Thursday 3rd August 1989.
Sirius watched his best living friend glance up and past his shoulder as the group settled onto new ground, tucked neatly into a small unused alcove beside Flourish & Blotts.
This was apparently the biggest group they had ever brought to Diagon Alley at once and it was hard to find a place where they could all appear together. Usually, large groups flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Only apparating into place when numbering one or two people max. Remus pulled the Orb from the bag at his hip and tapped a couple of the runes on its shiny surface.
Looking back past him once again as he finished, Remus saw something approaching that sent his eyes wide and had him tapping several more of the runes. Activating sound-dampening spells on the gemstone.
"Back into the alcove, kids to the wall." He hissed, making Sirius curious as to what was unsettling his friend. He turned in time to see the owl rear up and launch the red envelope at his face, ducking at the last moment and allowing it to fall to the street. "Answer it Padfoot, the Orb probably can't contain the full volume of an exploding howler."
Sirius glared at Remus briefly before nudging the twitching letter with his foot, causing it to leap into the air and rip open to face him. He braced himself as the howler zoomed right up into his face and the loud voice of the letter washed over them.
" SIRIUS ORION BLACK! I had thought better of you than this. I understand you've had a rough time of it when it comes to the Black family but I never thought you'd be so cruel to a child. You have exactly one day to reply to poor Nymphadora's letters or I am going to track you down and teach you exactly why the Black Sisters were feared as a whole at Hogwarts. Ignore me all you want, but she is an eleven-year-old girl who just wants proof her mother's side of the family is not only full of miserable arseholes. ONE DAY! "
The angry letter ripped and burst into flames. Scattering its ashes over the cobblestones in the middle of the group. A tiny sliver of the former letter flew away into the crowd once more, a delivery notice, meaning the sender would soon know it had been received.
The two children and the muggles in their group looked askance at him as Sirius digested what he'd heard. The voice was one he'd not heard in almost a decade, but he still recalled Andromeda's temper. She hadn't taken kindly to his present to young Nymphadora for her first birthday, not that he could recall what he had actually gotten the girl anymore.
He glanced up again as Remus cleared his throat and noticed the man wasn't looking at him, but over his shoulder, yet again.
Sirius turned to look out into the alleyway and found a pair of brown eyes looking at him with scrutiny and a little anger from point-blank range. The woman's typically wild Black hair was tamed perfectly into brown waves over her shoulders. Her arms were crossed, one hand holding a tiny sliver of singed paper. She was tapping her foot impatiently as she glared at him.
"Andi!" Sirius began with a big grin.
"Don't you 'Andi' me, Sirius Black!" She replied severely. "Three letters. Five if you include mine. What's your excuse? You've been out for over a month. Not bailed up in St Mungo's anymore either I see. Gallivanting about Diagon Alley. Well?"
"I didn't get any letters, Andi." Sirius winced as her eyes narrowed further. "Honestly. The healers wouldn't pass on anything that came for me. Said I wasn't well enough for mail. And where I'm staying right now is a little out of owl range. When did you get an owl anyway?"
"We didn't. I just sent that from the Owl Post Office across the street. Lucky I did, so I could catch you two in the act." Andromeda swept her eyes over the small crowd tucked into the alcove. Sirius shifted slightly to block the temporarily brown-haired boy behind him and her eyes fixed on him immediately. "Don't tell me you knocked some poor girl up before you got locked away!"
"No!" He yelped, blushing heavily at the laughter from the woman behind him.
She stepped past and offered her hand to Andromeda. "Natalie Granger. We're friends of Remus's." She stated, smirking at Sirius as Andromeda shook her hand. "This is my husband, Richard. My daughter Hermione. And…"
"Harry is my friend." Hermione chirped up, holding the boy's hand and looking at the woman defiantly. Sirius cringed slightly.
"Ah," Andromeda said, her face showing a burst of recognition. "I had been hoping to meet you again ever since your front page appearance. You've changed a lot since I last saw you, Harry."
Sirius winced as Harry stepped forward and offered his own hand to his cousin. The boy's disguised brown eyes, which made him look quite a bit like Hermione's brother, but he still had the unruly hair of a Potter if one looked closely, locked on the older woman's as he analysed her before speaking. "Nice to meet you. You look a lot like…"
"My elder sister? Yes. Though I'm told I lack the look of madness in the eyes and my hair is lighter." Andi replied with a smile, shaking his hand in response. "Shall we find somewhere quieter to have a chat?"
