Ron was really ready to just let it go, maybe roll his eyes a little if Hermione chose to badger him about his very serious threat on Malfoy's life. But her persistence, her constant claims that Malfoy was better than slime and that Ron would somehow grow to see it... bloody hell, how infuriating can one girl get?

"Merlin, haven't you learned anything?" he nearly bellowed at her. "If there's one thing their ilk is good at, it's biding their time and being patient. Snape waited all those years to turn the tables, and how long did it take Riddle to build up what he needed to get where he wanted to be? For all you know, Malfoy told Riddle everything he wanted to know, and the two of them were just waiting for the best moment to strike! Waiting for someone to be dumb enough to let their guard down and trust one of them!"