Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters.
Warnings: Rape, violence.
I would like to thank my beta reader Pinkrose.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O
A grim smile curled Ron's lips as he glared over the assembly of wizards standing like vultures to bear witness. The desperate chill of Dementors licked around the edges of the crowd every now and then one of the collected witnesses would shutter.
For just an instant ice hard eyes met the sobbing group of blazing redheads, Mum, being held by Dad almost collapsing from the depth of her despair. The twins stood, eyes reflecting the sharp blue of their brother, a harsh understanding reflected in them that looked terribly cold to anyone else warmed Ron's frozen heart. At least they understood, would have helped even had he gone to them. But…no, no he couldn't do that to Mum. Bad enough that she had to lose one of her sons; he knew she wouldn't have survived the loss of three of them.
Next was Charlie who couldn't meet his eyes his face a mask of confused disbelief as if he simply couldn't take in the sight of his baby brother standing there hands bound behind his back, wand already snapped at his feet. Bill's eyes were hard and cold condemning him as he would condemn any who had broken the law so savagely, even his own kin. Percy oddly enough looked almost as distraught as his mother as if suddenly he realized that reality was not about protocol, the Ministry, and jockeying for position. Suddenly reality was all too real and he wanted to scream, to shout for a do over, that this was not suppose to happen, his family couldn't…they couldn't just…just. A shutter twisted though Percy as a Dementor ghosted too near and he had to swallow back the bale burning like fire in his painfully dry voice. Ginny, Ginny wasn't even there. When the verdict had been read they'd been forced to sedate her.
But, even the sight of his devastated family did not bow him. He'd done what needed to be done. What those bastards should have done a long time ago. He was only sorry he hadn't done it long before now.
"Any last words Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore's voice was dark with condemnation, once twinkling blue eyes were now glittering hard navy marbles as they glared down at the condemned boy. Ron's lips twisted into a sneer worthy of a Malfoy.
"I did what had to be done, what you should have done," His voice was harsh with suppressed emotion as his own icy eyes blazed hate at the once loved old man. "How could you? How could you have left him with those…those monsters!" He all but screamed half lunging forward before one of the Auror causally cast a body bind on him instantly silencing his half mad words.
As his body locked and he fell woodenly to the unforgiving stone floor memories tore though him like the claws of an enraged werewolf. The sight of Harry bound and broken to the bed, that bastard muggle thrusting into him grunting like a pig wallowing in muck. Merlin, the stench of that tiny cell like room had forced him back a step vomiting up what felt like everything he'd ever eaten. The terrible sent of old blood, wounds going bad, shit, vomit, and sex mingled into something atrocious.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Summer of fifth year had been a hard one for everyone and Ron was bitterly resentful that Dumbledore refused to let Harry come to the Burrow. He knew that Harry's home life was terrible just from when they'd saved him during Second Year. But, Harry refused to go into details and brushed off his friends concern effortlessly. After not hearing from him for a month and a half Ron couldn't take it any longer and decided to take matters into his own hands. The twins would have been very helpful but he knew they were terribly busy with their new shop and didn't want to bother them. A grin lit his face as he thought about how surprised they'd be when he and Harry showed up to look the place over.
He'd been practicing Apparition all summer and was ready to get his license soon and felt comfortable making a quick jaunt to rescue a friend. Oh he knew he'd likely get into trouble but the twins had gotten away with underage Apparition a time or two and he knew it was for a good cause. He cast a notice me not spell and effortlessly slipped into the oddly quiet house.
Unease whispered though his heart at the sight of all the locks on the door to what could only be Harry's room. It wasn't the locks so much as the sight of them unlocked and the door ever so slightly ajar. An odd grunting was coming from the room and he had no idea what could possibly be making such a strange sound. Slowly he eased into the room and was almost bowled over by the stench. When he finally had control of himself he forced himself back into the room and whispered a choked Lumos. The sight of that burned its self into his brain was almost too horrific for him to make sense of at first. A large naked sweat soaked man thrusting with wild abandon into the too frighteningly still body brutally bound to the bed. What had once been his best friend was now little more than blood stained skin stretched over bones. He couldn't see an inch of unmarked skin.
Suddenly a particularly violent thrust turned Harry's bruise blackened face to Ron and blank flat green eyes didn't even register his existence. The sight of that once brilliant spirit all but snuffed out shattered what little control Ron might have had left and white hot rage tore though him. Wand high he snarled "Sectasempra". A deep slash opened the fat man's back from shoulder to hip. Shrieking something awful the muggle leaped away from the broken boy on the bed before whirling towards the door eyes wild with pain and fury. Maddened pig eyes locked on chipped ice and with a bellow of mindless fury he ran at the redhead.
