Rory wanted to sleep in on Saturday morning, but her body gave her no such chance. She was exhausted, and she knew she had lots of homework to get to still before the weekend was over. Her brain was telling her to get up and go, even if she was still desperate for sleep.

Her hand was tender from the week of detention. And even though Rory hated that'd she'd had to thank Umbridge for the reprieve from the second week of detention, she was thankful she wouldn't have to endure another week of it.

Umbridge had done exactly what she'd set out to do, break Rory. Make her compliant. Make sure she kept her head down and wasn't trouble any longer. If Rory was going to stand up to Umbridge about her dad, then she'd be made to carve those horrible words even deeper into her hand.

Rory couldn't do that to her dad. Already she was hoping that the scar would fade away to almost nothing by the time the Christmas holidays rolled around. Today it looked so red and angry that she couldn't imagine it ever going away.

She walked down to breakfast, just as her roommates were getting dressed, but Rory was making a habit out of avoiding Lavender Brown to avoid any more ugly exchanges.

In the entrance hall, Rory spotted Harry strolling back into the castle with none other than Cho Chang. Harry had also turned into an early riser, so it wasn't a surprise to see him up and about this early, but she was slightly unsettled by the fact that he was with Cho.

Then she mentally kicked herself. Was she being jealous? They'd obviously just run into each other and we were walking together. Rory saw Harry talk to Hermione and Ginny and Matilda about a thousand times a day, so why should the sight of him chatting with Cho Chang upset her?

Rory strode up to them.

"Hey," she said, trying to be casual, but she didn't know how successful she was.

"Hey, Fish," Harry said.

Cho forced a smile but said nothing. An awkward tension started to fill the space between the three of them.

"Um… I was just heading to breakfast and saw you guys," Rory said.

"I went to the owlery," Harry said. "Cho was there. We walked back together."

"Makes sense," Rory said. Still, Cho didn't speak and the atmosphere was getting more awkward by the second. "Do you want breakfast, Harry?"

"Definitely," Harry said. He took hold of Rory's hand. "Thanks again for before, Cho."

"No problem, Harry," she replied. She smiled at him and then headed towards the Ravenclaw table.

So maybe Rory was right to be a little bit unsettled by their presence together.

She and Harry sat at the Gryffindor table which was still mostly deserted.

"How'd you sleep?" Harry asked.

"Shit as usual," she replied. "I couldn't even force myself to sleep in. I think my brain thinks it's supposed to run on four hours of sleep now even though my body is protesting wildly. I feel like I might fall over at any moment, honestly. And it's dumb because you think at a certain point your body will override your brain being all haywire, but I read about this disease where people, mostly from this small village in Italy, they just stay awake and no matter how tired they are, they can't sleep, and eventually they literally just die of exhaustion? Isn't that terrifying? I know-."

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you, but you're talking a lot and you do that when you're uncomfortable," Harry said. "Is something on your mind?" Rory thought for a moment.

"Nothing, it's just, I was a little caught off guard seeing you with Cho this morning," Rory admitted.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. "I saw her in the owlery. I wrote a letter to Snuffles and she was just happened to be there too."

Rory sighed. "I know. I believe you. It's just dumb. Ignore me."

Harry looked as though he wanted to press the issue further, but thought better of it. And Rory thought it was better that she drop it too, but-.

"But what'd you thank her for?" Rory asked.

"Sorry?" Harry asked.

"You told Cho thank you. What for?" she asked.

"Oh, it was nothing," Harry said waving a dismissive hand before taking a large bite of eggs.

And now, for some reason Rory could not bring herself to fathom, she was annoyed. Was he intentionally dodging her question? Probably not, but also she wanted to know why.

Harry looked over to her, she was staring. "What is it?"

"I mean, if it was nothing, then you can tell me what it was," Rory said with a bit of a laugh. She was trying to be calm and casual, but she could feel an uncomfortable tension building between the two of them.

"It was really not a big deal, Rory," Harry said.

"Then just tell me," she said.

