Disclaimer: nothing you recognize is mine.

Chapter contains some parts inspired by readers' comments :)

Warning: includes quite some swearing .

Ron's POV

Ron Apparated to the back yard of #12, Grimmauld Place and sprinted to the front door, cursing the house's former masters who had made it near impossible to anyone not blood related to the it's current owner to enter by the back door closest to this natural Apparition point.

Banging the door behind him he didn't even hear Mrs. Black's wails about little blood traitors disturbing the peace of the ancient house of Black and hurriedly entered the kitchen. Instead of three persons he expected to see there, Shack, Bill and Moody, he saw at least ten seated in tense silence at the table, their wands at the ready.

Before he could utter a word Ron was enveloped in his mother's one-armed hug. Returning it he glanced around the room noticing that all his brothers and Ginny were there as well as Malfoy who looked paler than when he and Hermione left in the afternoon.

"Report," barked Moody.

Ron run a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Don't worry, Mum," he said, having no idea how to break the news to them and fishing for something to say. "Harry will be alright."

She almost fell into her chair with Ginny immediately putting an arm around her.

'I, Second Confessor, will do my utmost to rectify the mess created by the First Confessor's course of action.'

Questioning stares bored in to him and still Ron couldn't find words to explain the situation, desperately wishing Hermione was there with her ability to eloquently disclose difficult matters, both scientific and mundane. Where was the ease with which he hurtled those long-thought-of insults at Snape now that he needed it?

"Bloody hell," he muttered, mussing his hair once more.

"What is it, Ron?" Ginny could tolerate the silence no longer. "Is Harry hurt? Why didn't you bring him back here? You said he will be all right. Is Hermione tending him? Why did you – how could you have left them both – with Snape?!" Her voice was raising and now sounded like strikes of gong to his already befuddled mind.

"Yes, little brother, why did you come? We would have brought down the wards, but you three's safety's well worth it." This from Bill.

Ron's ears turned pink at these accusations, and he raised his hand to forestall further comments.

"Don't worry. Snape," he couldn't help spitting the name, "won't hurt Harry. Hermione cast an Anti-Summoning Charm on his wand."

Wrong choice of opening sentence.

"Weasley," growled Moody, slowly raising from his seat. "You left – one of the most dangerous Death Eaters – in the same room as an obviously injured Potter – and your own fiancée – unbound – within an easy reach of his wand?!"

He motioned to Bill and Shacklebolt to follow him. "We are going there this very instant; we're lucky to be in time to get them alive!"

His mind finally snapping into gear, Ron hissed, not mentioning how his Voice made them shiver, "The First Confessor has established that Professor Snape has been the Ally of Light for the whole duration of this war. And, under the codename "Toby", supplied information from the other side, and was of assistance in uncovering the locations of Voldemort's Horcruxes." Here, for the first time in his life, Ron saw Bill pale; Fred and George had contemplating looks on their faces; everyone else bar the two Order's seniors and, of course, Draco stared at him with evident confusion. "In order to maintain his disguise as Voldemort's close associate, Professor Snape had to act as his Potions Master at the same time supplying us with the Potions' antidotes. Therefore the First Confessor demands that Professor Snape be acquitted of all charges."

By the time he finished speaking Moody's both magical and normal eyes were scouring him with such intensity he was hard-pressed not to squirm. In a flash the grizzled veteran had his wand trained at him. "Weasley has been confounded. We stun him and go get Potter and Granger."

His mum gasped and tried to shield him.

Before the ex-Auror could move another finger however, Ginny's and, to Ron's surprise, Malfoy's wands were pointing at him.

"Stop it, Moody," Ginny said in a dangerous voice that made him remember only too well why she, of all his siblings, was a Defense Mistress. "Don't pretend that you, of all people, haven't heard the Confessor's Voice. Even a Polijuiced impostor," she stressed the words, looking daggers at the paranoid Order Head-in-action, "couldn't have faked it. Besides," she added with a wry smile, "wouldn't Voldemort rejoice in his grave had we started to hex each other after the war ended?"

Moody grudgingly lowered his wand and Ron slumped into a chair next to his mother. "I defended Snape," he mumbled, "I defended the greasy git."

