Chapter 7

Theo had always wondered what his sister would have been like when he was growing up. What would she look like? Would she be smart like him? Caring like their mother? Would she have a sense of humor? He'd always wondered.

And now he finally was getting the answers he'd always wanted. She was stunning, but in a very unassuming way. She had curly hair, that on first glance was just brown, but on closer inspection, it was a rich caramel with just a slight red undertone. She'd always worn it long, he'd learned, but she was considering cutting it to "a more manageable length." When he'd asked what that meant, she'd pointed to her shoulders.

Theo didn't even have to question if she was smart. He was third in his class, right behind Draco in scores, but miles behind Hermione. She enjoyed all of the core curriculum, but potions had always been her favorite subject, mainly because of Professor Snape, even though she didn't necessarily like him as a person. Slughorn went too easy on the students in her opinion. She thought divination was load of dung, but loved arithmancy because of the preciseness of it. Even though she had taken Care of Magical Creatures through OWLs because she adored Hagrid, she couldn't fathom why Dumbledore had thought he would make a good teacher, but if Theo ever repeated that to anyone, she would skin him alive. Ancient Runes was her favorite class though because it was the most challenging to her.

And while for most of Theo's life, he had seen brilliance lead to madness and cruelty, Hermione's led to kindness. He'd had to ask about SPEW, and he'd been shocked to find out that she'd begun the organization in their fourth year after witnessing a house elf get freed in such a cruel fashion. While she supported house elf freedom, she also had realized at a certain point that some elves could not be freed. But she did believe that all elves deserved certain protections from harsher punishments, such as beatings, or ironing their own fingers.

But her kindness didn't just extend to creatures that she felt needed her help. It extended to the younger students, regardless of house. She'd cancelled one of her study appointments with Theo because Flitwick had asked her if she would mind tutoring a second year Slytherin who was having difficulty in class. He'd spied on her during the tutoring session and watched as she gently coached the student into casting an engorgement charm on one of the goblets from the great hall, and cheered genuinely when he cast the spell correctly for the first time.

But while Theo was often awe-struck by Hermione's best qualities, the thing she managed to do the most, was terrify him. He'd heard stories, rumors of what the Golden Trio had gotten up to during their first six years of school. He soon realized that he had only been hearing a fraction of their adventures. She'd brewed Polyjuice potion when they were twelve because they were trying to find out whether Draco was responsible for the attacks second year. She'd also turned herself into a cat on accident, but she had laughed at that, brushing it off, since "it was over five years ago, and honestly, it was an interesting learning experience."

He'd discovered that she hated riding anything, to the point of fear. She'd had a bad experience riding a horse when she was five, and it had soured her to riding anything. But that hadn't stopped her from riding a hippogriff, thestral, and a fucking dragon, all before she turned 18. Because she was willing to put aside her own fears if it meant doing the right thing for someone else.

The only person he'd met who terrified him more than his sister was Ginny Weasley. When they studied in the library, she sat at a table a few rows of shelves away, so she could warn Hermione and Theo if someone was coming. He'd called her Miss Weasley for three days before she'd finally snapped and insisted that if they were going to be in each other's lives, he might as well call her by her name. She had also made it abundantly clear that if Theo hurt Hermione in any way, shape or form, that Hermione had six men in her life who had considered her another sister for almost five years, and it would only take a word from her, and Theo would wish he'd never been born.

To that end, Theo had done everything in his power to keep Hermione happy. He had answered every question that she'd come up with. He'd admitted that their father had been one of the Dark Lord's earliest supporters, going as far back as their Hogwarts days. Their mother had been trapped in an unhappy marriage, and while he missed her terribly, he knew that she had been greatly unhappy for all his life, and death had been a sweet release from bondage for her. When she'd asked if anyone else knew about her, he'd admitted that he had told his closest friends, but he assured her, that they had all been sworn to secrecy, albeit, begrudgingly from Pansy. She'd nodded and then asked him only to make sure that they kept their distance from her.

The only thing he hadn't worked up the courage to tell her yet was anything about the marriage contract. He'd managed to convince Draco to allow him to move the timeline back by a few years. It had also taken quite a bit of convincing to get Draco to not approach her. He was fairly certain that once Hermione found out, their happy little study sessions would be over, and she'd go back to hexing him in classes.

It had been a month since Theo and Hermione had realized they were siblings. They were sitting at their back table in the restricted section, quills scratching away at their parchments.

"You said she named me."

Theo looked up from his transfiguration essay. "Sorry?"

Hermione didn't look away from her essay. "You said our mother named me. Why Hermione?"

Theo put his quill down. "I think she got it from a play. She loved muggle theatre, musicals particularly. But she always had a soft spot for Shakespeare."

Hermione had put her quill down. "Thou art Hermione; or rather thou art she in thy not chiding, for she was as tender as infancy and grace." She quoted.

"A Winter's Tale," Theo observed. "She took me to see that play once. The day she died. We had snuck out of the manor under the pretense of going to Diagon Alley, but instead we snuck over to the West End, and saw a production of it. After the play ended, she said she had always loved the name Hermione."

Hermione nodded her head. "It isn't a very common name. And I could never figure out why my parents named me Hermione, but I suppose there must have been a compulsion charm placed on them. "

Theo tilted his head slightly. "I suppose that might make sense."

She picked her quill back up, and turned her attention back to her homework. "And where did your name come from? There are no characters in Shakespeare named Theodore."

Theo smirked. "Because you know every character in all of Shakespeare."

Hermione glanced up at him, eyes narrowed. "No, I looked it up in a book."

Theo threw his head back and laughed. "Of course you did."

She turned her attention back to her essay, and worked quietly for a minute. "You didn't answer my question you know."

"I was named for our grandfather." Theo answered after a beat.

Hermione's quill stopped. "Thoros hasn't struck me as a sentimental man, based on what you've told me."

"He wasn't." Theo responded. "Our mother was though. That's why I was named for her father. She loved him more than life itself."

"What was he like?" Hermione asked quietly. "Our grandfather."

Theo was quiet for a few minutes. "He died before I was born. But from the way mum described him, I think you are very much like him. Intelligent, kind, brave, and compassionate, especially towards those who can't defend themselves. It's why he was killed actually. But I think he would be proud of you."

Hermione blushed, and ducked her head down, pretending to focus on her essay, while Theo smiled at her. Neither sibling noticed the tiny Slytherin third year that had managed to sneak past Ginny's vigilance, stunned at the revelation they'd just heard.