[A/N: Happee Birthdae Harry! Have another bonus chapter!]

Rory had perked up by the time they got to potions. Snape switching out classrooms hadn't done much to improve the look of the potions room, it was still a dungeon after all. But Harry still felt a little lighter being there.

They had a small class this year: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rory at one table. Draco, Pansy, Theodore Knott, and Blaise Zabini at the other.

"How exciting," Slughorn said, "I was told there would be three fewer sixth years. I'm so glad you've joined us."

"Very excited to be here," Rory said. "But Harry, Ron, and I don't have textbooks."

"I have two spares in the cupboard," Slughorn said.

"I can share with Hermione if that's alright," Rory said. Hermione nodded. Harry was slightly offended that Rory didn't want to share with him, but she was a dedicated student. Hermione was probably going to read and work faster. Harry would slow her down. At least she was transparent about it.

Harry and Ron went to the cupboard. There were two books inside. One tattered and old, the other fairly new. Ron quickly grabbed the newer copy, making a teasing face at Harry as he walked away. Harry grabbed the ratty, old copy and returned to his seat.

"Before we get to our books, let's come up to the front," Slughorn said.

He had three cauldrons sitting on his desk. The 8 of them gathered around the cauldrons.

"Can anyone identify these?" Slughorn asked.

Unsurprisingly, Rory and Hermione's hands shot up in the air.

"Miss Lupin, go on," Slughorn said.

Rory pointed. "This is Wolfsbane. It's for werewolves. Doesn't stop you from changing form, but it lets you keep hold of yourself mentally. Werewolves don't remember most things during their transformation. This stops that from happening. Keeps you aware."

The room was silent and Rory shrugged.

"I've been watching my dad drink it since I can remember. An unfair advantage I guess," she said.

"Five points to Gryffindor anyway. Knowledge is knowledge however we gain it," Slughorn said. "Miss Granger, can you identify another?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "This one's amortentia. It's a love potion. It smells different to everyone based on what attracts them."

"Anyone brave enough to tell us what they smell?" Slughorn asked.

Everyone breathed in.

"I smell cut grass," Hermione said. "Mint toothpaste. Parchment. And…"

Hermione's face went red her voice trailed off. Slughorn chuckled. "And what about this last potion? Any guesses?"

Even Rory and Hermione were at a loss.

"Draught of the living dead. Does anyone know what that is?" he asked.

"A sleeping potion," Draco chimed in. "Puts you so deep into sleep you basically seem dead."

"Well done. Five points to Slytherin," Slughorn said. "Draught of the living dead is quite tricky to make… Which is why you'll all be making it now. And to make sure you're properly motivated on your first day of class, we'll have a contest. Whoever makes the best draught of the Living Death will win this."

Slughorn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. Rory and Hermione both gasped beside him.

"Ah, so you recognize this then," Slughorn said.

"It's Felix Felicis. Liquid luck," Hermione said.

"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor," Slughorn said. He held the vial aloft. "There's enough for 24 hours worth of luck. All of your endeavors will succeed, and things will ultimately go your way. The perfect day."

Harry knew he had to get his hands on it. To get the information he wanted out of Slughorn he knew it would be useful. He could use it for any number of things.

He glanced around the room and his eyes landed on Draco. He seemed to have the same glint in his eye that Harry had. If Draco was a Deatheater what would he do with the potion? At the very least, Harry had to stop Draco from getting it. He might be the best potions student in the class, except for maybe Rory.

Slughorn sent them off to their cauldrons to get to work.

"What did you smell in the love potion?" Hermione asked no one in particular.

"Treacle tart," he and Rory said in unison. Their eyes met and she grinned at him before laughing.

"You two are bloody obnoxious," Ron said. "Think you can spare us for the rest of class?"

Even Hermione seemed to be happy to drop the subject. Smelling the same thing in the love potion was probably the most obnoxious thing they could do right now.

"Sure you don't want to share?" Harry offered Rory.

"I love you, but you'll slow me down," Rory said. "This is the first time I've ever not had Neville as a partner in this class. Perhaps we can revisit this when we have our textbooks."

"I love you too," Harry chuckled flipping open his book. He turned the page with the draught of the living dead and got to work.

As he got started though, he noticed something curious in the book. Little notes scribbled on the sides of the directions. Tips.

Harry tried one of the directions and lo and behold it worked, spectacularly.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked.

"Said it in my book," he replied.

Hermione glanced over at it and then gave Harry a disapproving look. Harry ignored her and went back to work. He followed every scribbled direction written in his book. At one point Hermione went to protest to Rory who was not paying Harry or anyone else the slightest bit of attention.

But by the end of class though, Rory caught sight of Harry's potion and was stunned.

"I think yours is even better than mine," Rory said.

"I was trying to tell you," Hermione said. She motioned to Harry's book just as Slughorn was coming over to their table. He closed it quickly.

