Chapter 3-

"Quit looking at her Weasley. She obviously learned her lesson from your little shag in the closet," sneered Draco, leaning in close to Ron's ear. He was obviously trying to mess Ron about again, this time, in front of McGonagall.

"You know," Draco continued, "it's common knowledge to everyone that the Weasley's don't have two galleons to their name but sneaking around with that foul mudblood? That's a new low, even for you."

Ron knew that it was best to ignore what Draco was saying, and tried his best, but this was the second time he had made a ludicrous accusation that was complete rubbish. To top the matter off, he was talking bad about Hermione again. Ron was a little confused as to why he was so concerned for Hermione's feelings right now. He was still really put out with her, because of the way she had been acting like his mum all week, but at the same time he was even more put out with himself for treating her poorly and letting his temper get the better of him. Of course, he was hacked off at Draco for rounding on Hermione like he had done back at the table and was doing now with Ron, but was he being overly concerned? Malfoy had been having a go at Hermione since first year. Why should that make any difference now? Was it because he knew that she was already in a fit state as a result of their little row on the way to detention? Was it because Malfoy was trying to demean her virtue? Ron had never thought to question Hermione's virtue in that way, it was Hermione, after all. Ron decided to give in and find out what the tetchy ferret was on about.

"What the hell are you banging on about, Malfoy? All that stuff that you are on about is bilge and you know it," he said in barley an audible whisper, trying to elude Professor McGonagall's ears, but failing in the attempt.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy!" she barked, "you two had better keep quiet before I hand you both another night of detention! I do believe the Professors' loo needs scouring."

"Sorry Professor," they both said quickly.

Ron heard a very soft tut tut coming from Hermione's direction. At least one of them in the room knew how to communicate, while eluding McGonagall's ears.

By now, Hermione and McGonagall had walked into the small room where the cages were housed. Ron wasn't exactly sure how these face masks worked, but as soon as he saw Hermione scrunch up her face in disgust and put the mask over her nose and mouth, he got the idea really fast. He decided to follow suit, not wanting the manky odor lofting throughout the room to affect him the same way. However, Malfoy was apparently too thick to take a hint.

"What the hell is that stench?" he growled. "There's no effing" way I'm staying in here for three hours!"

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said, her voice dangerously low, "you will serve out your punishment or you will be in here for the next fortnight, AND I will not tolerate that kind of language in my presence!"

"But this blasted torture is for the house elves," he whined.

At this comment Ron looked over at Hermione, wondering how she would react to Malfoy's degradation of house elves. To his surprise, she didn't react at all. She seemed to be too deep in her own misery to even hear any part of what he had said (although Ron was relieved to see that she had stopped crying).

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said once again, this time giving him a look over the top of her spectacles, "need I remind you why you are here in the first place?"

"Yes! Remind him!" thought Ron to himself, hoping to finally hear what had landed Malfoy in detention.

After she said these words, Draco took a quick glance and Ron and Hermione before turning slightly pink.

"Sorry professor." he said quickly, not wanting the issue to go any further "Looks a treat."

"That's what I thought," she said softly, giving Draco a penetrating stare.

Draco finally gave up his battle and put the face mask on. McGonagall, on the other hand, gave herself the luxury of performing a smell-vanishing charm for her own nose and mouth.

"As you can see," she explained, "these cages are in dire need of some attention. Now, most of them are not, at the moment, occupied by animals, however, they will be as soon as the lessons start. Now, I want to direct you over to a certain set of cages, in particular."

She glided over to a group of cages in the far corner. There was one that was covered by a red cloth.

"Now, this cage is to be left alone. Do not worry about cleaning it."

"What's in it?" drawled Malfoy.

McGonagall let out a sigh of frustration.

"Well, I suppose it is better for me to show you now than one of you," her eyes rounded on Draco, "to let the curiosity get the better of you while not under my supervision."

With these words said, she lifted the cloth. Three different reactions could be seen across the room: Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth, Draco merely stood there with his mouth hanging open, and Ron instinctively did a runner for Hermione, hiding behind her. She sighed with disgust, moved about four feet away from Ron and removed her hand from her mouth.

"Professor," she said in a dodgy voice, "why do you have a caged Acromantula in your classroom? You're not thinking about selling it are you? Because under Class A Non-Tradable Goods by the Department for the Regulation and Control of-"

"Miss Granger," McGonagall said, "no we are not going to sell it- that is illegal! Are you feeling well? You are not yourself this evening."

She put her head down before replying, "I feel quite well."

