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The day, which had been dull and grey since Draco had opened the shop, drew to a close. Business had been steady, which he was thankful for as it kept his mind off the dreadful weather. It felt terribly British to be moaning about the weather, but it seemed like everyone who’d come into the shop that day had spoken about it. He’d grown a bit tired of it, if he was honest.

He pulled the cash drawer out of the till and carried it into the back room to put it in the safe. Once he’d locked the safe and put the key safely into his pocket, he pulled on his cloak and headed for the door, extinguishing the lamps as he passed.

Pausing as he reached the door, he peered out into the alley. It was always dark and dingy-looking, but moreso today, he thought. At least it wasn’t raining. He gripped the door handle and pulled the door open, stepping out onto the uneven cobbles. He nodded to the shopkeeper opposite before turning his attention to the shop door, sticking the large, ornate metal key into the lock and turning it. He gave the door handle a firm jiggle to make sure it was locked and then waved a hand across the face of the door, wordlessly casting his wards.

Knockturn Alley had traditionally been devoted to the Dark Arts, but since Potter had defeated You-Know-Who, there’d been a significant change in the kind of wares being sold. There were still some of the more dubious items circulating with the approval of Ministry officials, but most of the shopkeepers had chosen to clean up their wares in order to keep trading. Draco had opened his shop selling potions ingredients two years ago, following a lengthy application process. Sometimes, on slow days, he wondered whether it had been worth it.

Once the wards were cast, Draco turned and headed for the entrance to the alley. He kept his head down as he walked, the after-effects of being an ex-Death Eater were occasionally still felt and he was not in the mood today. As he passed a dark shop entrance, a flash of movement caught his eye and he stopped, peering closer. It took all of his strength not to jump three feet in the air when he realised an eye was looking back at him. A second later, the eye had disappeared into the shadows again. Draco looked around to see if anyone was watching him, and then crouched down, his cloak pooling on the ground around him as he waited.

A few moments later, he heard a snuffling noise, and then a shiny, wet, brown nose appeared, followed by a soft-looking mottled brown face and a pair of soulful brown eyes.

“Hi,” Draco said softly. “What are you doing out here?”

The creature – evidently a dog – came further out of the shadows. Its whole body was wiggling from side to side, it’s tail a blur as Draco got a good look. The dog had silky chocolate brown fur, solid in places but mottled with white in others and long ears covered in curly hair. Draco reached a tentative hand out, allowing the dog to sniff him all over. Then a cold wet nose was pushed into his hand as the dog came closer.
“Well, you’re lovely,” Draco murmured, rubbing the top of the dog’s head gently. “I can’t believe anyone would just let you stay outside like this. But I suppose they know what they’re doing. I’ve got to go now.” He stood up, watching as the dog turned a circle and disappeared into the shadows again. “Stay safe.”

Draco started walking again, feeling lighter than he had when he’d locked the shop up. He hadn’t had a lot to do with dogs over the years, but the ones he had met, he’d liked. He’d only walked a few steps when he heard a sneeze behind him. Turning his head, he was only mildly surprised to see the wiggly little dog following him, its tail wagging furiously again.

“No, you shouldn’t be following me. You’ll get lost,” he said, bending down to fuss the dog once more. He looked around for any signs of someone who might be looking for a dog, but there was no-one in sight. He jerked his head to the side “Come on, then.”

He turned and led the dog back to the doorway he’d first seen it in. “You need to stay here. They’ll be worried if you go away.”

The dog wagged its whole back end along with its tail and Draco couldn’t help but smile. He gave the dog another pat before starting to walk away again. This time, he didn’t get more than a step away before the dog was by his side.

Frowning, he gazed around again, looking for a person, but the alley was now deserted. He looked down at the dog which was now sitting beside him, gazing up at him. “Alright. I suppose you can come with me for tonight. I’ll leave a note and bring you back in the morning.” He conjured a small notepad and a pen, scribbling a note that he tore off and stuck to the door using a sticking charm. He looked down at the dog again. “Let’s go, then.”

