The Consequences of Taking in a Stray

Chapter Two

Posted 9-20-06

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything remotely related to Harry Potter. If I did…well, it certainly wouldn’t be considered a children’s book, that’s for sure.

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Julie dialed the number of the local animal shelter and waited for someone to pick up. Hopefully the staff wouldn’t be too busy a nine in the morning.
“Hello? _______ County Animal Shelter, How may I help you?”
“Michael, it’s Julie. Has anyone come to claim the big black dog I called in yesterday?”
“No, not yet. But we have just opened for today, you know. Wait a bit and I’ll call you if anyone turns up.”
“Thanks, I guess. This dog is so well behaved he has to belong to someone. You’ll be sure so call as soon as you hear anything?”
“Yeah,yeah. I promise.”
“Well, thanks, bye.”
“Bye.”
She turned to the dog currently sprawled out on her bed and pouted.
“I’m sure your owner will turn up soon, Little One.” Julie went over to her bookshelves and picked out a well-read novel. “The best way to kill time is to curl up with a good book. Don’t you agree, Puppy-Dog?”
The black mass of fur just snorted and went back to sleep.
*****
Julie’s reading was interrupted by a loud growling coming from her stomach. The dog next to her looked up and cocked his head.
“Well, I guess this means it is lunchtime, huh, Puppy?” She got up and went to the kitchen. “Food…preferably something without mold on it…”
The phone rang and Julie reluctantly went to answer it, the thought of food nagging at her.
“Hello?”
“It’s Michael. A man just called about a dog matching the one you described.”
“Oh, good! Give him my address, would you.”
“Huh? You want him to pick up the dog at your house? Are you insane? He’s a total stranger!”
“Oh, pish-posh! You wouldn’t be badgering me if you had driven in a car with this beast. I’m lucky to be alive!”
“Well, I would rather you be in a car accident than…”
“Oh, please. Who in their right mind would want to even bother ra…”
“I’m not talking about people ‘in their right mind.’ Look what happened with Sean! He…”
“Yes, Mother. Just tell him the address. I’m sure I’ll be fine. If anything happens the cats will swarm all over him like he was tuna.”
“This is not a joking matter, Julie.”
“Yeah, well, just give him the address, would you, thanks.”
"Julie…”
*Click*
“Well, that went better than I expected.”