Ginny smirked at him and drawled, imitating Malfoy, "Language, Ronald, you don't want them to believe you lied, do you?"

"Thanks, Gin," he said, not raising to the bite and nodding at the blond, before making a double take. "What the hell is he doing here? Shouldn't you be at St. Mungo's, ferret, healing your paw?"

"I ran off, Weasley," Malfoy countered. "Couldn't pass the chance to see your little family all riled up about the dangers their ickle Ronnie puts himself into, now could I?"

To Ron's surprise both Ginny and his mother smiled at these words.

At long last he stood up again and said in his normal voice, addressing the room in general, "Harry will be fine. He had two courses of magical exhaustion," – more gasps, - "dealing with the bastard – but he woke up after Hermione fed him a Magic Replenisher. He's probably sleeping it off now. We didn't want you to come charging in."

He looked straight at Moody. "When do the trials start?"

"Tomorrow. The Ministry decided to sentence as many of the Death Eaters as quickly as possible in order to appease the public demand of vengeance before the Dark Mark consumes them." Draco winced at these words.

"Snape's trial is scheduled first, Weasley. You have the official Confession sheet, don't you? Under the circumstances the Ministry will undoubtedly disregard the second requirement."

Ron stared at him, then slowly shook his head.

"Weasley, let me put this straight," drawled Draco after a short silence, his pale eyes cold like two pieces of ice. "You and Granger came there and found Potter – probably unconscious – alone – with Snape for company - and after you fed him your Magic Replenisher he told you – in his bloody Voice -," the blond's own voice got even colder than his stare, "that the Death Eater he – supposedly – forced into Confession – was "Toby". And the only reason you believed him – was his tone?!"

Put this way, Ron had to admit it, the evidence seemed more than murky – for someone who was not a Confessor.

"News for you, Confessor," sneered Malfoy, "I know Severus's handwriting – as should you after all the years he spent correcting your pathetic essays – and Toby's hand doesn't resemble it in the slightest. If anything, it indicates a person our age – the Apprentice our spy claimed to be." (1)

He suddenly felt someone hug him. "It's all right, Ron," Ginny said, quickly letting go. "They couldn't understand. The only text I found that seems to have been written by a real First Confessor of the time and makes sense was in Gaelic." She winked and added, "Why not repeat the Confession in front of Wizengamot? That would royally piss them all off."

"Ginevra Weasley!" said the shocked voice of their mother. "Watch your tongue, young lady!"

Both ignored her.

"No, Ginny," Ron slowly said. "We will not rape even Snape's mind to – officially – confirm the truth that is already known. You're bloody lucky you don't know what the thing feels like."

Ron rounded on Malfoy, "Tell me, ferret, how would you have felt had your Confession been considered "unofficial" and we were forcing you into another one and public at that? Was it not Harry's "tone" that made them budge when he argued your cause with the Ministry of Magic when they pretended Confessor authority was outlawed in the XVIII century?"

Draco froze as if he had slapped him.

"Honestly, Mr. Malfoy," Shack spoke for the first time during the scene. "There are a number of spells one could use to alter his writing. I thought," he drolly added visibly teasing the blond, "they were taught in the Slytherin families at the tender age of eleven. To enable you writing anonymous reports on your schoolmates."

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny," scowled the young man, looking thoughtful.

"So, Weasley," finally growled Moody. "You have the evidence that only you three see as valid. And you refuse to make it official the easiest way possible because of some "honour code" imposed on you along with the Confessor status. Very well. You have until noon tomorrow to find an official way to prove it. I will withhold my final judgment of the scoundrel until then." He looked pointedly at him, "Courtroom ten. And if you four don't arrive on time, William will bring down the wards of your "shack"." He snorted and turned to the other Order members, barking "Dismissed." and hobbled out of the kitchen, heading back to the Ministry where the Death Eater interrogations were being held.

Shacklebolt soon followed suit, nodding at Ron. "Till tomorrow, Weasley, and good luck. If what you said's true the press's going to have a field day. Gotta make sure Arcturus Lovegood comes to this trial." He winked and left.

His brothers leaving as well, Ron was approached by Bill. "What you said about Horcruces – that's where you four have been disappearing, wasn't it?" He still appeared shaken.

