Harry saw Rory waiting beside the bathroom door after dinner. She had her toothbrush in hand and seemed to be staring off into space the way she did when she was studying or thinking very hard about something.
"Didn't realize there was a line," he said, announcing himself.
She looked over to him and smile. "Mattie sometimes forgets she shares the bathroom with other people."
Harry reclined against the wall next to her. He remembered Christmastime, the last time they'd been in this hallway, against this wall, alone. Although the subsequent embarrassment that followed was almost enough to make him want to bury that memory entirely.
"I talked to Theo earlier," she said.
Harry was a little surprised she'd brought it up without being asked.
"Went well? I just assume so because dinner seemed less… Hostile," Harry said.
Rory nodded. "Something like that. I'm glad we talked though. It was awkward. And I don't really know what I expect from her now that I know her. Or if I should expect anything at all, really."
"You've got time to think about it," Harry said. "We go back to school tomorrow. It's not like she's going anywhere before then."
Rory conceded this and let out a sigh. She sank back against the wall.
"You want to hear something funny?" she asked. Harry nodded. "She asked me about you, and I told her we were broken up. She said that she was disappointed because she always expected Lily's son to be better than that. I thought it was funny because everyone always compares you to your dad and not your mum. And no one ever expects you to be kinder or gentler. Just cooler and braver."
Harry managed a chuckle. She was right. Every time he did anything stupid and reckless, he was always being compared to James. The only time anyone else had ever compared him to his mother was when Rory's dad told him he was kind.
"You okay?" she asked him.
"I'm fine," he said. "It's just… I talked to your dad and Sirius about Snape's memory. It didn't reassure me as much as you thought it might. Sirius basically brushed it off entirely."
Rory frowned. "Sorry."
"Not your fault my dad's an idiot," he said.
"He might not have been. He did marry your mum. You do exist to have this conversation about him right now," Rory said.
"Well, you exist too and it's not like Sirius and Theo were exactly over the moon for each other," Harry pointed out.
"I guess that's fair," Rory said. "Maybe you should ask her about your dad." Harry must've looked as taken aback as he felt because Rory laughed. "It's obvious that Sirius and my dad aren't objective about James, but the consensus among everyone seems to be that Lily Potter could do no wrong. Theo was Lily's best friend. So ask her what the heck she saw in your dad."
"What if I don't like her answer?" Harry asked.
Rory shrugged. "Then I guess it means your dad is just as imperfect and human as you are. And there's nothing wrong with that."
The bathroom door opened and Matilda walked out.
"Sorry," she said as Rory shot her a glare before walking into the bathroom and closing the door. Matilda looked over to Harry and smiled. "Having a nice chat?"
"I guess," Harry said. Matilda looked him over. "What?"
"Nothing," she replied. "You would've made the Easter holiday a lot easier for everyone if you'd just told Ginny to leave you alone. I actually think Ron would appreciate you telling her to step off instead of beating around the bush hoping she gets the hint and then getting a nasty surprise one day when she sees you and Rory snogging somewhere."
Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "We're not—."
"I know, I know," Matilda said walking away. "I'm not optimistic about this being permanent though." She disappeared down the hall into her room and Harry stood there in silence.
After he brushed his own teeth he headed up to bed, but before he made it to his door, he heard the familiar sound of someone rummaging around in the study.
He wondered what Rory could be looking for this time and headed over to help her. When he pushed the door open, he found Theo inside looking through a pile of books on the table.
"Oh, sorry," he said.
"Didn't mean to disturb you," Theo said. "Aurora told me there was a book here on legillimency that—."
Harry walked over to the pile of books and scanned them until he found the one Rory had no doubt sent her to find. He handed it to Theo.
"Thank you," she said.
"No problem. It used to be a bit more organized, but Rory's been in and out of here and she's not really known for being organized outside of her note-taking abilities," he said. He started to leave the room but remembered his conversation with Rory.
"Something on your mind?" she asked.
"No. Well, yes," he said turning around to her. "Did you know my parents well?"
"Lily was my closest friend," Theo said. "Why do you ask?"
Harry shuffled through his thoughts for a moment. "People tell me about them all the time. Especially about my dad. How brilliant and great he was. But… I'm wondering if he might not have been."