*****

Julie was sitting at her computer when the dog sat up, ears forward as if listening for something. He got up and ran to the front door.
“Puppy? What’s the matter?” The dog just sat at the door and whined.
Suddenly the doorbell rang and Julie went to open the door.
The man standing on her porch was about six foot and of medium build. He had pale skin that was riddled with long scars .His light brown hair was peppered with silver though he looked to be about forty. He wore a worn tweed jacket over a dress shirt and slacks. The man greeted Julie with a warm smile.
“Thank you for finding Snuffles, ma’am. I was away for a few days and had a friend looking after him. I don’t know how he managed to get off of the property.”
“That’s all right, it was fun. Besides, I have a cat that manages to get out of my yard even with a cat-proof fence, so I know how nerve-wracking it can be.”
“My name is Remus Lupin, by the way.” He held out his hand in greeting.
“Julie McKee.” She shook his offered hand and noticed the calloused fingers and strong grip. “Come on in. His name is Snuffles? Well, he has had the run of the house while he was here. He is also amazingly good with cats. Just remarkable!”
Mr. Lupin chucked. He hasn’t had any cats to torment for years. I’m sure he is happy making up for lost time. How many cats do you have?”
Julie’s face broke out into a huge grin. “About seven of them. I get strays that come around once in a while but they tend to disrupt everyone’s daily routine so I try to discourage them. The males tend to do rounds around the property if something smells off.”
“Smart cats. Snuffles didn’t bother them too much, did he?”
“Oh, not at all! He was a perfect angel…well, except for eating the cat food, and hogging all the covers, the meanie. I’m used to the cats making themselves comfortable at my expense but it is quite a different story when it is a hundred and twenty pound dog.”
The man frowned and sent a glare at the dog in question. Innocent puppy-dog eyes stared right back at him.
“It’s all right. Really. I didn’t mind.”
Mr. Lupin’s scowl deepened.
Snuffles dropped to the ground and rolled on his stomach, begging for a tummy-rub.
“Aw, aren’t you so cute. He’s such a good dog. If you ever need a pet-sitter I would love to help. The back yard is fenced. It’s so nice to meet a dog so well behaved. Where did you have him trained, Mr. Lupin?”
At this Mr. Lupin let out a laugh. “It just came naturally to him, I guess. He has never been trained.”
“Wow. That is so cool. I wish my cats were as obedient as he is.”
“Snuffles is only obedient when there is something he wants…” He did a double take at his own words and cleared his throat. “Well, um. I should probably get going…”
“Oh, let me give you my number incase you ever need to have someone look after him. Now, where did I put those…no, then maybe…ah! Here you go. My number is right at the bottom of the card. Call whenever you like.”
“I will. And, please, call me Remus.”
“Um, sure.” Julie bit her lip as a light blush appeared.
“Thank you again for keeping Snuffles out of trouble. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” Remus turned to Snuffles who was in full playtime mode. “Come on, you silly dog. You can play around all you want when you get home.” The dog gave a yip and bounded out the door followed by a chuckling owner.
*****
Three weeks passed before Julie received a phone call from Remus.
“Hello, Julie speaking.”
“Hi, this is Remus Lupin. I was wondering if you could watch Snuffles for a few days.”
“Really! That’s great! Of course I can watch Snuffles for you. When do you want to drop him off?”
“Is Thursday evening too soon?” Mr. Lupin sounded a bit worried.
“Oh, Thursday is fine. Does he have any medical problems I should know about? Any allergies or medications?”
“No, he is perfectly healthy. I’ll bring his food and toys as well.”
“That’s good. Well, I’ll see you on Thursday then, right?”
“Right. thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem. Really. Bye.”
“Goodbye.”


