Harry Potter: Go To Hell

"Even if it wasn't, Ron he still could have died by your hand. If he came out of that pipe wrong and landed on his head he could have snapped his neck or crushed his skull. In either case, he would have died. Because Madam Pomfrey wasn't there to fix his injury. Nor could you have gotten him to her in time for her to save him. You would have killed him because people don't live through crushed skulls or snapped necks, Ron. Do you understand now?"

Ron had paled as she explained what his hotheaded snap decision could have resulted in for him. At the time he'd been angry and scared. Harry wanted to go get Snape because Snape knew a lot of spells and could probably save Ginny faster and more easily than they could without him. But Ron didn't trust Snape and Dumbledore had said to take Lockhart. And Ron was worried Ginny would die before they reached her. So when Harry opened the pipe, he picked up a broken piece of the sink and smacked him with it to knock him off balance. Harry fell into the pipe and the rest was history. He'd never thought about what could have happened. Because it didn't happen. Harry had been fine. Softly, Ginny said, "I saw the bruise you left on his back, Ron. It was very near his neck and very large. You came very close to killing him. Closer than I think you actually knew. Or would admit to since that rune on your forehead clearly says you did know." Ron gulped and squirmed some more.

"Instead, even though you'll wear that rune for the rest of your days, you're here. At Hogwarts. Getting the chance to finish your education. And when you're finished here, you'll get the chance to live your life as a free man. I'd say that's reason enough to thank him. To be grateful all you got was a rune on your forehead. Yet all I've heard from you is grumbling about how unfair it is you got branded."

"He was right, you know. In the Library. He said you've always been jealous of him for the scar on his forehead. Always felt it gives him an unfair advantage over you. Because people see it and instantly know who he is. Well, now you have your own mark. And people will see it and instantly know who you are, too. You no longer need to be jealous of his scar, Ron. Now you have your own claim to fame. What will you make of it, I wonder?" Ron sat there blinking as he considered this fresh point of view.

She spoke up again as she twiddled her quill between her fingers. "Also, kindly remember he's still our patron since our scholarships haven't been revoked. So get your grades up. Besides which you do realize you'll need decent grades on your Owls and Newts now that we can't rely on having access to Harry's vaults to pay our way through life, don't you?"

Ron snorted, ignoring what she said about having to work for his dinner when he graduated. On the one hand he knew he'd need to get a job when he finished school. But on the other hand that was still years away and he really didn't have anything he'd prefer to do with himself. A career counselor at a muggle school would've said he lacked direction. They'd have had him filling out different questionaires and taking tests to find a possible direction for himself. But Hogwarts didn't offer that for her students. Instead, he responded to the bit about their scholarships and being under Harry's patronage through them. "That's not his choice. Dumbledore says it's his decision who gets a scholarship and who doesn't."

"Bull," Ginny said bluntly. "In the first place, Dumbledore is only the Headmaster here Ron. This school is run by the School Board. Not the Headmaster. They are the ones that approve scholarship students. Not him. Yes he set them up but it's Harry's coin backing them, Ronald. Harry can pull the funding any time he wishes. No funding means no scholarship to offer. And that means it's not the Headmaster's choice at all. It's not even the School Board's. It's Harry's. And only Harry's."

"Also, you might want to consider the fact that there more than likely is no contract with Harry's signature backing our current scholarship since Dumbledore has made it very clear he doesn't want Harry to have any idea how rich he truly is. Just like there was no betrothal contract between Harry and I to legalize my taking his coin all this time."

Ron frowned. "You keep mentioning that. But Dumbledore is Harry's magical guardian. He says it all the time. So he has to have all the proper documents and stuff backing up what he uses Harry's vaults for."

Ginny snorted and shook her head. "I was told by Professor Babbling, at the end of September when I went to her to find out what my rune said about me, the Headmaster likes to claim he's Harry's magical guardian but that he's no such thing legally. She told me he didn't offer Mum and Dad a betrothal contract for me and Harry because legally he can't. Only a guardian or a parent can make a contract between two minors, Ron. And Dumbledore isn't Harry's legal guardian in any capacity."

Ron was staring at her with his mouth hanging open. "Who is then? He has to have a real guardian, Ginny. Every kid in this society has a guardian. If not Dumbledore, then who?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've heard rumors that suggest Snape is. But those are only rumors. Some kids say they heard the teachers calling Snape Harry's Guardian/Protector when Black was on the loose. But we know Black was his Godfather and Black said he was supposed to be his guardian if something happened to Lily and James. So I'm not actually sure. In any case, what matters to us is Dumbledore isn't."

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