Some reviewers are saying he got off lightly. Lets see,
1) 2 month in school suspension working as Filch's assistant.
2) Loss of his quidditch captaincy and unable to play the game
ever again in Hogwarts.
3) A fine of +48K Galleons
4) A one year suspended sentence.
All that for an assault that probably today would have been plea
bargained down to indecent groping. The simple fact is everyone is
screaming for Ron, Snape and Dumbledore to go to jail and if you sit
back and think about it, you'll see as soon as that happens the story
is over. We tried to come up with a suitable punishment that would not
remove Ron from the picture this early. Of course, if you want, we can
always drop an anvil on his head and be done with him.... but that
would (a) kill the need for a sequel for this story and (b) finish
Sunset in a chapter or two which would be momumentally boring!
People will get punished, eventually. And on our schedule, not our
wonderful readers :) We have a time line we're working with and things
have to happen in the correct order and at the correct times.
- Bob
