A/N: Once again I'd like to thank all those who are reading and enjoying the story. I'd like to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out it was one of the hardest for me to write. I spent some time going back through the book and movie after I received a complaint about the way I was handling Ron's character. I wanted to make sure I wasn't intentionally bashing any characters without just cause or a reason that was driven by the plot. To that end I will say this. Each character changes over the course of the series, gradual as it might be, and excepting children to act like their seventeen year old counter parts is unrealistic. Ron's character doesn't come into it's own until after the disaster at the DoM. Before than he is materialistic, judgmental, jealous, lazy, and bigoted. You could make the argument those things don't change until after the series is ending, if ever. Ron is shown consistently as skipping homework to play chess or quidditch and consistently takes the easiest choice he can. Even as early the first book Ron acts as if Harry has everything in the world and he himself has nothing at all. I find it oddly ironic that both boys seem like they would've traded places if they could. You can't even say that he's the best of friends to either Harry or Hermione. Between the way he treat Hermione, while expecting her to do his homework none the less, and the way he allows himself to abandon his friends when things get rough I find it difficult to write Ron without him doing something that would anger the main characters of this story.

On with the story.

A/N2: I seem to have uploaded the previous version of the chapter. There isn't much difference between the one you might have read and this one. Predominately it's just a bit cleaned up and a little meatier in some areas. Oh and the ending is the actual ending I had planned about six hours ago. Sorry for any confusion I caused. I was uploading right before I went into work and I didn't catch it until after I got home when someone's review commented on the abrupt end.

That's pandemonium erupted.

It wasn't everyday the teachers of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry were left stunned, shocked, or dumbfound. Than again it wasn't everyday they found a troll missing it's eyes and a good portion of it's neck either. Combined that with the frightened little girl in the corner and the broken animagus stumbling away from the corpse and it wasn't difficult to understand the reactions.

Harry stumbled and started to fall. Hermione for years wouldn't be aware of how or when she got to Harry's side but between one misstep that Harry had taken and the next that would've lead to the green eyed wizard hitting the ground she was at his side holding him up to the best of her ability. It was a place she'd swore she'd never leave. It was an eye opening day for her. She'd been saved not by rules and teachers but by a vigilante, there really was no other word for Harry that fit him quite as well. Looking up at the blank faces of those she had so respected she finally lost it. "You're all teachers! Are you going to stand there and watch one of your students bleed to death or are you going to bloody do something!"

It'd been years since McGonagall had been told off by a student, and a first year no less, but she wasn't about to take points off for the girls truthful words. Hermione looked like she was the only thing keeping Harry vertical and her words while disrespectful had been accurate. Harry was beaten to hell and all the great and powerful adults were doing nothing to help. Dumbledore took action first by levitating the boy and than added a mild sleeping charm to the mix. The Gryffindor head of house thought Harry would appreciate that, there wasn't any need for him to remain conscious for any of this now that the battle was done. McGonagall figured , that while he would be thankful to Dumbledore, he wouldn't appreciate what she had done. Either way she watched on as a silver cat race off into the night with a message.

"Wakey wakey kitten." James sat brushing the mop of messy black hair on his son's head.

Harry stirred under his fathers hand while keeping himself from moaning in pain. "Hey dad. How bad is it?"

"Broken arm and shoulder, moderate concussion, and you to be quite frank look like hell."

"You should've seen the other guy."

"I did Harry you did quite the number on that troll."

"Where's Mum?"

"I think she was looking for the headmaster, she had a few questions she wanted answers for."

"Poor guy. How much trouble am I in?" Hearing the door to the hospital wing slam open Harry looked over to see an apocalyptic look on his mother's face.

"HARRY JAMES BLOODY POTTER WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING." That wasn't a good sign Lily had already been reduced to resorting to foul language.

Looking up at his dad Harry found no sympathy his eyes before voicing his thoughts. "This might be worse than that one time Sirius and I were practicing Wronski Feints in the backyard."

