The rest of the winter holiday passed by in a blur of food and laughter and studying. Rory found that everyone was keeping an eye on her now, not because of Harry, but because of the talking board.

She knew it was weird to not bat an eye at it, especially since the planchette was human bone, but she had a feeling. It wasn't an entirely positive feeling, but more of a leading feeling. It was going to help, even if she ended up seeing some bad things with them. She couldn't predict good things all the time. She seldom did now as it went.

But she didn't let it bother her. Even as day after day passed without the board being returned to her. It was being looked at by Dumbledore. And Snape. She conceded that Dumbledore might be helpful, even if she didn't care to have his help. It gave her little comfort that Snape was looking over the board because he was more knowledgeable about dark arts and curses than most anyone—why Dumbledore trusted someone like that to teach children, Rory hadn't a clue.

The night before they were set to return to school, Rory assumed that she would be going back to Hogwarts without it.

The teens were, as usual, tucked away upstairs patiently waiting for the Order of the Phoenix to end their meeting. They'd all but given up on trying to eavesdrop. But Rory didn't mind so much anymore. It meant an hour or so where no one was stalking her or Harry. They never used the time to fool around (not that she hadn't suggested it, many, many times, but Harry was sufficiently terrified of what would happen if they were caught again), but sometimes they sat in the empty hallway, thankful for a moment away from their friends.

Lately, Harry had been having a recurring dream about a long hallway at the ministry and a door he couldn't reach. Every day he'd been telling Rory what he saw and what he heard so she could try to interpret it for him.

"I genuinely think it's something to do with Voldemort," Rory said.

"And what the Order is protecting at the Ministry?" Harry asked.

Rory nodded. "I think you want to know what's behind that door so badly because Voldemort does."

Harry sighed. "I don't like this. I don't like being in his head. Sometimes I feel like…I dunno. Like I can't tell if what I'm feeling and thinking is really what I think or feel or if it's him."

Rory grabbed hold of Harry's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You have to find something to ground you," she said. "Something that you know definitively isn't anything Voldemort would think or feel."

Harry brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Like this?"

Rory smiled. "Maybe, but I don't think I can go around holding your hand all of the time."

"It'll probably help in the moment though," Harry said. He pulled her closer and kissed her. "This probably would too." Rory chuckled as he kissed her again and again, keeping his fingers linked through hers. She imagined it was easy to stay grounded when like this. All Rory could clearly focus her brain on was the building anticipation of each kiss, and how she yearned for another and another and another.

She leaned into him, letting her free hand drift up to his cheek, and pulled him in closer. This is why they were always getting into trouble. She never wanted to stop once they got going. Harry might've been the instigator, but she definitely encouraged him.

Harry was just pulling her hand away when a flurry of images piled themselves into her mind. She pulled away from Harry and frowned.

"Don't look at me like that just because I want to avoid having your dad murder me," he teased, pecking her on the lips.

"It's not that," Rory said. "It's Snape. He wants to talk to you. About private lessons."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Private lessons? I know I'm not great at potions but I don't-."

"It's not potions," Rory said. "Occlumency lessons. Dumbledore's request."

Harry went to ask her another question, but they heard footsteps in the hall. They looked down and saw her dad there, hands folded behind his back

"Hey, Dad," she said.

"Hello," he said casually. "Harry, you're wanted in the dining room. I implore you to exercise patience for both you and Sirius if you'd be so kind."

Harry groaned. "Really is Snape then." He got to his feet and walked downstairs.

Remus flashed Rory a smile. "Lucky you're able to predict unexpected interactions with Severus. That's a talent that would've been appreciated when I was in school."

Rory shrugged. "I guess." She moved to stand, but her dad held up a hand.

"Can I sit with you for a moment?" he asked.

"That depends. Am I going to get a lecture about something?" she asked.

"You think that's all I'm good for now is lecturing you?" he asked.

"That's what it feels like," she replied as he sat down beside her.

His other hand came from behind his back and he revealed the box that Levi sent her for Christmas. He held it out to her.

"I want to make it abundantly clear that I don't feel comfortable giving this back to you," Remus said.

"Then why are you?" Rory asked,

"Because, you've assured me that it's harmless, as has everyone else," he said.

"Did you find out who the bone belongs to?" Rory asked.

Remus shook his head. "No. And we realized you might have better luck on that front. And if you do, you will tell us."

"Obviously," Rory replied.

"And Aurora," he started, "be careful." He put the box into her hands.

