I stormed out into the rainy darkness, a ring of heat encircling my neck where the Horcrux had lain moments before. Hermione shouted my name over and over, but there was no going back; no way I could stand the sight of them for a second longer with their jumping up and down over whatever the hell Phineas Nigellus had said and their oh-so-happy togetherness … The raindrops pounded against my skin but offered no relief from the chain’s burns or from the fire that had filled my chest at watching my best friend and the girl I loved carrying on as if I didn’t exist. A wrenching pain in the pit of my stomach made me hesitate at the edge of the protective enchantments that she had put up. Did I really want to leave? Stay or go? Hermione…

“Ron – please!�

The sound of her pleas enraged me again as I rubbed the stinging at the back of my neck, turned on the spot, and Disapparated.

“No! Ron! Come back!� she cried, feet squelching through the muddy earth as they left the shelter of the tent.

And then I was gone.

---

I had no clear idea of where I was going, but even if I did, how could I have known what I’d run right into? There were five of them lazing against a fence. I recognized the spot almost instantly -- right at the end of Hogsmeade where we had once met with Sirius Black when he was still a man on the run, much like I’d become. I smelled the clear air, remembering all the past trips into the village with Harry and Hermione; the sky was overcast but not releasing any drops just yet. Just down the road, I could barely make out the Shrieking Shack and recalled a time when it was just her and me…

How could I have been so stupid? I kicked at the hard, frosty earth in frustration. How could I have left them like that? I had promised Harry…and the look on Hermione’s face - the corners of her eyes sparkling in the lamplight, her mouth twisting as she made her choice…. She had made her choice, damn her, and she chose him!

But of course she chose him. I tore at my hair and punched my fist into my hand. Hermione would never have left the job we set out to do unfinished. If it hadn’t been for the Horcrux, I would have seen that, wouldn’t I? I searched the blackness for an answer, noticing the mysterious way the clouds swirled against the dark backdrop. The wind had picked up , and I realized for the first time that my clothes were dripping and that a chill had worked its way up my back. I wondered if dementors were around and prepared to Disapparate.

What I failed to notice, unfortunately, was that the five young men, not much older than me, had spotted and taken an abnormal interest in me. They approached with wands drawn.

“Oi! You there! Just a bleedin’ minute! We want a word!� said one, stocky and bandy-legged with his wand clenched tightly in his fist.

My mind spun nearly out of control, but I held on to the hope that if I could manage to escape soon, I might have a chance of getting back to Hermione and Harry.

A second bloke, my height with curly, blond hair, came to stand right beside me and looked me over with a sneer. “Shouldn’t you be in school then? Hey, Orville, I think we’ve got ourselves a Mudblood on the run!�

The one called Orville, who stood head and shoulders above the one next to me and smelled loads worse than my ghoul, grinned to show rotting teeth. He spoke slowly, squeezing out each word as if it were a chore. “What’s your name?�

Fully alert now, I saw that two more had flanked me on either side, and I felt the point of a wand sticking into my sodden clothes. Fighting panic, I searched my memory for the name of someone who was already done with school, but not someone who would be in danger if it attention was brought to them. Someone not too bright... And then it came to me.

“Er…I’m uh…Stan. Stan Shunpike. I’m no Mudblood – just er…taking a day off of work. I’ve been out of school a full five years already.�

“He’s lying,� said the bandy-legged man. “Written all over ‘is face, it is. Let’s take ‘im to the Ministry anyway and let them sort ‘im out. If he’s not a Mudblood, we’ll be long gone with the reward money.�

“No,� came a girlish voice to my left. “If we’re wrong, the next time we capture someone, the Ministry won’t believe us. We have to make sure.�

“Who has the list?� a deep voice from behind asked.

“That list is out of date,� said Bandy. “We should take him now!�

“Oh sure, you moron! Maybe we should just summon You-Know-Who directly. I’m sure he’ll give us an even bigger reward!� said Girly-voice.

