The bag was enchanted, Harry knew that, but he swore it felt heavier. Morris had turned out to be an excellent resource. He guided Harry to everything that he had asked for and more. Books on Pureblood Etiquette, the History of Magical Britain, spell books of all sorts, three different studies on Hogwarts, some on wards that Harry had never seen before, and even a travel guide written by Stephen King. His stories were actually tales of caution, but Muggles loved it as fiction. There were dozens of books that had disappeared in the future. Harry got them all.
Luckily, the trunk was enchanted too. He was able to carry it without any issues. He continued on with his school shopping. Last time he had done it while he stayed at the Leaky Cauldron. He didn't plan on running away this time around. The trip went by quickly once he finished in the bookstore.
Harry sighed as he pulled the trunk toward the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley had protection up to prevent unauthorized travel. It wasn't as intense as it was in the future, but it was enough to be annoying.
He strolled through the tavern without making eye-contact with anyone. Only someone looking for him would recognize him without his glasses and his scar no longer inflamed. Harry stepped out into Muggle London and paused. A dark shape loomed just on the side of his vision.
Harry turned to see a large black dog watching him. It sat in an alleyway, staring at him. A mixture of feelings swelled within his chest. As much as he wanted to rush over and hug Sirius, he couldn't. He didn't have a solid plan on what he was going to do this year. Explaining everything to Sirius, especially freshly escaped from prison, would not help matters at all.
Plus, the old dog would appreciate a good prank.
Harry bent over slightly and patted his legs. "Come here girl."
Sirius cocked his head to the side. He looked around to see if there were any other animals in the area.
"Come on, girl." Harry cooed as he slowly approached. "It's okay. Do you have an owner?"
Sirius let out a little woof and slowly took a step closer. He was certain this was Harry, but there was something not quite right. Sirius wrote it off as the fact that he hadn't seen his godson since Harry was in diapers. He stayed in character, cautiously sniffing the outstretched hand before leaning in for a pet.
"Good girl." Harry moved in closer, using both hands to pet him. "No collar? You're all skin and bones. What's a fancy lady like you doing all alone?"
Sirius let out a small growl.
"Sore subject?" Harry paused. "Would you like to come home with me? You'd get a bath, some good food, and a nice warm place to sleep."
Sirius forgot himself for a moment and hopped up, licking Harry across the face. Harry laughed.
"Okay, okay. That's enough." Harry stepped away. "This is going to be loud. I need you to stay calm."
Sirius settled back on his haunches. Harry pulled out his want. A moment later the Night Bus appeared with a loud crack. The attendant and driver were a couple of wizards that Harry had never seen before. They looked like he should still be in Hogwarts.
"Night Bus, Day Service." The wizard said in a sing-song voice. "We charge extra for pets and familiars."
"That's fine." Harry handed the wizard the fare. Sirius followed closely as they found a spot.
The day service swapped out the beds for dining tables.
"You missed breakfast service." The attendant said. "It's still an hour before lunch. I could get you some tea if you'd like."
"No thanks." Harry shook his head.
The attendant shrugged before take a spot behind the driver. Harry spotted a newspaper nearby with the picture of the Weasleys on the front. He picked it up. The Weasleys in the photo seemed to recognize him. They waved excitedly. Ron especially.
Sirius growled as he noticed Scabbers. The attendant looked up at the sound.
"It's okay, girl." Harry petted his head softly. "It's just a moving picture. They're not really here."
"Is she going to be a problem?" The attendant asked.
"She'll be fine. The picture moving upset her. " Harry played at covering Sirius' ears. "I don't think she's all that smart."
Sirius huffed and looked away. Harry had to stifle a laugh.
"Here we are." The driver called out.
Harry looked up. Sure enough, they were outside the house.
"I didn't even feel it moving." Harry blinked as he stood.
"You shouldn't." The attendant shook his head. "The driver on the night shift is a few years past retirement if you ask me."
"Practically drives itself." The driver spoke up. "No clue what that barmy old man does to it."
"Thanks for the ride." Harry placed two galleons on the table as he left.
Harry led Sirius around to the back of the house. They were hidden by a decent fence and the neighbors' hedges. As much as the people in the area loved gossip, they were desperate to avoid it. He pulled out one of his new spell books. It was focused on daily magic. Harry didn't plan on setting up a magically automated dishwasher, but it was always a good idea to have some unexpected spells handy. Most people only thought the 'powerful' spells could hurt people. In truth, with the right application, anything could be deadly. The Killing Curse was scary because it couldn't be blocked by magical means. Dodging it, or physically blocking it would work, but most wizards didn't think like that. Years as an Auror had showed him there were a lot of small things that magical folk overlooked.
Once he found the right page Harry drew his wand. He created a low, wide bathtub from the ground. Harry looked to Sirius.
"You need a bath before I take you inside." Harry motioned to the tub. "It will be quick."
Sirius sighed and climbed into the tub. He thumped down into a sitting position. Harry smiled. He held out his wand and summoned some water. The warm, clean liquid flowed over Sirius. Harry swore he saw the old dogs' eyes roll back in his head.
Harry created a brush from the nearby grass.
"I can't create soap yet." Harry began to run the brush through the tangled hair. "I could summon some, but that means it comes from somewhere. Can't risk anyone seeing it."
Sirius was lost to the wonders of a nice warm bath.
"You need a name."
Sirius snapped to attention.
"You certainly are a pretty girl." Harry cooed.
Sirius chuffed. Harry stopped his brushing.
"Oh, you're a boy." Harry tried to sound natural. "I'm sorry. It was hard to tell under all this matted hair."
Sirius glared at him. Harry stifled a laugh, focusing on brushing the tangled knots. He lifted up a foot.
"You certainly have big feet." Harry worked some water between the pads. "Your feet are like all pads." He stopped. "That gives me a great idea for a name."
Sirius perked up.
"You've got big, padded feet." Harry continued. Sirius held his breath. "I'll call you Slippers."
Sirius' mouth dropped open. Harry coughed.
"Dog breath." Harry shook his head. "Nah, Slippers isn't right." He went back to cleaning Sirius. "Name. Name. Name. You kind of look like a Grim, but that's a bit on the nose. Midnight would work, but again, on the nose. Could go with something ironic like Tiny, or Snowflake."
"Oh, Harry you're back." Petunia opened the backdoor. She stopped mid-stride as she saw the dog in the tub. "What is that?"
"It's a dog." Harry replied. "He followed me home. I want to keep him. With Dobby around it shouldn't be any trouble to take care of him. I can take him with me to school too. It would be nice to have some extra protection."
"You're settled on this?" She slowly approached.
Harry nodded. "I'm trying to come up with a name for him."
"Oh?" Petunia came to stand beside him. "He's a regal looking fellow." Sirius gave her a doggy-smile. "How about Prince?"
Sirius gave a small bark in appreciation.
"I don't want to give him a big head." Harry replied.
Sirius looked at his godson and sighed.
"He makes me feel safe." Harry let the joke drop for a moment. "How about Rook? Like the chess piece."
Harry looked to his godfather. Sirius nodded.
"Rook it is." Harry smiled. "Welcome to the family. Let's get you dried off and some food in your belly. I can feel your ribs."