Harley grumbled inwardly as she pulled the compartment door all the way open and dragged her trunk inside.
The moment the compartment door swung fully open, Sirius, who had been trying to hide behind it, was exposed to Lupin.
!
Now it was Professor Lupin's turn to go on guard.
His eyes flew wide and his pupils contracted. His right hand slipped quietly into his robes and clamped around his wand.
Sirius, by contrast, immediately flopped onto the floor and bared his neck. He was only a bark away from saying "woof."
Though he had been trying to hide behind the door, Sirius knew he could only put it off for so long.
With Moony taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts post and Sirius choosing to sneak into Hogwarts with Harley, it had been inevitable that he'd be found out.
All Sirius could do now was pray that Remus still had that cautious streak of his and would give him a chance to explain.
If so, he might still have the chance to keep hunting down that damned traitor.
Harley had also keenly noticed that something was off about Professor Lupin's reaction.
After she'd opened the door all the way, he'd clearly seen something, because he'd gone instantly on high alert.
But what was behind the door? Just her trunk and the big black dog, Black, whose leash she held.
There was no way anything was wrong with her trunk, so the only possibility was Black.
As it happened, the dog's origins were shrouded in mystery. He had some kind of Fantastic Beasts ancestry, and even the owner of the magical pet shop hadn't been able to identify exactly what.
On top of that, there were no wizarding families near the Dursleys' home, and there hadn't been any reports