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A puppy. His Animagus form was a puppy. Not even a wolf, or a big intimidating Grim. A cute little brown puppy, with floppy ears and a wet nose. He was adorable. When he tried to express his anger at being picked up and cuddled, growling menacingly and baring his fangs, he was cooed at. It was horrifying.Hermione was grinning as she tried to explain it logically. He was loyal, and eager to please. A puppy suited him perfectly. But teenagers didn't normally have immature forms, so that didn't explain why he was so terribly cute, instead of being a full-grown dog. According to Hermione, it could have been because he was still forming his own identity. He was less confident in himself than most teens, and that menifested itself in his Animgaus form. Or it could be that he secretly wanted to be loved and protected. Harry hated both of those explanations. He knew who he was, and that wasn't a puppy!There was one massive benefit to this form though. Sirius was thrilled. He often took Harry out exploring, both of them in their Animagus forms. Together they roamed London, tracking interesting scents down side-alleys and chasing cats across parks. It wasn't as hard as he had thought it would be, letting go of his human self-consciousness and just having fun. It was easier, bonding with Sirius as a dog. He could sense that Sirius loved him, and would protect him, even from that massive black cat that took a swipe at his nose every time he went near it. There were no awkward silences, no feeling that Sirius was seeing someone else in his place. That alone was enough to make up for all of the embarrassment.So when Hermione decided that she wanted to visit Italy, as one of the few European countries she hadn't already seen, and the rest of them decided to tag along, it was only natural for Harry and Sirius to go exploring once they got there. Italy smelled so different from England, and it was overwhelming to his puppy senses. Still, it was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of people willing to give him treats. Cute was cute, no matter where in the world you were. Hermione had tried to give him a collar, so no one tried to take him to a pound. Harry had refused, and Sirius had backed him up. There were only so many indignities he was willing to endure.Hermione had insisted that they all learn Italian before they go, and with the help of wit-sharpening potions it hadn't taken long. So Harry was able to explore Italy on his own, without the need to stick with Hermione for an interpretor. That meant that he was alone when he decided to explore the streets as a dog. He had become arrogant in his explorations with Sirius, and had forgotten just how vulnerable this form was. One night he had separated from Sirius, wanting to carry on in his Animagus form instead of going out drinking and partying. He had just chased a cat into a dark alleyway when he was taken by surprise by the gang of teenagers that surrounded him.They were just like Dudley and his gang, he decided as they pelted him with rocks. Cruel and vicious, with no imagination. He needed to escape so that he could transform back into his human form, but he was completely penned in. He rushed towards the smallest one, hoping to dash past it, but he was forced back into the centre as the boy tried to stomp on him. The rocks started to be hurled with more force, aiming to seriously wound instead of just startle. He could feel them drawing blood, and he snarled as they cut and bruised him. He kept dashing at them, trying to bite. If he could injure on of them enough to get past them, he could escape. If he couldn't he could maybe make them decide that he wasn't worth the injury. Dudley had normally backed off when one of his victims fought back, but this group apparently didn't register a puppy as any kind of threat. One large rock hit his leg, and he felt it snap underneath him. As he collapsed onto the ground, he closed his eyes. Was it worth transforming back? Breaking the statute here, in front of witnesses, in a foreign country? The consequences could only be dreadful. But as he felt a rock hit his head, barely missing his eye, he realised that he might not have a choice.Before he could make up his mind, he heard the gang shouting in fear instead of vicious delight. Was someone coming to help? He could hear them running away, screaming. One set of footsteps came closer. Opening his eyes, he saw a pair of scuffed boots, before surprisingly gentle hands picked him up."Bunch of trash. What kind of scum has to torture a puppy to feel like they have balls?" The voice scoffed. Harry whined as his injuries burned. The animal side of him wanted to bite the human, but he resisted. He needed to get somewhere safe and transform back, but he didn't know how severe his injuries would be in human form. Best not to anger his saviour."Brave trash, aren't you," the voice said, as the human carried him towards a car. "Fighting back like that."The human slid into the back seat, still holding him gently. Another voice laughed from the front seat."Voi! A puppy, boss? We stopped for a puppy? Are you starting an animal shelter?"His human drew a gun – a gun? What kind of people had found him! – and pointed it at the driver."He's Varia Quality, shark-trash. Besides, the old man would bitch if he knew I'd drove past a damned puppy. Just drive, trash."The driver sounded utterly unconcerned by the gun pointed at him as he replied with a cheerful "Right, boss!"The gun-wielding human petted him absently as the car purred into motion. Harry stayed still and tried not to aggravate his injuries. It was maybe half an hour later when the car pulled up to a mansion, and gun-human carried him inside. An old man met them at the door."Xanxus! I wasn't expecting you back so soon." The man seemed genuinely pleased to see the human – Xanxus. What a weird name."Voi! Boss found a puppy!" The driver was obviously not going to let that go anytime soon."He needs a vet. Take care of it old man," Xanxus grumbled, sounding embarrassed as he gently transferred Harry over to the old man. Harry whined as the human walked away. Xanxus made him feel safe."Don't start whining now, trash. You're Varia Quality, remember," Xanxus told him, walking back to stroke his head gently. Then he caught sight of the driver, who was laughing so hard he couldn't even make noise. Harry heard gunshots as the old man carried him back into the mansion.