"Oh no it's worse. Much worse in fact. I'm just letting her run out of steam before I start in on you, I think she's even invented new words to yell at you in the last six hours."

"Oh what time is it?"

"DON"T YOU LAY THERE AND IGNORE ME YOUNG MAN! WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH POSSESSED YOU TO GO AFTER A MOUNTAIN TROLL." Like a bulldog on a bone Lily Potter had a one track mind. At the moment she wanted to know why her son hadn't gone back to the dorms like he'd been told to do. Harry, who knew this routine well, nodded and grimaced where needed waiting his turn to explain why he had in his mother's words "allowed any semblance of intelligent thought to flee his body". It was a rather long wait. James had been right, six hours of a parents worst nightmare had driven Lily to new heights of inspiration.

Hermione who had been sitting at Harry's side ever he was brought in, and not even the hospital matron had been able to get her to leave, finally spoke after the red head's rant crossed the hour threshold. "Ma'am it really wasn't Harry's fault. He was coming to get me."

"And who exactly are you?"

"Hermione Granger Ma'am."

Lily's eyes narrowed at the girl who had yet to leave her son's side. "I thought Harry said you were smart. Maybe you could explain to me why you thought it was a good idea to go waltzing about the castle with a XXXX level creature out and about."

Now it was Harry's turn to level his glare on his mother. James was watching the by play and knew that things were about to get worse before they got better. This was all Lily's fault, she was the one who passed the " righteously morally stubborn" gene on to their son. When the two of them were on opposite sides of the argument, and each thought they had been doing what was right, it really became a situation where unstoppable force was grinding into an unstoppable force. The only thing that would effect either one of them when they got like this was giving them enough facts to sort through and hoping their conclusions would change. It took him six weeks to make Lily understand the nature and reasons for house elves after they had gotten married. Taking the wisest course of action James moved around to his son's other side and sat down next to the young witch. He vaguely considered conjuring some popcorn to enjoy the fireworks with but didn't think it was wise to risk his wife's ire in the current circumstances.

"It wasn't her fault mother." Oh dear Harry was just a little bit upset. "She didn't know the troll was even in the castle. She had missed dinner altogether and when the headmaster told everyone to go back to the dorms I knew she was in danger. I didn't go after the troll, I went to try and get her back to the tower. As soon as I found her the troll attacked us as we were leaving the bathroom." Now James found that to be an interesting bit of news. He had never come out of a bathroom with a girl while he was in Hogwarts and it had taken Sirius until fourth year to pull that off. Padfoot was going to be so proud right up until Lily castrated him and fed him his tentacles in spaghetti .

"And what were you two doing in the bathroom exactly?" Really Lily? Do you expect your son to talk about his first snogging session with his mother in front of the girl he was with.

"I was crying the bathroom Ma'am" James found a frown on his face, Harry had done such a horrible job that the poor girl had been reduced to tears? They'd have to schedule remedial training for the boy over the holidays. James may not have made the girls knees buckle with his first kiss but the girl certainly hadn't ended up in tears.

Lily looked at Hermione as if she was trying to divine an answer. Several emotions and grimaces passed over Lily's face. "You follow me I have some questions to ask you." Hermione steeled herself and followed Harry's mother several feet away where the elder witch placed a privacy charm leaving the two men alone. Harry looked at his father's face trying to determine what the elder Potter was thinking.

James switched gears to the concerned father position almost as easy as he changed from animal to human. "Tell me what happened Harry, I know you well enough to believe you had a good reason to ignore the headmaster."

"It's like I said dad. I was worried she was going to get caught by the troll and she didn't even know it was in the castle. I went to warn her and get her back to the dorms."

"Why didn't you tell someone else and let them handle it?"

"Who was I going to tell? The professors were all heading for the dungeons, the prefects wouldn't of known where she was, and nobody else could've kept up with me on foot as it was I barely got there in time."

