AN Sorry for not updating sooner
Ron watched as his best-friend wandered into the Great Hall looking so dazed that he almost believed Harry had run into Crabbe and Goyle again, until a stupid grin crept its way onto his face. As Harry made his way over to them Ron was distracted as Hermione moved slightly closer to him under his arm. He looked down at her as she glanced up, their eye's locked and the world faded out. The eye focuses on what is brightest and at that moment Hermione was glowing with contentment.
Ginny sat next to Hermione, barely listening as Colin waxed lyrical at the new to of the range camera he had seen in an advert in The Daily Prophet, her own gaze was focused at someone strolling along the opposite wall. Ginevra Weasley was a smart girl and had learnt the vital skills of listening, watching and learning, simply by living in a house where noise and movement could make your head explode if you didn't learn a way to deal with it. Although she remembered generally the advice her elders had given her to ignore him, for safeties sake, she was still a teenager, and she had seen Tonk's knowing grin as she had blithely agreed.
"GRYFFINDORS" bellowed Seamus from the end of the table suddenly, shocking the group at the end of the table out of their self-imposed mutual silence. As every head turned towards him he grinned, winked at a group of fifth-year girls, "and those select others who are our friends", pointedly not turning his head far enough to see the Slytherin's sneers but raising his voice again "WE HAVE A GIFT".
With that, Dean and two of the fourth year boys loaded several huge bags of Honeydukes sweets onto the table. As everyone leapt forward Seamus coughed, "would you not like to hear the message". Every face again concentrated on his as the Irish brogue lilted out. By now nearly every Gryffindor had crowded into the hall and the new Quidditch commentator blossomed under the attention. "Messrs. Fred and George Weaseley send their congratulations to a victorious Gryffindor Quidditch team", Harry ducked his head, Ron smiled and Ginny looked unconcerned as people banged them on the back, "AND FANS" The Great Hall exploded but Seamus hushed them all "and hope to see you this weekend". Hermione rolled her eyes at the twins publicizing, while Seamus picked up one of the butterbeers which had rolled out of a bag and lifted it "TO GRYFFINDOR".
As the so called 'Golden Trio' ate, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Neville came and joined them and when Ginny returned, from wherever she had been, Luna in tow their voices lowered.
"I got a letter from Mum", Ron said, "to make sure that we're all O.K to go back to visit them for Christmas".
Neville nodded firmly and Luna also nodded her consent. Harry had been at first surprised by how well Neville had taken the news that he was now known and wanted by the Deatheaters but then had thought back to Neville's actions over five years and accepted it. He had not been sure what to make of Luna's seeming ignorance of the issue but had stored it up as something to consider later, a trick he had learnt from Ginny.
The talk inevitably lead to the Order and what they had managed to pick up from snatches of conversations people had overheard from teachers. Neville being the one who quickly changed the topic whenever anyone came within earshot. As the bell rang and the four six years moved towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione briefly murmuring something to Ginny before the younger girl moved off to Charms, Luna drifting behind.
Hermione and Ron finally pried themselves away from each other to sit down. Harry had felt his good mood descend fast and sharp, enough to be worried about the weekend, and so to be irritated about Ron and Hermione being happy in such a, he privately thought, deranged fashion. He sat down next to Neville who was glancing a little too casually at Lavender in front of him, layering on her make-up with powder falling on her open school book, gaining her a look which could only have come from Hermione.
They all settled down, having nothing to do at the start of the lesson, to guessing what their substitute teacher would look like this week. They had been assured that a teacher had been found, but would was not due to arrive for a further two weeks.
"Okay, bright red hair, very tall and thin", said Hermione, "with a......Scottish accent"
"No", Ron said, "I reckon", the two continued to bicker on. Harry had been glad, that while he had needed to get accustomed to his two best friends being a couple, not that it was wholly unexpected, the two had not stopped bickering. He felt that had they stopped arguing altogether, although it had become gentler and more good-natured, a major part of his life would have collapsed.
As the class heard a loud clear crash of something being knocked down in the hallway, the conversations immediately dropped down to the normal classroom level. The woman who stumbled into the classroom was of about average height with black hair and was extremely attractive, causing Harry's heart a brief pang as he considered another person with those features.
"Wands out", the teacher commanded, "I am Miss Noir", a Scottish accent heavy in her tones causing Hermione to send Ron a vaguely triumphant look which he returned with a roll of his eyes at which the teacher gave them a knowing look.
The lesson progressed, seeming even better than it might have thanks to the comparison with Umbridge, still lying in the hospital wing, and the 'lessons' she had subjected them to the previous year.
As the lesson ended Hermione, Ron and Harry lingered behind, Ron purposefully dropping a load of papers which they all gathered up. Rising together, to face Miss Noir.