the_debt_of_time

"Agreed," Sirius responded with a laugh that only got louder when Remus rolled
his eyes. "Oh, no, you don't. You don't get to ruin my good mood, Moony. I'm alive, and
my witch is almost eighteen, of age for almost a year, thank you."
"Still a little creepy, Pads."
"This is still a little creepy," Sirius gestured to Dora. "You do know he's old enough
to be your father, right?"
"Pot." Remus pointed at Sirius and then pointed back to himself. "Cauldron."
"When do we go see Hermione?" Sirius asked, bouncing on the balls of his bare
feet like a child waiting for presents the night before Christmas.
"Order meeting tonight at the Burrow," Dora said, perching herself on Remus's leg.
"She's not Mia," Remus reminded him.
"Don't care," Sirius retorted, still bouncing. "Hermione, Mia, same witch, love them
both."
"How are you so... energetic?"
"Well," Sirius answered as he finally took a seat at the table. "In my head, two days
ago, I was living in Grimmauld Place with an elf that refused to bathe and a portrait of my
mother. My witch was sixteen years old, Harry was being chased by Death Eaters, and
Bellatrix was killing me."
"Harry's still technically being chased by Death Eaters," Remus pointed out.
"We'll kill them."
"And Bellatrix is still out there somewhere," Dora reminded him.
"I'll kill her the next chance I get," Sirius promised. "Nothing's going to bring me
down today. I'm alive, and whatever it was that Hermione did to bring me back, it provoked
her end of the Soul Bond," he said, running the tips of his fingers over the hollow of his
throat and then down toward his heart. "Knowing, willing, loving. I'm at least one step
closer to getting her back."