(a/n: ok here we go...but ya'lls need to REVIEW!!! hmm maybe I shouldn't update again til i get reviews...well no, that would take forever, and I don't want to wait that long. so read and REVIEW flame if you want but just do SOMETHING so i know you're alive!!!! p.s. this chapter is a little boring, but after this, they get soooooo much better.)

And Then There Was Harry...Chapter III

"Alright, alright, we'll stay then," Lavender said. "But as soon as something strange happens, I'm out."

There was a general murmur of agreement, and the group traipsed up the long path toward the castle.

While they were walking, Harry looked around, reminiscing. If his old schoolmates hadn't looked so different, he was sure he'd think he was simply returning from a Hogsmeade trip. He again looked over the other nine surrounding him. Neville had grown out of his small schoolboy look and become more handsome; on the other hand, Cho (Harry had to laugh to himself) looked much older than she was, she had puffy dark circles under her eyes and a long line forming on her forehead. Draco was taller, but that was about all, though his hair was a bit longer. Hermione's hair was a good deal tamer than it had been, but generally hadn't changed. Ron was the tallest of everyone, towering above everyone, though that was just what could be expected. Lavender, along with Ginny, had gotten more womanlike but was still perfectly recognizable; Parvati, though, was only recognizable by her trendy clothes and dark hair; and Seamus was exactly the same, hadn't even grown an inch.

Suddenly, in front of him somewhere (he couldn't see past Ron's towering figure) there was a loud booming noise. With a glance around, he found that it was just the huge front doors opening. 'God, it's been way too long,' he thought to himself.

The ten walked in. The castle hadn't changed a bit, although the torches weren't lit and there was no mad rush.

"Lacarnum inflamare!" Hermione chanted, and at once the whole place was once again lit by the flames on the walls. 'Leave it to Hermione to know the right spell for anything,' he thought.
"Are we certain that there's still gonna be food here?" Ron said, worried. "I mean...if it was left here, it could spoil, right?"

"Ron, we have magic, we don't need the house elves' leftovers for us to live. Honestly." Hermione said, exasperated.

Harry found it obvious that, though Hermione said she was over it, there was still a part of her that was angry with him.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Where the hell are we going to sleep?" Draco said miserably. "It's not like we know the password for Slytherin house."

"Who said we were choosing Slytherin?" Ginny said.

Cho yawned. "Yeah, she's right. If we're choosing anything, it should be Ravenclaw."

"CHO!" the other nine yelled.

An awkward silence passed, in which Ron, Harry, and Hermione looked at each other nervously. Though it had been awhile, it would be impossible to forget fifth year, when they used the Room of Requirement.

"I know where we can go."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The ten former students walked past the tapestry, most of their faces screwed up in concentration, others looking as though this was a strange joke.

Suddenly, after they had walked past it 3 times, a handsome set of wooden doors appeared.

Cautiously, Hermione stepped forward and pushed open the doors.

It was immediately obvious that they had all been thinking something different from the next person. Some beds looked rather uncomfortable, more like cots than beds, however some of them looked even more comfortable than the beds that the ten had used during their stays at Hogwarts. Nobody had to risk taking Draco's bed; it was easily king-sized, colored in silver and green, complete with curtains.

Harry spotted his. It looked exactly like the four-poster bed he had slept in before graduating.
One by one, they all figured out which bed was theirs and settled into it.

"Might I remind you, it's only just past five o'clock?" Seamus said, startling many, as he had hardly said a word the whole time they had been there.

"Yeah, but I'm beat," Ron said. "Maybe we should just fix ourselves something to eat and go to bed."
"Whatever," Lavender said. "I really don't want to be here anyway."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ginny felt herself being shaken awake. She looked at her watch; it was only 5:30 AM. She rolled over and found herself being awoken by Neville. Confused, she followed him to wherever he was taking her to.

"Ginlikedyousinforyear," he sputtered out, immediately looking angry at himself. "I mean, Ilikey'sinceorthyur."

Ginny stood there, trying to look patient, but was really getting irritated. "Spit it out, Neville."

Neville took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. "Ginny. This is really, really hard to say," he started, very slowly, articulating every word in a monotonous way. He waited a few seconds before continuing.

"Remember when I took you to the Yule Ball. When I was in fourth year."
Ginny nodded. "How could I have forgotten that?" she said, smiling.

Neville continued slowly. "Well. Back then. I sort of had a little crush on you. And. Seeing you here. It made me realize. I still fancy you."

Ginny was so surprised at him, especially since just yesterday she had been thinking alone the same lines. She was speechless, so she just smiled coyly and cautiously held Neville's hand. Neville walked back in and led Ginny into his bed. They laid down together and just snuggled close.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Oh my God. Oh. My. God."

Ginny looked up into the shocked face of Lavender, only vaguely aware of why she was saying that. Neville popped his head up next, also looking a bit confused, then suddenly looked at Ginny and catapulted out of bed.

"Oh umm...er..."

"I think you're beyond explanation, Longbottom," Draco said, sounding especially irritated, even for him.

Hermione looked at him with a disgusted look on her face. "Not that he needs to explain to you," she snapped.

Draco simply stormed out.

"Something's different about him..." Parvati said in an unnecessarily quiet voice.

"Hermione, could you come here for a second?" Ginny said from across the room. Hermione walked over, limping slightly on her tired legs.

"You are okay with me and Neville being together, right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you just seemed to like him too."

"I never said that."

"Well, if you're sure you're okay with it..."

"I am. I think it's great. You two make the cutest couple," Hermione replied, not being serious; she had liked Neville too, but she didn't want to ruin it for Ginny.

(a/n: i know that was a bit all over the place, but i wanted to get the points out without rambling. okay? the next chapters will hopefully not be so choppy. and they'll be better too. okay? okay.)