A/N: So, this particular update has been a long time coming, and I hope that it answers so many questions for people. Also, for anyone who hates Pansy right now, friendly reminder that she is the one who said lets hand Harry over to the Dark Lord. She is an absolute terror in the books, and while fanfic writers like myself try and add some redeeming qualities to her, at the end of the day, a leopard doesn't change their spots. And with that, please enjoy this long-awaited installment.

"Get out." Molly said to Pansy in a hushed, but dangerous tone.

George turned to his mother angrily. "Mum, you can't just do that!"

Ginny's face had gone very serious. "George, don't."

"What the fuck Gin?" George turned to his sister, then turned back to his mother. "It was Hermione's mum. If anyone should get a say in this it should be her!"

Molly's eyes were filled with rage, and she opened her mouth to start yelling at her son, when Hermione spoke up quietly. "I think you should go Pansy."

Pansy pushed her chair out and stood up. "Fine. See you around Granger." She stalked out the back door, and slammed it shut behind her.

As soon as she was gone, George was on his feet. "What the bloody hell was that Mum? Hermione can bring Malfoy round, but Pansy who has been through more hell than you know makes one stupid comment you kick her out!"

"George don't speak to your mother that way," Arthur interjected. "There are things that you don't know."

George rolled his eyes. "Like what dad? What? That you lot have hated the Notts since we were born? Trust me, I knew that."

"How dare you talk back to me George!" Molly shouted back at him. "You know nothing about that family!"

"Shut up!" Ginny finally shouted, stopping both Molly and George in their tracks. She stood up and glared at both her mother and brother. She then turned to look at Hermione, who had stayed completely silent, and put her hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded her head yes, but Ginny noticed the tears welling up. She looked over at Harry and sighed. "Would you please go get Theo?"

"I'm fine, Ginny," Hermione said, her voice cracking. Harry nodded at Ginny and made his way over to the floo in the living room. "You don't need to get Theo."

"No, you're not," Ginny said softly to her. "And yes, I do. I think given the turn of the night, he deserves to be here for this."

Molly sat back down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't trust that boy."

Ginny glared at her mother. "Why, because of his father, or his mother? Because based on what I've heard, Emily was very different from Thoros."

"What the bloody hell are you two talk-" George started but was interrupted by Theo and Draco running into the kitchen, Harry following much slower.

Draco crouched down next to Hermione, while Theo stood behind her, shooting daggers at Molly. "Are you alright?" Draco asked, raising a hand to wipe a lone tear from her cheek.

Hermione nodded, and tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Draco wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into his chest, and Hermione broke out sobbing, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Would someone care to explain why my sister is in tears?" Theo asked darkly, gripping the back of Hermione's chair in a death grip.

Ron, who looked very taken aback by Hermione crying on Draco, looked around the table, and when no one spoke up, sighed. "George and Parkinson were teasing Hermione over having sex with Malfoy."

At that Theo gripped the back of her chair even tighter, his knuckles turning white with the strength of his grip, and turned his glare on Draco, but Ron quickly continued, "Hermione got fed up with it all and sort of shouted at them that she wasn't sleeping with the Ferret, which obviously got the attention of the whole table, and then Parkinson made some dumb comment about your mum. Then Mum kicked Parkinson out, George and Mum started yelling at each other, and then Ginny stopped them and told Harry to get you. Although she didn't say anything about Malfoy coming along."

Draco glared at Ron. "She's my fiancé. Potter stuck his head through the fire and said she was crying. Wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away."

Theo lifted one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "What did Pansy say?"

"She said she'd seen your mum stand up to your dad with more fire," Harry answered.

Theo groaned. "I'm going to kill her."

George sat back down and folded his arms exasperatedly. "Would someone please explain what the bloody hell is going on? She just made a stupid comment."

"Theo's mum, and our Mum were cousins." Ginny explained in an annoyed voice. She got up from her seat and moved to Pansy's now vacant chair on the other side of Hermione and turned to look at her mother. "And quite frankly, everything that Theo has told me doesn't line up with anything I know about you Mum, so I'd like to hear your side."

