They didn't have an opportunity to speak with Ron in private until just before bed that night. By that time, Harry and Hermione's incident of being 'caught in a snog-session' by McGonagall was all over the school. It didn't ruffle Harry or Hermione, by then they'd stopped paying attention to the rampant rumors about the two of them, but Hermione was growing concerned about their mutual friend. The more times Ron heard the story, the redder his face became and the sourer his expression grew when he was with her and Harry. Which ended up being a lot. Ron had not stomped off or ignored them as he might have a couple of weeks ago, but he'd clammed up right quick after Hogsmeade. He'd not spoken to either Harry or Hermione since the Three Broomsticks. He communicated instead with grunts, looks, and shrugs. Harry and Hermione exchanged glances at Ron's taciturn shift, but until they could get him alone they couldn't do a thing about it.

Their chance came when the last of the Gryffindors, save the three of them, went up to bed, leaving the common room empty of unwanted ears. It was the privacy for which Hermione had been waiting anxiously.

As soon as the last sound of retreating footsteps faded, Hermione closed shut the book she'd had open in her lap for the past hour pretending to read. She looked up at her two friends in the common room with her.

She was sitting on one end of the couch with Ron way over on the other. The vacancy between them seemed gaping, wide enough for Hagrid to wedge himself into had he been there. Harry was lying on his stomach on the mat situated before the hearth, his chin perched atop his folded hands as he idly looked through a Quidditch magazine laid open flat only a matter of inches from his nose. Given the situation, they'd thought it best they not share the couch as the typically would have. Seemed no reason to aggravate Ron's suspicions further.

Harry glanced toward Hermione as soon as she moved to close her book. It was the first movement from her in a good half-hour, including any pointless page-turning. He could read in her face that she intended to bring it up at last, and he gave a tick of a nod in agreement. He rolled over on to his side facing them and propped his head up with one hand.

"Ron," Hermione turned to look directly at their tight-lipped comrade. He didn't respond when she called his name, and that didn't bode well at all, but Hermione soldiered on; she hadn't expected this was going to be easy. "I know what you're thinking, about earlier, but it wasn't what you think it was."

Ron inhaled twice through his nose, peered at the fire without answering, then he finally turned his head to look at Hermione. "All right, Hermione, what was it then?" In his tense voice and furrowed brow it was visibly plain the effort he was making not to judge them before he'd heard them out. From Ron, it was a monumental gesture, and Hermione found herself touched that he would struggle against his nature on their behalf.

It was a golden chance they dared not shun.

"It…" then she stopped abruptly and darted a look at Harry. What were they going to tell Ron? They hadn't discussed it. It seemed more important to forestall Ron's wild assumptions that were sure to fly, so much so that they'd neglected to discuss the reason they wanted to tell Ron for their spectacle in Hogsmeade. Not to mention it wouldn't have helped their cause any to sneak off alone together to go over their strategy for approaching Ron. Ron had stuck with them the whole rest of the day, though he'd obviously been none to happy about it. Now Hermione was at a loss how to explain away the compromising position she and Harry had seemingly been in when McGonagall dragged them from the alley.

Harry sat up, turned to squarely face the couch, and watched Hermione closely to see how she'd want to proceed. His acquiescing expression spoke volumes. He was going to leave it up to her discretion what and how much they told Ron.

Ron mistook their silent conference for conspiracy. He was, to say the least, put out by the flagrant display enacted right in front of him. Then he looked almost physically pained. "Look, I'm trying really hard here, so if it's not what I think it was, then just tell me what it was."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip and looked despairingly at Ron. It was so clear he was trying, but what was she to say? The truth seemed the easy answer, but a selfish part of her wanted to keep the cats secret, her and Harry's private escape from their world that had turned so gloomy and grave. Which left the question, if not the truth, what could they tell Ron that would keep their recently repaired friendship from cracking anew? Unbidden, her eyes returned to Harry, as though he could give her some guidance.

"You know," Ron said with a scowl, "you told me you two aren't together, and I believed that. Are you telling me now that was a lie?"

