61 Confronting the Culprit

Ron Weasley was walking from Gryffindor Tower towards the Great Hall for lunch. Yesterday the incident with the troll in the castle had cut the feast short. It was a shame, so many good things to eat and they hadn't got the chance to really enjoy them over the fear that the troll would come there. And then of course Harry Potter again was in the spotlight. That arrogant show-off. Potter the Boy-Who-Simply-Could-Do-Everything. 

Now he had even got onto his house's Quidditch team and it was said he had led the troll on a race of cat and mouse until the teachers could get the troll. There also were rumours he had sung a Cerberus to sleep. Pah, as if anybody could do that. Potter the traitor should have been a Gryffindor and then he would have become his best friend. 

That was what his mother had always said. A boy as brave as Harry Potter would have to become a Gryffindor. After all both his parents had been in Gryffindor, but where did the traitor go? To the Ravenclaw bookworms. And instead of seeing what a boring nerd and bookworm he was, everybody seemed to fall over him.

Suddenly he froze and was dragged into an empty classroom. Then he was unfrozen, grabbed by the collar and stared down by furious green eyes. The eyes of the one he had just mentally ranted about.

"Do you know that I would love to beat you up for what you caused yesterday, Weasley? I have noticed that you are incapable of thinking before you talk, so I will make my message really clear. You, Ronald Weasley, have nearly become the cause for the death of a fellow student." Harry spat.

"Wha? What the hell are you talking about, Potter? I would never kill somebody. Only dark wizards do that." Ron shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Harry shouted back making Ron shiver in fear.

"Yesterday in Charms you were angry because Hermione was better than you again. You were jealous that Neville and I got the attention in class, while you failed to do the charm. Hermione even tried to help you. She told you what you did wrong, but you, the stupid, stuck up on false pride, moron that you are, couldn't just accept the help and had to make fun of her after class. You knew she was walking behind you, yet you still had to say that her friends would only stay with her because she was helping them with their homework and that nobody could stand a know-it-all-bookworm.

"Your words made her run away, miss lunch and lock herself into the toilet on the second floor, crying her eyes out over your cruel words. The same toilet the troll nearly went into. Miranda tried to get her out of there, but thanks to you, she didn't want to come out. 

You, Ronald Weasley, and your cruel words are the reason she was in that toilet when the troll came. Hadn't I just been walking around with Hedwig to stretch my legs, she would be dead by now. No first year would be able to take on a mountain troll and win. I'm the best in our year and I could only make it change attention to me and chase me instead of Hermione. 

And that I got away unharmed was only because I was lucky, it had nothing to do with any mystique skills or such nonsense. Do you feel good now? Do you feel superior? What does it feel like to nearly have caused the death of a girl that only tried to help you?" Harry coldly asked.

With every word of the story Ron had paled more.

"You said only dark wizards would cause the death of somebody? Are you a dark wizard, Weasley? Does it feel good that your words were hurting her more than any wound you could have dealt her physically? Should I show you just how much words can hurt?" Harry asked again, not getting an answer from the shaking boy.

"Should I take that as a yes? You are not even worth being beaten up. You are scum, nothing more. You get turned on by making others cry. Did you even try to apologize to Hermione when you heard Parvati and Miranda talk about where she was? No, you continued on to the feast. When you found out that a troll was in the castle, did you think about the danger Hermione could be in? 

It was a coincidence that Professor McGonagall noticed she was missing and asked Neville and Miranda where she was so that a teacher went there as soon as they knew about the troll. But you were only interested in your food. You begrudge Hermione and me that we are good in class, but you only laze around from what I hear, not making any effort to do better in class, so you don#t have any right to be jealous of those that get praised for good results. 

If I ever hear that you do something like that again, you will have to deal with me, Weasley. I take offence to anybody hurting those I care about. And don't make any mistake; I am an unforgiving enemy to have." Harry said, let Ron fall to the ground and walked out of the room.

.....

Things didn't get better for Ron Weasley the next few days. The verbal beating Harry had given him was replayed in his mind over and over again, especially the accusation of being a dark wizard for liking to make others hurt. Worse, the twins had found out about his part in Hermione's near fatal contact with the troll. 

He got pranked horribly and Percy told him in very clear words that he was disgusted to have to hear how his brother could say something like he did to Hermione. He had written their mother to inform her about his abysmal behaviour. The rest of the first years were shunning him. Even Dean and Seamus. They all thought that until he honestly apologized to Hermione, he deserved their treatment.

The next thing was the howler he got two days after the incident. The day where he had hoped to get a reprieve as it was the day where the first Quidditch mazch, Gryffindor against Slytherin would take place. But the loud, booming voice of Molly Weasley, who told him how disgusted she was with his behaviour, made him feel very small. It didn't help that those cold, hard, green eyes were constantly drilling into his head. And Potter hadn't even got points deducted.

Harry had been called into Professor Flitwick's office and his head of house had asked him to explain what had happened between him and Ron. Somehow rumours had spread that he had given Ron a thorough dressing down. Harry had informed Flitwick that he had told Ron what he thought about his actions, made him realize just what his insensitive words had nearly caused and asked him if he was proud of his actions. 

He didn't hurt him, the only thing he could have been held accountable for was the body bind hex, for which he was ready to take full responsibility. He said his reason was that he wanted to do it without witnesses to not let things get further out of control.

Flitwick had told Harry that he should have left things to the teachers and had given him a warning to not repeat his action. But as it hadn't technically been wrong and it was much more effective that a student called Ron out for his stupidity, he let it slide.

....

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