The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

Sirius Black and Those Damn Birds

"Oh!" Remus jumped back. "Bradley, come on!" 

Bradley looked up from his drawings, "What?"

"Come on, we're going outside!"

"Outside?"

"Yes! Come on!" Remus was buzzing with excitement. He dashed up the hallway to the bedroom and grabbed a bag which he'd put together containing Sirius's boots, leather jacket, jeans, and hot pink Please Return to Remus Lupin shirt. He stopped at the door across the hall and slapped his palm against it. "Wormtail? Wormtail? Are you in there?"

The door opened and a groggy-looking Peter Pettigrew opened the door a moment later, his eyes heavy and face pink from sleep. "What's happ'n'n?" he asked.

"Sirius is free," Remus said, excitement fraying his voice, "And we're all going outside to play - come on!"

Peter blinked himself awake, then nodded and turned into the room again really quickly, "COMING!" he said, "Just let me get dressed very fast!" 

Remus ran back down the hallway and Bradley was standing by the door, hopping foot to foot. The dog was still barking outside and Remus excitedly grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door and within seconds Peter was 'rounding the hallway and the three of them were out and headed down the steps into the alley below. They passed the man who owned the curry shop downstairs and slipped out onto the road. Remus ran across to the bench, the dog bounding in circles beside it as James laughed and stood up.

Remus threw himself toward the dog, landing in the grass in a motion that would normally cause him a great deal of pain - especially so close to the full moon - but the pain was only marginal compared to the excitement coursing through him as the dog leaped upon him and started licking his face with excitement, tail wagging. Remus laughed and hugged the dog 'round the neck.

People passing by chuckled, amused by the happy boy greeting his dog on the grass. 

Bradley jumped up on the bench and stood there, watching, and Peter yawned and stretched, still honestly partly asleep as he watched Remus and Snuffles celebrating. "He's worse than the mooncalves," Bradley said as Snuffles wriggled and shook and wagged all over Remus Lupin's torso.

James laughed.

When Remus and Snuffles had finished, James strode over and pulled Remus to his feet, and Snuffles rushed off across the park, dashing madly over the grass, going as fast as he could, a streak of fluffy black fur, running wildly. Bradley was running, too, though the dog was running literal circles around the little boy, but Bradley did do a couple somersaults across the grass and the dog barked and rolled along side him.

"Bloody hell," James said, "That's a lot of pent up energy."

"Yeah, he's been going mental," Remus said, "No way to get all that energy out when you're cooped up inside all the time... We tried running him in the suitcase, but it's not the same as being out of doors, although it did seem to help sometimes but Sirius just has a lot of energy in him and if he's not able to expend it somehow --"

"You lot have had no problem expending energy," Peter yawned, "I can hear you expending energy all the way from my room!"

Remus flushed as James guffawed and put his arm 'round Peter's shoulders. "Nice one, Pete."

The three lads followed after Bradley and Snuffles through the park, winding their way among the grass and trees, laughing as the dog plowed his way through a whole flock of pigeons, sending them up into flight like a gray explosion as their wings flapped and they took off every which way. Snuffles barked and spun about in tight circles, leaping and snapping playfully as the birds scattered, his tongue lolling out merrily.