After dinner on Friday, Rory made her way to Umbridge's office. She wondered what she would have to write this time, or if she'd have to cut the ugly scar on the back of her hand open again to make the words more visible than they already were.

To Rory's surprise, Umbridge opened the door for her and beckoned her inside sweetly.

"We'll be doing something a little differently this time," Umbridge said, closing the door behind Rory. "Sit your things at the desk."

Rory was confused, and also worried. After the stunt pulled by the twins, there was a new educational decree allowing teachers to use whatever form of punishment they deemed necessary on students. Still, that wretched quill was still sitting on the desk as usual. She put her things down and went to sit, but Umbridge stopped her.

"If you would be so kind as to retrieve parchment from the closet," she said.

Rory's eyes shot over to the closet at the side of the room. For the most part, Rory didn't even let her eyes drift over to it. That closet featured prominently in most of her nightmares.

"In there?" Rory asked, motioning to it.

"Yes, just on the top shelf," Umbridge said going to her desk.

Rory felt herself vibrating with anxiety. She couldn't tell if the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was from her inner eye warning her about something, or if she was just overwhelmed because of the closet.

She stepped slowly over to the closet and wrapped her hand around the handle. She pulled it open. It was just a closet. The parchment was sitting on the top shelf.

"Let's not dawdle, Miss Lupin," Umbridge said.

Rory took a deep breath and stepped inside. She was fine. It was just a closet. She pushed herself up onto her toes and her fingers barely grazed the parchment on the shelf before she was plunged into darkness.

She spun around quickly and grabbed the handle. It was locked. She knocked frantically on the door.

"Professor," Rory said. There was no answer. She knocked again. "I think the door locked." Still silence. It felt like the walls around her were shrinking, like the darkness was swallowing her. She banged on the door, trying to slow her racing heart. "Professor, I don't really do well in small spaces."

"I know."

And Rory was silent. Alone in the dark in this closet that had been tormenting her for nearly a year. This was her punishment. It didn't matter how Umbridge knew that this closet was going to be her undoing. Rory was trapped now.

That's when the panic started to set in. It was no longer just intense anxiety. It was outright fear. Rory banged on the door, tears stinging her eyes. She grabbed at the handle hoping against hope that she was wrong, that even Umbridge wouldn't stoop low enough so low as to make her relive one of the most horrifying moments of her life. But the knob clattered uselessly in her hand.

Her legs turned to jelly and she dropped to the ground, slumping over against the door, her breath coming in short, fast spurts. She felt like her heart might explode in her chest. Her brain fell into an endless spiral of terror. No matter how many times she tried to override the panic with logic, telling herself that she was going to be okay, that she'd been okay before, and that she would be okay this time as well, the fear in the back of her head would give her no peace.

"You're going to die in here," it said, over and over and over.

She sat on the floor, leaning against the door until her knees ached and her chest hurt from crying and trying to catch her breath. The door swung open and she nearly flopped over onto the floor. Umbridge stood over her, sneering. Rory wasn't even sure she could stand right now.

"Miss Lupin, it's nearly curfew," she said coolly. "Better be heading to bed."

The thought of walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room seemed unbearable but she absolutely could not stay here right now.

She found the strength to rise to her and grab her bag and wand from the desk. She felt like she was going to fall over. She felt a bit like she might die still. Her head was swimming.

As if the situation could not get any worse, to her utter humiliation, Rory's stomach lurched violently, giving into her dizziness, and she vomited her dinner all over the desk. Umbridge turned her nose up at her.

"Five points from Gryffindor for making a mess," she said. She waved her wand Rory's sick disappeared. "I hope you've learned a valuable lesson."

Rory didn't respond. She just moved on her shaky legs, her stomach and chest still trembling, and went back to Gryffindor Tower.


"I just want to get these stupid exams over with already," Ron said. "Think my head's going to fall off from all the studying."

Harry agreed. He was exhausted from studying. He was even thinking of calling it a night. If he didn't know the information now, he wouldn't later. Might as well sleep.

There was a knock on the door.

"Awful late for visitors," Dean said walking to the door.

"Probably Hermione with another study guide," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"You joke, but I'm pretty sure her Transfigurations guide is going to be my savior," Neville said.

