the_debt_of_time

"Hermione.. ." Remus moved closer, his gaze frozen. Terrified, he kept a diligent
watch on her, taking note of every step she took. He was prepared to pull her away if she
got too close to the veil. He had been unable to save Sirius. He had been miles away when
Voldemort murdered James and Lily. He could not live with himself if he watched
Hermione fall away.
"I appreciate your concern, Remus, I really do, but I need to concentrate or else
we've come here for nothing." There was a note of irritation in her voice.
Remus shut his mouth in reply and breathed heavily through his nose, his heart
beating hard within his chest.
"Invocato Vita Debitum!" Hermione shouted, waving her wand in a circular motion in
front of her. Golden swirls hung in the air as she moved, and the hovering circle pressed
forward at her gesture, floating toward the archway. "Aperi!" The golden circle pressed
against the stone, engulfing it with light.
Suddenly, the flowing black curtain in the archway turned white, and Hermione and
Remus fell back, shielding their eyes with their hands from the brightness of the veil.
Hermione reached for the t-shirt, which Remus could now see was stained with
blood. He swallowed hard, hunching his shoulders and pressing his hands against the floor,
not wanting to smell the air to find out whose blood it was. He did not want to know. She
had not told him a thing about what she was doing here, and he was honestly petrified of
the answer. A part of him was apprehensive about facing his next boggart, all things
considered.
"By blood," Hermione whispered, regaining her feet as she set the t-shirt on fire,
levitating the ashes into the air and pushing them through the veil. "And sacrifice." She
held out her open palm and inflicted a light Severing Charm against her skin, cutting it just
enough to bleed. Hermione squeezed her hand tightly, allowing the blood to pool in the
palm of her hand before flinging it into the veil. "Do ut des!"
The veil grew brighter.
"I have come to collect! Debitum Naturae! Domum Filius Nigrum!"
Remus's jaw dropped as she spoke, all at once very clearly aware of what it was that
Hermione was trying to do. He took in a sharp breath of worry and anticipation. It was not
possible. How could she have found such a spell? He stepped forward, hands shaking,
aching to reach out for her.