the_debt_of_time

Sirius frowned at the expression on his friend's face. Remus stared at Sirius's body
in obvious shock. Sirius knew what he looked like after twelve years of starvation and
beatings, and he was annoyed with the look of pity on Remus's face. Especially since
Remus, of all people, knew better.
Sirius turned around to show him the gash on his back. "Go ahead and fix this one
for me, would you? And stop staring at me like I'm broken. I'm still better looking than
you are."
Remus let out a short laugh.
Sirius could hear him sniffling, likely wiping at his eyes as well.
"At least you don't have grey hair," Remus said. "Though, I suppose it does make
me look more like a professor."
When he felt that the skin of his back was repaired, Sirius slipped the faded t-shirt
on over his head and turned to face his friend. "How was that? Being back at Hogwarts,
teaching Mia."
"Hermione," Remus corrected.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I know who she is, Remus."
"You really don't. They're very different witches. Mia was Hermione, but Hermione
is not Mia," Remus clarified. "The reason that Mia was who she was is because of the life
Hermione is living now. Mia was... a completed puzzle. Or, at least, close to completion.
And right now, Hermione is all the uncoordinated pieces. You can see them fitting
together, though."
Remus approached Sirius again, carrying a cup of hot tea in his hands.
Sirius drank immediately, ignoring the fact that the liquid was slightly burning his
mouth. The warmth of the tea penetrated his bones and seeped into each and every vein,
warming his entire body that had been left slightly cold after stepping out of the shower.
"Mia never talked about her life before the Potters took her in," he reflected aloud.
"Just the scars. I didn't see the rest of Hermione, obviously." And he grimaced at the very
thought of the fourteen-year-old in any potential state of undress. The age gap between
them now was horrifyingly inconvenient. "But I saw her forearm. It was clean."
Remus inclined his head. "She hasn't been hurt yet. At least, not by Death Eaters. I
don't think you want to know what she and Harry have been up to since they started
Hogwarts."