Ron sat patiently, yet eagerly, for about forty-five minutes until he heard some rustling from within Hermione's dormitory. A moment later, he was startled by the door opening quickly. He looked up to see Hermione peeking out the door. She looked down at him and they both smiled. Ron quickly popped up so he stood in front of her. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she said quietly, "I'll be out as soon as I can!"

She went back inside her room and shut the door, leaving Ron only partly satisfied. He was going to knock on the door again, but just then Harry came around the corner, coming down from his room. "Hey Ron," he said. "What are you doing down here already? Didn't see you up in the dormitory at all this morning."

"I'm waiting for Hermione, of course," he replied. "Why else would I be waiting by her door?"

"Oh, well that does make sense I suppose. I'll meet you down at breakfast then?" Harry continued down the stairs.

A few girls came out of the room before Hermione. Every time the door opened, Ron stood right in front of the door with his arms raised and had a big grin on his face; each girl gave him an odd look when they saw Ron, and he immediately started walking up the stairs, as if he was going back to his dormitory, until the girl was out of sight. Finally, Hermione's face appeared out of the door and Ron ran up to her and wrapped his arms all the way around her.

"Took you long enough!" he said, jokingly. "Let's get down to the Great Hall. I'm starving!"

As the two entered the Great Hall, they heard a lot of muffled giggling coming from all directions. Hermione swore she saw people pointing at them, and one boy said to Ron, "Take a bath this morning, Weasley?" and guffawed loudly as he went to sit at the table of Ravenclaws.

"What on earth is going on?" Hermione whispered to Ron. Dubious expressions were plastered across both their faces.

"I don't know, but I think I have an idea," he responded. They took their usual seats next to Harry at the Gryffindor table, and instantly two plates and two sets of silverware appeared in front of them. "Harry, what is everyone smirking and laughing for?" he said as he reached for a slice of toast.

"As if you didn't know, Weasley," Draco answered, walking up directly behind Harry, Crabbe and Goyle following closely behind. "Word has it that there are now names put with those two 'lovers' who were in the Prefects' bathroom. And according to what I hear – oh my – it's none other than Poor Weasley and Mudblood Granger."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW MALFOY!" Ron shouted as a little piece of toast spit out of his mouth, and he stood up to point his wand right at Draco's face.

"Oh Weasley, not the best move to defend Granger here so harshly. It just may verify what absolutely everyone's been talking about." Draco said coyly. "Weasley and Granger, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I –"

"It's not true," Hermione said surprisingly calm. "If everybody knows about it, then Dumbledore would know as well don't you think?"

"Of course he would!" said Crabbe.

"Shut up you!"

"And if Dumbledore actually thought that we did something of that grotesque nature," Hermione continued, "he would certainly have disciplined us; most likely we'd expelled, and at the very least, we'd have a detention."

"Well," Draco struggled. "Denial is the first thing everyone goes through when they're confronted about a rumor. C'mon you two." Draco left with his bodyguards, looking rather disappointed that he hadn't gotten a confession.

"He's going to be in so much trouble when I can get a hold of his – er, I mean him," said Hermione. "He didn't think I was serious about it? Well, he's got another think coming!"

"What are you talking about Hermione?" asked Harry. She then remembered that he didn't know about what had occurred the night prior.

"Oh, well Malfoy tricked both Ron and me into meeting in the side room off of the spiral staircase and was planning to make us drink a truth potion to get us to confess that, well, you know," she said, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"Then he started badmouthing house elves, and 'Mione went all Charlie's Angels on his arse," Ron added. "She ended up kneeing him right in the groin."

" I don't like the guy, but that's just not pleasant," Harry said, as he winced with the thought of being racked.

"You should've seen the look on Malfoy's face! It was priceless, absolutely priceless!!"

"Anyway, I threatened him that I would hurt him again in a similar manner if he told anyone about us, and it sounded as if he understood. Apparently he didn't."

