AN: I'm actually quite pleased with how this chapter came out! I hope you all enjoyed reading it and I'm sorry if you didn't. Please be sure to leave a review! I'd really appreciate it! They mean the world to me when I get such a nice one, and even ones that are constructive criticism makes me so happy.

At breakfast the following morning, Harry was enjoying his small meal with Hermione when the owls swooped in, one of which dropped a letter in her food. She went to pick it up only to stop when she saw the family owl make an appearance, also dropping an envelope in her food. Her father had received an owl from a family friend last year, but when she tried to stroke his head, it pecked her fingers and flew off.

"Jasper? What's the matter with you?" Ginny huffed at the creature, going to open the envelope with interest. If it was from Jasper, it meant that the letter had to come from her father. With a shrug, she tore open the envelope and began to read.

Dear Ginevra, it pains me to do this, but I see no alternative. I am so disappointed in you that I cannot begin to express the depths of it. I thought I had raised you better than this, but I was sadly mistaken. It seems that you do take after your mother, and for that, I cannot blame you completely.

However, as you are going to be graduating from Hogwarts next year, I will not turn a blind eye to your actions. For someone that is about to reach magical maturity, one would think you would have grown up yourself, Ginevra.

Actions come with consequences and you have deliberately been dosing a Lord with Amortentia. For that, it can be an immediate spot in Azkaban alone, yet, he has chosen not to do so. He has even declined to press any sort of charges against you for such a transgression.

We were his family, Ginevra. We were there for him when he had no place to go, and yet, you and Molly have betrayed him. Did you ever stop and think about how any of this would make him feel? I find myself impressed by his kindness and patience with our family, which you will no longer be a part of for those reasons.

Again, this pains me, but it is the most reasonable option. I have to think of your brothers and myself, and I cannot allow you or your mother to bring more shame upon this family. I still love you, for you will always be my daughter and perhaps, if you can learn to become a better person, then I will undo this.

Until then; Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are hereby disowned. You will no longer be welcome at the Burrow and all of your things have been removed. Your mother has been divorced and has all of your belongings. You are no longer a Weasley.

I'm sorry.

Arthur Weasley

Her small hands were shaking as she read the letter, her eyes filling with tears as the weight of the situation hit her like a ton of bludgers. Ron seemed to notice as he stopped eating and went to take the letter, only to have Ginny drop it back into her food.

"Prank! This…this has to be a prank," She frantically mumbled, unaware that she was quickly gaining attention from the rest of the table. "He…he wouldn't do this to me!" She hissed and went to quickly open the next letter, thinking it was going to be from her father, explaining that everything was a joke. There was no way he could know that she had attempted to dose Harry with Amortentia, right? She quickly opened the next letter, reading it with wider eyes.

Dear Ginevra Molly Prewett, you are hereby removed from all Weasley family vaults. You have been disowned by Arthur Weasley and will be living in the Prewett household with your mother and other relatives.

Have a good day.

-Grufgon, Head Goblin of Gringotts.

Unaware that Ron was reading the other letter, Ginny sat numbly at the table, eyes wide as he tried to come to terms with everything.

"…What the Bloody Hell is wrong with you, Ginny!?" Ron growled at the redhead who flinched at the accusatory tone, her eyes widening further. "I can't believe you would have stooped so low. This is disgusting!" With food lying forgotten on his plate; Ron was glaring daggers at his now disowned sister.

"You can't be serious, Ron. C'mon, you know this sort of thing happens all the time-"

"And that doesn't make it any better, or legal for that matter!" Now all eyes were on the two as Ginny tore apart the letters in her fury, ranting about how life was unfair. Ron made a face and shook his head. "You brought that on yourself, Gin. You deserved it." His face was slightly warm from all the stares the two had on them. Looking to his right, his eyes found Harry and Hermione's. A dull sense of longing washed over him as he looked at the two, remembering when they were inseparable. He felt another emotion hit him when he narrowed in on Harry, recalling what now destroyed letter contained.

We were his family, Ginevra. We were there for him when he had no place to go, and yet, you and Molly have betrayed him. Did you ever stop and think about how any of this would make him feel?

