the_debt_of_time

impatient-looking Sirius, who caught her eye and broke into a grin as they passed him on
the platform.
Mia started to smile until she made eye contact with Walburga Black. "Let's head
inside, Jamie." Escaping the older witch's utter contempt was an absolute necessity.
Sirius sighed as he watched his friends disappear onto the train, wishing he could
just make a run for it and escape his parents.
"Do not disgrace our family, Sirius," his mother threatened. "You have an attitude
problem and a habit of flocking to ill-bred children."
She was doubtlessly referring to the Potters, whom she had great fun lecturing Sirius
about after meeting them in Diagon Alley. He had mentioned that he stopped to help,
offering Mia his handkerchief when he saw her knee bleeding. Any other pureblood girl,
and Sirius might have been praised for his efforts, but his mother had been furious. She
ended up incinerating the handkerchief and using a painful Scouring Charm on his hands,
muttering about how one never knew the type of filth that blood-traitors mingled with.
"Luckily, when you're sorted into Slytherin, you won't have to interact with that
kind of filth and muck as often."
Sirius groaned impatiently. "I'm going to miss the train if I don't go now."
"Please don't go," Regulus whispered.
"I'll write to you every week, Reggie," Sirius promised, seeing the tense look his
brother was giving him. They were as close as they could be, given their home life, though
it seemed almost as though their parents were intent on creating animosity between them
as though they could hold Regulus over Sirius's head in an attempt to control him. He
wished them luck with that.
Regulus frowned. "I want to go, too."
"Don't be ridiculous, my precious boy." Sirius's mother beamed and pulled Regulus
closer to her. "You have a whole year just with me. Without distracting influences," she
said, narrowing her eyes once more at Sirius.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Subtle."
"What did you say?" she snapped at him.
"I said.. ." He tried to think of a lie—What rhymes with subtle? "Bubble."
"Bubble?"
He let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I'll admit it, I wasn't even trying there."