"I will be," Rory said. "I'll have a chat with Professor Trelawney about it when I get back to school. If she's cognisant of anything that's happening around her."

"Thank you for the attempt at least," he replied. "Everything else alright?"

"Yep," she said.

"Why were you sitting out here anyway?" Remus asked.

"While Harry does tell Ron and Hermione most things, occasionally we do have conversations we don't want everyone else to overhear," Rory said.

"That's fair, I suppose," he replied.

"It's easier for us to just sit out here and talk since it's infinitely more annoying having you or Sirius come and hunt us down if we're not sitting in the open," Rory said.

"Well, you know," Remus started, "it's only because-."

"Didn't I say you can only sit if you don't lecture me? This feels like you're dangerously close to lecturing territory," Rory said.

Remus nodded. "Old habits, as they say."

"Sure, sure," Rory said dismissively.

"I do want to say though, that it was brought to my attention that I might be being a tad overbearing. And that while I don't condone the two of you sneaking around, you are just behaving as teenagers do. You might not be forthcoming about everything, but you have been about everything important, so I should try and trust you more," Remus said. "So hopefully when you're here for Easter holidays things won't be quite as tense. But I do still expect you to abide by the boundaries that we've set in place, even if you're not being watched."

Rory nodded. "I can do that."

"I think the truth of the matter is really that I'm afraid of seeing you get older, but that is an inevitability," Remus said. "I hope you'll forgive me if I handle it badly sometimes. Most times I look at you and I still see a three-year-old. It's jarring that you're not a little girl anymore even though I've watched you grow up with my own two eyes."

Sometimes Rory did feel guilty about the way she acted or talked to her dad. Most times she was just trying to remind him that she wasn't a little kid anymore. She did need to consider that her dad was just being a dad.

She sat the box aside and hugged him. "Sorry, I'm such a brat sometimes."

"Obstinance is part of being 15, Aurora," he said. "But toning it down would be appreciated."

"I can't make any promises but I will try," she replied. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said.

Rory picked up her box and stood from the floor.

"I know you told Tonks to look after me, but it sounds like she's better at giving you advice," Rory said.

"You assume Tonks was the one who talked to me?" Remus asked.

"Well it definitely wasn't Sirius or Mrs. Weasley," Rory replied.

"You don't think Sirius would give me good advice?" Remus asked.

"Sirius is very honest about his complete obliviousness on how to be a parent and I respect that about him," Rory said. "Mrs. Weasley probably would just tell you to lock me in our flat for the holiday."

"Touche," Remus replied, getting to his feet as well.

"I like Tonks," Rory said. "Even if she is a snitch."

"A snitch?" Remus asked. "Why do you say that?"

"Oh, as if she doesn't report back to you on everything I write to her about," Rory replied.

Remus let out a defeated sigh. "Fortunately for you, Tonks is actually quite tight-lipped about what you write to her about. Mostly because she assumes you've told me already."

"You make it sound like I'm keeping secrets from you," Rory said with a frown.

"You are," Remus said. Rory immediately went to protest, but he held up a hand, "but I should stop expecting you to tell me everything. It's perfectly reasonable that you won't want to vent to your dad about some things. And you're your own person. You're allowed to have things you don't want to share with everyone."

Rory nodded in agreement. "Well… Then I guess I like her a bit more then."

"I think it's good for you, having her around," Remus said.

"You too," Rory replied.

Remus looked at her, puzzled. "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, to be honest, until Sirius showed back up I think you only had me and Grampy for company," Rory said. "It's good you've got another friend. Multiple friends. And Tonks is cool. Plus she'll stick around."

"Stick around?" Remus asked.

Rory shrugged. "That day she came to bring me Levi's letter at Hogwarts. I gave her a hug and just got vibes from her that she'd be around a long while."

"Vibes?" Remus asked.

"I don't know what else to call it when I predict something intangible like a feeling or something. I just got good vibes from the hug," Rory replied. Remus chuckled. "She's good people."

Remus nodded in agreement. "I think so too."


Rory was finishing up packing her things when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She looked over and saw Sirius there.

"I'll be out in just a minute," Rory said, forcing her trunk closed. "I should've listened to Dad and left these books at our flat. This thing is bloody heavy now."

"Make Harry pull it for you. That's what you keep him around for, right?" Sirius said.

Rory chuckled. "He carries my books when we got to the library at school. I'll let him have a break for now."

"He really, genuinely carries your books for you?" Sirius asked.

"Have you met Harry Potter? Of course, he does," she said.

