A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter. You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-one soon!
Hermione felt herself going cross-eyed. She was absolutely sure that if she had to listen to Ron talk about football for even one more minute she was going to go insane. She found that she couldn't care less that his favorite team had picked up some young talent out of France. Luckily, she was saved by the end-of-the-day bell ringing, and she popped up out of her seat, quickly packing up her bag.
"What's gotten into you?" Ron asked, looking at her curiously. "Normally you are lining up to ask Mr. Flitwick like eighteen questions after class."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Since the second half of class was self-guided, I didn't have any remaining questions about his lecture," Hermione explained. That was partially the truth. She was sure that the other reason she was excited to leave school today was waiting out front to pick her up.
"Got any plans for the weekend?" Harry asked, falling into step next to her. "Ron and I were going to try to go to that new pizza place tonight. Apparently it's supposed to be authentic, American style pizza."
"They bake it in a pan," Ron explained, practically drooling thinking about it. "So cheesy and bubbly and you can get it with like four kinds of meat on top."
Hermione had to bite her lower lip to stop from laughing. That certainly did sound like a concoction that Ron would be dreaming about for weeks to come. "Thanks for the offer, boys, but I think I will have to sit this one out," she said, regretfully. "But you'll have to tell me how it is."
"Come on, Hermione," Ron begged, doing his best impression of puppy dog eyes he could come up with. "You never hang out with us any more."
"Sirius asked if I could leave Harry alone for a while," Hermione said, with a sigh. "So, even though I'd like to see you guys out of school more often, I'm trying to be respectful of his wishes."
"But, Hermione, you know that I don't care what Sirius says," Harry added with a frown. "We're best friends and nothing Sirius says is going to change that."
"I appreciate that, Harry," Hermione said, warmth spreading through her chest. Harry had really been trying to heal the cracks in their friendship that had been made ever since she was returned to her parents and she was thankful. Hopefully, they would be able to turn the corner soon. "But, I've always done what Sirius has asked and I'm not going to go out of my way to ignore it now. You can bring it up with him."
She wondered if Harry would find the courage to tell his guardian that he still liked Hermione and wasn't going to stop seeing her.
When the trio walked out into the sunshine of the early afternoon, Hermione immediately spotted Theo, leaning back against the door of his car. It wasn't a particularly fancy car, but it was a car, which was envy inducing for most teenagers. His ubiquitous black leather jacket was zipped up and he had his hands stuffed in the pockets to stave off the cold, with the white stick of a sucker hanging from his mouth. She lit up when she saw her boyfriend and gave him a little wave.
Ron looked to where her attention was leveled and immediately scoffed. "Ugh, so that's the reason you won't come to get pizza with us, isn't it?" he questioned, pointing his thumb at Theo. "I can't believe that you are choosing him over us."
"Well, yes, Theo and I do have plans tonight. We're meeting up with our friend Adrian," she explained. She wasn't going to tell them that she hoped to pick his brain about Tom's offer because that would necessitate her telling them about Tom's offer. They would never understand why she was even considering it.
"God, he's just why you are doing all of this, isn't he?" Ron demanded suddenly, waving his hand up and down at her attire. "Little dresses and lipstick. Are you trying to turn into a Greengrass clone? Acting all slutty to impress guys?"
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, taking a step back, feeling offended. Yes, she had picked out her dress that day because she knew that Theo would like it and she loved to wear her punchy pink lipstick when she was going to see him because she loved the way that it made him zero in on her lips. But it wasn't like she was doing it all just to impress Theo. She'd been doing it long before they got together. Not to mention that nothing she was doing was even remote slutty.
"He didn't mean it like that," Harry jumped in, trying to salvage the situation, pressing a hand to Ron's chest.
"Yes I did!" Ron said, defiant. "Come on, mate, you can see it just as plainly as I can. She's...she's showing off her tits and her legs and she knows what she's doing."
Hermione was even more horrified to hear what else Ron had to say about her. "Is that what you think of me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, not wanting Ron to think that she was showing off her tits for him.
"I just...I don't understand what's so special about Nott?" the redhead continued. "He's a bad influence on you."
"Well, he's my boyfriend, so you better get okay with it," Hermione scolded him.
That only seemed to make Ron more angry. "Come on, be serious Hermione," he continued. "I just don't understand why you'd date him. I thought...I always thought that you and I would have something together."
She was aghast. "Oh, so you get to call me slutty because I'm dating someone who isn't you?" she asked sharply. "What makes you think I'd want to date you anyway? With how you've been treating me since I went back to my parents? Why would you ever think that I'd date you, when you make me feel like you are barely able to tolerate me because of who my parents are!"
