A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter. This time we get a familiar face :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Big thanks to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter three and be on the lookout for chapter four in a few days.

Hermione slid into the backseat of her parents' car — the same one that they'd had when she was a child. She felt miserable the whole ride back to the house that she'd spent her first six years of life in, listening to her mum's inane chattering the whole while. God, did she ever shut up even for a second? She was like a hummingbird, flitting from topic to topic.

Her dad was mostly quiet for the duration of the drive, instead keeping focus on the road ahead of him. Every now and then he would have something to add, though.

Once her mum exhausted her seemingly endless list of topics, they finally turned their attention on her. They wanted to know how she was doing in school and what she liked to do for fun.

Hermione was barely able to get a few words out before her mum started apologizing for not getting her back sooner. For letting Sirius be the one who was left in charge of her.

"I can't believe they ever even allowed it in the first place. He was barely an adult. He hardly could have been a suitable guardian," her mum said, turning her head to look at Hermione. For once, her expression actually seemed sincere, like she thought Hermione really had suffered in Sirius's care.

Hermione bit her tongue to not tell them that Sirius had been a very attentive guardian, one she would have preferred not to be taken from. Her parents clearly had their own idea about what had happened and hadn't bothered to listen to her wishes in court.

"And don't worry, I've talked to Cissy, that little bitch," her mum continued on her tirade. "How she thought that turning away her own niece would ever be an option is beyond me! Don't worry, Lucius got quite the punishment from Tom."

Her father laughed. His laugh would be rather pleasant, comforting almost, Hermione thought, if he wasn't laughing at someone else's misfortune.

"It's alright," Hermione placated them. "It's not as if Draco and I ever really got along. He doesn't even speak to me at school."

That had not been the right thing to say, it seemed. Hermione could see her mum's nostrils flaring in annoyance, that she had been looked down on by her own blood.

Before they could lament on the lost time any longer, the trio were arriving home. Hermione's breath caught in her throat when she stepped out of the car and looked at the little townhouse. It was just as she remembered, down to the broken window sill on the second floor. It was completely untouched, as though it had been preserved from the weather itself.

Her mum caught her by surprise, slipping her hand into hers. "Come on, I'll take you up to your room," she said with a grin.

Hermione felt numb when they walked up the stairs to the top floor. It was hard not to be upset when this location brought back so many negative memories. Her sixth birthday had been the absolute worst day of her life. Walking into her room was like walking into a dream. Just as her mum had promised, it really was exactly as she'd left it, down to the books on her nightstand and her pink unicorn bedding on her twin bed. She swallowed, trying to stave off an emotional reaction.

There was a time when she wanted so badly to come back here, to be back with her parents. That first year she had lived with Sirius had been so hard, not understanding what was going on really. But so much time had passed and as she adjusted to her new family, that the desire had faded. Now that she had everything that she wanted as a child, it just tasted like ash.

"We can go shopping this weekend," her mum whispered. "You can pick out anything you want and daddy will buy it for you."

Hermione blinked back her tears. That was what her dad had always done — bought her presents to make up for the missed time.

She let her backpack drop to the floor, mentally running through all the things she would need to do to make her childhood bedroom somewhat livable. New sheets would be a good start and a larger desk for school work. And she would need to nag her dad to set up a time to collect her things from Sirius. There was no way that she'd be able to fit into any of the clothes.

"Let's go back downstairs," she said. "Your dad and I need to get going."

"Going?" Hermione repeated, wondering where they had to go the same night that they had fought so hard to get her home.

Her dad was waiting for them in the kitchen, his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing off the massive tattoo on his left forearm — the one she used to trace when she was little. She'd be fascinated by the way that the snake coiled around the eyes of the skull. It had faded somewhat over the years, but stood out just as much.

"We just have to go do a little work, Darling," her mum said, breezily. "Now we'll be back after you go to bed."

"Are you fucking serious?" Hermione snarled. This was absolutely unbelievable. She'd been home for less than a day and already she was being shoved aside for Tom Riddle. They hadn't turned a new leaf at all.

Her mum wasn't listening to her at all. Instead, she stalked over to the living room wall and began pounding on it. "Theo!" she shrieked. "Get over here!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, wondering what was going on. She hadn't thought about her old next door neighbor, Theo Nott since she was a teenager. But eventually, she heard thundering footsteps through her living room wall and a shout back.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" He shouted, obviously annoyed.

"I don't need a babysitter," Hermione told her mum and dad, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure which was more humiliating — the fact that they cared so little about her that they were going to leave her immediately after getting custody of her or that they thought she needed someone to watch her while they went out.

