Author's Notes: Lately, I have seen a good amount of fan art in which Ron has scars from the brain attack all the way up to his shoulders and it made me second-guess my head canon.

As the books only mention marks on his forearms, I have always assumed that they were the only parts of Ron's body that were affected because his clothes were enough to shield him from the brain and he must have either worn something short-sleeved or had his sleeves rolled up when the brain attacked him.

I still prefer to think that way, but what if the books only mention his forearms because that was all that Harry got to see? And what if the attack was in fact more gruesome than Harry thought?

Well, it got me writing again.

Rating: M for creepiness and some swearing.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Body-Bind Brain

Ron did not understand the whole commotion nor why all the people in the room were so keen on fighting each other. Not when there were so many more interesting things to explore. Such as the giant tank in the middle of the room.

He clumsily rose to his feet and staggered nearer towards the tank to have a closer look. It contained a strange green liquid that emitted a fluorescent glow and there were things swimming in it - large pearly white things that looked like funny-shaped fish.

Brains.

Brain fish.

Holy shit, this place was getting weirder with every minute.

"Hey!" he said when he spotted Harry a few feet away and stepped over to him, wanting to share his discovery. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?" [1]

He broke into more giggles when he imagined Hermione's reaction in the face of all the accumulated knowledge in this tank. Surely, these brains would completely destroy her in every single O.W.L. of hers.

Ignoring Harry's fearful shout, Ron trained his wand at the tank.

"Honest, Harry, they're brains," [2] he replied, rolling his eyes at his friend. He had no idea why he was so scared. What the hell were those brains supposed to do? Brains were good. If anything, they would surely make him smarter if he could just get a hold on one. Yeah, this must be it.

"Look," he said, determined to prove it to Harry. "Accio!" [2]

And with that, one of the brains flew high into the air and soared towards Ron. And then, the most peculiar thing happened.

Emitting a strange whirring noise, several thin feelers unwound themselves from within the brain which was now rapidly spinning around its axis and Ron was reminded of a weird sort of flying octopus that was stretching out its tentacles. The things were colorful, in fact it looked as if its many colors were moving around, and sparkling in the dim light. It was eerily beautiful.

"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it-" Ron called with fascination. "Harry, come and touch it; bet it's weird-" [2]

"RON, NO!" [2] came Harry's response. Ignoring him, Ron caught the brain in his hands, feeling smug as if he had just caught the Quaffle in an important match.

The brain indeed felt weird, unexpectedly soft and squishy. He watched with affection as the tentacles gently curled around his forearms, like a faithful pet greeting his master. He felt a strange urge to press the brain against his cheek and cuddle it.

"Harry, look what's happen-" [2] he started, proud that the brain seemed to have taken a liking to him, but his sentence was cut off when the tentacles contracted and a sharp pain shot through his arms. He pushed the brain away from himself, but the tentacles only tightened their hold on him and relentlessly made their way up to his shoulders.

"No - no - I don't like it-" Ron cried out, panic-stricken, when he realized that the brain was not going to let go of him. "No, stop - stop-" [2]

But instead of stopping, the tentacles were now coiling around his neck and chest and, scared that they might suffocate him, he released the brain to tear the feelers off of him but it was no avail. They were too strong. And to add to his horror, the brain did not dangle from its tentacles but instead reeled itself up and with a disgusting wet slurping sort of sound, it firmly latched itself onto Ron's middle where he felt the potion in which the brain had swum seep into his shirt.

"Diffindo!" [2] Harry barked and shot a jet of light at one of the feelers but nothing happened except that the tentacles were now starting to wrap around Ron's stomach.

And then, the wind was knocked out of Ron by a tentacle that forcefully punched him in the gut as it curled around his waist. He toppled backwards and crashed onto the cold stone floor. And then his world was plunged into chaos.

The pain became overbearing and, yowling in panic and agony, he trashed and rolled wildly on the floor. All he could see was a blur of colors and silhouettes that were swirling before his eyes and his ears were filled by the noise of voices and footsteps and the whirring and sizzling of the tentacles that were tightly wrapping themselves up and down his torso.

"Stubefy!" he heard Neville's voice somewhere close by and suddenly he realized that his world had become significantly calmer. "Ron, hold still, I cab'd aim-"

With enormous willpower, Ron threw himself onto his back, panting, his upper body throbbing with pain. He could feel the wiggling of the tentacles that were now trapped beneath him.

"Ha ha, Neville, you're sounding funny," Ron could not help but giggle. He looked up and saw his friend kneel beside him, his blond fringe drenched in sweat and his nose unnaturally big and purple. Momentarily forgetting about the brain, Ron giggled some more at this comical sight.

"Stubefy!" Neville yelled again, pointing his wand at the creepily pulsating brain on Ron's chest. "Reducdo! Imbedibenda!"

But nothing happened. The feelers were now slithering around Ron's legs like glistening serpents. As he looked down at himself, he realized with terror that they had shredded his robes wherever they had wound around him. And panic gripped him again.

"Neville, do something!" he shouted, wildly flailing his arms and legs. "Blithering fuck, do something!"

"I'b drying, I'b drying!" Neville cried breathlessly and ran a torn sleeve across his sweaty forehead. "Finide ingandadeb! Imbedibenda! Bedrifigus Dodalus! Id's nod worging, Ron! It doesn'd worg!"

"Go get Harry then!"

"He's nod here! He's fighding de Dead Eaders!"

Yes, of course Harry was fighting. He was so brave...

"Harry's the hero," Ron said reminiscently, wincing as the feelers cut into the skin on his legs. "Always the hero. You should be with him, Neville."

"Whad?" Neville blurted out. "No, I'b nod leabing you, Ron!"

"I'm not so important," Ron said through gritted teeth. "But Harry is. He's always the hero. He's fighting Death Eaters. What's a brain against that, Neville, huh? Honest, I'll be fine!"

And he tugged some more on the feelers on his chest for good measure.

"Bud-"

"GO!" Ron yelled out, both out of frustration and of pain.

Still frantically pulling at the tentacles, he saw Neville hesitantly struggle to his feet and make his way out of the room. He might have wanted him to stay had he not known that it was too late.

He could not be helped.

And he most certainly could not help himself.

The pain was just too much. Still emitting whirring and slurping noises, the brain was pulsating faster than ever as though feeding off of him and the tentacles were everywhere and he felt as if they were fusing with his bare skin as they were cutting into him, squeezing him, burning him.

He was wasting his strength trying to free himself and he knew it. He was not Harry. Harry was strong and brave and powerful. And he, Ron, was not.

'And this is the end of Ron Weasley, the dimwit. Killed by a brain,' he thought to himself, giggling at the cruel irony as he succumbed to his bonds that were still twining around him.

[1] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, UK Edition, p. 876, 2003 J.K. Rowling

[2] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, UK Edition, p. 877, 2003 J.K. Rowling

Aww, poor Ron! And poor you if you had expected something nice and fluffy and Romione-centered. Sorry for that. But didn't I say that this dump would also contain other stuff? Yeah, I herewith manifested my threat! *evil cackle*