Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to ownership.

Harry laughed softly as James darted off to find another curiosity to show him. Almost all of the items were carefully tucked into the mokeskin pouch that Harry still carried; past outings with his son had taught him that they would always return home with something. James was every bit the explorer on the search for new treasure.

"Dad! Dad, come quick!"

The urgency in James' voice had Harry crashing through the trees. Worry, however, soon turned to amusement when Harry saw James' latest treasure, only to quickly become disgust instead.

"He's injured," James said. "Who would leave a dog out here like this?"

Harry crouched down and saw the blood that matted the dog's black fur; one leg was bent at an odd angle so that the bone poked out of the skin, and the dog was whimpering in James' arms. A roiling heat rose inside Harry. Like his son, he couldn't believe an owner would abandon a dog in the woods. Carefully, he examined the dog but found no tags. It might have been a good thing; Harry didn't know what he'd do if the owner was someone he knew.

"Hold him still," Harry told his son.

James tightened his arms around the dog as Harry took out his wand. Harry steeled himself against the dog's yelps and whines and slowly began mending the skin and bone.

"We're keeping him, right?" James asked, looking up at Harry with his bright blue eyes wide and pleading.

At any other time, Harry would have cursed his own inability to say no to his children. This time, however, he knew Ginny would agree to the request, and neither of them would receive a lecture when they got home.

As he expected, Ginny was the first one to settle on the ground and start petting the dog. Neither James nor Harry got a chance to explain to her what happened before she commented, "Well, we always said we'd get a dog, and now that Lily's out of the terrible twos, it's a good time."

Harry eyed her. "You don't even know if we dog-napped him."

Her face was full of gentle humor as she replied, "Doesn't matter. He's ours now. Isn't that right, Jamie?"

"Uh-huh," James agreed immediately.

"Now we need a name for him," Ginny mused.

"Arnold," Brian suggested.

"That's your name," James said to his brother.

As the boys continued to throw names out, Harry sat down and drew Lily into his lap. She looked up at him, and he noted that she was a developing a few freckles already. She was growing up so fast. He still remembered the day she woke up and peered at him with his own father's hazel eyes like it was only yesterday.

"Daddy, wha' d'you wanna name him?" asked Lily.

Startled, Harry glanced at Ginny, who smiled encouragingly at him. He looked back at the dog thoughtfully. It was fairly large with a thick black coat, and after only a moment, Harry knew its name.

"Snuffles," he said quietly. "His name should be Snuffles."

James and Brian quietened, somehow sensing from Harry's tone that this was an important moment for him. Ginny reached over to squeeze Harry's hand.

Then James bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of the dog's head.

"Welcome to the family, Snuffles," he said, grinning.