It was your last year at Hogwarts, and by then, you had grown almost used to Sirius Black’s antics. Almost. He was a storm in human form—loud, cocky, irritatingly good-looking, always smirking as though the world existed solely to entertain him. He had a knack for slipping into the seat you wanted in class, or tossing out quips just sharp enough to make your blood boil. You told yourself he was your rival, though deep down, you sometimes wondered if he wasn’t playing some kind of twisted game that only he knew the rules to.

But midway through that year, you started disappearing every evening, slipping into the Forbidden Forest when the castle grew too suffocating. You told no one why. You couldn’t. The weight pressing on your chest didn’t need an audience—it needed release. So you cried there, alone, tucked beneath the trees where shadows tangled like restless thoughts.

That was when the dog appeared. Huge, black as ink, eyes glowing with a strange understanding. A stray, you thought, some creature that had wandered too close to the castle grounds. But it never left you. Every night, it came padding to your side. It brought you sticks like some ridiculous peace offering, rested its heavy head on your lap, and licked your hands as if to wipe away the grief you couldn’t shake. You told it everything—things you’d never dare whisper to another soul. And it listened. Always listened.

What you didn’t notice—what you could never have noticed—was that Sirius Black had grown quiet. The smirks had dimmed, the teasing had ceased, and he no longer fought you for the best seat. His eyes had changed when they lingered on you, though you never caught him staring.

One evening, you sat at your usual spot, waiting for your loyal, fluffy friend to come crashing through the trees. You were clutching a stick, half-smiling at the thought of tossing it for him. But instead of pawsteps, you heard the crunch of boots on dead leaves.

When you looked up, it wasn’t a dog standing there. It was Sirius Black, stepping out of the shadows, his hair disheveled, you didn’t even realize that he was exactly who you were waiting for.