Rory's frustration about dinner was gone when she woke up late the next morning. She'd gotten another letter from Atlas. They'd been chatting back and forth all summer. It was nice chatting with him and learning about him. She was excited to meet him and she finally would.
Mrs. Weasley hugged her warmly when Rory stepped out of the fireplace into the kitchen.
"Aurora, how are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm fine, thanks," Rory replied.
"You remember Fleur, don't you?" Mrs. Weasley said, a forced smile on her face. "She's visiting this summer. Have you heard she's marrying Bill?"
"I did," Rory said looking to Fleur who was sitting at the table. She was still as lovely looking as she had been at Hogwarts two years ago. Of course someone like her was marrying Bill. "Congratulations."
Rory also remembered Fleur's ex-boyfriend Roger Davies laughing at her in a tea shop when Harry stood her up on Valentine's Day.
"I want to chat later, Rory. Moi et toi?" Fleur asked. "About the wedding. You should sing."
Rory froze. "Sing? At your wedding?"
"We'll talk," Fleur said.
"The others are outside," Mrs. Weasley said, ushering her along. Rory could not have felt better about being out of the house, stepping into the sunshine. Hermione found her first.
"They're out back playing Quidditch," Hermione said. "Harry said you got an E in ancient runes. I'm happy to help you get caught up before term."
"I appreciate it," Rory said. She was the only person who understood her when it came to school. "Are you interested at all in taking alchemy?"
"No," Hermione said flatly.
"Why not?" Rory groaned.
"Because I already have a full course load and after that nonsense with Voldemort first year I'd rather stay as far away from anything having to do with the Philosopher's Stone as possible," Hermione said.
Rory groaned. That was a very valid reason. Rory would also have a pretty heavy course load for her NEWT classes. But she hadn't even considered Voldemort trauma to be a reason why she wouldn't want to take it.
"Professor McGonagall was going to teach it, but I got an owl yesterday that said since Professor Slughorn came back, he's going to teach and he wants more than just Stephen and I taking the class," Rory said. "Which I guess is fair. But I wanted to take it."
"Alchemy leads up to the specific goal of learning to create the Philosopher's Stone. There's not really a point to it for me," Hermione said. Rory groaned. "Harry said 'no' too then?"
"I didn't even bother to ask him. He's too excited about his basically nonexistent courseload on top of being Quidditch captain," Rory said as they rounded the back of the house. Everyone was sitting on the grass, their brooms beside them. She saw Harry next to his Firebolt and waved. He was on his feet a second later and walked over to her, Ron in tow.
"Hey," he said hugging her. "Sorry I'm so sweaty."
"It's fine," Rory said. She didn't think that she only liked Quidditch players, despite Matilda and Harry constantly teasing her about it. But there was something about seeing Harry damp with sweat after playing a game of Quidditch that she found particularly enticing.
She kissed him and hugged him again.
"I got another letter from Atlas," Rory said. "He's going to be here for our birthday."
"Your brother is coming here for your birthday?" Harry asked.
Rory nodded. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited."
"Of course you are," Harry said.
"He's staying at the Goldfinch house; the Birdcage as Theo calls it. But think we'll all meet at Sirius' house since it's close to the Burrow and all that," Rory said. "I'm surprised Sirius didn't mention it."
"If it's possible, I think he's more anxious about it than you," Harry said. "He probably expected you to tell me. This is mostly about you after all."
"It's not just about me," Rory said. "He's Sirius' kid after all."
"Sure," Harry said with a shrug. "But you're Sirius' kid too, but not really."
Rory frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Ron and Hermione seemed to find something interesting elsewhere and walked away.
"I just mean that Sirius loves you, obviously, but he thinks of your dad as being, you know, your dad. He's kind of like… Just there. Existing and helping and contributing 50 percent of your DNA," Harry said.
"You think that?" Rory asked.
"He told me that," Harry said. Rory's frown deepened. "Is that not how you feel?"
"Of course it's not," Rory said. "I mean, Dad is my dad obviously. But Sirius is like… I don't know. He's also my dad. He's a second parent. I feel like I have two dads and no mothers. Theo I think of as being this person who exists and helped contribute 50 percent of my DNA. But Sirius… He didn't get to raise me, but he's as much my dad as my dad is."
Harry nodded and pulled Rory into another hug. "Alright, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm just repeating what I was told. I get the feeling that Sirius has backed off because he doesn't want to mess with what you and your dad have going."
"I know," Rory replied. "Sometimes I think Dad worries that the more I love Sirius, the less I love him."
"Has he not heard Matilda call your 'The Remus Lupin Fan Club' then?" Harry asked.