"No!" Hermione blurted. Then she made her decision. To save their friendship with Ron, there was only one thing to do.

She turned to look again at Harry and she could swear he already knew her thoughts from the way he met her eyes. "We have to tell him, Harry."

Ron sighed in disgust. "I knew it."

Harry merely nodded and got up from the floor. As he headed for the boys' dorm Hermione turned her attention back to Ron. "No, Ron, you've got it wrong. We're not together… but there is something Harry and I haven't been completely honest with you about."

Ron studied Hermione carefully, obviously torn about what and how much to believe. Hermione wished she could just wave her wand and fix this, make it easier or unnecessary.

Harry returned to the common room with his father's cloak in hand.

Ron went from suspicious to bewildered when he recognized the invisibility cloak. "Hang on a minute, where are we going?"

Hermione stood and stepped toward Harry. She looked up, met Harry's gaze, and hoped he felt the same as she did about telling Ron their secret. She thought she knew, but did she really? She dreaded to think Harry would ever resent her for making this decision for the both of them without ever actually talking to him before-hand. Yet when she looked into his eyes, they reflected only trust and complete faith in her judgment. It bolstered Hermione's resolve that this was the right course of action.

She turned to Ron and said, "We can't tell you here, Ron. You'll just have to trust us. I promise, we'll tell you everything… like we should have from the start."

Ron stared at Hermione in close scrutiny, turned the same expression on Harry, then stood with a fed-up wave of his arms. "Oh, bugger it, fine, but this better be good."

The three of them barely fit under the cloak anymore, and Hermione, sandwiched in the middle, felt almost claustrophobic. The sense of suffocation was intensified by the fact that Ron was tense on her right, on the cusp of another row with the both of them, and Harry, on her left, knew it as well as she. It was sad. They used to cram up under this same cloak, the three of them, and steal off in the middle of the night, and it had always been a thrill, a sense of adventure. Now it was fraught with hostility on the brink of erupting. Hermione ached to think how things could change so much, how they could bring friends closer while at the same time pushing other friends apart. But hopefully, after tonight, things between the three of them would be a bit more like they'd been before.

Outside, the sky was overcast and the grounds nearly pitch black. They dare not cast lumos to light their way, at least not until they were much farther from the castle than the metaphorical front stoop. Ron hesitated, clearly noticing the same poor visibility that Hermione had. Hermione briefly but quickly took hold of his wrist to still him and bid him 'wait' without saying anything. Then she waited on Harry. After a moment, when he moved forward, she was right at his side. She tugged gently on Ron's wrist, and his muscles stiffened in protest under her fingers, then he squished in even closer to her side and picked his way over the ground blindly.

As they made their way over the grounds, a light dusting of snow began to fall. Hermione shivered and pressed tighter into Harry's side. Soon afterward, Hermione felt Harry's arm close around her waist. It warded off the chill that had gripped her and she welcomed the warmth. Packed together as they were, though, Ron would feel Harry hook his arm around her waist, and quickly Hermione snaked out her own arm and hugged Ron close to her right side. He was awkward and uncomfortable in her hold, but she'd rather him think they were all linking together to make their collective steps easier than believe Harry was doing something boyfriendly with her.

Harry led them, unerringly, toward the woods. Hermione had known at once that's where they would go. As they got closer, however, Ron jerked to a stop and broke the perfect quiet of their exodus when he realized where they were going. "That's the Forbidden Forest," he hissed in a shocked whisper.

Hermione tightened her hold around his waist. "We know, Ron."

He did not take kindly to their apparent intent to walk into the dangerous woods with full knowledge of their actions. "Are you two mental?"

"You'll be safe. Please, Ron. We have to get out of sight of the castle."

Ron still balked for a moment, but Hermione tugged insistently on him, implored him with physical action to keep moving, and with a grumble Ron followed. It seemed to take less urging on Hermione's part to have Ron tuck in close to her as they slipped into the night-black forest. After picking their way beyond a few trees, Ron almost reluctantly brought up his arm and looped it around Hermione's waist much as she clung to him. She wasn't sure how Harry would feel about that, but for now it was progress. And very much like the old days, Ron's arm on one side of her, Harry's on the other.

