Author's Notes:  The only thing that has been revised  in this chapter is the Author Notes, so no worries.

Disclaimer:  The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Bros. and the various other kazillion people who have rights.  I'm not one of them.  I am doing this for entertainment purposes only and am not making a cent.  They are gods, I am a puny mortal.

Spoilers: Everything up to and including Order of the Phoenix.  Be warned.

This story, so far, contains references to a romantic relationship between Ron and Hermione and not-so-subtle references to romantic interest in Hermione by Harry.  If you can't stand R/He, there isn't much.  If you can't stand Ha/He, I don't know what to tell ya, 'cause it sort of matters to Harry and, like the books, this is from his POV.

Okay, I think that covers everything.  Enjoy!!

*****

Harry looked out the window at the fast approaching sight of Hogwarts.  He sighed, the lights of the beautiful castle already making him reminiscent.  It was his seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he knew he would never again have the opportunity to watch the glittering lights from the carriages with his friends.  At the thought of his two companions, Harry turned.  Ron and Hermione, who were both sitting across from him, were also looking out the windows, sadness leaking into their expressions.  Hermione must have felt his eyes on her and turned, favoring him with a small smile.

This last summer had been the one of the best for Harry so far.  He had turned seventeen not far into the summer and, as predicted, the Dursleys had promptly kicked him out, at exactly midnight, to be precise.  Fortunately, Harry was already packed and had been counting down the seconds.  Mr. Weasley, Ron, the twins, and Remus had been waiting for him in a car outside.  They were there to help him move his stuff into Grimmauld Place where he would be staying until school.  The dingy house, which belonged to Remus since Sirius' death, had been cleaned a great deal by the Weasley's, even more so than the previous two summers.  Still, the place had been lonely without his godfather, but it was not nearly as painful as it had been last summer.

The carriages slowed and stopped before the great doors of the entrance hall of Hogwarts.  They all clambered out and looked around.  Harry shuddered away from the thestrals, their white eyes rolling to look at him.  He always had the creepy feeling that the people he knew that were dead, Sirius, Cedric, his Mum and Dad, watched him with eyes like those.  He knew it was just his imagination, but it still bothered him.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Hermione asked, walking up with her hand in Ron's.  He looked over at the couple.

"Nothing," he said, jabbing a thumb at the thestrals.  "They just creep me out, as usual."

Ron looked at the thestrals with an indescribable expression.  It had shocked him greatly last year when, after watching Percy's death at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, he had gone to the carriages to go home and saw the thestrals hitched to them.  He had spoken very little through the ride.  Hermione, however, had this unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on your view) habit of being unconscious when people die so she still could not see them.  Her eyes wandered to where the winged horses were and looked right through them.  She frowned slightly.

"Why don't we head up to the welcoming feast?" she suggested, pulling Ron with her as she headed toward the entrance hall.  Harry followed behind them, lost in thought.

*****

Harry opened his eyes slowly, rubbing the sleep out of them.  Last night's Sorting had passed by in a blur.  The bright eyes and scared faces of the new first years had bothered Harry.  Once, he had a flash of their wide-eyed faces frozen in death.  That had been the point where he started ignoring the Sorting.

He slowly crawled out of bed and changed for the day, running his fingers through his wild hair.

"Hey, mate."  Harry turned and saw Ron dressing for the day.  "Ready to go down to breakfast?"

Harry nodded, his stomach growling.  "I wonder if Hermione is up yet," he pondered out loud.  Ron laughed.

"Knowing Hermione, she's impatiently prowling downstairs, waiting for us to get down so she can grace us with an all-powerful gaze to show how much lazier we truly are than her, then she shall smile and everything would be alright and she would smile and take my hand and your arm and we would walk down to breakfast together."

"I don't believe you," Seamus snorted.

Ron raised his eyebrows.  "What, you don't think we know Hermione that well?"

"It's not that you don't know Hermione well.  You know her better than anybody.  I just don't believe she is that predictable."

Harry smiled softly.  "Five galleons say that Ron's right."

"Better make that ten," Ron added.

Seamus smirked.  "I'll see that.  What about you, Dean?"

Dean looked between the four of them.  "Well, it is my belief that Hermione would not waste the time to prowl if she had a book to read so I think she will be reading when we get downstairs."

Seamus turned.  "Neville?"

"I… really couldn't say."

Harry felt a momentary pang of guilt.  He knew that Neville was refraining out of respect for Hermione.  It made him a little queasy that he started it, but he tried to shrug it off.

"Okay," Ron said.  "Let's do this."

Ron and Harry climbed down the stairs to the main common room, Seamus, Dean, and Neville close behind them.  When they reached to bottom, they saw Hermione in the center of the room, her hands clasped behind her back like she had been pacing.  She immediately dropped them when she saw them.  "What took you guys so long?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ron shrugged as he walked up.  "Well, you know.  Had to wake up his lazy ass," he said, jerking his thumb in Harry's direction.

Hermione gave an indelicate snort.  "Sure you did," she said, sliding her hand into his.  She turned to Harry.  "So, how long did you have to wait?"

"Oh," Harry sighed casually, picking imaginary lint off his robe, "not as long as usual."