GOOD DOG || Sirius Black

(Forty: The Servant of Lord Voldemort)

It eventually became clear that Sirius wasn't leaving.

I mean, Alex figured it out around day three or four. Definitely after the camp bed had been set up in Remus' spare room and Mr and Mrs Lupin had convinced the pureblood boy to call them Lyall and Hope. They were still working on brainwashing Alex into the same act. 

Alex continued not to do an enormous amount. Her camera had survived, stashed in her bag as a sort of comfort blanket when they had launched an attack on the Shadow Man, but all it did now was stare accusingly down at her from on top of a nearby cupboard. She played Sirius at Mario Kart every day, and he seemed to be making his way through the roster of characters to find one that he liked.  He was improving, Alex could admit, but was still nowhere near her undeniable skill.

Eventually, after a week of this rutine, Sirius burst into the spare room, grin splitting his entire face, "Get up, come on."

Alex had been sat sideways on the bed, leaning against the wall next to it. Morning sunlight filtered throught the slats of the blinds, though she couldn't have actually said when it had stopped being night. 

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock?" She asked the Gryffindor boy, though there was no force behind her words.

Sirius seemed to think about it for a moment, "No."

Alex snorted, pushing off the bed and standing up, "Figures. Where are we going?"

He just grinned at her for a moment, effortlessness of the gesture betraying his surprise at her lack of resistance. He shook his head, turning around and walking away, clearly expecting her to follow.

"What? Is it a suprise or something?" Alex rolled her eyes, clicking the bedroom door shut. 

Sirius seemed to ponder that for a moment, "Yes, it's a suprise."

"Why?" Was the only question Alex cound think of.

Sirius turned and walked backwards down the stairs of the little cottage, chin tipped upwards so he could continue looking up at her. It was a ridiculously slow and awkward shuffle, but Sirius' smirk said it was worth it, "Because if you knew where we were going, you'd never come with me."

Groaning, Alex followed Sirius into the living room, where he crossed to the fireplace and began checking the too-many adornations of pots for the one that contained floo powder, "Why do I get the sense you're taking me to a drug den or something?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at her and placed a hand on his heart, holding up the blue dragon-scale pot in his spare hand as a makeshift toast, "I promise not to take you to a drug den. This time."

"I feel so reassured." Alex stepped forwards as Sirius stuck half his arm in the little jar in order to scrape the bottom for floo powder, "The image of you groping that Lupin family heirloom isn't doing much to help either."

"As ever your use of language continues to flatter me. I'm blushing." Sirius commented. Eventually, he held a handful of the dirt aloft in messy dark victory. His triumphant grin brought a small smile to Alex's face, however hard she tried to repress it. Noting this, Sirius placed the little jar back on the shelf and held out a hand to Alex.

She looked at it.

"C'mon. They don't shoot lasers." Sirius wiggled his fingures, "Although that would be awesome. Do you think we can do that? We have magic. Never mind, just imagined the carnage trying to get Pringles out of a tube."

Alex worked her jaw, shot a couple more suspicious glances at Sirius, and grabbed his hand. She had been half expecting it to be cold and slimy, like what snake scales never were. They weren't that. A small shock ran through her at the warmth of his palm against hers, the softness of his skin, so very human. She frowned down at the place they made contact.