Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: So here is the next chapter as promised, chapter ten will soon follow. Hope you enjoy reading and do not forget to review :-)
Days merged into weeks quickly in the tent and before he realised it the cold weather had arrived with the beginning of November. They had decided to start moving around a week before hand and were currently taking up residence near the coast of Harlech in the Snowdonia National Park, Harry had decided to himself that when the temperatures dropped near freezing in the North they would head towards the South. The tent was adequate enough but it was not the best to withstand howling gales and below 0 degrees temperatures, he had already tested this. Fortunately they had managed to make it more robust with spells and wards to defend against the worst of the weather. The main problem was Ron as apperating was talking a toll on him and it took a couple days before he could attempt it again, this made Harry and Hermione nervous as the snatchers were becoming more active. Last night Hermione had gone for a stroll to get away from the tension in the tent when she stopped just within the boundaries. Harry followed her as he had been on watch when the argument broke out between the red head and her, to think he was being fussy because she had made fungi risotto for them yes they had been eating a lot of forest produced food but it was better than nothing, she walked passed her normal calming down place this time and he hurried his steps to grab her before she passed the barrier. However she stopped when the sound of footsteps reached her ears, the problem was it wasn't Harrys, in the clearing in front of them was a group of snatchers walking towards them. She stood stock still as the voices sounded muffled giving away she was still safe inside their makeshift camp, Harry drew his wand and cast a disillusion charm at least he would have the element of surprise if they noticed Hermione. The snatchers walked straight at her and she held her breath as the turned sharply to the left not more than five feet from her, as they walked passed one of them stopped and turned back sniffing the air. 'Dam it one must be a werewolf' Harry cursed himself for not putting up better wards.
"What are you playing at Greyback we need to get these Muggles to Azkaban." The short stocky one went to grab his arm but was stopped by Greyback lifting his hand.
"Can you not smell that? It's some form of perfume, there has to be a female around here somewhere." He went to take a step forward when one of the prisoners elbowed his companion in the ribs and went to make a run for it, this pulled him out of his trance. "Are you completely incapable? Come on before any more try to escape." The group started moving again and out of the clearing, Hermione released her breath and Harry was beside her in an instant. Taking her hand he led her back towards the safety of the tent.
"He could smell me, my perfume, it almost got us caught." She was muttering to herself while Harry led her, they arrived in the small clearing where the tent was and he saw Ron was waiting for them. He didn't release her hand until she was sat at the table with a cup of tea, when he was sure she wasn't going to go into shock he walked outside to see Ron as he predicted the red head was an ugly shade of scarlet, a shade he had only ever seen on his uncle before a beating. Taking a deep breath he walked over to Ron.
"Ron we need to be more careful, Hermione almost walked into a group of snatchers because of your argument. I know it's not easy living in these conditions but we have to accept that it is difficult for everyone." He turned to the red head to see his response, Ron had reduced in colour since hearing the news but his eyes gave away his furry.
"I'm not sure it is difficult for everyone mate, I am pretty sure you love living in the outdoors in a tent and roaming the country. I reckon you're living the dream and what more I reckon you're making us go through hell and back to be able to let the Wizarding world die and allow you to not face him." Ron was now so close to Harry he could feel the elder wizards breath on his face but he didn't back down from him. "You know the worse bit about it though I have to listen to the poxy radio to make sure it's not my family that have gone missing, you have no idea what it is like! They are in danger because of you. I reckon you could quite happily grow old out here with Hermione side by side and not give a dam about anyone else it's so easy for you to turn your back on the world!"
"That is enough Weasley!" God he was so angry he wanted to hit him. "I am not going to turn back on the Wizarding world, on my world, I am going to face vol- You Know Who but I cannot do that until I destroy the other Horcrux's. As for living in a tent in the outdoors yes I am enjoying it but that is only because for the first time in my poxy life I feel free, no one breathing down my neck waiting for me to do something incredible, not having to face exams, face the fame for something I cannot remember and mainly for not having my abusive family waiting for me to make one mistake. I know what it is like to lose your family I hope you never have to face what I have had to deal with since I was one. You have no idea of what my life has been like you just look at it like everyone else with rose tinted glasses, you ignore the fact I was abused and mistreated by people I thought I could trust you only see the chosen one who is always there to save the day no matter how much he has to give up during the fight." With that he marched into the tent, to his room and threw himself on the bed burying his head into his pillows trying to prevent the tears of betrayal and loss from falling. Ron stood outside shaking with anger he was about to enter the tent but he was met by a very scary looking witch.