The dog wagged its tail furiously, falling into a heel position behind Draco once he started walking. They headed along Knockturn Alley until they got to Diagon. Every now and again, Draco would glance down at the dog and he couldn’t help but smile. The dog seemed perfectly happy to walk with him, without the aid of a lead, so he wasn’t worried about it getting lost. All the same, he was glad that it wouldn’t take him long to reach home.

Twenty minutes later, Draco unlocked his door and allowed the dog to run inside. He could hear loud snuffling sounds as the dog ran around, its nose to the ground. Closing the door, he made his way into the kitchen and took out a bowl to fill with water. He was sure that the dog must be thirsty. As if on cue, the dog bustled into the kitchen, tongue lolling from its mouth and Draco quickly put the bowl of water on the floor. He watched as the dog stuck its head in and drank loudly, splashing water everywhere.

After a long few moments, the dog looked up at him, wagging its tail.

“Well. I hope you don’t make that much mess when you eat,” Draco said. “Not that I know what you eat… I suppose some meat? I have chicken, but you can’t just have chicken, surely?” The dog wiggled its back end, and then ran back into the hall.

Draco frowned. He knew nothing about dogs and had no idea what they could safely eat. He thought for a moment, and then clicked his fingers. He could call Luna. She was bound to know whether he could feed the dog chicken on its own or whether he should mix it with something.

He headed for the living room fireplace, pausing momentarily at the foot of the stairs. He could hear the dog up there and could only hope that it didn’t go to the toilet. He continued onto the living room and took down the box that contained the Floo powder. Taking a pinch,and throwing it into the fireplace, calling out Luna’s address as he stuck his head in. A moment later, Luna appeared in front of him.

“Hello, Draco. This was unexpected, how lovely to see you,” Luna said in her serene voice. “Are you well?”

“Hi Luna,” Draco replied, a bemused smile appearing. “I’m fine, thanks. You?”

“Oh yes, I’m extremely well. We’ve had a very good week in the sanctuary,” Luna said, a distant look crossing her face as she gazed at him through the flames.

“Brilliant. Look, sorry for the late call, but I need to ask you a question,” said Draco, “Can dogs eat chicken?”

“Oh yes, of course they can,” Luna said, looking at him with wide eyes now. “Have you got a dog?”

“No, no, I’m just… looking after one for a night,” Draco replied. “I found it hiding in the alley and I didn’t want to leave it there all night so I brought it home.”

“Oh, how nice of you! Can I see?” asked Luna, her eyes lighting up.

“No, it’s upstairs sniffing around.” He glanced behind him, the dog nowhere in sight. “Exploring. But I need to know what I can feed it.”

“Draco. Stop calling the dog ‘it’!” Luna admonished him. “Say he or she.”

“I don’t know whether it is a he or a she!” Draco exclaimed.

“Then find out! It’s easy enough,” Luna said. “But to answer your question, you can feed the dog chicken but mix it with some rice and vegetables. Dogs shouldn’t really have rice, but for one night it will be okay, and I’m sure the owner will just be glad you’ve been looking after the dog.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll find out. Should I give more chicken than rice?” Draco asked.

“I think so, yes,” Luna replied. “And cook the vegetables first.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Draco said. “I really appreciate it. I’ll let you know what happens to the dog tomorrow.”

“Please do. Good luck!” Luna replied with a smile. “And good night.”

“Good night,” Draco said before ending the connection. He turned around to see the dog sitting behind him, tail still wagging. “Alright then. Shall we see if you’re a boy or a girl?”

The dog got up and ran around him in a circle, its tail a blur of motion.

Draco crouched down and patted his knee, hoping that the dog would put its front feet up. He was pleased when it did, allowing him to see that it was in fact a girl dog. He was less pleased when she covered his face with licks. “Well, that was disgusting. But at least I know you’re a girl now. Should we get you some food?”

The dog woofed at him and ran into the kitchen, nails tip-tapping down the hall.

“I take it that’s a yes,” Draco said with a chuckle as he got up and followed the dog to the kitchen.

Later that night, after both Draco and the dog had eaten, they were sitting on the sofa.

“I can’t keep calling you ‘Dog’, can I?” Draco mused as he looked down at the sleeping dog curled into his side. “But I don’t know your name… what about Princess? Hm?”

The dog’s tail thumped against the sofa cushion, though her eyes didn’t open.