“Look, it wasn’t my fault that your stupid brother messed up the last time – � Bandy retorted.

“Hey! Who are you calling stupid?� the huge oaf joined in.

I listened to all of this with a mixture of fear, disbelief, and even a touch of amusement. What stupid gits! The person to my left (I was unsure if it was male or female with that voice) suddenly lunged at Bandy , and I saw my opportunity.

As the smelly troll and the one to my right moved to break up the scuffle, I turned, punched the one behind me in the gut, grabbed his wand, retrieved my own with a well-placed spell, and Apparated away.

---

I landed with a thump in the north of nowhere with my last two fingers screaming bloody murder at me. Damn, I thought, Splinched again, but at least it was only two fingernails this time. No less than I deserved. Not only was I a bloody deserter, but I had also forgotten the Destination part of basic Apparition. “I must be near the mountains where the bloody giants live. Idiot!� I said to the chill wind before plopping down to think. I needed to find Hermione and Harry before they left that riverbank.

I spent the next several hours, straight through, past daybreak, Apparating and Disapparating along that river, hoping to find them. Finally, as the droplets slid down into my collar for the thousandth time, I knew I had failed: I had failed her; I had failed Harry; I had failed everything and everyone that had ever meant anything to me. There was nowhere to go.

So, I walked, trudging aimlessly through the rain and mud all day long. Hermione’s voice haunted me, and I kept hearing Harry’s words, “Go!� taunting me to run back to Mum’s skirts. But there was no returning home. How could I bear the look of disappointment and shame that would have been in Mum’s eyes? How could I withstand the jeering of my brothers or survive the rage of my sister? Honestly, I might just welcome the abuse; it would probably be less than the abuse I was heaping on myself.

I ended up at an old barn occupied by a sagging mare who could have been a close relative to a Thestral, a couple of lazy sheep, and a fat calico cat that reminded me of Crookshanks. I huddled into a pile of hay, trying to ignore the smell of dung, and stared up at the barn roof, waiting until morning.

It was before dawn when I decided that there was only one person I could go to: Bill. Apparating too close to his home would have been suicidal, so I got within about a half mile and walked the rest of the way. I knew that Bill was an early riser since he had to be at Gringotts before it opened, so I knocked on the door with numb fingers that were turning a grayish-blue and eyes that were barely staying open. The knot in my belly could have been from sadness or hunger but was probably a bit of both. There was a shuffling behind the door, and then a light went on inside.

“Identify yourself,� croaked Bill.

“It’s Ron. Bill, please…� What could I say? Help me? I deserved to be left out here to rot.

“Ron? What did Fred and George do to your teddy when you were a baby?� he asked.

“They turned it into a spider, and I’ve been terrified of spiders ever since.�

With a series of clicks, the door creaked open, and Bill’s eyes flew wide open. He reached for me. “Ron, what’s happened? Where are the others?�

I collapsed across the threshold.

Chapter 2

Bill hauled me into the house, dropped me into a chair, and started a fire. I was shaking so hard I wondered if it was possible to shake to bits. Had it been so long since I’d seen colors? I squinted my eyes against the red and orange flames violently striking against each other, a burst of yellow sunflowers cut and arranged in a vase, and fluffy green pillows stacked against a peach-colored sofa. I looked away; Hermione had been the one to point out the difference between peach and orange to me. A family photo was framed atop the mantle – the night of Harry’s birthday party. Every face seemed to scowl at me. With nowhere safe to look, I kept my eyes focused on my sopping feet.

Footsteps overhead told me that Fleur was now awake. Minutes later, Bill returned to the sitting room with a tray, steaming porridge, a mug of tea, and a woolly blanket tucked under one arm. He tossed the blanket to me, which I caught and stared at blankly. I desperately wanted to speak, but my throat refused to allow me to condemn myself. Bill placed the tray next to the flowers.

“I should let Mum know you’re here,� he began.

“NO!� It was like some force had ripped the word straight from the bottom of my toes, and I coughed away the searing pain.