"I've had enough of your tongue Ronald!" She pulled her wand out and aimed it at him "duel me." He looked at her taken back but pulled his wand out and bowed towards her, she bowed back and then shot a locamotor mortis at him which he countered and sent stupefy back the duel continued like this for half an hour until Ron levitated a boulder in front of himself and Hermione blew it apart with a Reducto spell followed by her own Stupefy which rendered him unconscious. Breathing like she ran a mile she turned and headed back to the tent leaving the red head on the floor, she made her way to Harrys room to check he was ok. She hadn't planned to take so long to defeat him but she had enjoyed watching him struggle and unfortunately she had taken advantage of that. She attempted to knocked on Harry's make shift door and after a minute walked in. He was staring at the roof of the tent and didn't even acknowledge her once she had entered, she sat beside him and gazed at him there was evidence he was struggling with some battle within his mind but also clear signs he had been crying until recently. She placed a hand on his arm. "Harry are you ok?"
"I need to go to Godrics Hollow. I know you are going to say no but it's something I will be doing some time soon and I will go with or without you. As for our hindrance I will not be allowing him to slow us down any more and next time I will not just walk away from him. I will make sure he will regret ever coming into the same compartment as me on our first train journey, he has been nothing but a nasty piece of work since the day I met him you remember what he was like towards you in our first year... I think that is because he has some ill feelings towards Muggle-borns he only cares about himself and he only helped me rescue you because I had to force him to and he was only useful because I ended up in danger. Hermione I have a bad feeling about our old friend and I will be happier when he is away from us, I can't say what the feeling is but I am sure he will show his true colours soon enough." He then got up and left Hermione in his room wondering how far he would go next time Ron decided to blow off some steam.
The following morning the weather outside was miserable but it was nothing compare to the chill in the tent. Ron wasn't talking to Hermione and Harry wasn't talking to Ron, realising things were going to stay like this for a while Harry went into the room he had been brewing potions to start another batch of the antidote Hermione needed and bottled up the stamina potion he had left over night to brew. He opened his potions cupboard to find he was low on healing and blood replenishing potions setting up three cauldrons he started to prepare the ingredients for each potion. An hour later while he was adding a drop of blood to the replenishing potion Ron walked in and watched him, he simmered two of the potions and started to add sliced leeches and some bats wings to the pink antidote mixture "Can I be of any assistance Ron?"
"I was wondering what type of potions you brew, I mean two of them are obvious but the one you are working on at the moment I haven't seen before."
"That is because this is a potion I invented, it is used for a range of things from a common antidote to most poisons to a nutrient replenishing potion. It depends on the ingredients I add to what it is useful for." Ron sat there looking at him with enquiring eyes.
"So what type are you making at the moment?"
"Well I am currently making Hermione a nutrient potion which allows her to add it to our food to make sure we get the correct intake that we need, it was her idea not mine, she also takes it once in a while on its own when she feels drained etc." Truth was it was the antidote Ron had enquired about and Harry knew that he needed to make a good enough cover for why she drank it once a week or so. Ron walked over to the table and looked at the potion which was slowly turning violet; he then glanced at the rest of the room and left again. Harry hadn't realise he had been holding a breath while the other lad had been looking around, the main reason being that if he looked close enough he would have seen the letter from Fred and George pinned up on the cupboard door that was left open. Harry kept it as a reminder that he couldn't trust the red head but he had friends on the outside who wanted the same as him he just hoped that they were all safe and managing with Voldermort on the loose.
xXx
Two weeks had passed since Ron had visited Harry in his potion room, they had had an eventful couple of weeks finding out that Ginny, Neville and others had tried to steal the Sword from Snape's office. This led to another heated debate between the Trio but fortunately for himself Ron had decided to walk out of the tent to calm down. Harry was still making sure Ron didn't go anyway near Hermione's drinks, even thought he detested him being near her they needed him. Hermione was drinking her antidote every time she felt the effects of the potion Ron tried to spike her with, however she was on a very short fuse with him.
Ron had to admit to himself that, even though he might be dense. he could feel the tension vibrating out of the other two. In the last two weeks he avoided a confrontation at all costs because no matter what he was arguing about it seemed the other two were against him, even when it came to Quidditch (something Hermione knew nothing about) they both agreed with each other. To make matters worse Hermione was also not reacting to the potion has was slipping her whenever he got the chance, which Harry was making very difficult, if only the potion had started to take an effect she would soon be warming to him and then taking his side in arguments and other opinions. He sat there wondering how it had all gone wrong, since Harry's birthday Hermione had been especially cold towards him and she only managed to have forced conversations with him, whereas with Harry he hoped that he was imagining it but the look of disgust and hate in his eyes grew with every argument they had. It all boiled down to when they both fled from The Burrow in July without telling anyone where they were going or when they would be back. He rolled over on his bed so he was staring at the roof, sleep was once again evading him, 'What would make them leave the safety of The Burrow to fend for themselves?' Then the realisation hit him 'They know, they know about the love potion.'