"Oh hush," her mum answered. "Theo will just show you around the neighborhood, take you to dinner. The pair of you were inseparable when you were younger. I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about."

Hermione remembered the last time that she and Theo had seen each other and his visceral reaction to the suggestion that they might one day end up married to one another. It still smarted all these years later that her best friend had found her so detestable. He should probably get a pass, seeing as he was only a six year old boy, himself, but Hermione wasn't in a forgiving mood.

Their front door was pushed in and Hermione was completely caught off guard by the man who swaggered in. Was it possible that this was Theo Nott? Rabbity little Theo Nott who dreamed of finding dinosaur bones in his back garden?

She bit her lip to stop from saying something, choosing instead to take a good hard look at him. He wore jeans and a well-fitting green t-shirt that looked soft. He was slim, but not scrawny as evidenced from the defined muscle of his biceps and forearm. His hair had gotten darker over the years and now looked more like milk chocolate than brown sugar. It was a bit long, but artfully tousled and Hermione meanly wondered if he spent hours in the bathroom in the mornings, getting it just perfect. Most notable was the change to his face. Baby fat had melted away, revealing sharp cheekbones and jaw.

Oh, and his height.

She and Theo had been the same height when she'd left him, but it looked like he sprouted up over the years and was now taller than her father. He towered over her and Hermione cursed herself for inheriting her mother's petite build.

When Hermione met his eyes, she was aghast to see that he was looking at her appreciatively, his gaze making its way up and down her body. "Hell-o," he greeted her in such a put-upon way that it immediately made her scoff.

Her mum didn't seem to notice. "Hermione, you remember Theo, don't you?" She asked, with a syrupy sweet smile.

"Yeah, we only lived next door to one another for years," Hermione answered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Welcome home, Hermione," Theo said with a lopsided sort of grin that she supposed belied his fondness for her. "We've all missed you."

"I can't say the same," she told him, defiant. Didn't he remember his last words to her? She sure as hell hadn't been able to forget it.

"Hermione, be nice," her mum scolded. "Theo, be a love and take Hermione to dinner, won't you? Rodolphus and I have to go and deal with the mess Gibbon created down at the club."

"Of course, I'd be delighted to," he said. "Sounds like he didn't take the right truck, if you ask me."

Hermione scoffed at his suggestion. Did this mean that Theo was working for Tom Riddle now too? He was barely two weeks older than she was and already he was mixed up in this kind of life. But, she knew that Theo's dad was very close to Riddle, so she supposed it shouldn't surprise her too much.

"Goodnight, Hermione," her dad said, pulling her into a quick hug, one that she almost melted into. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Stay out of trouble."

Her mum wished her a teary goodbye as well, repeating how glad she was to have Hermione home where she belonged. But it didn't stop her from flouncing out of the townhome with her husband in tow.

"You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Lestrange," Theo said once they were alone.

"Actually, it's Granger," Hermione told him, jutting her chin up in the air. She wanted nothing to do with the last name she'd been born with. "And, I actually don't need you to take me to dinner. I'll just look for something here."

Theo snorted at the suggestion before stalking into her kitchen, looking way too comfortable there. He swung open the refrigerator, showing it's empty contents, except for some condiments and beer. "Be my guest," he said. "Who doesn't love a hearty meal of mustard and lager?"

Hermione snapped her mouth shut so quickly she thought she might have heard her jaw click. Unsatisfied, she began opening cupboards, only to find them as empty as the fridge. "Bloody cokeheads," she whispered under her breath, wondering how her parents survived on air.

"Come on, let's just go around the corner to the pub and get a sandwich, okay?" Theo pressed.

She wanted to protest, but her stomach grumbled just at that moment, letting him know just how hungry she was. She lamented skipping breakfast. "Alright, fine," she agreed, before leading the way out of the townhouse.

Theo quickly caught up with her and fell in step with her, guiding her the short walk to the bar. The autumn air was cool, but not so bad that he couldn't survive a quick walk in short sleeves. Once they arrived, Theo cheerfully greeted the barkeep, a dangerous looking man called Fenrir. Hermione didn't remember him from her childhood and wondered if he was a new recruit or just someone else.

She found a seat and Theo brought them over a pair of pints. She frowned at the beer in front of her. "I can order myself, you know?" She snapped, not liking being treated like some damsel that needed everything done for her.

"What's wrong with it?" Theo asked.

"It's a…it's a school night," Hermione said, realizing how fucking lame her excuse sounded.

Theo laughed. "C'mon, Hermione, don't be a prig," he countered.

Chastised, Hermione pulled the pint towards her and took a big gulp. She wasn't sure why she wanted Theo to think she was cool, but she knew that she absolutely didn't want him to think that she couldn't handle herself. Because she could.