"So you thought you were the only one who could've gotten to her?"

"That and without a teacher I didn't think she'd have listened to anybody else."

"What do you mean by that Harry?"

"She's got a bit of a thing about rules and authority figures."

"I see. Your mum was like that when she was younger, maybe not quite as fanatical mind you, but even now she's got a bit more straight laced than I am."

Meanwhile with the girls. "So tell me Hermione what were you doing crying in the bathroom and why was my son in there with you?" Seeing the rising blush in the girls cheeks Lily was forced to close her eyes and braced herself for a discussion she thought she had a few more years to get ready entitled Witches and Puberty.

Hermione Granger in all her intelligence was incapable of overcoming her embarrassment and informing Mrs. Potter she'd already had this conversation. That and Hermione, being the bookworm and knowledge lover she was, thought there might have been differences because she was a witch. She was sorely disappointed and further embarrassed. A great deal of embarrassment could have been avoided if Lily had asked a simple question or if Hermione hadn't been quite so accommodating to adults. But Lily had assumed that the reason a twelve year old girl had spent hours in the bath room were related to her becoming a women and Hermione not wanting to be rude or disrespectful didn't correct her. It was a very embarrassing ten minutes.

After Lily had bothered getting the truth about what had sent the young girl crying into the bathroom she had realized that Hermione was in need of a drastically different conversation. "So let me get this right, you were in the bathroom because an eleven year old wizard was making fun of you after you tried to help him in class?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Pure blood?" Getting a nod in return Lily continued. "Figures. So what are you going to do about that?"

"Why would I do anything?"

"Wait right here Hermione while I talk to my husband."

Walking back to the two men in her life Lily pulled James over for a quick conference to discuss what they were going to say to their son. Minutes later both of Harry's parents approached his bedside and sat down gently at his side. His mother was the first to go. "Harry I don't like what you did or why you had to do it or the fact that it landed you in the hospital. However I do understand why you're in here. That girl over there probably wouldn't be here right now had you not done exactly what you did. Your total disregard for rules and your own safety for someone else's well being is the kind of thing we've always meant when we said it was better to do what was right rather than what was easy. We are proud of you son, never question that."

"Thanks Mum."

"Rose has been waiting with Padfoot and Mooney out in the waiting area to make sure her favorite feline and mount were ok. You up for a few visitors Mr. Shadow?"

"Of course I am, bring on the circus."

"James you go get the other animals I need to finish having some girl talk with the young lady over there." James blanched and made a face at the mention of girl talk before retreating to his pack and daughter. There were some things, no matter how brave, no man wanted to be privy to.

Lily walked back over to the twelve year old in question and motioned for them both to sit before replaying the privacy charms from earlier. "Hermione it's time you got a crash course on the realities of the wizarding world. I think it's a horrible shame that first generation magicals get left in the dark with the dangers of our world. Trolls, manticores, dragons, chimeras, and other beasts of the magical world are dangerous but none of them should ever be a real danger to you."

"But all of those things you just listed are extremely dangerous and ..."

"And highly controlled and regulated. None of those things have mounted an attack on an unsuspecting witch or wizard in decades. Now if you go looking for them for some god forsaken reason yes they are dangerous and they need to be handled under very particular circumstances. However all of those things are either kept on reserves or live in magical wilds that nobody with even half a brain would go into without the proper training. None of those things are actually dangerous to the average magical Hermione. However that doesn't change the fact that the magical world is a very very dangerous place."

"Hermione I'm sorry I'm going to do this. I was blissfully ignorant of the truth of the magical world and it allowed me to act very much like the child I was. I'm sorry that I'm going to demystify our world and by doing so I'm going to force you to grow up a bit. I fought in the last war with the self proclaimed Lord Voldemort Hermione. If there was another way for you to be safe without knowing the gritty details I'd do that in a heartbeat. However knowledge is power Hermione and in this case knowledge will keep you safe."

