the_debt_of_time

She stifled a sob as she thought of her older wizard, the man who had healed her
splinched back. The man who had saved her from Bellatrix Lestrange. The man who had
brought her back to life with his own breath in the caved-in passage on the fourth floor.
The man who had invited her into his home and stayed with her through the nightmares,
cared for Harry like a father, grieved with her for her lost Muggle parents, and forced Draco
Malfoy—of all people—to become her friend and help her through the aftermath of war.
Mia's eyes met those of the younger Sirius Black. The boy who had extended a hand
of friendship when she was shoved to the ground. The boy who had grown up alongside
her, smiled at her, and brought light into her life. The boy who looked at James and
Remus—the other two most important people in her life—like brothers. The boy who had
fought so courageously against the expectations of a prejudiced family, who had been
knocked down so often—just because of who he was, and yet always stood back up to
fight for his friends. For her.
He had grown up. He was a man now. He was still her Sirius.
And it was all too overwhelming because she could not imagine losing him to grief
or Azkaban or resentment or time. Mia leapt from her chair and rushed to the door, waving
her wand and breaking through Lily's wards like they were tissue paper before she darted
out the portrait hole, letting it slam behind her.
Sirius stood when Mia ran toward the door, breathing heavily as he watched her
leave his sight, swallowing down the rush of emotions her words had pulled from him.
"You're seriously just going to stand there?" Lily shrieked at him.
He turned back and looked at her incredulously. "No."
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?" Remus snapped, jerking his chin toward
the door with wide eyes.
"I'm giving her a dramatic head start!" Sirius yelled. "It's hardly going to be
memorable if I follow her right out the fucking door with you sods listening in, is it?" He
rushed over to James, reaching into his best friend's robe pockets and searching for the
Marauder's Map. Once found, he turned on the heels of his dragonhide boots and rushed
out the door.
Sirius sneaked along the dark corridors as best as he could, using the Marauder's
Map not only to track Mia but to dodge roaming prefects and Filch. As he followed the
little dot on the map that read Mia Potter, he noticed she was headed up the stairs to what