Well, here it is the next installment. I hope you like it, giving the changes in the previous chapter!

Chapter 19

Christmas on the Run

Ron stared at his reflection as he brushed his teeth after dinner. Harry had taken first watch again and had gone outside.

After a bit, he spit the contents of his mouth into the sink and washed it with fresh water. Once he had spat that as well, he let out a sigh. It had been almost a month since they had stopped wearing the locket, but they were nowhere near destroying it, or finding the rest. Harry had started to bring into conversation his desire to go to Godric's Hollow, arguing that the Sword might have been hidden there by Dumbledore. Hermione didn't like the idea at all and always refused. Ron, on his part, usually kept quiet. On one hand, he understood Harry; not just his desire to go there, but to feel they were doing something; on the other, he also understood Hermione's reasoning and fears: Harry understood You-Know-Who quite well, but that evil bastard knew Harry as well. He had known how to use Ginny and Sirius as baits, and Godric's Hollow could be another.

Meanwhile, at least, things between him and Hermione had been rather good, despite the situation. They had even managed to make love a few times, instead of just touching each other. The last time, four days ago in the shower, had been quite passionate, and Ron could feel himself getting hard at the memory. Unconsciously, he began to caress himself over his trousers as he recalled the image of Hermione casting a Weightless Charm on herself before hopping onto Ron's lap and demanding him to fuck her standing in the shower. Ron had been able to move her body up and down his cock easily, almost using her to wank his cock with her pussy. She had come twice very explosively before he had unleashed a thick load into her cunt.

That memory and the fact that he was touching himself got him quite hard in no time. Then, realising what he was doing, he stopped, wishing for his dick to soften once more. He had to wait for a few minutes until he had calmed down a bit and then exited the bathroom. Once back in the main area of the then, his eyes zeroed on Hermione, who was at the kitchen table, leaning on her elbows as she studied a map of Britain on which she had been marking the places where they had been. She was wearing her pyjamas and he couldn't but to appreciate the way the bottoms hugged her tight, round ass, making it very enticing (which didn't help matters in his pants).

Licking his lips, he advanced towards her and embraced her from behind, putting his arms around her belly and placing a kiss on the back of her neck. He saw her smile, though she didn't turn her head.

"Finished?" she asked him, finally turning her head.

"Not yet," he said boldly, pressing his hard cock against the crack of her ass. Her eyes widened.

"Ron!"

"I feel really horny, Hermione," he whispered to her. "I want to fuck that sweet pussy of yours," he added, and slid his right hand to cup her over her trousers for emphasis, making her gasp. "Ron!" she admonished, though he could tell she wasn't that mad. In fact, he was fairly sure she was a bit turned on. He slid his hand over her clothes, rubbing her back and forth, and moved the other up to knead her left tit. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her breast felt supple and delicious even over her pyjama top and the jumper she was wearing.

Ron started kissing the back of her neck, giving her a bite here and there, while still moving his hips so his cock slid up and down her crack. "Let's fuck, Love. I want you so bad."

"Ron," she whimpered, allowing him more access to her neck and opening her legs a bit. "We c-can't, not now …"

"Why not?" he asked, and she didn't know what to say. She turned her head to stare at him, and they held each other's gaze for a bit as Ron continued feeling her and grinding against her bum. And then she pushed her ass back against him, and lifting her right arm, she grabbed the back of his head and brought his mouth to hers. It couldn't be the most comfortable position for her, but Ron just snogged her, squeezing her tits harder. They moaned into the other's mouth, and then Hermione used her free arm to grab Ron's wrist and pulled. For a moment he thought she really wanted to stop, but then she forced it under her pyjamas and her panties, so it was touching her bare pussy.

"Fuck, yeah!" he moaned as they kissed, not wasting time in moving his fingers in a circular pattern around her clit. She was already wet.

"Yes, Ron, yes," she said with that sexy, seductive voice that sent waves of pleasure throughout his body, made him tingle all over and got his cock steel-hard.