"We're going to have to confront him about that. And not when he's with all his buddies," said Harry.

"Hi, everyone, what's going on?" Ginny piped in as she sat down, her hair soaking wet and uncombed. Harry's eyes widened as he realized how good she looked like that. He could feel himself blushing. "Sorry I'm late. I slept in and the other girls thought it'd be amusing to not wake me up. So I took a five minute shower, got dressed and ran down here, almost forgetting my books!"

Ron chuckled. "That is amusing!"

"Oh shut up!"

"Ginny, have you heard the rumor about us yet?" Hermione asked her, while gesturing to herself and Ron.

"Oh, yes. The girls were talking about it this morning as I woke up," she explained. "In fact, it was their laughing that stirred me."

"Did you say anything? Did they say who they heard it from? How long has it been going around?!"

"Whoa, one question at a time Ron," said Ginny, giggling. "First, no, I was too worried about getting ready. Second, no, I didn't hear who they heard it from. And third, I think they found out just this morning."

"Well that's that. We're going to Malfoy," Ron decided.

"But, it isn't true of course," Harry stuttered. "What a crazy idea! Ron and Hermione!"

"Harry, it's okay," Hermione said, seeing that Harry was rather confused. "Ginny knows."

"Oh, right then."

"But I should get to the library. I can –"

"What makes you so special that you don't have to go to lessons like the rest of us?" Ron joked.

"Yesterday I asked Professor McGonagall about doing some research for another class, since all we're doing in Transfiguration today is practice how to turn a small tree into a frog. She noticed that I seemed to have a good grasp on it yesterday, so she said I could go." Hermione went on, "I think a good confession potion would do the trick. I'll make sure to look up the ingredients. It shouldn't be too difficult of a potion. I'll see you after Transfiguration then?" and she started to give Ron a hug.

"Wait!" Ginny said, almost yelling. "Don't do that! Then people will know that you guys are together! You shouldn't be showing your affection in front of people. Especially now that you could get expelled for doing it!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "And you probably shouldn't be walking around together if you're not with a group. People will be very suspicious and try anything to prove the rumors. Especially Malfoy."

Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement as she left the table and made her way to the library. She had just walked up a set of stairs when she saw Draco coming from the other direction. She's not sure what made her do it, but all of a sudden she took a hold of his collar, and rammed him up against the wall.

"Who did you tell and why?! Don't you remember my little threat?!" she yelled, placing her hand on his belt to remind him; however, she felt a little guilty, and hoped that Ron wouldn't come by and see the scenario.

"Get your Mudblood hands off –"

Hermione slammed him against the wall again. "Answer me!!!"

"I didn't tell anyone Hermione!" he cried. "I swear!"

"Prove it," she commanded.

"Well, I can't really prove it," he said. "But all I know is that whenever I even thought about telling even Crabbe or Goyle or anyone else, I'd remember the pain I was in when you kneed me that one time; bloody Hell, Granger, that hurt. Hell, it still hurts!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that why?"

"Here, step back and I'll prove it."

"I thought you said you couldn't prove it!!"

"Well I can't prove it very easily. Now let me go and I will. I won't run, I promise. If I do you can curse me to Azkaban."

Hermione eyed him skeptically. "All right, fine."

She let go of his collar and stepped back a few feet, ready to run so she could catch him if he did decide to run off. Looking in both directions, Draco made sure no one was coming. Then he started to unbuckle his belt.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Hermione screamed. "Okay, okay, okay, I believe you! Get out of my sight!" And he did. Hermione decided that she didn't really need to find the ingredients for the confession potion after all, and that she really didn't want to do research of any kind at the moments. She made her way to Professor McGonagall's room to tell Ron and Harry that she was thoroughly convinced that Draco didn't tell anyone.

When she came into the classroom, the professor asked why she was back in class already. "Oh, I did the research last night after supper. I was a little bored so I did it then."