"Good effort," Slughorn said, patting Ron on the shoulder. He looked to Hermione's cauldron. "Spectacular. Best I've seen so far since Mister Malfoy's."

Harry glanced across the room to Draco who was looking smug. But then he saw Rory's and chuckled.

"Miss Lupin, you've done exceptionally as well," Slughorn said. "You must have been exacting in your work. Precise to the letter."

Rory seemed pleased, but she looked to Harry and Slughorn did too. Slughorn stared at Harry's potion. Then he took out a single leaf from his pocket and dropped it into Harry's potion. It shriveled up and evaporated.

"Whoa," Rory and Hermione said in unison.

"I don't believe it," Slughorn said. "I daresay it's perfect. Undoubtedly."

Harry watched as Rory and Hermione exchanged incredulous glances. He was only a little offended that Rory was now also in disbelief, but then again, Harry probably could not have done without the book.

All the same, Harry successfully won the Felix Felicis.

"Well done, Lovey," Rory said as they exited the class. Rory tossed an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

"I wouldn't be too proud," Hermione grumbled. "Are you going to tell her you cheated?"

"I didn't cheat," Harry said. "Someone just wrote down things in the book and I just did them. It just worked out."

"What if the instructions had made your cauldron blow up or something?" Hermione asked.

"Probably wouldn't have done as well, I expect," Harry said.

"You of all people should know better than to follow directions written by a stranger in a book you randomly found in school," Hermione said.

Rory paused. "She's got a point there."

"You two are just upset that someone's finally done better than you at something," Ron said.

Rory scoffed. "Ron Weasley, I have been playing academic second fiddle to Hermione Granger for five years now. If my ego were that fragile, I'd have broken a long time ago."

"You did seem a bit like you couldn't believe I'd done it," Harry said.

"It was very suspect," Rory admitted. "How about this, I have to go and meet up with Atlas. Afterward, I'll use my weirdo seer powers to make sure the book isn't cursed or something. If it's all above board, no point in getting upset that Harry's using a book that some super smart kid annotated ages ago."

Hermione huffed. "I suppose that sounds reasonable."

Harry nodded, confident that nothing in this book was going to kill him.

"Perfect," she said. "I'll see you all later."

Rory skipped off, but Hermione still looked grumpy.

"You said so yourself that it's a perfectly reasonable idea," Ron said.

"Even if it's not dangerous, it still feels a bit like cheating," Hermione said.

"You were not wrong about Snape," Atlas said. "That guy is a douche. But I could tell he felt conflicted about taking away house points from me since I'm in his house."

"How many did he take?" Rory asked.

"Just two at first. But then I was like 'Why are you mad when I don't even know you, bro.' I think I embarrassed him so he took three more," Atlas explained.

Rory laughed. "I called him a 'salty bitch' in fourth year. Didn't even take house points. He just sent me to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore made me write Snape an apology letter which Snape then had me read in front of the entire class. I told Dumbledore I'd rather have detention and he said that was the point of the punishment."

"I don't think anyone who hates kids that much should be a teacher, for real," Atlas said. "But why does he hate you and me specifically?"

"Us and Harry," Rory said. She went on to explain that the Marauders had tormented Snape a bit when they were in school together, even recounting what Sirius and James had done to Snape in fifth year.

"That's super shitty," Atlas said. "But has Snape considered that he's a grown-ass adult now?"

"No," Rory said. She didn't want to tell Atlas about the Occlumency Harry was supposed to be learning from Snape and how Snape had stopped him after Harry saw the memory in Snape's Penseive. That if Harry had perhaps stuck with it with someone who knew what he was doing, Voldemort wouldn't have been able to get inside his head. Would've had to find some other way to lure Harry out of Hogwarts without trying to kidnap Rory.

"You good?" Atlas asked.

Rory hadn't even realized she'd checked out again. Her hands felt clammy and her stomach had formed into a knot.

"Sorry, I'm fine," Rory said shaking her head. "Sometimes I just… I don't know where my head is sometimes."

Atlas nodded and Rory was grateful he didn't press further.

"You look kinda tired. How about you go rest up for dinner? Later you can tell me what you did to earn your fun detention with the worst person I think I've ever met," Atlas said.

Rory chuckled. "You didn't meet Umbridge."

Atlas raised an eyebrow. "This might be kinda out of line, but didn't you meet You-Know-Who."

Rory thought for a moment. "Heh. I guess you're right. But that just goes to show you how vile she was that I would think of her before Voldemort and he actually wanted to kill me."

"Tomorrow, you can fill me in on her," Atlas said. "She's the one who made the registry and made you write in your own blood?" Rory nodded. "Damn. You gotta fill me in. Tomorrow. Try not to get detention again."

"I'll do my best," she said.

