The Golden Trip

Chapter 11

I calm down after an hour. It's after 10 in the morning. I breathe in the scent of Sirius. Leather, pine. Masculine. He's my father now. Or, at least is that father-figure in my life. I've stopped crying. So has Sirius. He keeps whispering to me. "Why is it you? It should be me." Kissing my head. I miss him.

"I'm sorry Sirius." I whisper.

"Shh, Kitten. It's not your fault." Sirius told me. He wrapped me in his arms. "Hungry?" He asked. I nodded, and slipped off the bed with him. EVerything else was back to normal. I followed him into the kitchen, but waiting by the doorway. My wand was still in my hand. I became my fox. Less feelings clouding my mind is better. My wand dropped to the floor and rolled back into the living room. I walked on the kitchen floor, my paws clicking.

"Hermione-" Sirius, Fred, and George looked down at me.

"Guess you can't call her Kitten anymore." Fred laughed, looking at me.

"What am I going to call her now?" Sirius grumbled, stealing bacon from George's plate, which caused a loud 'Hey!'

"Well, there's Foxie-" George snickered.

"Crookie-"

"Paws-"

"Sherlock-"

"Red-"

"Strawberry-"

"Bandit-"

"Or Yip!" Fred concluded happily, clapping his hands.

Sirius chuckled. "I like Yip, to be honest." He sipped some coffee he had made.

"Well, there ya go Hermione!" George clapped his leg.

"We here by proclaim you as Yip!" Fred exclaimed. I, as a fox, was confused. Yip? Was that my name? I barked. Sirius laughed.

"Yip fits." I cocked my head. He placed down his cup and became Padfoot. He's even bigger than the Padfoot from now. He barks at me, and all my past fear and worry washes away. We play for awhile, Fred and George laughing. Soon, we become human again, and I grab my wand.

"See you guys soon." I say, getting the map and cloak. They smiled.

"Bye-"

"Yip!" Fred and George said. Sirius smiled at me. I left them smiling.

I paraded through the halls, and went down to the first floor to wait for James and Sirius. We always talked behind the tapestry. I looked around, and saw two boys heading my way. James and Sirius.

"Regulus. I tried. He doesn't listen!" Not Sirius. I put the cloak over me.

"Do you know why?" Regulus' voice was sharp. They came into view. James shrugged his head.

"You know, Reg, he wasn't treated well. That caused his views to change completely. Especially on, well, Death Eaters. He-er-feels as if most Slytherins are Death Eaters-or at least will eventually become one." James came closer to me, about five feet away. He leaned against the wall on my side, with Regulus standing.

"He's not wrong." Regulus mumbled. He sighed.

"You're right, I suppose," Regulus said. "I just, wish that I could somehow make him see that I'm not bad."

"But, you do have the Mark." James said, pointing a finger at him and lowering his voice. Regulus' face looked pain.

"I was threatened. Sirius' life is worth more than mine," Regulus shrugged. James' face looked pained.

"If you are really thinking of doing this," James started lowly. "Then that makes you a bigger person than you think." I looked between the both of them. They were almost the same exact height.