Ron nodded, not really paying attention. His elder brother looked at him with newfound respect then said before exiting the kitchen, "The goblins will probably pay a pile of gold to have any of you trained as Curse-breakers when this news is out."

He stared at were Bill stood then shook his head in disbelief.

"Would it never came out," he grumbled, dropping his head on the table. "Would the whole fucking situation when we have to witness on his behalf had just gone to hell! 'The four of you.'" he imitated Moody, then gagged.

He noticed his mother's disapproving frown, yet she didn't comment. Still a little awkwardly holding her wand in her right hand, Mrs. Weasley started preparing tea.

Her, Malfoy, him and Ginny were drinking their second cups when his sister asked, "Well, was it true about the imposed "code of honour"? McGryffin, the Confessor who wrote that book, says nothing about it."

He glared at her. "Of course he doesn't. He must have been a Gryffindor, too. We don't need one imposed on us." Draco sniggered.

"If there is no magical obstacle for you to do so, why not propose it to Severus?" he asked, ignoring Ron's scowl.

Ron's head dropped to the table once more, then he looked back at them. Letting a frustrated sigh he snapped, "Tell me, Malfoy, in these three years has there ever been a second Confession of any of the Death Eaters?"

"No. You three always claim one is sufficient."

Ron tried to explain, "There also has never been a very strong Occlumens interrogated who would withheld information. You can't make up memories when we're inside them but you can shove some so deep we don't come over them on the first few levels and may withdraw without seeing them.

"Severus is a very strong Occlumens." Draco looked even more worried than before. "That means he could have deceived Potter."

"No, you nitwit! He could have withheld something, not the answer to the main question Harry asked, or Harry would have never apologized for having made it unofficially."

He was gratified with the sight of Malfoy's mouth hanging open.

"Potter apologized?! I thought he was going to kill him on the spot!"

Ron decided to add the final blow. Humiliating as begging Snape's apology had been, he had since admitted to himself he had flown off the handle. "So did I… I called him all sorts of names when I saw Harry unconscious." He blushed and added defensively, "Still he is a bloody evil git!"

"My little boy is all grown up!" Mrs. Weasley hugged him tight and cried all over his chest. "Your father would have been so proud of you!"

"And," Ginny said at last, "what's wrong with the second Confession?"

"Other than we sort of promised not to? Two of us will have to do it at once. And we go all the way. Down to when he is a kid and first becomes aware of the world outside. Second war, our school time, first war, his school time, and down to when he's 5 or even younger." (1)

Mrs. Weasley looked uncertain, "I doubt he will ever agree."

"Of course he won't agree, mum! I wouldn't have had, had I known…" His mouth snapped shut when he realized what he was about to blubber out. A sharp pang of guilt made him look away.

"What was that, Weasley?" sharply asked Malfoy.

"Damn," he muttered, feeling three pairs of eyes on him. Anger once again raising its ugly head he all but shouted, "How do you think we became Confessors?! I have first-hand experience with Harry's power. And Hermione does."

Ginny slapped him on the arm. "Calm down, Ron."

Grinding his teeth he continued, dropping his voice an octave lower, "With us, Harry couldn't withdraw like he did with you, Snape, everyone else. Hell, even with this Lestrange bitch and Wormtail! He had to go all the way down."

Ron took several deep breaths and felt his mother's hand stroking his hair. He turned a shade redder.

Grateful nobody commented on his outburst he finished his tea and rose from the table, kissing his mum on the cheek.

"I have to go. Harry should be awake already and may be Hermione has thought of something."

Malfoy rose as well and approached him, uncertainly saying, "Ron… Take me there… I… need to thank Severus." A hint of colour rose on his pallid cheeks. "He saved my life… And I avoided him like a plague afterwards." His straightened, but his left arm hung limply at his side. "I may not get another chance," he muttered through clenched teeth, visibly uncomfortable.

Ron nodded and handed him the note Shacklebolt returned him before departing. "Read this. I will key you into the wards when we get there."

A/n:
(1) I meant the age when you suddenly look a little further than your nursery. I was four or five when I suddenly heard the radio. It didn't consciously register before.

This is all for now. I doubt I will upload another chapter until after I have read DH. Too much dread. -crosses fingers for her favorite Potions Master to be on the side she wants him to be and come out of it all alive-