"Very well," said Professor McGonagall. "You can help out Potter here. He's still having a little trouble. Wouldn't hurt to give Ron a little help either."

She sat down next to them, and told them the story.

"You did that?! And he did what?!!" Ron yelled. "I can't believe it!!!"

Hermione and Harry hushed him when everyone turned their heads to his outburst. Hermione had forgotten about Ron's temper. "It didn't mean anything! Besides, you're the one who wanted me to do the same exact thing to that," she mouthed the word 'prefect,' "the other night! What's the difference?!"

"Well then who told everyone? Who else knew about it?" asked Harry, trying to keep all Hell from breaking loose.

Even though he was mad, Ron suddenly remembered who it had to be. "It's got to be Dobby."

"Dobby?" said Harry.

"How would Dobby know?" Hermione asked.

"He said he heard a ruckus in our tower, it must have been from Hermione and Malfoy fighting. But he came up to make sure everything was okay. He saw Hermione and me kiss and then asked me about it. I told him not to tell!"

"Well, we'll have to ask him about it tonight then," Hermione said.

"You two will have to go alone though, unless you take Ginny with you. I have Quidditch practice for the game tomorrow. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw," Harry said

"Okay, I'll talk to her about that," Hermione said. "But for now, let's get you two up to par on this transfiguration!"

After immediately accepting the invitation, Ginny, Hermione and Ron left the Common Room that night and found their way to the picture of fruit, and went into the kitchen. Despite all the other house elves surrounding them and offering them different foods, they found Dobby almost instantly.

"How are you doing tonight, Dobby?" Hermione asked.

"Dobby is well. What does Wheezy and his friends need?"

Ron got right to the point. "Did you tell people about me and Hermione kissing the other night?"

Dobby's eyes got even wider than usual, and his ears drooped a little. Then he took the pan he was holding and smashed his face with it, over and over again.

"Well that's that. Let's get out of here," said Ron, deciding that that was all the evidence they needed. Hermione, of course, made sure that Dobby stopped hitting himself, and that he was okay before Ron grabbed her arm so they could leave.

"Why did we leave? He never actually said that he told anyone!" said Ginny.

"Didn't you see how he was punishing himself? He only does that when he's done something wrong. Besides, I'm tired from last night and I want to get to bed."

"Ronald Weasley! What's wrong with you!?" Hermione said.

"Nothing at all. I'm perfectly fine, let's just get back to the Common Room," he said, lying very badly.

"Is this from what happened earlier today with Malfoy?"

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winning answer! Gilderoy, tell the pretty lady what she's won!" Ron changed his voice to sound like Lockhart's and said, "Well, she's won every copy of my book, signed and with exclusive pictures of me. And she's won a free pass to put her hands down Malfoy's pants!"

"You pig! If you don't believe that I didn't mean anything by what happened with Malfoy, then maybe this will sway you over!" She pushed him up against the wall, pressed herself up against him, and kissed him with so much passion that she even surprised herself.

"Hey! Poor innocent bystander here!" cried Ginny, although she couldn't help to think of what it'd be like to do the same exact thing with Harry.

"Sorry, Ginny. But it was necessary," Hermione apologized. She turned to Ron and said, "Right?"

But he just had a very dazed, happy look upon his face that answered for him. "Wow..."

The next morning at breakfast, Dumbledore stood and held up his hands, causing an instant hush among the eating students. He put his arms down and spoke. "This morning I have two important announcements to make. As you know, we are quickly approaching the end of the term. And with that, there is the awarding ceremony for the winner of the House Cup. This year, we will have a very important guest to announce the winner. But who is it? That is the surprise," he said with a twinkle in the eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. "Do not bother in asking your professors, for I am the only person at this school who knows who the guest is. The other announcement is that, as you know, today is the day of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Please remember to dress warmly, as it is very chilly for this time of year. You may now continue your conversations and your hearty breakfasts. Thank you."