This chapter is mainly informative. I'll have some Lupin lessons coming up soon, and some suprising revelations for Dean and Neville. Hope you liek the chapter even if it is a bit boring.

Laws of Love: Chapter 16

Harry and Ron traipsed tiredly up the spiral stair case with some first year boys who didn't know where their dormitories were: Phillip Horn-Hill, Julian Merko, Elliot Hugh and probably the smallest eleven year old Harry had ever seen in his life; Mathias Bliss.

Ron, being surprisingly patient with them, directed them kindly to the end of the hall where they could find their dormitory, and he also told them to watch out for the biting door knob, something that the seventh year boys from last year thought was funny to leave behind for the new-comers.

After which Harry and Ron left for the sixth year dormitory. It was as grand and red as usual. Six beds stood in a circle around a big red rug, each of the bed's head were leaning against a wall. Next to the beds were desks for the bed-owners and there were chests with drawers placed under the desks. Dean and Seamus were already putting up posters when Harry and Ron arrived, while Neville was laddering his desk full of plants.

Ron was apparently still energetic enough to decorate his own corner so that is what he did while Harry slumbered down to his bed and fell down on it.

"Aragh…" Harry moaned into his pillow, "I'm so mighty tired…."

Seamus looked up from a "Blitzer Storm" poster that he was casting sticking charms on and smiled, "Now mate, we don't even have homework yet, what you complaining about?"

Harry grumbled something undecipherable and rolled over onto his back, "The sorting was nice, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but isn't it strange? Only four new Gryffindor boys and three Gryffindor girls. And hufflepuff got about 6 boys while they didn't get any girls at all! Ravenclauw however was more lucky, 3 boys and 3 Girls. Slytherin got the most however, 7 boys and 4 girls. What's up these days?" Dean said, as he managed to enchant a banner saying "Bold Gryffindor from wild moor, where the bravest were." to drape itself from his own bed to Ron's.

"I know, it's bloody strange. Still, the lot we got, they did look rather brave, didn't they?" Seamus said hopefully.

'You can't judge at this age." Ron said promptly, "We were no where near brave in first year."

"Aha, aha, aha," Neville laughed animatedly, "Piss off, remember you saved the Philifofy stone thingy? That was brave!"

"Philosopher's stone, Neville." Harry said, having rolled over once again.

"Doesn't matter, anyways." Neville sighed, "The thing is. People are afraid…..and changing there minds mind you. There are people who have been for years in the middle line, neither on the dark side nor on the good one. Its time they made a decision and that decision goes along to their children. And a surprising amount of people are in the middle side, not wanting to get caught up in a war. Now they have chosen, and I bet you all my money that the people who have chosen the dark side, told their kids to ask the hat for them to be in Slytherin. Also, this year's turn up was less, wasn't it? People also keep their children home now, out of safety."

"They're barking." Harry stated, "No place is safer then Hogwarts."

Ron however seemed more interested, "I think Neville's right, in many aspects. How do you know this stuff any way?"

Neville smiled, "My family is on the good side, but my uncle was on the middle line ever since ever. Just recently he decided to go for the dark side. He came to our annual family meeting and told us his reasons. He's afraid that…you-know-who…is going to come to power again, and when he does, my uncle wants himself safe. His wife didn't agree with him, so she's living now with my grams."

"Man," Ron said in awe, "That kind of makes sense."

Neville whacked Ron angrily on the head, "Course it makes sense, you loon!"

Ron grinned apologetically, "No sorry, that's not what I mean, its just explains a whole lot."

Neville shrugged, "Mind you, this year is going to be a whole lot different."

The 5 boys seemed a bit lost in their own thoughts when a soft knock on the door awoke them from their slumber, "Yeah?" Ron called to the door.

The door opened and revealed Colin Creevey, dragging his trunk behind him, "Uhm, there are no guys left in my year, all of them have been kept home because of the war and uhm, one was killed during those muggle killings….so Professor Dumbledore said I was going to bunk with you guys for the rest of the year, do you mind?"

Ron and Seamus shook their heads, Dean smiled encouragingly and Harry stayed motionless on his bed while Neville jumped up to help Colin with his trunk, "Sounds cool, sorry about you class mate. I heard that there were muggle killings. Horrible."

Colin nodded, "Yeah, he was my best mate…" then he trailed away and fell silent.

Neville didn't know what to do, so instead he heaved the trunk to the left over bed that was next his. Colin followed Neville and watched as Neville pointed his wand at the head of the bed, and slowly the name, "Colin Creevey." was traced on to it.

"There." Neville said with a weak smile, "Make yourself at home."

As Colin started un-packing his trunk, Harry got up and walked over to the window, "Lupin is back."