“Alright then. Princess it is,” Draco said. “For now, anyway. I’ll find out your name when I take you back to your owner tomorrow.”

Princess wagged her tail again, making Draco smile. He ran a hand down her silky fur. She was certainly well taken care of, there was no denying that, but then how had she come to be hiding in the alley? Hopefully he would get some answers tomorrow.

“I don’t suppose I can expect you to sleep down here tonight, can I?” Draco asked softly, stroking Princess absentmindedly. “I don’t mind if you want to sleep on my bed. It’s a big bed. Plenty of room. Too much room sometimes.”

He fell silent, enjoying the warmth of the little dog’s body pressed into his side. He’d never imagined having a dog before, but if they were all like this then he could surely become a dog owner. Perhaps he was being fooled, though. This dog had been on the street, hiding in the shadows of a doorway. Maybe she was just on her best behaviour because she didn’t really know him.

Draco shook his head. No. He should just enjoy the time he had with Princess, and use it as experience for if he wanted to get a dog himself.

He looked up at the clock. It was getting late. “Princess, do you want to go for a walk?”

He had barely got the word ‘walk’ out of his mouth and Princess was off the sofa and out of the room. Draco shook his head and got up too, heading into the hall to put his shoes back on. He didn’t have a dog lead, so he hoped that Princess would stick close to him like she’d done when he was bringing her home. He was thankful that he lived across the road from a small park.

A few moments later, they headed out of the house, Princess’s tail a blur as she waited for Draco at the gate.

“Alright now, steady,” Draco chuckled as he reached the gate. “We can’t go running straight out into the road, okay?”

Princess wagged her tail even harder, though Draco didn’t think such a thing would be possible. Checking the road for cars, he opened the gate and watched as Princess ran out onto the path, thankfully she stopped before running into the road.

“Good girl,” Draco said with relief. “Alright, let’s go.”

Crossing the road, they entered the park and Princess immediately squatted down. Draco hovered to see if a cleanup was necessary, but was thankful that it wasn’t.

“Good girl,” he said again before they set off on a lap around the park. It hadn’t occurred to him to bring anything with him that he could pick up after Princess with, but he did have his wand with him so he could at least vanish any mess.

They continued around the park, Princess stopping to sniff at everything, her tail wagging the whole time. Draco found himself smiling the whole way around the park, just watching Princess doing dog things.

The next morning, Draco got ready for work as normal. He’d woken up with Princess sleeping soundly beside him, curled up in the crook of his knees. He’d almost stayed where he was, reluctant to wake her when she was clearly comfortable but unfortunately, nature was calling and he forced himself to slide out of the bed. Princess was by his side as he reached the door to his bedroom.

“Alright, alright, you can go downstairs. I need to go and get myself ready,” Draco said, pulling the door open. “Then we’ll go across the road before breakfast.”

Princess gave a yap and took off down the stairs, leaving Draco to shake his head as he made his way to the bathroom. He hoped there would be no accidents before he got downstairs.

It took him twenty minutes to get himself ready for the day and downstairs. He found Princess lying in the kitchen, her head resting on her paws, although she jumped up as soon as she saw him, tail a blur. Draco started to believe that it was never still.

“Come on, then,” he said, patting his leg and turning to the door. “You must be bursting.”

He opened the door and watched Princess run out to the gate, looking at him over her shoulder while her whole back end wiggled. He shook his head and stepped out, pulling the door closed behind him. Getting to the gate himself, he repeated the process from last night and checked for any cars coming along the road before he opened the gate.

A couple of hours later, Draco and Princess were on their way to Knockturn Alley. Draco still found it amazing that Princess was so good at sticking by his side as they walked. She didn’t even look at the couple of dogs they passed, which amazed him even more. He was almost sad that she’d be back with her owners later that day.

They turned into Knockturn Alley and made their way along, Draco doing his best not to attract any unwanted attention. There were more shopkeepers around this morning, all opening their shops up with a variety of items being placed out onto the street. Princess gave nothing more than a cursory glance as she followed Draco along the street.

As they reached the shop where Draco found Princess, he could see that his note was still on the door. He frowned. Most shop owners were at least in their shops by now, whether they were setting up or not, but this shop still looked like it was in darkness. “Well, looks like you’re coming in with me for now,” he said, looking down toPrincess. “We can come back in a little while to see if they’re here.”

