"But let's talk about that long ago Potions class. The one where you convinced me to provide the distraction Hermione claimed to need. So she could illegally brew that advanced potion she badgered us over because allegedly she wanted to see if she could make it as it was really advanced and sounded interesting. You're the one who had an illegal firework in your pocket. Tell me Ronald why were you carrying that firework in your pocket that day? I know you never did so before then. Nor do I believe you've done so since. Yet that day you just happened to have it in your pocket? And why Ronald did you hand it to me telling me to lob it into Malfoy's cauldron? Why his and no one else's?" He paused for a second to see if the hotheaded boy would give an excuse.
"Never mind. I'll tell you why. Because you wanted to see what would happen, didn't you Ronald? All I had to do to cause a sufficient distraction was raise my hand. Since I barely raise my head in his class, Professor Snape, who already knew Hermione was going into his storeroom that day, would have taken my upraised hand for what it was. The distraction she needed to slip out of the classroom. But you delight in the pain and misery of others, don't you?"
"No one would've gotten hurt simply because I raised my hand, would they? So that wasn't good enough for you, was it? Too tame for your tastes wasn't it? There be no enjoyment in that story for you, would there? And that wouldn't have given your boss anything to blackmail me over. Would it? You wanted someone to get hurt. All the better if it was Malfoy because you don't like him. Too much like looking in a mirror for you. A mirror that shows who you could have been if you'd just had different parents."
Harry couldn't help the hurt that showed in his expression from the memory of that incident. He knew he himself could have taken a moment to think about what he did before he threw the firework. So he was to blame for Draco getting hurt. But Ron had set him up and then laughed when he got punished and the incident was used against him later. The only thing Ron had said when Harry brought the matter up was, "You didn't have to throw it, Mate. You could have said no." Ron said nothing now though as he did remember when Harry had brought it up in the past. It was the one time Harry had refused to speak to Ron for over a month and Ron knew the only reason he'd begun speaking to him again was because Hermione gave him no peace over the issue. Neither did Dumbledore.
He didn't bother waiting for Ronald to verbally confirm his personal guilt since he knew Ron well enough to know he'd never voluntarily admit his own guilt without making a whole lot of noise about how it wasn't his fault and others were to blame as well. More to blame than himself anyway. And in the process of dealing with the girls he had already listed everything Ron had done to him over the years for the requirements of the spell casting he needed to do. Like the girls, Ron had also already admitted his guilt. That meant all Ron's crimes against him were fresh in the forefront of his mind and ready for Magic to act upon. And as fast as Ron could be at forgetting things he didn't want to remember, Harry knew he had to call for Judgment quickly if it was to be successful.
He let the fact Ronald hadn't denied it in any fashion suffice to proclaim it. He raised his hand and once again his pure light magic swelled up and out of his body through his raised hand towards Ron. In response Ron's magic arose and surrounded him in a weak glow. Judgment was fast in his case. Faster than it had been for either girl.
Before anyone could say a word Ron's face was marked just as the two girls were marked. Only Ron wore two marks to their one. He wore a Patron Judgement rune just as the girls did but he also wore the Betrayer Rune since Harry knew full well the redheaded boy had deliberately tried to get Harry killed by his own hand. That mark was a rune known by all the students who had already passed their first year of Ancient Runes meaning any fourth year Runes student could tell others what the mark was. Unlike the other mark, the Betrayer mark would never fade away or be diminished in any fashion either. Nothing he did would ever diminish it. He was now permanently marked. And in this society that meant his life would never amount to much of anything.
Unlike the girls, his judgement mark wasn't confined to only one side of his face. His mark was centered across his nose and spread out to both cheeks though not as covering as the girl's brands. The Betrayer's Mark was right in the center of his forehead dividing his brows. Though they were two separate marks, the way they were laid out made them look like a single marking.
Their placement made them the first thing people would see when they looked at him. Since he had made no secret of the number of times he had turned on Harry, betraying him in one fashion or another almost every single year, his mark was very dark. There would be no covering it up or trying to disguise what it was because Ronald Weasely had never intended to really be the friend and helpmate of Harry James Potter. He had only wanted to use him to get as much as he could from the relationship before Harry died as the sacrifice for the people Dumbledore claimed he was.
"Congratulations, Ronald," Harry sneered. "You have always wanted some kind of a sign that would let everyone know exactly who you are without you having to say a word. Something to distinguish you from the masses. To set you apart from all the other Weasely boys. Well, now you have it. Your own mark to grant you instant recognition. And just think. It's not nearly as nebulous as my own. People will be able to discover what it means with very little effort. They won't need the your personal White Knight in Shining Duplicity to tell them what your mark means. Let's hope you enjoy the fame such marks bring a person as much as you think you will."
When the trio saw each of them bore similar marks, they all tried to flee, figuring Harry was finally done with them now. They each had one thought in mind. Find someone who could and would remove the marks before expelling Harry for doing such a cruel thing to them. But they found they still couldn't move one inch from where they stood. He hadn't released them to go yet and Magic was holding them in place until he did so. They were forced to remain facing him.
"You'll find now that you have been branded by the guilt of your own souls, judged by Magic herself, that you owe me total allegiance. You named yourselves my bought and paid for servants and as far as Magic is concerned that is exactly what you are from this day forward. Magic has found you guilty of your crimes against my person. From this day forward Magic itself will monitor and punish you for any thoughts, words or deeds you try to enact against me as your patron."
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