the_debt_of_time

stood looking down at the black dog in front of him, and Padfoot was smart enough to
put his chest to the ground, ears back and tail tucked as a show of passive submission.
Mia, likewise, followed his lead, though she kept her eyes trained on Moony, who
caught her gaze and slowly stepped back, nodding his head.
Remus was still there.
She made her way over to Moony, nuzzling her head against his large paw, her puffy
red tail wrapping around his leg.
Moony leant down and brushed his snout against Mia's furry face before moving
forward and doing the same to Padfoot, scent marking them both.
The door opened again as Prongs stepped forward, and Moony growled at first
sight, but Mia nipped him in the leg reproachfully, bringing him back to attention. He
huffed out a short breath before rubbing his snout against Prongs and Wormtail in the
same fashion as before.
Submission established, the five animals spent the night roughhousing in the
Shrieking Shack—a constant blur of black and red as Padfoot tumbled over the little fox,
one always desperate to pin the other and create the hierarchy that Sirius had mentioned
earlier.
Only once did things get out of control.
In the very early morning, when the moon still hung in the sky, Mia curled up against
Moony, her head resting between her paws and relaxing at the feel of the rush of the wolf's
breath against her face as their snouts lay side by side.
On the other side of Moony, rested Padfoot, snoring with his head leaning against
the shoulder of Prongs, who slept soundly with his legs folded beneath him.
Mia's pointy ears perked up at a noise, and her eyes opened to look across the room
where she spotted the rat skittering about. Suddenly, the sight of it brought back a vivid
memory.
The shack. Sirius. Remus. Harry. Ron.
"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"Then you should have died! Died rather than betray your friends! As we would have done for
you!"