Molly had gone white as sheet, but it was George who spoke first. "Wait, that would mean that Hermione and Nott were-"

"Your cousins." Theo finished, taking the seat Ginny had just vacated.

Ron shook his head. "That's ridiculous. We would have- "

"Technically, you're second cousins," Arthur interrupted in a much calmer voice.

George's eyes got wide, and Ron shook his head. "No. No no no no no no! They don't look anything like us!"

Theo rolled his eyes. "We're related through the Prewitt line, not the Weasley, you idiot."

Hermione sniffled and raised her head from Draco's chest. "Be nice Theo."

"Are you alright, love?" Draco asked her quietly, running a hand through her curls.

Hermione nodded, then turned to look at Mrs. Weasley. "There are things that don't make sense with what Theo has told me. I believe that he's telling me his version of the truth but what he's said doesn't make sense to me. I've known you since I was 12, and I want to believe that not everything was true."

Mrs. Weasley looked around the table, then sighed, a sad look on her face. "Hermione, your father was a death eater as I'm sure you know. My family stood for everything your father was against. The Prewitts and the Notts had never been friendly, and that only got worse when the war started."

She paused, took a breath, and continued. "Emily had just graduated from Hogwarts, so her father, your grandfather, held a celebration party at their estate. Everyone in the family was supposed to go, but at the last minute, Arthur and I decided not to. I'd just had Fred and George in April, and we were toilet training Percy, so we realized that it would be too much with all five of the children. At the celebration, Death Eaters, including your father, attacked the family home. Your grandfather had become too outspoken in his views about Muggles and You-Know-Who, so they killed him, and the rest of the family for it, except for your mother. I thought she had been taken prisoner until a week later, their wedding was announced in the Prophet."

She stood up and pulled a box down from on top of one of the shelves. She sat back down and lifted the lid, pulling out an old newspaper clipping. She passed it gingerly to Hermione, who took it, and saw a picture of her mother, at the same age as her, standing next to her father. Neither were smiling. 'Prewitt Heiress marries Lord Nott in Storybook Wedding' read the caption under the photo. Hermione passed it back to Theo, who had been stonily silent the entire time Molly had been talking. He ran a finger tenderly over Emily's face.

Mrs. Weasley watched the two siblings, then continued. "That was when I learned that she had betrayed our family. I wrote her so many letters for the first year, and they all were returned unopened."

Theo snorted at that. "She never received a damn thing from you, and she would never betray her family."

"Theo," Hermione started putting a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"No," he said, glaring at Mrs. Weasley. "She never received a damn thing from you. And you ignored every single letter she ever wrote you."

Mr. Weasley held up his hand. "I can assure you son, we never heard a word from Emily."

Theo shook his head. "No. She wrote you every week until she died begging for an escape for us. And then when she died and you didn't bother showing up to the funeral, I wrote you, and begged you to take me away from that monster. But you didn't do anything, so I was left alone in that house with the man who killed my mother." He finished, his voice cracking.

Mrs. Weasley had her hands raised to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She lowered them, and asked, "I begged to go to her funeral, but your father said that she hadn't wanted to associate with blood traitors. If I could have been there, I would have."

"You never got Theo's letter?" Hermione asked quietly.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "From the day she went missing, to the day I visited you in the hospital wing, the only person I ever heard from was Thoros after she died, after I wrote to ask if I could attend the funeral saying that if I tried to attend, he would have the aurors arrest me." She looked at Theo, a much softer look on her face. "What happened to your mother?"

Theo looked down at the photo of his parents. "Mum had snuck us into muggle London to see a play on my birthday. After we got home, Dad was furious that Mum had taken me among 'the filthy muggles.' She started yelling at him, and I tried to stop him from yelling at her, but he put a silencing charm on me. They kept yelling, and finally Dad said that if Mum insisted on behaving like muggles, then she deserved to die like one, and pushed her down the stairs."

"Oh, dear merlin," Ginny gasped.

Mrs. Weasley had clutched Mr. Weasley's hand. "He did this in front of you?" she asked horrified, tears welling up in her eyes.

Theo looked up and nodded.

"And you wrote me after the funeral?" She asked.

