the_debt_of_time

Sirius snorted a little at the thought himself, though a month ago, he would have
outright laughed. Now, however, thoughts of Walburga only made him angry, bitter, and
even sad—though he would never admit it.
"As for my discontent, or lack thereof, you worry for nothing." Dorea waved her
hand, shooing away his concerns as if they were pointless. "Though, I can't deny how fun
it is to watch a Gryffindor squirm a little under my gaze. You should work on that. I am
not the last Slytherin who will attempt to intimidate you."
"I'm not intimidated," Sirius lied defiantly.
"Really? You should be." The mirth was suddenly gone from her eyes, the casual
lightness gone from her words. "Not one month living under my roof, and you're having sex
with my daughter? In the traditions of pureblood society, you should have written a formal
letter of intent before even thinking about beginning a courtship, let alone taking her to
your bed."
This was what he had expected.
"Okay, so I'm a little intimidated," he painfully admitted, watching as Dorea's
expression changed once again. He was certain the Sorting Hat put him in the right House.
There was no way he would have ever kept up with the way Slytherins behaved. "Are you
going to ask me what my intentions are with Mia? Isn't that how the speech goes?"
"That is how Charlus's speech will go."
Sirius paled. He had been so worried about facing Dorea that he had not thought
about what Mia's father would do. Knowing James, Charlus was certain to have a foul
temper that was not easily calmed, especially when it came to his family.
"When he eventually finds out," Dorea added. "However, that won't be for a very
long time, I imagine, unless you plan on telling him."
Sirius barely managed to spit out a choked, "No!"
"Good. I wouldn't confide in James, either. Gryffindors are terrible liars and
abysmal at harbouring secrets."
"Mia's actually pretty good at it," Sirius said bitterly under his breath as he
remembered the look on her face when he asked her about her scar. She had not expected
him to find it, which meant that it had been there for a while, and she had no intention of
telling him, or maybe anyone, about it. Sirius wondered if Remus had seen it and knew of
its origin.