A/N Again, I'm still not J.k Rowling, and I own none of this.

First rung of the ladder

29th May 1998

She took a large breath, steeling herself, before walking towards the place she now called home…

The lanky, red haired boy was leaning against the door frame, filling the entrance to the Burrow, his eyes dark.

"Let's go." He said, voice still hoarse from the screams last night, and after the lack of use. Slowly, Hermione followed Ron inside, the unspoken words of what had happened over the past year hanging in the air. As the pair entered the room, a group of ginger haired heads, all turned to face the door, from which Hermione and Ron had appeared, before they walked over to sit by Harry. He nodded as the two sat down, all of them mentally preparing themselves for what they were about to say.

"Well," started Harry, "Let's begin." They each took it in turns to describe the different parts of the story. Hermione started off with what happened after the wedding, and how they got to Grimmauld place. Harry took up the story from Kreacher, to the ministry break in.

"So, it was you." said Mr Weasley, whose arms were wrapped protectively around his wife. Harry nodded and carried on with the story. Mrs Weasley whimpered, hearing of her son's splinching. Hermione took the story back up again, explaining the effects of the Horcrux. Ron remained silent, looking at the carpet. That was when Hermione fell silent. The part Ron had been waiting for. Slowly, he looked up.

"Well, what happened." Demanded a shrill Mrs Weasley, "What aren't you telling us?" Ron stood up, breathing heavily.

"I left." He whispered, although quiet, everyone heard.

"You, you did what?" asked Mrs Weasley, eyes red from crying.

"I left them!" Ron shouted, causing everyone to jump. Mrs Weasley shook her husband off, standing up slowly. Tears were freely flowing from Ron's eyes.

"Get out." She hissed, making all of her children gasp.

"Mum, you don't understand-" started Bill, but Mrs Weasley didn't care

"I SAID GET OUT!" she shrieked, Ron's jaw hardened. He turned round, kissed Hermione on the cheek, before apparating away.

"No, Ron, wait!" shouted Hermione- but to no avail, Ron had already gone.

Harry took over, explaining what happened at Godric's Hollow.

"You- you two could have died." Mumbled, the once again sitting, Mrs Weasley, "If all three of you had been there-"

"Then I would have died later on." Harry interrupted.

"He left you!" Shrieked Mrs Weasley, "If things had gone differently, people might have survived!"

"NO! It would have been worse, I would have drowned! Ron saved us without knowing it!"

"He was weak! He abandoned his friends! You could have died."

"He wasn't weak." Harry hissed, "Every second he wore the locket he was told that we didn't need him, told that we would be better without him. He thought that NO ONE WANTED HIM! THAT HE WAS JUST IN THE WAY- MAKING THINGS WORSE!"

At Harry's outburst, everyone fell silent. "How would you feel," he whispered, "If you were told every day, that you are worthless, unloved by everyone, that no one wants you there. He didn't leave because he felt uncomfortable- although he probably was- he left because he thought that he was unwanted-it would be better without him. How often did you guys tell Ron that you cared? That he wasn't a waste of space?" Harry looked at the guilty faces of the Weasley family, "That you loved him?"

"He knew." Whispered Charlie, "He had to have known."

"Well, you got that wrong." Said Harry, bitterly. Tears were freely flowing from everyone's eyes. The war had gotten rid of any shame behind crying.

"Please come back Ron, we need you." choked Hermione. And, to everyone's surprise, a moment after, there was a 'crack' as the youngest Weasley boy appeared in the sitting room. His arms soon found the crying Hermione, and comforted her. After a few moments of stunned silence, Ron turned to his family. Ginny ran up to her older brother and threw her arms around him,

"I love you Ron." She said, tears streaming down her face- Ginny Weasley never cried.

"I love you too Gin." Ron whispered, gently and carefully.

And one by one, each of Ron's older brothers approached him, before wrapping him in a hug, and telling him how much they loved him, to which Ron always responded. A situation that would have made him extremely awkward before. Arthur slowly walked up to his son, looking into his eyes, blue on blue.

"I love you son," he said, still looking into Ron's eyes, "and don't you ever forget it." Arthur engulfed his son in a hug.

"I love you too, Dad." Choked Ron. Mrs Weasley looked at her son. She hadn't forgiven him yet.

