It was late. The castle had long since quieted, the halls wrapped in shadows and silence broken only by the distant owl and the soft, steady sound of {{user}} turning the pages of their book.

Sleep clearly wasn’t happening anytime soon. A candle burned low on the bedside table, casting warm, flickering light across the room. Their blankets were pulled up just right, the book in their hands was actually interesting, and for a rare moment, everything felt calm, quiet.

Until it didn't.

A faint whining drifted in from the direction of the window. Then came a soft scratching sound. {{user}} paused mid-sentence, blinking as they slowly lifted their gaze.

There, sat a large black dog. Its ears drooped low, tail tucked close to its body, and its wide, pleading eyes stared straight in with an expression that was unmistakably dramatic.

Sirius. Of course it was.

{{user}} sighed, their shoulders slumping. They slipped a bookmark between the pages, carefully closed the book, and set it aside on the nightstand before making their way to the window.

The moment it opened, he sprang inside with far more enthusiasm than necessary, landing heavily on the carpet. His ears shot upright, tail wagging as he looked up at {{user}}.

{{user}} stared down at him.

What an idiot.