Rory had always wanted to have Matilda and Neville over her house, to sit on her couch and watch Mama Mia. But now that she was actually doing it, she was sad.
The movie had started and she was excited. But from the first moment Sophie appeared on screen and Rory saw her necklace, she'd wanted to brag. "That's the necklace Harry gave me for our anniversary," she'd wanted to say.
But then she remembered. And that made her heart sink.
She tried to perk up for the rest of the movie, but she was starting to realize that so much of her life was entwined with Harry. She told him about everything she loved and he'd immersed himself in it. Which meant that Mama Mia, ABBA, the necklace, Meryl Streep—it all reminded her of Harry.
When Super Trouper played Rory felt her heart break a little. Harry had told her that he'd heard that song and thought of her while they were apart for the summer.
She was so thankful for Matilda and Neville though. Their commentary never ceased and they kept Rory laughing whenever she started to feel down.
When the movie was over, her friends went to her room to change into their pajamas: Matilda promised to hold Neville hostage in the bathroom for an excessive amount of time just because she could.
Rory sat on the couch and waited for them to finish.
Her dad had been in his room most of the time, occasionally walking to the kitchen to grab a beverage or just peek in on the teenagers. Now, he entered the kitchen and summoned her over.
"How was the movie?" he asked.
"Muggles and wizards alike love Meryl Streep is how it holds up," Rory said.
"Good," he said, sliding her a glass of water. "But I couldn't help but notice you didn't seem as… Exuberant as you might usually be when watching your favorite film on the whole of the planet."
Rory sighed. "Sure."
Remus paused for a moment as Rory drank the glass of water. She prepared herself for what was coming.
"I haven't talked to you about Harry," he said.
"I dumped him. End of story," Rory said.
"Aurora, I've watched you the last week, same as everyone else," he said. "It doesn't seem like that's the whole story."
Rory felt her body sag a little.
"I know it's not easy to talk to me like you used to," he started.
"Except it should be because boys suck except for you," Rory said. Then she paused, "And Neville. But everyone else. All crap." She slumped over the dining room table. "I thought I would stop feeling miserable by now."
"I know," Remus replied.
Rory rolled the thought over in her head for a few seconds before she finally told him the truth. She explained the whole thing. Choir practice, Harry's interview, sitting in the tea shop, Malfoy. Getting sick, the fire. The kiss. And then seeing them in the library weeks later. It felt like one long bad dream.
"I'm shocked, honestly," Remus said. "Harry hasn't even mentioned that he was seeing someone else."
"Well, he broke up with her before we got on the train to come here," Rory said. "So he's not."
"That was... Fast," he said.
Rory shrugged. "I don't think he actually really liked her. Or at least he didn't like her as much as he liked me. But I guess despite being irrationally jealous, Cho was even 'worse' than I was."
Remus raised an eyebrow at this. "You don't strike me as the irrationally jealous type."
"Me either, but I've since learned that I am apparently," she replied. "I took it with a grain of salt when Harry told me, but Mattie and Neville said that I possibly overreacted. Many times."
Rory thought back to why she'd been angry on Valentine's Day. He had stood her up, yes. She'd been embarrassed and angry to be stuck sitting there with everyone staring at her. But Harry had lost track of time. He'd stopped to reassure someone who was worried and traumatized. Would Rory have been as upset if Harry stood her up talking to Hermione or Neville or someone who wasn't Cho?
She conceded that she overreacted on Valentine's Day, but had she also overreacted every other time? Would she have gotten upset on Valentine's Day if she'd really trusted Harry all along? She kept telling everyone else to give Harry some slack for his behavior this year because he'd been through so much. But had she given him any slack? Had she given Cho any slack?
"Jealous or not, it's no reason-"
"I know that. He knows that," she said. "We've managed to have a few conversations where we were able to talk to each other like normal humans. I think this is the longest we've gotten along since we broke up. Usually, something sets one of us off. Usually me. I think Harry might actually be more level-headed than I am."
