"It was a one-off, Harry. You wrote that paper on like three hours of sleep," Rory assured him as they walked up Divination.

"So did you," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm your Fish," Rory said. And that lifted Harry's spirits the smallest bit. He didn't like to be possessive of Rory, but he couldn't help but feel good whenever she said "I'm your Fish" or anything similar.

"And I promise to help you get up to snuff with potions by the time OWLs come around. I'll tutor you whenever you like," Rory said.

"And what'll that cost me?" Harry asked.

"Just your eternal love and devotion," Rory teased.

"You're supposed to ask for things you don't already have," Harry said.

She giggled as they walked into Trelawney's classroom, and then Harry had to watch as the color drained from Rory's face.

Umbridge was sitting at the front of the classroom, off to the side, clipboard in hand. They'd heard she was going around and observing teachers and classes today, but they'd been lucky to miss her in History of Magic and Potions.

Rory and Harry took their seats and pulled out their books. Rory grabbed his hand and leaned over to him.

"She's going to sack Trelawney," she whispered.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I saw it," Rory said.

Before Rory could elaborate any further Umbridge's sickly sweet voice spoke up.

"Mister Potter, Miss Lupin," she said. They turned their heads toward her. Harry steeled himself for her to harass them again. "Let's refrain from public displays of affection in the middle of class."

Rory protested. "But we were just talk-."

"That'll be ten points from Gryffindor, for trying to convince me I can't see things clearly with my own two eyes," Umbridge said.

Rory let go of Harry's hand and opened her book. She grumbled under her breath, "Fucking toad woman."

"Miss Lupin, I'm going to take 10 more points and see you in detention tonight," Umbridge said.

Rory rolled her eyes, but Harry watched her flex the fingers on her right hand and he looked at the words scarred across her hand. He couldn't imagine hating anyone else as much as he hated Umbridge right then.

The rest of the class went about as badly as possible. Umbridge demanded that Trelawney predict something on the spot. Trelawney gave her usual spiel about peril and darkness. Umbridge didn't buy it any more than Harry bought it the one thousand and one times she'd told it to him.

But he still felt bad. He didn't have a lot of confidence in Trelawney's abilities, but he didn't want her to lose her job. And Rory didn't particularly care for her much either, but Trelawney was the only person who even remotely understood what Rory was going through.

And the day only got worse from there.

Harry managed to sass his way into detention, again, in Umbridge's class. During Care of Magical Creatures, Draco Malfoy was all too keen on talking down on Hagrid while he was away. The only bright spot had been Transfigurations where McGonagall made it perfectly clear that she was having none of Umbridge's interruptions, distractions, or questions about whether or not she could perform her job well.

When classes were over, Harry sat out in the courtyard with Rory. She wasn't prepared to go back to the Common Room and tell her dad that she'd gotten detention again, and Harry wanted to avoid Angelina because detention meant he was going to miss practice again tonight.

"I genuinely cannot believe how awful she is," Rory said. She was sitting with her back reclined against Harry. She was absentmindedly thumbing through the pages of their Transfigurations textbook. She'd only been half paying attention since Divination. Harry didn't blame her one bit. He'd give anything to stop her worrying.

"Me either," Harry said. Although, he still suspected she might have some connection to Voldemort, so there was always that. "And she really does seem to be going after you for no reason."

"She's got a reason. It's my dad," Rory said. "That's as good a reason as any if you're her." Harry wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. She let out a deep sigh. "Sorry, you're probably tired of hearing me complain about her."

"I think it's refreshing to have someone who's not me complaining, for once," he replied.

Rory laughed. She turned her head so that she could kiss him, and then she kissed him again and again. He could feel her smile against his lips and it made him smile in return.

"I really enjoy kissing you," she said.

"The feeling is mutual," Harry replied.

She kissed him again. It was a slow lingering, kiss and when she pulled away it was evident that many gawking eyes were upon them. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" she asked.

"Somewhere?" Harry repeated.

"Somewhere else?" she asked. She clearly had somewhere in particular in mind, but he was not picking up on it at all.

"Like the library?" he asked.

Rory smiled at him pityingly. "No, not the library." She climbed to her feet and held out a hand to him as he stood. "As much as I enjoy the library, I was thinking somewhere a bit more private. Madam Pince generally frowns upon finding students making out behind the bookshelves as it turns out."

Harry mentally slapped himself. Of course. She wanted to go someplace where there wouldn't be a thousand people staring at them while they snogged.

"Right. Sorry," he said. "I'm really bad at picking up on hints."

"I've noticed," Rory said. She kissed him again. "But it's fine. I'll work on being more direct."

Harry nodded. "I like direct."