Andromeda replaced her gaze on Sirius who was now sweating as he worried how such a conversation might play out. He knew Andi wasn't like most of the Black family, but he'd been out of contact for a long time. People changed, after all.
"We're actually on quite the tight schedule this morning." Richard intervened, "Perhaps we might meet for lunch tomorrow? We'd love to have you all over for a chat. Members of Harry's family are so rare these days."
"Indeed." She replied, considering the offer for a moment. "That would be acceptable. Give this one time to get his brain working again it seems. Though I've not much in the way of hope for that given past experience."
Remus was apparently unable to contain his laughter at that remark and began howling from behind Sirius, something he would happily repay later on, but for now, got him out of trouble.
"Excellent. So, And...romeda. It was lovely seeing you." Sirius fixed her with his cheekiest grin, soon faltering as it clearly had no effect on the woman. "Um, guys, shall we."
Sirius's eyes flicked from one person to the next, clearly begging them to let this hell end yet they all appeared to be enjoying his struggle far too much. One of the downsides of being an irrepressible prankster was it occasionally bit you on the arse quite badly.
"Tomorrow, then. And you will behave with Nymphadora. None of that nonsense you pulled last time." With a polite nod to the group, Andi turned and headed for the Cauldron, Sirius finally letting out a breath of relief and whirling on his so-called friend. "Thanks for helping out there, Moony!"
"Hey, you are on your own with the Blacks. They're your family, not mine."
Sirius replied only with a glare, taking Harry's free hand and heading in the opposite direction. He was very much regretting his choice to take the family out shopping, and now he had a pending lunch date with his long-estranged family looming.
How could things get worse than this?
ϟ
Friday 4th August 1989.
Harry sat in his favourite spot beneath the large oak tree, his fingers gently brushing over the downy feathers of his newest friend.
Beside him, Hermione was cooing over the small slightly squashed face of the part-kneazle kitten that Sirius had bought for her the day before as well. At first, Harry thought the large kitten was all bandy-legged and ugly, but several hours of listening to Hermione extol his many virtues the night before soon allowed him to see the ginger's positive traits.
He definitely preferred his own find though. While Hermione had been introducing herself to the kitten in her lap, Harry had felt a pair of eyes on his back. Sweeping his gaze over the menagerie he had finally located the tiny pure grey-downed fledgling watching him from the corner.
The moment their eyes had met, striking yellow to disguised brown instead of his usual green, he had felt a connection in his chest. She was achingly beautiful and held herself with a dignity that seemed so out of place in an owl her age.
Harry allowed the feeling to draw him in, soon reaching his hand out and jolting in surprise as the lithe bird gave a small hop, passing from the tiny perch onto his outstretched arm. The tiny figure weighed around two or so pounds and her eyes did not leave his own as the pair calmly walked back to where Richard was bickering with Sirius over who would pay for Crookshanks. Hermione finally looked up from her new pet to see Harry and she smiled openly at him.
The regal bird finally turned from Harry, facing her white mask at the girl now staring at her in awe. Harry could feel Hermione's magic reach out to the bird slightly, much as his own had done. He watched silently as the bird gave Hermione's outstretched finger a gentle nip before turning to him and giving a bark of approval. Harry nodded in agreement, he was quite fond of both his girls.
The adults had continued to bicker about payment rights for both animals but the children had been oblivious, far too lost in appreciating their newest friends. While Hermione's new ally had come prenamed, Harry was still searching his mind for something suitable.
Hearing a noise from the nearby back door, Harry glanced up and noted Andromeda watching them from the house. He briefly recalled their meeting the day before and he smiled at the woman.
She seemed kind enough and very familiar with Sirius's mischievous nature. He'd informed them as they shopped that Andromeda had been cast from his family for her choice to follow her heart and marry a muggleborn named Ted. He was currently inside with their daughter as the Grangers and Marauders determined if she was able to keep Harry's secrets.
Harry's eyes flicked between Andromeda and his owl and he noted several similarities between the females. Both had a regal bearing, both were very beautiful and both had a hidden strength he could feel under the surface. The comparison reminded Harry of a book he'd read a long time ago, describing some of the most famous people in what he now knew to be Andromeda's profession of healing.
