Harry didn't mind that Rory was all but ignoring him in favor of talking to Atlas. He got a lot of attention as everyone showed up, and people were eager to meet Rory's long, lost brother. And nearly every girl who showed up was enamored with him.

"So what do you think of him?" Ron asked.

Harry looked over to him. "What do I think of Atlas?"

"Yeah," Ron said.

"He's alright. He gets on well with Rory and Sirius," Harry said. "I think he likes me."

"Everyone likes you," Ron said.

"I have a 'Potter Stinks' pin in my trunk that would prove otherwise," Harry chuckled.

"Even Ginny's going ga-ga over him. Can you believe it?" Ron asked.

Atlas was the main event. Harry was kind of glad for it. He didn't want the attention. Everyone paying attention to someone else was making him feel decidedly normal.

The door to the pool house opened and Tonks ushered in another group of teenagers. This time, Michael and Cho were among them. A rock sank into Harry's stomach.

"Shit," he said.

He hadn't spoken to Cho since she'd slapped him in the face after he broke up with her. Harry wasn't interested in speaking with her if he could help it, but he really didn't want to see her today.

"I didn't know she was going to be here," Ron said.

"Me either," Harry said. He looked back to Atlas and saw Rory walking away from him, towards Harry. "Hey."

"Matilda invited Michael, and he brought his girlfriend," Rory said. "She didn't know they were dating. I already gave Atlas a full rundown on her."

"A full rundown?" Harry asked.

"Your momentary bout of insanity included, yes," Rory said. "I can't just say 'I hate Cho Chang for no reason.'"

"You hate her?" Harry asked.

"I tolerate her existing close to me," Rory amended herself.

"Ro-Ro," Atlas walking over to them. He motioned to Cho. "That her?" She nodded. He scoffed and looked at Harry. "Bro, do better."

"Technically, I did," Harry pointed out.

"You right, you right," Atlas said. He seemed to think to himself. "So, I noticed that I'm pretty popular with the ladies here."

"Annoyingly so, yes," Rory said.

"So how do I play this to my advantage?" Atlas asked.

"What?" Rory asked

"I'm gonna troll her," Atlas said. "I'm not gonna be mean, just, you know, make her feel not memorable."

"Purposely hurt her feelings?" Harry asked.

"No offense, but fuck her feelings," Atlas said. Rory giggled and Atlas walked over to Matilda, seemingly to commiserate.

"It's none of my business," Harry started, "but I'm going to strongly encourage—"

"That Mattie and Atlas never be romantically involved. I agree," Rory said. "I've already given her a talking to. But he's great, isn't he? I mean, he's got a chaotic edge to him but—."

"So do you. Don't worry, You're very obviously related. And strongly related to Sirius," Harry said.

"He likes you," Rory said looking to Ron. "Said he likes your honesty."

"Really?" Ron asked.

Rory nodded.

Harry didn't want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. "Does he like me?"

"Of course he does," Rory said. She kissed him. "He likes you because I like you."

Neville called out to Rory from across the room and she got up and headed over to him.

"…That wasn't a real reason was it?" Ron asked.

There was that honesty Atlas seemed to love about Ron.

"No, it wasn't," Harry said. "Do you think he doesn't like me?"

"You did snog some other girl while you were dating his sister," Ron pointed out. "I wouldn't like you if you'd done that to Ginny."

"Yeah, but you've known Ginny your whole life. He's known her for two seconds," Harry said.

"Well, he's known about Rory the whole time, hasn't he? He said as much," Ron said.

Atlas had explained that Anna was very open about Atlas being adopted, about Sirius being his father, and about Rory being his sister, but likely not knowing she had a brother. Maybe even not knowing her, he'd developed a protectiveness of Rory. Sirius and Remus had been immediately protective of Harry without knowing him. This was Rory's actual brother.

"Hi, Harry."

Harry let out a deep breath and looked up at Cho.

"Hi," he said flatly. "Here with Michael?"

"Yeah," Cho said. "We got together—."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said dismissively. "Did you need something?"

Cho was very taken aback by this question. "No. Just saying hello."

"Hello. Move along then," Harry said.

Cho frowned and walked away. Ron snorted.

"That was bloody rude, mate," Ron said.

"I don't care," Harry said. "Whatever she has to say, I don't want to hear it. Not worth the trouble."

Ron nodded. "That serious with Rory, then?"

Harry felt his face redden as he nodded. "I'm pretty sure Rory's it for me. I know she is."

"I know too," Ron said. "No one else is going to put up with you. Except maybe me, but I'm not going to marry you."

Harry chuckled. "To be fair, she's not going to either."