"Oh, Merlin…" He mumbled to Harry's confusion. The realization struck him hard as his blood went cold, a new perspective coming as he stared at Harry in a new light. Memories flashed before him, some good and some not, but they all had an important meaning.

"Go on, have a pasty,"

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."

"Weasley is our king,"

"You want to go to bed, Harry? I expect you'll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something,"

"Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if you're lucky…. That's what you want, isn't it?"

After the huge fight they had in their fourth year, which was thanks to his own jealously, Harry had only four words for him.

"It's okay. Forget it,"

But Ron couldn't. Not now at least. He swallowed hard when his stomach lurched and churned painfully, his face paling as he rushed out the great hall. Behind him, he left Harry and Hermione, both confused by the strange behavior.

"What was that about?" Hermione whispered, looking at her friend who was staring off in the direction Ron had just run off too.

"I've no idea," He responded truthfully, a look of contemplation on his face.

The rest of the day went on uneventfully until Harry decided to finally talk to Justin. Taking Hermione's advice about inviting him to Hogsmeade, he waited until after charms, gently taking a hold of the other wizard's arm once class was over.

"Hey, Justin. Do you have a moment?" Harry asked slowly letting his hand drop when the Hufflepuff flushed and nodded.

"Uh, yeah! What's up?" He asked nervously, not quite looking Harry in the eyes. The Gryffindor ran a hand through his hair, suddenly becoming nervous as well.

"I think we both have a lot that needs to be discussed. I'd rather do it in a more private setting than Hogwarts though. Would you care to join me at Hogsmeade this Sunday?" He nearly cursed when he saw Justin's eyes light up at that.

"Yeah! That's uh, that's fine with me!" Justin smiled brightly and Harry found himself returning it slowly, gathering the rest of his things.

"Okay. I'll meet you at the three Broomsticks around noon." Justin was lighting up again, but Harry ignored it, focusing on getting his things and getting out of there.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked once Harry came up to her, brow raised at the face he sent.

"I asked him to Hogsmeade, but I think he assumes it's meant to be a date. My exact wording was I think we both have a lot that needs to be discussed. I'd rather do it in a more private setting than Hogwarts though. Would you care to join me at Hogsmeade this Sunday? Does that sound like a date to you?"

"Not really," Hermione answered honestly, holding back a smirk. "Because for one, you would stutter more if you were asking someone out. You're a disaster for a reason," She teased as Harry flushed and couldn't stop from laughing at his own expense.

"Who have I asked out, though? Not anyone recently."

"No, but you did have a thing for Cedric," Hermione smirked as Harry flushed more at that. "And if you weren't falling hard for a certain someone, I could see you and the twins together." She smirked as his face heated up even more, if that were even possible.

"Merlin, I regret telling you the crush I had on them in my fourth and fifth year," Harry groaned as Hermione giggled.

"It's okay, Harry. Lots of people think about being sandwiched between them," Nearly choking on his spit at that, he covered his face.

"Unless you have the strong arms of Viktor Krum to call your own," He teased back, turning the tables and making her flush this time. "Am I wrong?" He smirked.

"Not at all. Viktor does have amazing arms," Hermione sighed softly, thinking about her boyfriend with a slightly dreamy look on her face. "Well, I'll see you later. I've got Arithmancy to get to," She gave her friend a gentle squeeze as she veered off into the opposite direction. Sighing, Harry was about to turn down the hallway that would lead him to the great hall, but he was pulled into an abandoned classroom before he could get the chance.

Expecting to be hit with a spell, he was surprised when none came. He blinked in confusion upon realizing who his captor was.

"Ron?" Harry looked around discretely, checking to see if they were alone. "What's going-"

"I'm sorry," Mouth shutting audibly, Harry looked at him in awe. "For a lot of things. Especially what Ginny tried to do to you. I had no idea she was doing that, Harry!"

"Uh…it's fine. It didn't work in her favor in the end anyway," Harry shrugged it off, already feeling like she had received her just deserts. She was disowned now and had been kicked from the Burrow. It did feel odd conversing this cordially with Ron, though. Usually, the redhead was glaring at him and shooting him dirty looks. Why had this suddenly changed his behavior? Something wasn't quite adding up.