Her dad nodded. "It's not easy to admit your own faults. Harder even to see them."
"I'm hyper-aware of that now," Rory said. "But, we talked. I think there's still a lot of talking to be done before things are back to normal. Whatever that looks like now."
"What do you want it to look like?" Remus asked. Rory shrugged. "You don't know?"
"It's complicated," Rory said.
"Why is it complicated?" Remus asked.
"I dunno. It just is," Rory said. "Like I said. We need to talk."
Remus nodded. "Can I ask you something?" Rory nodded. "What was the interaction you had with Stephen all about?"
Rory sighed. She was about to admit something aloud to her ad that made her want to crawl into a hole and disappear, but she'd had enough of the weird gap that existed between them lately.
"I like Stephen," she started, "but I love Harry."
"And that's why it's complicated?" Remus asked. Rory nodded. "Okay."
Rory narrowed her eyes on him. "That's all? No follow-up questions?"
"I have endless follow-up questions, but it seems like you're still figuring things out, so I'll let you do that," Remus said.
"Not even going to warn me against making certain decisions?" Rory asked.
He shook his head. "I trust you... Mostly."
"Thank you for the honesty," she said with a roll of her eyes. He laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, Dad."
"For what?" he asked.
Rory shrugged. "Just for being my dad, I guess. Even when I act dumb over a boy."
"That's just part of being a teenager," he replied. "And you'll never have to apologize for it."
When everyone was changed into pajamas, they gathered in the kitchen.
"We should cook dinner," Matilda said.
"I was planning on ordering Thai food from Aurora's favorite takeaway place," Remus said.
"Yeah, but Rory's always going on about her skills in the kitchen. I want to see them in action," Matilda said.
"If you insist," Rory said. "But you have to be my sous chefs." She turned to her dad. "Even you."
"Me? But you've two extra people," he said. "Something about too many cooks in the kitchen and all that."
"Yeah, but Matilda isn't going to actually help," Rory said.
"Hey!" Matilda gasped. "I was going to pretend really hard."
"Besides, you're my favorite sous chef," Rory said.
"We get it. You love your dad. Now let's cook something," Matilda said.
"Well, I'll have to see what we have," Rory said. She opened the cupboard and was surprised to see it fully stocked. "Oh! Did you go to an actual grocery store?" she teased.
"It's that attitude that has Molly and Tonks thinking I'm completely helpless," Remus said. "I have managed to keep you alive for 14 years now."
"But Mrs. Weasley and Tonks definitely helped you with the shopping," Rory said.
"Is she this cheeky with the two of you?" Remus asked.
"Worse," Neville replied as Rory scanned the cabinet.
"Arborio rice. I'm stunned we own this, but we can make risotto," Rory said.
"I have actually made risotto before," Remus replied.
"Really?" Rory teased.
"Are you going to be shocked at everything all night?" he asked.
"Perhaps," she replied as she grabbed the rice. "Who taught you to make risotto?"
"Tonks did, actually," Remus replied grabbing a cutting board. Rory watched her dad pull out an onion and start chopping. She turned her eyes to the dishrack and there was a mug, a bowl, and curiously, two wine glasses.
"What is it?" Remus asked. She looked over at him.
"I didn't say anything," Rory said.
"Exactly. You seldom have an unexpressed thought," Remus said.
"Does Tonks help you to cook often?" she asked.
"Is she not allowed?" Remus asked.
Rory shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. You're adults. I was just asking a question. You could barely make beans on toast and now you're making risotto and having company over."
"I'm not allowed to have company now?" he asked with a chuckle. "Weren't you complaining that I only ever spent time with you and my father?"
"I was just asking a question," Rory said. "You're being very defensive right now."
Remus scoffed and returned to his onions. "If you're done, there are mushrooms in the refrigerator."
"I'll get them!" Matilda volunteered.
