the_debt_of_time

enough to reveal actual utter panic in her eyes. She looked so scared that it actually
frightened him. Gripping his shirt in her tiny fists, her voice shook as she pleaded with
him, "You have to promise me—promise me!—Remus, no matter what happens, you will
send me back! I need to go back. I can't not have lived this life. I need you and Jamie
and... and Sirius."
Remus slowly nodded his head, a part of him wondering what his life would have
been like if he had never known Mia. He remembered sitting on the Hogwarts Express,
terrified out of his mind, not only that his secret would be found out, but that he would
end up hurting someone. Mia had changed all of that. She had changed everything. She
had changed him.
At his nod of agreement, she let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against his chest.
Automatically, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It'll be fine, Mia. I won't lose
you."
The scene once again switched, and Remus and Mia found themselves standing in
a large, dimly lit library. Remus smiled as he watched Hermione Granger tightly hugging
his older self; a tall, black-haired wizard stood nearby with a grin on his face.
"That's Sirius?" Remus chuckled, his smile turning into a full grin at the sight of his
friend. "Merlin, look at him. He really can't stay away from those tattoo shops, can he?"
He observed the way Mia was staring wistfully at the memory. Her fingers twitched
as though she wanted to reach out and touch. While he never doubted Mia's love for Sirius,
it was painfully obvious now that she had been in love with him long before they had ever
met as children. She loved the Sirius that he knew, of that Remus had no doubt, but there
was a longing in her eyes as she stared at Sirius's counterpart, and he realised she was in
love with that man too.
"This is the night I go back," Mia pointed out, gesturing to a crimson box. "You
put the Time-Turner in that."
"Let me open your present while you're right here."
"No. Wait until I leave. It's... private. I mean, it's just... You might not like it. The next
time I see you, you can tell me if you like it."
"I liked it," Mia said with a grin, turning to look at Remus.
"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked quietly
"Hope so."