"Hedwig," he whispered, drawing the eye of the two closest females.
The owl looked into his eyes for several silent moments rolling her head slightly. Harry held his breath as she analysed the word before she finally bobbed her head and straightened once more, giving an affirmative bark.
"I like it," Hermione whispered beside him, close enough in their usually snuggled position for him to hear her clearly.
Hedwig turned to face the girl and Harry was sure the bird appeared to be smiling, despite the impossibility of such a thing happening with the solid bone and keratin of her beak.
"Wow…" Harry's eyes flicked up at the new voice and he realised there were now several people standing quite close to where he was seated.
Andromeda was side by side with a man whose entire figure just yelled the word 'kind' at Harry's mind. He was as fair-haired as Andromeda's was dark and his soft body reminded Harry of how people called Santa jolly, though he wasn't nearly so rotund as the mythical man.
The Grangers were to the Tonkses' left and Sirius was one step closer than the rest, looking stressed yet hopeful in the direction of the girl standing closest of all. She was staring at her exposed arms as if fascinated by them.
The girl was only a few years older than Harry but she managed to look every bit the child of both Ted and Andromeda. She had the same soft kindness in her heart-shaped face that Ted exuded from his own while sharing her mother's poise and eyes. Harry smiled at her and her eyes squished for a moment, when they opened again they were now violet instead.
"Wotcher." She said joyfully, a quizzical smirk on her face. "Can you turn that thing off or not?"
Harry looked at her in confusion until he felt Hermione's magic recede away from him. He glanced at her and noticed a light blush on her cheeks and realised his own must have been getting away from him in their quiet moment.
He steadied himself and felt it pull inward once more. Leaving him feeling a touch colder now, despite the warm sunny day they were experiencing.
"Sorry, it does that sometimes." He apologised, standing up and walking over to the girl, Hedwig now settled on his shoulder. He glanced at the family arrayed about the girl and extended his hand. "My name is Harry."
The girl smiled back as she took his hand but was prevented from replying as Hedwig took the opportunity to hop along their arms to the girl's shoulder. Her bright yellow eyes stared into the girl's violet ones from a few centimetres away, neither blinking for a very long time.
At long last, the girl squeezed her eyes again and when they opened her eyes matched Hedwig's in every way. The owl turned back to Harry and barked once more.
"Hedwig likes you. So far she's been a wonderful judge of character."
"That's good to know. How long have you had her?" the girl asked, turning back to face him, two pairs of identical yellow eyes now watching him.
"Bit over a day." The girl looked surprised for a moment before she started laughing, finally releasing his hand.
"Harry," Andromeda said, stepping closer to the trio. "This is my daughter, Nymphadora." A flash of red coloured the girl's cheeks at the sound of her name. "She is your second cousin, once removed."
"Cousin is just fine. I've never cared for all this removed stuff. And please don't call me… that."
Harry smiled at the difference between mother and daughter. Andromeda's crisp tone and pronunciation versus the other's more easy-going manner. "Nym?" Harry asked.
The girl scrunched her whole face and Harry figured she hated the idea, but before he could speak again, her long mousy brown hair began to recede until it was barely past her ears and became bright pink. Her face was changing too, shifting to look less like her mother for some reason. When her eyes opened once more, they had returned to the violet colouring.
"That is so cool." He whispered, not realising he'd spoken aloud.
"Isn't it? I suppose Nym would be alright."
"Nymphadora is a perfectly acceptable name. I don't know why you make such a big fuss about it." Andromeda clicked from behind the girl, who did not blush this time, but Harry thought that may have something to do with how she changed her face.
"How do you do that?"
"The Black family is very old," Andi explained. "Almost as old as the Potters, and has entwined with many other families over the years gaining and sharing several descendant abilities. Nymphadora has inherited the family's long-buried metamorphmagus ability."
"Means I can look however I like, whenever I like." Nym smiled, raising her arm and allowing Hedwig to hop along it to Harry's shoulder once more. "But we're being rude. Nym."
The metamorph extended the now owl-free arm to the girl who had crept up beside Harry. "Hermione. Can I learn how to do that too?"
Harry laughed at Hermione's insatiable desire for new knowledge and skills. "Unfortunately not," Harry stated. "Metamorphs are only born. Just like I can't teach you how to speak to snakes. Magic is picky on some of its abilities."
