Rory fully expected to spend a significant amount of her visit to Harry's house snogging. It was a given because that was how they spent most of their free time anyway.
But things ended up being a bit more intense than she was anticipating. Not that she regretted a single moment of it. But it did have her thinking.
Harry was always very adamant that he was following her lead and was never going to do more than what she was ready for. But he never really said where he stood on the subject himself. Rory didn't want to lump Harry into the stereotype that boys were basically ready and waiting, but he always seemed game for anything. He certainly had today.
She wondered what would've happened if she hadn't spoken up...
Nothing, she told herself. Nothing would've happened because, inevitably, Harry would have spoken up, at least to ask her if she was serious and not just acting on impulse. Because she'd told him he was hard to say "no" to when they were fooling around. She'd told him she'd want to talk about it first.
After things finally cooled down and after spending a considerable amount of time lying in his bed kissing much more innocently, Harry remembered that he hadn't told her his thoughts on the book he'd read for her. That had taken up a large amount of time because they got into a debate about whether John Hammond was worse than Lewis Dodgson.
And now, they were still on his bed, Harry sitting with his back against the headboard, and Rory sitting between his legs reclined against him. Harry absentmindedly twisted his fingers through her hair with his other hand wrapped around her waist. The sky outside had grown darker as night crept in. The rain was starting to slow down as well, and the pitter-patter of the rain against the window was nothing more than white noise. Rory wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep just like this.
She snuggled deeper into him and closed her eyes.
"Not going to sleep are you?" he asked.
"What if I do?" she asked. It was nearly seven o'clock, Dumbledore wouldn't be here until eleven. It wasn't like they had anything better to do, aside from more snogging, which Rory was usually more than happy to do, but she was still so keyed up from messing around earlier that it would be a very bad idea.
Harry shrugged. "Who will I talk to if you're sleeping?"
"Who do you talk to when I'm not here?" Rory countered.
"Hedwig. Or I write to you," he said. "Or I call you in the mirror."
"You call me, but what if I can't come?" she asked.
Harry scoffed, still twirling his fingers through her hair. "Would never happen."
"Never?" Rory asked, turning her head to look up at him.
"Never. You always come when I want you to," he teased.
Rory whacked him on the leg and laughed. "I thought you said you were going to behave yourself."
"Trying to get all of the teasing out of my system before I see your dad again," he said. "Then I'll be perfectly gentlemanly and respectful." He kissed her cheek.
"Yes, and when he's not looking you'll whisper the most salacious things into my ear to make me squirm," she said, rolling her eyes.
"I would never intentionally get you all wound up when you can't do anything about it," Harry said.
"Sure, sure," she said. She tilted her head up and kissed him. "I'll probably stay awake if you kiss me some more."
"Can't really pass up a deal like that," he said. He kissed her again, grabbed her hips, and laid her back on the bed. She snaked her hands around his shoulders and pulled him close. He pressed his body into hers and kissed her deeply. A hand slipped beneath her t-shirt and grasped her waist gently. Warmth radiated through her body at the touch.
She didn't protest as Harry's hand drifted upward again.
"Just checking that I got you all warmed up," he said. He kissed her neck and Rory shuddered.
"You've done more than an adequate job of that," she said. "Warm and dry."
Harry grasped her breast and leaned into his touch.
"Just making sure," he said, his lips still on her neck. His fingers trailed slowly down her body and she felt a sense of anticipation and want growing in her. Her skin tingled and heat flooded her cheeks.
She clung to him tightly. She couldn't kiss him deeply enough or have him close enough. She could feel heat pooling in her belly, a spring coiling tighter and tighter, ready to snap. She wanted more and more of him. More of this.
Then there was a bang on the door. Harry pulled his hand away just as his door swung open. Dudley stood there.
"Don't you know how to knock?" Harry scolded him as he and Rory righted themselves.
"I did knock," Dudley said.
Rory rolled her eyes.
"Did you want something or are you just here to be annoying?" Harry asked.
"Mum wants you downstairs for dinner. Both of you," he said. "You're lucky she sent me instead of coming up herself. She'd probably toss you both out if she caught you messing about. The last thing anyone needs is another Potter running around."
"Not sure what they're teaching you in that fancy muggle prep school, but when they tell you snogging leads to babies, there are actually quite a few steps in between. None of which will be happening with me. At this particular venue anyway," Rory said.
"You'd make a more convincing argument if your knickers weren't on the ground," Dudley retorted.
Rory glanced down and saw them sitting on the floor beside the bed. Her face heated. She didn't have an argument for it.
"You can tell your mum we'll be down in a moment," Harry said.
Dudley chuckled and walked out of the room and down the stairs.
"Well, I expect this is going to be wildly uncomfortable for everyone," Rory said. "Especially since I'm not wearing my own shirt, he just saw me practically lying on top of you, and my panties are on your bedroom floor."
"At the very least, the issue with your shirt is not your fault," Harry said.