"I wouldn't worry about Atlas. He likes you, he just has to give you a bit of a ribbing, you know, make sure you know he's looking out for his sister. That's why Ginny never told me she was dating Michael. I'd have done the same if you'd ever dated Ginny."

"I never planned on it," Harry said. He was close with Ginny. He'd trust her with his life. He'd done so earlier this summer at the ministry. But he felt the same towards her as he did the other Weasleys. She was family. It didn't go beyond that. He hadn't meant to get her hopes up. But it was never going to happen between them. Especially when Harry was so in love with Rory.

He watched Rory on the other side of the room, still wearing her cover-up, talking to Neville and—

"Stephen," Harry said.

Ron caught Harry's line of sight.

"Oh yeah," Ron said.

Harry didn't want to admit it. He knew it was dumb. Rory had told him a thousand times. "I liked Stephen but I loved you."

But he felt the same unease he imagined Rory felt around Cho all last year.

"Not worried are you?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. And he meant it. He was jealous, but not worried. He'd tell her later that it rubbed him the wrong way to see her talking to Stephen and she'd kiss him, then steal him away to some deserted room and kiss him more. Or she might simply sit with him beside the pool and list off her favorite things about him, hold his hand let her head rest on her shoulder while she talked.

He wondered why he'd never been smart enough to do either of those things when Rory was feeling insecure. But he knew better now. They both knew better.

"Stephen's not anything to worry about anyway," Ron said. "She told me as much."

Harry had forgotten that when he and Rory broke up she still talked to Ron. That she considered him a friend outside of Harry. Rory had even cut Hermione out, but not Ron.

"I guess it bugs me to see anyone making an attempt at her," Harry said. "I mean, why can't they just step off?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess she's pretty."

"You 'guess' she's pretty?" Harry asked.

Ron rolled. "Want me to be like Seamus and talk about how—"

"No," Harry said. "Don't repeat anything Seamus has ever said to you about Rory." He looked over to Rory, still in her bathing suit and cover-up. She hadn't gotten in the water at all at this point.

"I don't think he's hitting on her. I think they're just chatting honestly," Ron said. "Stephen's a nice bloke. Rory said he stepped off right after she told him she wasn't interested."

"How often are you chatting with my girlfriend without me?" Harry asked.

"She wasn't your girlfriend when she told me that," Ron said. "Not for a few more days, anyway. And it's like I said, he stepped off. And she's mad about you."

"You're right," Harry said. His eyes went back to her. "Do you think Rory knows how to swim?"

"Probably. She said last summer was the first time she hadn't been here since we started school," Ron said.

"So why hasn't she gotten in the pool?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "You should ask her." With that he got up from his seat and jumped into the water, joining several of their other friends.

Harry got up from his seat and walked over to Rory.

"Hey, Stephen," Harry said.

"Hey," he replied. "Rory was just telling me about her visit to Surrey. That cousin of yours sounds delightful," Stephen said.

"He truly is," Harry said. He put an arm around Rory. "Where'd Atlas go?"

"Talking to Luna and Ginny," Rory said inclining her head towards him at the end of the pool.

"I think Luna is the only girl here who isn't looking at him like a piece of meat," Stephen said.

"Good ol' Luna," Rory said.

"I'm gonna jump in the pool," Stephen said.

"I'll join you," Neville said.

The boys walked off and jumped into the pool. Rory put an arm around Harry.

"Am I not paying you enough attention?" Rory asked.

"You're fine. Just checking in," Harry said. "Fancy a swim?" Her cheeks heated. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she replied. "I'm just feeling silly about letting you see me in a bathing suit."

"Why?" he asked. "Think I'll get ideas or something?" Rory shrugged. Harry laughed. "If it makes you feel better, I'll let you in on a secret. I get ideas when you have your clothes on."

Rory laughed and he kissed her cheek. "Sorry, I'm being ridiculous."

"You're not," he said. He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "You're alright?"

Harry nodded. "I didn't think it would rub me the wrong way to see you talking to Stephen, but it did."

Rory laughed. "Harry Potter, are you feeling a bit jealous?"

"Unfortunately," he said. "You did almost date Stephen."

"Not really. He didn't even ask me out," she said. "And if he had I'd have said no because I was so hung up on you. Still am."

"Hey!"

Harry turned and looked across the pool to whoever shouted. Matilda was at the other end of the pool waving at them.

"Stop being cute and come hang out with us," Matilda said.

It had been a fun day. Rory spent most of the day chatting with Atlas. Having longer to hang out with him in a more relaxed environment was just what they needed. She learned that he wasn't into Quidditch or sports at all, but he did love music and could play several instruments.