"Okay," Rory said. "Next time I'll just say 'Harry, let's go up to your room so I can kiss you so much you forget how to breathe.' Is that direct enough?"

Harry bit back a smile and the feeling of something stirring inside of him that wanted to make him run up to his dormitory with Rory.

"Maybe not that direct when people can hear you," he said.

"Good idea," she replied.

He held her hand the whole way back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Harry, there you are," Hermione said as they crossed into the common room. "Do you-?"

"Sorry, can we talk later?" Harry asked. Without hearing a response he led Rory upstairs to his room. He flung open the door a bit too eagerly, earning a chuckle from Rory.

Seamus and Dean were both inside on their beds. Harry hid his disappointment, but Rory seemed undeterred by the fact that they had company.

"Hello, Dean," she said as she and Harry crossed the room.

"Hey, Rory," Dean replied. Seamus continued to ignore him and notably, Rory was not acknowledging him either. "That Umbridge really seems to hate you."

"It's my dad she hates. She's just taking it out on me," she said as she sat on Harry's bed. She slipped out of her shoes and pulled her feet up beside her.

"That doesn't make it any better," Dean said. "I think she's vile."

"You and me both. I finally got my sleep back to normal after I had to get up so early to finish my homework from her detentions," Rory said shuffling through her bag and pulling out their defense against the dark arts textbook. "Suppose I'll be continuing that trend this week as well, along with this one." She motioned to Harry. "Speaking of which, we're trying to get a head start so we can possibly sleep at some point this evening. You don't mind me hanging out, do you?"

"Of course not," Dean said. "Actually, Seamus and I were going to head down to the common room with Neville."

"Don't leave on my account," Rory said.

"No. We were headed out anyway," Dean said. "Have fun reading. That book is so dull it might even put Hermione to sleep."

Dean and Seamus walked out of the room. Rory smiled at Harry.

"How did you do that?" he asked. "You just got them to leave."

"That's because they know how to take a hint, Harry," she said with a wink. She sat her book aside and scooted back and propped herself up against his pillow and patted the small spot on the bed beside her. Harry sat beside her.

She put her head on his shoulder and smiled up at him.

"You seem nervous," she said.

He was a bit nervous because he'd never been alone in his room with Rory before. Not really. Not without the looming threat of her dad or a teacher or one of their friends walking in. Sure, there was still the possibility that his roommates could come in now, but that was unlikely since Ron had seen him sprint through the common room with Rory and Seamus and Dean had retreated.

"I just realized that I've never had a girl in my room before. I mean on my bed," he said.

"Well, if it makes you feel better I've never been on Harry Potter's bed either," she giggled. He tilted her head back slightly and kissed her. She smiled at him. "Feeling more relaxed then?"

"A bit," Harry said. He kissed her again. "This is helping."

Then she kissed him again. She kissed him so fiercely that for a moment he stopped breathing. He remembered her words from before he led her inside.

"Let's go up to your room so I can kiss you so much you forget how to breathe."

And one kiss had been all it took.

Harry's fingers knitted through the tendrils of her ebony hair. He pressed her back against his pillow and responded with the same intensity. Never had she kissed him like this, with such reckless abandon. And Harry hadn't either. He was always so polite and gentle and wary. But he felt like he could read every one of Rory's signals right now.

He just had to kiss her and hold her until their lips were tired and their brains were starved for oxygen. Until their mouths and necks were bruised from their biting, sucking, tasting, and exploring of each other's skin. Harry's hands found their way beneath her robes and he traced her outline through her blouse. He found her breasts and squeezed gently. Rory's fingers gripped him tightly, pulling him closer. Harry repeated the motion, squeezing her just a bit tighter and Rory elicited the sweetest sound Harry thought he'd ever heard.

He felt himself stiffen between his legs and he knew they should stop or take a break. He desperately didn't want to, but things could get awkward very quickly if he didn't.

Harry pulled away first. He brushed his fingers back through her hair and kissed her again, more chastely than before.

"We should slow down," he said. Her face was flushed and damp with sweat as he looked her over through his heavy-lidded eyes. She gave him that same pouty and confused look she'd had last night before he'd left to go to bed.

"Shit," Rory said, sliding her finger across his neck just below his right ear. "Sorry. You can't even cover it up with your collar or anything."

A hickey on his neck from his girlfriend was more like a badge of honor when you were a 15-year-old boy, especially when your girlfriend looked like Rory, but he didn't say anything.

"You got a bit carried away," Harry said.

"A bit," she said. "I just…" she trailed off, her face going even redder.

"What?" he asked.

"I just… I like the sound you make when I kiss you there," she said.

Harry loved hearing her say that but really didn't need to hear her say it right now. And he certainly didn't need her to be kissing him again. He put a hand between them.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Sorry," he said pulling away. "It's just-."

