the_debt_of_time

I should have been there, he thought as he looked at the wand. I should have been the one
to take him.
Blood poured down from his nose into his mouth, and Sirius coughed. "Going to
kill me, Harry?"
"You killed my parents," Harry said.
Despite the fact that Harry's voice was shaking with emotion, his wand hand was
steady. Just like James. Sirius actually smiled at the thought until Harry's words truly reached
him. "I don't deny it," he admitted very quietly, "but if you knew the whole story―"
"The whole story?" Harry repeated. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need
to know."
"No." Sirius shook his head and tried to sit up only to feel the end of Harry's wand
press hard against his chest. "You've got to listen to me," he argued urgently, his gaze
flickering to Ron. "You'll regret it if you don't. You don't understand―"
"I understand a lot better than you think." Harry's voice still shook. "You never
heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me."
Sirius winced in pain at the thought, remembering the sight of red hair sprawled out
on the floor of Harry's nursery behind Hagrid's feet. He looked up into Harry's green
eyes—Lily's eyes—and prepared himself for death.
Before either of them could say another word, there was a flash of movement, and
Sirius felt something heavy land on his chest, knocking Harry's wand out of the way. He
glanced down to spot the orange kneazle sitting there as though Sirius were a sofa.
"Get off," Sirius growled, trying to push the cat away. The cat replied by sinking his
claws into his chest.
Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor. Someone was approaching.
"WE'RE UP HERE!" the girl screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE! SIRIUS
BLACK... QUICK!"
At the sound of his name coming from her lips, the breath stilled in his lungs, and
the string inside his soul lit up like a hot needle sinking into his skin and his soul.
Sirius forced himself to look at the girl. His eyes flew wide open just as his memories
came rushing back to him, almost as though they had been missing.
"I am not having this argument with you again, Sirius Black!"
"Sirius Black! You did not tell Remus and Jamie you were going off to snog me!"