First, apologies for forgetting to post these latest two chapters at the same time I did the other places I post, but thank you to Alguien for noting I'd not updated this in over a year on one of my other stories. At first, I was like, "But I have updated it recently," and then realized I was behind by two chapters. Whoops. Enjoy.

Granger Yet
Portraits

"Where did he go?" Hermione frowned, noticing her father no longer sat on the top step.

"Where did who go?"

Hermione turned around upon hearing an unfamiliar person and found nobody there.

"Bloody Merlin." A portrait let out a sniff of disgust as he looked at her. "She must be one of those, but what is she even doing here if that is the case?"

Hermione's eyes blinked, having an idea of what the portrait meant.

"Don't you know?" said a third voice. The man in the portrait let out a sniff. "That blood traitor is back, unfortunately, having taken over the house."

"You mean Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"Who else would we be talking about?" the same portrait said, sneering at her.

She took a deep breath. " Do they know father is back as well? "

"Is he the one who brought the screaming banshee of a child here?"

"Banshee of a child?" Hermione took a deep breath, glaring at the portrait that spoke, the one who asked her the question in the first place. "Of course, a Pureblood wouldn't have the patience to deal with Jules." And then her mouth opened and closed, her eyes blinking a few times. "Wait? How the bloody Merlin did they deal with a child with Aspergers growing up?" She swallowed. "Isn't the downstairs portrait the real banshee?"

She watched the portraits look at each other, giving each other looks, remaining silent.

"Do they think they're above answering my questions when the one asked me moments before who I was inquiring about the whereabouts of?"

"It is rather odd, isn't it?" a fourth portrait sniffed. "The similarities."

The first portrait, a female, shook her head. "Oh, never, never mind."

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned, looking at Ginny. The red-haired girl frowned, something bothering her. "Yes?"

"Do you have any idea who she's looking for?" the first portrait asked, remaining nosy as ever.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione glared at the portrait. "How did Dad survive in this house being the way he is? "

"Oh." Ginny's eyes blinked, looking at the portrait. "My brother."

"You mean the red-haired boy who stormed up the stairs a moment ago?" a portrait said.

"I am seriously losing track of them," Hermione sighed.

"That would be Ron. I'll show you the room he's staying in." Ginny started up the stairs, and Hermione followed. Whatever question Ginny wanted to ask of her went unasked. Stopping at the top of the stairs, Ginny knocked on the door.

Ron opened, scowling as he did so, then his eyes blinked, the scowl disappearing. "Oh. Hermione."

"I'm here as well, you know," Ginny said.

"Can we come in, Ron? Where portraits can't hear us gossiping. There aren't any portraits here that will gossip about us?"

"Yes, well." Ron cleared his throat. "There is him."

"Oh dear," Hermione said, peering in. "Is there any place there isn't a portrait that won't overhear what we say?"

"It's not as if I can go anywhere else, as mum's grounded me. Remember?" Ron said, motioning for them to step into the room. He closed the door, taking a deep breath. "But I should still apologize. For making trouble with your cousins, Hermione."

"Hermione?" the portrait muttered.

"Ron," Hermione said, wanting to correct Ron on the course.

"I know it turns out that their dad turned out to be a Death Eater and all," Ron said.

"Hold on," Hermione sighed.

"Shakespeare?"

Hermione's eyes blinked, her jaw dropping as she looked right at the portrait.

"And it's also trouble for Sirius as well, I guess, given that Death Eater is their brother."

"Ron, really." Ginny let out a sigh.

"The Winter's Tale, if I'm correct?"

"That…" Hermione's eyes blinked. "Well, yes."

"And if I remember correctly," the old man's eyes narrowed. "Yes. I think so."

"Hey. I'm trying to apologize here. For causing trouble with her cousins," Ron said, looking at the portrait. "So, can you kindly sod off?"

"Yes, well, there's something I need to tell you, Ron," Hermione said, looking at the portrait, rather disturbed by the exchange.

"That they're your sisters, correct? Not cousins?"

"How?" Hermione stared, slightly horrified. "And who are you?" She cringed, watching how the portrait looked down at her.

"I bloody don't know. But, uh," Ron turned, his voice cracking. "They're your sisters, Hermione?"

"Yes. And Elizabeth isn't a Squib," Hermione said watching the portrait's emotionless face finally break, showing a sign of amusement.

"Hold on. She said she's a Squib!"

"And she also agreed with you that she's Hermione's cousin," Ginny said.

"Why would she bloody do that!" Ron said, looking mortified. "What is wrong with your sisters!"

"Oh, thanks," Hermione said. "I mean to lecture you about bloody traumatizing my sisters…"

"She kicked me! That little girl kicked me!"

"As I remember you…" Ginny started saying.

"Look! Jules shouldn't have kicked you, yes?" Hermione said. "But you still shouldn't have…"

"…called her daddy a murderer," Ginny finished.

"But he is. He's a Death Eater! Hermione, you can't…" Ron swallowed, watching Hermione glare at him.

"He's not."

"He," Ron said, swinging his arms away from his sides to shoulder height. "He's a bloody Death Eater, Hermione."

"You don't think that wouldn't be one of the bloody questions I'd ask him?" Hermione asked.

"And how do you know he's not lying?" Ron asked. "How do you know he's not lying to you?"