"Yes," Theo answered bitterly. "I told you how he'd lied in her obituary. That he'd killed her in the front room and begged you to go to the aurors and get me away from him."

Mrs. Weasley stood up slowly, and walked around the table until she was standing next to Theo, and gently wrapped her arms around him. Theo froze, one hand still on the back of Hermione's chair, but Mrs. Weasley didn't let go. "If I had received a single letter from your mother or you, I would have gone to the aurors in a heartbeat, and brought you here, no questions asked."

She pulled away from him and brushed an errant curl back from his face. "Were you using your father's owl?" Mr. Weasley asked thoughtfully.

Theo nodded and glanced over at him. "It was the only one we had."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "It is possible that the owl had orders not to come here. And if your father received Molly's letters first, he could have sent them away before Emily ever saw them."

"Why would he do that though?" Theo asked.

"He wanted to control you." Hermione answered softly. She turned to look at him, and put her hand over his, relieved when he didn't push her off. "If Emily thought that her family abandoned her, he probably thought that she would be more compliant. And if your single letter got ignored, then you would hate them too. But it didn't work the way he wanted. You just ended up hating him."

Theo looked at her, and then back at Mrs. Weasley. "You really didn't abandon us?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head, and then summoned the box of letters. She flipped through the box until finally, she pulled a letter out. "I wrote this to your mother when I read that you two had been born. I was sent back to me unopened, so I finally gave up."

Theo snatched it out of her hands and opened the letter. "Dear Emily, I read about the birth of your son in the papers, and the death of your daughter. I am simultaneously overjoyed, and heartbroken for you. I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing a child, and my heart goes out to you all, but especially to your son. Having twins myself, I know the bond that is formed between them, especially in the womb, and I mourn for the connection that he will undoubtedly yearn for all his life. It was not lost on me that you named your little boy after your father, Theodore. He was a wonderful man, and I can only hope that your young Theodore grows up to be as wonderful a man as his grandfather was. I have a son the same age, Ronald, and I would love nothing more than for them to be friends, especially considering the loss that young Theodore has already suffered. If I can do anything for you in this difficult time, please do not hesitate to write. All my love, your cousin Molly."

"Oy, you offered me up?" Ron asked his mother, annoyed.

Molly gave him a sharp look that sent him cowering back in his seat, but it was George who answered quietly. "Mum was right. When you're a twin, there is a bond formed that is stronger than normal siblings. It's intensified when you add magic into the mix."

Theo nodded, his eyes never leaving the letter though. "Growing up, it always felt like something was missing. I mean, Draco was a good friend, but it never made up for losing Hermione." He looked over at her. "I'm guessing you felt the same."

She nodded. "I couldn't explain it. When I got to Hogwarts, it started feeling less intense, but I thought it was because I was finally with other people like me. I haven't felt it at all though this year."

"When you went to Hogwarts, you two came back into each other's lives, albeit minimally. When you found out about each other and began to spend time together you started feeding the bond," Mrs. Weasley explained. "That twin bond why I worried so much more about George when we lost Fred."

Ginny looked over at George, who had a sad look on his face, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and leaned his head on top of hers.

Mrs. Weasley took the letter out of Theo's hands and set it on the table. She took his hands and pulled him up and took his face in her hands. "I am sorry that I ever thought ill of you or your mother. Your father was an evil, evil man who clearly wanted us kept far away from each other, and I am sorry that I didn't fight harder for you or your mother. But if you let me, I will spend a lifetime trying to make it up to you."

Everyone watched with bated breath, until finally Theo nodded. Mrs. Weasley moved her hands down to Theo's shoulders and pulled him in and gripped him tightly. After a moment, Theo wrapped his arms around Mrs. Weasley, and buried his face in her shoulder, his own shoulders shaking, while she rubbed his back softly.

After a few long minutes, he pulled away, and Mrs. Weasley brushed the tears away from his cheeks. "Sorry about that Mrs. Weasley," he said in a thick voice.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Don't apologize. You have been holding onto so much anger and loss for so long. We both have." She looked over at Hermione and motioned for her to join her and Theo.