His instincts about Cho had been right; just like almost every other girl there she was infatuated with Atlas. He kept referring to her as "Quidditch girl" and asking her to repeat her name because he just could not remember it.

Cho and Michael were the first to go home.

"I might feel bad if I was ever gonna see her again, but nah," Atlas said. They were gathered in a room in Matilda's house that she referred to as "the clubhouse." It was where she spent most of her time when she was home. Couches, cushions, books, a record player, a wireless, and all of the things a teenage girl would want or need to entertain herself.

"I've said worse to her," Rory said from her cushion on the floor beside Harry.

"Yeah, but she personally slighted you. I was just bein' petty," Atlas said.

Harry chuckled. "Think being petty is a genetic trait. I think Sirius does half the things he does just for a laugh."

"You're plenty petty yourself, Harry Potter," Matilda said.

Harry scoffed. "Hardly."

"No, I'm going to agree with Matilda for once," Hermione said. "What was it you said to Umbridge in the forest when she told you to tell the centaurs that she meant them no harm."

Harry paused for a moment. "I told her 'I must not tell lies' but in my defense, that was hilarious."

"And super petty!" Rory laughed.

Harry looked over to Atlas who was rightfully confused.

"Right, so the short version is that our last Defense Against the Dark Arts professor gave me detention. Rory as well. We had to write lines," Harry said.

"Like, the same sentence over and over again?" Atlas asked.

"Yes. So she made me write 'I must not tell lies,'" Harry confirmed. He held out his hand to Atlas. "Except she made us use these quills that made us write in our own blood and the words got cut into the back of our hands as we wrote. Had us do it so many times that it's permanently scarred into my hand now."

Atlas' mouth hung open as he looked at Harry's hand.

"I'm sorry. What the actual fuck?" Atlas said. "I'm pretty sure my mom would have marched directly up to the school and punched her if that happened to me. Didn't anybody say anything?"

"Well, sadly, I am an orphan and therefore am pretty much on my own. Except for Sirius who at the time everyone thought was a serial killer so, not exactly the person I need jumping to my defense," Harry said.

"Valid," Atlas said. He looked at Rory. "What did she make you write?"

Rory hesitated. She had not told Atlas that her dad was a werewolf. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she didn't know him, and she'd spent the better part of her life lying to people about her dad. It was a hard habit to break.

But if he was going to be weird about it, his mother would be here to take him home momentarily anyway so now was the moment to do it.

"Well, my dad used to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in our third year," Rory said.

"The best teacher," Matilda said.

"Yeah. We're about to have our sixth professor and he was the only one so far who knew what he was doing," Ron said. "To the point where some of the other teachers would say 'this one really knows what he's doing' when her dad came in."

"Damn," Atlas said.

"But he was forced to resign," Rory said. "He didn't do anything wrong. It's just that… Actually, my dad… He's a werewolf."

Atlas's eyes went wide. "No shit?"

"I shit you not," Rory replied.

"Dang," Atlas said. "Oh, is that why Sirius dropped you off? Your dad was probably taking a fat-ass nap after last night."

Rory wanted to cry from relief but managed a laugh instead. "Yes. Something like that."

"So, that lady made you write, what? 'My dad's a werewolf' or something?" Atlas asked.

"No. She's the incarnation of Satan. Umbridge was responsible for spearheading most of the legislation that has kept my dad unemployed for most of his life. There's a registry so every time he wants to work somewhere he gets flagged as a werewolf so no one hires him," Rory said.

"But he was a teacher? So Dumbledore was cool with it?" Atlas asked.

"Yeah," Rory said. "My dad was turned when he was a kid and when he went to school here, it was before the wolfsbane potion was common, so he and the other teachers made sure my dad could transform safely every month for seven years."

"So why didn't Dumbledore just say 'I don't give a shit if he's a werewolf'?" Atlas asked.

"You're new here, so I'm just going to stop you there and not let Rory get on her soapbox about Dumbledore or you're going to be here all night," Neville said.

"Wow, I expect that from Harry, but not you," Rory said.

"You can probably expect it from all of us going forward," Matilda said. "We all know you think your dad is the best and that Dumbledore is not your favorite."

"Well, I'm glad I'm predictable then," Rory said.

"Feel free to give me the tea on all that," Atlas said. "But you were saying?"

"Yes," Rory said, getting back to her point, "Umbridge, the legislator who hates 'half-breeds' as she calls them told me to write 'half-breeds don't belong."

Again, Atlas was slack-jawed. "Fuck. Like, damn. What'd you even do to make her think writing in your own blood was, like, the right level to be on?"

"Well, it was the first day of term," Harry said.

