Chapter Text
Sometimes when he was feeling overwhelmed, Sirius liked to go out for a walk as Padfoot. It made things simpler somehow. It allowed him to clear his mind out and just refresh and enjoy the little things. He’d been doing it for years now and almost everyone in James and Lily’s neighbourhood were familiar with him. They come up and say hi and give him treats sometimes but mostly everyone was content to let him be, understanding that he wasn’t lost he just liked to roam.
Today was a good day. The last of summer was giving way to fall and the trees were slowly starting to turn into fireworks. The sharp crisp breeze smelled perfect and Sirius would have been happy to curl up in a pile of leaves and take a long nap, but his thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes.
Sirius stopped. Body tensing in case it was another larger animal but relaxing slightly when he heard the sound of sniffles. Sirius crept forward slowly, sticking his nose through the bush until he could see a small boy crying with his arms wrapped around his legs. Sirius squeezed the rest of his body through the bush and started to nose at the boy.
The boy rubbed his eyes and looked up at him. “Go away. You’ll get me caught.”
Sirius huffed and laid down next to him putting his head in the boy’s lap.
“Fine. You can stay but you have to be quiet.” The boy was quiet for a moment, tears subsiding as he started to pet Padfoot. “We’re hiding from bullies.”
Sirius looked up at him carefully. He seemed to be about Harry’s age and Sirius knew that there was a Muggle school just up the road that Harry was also attending until he went off to Hogwarts. That must be where this boy had come from. Someone must have chased him or scared him until he hid here.
There was rustling and raised voices from outside the bush and Sirius raised his head instinctively. The boy’s eyes widened in fear and he got up to run but got tangled in his backpack, tripping over the strap and tumbling out of the bush as his school supplies spilled everywhere.
“There’s the little creep,” a voice said. “You keep falling like that and you’ll end up as ugly as your dad.”
The boy’s lower lip started to tremble again. “Don’t say that.”
“What? That you’re a freak? My mum taught me not to lie. Guess you wouldn’t know about that since you don’t have one.”
The boy was crying again and the older boy and his friends were laughing at him. Sirius felt a growl build up in his throat and before he could think he was launching himself out of the bushes, barking, and snarling at the boys. They startled and when Sirius started to snap his jaws at them they scrambled away running down the sidewalk back in the direction of the school. Once they were gone, Sirius turned back to the smaller boy. Sitting down in front of him and leaning in to give him permission to wrap his arms around him. The boy launched himself at him and held on tight until his tears started to go away, just like Harry did.
When he pulled away, he rubbed at his eyes and the snot coming from his nose. “Thanks. I’m Teddy. Do you have a name?”
Sirius paused. He didn’t have collar, but then he spotted an alphabet workbook lying among the things that had spilled out of Teddy’s bag. He poked it with his nose.
Teddy looked at him curiously for a moment. “Do you want to show me?”
Sirius nodded.
“Okay,” Teddy opened up the book and started to flip through the pages until he got to the letter P and Sirius stopped him with a paw on the page. “Okay, P,” Teddy said smiling and started again, Sirius stopping him at A this time. This kept going until they had the whole thing spelt out. “Padfoot,” Teddy said slowing. “Hi Padfoot, are you a magic dog?”
Sirius smiled and licked the boys face.
“Or maybe I’m magic. Maybe my wish worked.”
Sirius tilted his head and looked at Teddy.
“I wished for friends or that I could talk to the ones I have. They’re mostly squirrels.” Teddy started to pick at the grass around him. “The big kids like to make fun of my dad cause he has stars on his face.”
Sirius thought for a moment before realizing Teddy probably meant scars. Harry still mixed up words like that sometimes.
“They say they wanna hurt me so I look like him,” Teddy said sadly. “But I already do. Nanna says I’m the spit image of Daddy, but I don’t know what the means. I think it means we have the same hair. Do you have a family?”
Sirius barked.
“Here,” Teddy said, digging through his bag for his lunch and pulling out two chocolate chip cookies. “We can share cause you made the bullies leave.”
Sirius saw the cookies had chocolate in them and poked at the carrots instead.
“You want those?”
Sirius barked.
“Okay. Then my dad won’t be mad I didn’t eat them.”
