Just because they had forgotten exactly what he had told them about the marks didn't mean Magic had. Magic knew what her user had declared as a punishable offence and what wasn't. And Magic would punish these users of her gift as they deserved.
While the teenagers had been understandably upset, Magic was filling the role of judge, jury and executioner. Because Magic was fair but impartial. Harry had named the crimes he wanted them judged for. Their own hearts and minds let magic see they were indeed guilty and so she had judged them as such. And Harry had set the terms of their punishment and it's duration. Magic would see to the execution.
So when Professor Babbling asked how they came to be marked while Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick used their own magic to examine the marks, the trio gave the gathering the same broken story word for word they had told Professor McGonagal this morning when they found they couldn't conceal the marks. Ginny even had her powder compact in hand in case the female teachers wanted to see the marks couldn't be concealed. They'd practiced it more since they had run to Professor McGonagal that morning but it was still the same exact story. The implied lies were tripping off their tongues but slowly; one by one they each began to choke and cough until none of them could speak and the implied lies had their faces, where the runes were, swollen and seeping a clear pus like fluid much like blisters do when you lance them.
"See?' said Minerva looking at her colleagues but gesturing towards the three teens. "It has to be Dark Magic. Nothing else would still be active and cause the injuries to grow worse like this does. We all know injuries cause by dark magic take longer to heal because the dark magic keeps the wounds fresh."
While Professor Sprout genuinely wanted to find a way to help the trio, Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey were more concerned with studying the marks. Madam Pomfrey wanted to see if she could discover what if any side effects they might have on the health of the three. But Flitwick was only concerned with the novelty of the marks and the magic behind them. "How ingenious Magic is," he squeaked nearly vibrating with joy.
Ignoring Minerva, Professor Sinistra narrowed her eyes and waited for the spasms to pass and the three to focus on the teachers again before she said, "It seems Mr. Potter took your habit of lying into account when he punished you. Why don't you try again? Perhaps with the truth this time? Unless you'd like those marks to swell up permanently. Then you truly will be deformed. Do you like the shedding of blood that much? Because I'm sure all you need to do is lie to us for a few more days and you'll be shedding buckets of it."
Minerva turned to her and in a shocked voice said, "What do you mean lying, Aurora? That's the same story they told me this morning when they came to see if I knew how to remove the disfigurement for them. As if I'd have any idea how to undo something so dark as this," she sniped.
Sinistra ignored the comment about the marks being dark in nature since she really didn't know that they weren't. She chose to reply to the comment about the story the trio had told instead. "Exactly. If they were telling the truth, their story would have altered just a little bit. The highlights would've been the same but the little things would've changed. But these three practiced that story right down to the smooth pass off from one to the next as a spasm would over take the current speaker."
Professor Vector bobbed her head explaining, "They were giving us a performance, Minerva. I used to spend my summers with a thespian group and I got to know when someone was performing for an audience and when they weren't. You could see the next speaker straighten up slightly as their cue to speak approached. They'd stiffen up a little right before they were due to speak or move. These three did the same thing. When the one speaking would begin to choke the next in line would take over. The one not yet speaking would look to the one next to speak when the one speaking would begin coughing as well, which only happens when a group is giving a prepared presentation. Each of them were anticipating who'd be next to speak every time the one speaking would begin coughing and choking. Performers learning their lines do it all the time. By opening night they have their roles down pat and know all the staging directions by heart so they can play their role as naturally as possible. Including using their bodies to reinforce their lines. Makes the show more believable for the audience. Body language doesn't lie but words do. They're lying."
"She's right. Those spasms weren't normal coughing spells for children coming down with a cold or any other kind of chest related problem," said Madam Pomfrey putting away her wand which made it clear she'd run a diagnostic on them as they were talking. "Nor are the marks in any manner affecting their overall health or well-being. I can find no medical reason for their faces to be swelling as they are. All they need to do is tell the truth and everything will be fine."
"And the marks reacted every time the next speaker would begin speaking, too," added Professor Flitwick. "Or I should say when the speaker began to lie, the marks would react until the speaker was stopped by a coughing fit. And this isn't dark magic, Minerva. It's behavior modification via Magic herself. Parents use behavior modifying magic on their children all the time."
Professor Babbling said, "And when they were no longer speaking, it would begin to slowly fade until said individual began to lie again. Which indicates Filius is correct. The mark is a monitor that will slowly, over time, act as a correctional tool to train them into better behavior. You might say Mr. Potter has taken responsibility for the trio in the wrong doing he perceives them to have committed against him."
"He has no right," groused Hermione at the same time as Professor McGonagal whined, "But to use dark magic against them…".
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