If Ron had not been so scared of the fury, black spiders with eight eyes staring at him, he would have cursed himself, yet again, for talking to Hermione the way he had earlier.

"In the lesson yesterday, one of my fourth year students accidentally turned their radish into," she waved her hand in the direction of the cage, "this. Poor child. She is the sweetest student, always well behaved. They were supposed to be turning their radishes into Diricawl's, but she managed to transform hers terribly wrong. After she failed to transform it back to its original form, I set myself to the task and found that I also was unable. The charm takes around two weeks to reverse, so instead of having this hideous creature in here for that long, we have contacted the Ministry of Magic and they are sending someone to dispose of it tomorrow. So just leave this cage alone and don't bother cleaning in this corner.

By this point, Ron had become capable of some speech. "Spi-spi-spider!" he said, his voice shaking.

"Oh, honestly Mr. Weasley!" snapped Professor McGonagall. "He's just a baby. The damage that he could inflict is very minimal."

These words did not comfort him in the least. The spider was way too big for the three-foot high cage and was making threatening clicking noises.

"So," she glared at Malfoy again, "just stay clear of this corner. Okay, right you lot, time to tidy up. Now, all the waste you scrape out goes over there," she pointed to the north wall, "in those bollards."

She then proceeded to give them each a scraping tool, traditionally used by Muggles, and explained how to use them, while conjuring three buckets of water and three towels.

"You may also use these, but nothing else. Do I make myself clear?" she said, eying all three of them harshly.

"Yes, Professor," they all said in monotone.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I have an engagement, and I shall be back at nine o'clock to inspect your work. If it is not finished and up to standard, you will be serving detention until the cleaning meets my expectations…and remember, absolutely NO MAGIC!"

With these words she turned around and headed through the door that lead back into her classroom. Her foot steps against the stone floor grew softer and softer, until they eventually died away.

The room was deathly silent. The only sound that could be heard was the clicking of the Acromantula and Ron's occasional whimpers. All three of them were staring each other down.

Hermione was the first to break the silence.

"Right," she said quietly, "we had better get to it then."

"I'm not taking orders from a dirty little mudblood!" said Draco harshly.

Ron seemed to snap out of his near-convulsion fit and come back to reality.

"Damnit Malfoy!" he yelled and lunged at him with full force. "I told you to stop talking about her like that!"

Ron had his hands wrapped so tightly around Draco's neck that Draco was starting to gasp for breath.

"RON!" Hermione yelled, "Please, just stop it! I DON'T want you fighting for me!"

Ron loosened his grasp on Draco but not breaking contact with his neck. He then turned his head slowly towards Hermione and regretted his rash behavior once again, when he saw her face.

Tears were now swelling in her eyes and she was trying hard to hold them back. She looked absolutely miserable.

Ron decided that it would make the situation better for everyone if he let go of Draco. He then moved his face about six inches from Draco's and said, in a dangerously low whisper, "I guess I shouldn't let you get to me." He then smirked and said, "It must really hack you off to be doing muggle work the muggle way."

Satisfied at the look on Draco's face, Ron picked up his tool McGonagall had given him, and got to work.

After the three hours were up, it felt like the three of them had been in there three weeks. The last words spoken was the comment that Ron made about the punishment involving muggle work, and the silence throughout the remainder of their detention was deafening.

Ron desperately wanted to ask Draco what he did to land his sorry arse in detention in the first place, however, he decided against this action. Seeing how Hermione was already seething at him, he didn't want to make matters with her worse, so he remained rational and collected (which WAS NOT something that he was used to doing).

Just as they were wiping out the last of the dung and loading it into the bollards, McGonagall walked briskly into the room. She walked around to all the cages and inspected them carefully, eying each one down to the very last millimeter. As soon as she appeared satisfied, she addressed them:

"I trust that you did perform this without magic?" It was more of a statement that a question.

Hermione was the first to speak up.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

Seeming satisfied that Hermione was the one to answer her question, knowing that she was the only one of the lot whom she trusted to answer truthfully, she said, "Very well. Mr. Malfoy you may leave- and I want you to go straight to the Slytherin common room. If I find out that you have gone elsewhere, you will be serving detention again tomorrow night. Do I make my self clear?"

Ron thought he saw a slight look of nervousness spread across Draco's pointed face as he answered, "Yes, Professor."

Draco gave the smirk of a life time at Ron as he strode out of the room and down to the dungeons.

"Why does that bloody prat get to leave, and we have to stay?" Ron questioned.