“Ronnie,� said Bill quietly, “What’s happened to you? Why have you come here instead of going home? Are the others…�

That word, home, poked a hole in the dam, and salty water began to leak and stream, melting trails along my frozen skin. I shook my head – a general “no� to all his questions.. He waited, his scars knitting together tighter and tighter, and handed me the full mug. As I took a swig, mindless of the white tendrils rising from the murky brown liquid, a fire scorched my mouth. I welcomed the fire and took another large gulp and another. When I finished, my mouth felt blistered and mutilated. Good.

“Fight,� I wheezed. “Harry and I had a fight, and I left and now…I tried to find them, Bill, but they’re gone! They’re gone!� The mug felt from my hands, still smarting from losing two fingernails, and I wept into them. Bill was silent.

Some length of time later, I found myself in a small bedroom with lots of frilly colorful decorations, a lacy quilt covering me. I couldn’t appreciate my surroundings at the time. Instead, I gazed around vacantly and then let my head fall back on the sweetly scented pillow. From the corner of my eye, which felt about as puffy as the pillow beneath me, I saw Bill sitting in a chair near another fireplace, watching me with his fingers steepled in front of him. I couldn’t read the expression, but I had several worthwhile guesses at what he was about to say.

“All right, Ron?� he asked. That was the last thing I’d expected to hear.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m…� I shrugged; he continued to glare –I’d finally figured out what was going through his mind. I waited for it.

We stared at each other for several minutes in complete silence, except for the crackling of the flames in the hearth.

“I can’t believe…you of all people, Ron. How could you ditch them when you know what’s at stake?�

I dropped my gaze. “I can’t explain it all to you, but I wasn’t myself at the time. I won’t make excuses. I know I’m the worst slug there is, and if you want me to go, then I will. I need to find them, anyway, just don’t know where to start…� Suddenly every part of my body felt so heavy: my eyelids, my arms, even my hair weighed several tons. Where could I start my search? Who was I kidding? They could be anywhere in the world, and with Hermione’s (the thought of her sent a stabbing pain through my chest) protections, it would be like trying to find a pair of baby fleas on Crookshanks.

Bill cleared his throat, but I didn’t look up. “You don’t have to leave; you’re still my baby brother. You don’t look up to traveling just yet at any rate. You’ll stay here and I won’t tell anyone. I won’t shame you more than you’re obviously doing to yourself.� He paused, and I glanced over to see that he’d cocked his head to the side. “Hermione must be heartbroken.�

“Doubt it,� I replied with a huff. “In a towering rage, more like. She’ll never forgive me.�

“Did this…fight have anything to do with her?� Bill asked. And that was the heart of it, wasn’t it?

“Not all of it, but a good bit, yeah. We’d been out there for weeks – no food or money, freezing our arses off every night…. And then one night, I was watching her and Harry, and…. I dunno, I was already in a bad state, and next thing I knew, I was saying terrible things to Harry, and he told me to get out, so I left. Then I ran into this group of blokes…�

“Those would be Snatchers,� Bill said after I’d described what happened. “You’re lucky you got away. If they’d gotten you to the Ministry, you’d be in Azkaban right now. Or worse. At any rate, you don’t possibly think that she and Harry… I mean, what about Ginny?�

“I know, Bill. I know.�

---

The first few days with Bill and Fleur, I did next to nothing. I sat by the window in my little room, staring out at the waves crashing against the rocks. Without Hermione to guide me, I had no idea what to do next. Bill and Fleur left me to my thoughts and only came in to bring in meals, which was kind of them. Although they said nothing, they couldn’t hide the frowns or crinkled brows. And late at night I could hear their whispers.

