| Inked | (George Weasley)

Chapter Forty-One

The last day of the summer holidays always went by so fast. Olive and Missy usually spent the whole day out, first going to Diagon Alley to get the youngest sister's school supplies, and then they walked around the small town in which they lived to grab lunch or tea before heading back to their flat for the night. The girls always liked to spend the last day Olive had at home before going back to Hogwarts together as a family.

However, Missy's boss, Ned Jones from the W.A.P.I. office (the Wizarding Auror and Private Investigator's office) sent in a letter earlier in the morning demanding she be at work. Missy worked as 'executive manager' in the front office, which meant she dealt with a lot of paperwork. Apparently said paperwork was stacked to the ceiling.

"Ever since the sightings at the World Cup everybody's been reporting suspicious activity." Missy sighed, folding up the letter with an annoyed sigh, "It's all a bunch of rubbish, most of it is just paranoid old people who think their cat is a Dementor and think they're being attacked."

Olive added some sugar to her tea, stirring it in with a thoughtful expression, "I thought Caroline Nesbit was partnered with you? Can't she go in?"

Missy shook her head, "Poor dear's got some case of Dragon Pox. Nothing bad, but she's held up at home."

"Can't Jones do it himself?" Sirius asked at the table, "I remember him back at school... a real tosser he was."

"Sirius!" Missy chuckled at the rude comment, hitting Sirius in the arm playfully, "He's my boss! Besides, he has to make house calls today, so there's no one to man the front office. He says I have to go in."

Missy exchanged an apologetic look to Olive, realizing what today was, "Oh, no! We're supposed to go to Diagon Alley today."

Olive shook her head with a smile, "Missy, it's fine. We can go tomorrow. I don't need much this year, just some textbooks."

"We always go last minute as it is... I don't want you to miss the train tomorrow." Missy sighed, running a hand through her dark curls, "I suppose I can make some room during my lunch break."

Remus shook his head, deciding to butt in on the conversation, "Don't worry about it, Miss. I can take her today."

"Yeah!" Sirius exclaimed, "That's a great idea! I'll come too!"

"No." Remus shot his friend a look, "You know you can't be seen in public yet, Padfoot."

"He's right." Missy sighed, "You shouldn't be out, not yet at least... Thank you, Remus. Ollie knows our vault number at Gringotts, so you should be all set."

Sirius slumped his shoulders in fake hurt, but Olive could tell some of that hurt was real. He hasn't left the flat in weeks, and despite there being three other people living in that flat... there isn't much to do.

Olive looked at each of the adults at the table, her brows furrowed as she thought of a way where everybody could be happy today. It was her last day before she headed back to Hogwarts, and she wanted to spend time with everyone and make sure they all had a good day.

"What if Sirius came in his animagus form?" She offered, "Everyone brings their pets to Diagon Alley. He'll blend right in."

Sirius brightened up at the idea, smiling at Olive from across the table. The Ravenclaw returned it, bringing her mug of tea to her lips as she glanced hopefully between Remus and Missy.

"She does have a point." Missy shrugged, "I suppose a few hours are alright."

Remus looked uneasy, thinking about the idea while stirring honey into his tea aimlessly, "I don't know..."

"We'll be out for only a few hours." Olive tried to convince the former professor, "And if anything seems even slightly suspicious we can go straight home."

Sirius turned to Remus with a hopeful look on his face, pleading silently to leave the flat for a few hours. Even in his dog form, being able to walk around and breathe some fresh air will do him some good.

After another moment or two, Remus caved.

"Alright. Only for a few hours." He said, turning to Sirius with a small smile, "And no funny business, Padfoot."

"Of course!" Sirius did a small happy dance in his seat, trying to contain his excitement for the day's adventures. Olive exchanged an eager smile with the man, getting to her feet to put her dishes away.

"Be careful." Missy warned them, "It's only been a few months since you got away again. People could still be looking for you."

Sirius nodded, "I know. Which is why I have the perfect addition to my disguise."

"I'm not putting this on you." Remus held the fluffy pink dog collar in his hand with a look of disgust. Olive chuckled in amusement, having been the one to suggest the collar for whenever Sirius left the flat in his animagus form.

Sirius folded his arms across his chest, quirking a brow, "Why not?"

"I can't believe you're willing to wear this thing. Wouldn't it be humiliating?" Remus asked, "It's got ruffles! And it smells like strawberries."

"It's my body! I can wear what I like." Sirius snatched the collar and handed it to Olive, "Would you do the honor, Ollie?"

The sixteen year-old nodded with a smirk, "Of course."

Missy stood by the doorway, arms folded as she watched the scene unfold, "Padfoot, you kept that after all these years? I got that for you as a joke for your 17th birthday, remember?"

Sirius chuckled, "Hey, I figured I'd need a change in style one day. Plus, I like way it fluffs up my fur in the front."

Remus rolled his eyes, "You're so ridiculous."

"And you're so judgmental." Sirius sassed, "Remember this next time you try to wear stripes and polka dots at the same time."

Sirius shifted into his animagus form, which allowed Ollie to clip the pink collar on him. She also clipped a leash to him, but she'd only hold it once they got outside. Sirius hates it when he's leashed.

"Ready?" Remus asked, "Ollie, you have everything?"

The Ravenclaw nodded, patting her pockets to make sure she had the handful of sickles that were leftover from her trip to the Quidditch World Cup, as well as the list with all of the school supplies she'd need for the upcoming year.

"Good." Missy ruffled Ollie's hair, "Sorry I can't go with you today."

Ollie shrugged, "It's fine. I'm sorry you got called into work today."

"Me too." The eldest sister sighed, "See you later, okay? Be careful."

"We will be." Remus checked his watch, "We better leave or we'll miss the train into London."

Olive waved goodbye to Missy, grabbing Sirius's leash as they headed out the door.

In his dog form, Sirius looked up at Remus with a sly raise of his ears, strutting in a way that brought attention to the collar he wore around his neck. Ollie stifled a laugh as she shared a look with Remus, who just shook his head.

"Such a drama queen." He muttered, "This is what I get for trying to mix patterns one day..."

Olive turned to Remus with a shrug, "You have to admit, it does ruffle up his fur in the front quite nicely."