Chapter Twelve: Santa Hat

2 February, 1982

It took longer than was expected, but by the end of three weeks, Remus brought the German Shepherd home, the fluffy Santa hat, once again, placed on his head.

The family who had wanted to adopt the dog initially didn't need much convincing, but Remus had to buy different dog products and had to make his house more dog friendly. It took ages to do so as his house was the equivalent of a child's playroom - he kept things scattered but never had it in him to clean up. To make matters worse, he was a hoarder, and it took lots of convincing to make himself realise that he did not need to keep the broken pot that used to house a plant when he was five.

However, after his house was cleared of debris and the paperwork done, he heaved a sigh of relief and made his way over to the large cage where the dog lay on his back, staring up at ceiling thoughtfully. The look on his face made Remus laugh, and the dog turned his head to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Are you ready to go to your new home?" he asked with a smile, to which the dog got on his feet and waited patiently by the door for Remus to let him out. Once he did so, he walked out of the cage and stood straight in front of him, reaching his head forward, asking him to put the harness on, which he did.

Before the dog could realise what was happening, Remus had already put the Santa hat firmly over his head, causing him to bark loudly in protest. He shook his head and raised his paw to push the hat away, but it fit well, so he was unable to accomplish it. Remus waited until the dog gave up, and after fastening the leash, led him out of the shelter, saying goodbyes to the workers who too, were getting ready to leave.

The evening was still quite chilly despite the snow melting in places. Treetops swayed above them with the light breeze as Remus walked lazily, one hand holding onto his leash and the other tucked firmly in his pocket. His house wasn't very far from his workplace, though the walk home gave him plenty of time to talk to his new pet.

"What name shall I give you?" he mused, and the dog, who traipsed along after him, looked up at him before letting out a soft bark. "Too bad you can't talk," he said, looking at his companion who was partially lit by the street lamps ahead of them. "I'm sure you have plenty of names of your choice, am I right?"

The dog cocked his head to the side and continued jogging ahead. He wagged his tail rhythmically, and Remus was hit by sudden inspiration. He grinned and said, "I know. I'm going to call you Mr Waggington."

Immediately, his tail halted and dropped down, causing Remus to laugh. As the dog shot him a nasty look, he said, "I'm guessing you don't like this name."

He looked at the dog, whose black fur shone in the dim light of the street lamps. He had been given a bath the day prior, after which his long fur had turned quite shiny and smooth - a proud factor of any long coat Shepherd. He bit down on his lower lip as his mind raced through different names, and finally it settled on one. "How about Miss Furbulous?"

The dog halted in his steps and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Alright, then Mr Furbulous? But that doesn't have a nice ring like Miss. I think I'll go with Miss -"

He was interrupted as the dog gave a rather loud and angry bark and he raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. I thought it was a nice name." He paused. "And this is your new home."

❇

Moonwood Place was a small house compared to 12 Grimmauld, but unlike Sirius's birth place, Moonwood felt warmer and much more welcoming to him.

There was a small garden just outside the entrance and several plants adorned the area, though it was quite barren now due to the weather. As he walked into the house, he was greeted with an umbrella stand which reminded him of the troll leg stand at Grimmauld. A few steps in, and he came across a rather shaky staircase that he felt would break down if someone moved too fast over it.

Remus led him past the staircase and to the right - into the kitchen, before he prepared his food and himself sat down on the dining table to have his dinner. Once Sirius was done gobbling up his own food, he turned his head to see Remus watching him with a frown. He tilted his head questioningly.

"You know you look adorable with the Santa hat, right?" he inquired, and it was then that Sirius noticed he still had the silly fluffy hat on his head. He shook his head in an attempt to throw it away, but it didn't work. "So I was thinking of another name for you," Remus continued, a grin slowly climbing its way onto his face.

Not again.

"And I think Santa Paws would be a good name for you. What do you think?"

Sirius nearly choked his lungs out at the terrible name, and made his way over to Remus, shaking his head frantically, not caring that it wasn't normal behaviour for a dog. Remus, however, either did not understand his reaction, or chose not to, as he kept himself focused on his dinner and continued to ponder over his chosen name.

"It's a brilliant name, don't you think?" he asked, completely ignoring Sirius, who was scratching on his legs with his claws. "And perfect for a cute little dog like you."