Hiding from my family didn’t help me escape the hatred I tortured myself with every minute of every day. When I wasn’t worried for my friends’ safety, I wondered about their progress that was no doubt hindered without the extra hand, though I never kidded myself into thinking that I was ever much use, especially not after I’d gotten hurt. Perhaps they were better off without me slowing them down, and maybe they had even succeeded in finding another Horcrux. Or it was possible, not that I liked to think of it, that they had shut down just like I had, and had given up. And it would have been all my fault. The truth was I never knew quite what to think where they were concerned. Part of me had believed that Hermione cared for me and that we had a chance at a future together – yes, I had definitely thought about the future we’d have if we managed to survive our quest. But then there were the days, even when I wasn’t wearing the locket, that I found myself doubting that she could ever love me; Harry was the smarter one, the braver one, the more attractive one. I was just dumb, awkward, grumpy, hotheaded, always-saying-the-wrong-thing Ron.

And Harry, he never really needed me, did he? Always, when it came down to the final moment, he had managed to succeed on his own. Frankly, who did need me? Certainly not Mum and Dad – they barely noticed me next to the rest of my brothers and Ginny. I was sure Bill and Fleur would have been much happier to have their privacy back. I came to the conclusion that I was a wart on the face of the earth and wished, after my third day of watching the sea pounding the cliffs, that I could feel the sea pounding against me, crushing me into nothingness.

The increasing lure of the ocean frightened me, and I eventually went down to dinner one night. Bill and Fleur looked up and smiled faintly, gesturing for me to take a seat. Fleur passed me a plate and came over to me and shocked me by kissing the top of my head. My eyes stung again, and I couldn’t breathe or look at either of them. I didn’t deserve all their kindness and understanding, but I was immensely grateful. I told myself that from then on, I would pull my own weight and stop being such a slug.

The following morning I went downstairs to find Bill in the sitting room tapping the top of a wireless with his wand.

“No work today, Bill?� I asked quietly.

He looked up and smirked. “It’s Saturday, you git. And by the way, you might want to keep your wand and things a bit closer. We’re fairly safe here, but you never can tell.� He pointed over toward the side table with the sunflowers, and there were my wand and Dumbledore’s Deluminator. I’d forgotten all about them.

I picked them up and then sat on the sofa next to where Bill was on the floor. “So what are you doing then?�

“You really have been out of it, haven’t you?� he said, not looking at me. “Our wonderful brothers, along with a few other Order members, have started a sort of underground radio program. They call it Potterwatch. It’s never on at the same times or days – they’ve got to keep moving. But it’s the only way to really know what’s happening out there. That’s how we’ve kept as close a tab on you as we could.�

The wireless crackled and sputtered when suddenly a voice came out of it: Lee Jordan!

“Welcome back, everyone, to another edition of Potterwatch! I’m afraid we haven’t much time this evening, so we’ll jump right in. There have been many reported abductions of half-bloods and Muggleborns by the groups known as Snatchers. We must caution you all again: please be very careful of these barbarians. Some of them are just out for a reward, but others can be downright vicious. One such group is reportedly being led by none other than Fenrir Greyback, the infamous werewolf. In other news, the resistance movement at Hogwarts continues….�

We listened raptly to the remainder of the program. When it was done, I said, “Blimey, Bill, Fenrir Greyback? I had no idea. But wasn’t he working for Vol –�

“Don’t say it, Ron! Are you mad? The names been cursed! You’re just full of surprises these days! I would have expected you to know better.�

Taken aback by Bill’s forceful outburst, I couldn’t gather a response. He was right; I should have known better. I did know better! I didn’t know what had just come over me. Maybe all the time I’d spent with Harry and Hermione uttering that name had rubbed off on me for the worse.

“I’m sorry. You have no way of knowing, but Kingsley was almost captured by saying You-Know-Who’s name. They’ve jinxed it so that anyone who says it is immediately traceable.�

“You’re joking!� I cried. Of course, now it all made sense. “That’s how they found us the night of the wedding!� I told Bill about the two Death Eaters who had cornered us, and he nodded in understanding. And knowing this, I felt a hundred times worse. How long would it take for Harry or Hermione to utter the tabooed name without me there to remind then against it?