"I've been a real prat," Ron mumbled suddenly, once again causing Harry to be startled into silence. "I can't believe I ignored what you were saying this entire time. You do deserve to be yourself and just because someone thinks you should do something doesn't mean you have to,"

"Uh," Harry was unsure of how to begin, wondering if this was a trick of some sort. "I'm sorry, but what brought this on?" He anxiously scratched the back of his neck, watching as Ron frowned.

"When your name was pulled from the goblet." The redhead began to explain. "You didn't put your name in there, just like you didn't as to fight Voldemort." Harry was impressed that Ron had made the connection, but he didn't dare interrupt him. "And just because people expect you to do something doesn't mean you have to. Who in their right mind would want to fight a Dark Lord anyway? One that hasn't even graduated yet." Holding back a chuckle, Harry shrugged, amusement obvious on his face.

"Kinda took you a long time to realize that," He informed, a hardness to his voice that made Ron sheepishly rub his arm.

"I know. I'm not asking to be completely forgiven. I don't expect things to ever go back to how they once were, but I want to try to regain as much as I can," Ron paused and looked away for a moment, exhaling shakily. "I miss my friend," There was such a sincerity in the words that Harry found himself swallowing hard and fighting off a foreign sensation in his eyes.

"You were my first real friend, Ron. Nothing will ever change that," Harry promised, feeling like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "It'll take time before anything can improve though. I'm still not happy with your comments about Dean and Seamus, or the way you think Hermione should be with you, even when she has a loving boyfriend who is right for her." Ron flinched at that, running a hand down his face as his own words were thrown back at him.

"I have no idea what's gotten into me lately. I'm not even homophobic, I swear! Fred and George and Charlie are all gay, and I've got no problems with it. It's like something is telling me to say shit like that even when I don't mean it or want to say anything. Just like when I see you with Hermione. It's like something is forcing me to do it. I don't even care if you're dating-"

Harry was no longer listening, soon growing alarmed at what Ron was suggesting.

Compulsion spells? It would make sense. Dumbledore was around the Weasley's a lot.

"Ron," Harry gently cut the other off, eyebrows knitted as if he were deep in thought. "What do you mean that you don't want to say it?" He needed to get answers about it. There was still the probability that this was all a ruse, so it was all more reason to gather as much information.

"I know you don't care for fame, Harry, but there are moments when it feels like something is telling me to get angry at you for it."

Why had he never considered this a possibility in the past? Sure, Ron was known for his jealousy, but he never turned on him this much until now. Ron's attitude had been getting worse over the years, namely their fourth year, but he had at least attempted to apologize back then. Of course, Ron always had a bias towards the Slytherins, but it was mainly Malfoy. Thinking about it now, it looked as if things had been amplified.

"There's a way we can see if there's something wrong with you," Harry suggested. "Like compulsion spells," He informed, watching the way Ron paled at that.

"Compulsion spells? Merlin, please tell me you're joking?" Harry shook his head, crossing his arms. "What makes you think it could be a compulsion spell?"

"It might not be one," Harry quickly pacified his once close friend, taking a deep breath as he continued. "However, the symptoms you're describing are associated with people that are under the influence of some sort of compulsion spell. If it is one, we need to remove it so you can regain your freedom," Harry suggested.

"How would we go about it? Madame Pomfrey?" Harry made a face, rubbing his neck again.

"No…we need to go to Se-Snape," He quickly corrected himself before Ron could notice. "I know you don't like him, but he would know what to do, and he probably has an antidote or something," Harry knew the spell that would show if Ron were under some sort of spell, but he would rather deal with this in Severus' company. "Besides, Madame Pomfrey would probably inform Dumbledore if there were a compulsion on you, and I think it's something we need to figure out on our own."

"…Fine." Ron mumbled, not looking pleased about the entire situation and Harry couldn't blame him.

"I've got detention with him in about thirty minutes. We can head there early," Harry suggested as he slowly walked towards the dungeons with Ron. A few students stopped and openly gawked at them, surprised that they were being civil towards one and other. Most were surprised that Ron wasn't openly glaring at Harry like he usually was.

"How many detentions have you had with him?" Ron asked as they neared the dungeons. The green-eyed wizard smirked and gave an indifferent shrug.