When Harry deemed them a safe distance from the castle, he threw off the cloak that had concealed the trio. When they were no longer forced to hunker down and press together, Harry stepped a pace away from Ron… and for half that distance pulled Hermione after him with the arm that lingered a second on her waist.

Having had time for her eyes to adjust normally to the darkness, she could just barely make out Ron's features as he stood facing them. He looked uneasy. Small wonder, since the few times he'd been in the Forbidden Forest at night it had been to learn just why it was forbidden to Hogwarts students. The sounds of the night were thick and eerie around them. She couldn't really fault Ron for being a tad jumpy… if she didn't know she could become a beast fit and capable of fending off any creature the forest harbored, she might be a little leery of this ominous meeting place, too.

"Okay, what's so bloody secret that we had to come out here to talk?" Ron asked, edgy.

Hermione glanced at Harry only to see him standing back, aloof, the watcher tonight. She'd give him that. Hermione pressed her lips together to steel herself. With a breath she turned and faced Ron. "You have to swear you'll keep this a secret, Ron."

"Keep what a secret?!"

"Just swear… on our friendship, promise you won't tell anyone."

Ron bristled. Snow began to fall with increased regularity, landing wet and pin-prick cold on Hermione's cheeks and dampening her hair. "You know," Ron retorted, "I think our friendship's been stretched a bit thin this year, and I have to say it looks to me to be getting thinner. Just tell me what the bloody hell is going on." For a beat, Harry and Hermione were equally quiet. Ron shook his head. "I feel like I barely know you two anymore!"

Hermione frowned at him. This was getting uglier than she'd expected. "If friendship isn't enough for you to swear by, then swear on Harry's life you'll never speak of this to anyone, because if you do it could mean his life."

Ron stopped cold at that. Even at odds with Harry, he still could not abide by ever endangering Harry's life. Hermione was glad to see that, at least, was still unchanged.

"I swear," Ron finally vowed, and for that at least the venom was gone from his voice.

Hermione nodded, satisfied Ron would not betray their confidence, then tried to think of where to start. She wasn't sure how far back to go. Should she start with their decision during the summer to try to become animagi? What about their months of preparation, or Kimmy's invaluable assistance? Should she walk through the steps, retell it like a story in one of her much-loved books?

Ron was watching her expectantly.

In the end, she went with the simplicity of directness. "Harry and I are animagi."

Ron's mouth dropped open. Quite suddenly the sounds of the night seemed to amplify in the comparative dead silence that had engulfed the three students. Ron stood there and gaped at Hermione as if she'd just confessed to being Snape's illegitimate daughter.

Hermione held her breath in wait for how he was going to react.

Ron closed his mouth. His eyebrows drew together in a burgeoning frown. Then he stiffened. "Sure you are."

Hermione blinked, taken aback by his response. Of all his reactions, disbelief hadn't been one she'd expected. Anger she'd anticipated most, and there was a fair bit of that, but flat-out not believing them…

"We are. Harry and I spent the whole summer working on it. See, at end of last term I checked out this book—"

Ron cut her off with a dismissive flick of his hand. "You know, of you I'd expect a better lie than that, Hermione." Ron angrily took a step toward to Hermione, for what purpose she couldn't begin to guess. She never found out, because Harry broke from his sentinel-like position on the fringe to immediately move up and stand directly behind her. Ron saw it, stopped, and very nearly sneered. "If you two are going to snog then fine. I know I've no say in it, but please, just do me the favor of being honest with me.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might just be okay with it? I may not like it, but I can learn to deal with you and Harry being together." Ron stepped away from them in disgust. "Instead I get this! Animagi!

"I'm going back to the castle. Good night."

With that, Ron turned on his heel and started storming off, for the moment his indignation seemed to have overpowered his fear of the Forbidden Forest. He was that upset. Hermione watched him leaving and felt helpless. She had no idea what to do. They hadn't lied!

Harry, it seemed, would take the decision out of her hands. She saw his powerful panther form move past her and head toward Ron with nary a sound to mark his passage. At a loss herself, she stood back and watched to see what Harry planned to do.