They continued along to Draco’s shop and Princess sat by his feet, tail swishing from side to side on the path as she watched Draco opening up. Within a few minutes, she was snuffling her way around his shop, sniffing at everything she could reach. When she was done, she sat in front of Draco and looked up at him, tongue lolling from her mouth and tail sweeping the floor.

Draco laughed. “Let me get you some water.” He walked into the back room and found a bowl that he could fill. Putting it down on the floor, he watched for a moment as the dog made a mess, splashing water out of the side of the bowl. Then he shook his head and went back out into the shop to start setting up for the day. Once he’d put the stock outside, he got on with the rest of his morning duties inside.

Princess followed him around the shop, watching him refill displays and tidy the units. Occasionally her paws would appear on the counter beside him and her nose would follow, sniffing the air enthusiastically. Draco supposed that maybe dogs could recognise the benefits of some of the plant-based ingredients. Or maybe they just smelled good enough to eat.

Three hours passed before Draco got the chance to have a break. It seemed like everyone had decided to come for their potions ingredients this morning and he’d done a roaring trade. Every customer had been thoroughly sniffed by Princess, as try as he might, Draco could not get her to stay in the back room. Every time he turned around, she was behind him and as sweet as it was, it was also becoming a hindrance.

“Okay, Princess, let’s see if we can get you back to your owners now,” Draco said, patting his leg as he walked to the door of the shop. He would close up for fifteen minutes and walk Princess back along to the shop whose doorway he’d found her in, and then go and grab something for his lunch later. He was sure the shop must be open by now.

Stepping out onto the alley, Draco pulled the shop door shut behind him and locked it quickly before charming a sign to stick itself to the door saying ‘Back in 15’. Then they set off along the alley, Princess sticking to Draco’s heel as she had done that morning. On reaching the shop, Draco frowned again. It was still in darkness and his note was still stuck to the door. Peering through the window - which was dusty and grime-ridden - Draco’s frown deepened. This shop didn’t look like anyone was actually occupying it. In fact, it didn’t look like anyone had occupied it for some time. There was nothing on display inside, and the furniture was all haphazard, not to mention covered in dust. He turned to look at Princess, who was sitting on a piece of cardboard, her tail swishing gently from side to side. “Looks like you’re staying with me for now then. We’ll go to a pet shop later and get you some food. I know you liked the chicken last night, but I cannot keep doing that for you.”

Princess gave a joyful bark, as though she’d understood him perfectly. Draco shook his head and stepped back onto the alley, intending on going back to his own shop. He couldn’t take Princess into any of the shops where food was being sold, which meant she’d have to stay in his shop for a few moments. With this in mind, they set off in the direction they’d come from. But when they got to his shop, Draco found that Princess wouldn’t go in on her own and just kept circling back around him and sitting at his side. “Alright, alright, but you can’t come into the bakery. They won’t allow it.”

Turning around again, Draco and Princess made their way to a bakery at the top of the alley. Princess obediently sat down on the pavement outside the shop, watching as Draco went inside. A few moments later, he was back with a sandwich for lunch and they headed back to the shop. If he didn’t know better, Draco would have sworn that Princess’ walk looked more jaunty than it had done on the way out.

As the days passed, Draco got more used to Princess’ company around the house and in the shop. He’d bought her some actual dog food and a lead from a Muggle pet shop that wasn’t far from his house. He hadn’t had any trouble with her just trotting alongside him, but he was still very conscious that this dog wasn’t his and he didn’t want anything untoward happening to her just because she wasn’t on a lead. The park across the road became a regular walking spot, and Draco found himself talking to more people than he’d ever done before just because they wanted to complement Princess’ behaviour.

On the third weekend that Draco had had Princess, he decided that he would take her for a nice long walk in Richmond Park. He felt that she could probably do with a big run after being confined to the small local park, and although he hadn’t ventured to Richmond Park before, he’d been recommended the park after asking his new found friends.. He knew there were deer there, but he was fairly confident that he wouldn’t have any trouble with Princess.

