the_debt_of_time

"Your real name is Hermione?" he asked, taking note of the name at the top of the
letter. She nodded, her eyes looking distant as the name fell from his lips; it was almost as
though she did not like the way it sounded.
Then she smiled. "Jamie said it was a mouthful, so he nicknamed me Mia."
"You hate nicknames," he pointed out.
"I love Jamie."
"I umm.. ." He hesitated, looking back down at what she was insinuating was his
own handwriting. "Is this real?"
"Yes. Every word. I imagine you have questions."
"Only about a thousand or so." He sighed, overwhelmed, as he folded the letter
back up and handed it back to her—pleading with her to take it from him so he did not
get lost in the words once more.
He had not spent much effort reading about time travel, just a few references some
of their school books made, and even then, Remus never thought that form of magic was
plausible. Even touching the letter felt wrong and dangerous.
"I wish I could answer them," Mia admitted sadly.
Remus suddenly recalled an argument they'd had a year earlier at the Astronomy
Tower. Mia had come back into his bed to apologise, explaining why she could not tell him
the details about her scars.
"Dumbledore," he blurted out. "You can't tell me. You literally can't tell me
anything, can you? He's spelled you. That's what you told me last year."
Mia nodded, tears in her eyes. The look of sadness and desperation in her chocolate
gaze stirred something inside of him; for the first time, he felt distrust toward the
headmaster.
"I can't even write it down," she explained, wiping the moisture from her eyes.
Remus's heart went out to her, a part of him wondering what exactly she was keeping
secret, the weight of such burdens, and how long she'd had to survive with them sitting
firmly on her shoulders. More importantly, why Dumbledore felt the need to keep her
silent. What could one witch know about the future that...?
"I don't understand. Why would I send you back in time? Twenty years from
now, Merlin." He blinked, a part of him shocked to know for certain he had even survived
that long. Death always appeared to be just a blink away, especially considering they were