Harry spun on his heel and stormed back to his room, throwing his belongings haphazardly into his trunk, and marched out. But his dramatic exit was cut short when he reached the bottom of the stairs, only to find Vernon Dursley barring his way.
"You can't just up and leave like that, you little brat! Get back here this instant…" Vernon Dursley bellowed, puffing out his chest. But the moment he saw Harry brandishing his wand, his bluster deflated like a punctured balloon.
Seeing that Vernon Dursley was no longer an obstacle, Harry grabbed his trunk, wrenched open the door, and slammed it shut with a satisfying bang.
...
Night descended, casting long shadows across the deserted streets. Harry found himself perched on a damp swing set in a park not far from Privet Drive. Recent rains had thoroughly soaked the playground equipment.
"Where am I supposed to go now?" he muttered to himself. "Find Malfoy? But he's probably at Cassandra's, or off doing something important…"
Maybe I could crash at the Malfoys' for a while… Wait, blast it all, I think I left Hedwig in the owlery at Hogwarts last time. I can't contact Malfoy even if I wanted to, and I don't even know where he lives…
Harry sighed, frustration mounting. Then, as if struck by inspiration, his eyes lit up. "That's it! The Leaky Cauldron! I can stay there for a bit!"
Harry Potter, thankfully, had his own secret stash of Galleons! A room at the Leaky Cauldron wouldn't be an issue until Hogwarts started up again. Besides, the Leaky Cauldron wasn't exactly expensive.
But then another problem reared its head: how to get there? He couldn't possibly walk; it was miles. Tom always took him using Apparition… Wait, didn't he take the Knight Bus once?
The thought sparked an idea, and Harry began racking his brains, trying to remember how to flag down the Knight Bus.
"If I remember correctly… Stan Shunpike mentioned that the Knight Bus was an emergency transport service specifically for witches and wizards in distress."
Harry stroked his chin, wondering if his current predicament qualified as "distressful" enough.
Just as Harry was pondering whether he should manufacture a crisis to warrant a ride…
"Woof woof!! Awooooo…"
A dog's bark shattered the silence of the deserted street.
Harry jumped at the sudden noise, nearly losing his balance on the swing.
Gathering his wits, Harry peered in the direction of the sound and saw a large, black dog emerge from the bushes across the street.
The dog was a sorry sight: gaunt, with matted fur, tangled and clinging with leaves. Looking at the somewhat frightening creature, Harry felt a fresh wave of annoyance wash over him. "Damn it! I was bullied by my aunt and uncle, and now I'm being harassed by a stray? What was the point of leaving that house?!"
Sirius, in his Animagus form, looked at Harry with conflicting emotions swirling within him: that face so like James's, those eyes mirroring Lily's…
Then he saw Harry pull out his wand and point it at him, muttering, "Avada Kedavra!"
???
What?
What did he just say?!
It was hard to imagine a large black dog displaying such shock.
Wait! Is that Harry Potter?
Not sure… Let me take another look… It seems like it's definitely him…
Lily! James! I'm so sorry!
As Harry's godfather, I've let him become like this… like this…
Just as Sirius's mind was reeling, Harry was suddenly right beside him.
It turned out that Harry had only brandished his wand on a whim, wanting to imitate Tom when no one was around and vent his anger. Who told this dog to frighten him like that?
However, he hadn't actually intended to harm him.
Lost in his sad memories, Sirius suddenly heard a rustling sound, like someone rummaging through something. Looking up, he saw Harry pulling several bags of crisps and other snacks from his trunk.
Harry tore open the snack wrappers and scattered the contents in front of Sirius.
Understanding Harry's intention, Sirius was immediately overcome with emotion, deeply moved.
I take back what I just said. This kid really is Lily and James's child… truly my godson…
Harry didn't know if Sirius understood him, or what Sirius was thinking. He could only continue talking to himself.
"You look rather pitiful, a lone dog wandering around. At least I have friends… Eat up, look how hungry you are. You probably can't even get decent scraps, right?"
At this point, Harry suddenly paused, looking at Sirius with a puzzled expression. "If I remember correctly... dogs eat poop, right?"
Hearing Harry's words, Sirius froze.
Seeing that Sirius, "so hungry, didn't even touch the snacks on the ground," Harry became even more convinced of his suspicions.
Sirius hadn't expected that his godson's first impression of him would be... a connoisseur of excrement?
Looking at the silly dog staring blankly at him, Harry's expression suddenly turned grim, as if he'd just had an epiphany. "Forget it, there's absolutely no way I'm giving you any shit right now."
"…"
Although I've eaten dead rats and scavenged through garbage to escape… I really don't eat that stuff!
Frustrated, Sirius could only lower his head and devour the snacks on the ground.
He was now so hungry he was dizzy, and these snacks, though somewhat stale, were undoubtedly the best meal he'd had in days.
Seeing that the big black dog was no longer staring at his "food outlet," Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Sirius, worried that Aurors might come looking for him, quickly scarfed down the snacks. Then, taking advantage of Harry's inattention, he knocked him to the ground before turning tail and disappearing into the bushes.
He had only come to see Harry, and now that he had, he should leave. He had important things to do: kill that traitor! Avenge Lily and James!
Harry, sprawled on the ground thanks to Sirius, was livid. "Whoa! You dog, you really are a dog!!!"
The ground was still a little wet, and the fall had soaked the seat of Harry's trousers; one might have thought he'd wet himself...
But whether it was because of Harry's current disheveled state or something else, familiar lights appeared in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, it was the Knight Bus!
The Knight Bus screeched to a halt in front of Harry.
"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus. I'm tonight's ticket collector, you can call me Stan Shunpike. You… it's you again?!"
Stan Shunpike, who had been idly gazing at the sky while reciting his spiel, looked down and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"…"
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.
"Let's go, Ernie, there are no customers here."
"What the hell! What are you doing?! I'll sue you!"
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