An Awkward Stroll

An Awkward Stroll

Sirius rapped his fingers against the arm of the chair repeatedly once every five second. Remus sat in the opposite armchair, reading a book titled Modern Wizarding Habits. His eye twitched every time his companion's fingers hit the fabric. There was no possible way he could concentrate listening to that, and he had been reading the same line on the page for the last three minutes. He was now positive that magical persons in Asia had similar qualms about cleaning charms as those persons in Japan and Indonesia.

"Sirius," he said belatedly, and the tone made the offender halt, mid-tap. He made a "hm" sound, his eyes directed dazedly across the room.

"Something wrong?" Remus asked, shooing off the hint of annoyance that almost passed into the query. Sirius answered by shaking his head, but the way he shook it made it obvious something was the matter. Remus closed his book slowly and put it on the side table next to his armchair after Sirius started rapping his fingers again. "What's wrong?"

He looked at him pleadingly. "I need fresh air."

"Want me to open a window?" He was about to push himself out of the chair when Sirius said,

"No. I need to walk in the fresh air."

"Sirius..." Remus said with a note of sympathy. "You know you can't. There are Dementors everywhere. The Muggles put your picture all over the news. Anyone would recognize you. The haircut didn't help much. No offence."

Sirius played with the sleeve of his shirt and sniffed, his nose wrinkling. "Well, I was thinking--maybe I could...transfor--?"

"No." Remus set his jaw to look authoritative, but it wasn't as if that would help. "You know the risks."

"Remus, they don't even know where I am. Bloody hell, I don't even know where I am! How the hell can they find us?"

Remus seemed to consider this for a moment, but then the features of his face tightened. "They catch strays in these neighborhoods."

Sirius grabbed Remus' wand from the cocktail table in front of the fireplace and pointed it at his open palm. A long stand of bound leather with a hoop at one end and a black collar at the other appeared, draped over his hand. He looked it over and, satisfied, held it out to Remus, smiling.

- - - - -

Remus had to jog to keep up with Sirius, and he scarcely wanted to yank on the dog's leash, for fear of choking his friend to death. It wasn't as if he knew how it felt the have one of these things around his neck, so he didn't want to be to rough with it.

It was understandable where Sirius was coming from. He would hate to be forced to stay in a crowded party for several days. Albeit, it was exactly the opposite for the man bounding on all fours in front of him, but the situation reversed, Remus would be doing the same thing. Only it would have to be the full moon. And Sirius would not have him on a leash. And he would not be bounding like a puppy.

He didn't so much care about who saw him walking a manic, black dog down the sidewalk. It just worried him to think if someone asked him why. What was he supposed to say? He'd never had a dog before, and he didn't plan on having one after Sirius left. He knew he wasn't a good liar. It wasn't hard to tell if he was avoiding something, either. Truth was what he was best at, but he could find no way of twisting the truth into a lie this time without avoidance, so if someone he knew asked him where the dog was from, they were both screwed. He wondered if Sirius knew that. It was his life on the line, after all.

- - - - -

Sirius leapt down the sidewalk, prancing, jumping, and pulling his walker along, stopping by a tree to do his business. That earned him a glare because Remus had asked him to go to the bathroom before they left the house. Sirius bow-wowed at him, the noise coming from deep in his throat in a way that might have conveyed a sarcastic reply, had human vocals been involved.

Down the way, looking into a shop window, was a nice-looking Muggle girl wearing a knee-length dress of faded daffodils. As they passed by her, Sirius lifted his front paw and yelped as gravity pulled his unbalanced body to the ground. Remus just stood over him--Sirius figured he was about to kick his paw to tell him to get up--when the cute girl came over to crouch beside him. He licked his paw until she gently picked it up and inspected it. He moaned and stretched out his back legs when she pressed down on the middle of the paw, and the girl looked up at Remus.

"I think he's got a broken pad," she said, a little concerned.

But Remus, the shit, just looked around at her and shrugged. "He'll be all right."

- - - - -

Remus slammed the door behind them after they walked into the house.

"What was that?" he said, scowling at the man before him. "Did you just do that so you could look up her dress or something?"

Sirius sighed heavily, letting himself fall into the armchair he had inhabited previous to their walk. "No, Remus. I was actually trying to get you a date, seeing as how you're always cooped up like a chicken in here all the time. Merlin, I feel bad for you, and I've been in prison for twelve years. You need to get out and do something. I provided you with the perfect opportunity, and it went right over your head." Sirius brushed a hand over his faded black hair and made a whooshing sound.

Remus looked absolutely flabbergasted at his response, and had to support himself with the doorframe. After several moments of sitting, staring and waiting, Sirius turned and said, "You know, you've got a nice neighborhood here."

It took a moment for Remus to realize what he'd said before replying. "Yeah. One that you had to go piss all over."

"I was marking my territory." Sirius picked up Modern Wizarding Habits and spun it in his hands, glancing over the front and back covers.

"It's not your territory to mark," said Remus, glaring across the room. He was still supporting himself with the doorframe, and didn't seem to be planning on moving any time in the near future. He also looked a little annoyed about Sirius touching his book, but that couldn't be helped. Since he had no intention of moving, he could have to put up with dirty hands being all over his new volume.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Moony. I'll leave you a tree next time." Sarcasm still being digested, Remus heard Sirius mutter, "Wonder if they've got Animagi habits in this thing..."