Harry was sat having his hair trimmed by Hermione, his eyes were closed and she was just talking away in his ear about her life when she was younger. He enjoyed the sound of her voice it calmed him but try as he might he was only half listening as the rest of his brain was wondering about the remaining Horcrux's. 'The Ring was destroyed by Dumbledore, The Diary by me with the Baskalisk fang. How did Dumbledore do it? He didn't have a venomous fang to stab it, if he did he would have given it to me, the only thing he left me was the snitch and Gryffindor's sword which I couldn't keep. Hang on the sword wasn't it made of Goblin metal.' "Moine?"
"Yes Harry?"
"Goblin made metal objects they absorb anything that will make them stronger won't they?"
"I believe so, why do you ask?"
"Is Gryffindor's sword made of Goblin metal?"
"The one you killed the Basilisk in the second year with?." Harry could hear her brain coming to the same conclusion as his. "That's why Dumbledore left it to you!"
"So I could destroy the remaining Horcrux's with it." Harry jumped up and hugged her, he felt an electric pulse run through him from the contact with her. It wasn't the first time he felt it, but it was getting stronger and he knew exactly what it meant, shaking his head he sprinted to the table and grabbed one of the books they had been searching through. He was just about to get to the page he wanted when he was reminded of the other party in the tent.
"Well that's bloody marvellous isn't it? Now we have another thing we have to find! I actually thought you knew what you were doing Potter but I was obviously wrong."
"What's your problem Ron? At least we know how to destroy them now"
"Remembered I exist have you! My problem is this merry go round you have got us on, you have no idea about what you are doing"
"What did you expect Ronald that we would be staying in the Leaky Cauldron, finding a Horcrux every other day! Well it's not like that and if you have got an issue with it then go running back to your mother!" Harry stood there shocked; Hermione was actually getting involved in this type of argument.
"At least I have a family who care about me and remember me. Unlike you two! It's ok for you, your family are all tucked up away safe from this, what about mine? Just last week Ginny was in danger at school but oh wait Harry I've been in worse situations Potter doesn't acknowledge that fact. No let's forget about The Weasleys as long as you're all tucked away hiding in this tent you do not give a dam about anyone else! Well I have had enough, you have no idea what you are doing Potter. You are just running around playing the hero, oh no you're not your playing the part of the coward Harry the Coward Potter. I am no longer staying here on this merry go around while you let the Wizarding world DIE" He roared heading towards the door. "And what about you Hermione are you staying here with him or coming with me?" She glared at him through tear filled eyes but stood still. "Fine you stay here I'm sure Potter will twist you into becoming his..." The tent was illuminated by light from the wandless nonverbal Pretificus Totalus Harry shot at him, Ron laid there paralysed as he walked over to him. There was anger burning in Harry's eyes so bright which was something even Ron hadn't seen before and Hermione became slightly concerned for their old friend.
"Don't you dare to set a foot near me and Hermione ever again. You are nothing but a leach; however instead of removing the bad you suck all the good out of everything. The only reason you're friends with me is so you can claim glory and use my money to buy things. And Hermione, well I feel sorry for her because you just used her from the beginning and poisoned her slowly. What a thing to do weasel make one of your best friends fall into a false love with you just because you know you're not good enough for her! You are no better than Pettigrew!" He spat the last part of his sentence at Ron who was now lying on the floor still due to shock and not the spell. "I'm taking the locket and counting to ten if you're not gone by then I will make sure you will fear me more than You Know Who." He took the locket off Ron and took two steps backwards towards Hermione, she had tears rolling down her cheeks but he did not comfort her as he was still trying to control his anger. He watched Ron scurry out of the tent and heard him apperate away, however he still stood still staring at the door listening for any other movement using all of his will not to go outside and track down the red head.
Another five minutes passed before he was confident enough to hug the crying brunet. He pulled her close to him and carried her over to the sofa and let her cry all the pain she was feeling out. 'How could Ron have been no insensitive? He knows what Hermione had to do to her parents to keep them safe. She has done so much for him and he treats her like that. I won't let that monster near her again, she has done so much for me it's the least I could do for her.' He hugged her tighter and pressed a kiss onto her curly brown locks.
"Mione... Thank you for always being there." He felt her squeeze his arm in support, they were on her bed Harry was sat up and had his arm around her as she curled up into him. She had calmed down enough for Harry to carry her to her bed so she could get some sleep. As she lay there dozing she heard Harry humming a tune her, she recognised it as one her mother used to sing to her when she was a child, soon she was fast asleep. Humming he looked down at the sleeping form of his best friend, his only true friend, and smiling he slowly slipped out from her grasp and headed back into the main living room. Sinking down onto a chair and he rested his head in his hands and thought about what had happened; something had snapped in him the very thing that was the last thread holding together his and Ron's friendship. There was no going back now they were no longer friends, he sighed while standing up took one last glance around the room, turned the lights off with a wave of his wand and headed to bed.
A/N So there we have it Ron has left the company of Harry and Hermione. As you may have noticed this story follows JK's time line but with my own versions of how it happened, lets just say that things start to become more interesting from here on.
