Two Steps Ahead, He Turns Back With A Smile

ACT IX: FREE THE DOG- I MEAN SIRIUS BLACK

Sirius quietly watched his owner in silent thought, he questioned if he should go for it.

When he saw Cepheus Potter at Magical Menagerie he was pretty much skeptical at first. Like, why did that man look so much like James?

       "Lord Potter."

He was suddenly brought back into a memory, a distant memory of meeting the said man back in Hogwarts.

He remembered James talking happily about his older cousin who was attending his last year at Hogwarts when they were starting their first.

It wasn't until the first month had flown by when James dragged them over to the Ravenclaw table.

Sirius stared at the two cousins, taking in the resemblance between the three of them. Then it hit him. He was also related to Cepheus.

Cepheus' mother, Dorea Black, was Walburga's (his mother) aunt. Making her his great-aunt and thus making Cepheus his first cousin once removed.

(A/N: I know...family trees...)

He only saw Cepheus occasionally when they had big family gatherings but if an event overlapped with a Potter's then they wouldn't show up.

So understandably Sirius wouldn't recognize a "cousin" he only saw a few times.

When James found out he was pumped up with Sirius having to find out they were related (albeit distantly)— but still! It was brilliant.

Sirius's first impression of Cepheus was– he was smart. Like incredibly smart, he could easily answer questions and figure out spells within seconds.

Cepheus was everything his parents wanted him to be, intelligent, cunning (with a whole system of connections) and not someone who can easily be fooled. He looked every bit like a proper pureblood heir.

He remembered his parents being disappointed to find out that he was the son of the younger brother and not the Lord Potter. Sirius rolled his eyes at that.

He remembered Cepheus not liking Dumbledore and at first Sirius didn't understand why since Dumbledore was one of the greatest light wizards ever.

It wasn't until he sat sitting in a prison cell for 5 years and was "on the run" for two years that he finally understood.

Dumbledore did not care. No let me rephrase that, he was more like 'out of sight, out of mind'.

If you weren't part of his grand scheme or were in the way, your value was easily dismissed.

Dumbledore was there when the Potter Will was made. Bloody hell! The fact that Sirius was not the secret keeper was WRITTEN IN THE WILL.

Dumbledore had even signed the Potter Will as a witness, so when Sirius found out that the old coot even had the AUDACITY to seal the Potter Will.

Sirius was pissed, he spent all those years in prison for nothing. One simple Will reading and he could've been the one to raise his goddaughter.

It was time. It was time to come clean with Cepheus.

Once Holly was asleep, he snuck into Cepheus' office knowing he would still be working in there at this time.

Harry waited patiently (already knowing what was going to happen) staring back at the "dog" with a quirked eyebrow.

Sirius shifted back to his original state. "I'm an animagus." He paused, taking a deep breath. "My name is Sirius Black and I need help clearing my name. I'm innocent."