the_debt_of_time

"How was the train? Sorry I couldn't make it—previous engagement," he joked,
and Mia chuckled quietly. His nonchalance at her presence warmed her inside, making her
have the slightest bit of hope that he would not reject her presence there in the future. She
only wanted to help. She only wanted to be with him.
"It was a bit of a pain without you there," she admitted, still holding his hand,
marvelling at how much bigger it was than hers now that they were older. "Jamie asked
Lily to sit with us since we had an extra seat, and she hexed him with a Hair-Thickening
Charm." Remus cringed at the tale, and she smiled. "I know. If anyone doesn't need a Hair-
Thickening Charm, it's Jamie."
Remus reached his free hand up and tugged on one of her curls. "I think all Potters
should avoid that particular hex," he said with a playful smile.
She smirked, narrowing her eyes. "Funny. Sirius left the compartment an hour into
the trip to go snog some brunette Ravenclaw." Noticing that Remus's stare went cold at
the words, she pointed at his face. "What's that about? Why the angry eyes?"
"Sirius shouldn't do that in front of you," Remus said with a growl.
She brushed it off as genuinely as she could. While she was being as sensible as
possible when it came to Sirius, she had a particular distaste for many of the girls he chose
to associate with, which only made her question traits about herself that might be similar.
She hoped that he did not have a type. What was more, she hoped that if he did, that she
was an anomaly.
"I'm fine. He made his choice, and I'm not going to sit around like some lovesick
puppy over Sirius Black, of all people," she admitted confidently. "He told me I deserve
better."
"You do," Remus insisted. "You never did tell me exactly what happened between
you and Sirius."
"Does it matter? I just want to move on." When Remus did not reply but continued
to stare at her, she sighed. "We kissed, and he went mental." She shrugged her shoulders,
leaving out the part in the story where Sirius told Mia that Remus was in love with her. "It's
for the best."
She watched Remus as he swallowed, running the pad of his thumb in small circles
over her knuckles. When he inhaled slowly, she watched his reaction closely. His throat
bobbed, and his eyes closed. Had she not known him better, she might have assumed him