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Perseus didn't let Maria out of his sight for the next week.
He remained determined to keep her safe until Remus Lupin arrived to take them away for the rest of summer but Maria was convinced he just wanted to irritate her to death.
Every day she would spend some of her time gazing out the window where she could watch a particular black dog who always sat near the orphanage and stared back at her. Maria would do this on repeat until she could no longer take how human the dog acted sometimes.
"Does that dog seem a little strange to you?" Maria asked as she pointed the dog out to Perseus, who trudged over to the window to see what she was pointing at.
"It's just a dog, Maria," Perseus shrugged her off as he moved away from the window and back to his desk.
His answer only served to annoy her even further. There was something more to this peculiar dog than met the eye. Maria Black was determined to figure out what it was before Remus came to whisk them away from the orphanage.
"I'll be right back," Maria told her brother as she left him standing at the window. She could hear her brother's voice calling after her exasperatedly but was relieved when he respected her enough not to follow her. He had been suffocating her all week and she could only take so much before she lost control again.
By the time she made it out the front doors of the orphanage, the dog had disappeared from the spot she had last seen it. Maria walked around the side of the orphanage before she finally found the dog rolling around in a pile of mud.
When the dog caught sight of her, he jumped onto his four legs before bouncing over to her in excitement. The corner of Maria's lips quirked upwards in her signature almost smile as the dog ran around her excitedly.
She crouched down so she was at his level, petting his fur despite the fact that he was covered in mud. The dog rolled over onto his back, splashing mud up at the girl's feet but not enough that she minded quite yet. Maria rolled her eyes at the dog's silliness but continued to shower him with affection.
When she stood up, however, she was caught by surprise as the dog suddenly started tugging on her pants, almost as if he was begging her to stay.
"Hey-" Maria tried to get the dog to stop to no avail as it gave her pants a final tug, pulling her into the muddy pit he was playing in.
The dog let out a victorious bark before slowly approaching the young girl. Maria pushed herself off the ground, wiping the mud off her face in annoyance as she playfully glared at the small dog.
"Why you-"
Maria stopped as she looked into the eyes of the dog, everything finally clicking into place. She had seen those eyes before. Maria saw them every time she looked into a mirror and every time she looked into her twin's eyes.
"Dad?" Maria questioned, although there wasn't a doubt in her mind who the dog really was.
She took a single step towards the dog but before she could go any further, the dog spun around and bounded into the woods.
"Wait! Come back!" Maria called out as she followed him into the deep, dark woods. She pushed past branches and bushes that tugged at her clothes and scratched at her skin as she ran after the dog.
When she emerged in a clearing in the woods, she found that the dog had disappeared. In his place stood a middle-aged man with raggedy clothes and wild, black hair. His silver eyes seemed to pierce Maria's soul as she found her feet stuck to the forest floor, unable to say a single word.
The man rushed towards the girl but stopped after a few steps as she back away from him slightly. Hurt flashed across the man's face and Maria couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty.
"I'm not guilty," the man rasped desperately but he still stayed where he was, not wanting to scare the girl.
"I know," Maria's response was immediate and his shoulder's sagged in relief at the stong conviction in her words.
It was quiet for several more moments as they each eyed each other. Now that she was up close, Maria could see the obvious resemblances between them. He had passed on his thick, charcoal hair to her as well as his bright, silver eyes. Her height had to have come from her mother as he towered over Maria like a lanky giant.
She shouldn't have been surprised by the tears that pooled his eyes but she supposed it had been a while since she had seen or felt fatherly love.
"Thirteen years," Sirius Black whispered as he examined his daughter, soaking in every last detail about her including what she looked like and how much she had grown since he had last seen her at three years old. He didn't miss the haunted look in her eyes or the frown that seemed to always grace her face as he was suddenly filled with immense guilt. "I've missed you so much."
Maria wished she could respond with how much she missed him as well but she couldn't lie to him. She barely remembered the man at all but she could remember dreaming about meeting him her entire life.
It would take time, they both realized, for them to get used to being a father and daughter but they would try. That was all that mattered.
Despite Maria's closed nature and high walls built around her, it didn't take long for Sirius to breakthrough. He was funny, even Maria would admit it, as he cracked jokes to ease the tension at first. It had worked even if Sirius was doubtful. She didn't laugh or smile at anything he said but he quickly caught on that the slightest twitch of her lips was even more meaningful than a laugh.
Maria knew everything wasn't fully fixed as they continued to talk and she found herself sharing more with him than she thought she would. Maria trusted him, more than she probably should've, but she trusted her mother's advice and what her instincts told her. Their bond formed naturally, almost as if it was meant to be, but it didn't mean everything was perfect.
There were so many factors working against them, including the fact that Perseus hated their father with a burning passion. Even if he hadn't wanted to, Sirius had missed thirteen years of their life, which meant he didn't fully understand what Perseus and Maria had been through as children and even in the present. There was also the fact that Sirius Black was a wanted criminal for escaping Azkaban. Maria knew he was innocent but the rest of the world saw him as a crazed lunatic.
Despite all this, Maria finally felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Hope. Suddenly, everything seemed possible. She could see herself finally having a father and someone else to love. Her next thought wasn't always about death or afraid of loving anybody. She could see what the future would look like if they fixed everything together and could live out the rest of their lives in peace.
Maria could only hope that soon everything would be better.