"About two months' worth," Harry admitted, holding back a snicker as Ron gave an indigent squawk.

"Two months?! Merlin, that's bloody awful," Shrugging again, he glanced at Ron with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," He said nonchalantly. "I get a chance to study, which I'm thankful for," Harry didn't mind admitting that, knowing it didn't give anything away. Besides, Severus would be there soon to see if his hunch was correct.

To his surprise, he noticed the dark-haired wizard waiting on him in front of his office, eyebrow raised when he looked over the pair. Onyx eyes met emerald and Severus sighed at the look he was given.

"I see. Follow me," He didn't go into his private rooms this time, instead of leading them into his office. He gave Harry a small nod towards the door that went unnoticed by Ron. As soon as the door was shut, Harry had placed several warding and privacy spell, smirking at the approving gaze of the potions master. "Care to explain what's going on?" He was looking at Ron, but his attention was on the raven-haired wizard.

"Potential compulsion spells," Harry explained, tilting his head to Ron as if it that answered enough. Something flickered in Severus' expression, his eyes gleaming in interest. "The symptoms he mentioned reminded me of them," Severus could hear the unspoken if this isn't a ruse.

"Is that true, Mr. Weasley?" At the nod, Severus crossed his arms. "Can you describe them for me?" Harry could see the darkening of his eyes that promised pain to the redhead if this were all a ploy. It made his heart warm all of a sudden, a feeling he was getting used to around Severus.

"It's hard to-to explain," Ron stuttered and flushed, looking embarrassed. "It feels like something's telling me to speak up and make a full of myself, like when I made those comments to Dean and Seamus. I'm not a homophobe, but I'll suddenly have these thoughts out of nowhere that I should say something against it." He looked down. "Or when I'm rude to Harry because of his status as a famed wizard. I know he doesn't care for it, but….something just makes me go against it,"

"Interesting," Severus frowned as he pulled out his wand. He wouldn't put it past the headmaster to do this, but he had to be sure. "I'm going to run a diagnostic spell on you, Mr. Weasley."

"Uh," Ron swallowed nervously, but nodded anyway. "Al-alright," Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the stuttering, he aimed his wand and let magic do its thing.

It didn't take long for a paper to appear, which Severus looked over as it landed in his palm.

"Once more, your assessment is correct, Mr. Potter." Harry didn't know if he wanted to be happy at that, or angry at the Headmaster. He settled on anger upon the way Snape winced at whatever was on the paper, something he didn't often do.

"What? How…how do I get rid of them?" Ron's pale face made his freckles stand out even more. "And who placed them on me in the first place? How long have they been on me?" Severus handed Harry the paper as he went to grab a vial from his personal rooms. He looked over it and felt his jaw drop in shock, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Which question do you wanna know first?" At the look he received, Harry sheepishly grinned. "Alright. Uh…it says the first compulsion was placed in our fourth year,"

"The Triwizard tournament," Ron breathed, looking down. That was the first time he had betrayed Harry.

"Yeah. It seems they get stronger as the years go on," Harry explained, nervously chewing on his lips. He wanted to wait on Severus before revealing to Ron who had placed them. It would make things easier.

Severus came back with a vial of blue liquid, handing it to Ron and ordering him to drink it immediately. Grimacing as soon as the potion hit his tongue, Ron drowned the contents and held back a gag.

"What's this supposed to-" He found himself in a seat, everything feeling numb as a tingle started forming in the back of his head. It lasted for about two minutes before disappearing and leaving him feeling clearer than ever. "Oh," Ron mumbled, blinking rapidly. "Woah," Harry snorted at that and waited until the redhead regained his bearings. "Right, uh. Who placed them on me?"

"How about you read for yourself," Harry handed Ron the paper, which was eagerly taken. Brown eyes read over the words, widening in pure hurt and betrayal.

"My own mum," He whispered, the forgotten paper falling from his hands. Dumbledore too, but Ron could hardly care about that at the moment, too hurt at the moment. "I want to be angry, but after learning what she did with my dad, I can't say I'm surprised at this," Ron whispered, feeling sick all of the sudden.

"Ron?" The said wizard was jolted from his thoughts when he felt Harry's hand on his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly.