"First and foremost Hermione you are apart of a society where every one over the age of eleven is expected to carry a lethal weapon every day of the week."

"I'm not carrying a weapon!"

"What's that on your hip in that holster."

"My wand ma'am."

"Exactly Hermione it's a wand. What's to stop a person from levitating you off a cliff? With a flick of a wrist and a muttering of a word that stick in your hand can sever a neck, pierce a heart, reduce a head to bloody mist, or sever a soul's attachment to the body. Make no mistake Hermione you are an armed citizen in a society where the weapons are sticks of wood with magical cores, Latin incantations, wrist movements, and pure willpower."

"Me and James raised Harry to know exactly how powerful and dangerous magic can be. We raised him to know that magic is a responsibility. Not all magical parents do that Hermione, a lot of them even do the opposite and teach their children that magic is a gift and a plaything for them that makes them better then ordinary people. Even a lot of the so called light families know nothing about the mundane world and look down on the so called muggles."

"You mean parents like Draco Malfoy's."

"Yes people just like him and his parents Hermione. It's widely accepted that Draco's father was a well known and upper ranking death eater who bought his way out of going to prison. People like him Hermione are the worst sorts of people alive. Voldemort's supporters when they weren't working on his orders preferred to partake in muggle hunting and torture for their amusement."

"Torture?"

"It's a dark world Hermione. I wish you didn't have to hear these things, I wish these things hadn't happened but the reality is they did and being naive in the magical world is a dangerous thing to be. Those monsters who were masquerading as human beings thought it was a good Friday night go out and rape and murder girls who were from a mundane family. The one's who were lucky were killed after the fact, the ones who weren't were charmed so that they couldn't tell anybody or could only recall it subconsciously. Those girls weren't ever able to trust anybody again and they didn't even know why."

"Why are you telling me this Mrs. Potter."

"Because it almost happened to me Hermione. Back when I was an Evan before I was married to James we had gone out on a date; our second date in fact. He headed for the restroom at the end of the night before taking me home and Lucius Malfoy and two of his goons tried to force themselves on me. I drew my wand and repelled them briefly but had James not come back when he did I'm not sure I'd be half the women I am today or even alive to be honest."

"Is that why Harry hates Draco and is so aggressive with him?"

"Our two families have never gotten along. I've never told Harry about that and I doubt James has either. It's not the kind of thing a mother worries about for her son. I'm dreading the day I have to turn my little girl into a young woman who distrusts the world around her. But I'd rather her be safe and sound than ignorant and in danger."

"Is that why you're telling me all of this?"

"A good part of it is. The magical world is chauvinistic, bigoted, lazy, and illogical Hermione. More often than not this world suffers from lack of consequences for what in the mundane world would be breaking rules and committing crimes. If a normal person beaks a bone they spend weeks in a cast and trying to recover. Here you can break a bone and have it repaired and numbed with three flicks of a wand. Shatter an antique vase that was passed down through the generations and it can be fixed with a basic charm that a first year can manage. For you at home it be a part of your family history that was lost forever. A wizard rapes and murders a dozen women and a few flicks of a wand erases all the evidence and a memory charm later and not even the strongest truth serums can make him confess."

That's when Hermione started to shudder. "But ….."

"No buts Hermione. This is the reality of being a witch. Everyone over the age of eleven carries a lethal weapon that is capable of removing evidence, brainwashing witnesses, and making it seem like it never happened. Pure blood wizards don't understand the idea of consequences Hermione. It's just the simple facts, furthermore they don't change until something happens to them that magic can't fix. Almost every pureblood I know is the same way. The best pure blood wizards and witches I know all have a sad story in their past. James was the same way once upon a time."

"What happened to change him?"

