Nyctophobia - Sirius Black

Chapter 18

Ruby was lonely. It had only been three days, but she already missed her twin terribly. Granted, she was working from before dawn until at least an hour after dusk, but she got home and didn't even want to eat, because cooking reminded her of her twin.

Ruby was used to strays running around the street. She was not used to tripping over strays that lay bleeding in the middle of the road. She normally disliked animals, being no stranger to wild animals that would attack you in the streets, or rats that would scurry across the floors in the middle of the night. This one seemed different somehow. This animal, this dog did look like a stray in some ways. His black fur was matted and caked with dirt. He was abnormally thin, and had several injuries. But his fur was too clean, despite being dirty. A stray's fur would have been ragged, and much dirtier. This dog looked like he had run from an abusive family.

Something told her this was no stray. Maybe it was the loneliness or that she instinctively knew there was more to this dog, but she picked up the dog and carried him into the house. Despite being emaciated, the dog still weighed a lot. She left the animal on the living room floor, and went to go get a little food and water for the animal.

Sirius didn't know where he was when he woke. The house was not familiar. He tried to stand, but regretted it immediately when pain shot through him. He realized he was in his animagus form, and whimpered when he remembered what had brought him here.

"Hey, doggy. Are you hungry?" Ruby asked, setting the food in front of the whimpering dog. Sirius stared at the girl in front of him, eyes wide. "Come on. Just eat and then we'll get you cleaned up." Sirius looked down at the plate, surprised to see actual food instead of just table scraps. He was, after all, a dog who definitely looked like a stray. He was hungrier than he had thought, and practically inhaled the food. "Good dog. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Sirius was skinny. It wasn't something he would ever admit, and he was grateful for how much for he had as an animagus. It hid how thin he actually was from his friends. He always piled a lot of food on his plate so he would look like his friends, but he didn't usually eat very much of it, just spelling it to disappear so they wouldn't notice.

Sirius would deny this to the very end, but he actually needed help getting to the bathroom. Walking for as long as he had had tired him considerably and he was sore all over. He flinched a little when warm water was poured over him from the shower head. He watched curiously as the water ran a reddish brown as it went down the drain. He didn't know how long he sat motionless in the bathtub watching the water, but eventually the water was clear. Ruby gently ran her father's old brush through the dog's fur, careful not to hurt the animal. Once she was satisfied that he looked better, she carefully put her hands on each side of his head, focusing on creating a magical link with the dog.

Sirius couldn't describe what he felt when Ruby put her hands on his head. It was a wave of pure raw magic flowing into him, healing him. His wounds stung a little, but the pain disappeared.

"All better. I've got to get to work in the morning, though, so I need to go to bed." Sirius shook himself to get rid of the water before following her. He had seen several doors that he guessed were bedrooms and was surprised when Ruby climbed up the stairs to the attic. He followed her, a little afraid he would be sent away, but she barely even acknowledged the animal.

Sirius lay down next to her on the floor, and she ran her fingers through his thick fur absently as she fell asleep.

He woke suddenly when Ruby stood up. He looked at her questioningly.

"I've got work." She said, smiling. "I'll get you some food. Come on." He followed her down the stairs, and watched her quickly cook two eggs. He cocked his head to the side when she put both on a plate, and set it on the ground. He swallowed one quickly and pushed the plate towards her with his nose. "I don't eat in the mornings. They're both for you." She opened a back window so the dog could get into the back alley, and locked the door behind her.