Warning: rated T for consumption of alcohol, yelling, profanity, non sexual nudity, and emotionally intense content.

Note: This story has elements of humor and includes some crack at times but is not a parody at least not in the strictest sense. This stroy will contain no romance, no sex/sexuality, and no pairings excpet established adult couples such as Arhtur and Molly Weasley and Hugh and Tiny Creevey.

Harry Potter couldn't believe what he'd just seen and heard.

Ron Weasley had just been a COMPLETE asshole to Hermione Granger.

Sure, there had been incidents before, but this was inexcusable.

Ron had just meanly shaken bedsheets in Hermione's face and yelled at her at the top of his lungs in one of the most public settings of Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Common Room.

"That's it," Harry told Ron firmly, "I've had enough of you and your act. Unless and until you apologize to Hermione for shaking sheets in her face and yelling at her in front of the whole common room, you are no longer a friend of mine."

"I was your first ever friend and you're siding with her?" spat Ron.

"Yes, I am," replied Harry fiercely, "Until you learn how to respect people's feelings and treat people properly, I don't want you as a friend."

"Piss off!" snarled Ron as he walked away.

Harry now turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, would you please come up to my dorm for a few minutes?" requested Harry.

Clearly understanding that Harry was supporting her, Hermione followed Harry up the staircase.

Harry sat down on his own bed and Hermione sat down on Ron's bed and they faced each other.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry about the way Ron just treated you. It's completely unacceptable behavior to shake materials in someone's face or yell at someone in such a public setting."

"Thank you for your support, Harry," said Hermione, "Can I make a request?"

"Sure," answered Harry simply.

"You may have forgotten about it after our disagreement over the Firebolt, but we promised to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's trial."

Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. He had indeed promised to help with Buckbeak's trial and his argument with Hermione over the Firebolt had driven it out of his mind.

His guilt must have shown on his face because Hermione said quickly, "It's not too late Harry."

"Your request to me is that I assist you in helping find information for Buckbeak's trial?" guessed Harry.

"That is correct, Harry," said Hermione.

"Of course, I will, it's something I should have been doing all along," said Harry matter of factly.

"I know you have Quidditch this weekend, so maybe you can start helping me on Monday?" suggested Hermione.

"Fair enough" replied Harry.

Come Monday. Harry got up a couple of hours before breakfast to do some reading for Buckbeak's trial.

And in one book, he came across a piece of information that would alter his fate, and the world's, forever.

The bottom line is that the falling out between Ron and Hermione in Prisoner of Azkaban is Ron's fault. The reason it is Ron's fault is because of how inappropriately he handled the initial disappearance of Scabbers. Ron was absolutely in the wrong to shake bedsheets in Hermione's face and yell at her in one of the most public settings of Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron later meanly freezes Hermione out of the food party in the Gryffindor Common Room after their Quidditch win over Ravenclaw. When Harry tries to help Hermione, he yells again and makes poor Hermione run off crying. When confronted by Harry by this, Ron unfairly says "If she just acted like she was sorry" The problem with this is that Ron had no right to expect an apology from Hermione for anything unless and until he first apologized to her for shaking bedsheets in her face, yelling at her, and humiliating her in front of the whole common room. Personally, the ONLY way I will EVER apologize to anyone for anything is if the person who feels wronged by me informs me of how they feel they've been wronged by me in a 100% calm, 100% polite, 100% classy, 100% non yelling, and 100% non in your face manner. If someone yells at me, humiliates me, gets in my face, and shakes materials in my face, I will NEVER apologize to them for anything even if it is an indisputable truism that I owe them an apology unless and until they first apologize to me for the yelling, humiliation, in your faceness, etc. Bare in mind that being humiliated is a MUCH worse position to be in than the position Ron was in. Then, later on, Ron won't listen to Hagrid when Hagrid gives his correct perspective that Ron should value his friend more than rats. Remember: FRIENDS SHOULD ALWAYS BE VALUED ABOVE PETS! NO EXCEPTIONS!. Even minor level friendships such as Harry Potter and Katie Bell should always be valued above pets. Harry should care MUCH more about Katie than about Hedwig. Since Ron and Hermione are actually close friends, it's MUCH more true that Ron should care far more about Hermione than about Scabbers. The caveat is this: If Ron would have approached Hermione in a classy and polite manner and informed her of what he thought had happened and what his evidence was in a classy and polite manner, he would then have been justified in expecting an apology from Hermione. Here's what Ron should have done: He should have left the bedsheets in the dorm, calmly approached Hermione in the common room, and asked her for a word. He should then have asked her to follow him up to his dorm and talked to her in private. He then should have showed Hermione the bedsheets and cat hairs and explained that Scabbers was gone and that the evidence pointed to Crookshanks eating Scabbers without yelling. Had Ron handled the situation this way and Hermione still completely denied that the evidence pointed to Crookshanks eating Scabbers, Ron would have been MUCH more justified in becoming angry with Hermione after that. But, Ron needed to understand that no one is going to apologize for anything if you yell at them, humiliate them, or shake materials in their face. Acting like that is only going to rile people up and make people angry and defensive. Being yelled at will also freak most people out. While "friends should always be valued above pets" is a hill I will forever die on, I would have MUCH more respect for the opinion that Hermione should have apologized to Ron if Ron himself had handled himself in a classy manner like he should have.