the_debt_of_time

"I still haven't bought Mia anything for her birthday," Remus confessed. Unable to
even glance at Peter without laughing, he decided to turn to the friend that looked the least
ridiculous, which was James. "What should I do, Prongs?"
Remus and Mia had officially been an item since the morning of what was now
known as "The Great Rainbow Explosion of 1974."
Mia had ultimately taken credit for the prank, which earned her a week's worth of
detention for drugging her fellow students, but also an extra fifty points from Flitwick and
Slughorn each, for impressive work in altering a potion with a charm.
A few weeks later, she and Remus walked hand in hand down to Hogsmeade where
he treated her to a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, and she lavished him with gifts of
chocolate from Honeydukes before moving on to Tomes and Scrolls, where they spent
hours eagerly digging through old books. After finishing their shopping, they walked back
up to the castle, stopping to embarrass Sirius, who was snogging a third year Hufflepuff in
view of the "haunted" Shrieking Shack, and then retiring to the Gryffindor common room
where they snuggled together on the sofa in front of the fireplace to read their new books.
It was a comfortable relationship built on friendship and common interests, and
most nights were similar to that first date: Mia leaning her back against Remus's chest while
he draped his arm around her shoulders, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck while
reading the book in his hand as she kicked her feet up at the end of the sofa, quietly
browsing through her own novel.
James and Sirius eventually tired of teasing the couple, though Mary, Lily, and Alice
were constantly asking Mia details about the more amorous aspects of her relationship with
the quiet Marauder. No details were ever given because, as per Remus's original rules
regarding their relationship, no details were ever created. While he remained adamant that
they not cross any lines where she could possibly be infected with his lycanthropy, he was
thrilled that she had not slipped him any more of what she now called Mood Juice,
because every morning he would have walked to the Great Hall sprouting bright blue hair.
Having a girlfriend was leaving him in quite a frustrated state. If pain were not an issue,
Remus might have looked forward to the full moon, as the transformation always burned
off excess energy.
His friends naturally made things much worse. It was completely impossible to talk
to James, considering Mia was his sister, and she had been insistent that Remus keep Peter's