Rory was sitting in the changing room after Quidditch practice Thursday night. The last week, she'd taken to sitting in the stands watching practice while she did her homework.
"Oh, of course, you're here."
Rory turned her head toward the locker room and saw Ginny there.
"Dean's gone already," Rory said. "I think he went back to the castle."
"Probably," Ginny said. "You going to come to every practice now?"
Rory shook her head. "I doubt it. It's just worked out lately."
"Sure," Ginny said tersely. She picked up her bag from the doorway.
"Is everything okay, Ginny?" Rory asked.
"You're just, kind of distracting," Ginny said. "Don't you think?"
Rory was confused. "I'm distracting?"
"You don't think it's distracting having your girlfriend watch practice every other day?" Ginny asked.
"No more distracting than it would be to actually play on the team with your boyfriend," Rory said. "Harry barely even knows I'm here. It's not like I interrupt practice to bug him."
"Whatever, Rory," Ginny said. "I think we could be doing better if the captain's girlfriend wasn't hanging around. Everyone does."
That was news to Rory. "Well, fine then." She grabbed her bag and stood from her seat. "Tell Harry I'll see him at the castle."
She left the pitch and walked back to the tower. She was surprised to see all of her roommates present.
"I thought you went to watch the team practice," Hermione said.
"I did," she replied tossing her bag onto her trunk.
"Doesn't Quidditch usually put you in a good mood?" Parvati joked.
"Sure," Rory replied, kicking off her shoes. She sat down on her bed. "But I guess everyone thinks I'm distracting."
"Offering too much input?" Matilda asked.
"I do nothing but sit in the stands and watch. I walk back to the castle with Harry afterward," Rory said. "End of list of things that I do. But according to Ginny, my very presence is distracting Harry."
Matilda scoffed. "If she can play Quidditch just fine with her boyfriend on the team, I think Harry can probably fly pretty well with you sitting in the stands and not talking to him."
"Maybe she's still hung up on Harry and just doesn't like you being there," Lavender suggested.
"She's dating Dean," Hermione said. "Why would she care?"
"Probably the same reason she cared while she was dating Michael," Matilda said matter-of-factly. "If you were distracting, Harry would tell you."
If Harry thought it would hurt Rory's feelings, he might pretend that she wasn't distracting. But it wouldn't make sense that he wouldn't tell her she was distracting. Rory wanted the team to do well and if she was being distracting, she'd want to rectify it immediately.
"Maybe she just wants someone to blame for how badly practice has been going lately," Rory said.
"Hard to explicitly say that your brother is dragging the team down," Matilda said.
"Mattie, Ron is trying very hard," Rory said. "He's just too in his head. I'm sure he'll come through for their first match." Or Rory was hoping he would.
"He did excellent last year," Lavender said.
"I know that. Harry's still stressed about it," Rory said.
"Will he drop Ron from the team if they lose?" Hermione asked.
The answer was a definite yes which is why Harry was so stressed about it. But Rory shrugged instead.
"I don't think Ron gets enough credit," Lavender said. "I think because he spends all his time with Harry, people look him over."
"Won't argue with you there," Rory said. "And Harry would love for Ron to have the spotlight."
"Pities Ron that much?" Lavender asked.
Rory scoffed. "Ron had five older brothers and his best friend is a boy who is famous without even trying. Harry thinks Ron deserves all the accolades in the world, but he's constantly being compared to everyone else. He just wants Ron to see that he's as excellent as we all know he is."
"Classic Harry Potter," Matilda said with a chuckle.
"Ron's quite handsome now. More so than Harry," Lavender said.
"Well, I'm biased, so I will withhold my opinion on that," Rory said. "And Ron can be as handsome as he wants as long as he plays Quidditch well."
"Do you ever think of anything other than school and Quidditch?" Parvati asked.
"Probably thinks of shagging the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain in the locker room," Matilda said.
The other girls giggled and Rory rolled her eyes.
"Harry doesn't strike me as being that adventurous," Parvati said.
"There are lots of things you don't know about Harry," Rory said with a wink.
Again, the girls were amused, except Hermione who made a dramatic retching noise.
"You know I've always been curious," Parvati said, lowering her voice, "all those times you and Harry stayed after for the DA meetings. Were two, like—." Parvati waggled her eyebrows and giggled. "You know?"