Theo reclined back against the desk in a way that was so similar to the way Rory moved that he almost pictured her in front of him.
"James was brilliant. He was a lot of other things too. Brilliance is not synonymous with perfection," Theo said. "What exactly has left you questioning what other people are saying about him?"
Harry told Theo about the memory with Snape and his parents and Sirius. Theo looked amused and annoyed.
"Sounds like James Potter," Theo said. She scoffed. "Sounds like Sirius."
"I just don't understand how my mum married him. She didn't even seem to like him very much. Or at all," Harry said.
Theo laughed out a sigh. "Personally, I only hung out with James because he and Sirius were practically conjoined and once he started dating your mum he was virtually inescapable. I thought he was a jerk. And immature. And in love with himself."
Harry frowned.
"He asked Lily out about a thousand times before she said yes. And I think she only said yes so they could have a terrible date and never ask her out again… But then they were just together after that," Theo said. "Underneath all that macho, idiot bravado he was actually a decent person. Lily told me that he was infuriatingly charming. That she thought it was an act at first, but he actually knew how to be genuine, and that being an ass was actually the mask he was wearing. I didn't believe her until we graduated. He grew up. And it helped that Severus wasn't there for him to antagonize anymore. Although cruelty aside, Severus Snape was also always a perfect asshole."
"Still is," Harry said. "When Rory's dad got a job teaching at Hogwarts, he was the one that let it slip to the papers that he was a werewolf and forced him to quit."
Theo rolled her eyes. "For what it's worth, James Potter would never do something like that. Even when he was at his most insufferable. He was a dick sometimes, but he didn't set out to actively ruin people's lives."
And somehow, that had been the most reassuring thing he'd heard about his dad.
"Thanks," Harry said.
Theo nodded. "Can I offer you some advice?" Harry stared at her. "James Potter is not a monolith. Your parents loved each other and they loved you and they were very brave. But they were people just like you and me. You're never going to get all the pieces in place to get a perfect picture of them. Don't let the image you created of them in your head become a static representation of who they were. They were complex and messy and complicated just like the rest of us."
Rory practically vibrated out of her skin the morning they were set to return to Hogwarts.
It's been interesting having Theo around. They weren't close, but cordial, friendly even. Rory was curious about her and Theo also seemed curious about her as well. Rory offered information in bits and pieces as it came up, but neither of them pressed the other for more than the other was willing to give.
Rory was less concerned with her relationship with Theo and spent more time watching Sirius and Theo interact. If she thought her relationship with her mother was complicated, it had nothing on the baggage she and Sirius shared. At least Sirius no longer seemed as bitter as he had when she'd first arrived.
Rory and Matilda wheeled their trunks into the dining room that morning and hardly flinched at the sight of Theo and Sirius sitting at the table having coffee. It seemed like they had endless things to discuss, but of course they did.
Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody were also there.
"Good morning," Matilda said. "Are you the lucky chosen ones escorting us to the train today so that no one murders and or kidnaps Harry and Rory?"
"And also Remus," Tonks said. Rory opened her mouth to protest, but Tonks silenced her. "If you know of some way to make that man be reasonable for once in his life, the rest of us would love to know."
"We did at least convince him to rest until it was time to leave, but that's the only concession he was willing to make," Sirius said.
"He certainly loves to overextend himself for someone who constantly complains about being in poor health," Rory said taking a seat at the table.
"Hasn't changed much in 14 years I see," Theo said.
"Unfortunately not," Sirius replied.
Rory poured herself a cup of coffee, and immediately took a sip.
"Are you drinking that black?" Theo asked. Rory nodded. She seemed slightly horrified.
"Oh, no. Not you too," Rory said. "It's not that weird."
"It's pretty weird," Matilda replied, making a point to tip a hefty pour of sugar into her cup.
"I like the taste of coffee. Other people drink coffee out of necessity as a stimulant, so you sweeten it up to taste better," Rory said.
Matilda scoffed. "I think you drink it black because you want your grandfather to think you're cool."