Hermione frowned and Harry tried not to laugh, instead wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. Nym glanced at the two of them but smiled as Harry gestured her towards the tree and the three kids sat beneath its wide shadow. The adults dissolved away, some gathering by the barbeque near the shed, the others at the outdoor setting. But he still noticed the wary glances they cast their way.
"I think they're all worried we're going to eat you or something," Hermione whispered, drawing Nym's attention to the looks as well.
"Perhaps. Mum's always been on me to make more friends. I was pretty sheltered growing up until I managed to get a handle on the meta thing. Hard to send me off to a sleepover if the girl that wakes up the next day looks completely different to the one they tucked in." Nym laughed at what Harry felt was an actual memory, rather than a random example.
"Yeah," He said softly, eyeing Sirius and Remus. "I know the feeling of being coddled a bit too much. I appreciate it, it shows how much they care. But sometimes it makes you want to tear their hair out."
"Be kinda hard for you? Given…" Nym trailed off and Harry noticed she seemed wary of him now.
"Yes," he replied, the wide smile on his face settling the girl as he realised what she meant. "They're dead, but I still get to talk with them at home. Pops and Mipsy were great growing up and now I have the family paintings, and the Grangers, who are so great. Sirius and Remus are like a pair of wacky uncles. And now I've got cousins too. My family keeps getting bigger."
The broad grin on his face showed how much Harry appreciated every member of his broadening family. "You're like a singularity of family, Harry. The more you get and the denser it becomes, the more family it pulls in." Hermione joked, poking him in the side, setting all three laughing.
"So, I've met Hedwig," The owl preened herself at the attention, making Harry feel all warm as he watched her. "But who is this little cutey?" Nym asked, reaching out towards the ginger kitten crawling back into Hermione's lap.
"Crookshanks. He's just beautiful isn't he?" Harry bit his tongue, still not quite seeing the beauty that the girls did, but not wanting to upset either of them as well.
Harry doubted he'd ever understand girls properly.
ϟ
Richard loved the smell of a good barbeque.
As a lifelong Brit, he knew they were a rarity. The grill they were currently standing at had been built at the house around Hermione's fourth birthday and had been used a grand total of twenty times in the intervening six years.
The two adults were often too busy managing their fledgling dental practice on days when it was nice enough to use.
Yet when the weather today had turned out so perfect, he'd quickly convinced Natalie to change their impending lunch to an afternoon barbeque. There was something special about the smell of charring meat in the bright summer air.
"They seem to be getting along well," Remus commented, sipping his beer.
"Harry has that effect on people." Richard laughed, turning the sausages. "Natalie has all but adopted him. You two as well, heaven help us."
Sirius stood by Ted watching the trio under the tree carefully. The few stories the man had told of his family made it clear where his unease originated, but from what Richard had seen of the Tonkses so far, they were good people. "Relax, anyone would think you were Harry's actual dad the way you act sometimes."
Remus spurted beer over the tidy lawn and began to cough deeply, Ted soon soothing his discomfort with a spell that drew Richard's attention from the grill long enough for a burning smell to waft upwards.
"Please…" Remus croaked. "Never put that image in my head again. Padfoot with children."
"Shut up, Moony. It could happen."
"Sure, and I might wake up tomorrow in remission."
Sirius made a rude gesture that got him a firm whack on the hand from the pair of tongs. "Not in front of the kids."
"Ow, you're as bad as Lily sometimes." Sirius groaned, rubbing his sore wrist. "Looks like it's my turn for another round?"
The other males nodded and watched as Sirius transformed and bounded towards the children. All three of them burst out laughing however when he stuck his head too close to the now cantankerous kitten and its sharp claws. The yelp Padfoot let out, set the entire yard full of laughter.
"I'll be honest, there were a lot of times when Hermione was growing up, I thought something like this would never happen. She just never seemed to click with the other kids. Then she met Harry… Talk about a whole new world."
"Meeting James was a similar experience for me. I was bitten as a child, so by the time Hogwarts came about, I had made my peace with the fact I was never going to have friends because of it. James wouldn't have it. He hounded me until I gave in. When they learned about my secret I was terrified it'd be the end."