"I really did miss you, Hermione," he said, giving her another half-smile. "We're all so glad that Bella and Dolph were able to get you back."

"Well, I'm not," she answered, irritated. All of her frustrations from the day came bubbling up. "I was perfectly content living with Sirius and I wish that I could have remained with him instead of my parents."

"But, they love you so much," he pressed.

Hermione snorted. "Yeah, they love me so much that they immediately left me here with you. They couldn't even go twenty-four hours without running off at Tom Riddle's beck and call. And I suppose you do now, too."

Theo flushed a bit at the insinuation. "I help out every now and again," he conceded. "But not like your parents, no."

"I think he's a bit of an arsehole," Hermione said, sounding braver than she felt.

Her companion looked concerned, his blue eyes widening. "Hermione!" He scolded. "You can't just say something like that around here. Besides, he might be able to help you."

Hermione did not know what sort of help Theo thought she wanted or needed from Tom, but she wasn't going to be reckless and continue to badmouth such a dangerous man. She couldn't imagine what would happen if it got back to her parents anyway.

Before they could talk about it more, Fenrir brought over some sandwiches for them. He leered at her, making some crude comment about her mum, but Theo shut him down with a snarl and a look. Maybe Theo wasn't totally terrible to have around, Hermione thought.

Once they had their dinner, Theo kept the conversation relatively light, asking her all sorts of questions about what she'd been up to since being forced to leave due to her parents' imprisonment. Needing something to get her mind off of her heartbreak, she happily told him about Sirius and Remus and Harry, silently wondering what they were doing that night.

Did they miss her terribly? Were they equally as heartbroken to have one empty seat at their table that evening? Did they still get a pizza? Or, a darker part of her wondered, were they happy that the interloper to their happy little unit was finally gone?

No, she decided. Why would Sirius go through all the trouble to fight for her if he didn't even want her in the first place?

Theo in turn told her about some fun he'd gotten up to in their intervening years. He'd had to make some new friends once his next door bestie was suddenly plucked out of his life. There were a whole gaggle of boys around the block — Blaise, Adrian, Marcus, Graham, Terrance — who he promised to introduce her to eventually. He also mentioned that her cousin, Draco, would occasionally deign to grace the peasants with his presence.

"He's a bit of a dick, but we get along alright," Theo said, before giving her a guilty look. "No offense."

"Don't worry," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "He pretends like he doesn't know who I am at school."

Theo seemed to think that was rather funny. "Typical Draco," he said. "Gets it from his mum, I gather."

Hermione mused that Theo might know her Aunt better than she did, if she was honest. She could hardly remember what Narcissa looked like. She wondered when she'd have to see them again.

Despite her best wishes, Hermione found herself rather enjoying Theo's company. He made her laugh and it almost felt like picking up right where they had left off. His open admiration of her looks made her flush, though, and her stomach twist into knots. The last thing she needed was a crush on him, knowing how that had ended the last time.

By the time that they left the little pub, the sun had gone down for the evening, but it was still light enough to walk back. Theo pulled her into the corner store right by their respective houses, and they took some time dinking around the two aisles that fit inside, with Theo collecting all sorts of snacks and even a can of beer. Hermione didn't even think of asking for anything when she didn't have money of her own, even though Theo offered to spend his cash on her once again.

She didn't want to feel like she owed him anything.

He walked her up the steps to her front door and leaned against the frame. It seemed like he didn't want the night to end, too caught up in a haze of nostalgia to let his old friend go. And, Hermione let him linger and hold her up a bit because she didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts.

Eventually, she shivered in the cool evening air and Theo seemed to take pity on her. He reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a packet of sour gummy worms and pressed them into her hands. "You still like these, right? They were always your favorite," he mused.

Hermione's heart clenched at the thoughtfulness of it all. It wasn't fair. These people from her old life weren't allowed to be thoughtful.

"Anyway, even if you don't, it might be a good failsafe next time your parents leave you alone with just beer in the fridge," he hedged when she didn't respond. "Goodnight Hermione. I hope I'll be seeing you around a lot."

For a brief moment, Hermione wondered if he was thinking of giving her a goodnight kiss. Even in the darkness, his blue eyes could only be read as wanting. Unwilling to cross that bridge, Hermione ducked inside and shut the door behind her, not bothering to give him a goodnight.

Retreating into her little girl room, Hermione pressed her hands to her face, making herself hate Theo. She didn't like the way that he complicated her feelings about coming home — to her real home. She didn't like the way that he wrenched open some part of her that she'd thought long ago closed to the world.

She hoped that she wouldn't see him again for a long time but realized that it was probably unrealistic