Snuffles

"You're asking me to move out!?"

"No, Sirius," James Potter sighed. "I mean, not exactly."

"You are! You—you said—"

"It's not that I want you to move out," he said weakly. "It's more that I want Lily to move in. You can understand that, right?"

But truth be told, Sirius Black did not understand that. He did not understand how his best friend of eight years—who had stuck by him through his best and worst times—who had been his partner in crime through thick and thin—who had shared in countless pranks, and detentions, and adventures—who had been like a brother to him—was all of a sudden, after eight inseparable years, asking him to move out.

"No!" Sirius spluttered. "No, Prongs, I don't understand it at all. Where did any of this come from?"

James rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Sirius, it's not the end of the world." If looks could kill. "Look," he sighed, "it can't be that much of a surprise, can it? I've been crazy about Lily for years!"

"Yeah, but—moving in together?" Sirius demanded. "Why would you want to do that?"

James stared at his best friend with incredulousness, trying to figure out whether he was joking or not. "Oh, I don't know—because I love her?"

Sirius made an exasperated sound. "What's the hurry?"

"Sirius," James said sternly, "we've been together for two years now—"

"No, we haven't—it's been eight!"

"I meant me and Lily," James spluttered. "Not—not us." He gestured to himself and Sirius, struggling to contain his laughter. He took a breath, putting his most serious expression on. "Lily and I have been together for two years now, and Merlin knows I worked hard for it."

"You're telling me," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"And I've loved her for, I don't know, at least five. We want to go forward in our relationship—to take the next step."

"But what about bros before—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," James warned.

Sirius didn't say anything. He just looked down, pouting in that sulky way that he did. James was torn between extreme guilt and deep amusement.

"Sirius, buddy." James reached out a brotherly hand to rest on his friend's shoulder, but Sirius withdrew, throwing him a dirty look. "Nothing's going to change—"

"Everything is going to change."

"We'll still see each other. You can come around as often as you like, and I'll still see you every day. You know, now that we're in the Order and stuff. It will still be just like old times."

Sirius was less than reassured. "For seven years, we shared a room, Prongs. And not just at Hogwarts. Your family took me in when my family kicked me out. That was a really difficult time in my life, and you were there for me when nobody else was. And you know what? I didn't even care that my family disowned me, or that I was homeless, because I had you. You were the only family I had—the only family I needed—and now you're kicking me out too."

There was a pause as Sirius' heartfelt words resonated around the walls of their tiny little bachelor pad.

"Don't be such a drama queen," James snorted.

"I'm not!"

James raised his eyebrows. Sirius looked away again, still pouting, and this time folding his arms.

"I'm not kicking you out, Sirius. I won't force you to go if you don't want to. I'm asking you nicely—as a friend. As a brother."

"Asking me to move out!" Sirius protested.

"Asking you to respect my decision to move forward in my relationship with the woman I love."

"But why does she have to move in here?" Sirius whined. He gestured around the apartment the two of them had been living in since they'd graduated from Hogwarts, just over a year ago now. "This is my home too. Why should I be the one to leave? Can't you move out, and the two of you live together somewhere else?"

A wild idea popped into his head.

"Why don't you move in with her?" Sirius suggested excitedly.

"Because she lives with her parents."

"So?"

James sighed.

"Okay, fine," Sirius relented. "I've been homeless before; I'll do it again. I just find it ironic that last time it was you who took me in, and now it's you who's kicking me out."

"Sirius—"

"We both pay rent on this thing, you know? So, technically, it's half mine. Why don't I kick you out?"

James raised his eyebrows. "I didn't realise this shabby little hole meant so much to you," he said sarcastically, unable to resist a smirk. "As I understood it, your issue with moving out was to do with me."

"Ha!" Sirius snorted, though rather unconvincingly.

"You know you'll always be my best friend. But we're pushing twenty now, mate. Me and Lily are in a really good place right now, and we feel that taking this step and moving in together will be a way to strengthen our relationship and allow us to grow closer as a couple."

Sirius wanted to gag. Where was all this soppy romantic crap coming from? What had become of James Potter?

He gasped, suddenly realising. James looked alarmed at Sirius' sudden wide-eyed look of accusation.

"Lily set you up to this," Sirius breathed. "This was her idea, wasn't it?"

James had gone red. "Sirius—"

Sirius was laughing now, reeling over in giddy delight. "It all makes sense now!"

"Okay," James mumbled, straightening his glasses. "So maybe it was, err, Lily's suggestion that we move in together—and you move out. But, you know"—he shrugged—"I kind of agree with her."

Sirius' laughter stopped abruptly. Now, he just looked hurt. "You really want me to move out?"

"Come on, you don't want to share an apartment with me and Lily," James said weakly.

"Why not? There are two bedrooms—I can still have my one, and you and her can share." Sirius' eyes lit up again. "Or, even better, you and me can share a room, and Lily can have her own!"

"Sirius Black, we are pushing twenty years old," James laughed. "We need to be finding our own place in this world, not taking a step back."