"My grandfather does think I'm cool, thank you very much," Rory said. She took another sip from her cup. "Do we like to drink black coffee and laugh at my dad about how he doesn't? Also yes."
"Certainly those two things aren't related," Matilda said with a roll of her eyes.
Breakfast rolled on, with everyone piling into the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley sitting out food rushing everyone along so they wouldn't be late to the train.
When Rory was finished eating, Tonks walked over and ushered her to follow. They walked to the far corner of the room, just out of earshot of the others.
"I wanted to tell you before you go back to school, that I'm looking into a way to put all of this on Levi," Tonks said. "With Theo not wanting to come forward—."
"I know," Rory said with a nod. "Just do your best. Don't get into any trouble."
Tonks sighed. "I do my best, but you don't make it easy."
"Do I not make it easy, or is it the cultist that make it difficult?" Rory asked.
"It's a combination. Trust me, you're certainly to blame also," Tonks said. Rory chuckled. "I'll be at the school with Kingsley and Fudge on Monday for whatever Umbridge has planned for showing off how well Hogwarts is doing. I hear the choir's going to be performing."
"Yep," Rory said.
"And you're definitely not planning on sabotaging that in any way?" Tonks asked.
Rory looked shocked. "Why, Tonks, I would never dream of—."
"Merlin, child, can you please behave yourself for once?" Tonks asked.
"We're just singing," Rory said.
"And what are you singing?" Tonks asked.
"Umbridge gave us a list of very old, very boring songs to showcase the prevailing traits of each house and to showcase school spirit. We just… Deviated from the list so the minister won't fall asleep," Rory said. "Umbridge will be cross, but I won't be expelled over it."
Probably. Hopefully.
Tonks still looked utterly exhausted with Rory, but pretty much everyone felt that way about Rory these days.
"I'm hoping I can trust you not to cause chaos while Fudge is there," Tonks said. "Can I?"
"Promise," Rory replied. Musical rebellion hardly constituted chaos.
"Good," Tonks said. "And for future reference, Fudge and my boss, have appreciated how much I've taken an interest in you and want to see to it that I continue to steer you in a direction that will ensure you have as positive an outcome in life as I did. Which is to say, they read your mail, but think that I'm a good influence because I work for the ministry and will keep you away from that crazy Harry Potter boy."
"You did tell me to dump him," Rory pointed out.
"Be careful what you say, but feel free to write to me," Tonks said. "If you need to pass anything urgent on, just talk to McGonagall and she'll tell us directly. But be careful. We don't know what going to happen with Voldemort and the Servants of Pythia and Levi. On top of looking into him, I'm also going to start checking to see if this cult has its hooks anywhere in the Ministry."
Rory nodded. "Like I said. Be safe."
"Always am," Tonks replied.
Remus walked into the dining room as they finished their conversation and Rory excused herself to scold him for not allowing himself to be fully rested. He brushed her off as usual, assuring her that he was fine and that he was the parent and she was his child, and that she needed to stop worrying over him.
As they readied themselves to leave, Rory gave Sirius a tight reassuring hug.
"Behave yourself," Rory said.
"Could say the same to you, but I know you won't listen," he said.
"Can I trust you to be left alone with her?" Rory asked. She motioned to Theo who was clearing away the breakfast dishes from the table.
"Yes," Sirius said. "Don't trouble yourself over all that. Besides, your dad gave me quite the lecture the other day and I'd never do a thing to incur his wrath obviously."
"Good," Rory said.
"Do me a favor," Sirius said. "Make sure Harry's going to his Occlumency lesson. I get this feeling he might be trying to shirk them off."
Rory nodded. "I will make Harry go to his Occlumency lessons if I have to teach him myself."
Sirius gave her a pat on the shoulder and nodded in approval. Of course, he didn't know that Rory would actually be teaching Harry Occlumency. But he didn't need to know that.
"You should say goodbye," Sirius said. Now it was his turn to motion to Theo. "I'll be here, but I won't guarantee that she will be."
"But Voldemort—," Rory started.
"She might find facing Voldemort preferable to being stuck here with me," Sirius said. "You never know."
Rory hugged Sirius again and then walked over to Theo.
"Suppose I'll be seeing you later then," Rory said to her.