"I guess not," she said, getting to her feet. "I just got all wet after spending the afternoon with you and I had no choice but to take off all of my clothes in your room when we got here."
"Now who's winding who up," Harry laughed. He got to his feet and grabbed Rory around the waist and she laughed. He pulled her into a kiss. Rory was so stupidly happy that she didn't even care that this dinner was probably going to be awful.
"Will they be terribly angry if we just close the door and stay up here and kiss some more?" she asked.
"They'd probably just open the door at another inopportune moment," Harry said.
Rory sighed. "Fine."
Harry let her go and went over to his trunk again. He grabbed a hooded pullover and handed it to her. "Thought you might feel more comfortable with this on."
"Thank you," she said. She pulled it over her head. Harry took her hand and kissed her again.
"You make me brave," he said.
"Do I?" she asked.
He nodded. "Do you remember when you saw me in the tent before I faced the horntail?"
"And Skeeter took our picture?" she asked.
"Yes, but you kissed me and I thought I could pretty much do anything after that," he said.
"I give you delusions of grandeur then?" she asked.
"Are they really delusions if I'm successful?" he asked.
Rory laughed. "Just because you succeed doesn't mean it wasn't a dumb risk."
They walked downstairs, and Rory took in the full scope of the house. It was nice. It was clean and well-kept. Photos on the walls. All of the three Dursleys. You'd never even know Harry existed unless you saw him. The kitchen was pristine and the table was set for five. Dudley and Mr. Dursley were already seated.
Harry pulled out a chair for Rory and she sat, flashing Harry a smile. "Thank you."
"Of course," he replied. He seemed to move instinctively to the stove to help Mrs. Dursley set the food on the table. It made Rory's skin crawl a bit.
She glanced across the table at Dudley who was smirking at her, still seeming pleased with himself for his earlier act of annoyance.
When all the food was on the table, Harry sat down beside her. He squeezed her hand beneath the table and she smiled at him. She would do her best to follow her father's instructions and not antagonize the Dursleys or punch anyone in the face.
"What happened to your shirt?" Dudley asked as everyone began to fill their plates. "That doesn't look like yours."
He seemed proud of himself for the comment and Rory felt herself seethe a little.
"We lost our umbrella while walking back from the cafe earlier, so my shirt got soaked through," Rory said. "Harry was kind enough to lend me something to wear so I didn't freeze to death. He's a proper gentleman."
She didn't want to rock the boat for Harry, so she was going to try to keep her mouth shut, except to say nice things about Harry and to eat his aunt's dinner.
"I wasn't aware he was seeing anyone," Mrs. Dursley said. "I assume this is new."
Harry shrugged. "Not really."
"So, what, a week then?" Dudley teased.
"A year and a half," Rory said. A bit of a lie, but she wanted to rub it in a little that they were clueless about Harry's life. "Just before the first task of the Tri—."
Harry shook his head. At first, she thought it was because she was to bring up magic, but then she realized, they didn't even have a clue about the Tri-Wizard Tournament so they'd have no context for what she was talking about. Did they not know anything that he did at school? Did they care so little that they didn't even ask any general questions?
It was just getting worse and worse.
"Never mind," Rory said. "It was in fourth year. It doesn't matter I guess."
You don't care, Rory wanted to say, but she held her tongue.
"That's a long time," Mrs. Dursley commented. "You might've told us."
"You don't like me to talk about school or anything to do with magic or anything that I'm up to, really," Harry replied. "I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about her without upsetting you. Didn't see the point. And it's not as if you'd ask."
Rory would've been angry if it had been her. But Harry seemed so aloof and unbothered. The lack of caring was so normal.
"Is it true your dad's that serial killer?" Dudley asked.
"Sirius Black is not a serial killer. He was exonerated," Rory said. "He spent basically my whole childhood sitting in prison for something he didn't do."
"So that man at the train station who yelled at my dad was the one who raised you then," Dudley said. "Can tell."
"Lay off," Harry warned.
"My dad's not crazy," Rory said. "He's just very fond of Harry and wanted to be sure he's treated well."
The Dursleys exchanged glances but said nothing. Couldn't very well argue that they treated him well.
"He was close with my sister," Mrs. Durlsey said quietly, to Rory's surprise.
Rory nodded slowly. "Dad had me check in on Harry all the time until he started teaching at school and got to meet him himself."
"I didn't realize he was a teacher," Petunia said.
"Not anymore. He only taught for a year," Rory said. "Societal standards forced him to resign."
"Societal standards?" Mr. Dursley asked, the first time he'd spoken all evening.
"He's a werewolf," Rory said casually. The Dursleys seemed a bit flabbergasted by this, but Rory didn't elaborate.
"The man who talked to me at the train station," Mr. Dursley went on. "He's a werewolf?"
"Yeah," Rory said. She knew her dad would never intentionally harm another human being, but she wanted the knowledge that their poorly treated nephew was dating a girl whose dad was, theoretically, dangerous.
