What's this? Another chapter so soon after posting one? How can this be?! Le gasp!

Yeah I got home last night from posting chapter 20 and was bored so I sat down and began typing this chappie and I finished it in less than an hour… it took me an hour to proof it but hey!

I had a much easier time writing this one then the last, it might not be as well written or whatever, but I liked writing it more… and finally we find out what's up with our dear old Dumblie-dore!

Chapter 21

Dumbledore's Betrayal

Neville walked with Harry curled against his chest all the way back to the common room. They slipped past the students loitering there and went up to the dorm. No one was there since it was still early enough in the afternoon for students to be out enjoying the weather.

"Do you mind if I have a few minutes alone Nev?" Harry spoke in a solemn tone. Neville eyed him, trying to figure out why Harry would want to be alone, if he just honestly wanted that… or if he wanted to be alone so he could hurt himself again.

Neville nodded once before speaking, "alright Harry." He leaned over Harry and brushed his lips soothingly against Harry's scar. Pulling away he gave a weak smile. "I love you Harry." He grasped Harry's hand and gave it a light squeeze, then kissed the knuckles. He turned on his heels and walked out of the room. He glanced over his shoulder before stepping out completely to see Harry running his fingers over the knuckles Neville had just kissed.

When Neville was gone Harry continued to rub his knuckles for a minute before dropping both hands at his sides. He crumpled to the ground on his knees. His hands came up to cover his face as he cried into them.

He hated Ron, he hated everything he was. He hated the control he had over him; he hated Ron's power, his face as he sneered at Harry. His voice as he told Harry that he had 'friends in high places'. He hated everything Ron had become and everything he had done.

Ron had such a power over him, just being in the same room made Harry's skin crawl and he wanted to itch it. But he couldn't, it wasn't a real itch. What was he supposed to do to make it stop?

He just wanted it to stop...

He glanced at the door, checking it, listening, as if someone was going to burst through it at any moment and yell at him for something he hadn't done.

... Or something he hadn't done yet.

He knew how to scratch his itch... but by doing so he would disappoint Neville. And that was the last thing he really wanted. The problem was that his sense of duty to Neville for all that the other boy had done… It did not outweigh his need to feel in control. His need to deal with Ron's abuse was too much to handle when compared with Neville's sadness. And even if Harry did cut he knew Neville would be there for him anyways. He realized how horrible it was to be taking advantage of Neville's love for him like that, but he just couldn't help it. He felt as though he needed this.

He stood up and walked towards his trunk. He pulled out the dagger Sirius had given him and went to the tiny bathroom attached to the dorm. He stood in front of the sink and again considered whether he really needed this or not.

Tears slipped down his face as he pressed the blade lightly against his wrist. He thought back to the night he had done this and Neville had caught him, the first night Neville had slept with him and comforted him.

More tears slipped from his eyes. He pressed the blade while hoping that one day he would have the strength to stop this and be the person he had been before... be the person Neville could be proud of... the person Neville deserved…

~meanwhile~

"You really bollixed this up Ronald." Dumbledore sneered at Ron who responded with a glower. Dumbledore ignored it and began pacing. "I'm not sure I can save you from Azkaban!"

Ron's angry self-absorbed attitude vanished. "You promised that if I kicked it up a notch with Harry you would protect me from that place!"

~Dumbledore's memory~

Dumbledore sits at his desk calmly going over paperwork. He looks up as three loud knocks sound from the other side of his door. "Come in!"

Ron walks in looking somewhat frightened. "Hello Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiles pleasantly and nods, motioning for him to take a seat. "Lemmon drop Ronald? Or how about some tea?" Ron shakes his head no.

"Well then, let's get right to the heart of the matter." The aged wizard stands and begins to slowly pace behind his desk chair. "You see Ronald, this is my school. I know everything that goes on here. You can't so much as sneeze without me knowing about it if that is what I wish. Of course I don't keep close tabs on every student I could care less if one of the first year Hufflepuff's sneezes... but certain students... I keep very close tabs on."

Dumbledore gazes at Ron like the boy is supposed to understand by now what he is saying. "Especially Ronald, when I have a student that is thought to save us all." Dumbledore spreads his hands on the 'all' like everyone is there before him. "Harry Potter, Ronald is one of the students in which I keep very close eyes upon. He blinks and I know about it!"

