Back in Black // Sirius Black

Chapter 15

<<<Alexandra Black>>>

I was nervous as my children and I arrived home from Platform 9 and 3/4. They didn't seem to notice the 'dog' I brought with me to the station was not their pet Snuffles. I could tell Sirius was nervous as well. We were only minutes away from their reunion.

"Mum, Uncle Moony told us about Sirius' innocence," Cassie had whispered as she hugged me in the station. My throat tightened and I held my daughter close. "Reg and I hope you're okay."

"I am, we can talk at home," I promised. Anxiously, the four of us used a nearby fireplace to travel home by Floo Network.

Once we arrived home, Sirius padded over to the center of the room and sat patiently on his haunches. Cassie and Regulus started to talk over each other, recalling the end of term events with Sirius Black and their conversation with Remus. They didn't seem to notice when their dog Snuffles entered the room to greet them and sat right beside Sirius. The identical, bear-like dogs looked up at us happily, tongues lolling out of their mouths.

"Mum, when did we get another dog?" Regulus suddenly asked and went to pet the two dogs. Cassie yelped at the sight and knelt beside Sirius, peering into his eyes.

"How did you find him, Mum?" Cassie mused. "This is the same dog I've been taking care of at Hogwarts all year!"

"Pardon?" I coughed and stared suspiciously at Sirius the dog. He batted his eyes innocently as Cassie scratched at his ears.

"I found him on the grounds this year and I kept feeding him! I was hoping to find him by the end of the term to take him home to adopt him, but he disappeared from Hogwarts a few days ago!"

The children started to fawn over their new 'pet.' Sirius gazed at me with calm grey eyes, patiently waiting for a sign to finally reveal himself.

"You never told me you actually got to meet your daughter," I sighed, looking pointedly at Sirius. Cassie stiffened and stopped petting Sirius. She took a wary step away from the dogs.

"Mum, what's going on?"

"So Remus told you Sirius is innocent, eh?" I said. "But did he tell you how Sirius escaped Azkaban and how Peter managed to hide for 12 years after his supposed murder?"

Silence blanketed the room. Sirius shuffled uncomfortably on his paws.

"Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus," I explained. "He hid as a rat after faking his death when Sirius confronted him for betraying the Potters. Peter Pettigrew was the Death Eater spy, not your father. Sirius was wrongly imprisoned for the murders, and we all believed Peter's scheme until Remus and I saw him alive the other night."

I went on to explain the same story we told Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the Shrieking Shack. With every word, I found myself praying they believed me. Judging by their anxious expressions and suspicious looks towards the new dog, I had a feeling they knew where the story was heading even before I finished it.

"My friends and I... We all became Animagi when we were at Hogwarts to protect Remus. James Potter, a stag. Peter Pettigrew, a rat..." I revealed. "Me, a fox. And Sirius Black..."

Regulus and Cassie now stood six feet away from Sirius.

"And Sirius Black," Regulus gulped, "a dog."

"Mum, show us," Cassie demanded. "I can hardly wrap my head around it, but show me your Animagus before he... Before he does."

Without a word, Cassie and Regulus watched as their mother was replaced by a sleek black fox. I spun in a quick circle and stared up at the pair. Their jaws dropped as I stepped lightly around the room, gently nudging at their legs. When I turned back to human, I rested a hand on Sirius' large head. His tail thumped nervously.