Remus paused to down the remainder of his beer. "Turns out all it did was spur them all to master a difficult form of magic to keep me company. Harry has shown a similar stubbornness in his friendship with Hermione. I can't say for sure, but it feels like Potters bond early and for life. He'll never let them go."
"Dora seems to be fitting in well too." Ted offered, nodding along with the other men. "Her meta powers meant we often had to say no to her going out. This led her to rebel a lot. Which Dromeda never took well. They butt heads a lot, but I don't think I'd have it any other way. You can see it in her face right now. She's been hiding her Black features for about four months now. It's driving Dromeda mad."
The men all chuckled at the image that wrought. Richard liked Ted immensely. He was very quiet, often seeming to be absorbing all the information around him. But he had a spark to him that Richard was very familiar with.
"Kids, eh?" Richard said at long last as Sirius arrived back in human form with an armful of chilled beverages. That led to a quick toast to those who had brought them together today.
ϟ
"I'd call today a success? Wouldn't you?" Natalie questioned as she picked up the soapy plate.
"Indeed. I worry about Nymphadora a lot. I've seen the darker side of our world from far too close for my liking, and I've let that colour my actions maybe a little too much where she's concerned. She's really chafing under my rule sometimes." Andromeda replied, finding the ritual of manually cleaning the day's dishes to be a good way to clear her mind.
"Hermione's getting to that age now too. And with magic, she's beyond what we could have hoped to manage alone. Harry's habit of building new family so easily has been a godsend. Without Remus and now yourselves, I think Richard and I would be going crazy trying to keep up with her."
"Why did we have girls?"
"We're gluttons for punishment?" Natalie replied and Andi laughed.
"Can you imagine if they'd been boys?"
Both women remained silent for a thoughtful moment before laughing loudly. "No, thank you. Girls are far less trouble." Natalie laughed.
"Yes. One Sirius in the family is quite enough. At least Crookshanks seems to have his measure already. Though kneazles are an excellent judge of character."
"Hermione had never asked for a pet, but the moment she saw that kitten she was gone for him."
"It's possible she's developing a familiar bond. A magical can feel it in their chest when they meet a potential familiar. I once had a sweet little cat of my own. She was much older when I met her though, she died a few years ago now. I can still feel a small space in my magic that she used to fill.
"Harry is most definitely forming one with Hedwig. It's a good thing he seems to like surrounding himself with strong confident women. Imagine if the only role models he had were Remus and Sirius?"
"Goodness, no. They're lovely guys, but sole parents of a little boy. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
Quiet filled the room once again as the pair finished tidying up. It wasn't until the pair were seated at the kitchen table, watching the men chase the kids about the garden as they shared a tea that they spoke again.
"Your family..." Natalie began.
"Sirius is all I claim from that bunch these days. It's odd that the black sheep of the Black family are the ones who show basic human decency. Though I still sometimes wonder if my cousin has that." Andi joked, watching the man bound about as a dog once more. "I was cast out for falling in love with a man they found lacking simply for the fact his parents lacked magic."
"But the way you direct Nymphadora?"
"I know. It's hypocritical of me, but I know what it's like to be a woman in the magical world. And she'll face trouble from some simply because Ted is a muggleborn. Others will want to use her meta powers for their own gain. Or worse. The Blacks might be mad and bigoted, but they instilled many qualities in me that I can see the value of in such a world."
"Does it bother you that she's rebelling against it?"
"Not in the slightest," Andromeda commented, giving a wistful sigh. "The Black Sisters were a force of nature when we went to Hogwarts. No one crossed us. Bella has since proven why no one messed with her. But as much as it may not seem so to Nymphadora, I was once a wild child too. I think once she gets to Hogwarts, she'll begin to see some of my advice bear fruit. I hope she can find people like Harry and Hermione there."
"Yes, I'm so glad they found one another. Though it has led to some struggles I never thought I'd face as a mother. Like Hermione hiding in that library they installed. You can't open the door if you don't have magic, so no visitor stumbles in there. But, she likes to sulk in there knowing we can't get her out."
"If that's the worst she's doing, I'd consider myself lucky."
"Oh, believe me," Natalie said, watching the literal dog pile in the garden. "I do. Every single day."
ϟ
Sirius watched quietly from the far corner of the bed.
Two pairs of yellow eyes watched him in return, one on the headboard and the other curled atop the softly shifting lump in the covers. The three children had continued talking and playing into the far late hours and the adults had caved to five sets of weaponized eyes begging for a sleepover.
