Harry Potter: Go To Hell

"After the Ball, Neville made it clear he didn't want to date me. That he'd only taken me to the Ball because Harry thought I wanted to go and he wouldn't be seen in such a setting with me on his arm. It'd give people the wrong impression. Neville said he knew I was taking money to be Harry's girl and he wouldn't poach on another guys territory. That I would never do as his girl any more than I did as Harry's. Because I was for hire."

"So when Michael came around a few days later wanting to make up, I said yes. It seems the whole Ball thing and the rumors about it told Michael Harry did know I was supposed to be his girl and Michael wanted to date me again. But that entire incident told Harry I knew the rules, Ron. You know it did."

Ron nodded glumly. Her asking if she could go with Nev to the Ball would've told Harry she knew she was to ask him before going anywhere with another bloke. He also knew Harry knew about Michael because he'd been the one to tell him. He was gloating because Harry had lost Ginny to another for being too thick to see what a great girl she was. Hermione had been furious with him for that. Absolutely livid.

Ginny continued explaining to her brother. "In any case, it doesn't matter now. Everyone and his brother -and sister- knows Harry will never marry me. Nor will any other respectable boy we know. Because I'm not a suitable future wife for them. My involvement with you, Hermione and the Headmaster in destroying Harry's name and reputation here at school has told them that. My dating boys I didn't first get permission to be with only confirmed what they already knew. I'm a girl raised in this world that still believes in betrothal agreements and marriage contracts. I knew the rules and I broke them of my own free will. Now I have to pay the price for my own choices."

Ron grimaced but nodded his head. But Ginny was still speaking. "We really shouldn't have under-estimated Harry's intelligence that way. Nor should we have assumed that just because he didn't say anything, he didn't know what we were doing behind his back. How many times has he shown us just how very observant he is? It's always him who puts all the little random clues together, Ron. Every year, we know what's going on in this school and we deliberately feed it to him piecemeal. Only giving him information when it seems he's giving up or uninterested in whatever challenge the Headmaster had us set up for him. Yet he puts all those little bits of information together and shows up at the right place at the right time to do what needs to be done. Yet we underestimated him in regards to our own bad behavior. And considering how you and Hermione acted any time he said anything even slightly hurtful or negative to or about me, it really isn't that much of a surprise he didn't call me on my bad behavior towards him as anyone else, including you, would've."

"As for why I'm not mad at him anymore. . well that's simply because, as Colin's ghost pointed out to me, he didn't offer me the payment. The Headmaster did. And Mum and Da approved it. As Colin said, Harry had nothing to do with it. None of us asked him if he was ok with us getting paid to be near him and not one of us considered how he feel about it when he found out. Because he was always going to find out one day. Did you really think he'd just laugh it off when he did? You know him better than that. Or at least you should."

Ron squirmed in his chosen seat. When this all began Dumbledore had told him he'd explain things to Harry before he found out about the payments. Then when he'd gotten to know Harry he'd been worried about how he'd react when he learned he was being paid to be around him. Again the Headmaster had told him not to worry. Harry'd understand. Over time, he'd just allowed himself to believe the Headmaster and not worry about it. But Ginny was right. Harry was always going to find out. And he was always going to be angry when he did. There was always going to be a price to be paid at that time. because Harry wasn't anywhere near as stupid or gullible as the Headmaster claimed he was.

Ginny's voice broke into his thoughts again. "But Dumbledore knew, Ronald. From you at least, he knew exactly how Harry would feel and he didn't care. How many times did you tell him how Harry feels about liars? About betrayers? About people taking credit for things they don't do? About people saying one thing while doing another? About gossipers and people who go around enticing others to share their secrets just so they can go tell everybody else?" Ron grimaced and she nodded. "and we did all of that to Harry. So really. Did you honestly think Harry would just let it go because the Headmaster said he would?"

"But Dumbledore, now. He knew how Harry would see us. He knew but he didn't care. Not about us or our feelings. Not about our family and what this would do to them when it came out. Because those girls in the halls were right Ron. Our family could be ruined when thios comes out to the public. The Bank will fire Bioll without a second thought. Percy and Dad will be booted out of the Ministry so fast they'll be lucky if they have time to clear out their desks. And Charlie will be let go from the Dragon Reserve as soon as the donations drop drastically enough. And none of them will find it easy to get other honorable placements. For that matter the twins will suffer as well. They want to open their own shop, Ron. Tell me. Where will they get the backing for that? Who will agree to rent them space to set up shop in? Who will buy their wares? But Dumbledore didn't care because he saw a use for us." She wagged a finger between the two of them.

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