A/N: I know I'm so bad, making you wait two weeks for the next chapter, but don't despair, it's here! Hope everyone had a great New Year. This took me so long cos I was on holiday, I know it sounds weird but I need pressure to write really (ie. homework on top of fanfics) and as Christmas hols don't really do that… But hey, it's here

Thanks to:
Natsuyori: Thank you, you flatter me
Artemis MoonClaw: I know, I thought I needed some 'shock'
RogueGrunger1990: Lots of trouble!
PinkAphid: no comment
Kylala-San: I don't think SSHG would work if they aren't a little out of character, but I've tried to make him a bit nastier here

A Perfect Storm

"Ron?!" Hermione and Snape sprang apart; she hastily pulled the arm of her dress up and stood between the two men.

"Wh…What the hell is going on?" Ron spat,

"Shh, Ron please, I'll explain, but you'll wake the others…"

"Let them hear, they deserve to hear this, to hear what a dirty slut you really are, all this time, all this time…" he pulled the door open behind him, knocking Ginny over who had been listening at the door.

"Ron! Please," she lunged out to push the door back but he grabbed her arm, Snape stepped forward and fixed Ron with a steely grimace,

"Leave her, now," he muttered darkly, Ron let go of her and instead approached Snape,

"It was you wasn't it? Love Potion I expect, you just want another girl to play with, push her hard, get what you want and then leave her – probably pregnant – alone and covered in your filth. You disgusting git," he marched closer to Snape and punched him square on the nose, blood began to trickle down his pallid face in a harsh opposite.

Hermione screamed and grabbed Ron round the neck, caught by surprise he backed off Snape, gagging and spluttering, behind them Harry had appeared, he shooed Ginny away and tried to pull Hermione off Ron. But her grip was too tight. "Hermione stop!!!" they both yelled, Ron's face was becoming ever purpler, at last she released him and stared ashen-faced as he lay wriggling on the floor. He came up again, the blotched finger marks imprinted on his neck; his eyes alight with a mad fire. Harry grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. Snape conjured a collar for his neck and together they pulled him struggling to the bed and Harry sat beside him.

"Just give them a chance Ron; let them explain." Snape gave Harry a thanking look, he had never imagined being thankful for the son of his adolescent torturer, but just now Harry had proved himself to be more of a man than James ever was. Snape had always seen Harry as the image of his father, as had most, and hated him, but now, now things were different.

Hermione stood shocked, "Ron! I'm so sorry, please forgive me, are you alright, please be alright, I wasn't thinking, Ron, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing, all I could think about was you not hurting him." Ron rubbed his neck and scowled,

"So it's OK to strangle your best friend then is it?"

The rest of the house stood peering in through the door, Snape slammed it in their faces. Outside Mrs Weasley shooed the lot of them downstairs, she however remained at the door.

"Look Weasley, I think you've upset her enough –"

"Severus no, it's OK. He has the right to know. Ron, you know you can't help who you fall for, and sometimes through everything you fall for completely the wrong person, but you can't help it, sometimes if you're lucky they feel the same way, and sometimes it works. That's what happened here, there were no potions or anything involved, it just happened, nothing we could do could help it, we tried, oh we tried, but this is not the kind of feeling you can throw away easily."

"Very deep," he muttered, "so you just ignored the whole fact that it's illegal?"

"Weasley, rules can only tell you what to do, not what to feel," Snape who had previously been standing in silence saved Hermione from this question,

"Hmmph," Ron remained with his arms crossed and clicked his teeth, "Is there any reason why I shouldn't tell Dumbledore and get you expelled?"

"You just said it yourself Ron, you're my best friend, or at least you would be if you acted more like one, and besides Dumbledore already knows."

"What! You mean half the school knows and you couldn't even be bothered to tell me, your best friend?"

"Oh Ron –"

"Don't 'oh Ron' me!"

"I was going to but I couldn't summon up the courage and I didn't want to hurt you, not after…"

"Well don't you worry, I'm over that, seeing what a slut you really are. 'Couldn't summon up the courage'? I bet you felt dirty,"

"I don't! I feel happy, happier than I've been for a long time. Besides I would have felt dirty if it wasn't for Harry."

"Oh yes, of course; Harry knows, what do you mean?"

"Malfoy was blackmailing her, he was going to sleep with her." Harry was able to tell Ron what Hermione was too ashamed to. Ron's mouth swung open,

"The bastard!"

"Ron, it's OK, please, sit down. Look that's about it, can you leave us now? Can you understand?"

Reluctantly Ron nodded, "how many other people know? Are you going to make it public? Look I care about you too Hermione, I wouldn't want you to be unhappy, it's just weird, but if this is where you're happy…there's not much I can do. Just one more thing, have you, you know?"

"I think that's just between the two of us don't you Weasley? As far as I know it's just Malfoy – but Dumbledore has silenced him somehow, Dumbledore of course, us, Lucius Malfoy - though whether Draco really has told him is debatable, but that would mean Death Eaters know. Look I don't know what Dumbledore's done, but he's been trying to cover it up, along with all the other things he has to do. Oh and I suppose the rest of them downstairs probably heard enough to get an idea. In reality we can't go public beyond this house. I am supposed to be dead you know," Snape sneered.

"Severus please, he's forgiven us, the least you could do is be grateful. Ron I'm so sorry, is your neck OK?"

"I'll live," he mumbled and opened the door, Mrs Weasley stood outside shell-shocked, "Mum?"

Hermione groaned and turned, the hem of her dress swirling around her.

"Look, we can deal with you two in a minute. But Harry, it just think you ought to know, they've tracked your uncle down," Harry looked at her eagerly, for all his complaining he knew these people had brought him, they owed him something, "I'm afraid it's not good news."

A/N: well that was random, as usual! I decided Ron ought to forgive them really; they need a few more people on their side. But believe me things are going to get nasty now. Like Hermione's little speech? I thought that was quite cute (but then I think most things are cute!). So I promise you won't have to wait very long for the next chapter. Any ideas for Vernon's terrible ordeal? I have an outline, just need some good ideas; I know I can trust you to help.