*****
When Julie opened the door Snuffles was the first one in. Mr. Lupin came in after him with a bag of dog food and an armload of toys.
Julie laughed, took the dog food from him and set it in the kitchen.
“Make yourself comfortable in the living room. I have a pot of tea on. Would you like a cup?”
“Yes, thank you.” Remus walked into the living room and called back, “Are you sure you want keep Snuffles for four days. I have to go away for a bit and there is no one else who will even consider dog-sitting him. He seems very fond of you and you took such good care of him after you found him that I don’t see a reason why he would torment you like he did the other sitters.”
“Oh, well, that makes me feel so much confidence in my dog-sitting abilities.” Julie laughed and got the tea ready. A few moments later she came into the living room. She smiled and put the tea tray onto the table and walked over to Mr. Lupin with two cups.
“Magical Properties of Common Herbs?” He was browsing through the books on the shelves.
She handed him his tea. “Oh, I practice Wicca.”
He smirked and picked out another book that she couldn’t catch the title of and started to flip through the pages.
“Now don’t go thinking that I can do magic like in the movies. This is more of a mindset, a way of living, than Hollywood witchcraft. Though, it would be nice to turn the guy across the street into a toad for a few days.”
He let out a soft laugh. “But you do magic, right?”
“I meditate, sometimes even enter a trance-like state, but I am way too stressed for that to happen much. I enjoy reading tarot and rune stones and burn certain herbs for different occasions but that is not magic. I don’t do many spells but those I do perform are simple ones to disperse negative energy or something like that. I don’t really feel comfortable dabbling in something which I am not positively certain is safe for me. There are so many variables to every spell that need to be considered. I don’t do real magic. If my car breaks down I can’t run to my closet, grab a broom and head off to work.”
Remus smiled. “You would avoid the traffic though I do not think it is a common sight to see someone flying a broom down the expressway.”
“Well, I guess that would be a problem, wouldn’t it? A sort of camouflage would be a good idea. The space around me would have to be altered on some level so it would appear as if I wasn’t there. I’m sure, in a century or two, science will be able to manipulate surrounding particles to resemble or reflect an image to…oh, sorry. I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.”
Lupin smirked and put a hand on his hip, reminding Julie of a parent amused and baffled by what a child as said or done.
“And what do you have to be nervous about? Surely you aren’t nervous about me!” His smile turned to a look of worry. “You are, aren’t you? Well, let’s have some of that tea and talk for a while.”
They went over to the kitchen table and sat down, careful not to disturb Snuffles who was still curled up under the table. They talked for a while, mainly about medicinal uses for some of the plants growing in the pots in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a loud snore and the sound of claws clicking on the tile floor.
“Sounds like Snuffles is chasing a rabbit in his dream.” Julie mused.
“No, it’s probably obnoxious little children ruining his fun at the park. They always seem to want to pull his tail.” Remus remarked.
“Poor Snuffles.” Julie got up from her chair and sat on the floor next to Snuffles’ head and petted him. He opened his eyes.
“Aw, were those horrid little devil-spawns pulling your tail? You’ll catch them next time.”
Snuffles let out a mournful whine and licked her hand. “Aren’t you glad I only have cats? At least they don’t pull your tail.”
Julie laughed as the dog gave a snort and rolled away from her.
“All right, so they are a bit annoying…” One of the cats chose that moment to jump on the table and knock over her tea cup.
“Oh, boy. Lemme get a towel…or three. She picked herself up off the floor and went over to the shelves above the washer and dryer and grabbed a few towels. Julie tossed one over to Remus who started drying the table as she cleaned the chair and floor.
“Now, really, Harlequin! You could be a bit more graceful…knocking things over all the time. You are worse than me! You aren’t even supposed to be on the on the table in the first place!”
“She didn’t mean it. Besides, it doesn’t matter if she is clumsy or not, that is the way she is. I think she was actually terrified of the tea cup being spilt.” He laughed lightly and scooped the calico cat up into his arms. “You remind me of a friend back home though I am sure Tonks would take offense to it.”
Julie just watched the interaction with amazement. For once the cat didn’t claw her way out of the arms of someone trying to hold her. Harlequin was actually purring.
“Wow. She doesn’t even let me hold her.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Remus looked guiltily sown at the cat and back to Julie.
“Why are you sorry? This is amazing! Maybe, if she gets used to you holding her she will let me as well?”
“Maybe,” he said with a slight smile. “Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if I bring over a pot roast on Tuesday?”
“Mmmm, pot roast. If you do that there’s a chance I will be forced to keep you here until you tell me the recipe. I have never been able to get it right. Of course, I have a tendency to just throw a bunch of stuff into the crock pot and pray for the best.”
“Well…I’m not sure how good it will turn out…”
“It can’t be any worse than my cooking.” From under the table Snuffles gave a snort and laid hid head in his paws. “See, Remus? Even Snuffles agrees with me though we’ll see if he gets any beef and rice from me again.” The dog scrambled to his feet and managed to bump his head on the underside of the table in his hurry. “I was just kidding, puppy-dog.”
If dogs could glare Julie was sure Snuffles would be doing so.
Remus let out a deep laugh. “His life is centered on food, play, and sleep. I doubt he appreciated the attack on something he holds in so high a regard.”
“Oops. Sorry puppy.” Julie then looked back at Remus. “So, you said you’ll be gone for four days? I think I can handle this energetic little ball of fur for a while.”
Remus muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘famous last words’.
They sat for a while and chatted until Remus had to leave.
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking Snuffles in for a few days?” Remus asked.
Julie just waved her hand dismissively. “Stop worrying, Remus. You can call to check up on him any time, day or night.”
“Well, alright. Though I don’t know if I will be able to get a signal where I’m going…” “Mr. Lupin! If you don’t leave now you’ll be late. I have the list of contact numbers as well as ones for emergencies. Snuffles will be fine and we’ll see you in five days.” Julie was starting to get a little impatient. This was dog-sitting, not pyrotechnics! Nothing could possibly happen, right?

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