Chapter 2: The Forest.

Ron's jaw dropped… "Harry are you telling me that you're…." his eyes widened,

"… gay?" his voice a whisper looking ashamed, Harry replied

"RON! No way!! I'm not gay! Get your mind outta the gutter!" Harry's eyes blazed and he sat very straight in the chair. Ron was bewildered. "Why'd you say it wasn't a girl?"

"…'cause Ron, people could have heard me… and I don't want to take that risk" Harry said.

"Okay…okay… I won't tell a soul…" Ron gave up on the conversation, he knew that Harry was acting strange, but this was starting to scare him. "GAY?? I'm sure he is… he's just not letting on!" Ron thought to himself.

Both of them just sat there in silence not even looking at each other. Minutes passed and both of them were awkwardly sitting in their chairs near the fire. "Harry?" said Ron sheepishly.

"Yeah Ron…"

"Well since your NOT gay… who were you thinking of?" Ron asked slowly.

"I don't know if I should tell you, 'cause you DO have a Big mouth!"

"Oh… but I want to know!!"

"Well… I don't really like anyone…"

Something in Harry's voice made Ron not believe him. He crossed his arms with an eye brow raised, "Sure, sure." said Ron. "Don't you lie to me Harry, I can see straight through you, you know. Now, who or what were you thinking about. I won't stop bugging you until you tell me what's going on!" In the plight of Ron's pain-in-the-ass questions Harry decided to show Ron what he was thinking about. He led Ron out of the room and out of the castle, past Hagrid's hut and into the Forest. "Harry… you know what happened last time in here…" Ron's bottom lip shook as well as his voice.

"Oh Ron… don't be such a baby!" He thumped Ron's chest and smiled. He was excited, more than usual… He was walking a road that he, Ron, and Hermione had trudged before. It was leading to the same path that Ron was most afraid of… The SPRIDER PIT!! Ron gulped and walked cautiously behind Harry as they came to the edge of the path. "I hope we're not going in there… we don't have mum's car this time to help us out!!" Ron whined. Harry turned to Ron, grabbed him by the shoulders, shook him and said "You're acting like a NUT! Just clam down…" Harry smiled and gave a small laugh, "we're not going in there!" he patted him on the back and turned down the other path, leading deeper in the forests. "Oh…" Ron gave a tiny laugh, gulped and walked as close as he could behind Harry, but still looking back to the other path.

Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, sat Hermione still staring off into the distance and on occasion, would lift her goblet and sip her non-alcoholic beverage. "You know Harry, you have been VERY quiet today!" she said in a medium tone, but with a hint of vacancy. When she didn't get a reply a frown crossed her face and she snapped around to Harry's seat, just to find that Ron and Harry disappeared! To the amusement of the on looking Slytherin gang – meaning Malfoy, and his two blockheads – Hermione's confused look gave them a tasty treat as they munched on their Christmas Lunch, smirking at her and throwing bread at the head. She threw them an evil look and ran out of the Hall to the Gryffindor common room, pulling bread crumbs and butter out of her hair. "Where are they?" She thought entering the common room. There was no sign of them, and just coincidently she walked by the window and saw the two of them enter the Forest. "I stayed here to keep you two OUT OF TROUBLE!" she said crossly to herself while exiting the room and out towards the Forest as well.