Rory shook her head. "No. I mean, things weren't always perfectly innocent certainly, but we weren't sleeping together or anything then."
"That's quite a recent development for the two of them," Matilda said almost conspiratorially. Rory shushed her. "Oh, what? You think they don't know what you and Harry are always doing in here with the door locked? Think you're playing checkers?"
"Strip checkers maybe," Parvati teased.
Another fit of giggles broke out as there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Hermione said, likely as happy as Rory was to put an end to this conversation.
But when Harry opened the door Matilda, Lavender, and Parvati, were giggling and beside themselves and greeted him in a teasing chorus of "Hi, Harry."
"That's enough out of you lot," Rory said, wanting to die from embarrassment.
Harry was visibly confused but managed to shake it off easily as Ron appeared in the doorway.
"Hi, Ron!" Lavender said cheerfully.
Ron gave her a polite wave and looked at Rory, stepping into the room past Harry. He spoke before Harry even got the chance.
"I just want you to know, you coming to practice is not the reason we suck," Ron said. "I told Ginny off as soon as I came out of the locker room. I dunno what her problem is."
"It's fine, Ron," Rory said insistently.
"I mean, we all do think it's a bit weird you coming to all the practices, but mostly we've just been giving this one a ribbing for it," Ron said. "Not like anyone is coming to see the rest of us play. Dean would probably be sitting with you watching if Katie hadn't gotten cursed. 'Course Ginny got pretty irritated when I told her that."
"You know, I told him I'd talk to you, but he's handling this better than I thought he would," Harry said.
Rory chuckled. "Thanks, Ron. Don't worry about it. I'll stop coming to practice, just to avoid any further dissent among the team."
"Well, you do give Harry some good ideas. Just maybe don't come to all of them," Ron said. "Does make you look a little clingy and obsessed."
"Ron, shut up," Harry said, smacking him on the back of the head.
"I'm just being honest," Ron said, even as Rory wanted to crawl inside of herself. "But showing up sometimes, when we're struggling might help. Although I guess right now we're always struggling. Mostly my fault if I'm being honest."
"It's not your fault," Rory and Harry said in unison.
"Gryffindor didn't co-opt 'Weasley is our king' for no reason after all," Lavender said.
Her encouragement seemed to cheer Ron up, just a bit. Rory wanted Ron to get all the encouragement he could get.
"You're just too much in your head about it," Hermione said. "I keep telling you, you've got to learn to relax."
"I know, I know," Ron said waving a dismissive hand at her. "You act like I never listen to you when it's actually all I do. Probably be dead if I didn't? Or held back a year at least."
This seemed to make Hermione blush and Rory was once again in awe of what those two seemed to think flirting was.
"Can I steal you for a minute, Rory?" Harry asked.
"Yes, we're all in for the night, so you'll have to have your checkers match elsewhere tonight," Parvati said.
"Parvati, shut up," Rory hissed at her as she climbed from her bed. The girls giggled as Rory pulled Harry from the room. Ron followed behind and closed the door as he did.
Ron let out a deep breath. "Don't know how you deal with them every day if I'm being honest."
"Depends on the day," Rory said with a shrug. "Matilda's got them all wound up tonight. She usually gives Harry a much harder time."
Ron looked at Harry and shook his head. "Having a girlfriend doesn't seem worth enduring all that."
"Depends on the girl, I guess," Harry said, tossing an arm around Rory for emphasis.
Ron rolled his eyes, clearly at his limit for the pair of them being cute today. "See you tomorrow, Rory."
Rory waved goodbye as Ron walked out of the corridor.
"Sorry about Ginny," Harry said.
Rory shrugged. "Maybe I am clingy and obsessed."
"Stop that," Harry said. "You love Quidditch. It's not like you're showing up just to stare at me."
"I do stare a bit," she said, pushing her fingers back through his hair. Then she let her arms rest on his shoulders.
"I wouldn't know. I'm too busy panicking about whether or not I should be captain," Harry said.
"I don't want anyone giving you a hard time, and honestly, I could do without it as well," Rory said. Harry nodded and kissed her. "And you did warn me before that helping you with Quidditch would make the team crazy."
"But you'll still come if I ask?" he asked.