"Mrs. Norris was up there and went after Filch. He thought I was getting in a bunch of dungbombs. I wasn't, obviously, but he tried to search me anyway and Cho lied to him to get him off my back," Harry said, a flicker of irritation in his voice. "Satisfied?"

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" she asked.

"Because it wasn't a big deal. I didn't think it mattered," Harry said. "I didn't realize you were going to get upset because you're not privy to every conversation I have with girls who aren't you."

The words stung and she turned away from Harry, too upset to even speak. She should have just kept her mouth closed. Then again, she didn't know Harry was going to respond like an ass.

They ate in silence for a while longer, until the hall started to fill.

"Look, I'm sorry," Harry said. "I shouldn't have said that. I just don't know what you're upset about." He put a hand on the small of her back. "I love you. Don't worry about Cho. Or anyone else for that matter. I'm just an idiot."

"You're not an idiot. I shouldn't have been so defensive about it," Rory said. She looked over to him. "I just feel like the rational part of my brain shut off."

"Mine does that a lot these days," Harry said. He kissed her, just a quick one, and they returned to their breakfast.

Rory felt relieved, but part of her was also worried because this was the first time Harry had ever gotten upset with her. Even when he'd been at his most upset back at Grimmauld, he'd also had a leash on his anger when it came to her. But she supposed that wasn't the case anymore.

She thought back to the chat she'd had with her grandfather that summer.

"No one is perfect. Not me, not you, not Remus, not my wife, and not Harry Potter," he'd said.

And though Rory hated the thought, she was starting to think that her grandfather might be right about that.


Rory spent most of the day doing homework. Harry and Ron had their first Quidditch practice of the season that afternoon, and when they returned to the common room afterward, they looked miserable.

Ron grumbled as he walked past everyone and straight up to his room.

"Practice didn't go well it looks like," Neville said.

"To be nice about it," Harry said slumping down in a chair next to Rory. "Slytherin decided to show up and observe. They didn't do much to help Ron's confidence. And the more he messed up the worse they got."

"I can't stand Slytherin," Matilda said. "But he's got to learn to shake them off right? I'm sure they'll be worse during an actual game."

"Don't remind me," Harry said rubbing his temples with his eyes squeezed shut. "And Ron hit Katie in the face with a quaffle and broke her nose. Fred and George gave her something to make it stop bleeding, but it somehow made her bleed even more. It was a shit show. Ron obviously feels fantastic right now."

"Does he want me to go and personally fist fight every Slytherin who was in attendance today? Because I'll do it for him," Rory offered.

"I'm sure he'd love to take you up on that," Harry said. He got to his feet. "I need to shower. I'll see you at dinner." He kissed her cheek and headed upstairs.

"Poor Ron," Hermione said. "The Slytherins really are quite cruel to him."

"They knew they'd be able to shake him. That's why they did it. Wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy orchestrated the whole thing," Matilda said.

"Ron'll show them. Don't worry," Rory said hopefully, but she had no idea if she was telling the truth or not.

"Hope you're right or your boyfriend is going to snap," Neville said.

Neville was probably right about that.


"I cannot believe that prat," Ron said. Sunday night, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rory were the last ones up in the common room. They were all finishing up essays, but Harry and Ron were especially behind after losing an afternoon to Quidditch practice.

Unexpectedly in the middle of their study session, Percy Weasley's owl showed up with a letter for Ron, warning him that, for the sake of his future, he'd best stop hanging out with Harry and Rory, and that Dumbledore was likely to lose his position at Hogwarts if he kept up his "nonsense" about Voldemort.

Ron ripped the letter into pieces and Hermione smiled at him.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so proud of you," she said. Rory kept her head down as she rolled her eyes. Harry liked to pretend that he didn't see Ron and Hermione flirting with each other, and Hermione liked it when Rory pretended not to see it. "Here, let me fix your essay up for you."

"Really?" Ron asked, his eyes lighting up. "You're the best Hermione." He tossed the pieces of paper into the fire and grabbed his essay to hand to her.

"Did you…?" Harry paused, staring at the fire. Rory looked as well.

"What is it?" Rory asked.

"I could've sworn I saw…" Harry trailed off.

