Harry glanced down at Starless, who looked so much like Padfoot, and remembered Sirius telling him a thousand times how distant human emotions were in his canine form. It made sense that Gaius would take refuge as Schatten; he had been falling apart right up to the reading of Sirius' will and had said he was leaving the country just after. But to go to Regulus, who obviously had never met Schatten before, and become his pet-
Starless's tale brushed Harry's leg under the table. The dog had been staying close to Harry since Sirius left, offering familiar comfort. Even though Harry knew better, it was still nice to have the large, black dog around, like a totem rather than a painful reminder. He could understand why Regulus was pained at the loss of unconditional solace from a warm, breathing body, and why Gaius would stay with Regulus in the first place - they both had the same person to mourn.