"Whose pussy is this, Hermione?" Ron asked, biting her lower lip playfully as they kissed.

"Yours, Ron. Only yours."

"So I can fuck it, then? And fill it with my cum?"

"Anything," she responded. "Just don't stop," she demanded, before kissing him hard once more and thrusting her tongue into his mouth. After a bit, however, she got tired of the position, so she pushed him back and then turned round. The moment she did, she put her hands around his neck and brought his mouth back to hers. As he hadn't taken his hand from under her knickers, he kept rubbing her, moving his entire palm over her folds, relishing in the feel of her short, curly pubic hairs.

She moaned, pressing herself against his body, and Ron entered her with two fingers, starting a slow fingerfucking that had Hermione melting in pleasure in no time. He was desperate for her, though, so, after a bit, he took his hand from her crotch (she made a sound of protest at this) and, grabbing her by her bum, took her to the bed. At once, Hermione cast a Privacy Charm around, and they fell on the mattress, kissing passionately, grinding their middle bodies into each other's.

After a couple of minutes of frantic kissing, groping and dry-fucking, Ron got to his knees and took off his pyjama top and undershirt, before lowering his trousers and pants, revealing his aching, hard cock, which stood proudly. Then he put his hand around it and gave it a few strokes, needing to relieve the tension.

Hermione watched him, her eyes dark with lust, and then, hurriedly, she lowered her own pyjama bottoms and her knickers, leaving them hanging around her right angle, and opened her legs wide, showing Ron her damp pussy. Next she arched her back and, in one go, took off her jumper and pyjama top.

Ron grunted animalistically and threw himself at her, his mouth claiming her right tit while his hand squeezed the left one. His cock was nested in her curls, and he could feel her scorching heat and how wet she was. They rubbed against each other, moaning, getting more and more excited. Ron released her tit, leaving it wet with his saliva, and kissed her hard on the mouth once more, thrusting his tongue between her lips just as he shoved his cock into her cunt.

"Oh, Ron!" she moaned against her lips. Ron resumed the hard, rough kiss, and began to fuck her at a quick, strong pace, his balls slapping delightfully against her ass. She opened her legs wider and crossed her ankles under his bum, encouraging him to fuck her harder.

"Fuck, Hermione, so good, you feel so fucking good!" Ron moaned, breaking the kiss to take much needed air. "Fuck, your pussy is so tight and wet and hot!"

"For you, for you!" responded Hermione, panting heavily, grabbing his buttocks to force him to penetrate her harder. "Fuck me hard and fast, Ron! Hard and fast!"

"Fuck, yeah, I'll fuck you little pussy so hard you won't be able to walk tomorrow," he grunted. He put his left hand next to her head to support him and, after giving her tits a squeeze, moved his right to under her ass, to press her against him, and moved even harder inside her, relishing in how wet, and hot she was, and the way her pussy gripped him as if it didn't want to let go of his cock, ever. It was the best fucking feeling in the world.

It didn't take long for Hermione to reach the point of no return. Ron could also feel the tightening in his balls that signalled he was going to cum, but he pushed the feeling back, wanting her to come first, and began to thrust deeper, making sure to rub against her clit every time.

"Ron … ooh, Ron …"

"Cum for me, Hermione. Drench my cock in your juices and milk me so I can fill your sweet pussy with my spunk. You — want me to fill — fuck! — your pussy, don't you?" he asked between pants.

"Ooh, yes, yes! Make me cum and fill me with you hot seed, Ron. Please! Please!"

Ron kept fucking her and the, lowering his head, took her mouth in a wild, bruising kiss. She arched her back, rubbing her tits against him and she moaned into his mouth, her pussy clenching and unclenching rhythmically as she orgasmed hard, her hands pulling him towards her with all her force, as if she wanted him to go even deeper. He didn't disappoint her and went at it harder, burying himself to the hilt with every stroke, his cock sending floods of pleasure throughout his body, especially as her muscles didn't stop milking it. He could feel his bollocks tightening with the impending orgasm.