Rory continued to eye her father curiously as Matilda opened the refrigerator.
"I thought you weren't supposed to chill red wines," Matilda said as she grabbed a container of mushrooms. She motioned to the inside of the refrigerator. Rory spied a corked, half-empty bottle of red wine. She glanced at her dad then back to the wine, the glasses in the rack.
This was the weirdest situation Rory had ever been in because, as he'd pointed out, for most of her life, she was basically the only company he kept. And now he was making risotto. She had to approach this delicately.
"Why do you know that?" Neville asked.
"Well, you see they have these places in Hogsmeade called pubs," Matilda started.
"Enough you," Neville said. Rory chuckled.
"That's a dessert wine, so it's supposed to be chilled. I almost never drink them because I usually find them to be unpalatably sweet, but Tonks prefers them," Remus said casually.
Rory bit back a grin and said nothing. She looked over to Matilda who also seemed to be picking up on the pattern that was slowly appearing. Her dad stopped chopping onions. The room was silent.
"What?" Remus asked.
Rory shook her head. "I'm just trying to wrap my brain around what's happening is all."
"And what exactly is happening?" Remus asked.
"I dunno," Rory said in a sing-song voice. She was trying to be nonchalant, but Rory was not a nonchalant person. "It just kind of seems like you might-."
"No," Remus said.
"No, what?" she asked.
"I can tell where your brain is and you're completely misreading this situation," he said.
He was lying. She wasn't going to tell him that she knew definitively that he was lying, but she knew it was a lie.
"Okay," Rory said. "Seems a little sus is all."
"Thank you for teaching that to Sirius, by the way," he replied. "But I assure you, that there's nothing 'sus' about keeping wine in the refrigerator."
Rory had already decided she was going to drop it. There was no way she was going to get the truth out of her dad, and she wasn't even positive that she'd be able to handle this conversation if he did admit it. No. She had to be stealthy. Was this one-sided? It didn't appear to be if they were cooking together, and he kept her preferred type of wine on hand. She couldn't ask Tonks because there was no way she'd be able to get anything out of Tonks either.
But there was one person who would definitely give her information.
"My mum has 632 bottles of wine in our wine cellar," Matilda said. "Different sections, all of them magically temperature controlled to ensure they're preserved and maintain their flavor."
"Wine people are really strange," Neville said.
"So are plant people. Have you ever heard of a greenhouse?" Matilda said.
Neville nodded. "Valid."
"But, speaking of wine, do you have a white, because otherwise risotto this risotto isn't going to happen," Rory said.
"Or you'll have to use extra broth extra broth, heaven forbid," Remus said.
"Makes risotto once and he acts like he knows everything," Rory said.
"I'll have you know," Remus said, "I've made it twice."
After dinner and her dad went to bed, Rory sat her friends in her room. Neville had a spot on her floor while Matilda would sleep in the bed with Rory. But she wasn't concerned with sleeping.
"Dinner was great, Rory," Neville said.
"Yes, risotto, wonderful," Matilda said. "Can we talk about how your dad is totally plowing Tonks?"
Rory and Neville both chimed in to chastise Matilda.
"Am I wrong?" Matilda asked.
"Merlin, what is your problem," Rory said.
"You two always ask me what's my problem. Nearly five years of this," Matilda said.
"Yes, and we're still wondering," Neville said.
"Do you really think there's something going on between Tonks and your dad? Is she his normal type?" Matilda asked.
Rory scoffed. "You seem to be under the impression that my dad has dated anyone, ever."
"In his life?" Matilda asked.
"Not since he took me in at least. Not that I know of anyway," Rory said. "And I always thought he was with my mum until I learned about Sirius."
"She's quite young though," Neville said. "Comparatively."
"Age doesn't matter when you're a properly functioning adult, which they clearly are," Matilda said.
"Yeah, but Tonks isn't that much older than Rory," Neville said.