"Okay, but boys don't actually do things like that," Sirius said.

"Harry does," she said.

"Sheesh," Sirius chuckled. "No wonder Harry doesn't seem bothered by the papers. You're practically a fan club."

"I am pretty excellent," Rory replied.

"Well, your excellence aside, I actually wanted to give you something else to take back to school. Can probably fit it in your purse. I think your trunk is at capacity."

"I appreciate that," she said.

Sirius held up a small, blue box, and Rory recognized it as a box of tarot cards.

"I got these when I was 14 or something like that. Obviously, I wasn't really inclined towards divination like you," Sirius said.

"Understatement," Rory teased.

"They've been lying around in my room for several decades, untouched. And after getting your box of spookiness for Christmas I wanted to gently offer an alternative," Sirius said. He held them out to Rory. "I think they're a family heirloom."

"I thought there weren't any seers in our family?" Rory asked.

"How do you think I ended up with them? Everyone thought they were nonsense so why waste them on a family member people actually liked?" Sirius asked.

"I feel you've got some stuff from your childhood you're not dealing with," Rory said.

"Probably." He put the cards into her hands.

"Thank you," Rory said.

"Do me a favor and try these before the board," Sirius said. "They really give me the creeps."

Rory nodded. "I will do that. For you."

"Thank you," he said. "And try and stay out of trouble."

Rory raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't you almost get into a fight with Snape last night?"

Sirius frowned. "Well he won't be here to get into fights with anymore now will he? He's your problem now."

"I can handle him without trying to hex him," Rory replied. "Thanks for the cards."

Sirius gave her a nod. "One last thing. Harry's Occlumency lessons. Will you make sure he actually goes, and that he tries? He's got about as much patience for Snivellus as I do, but unfortunately…"

"Snape is actually going to be helpful," Rory said.

"Annoyingly, he does that occasionally," Sirius grumbled.

Rory sighed. She had enough trouble policing her behavior around Snape on a regular day, but compared to Umbridge who was equally hated by all, Snape was practically a picnic to be around. That is unless you were Harry, and Harry was a handful all on his own as it was. She couldn't imagine what he was going to be like after spending a few extra hours a week with Snape.

"Not too big of a request I hope," Sirius said.

"I hope so too," Rory said. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't look at me like that. It's just that Harry's not been in a great place lately and I'm sure adding Snape to the equation will not help improve his mood."

Sirius conceded to this. "Well, remind him to try to control his temper."

Rory chuckled. "Didn't Harry have to leap over the table last night to stop you from hexing Snape?"

"Haven't you ever heard of 'do as I say, not as I do?'" Sirius asked.

"There's also something to be said for leading by example," Rory said.

"That's for people who are good role models," Sirius said. Rory laughed.

"You do alright," Rory said.

"Thanks," he said. Rory hugged him and he squeezed her back tightly. "Take care of yourself."


Remus felt bad that they were sending the children back to school on the Knight Bus, but he especially felt bad for Aurora because this bus specifically was obviously her least favorite mode of transportation given her terrible motion sickness.

She was currently lying back across two seats with her eyes closed, an acupressure bracelet on each wrist.

"Is it really that bad?" Tonks asked, watching the girl.

"Afraid so," Remus said. "She had to get a pass on flying lessons in her first year because she vomited on a girl."

"Poor thing,'' Tonks said. "I'm sure she can't wait to learn to apparate so she doesn't have to use the bus."

"Or any kind of train. Boats. A broom," Remus said.

Tonks chuckled. "I shouldn't laugh. That's pretty miserable."

"She's usually fine, but," Remus paused and gestured around them. The Knight Bus could make a regular person sick. It made perfect sense that Aurora was pretty much incapacitated.

"Their driving does leave a lot to be desired," Tonks replied.

"She'll have a rest once she gets back to school. That's usually all it takes, to get her back up on her feet," Remus said. "Though I expect someone will have to drag her up to her room after this."

"Not a short walk to Gryffindor Tower either," Tonks said. She stared at Aurora.

"Something else on your mind?" Remus asked.

"I keep thinking about Levi Goldfinch," Tonks said. "I'm due to meet with him again. At my office this time. I thought it might throw him off balance a bit to come to the ministry, but then I remembered his antics at the inquiry so I doubt that."

"He's quite the character," Remus said.

"He sent Aurora the board," Tonks said. "I can't not ask him about it. And I've been over how to approach that conversation with Kingsley obviously. But I still feel like he's going to wind me up about it. And then I'm going to have to hear from Scrimgeour about it, again."