Without blinking his lips twisted "Crucio." Terrible furious satisfaction clawed though his heart as the bastard fell to the ground screaming like a stuck pig. "Crucio…crucio…crucio…crucio…" Again and again he forced the torture curse onto the muggle lips pulled back into a lunatic grin as the monster thrashed so hard that bones snapped under the strain.
Two doors slammed open and a horse faced woman dressed in a long frumpy night gown with curlers in her mousy hair followed by a pudgy pig of a boy forced themselves into the room to see what the racket was. Thoughtlessly Ron turned "Avada Kedavra…Avada Kedavra…" His cold voice whispered as he dispatched the two with a flick of the wand before turning his attention once more to the trembling blob of fat that dared call itself human now huddled and mewling on the floor. Now he used the slashing curse again and again carving deeper and deeper into flesh with each utterance.
The door downstairs burst open and in an instant the door to the room was filled with an enraged Dumbledore expecting a flock of Death Eaters. The sight of a now blood stained Ron with the bodies of two of Harry's family at his feet and the other a trembling lump of bleeding flesh stopped him cold. Those icy like eyes locked on the old man as his wand flicked once more "Avada Kedavra" he snarled. He would protect Harry, his tormenters would never touch him again. An instant later the stunner slammed into him sending him to darkness.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
He woke up in one of the freezing cells in Azkaban and found Dumbledore waiting. "What have you done? Now Harry won't be protected by blood from the Death Eaters." The old man's voice was hard and angry, once twinkling eyes bright with anger and disappointment. For a long moment Ron's mind couldn't comprehend what had been said. It simply didn't make sense with the broken image of shattered green eyes still branded behind his eyelids.
"P-protected? Are you insane? What the hell does protection matter if Harry's dead!" Ron shrieked as he surged to his feet fury destroying rational thought at the old man's foolish words.
"Harry will be fine, Poppy patched him up just like she always does you had no right to strip Harry of his only true protection from the Death eaters, you might as well have killed him yourself while while you were at it." The old man said in a frighteningly cold tone. There was nothing of the grandfatherly kindness in the old man now. Ron realized bitterly that it had been a mask all along. He'd never cared about Harry.
"You knew…you knew what was happening to him and did nothing to stop it." Ron choked out, unable to believe, but seeing the truth all the same in those untwinkling eyes.
"I did what had to be done for the greater good. Yes the muggles were hard on him, and this time they had gotten a bit carried away but don't you see? This is just the burden Harry has to bare to be safe, to save the rest of us. The life of a martyr is never a joyful one dear boy but I don't expect you in all your foolish youth to understand such things." His voice turned kind again and his eyes twinkled.
A harsh snort escaped Ron in that instance. "And how's your little tool now Headmaster how in the hell is Harry going to beat the Dark Lord now?" Ron gave a savage grin at the disgruntled look that appeared on the Headmaster's face. Yes, Poppy had been able to heal all the damage, but Harry wouldn't talk to them, wouldn't move, wouldn't eat. It was a problem, but one he was sure he would be able to overcome with the right spells and potions. After all the prophecy only stated that Harry would be the one to defeat the Dark Lord, it didn't say he had to be sane to do it.
Another grandfatherly smile graced his aged face but his eyes glared. "Ronald Weasley you have been sentenced to the Kiss. It will be administered at midnight tonight. Don't worry, Harry will do his part for the greater good."
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.
Ron's eyes closed as he listened to a reading of the charges one last time before punishment was delivered. Torture of a muggle, multiple uses of the Crucio curse, and three uses of Avada Kedavra. Nothing was said about who the victims were, why he had acted as he did. Again he looked over to his family before looking away. He would do it again if he had the chance, Harry was safe now and even if the Death Eaters got him he knew that they would be kinder than his so called family. At least they would most likely offer a quick clean death.
His last thought was of satisfaction, he had saved his friend, and even though it was too late, much too late…he still removed the threat as they should have done the first time they'd saved him. Agony tore though him as that terrible gaping maw came down on his lips but it didn't matter, Harry was safe.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Anger clawed at Dumbledore as he glared down at the unresponsive body lying on the bed. "If you don't respond to me boy you'll have to go back to your Uncle's do you want that?" He hissed angrily and felt a cold chill whisper down his spine when those empty green eyes didn't so much as flicker with understanding. Damn it, he decided to call on Snape. The potions master had experience putting broken people back together again, whether they were broken by the Dark or the Light. In a swirl of multicolored robes he was gone.
Once the old man was gone a dark shadow detached itself from the wall and looked down at the painfully thin child on the bed. Crimson eyes softened ever so slightly as he lifted the tiny almost insignificant bundle into his arms and vanished unseen into the silent night.