the_debt_of_time

and inhaled. As she blew the smoke out through her nose, letting the heat warm her a
touch, she frowned knowing that she would need to quit. It was one thing to sneak one or
two during stressful times, but she knew she did not want Harry or Ron picking up the
habit, and she detested being a hypocrite.
"I see you really have changed," Molly muttered quietly as she stepped out onto the
porch, wandless, which was smart of whoever had allowed her to leave the room. She eyed
the smoke distastefully, and Mia rolled her eyes.
"I plan on quitting. So, are we okay?"
Molly swallowed and began wringing her hands. "It's quite the story. I have a hard
time believing it, but seeing that I never had the pleasure of meeting Mia Potter, it's not as
though you can offer me much proof, can you?" she asked, sighing irritably. "And while I
understand that you might have been the same age when you were in Hogwarts with...
with him, you're still just a young girl now, and he's a grown man."
"He is the love of my life and looks at me the way Arthur looks at you," Mia said
firmly, watching as Molly's eyes softened slightly. "I understand you have a habit of
mothering the motherless, but I've had two mothers who taught me to stand on my own
two feet and make my own decisions. One of those mothers also raised the man inside,
whom you are judging, something I should tell you has earned several witches a trip to the
Black Lake under my hand."
Molly looked to be struggling with the obvious threats coming from the girl who,
as of yesterday, was just a sweet Muggle-born witch whom she thought of as one of her
own. "Hermione, he is―"
"Molly, I will only say this once: you do not know Sirius Black; do not pretend that
you do. Sirius tries to behave himself in the face of insults because he doesn't want to put
Harry in the uncomfortable position of feeling like he has to choose between your family
and his own. I, however, will not tolerate any defamation of Sirius's character. That ends
tonight."
Molly took the words in slowly, hopefully processing the clear threat and trying to
consolidate her memories of Hermione Granger with the stories she had likely heard from
her husband all those years ago about Mia Potter.
"Then, may I ask—?" Molly began quietly, her eyes lingering on the scar on Mia's
shoulder.