Rory laughed and let Harry go. "I guess not." She looked up at Harry. "Do you think of Sirius as a parent?"
Harry snorted. "Only in the sense that I'm left with him to be in charge of me when my aunt and uncle can't be counted upon. But no. He's Sirius. And your dad is…"
His voice trailed off and he frowned.
"What?" Rory asked.
"I don't… I don't think I've addressed your dad directly since we started dating," Harry said. "Do I call him 'Mister Lupin' or 'Remus' or 'Professor' or—."
Rory laughed and then kissed him. "I love you. And Mister Lupin I think is his preferred way of being addressed by my peers unless you're Matilda in which case he's exclusively been 'Mister Rory's Dad' since I was 12."
"But I'm your boyfriend," Harry said. "I don't want to be forward or inappropriate."
"Lupin is fine," Rory repeated.
"Just feels weird because you're Lupin," he said.
"Sure, but you never call me that," Rory said, pulling his ear down to her lips. "You call me lots of things, but never Lupin, unless you're saying 'Rory Lupin you're being quite naughty.'"
"Hush," Harry whispered back. Rory giggled. "You think I'm the troublesome one."
"You are definitely still troublesome," Rory said. "I just have to keep you on your toes."
"Suppose it's only fair. You're so much smaller than me I guess you're constantly on your toes," he said. Rory frowned and Harry laughed. "Don't be cross, although you're very cute when you're upset like that."
She rolled her eyes and Harry put an arm around her.
"I'd prefer not to be upset," she said. She trailed her fingers up one of his bare arms. "But it's also very hard to be upset when you're looking…"
"Looking like a hot, sweaty Quidditch player," he teased.
"It's got nothing to do with the Quidditch," she said. He laughed and kissed her.
"Harry," Ginny called out from across the yard, "do you want to go again?"
Harry looked down at Rory, but she shook her head.
"Don't stop playing on my account," Rory said. "I'm not going anywhere."
Harry kissed her and ran back over toward Ginny and Ron. Hermione joined Rory and they sat on the grass.
"Does Ginny still hate me?" Rory asked.
"She doesn't hate you," Hermione said. "I do think she's still a little jealous and she is a little annoyed that you're here. But she'll get over it. She definitely likes you more than Fleur."
"She asked me to sing at her wedding the moment she saw me in the kitchen," Rory asked. "Not the conversation I was expecting to have as soon as I arrived. Or at all really. I don't even know Fleur beyond sitting at the table with her at the ball."
"She's a bit much," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "Harry and Ron think she's delightful."
"She's half-veela. Of course, they think she's delightful. They can't help but," Rory said.
"Of course not, still irritating to watch," Hermione said.
"You find it irritating to see Ron being flirty with a girl?" Rory asked with a smirk.
"You'd find it irritating if Harry did as we well know," Hermione said, her face turning red.
"Sure, but Harry's my boyfriend. Of course, I'd be irritated," Rory said. "But you and Ron are just friends."
Hermione nodded. Her face reddening. "Yes, we are. Still, it's just irritating to see him act like an idiot. Fleur is going to be his sister after all."
Rory didn't press it. She'd known Hermione for five years now and knew that Hermione would die on the "I Do Not Like Ron Weasley Romantically Hill" if she had to.
"But how are things with Harry?" Hermione said. "He seems stupidly happy now."
"I am also stupidly happy where Harry is concerned actually," Rory said. "I'm glad we worked things out."
"I had my doubts," Hermione said, "but I think you've figured things out well enough. He told us about your visit to Surrey."
Rory felt her face go hot. "He did?"
Hermione gave Rory a quizzical look. "You went to the cafe and had dinner with his aunt and uncle?"
"Oh, right. Yep," Rory said. "That's it. That's all that happened."
"Certainly doesn't sound like it," Hermione said as Rory felt her face get so hot she thought it might melt off.
"Nothing happened," Rory said. "Nothing that hasn't happened before anyway."
"Okay," Hermione said with a nod. "If I can be honest with you, Harry over-shares with Ron who has over-shared with me, so feel free to refrain from painting a picture of how you spent your time."
"Wait, he overshares with Ron?" Rory asked. "What about exactly?"
"I didn't mean to make it sound like he talks about you like that often," Hermione said.
"I know, boys gossip. It's whatever. I just… I never thought of Harry as being a boy who actually participated. Neville told me he used to get jealous of other guys talking to me and that was news to me," Rory said.
"He hated it," Hermione confirmed. "But kept it to himself because he knew he was being stupid."