Dean pulled the door open and it was not Hermione, but Rory. She looked miserable. Her face didn't have that golden glow to it like it usually did. And she'd definitely been crying.

"You alright?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine," she lied. "Is Harry up?"

"Yeah," he said, getting off his bed a bit too quickly he felt. "Everything okay?"

"Of course," she said, waving a dismissive hand. Harry glanced at his roommates and none of them seemed convinced. "I just was wondering if I could talk to you in the common room for a moment."

"Yeah," he said. He stepped away and put on his slippers and a robe and followed Rory from the dorm.

She was crying before they even got all the way down the stairs.

"Rory, what is it?" he asked. He did his best most days to keep his distance from her, but now he put a hand on her shoulder as he guided her down the stairs. "Was it Umbridge?"

Rory nodded as they entered the common room. He led her to the couch and they sat. She wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself.

"Sorry. I just... I didn't know who else to talk to," Rory said.

"Don't apologize," Harry said. "Just tell me what happened. What did she have you write?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "She didn't make me do lines. I thought she was going to, but instead, she took my wand and had me go into the closet to grab parchment for her but she... She slammed the door behind me... I couldn't get out."

"She... She locked you in a closet?" Harry asked. Rory nodded. "The whole time you've been gone?"

She nodded again, tears coming back to her eyes.

Harry never considered himself to be a particularly murderous human being, but at that moment he felt like he might be able to kill Umbridge. That closet in her office was the same one Rory had been stuck in last year by Crouch. The same one where she screamed and banged for help and eventually decided she was going to die there.

And Umbridge had trapped her in there, for hours. Harry was surprised she'd held it together to come talk to him.

He grabbed her hand and she squeezed it tightly.

"I can't remember the last time I had nightmares. I was... I was fine. And she closed that door and it was like... It all came back. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. It was dark and I just..." Rory said, wiping her tears again. "I kept telling myself I would be fine, but my whole body was just terrified that I was going to die and even now I can't shake it."

She started sobbing and, damn it all, Harry pulled her into a hug. She didn't pull away from him, instead letting herself sob into her shoulder. He held her tight, and he let her cry for as long as she needed.

"You're safe, Rory," he said. "It's over. You're not in danger anymore."

Rory nodded against his chest, still crying, but less so now. She was curled up against him and Harry rubbed her back comfortingly until her tears ebbed.

"I'm sorry," Rory said. She sat up and wiped her face. "I shouldn't have dragged you down here."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "When it comes to Umbridge or anything really, I'm here for you."

Rory nodded. "Thank you." She looked up to the stairs and then turned back to the fire.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I just... I can't really fathom going back up to my room and trapping myself in that dark room in my tiny, dark bed," Rory said. "It's so stupid."

"It's not," Harry said, his hand still on her back. "It's just hard to convince yourself that you're safe after something like that." Rory nodded again. "I'll sit here with you until you're ready to go to bed."

"Really?" she asked. He nodded. "Thank you."

"Anything you need," he assured her.

Rory let her head fall against Harry's shoulder and she stared into the fire.


It was the sound of giggling that woke Rory from her sleep. She was ready to scold one of her roommates until she opened her eyes and saw that she was not in bed. She was lying on the couch in the common room. A robe was lying over top of her like a blanket, but it wasn't her own. She sat up and Harry was sitting on the other end of the couch, head propped up on elbow, fast asleep. She reached out and tapped his shoulder.

He sat up abruptly, seeming as disoriented as she had been upon waking before getting his bearings.

"Sorry," he said, rubbing his neck. "Didn't realize I fell asleep."

Rory highly doubted that.

"You let me fall asleep," she said.

"I knew you wouldn't go back to sleep if you went up to your room, so I thought it would be better if I just let you be," he said. She frowned at him. "What? Are you going to disagree with me?"

No, because he was right. There was no way she'd have gone back to sleep if she'd gone to her room. She'd all but told him so before almost immediately falling asleep.

She handed him his robe. "You didn't have to stay." Again, he shrugged. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said, stretching. "Well, I think my neck might've had a problem with me sleeping like that."

"My mouth tastes like a rubbish bin," Rory said. She really needed to brush her teeth. She wondered for a moment why her mouth tasted so awful and then she remembered.

"You alright?" Harry asked sensing that something was amiss.