However, unlike Hermione's sleepovers with Harry, this house now came with a guardian who wouldn't let him get any closer than the very farthest corner of the covers. He'd been so pleased to win the fight and pay for Hermione to own the little furball that had stolen her heart, but Crookshanks was insanely protective of the girl already. Sirius wiggled his tender nose softly as he considered the animal.
Sirius had never had a chance to form a familiar bond, not risking the pets his awful parents might have tried to saddle him with. Unless one considered his connection with James. The two had been the very firmest of friends from day one. Something he saw in Harry and Hermione more and more every day. It was one of the reasons he'd spent nearly every single night curled at the end of whatever bed Harry happened to fall asleep in.
That and the inescapable fear that when he closed his eyes, he'd open them to find hard black stone and no Harry.
The boy was his touchstone to what he was constantly assured was reality and not the final cruel trick of the Dementors. Sirius smiled to himself as he watched the once more brown-haired Dora roll in her sleep, disturbing Crookshanks from his position. He'd been afraid of letting Harry anywhere near his relatives, but he'd forgotten how much fun little Dora had been, even as a baby.
Andi had always been his favourite cousin, but after so long apart, he worried that things may have changed. He was happy to be proven wrong, and Harry now had as good as a big sister in the playful Tonks girl.
Though he was a little miffed that she could disturb the cat's rest without being assaulted, yet he would be whacked on the nose for the slightest misstep. It was like James's little ginger friend all over again. In fact, the animal looked uncannily like Nibbles but for the yellow eyes, instead of green.
Eyes which were staring at him once more and he let a throaty growl out of his throat at the glare. Perhaps he'd need to buy Harry a new broom so the lad could terrorise this one too.
His head spun at the soft laugh coming from the doorway and his body tensed to pounce when he spotted Andi watching him quietly.
"I didn't believe it when Natalie told me you did this. Remus is right, we need to get you a girlfriend, Sirius."
His eyes refocused on the children. So far as he knew, he had none of his own from before his imprisonment, and the healers had been unsure of his ability to have any now he was free. Not that he cared about continuing his family's deranged line regardless.
But it made him appreciate the little gift James had left him to care for all the more. He would do anything to keep Harry safe. No matter the ridicule it brought him.
He shifted back to human form, sitting cross-legged in the same space he had been occupying. "Harry needs me. I'll be here as long as he does."
Andromeda walked over, standing by the bed. "Needs you? For what, he looks perfectly fine to me?"
Sirius gave his cousin a cheeky grin. "Someone has to protect his virtue. Look at him, wrapped up between two scheming women. He needs me to keep him safe."
Andi laughed softly, getting a glare from Crookshanks as Hermione shifted under the covers. "Sirius Black, Defender of Virtues. That is a new one."
"I'm scared, Andi," Sirius whispered after several moments of silence. His eyes fixed on the woman beside him as he spoke. "Scared that this is all a painful dream. That I'll wake up in that fucking cell. That he'll disappear. I failed him so badly once before, I can't do so again."
Andi placed her hand on his cheek, gently caressing the tears that had begun to fall. Before she pulled back and gave him a very light slap. "Good."
"How did you manage? How do you ever let her out of your sight?" Sirius asked, nodding at Dora as she muttered nonsense in her sleep.
"You don't, Sirius," Andi replied, a tenderness in her voice as she watched her daughter begin to snore softly. "You try your best, and you make mistakes. But you keep on trying. And you love them so fiercely that they'll hate you for it sometimes.
"They'll fight and argue and drive you mad. And I wouldn't give it up for the world. Nymphadora is a gift, and so are those two. We treasure them as such and arm them against the world while we can. Think you can manage that?" She finished, turning to face him once more.
Sirius took a few deep breaths to steady himself. He couldn't bring himself to admit the other reason he liked to curl up on Harry's bed as he slept. The few nights he'd woken from horrible nightmares to find Harry curled up in Padfoot's middle, hugging him firmly were one of the few things keeping him grounded right now.
The month of healers and talking had helped, but Harry made it real in a way no amount of talking could ever achieve.
"I solemnly swear." He whispered, turning back into Padfoot and resting his snout on the warm legs beneath the blanket. Just out of reach of the swiping claws.