Rory took the out from Atlas to go back to Gryffindor Tower. She still had an hour before dinner and thought she would check in on Harry's potion book. She was delighted to see all of his roommates present in the common room, except for Neville, but Matilda was also missing. She suspected they were together somewhere.

Rory jogged up to Harry's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he said.

Rory pushed the door open and Harry was, unsurprisingly, looking through his potion's book. But he smiled when she saw Rory.

"Hello, you," he said putting the book asked. "I thought you were with Atlas."

"I was," Rory said. She walked over, stepped out of her shoes, and climbed onto the bed beside him. She let out a deep sigh. "But then we started talking and my mind just… It wandered to places I don't like it to go." Harry brushed his fingers back through her hair. "Twice today already my brain has just shut down because I—"

"Because you went through something horrible, Rory," Harry said. "You don't have to be fine. No one expects you to be. I certainly wasn't after Cedric."

She scooted in close to Harry and buried her face in his chest. Harry held her tightly.

"I'm just tired of… Being tired," Rory said. "I want to feel normal again. Right now I just feel so on edge about everything. I don't know what will set me off."

"You'll figure it out," Harry said. "Maybe you just need a distraction for now. How'd your chat with McGonagall go?"

Rory sighed. "I dropped defense against the dark arts, care of magical creatures. I kept astronomy because it's only once a week. But I did drop history of magic. I figure since I'm not going down that path anymore, doesn't make much sense to keep it since I don't really care for it."

"That just means you have another free period to spend studying with me," he said.

"I thought you might see it that way," she said. She sat up and motioned to the potions book. "Let me see it."

Harry didn't argue and handed the book to her.

There was nothing innately dangerous about it. But she saw something.

"Water… Blood," she said. She was struggling to see more. "Not your blood. Not… Not death… But… Danger." She was out of practice. Her head was foggy. "There's something familiar about it." She flipped open to the front cover.

Property of the Half-Blood Prince

"Suppose it's too much to ask for someone to write their actual name in their book," Rory said. She handed it back to Harry, frowning. "I wouldn't use. At least… I'd be careful if you do use it." She fell back on Harry's bed as he took it from him. "I can't see more. I shouldn't have spent all summer pretending to not be a seer."

"It's alright," Harry said. "You're being too hard on yourself. You were trying to take care of yourself. You were trying to—"

"Avoid accidentally spouting off things that can get people killed or predicting the deaths of my relatives," she said.

Harry scooted down the bed and rested his head on his pillow to face her. "What happened to Emmeline was not your fault."

"Doesn't feel like it sometimes," Rory said. "I keep wondering what would have happened if I hadn't told him that—."

"You'd be dead, Rory," Harry said. He placed a hand on the side of her face. "No one is angry with you for protecting yourself. And you had no idea what you were even saying, you said so yourself. No one could have known what was going to happen. And I genuinely don't know what I'd have done if something happened to you. I was happy to throw the prophecy away if it meant I could keep you safe."

Harry was an idiot. She was afraid it was going to get him killed one day. As much as he was happy she wasn't dead, she was equally terrified that something would happen to him.

She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. He ran his fingers through her hair again.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said, letting out a deep breath. "You're supposed to be distracting me aren't you?"

"Yes," he said. "What would you rather talk about?"

No questions asked, Harry was done with the subject, happy to distract her, to just be with her and do what he could to ease her discomfort. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. And she kissed him. And she kissed him. She just wanted to be here with him and not worry about anything else. To lose herself in this boy she loved.

Harry's hand came to rest on her hip and he pulled her closer. He was much better at picking up on hints than he'd been a year before.

But then she had a thought.

"What did you smell in the love potion?" she asked.

He kissed her. "Treacle tart."

Rory giggled. "That one I know."

He kissed her neck and let his hands drift down to the hem of her skirt. She felt her body shiver. "Wood, like a Quidditch broom."

"And I'm the one with the Quidditch obsession," she said. Harry chuckled and kissed her again. His hand dipped between her legs and she shuddered again as he stroked her through her panties.

"Your shampoo," he whispered into her ear.

Rory's heart skipped a beat and his lips dragged down her neck.

"Are you going to tell me what you smelled?" he asked, his hand still moving between her legs.

Rory could hardly focus but she thought back to class. "Treacle tart... Coffee."

"Naturally," he said. He pushed her knickers aside and she moaned softly as a finger circled her clit. "What else?"

"It's so hard to think with you doing that," she said.

Harry chuckled. "I can stop if you like."

"Don't stop," she pleaded. The last time he'd touched her like this had been in Surrey. Every time he'd been near her since then she'd had to remind herself this anything more than kissing was off-limits. It had been driving her mad.

Now she just wanted him and her body had quickly responded to his touch. Her brain was not working anymore.

"Tell me what else," he said gently. He kissed her neck again and she couldn't believe how close she was to coming already.