"If only we were all so smart," Rory said with a sigh. "Anyway, what did he tell you?"
Hermione's cheeks reddened a little. "He told me and Ron actually about the Christmas holiday. How you dragged him into the bathroom to 'fool around' and Sirius happened upon you afterward."
"Oh, Merlin," Rory said covering her face. Reliving that moment in the hallway was probably the greatest embarrassment she'd ever faced so far in her life.
"I also wish I didn't have that story in my head," Hermione said. "But here we are."
"I haven't even told Matilda about that," Rory said.
"She'd probably high-five you," Hermione said.
"She would," Rory agreed with a sigh.
Hermione poked at the grass between the two of them, not making eye contact with Rory. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Go for it, I guess," Rory said.
"You and Harry haven't… You haven't actually… Had sex have you?" Hermione asked.
Rory shook her head quickly. "No. Definitely have not… But we have talked about it."
"Really?" Hermione asked.
Rory nodded. "While we were in Surrey, actually. I mean, we'd talked before about how neither of us was there yet and how we liked how things were. But things are just… It's different lately. Not in a bad way. Just in a way that warranted conversation. I just thought, well, it seems silly for us not to at this point."
"It seems silly?" Hermione asked.
"Well, we've done… Most other things," Rory said. "I think if we took all of the appropriate precautions, why not since it's obviously something we both want to do?"
Hermione shrugged. "I obviously can't speak from experience."
"Neither can I. And it's not like we're in a rush or anything," Rory said. "It's just… On the table."
Hermione nodded. "I understand. I just worry sometimes. You tend to lose sense where Harry is concerned."
"Do I?" Rory asked.
"Yes. You're one of the smartest people I know, but sometimes you become completely irrational when it's about Harry," Hermione said. "Tell me you were rational when it came to Cho."
Rory frowned. "Definitely was not. But I've thought about this a lot. Like, a lot."
"Spare me," Hermione said. "I'm glad you two are happy."
It was nice to see Aurora out of the house. She'd been so anxious since school had ended. Spending time with Harry had helped, but being outside, in the fresh air, she was doing better today than she had been all summer.
"Must be nice," Arthur said, watching the children outside from the window. "Not having to worry about whether or not Aurora is dating a nice boy."
"Mostly I'm just relieved to only have one to worry about," Remus replied. "But, I agree, Harry does ease a lot of my anxieties."
"Not that I'm not happy for him and Aurora," Molly said from the stove, "but it did seem as if he was interested in Ginny for a bit. I'm only a little disappointed."
Molly was being generous. She was incredibly disappointed. Even Aurora said that Molly made her a little uncomfortable when it came to Ginny.
"Lots of girls at Hogwarts liked Harry. They would all ask me to talk to him. He only had eyes for Rory," Fleur said. "It was very sweet."
"Not much has changed," Sirius said.
Fleur smiled, Molly tried to hide her grimace.
The kitchen door opened and Aurora walked in.
"Dad, do you think we could come back tomorrow? There were some books I got from Grampy that Hermione was interested in. Thought they'd be helpful for our Ancient Runes NEWTs," Aurora said.
"Of course," Remus said looking to Molly, who nodded in agreement.
"Yes, please. You're always welcome, Aurora," Molly said. "Hearing you talking about NEWTs already. Can't believe you lot are 16. Seems just like yesterday Harry was 12-years-old sitting at my kitchen table."
"Harry said he loves spending his summers here," Aurora chimed in. "His favorite place outside of Hogwarts."
Molly brightened. "Well, with his birthday—and yours, coming up, I ought to figure out what kind of cake he wants."
"Actually," Aurora said, rather timidly, "I was hoping to make him a dessert for his birthday if you didn't mind."
Molly turned quickly to look at Aurora. "Pardon?"
"Oh, well, it's just, Mary Berry, she's a very popular baker, among muggles at least, that Harry and I like a lot, and she has this amazing recipe for treacle tart that I thought I would make for Harry for his birthday. Because it's his favorite," Aurora explained. "Unless-."
"That's perfectly fine, Aurora. I'm sure Molly doesn't mind in the slightest," Arthur chimed in before Molly could.
"Really?" Aurora asked.
"Of course," Arthur said cheerfully once again. "Why don't you run off outside with the others?"
"Thank you," Aurora said, looking at Molly and then walking outside.
"Who ever heard of having a treacle tart instead of a birthday cake?" Molly huffed, clearing the table.
"Let the girl make a tart for her boyfriend," Arthur said. "You don't get to have a monopoly on doing nice things for Harry Potter."
"And she does?" Molly asked.
