"That's completely uncalled-for," Hermione snapped. "And it's sick! What would make you even suggest such a horrible thing, Ron? I can't believe it even occurred to you!"
"Why do you think it comes to mind? Harry here's just gotten more and more distant the longer he's been down here! I had a feeling something wasn't quite right. It's not like I blame him! It's Snape, it's all Snape! He spent all that time mixed up with Death Eaters, remember! They're depraved, all of them!
"Snape is not a Death Eater, and he's not depraved, you moron!" Harry leaned forward to shout the words directly into Ron's face.
"Oh yeah? Well, have you ever slept in his bed? Well, have you?"
"He hasn't, and I would know," Draco lied, twisting a disgusted lip. "Granger's right, Weasley. That's a really foul accusation."
"Oh, like I would believe anything a Slytherin has to say," Ron scathed. "I notice Harry hasn't denied it, has he, now?"
"If I have to deny that, there's nothing left to say," Harry retorted, swallowing back a rush of bile. The ground beneath his feet began to tremble, ever so slightly. Oh God, no, not wild magic, not now, Harry thought, snapping his eyes closed so he could concentrate. He tried to rein it in, to get himself under control, but he was just so furious---
Draco felt the tremor and knew the cause. "Severus adopted him because the warding spells wouldn't work otherwise," he rushed to say. "And he really needs warding, Weasley! There's already been another attempt on Harry's life. The spells wouldn't stay put unless Harry had a right to live here. If he's Severus' son, he does."
As an attempt to mollify Ron, Draco's words failed miserably.
"Con-veeen-ient," Ron sneered.
Harry saw a flash of red behind his eyes, an anger so burningly brilliant that he felt charred, but at least the floor was rock-steady again. Draco's intervention had given Harry some time to recoup what little control he might have over the violent surge of magic just itching to lash forth. It didn't, however, give him as much control over his tongue. "Just get out!" Harry abruptly ordered. "And don't come back until you're ready to do the decent thing and wish me well like Draco did! Yeah, that's right, the well-wish is mine! I'm the new child in the family! I haven't had a real parent in fifteen years---believe me, the Dursleys don't count!---so you might try being happy for me! But noooooo, you have to get all bent out of shape 'cause it's Snape--"
"Snape's the one who's bent!" Ron shrieked.
"He's my father," Harry bellowed, his anger surging back, worse than before. He could taste it, thick and coppery in his mouth, could feel a sensation like a whiplash gathering strength inside him, the violence ready to fly-- Harry tried desperately to stave it off with words. "Don't you get it? I'm lucky to have him!"
"Lucky would be if the Slytherins had enough guts to kill him like they said they would!"
The wild magic tried to loose itself, and Harry shoved it back down, but that meant his anger had to explode in some other way. Unable to stop himself, Harry lashed out with his fist, landing a fierce blow against Ron's jaw, a blow which knocked the other boy flat on his back.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed, and not just because he'd punched Ron. In his surge of fury, he'd bodily shoved her out of the way so that he could get to Ron. He hadn't been aware of it at the time, but now, seeing her half-sprawled against the edge of Snape's low table, he knew what he must have done.
Ron yanked his wand out of his pocket and began to brandish it, but before he could so much as utter a hex, Draco was standing over him, his own wand straight and steady. "Don't," was all he said.
Muttering, Ron pocketed his wand again as he lumbered to his feet. "I wasn't going to use it," he complained. "I just didn't want Harry punching me again."
"Then don't express a death-wish towards my father!"
"Shite, Harry, he's not your father! I think you really are Confunded!"
"Get out!"
"No, seriously, think about it," Ron urged, his voice not so much insulting now as earnest. "He fed you all sorts of potions cooked up special just for you, and who was helping him, I ask you? This one, here!" Ron pointed to Draco, who still had his wand leveled on him. "Slytherins, the two of them. They could have done anything to you, and you wouldn't even know!"
"I started changing my mind about Snape before I took all those Potions, you dolt! Oh, what's the point? You've got it stuck in your head that Snape's the soul of evil!"
"Yeah, well he has been a black-hearted git to you for five years, Harry!"
"Yeah, that was awful how he kept Quirrell from tossing me off my broom!" Harry retorted. "And I really hated it when he Evanescoed the snake Draco conjured in our duel. And then there was the Tournament, when you so stupidly believed I actually wanted to compete, and he tried his best to get me out of it! And last year, when he alerted everybody that I'd been lured out to the Ministry building. I would so much have rather faced down Voldemort without Dumbledore to save my bacon! Yeah, that was terrible!"
"It was, seeing as he got your godfather killed!"
"Snape's not to blame for that!" Harry insisted, panting, he was so angry. "He did the right thing, the responsible thing. I'm sorry how it all turned out, more than you can know, but it's not his fault!"
"He's a Slytherin; I bet he had it all plotted out, right down to the Veil!"
"Slytherin doesn't mean evil!"
"A Slytherin killed your parents, Harry, killed your real father, or have you forgotten all about him?"
"He had help from a Gryffindor, namely your damned rat, or have you forgotten about him?" Harry retorted. "And anyway, I'm a Slytherin, too, by virtue of the adoption. So just go figure that out, why don't you? Figure out how all Slytherins can be dark wizards if the poster-boy-who-lived-hero-of-the-Light is one of them!"
"You're... not," Hermione quietly put in. "Not really, Harry?"
"Ha. I sure am. When I lose points, I lose half of them from Slytherin, now."
Ron clenched his teeth. "If the adoption did that to you, you can't help it, I guess. And I didn't say Snape was a dark wizard! How could I, when I know for a fact he's a member of... er..."
"Draco knows all about the Order."
"Oh great," Ron scathed. "Just blab everything to him. Trust him completely, why don't you?"
"Yeah, well maybe I will," Harry threatened. "He hasn't tried to hex me once since I've been down here. He hasn't made nasty suggestions about my relationship with Snape!"
"Now it's a relationship!"
"And just what the hell do you have with your father?"
Ron's nostrils flared, but then he made a visible effort to push his anger aside. "Harry," he said, taking a deep breath. "This adoption thing. Just say it was only because of the warding and I'll understand. Who wouldn't want to be safe? Just admit he isn't really your father, and we'll be fine."
From off to the side, Harry saw Hermione give a slight nod. Good advice, probably. He could smooth everything over with Ron if he'd just agree to that version of events. It was even the version Harry had been halfway telling himself for the past few days.