the_debt_of_time

"Well, don't worry your handsome face about me," she insisted, unaware of the way
his eyes widened or the way his breath caught in his throat when she called him handsome.
"People think just because I was a Hufflepuff it means I'm some weak little sap. Trust me,"
she said, her blue eyes flashing with a look of daring that was reminiscent of Sirius and
Mia—a Black family trait no doubt. "I'm not a girl to be trifled with."
"I don't think you're weak. I just... was worried. It's a... werewolf thing. Maybe
you being Sirius's cousin makes me feel, I don't know, protective?" He leant forward and
put his face in his hands. "Sorry, that's weird and inappropriate."
"It's a little weird," she acknowledged, a tone of amusement in her voice. "If you'd
like to be friends, it would make it a lot less weird."
Remus rose a brow and opened one of his eyes to look at her. "You don't even
know me."
"What I do know, I like." She grinned, sat back in her chair, and threw a chip in the
air, catching it in her mouth. "You're a man who happens to be a werewolf. You have a
long-term loyalty to my family, the good side at least. You run into walls and didn't bother
to pick up the chair that I knocked over. Which means that despite saying you're worried
about my safety, you're okay with letting me clean up my own messes. You apply for jobs
at the Ministry even though they're not going to hire you which either says that you're
clueless, resilient, or you've been going there for another reason."
At this, Remus's face flushed, and Nymphadora smirked as though she got
confirmation for a silent theory.
"And you didn't eat all the chips." She gestured to the plate in front of them. "I've
created lifelong friendships knowing less. But if it's not enough for you, then we can play
twenty questions. What House were you in at Hogwarts?"
"Gryffindor," Remus replied with a genuine smile, the scent of biscuits flooding his
senses. The way she smiled in his direction warmed him over.
"Ah, loyal, handsome, and brave." She leant her elbow on the table and rested her
chin in her palm. There was a devious glint in her eyes. "What on earth will I ever do with
you?"
Love me, marry me, shag me stupid.
He stared into blue eyes that were slowly shifting green—the same shade he saw in
the mirror every day. Her hair was changing as well, turning into his sandy-blond colour,