Arthur rolled his eyes and looked over to Sirius. "She's like this with all our boys. Never cared for Matilda until she and Fred were broken up."
"I liked Matilda plenty," Molly said. "And I just want to make sure that Harry's birthday is special."
"I'm sure he'll think it's very special if his girlfriend makes his favorite dessert, Molly," Arthur said. "And I'm sure Aurora is happy to have the distraction of baking since she'll be meeting her brother as well."
"Oh, yes," Molly huffed. "I'd nearly forgotten."
"How are you all handling that?" Arthur asked
"I've emotionally prepared myself for Atlas to say 'I hate you for abandoning me and I never want to see you again,'" Theo said rather cheerfully.
"That's very worst-case scenario," Sirius said.
"'Play shitty games, win shitty prizes' as they say," Theo said. "I'm anticipating it not going well."
"Can't imagine why Aurora is so neurotic," Remus said.
Theo chuckled. "If you don't think your own neurosis is part of the problem Remus Lupin, you're not as self-aware as I thought you were."
"I am nervous as hell," Sirius said. "People are very hit or miss with me for some reason."
"Aurora liked you fine when she met you," Remus said.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, you weren't there when she kicked me and hexed me when she met me."
"She thought you were a murderer," Remus said. "Once we got all that cleared up, she liked you quite a lot. And still does. And as for Theo—."
"Hated me on principle and then decided that I was worth getting to know," Theo said.
"It's a complicated situation," Remus said. "And it has all worked out for the better, in the case of Aurora. She thinks Atlas will feel similarly."
"You're excited then?" Sirius asked.
"For her. She's excited. She's been writing to Atlas every day since she left school," Remus said. "She's excited for everyone to meet him. I'm glad she has something to be excited about."
The door opened and Tonks walked inside. Molly smiled.
"Hello, Tonks, dear. Good to see you," Molly said. "How've you been?"
"I've been alright," Tonks replied. "Sorry to drop by unexpectedly like this. I was just with Scrimgeour."
"On a Saturday?" Arthur asked.
"He's been pushing the Servants of Pythia investigation as hard as he's been pushing Voldemort. Especially after Amelia Bones' murder. Which is understandable, obviously, but he keeps requesting that I look into alternative methods of investigation that I don't feel comfortable with."
"Such as?" Sirius asked.
Tonks motioned behind her outside. "Aurora."
Remus frowned. "Pardon?"
"She's a seer and she's got a cult following her," Tonks said. "Voldemort is interested in her because she's a seer. Naturally, he wonders if she could be helpful in seeing if—."
"No," Remus said quickly. "Absolutely not. She's a child."
"I told him as much," Tonks said with an annoyed sigh. "What do you take me for?"
"Sorry," Remus apologized quickly. Things with Tonks were tenuous enough. He didn't want to do anything else to upset her. "My frustration was not with you."
Tonks let out another deep breath. She wasn't looking at him as she spoke.
"Rufus told me that he thinks Aurora can decide if she wants to help herself," Tonks said with a roll of her eyes. "He wants to chat with her. Even if we lived in some alternate universe where you ever said okay to that, I imagine she would be even less cooperative for him than she is for Dumbledore."
"Agreed," Sirius said. "And that's saying something."
"Anyway," Tonks said reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a letter and handed it to Remus. "There you are. He wanted to talk to you about it."
Remus took the letter, feeling a bubble of rage inside of him as he did.
"Does he think I'm going to be any more cooperative than you are?" Remus asked.
Tonks shrugged. "He's the Minister of Magic so I imagine he feels he has to try."
"Doesn't he feel he's being the slightest bit patronizing by trying to go over your head to speak with her?" Remus asked.
"I'm a woman in a male-dominated field, Remus. This all feels very standard," Tonks replied with a hint of amusement in her voice. "I told him not to expect a reply."
"Rightly so," Remus replied. He motioned outside. "Feel free to ask her though if she'd like to speak with the minister. If she says yes, I won't stop her."
"Just looking for an excuse to have a teenager laugh in my face today then? How kind of you," Tonks said.
She almost sounded happy. It almost felt like it had before. But she still wouldn't look at him. She was clearly only speaking to him because she had to. It felt normal because she didn't want anyone to question that it wasn't.
"I'll just say hello to the children and then I'm going to head out," Tonks said.
"But you just got here," Molly said.
"I know," she said quickly. And then she looked at Remus, just out of the corner of her eye, and then she looked away. So everyone knew why she wasn't staying. Because of him. Remus just had to keep reminding himself that even though she seemed miserable now, even though he also felt pretty miserable, this would be better for her down the road.