He finished eating and stood up to deposit his plate on the sink, while Sirius attempted to bite off his legs. However, he still continued to ignore him. "Yes, Santa Paws it is, then. I'm sure you love it."

Frustrated, Sirius let out an angry growl and bared his teeth, glaring at Remus, who sent him an innocent smile. He washed and dried the dishes before leaving the kitchen, Sirius following him angrily. He considered ways he could convince Remus to not give him the horrible name, and did not even realise when he led him upstairs and into a bedroom. He finally turned to look at Sirius and smiled. "Now, Santa Paws," he spoke, putting deliberate emphasis on the name, and Sirius knew he was doing it purposefully, the fiend. "This is where you will sleep. No more cages."

He attempted to not look excited at the prospect of not living in a cage anymore, and continued to give Remus the death glare. But in the end, his determination faltered and he allowed his eyes to trail over the room - a bed in the middle, a mirror, and a shelf filled with books - before his gaze fell upon the corner of the room which was made specifically for him. The coffee coloured duvet with black dots lay there and atop it were several toys and balls which seemed to be brand new. Glancing at Remus with a look that said thank you, he bounded off to his new bedroom and flopped onto the soft material of the duvet - a huge and lovely change from the hard floor he used to sleep on at the shelter. Picking up a squeaky toy, he chewed on it joyfully while Remus smiled and left the room.

❇

28 March, 1982

The strange dog, or rather, Santa Paws, seemed to be loving his new abode and though Remus had to leave him home everyday for work, he made sure to give him enough toys to keep him occupied. He sometimes took him to the shelter too, but couldn't do it everyday as he had to focus on the other dogs. Santa Paws, however, wasn't much trouble, and behaved obediently.

One weekend, Remus got a surprise visit.

He was half lying on the couch, watching TV, with Santa Paws rolling on the floor with a ball, when the bell rang. Remus lifted himself off the couch and walked over to open the door.

He had only pulled the door open halfway before someone grabbed him by the shoulders and drew him into an embrace. He started at the abrupt gesture, but relaxed when he noticed it was his father and with a smile, hugged him back.

"You didn't tell me you were coming, Dad," he commented once they pulled away from the hug, and Lyall shrugged.

"Wanted to surprise you. I thought we'd celebrate Easter together."

"Well, it certainly worked," Remus smiled and led him inside, closing the door behind them. Santa Paws chose this moment to peek his head out of the living room curiously and barked softly at the new visitor.

"And you didn't tell me that you adopted a dog," Lyall stated as he made his way over to the Shepherd and knelt down in front of him. The dog tilted his head before looking over at Remus, as though asking him who the man was.

"Slipped my mind, sorry," Remus replied and ran his fingers through his long black fur. "Dad, meet Santa Paws. Santa Paws, Dad."

Lyall scoffed and looked at Remus. "Santa Paws? That's a terrible name!"

Remus laughed when the dog turned his head and gave him an I-told-you-so look. He led them inside the living room and sat down on the sofa, before saying jokingly, "No, he likes it."

In actual fact, he knew how much the dog hated his name, but he couldn't resist the angry looks he sent his way every time he called him that. Moreover, the dog knew he had no choice but to listen when Remus called him, and he highly enjoyed the defeated look on his face when he dragged himself to him and looked at him with a sigh, as though saying, That is the worst name ever, but did you call me?

"Likes it?" Lyall exclaimed and gestured to Santa Paws. "He absolutely hates it. Look at him, he's probably planning your murder right now."

"I'm sure he is," Remus said with a laugh.

Santa Paws remained seated obediently on the floor, gazing curiously at Lyall, who beckoned to him and gestured for him to sit on the couch. After a moment's hesitation, he climbed onto the couch and lay down, as Lyall began stroking his head.

"I apologise for my son's incompetency," he said to Santa Paws, who barked quietly as though to say he was forgiven. "He doesn't have any originality."

"Are you trying to teach him vocabulary?" Remus smirked as he himself sat down beside Santa Paws, sandwiching the dog between them.

"Of course!" Lyall replied, as he pulled Santa Paws closer to him so that he did not get crushed between the two grown men. "How else will he understand the books I'm going to read to him?"

"Oh, I'm sure he understands plenty."

And Remus didn't know how exactly right he was.

❇

sorry for the short and shitty chapter. i'm probably running low on originality like remus.

the gif above is, of course, lyall lupin.