After breakfast, Draco put on his sturdiest boots, stocked his pockets with poop bags and treats, and picked up Princess’ lead. “Ready for an adventure?”

Princess gave a joyful bark and ran to the door, which made Draco smile. He followed her to the door and clipped the lead onto her collar. Since she’d been here, he’d spent a small fortune on dog paraphernalia but the knowledge that she had a collar made him feel like he was doing a good job at looking after her.

“Come on then, let’s go,” Draco said, opening the door. Princess bounded over the threshold and waited for him on the doorstep. He pulled the door shut after them and locked it before they finally set off. He knew it wouldn’t take too long to get to Richmond Park if they cut through Diagon Alley.

Together they walked, side by side, Princess never going further than three steps in front of Draco. They stopped a couple of times for Princess to have a sniff of a particularly interesting lamppost or blade of grass. They reached Diagon Alley and turned onto it, continuing along the cobbles. The alley was crowded, but no-one seemed to pay them much attention. Not that Draco was looking for it. He kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead as they walked, occasionally steering them around a knot of people gathered at a shop window. It was as they were skirting around one of these groups that his gaze caught on a poster that was on a noticeboard. Doing a double take, he realised that he was looking at a picture of Princess.

“Princess, wait,” he said, quickly changing direction and making his way over to the noticeboard.

Draco looked down toPrincess, who wagged her tail at him. “That’s you. Did you run away?”

Princess wagged her tail again.

Draco sighed. “I suppose I’d better send an owl to Ken Adams when we get home, then. Come on. We’ll still go to the park.”

They set off again, though Draco wasn’t feeling quite so jolly now. He could feel a ball of dread settling itself in the pit of his stomach. He knew, of course he did, that this had always been a possibility. That one day Princess’ real owner would find them and he would have to say goodbye. With that in mind, he took a deep breath and made his mind up to have the best day today if it were to be their last together.

Three hours later, Draco unlocked his front door, the both of them crossing the threshold. Princess ran straight into the kitchen while Draco took his boots off. He could hear her drinking noisily, he wasn’t surprised. She’d ran and explored every inch of the park.. They hadn’t seen any of the deer, thankfully, and Draco had enjoyed seeing Princess have fun.

He walked into the kitchen himself before Princess had stopped drinking. “Thirsty, hm? Me too. I think I’ll just have a glass of lemonade though, seeing as you’ve drunk all the water.”

Princess looked at him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, giving Draco the impression that she was laughing at him.

“Then I’d better write that letter to Ken Adams. I can’t keep you knowing that someone out there is missing you,” Draco continued with a sigh. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to go looking elsewhere for your owners.”

Princess gave a huff then turned a circle and laid down, her eyes fixed on Draco as he moved to get a glass from the cupboard. Filling it up with lemonade from the fridge. Then, putting the bottle back into the fridge, he carried the glass out of the kitchen and into the front room to find some paper and a quill. He sat down in front of the window and began to write.

Draco groaned and ripped the sheet from the notepad, crumpling it into a ball. He looked down to see Princess – who’d followed him through from the kitchen – laid at his feet. “This shouldn’t be so hard, should it?”

Draco ran his eyes over the note once more before putting it into an envelope and spelling it shut. Pushing himself to his feet, he went to the window and opened it, giving a soft whistle as he did so.

He stepped back as a small owl with bright orange eyes swooped into the room and landed on the back of the chair. Draco smiled. “Tinky. I need you to take this to Ken Adams tonight. You don’t need to wait for a reply.”

The owl stretched out one leg, allowing Draco to tie the letter to it before turning and flying back out of the open window. Draco watched the owl go before turning back to Princess. “And now we wait. Probably not for long.”

Princess thumped her tail on the floor.

In his living room, Harry Potter was slumped in his armchair. It had been three weeks since Poppy had gone missing. He still didn’t know how it had happened, but he hadn’t known what to do without her. She was normally so quick to respond to his calls, but he’d called and called and… nothing.

He’d spent countless hours out looking for her, but it was like she’d somehow vanished into thin air. Something he knew was impossible, but yet…

A moment later, he was shaken from his thoughts by an insistent tapping at the window. Groaning, Harry pushed a hand through his hair and stood up. He went to the window and opened it, watching as a small owl hopped across the window frame and onto the sill. He’d never seen this owl before, though he could tell it wasn’t one of the post office owls.