"Fuuuck, Hermione, gonna cum! Gonna — fucking — cum!" he shouted, punctuating every word with a hard thrust.

"Do it! Cum in me!" Hermione responded, still in the heights of her own climax. "Fill me! Fill me!" she practically begged, pushing him even harder into her body.

"Oh, fuuuuck!" he shouted, as his cock swelled and then exploded, shooting spurt after spurt of hot, thick cum into her welcoming hole. "So good! Oh, Hermione, so fucking good!"

"Oh… oh, Ron …" she moaned, her hands caressing his bum as he finished unloading into her, and then moved to his sweaty hair and pushed his head towards hers. They shared a few hot kisses between pants.

"That was incredible, Ron," she said after a bit, when he rolled off her and onto his back.

"Bloody fuck, it really was," he nodded, grinning. "I so love fucking you."

"Language," she said, smiling at him playfully.

Ron ticked her sides and then kissed her again, one, two, three times, the last one dragging for a whole minute.

"Mmmh, I love your kisses," she commented, her eyes closed as to savour the kiss better.

"I love you," he replied, his hand moving over her full breasts and then to her belly. She beamed at him and brought him in for another kiss. As their mouths moved over each other's, he slid his hand down to her cunt, which he stroked, feeling how wet she was due to their combined fluids.

"Ron …" she moaned.

"Are you ready for another round?" he asked huskily, pressing his renewed erection against her hip.

"Mmmh, but we can't. And Harry —"

"Harry's outside," he argued, cutting her in. "He didn't hear us before, so there's no reason for him to hear us now."

"I don't know …" she said, clearly conflicted and yet obviously wanting to be persuaded.

"But I do," he stated firmly. "And I want to. And so do you," he added, pushing one finger into her folds. At once, she arched her hips, meeting his hand. He smiled smugly.

"Okay, you win. You win, Ron. I want you again. Make love to me again. Fuck me once more. Cum in me again. Do whatever you want to me," she said.

"Shit, you turn me on so much, Hermione," he said, and roughly manoeuvred her so she was on her side, facing again from him. He put his cock against her ass, sliding it along the crack, and she pushed back. "Fuck, your ass is perfect," he muttered, giving her a kiss on her shoulder. He slid his left hand under her head so he could embrace her and touch her tits. With the other hand he kept stroking her slit as he rubbed against her round, soft ass. He began to kiss her neck and suck on her earlobe, eliciting, new, delicious sounds from her that managed to harden his cock even more. Unable to resist it anymore, he used the hand on her pussy to lift her leg and drape it over his, sliding his dick along her slit.

"Place my cock at your entrance, Hermione," he ordered, his voice laced with need.

Hermione moved her right hand over his, which was still caressing her clit, gave him a soft caress and then reached further, grasping this hard shaft. She gave the head a quick stroke and put it against the moist entrance of her pussy.

"Push in," she told him, still circling his cock with her thumb and forefinger.

Ron did, shoving it all into her pussy in one go, making them both moan in pleasure.

"Fuck, love your pussy, Hermione … love it so much," he whispered, before retreating and thrusting in even harder than the first time. She moaned louder, and Ron did it again, and again, his hips making delicious sounds as they slammed against the firm flesh of her buttocks.

"More, Ron, more," she begged, pushing backwards, her hand still cupping her mound, so it caressed his cock when it entered and exited her tunnel.

"You feel so great, Love, so great. Your pussy is incredible, oh fuck …"

"No, your cock is — aah — incredible," she argued, reaching further with her hand to caress his balls. "Are these full of cum for me, Ron? Are they?"

"Fuck, yeah. Gonna empty them in your tight cunt, Hermione. 'Till the last drop!" he promised, moving faster. He also tightened his grip on her, squeezing her tits harder and rubbing her clit faster. It wasn't long before she started to squirm on the bed, countering his thrusts with force, as if wanting him to shove his cock even deeper into her.

