To Have A Twin--- A Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Chapter 11: Padfoot, Sit!

Chapter 11: Padfoot, Sit!

That weekend, Harry had promised Harley that he would teach her how to fly on a broomstick and the whole basics about Quidditch. As Harry lugged two broomsticks, his Nimbus 2000 and the school's practice broom, he noticed a black dog sitting next to Harley. "Who's this?" Harry asked as he patted the slim dog. 

"I named him Padfoot," Harley said, "I found him last night. Professor Dumbledore said I could keep him, he makes a wonderful guard dog in the owlery. I'm still trying to make him a little bit more healthy."

"That's good to hear," her brother said, "Ready for your lessons?" he asked, mounting on his broom. But before they could start, "Harry! Harley!" Hermione's voice called out.

"What is it?" Harley asked and Hermione showed the twins a copy of the day's Daily Prophet. "Alleged killer and prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black, has escaped. Tight security measures would be established for the safety of the people..." a prison picture of Sirius Black was on the front of the newspaper. 

Padfoot seemed uneasy if a dog could be uneasy, and Harley knew why. 

Ron ran out of the field next. Padfoot was then up on all fours and started barking. Ron's pocket was then shaking. "What is that bloody thing?" Ron seemed to gather a hatred for Hermione's pet cat now it seems he'd hate Harley's new dog too. 

"It's a dog, ever seen one?" Harley said bitterly, she didn't like how Ron described Padfoot as a bloody thing. Ron started to pat his pocket. "Just, please, keep it away from Scabbers," he said. 

"Who's Sirius Black?" Harry asked. 

"He's said to have killed 13 people, not including the other victims, in broad daylight, in front of Muggles. People said he was delusional. He was sent to Azkaban afterward. The only remains of the incident was a finger, from a man named Peter Pettigrew," Harley answered quietly. 

Everyone seemed to look at her in astonishment. "I just know, okay? I came upon his name a while back thanks to Hermione's gift. Did you know that the box is also a newspaper archive for any Muggle and Wizarding news publication?" Harley seemed to try to change the topic. 

"Maybe we can talk about this later, but for now, I have to teach my sister, here, how to fly on a broom," Harry said.

Later that afternoon, just before they were about to end the lessons, Harry's glasses accidentally slipped off the bridge of his nose. It was plummeting fast but Harley was able to push her broom to an angle that could allow her to get the glasses before it would shatter to the ground and to maneuver herself before she herself could hit the ground. She snatched the glasses just inches away from the ground and swiftly shot back up to give them back to her brother. 

"Another advantage I have, I don't have to worry about glasses falling off from the bridge of my nose," Harley chuckled as she placed them back so his brother could see more clearly. 

Then there was a person clapping. "Wonderful! Just marvelous!" Professor McGonagall was also in the field, watching the twins and was able to see what Harley had done.

"You just may have a spot in our team in Gryffindor, my dear. Ever wanted to join the team?" the professor asked as the two landed. Harley looked at her brother and she saw a smile on his face. 

"I guess I could try," she said. 

"Oh, Marvelous indeed! Your father and mother would be proud of you. They would be proud of both of you!" the professor said as she went back to the castle. Harley looked at Padfoot who seemed to have given her a reassuring smile.

They walked Padfoot to the owlery after returning the broom Harley used. Harley went on her knees to say a good night to Padfoot. "You still have to act like a dog, you know that right?" she whispered as silently as she could so that her brother could not hear what she has just said. She stood back up, "Okay, Padfoot, I have to go now. You know the deal, Hagrid would come by here to give you your dinner, it'll be from everything we're going to have for dinner, so you won't be missing out on much," Harley said and gave Padfoot a soft pat on the head. "So, Padfoot, sit, and stay. It's just for the night," she said and they left.

Padfoot looked around and strolled on the isles where the different owls were resting. He felt secure and started to rest his head on his front paws on a stack of hay.