Chapter Eight: The Truth Comes Out

"Hey guys, I have to talk to tell you something." said Hermione seeming a bit nervous. She was ready for their reaction though, and she understood that they would get mad knowing their past with Draco.

"Yeah Herm, what's up?" said Harry a bit distracted by his Potions homework.

"Well what would you think if err, Draco and I, err, were to go out?" she said it in a rush and then stood back waiting for there reply. She was ready for yelling, screaming, and arguing from both Harry and Ron. But from Harry it was quit the opposite, she got a calm and subtle reply.

"Sure, whatever Herm," said Harry obviously not hearing her correctly. This surprised Hermione, it was too good to be true. Ron sat quite for about ten seconds after Harry spoke. Then he spoke, but he didn't take her serious.

"What are you talking about Hermione? You and Draco? Like that would ever happen." said Ron a bit concerned. Harry turned away, he knew it was happening, Hermione and Draco were in fact going out. Although Harry was trying to act as if he didn't hear what Hermione had said, he didn't want Hermione to know that he knew.

"Well, err, actually it could, it is." Hermione said looking at Ron waiting for him to explode. And just that he did.

"WHAT?!?!? YOU AND DRACO MALFOY!?!?" yelled Ron as he stood up to eye level with Hermione. Drawing much attention to them. The whole common room was now all looking at Hermione and Ron. This was a common thing, Hermione and Ron arguing, but never about such a topic as this. "HARRY DID YOU HEAR THAT?!? HEMIONE AND MALFOY, DRACO MALFOY!!!"

"I heard," Harry said as he turned to Hermione. "I actually err, already knew," said Harry to Hermione. He thought for a moment how to explain this all to Hermione. He was scared, he didn't know how Hermione would react. He also didn't want Hermione to jump to conclusions as she usually did. "I heard him ask you in the library the other night. Please don't be angry I jus didn't think you wanted me to know so I pretend like I didn't."

"You were there?" Hermione asked. She hadn't seen Harry but then again it doesn't mean that he didn't see her. "That's fine that you know but are you angry with me?" asked Hermione.

"I'm not angry, but Hermione know what your doing, it is Draco Malfoy just be careful," said Harry as he put his arm around Hermione. The last thing he wanted was for one of his best friends to get hurt. Ron stood there amazed, he lost his words, he couldn't speak. How could Harry be okay with this, let alone how could he have known and not have told him, his BEST FRIEND!?!?!

"YOU KNEW!!?!?!? AND YOU DID'T TELL ME?!?!" Ron yelled at Harry. "You're both mental! I hope you and Malfoy are happy," yelled Ron as he gathered his books and ran up to his room.

"That didn't go very well." said Hermione looking disappointed. She didn't want Ron to be angry with her. She hated it when her and Ron were fighting. But this was different then all of their other fights. This was actually her fault for once. She felt horrible.

"And you expected it to go smoothly?" asked Harry.

"No, but I didn't think it'd be this bad." Hermione then went up to her room and fell asleep on her bed without even changing. She didn't have the strength to change she had such a horrible headache that she just fell on her bed and slept.

For the rest of the night Ron sat in a corner, trying to do his homework, but he obviously wasn't concentrating. Harry wished he could go talk to him, try to tell him that Hermione was happy and that he should be a good friend about it, but he did not dare because it was very scary to try to reason with Ron when he was angry. When Harry finished his homework he went up stairs to the boys dormitory. When he got himself into bed, he suddenly remembered the strange dream that he had the night before. When he thought about it, he got an apprehensive feeling, like this was going to happen. He didn't want to think about, though he couldn't go to sleep. He wished Sirius had written back, but he knew that it would take more than a day because he was still on the run and had not cleared his name yet.

Finally, he drifted off, and if he wasn't so wrapped up in thinking about the dream, the absence of Ron's sleep talking would have given him a clue that he hadn't come to bed yet.

It was an uncomfortable time for Harry. Ron and Hermione were not speaking to each other, but only looked maliciously at each other during classes and at meals. He was happiest when he was with Ginny, but unfortunately it was hard because every time they were together, Ron always seemed to appear, staring at them with the deepest loathing. He felt awkward when Ron was staring at him. He hated it when Ron was upset with him. It's the worst feeling in the world to have your best friend mad at you. When your best friend's mad at you, you have no one to turn to because usually only your best friends would understand certain aspects of your life that seem so unclear to others. He missed Ron.