I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.

Chapter 5

By the time the feast was over, Devyn was so sleepy that she could barely think about where her feet were going, never mind anything else. It was honestly a relief because she had been thinking endlessly about Black and worrying about Harry, so now that her mind was so tired and groggy, she finally knew some peace.

She, along with all the other Gryffindors, trudged up the stairs that eventually led to Gryffindor Tower. Like always, Neville accidentally put his foot through the trick stair and Devyn had to haul him back up.

"Thanks," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I don't know why I can't remember where it is…"

Devyn yawned and shrugged. "All the stairs look the same to me. I don't know how anyone can remember where it is. They should try and fix that…someone might fall right through one of these days."

Neville nodded his agreement but any response he might have had was drowned out by a familiar and overly enthusiastic, strangely alert voice.

"Hi, Devyn! Hi! Did you have a nice summer? Oh, you cut your hair!"

Devyn turned to look at the person that was talking to her, but as soon as she did, she was blinded by the flash of a camera.

"Hello, Colin. Yeah, my summer was fine," Devyn said, blinking furiously in order to get her vision back. When the spots that were dancing in front of her eyes cleared enough for her to see Colin, she noticed he was grinning almost maniacally.

"Er…how was your summer?" she asked him. Neville was waiting along the side of the staircase for her to finish talking with Colin, but knowing the now second year, that might not be until next week.

"Oh, it was great. I told my dad everything about Hogwarts. He was so fascinated by it. I'm so happy that we're back. I can't wait to start classes, can you?"

Colin said all of that very fast and Devyn's hazy mind was sprinting to catch up. When she realized what Colin had asked her, she said, "Oh, er yeah. I mean, I'm excited too. Er…I'll talk to you later Colin. Lots of staircases left before we get to Gryffindor Tower and I'm really tired, so…"

"Right! See you, Devyn!"

Devyn smiled and promptly walked away with Neville.

"He's a bit hyper, isn't he?" Neville asked. Devyn nodded. "What's with the camera?"

Devyn shrugged and said, "He likes taking pictures and blinding people at the same time, I guess."

Neville chuckled and then brought up something that Devyn really wished he hadn't.

"So what was Seamus trying to ask you before?"

"Huh?" Devyn hoped playing stupid would help her in this situation, but being the pessimist she was, she doubted it.

"Seamus; he was trying to ask you something earlier. Do you know what he was trying to ask you?"

Devyn sighed and said, "You were there, Nev. You heard him."

"Yeah, I suppose. I imagine he was gonna ask you to go to Hogsmeade with him. Like on a date…"

Devyn could tell by Neville's tone that he was trying very hard to keep his voice even, but it wasn't entirely working. Devyn sighed again and said, "Yeah, I think so, too."

"What would you have said?" Neville pried. Devyn glanced at him and he looked like he was steeling himself for some horrible news.

He thinks I'm going to say that I would go with Seamus. He thinks I'm going to say that I would have said yes.

Well, what do you expect? Snow told her. Neville's never had the greatest amount of confidence and Seamus is pretty confident. Can you really blame him for thinking that you'd be interested in going with Seamus?

Oh, come on, Snow. Neville knows better than that. Doesn't he?

How should I know? I'm in your head, not his…

Your sass is not appreciated right now Snow.

Stop yapping with me then and talk to Neville!

Snow's voice faded and Devyn turned to Neville and said, "No. I would have said no."

Neville stopped walking for a second and then blinked a couple times like he didn't understand what she just said.

"Hold on. What?"

"I would have said no, Neville. I don't like Seamus. Not like that anyway. As a friend, sure, but not anything more than that."

"Oh," Neville said, as he started walking again. She noticed that he had a new spring in his step and that he was trying not to grin like a Cheshire Cat. "Okay."

"Why are you asking?"

Neville shrugged and said, "Just curious."

"Uh-huh." Devyn grinned and Neville put his arm around her shoulders as they walked up the rest of the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Devyn wrapped her arm around his waist and they walked like that until they reached a bit of a buildup in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

She was currently trying to either deafen the entire castle, or shatter the wine glass she held in her hand with her voice. Either was likely, but the whole deafening thing was more likely.

