McKinnon

| CHAPTER TWELVE |

"Honestly, things have just gotten much worse since I had that incident with Professor McGonagall." Sarai ranted to the stray dog that day.
It had been a few weeks since Sarai had been in the hospital wing. She had missed the first Quidditch match of the season while in the hospital wing that weekend. But from the sound of it, it didn't seem like something she wanted to witness. Harry Potter had fallen off his broomstick due to dementors wrongfully entering the grounds as an excuse to feast upon the gaggle of witches and wizards who had come together for the match. From what Dean and Seamus informed her, Harry's broomstick flew into the whomping willow destroying it to pieces.
Throughout the weeks back from the Hospital Wing, the professors around her treated her like glass. Fragile. As if one wrong look could shatter her to pieces and she had had enough of it. Even Dean and Seamus were being careful around her. She could tell that they were carefully avoiding topics to talk about such as Sirius Black, or Professor Snape. Remus had checked in on her nearly every meal she had.
She was beginning to feel suffocated. So she spent her free time outside near the forest with her 'adopted' dog. Even during the freezing winters days. There was a healthy amount of snow caked on the grass except for the patch of green from which she sat. Thankful for magic, she had casted the warming charm to fight the sharp icy wind in the air. Snuffles also seemed grateful for the warmth as he was constantly in her lap trying to steal her body heat.
"Honestly Snuffles," Sarai began in an exasperated tone, "it feels like you're my only friend!"
Snuggles, the stray whom she had finally found a name for, looked up from the Turkey leg he was devouring and barked, "Even Dad has gone full blown protective dad mode!"
Snuffles sat still as if waiting for her to continue ranting. "I love father Moonpie, I really do." At this a sound emitted from snuffles as though it was a snort, "But if he asks me how my day is one more time I might rip his head off."
Snuffles nudged her hand with his nose. As if demanding pets. She stroked his hair carefully. Throughout the few weeks she'd been spending more time with him, she manages to get Snuffles to take a bath. And brewed up some anti-flea potion. He was beginning to look less like a stray and more like a domesticated pet. And he had seemed a lot healthier as she had taken to giving him some food regularly.
   She sighed loudly, "Well I guess it's to be expected. I guess any dad would have the same reaction as him." Sarai said. Snuffles tilted his head as if confused, "He's not my real dad you see. But papa moon-light is the closest thing I've got." The nicknames Sarai came up with for Remus were becoming more and more creative, as she found it to be a sort of comfort for her. Snuffles also seemed to find it rather amusing so Sarai kept on with them.
    "My mum died when I was really young," she explained taking a more somber tone, "She died fighting you-know-who. And My dad— my father he left me on Dad's door step with nothing but a simple note."
   At the mention of Sarai's father, her tone changed from sadness to anger. "You want to know what that coward said?" She asked angrily. "She deserves a better father than me."
A humorless laugh emitted from her. "Yeah, well if he actually cared he'd have stuck around to at least try. Fucking deadbeat is what he is."
"Well that's not very nice."
The sound of a voice from behind her startled Sarai so bad she let out a small scream and flinched. She snapped her head around to see who the mysterious voice had come from, to Michael standing in front of her. He was sporting blue bronze quidditch gear, and his shaggy blonde hair was a mess. Most likely from the flying around. His smile reached his green eyes, as they were filled with amusement from the scare he had just given her.
"Sorry." He said with a lack of remorse, "who's this?"
He motioned to Snuffles who was currently barring his teeth to the unwelcome visitor. A low growl emitted from the dog before Sarai interrupted,
"Snuffles! Be nice!" She said astonished at the sudden change of nature from the usually sweet dog.
Snuffles, who did not like being scolded sat down and put his head in Sarai's lap whining as if to apologize. "Michael," Sarai said, "This is Snuffles!"
Michael took a wary look at snuffles before hesitantly taking a seat next to Sarai. "Does he bite?"
Sarai smiled slightly, "only if you call him a drama queen." As if on cue, snuffles nipped her hand playfully. She giggled as she began stroking snuffles fur once more.
"I found him out here one day. Poor thing looked like it hadn't had anything proper to eat in ages. And he was covered in fleas." Sarai explained, "it took me a while before he let me give him a bath. Finally." She said scrunching up her nose at the memory.
Michael scooted closer to Sarai, earning a teeth bare from Snuffles. Sarai's cheeks were tinted pink. But she hoped she could pass it off as the cold weather. As if threatening him to make a wrong move Snuffles didn't take his gaze off of the Ravenclaw boy. Carefully avoiding eye-contact with the dog, Michael rubbed his hand together as he let out a deep breath, watching the smoke come out of his mouth.
"Merlin," he said, "How are you so warm? You must be freezing out here!"
Sarai shook her head, "I used a hot air charm." She frowned looking at snuffles, "I wish I'd brought him a blanket though. I know he gets cold when I'm not around."
Suddenly Michael sat up quickly and started digging through the bag he had dropped beside him. Sarai watched confused as she watched him struggle through pouring the contents of his bag out. The bag was not nearly big enough to fit all of the books, quidditch equipment, scarves, beanies and other knickknacks he was pulling from his bag. He sat for a minute muttering to himself before he finally yanked out a shiny blue blanket from his bag. Big bronze letters were embroidered on it 'MC' on one of the corners.
"Aha!" He said before draping the blanket over the three of them. Sarai, who was still bewildered with the contents of his bag stared at him blankly. Her eyes flitting back in forth between him and the bag,
"How—-?"
Michael grinned at her brightly, "Capacious Extremeous. It's an extender charm." He said proudly as he began stuffing his bag back with the contents.
"That's really cool, Michael." Sarai admitted impressed. She earned a slight blush from him before he turned back to snuffles,
"We good, Snuffles?"
Snuffles gave him a snort but eyed him cautiously. The chocolate brown eyes still looked untrusting but he had accepted the boys presence for now. Sarai giggled at Michael's crestfallen face,
"I love dogs." He mumbled before also breaking into a smile. "Anyways, who's a 'fucking deadbeat?'" He asked turning back to Sarai.
Sarai blushed. "I was just telling Snuffles about my home life." Her face became even redder at the raised eyebrow Michael was giving her, before she quickly said, "he's a good listener!"
Snuffles barked in agreement. Michael smiled,
"Well since we're out here anyway, and I happen to have my books with me," He motioned to his bag of everything. "He can listen to us doing our potions essay while I struggle."
So the pair and Snuffles spent the afternoon doing their homework outside in the snow. As the day went on, the wind was blowing fiercer and the two huddled up together. But not too close because Snuffles would start growling at Michael fiercely. Snuffles was then deemed the 'over protective guard dog.'