The owl held out the leg with the letter attached and held very still. Harry eyed the bird before reaching to untie the letter. As soon as the letter was removed, the bird ruffled its feathers and took off again, disappearing out of the window.

Harry blinked and turned his attention back to the letter. He didn’t recognise the writing on the envelope, so it couldn’t be from any of his friends. His heart gave a sudden leap. Could this be news about Poppy? His fingers shaking, he opened the envelope and began to read.

The note was only short, but it filled Harry’s heart with joy as he realised this was what he’d been waiting for. He turned around, intending to go and put his shoes on straight away but then he paused. He picked the note up again and studied it carefully. It didn’t look like the ransom notes he’d seen in films on TV. Taking out his wand, he waved it over the note to see if anything untoward could be detected.

Once he was sure the note was genuine, Harry went into the hall to put his shoes on. He would go straight away to see this mysterious ‘D’ and hopefully he and Poppy would soon be reunited. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but this was the first hint that he’d had about her whereabouts so it was hard not to.

A few moments later, and he was on his way. He had the coordinates that had been in the letter, but he needed to get to the closest Apparition point. He knew he could have Apparated from home, but he didn’t like doing that given he’d never got his licence. He didn’t want anyone showing up at his house to read him the riot act. No, it was safer to use an Apparition point where he wouldn’t be the only person coming and going.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the Apparition point. He took a few minutes to commit the coordinates to memory before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and turning on the spot. He disappeared with a pop.

Draco sat down at the table, a plate full of food in front of him. Princess was eating from her own bowl by the sink. Draco lifted his fork to his mouth, but before he could taste the food, a knock came at the door. Princess gave a single bark, before cocking her head to one side. Putting his fork down again, Draco stood up slowly. “That will be Ken Adams, I’m sure,” he murmured, more to himself than to Princess.

Together they made their way to the front door, Princess’ nails clicking on the floor. It struck Draco that he’d become quite used to the sound. Her tail was wagging slowly from side to side as she lowered her head to the gap at the bottom of the door, but began to speed up when she sniffed loudly. “Okay, come back out of the way so I can open the door,” Draco said, touching a hand to Princess’ shoulder.

Princess gave a joyful bark and ran in a circle before sitting down behind Draco, her tail swishing from side to side on the floor. Draco smiled and turned back to the door, pulling it open. “Hi, you must be–”

Draco’s words died in his throat as he came face to face with “Ken Adams”. Standing on his doorstep was someone who very much was not called Ken Adams. Standing on his doorstep was Harry Potter.

“Malfoy?!”

“Potter, what in Merlin’s name are you doing here?” Draco asked, frowning. “I’m expecting someone.”

“Me. You’re expecting me,” Potter replied with a scowl. “You have my dog.”

“No, I have Ken Adams’ dog,” Draco said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now if you don’t mind, I was in the middle of dinner.”

”I’m Ken Adams!” Potter exclaimed. “I didn’t want to put my real name on the missing posters, for reasons that should be obvious to you!”

“Well, how do I know this is the same dog?” Draco asked, keeping the door ajar so that Princess couldn’t run out. “What if this is another dog?”

“Can I see her?” Potter replied with a sigh. “Then you’ll know she’s mine.”

Draco considered Potter’s words for a moment, before nodding. “Alright. I suppose you can come in.” He stepped back, opening the door a bit wider and before he knew what was happening, Princess shot past him, her tail a blur once more.

“Poppy!” Potter exclaimed, immediately crouching down as the dog launched herself at him. He was laughing as Prin–Poppy licked his face all over. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”

Draco bit his lip. There was no denying that this dog knew Potter.

Potter stood up, Poppy clutched in his arms. “Sorry. Can I still come in? I have some questions.”

Draco nodded, gesturing for Potter to step inside. He closed the door after his former nemesis. “Come through to the kitchen. I need to either eat my dinner or put it in the oven to keep it warm.”

“Sorry, again. I didn’t think it through when I came straight here,” Potter said, giving an embarrassed smile. “I was just– I couldn’t wait to see if you had my Poppy.”

“Yes, well… follow me,” Draco replied, moving past Potter and heading for the kitchen.