One evening, as I sat alone in the sitting room toying with the Deluminator, it suddenly grew warm in my hand. My heart leapt for an instant. It had never done this all the times I’d sat playing with it before. Had I done something to damage it, or did it mean something worse? Maybe I was just so desperate for guidance, I was imagining things. I decided that it was just the warmth from my hand, and put it away.

Another week passed. I spent the days listening for Potterwatch and helping Fleur with the decorations for Christmas. Despite keeping busy, I was still constantly disturbed about Harry and Hermione. I started to have nightmares. Often the dreams would involve Harry and Hermione in rather intimate situations, or sometimes they would be laughing about what a prat I had always been. Then the night before Christmas Eve, I had the worst one yet.

Harry and Hermione were in the tent having a grand old time. She was making red and green streamers from the tip of her wand, and they’d put up a giant Christmas tree in the center of the tent. They were singing carols and sipping eggnog from each other’s glasses, arms intertwined. Little yellow canaries twittered and flew around the top of the tree as if they were moving decorations. And then Harry grabbed her hand, helped her to her feet, and made a toast, “To Voldemort – for bringing us together, for making a Horcrux that finally drove that git, Ron from our lives, and for…�

Then there was a loud thundering all around the tent. Hermione screamed. A dozen Death Eaters Apparated around them before Lord Voldemort finally sauntered in. He raised his wand, and two blasts of green light in rapid succession hit Hermione and then Harry…

I awoke, tangled in soaking wet sheets. I had instinctively grabbed my wand and the Deluminator from the bedside table, but there was no one near. The room was dark; moonlight was streaming across the calm waters outside. There was no sleeping after that, so I perched in my favorite spot by the window, clicking the Deluminator on and off, racking my brain yet again for some idea of how to find Harry and Hermione.

Bill and Fleur tried their hardest, bless them, to make Christmas Eve a cheery occasion, but the nightmare of the previous night had sent me into a whole new hurricane of shame, fear, and despair. That evening, while Fleur prepared dinner, Bill invited me to play a game of chess with him. I wasn’t much in the mood, but I plopped to the floor across the board from him anyway. I sat, shoulders slumped, raking my hands through my hair, as if rubbing the top of my head would magically produce some new inspiration as to where I should look for Hermione and Harry.

Bill opened with a standard king’s pawn. The responding move was obvious, but I just stared at the board, not quite seeing it. “Your move, Ron. And if you keep clawing at your hair like that, you’ll be balder than Dad by the time you reach my age.�

“What?� I looked up and noticed him watching me intently.

After a minute, he said, “Look, Ron. You can still stay here as long as you want, but it seems to me that you’d rather be out there doing something, so I can’t help but wonder why you’re still moping around.�

Sighing, I sat back in my chair and shut my eyes. “I don’t know where to start, Bill. They could be anywhere. And even if I did know where to look, who’s to say they’d take me back?�

“Are you mad? Do you honestly believe in your heart…Oh, I give up. If you won’t take my word for it – Fleur! Come in here a moment, will you?� He glanced at me, livid scars writhing, jaw tightening, as the sounds of the oven door slamming and of dainty footsteps signaled Fleur’s approach. She was wiping her hands on a flowery apron when she reached the door.

Glancing between Bill and me, she merely raised her eyebrows and waited for him to speak.

“Sweetheart, my little brother here seems to need some incentive to go and make up with the other two. He seems convinced that there’s something going on between them and that they wouldn’t want him back. I can’t get through to him, so maybe he’ll listen to you.�

She gazed at me with an unreadable expression for a long while until I finally began to squirm under the scrutiny.

“Why would ‘e theenk such a theeng?�

Bill turned to me, clearly not intending to answer for me.

And then I got annoyed. “It might seem silly to the both of you; Bill, you’ve always looked like a rock star, hell, the scars just make you look even tougher, and Fleur, when’s the last time any bloke didn’t break his neck to get a glimpse of you? You don’t understand what it’s been like to be Harry’s best friend all these years! And mostly I’m fine with it, but the one thing I couldn’t stand… If Hermione were to… What if she really….�

I let out a growl of frustration. They could never get it.