"He was out one night the summer after our OWLs with his friends. When he came home a skull made out of green smoke with a snake coming out of the mouth was hanging over his home. His mother and father were left stuck to the walls bleeding to death with their intestines wrapped around their necks and his younger siblings were in pieces. Literally in pieces Hermione, the two of them had been drawn and quartered while their parents had been forced to watch. They were a set of twins that were slated to start Hogwarts the following September. I doubt Harry even knows he could've had an Aunt and an Uncle. To this day James doesn't like to talk about them. It was the first time he realized that magic couldn't fix everything. It was the first time he had to deal with the consequences of someone's actions without using a wand and was one of the main reasons he went to work for the DMLE. He changed a lot after that summer. That sixth year after that horrible summer is when I started see the man he was becoming and when I started to fall for him."

"Why is it like this Mrs. Potter?"

"It's cause and effect dear. Even here at school you should've seen it by now, how many times have you been harassed by bullies wearing silver and green?" The silence was more enough of an answer. "How many times have you seen them actually being punished for the way they act? What do house points really matter in the scheme of things?" The grimace and frown adorning the face of the young witch in front of her was again answer enough.

"But if that's the case what can I do Mrs. Potter? What did you do?"

"You introduce them to Consequences with a capital C. That's what I did, and it's what I made sure my son learned to do."

"You mean Harry?"

"Of course I mean Harry. Do you think I let my husband and his friends turn my sweet little boy into a marauder for the fun of it? Of course I didn't you silly girl. No the only reason I agreed to let Harry become a marauder was so he'd learn not only to fight back but how to fight back."

"What's a marauder."

"The marauders were what my husband and his best friends called themselves when they went to Hogwarts. They say they started their little gang as a way to fight back against others who were getting away with murder. I don't know if they meant that or if they just used that as an excuse to go about pranking anybody or anything who pissed them off. I do know that those people who they took vengeance for slept better at night knowing their tormentors had been punished."

Lily Potter really should have been more aware of who she was talking to. Hermione Granger, who in her own right could have given Lily a run for her money in a decade, was having a series of realizations. Her highly analytical and logical mind was connecting a series of dots, conclusions, and outcomes and the picture that was coming into focus wasn't pretty. "Mrs. Potter how do people learn right from wrong?"

So Lily gave the girl in front of her the best answer she could. "Predominantly they learn from their parents or teachers. Mainly through a combination of imitation and punishment for bad behavior."

"Exactly and even here at Hogwarts getting out of punishment is far to easy." Without consequences people would evolve from using words to hurt others to using violence. It was escalation in one of it's most basic and primitive forms. It was one of those simple things anyone could understand. It was something she had lived. If a person could get away with making a girl cry by saying something mean to her it wouldn't be long before they tried to make her cry by knocking her books out of her hands.

From her own experience being the outcast in a school full of "normal" people she understood two fundamental truths about her "peers". One people wanted to fit in and be popular and if they had to make someone else suffer to do that most would. Two bullies took enjoyment from perpetuating a cycle that protected themselves. By hurting others, and getting away with it, they reinforced the notion that they were untouchable. This lead to more fear which in turn lead to the arrogant bullies being able to get away with more.

"So what do you think I should do about Ronald."

"Talk to Harry young lady. He's a marauder in more than name if anybody can handle it without taking it over the line it would be him. Now enough of the grim talk lets rejoin the boys and I'll introduce you to Harry's uncles and our little flower."

Approaching the rest of the Potter ensemble they were treated to the ending of Harry's retelling of how he battled the troll. It was a brilliant piece of fiction that Harry was totally and completely making up for his sister's sake. Harry had removed any sense of danger, gore, or fear from the story and had totally focused on the sense of adventure and enjoyment. If one were to believe his retelling Harry had all but made the troll knock it self out with it's own club without ever taking a scratch. According to the fiction the only reason Harry was in the hospital at all was because he had slipped on the stairs during his victory dance and hit his head. But judging from his eyes Lily and James each knew Harry didn't believe a word of it. Harry had been extremely scared and was only holding the mask of the story together for Rose's sake.