Somehow, the rest of dinner was silent. She and Harry ate quickly and went back to his room. She sat down on his bed and huffed. She grabbed his mirror from his bedside table and handed it to him.
"Don't forget to pack this," she said.
"I would never," he said taking it from her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied.
"You don't sound it," he said. "I didn't think dinner was that painful. They mostly ignored you."
"And you," she said.
"A blessing," he chuckled.
"How can you stand—?" she stopped herself and folded her legs. She sat her hands in her lap.
"How can I stand them ignoring me?" he asked.
Rory felt tears in her eyes and wiped them away. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" he asked sitting beside her. "That I have to deal with them? Don't be. I'm over it."
"How can you be over it? You literally still live here," she said.
"Yeah, but now I get to leave. And I have you. And Sirius and your dad and Ron and Hermione and the Weasleys and too many other people to name," he said. "And I know it's not fair but, in a way, I got lucky, because I got to pick my own family. And not to play the 'you're adopted' card but I think you'd know a thing or two about choosing your family."
She let her head rest on his shoulder. "I don't think Dumbledore's reason for keeping you here was good enough. I mean, so what if she's your aunt? Is this what your mum would've wanted for you?"
Harry shrugged. "Probably not, but it's what I ended up with. I think at the very least she'd hope I'd make the best of a bad situation."
"Do you think you have?" she asked.
"I try," he said. "I don't think letting myself be angry about it all of the time would be the way of doing that. It's not like I don't have loads of people to be angry on my behalf."
"That is what you have me for," she replied. She tilted her head up and kissed him.
"I'd prefer if you were less angry," he said. "Right now at least. Tomorrow you and Sirius can talk about how angry you are over breakfast."
"We will," she said. She lifted her head from his shoulder and laid her head on his pillow. He laid down beside her. "Wake me when Dumbledore's come."
"Can I… Can I talk to you about something first?" he asked.
"Nothing wrong is there?" she asked.
"No," he said. "I was just thinking about something you said earlier," Harry said.
Rory let out an exasperated sigh. "I am very firm on my position about John Hammond, but go ahead."
Harry laughed. "It's not related to Jurassic Park as it turns out. It's something you said to Dudley."
"Oh," she said. She couldn't remember what else they'd been talking about before Dudley got them for dinner. "What is it then?"
Harry's fingers grazed across her cheek before gently running through her hair. She instinctively moved closer to him.
"When Dudley came to get us for dinner, you told him that we weren't doing anything that he was insinuating, at least not at this venue," he said.
Rory looked away from him, her face flooding with heat.
"Yes, I did say that," she replied.
"What did you mean by that?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Just that, you know, like you said this isn't really the place for you to see me without a shirt on for the first time."
"I thought you weren't picky," he reminded her teasingly.
"I know but... Maybe I'm picky about things that I'd want to happen if you did see me without my clothes on," she said.
Harry raised an eyebrow at this. He slowly pulled his hand from her hair. "Now you've jumped from shirt to clothes."
"If I take my shirt off for you, I think it's safe to assume you'll have already talked me out of my pants, or you'll be well on your way to taking them off for me."
"Rory," he started, but she shook her head. He'd opened this door and now she would plow her way completely through it.
"Harry, things today were so... So much. I couldn't turn it off. And honestly... I don't really think I wanted to," Rory said. "If we had been alone anywhere else-"
"You wanted to talk first. Before we do anything. For exactly the reason you're talking about now," he reminded her.
"I know," she said.
"And we can't just jump into this," he said.
"You're right," she said.
"I don't want us to do anything stupid," he said.
"Me either," she said. "I mean… Are you saying you don't want to?"
"Not saying that," he said quickly.
Rory managed a laugh. "You answered that pretty fast." He kissed her and brushed her hair back behind her ear. "This is us talking about it, yeah?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"This," she motioned around the room, "this place is not where I want to have sex with you the first time. I'm guessing it's not high on your list either."
"Correct," he said. "I don't want to remember being with you that first time and then associate it with here."
Rory nodded in agreement. "And I know we just got back together and maybe we should hold off, but… Why?"
"Some people might say we're being irresponsible," Harry said.
"Those people are dumb because birth control exists and I made us have a whole conversation about it beforehand," Rory said. "A few months ago, we had to sit down with Professor McGonagall and figure out our entire career trajectory. If I'm mentally and emotionally mature enough to do that, I think I'm certainly capable of making decisions about my body."
"You don't have to argue your point with me," he reminded her with a laugh.
"Right, sorry," she chuckled. "I guess I'm saying that... It's on the table for me if we were ever in the right place and it felt right again."
"Again?" he asked.
"Like I said, it's just the wrong venue," Rory said.
"And we had to have the chat," he said.
"And the chat," she said.
"Just going to remind you that the chat was your idea," he said.
"And it was a good and responsible idea even if the rest of my body was wildly at protest with my brain in the moment," she grumbled. "But we've had our chat now. And we just have to make sure we're prepared if… When it ever comes to that."