Ronald's face grows considerably paler as Dumbledore speaks... now Ron is practically translucent. "I know what you've been doing to him Mr. Weasley. At first of course I disapproved greatly. Hitting one of my students... Harry of all people. But then I had a thought." Dumbledore taps the side of his head like it is forming right then and there and it is a particularly brilliant idea. "This could work to my advantage. You, his best friend bring him down, make him weaker... And then when he thinks he can't bring himself back up I swoop in and save him. His trust in me will be so absolute by then that he will do anything I ask of him without giving it a second thought." Dumbledore smirks in such an evil manner the likes of which Ron has never seen before.

"Sir, how can you say these things, Harry trusts you!"

"He trusted you too if I recall, above almost everyone else except maybe Miss Granger. And it's not like I'm the one abusing him!"

"Sir I don't understand why I am here if you're not angry with me about Harry?" Ron seems resigned to the fact that he is an atrocious person and it seems so is Dumbledore.

"It's simple really Ronald, I want you to kick it up a notch. I want you to bring Harry to his absolute weakest until he will take comfort from anyone, no matter who it is. In trade for this I will guarantee that if you are found out or when it is finally over and I am ready to 'save' Harry you will not go to Azkaban. Maybe you will be kicked out of the school, but I will make it so the Dementors don't come anywhere near you."

Ron looks dumbfounded, his mouth gaping like a fish. He finally shuts it with a snap and nods slowly.

"Good, so it's settled. Do whatever you feel is the natural next course of action with the things you are doing to our Harry and when it's all said and done you won't lose your soul!" Dumbledore claps his hands once in satisfaction, taking his seat again and sipping his tea as if it were just another regular day. He glances up at Ron who is still just sitting there, "I thought I made it clear we were finished here. Run along Mr. Weasley, I have paperwork to get finished."

Ron's eyes bulge but he stands up swiftly and runs from the room like it is on fire.

~present~

"I didn't think you could get caught so gloriously! You really screwed this up! And why didn't you ask for me to be there last night?"

"I did! Snape said that he would call you in the morning which is now!" Ron snapped at the old wizard. Dumbledore stalked over to Ron and backhanded him so hard Ron could taste blood.

"You're an insolent little thing. How do you expect me to keep you out of jail when so many people have seen what you have done to their precious hero!? There is no way to cover this up Ronald. And now that you've lost your powers there is no hope of you staying here to maybe at least finishing your education which is what I would have argued had you not been caught like this."

Ron sat there, still tied up, seething in his own anger and frustration as Dumbledore continued to pace around the room trying to grasp at straws that didn't really exist.

Finally after almost ten minutes of this he turned back to Ron with a devious leer. "You will stay here as Filch's assistant. You will train to take over his job for when he finally deems he is done grumbling about the school and chooses to retire."

"Ugh! I'm not going to follow Filch around! He has that creepy relationship to his cat… I think he buggers it or something equally as disgusting. And besides that the nasty git wouldn't take me anyways!"

"He will if I tell him to! Stop being so whiney, I'm trying to keep you out of Azkaban and this is how you speak to me?! I will tell the school that there was a terrible accident, you were studying for potions and bumped in an extra ingredient and the result was the loss of your powers. So, in a fit of despair you asked to stay and take over for Filch one day and I agreed with open arms, because I am a gracious, good man."

"What about the others who know what I've done? There is too many of them to alter all of their minds or you would have just done that from the start!"

"I'm the headmaster, Severus and Minerva will do as they are told and so will Harry and Neville if they know what's good for them. Your family will want to keep the shame from getting around I'm sure. Your father is already highly underpaid and undermined at the Ministry, imagine what would happen if he let too much information slip about you at the wrong moment." Dumbledore had a fake look of regret and worry on his face for the Weasley family.

Dumbledore waved his wand in Ron's direction freeing him from the bonds that held his hands. "Go wait for me in my office I must speak with our resident Potions Master." Dumbledore turned away from the red head and stalked towards the door.

~On the other side of said door~

Snape looked at the twins and quickly wrapped up the ear cords. He shoved them into the still shell shocked twins hands and pushed them down the hall in front of him as he sprinted away from the door. "Quickly now boys! He's coming to meet me and you're lollygagging about as if you're heading to Sunday brunch!"

This seemed to snap the twins back into action and they quickly fell into step next to Severus following him down to the dungeons. They walked quickly keeping their pace, when they reached Snape's office he shoved them inside and across the room to a blank space of wall. He tapped the stones in a certain pattern revealing a door. "Go wait in my rooms! Don't touch anything except the couch and the tea table do I make myself clear?"

Fred and George both nodded quickly running down the hall. Snape closed the door with a click and stalked over to his desk. He sat down with his usual flourish and pulled up an essay taking his quill in hand.

Just as he dipped it in his favorite red ink Dumbledore strode in.

Leave a review because you're just so excited that I posted again so soon!