His Penance
Day dawned hard and cold. Pale yellow sunlight filtered through the small tent. Ron woke shivering as he tried to draw the quilt closer to him only to find himself restrained by his friends. He lay between them; Hermione on his right and Harry on his left. He held Hermione's hand Harry held his wrist as though they wanted to make sure Ron was actually there. Guilt filled him. He had no plans to leave, but if holding onto him made them forgive him than he was going to do anything he could to prove to them that he wasn't going anywhere.
He felt pressure on his hand as Harry squeezed it in his sleep. Ron closed his eyes, content to listen to the sound of his friends soft breathing. Slowly drifting off to sleep Ron gave them both gentle squeezes in response, thankful to be with them again.