Teddy opened up the bag of carrots and kept talking as he slowly fed them to Sirius. Sirius wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting there for with Teddy babbling along until they heard the sounds of yelling.
“Teddy!” A voice called, slowly getting louder as it approached. “Teddy!”
“That’s my Daddy,” Teddy said, jumping to his feet as Sirius saw a tall man with the same sandy curls as Teddy quickly approaching them.
“Oh thank god,” the man said as he caught sight of them and ran to meet them, bending down so he could look at his son. “Are you hurt?” He said as he ran his hands over the little boy.
“I’m fine Daddy. The doggy protected me.”
“Okay,” the man said as he pulled him into a crushing hug. “Don’t ever run away like that again Edward. Do you know how scared Mrs. McGonagall was when I got to school and she told me you’d taken off? They were going to call the police.”
Teddy looked down at the ground. His lip trembling again. “I’m sorry Daddy.”
“It’s okay Teds. I’m glad you're safe,” the man said as he ran a hand endearingly through Teddy’s curls. “I just don’t wanna lose you, okay?”
Something tugged in Sirius’s heart at the hurt that he heard in the other man’s voice and he made his way forward to try and snuggle into his side. He’d learned that he couldn’t always fix everything, but petting a dog always seemed to help cheer people up a bit.
“Hello there,” the man said, turning his attention to Sirius. “And who might you be?”
“This is Padfoot. He scared off the bullies.”
“Bullies?” The man said, his face pulling into a frown. “Were those kids after you again?”
Teddy nodded.
“What was it this time?”
“Nothing,” Teddy mumbled. “They’re just mean.”
Sirius didn’t miss the way that Teddy was lying and knew he was probably doing it to protect his dad. The boys were right, he did have scars, but they didn’t make him look ugly. It was simply a different kind of beautiful.
“Padfoot protected me,” Teddy said beaming.
“And how did we pick out the name Padfoot?” The man asked.
“I didn’t he spelleded it for me.”
“It’s just spelt, baby,” the man said smiling, clearly thinking his son was kidding.
“He’s a magic puppy.”
“Oh, well we can play with the magic puppy tomorrow, but we got to get going or you’ll be late for gymnastics. You pack your stuff and I’ll find my keys,” he said, as he started to pat down his pockets.
Sirius spotted where the keys had fallen out when he bent down and barked once before picking them up in his mouth gently and handing them to him.
“Oh, thank you Padfoot,” the man said, clearly confused.
Teddy was looking at them in awe. “You sent the magic doggy.”
“I what?”
“I could talk to Padfoot but it all makes sense cause you have superpowers too.”
“Baby, I - “ the man started looking exasperated before he stopped, changing his expression into a smile. “You’re right. I do know Padfoot and we talk to each other but it has to be a secret, okay?”
Teddy nodded. Eyes filled with wonder as he looked up at his dad.
The man cast a conspiratorial look around the street and then leaned in close to his son. “I sent him here on a secret mission to protect you from the bullies.”
Teddy’s jaw dropped. “I knew it.”
The man smiled. “Now, come on. Let’s pack up your things and we can check in with our doggy friend later, okay?” The man paused, looking at Sirius for a moment before leaning down to check for a collar. “Do you know your way home?” Sirius barked. “Okay, well maybe we’ll see you later then. Come on Teds,” he said as he helped him put the last few things into his bag. “Say bye to the doggy.”
“Bye doggy!”
Sirius gave him another slobbery kiss and listened to him giggle. The man bent down and scratched Sirius behind the ear. “I don’t know if you can actually understand us, but either way thanks for keeping him safe. We’re new here and well, Teddy doesn’t have many friends.” He stopped, seeming to realize he was talking to a dog and took Teddy’s hand in his own as he stood up.
Teddy gave him one more wave as they walked off and Sirius watched them go. His heart breaking for this little boy who was all alone and his dad who would clearly do whatever it took to protect him and keep him happy. An idea slowly started to brew in his brain. If thinking he could talk to animals would make Teddy happy, what could it hurt? Sirius would talk to James and Lily and see if they knew who they were and then he’d have to try somehow to get them in on the plan to have Padfoot try and brighten the little boy’s day. He knew they were Muggles, but how much could a little magic hurt anyways?