Chapter Text
The first time Sirius saw Betty in his front yard it was a random Tuesday while he was having toast and a nice black tea. He'd been appreciating the beauty of the sun rising. Sirius loved this feeling of peace and serenity. His home and little farm was tucked away under the rolling hills in the background, and he enjoyed watching the light creep through the yard and into the windows.
This morning was different though, and at first he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing through the window as Padfoot started barking and nosing at the front door.
"Shh, it's okay," Sirius soothed as he stood from his stool at the island. Padfoot didn't accept his reassurance, and started pawing at the door so Sirius gave up his futile investigation out the window since all he saw was a bundle of fur.
He debated for a moment before deciding to put Padfoot on a leash, unsure of what was out there. Uncharacteristically, Padfoot pulled on the leash, so Sirius sped up a bit while cursing at how his knees cracked, still a bit stiff from overnight inactivity. He heard the bleating as he walked through the grass that definitely needed attention, dew darkening his boots.
Her body was black with just a touch of white on the tip of one ear, and the bottom of her two front legs, which were stuck up in the air, kicking frantically. Padfoot was sniffing every inch of her, and pressing his nose as far under her as he could manage. Sirius stepped in, since she didn't seem to be making any progress getting back to her feet, and she sounded distressed. He gently pressed his hands under her, pushing gently until she managed to get enough momentum to get to her feet.
The three of them stood staring at each other for a moment before Sirius gave in to the desire to touch her. He offered his hand for her to sniff, unsure of sheep etiquette, but it was a good idea with strange dogs, so it didn't seem a horrible idea. Until her mouth opened, and he had a sudden fear that he could end the day with 9 fingers, but she just stared at his hand, seemed to dismiss it, then dipped her head to the grass, taking a chunk and munching without paying them any mind.
"Where did you come from, girl?" Sirius asked, creeping closer to let his hand rest gently on her back. Sirius wasn't sure what he expected, but the springy curls felt nice. She was fluffy, sure, but not quite as soft as he'd expected. Her wool was longer than Sirius was accustomed to seeing, and there was some dirt trapped in it, especially towards her tail.
Sirius was a little lost on what to do about her, was there a message board for local farmers? Maybe he would drive into town later and see if there were any lost sheep signs, and ask a few people at the local grocers. Surely she had a home, with people that missed her and other animal friends. Because Sirius was many things, but he didn't want to be a sheepnapper.
Besides, Sirius had no clue what to do for her. He decided that he would bring out a large container of water for her as she seemed to be finding food just fine on her own. If nothing else, maybe she would hang around for awhile and Sirius wouldn't have to worry about mowing the lawn.
She followed him around a bit as he did his gardening, but mostly grazed with the occasional break playing with Padfoot. They chased each other a bit causing Sirius to laugh as she pranced about. Her movements reminded him a bit of a bull or a hyper James Potter, with her legs kicking in the air behind her when she ran after him.
Sirius went through his usual routine outside since the forecast called for possible rain in the afternoon, which, if proved correct, meant that he would have less to do since nothing would need watering. Since it was summer, he checked his raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, picking out the ripest ones before heading over to his herb garden. He needed lots of basil as he was going to make cakes tomorrow and his strawberry basil cakes had been especially popular lately, so he decided to make a few whole ones, as well as some large sheets to cut into slices. Mondays through Wednesday he worked on homemade jams, Thursdays he started the breads and pre-made icing. Fridays were the busiest days, as he juggled making cake and muffins. Saturdays were spent at the local farmer's market selling all of his wares.
Baking as well as gardening were both fairly new to him along with his move to Wales. The garden was already there, in bloom and Sirius was in search of something new to do with himself. He'd finally completely decided to stop his career as a lawyer three years ago, even though it had been a decade before that when he broke ties with his family. It was stressful though, and a constant reminder of the life that he'd grown up surrounded by with the added chance that he would end up facing some of them in court. He knew that his work had been important, that he helped people who would have had to fight for or never be able to get representation, especially of a lawyer whose desk wasn't overflowing with cases assigned by the courts. But he was drained, his mental health hadn't been doing so well, so he followed Effie and his therapist's advice and decided to take the next steps in his life.
