Ron looked again, from his one best friend to the other. He was just going to have to tell them and then take the consequences.

"Ok, don't say anything till I've finished ok?" he started. He took their silence to mean yes.

"Well you know everyone's been dying to know about you two," Ron began; his friends just stared back, waiting for him to go on. "Well we were all getting a bit, you know, annoyed that you two weren't talking about it," he grinned sheepishly, bit his smile soon vanished at the look on Harry's face; he quickly continued. "So anyway, we, well, I, was talking about you two with Fred and George, and I kinda made a joke about.it."

"Ron what are you talking about?" Hermione asked wearily, she'd had enough of everyone's games. He couldn't say it; they'd hater him and Ron knew it, but he couldn't let them walk around without knowing what he'd done to them.

"I joked about Harry, well.you know.not being able to." Ron tried to finish his confession but he couldn't look Harry in the eye. "I swear I never actually meant it, but then that idiot Malfoy showed himself; he'd been hiding and listening to what I said, and." Ron was babbling and he knew it. Hermione still had confusion written over her face, but Harry's eyes had darkened.

"If you've done what I think you've done." Harry began threateningly taking a step towards Ron who backed away, holding his hands up in front of him

"Harry I swear, I never meant it, but Malfoy went and twisted what I said and now he's told the whole school," Ron protested, now scared at the look on Harry's face.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Hermione demanded. Her patience was wearing thin by now. "Harry? Ron? Anyone?" she asked. Harry turned back to Hermione, but neither he nor Ron could put it into words. "Uh! I'm sick of this," Hermione said walking out on them, "I'll see you later Harry when you've sorted this ok," and with that she marched out of the room. She'd only got as far as the corridor when she heard an all-too- familiar sneering laugh behind her.

"So mudblood," Draco sniggered, "If you feel like dating a real man so time, give me a call, I might consider lowering myself," he said, grinning at her.

"Draco, I don't know what you want, but leave me alone ok," Hermione responded, walking off once more.

"It's hardly my fault you're frustrated it?" Draco continued, "I mean, just because your boyfriend can't, shall we say, 'perform', there's no need to snap at me," and with that Draco gave one final sneer before heading off back where he'd come from. Hermione watched him disappear out of sight. Had she heard correctly? She turned back to the classroom where Harry and Ron were still stood. The look on both their faces told Hermione the truth. Ron had joked about Harry not being able to 'perform' as Draco had put it, and so Draco had then spread this information as a rumour; that's why everyone one had been acting strange; that's why Ron had been avoiding them both.

"Ron." she began, but she didn't get far enough before Harry cut her off.

"How could you?" Harry stormed at Ron, "How on earth could you be so stupid?"

"I-I'm sorry, Harry, really I am, I never meant it." Ron tried to say.

"I don't car if you meant it or not!" Harry continued to yell, "I'm the one who's been humiliated; I'm the one they're all laughing at!" Harry was fuming at this point and neither Ron nor Hermione knew how to calm him down. Hermione was disappointing with Ron, but she knew it was a mistake, and she knew he was truly sorry.

"Harry, Ron didn't mean." she started to say, placing her hand on his arm, but the look Harry gave her silenced her once more. With one last look at Ron, Harry stormed out of the classroom.

"Harry, I'll sort this out, I promise!" Ron called after him, but Harry kept on walking. Ron turned to Hermione, a pleading look on his face.

"Hermione, you know I never meant."

"I know Ron, I know," she soothed, "just give him time to calm down, ok." Hermione knew Ron was sorry, but she also knew that Harry wouldn't get over this easily.

Returning to the Gryffindor common room, Harry stormed past the smirking faces, and went straight to his bed to lie down. 'How could Ron do this to me?' he thought angrily. 'I've been humiliated in front of the whole school!' However much he tried, Harry couldn't shake off the feeling that Ron had been right. 'I am scared' he thought to himself. He may have the feelings of a grown man, but he didn't exactly have the experience. 'Everyone's laughing at me!' he said aloud.

"Not everyone," a quiet voice said from behind the curtain.

"Ginny, how did you get in here?" Harry asked, jumping up from his bed.

"Oh I find ways," she replied dismissively, walking over to him. Harry wasn't exactly comfortable with a girl sitting on his bed, especially when it was the girl who had a huge crush on him.

"Ron didn't mean you know," she was saying, "He was just jealous that you might have been further than him." Harry stared at Ginny, amazed.

"How do you know that?" he asked, shocked at her honesty.

"I heard him talking to himself the other day, he always does it you know." Harry didn't know; he'd never known Ron to talk to himself. Harry's angered had faded slightly now, as he sat down next to Ginny.

"What else does he say, Ginny?" Harry asked quietly.

"You know, stuff about the three of you."she replied non-committed; she wasn't giving too much away about he brother; he was her brother after all. Harry guessed she wouldn't tell him everything so he left it at that and went to search for Hermione; he found her eventually, sitting outside Hagrid's cabin.

"Hey you," he said, sitting himself down beside her. Hagrid was busy in his garden, fussing over their new school project.

"Hi," she smiled back, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm so tried of all this," she said with a sigh.

"I know, me too," he replied looking away towards the Forbidden Forest. Hermione looked up at him, sensing the hurt he was feeling right now.

"Harry, I'm sorry this had happened to you," she said softly.

"It's happened to the both of us Hermione," he replied, pulling her closer to him, "and we're just going to have to wait till it all dies down, they'll get bored soon and leave us alone."

"I know," she replied, "but, Harry, you're the one they're saying." Hermione couldn't finish her sentence; she knew Harry was already thinking it.

"Never mind eh?" he told her, "you're the one I care about, not them." This was mostly true; Hermione was the one that mattered to him, but he knew he'd find it difficult facing everyone with them thinking what they did about him.

"I guess I should talk to Ron," Harry said, glancing at Hermione.

"Yeah, he's feeling really awful about this," she answered, not wanting to sound too much on Ron's side.

"Well he should be," Harry muttered, "But I know he didn't mean it, so I guess." Harry didn't need to finish what he was saying, since Hermione already understood. Harry took Hermione by the hand as they began to walk back up the school.

"Ginny paid me a visit earlier," Harry started to say as they made their way up the hill, "she said some strange thing about Ron." Hermione listened as Harry told her what Ginny had told him earlier that day; she was just had surprised as Harry was; something was definitely up with Ron, and as his best friends, they knew they should try and help him with whatever was bothering him.

Ok, so there it is, the next chapter for you all- please please please read an review- I need your thoughts as to where the story should go.