Sirius had worked himself up into excitement again, though. "Forget sharing a room, let's share a bed." James was unable to contain himself as Sirius winked at him. "I'm sure Lily won't mind."

"I'm sure she will," James countered.

"Okay, but, but—" Sirius spluttered.

"Sirius, I want Lily to move in with me, and that's final. I'm sorry."

"Prongs, I swear I was joking about sharing a bed. And a room, for that matter. I don't mind sleeping in the lounge. All I need is a sleeping bag and—"

"It was bound to happen one day," James said sadly, cutting across Sirius' desperate pleas. "Us not living together, I mean. I'm sorry it's just all happening so quickly. This will be good for us, though, I promise. It will be good for you."

"Yeah, yeah, poor little Sirius learning to look after himself. Homeless again," Sirius sighed dramatically.

"You won't be homeless, Sirius, trust me."

"Where exactly do you propose I go? I don't have any family, I don't have any money—"

"You could live with Remus," James said gently. "Or with somebody else, I don't know. No matter what happens, though, I wouldn't dare let you leave until I knew you'd found your own feet," James promised. "I wouldn't do that to you, Sirius, trust me."

Sirius didn't say anything.

James further tried to reassure him. "I know it's a big change, mate, but believe me, it will still be the same—"

"No, it won't," Sirius interrupted in a cold, quiet voice.

James was taken aback by his friend's lack of warmth. "But—"

"Things are going to change. In fact, they've already changed. They're changing as we speak. You wanna know how I know?"

When Sirius looked at his best friend, it was with sad, soulful eyes, the likes of which James Potter rarely saw. Deeply unnerved, James merely nodded.

"Because you said Remus, rather than Moony. And, in this entire conversation, you've not once called me Padfoot."

James shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Sirius, I—Padfoot," he corrected, his face turning red.

Sirius just shook his head. "Forget it, mate. I get it—we're growing up." He offered a weak smile. "I'm really happy for you and Lily." There was no denying the sincerity beneath the sorrow in his demeanour. "I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" James asked with deep concern. Sirius nodded. "I'm sure Remus—Moony—will let you crash with him for a bit? Or maybe even Wormtail?"

"Nah, it's alright," Sirius dismissed. "You were right—I need to find my own feet. I've got to find my own place in this world. I don't think Moony would be able to keep up with my lifestyle, and Wormtail's been kind of distant lately. I don't know what's going on with him these days…"

"Well, whatever you do, you'll always have a place here," James promised. "I just think, for Lily's sake, you and your lifestyle should find their own place. What with the drinking, and the smoking, and the—"

"And what about you and your lifestyle?" Sirius teased, starting to perk up again. "We're not so different, after all."

"Yeah, and Lily's not going to find out about that, is she?"

Sirius smirked. "Not if I can help it. I've got your back, Prongs."

Before Sirius could stop him, James had flung his arms around him, embracing him in a strong bear hug. Although a little surprised at first, Sirius slapped James on his back, breaking out into a warm smile.

When the two broke apart, Sirius sighed, looking fondly around their little flat. "I'm gonna miss living here. All the great times we've had. All those wild parties in our bachelor pad."

"Sirius," James said pointedly, "when have we ever had a wild party here? Our Hogwarts days were wilder than life in our 'bachelor pad.'"

"Yeah, but there was that one time when I scored with that chick from the Holyhead Harpies and—"

"And she turned out to be a man at a costume party, yeah, I remember," James snorted.

"That was wild!"

"You nearly slept with a man, Sirius."

"Yeah, well I didn't say I was proud of it…"

Best friends for eight years, James Potter and Sirius Black looked around the tiny apartment they'd shared for the past year, full of reminiscent nonchalance. Their lives had been a whirlwind of excitement since leaving Hogwarts, and for a laidback rebellious womaniser such as Sirius Black, it was terrifying. He had been certain of very little in his life, what with his unpredictable lifestyle, but one thing he had always found comfort and certainty in was James Potter.

He could not imagine life without his best friend by his side, and as he looked around that apartment, mentally preparing for the next stage of his life, he didn't realise how truly everything was about to change.

"Lily's pregnant, isn't she?" Sirius Black yelled as he burst through the door into the apartment he'd moved out of a month ago. "She's been here for one month, and already you've knocked her up!"

It was difficult to say who was more alarmed.

"I'm not pregnant!"

"Lily's not pregnant!" James turned to his live-in girlfriend with wide eyes and a face as pale as paper. "You're not, are you?" he asked in a shrill voice.

"No!"

A look of relief flooded James' face.

Sirius regarded them both in confusion. "But—but you called me, and you said that you wanted me to meet someone. That you had a new addition to the family?"

James and Lily shared a warm, knowing look.

"Lily's not pregnant, Sirius," James assured him, now at ease.

"I swear, Lily, if you're trying to set me up with one of your ugly friends again…"

"Oh, shut up, Sirius, it's nothing like that," Lily sighed. "And that's really rude, you know!"

"Well, what is it then? Who's this 'new addition'?"

If James hadn't known better, he'd have said there was a distinctive edge of bitterness in Sirius' tone. He and Lily shared another smile, much to Sirius' frustration.