"Why did you come back?" she asked, sternly.

"Same reason as before." Ron calmly stated, "I was called." He pulled out the Deluminator, Hermione gasped.

"What do you mean 'you were called'?" Mrs Weasley asked, in a shrill voice.

"I-I called him." Stuttered Hermione, "I said we needed him, I asked him to come back and the Deluminator played my voice to him, so Ron pressed the top, and the blue light, and he came back."

"Actually," said Ron, "I knew where you were, I didn't need the light." Calm again, everyone sat down, to continue the story. Ron hadn't missed the fact his mother was the only member of his family to not tell him she loved him, but of course, he was second to Harry Potter in her eyes, she just didn't want to lie.

Ron looked to his family, and began talking,

"Harry's wand had been broken at Godric's Hollow," started Ron, but Bill interrupted him,

"I knew you left on Christmas day, but I didn't think you had found them that quickly."

"No," said Ron, "I left at the same time that Harry found out about his broken wand, I only know what I've been told, but I do turn up soon,

"So, Harry's wand was broken. He took the first watch, then Hermione, before they both sat down. Hermione was worried, because she could hear some clumsy oaf outside, who seemed to be shouting. So, the two decided that the next day, they would find somewhere more sheltered, doing everything under the cloak- so the clumsy oaf couldn't see. He waited for ages for the two to show themselves, but they didn't, so he also went elsewhere. Harry and Hermione went to the Forest of Dean, where she had been on holiday as a child. As Harry was at his watch, something weird happened. Before long, a patronus appeared, a silver doe, to be precise. Harry foolishly followed the doe, out of the protective enchantments, where anyone could see him. The doe led Harry to a small clearing, with a small pond, in which, lay the sword of Gryffindor, a weapon we knew could kill the Horcrux. Harry undressed to his underwear, dived down to retrieve the sword of Gryffindor. After a few moments Harry didn't come up. Someone jumped in, picked up the sword, cut the Horcrux of his neck and pulled him up. Simple."

"You make it sound as though it could have been anyone that saved me that night, Ron, anyone who could have killed the Horcrux." Harry looked at his friend, with the love of a brother.

"So, you killed it?" asked Arthur, who was sitting next to his wife now.

"Well, yeah." Replied Ron, awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Harry opened it and I stabbed it, no biggie."

Harry laughed darkly, "Of course, 'no biggie' apart from the fact you practically got your heart ripped out by everyone you care about, whose opinions matter to you. Apart from the fact you had your freakin sanity cut open and rubbed with salt."

"Yeah," Ron laughed, breathily, "Apart from that shit, 'No biggie'."

"Language Ronald!" shouted both Mrs Weasley and Hermione, to which the mood was lightened and the story finished. Complete with gasps, 'no's, 'oohs' and 'aahs'.

After the story had been told, it was time to prepare some dinner- after having run through lunch. Hermione's parents, who had mostly kept quiet, used the floo network to get home. Cautiously, Ron walked up to his mother,

"Need any help with dinner? He asked, but his mother just pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry for shouting." she choked through her tears, "I'm just on edge, I'm happy to have my baby boy back." And even though it was very faint he heard her whisper, "I love you." to which he replied, "I love you too, mum"

A/N feel that there are a few things that need clarifying:

1) when Ron apparates, he apparates within the bounds, because I'm sure many of you are confused as to how he apparated. I think he apparated to the border of the bounds, before walking out of the bounds to go somewhere else, like how in the 5th book Fred and George were constently apparating around Grimmauld place, And I can't imagine that it would be that easy for someone to apparate into the head-quarters of the Order of the Pheonix.

2) I also think that Molly's reaction was a little harsh, but in her mind I think she sees Ron leaving as part of the chain of events that killed her other son, Fred. Also, she didn't hear the full story before banishing him. I think that J.K Rowling made it seem as if Ron left because he was jealous of Harry and Hermione's 'Relationship' or because he was just plain annoyed or upset, and being a bit of a jerk. But I think it would be because he honestly thought he was rubbish and they didn't want him there.

Sorry for the shoddy work on retelling the story, but please please please review- I got 2 reviews on chapter 1, but I would love some more :)

GTG