Hermione let go of Draco's hand, who had stayed kneeling next to her the entire time and joined Mrs. Weasley and Theo. Mrs. Weasley put a hand on each of their shoulders and looked them both over. "Too skinny. Both of you. I expect both of you here tomorrow for dinner." She clapped her hands together. "Now, who wants dessert?" She asked everyone, waving her wand to clear the dishes away.

Hermione looked over at Theo and gave him a small smile. Mrs. Weasley looked over at the two siblings. "Oh, and you should both start calling me Molly. I'm sure it's what your mother would have wanted." She glanced over at Draco, who was still crouching, leaning on Hermione's vacant chair, and sighed. "And will one of you get that boy a chair? His legs have to be completely asleep by now, and I don't need him getting injured on my watch."

Ginny got up to fetch a chair, and on her way out of the room, she clapped Theo on the back. "Welcome to the family," she joked, a small smirk on her face.

Theo's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Hermione. "What just happened?" He muttered to her.

"Peace." Hermione wrapped an arm around his midriff and squeezed. She glanced over at Molly who was bustling around getting the dessert. "It's a good thing Theo."

"So does this mean that we have to be friends with Nott?" Ron asked, his voice slightly annoyed as he eyed Theo warily.

Theo sat back down as Ginny came back in with a chair for Draco. Hermione sat back down in her chair, while Draco sat next to her, taking her hand in his. "I have friends, Weas-" he paused, looking around. "Ronald."

Ron grimaced at the use of his full name, but Ginny just rolled her eyes at her brother, who had sat next to Theo. "He's not that bad, Ron."

Harry looked between Ginny and Theo. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Draco gave a small snort. "Trust me Potter, she isn't Theo's type."

Harry glanced at Draco. "How do you know?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because he's been my best mate since we were in nappies. Trust me when I say I know his type."

Harry made a non-committal grunt, but still eyed Theo suspiciously. Ginny shot Harry a look. "Also, its none of your business. We're broken up, remember?"

Theo chuckled. "No offense Potter, but even I've managed to figure out that Ginny is going to do whatever she wants, other people's opinions be damned."

Ginny smiled angelically. "Thank you, Theo. You might just be my new favorite person at the table."

"Hey!" Both Hermione and George said indignantly, but Ginny just laughed.

"You're my favorite person at this table," Draco said to Hermione, leaning into kiss her, which earned a collective groan from all the younger Weasley's and a glare from Theo.

"Oy! Not at the dinner table!" He exclaimed.

Harry looked slightly disgusted. "I might actually prefer arsehole Malfoy," he muttered.

Draco pulled back, Hermione's face very relaxed finally, and smirked at Harry. "Don't worry Potter, I'm only nice to the people I really like."

Hermione slapped Draco's chest lightly but didn't say anything. Theo slouched in his chair. "Welcome to my personal hell," he directed at Harry and Ron.

Ron just looked slightly queasy, while Harry had just frowned. "I don't like this."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't remember asking for your opinion. And don't forget, you promised to make an effort for my sake upstairs."

Draco smirked at them, but she shot him a glare. "Don't forget your promise to me either."

Draco smiled at her. "Which one?" he asked in a low voice.

Theo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers, then let out a slow exhale. "Merlin, I am so grateful for Mum's wards."

Draco gave Hermione a questioning look, and she sighed. "Apparently our Mum placed wards on her room that prevented anyone with a Dark Mark from entering it."

"But what does that have to do with you?" Harry asked confused.

Theo dropped his hand and smirked. "I put Hermione in our mother's room. No sleepovers."

Draco glared at Theo, while Harry, Ron and Ginny immediately started laughing. George, however, just grinned and shook his head pityingly. "Because Hermione Granger, cleverest witch of her age, can't figure out within a day or two how to dismantle a complicated ward. In fact, I'm willing to bet that she already has about five ideas of how to dismantle them."

Theo turned bright red, and Harry and Ron immediately stopped laughing, while Ginny only laughed harder. Hermione smiled serenely. "I do have all those books on warding in my bag still from when we were on the run last year. I did a little light reading before bed last night."

Draco grinned, and pulled her into him for a deep kiss, while Theo glared at George. "I hate being related to you."

George raised his glass with a twinkle in his eye. "Welcome to the family, Nott."