"Sourdough bread," she panted. He pushed two fingers into her and her fingers curled against the bedsheets. "Your cologne."

And then he kissed her lips again and Rory knotted her fingers in his hair. She could smell his cologne and something about having smelled it earlier in the love potion made him all the more enticing now. But that could have also been because his hand was between her legs at the moment. It was hard not to want him when he did that.

Rory panted against his mouth as she came, but she knew she wasn't done with him yet. She pulled him atop her.

Harry was hard between her legs. Her hips rocked against his and she was back in his room in Surrey and, Merlin, she ached for him. When he started to undo her tie and unbutton the top of her shirt, she didn't protest.

With each button he undid, he kissed the newly uncovered skin. With the third button, his lips tentatively brushed against the cleavage peeking up from her bra and the brakes were off. Any reservations Rory might've had were gone. She was more than happy to let him take off every stitch of clothing she had on right now.

She just had the thought that they should lock the door, pull the curtains closed—

"Hello, Harry Potter."

Rory practically screamed at the sound of Dobby's voice and the couple sat up. The house elf stood at the foot of his bed, looking as delighted as he always did. Kreacher stood beside him sneering.

"Dobby, while I'm usually delighted to see you," Harry started, not hiding his frustration as Rory hastily buttoned her shirt, "I have to ask, what hell are you doing in my room right now?"

"Dobby is sorry to bother Harry Potter, but Dobby had a letter to give him from Professor Dumbledore," Dobby explained.

Harry let out a breath and held out a hand for the letter.

"And Kreacher, what brings you?" Rory asked.

"Dobby is helping Kreacher adjust to Hogwarts, just like Winky," Dobby said.

Rory nodded. "Well, Kreacher, I hope you're being kind to Dobby and not giving him a hard time."

"Traitor's spawn directing Kreacher. Whoring around just like her father. Mistress would be so ashamed," Kreacher muttered.

"Glad Hogwarts has improved your countenance, Kreacher," Rory said.

"Dobby will get Kreacher in line," Dobby said. "Not to worry."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said.

Dobby and Kreacher were gone in a blink and Harry groaned as he fell backward on the bed.

"Never been slut shamed by a house elf before. That's kind of fun," Rory said.

"I don't think I've ever been turned off so quickly in my entire life," Harry said.

"Believe me when I say the feeling is mutual," Rory said. She gave Harry an encouraging pat on the leg. "I think this is a sign from the universe that today is not the day for this."

"I also got that impression," he replied sitting up. He opened his letter from Dumbledore.

"What's it say?" she asked.

"Dumbledore wants to meet with me Friday. First private lesson. Guess I'll have to miss detention with Snape," he said confidently. Rory pouted. "What's wrong?"

"So you get to miss detention but I still have to go for laughing at a joke that wasn't even that funny?" she grumbled.

"Why'd you laugh if it wasn't funny?" Harry asked.

"It wasn't funny enough for me to be in detention without you," she amended.

Harry did feel a little bad. "I'll make it up to you."

"How?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"What you've been bugging me about since we got our Hogwarts letters… I'll let you do it," he said.

Rory gasped. "Really? You'll let me help you with Quidditch?"

"Unfortunately yes," Harry said.

And then Rory kissed him. She was elated.

She pulled away grinning and got to her feet. "Let me go grab what I've already drawn up."

"Drawn up?" Harry asked.

"I'm a nightmare and I was going to force this on you anyway, but now I have consent and that makes this better," she said grabbing his hand.

"I'm regretting this already," he said getting to his feet. They got their shoes on and headed to the door. Harry reached for the handle and it swung open and smacked him in the face.

Rory heard the crunch of his glasses breaking and he let out a howl of pain. Harry clutched at his face, blood pouring from between his fingers. Ron came into the room.

"Oh, my god, Harry!" Rory said.

Ron quickly grabbed a towel and handed it to him.

Rory grabbed his glasses and fixed them so he could at least see.

"Do you want to go to Madame Pomfrey?" Ron asked.

Harry pointed his wand at his face and mumbled something. There was a crack and he let out another yelp of pain. But he brought his towel away from his face. The blood had stopped and he wiped his face, but it was stained red now. "I'll have to thank Tonks. Didn't think I'd get my nose broken two days in a row, but I'm sure it's not the last time."

"Didn't think anyone would be right behind the door," Ron said.

"It's all right," Harry said.

"What're you in such a rush for anyway?" Rory asked.

"Getting away from Hermione. She's already on about study plans," Ron said. "Not quite ready to deal with all that on day one."

"That's fair," Harry said.

"You should still see Madame Pomfrey," Rory said. "To make sure your whole face doesn't bruise."

"Good idea," Harry said.

"I'll go with you. My fault after all," Ron said.

"We can talk about Quidditch after dinner," Harry said.

How had he just gotten his nose broken and was trying to console her?