Potter’s footsteps echoed behind him as he stepped into the kitchen. He went to the oven and turned it on low before putting his plate on the lowest shelf. Shutting the door, he turned to Potter. “Would you like a drink or anything?”

“Oh. Uh, a glass of water would be great,” Potter said. His hand absently ruffling Poppy’s ears. “If you don’t mind.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded,” Draco replied, taking two glasses out of the cupboard and filling them with water from the tap. “Here. You can sit down, you know.”

Potter took the glass and nodded, making his way to the table and perching on a chair with Poppy on his knee. “Is it okay if she’s up here?”

Draco nodded as he sat down opposite Potter.

“Thanks. I don’t always let her sit on my knee if I’m sitting at a table, but I really have missed her so much,” Potter said. “I still don’t understand how she ended up here? Where did you find her?”

“She was hiding in a doorway on Knockturn Alley,” Draco replied. “I thought she belonged to the shop, but it was still all closed up when I took her back there the next day. I think it must be empty. But she didn’t show any signs of wanting to go anywhere else so I didn’t think to put any posters up myself.”

Potter shook his head and looked down at Poppy. “You are so naughty sometimes.”

“Why would she be in Knockturn Alley, anyway?” Draco asked. “You don’t strike me as the type to frequent the establishments there.”

“I don’t, really,” Potter said with a sigh. “We’d walked past the end of the alley and she chased a rat once. I thought she’d just remembered that and took off for another go. I followed her, but she’d just… disappeared. I couldn’t see her anywhere and she didn’t respond to my calls. I was on my way to work so I had to go without her and that was really, really hard to do. I’ve never walked away from her like that before.”

Draco frowned. “How could she just disappear? She’s not, I mean, she’s non-magical, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is. I can’t explain how she disappeared but she was absolutely nowhere to be seen,” Potter replied. “She’s very obedient – you must have noticed that? – so there’s no way she wouldn’t have come to me when I called. Something kept her from coming back.”

Draco nodded slowly. “I have noticed how obedient she is, yes. I’ve had absolutely no trouble with her since she’s been here. Even the very first night that I found her, she walked home with me when I didn’t have a lead for her. She just trotted along beside me. If something was keeping her away from you, it explains why she was scared and hiding in the shadows, I suppose.” He watched as Potter gave Poppy a gentle squeeze and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“I hate the thought that she was scared,” Potter said, looking up at Draco. “I was so worried about her. I’m glad she was found by someone who took care of her and not someone who might have hurt her.”

“Well,” Draco replied, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “I couldn’t just leave her there. Not that she gave me the choice. I did try at first, when I thought she belonged to the shop, but she kept following me.”

Potter smiled. “She must have sensed you’d look after her. So, thank you for doing that. I have to admit I didn’t have you down as being a dog person, but you must be if she trusted you so quickly.”

“I didn’t know I was, but… having her here has made me think I could be. I had to go and buy her a collar and a lead,” Draco said. “I didn’t know if the obedience was a one off thing because she was scared.”

Potter frowned in confusion. “A collar? But she already had a collar.”

Draco shook his head. “She wasn’t wearing one when I found her.”

Potter’s frown deepened. “I suppose that explains why you didn’t get in touch sooner. Her tag has my address and a phone number on it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have known how to call you, but yes I would have sent an owl much sooner if I’d had your address,” Draco replied. “Although that reminds me, who is Ken Adams? Is that name on the tag?”

Potter snorted with laughter. “No, my real surname is on the tag. Ken Adams… well, it’s a reference to a Muggle television show. One of the characters always used Ken Adams if he gave a fake name so I just… borrowed it.”

“Oh. I see,” Draco replied, raising one eyebrow. “Well, I won’t pretend to understand that. Do you think something dodgy has gone on with her? Where would her collar have gone?”

“I don’t know,” Potter said, looking down at Poppy. “She seems fine. How scared was she when you found her?”

“Not very, I have to admit,” Draco replied. “She was hiding in the shadows of the shop doorway, so I assumed she was at least a little bit scared but as soon as I spoke to her, she just seemed really happy. Her tail was wagging so fast.”