"I suppose," Theo replied. "I hope your OWLs go well."
"Thanks," Rory replied. "How did you do on yours if you don't mind my asking?"
Theo thought about this for a moment. "Mostly O's. I got an E in Arithmancy and History of Magic. I distinctly remember being peeved about Arithmancy because I am exceptional with numbers. But I ended up taking NEWTs for everything because I didn't know what I wanted to do at first."
Rory knew what that was like. She wondered if it was genetic that she had no idea what to do with her life. But then she also wondered if Sirius and Theo never thought too hard about their futures knowing they had the cushion of their generational wealth and their family's names to fall into.
Maybe Rory might have that one day, if Sirius was ever exonerated and Theo ever came out of hiding. But even if she did, she couldn't imagine letting a career be an afterthought for her. She wished her brain worked that way. Rory felt this pressing need to do something.
"Have you had careers advice yet?" Theo asked. Rory shook her head. "Hope you're not similarly directionless."
"Dad says being a fortune teller for muggles is not a suitable career path," Rory said.
Theo chuckled. "What would Remus have you do?"
"Sing," Rory admitted. For all her brains, for all her natural magical talent, her dad heard her sing and was convinced that was what Rory was meant to do. He wasn't alone in thinking this. She just always felt she could make better use of her other talents.
Theo was confused by her answer, but Rory didn't have time to elaborate as Mrs. Weasley started hustling everyone out the door.
"I'll see you later," Rory said. "Goodbye."
Theo gave her a gentle smile and waved goodbye. Rory followed her friends out of the door and they started their walk to King's Cross station.
Rory was in her thoughts most of the walk there and only came out of them when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over and saw Harry beside her.
"You alright?" he asked.
She nodded. "Just… Weirdest Easter Holiday on record."
"Agreed," Harry said. "I did like you said. I talked to Theo about my parents."
"Oh! What did she say?" Rory asked curiously. He seemed to be in brighter spirits about it than he had been before, which was good to see.
"Basically the same things Sirius and your dad said, but she also, I dunno, she didn't really like my dad all that much," Harry said. "But that was good because she wasn't afraid to be honest about him… Made him seem more human, like you said."
"Good," Rory said. "I think even people who grow up knowing their parents all their lives start out thinking they're perfect and over time start to put together they kind of have no idea what's going on. Everyone's just kind of faking it until they make it. Even my dad."
She glanced back at her dad and Tonks who were taking up the rear of their group. Moody insisted on taking the lead, presumably because his eye could see in all directions.
"Can I tell you something weird?" Harry asked.
"Wouldn't be the first time," Rory said.
"About your dad," Harry clarified.
Rory raised an eyebrow. "Something weird about my dad?"
Remus Lupin was a werewolf, but other than that, there wasn't much about him that was weird. He was rather unremarkable if she was being honest. He preferred it that way. Likely a side-effect of being a werewolf, but still. No one ever described her dad as weird.
"It's something I saw. That night Theo showed up," Harry said.
"Did she say something to him?" Rory asked.
"No. It wasn't like that," Harry said. "I just saw… I don't know what I saw. I didn't see anything really I don't think. It just felt weird."
"You're killing me, Potter," Rory said.
"Sorry," he huffed. She could tell there were a million thoughts in his head that he was trying to make sense of. "I left you and went to get a drink, remember? But I walked into the dining room and he was talking to Tonks. At least I think they were talking."
"You think they were talking?" she asked.
"It was quiet. They were standing really close together. When I announced myself they were really jumpy about it," Harry said. "It seemed like, I dunno, maybe they were having a moment or something."
Rory almost laughed, but she remembered what she'd seen when she'd gone home. She remembered talking to Sirius about it. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Harry had seen something. It just seemed silly to think that after insisting there was nothing going on, Harry could just walk into the room and see them together.
"I'm mad aren't I?" Harry asked with a chuckle. "I probably just startled them. They were probably talking about you or Sirius or something."
"Maybe," Rory said. She didn't know what was going on in her dad's head, especially as she glanced over her shoulder at them at the back of the line.
"Maybe?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. They're close. You never know," Rory said. "But I have also had my suspicions."