"Maybe we should take some time to cool off," Harry suggested weakly, looking between his two friends with concern.
"No!" Hermione said. "I don't need to cool off. What I need is for my two friends to support me and not make wild accusations or call me names. And if you guys can't do that...well, maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore."
Ron had nothing to say to that and turned around and stomped off. Harry gave her an apologetic look before running after him.
Hermione took a deep breath to gather her emotions before plastering a smile on her face and making the short walk over to Theo. She would be damned before she let Ron's words get to her and ruin her Friday night.
When she got to his side, Theo wrapped her in a quick hug, giving her one of his trademark half-grins. "Everything okay?" he asked, quietly. "That looked like a big discussion."
She snorted, but walked around the car to slide into the passenger's seat. Once they were alone together, she told him the truth. "Oh, just Ron being jealous," she said with a teasing grin. "Apparently he thinks I am dressing slutty to impress you."
Theo reached over the center console and put his hand on her thigh, toying with the short hem of her dress. "Well, you are, aren't you?" he asked her, just as teasing as she was. "I think you know just how I feel seeing you dressed like this."
Hermione flushed, watching the slow creep of his fingers on her inner thigh, letting her legs fall apart. "Just focus on driving, okay?" she teased, unwilling to deny his accusation.
It didn't take long to get from Hermione's school to the small Thai restaurant near Adrian's University where they'd arranged to meet. It wasn't that they were specifically avoiding their neighborhood, but there was the unspoken assumption that everyone might be a bit more open with their thoughts if there was less chance of them being overheard. And, Hermione wanted Adrian's open and honest opinion, even though the two of them had been at odds when they first met.
Adrian was already waiting for them, half way through a bowl of Tom Yum when they arrived. Ever the gentleman, Theo pulled out Hermione's chair for her before sitting next to her.
"Adrian," she greeted the other man warmly. "How are classes going?"
"Fine," he answered. "Classes are alright, but I am eager to start my apprenticeship. I've done enough sitting in classrooms. You?"
"Same," Hermione agreed, surprised that she truly felt it. At one point in her life, she'd thought that she would just love to remain an eternal student, but she wasn't sure that fit anymore. "I just want exams to be over. I don't think I can revise any more or I'll go crazy."
"Good thing you have us then," Adrian quipped with a grin. "If we didn't throw so many parties, I doubt that you'd have any fun and then you really would go mad."
"I suppose I am lucky to have so many party invites," Hermione conceded. "Otherwise I am sure that I would have absolutely no social life at all."
"Well, I'm sure you didn't ask me to dinner to talk about your spectacular social life, thanks to yours truly," Adrian said, with a self-satisfied grin. "Theo mentioned you had some more questions about studying law?"
Hermione nibbled her lower lip, before reminding herself that she could trust Adrian Pucey. Or rather, Theo insisted she could trust Adrian Pucey and if Theo trusted him, well, Hermione knew that it must be true. "Not exactly," she said finally, wringing her hands together in her lap. "Um, Tom has offered to pay for my University on the condition that I work with Slughorn and then take over for him when he's ready to retire."
Pucey's brown eyes widened in surprise. "That seems like an offer that is difficult to turn down," he said. "And, we'd be able to work together, too. Slughorn is taking me on in the spring."
"I know it's a very generous offer," Hermione said, wondering if she was really making too big of a deal about this. "I just don't know how to feel about having someone like Riddle bankrolling me."
"Because of his line of work?" he asked her, skeptically.
"Yes," Hermione agreed. "I know how he makes his money and thinking about it being used to fund my education makes me feel not great. And, if I were to become his solicitor, I just don't know how I could stand there and defend him when...when I know who he really is."
Adrian was quiet for a few beats, looking between Hermione's anguished face and Theo's. "How do I put this delicately?" he asked himself, taking a deep breath. "You do know who your parents are, right? And you know...who Theo works for, right?"
Hermione swallowed. "Yes, but that's different-"
"Different how?" he asked, critically. "Your parents pay for your home and your clothes and your food with that same money. You seem to have absolutely no problem using that money. And if Theo takes you out on a date, well, you know where that comes from as well."
"Yes, but that's why I wanted to pay my own way for my University. I wasn't even going to ask my parents to try to help out," Hermione said with a frown. "That's why I got the job at Scabior's, so I could make a little money. And I still would work there if Riddle hadn't pulled his influence."
