Ron had spent the remaining weeks of school bragging to everyone about his part in the rescue, exaggerating and embellishing the story every time he told it. By the time the year ended you'd have thought he was the one who had done all the hard work since clearing that hole in the rockfall had featured largely in why they had all made it out of the Chamber. He'd even tried to claim his own life debt against Harry since he claimed they would have died without him clearing a hole in the landslide. He spent a lot of time pretending to fawn over both his sister and Harry so as to convince everyone of what a great guy he was. Because for Ron it was all about him.
But Harry had noticed, not once had he apologized for any of the grief he had caused Harry that year. Not once had he apologized for shoving him in the back to force him into the Chamber entrance or for the bruise on Harry's back that confirmed the very physical backstab he'd received from him. Not once had he recanted any of his former statements about Harry's disposition or personality. Not for giving Harry a firecracker to use as a distraction or even encouraging to the point of harassment Harry to throw it in a specific cauldron or for letting Harry take the fall for all of them alone. Not for turning his back on Harry or accusing him of trying to frame his family for his own bad acts. Not even for that damn pin he still had in his possession. No, Ron hadn't apologized at all. Not for anything.
And contrary to what Ron believed, Harry hadn't forgiven him for any of it. Not one single second of it. Nor had he forgotten it as Ron supposed he had. As Dumbledore had told everyone Harry would. But Harry had along ago learned for forgiveness to mean anything it must be asked for as in the asking, one shows one knows one has done wrong. Forgiveness granted when it's not asked for only means the act needing forgiveness will occur again and again. So no. Harry hadn't forgotten. And he hadn't forgiven.
The truth was Dumbledore didn't know Harry Potter any better than anyone else did. Which explained why he was always trying to claim a life debt. And preaching to Harry about the value of forgiving others every wrong against him. No matter what, Dumbledore wanted a permanent means by which to control every facet of Harry's life. And to that point, all he had was a twelve year old throwing a firecracker during a Potions class. The usefulness of that bad act would wear out one day. Especially since everyone and their brother knew Harry had already apologized to Draco twice for the incident and been refused forgiveness.
Just as he controlled Professor Snape's. The tattoo on Snape's arm and his feelings for Harry's dead Mum were the control agent the old man used to keep the bitter man under his thumb. But the day would come when neither of those two things would work any more and the dark man would break free. Probably on the same day Harry came of age as a matter of fact. Somehow, Harry had a feeling Dumbledore would not like it when that happened. Because Snape was the type to hold a grudge for a very long time. And Dumbledore had wracked up a lot of grudges for Snape to hold onto. He was the type of man to keep a list of every single offence against him personally and make certain that said offender paid for each strike. And if you acted against him or offended him in some manner, you'd regret it long before he let go of his grudge against you. His treatment of Harry was proof of how very long Professor Snape could hold a grudge.
Hermione had been one of the last victims found petrified in the hallway outside the abandoned bathroom. She had the scrap of parchment clutched tightly in her hand at the time and Harry had assumed she'd been coming to find him after discovering what the monster was and how it was getting around the school. She probably was but not from the library as he'd assumed at the time. More like from Dumbledore's office. But that was why her life debt to him had been confirmed. Because once again he'd slain the monster that had threatened her and placed her in deadly peril. Alone, Harry knew the incident wasn't enough to have forged a bond at all. But added to saving her from the troll in their first year, it was. So Harry left his second Hogwarts year with a new scar and two life debts owed to him.
Chapter Three: Third Year
Once again Harry had visited Diagon Alley during the summer to obtain books he didn't already have so as to better sort out in his mind the events of his second school year. Vernon hadn't liked driving him into the city because that meant he wasn't at the house doing the chores his family didn't like to do. But Petunia had told him to take him. So he had. No more than once a week. But still, Harry got to go. And just like in his first summer, Petunia made sure he had enough free time to actually read the books he purchased. Why she let him, Harry didn't know and really couldn't care. He was just grateful she did. But to her mind, if Harry had new books to read during his downtime, then he was in his room and away from her family. Dudley, who wasn't allowed to bother Harry in his room, wasn't looking to torment him to relieve his boredom and the neighbors weren't gossiping about her family.
This time the books were on potions and the magical creatures of the Wizarding World, their weaknesses and how each can be most easily identified by what they leave behind and law books covering the laws that allowed the Ministry or Hogwarts to rescind someone's wand rights and/or snap their wand. He wanted to look up that potion Hermione claimed to have read about and learn more about the art of making potions period. It was clear to him he'd never learn anything by waiting for Professor Snape to actually teach him. So he bought several books on the subject to learn what he could on his own.
The incidents with first the spiders and then the basilisk had made him realize he didn't know enough about the creatures of the magical world. And that lack of knowledge could spell the end of his life. Although he knew there was nothing he could do about it now he believed if he had known what the fleeing spiders and petrified victims had meant to begin with, he might have stood a better chance at defeating the Great Beast. Certainly he wouldn't have followed the fleeing spiders to Aragog's nest. Regardless of what Hagrid had told them.