“And you don’t know Hermione’s temper! She’d kill me right now as soon as look at me. And yeah, I know I’d deserve it! I wouldn’t even argue or beg for forgiveness, but what chance do I have?� I moaned the last, my voice breaking slightly.

“They love you,� said Bill.

I laughed at that. “Oh right. They love me so much that Harry sent me packing and Hermione chose him over me. That’s much better than sending me a bouquet of roses, how stupid of me.� I saw their angry frowns and backed off. “Anyway, it’s not like they really need me. Hermione’s got all the brains, and she’s amazing with a wand. Harry’s even better, and I know he’d protect her. I’m just in the way. I mean when we were attacked in that café, all I managed to do was get myself hit with a spell and tied up. I’m rubbish!�

Bill was shaking his head, and Fleur moved into the room to sit on the arm of his chair. She draped an arm around his shoulders, and seeing them so close made my throat tighten up. God, how I wanted to see Hermione again. I knew Bill and Fleur were right. There was no more hiding. I’d have to get off my arse and at least try to find my friends, even if they sent me away again.

“Ron?� I dragged myself away from my thoughts to look over at Bill. “Weren’t you the one who ended up vomiting slugs defending Hermione’s honor?� I nodded, unsure what he was getting at. “Not Harry. And weren’t you the one, broken leg and all, to step in front of Harry when you thought Sirius was out to murder him?�

“Well, yes, but how did you know….�

“Not Hermione. Right. And last year when you almost died, didn’t Hermione stay by your bedside? Oh, and remind me, was it Harry that she turned to for comfort after Dumbledore died, or was that you? Hmm… I can see how you’d think she was in love with Harry!� I jumped at Bill’s raised voice. “And of course, our sister was only a convenient diversion for Harry while he was waiting to get you out of the way so he could get at Hermione! It all makes sense now!�

“Well, when you say it like that, of course it seems like…� Why did I even try to talk my way out of this?

“Fleur, tell Ron what Hermione said before the wedding.�

Fleur smirked. “She kept going back and forth about ‘er dress. ‘Which color do you zink Ron will like better, Geeny?’ Fifty times she asked. And zen when she saw you in your dress robes, merde, I zought she might faint.�

“Harry looks better in dress robes,� I mumbled weakly, but inwardly, I was pleased that she’d cared what I would like.

“Oh pleeze,� Fleur laughed. “’E eez too skinny. Women like a bit of muscle in zeir men.� She gave Bill a squeeze and he reached up to kiss her.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Harry was a bit on the small side.

“But even if I left right now, I still don’t know where to go.�

“You’ll just have to follow your heart, won’t you then,� Bill said, briefly tearing himself away from Fleur’s kisses.

---

I left my brother and his wife to their moment and went up to gather my things. All day long I’d had a gnawing in my gut like something wasn’t right. I needed to get going as soon as possible, just take my chances and start checking some of the places we’d talked about investigating. Harry had been pretty keen on visiting Godric’s Hollow - perhaps I’d start there.

Bill had loaned me some clothes when I’d arrived, and I bundled them together on the dresser. It was late. I settled myself by the window, and suddenly my skin began to prickle, the hairs of my arms standing on top of goose bumps. I felt the most compelling sense of urgency, not because of what Bill and Fleur had said, but… I wasn’t sure why.

A light tap at the door drew my thoughts back to the room, and Bill poked his head in.

“Sorry about that before. Newlyweds. You know how it is.� I didn’t, but the sheepish look on Bill’s face was priceless nonetheless.