"Ron… oh, Ron… Ron, Ron, Ron …"

"Cum for me, Hermione. Let me feel your cunt spasming around my hard cock."

"Yes, yes. I want to come, Ron. You feel so good, so good …"

"So do you, Hermione. I love your sexy body, you are so hot. Oh, fuck, yeah!"

"Harder, Ron. Fuck that pussy. Fuck your pussy! Hard!"

"Fucking hell, Hermione!" he shouted, his balls tightening at her words. "Merlin, I'm about to burst!"

"Just a bit more, Ron. I'm almost there, almost there! I want us to cum together, I want to — oh, God — to feel your seed spilling into me as I orgasm."

"You want my cum, don't you?" he asked, his voice rough as he thrust even harder. "Want my cum, Hermione? How much cum do you want in your heavenly pussy?"

"All of it! All of it!" she shouted. "I'm there! I'm there, Ron! Cum with — Oh, fuck, yess! Yessssss!" she moaned loudly, as her entire body trembled with pleasure.

Ron couldn't hold it anymore and drove deeper, letting his own pleasure overcome him. His cock began to shoot once more, filling her fluttering pussy with a new batch of his hot spunk.

"Oh, fucking fuck …" he moaned, as his orgasm subsided.

"Mmmh, yes, I agree," she said, sighing contentedly. "I love you, Ron."

"I love you too, Hermione."

Clenching her thighs so he couldn't slip out of her, she turned her head and they shared a sweet kiss.

"We should put our clothes on."

"Yeah, but I like you without them a hell of a lot more."

Hermione giggled, and then, reluctantly, moved, so his cock fell from her body. Ron turned to lie on his back and sighed.

Hermione got to her knees and then lowered her head to give him another kiss. Then, smiling wickedly at him, she moved down his body and took his flaccid cock in her mouth, cleaning it.

"Fuck, Hermione … Oh, Merlin, yes, suck my cock …"

"Tasty," she said, once it was clean and covered in her saliva instead of in their cum. With another smile, she got off the bed and began to arrange her clothes. Ron felt a bit disappointed; he would have loved it if she kept sucking it until he ejaculated again, in her mouth this time, but, after a bit, got up as well and, after casting a Cleaning Charm on them both, pulled his pants and trousers up.

Hermione removed the spells, and, now dressed, they got in the bed and snuggled together, falling asleep soon after.

— o —

"There's barely any food left," commented Ron, going through the cabinet in the kitchen, while Hermione was busy reordering the contents of her beaded bag, most of it now lying on the table. It had been almost three weeks since Hermione's detour for groceries, and, despite refilling and increasing charms, they were running low on supplies once more.

"I know," she said, putting books and back into the bag.

"Maybe we should visit a village," said Ron, not wanting to be hungry again, especially now it was winter and had started to snow. Being hungry and cold while the fucking horcrux was still with them was not a good thing.

"We're in the middle of the Forest of Dean, Ron," said Hermione.

"I know," Ron replied sadly. "But we must be close to Christmas … It would be nice to make something special; don't you think?" he asked, thinking of the wonderful Christmas dinner his mother made. His stomach growled at the mental image.

"Christmas …" nodded Hermione dreamily. "I hadn't thought about that."

"What about Christmas?" asked then Harry, entering the tent and shivering a little. Hermione quickly grabbed her wand and cast a Heating Charm on him, which made him humm pleasantly. "Thanks, Hermione. But what about Christmas?"

"Ron said it must be near Christmas," she responded. "Merlin, we don't even know the date …"

"Oh," said Harry, his expression thoughtful. "Yeah. Not much to celebrate, is it?" he added, sitting down in front of Hermione as Ron began putting food on the table: almost stale bread, cheese, some biscuits and a few apples.

"We're alive," replied Hermione, closing the bag and putting it away.

