the case of dawna flynn - r.j lupin

sixteen

"What is he even doing that we can't go out with him?" Sirius spoke aloud to Red and the cat just stared at him  unable to do anything else.

Red knew where Remus was and why they couldn't go with him. Well, it was more that Sirius couldn't go with him but Remus had asked her to keep the still wanted ex prisoner company.

"It can't be anything too dire can it? Right Red?" He turned his head towards the cat who still just stared. They were both on Remus' bed, Sirius was laid across it diagonally, one leg off the bed with his foot planted on the floor and both hands were thrown behind his head. Red was sat by his side watching him.

She didn't quite understand why Sirius bothered talking to her when he was human and didn't just shift because he knew she couldn't reply if he was human.

Sirius scrutinised the cat for a moment before he seemed to have a light bulb moment.

"Oh my god, you know what is don't you Red?" Sirius laughed in disbelief, "If i change are you going to tell me?"

Red looked away from him defiantly and she felt an arm sweep her over the edge of the bed and when she gathered herself and looked back up at bed there was a shaggy black dog staring down at her with its rear end in the air and a long tail wagging.

"get off the bed Sirius." Red demanded but the dog didn't move, "you know how Remus feels about all you mangy dog fur everywhere."
"mangy dog fur!?" Sirius barked in a hurtful tone and his form became more predatory as his eyes narrowed at the red cat who was cleaning herself.
"its not a lie." she huffed and cast him a sideways glance, "don't be so sensitive."
A growl ripped through the room and Red jumped out of her skin,
"I'll show you sensitive cat."

Red narrowly missed Sirius' pounce onto where she'd been sat moments ago. The pair were only playing, Sirius was being way more gentle then how it'd look to onlookers.

They rough and tumbled for a while, both smacking eachother and nipping at eachother. Red was bigger then the usual orange cat so she wasn't in any really danger with it all. She knew if they really did break out into a fight she'd be able to hold her ground and win anyway, Sirius hadn't been in his animagus form for fifteen years.

Red believed she'd heard Remus coming before Sirius because the moment the door opened it was Sirius' turn to nip at her and she gave Sirius a troublesome look as he went to nip her shoulder.
"have fun." Red teased and by the time Sirius realsied what she was setting up it was too late. As his teeth nipped at her she let out a loud painful yowl and she was pulled up off the floor and into Remus' arms.

"Padfoot!" Remus scolded loudly and Padfoot was Sirius again and glaring at the cat,
"Oh you absolute suck up of a cat." Sirius ground at the cat as Remus held her close to him and pet her gently.
"You're the one who hurt her Pads." Remus pointed out and the cat dug her head into Remus' elbow.

"I didn't hurt her, we were playing-" Sirius broke off with a cry of frustration as he threw his arms in the air. "She's just giving in an excuse for you to hold her."

Reds head whipped up as if she was offended. That was not the case whatsoever.

Sirius stuck his tounge out at her and planted himself onto the couch with his arms crossed over his chest and a heavy glare on his face.

"Oh Sirius grow up. She's just a-" Remus stopped and Red peered up at him was a guilty silence. Not that it was her fault really but now that Remus and Sirius knew what she really was, he couldn't use that excuse.
"She's just a person. Not just a cat." Sirius spoke smartly.

Sirius wasn't really angry at Red, she knew that. But she did feel a bit bad, when Remus was upset at you it felt terrible. She stared at Sirius apologetically and he smiled wide at her.

"Anyway, Remus, when can I see Harry next?" Sirius asked and Remus looked down at Red with a smile and Red moved up and laid across his shoulders and yawned before nuzzling into his neck. She couldn't lie that there was no embarrassment in it, even now that he knew she was really human. It was such a custom between them that she hoped it didn't make it uncomfortable.

She was sure he'd tell her if it did.

"Well, Sirius, ive managed to talk it out with Dumbledore and you're allowed to roam without me now. As Padfoot of course." Remus told the man on the couch and the man was suddenly a dog and bounding around the room, "So you can go and see Harry at anytime."

"oh Red, isn't this amazing?" Sirius spoke to her and Red although she could speak just meowed at him.

Remus opened the door to the room and the dog who was practically bouncing off the walls was out the door and out of sight in seconds. The werewolf shut it behind him.

"Oh Red.." Remus huffed and if she could laugh she would have laughed that Remus started speaking with the same words that Sirius just used. The man walked towards the bed, vanished the abundance of black dog hairs with a wave of his wand before he fell forwards onto the bed. Red jumped off his shoulder midway down and landed safely beside him. He rolled over. "I hope we really do find something to make you better."

Red nosed at his cheek and he smiled over at her.

"You won't shift again after will you?"  Remus asked although she knew the knew the answer and the cat shook her head. "I'll miss this..I'll really miss this."

So would she.

"You're a great cat. Im sure you'll be an even better person."

She laid down beside his head and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I wish i met you before this all happened Dawna Flynn." Remus admitted as he shut his eyes. Her real name felt unfamiliar off his lips. It felt wrong.

"I think we could have been friends."

She doubted that. Dawna Flynn and Remus Lupin were very different people.

"I hope you won't disappear on me when you're human again. Promise me Red." She lifted her head up and he was staring at her with pleading eyes and she bumped her head against his and he smiled.

"Promise."