"Language, Mr. Weasley! You two are staying because I still need to discuss with you the matter of why you are here and to make sure that my two sixth year prefects learn how to control their anger towards one another."

"But what about Malfoy! He's a prefect and you let him leave!" baffled Ron.

"That is true, Mr. Weasley, but Mr. Malfoy is not my prefect, he is Professor Snape's. And just to avoid anymore unnecessary questions from you, both Professor Snape and myself had a little chat with Mr. Malfoy about the cause of his detention."

"But why would you-"

"Enough, Mr. Weasley. Now, you two seem to be quarreling more and more, and I do believe that it is starting to get out of hand.

FLASHBACK

Harry, Ron and Hermione were in Transfiguration talking quietly amongst themselves. They were starting the basics of human transfiguration and Professor McGonagall had given the class some free time to practice turning their left hands into cat paws.

Hermione's was perfect, as always, and Harry was struggling but making excellent progress, however, Ron's left hand looked like it had been given a hair raising potion. Hermione was eying him eagerly, desperately wanting to tell him what he did wrong.

"Bloody hell!" Ron bellowed. "I can't get this blasted spell right!" As he said this last comment, instead of tapping his hand with his wand and saying the incantation, he smacked it, full force, out of frustration.

Hermione raised one of her bushy eyebrows and asked, in one of her very bossy tones, "Would you like me to tell you what you are doing wrong?"

"No," he snapped, "I AM capable of performing a simple spell."

"Well, actually Ron, it is a very complicated branch of magic and it doesn't appear that you are capable."

Ron glared at her and said, "Hermione, I don't need your help, so get out of it with your know-it-all attitude."

Harry rolled his eyes and continued on perfecting his paw; for he knew this was only the beginning of the row. Here lately, once they started to go at each other, it was a while before they stopped.
He was right. After a good fifteen minutes of solid bickering towards one another he heard Ron shout, "DAMNIT! Don't talk to me like I'm five years-old!" and slammed his "paw" down so hard on the desk that ink went flying into the air and shattered all over Hermione.

"RON! You dozy prat!"

"Sorry," he said through clenched teeth.

"Sorry. You're sorry! It will take forever to get this out- even with a wand!"

"Do your nut, Hermione, everyone's watching!"

"YES THEY ARE," Professor McGonagall bellowed. "What, may I ask is going on here?"

When neither of them answered she replied, "Very well. You two will be serving detention with me then, at six o'clock. Do not be late!"

END FLASHBACK

"You two," Professor McGonagall said, pointing at Ron and Hermione, "are two of my most responsible students."

Ron snorted at this comment. He had never considered himself responsible.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. You are more responsible than you think, and it is time for the both of you to stop this petty bickering and start acting like prefects."

She put her head down in her hands and sighed, then looked back up at them.

"I don't understand what's happened to you two. You both have been wonderful friends for more than five years, always…er... for the most part," she added quickly, "getting along quite well with one another. Understand, I am not speaking to you now as a mentor, but as a person who has watched the two of you grow over the years and has grown to care for you very deeply. Please take to heart when I tell you this- you need to stop letting all the little things that happen between you two get in the way of your friendship. You need to get things under control, or I fear that you may build a wall that will never be able to be broken down."

Ron gave her a confused look.

McGonagall sighed deeply and said, "What I mean to say, is-"

"What she means to say," Hermione turned around and looked at Ron for the first time that night, "is that we need to stop bickering, or it could ruin our friendship."

After she said this, she turned her head back to McGonagall's direction, much to Ron's dislike.

"Do you understand, Mr.Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor, I do."

"Very well then. The night is late and the two of you must be tired. You may go."

Ron and Hermione walked out of the room and out into the hall silently. Both really had taken to heart what Professor McGonagall had said and were thinking about her words.

"Hermione," Ron said, "do you want to talk about it?"

She was silent for far too long, and Ron thought that perhaps she was still too mad to say anything to him. Then, after a very awkward silence, she said, "No Ron, I really don't."

Ron had always heard the term "heart-broken" and always believed it to be complete rubbish…until now. He thought he was, in fact, experiencing a small amount of it now. He desperately needed everything to be okay with Hermione again and didn't know what he would do if it wasn't.

Hermione could see the hurt and desperation written all over his face. She really did want to talk to him and work everything out and mend their friendship. He was one of her very best friends, and to loose him would be awful, but she just couldn't speak with him. Not yet anyway.

A/N: Thank-you all who reviewed. Your reviews and knowing you like my story are my motivation!

Huge thanks to Emily for all the awesome help and inspiration! I really appreciate everything that you've helped me with!