the_debt_of_time

been Hermione to bring him friendly comfort and raise his self-esteem. She could not just
turn her back on him now.
With a take-charge attitude, Mia turned back to Remus's compartment, poked her
head inside the door, and smiled at him. "Hello!" she said brightly.
Remus jumped at the sudden noise and stared back at her with wide eyes. He
clutched his book tightly to his chest, as though he was trying to physically erect a barrier
between them.
"Umm... me? Hello, m-me?" he stuttered, a very confused expression on his face.
"I mean hello... umm, hi."
"Are you waiting for your friends to join you?" Mia asked sweetly, trying to ignore
the way he shied away from her.
Remus frowned. "No."
Mia tried to hold back her emotions. She had known that he would be alone and
would not have been there with friends, but she could not very well let him know that.
"So you're here alone?" she asked, stepping further into the compartment and
watching closely as he pressed his back tightly against the window, trying to distance
himself more.
"D-Do you... ?" he stammered again, his breathing heavy as she closed in on him.
"I mean... yeah, I'm alone. That's fine, though," he insisted quickly. "I'm okay. I mean,
did you need this compartment?"
She watched him carefully, noticing that his gaze flickered between her and the
door, looking like he wanted to make a hasty retreat.
"No, my brother's getting us one in the back," she answered, and then pointed to
the book he clutched tightly. "What book are you reading?"
"Hogwarts, A History."
"Merlin, that's my favourite!" She grinned and sat down right beside him, watching
as he took in a sharp breath and stiffened.
She took a moment to let him adjust to her presence, realising that Remus had
probably been terrified at this point to be around other people, especially without his
parents to look after him. She recalled an older Remus telling her how afraid he had been
of hurting others, or even worse, infecting them. It explained everything about the terrified-
looking, lonely boy in front of her. But the older Remus had implied in his letter that his