"Does seem like the kind of thing that would put my dad off," Rory said.
"Your dad? I thought maybe it would put Tonks off," Neville said.
"Tonks should be so lucky. My dad is a catch," Rory said.
"Thank you, Remus Lupin fan club. We know you love your dad," Matilda said. "But Neville has a point. Maybe Tonks doesn't want to date someone who has a daughter who's less than half her age."
Rory agreed, but also, looking back, it did make a certain amount of sense. Tonks and her dad were very close and Rory thought nothing of it. But since she'd been back over break things seemed a bit… Different. Seeing evidence of Tonks being over to her dad's flat frequently was definitely weird. And Rory had never seen her dad so defensive before.
There was no way to tell on her own. She could probably try to get a vibe from her father about it, but he was likely to avoid letting her pull off such a trick now that she was onto him, and he would definitely know immediately what she was up to.
But there was one person who would probably have the answers she needed.
"When we get back to Grimmauld," Rory started, "I need to talk to Sirius."
Hermione was glad that Rory and Matilda would be gone for a while. Not because she didn't want them around, but because it was getting to be uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as Rory and Ginny.
Ginny seemed more relaxed as well when they were climbing into bed. She was quietly humming to herself on her bed, flipping through a magazine. She glanced over to Rory's empty bed and sighed.
"I kind of think she hates me," Ginny said.
"She doesn't hate you," Hermione assured her. No, Rory did not hate Ginny. Was Rory incredibly irritated by Ginny? Probably.
"It's because of Harry, isn't it?" Ginny asked.
"Well, yes," Hermione said. This was the first time Ginny had ever broached the topic. Hermione felt relieved because she desperately wanted to talk to Ginny about it, but was afraid of being too forward with her. "It does seem a bit like you might, I dunno, be going after him."
Ginny was quiet for a moment. "Would it be so bad if I was?"
"I mean, you can do whatever you like Ginny, as you always do. But Rory doesn't have to like it," Hermione said.
"She broke up with Harry," Ginny pointed out.
"Not because she stopped caring about him," Hermione said. "I wouldn't date Harry."
"Of course you wouldn't," Ginny said.
"I don't think you should either," Hermione said.
Ginny balked at this. "Really? Aren't you Harry's best friend?"
"Of course I am. He's like a brother to me. I love him dearly. But that doesn't mean I don't know he's an idiot. After the way things went with Rory I don't think I'd want anyone I know to date him until he can grow up," Hermione said. If she was being honest, Rory needed to do a bit of growing up as well.
"What happened, exactly?" Ginny asked. "Did they really break up over Cho? It's still bizarre to me that they were dating. I don't think he actually liked her."
That was super obvious to everyone except Harry. Hermione was already well on her way to suppressing the memory of Harry being "totally fine" and "perfectly happy" dating Cho.
"Again, that doesn't mean Rory had to like her hanging around," Hermione said. Or kissing her boyfriend for that matter, she thought to herself. "Also, I'm starting to get the impression that he might want to work things out with her."
"I have noticed, actually," Ginny said nonchalantly.
"So what are you doing?" Hermione asked. "Harry's always been very fond of you."
"He told me today that he thought of me like a sister," Ginny said. Still, she didn't seem bothered by this at all.
"He does think of you like a sister, Ginny. And he doesn't want to date his sister," Hermione said.
"Right, but I'm not actually his sister," Ginny said. "Maybe he won't always think of me that way."
Hermione wanted to scream. "Ginny, I think you're setting yourself up to get your heart broken," Hermione said. "Harry is going through some things and shouldn't be dating anyone right now if you want my opinion. More than that, he's still in love with Rory."
"Rory very clearly does not share that sentiment," Ginny retorted. "And if she doesn't take him back, he's going to get over her eventually."
"Ginny, I understand your logic," Hermione lied, "but I would abandon this. It's not going to end well."
