The next three weeks were quite peaceful for Harry and Hermione. Though they had not had any other opportunity to be together intimately, they had spent as much time together as possible, and it seemed to them that Ron had given up trying to annoy them.
Unknown to the couple, Dean and Ginny had recruited Neville and Seamus to help them buffer Ron's attempted attacks on the couple and between the four of them, with a little help from a few WWW products, they had been quite successful in giving Hermione and Harry three weeks of peace and quiet to enjoy their relationship.
It wasn't until one night when Neville and Seamus had received dentition from Professor Snape, and Dean and Ginny had quidditch practice that Ron was able to get near enough to Hermione and Harry to insult them.
"Look at the happy little couple," Ron sneered when he entered the common room.
Most of the Gryffindors who were not at quidditch practice just rolled their eyes and ignored the prejudiced red-head, but a few younger students perked up at the hope of a fight.
"Looking a little pudgy there Hermione, has the boy wonder got you knocked up already?" Ron continued. "Good little slut is she Harry?"
The students who hadn't been paying attention now were, and the common room was completely silent as Harry stood from the couch and faced Ron.
"Hermione. is. NOT. A. SLUT!" Harry started out calmly but ended up bellowing at his former friend.
"She sure dropped her pants awfully quick for the 'new guy' in the tower didn't..." Ron's insulting rant was quickly cut off by the right hook that Harry delivered to his jaw. Ron never saw it coming, thinking that Harry wouldn't risk his dating privileges by retaliating. Ron had been sorely wrong.
"I have been in this tower just as long as you have you insensitive, bigoted prick! Hermione Granger is a lady, and a right sight of a better person than you are. You will NOT speak of her that way again." Harry said, standing over his former friend, the boy he had considered the closest thing he ever had to a brother, until the previous summer.
The quidditch team was piling through the portrait door, chattering and discussing practice when they realized the completely silence of the common room and fell silent almost immediately.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked nervously.
No one in the room spoke until Hermione found her voice. "Your brother was being a right prat, and Harry decked him. I think I have to go get Professor McGonagall."
Hermione hurried out of the room in search of their head of house.
Harry sat back down on the couch that he had previous been curled up with Hermione on and Ginny, Dean, and the sixth year beaters from the quidditch team hauled Ron over to a chair on the other side of the room and guarded him until Hermione returned with Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Weasley! Mr. Black! I demand to know what is going on between the two of you this instant! You two were best friends at the end of last term!" Minerva McGonagall fumed as she entered the portrait door, Hermione slipping in behind her and quickly finding Harry. She stood next to him, squeezing his hand to show her support.
"Professor," Harry began. "When I learned of my true parentage this summer I owled several of my friends and informed them of the situation. Everyone was happy for me with the exception of Ron. He informed me that perhaps I should be ashamed of my gay parents. When I refused to be, he began to be nasty to me every time we were in the same space. He came into the common room and referred to Hermione as a slut and insinuated that she was getting fat, and therefore pregnant. I punched him in the jaw when he wouldn't shut up," Harry finished calmly.
"Mr. Weasley, is this true?" The matronly Professor looked at the red-head who was still being restrained by half of her quidditch team.
"It isn't my fault that the bookwork went and got herself blown up by the boy wonder." Ron said defensively.
"That's quite enough Mr. Weasley, you will come with me. I'll be sending a letter to your mother, and Professor Dumbledore and your parents will decide the rest of your fate. As for you Mr. Black, three nights detention for assaulting another student, and I'll be informing your fathers of your actions as well." Professor McGonagall led Ron out of the room, the portrait swinging shut behind her.
Harry paled, realizing that this was the first time he'd been in trouble since he had found his fathers, and had no idea what sort of punishment to expect.