the_debt_of_time

"How long did it take to put on?" Mia asked him the first day that he had shown
up at Grimmauld Place, looking nervous and yet eager to remove the brand from his arm.
"Hours... I think. The pain was too much. I blacked out," he admitted bitterly as
she took his arm into her hands to examine the Mark up close. "I woke up six days later."
Other than that brief moment, she offered him no pity or even sympathy, which
was good because he did not appear to want it. It was one thing to appreciate admiration
or even envy, but Pansy Parkinson cooing at him over every injury at Hogwarts for seven
years was enough to put Draco off, and the mere suggestion of commiseration was enough
to rankle the prickly Slytherin.
They worked to remove the brand using a combination of spells that Mia had learnt
from Bill as a Curse-Breaker, mixed with some Permanent Sticking Charms she had been
researching in the hopes of removing Walburga from the wall. It appeared, however, that
no matter what was done, pain was involved in trying to erase the Dark Mark from Draco's
skin.
"I'm fine, Potter," he insisted, glaring at her through the sweat-soaked blond fringe
that had fallen in his face.
Draco said that calling her "Potter" had become his second new favourite thing as
it always managed to alert a confused Harry, who was still getting used to not being the
only Potter left in the world. Draco's first new favourite thing in the world was rubbing his
new friendship and family connection to Mia in Ron's face.
The Slytherin had already provoked Ron into drawing a wand on him twice in the
past week alone. The last time they had needed Sirius and Harry to separate them. Mia
would storm in, usually once the fight was over, and lecture everyone involved. Draco,
with an eye on Ron the whole time, would offer his sincerest apologies. Not, of course, for
fighting, but for causing a disturbance. Ron, in turn, would snap at her for not taking any
side which, in his opinion, meant that she had automatically taken Draco's.
"You're not fine; you need a break," Mia insisted as they sat in the basement of
Grimmauld Place, Draco's arm tied down to a large metal table so that he would not move
as she worked.
The basement turned out to be the best location for what they needed to do, as it
was already set up with Silencing Charms and Protective Wards due to it being Remus's
transformation room during full moons. Draco could scream—and he did—during the