the shiteth doth hitteth the faneth.

Chapter 8

"WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME?" a voice shrieked. Harry groaned and pulled the covers completely over his face. It was late afternoon. He'd had all day to lay in solitude and think about what had happened, before his lovely siesta was finally interrupted.

"Bugger off, Ron. Jeez, anyone tell you, you sound exactly like your mother?" he mumbled.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Ron shrieked, yanking open the bed curtains. He grabbed hold of the comforter and flung it off the bed, leaving Harry exposed. He hadn't bothered to change into his pajamas and pretend that he had slept in the dorm last night. He had been expecting some kind of confrontation, but no one could fully prepare their ears for the decibel level of the Weasley shriek.

"I just had a first year come and ask me if it was true, that the greatest rivals Hogwarts has seen this century, were in fact, INVOLVED!" Ron paced madly around Harry's bed, his boots pounding on the stone floor. "Tell me! What exactly were you thinking?" Ron thought a moment; Harry could almost see the light bulb appear above his head. "Did David make you do it? Was there something in one of his songs that made you think 'Oi, I should go snog my worst enemy!' "

I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk! We've got five years! came to Harry's mind, but he thought it best if he didn't bring that up.

"Just shut it, Ron, alright?" Harry had finally had enough of his best friend's rantings. "For your information, we really haven't been hostile to eachother in awhile, probably due to the fact that his father is locked away and his mother is nowhere to be found. And oh, I lost someone who was like a father to me. So maybe I was just thinking that we had a little more in common than I'd thought about before. We're both orphans now." His voice lost its angry tone as he continued, becoming more exasperated and confused. "I don't know why I did it. I just…did."

"What do you mean 'it'? AHH! HERMIONE WAS RIGHT! YOU WERE SHACKIN—"

"We were not! The only thing that happened was a bit of snogging is all." He grinned a little sheepishly. "And I kinda liked it."

Ron made gagging noises. There was an awkward silence.

"So do you think the whole school knows?" Harry ventured.

"Do I think? No. I KNOW the whole school knows," Ron began to warm up again for another rant, but before he could, Hermione barged in.

"You know, you're really not supposed to be in here, Herm," Harry sighed, laying back down on his own bed.

"Speaking of places you're not supposed to be," she started, but there was no hint of enjoyment in her voice. Harry groaned.

"Oh I know you know. You knew before I knew. And you weren't ever gonna tell me. You were just gonna play matchmaker with the two of us and then sit back and smile, eh?" he accused, though not very heatedly. Hermione did not smile. She gulped and handed Harry a newspaper.

"It's the evening edition, just came out. Not everyone gets it delivered, but enough do that people will be making a mad dash for the stands after they hear from friends."

Smack dab on the front page was a very obvious and badly pasted together photo of Harry and Draco. You could even see the tear in the middle of the photo. The editors must have been in a hurry, but people would forgive the horrible picture for the juicy news.

He had known this was coming, and yet he still hadn't realized how much this would affect himself and Draco. Oh Merlin, he thought. Draco will be furious. The humiliation would be almost unbearable. Harry couldn't deal with this. He had to get out. Had to get away. Go somewhere and think, uninterrupted.

He left the newspaper on his bed and went to his trunk to get his Firebolt. Broomstick in hand, he looked into Ron's eyes, and then Hermione's, and then went out the door. Hermione at least understood, but she had to hold Ron back.

"Give him time, or there won't be any pieces to pick up, Ron," she sighed, resting her chin on his shoulder.