A sharp bark provided an answer to his lingering question.

From the kitchen, there appeared a black and white collie dog, padding along softly, tongue lolling out, looking like the happiest creature in the world.

Sirius looked like he'd been slapped.

"What the hell is that!"

"It's a dog," Lily cooed, bending down to embrace the collie. "He's such a cute dog, such a good boy." She began making sickening kissy noises at the dog as it happily licked her face. James watched the scene unfold with an equally soppy look.

Sirius scowled.

"He is cute, isn't he?" James asked fondly, looking somewhat like a proud father.

"Are you kidding me, Prongs?" Sirius demanded. "Are you actually kidding me?"

"What?" James laughed. "It's just a dog."

"Oh, that hurts. That hurts," Sirius hissed.

"You're not jealous, are you, Sirius?" Lily teased, still ruffling the dog's fur.

"No," he mumbled.

"Hey, don't worry." James elbowed Sirius gently in the ribs. "You're still top dog." Both he and Lily snorted.

"Prongs, I actually hate you right now."

"Oh, come on, Sirius, why don't you say hello?" Lily suggested. "He's a sweetheart."

Much to Sirius' disgust, the dog bounded over.

"He likes you," Lily cooed, as it jumped up at Sirius, trying to lick his face.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I hate you too," he murmured to the dog. Why was it so irritatingly happy? And how dare this mongrel think it could take his place as James Potter's flatmate? Or, even worse, his best friend!?

"Wanna know what he's called?" James asked.

Sirius gently shoved the dog down, where it proceeded to nose his feet. "Do not say Padfoot, I swear to God, Prongs, if you say—"

"He's called Snuffles!" Lily burst out, grinning from ear to ear.

"Snuffles?" Sirius repeated. "That is, without a doubt, the most—"

"Lily chose the name," James interrupted with a look of warning.

"—adorable name!"

Lily pursed her lips. "I'm glad you think so."

Lily and the dog disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the fellow Marauders alone.

Sirius immediately fixed James with the most hurt and accusatory look he could. "A dog, Prongs, really?" he demanded.

James dropped his voice to a whisper, nervously glancing in the direction of the kitchen. "Lily was broody," he explained, "and I'm not ready for a baby. We're not even married yet!"

"Marriage?" Sirius demanded. "Babies?"

"What?"

"Too much is changing too fast, Prongs, and I'm getting left behind in all of this."

"Sirius, mate, you're not getting left behind, trust me. It's just a dog—it's not like I got another roommate."

"James, I'm an Animagus," Sirius hissed. "Or did you forget that I can transform into a dog? If it was a dog that you'd wanted—if you thought a dog was going to take up less space than a roommate, and be far less hassle—then I could have—" But Sirius was forced to stop rather abruptly as he noticed the cold, quiet trance James had gone into. "What?" he asked quietly.

James looked as though he was in a daze. "You called me James," he said in a hoarse whisper.

Sirius felt his body go cold. "Yeah, well," he muttered, "I guess we really are growing up."

The two men stood in uncomfortable silence as the suddenly sombre atmosphere enveloped them. It was Sirius who broke the silence.

"Your dog's cute," he said bitterly.

"Not as cute as you."

"Shut up."

And just like that, they were snorting with laughter like the reckless schoolboys they used to be.

"Snuffles doesn't do tricks as well as you, you know," James said wisely.

"He does seem pretty stupid."

"But in all seriousness, I'm sorry if the dog was too much. I know you've only been moved out for a month, and everything's happening so quickly. But you have to know, Sirius, I could never replace you. You'll, err, you'll always have me."

He looked away, embarrassed; James normally reserved the soppy stuff for Lily. Sirius took in his friend's promise, trying to hide the faint blush that had appeared in his cheeks, never knowing how truly short a time James Potter's words would apply.

He beamed at him. "Thanks, Prongs."

"No problem, Padfoot."

"We need a name," Hermione advised. "A nickname, or a code word, or—just something that we can call you whilst you're undercover. Didn't you have a nickname when you were at school? Padfoot or something?"

"No," Sirius dismissed, "not Padfoot. People might, err, they might recognise it."

It was a lie, of course. Few, if they knew the name, would know it was once the nickname of Sirius Black. He hadn't been called it in years.

The truth was that it was too painful. Of the people who had known him as Padfoot, one was dead, one was a spineless traitor, and one had believed, for twelve years, that he, Sirius, was said traitor.

"But we can't call you Sirius," Hermione pointed out authoritatively. "You're a criminal. You're in hiding—you're on the run. We'd be putting you and ourselves at risk."

Sirius was silent, deep in thought. A new life—a new identity. He had been so alone for so many years. "Call me…" he began, searching through his memories for something that seemed somewhat meaningful. When it came to him, Sirius felt his heart swell, and a painful lump formed in his throat.

He looked back at Hermione, bearing a sad, almost mournful smile.

"Call me Snuffles."

Originally written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 3—Round 13

Team: Holyhead Harpies
Position: Captain
Task: Write absolutely anything