the_debt_of_time

his nose. "Hell, I'm just going to plaster over the old bitch when we're done with this
bloody war."
Shivering slightly in the draughty room, Hermione perched on the sofa, hugging
her knees to her chest.
Instinctively, Sirius made his way to her and wrapped an old blanket he had pulled
out of a nearby cupboard around her quivering form.
She smiled up at him gratefully before her focus switched to Ron, who was peering
through the windows.
"Can't see anyone out there," he announced.
"Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Hermione's voice drew Sirius's attention to his godson. The Polyjuice had finally
faded completely, which would have been a happy sight, except that Harry wincing in pain
and clutching at his forehead. The image, he was certain, had taken years off of Sirius's life
as the panic raised in his chest. "Harry!"
"What did you see?" Ron asked, advancing forward. "Did you see him at my place?"
"No, I just felt anger. He's really angry."
"But that could be at the Burrow," Ron said worriedly. "What else? Didn't you see
anything? Was he cursing someone?"
"No, I just felt anger... I couldn't tell―"
"He's still connected to you?" Sirius asked with concern, pushing Ron out of Harry's
face. "I thought that'd been fixed by teaching you Occlumency." He looked to Hermione,
hoping for answers as Harry was still caught up in the aftershocks of the painful vision.
"He never finished his lessons," she disclosed. "Snape refused."
"That prick. Dumbledore was supposed to set him straight," Sirius growled,
reminding himself that Snape was a traitor and had likely stopped the lessons on purpose
to keep Harry from blocking out Voldemort. "Then we'll pick it back up. I'm not the best
at it, mind you," he admitted. That was certainly an understatement. Memories of the first
time he had tried Occlumency still made him slightly nauseated. "But better than ignoring
it and letting that sick snake inside your head."
Harry exhaled. "Thanks, Sirius."
Hermione shrieked. The other three drew their wands in response, spinning around
to see a silver Patronus soar through the drawing room window and land on the floor in