"Wasn't it you who said I always come when you want me to?" she teased. Harry chuckled and kissed her. Before Rory could suggest that they sneak off somewhere, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Rory looked and saw Ginny and Demelza coming down the corridor. Ginny and Rory locked eyes for a moment. Demelza looked very uncomfortable to be standing there.
"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Lovey," Rory said. She kissed him again, perhaps kissing him deeper and lingering longer than she might for a regular goodnight kiss, but she was making a point. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Harry said. Rory stepped into her room and closed the door. He turned back to Ginny and Demelza. "Good work tonight."
"Thanks," Demelza said.
"Ginny," Harry said, "can I talk to you for a minute?"
Demelza looked eager to get on her way. "See you up there, Ginny." She scurried past Harry, leaving him alone in the hallways with Ginny.
He walked over to Ginny, ready to go back downstairs as soon as he was done talking.
"Are you going to tell me off about Rory as well?" Ginny asked.
"I get it if you don't want her at practice, but maybe you should have told me that instead of confronting her like you did," Harry said.
Ginny groaned. "She's been there every day this week and last. Maybe tell your girlfriend to stay back at the castle every once in a while."
Harry was frustrated. He liked Ginny a lot. She was like a sister and she was excellent on the team. But right now Harry wanted to shake her. "Rory's just shows up to watch. I forget she's here most of the time."
"I don't forget," Ginny said.
"You should try then. Dean would probably appreciate it," Harry said.
Ginny's jaw dropped and then she laughed humorlessly.
"You've got some nerve," Ginny said.
"I've got nerve?" Harry retorted. "If you think Rory coming to practice is a distraction, that's fine, but don't pretend that I'm the one who's distracted by her."
Harry wondered if it would be Dean or Ron who would scold him at Quidditch practice on Friday, but astonishingly, Ginny seemed to pretend that they'd never even spoken before bed the night before. He knew the other shoe would drop eventually, but for now, he was happy to keep the peace.
Rory's absence at practice did not do anything to improve the team's performance. Practice wasn't quite as bad as it had been last week, but it did end with Ron insisting that he drop from the team. He told Ron that was not an option.
He came down to the common room after his roommates were asleep and ran through all of the possible plays he could put to good use tomorrow to give Ron the best chance, but none of it was going to matter if he couldn't get Ron to just have some confidence.
Harry was startled by the sound of the Common Room door opening, giggling flowing into the room. He saw Rory, Matilda, Lavender, and Parvati walking into the room. He'd forgotten they had Astronomy tonight.
They were equally surprised to see him up.
"Lovey, why aren't you in bed?" Rory asked.
"We're all going to hear about it in the morning if you're tired before your first match," Matilda said.
"We hear about it anyway," Parvati said. "I'm exhausted with Quidditch already between her and Lavender."
Lavender elbowed Parvati and shushed her. "Goodnight, lovebirds."
Lavender and Parvati fled the Common Room as Rory walked over to the couch.
"What's that about?" Harry asked.
"Lavender has a bit of a crush on Ron," Matilda said. "I know I tease Rory about Quidditch players all the time, but I think it might be true for Lavender."
Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm just glad Hermione hasn't noticed. Can you imagine?"
"I think she's too busy panicking over the fact that they're actually going on a date," Matilda said. "And I know you don't care for her much anyway."
"You don't like Lavender?" Harry asked.
"First day of term last year she insinuated that Rory was crazy because Sirius was a serial killer and that Mister Lupin was a werewolf," Matilda said. "So she's going to hate Lavender forever until she apologizes, though Lavender probably doesn't remember she said it."
"I don't hate her," Rory said. "Do I think she's kind of a two-faced bitch?"
"Says the girl who just got out of class, laughing with her, now sitting on the couch calling her a two-faced bitch," Matilda said.
"I'm not perfect," Rory said tucking her hair behind her ear. "But I can't wait to graduate and never see her again. And for what it's worth, Ron can do better than her. And it doesn't even matter if Lavender likes Ron. Hermione has been going on and on about their date for a whole month now. Ron deserves to go out with the smartest girl in school. Lavender is just above average."
"Look how mean she gets when she needs to go to bed," Matilda said to Harry.
"So sassy, though I'm sure Ron would love to hear you speaking so highly of him," Harry said.
Rory rolled her eyes and then looked back at Matilda. "Go to bed. I'll be up in a bit."
"No shagging on the couch. This is a common area after all," Matilda said.