"What?" Hermione stared, then said. "Because he's my dad. I know my dad."

"Bud, do you really know your dad?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I don't know what's worse," she said. "Having someone who completely doesn't know my dad try and tell me I don't know my dad, or having Sirius, who should know him quite well…"

"If Sirius is saying it, Hermione, then…"

"Excuse me," the portrait said, holding up a finger.

"Sirius bloody insisted my dad was lying about being my dad, Ron!"

"Well, maybe he is lying? Ever think…"

"Yes. Because Sirius is bloody right about my dad being a bloody virgin…" Hermione said.

"Please," the portrait said, eyes widening.

"When I know very well my parents have had sex?"

Ron's face twisted up in disgust while Ginny tried hiding her amusement. Hermione lifted an eyebrow, wondering if Ron would retort back.

"Of all…" There came a sigh from the portrait. "How the House of Black has fallen."

"Excuse me?" Hermione turned, still wondering how the portrait inferred what he did from her name.

"Youth these days. Far worse than when I was headmaster, but Regulus Arcturus' own child?" The portrait sighed, shaking his head. "I find it hard to believe he wouldn't have taught you some level of decorum about not prying into his more intimate relations." The portrait's mouth suddenly twitched, the facial features paling, the eyes widening in horror. "Good gracious. We're actually talking about that boy having intimate relations at all."

Hermione closed her eyes, reaching a hand up to pinch her nose and mouth to hold back her frustrations. "Another insisting my father's a bloody virgin. What is wrong with this family?"

"Given there was definite talk about whether he would ever marry?"

"Huh?" Ron frowned. "Why not?"

"Why not indeed," the portrait said, letting out a huff. "I don't believe that is any of your business, young man, but Regulus Arcturus? Is he really alive?"

"It can't get out!" Ginny blurted out.

"What?" Ron turned to look at her.

"I mean," Ginny turned to look at Ron. "It can't get out, can it? If word got out that a Death Eater that everyone thought was dead isn't…"

"I'm well aware of that," the portrait said.

"Who are you exactly?" Hermione said. "I mean, I know you were headmaster around a hundred years ago. Phineas Black, am I correct."

"To be precise, it is Phineas Nigellus Black," the portrait said.

Hermione sighed. "And you're the one he learned that from."

"That?"

"Using one's full name," Hermione said as Ron and Ginny watched. "But what is—who is he to you?"

"Ah. Perhaps, and I am the grandfather of his grandfather. Actually, I should say that I am the grandfather of his grandfathers. Your paternal grandparent's children are second cousins."

"Are?" Hermione asked.

One of his eyebrows rose. "Pray tell me when you think they stopped being second cousins?"

She took a deep breath while Ron muttered, "Of course, a former headmaster would lecture us regarding grammar." He frowned. "But for you to get that wrong, Hermione?"

Hermione glared at him, then turned back to the portrait. "It can't get out."

"The other girl already said as much," Phineus Nigellus said.

"You are exasperating," Ron said.

"Youth are always so impertinent to their elders, aren't they?" Phineus Nigellus glared at Ron. "I don't believe I've said anything that's warranted that."

"You said something earlier regarding Hermione? Something about, uh…" Ron frowned.

"Shakespeare?"

"Not that, whatever that is!"

"Doth you not know your history?"

Hermione's eyes blinked, thinking. "Shakesphere was before the Statute of Secrecy was enacted."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ron asked.

Ginny frowned. "I'm confused as well."

"Nothing you need to worry about," Phineus Nigellus said. "Regarding your decorum though?"

"I've two younger sisters, but there are times we're expected to leave our parents alone, right? And I'm old enough to know what that means."

"Old enough," Phineus Nigellus asked, eyes narrowed. "How old are you exactly?"

"I don't…"

"Hermione turns sixteen in September," Ron said.

"Sixteen in September?" Phineus Nigellus let out a sigh. "That boy. Seriously."

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione said, turning to glare at Ron.

"What?"

"Well. I guess it is understandable, given this is Regulus Arcturus we're talking about."

"What is he talking about?"

"None of your business," Phineus Nigellus snapped. "I guess it's preferable to that other one, but now that I think of it, given you were having a conversation with that one, I can understand now how decorum ended up thrown to the wayside." The portrait then pointed at Ron. "You, though, should take note you were just compared to that one."

"That one?"

"He means Sirius," Ginny chimed in.

"Oh." Ron started a smile.

"That isn't a good thing," Phineus Nigellus said. "Being compared to that troublemaker. Am I really stuck with you? Can I request a transfer to another room?"

"Sure. How about the bin?" Ron said, his mouth twitching as he glared at the portrait.

"I'm thinking you moved to another room. Of course, I wouldn't mind being transferred to whatever room Regulus Arcturus is staying in. He'd be much better company, I think."

"I don't know," Hermione said.

"Oh. One more thing," Phineus Nigellus said. "Regulus Arcturus isn't Bellatrix."

"And that means?" Ginny asked.

"It means what it means," the portrait said. "So, about moving?"

"I'll ask, but no promises."

"You're going to ask?" Ron said.

"Do you really want to stay with that portrait that obviously doesn't like you, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"That?" Ron turned, letting out a sigh as he looked at the painting. "Fine. Ask. Doubt it will do any good. Why we can't just toss him in the bin, I do not know."