Rory chuckled. "You're not turning into a seer now, are you? Think Ron and Hermione might lose their heads if that happened." She kissed him.

"What's really going to make them lose their heads is if they look over and see us snogging," Harry said.

Rory chuckled and kissed him again. It did in fact annoy Ron and Hermione when they had to endure excessive PDA, which wasn't often.

But then Rory watched the flames in the fireplace flicker and change and there was Sirius.

"Oh! Sirius," Rory said, lowering her voice.

"I've been checking in every hour to see if the coast was clear," he replied.

Rory quickly dashed over to the stairs to enchant them so they wouldn't be disturbed. When she got back to the couch Harry was already explaining what happened when Umbridge touched him in detention.

"I think your scar is bound to hurt more often now Voldemort's back," Sirius said. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Umbridge is probably just a vile human being."

"We can definitely drop the 'probably' in that equation," Rory said.

"Yes. She really was awful to Rory about her dad. For no reason," Hermione said.

"She spearheaded legislation two years ago that's made it basically impossible for Moony to get a job," Sirius said. "She hates 'part-humans.' She even campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year."

"Merlin," Ron said. "And they let her teach in a school?"

"Ministry doesn't care about merpeople or werewolves either or she wouldn't have a job in the first place," Rory said looking down at her lap. Harry sat his hand on the small of her back and she was grateful, as always, that he was there for her.

"She's been hired as a teacher here and is taking a very hard line against using magic in your class because Fudge is afraid that Dumbledore is teaching his students combat to form his own army inside of the castle," Sirius said.

Ron snorted. "Sorry, but that's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

"A man like Fudge will be hard-pressed to let go of his power. He'll do whatever he can to keep himself from losing it," Sirius said.

"Even if he has to invent reasons apparently," Hermione said.

"Is Hagrid alright?" Harry asked suddenly. "You all mentioned that he was on an assignment for the Order over the summer, but we thought he'd be back by the time we started school."

"Yeah, and Grubby-Plank is alright, but I kind of miss the looming threat of being mauled during one of his classes," Rory said.

"I assure you Hagrid is fine. He's been in touch, and although he was supposed to be back by now, we do know that he's alright," Sirius said. "How are you lot holding up, aside from Umbridge?"

"I'm so distracted by how much I hate Umbridge that I forget to give Snape a hard time, so I've got that going for me," Rory said. "Only one teacher around to give me detention this year."

"Two weeks of it I heard," Sirius said. "McGonagall told us what you said, and Remus did not find it nearly as humorous as Tonks and I did."

"Dad made that pretty clear in his letter," Rory said.

In the letter she'd gotten back from her dad about her encounter with Umbridge on the first day of class, he practically begged her to behave herself. At the very least he understood why she'd said what she said, even if he was outraged by it.

"How's about I come and visit again next time you're in Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked.

"No way," Harry said quickly. "Did you see the paper yesterday? You were 'spotted in London.'"

"Yeah, we couldn't say so in our letters, obviously, but we're pretty sure Malfoy recognized you on the platform," Rory said. "You've got to be more careful. And you've definitely got to avoid Hogwarts. They'll be looking for you here."

"Yeah, it's way too risky," Harry said.

Sirius visibly frowned. "You know, Harry, the risk is what would've made it fun for James. You're a bit less like him than I thought."

Rory felt Harry tense beside her.

"Well, sorry to disappoint," Rory said, trying to keep her voice light. "If you're going to look out for our safety, can't be upset when we look out for yours as well."

"I can see that," Sirius said. "I'm going to go. You lot get some sleep eventually."

"Soon, hopefully," Hermione said.

They said their goodbyes and Sirius disappeared from the fireplace.

"He's crazy to think it's a good idea to come to Hogsmeade again," Rory said. "Especially since they'll no doubt be watching Harry like a hawk."

"Yeah," Harry said, his voice almost flat. He traced circles on her back with his fingers and stared into the fire contemplatively. Rory didn't have to ask what he was thinking. She already knew.

Eventually, they did finish up their essays. Ron and Hermione headed up to bed and left Harry and Rory alone on the couch while they lingered behind.