Adrian grimaced hearing that. "I hate to tell you this, but I think Tom might have already made the decision for you," he said. "If he was willing to stop your job or any chance to make money legitimately in the neighborhood. He's willing to show you how far his influence goes."
"That's what I was afraid of," Hermione said, giving Theo a sideways glance. "But, I'm prepared to have nothing to do with the neighborhood if I walk away from his offer. I mean, I can still put myself through school with scholarships and I can get another job by my University."
She hadn't really talked about what this would mean for her and Theo. She was willing to walk away from the neighborhood to get free of Tom's influence, but it would mean an end to her and Theo's relationship...unless he was willing to leave it behind too. There were times when she thought he might walk away if it meant being with her, but she also thought that it might be too big of an ask. They hadn't even been dating for half a year. She couldn't ask him to leave his whole life behind for her.
Suddenly feeling cowardly, she realized that she couldn't quite meet his eye.
But, it was Adrian who had some more cold water to pour on her. "I'm afraid that his influence doesn't just stop at the neighborhood," he said with a frown. "If people find out that you turned down a chance to work with Slughorn, I'm afraid that you will have trouble finding a different work study. Slughorn has a lot of friends."
"Riddle couldn't possibly stop every student from getting work study," Hermione said, thinking that the idea sounded dubious at best. "There are too many! And I am sure there are potential work studies that wouldn't dream of having anything to do with him. So working with me might even seem like a bonus."
Once she actually said it out loud, she realized just how overly optimistic it sounded.
Adrian gave her a sad little smile. "Not for every student in the country, no," he conceded after a moment. "But a student that he has obviously taken particular interest in?"
She felt like crying. "I don't like him thinking that he can just get me to do whatever he wants," she said, completely distressed over the situation. "I just wish he'd never taken an interest in me in the first place."
"Tough luck," Adrian said. "But your parents are your parents. You just have to learn to deal with it."
Hermione was surprised by his no nonsense response. Adrian certainly wasn't going to allow her to wallow in self pity. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to defend him. I don't...I don't know if I can do it," she revealed.
It was a bit silly confessing this to him, when she knew that Adrian had specifically decided to pursue criminal law because of the money involved in it. He didn't seem to care that the majority of his clients would be guilty. "I'm sure you'll be able to manage, Granger," he said with a snort. "Look, even if you are a bleeding heart and you only take on the most pitiful of cases, you have to understand that some proportion of your clients will be terrible people."
"You are being awful," Hermione said, her voice very small. She didn't want to face the truth that Adrian was trying to give her.
"You are the one who asked me here for my advice. Now, you don't have to take that advice, but..." he trailed off, seeing how miserable she looked. "If you don't want to take Tom's offer, you might want to think about practicing in another country."
God, could she really do that? Leave everything that she knew behind? She wasn't sure that she could, let alone if she wanted to.
"You are right and I do value your advice," she answered. "I just have a lot to think about and to...to consider."
"I wouldn't take too long considering his offer," Adrian said, with a bit of caution. "He isn't a patient man."
After their discussion about Tom's offer fizzled away, the trio quickly ate what was left of their dinners, before Adrian had to leave and return to the library for the evening. He mentioned a party at his flat that he wouldn't be attending that they were welcome to join, but neither Theo nor Hermione were too interested in the idea.
Instead, they made a quiet walk back to Theo's car. Safely inside, Hermione felt a bit of tension between her and Theo. "You know when I said I could walk away from the neighborhood, I never meant you, right?" she asked her boyfriend, feeling guilty for springing that idea on him.
"I don't know," Theo said with a shrug of his shoulders, his eyes on the road in front of him. "I am part of the neighborhood, aren't I? And, I've done things that you'd turn your nose up at."
She could feel tears prickling in her eyes. "I don't think any less of you, Theo. I love you," she told him, not wanting to give up what it was that they had between them. "I wish that you didn't work with Tom, but I also know that I can't change the past."
"And neither can I," Theo said, tersely.
"What does that mean?" she asked, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
"I just mean, I don't want to wake up some day and have my girlfriend tell me that she can't stand to look at me because I've boosted some shit in my life," he answered. "Listen, I know what you think of your parents and I know you could easily think the same about me."
Hermione wasn't entirely sure of what to say. "I don't know what to say, Theo," she said, wondering if she'd ruined just about the only good thing to come out of being forced to move back home. Her champion.
Theo took a deep breath before letting go of the steering wheel with one hand to hold her hand. "I only just got you back," he said, still unable to look at her. "I don't want to have to lose you again so quickly."