"Hold up. She made you write in your own blood after the first day of school?" Atlas asked. "What'd you do to her?"

"Last year we were studying theoretical defense against the dark arts. As such, we weren't allowed to use actual magic in class last year," Hermione explained. "We were going to be learning in a safe, secure environment."

"So I said that if Voldemort is trying to kill us it won't be in a safe, secure environment," Harry said.

"Except," Atlas started. Rory tensed, wondering how Harry's statement could be contradictory at all. "Weren't you a baby at home in your crib, better known as 'a safe secure environment' when you got that scar on your forehead, bro?"

Harry nodded aggressively and pointed at Atlas. "This man gets it."

"We all get it, except Umbridge," Rory said.

"So that's why you started your illegal nerd club?" Atlas asked.

"I wish you wouldn't call it that, but yes," Rory said. "Everyone in this room got an 'O' on their OWLs by the way."

"A what on their what?" Atlas asked.

"Outstanding on their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams," Rory said. "You don't have OWLs in New York?"

Atlas repressed a laugh. "The bird? Yes. Hella owls. A test? No."

As Rory explained the concept of the OWLs and NEWTs, Atlas was shaking his head.

"Y'all know that's crazy right? How well you do on a test when you're 15 sets you up for what kind of job you can get?" he asked.

"There are obviously workarounds, but generally, that's how it works," Rory said. "It's not the end all be all, obviously but it's fairly important."

"It takes me half an hour to pick an outfit and elegantly dishevel my hair on a good day. I don't know what I wanna do with my life yet," Atlas said. "Do y'all know?"

"Neville wants to be a herbologist," Matilda said. "And Hermione is going to Minister of Magic."

Hermione sighed, even as her face turned red. "I'm not going—."

"Yes, you are," they all chimed in at once.

"I think the jury is out for everyone else," Matilda said.

"Sounds like it's a great system," Atlas said.

"And what system have they got in place over in New York then?" Rory asked.

"We happen to have predatory loans for expensive higher education that won't guarantee you a job in your field," Atlas said.

"Well, at least our crappy system is free," Rory said.

"Can't argue with you on that," he said.

The Clubhouse door opened and Bryony leaned in.

"Atlas, your mum is here," she said.

"I'll walk you out," Rory said getting to her feet quickly.

Atlas said his goodbyes and Rory walked out of the room with him.

"Sorry if I put you on the spot about your dad," Atlas said.

"You'd have found out eventually anyway," Rory said. "Thanks for not being weird about it."

"Nothing to be weird about," Atlas said. "I thought he was sick, for real. He just looks tired."

"That's on account of the transforming monthly for 30 years. He doesn't sleep well. Doesn't eat well. He's always anxious. And it's painful," Rory said.

"Uh, yeah, I bet your bones moving like that doesn't feel great," Atlas said. He shuddered. "Anyway, no worries. Sounds like your dad got screwed over. How'd he get found out anyway?"

"Remember I told you about our Potions professor?" Rory asked.

"Who hates Sirius and your dad?" Atlas asked. Rory nodded. "He snitched?"

"Yep," Rory said. "He's still teaching though."

"What the hell? Dumbledore is fucking wild for that one," Atlas said. "No wonder you don't like the guy. That's sketchy as hell."

"Even sketchier, is Snape used to be a Deatheater," Rory said.

"You lyin'," Atlas said. "Ain't no way there's a whole ass Deatheater working at your school."

"Once again, I shit you not," Rory said.

"Dang. I don't think I'm gonna complain about school ever again," Atlas said. "No offense, your life kind of sucks balls."

Rory couldn't help but laugh. "It kind of does."

"But now you got me, so consider that an improvement," he said.

"I do," she said. They hugged and Rory was even more disappointed to say goodbye to him this time. She would probably cry when they parted ways for the final time this summer.

"Oh, and your boyfriend," Atlas said, "he's cool. But I don't tell him I think he's cool."

"Why?" Rory asked with a laugh. "He's actually kind of worried about it."

"Exactly. He's fucking Harry Potter. He knows he's cool as hell and everyone else thinks he's cool as hell. But, you're his favorite, and if he thinks I don't like him for some reason he's going to think it's because he's slackin' on you," Atlas said. "And that Cho girl was cute, but like, she ain't that cute."

Rory laughed again. "While I appreciate you looking out for me, that does seem a tad manipulative."

Atlas relented. "Fine. You can tell him we're cool, but I'm watching him."

"I will do that," Rory said. She hugged him again. His mother was standing at the front door chatting politely to Bryony. "Sucks you have to leave."

"Yeah. But I'll see you," Atlas said. They hugged one last time and then her brother was gone again.