Chapter 70: The Isolated Trio
So he knew all those questions Hermione failed to answer were things Harry had gleaned from the more obscure and esoteric of those books in his rooms which he had noted now had a bathroom attached as well as a small sitting area with a table large enough for eating at and his study room where the books were.
No wonder the boy no longer asked for an escort to a free shower chamber. He had no need of one. Clearly the Castle was trying to make the boy comfortable in his chosen rooms. He wouldn't be at all surprised to go in there and find one of the doors he'd noticed led to a lab similar to the one in his quarters. No wonder the boy didn't want to go back to the tower. He literally had a better deal in the isolation rooms. Minerva, though she didn't know it, had been right. Potter had his own private rooms in the castle now. He had to wonder just how long this isolation chamber had been a private apartment. And if when Potter was finished with it, would it go back to an isolation chamber?
Some of the class, the smart ones anyway, were even taking notes on the questions he'd ask that Potter would answer. The only good news about Potions class to the trio was, unlike how he had treated Harry in his classes, he didn't assign them detentions with himself. Instead, all the detentions he assigned them were with Mr. Filch for Ron, to the kitchens for Hermione where the house-elves made her life difficult simply because she wouldn't shut up about freeing them, or to Hagrid for Ginny.
Severus knew Ginny had an abhorrence for Hagrid's animals and absolutely hated getting dirty and smelly, both of which were almost guaranteed during detentions Hagrid oversaw. Added to her misery was the fact that Hagrid was Harry's friend and Severus had made certain the gentle half-giant knew what the trio had been doing to his friend all these years they had claimed to be his friends. As well as how they'd tried to lay all the blame for the werewolf thing on his shoulders for them being out on the grounds that night.
Hagrid knew beyond any doubt the only reason Harry, Ron and Hermione had been there was because Hermione badgered the boys into it. To say Hagrid wasn't happy with them was an understatement. Therefore, he would make certain all of Ms. Weasely's detentions with him were sheer misery for her. She hadn't been a part of that thing with the werewolf but she had been lying to and about Harry as well as stealing from him behind his back and that was enough for Hagrid.
Ron hated anything that smacked of actually performing manual labor which Mr. Filch specialized in. Mr. Filch, like Hagrid, considered himself to be Harry's friend. Mainly because Harry had gone to the trouble of brewing an ointment for his joints that would reduce the swelling which gave him such a hard time and made it almost impossible for him to get around these days. He'd also gotten some muggle arthritis over the counter drugs, analyzed them and then created some potions based off them for him.
That made it easier for the old nearly magicless man to do his job. And he had bought Mrs. Norris many a can of sardines and other finger sized fish over the years. When she had a bad spot of dry skin that was causing her to lose her hair, he had found a topical lotion for her to moisturize her skin. So Mr. Filch considered himself a friend of Harry Potter just as Hagrid did.
Between them the Triad lost far more points for Gryffindor than Harry and the twins ever had in all the years they'd had been students combined. But that was mainly because Professor Snape wasn't the only teacher docking points from them over trifling matters.
The rest of the teachers made it very clear they had little to no use or respect for them any more. Hearing they were accused and admitted thieves disabused the staff of any notions they might have had over their innocence. And once Professor Babbling had informed everyone of what the rune on Ron's forehead was, they found there was no sympathy for them anywhere.
A Betrayer's Rune as a part of a judgement call wasn't easily come by. Nor could it be gained by mistake. Potter could've called for it but if Ron wasn't guilty, the rune wouldn't have formed. Therefore, he was guilty.
Only Minerva spared them any sympathy and that was only because she was still having a hard time understanding they deserved the marks they wore. To her, they were just children. Some of her favorite children at that. And Mr. Potter hadn't followed protocol. It was her place to punish her students when they misbehaved. Not his. Yet he had and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't even punish him because her fellow staff members would turn on her if she tried to.
Her mind kept justifying their behavior with past stories they'd told of things Harry had done to them. Stories she wouldn't admit mightn't have been the truth any more than the one they'd told her about how they got the marks was.
She couldn't help denying they were the thieves and betrayers those runes proclaimed them to be. They were children and while children could do bad things, you simply sat them down, explained why what they'd done was bad, administered a suitable punishment and moved on. You didn't give them such a long lasting punishment such as this. This was a punishment for an adult but they weren't adults.
It didn't stop her being cold and absolutely correct in her dealings with them, though. They had lied to her and been caught in the act by her fellow staff. But she just couldn't wrap her head around the idea they truly weren't the children she thought they were. She still believed they were good children. Good children who had done something wrong. But still good children overall.
Ron and Ginny, who had replaced Oliver and Harry on the Gryffindor quiditch team, found themselves kicked off the team with no real explanation. But since this was virtually the same thing that had happened to Harry - twice - the team felt no remorse for their decision now. The pair knew the twins were behind their expulsion from the team but there was nothing they could do about it since Professor McGonagal wasn't sparing them any time these days. She was angry with them and letting them know it.
But for the team, they'd truly believed Harry had acted dishonorably when they'd expelled him from the team because Ronald Weasely, with Hermione Granger ardently backing him up, had told them he had. Now it turned out the pair had been lying to them because Ron and Ginerva wanted on the team too and hadn't been given a place. Ron wanted to play as the Keeper while Ginerva had wanted to be the Seeker.
Something she couldn't be so long as Harry held the position. It was they who had no honor. It was they who'd acted dishonorably and brought shame upon the House of Gryffindor. The team, well really all of Gryffindor Tower, wanted vengeance and this was just about the only way they could get it since their Head of House was still sympathetic towards the unholy trio.
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