"I'm fine," she replied. Footsteps came down the stairs and a few students passed through the common room and out the door to breakfast. "Last night was just really, really awful. I need to write to my dad." She didn't want to tell him she'd puked in Umbridge's office.

"Maybe try to get some more rest," Harry suggested, "while the sun's up. Might make it easier. And I'm sure Matilda or Neville wouldn't mind staying with you if you needed the company."

Rory almost asked if he could stay with her, but stopped herself. Even sitting at the other end of the couch with her while she slept had been crossing some invisible boundary that'd been drawn when they'd broken up. He knew it, which is why he'd volunteered Matilda or Neville now. He didn't want to overstep again. Last night could be overlooked. Rory was severely distressed. But she was fine now and had other people to lean on who weren't Harry.

"You should sleep somewhere that's not a couch as well," she said.

"I'll do that," he said.

Rory got to her feet. "Thank you, Harry."

He nodded and gave her a tired smile. She went up to her room, where her roommates were all up and about getting ready to start their day.

"Where've you been all night?" Matilda asked.

"Fell asleep in the common room," Rory said. "Umbridge really outdid herself last night. Miracle I even made it up to the tower." She slid out of her shoes and marched into the bathroom. In the time it took her to brush her teeth and wash her face, Lavender and Parvati had gone.

"What happened?" Matilda asked.

Rory climbed onto her bed and laid her head on the pillow. "She locked me in that closet."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Matilda asked.

"I wish," Rory replied. She was starting to sweat just thinking about it. "I don't want to talk about it if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Matilda said. "Get some sleep. I'll tell Parvati and Lavender not to bother you." She huffed. "Seriously, I could hex that woman into oblivion right now. Did you tell your dad?"

"I'll write him when I wake up," Rory said.

"We'll bring you back something to eat," Hermione said.

"And don't say you're not hungry," Matilda said before Rory could get the words out. "We've done this song and dance before. We will sit and force you to eat if I have to."

Rory was too tired to argue. She was annoyed, but grateful that they were only so annoying because they loved her.

"Fine," she said.

"Try to put on something comfy if you can," Hermione said. "We'll be back to check on you."

Rory nodded.

Matilda was still fuming as they left the room. Anxiety still coursed through Rory's body, but she felt safer now. She knew Matilda and Hermione, probably with Neville in tow, would be back when she woke up. She changed out of yesterday's uniform and into a pair of comfortable pajamas. She climbed under blankets and buried her face into her pillow.

For a moment, she recalled Harry holding her while she cried last night. There was no one else she would've gone to last night. Matilda or Neville would've stayed with her just the same and probably would have understood to some degree what she was going through. Matilda knew exactly what Rory would need right now. Rory hadn't really needed to go to Harry.

But she had needed Harry in some way. Was it the shared trauma? Was it because after she'd escaped that closest first time, the first person she'd looked for had been him?

Or was it because she was always just looking for Harry when she felt scared?

Rory's emotions always felt tangled up when it came to Harry these days. Today was obviously no exception. She closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.


It took Tonks until Sunday to finally muster up the courage to talk to Remus and deliver the letter, and even then, she was still reluctant. She had a good contingency plan in place, thanks to her brilliant mother, but this was still not something Remus was going to be excited to hear.

She walked into Grimmauld Place Sunday afternoon and was startled to find him, Sirius, and Theo all sitting together in the dining room.

"Wondered if we'd be seeing you today," Sirius said. He was sitting across from Theo, a chessboard between the two of them. Theo's hands were resting on either side of her head as she stared intensely at the pieces between them.

"Tell her about your exciting morning post," Sirius said. "I had to remind him he's not allowed to write threatening letters to Dolores Umbridge even though it certainly well deserved in this case."

"What happened?" Tonks asked joining them at the table.

"Aurora got detention during her career advice, which is unsurprising if I'm being honest," Remus said.

After her stunt with the choir and Fred and George leaving after nearly setting the Umbridge on fire, they were all just pleased she hadn't been expelled.

But the fact that she got detention would mean she was made to write lines again.

"Did she have her write the same thing again?" Tonks asked.

Remus shook his head. "Didn't have her write lines at all this time. Apparently, she came up with some ruse about having her get parchment out of the closet in her office and then locked her in there."

