind though because he was getting close to Surrey and to Harry. Closer than he thought.
Roaming through the woods as a shortcut, Padfoot caught onto a familiar smell. A familiar smell that sent him running, trying to get to the edge of the forest, and when he saw Harry, it was like seeing him when James placed the adorable baby boy in his hands for the first time. Nostalgia had hit him like the waves until a voice that irked Padfoot so badly rang out, “Mummy look!” A voice very much not Harry, but still, Harry and a woman Padfoot clearly knew as Petunia ran towards the voice. It wasn’t until Harry looked at Sirius that he really felt the weight of it hit him, he was here. He was here and he’d found Harry! But he didn’t have a plan. Didn’t really know where to go from here.
But he trotted over anyway, acting as gentle as he could. Though, he couldn’t take his eyes off Harry.
Sirius thought he’d look like James. And he did! But that’s where the resemblance stopped as of right now. Sirius could see in his eyes, Lily’s eyes, that there was no trace of James in this little boy. There was a little of James, of course, as Harry was his son, but only tiny seeds. Tiny seeds that hadn’t gotten the chance to grow because of the environment they’d been stuck in. Everytime those seeds would grow, there would be an invisible force stomping them back into the dirt.
It took Sirius by surprise, seeing the same boy that he saw in Grimmauld’s mirror all those years ago in the one child he’d never wish any kind of harm. Lily was in there too though, kind and caring, but could snap back like a firecracker. Kind and caring when the only thing this child has ever known is misery.
It was a blur of color, voices, and being prodded at, Padfoot having to stop himself short of maiming the child he’d guessed Petunia’s. But it was worth it, because he’d finally gotten to Harry.
The car ride was peaceful, after being prodded at the Vet’s, being able to lay his head on Harry’s lap. Though, he couldn’t help what the boy was thinking. Was he wary of the dog? Lucky for him, the answer was no. Harry was happy the dog was there, he thought maybe if Dudley was preoccupied with Padfoot he wouldn’t bother Harry.
It was silent, going back to 4 Privet Drive until Petunia interrupted the silence. “When we get home, I expect you to finish up the yard, Harry. Maybe even take the dog out, so my Dudders won’t have to deal with it.” She said cooing at her son, clearly still taking in the idea of even having a dog. Harry suspected she only said yes because Dudley was so precious! ‘Yes’, Harry thought, ‘so precious.’ He wondered what she’d think of her darling Duddy when she found out he was as bright as a broken bulb and as nice as his father, so not at all. Considering his all F’s, and Petunia never saying anything, Harry didn’t think she’d care. “Yeah! And take the dog out too, I don’t wanna deal with all the yucky stuff!” Dudley, loud as ever, ordered Harry. Of course, Harry suspected he’d have to deal with all the actual parts that come with having a dog so this wasn’t very shocking.
Harry thought the dog was weird. Weird but comforting. He’d always liked animals, snakes, dogs, and cats the most. Though birds were nice too, he’d always wondered what it'd be like to fly, he always imagined he’d like it, especially if the dreams he had were anything to base it off of. But Padfoot was soft, and he seemed to like Harry, which is what took him by surprise the most. No one liked Harry.
When the four of them arrived at Number 4 Privet Dr. Sirius was .. unimpressed. It was bland, and boring. The yard was the only good thing about it. Petunia got Dudley out of the car first before walking straight to the door, not bothering with Harry. Sirius tucked that interaction into a little corner in the back of his mind for later. Harry gently lifted Padfoot’s head off his lap, “C’mon, Padfoot. Let’s go inside.”
Harry opened the door, getting himself out (with a little struggle) before grabbing onto Padfoot’s leash and beckoning him to get out of the car. Padfoot, ever obedient, followed and walked next to Harry while he led both to the door. The door was black and opened wide so Padfoot could see the interior.
‘As bland as the outside,’ Sirius grumbled in his head. Harry led him inside, letting Padfoot go in first then closing the door behind them softly. Padfoot could hear voices coming from the kitchen, all sounding prideful and irritating.
“Here, Padfoot,” Harry led him deeper in the hallway, no longer holding onto the leash (which Sirius was thankful for,) and simply just beckoning him with hand motions. “Let’s go meet Uncle Vernon,” Harry rolled his eyes at Padfoot and when Padfoot let out a laugh like huff Harry looked at him with shock, “Can yo-?”
“And here it is!” A big bulk of a man came bulldozing from the kitchen into the small hallway, rushing to Padfoot and all but pushing Harry into the wall. Padfoot slightly growled at the motion, looking at Harry first to see if he was alright before directing his glare to who he knows as Uncle Vernon. Of course, they’d met at Lily’s and James’ wedding. It hadn’t been pleasant.
Sirius had prepared himself to see things that would disturb him, but he promised himself to only intervene as human if it was something serious. He would be no good to Harry if he was locked back in Azkaban. Sirius would never forgive himself if he let Harry, and by proxy, James and Lily, down again. Of course, Padfoot would intervene but Sirius wouldn’t.