"I'm sorry about what Sirius said," Rory told him. She scooted close to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's fine," Harry said.

"It's not. It wasn't a fair thing to say," Rory replied.

Harry sighed, picking up his school bag from the ground.

"Hey," she said, taking his hand, "you're your own person, Lovey. You don't have to be like this person you've never met before, even if he is your dad. There are a lot of people who've never met James Potter who think you're fantastic just for being you."

Harry nodded, half-heartedly it seemed. "A lot of people who've never met him still don't think I'm great."

"Nobody who matters," Rory said. "I think you're fantastic. I love you. I hope that counts for something."

Harry looked over to her at last, and without warning, he kissed her. It caught her so completely off-guard that she forgot to breathe. His hand came to rest on the side of her face as he pulled away from her. He stared into her eyes, and she gazed back into his. And wouldn't have needed to say a word because she understood everything right then.

"It counts for everything," he said.

She kissed him again, let herself sag against his body as they kissed slower and deeper. They hadn't kissed like this since, Rory couldn't remember when. It was divine. She was exhausted, and her body craved sleep, but not more than she craved Harry.

Rory's hand came to rest on his thigh and she had half a mind to slide herself into his lap, to drape herself around him completely, but he stopped her, breaking the kiss abruptly.

"We should go to bed," he said pulling away from her.

"Oh… Okay," she said, her disappointment showing in her voice.

"Sorry, it's just, I'm a bit paranoid with Sirius popping in and out of the fireplace," he said.

Rory nodded, though she could feel that he wasn't being entirely truthful. "Sure."

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and got to his feet. "I love you. Goodnight."

Harry rushed from the common room leaving Rory to sit on the couch, alone, feeling a bit confused about what had just happened.


Harry was grateful when Rory didn't bring up what happened on the couch the last night when they saw each other the next morning. It had all been perfectly fine, perfectly normal. And then she'd put her hand on his thigh and his body immediately reacted to her touch. For the most part, Harry was in complete control of his body. There had been a few times before where he'd told himself to just think of something other than Rory's tongue in his mouth.

But that had gone completely out of the window last night because of her bloody hand. So he'd had to make a quick and awkward escape before things became even more awkward.

At any rate, there were more pressing matters to deal with the next morning. Dolores Umbridge had been named High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She was to inspect her fellow teachers and make sure they were up to the task of teaching their classes adequately. There was even a quote in the paper from Lucius Malfoy who expressed his delight in having someone at Hogwarts to supervise Dumbledore's decision-making.

"Immediate success my ass," Rory grumbled as they walked to potions. "I cannot fathom being so delusional. I literally cannot believe that The Prophet is just spewing out nonsense like this."

"I believe anything these days," Harry said.

They entered the classroom and took their seats. Rory was dreading class, as she'd been dreading it every day since class had started. Sitting with Malfoy and Parkinson was an exercise in all of Rory's restraint, especially since they seemed to find a way to push Rory and Neville's buttons every day.

Because Malfoy and Parkinson were prefects, it meant that they could give detention, so Rory had to be extra careful with them so she didn't lose her temper. The last thing she wanted was to spend an evening writing lines with Malfoy while being verbally assaulted.

Snape was handing back their potions essays they'd handed in on Friday.

"From now on, I'll be grading you according to the OWL standards to better prepare you for what you'll encounter in your exam this spring," Snape said. "'O' for outstanding, 'E' for exceeds expectations, 'A' is acceptable, 'P' is poor, and 'D' is dreadful. Suffice it to say, I had the pleasure of handing out each of those grades in this class."

Snape handed Rory her paper. An "O" because as much as he loathed Rory, he couldn't give her bad marks when she was actually brilliant.

"Some people got Dreadful?" Malfoy heckled.

Rory rolled her eyes as she glanced over at Neville who was hastily putting his essay into his bag.

"For those of you who got anything below an 'O' who expects to continue with potions next year, please keep in my mind that for my NEWT level classes, I only accept students who receive an 'O' on their OWLs," Snape said, and he looked to Harry, before turning away and beginning their lesson for the day.