Tonks blinked at him. "She locked Aurora in a closet?"

"For two hours," Remus said. "Locked her in the same closet Barty Crouch Jr. locked her in last year when he was deciding whether he was going to murder her or hand her off to Voldemort. Which in turn prevented her from sleeping in a room with a closed door for most of the summer otherwise she'd wake up screaming in the middle of the night. That same closet. For two hours."

"Simmer down," Sirius said.

"We've just gotten him to settle," Theo said, still staring at the board. "Bishop to E7?"

"As if I don't have every right to be furious right now," Remus said. "At the very least Aurora told me this time what happened. Not to mention the four other letters I got from her friends, including Harry, telling me about the detention and that they're looking after her."

"At least she's looked after. That Umbridge woman will get what's coming to her," Sirius said. "Knight to E7."

"Fuck! I hate this game," Theo groaned as Sirius' knight slid across the board and smashed her bishop into pieces. "You know I hate this game."

"I do know that," Sirius said coolly. "So, Tonks Did you stop by just for a visit or do you have actual business to attend to" Sirius asked, ignoring his ex-girlfriend's frustration.

"Business," Tonks said. She reached into her cloak and pulled out the envelope. She slid it across the table to Remus. His face fell.

"What horrible news are you about to give me?" he asked.

"They gave me this days ago and I've been sitting on it trying to figure out how to tell you about it, but there's nothing I can say to make this palatable in any capacity," Tonks said.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

She took a deep breath. "Levi has filed a petition for a familial custody hearing for Aurora."

The most uncomfortable silence Tonks could have ever fathomed fell over the room. Even Theo had looked up from her game.

Remus ripped open the letter and started to read.

"How dare he," Remus growled. "I have done nothing these last 14 years except keep Aurora safe and loved, but this interloper has the audacity to show up and question my fitness as a parent. And for the ministry to act as if it actually gives a damn about her wellbeing when this is clearly just another reason for them to punish her and further their ever-growing anti 'half-breed' agenda."

"They can't take her away from you just because you're a werewolf," Sirius said. "That's not a valid reason."

"It's the only reason they need, whether it's valid or not," Remus said, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Calm down, Moony," Sirius said.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Remus said, slamming a fist on the table. Tonks had never seen him so angry. Even Sirius was startled by the outburst. Who could blame him though? He had every right to be furious. They were trying to take his child away.

"It's bullshit. We all know. We're all on your side here." Sirius said.

"And they're still going to take her away," Remus said.

"Listen," Tonks said. She reached over and grabbed his hand. "This is the worst possible news, I get it. But we're not going to let anything happen to Aurora. Trust me."

Remus didn't look entirely convinced, but he did seem to relax some and sat back in his chair. His fist and his jaw unclenching.

"The other reason it took me so long to get this to you is because I wanted to make sure this wasn't a hopeless cause when I told you," Tonks said. "And it's not."

"Tonks, have you spent all this time scheming?" Sirius asked.

"Only a bit," Tonks said slowly pulling her hand away from his. "I did also have to work and sleep at some point. But I was problem-solving. I needed a bit of help with that, but I think I've managed well enough."

"What've you come up with?" Remus asked.

"There's only one scenario where this gets completely thrown out and Aurora stays with you, and that's if I can prove Levi is in charge of the Servants of Pythia," Tonks said. She looked at Theo. "Don't suppose you've changed your mind about coming forward have you?"

"Aurora wouldn't want her to," Remus said with a shake of his head.

"Can't imagine where she learned to be so unselfishly self-sacrificing, sometimes to her own detriment," Sirius said sarcastically. Remus narrowed his on at him. "What? It's a compliment, kind of."

"Levi doesn't want to raise Aurora though," Theo said. "He told me. He said it was better that I let Remus take care of her in the long run. That she'd be more useful that way. I don't even know what he wants her for if he doesn't think she's useful now."

"We can solve that problem later," Tonks said. "In the meantime, I'll work on outing Levi without getting your son involved and without anyone in the Order losing their jobs or going to prison. Until then, we have to go an alternative route."

"You said this is the only solution that doesn't involve Remus losing Aurora," Sirius said.

Tonks nodded. "Unfortunately, Remus is right. Levi is going to argue that Aurora isn't safe with Remus because he's a werewolf and no one is going to fight him on it. And when that happens, we just need to make sure that there's a better alternative to Levi on the table."