"Fortuna Major," Seamus said. The Fat Lady ignored him and he turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and said, "Here, listen. She just won't let me in."

Harry stepped up in front of the portrait and said, "Fortuna Major."

"No, no, no, wait!" The Fat Lady told him. "Watch this! Ahaahahahaha – AAHHHH!" Evidently she realized that her voice was not going to break the glass, so she smashed it on the wall behind her, trying to be discreet about it but failing miserably.

"Ah, amazing! Just with my voice!" she said, looking quite proud of herself. Devyn shook her head in disbelief. Neville leaned down and whispered, "She's delusional."

Devyn nodded and Harry said, "Fortuna Major." His voice was more firm than before and The Fat Lady finally gave in.

"Yes, alright, go in."

"Thank you," Harry said, although it was with an air of impatience. The portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to the scarlet and gold Gryffindor Tower. Everyone scrambled through, eager to get to their warm beds.

Harry and Seamus were in the front of the crowd, with Ron, Hermione, Devyn, and Neville not far behind.

"She's still doing that after three years!" Harry exclaimed. "She can't even sing!"

"Exactly!" Seamus replied.

They both had a very fair point. The Fat Lady really couldn't sing at all. But she had deluded herself into thinking that she could. From that thought, the whole thing was really kind of pathetic.

I think therefore I am, is right, Devyn thought.

"Ugh!" Dean cried out. Devyn looked around and saw that he had just walked through a ghost. The sensation was similar to walking into a cobweb or a spider web. It was not a pleasant one; it made you do this weird sort of spastic dance, trying to get the ectoplasm out of your hair, if there was anything to get out in the first place.

And it looked like that's what Dean was doing right now.

"That's awful!" one of the girls commented.

Devyn couldn't help but agree.

After bidding Neville goodnight with their customary hug, Devyn had walked into the third year girls' dormitory and said hello to Lavender and Parvati before collapsing onto her bed after changing into her pajamas. Seconds later, Hermione did the exact same thing.

"So, Devyn…"

Devyn's eyes snapped open when she heard Lavender say her name like she had just heart some juicy piece of gossip and wanted to confirm it's truth or falseness.

Devyn rolled over and looked at Lavender. "Yes…?"

"Parvati told me that Seamus was asking you about Hogsmeade. Did he ask you to go with him?"

"First off, really Parvati? Couldn't you just keep quiet?"

Parvati shrugged but she looked not one bit sorry about it. "Secondly," Devyn continued. "He tried to, but McGonagall interrupted him."

"But you knew what he was asking you?"

"Yeah."

"And did you say yes?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't wanna go with him."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not interested."

"Why?" Lavender repeated. Devyn was trying very hard not to lose her temper but one could only take so much of Lavender Brown before they started to go slightly mad.

"Because I'm not."

"That's not an answer! Why?" Lavender persisted. Devyn's eye twitched a little and she sat up slowly.

"Lavender…I am not interested in Seamus, nor have I ever been. That is why I don't want to go to Hogsmeade with him. Now stop asking."

"But –"

"Good night, Lavender," Devyn said, rolling back over and closing her eyes.

"But –"

Hermione shot up like a bullet in her bed and said to Lavender, quite fiercely, "LAVENDER! Stop asking. It's none of your business. For once in your life, shut up."

Lavender squeaked in surprise and was evidently so shocked that she lost her ability to speak, which was more than a blessing.

Devyn opened her eyes and mouthed a thank you to Hermione, who nodded in reply.

Once Lavender ceased making noise, Devyn felt herself drifting off to sleep, but not before she could hear odd distant sounds of a lion roaring and an elephant trumpeting.

"The boys must have gotten a hold of those animal sweets," Parvati murmured. "You know the ones that make you sound like whatever animal you eat. Like green's a monkey. I wonder who got the elephant."

Somewhere in her mind, Devyn thought it would've been funny if Neville had gotten the elephant because he was always forgetting things and elephants never forgot anything. Not much else crossed her mind after that, and she quickly passed out cold.

She was so happy to be back, even if it meant another year putting up with Lavender.