Rory flipped her off as Matilda laughed her way up the stairs.
"She's terrible," Rory said.
"So are you," Harry said. She kissed him.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked. "I expected you to be stressed, but—"
"I had to talk Ron into not dropping out of the team tonight after practice," Harry said.
Rory's face fell immediately. "Oh. That's not good."
"I know," he said. He let his head fall back on the couch and he closed his eyes. "Tell me about the game he won last year."
Rory had told Harry several times in detail about how spectacular Ron had been at the match for the cup last season. He knew Ron could be great. Rory knew it. Ron didn't know it though. Hearing Rory retell the story now wasn't helping Harry either.
"What am I going to do if I have to cut him?" Harry asked. "What if Hermione gets upset?"
"Lovey, you're spiraling," Rory said. "When has Ron ever not come through for you?"
Ron had always come through for Harry. Why wouldn't he now?
"Maybe he'll wake up tomorrow with endless confidence? You might get lucky," Rory said.
And then Harry had a thought. He might get lucky. Maybe all he needed was a little luck.
He took Rory's face in his hands and he kissed her. He kissed her hard and long and he wasn't even sure he remembered to breathe by the time he let her go. There was a decidedly rosy tint to her cheeks now and she looked a little surprised.
"You are amazing and brilliant and wonderful," Harry said. "Tomorrow, Ron is going to do amazing in his match. We are going to win, and it's all going to be because of you. And when we do win, I am going to have to think of a thousand ways to show you how grateful I am."
He kissed her again, just as deeply as he had before. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders. Harry was writing a check that he could not cash right now, but it was difficult to pull away from Rory as she leaned into him and pushed her fingers into his hair. She let one of her legs drape over top of his and it was practically reflex the way his hand came to rest on her thigh. But, he pulled away from her. Because they were in the middle of the Common Room.
Rory pouted. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Lovey."
"Tomorrow, after the match," Harry promised her. He kissed her again. "Unless you want me to sneak you off somewhere with my cloak."
Rory brought her other leg to cross over top of Harry's. "What if I took you up on that?"
Harry's first instinct was to shove his girlfriend to the ground so he could quickly go up to his room and get the cloak. Thankfully, his brain was still partially working.
"I have a Quidditch match in the morning and you have to commentate and it is after midnight and we will both be in loads of trouble if we get caught sneaking out right now and probably never play or announce Quidditch ever again," he said.
"So we don't get caught," Rory said. She kissed him. "You can get your map too." She kissed him again. "And if we happen to have to spend an evening alone in the Room of Requirement, at least we'll both be very well rested."
Harry's girlfriend was making a lot of excellent points right now, especially as she slid more into his lap and her tongue slid more into his mouth. What was Harry supposed to do? Not sneak out with his girlfriend? She could see the future. If this was a bad idea, she'd know, right?
He managed to catch a breath between kissing her, "Are you being serious right now?"
She kissed him again and then let her lips trail against his cheek over to his ear. He shivered.
"Put your hand between my legs and tell me if I'm serious," she whispered.
His fingers were dancing at the hem of her skirt, debating on whether or not to investigate her claim. All the evidence she needed about how he felt about the situation was pressing against her leg right now.
"Go on," Rory said. "Before—"
"There you are!" They looked over to the stairs and Ron was walking down. Rory sagged visibly and frowned.
"Weren't you sleeping?" Harry asked.
"Can't sleep," Ron said as he walked over to the couch. Harry was glad Rory still had her legs draped across his lap otherwise things would be incredibly awkward.
"You're not worried about the match are you?" she asked.
"I really think you should just cut me," Ron said.
Harry groaned. That sentence was not quite as good as a cold shower, but it came close.
Rory seemed to feel similarly because she shoved the throw pillow from the arm of the couch into Harry's lap and got to her feet with an exasperated sigh.
"You cannot quit," Rory said. "You're going to do excellent tomorrow and I promise you, Ronald Weasley, if you don't start believing in yourself you're going to have to believe in me kicking your ass because that's what's going to happen."
"Oh."
She kissed Harry. "Both of you go to bed and get some sleep and you're going to be amazing tomorrow. Or else."
Rory picked up her bag and huffed her way upstairs.
"I don't know whether to feel motivated or afraid," Ron said.
"Both," Harry said. "Definitely both."