While moving hadn't been strictly necessary and he missed his adoptive found family like a missing limb, Sirius had found old pictures of a trip taken to Wales with his friends right after they graduated, and it felt perfect. The countryside was gorgeous, the air was crisp and clean, the towns were picturesque, the one he settled in had low stone walls everywhere, miles of farmland, all with green picturesque mountains in the distance as the backdrop. It was a bit of culture shock, but the pace of life was just what he needed. He'd adopted Padfoot since Sirius had always wanted a dog, but the timing had never seemed right, and he was such a light in his life, his canine best friend.
Padfoot followed him around everywhere. While he was absolutely no help in the garden, he did provide constant companionship, and when Sirius wasn't chatting James or Effie's ears off on the phone he was talking and singing to Padfoot as he tended to the garden. He had a surplus and wasn't sure what to do with everything, so he'd met a few neighbors to hand things out before Effie suggested baking, which he took to quickly. He found out about the farmer's market and the rest was history. He gave any leftovers to the local food bank, had friends there as well, and volunteered at the slow times after harvesting and planting.
Sirius realized that he'd come to the end of his gathering while he was lost in thought, so he gave a quick glance over to the sheep, who seemed content and safe and went inside. After he emerged that evening, she was gone so Sirius didn't have to figure out what he should do, and hoped that she'd gotten home safely.
The second time he saw her was a few days later as Sirius was picking the first ripe apples of the season, and she nudged at his leg. It nearly scared the living daylights out of him since he knew that Padfoot was napping in the sun. She kept doing it until Sirius realized that she was after the apple. He offered it out, vowing to do a deep dive into what's safe to give her and in what amounts, but he hoped that she wouldn't want it if it wasn't safe. She munched it down, then lost interest in Sirius and heading over to the grass.
Sirius just shook his head fondly and knew that he'd need to try to figure out what to do if she kept showing up. He liked her, and didn't mind her presence, but he also didn't want to be keeping her from her home. He hummed as he continued on with his chores and "Black Betty" randomly popped into his head.
"That's it. Until I find out differently, I am going to call you Betty. It's perfect with your colouring and you can join me in being the black sheep, though I hope that your family is better than my birth parents," Sirius told the uninterested sheep, but he amused himself so that's what counted.
As it turned out, everyone that he called, asked at the store, and even during the farmers market that week, no one was missing a sheep. Sirius was at a loss, as she seemed to just wander. She didn't stay with him all of the time, randomly appearing and leaving as she wished. Sirius did research on how to care for her when she was there, buying a few things like a brush to clean her wool, and a proper trough for water. He cleaned out the small building out back where she could take shelter at night or during bad weather, as well as having hay delivered. She seemed to be healthy every time she came back after days so Sirius decided he could only do his part, and hope she would stay if she wasn't getting what she needed wherever she goes when she leaves. He briefly considered putting up a fence to keep her contained, but something about it didn't feel right, so he put that task off.
The only time he doubted this decision was when she appeared the next month with the worst shearing Sirius had ever witnessed. It was uneven, and there was what looked like a mohawk on top of her head. Sirius knew he was being dramatic but he couldn't help wonder who would possibly do this to his beautiful girl. He promptly went out as soon as he could and bought his own shears, fixed her coat after watching in depth Youtube tutorials. Sirius was determined that he'd never again let her wool get that long so that sweet Betty wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of the travesty of such a haircut again. He pet her as she nuzzled up to him that night while he sat with Padfoot watching the sky darken, stars pop up into the sky and the full moon as it rose over the horizon. Sirius loved to sit out on clear nights and stare up into the wonder that was space. He hated it and craved it all at the same time. A connection to his family, his namesake and Regulus' especially. The only reminder that was beautiful in conjunction to the vast majority of the Blacks.
When she finally wandered off to her shelter, Sirius watched her fondly. He was quite attached to her and she seemed to like it with him and Padfoot as well. But he didn't always wonder what she might do for the other half of her life.