"Was he not pleased with how your last conversation went?" Remus asked.

Tonks let out a frustrated laugh. "Basically, as if it's my fault he wouldn't disclose anything else when we spoke. On top of my fruitless conversation with him, my work with that cult has been less than desirable because they seem to be harmless. I think Scrimgeour just wants something big to happen to make us look good. Which is interesting because the whole reason I was assigned to look into the cult in the first place was that I'm the lowest-ranking person in the office and nothing was expected to come of it."

"Well, then you pulled Goldfinch out of hiding and now they expect you to perform another miracle," Remus said.

"So I should be less good at my job is what you're saying?" Tonks asked.

"Obviously," Remus replied. Tonks chuckled. "You are good at your job. You shouldn't worry. And if anyone can get answers out of Goldfinch, it's you."

"Hope you're right about that," she replied.

"Have you found the woman he went to the states with?" Remus asked.

Tonks shook her head. "Sirius did say that he was pretty sure she attended Ilvermorny, but that school is so goddamned big, even if you narrow it down to certain graduating years."

The bus came to a sudden stop, and Tonks nearly toppled over, barely catching herself on Remus.

"Thanks," Tonks said. "As if I don't have enough trouble staying on my own two feet under regular circumstances."

"You alright?"

Remus and Tonks turned quickly to see Aurora sitting up.

"Oh, I'm fine," Tonks said, immediately letting go of Remus. "Are you alright? You look a bit green."

Aurora grumbled in response as she got to her feet. The other children started to pile down the stairs.

They all disembarked from the bus and made the short walk to Hogwarts' gate.

"This is probably the sickest I've felt in my entire life," Aurora complained.

Remus felt bad; his daughter did look awful. Sweat coated her forehead, and her usually glowing tawny skin was dull and waxy. He was surprised she hadn't stopped to vomit at some point during the walk over.

"Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" Hermione offered.

"No. I just need my bed for a bit," Rory replied. She stared up at the castle and groaned.

"I think this the first time I'm not super excited to be going back to Hogwarts," Harry said.

"Don't blame you for it," Tonks said. "If you have any trouble, let us know as best you can. Trouble with anything. Anything."

"I am also going to emphasize reaching out about anything," Remus said.

"We will," Aurora assured them, hugging Remus. "Can you stop worrying for five minutes?"

"I can't," Remus replied.

"At least you're honest," she replied.

Once the children were safely inside the gates of the school, Tonks stared pensively up at the giant stone castle.

"I do wonder what we're sending them back to," Tonks said.

Remus nodded in agreement. "I'm sure lodging a complaint about the detentions will only serve to make things worse for Aurora and Harry."

"Maybe they'll be able to stay out of detention this term," Tonks said.

"You really believe that?" Remus scoffed.

"I think at the very least Aurora will make an attempt. And maybe Harry will waste all of his sass on Snape so there'll be none left for Umbridge. Snape will probably just make him scrub bedpans or something equally dreadful," Tonks said.

"Your optimism is refreshing," Remus replied.

"That's all I have to offer at the moment," she replied. "That and lunch."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Lunch?"

"Yes. Lunch. It's a meal people eat in the middle of the day between breakfast and dinner," she said. "Do you want to get lunch?"

"Just the two of us?" he asked.

Tonks looked around. "Well, seeing as there's no one else here I don't know who else I'd be asking. Let's get lunch. My treat."

"You want to get lunch? With me?" Remus asked.

Tonks groaned. "You're impossible, you know? I want to sit down and eat food with you and you're making it a whole thing."

"Sorry," Remus said. "It was just unexpected. I didn't realize you were going to take it so personally."

"I didn't realize you were going to be weird about it. Friends go out to lunch all the time as it turns out," Tonks said. "I'd invite Sirius along, but that might draw a lot of attention and unwanted questions."

Remus nodded in agreement.

Tonks chuckled. "We're going to lunch. I won't hear another word about it." She grabbed his hand. Remus felt his whole body tense. Tonks smiled at him. Her hair was purple and her eyes were too. But her smile wasn't altered at all. Looking at her just then, Remus could see her so clearly. Her hair and her eyes may've changed regularly, but her smile was always the same. And he only ever saw that smile when she looked at him.

Remus felt as though he was treading on dangerous territory right now, feeling this way for a woman who was barely older than his daughter, who likely had no interest in him whatsoever…

But that smile. How could he say no to anything she asked?

"Shall we then?" she asked.

Remus nodded. "Let's go."