"I'll be alright. I just…need to think about what I'm going to do. I don't feel safe here anymore," He confided, picking up the paper and swallowing his dry throat. Harry was grateful that Severus had left the room to give them privacy, allowing him to be there for his once more friend.

"You don't have to stay here," Harry suggested. "I know you want to become an auror,"

"No. I…I don't want that either." Harry hated that the wizard beside him had been used in such a way, and all to get him to follow their plans.

"Then you could do what the twins did. They left during their seventh year and didn't complete their NEWTs either," The Weasley seemed to consider that as he nodded.

"I think I want to go home. Maybe help the twins with the shop, or even get a job at a quidditch store in Diagon Alley. Something to do," Ron mumbled, looking lost.

"I know things have been strained recently, but I'm still here if you need me." His eyes widened when he found his arms full of a crying redhead. "Oh, Ron," He exhaled, allowing his friend to cry. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"After all of this is over," Ron took a breath, his eyes lighting up like pure fire. "let's make them pay,"

Harry had no problems with that.

Once Ron had grabbed all of his things and left through the floo network, curtesy of Severus, Harry found himself sitting in the same spot he was in last time, running a hand through his unruly hair.

"I almost wish it had been a ploy," Harry mumbled weakly, his green eyes distant as he looked at his hands. "That way he wouldn't have to be going through this," Severus moved closer, allowing his hand to once again card through the messy hair, heart-pounding when Harry leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. "I honestly hadn't been expecting Molly to put a compulsion spell on her son,"

"Neither was I." Severus hated to admit it, but it did astound him. It shouldn't have, considering she had been giving Arthur a love potion for over twenty years. Sadly, the woman didn't possess any sort of morals. Neither did Albus Dumbledore for that matter.

"He was my first friend you know?" Harry spoke after a few moments of silence, his tone making Severus' heart ache. "I never had any friends growing up. Dudley made sure people knew I was a freak and didn't deserve to be them. Then when I got here, everyone wanted to be my friend because of my fame and not for me," Harry paused and blinked away the wetness in his eyes. "Everyone but Ron. He was the first one who looked past the 'boy who lived' nonsense. Then our fourth year happened…" He leaned into Severus more, sighing. "To know that he never turned on me willingly…"

"Another pawn in Dumbledore's game," Severus surmised, making the emerald-eyed Wizard nod.

"I'm thankful that my magic is strong. If it hadn't been," Harry trailed off, knowing Severus understood what he was implying. "I wish he would just leave me alone," The desperation in the younger wizard's voice made the older wizard twitch, a protective fire blazing in his eyes.

"He will," Severus promised darkly, causing the other to bite his lips and smile a bit. "I'm sure if you were to treat him the same way you did with the Dark Lord…" Harry laughed softly at the suggestion, unaware that was the goal.

"I was being nice to Tom. I'm not sure I would be as kind to Albus," Severus hummed at that. "I know a way to hurt him more though," Harry smirked as Severus raised an eyebrow. "Why not just blow up his Sherbet lemons? Or do something horrible to them," He suggested with an evil gleam in his eyes that made the potion's master chuckle.

"Dare I ask what you would do to make them horrible? They're already disgusting as is," Harry snorted in agreement, his mind already scheming away.

"Well, the twins and I were working on a sticking charm meant for food only. Particularly, hard candies," He explained with a Slytherin smirk that turned into a curious frown when food appeared on the table.

"You weren't at dinner tonight," Severus stated, causing Harry to flush at the fact Severus had not only noticed that, but was now providing food for him.

"Thank you," He flushed more, eating as Severus graded papers beside him. Once the plate vanished, Harry gave a contented sigh when those hands absentmindedly returned to his hair, stroking on their own accord. The younger hid a smile as he leaned closer, getting some reading done.

Later that night as Albus Dumbledore went to eat a Sherbet lemon before bed, he was unsuspecting of the sticking charm until it hit his tongue, making it boil and fester up immediately.

So, how do we feel about Ronald Weasley's redemption? Yay or nay? I gotta say, I originally wasn't going to go down that route, but then I got to thinking and I found that I liked the idea for this story in particular. I've done all sorts of Ron bashing stories, but none of which contained any sort of redemption for him.