"Who?" Remus asked.

"Levi requested a familial custody hearing because he wanted to put forth that he's better suited simply because he's biologically related to Aurora. However, she has two other relatives who could also make that claim. Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks were also invited to the hearing," Tonks said.

Sirius' face lit up. "Andromeda!"

"Your mother would volunteer to take Aurora in?" Remus asked.

"She didn't even have to think about it. It was mostly her idea," Tonks said.

"What about Malfoy?" Theo asked. "Lucius has a lot of pull at the ministry."

"They want to avoid having another Sirius Black on their hands, so it'd be inadvisable to send her to live with someone that she might murder," Remus pointed out. "Although, it has been a blessedly long time since I've heard of Aurora hitting Draco."

"Even if they were magically getting along now, my mother is going to point out that no one in her household has ever been accused of being on the side of a dark wizard, the ministry has never raided her home in the search for dark artifacts, and only one of Aurora's family members has raised a child into adulthood who became a successful Auror whose career is already full of promise, and who Cornelius Fudge himself has described as being a positive influence on Aurora," Tonks said.

Remus nodded. "As long as she's safe, I'll be happy."

"I wish there was more I could do," Tonks said. And she meant it. Seeing him upset and helpless made her heart ache.

"Your best is always enough. Thank you. Again," Remus said. He let out a sigh and folded up the letter. "I think I'm going to head home. Take a walk. Get some air."

"Would it be alright if I walked with you?" Tonks asked. She didn't care how Remus might read into it, how Sirius might read into it. She didn't want Remus to deal with it all by himself, as he was so accustomed to doing with everything else it seemed like.

She was relieved when nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

They said goodbye to Sirius and Theo and set off. They walked in silence for a while. Tonks could see the invisible weight sitting on his shoulders.

"It feels stupid to even ask this but, are you alright?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I knew this would happen," Remus finally said.

"How could you know?" she asked him.

"Eventually," he amended. "I think I've spent the last 14 years waiting for someone to come take her away. Every time things seemed too easy or too good, I could feel myself waiting for the other shoe to drop. Suppose it makes more sense that it would happen when things aren't going well. I almost feel foolish for not anticipating it."

"You've been nothing but an excellent father to her," Tonks said. "Why would anyone have a reason to question you unless they knew who you were?"

"Because they always find out. And that undoes any good I ever did," Remus said. "And now…" He stopped walking and let out a deep breath. "How am I supposed to tell her this?"

He seemed utterly defeated, like his heart had broken inside of him.

"She's tough. And she's smart. And she loves you. More than anything," Tonks said.

"That's the problem. I've worked hard to be a reliable parent. Even when she's angry she knows if something is wrong she knows that I'll come through for her," Remus said. "But there's nothing I can do to fix this for her."

Tonks turned over what to say in her head. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. She looked up into his sad eyes and she tried to give him an encouraging smile. She couldn't imagine what he was going through.

"It doesn't matter what happens. It doesn't matter if she ends up staying with my mum. It doesn't even matter if the Ministry says she has to go with Levi. She is your daughter. Sirius and Theo coming back into her life didn't change that for her. Do you think something like this is going to change that for her? Not a chance. And I'd hate to be the person who tries to tell her otherwise."

Remus gave her a weak smile. "I needed that reminder."

"I'm sure there are lots of people who can tell you how obstinate your daughter is in her pursuit to assure people that she is, in fact, your daughter," Tonks said.

He laughed, Tonks felt herself lift a little at seeing him brighten.

"Thank you, Dora," he said.

Tonks was startled, and so was he, at the use of her name. Except it wasn't her whole name. Just a nickname. One that her mom and dad and other close loved ones used. Remus was clearly embarrassed.

"Sorry," he started.

Tonks brushed him off. "I'll forgive you. You're in distress." He managed a chuckle and she pulled her hand away from him. Her hand felt cold suddenly. She shoved her hands into her pockets. "Besides, doesn't sound so horrible when you say it."

She felt her whole face go hot at those words. Why had she said that? What was wrong with her?

"I'll say it more often then," Remus said.

Tonks felt her face go even hotter and she looked away from him. "Let's get you home."