"Again, strange. I thought people were all iffy about him since it got out that he was a werewolf." Ron stated, finally finishing the collage he made above his desk with photo's of him and Harry, him and Hermione, him and his brothers, him and Ginny, him and the Quidditch team, him and his parents, him with Dean, Seamus, Neville and Harry and last of all another one of him and Hermione, with each others arms draped over each other. This photo was a muggle one, and it was made by Hermione's mother. It was near the end of their camping trip, they were walking back from the lack. Ron was wearing navy swimming trunks, his now tanned and freckled chest, which was muscled with abs, shined seductively in the sun while Hermione was now wearing a pink bikini that had strange flowery patch-work-like designs on it. Their faces were frozen in un dying laughter, Hermione's eyes were closed and Ron was wearing on of those lop-sided grins of his that would any girl's leg turn to jelly.

"Dumbledore trusts him; I suppose that gives people confidence." Dean said in a way of explanation.

At this point Seamus got up and looked at Ron's collage, he was particularly interested in the picture of Hermione in a bikini, "My, my, I never knew Hermione had such a body."

Ron growled and leapt over at Seamus, knocking him to the floor, "And don't you dare touch it, Finnegan."

"Jees, relax. I was just saying, c'mon, I'm with Parvati!" Seamus spluttered.

Ron took a step away, and allowed Seamus to get up. While Ron just turned around, he seemed to change his mind, he pushed Seamus back down with as much force as he could muster, "If you touch her, I'll hurt you like you've never been hurt before." He said threateningly, then he turned to the surprised other, "And that goes for all of you."

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The following morning, Ron was back to his usual self and apologized to Seamus for being so rough on him, who laughed it off as any decent mate would.

They were eating their breakfasts when McGonagall came round to give them their schedules.

While she reached them, she stopped, "We've taken into consideration of your wishes last year, for any further careers. We've all adjusted your schedules for you all personally. If you wish to add subjects or take some away just tell me."

"Harry, you have the following subjects; Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and Healing. If you are wondering, Healing is an extra course for people who wish to become Aurers. Good Luck with you sixth year."

"Ronald, you have the following subjects; Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Healing. In your application letter from 3 weeks ago you mentioned taking Rune Translations and Arithmacy. These are hard courses. I wish you luck in Sixth Year. "

"Thank you Mrs." Ron said, taking his schedule.

"Hermione, you have the following subjects: Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Healing, Rune Translations, Arithmacy, Astronomy and History of Magic. Good luck with your Sixth year."

Hermione beamed as she took her loaded time schedule.

"Neville, you have the following subjects; Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Healing, Advanced Extra-course of Herbology, Remedial Potions and Arithmacy. Good Luck with you sixth year."

"Dean and Seamus, you are taking the same courses. You have the following subjects; Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmacy, Magical Sports-Advanced course, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures. Good luck with your sixth year."

She handed over the schedules to Dean and Seamus while she said, "Hermione, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus and Ginny….I would like to speak to you after your breakfast. I will be in my office, right after I have dealt with the schedules of Ms. Brown and Ms. Patil. "then she walked off to the other side of the Gryffindor table.

Hermione browsed casually through her schedule whilst Harry stared at the others inquiringly, "I wonder why she wants to speak with you guys but not me."

"Oh I dunno, Harry, don't take it too personal though." Ron said as he took a large bite of his toast.

Harry didn't say anything to that, after all, how could you not take it personal or wonder what it was about.

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Surprisingly most of the sixth year students, on the exception of Ginny being a fifth year, were present at McGonagall's office.

After they all settled down she headed over to her desk and looked sternly at them, "The people, who are here, are here for no strange reason at all, on the contrary of popular believe. Infact you are here because I'm giving one of you the responsibility that means a lot to all of you. The people who are here, except one, are here because they have taken either the subject Arithmacy or Rune Translations or both."

They all nodded, except Ginny who hadn't got a schedule at all so didn't know whether she took these classes or not.

"But since Rune Translations is during the Charms periods and since Arithmacy is during the Defense against the Dark Arts periods, I'm giving one of you the only intact Time-Turner left."

"Now since only one of you is experienced with a Time-Turner I shall give her the responsibility to carry it around, unless she feels more comfortable to give it some one else. If that is the case she must inform all the people present. Anyways, the carrier of Time-Turner shall be waiting at the Great Oak Door after each charms or DADA lesson, she will wait there until all of you are present and then she will turn back time with the chain touching every single one of you, making you all go back in time exactly one period so you can follow the lessons that you have missed. Make sure that you don't bump into yourselves, and if you do…please don't kill or charm yourselves out of shock. Is that understood? Good. Oh yes, for those who are wondering, it is Ms. Granger who will be carrying the time turner, now clear off, I need a word with Ms. Weasley."

Every one left the room, except Ginny and Hermione. Hermione waited till McGonagall handed over the time-turner then she too left.

As soon as the door closed behind Hermione, McGonagall's stern attitude changed completely, my, you even might say that she was smiling.