He couldn't even get an adequate excuse out and his eyes betrayed him as they flicked downward between them where it was obvious what his issue was.

"Oh," Rory said, her glancing downward as well. She kissed him again and then stopped. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure that's not helping."

"No," he said. Rory chuckled and kissed him again and again and she fingered the buttons on his shirt. "I thought we agreed this wasn't helpful."

"Yeah… But, maybe I can help," she said. Her hands trailed down his torso and she stopped at the buckle of his pants. Harry's breath caught in his throat. His whole brain shut off as she kissed him. Her lips moved down to his chin, back behind his ear, down his neck. "Harry?"

Right, he hadn't answered her. He nodded his head. It wasn't until she started to unbuckle his pants, that he remembered how to speak.

"You don't have to," he said.

"I know," she said. "But you want me to, right?" She unbuttoned his trousers, her lips still pressed against his skin. "I know how to take a hint."

She chuckled and pulled her hand away, only to push him onto his back. Rory positioned herself on her side to face him. Her hand moved slowly back to his trousers. Harry felt himself stiffen as she eased down his zipper. Her fingers lingered at his waistband. He glanced over at her face and he could tell she was hesitating.

Harry finally managed to find his voice again and said "You really don't have to," although he was also praying she did not change her mind.

But Rory winked at him and then maneuvered her hand into his boxers. He inhaled sharply at the feeling of her hand on him and his whole body shuddered. She leaned down and kissed him, and he forgot whatever it was he was going to say next because her hand started to slowly stroke him.

It didn't take too long for Harry's initial anxiety to ebb, and for him to stop caring about what he might've sounded like or if he was making a weird face. He didn't care even a little bit. Rory sat up beside him and repositioned herself, working faster now. He'd done this himself more times than he could count, but it had never felt like this. Was it just because it was Rory, or would it feel this way with anyone? It didn't matter. It was Rory who was here now.

And it was Rory's name he said as his release found him. Her hand slowed, but she didn't stop until it was almost painful and Harry grabbed her hand to stop. He laid there for a second, listening to Rory move about on the bed. A few seconds later he felt a tissue fall onto his face.

"Clean yourself up," she teased.

Harry chuckled, but did as instructed and returned his slackening member to his trousers. He had to lean over Rory to throw the tissue into the rubbish bin and no sooner had it left his fingers, did he push Rory back onto his bed and kissed her.

She smiled against his lips. "Feeling better then?"

Harry chuckled and answered her with a kiss. He couldn't think of a single thing he wanted to do for the rest of his life but stay here and kiss and touch and hold Rory. She tangled her fingers in his hair and he let his hands roam her body again. Up her legs, to her thighs, beneath her skirt—

And then the door opened. They both sat up and stared at the door.

There was Ron, red in the face.

"Oops," was all he said before walking right back out of the door. They could hear Hermione shouting at him in the hallway.

"Why are you shouting at me?" Ron asked.

"Because you're an idiot!" Hermione scolded him.

"Dean said they were studying."

"They weren't studying you tactless imbecile."

"I mean obviously if you'd seen what I seen."

There was the familiar sound of Hermione whacking Ron with a book and their voices quieted as they left the dormitories.

Harry looked over to Rory. She was cupping her very red face with her hands and staring at the spot where Ron had been with a mixture of horror and shock.

"That was… Awkward," Harry said.

"No, my dad walking in on us snogging on the couch at Grimmauld was awkward. Your best friend walking in the room while your hand's up my skirt and your trousers are undone is easily the most mortifying experience of my entire life," she said. Then she chuckled. "Most mortifying experience of my life so far."

"Ron's not going to say anything," Harry said.

Rory scoffed. "I love Ron. I'd probably trust him with my life and a whole host of deep dark secrets, but if Hermione gets him to shut his mouth before they get down to the Common Room, I'll fall over dead right now."

Harry nodded. That did sound characteristically like Ron.

"Sorry," Harry said.

"Don't be sorry," Rory said. "I wasn't expecting… I mean when we came up here I…"

"Not how I foresaw the afternoon going," Harry said.

"Right," Rory said. "Not that I want to take back any of it, mind you. I just… I wish could predict more than just people trying to murder us, and maybe predict that we should lock the door or something."

Harry managed a laugh and was glad to see Rory smiling.

"I won't be able to look Ron in the eye ever again. Which is great since we sit next to each other in History of Magic," Rory said.

"Don't worry. He'll start sleeping through that class eventually," Harry said. He kissed her and was happy to see her smile a bit wider. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rory said. "But you have got to teach Ron to take a hint."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I can't take a hint. How do you expect him to?"