Potter laughed. “Her tail never stops. Look, she’s even wagging it now. She knows we’re talking about her.”

Draco smiled fondly. “She really has been a delight to have around, you know. She’s been so good around the house. She insisted on coming to the shop with me every day and she was good there, too. Walks before I got the lead were good too. She never really left my side and if I called her because she’d gone a bit further away, she would come right back.”

“She is a very good girl,” Potter said with a smile. “How did you call her back? You wouldn’t have known her name if she didn’t have her collar on.”

“I couldn’t keep calling her ‘Dog’, so I started calling her ‘Princess’ and she responded to that,” Draco admitted. “You must have trained her very well.”

“Ahh. I do sometimes call her ‘Princess’ myself,” Potter said, his smile growing. “So that explains why she’d respond to it. She has been through a couple of training programmes and picked it all up really well, even if I do say so myself. She’s something of a… support dog, I suppose. Not an official one, but she’s very good at emotional support. That’s part of the reason I’ve missed her so much. She helps me focus on the good rather than the bad.”

Draco nodded thoughtfully. “That actually makes sense. She did seem to know when I wasn’t in the greatest mood and she’d climb on my knee and just… snuggle in and all of a sudden things weren’t so bad.”

Harry smiled and ran a hand over Poppy’s head. “She’s good like that. Always knows when you could just do with a hug. Have you never considered a pet?”

Draco shook his head. “Not really. But after having Pr– Poppy for these last three weeks, I might reconsider. I’ll miss her.”

Potter chewed his lip slightly as he looked up at Draco. “You don’t have to miss her if you don’t want to. She was clearly happy here and with you or she wouldn’t have been so willing to go with you. I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to come and see her sometimes, or come with us for walks. I think she’d really like that, too.”

“Really?” Draco asked, raising his eyebrows briefly. “Even with all of our history?”

“Yeah, because that’s just what it is – history. I’m not interested in fighting with you anymore. I haven’t been for a long time,” Potter said. “Time and Poppy have taught me that all of that stuff doesn’t matter anymore. It was what it was at the time, but we’ve both changed now. I mean, I know we haven’t spoken in a long time, but I hear things, you know? I know you’re doing alright for yourself and not messing around with the Dark Arts. Maybe, if you’re up for it, we can get to know each other properly?”

Draco couldn’t help but smile. “I think I’d like that. And if it means going for lots of dog walks with this little princess, then I think I could manage that.”

Poppy’s tail thumped against the chair.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you planned this somehow,” Potter said, looking down at Poppy, who wagged her tail even harder.

Draco tilted his head. “Do you think she did?”

“No, she’s a dog, how could she?” Potter asked, looking at Draco again.

Draco shrugged. “Stranger things have happened than a matchmaking dog.”

Potter laughed and Poppy jumped down onto the floor, running across to Draco and putting her paws up on his leg, tail still wagging madly as her tongue lolled from her mouth. “You might be right,” he said. “She certainly looks pleased with herself.”

“Don’t you get ahead of yourself, young lady,” Draco said, pointing a finger at Poppy. “We’re not even friends yet. But maybe we’re on the way.”

Potter smiled and gave a nod. “Yeah,” he said softly.

Harry closed the door behind him and shrugged his cloak off. The sound of Poppy’s feet came tip-tapping across the hall floor as she ran to greet him.

“Hello, my gorgeous girl,” he said, bending down to ruffle Poppy’s ears. “Have you been good for Daddy today?”

“I do wish you wouldn’t call me that in front of her.”

Harry laughed and stood up again, leaning over to kiss Draco gently. “You know I do it just to wind you up.”

“Mm. Tough day?” Draco asked as he returned the kiss.

“Yeah, but nothing that matters now I’m back home with my two favourite people,” Harry replied, grinning. “And yes, Poppy counts as people.”

“Oh trust me, I know she does,” Draco said. “The fact she’s slept in our bed every night for the last six months demonstrates that.”

Harry laughed. “Come on. I could do with a nice bath, if you fancy it?”

“I always fancy a nice bath,” Draco said, taking Harry’s hand. “Especially if it involves you.”

Harry grinned again and they headed upstairs together, Poppy at their heels (although he knew she wouldn’t make it into the bathroom no matter how much she whined).