“Look at him! My Dudley sure knows how to pick em’, aye Petunia?” Vernon’s loud voice boomed, beaming with pride that his son found such a fine dog. “I tried to tell him no, but well, he’s very persuasive, I think your advice is working, Vernon!” Petunia grinned at her husband. Vernon had been giving Dudley lessons all about being persuasive and getting a yes when someone says no. Harry thought it was plain bullshit. “That’s my boy! Never take no for an answer!” Vernon playfully wiggled his finger at Dudley, while his son beamed with pride.
But of course, Harry had to ruin everything.. By existing. “And what are you doing? Just standing there? I believe your gracious Aunt gave you instructions.” Vernon raised his eyebrow at his nephew, “Sorry, Uncle.” Harry grumbled and made his way back outside to finish mowing the yard like Petunia requested.
The family went back into the kitchen, paying less attention to Padfoot and more to the fact Dudley had ‘persuaded’ his mother. Padfoot rolled his eyes more than one listening to the idiocy spewing from the mouths. He kept his eyes on Harry for the most part, looking at him mowing the lawn, it was a bit difficult since Vernon had got the best mower known to man. It was tall and Harry was not. Padfoot guessed it had something to do with his ‘mistreatment’ because James had always been fairly tall and Lily was above average height as well.
Though eventually, Dudley wanted to play with Padfoot in the living room. Sirius knew he had to play along for now, even though he really didn’t want to, so he barked and did what he thought Dudley would like before Harry came in and started to cook dinner.
Sirius was concerned it looked like a habit.
Harry cooked pork chops with peas and tater tots on the side, Vernon’s favorite on Fridays. He started cooking and Padfoot abandoned Dudley, who whined for a minute before turning on the TV and watching some show Padfoot couldn’t stand. He made his way towards Harry, putting his paws on the counter and helping as much as he could, nudging items, moving the pan with his paws so the pork chops wouldn’t cook too much on one side when Harry was preoccupied with the other ingredients.
Whenever he would do something like that, Harry would look at him with an incredulous look. More surprised someone would help him, rather than it was a dog helping him. “Can you understand me?” Harry brought up his question from earlier, “It’s okay if you can. I won’t tell anyone. No one would believe me, if I did.” He whispered to Padfoot. Ducking his head down in secrecy,
Sirius thought for a minute. Would it be wise to tell him yes? He thought for a minute and considered Harry knowing he had someone who understood him and loved him was a greater need than Sirius’ own secrecy. Plus, why even be secretive? All Harry had to know was he understood, not the whole situation.
Padfoot nodded, Harry looked at him in shock.
Padfoot looked at the stove and whined to Harry, reminding him of his task. “Oh! Right,” Harry scolded himself, quickly focusing back on the food, not wanting to burn it. Not wanting to make that mistake again. “So.. are you.. Like- Like, are you-” Harry sighed in frustration, before putting his hand up in a ‘forget it’ motion.
Harry knew better than to ask if Padfoot was magic. Magic wasn’t real. Magic was bad. It was a stupid thought, Harry wouldn't bring it up again. Padfoot was just smart. That's it.
He and Padfoot finished the family's meal, making sure to leave some for himself and Padfoot, discreetly. He would have to go buy dog food the next time they sent him grocery shopping. Until then, he’d slip Padfoot food. Feeding him like he fed himself.
The family ate, the other family cleaned up the kitchen. Padfoot helped the same way he helped with the cooking process.
They finished cleaning fairly quickly, Harry already being fast and with Padfoot’s help it took even shorter the time it usually would. Once the family was done eating they cleaned their plates too.
After cleaning, Harry gets sent to his cupboard.
“Boy! Are you done cleaning?”
“Yes, Uncle Vernon.”
“Done with the yard?”
“Yes, Uncle Vernon.”
“Good, maybe you can be good for something.” The family snickered. “Now, go to your room. And so help me boy.. If you wake me up again in the middle of the night..”
“I won’t, Uncle Vernon, i’m sorry.” Harry clenched his fists while Padfoot growled under his breath, not liking where this was going.
Padfoot thought he didn’t like it before. He felt disgusted, almost as if it wasn’t him watching this happen, when Harry walked over to the Cupboard Under the Stairs, pulled the door open and he saw Harry’s ‘room.’
Sirius stood there frozen before, “You go too, mutt. Dudley doesn't need dog hair all over his clothes. You can come out in the morning. If I catch you barking, you’re going back to the streets.” Vernon barked at Padfoot, the proud façade fading once the surprise of the dog ended. Dudley staring at the TV, braindead. Petunia reading her magazine.
Padfoot trotted over to the Cupboard, not before 'playfully' nipping at Vernon's ankles, hopping in along with Harry before Vernon bounced over, ever so gracefully, slammed the door and locked it shut.
Padfoot layed close to Harry, mind still reeling from where he is, the cupboard, how he got here, the cupboard, Harry, the cupboard! He’s in a cupboard. Harry’s room.. Is a cupboard! Sirius let himself think about all the ways he could really earn his murderer title.
“It’s just you and me now, Padfoot.” Harry chuckled, grimly.
And as Harry’s hand ran through Padfoot’s fur, gently, he couldn’t help but let the anger fade away and his mind clear at his words.
‘Yeah, Harry.’ Padfoot snuggled closer to Harry, ‘It’s just you and me now.’