Ginny sighed. "This is not how I thought this conversation would go."
"Sorry," Hermione said. And she meant it. Ginny had been enamored with Harry from the very first moment Hermione met her, and now that she was older and more mature, maybe Harry might have noticed her. Except he was in love with Rory. And he had so much crap going on in his life that he kept blowing up on his friends and his now ex-girlfriend. He needed to get himself together before he dated anyone.
But she knew Harry would not listen to her advice and would continue to pursue Rory until he felt defeated. And she knew that Ginny was going to wake up tomorrow feeling emboldened by the fact that Rory wasn't there.
This would've been an excellent time for Ron to suddenly get a clue about literally anything that might offer Hermione some helpful insight about what to do about the disaster that was definitely forthcoming. Alas, Ron seemed to be oblivious to what was happening with Ginny, or maybe he did notice and just wasn't taking Ginny seriously. He probably assumed that Harry was still trying to fix things with Rory so what did it matter?
Things were barreling toward disaster. There was nothing Hermione could do but sit there and watch.
Tonks was running on about five hours of sleep. She slept after work, and then she stayed up to keep an eye on Remus' flat and went straight to work. Thankfully, the long week was over and after work, she'd be escorting Rory and her friends back to Grimmauld, At which point Tonks would promptly fall face-first into the dusty chaise in the lounge and presumably sleep for 12 hours.
But she still had to get through Friday. The day was half over and Tonks was still hustling, energized by the prospect of finally sleeping. She stepped out of her cubicle, ready to deliver her last report about the Servants of Pythia to Scrimgeour.
As she started down the hall, she saw a woman standing at the front of the Auror office talking to Kingsley. She was tall and blonde. Her skin was sunkissed and golden and she wore and serious expression on her face.
Kingsley motioned to Tonks and she headed towards him.
"Are you Auror Tonks?" the woman asked.
"I am," Tonks said. The woman walked up to Tonks and then suddenly smacked her across the face.
"I told you to leave me alone and I meant it," the woman said as Kingsley grabbed hold of her.
When the flash of pain subsided, Tonks immediately understood who had just smacked.
"Kingsley, it's fine," Tonks said. "You're Anna, aren't you? Anna Crosby?"
The woman stood up taller as Kinglsey released her.
"Yes," she said.
Tonks motioned down to her cubicle. "If you'll just come with me-."
"No. I paid quite a lot of money for a portkey from New York to here to say these few words to you, and I don't intend to say more," Anna said. "I haven't spoken to Levi Goldfinch in 13 years and I quite like it that way. I want nothing to do with him or his sister. I don't need trouble like him in my life."
"I understand" Tonks started.
"No. You don't. If he's in touch with Theodosia's daughter, warn her to stay away. Whatever life she's had before he was in it she was better for it," Anna said. Again, Tonks tried to chime in, but Anna was having none of it. Her eyes were misty with tears and her face was reddening by the moment. "That story he's spinning about his sister being cracked is nonsense. He's the one who's cracked. I read in the paper, he called his niece a harbinger of death. He's the one to be afraid of."
Tonks was liking this conversation less and less with every word, Behind her, Kingsley looked equally worried.
"I don't understand," Tonks said.
"Ask Levi when he really last saw his sister before he came back," Anna said. "And then promise to never bother my son or me again."
Tonks froze. "Your son? Levi has a son?"
Anna scoffed. "My son has nothing to do with him." She turned and stomped out of the office. Tonks didn't follow. She knew it wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, she knew what to do now. Levi told her that she wasn't asking the right questions, but now Anna had given the right one. When did he last see Theodosia?
"Are you alright?" Kingsley asked.
"Yeah," Tonks said, waving a dismissive hand. "Did you hear what she said?"
"You'll have to check birth records," Kingsley said.
"Right," Tonks said. She took the files in her hands and handed them to Kingsley. "Take those to Scrimgeour for me. I need to do some digging."
