Author's Note: This is a bit longer than the last update! Yay! I've had this idea since I finished chapter 2 but couldn't find time to write it down. College expects me to do things they want me to. Anyway, I'm less sure about this chapter, since I had to write at least a bit of dialogue for several people. Also, it felt strange ending it where I did, but I think a new chapter starts there. No promises about updates being regular and/or soon, sorry. But I hope you enjoy it! Reviews help me so much!
Disclaimer: I continue to not be JK Rowling.
I didn't expect to find anyone in the common room. Surely everyone would be hurrying about, fixing things or checking on friends. To my surprise, however, there were four people sitting near the fire. Harry was lying on the couch, his head in Ginny's lap. Ron was sitting in a large armchair with Hermione perched half on the arm of it and half in his lap. They looked up when we came downstairs.
"There you are," Hermione said. "We were just wondering when you would come down."
"Rather expected you to be alone though, mate." Ron said, grinning.
"Er," I started, not really sure what to say.
"You don't have to explain yourself Neville." Ginny told me. "Why don't you both come join us?"
"We were going to go down and try to help out. Don't they need our help?" Luna asked.
"We've all got strict orders from McGonagall. She said rebuilding could wait a day so we could all rest. Most everyone's outside." Hermione said.
"We just felt like being really lazy and not leaving the common room." Harry explained.
"I reckon we deserve it!" Ron exclaimed. "And so do the two of you." he finished, responding to a glare from Hermione.
I led Luna over to the rug in front of the fireplace and sat down, leaning against the back of another couch. Luna leaned her head on my shoulder and intertwined our fingers more tightly.
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "It's really nice to feel this happy after everything, isn't it?"
Everyone murmured their agreement and we just started talking. We talked about absolutely everything but the bad stuff. We reminisced about all the wonderful times we'd had at Hogwarts. The funny things, like when Fred and George turned an entire hallway into a swamp. (That discussion was tinged with sadness, but we didn't linger on it.) The embarrassing things, like when I kept stepping on Ginny's toes at the Yule Ball. The stressful things, like exams (and more exams, and exams). And the bizarre things, like Hagrid letting Harry ride a hippogriff (although Harry insisted that it was more like Hagrid made him ride a hippogriff, against all protests and reason).
Finally, Ginny huffed and said "Fine! I'll ask. Neville, Luna, you two are together now,right? Like a couple?"
Before I could respond, Luna answered. "Oh yes, isn't it lovely? He told me right in the middle of the battle last night, how he felt about me. You said I would find someone one day, Ginny, and you were right. Neville's someone amazing."
It was one of the most normal things I'd ever heard Luna say, and it was wonderful.