Changing the subject away from something that she was still uncomfortable listening to Lily brought up the reason they were all together in the hospital. "So Harry what are you going to do about this Weasley chap.?"

"Why mother dearest I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about."

"If I know you half as well as I think I do you already have something in the planning stages. So come on spill it."

"Mum if anybody has the right to seek retaliation against Mr. Weasley it's Ms. Granger, not me."

"Well than Harry if it's my right to seek it why don't you tell me what you have planned and we'll take if from there."

Now this had everyone, with the exception of Lily, looking at her with wide eyes. "Hermione I thought you were to straight laced to want involved in something like this."

"Ron needs to learn a lesson, he won't grow up and will keep doing stuff like this until he does. Tell what you have planned Harry."

"Just random thoughts at the moment but I was thinking an eye for an eye. But we need more information before we can set anything in motion. The fact that you are going to be instrumental in executing his punishment is like a cherry on top."

"Hermione Harry wrote to us about a bag he worked on for you, do you have it with you?"

"Yes I Do Mr. Potter, why do you ask?"

"I'm always interested in how my son is applying his talents and family traditions. May I look at it?"

"Certainly sir." Moments later James was holding a bag that had been emptied of enough books to impress his wife.

"I've never understood how you figured out how to add multiple metals to the ink Harry. That alone is rather impressive and the actual runic combinations is ingenious Harry."

"I've told you dad it's chemistry. The salts dissolve in the ink into their ionic components and blend together allowing each metal to add a portion of their ability to the ink. It's drastically cheaper then using raw precious metals like the rest of the world likes to use."

"Damn muggle science I've never gotten." Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry's father before she asked what had caught her attention.

"What about the Runes is ingenious exactly?"

"Oh most feather weight bags work on the principal of weight reduction. They either work by neutralizing earths gravity or on a similar principal to the shrinking charm. The former is more potent but more complicated while the latter can't handle as large a load. Harry's work here does neither."

"What exactly does his do?"

"His just adds a combination levitation/hover charm to the inside of the bag. Instead of trying to over come gravity with a charm he provides an opposing force that makes the bag feel as light as a feather when your holding it. If you were to swing the bag and hit somebody in the face with it it'd be like the charm wasn't there at all. The weight isn't decreased at all it but for everyday use it might as well be. That's why it's so ingenious. It's very simple but extremely effective for most uses."

"Is there a downside to the way he made it?"

"Oh very much so. The charm can't compensate for much more than ten to fifteen Kilograms of weight. Anything more than that and you yourself will have to compensate with your legs."

"So Mum, Dad, is there anyway you can get me out of this bed sometime today?" If Padfoot's laughter was anything to go by Harry's hopes of getting out to his broom for quidditch practice was not likely.

"Oh there's not a chance in hell of that happening Harry. I wouldn't recommend trying to sneak out either. Madam Pomfrey takes quite offense to that and you wouldn't be the first student she tied to their bed."

"Bugger it to hell." The near stereo correction from two of the ladies in the room gave everyone over the age of ten pause. Rose, far to lost in her beliefs that nothing could ever hurt her big brother, never noticed. " So Mum, Dad, anything else you want to talk about while I'm stuck in a bed all weekend?"

James and Lily shared a look between themselves communicating in a way that only husbands and wives of many years could. James opted to lead the conversation off." Well Harry now that you mention it there is one thing we've been meaning to talk to you and Rose about but we wanted to talk about it with you two together in person. Rose why don't you climb up next to Harry for a moment." Now being the children of a marauder both Rose and Harry knew, rather instinctively, when people were acting suspicious. The way their parents were acting was throwing up red flags faster than a ref at a Slytherin/Gryffindor quidditch match. Seeing her daughter next to her son Lily leaned forward and with a grin that would've made any marauder proud asked her question.

"How do you two feel about being a big brother and big sister?"