Harry swiftly and silently slipped through the trees, circled around Ron as the redhead marched back toward the castle, and like a shadow of the night itself Harry stepped out of the bushes a mere foot in front of Ron.

"Ahhh!" Ron screamed and jumped back from the panther that had seemingly materialized in his path.

Hermione rushed up to Ron and steadied him, "It's okay! It's just Harry, Ron."

Ron appeared thoroughly shaken as he looked, with saucer-like eyes, between Hermione and the large black cat that had come upon him from the darkness without warning. "Harry?!" Ron squeaked. The panther lifted its head a fraction higher, and reflexively Ron went for his wand.

"Don't," Hermione slapped his hand away and grabbed the redhead tightly by the arm. "It's Harry, Ron. Look," she pointed with her other hand at Harry's cat form, "see the scar?"

Ron, still twitching to draw his wand, reluctantly looked toward the panther again. He stared a moment, then he began to frown when he saw the distinctive lightning-shaped white mark on the animal's brow. His frown deepened as he started to believe just maybe the black beast before him was his good mate.

Ron glanced at Hermione, seeking assurance, then looked back at the cat and stammered, "Ha-Harry?"

Harry stepped out from the trees and moved slowly toward Ron. Ron took an instinctive step back, but Hermione did not move. She knew far better than to fear Harry in panther form. Harry walked right up to her, rubbed his shoulder against her legs, and watched Ron steadily with familiar blue eyes. Hermione reached down to touch Harry on the head, but she kept her eyes on Ron.

She could almost watch the struggle wash over his face. The evidence before him was undeniable. Hermione was no animal bewitcher… she would not have a panther at her feet, submitting to her hand, unless it was no true panther at all. The white mark in the exact shape of Harry's scar would be a dead giveaway. But still, to think that the young wizard Ron had known for years had this capability within him to become this powerful animal…

Hermione decided to spare him any kind of reaction right away. "Harry and I have been coming into the Forbidden Forest every morning on our runs to get used to our animagus forms. That's where we were when we disappeared from Hogsmeade today. We were in the woods, in our animagus forms. We weren'toff snogging."

'No… no, I… I suppose not. I mean, Harry couldn't very well snog in that state," Ron conceded stiltedly. He took a wary step closer to them. Harry lifted his chin to look up at Ron, his clear eyes steady.

"Is that really you, Harry?"

Harry lifted a paw and batted at thin air.

Ron chuckled. "Blimey… I… and you," he glanced toward Hermione, "you can, uh, change into something, too?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I can. I become a lioness."

Ron looked thunderstruck. Then… "Wicked."

Hermione smiled hopefully.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, paused, shuffled around a bit bashfully, then asked, "Could, uh… d'you think I could see it?"

"What, the lioness?"

Ron nodded vigorously.

Hermione offered a very careful smirk. "You're not going to get scared and run off, are you?"

Ron's face screwed at the insinuation. "No." Although it seemed perfectly well to ask him since he'd nearly bolted from Harry on first sight of his animagus form.

Hermione crouched down to the ground and with well-practiced ease transformed into the lioness. She gave a shake of her head that ruffled her mane. Harry looked over at her then back at Ron.

"Blimey!" Ron croaked as he stared between the two cats that were moments ago his friends.

Hermione cautiously approached Ron, who tensed but did not flee. She touched his hand with her nose then sat at his feet and looked up calmly at him. Ron gave a nervous laugh.

Hermione returned to Harry's side and changed back. Following her lead, Harry transformed back to wizard form a second after her. It left them standing next to one another as though nothing unusual had happened. Ron just looked flabbergasted.

"I know we should have told you earlier, Ron, and I'm sorry we didn't," Hermione said. "At first we didn't know if we'd be able to become animagi so there seemed no need, and once we were animagi you weren't speaking to us, and then… I guess it just got to be habit to keep it between the two of us."

Ron ruffled a hand through his hair, still out of sorts from the discovery. "I just… that's… that's so amazing. How'd you two ever manage?"

For the first time, Harry spoke. "It wasn't easy."