“It’s all right. But next time, you know, you do have a room you can go to.� I smirked and turned back to the window as Bill chuckled behind me. “Thanks for what you said earlier. I’m shoving off in the morning. I’d leave now – I feel like something’s wrong – but that would be suicidal.�

Bill nodded and came into the room to stand near the dresser. “Listen, I meant every word. Even if they’re angry, they need you. Harry will never be able protect Hermione the way you will – he’s so focused on saving the entire Wizarding world, how could he always keep both eyes on her? And she’s got to be driving him bonkers, she’s so serious all the time. No offense!� As Bill spoke, he Summoned a small rucksack and the wireless into the room. “My point is,� he continued, “that you mean more to people – especially your friends and your family – than you think.� He placed a hand on his chest. “I think you’ll be much more welcomed than you expect.�

I was stunned and moved; a familiar moistness at the corners of my eyes inspired me to walk over to Bill, put my arms around him, and squeeze. He returned the gesture warmly. I would miss him.

When we released each other, he said, “Take the wireless so you can keep updated out there.� He left with a wink, and I returned to my spot by the window, willing the sun to hurry over the horizon.

---

I must have fallen asleep at the windowsill, listening to the wireless. I awoke and found that the sun had risen. Leave it to me to oversleep, I thought, smacking myself in the head. Then there was a crackling sound, as if the wireless had lost its station, and I heard…

“Ron!�

It was Hermione’s voice, and it had come from my pocket! I reached in and pulled out the Deluminator. It looked the same, so I figured that I must have been dreaming, but something made me click it. The lamplight went out as usual, but this time, there was a bluish ball of light pulsing outside the window. It just hovered there as if waiting for me to do something. I threw everything from the dresser into the rucksack and ran down to the garden to find the blue light still there. Some instinct told me that it would lead me back to them, back to her.

I approached the light, a little frightened but determined, and waited for it to move. When it did, I was shocked to find it moving toward me, and I shouted out as I felt it burrow into my chest, right into my heart. It was as if the light was guiding me, and I knew exactly where to go.

I Apparated to the side of a snow-covered hill knowing full well that I couldn’t see through Hermione’s Disillusionment charm, so I started poking around and calling out for them. Several times I kicked my foot in frustration, but in the end, I found a tree to prop myself up against, curled up in Bill’s sleeping bag, and waited. There was no sleep for me that night; the second they dropped the protections, I needed to be awake. But nothing happened. The hot spot in my chest cooled, and I knew I’d somehow missed them.

At nightfall, fighting disappointment and despair, I clicked the Deluminator again and was led to a forest. The air itself felt enchanted, and not a single creature stirred. I roamed about silently for a while, occasionally calling out, but mostly just watching. I knew, as well as I knew every member of the Chudley Cannons, that I would find them before the night was out.

Finally, a movement in the distance caught my eye; a silver deer had appeared, obviously a Patronus. It had to be Harry’s, and if he was casting a Patronus, he must have been in trouble! It looked somehow different than I had always seen it, but I knew that Patronuses could change their form. I looked deeper into the darkness, and there he was! Harry was following the deer. But something was strange. The doe had suddenly disappeared, and Harry had stopped near a pool of water, hesitated, and had begun to remove his clothing. Not a great time for a swim, I thought, and then I wondered if he was under some sort of spell. He went under the water, and it only took a second of splashing and of him not re-emerging to realize that he was in trouble. I raced to him, and as I ran, I saw the shadow of someone watching. But I couldn’t stop to check. I flung myself into the icy water after Harry and pulled his thrashing body up out of the water.

The locket was strangling him, so with frozen fingers, I grasped the chain and tore it apart. Harry lay gasping for breath at my feet, curled in the snow, as I tried to regain my own breathing. There was no way of telling if I’d be forgiven when he saw me standing there, but I already felt that I’d finally done something worthwhile. I had made it home just in time.


The End




A/N: To the best of my understanding, Ron was away from Harry and Hermione for at least two and a half weeks, but possibly as long as three weeks and change. So, for my own convenience, I’ve used the two and a half week time frame for this story. There is some paraphrasing in this chapter from Deathly Hallows chapter 19.