the_debt_of_time

most beautiful girl in the world. Who wouldn't want to be with her? Look at her. She's
everything."
Beaming at Sirius's words, Lily pushed the glass of firewhisky toward Mia, silently
instructing her to drink.
Mia hesitated before swallowing the amber liquid down, no longer wincing at the
burn that had scorched her throat years ago. Sirius was right, she had gotten used to it.
"Do you want to be with Sirius?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because.. ." Mia paused before she spoke, realising the Veritaserum was not as
strong against her as it was before. She wondered if Sirius had been as compelled or if his
words were as honest as she hoped they had been. She wondered if she could lie,
considering it was not forcing her to speak, but she did not want to lie. Not anymore. So
she told the truth: "Because he's my future."
She stared into grey eyes and imagined away the youth in them. She could see the
beautiful lines of age around those eyes, the tattooed skin and marks of a hard life—
undeserved as it may have been—and it was all beautiful. He was beautiful.
"Because when I close my eyes, I can see the end of this war, and he's there." She
thought of her Sirius—older Sirius—but then wasn't this her Sirius, too? "Firewhisky in
one hand, cigarette in the other, rolling his eyes while I nag at him to quit." She smirked
and felt a flutter of elation when Sirius smiled at her. "I want to be with him because I trust
him to always put my safety and happiness first, even if he thinks I wouldn't be safe and
happy with him. Because when I think about the future, the first thing I always think of
is.. ."
Mia closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears as she envisioned the library of
Grimmauld Place.
"Before we dig into old magics and awkward adult conversations, will you allow an old dog one
last moment of recklessness?" an older Sirius had asked her, his eyes pleading and anxious before
he had brushed his lips so softly against hers that she had long since wondered if it had all
been a dream.
"When I think about the past and the future, the first thing I always think is: I miss
Sirius Black."