Dinner was a sombre affair, the three of them feeling rather melancholic after mentioning Christmas, and more than a bit depressed due to the lack of progress in their mission.

Once they were done, Harry took a mug with hot tea, and announced he was going out for first watch. Neither Ron nor Hermione said anything. At first, Hermione had protested that Harry always took first watch, until Harry had confessed, a bit awkwardly, that this way she and Ron could have a bit of time for themselves, and Hermione, a bit flushed, had stopped arguing.

Though Ron hadn't said anything, he was very grateful to Harry. Those moments after dinner were the only thing that made days bearable. They did not always have sex, but just being able to be together, and alone, was a lot, giving their current situation.

Hermione and he shared their tea together, just enjoying their silent companionship, and then Ron got up to clean the table and the few dishes they had used. He almost always did these chores, partly because he felt he needed to make up for almost leaving, and partly because it was the only way he felt useful to the mission.

Once done, he joined Hermione in their bed, where she was comfortably reading, lying down, with a few pillows behind her back and head, with a book of his own. He mentally shook his head at himself. Never before had he spent so much time reading if it was not for school, and now here he was, about to enjoy another evening in bed with his girlfriend and a book ... and the curious thing was that he found it strangely familiar and comforting. He could see himself spending the rest of his life with her like that …

His train of thought was broken, though, when Hermione put her book aside as soon as he was next to her and, straddling him, she kissed him, softly at first, and then more passionately.

Ron responded in kind, a big grin on his face when she pulled away, her lips red and her cheeks flushed.

"Horny, are you?" he asked cheekily.

"Yes," she responded bluntly. "What about you?" she asked, putting her hand on his crotch and cupping the bulge there.

"What do you think?" he replied, already completely hard due to the kiss and her wonderful touches.

"Good," she whispered, leaning down once more. "Kiss me, Ron. I want you so badly."

Ron obliged quickly, burying his hands in her wild mane of hair and bringing her sweet mouth onto his. Soon, he felt her tongue pushing between his lips, and he greeted it with his own. His arousal increased, and she began to slightly move her hips on top of him, causing a delicious friction on his cock.

"Mmmh," she moaned into his mouth, rubbing herself against him with more intensity. Ron, wanting to feel more of her, moved one of his hands from her hair down her back and onto her round bum, grasping one of her plump cheeks and giving her a hard squeeze. She responded with a new moan and bucking her hips even more.

"Fuck, love this ass, Hermione," he panted into her open mouth.

"Put your other hand on it, Ron. Touch me harder. Press me against you."

"Fuck," he cursed, and did as told, kneading her ass over her pyjama bottoms. Then, wanting to feel more, slid his hands under the fabric and cupped her through her silky panties. Hermione snogged him wildly, and Ron responded in kind, caressing and groping her flesh, until, wanting to feel her, put his hands under her knickers, too, and touched her incredible soft skin. As they continued kissing, he moved one finger between her cheeks, just along her crack, slightly caressing her puckered hole. Ron felt even more excited at the touch, and so did Hermione, who moved even harder against him. Ron kept moving his finger up and down her crack for a bit, and then slid it downwards, curving it when it reached between her legs, feeling her heat and wetness. His cock became even harder with the need to be inside her tight body. Ron moved his middle finger around her snug hole for a bit, and then pushed it inside, while he spread his hand to cup her cheeks.

"Oooh, Ron!"

"Like it, don't you?" he muttered smugly.

"Oh, yes! More!" she demanded, moving her ass back against his finger so it went a bit deeper. Ron, not wanting to wait anymore, moved his other hand and pushed her pyjama bottoms and knickers down to bare her ass and pussy. Eager to reciprocate, Hermione raised her hips by standing on her knees, and moved her hands down his body to push his own pyjamas and pants down, to free his cock. Then, she grasped it in her hand and stroked it ardently, her eyes brimming with lust.

"You're so hard. So hard," she moaned.

Ron needed her desperately, and so he grasped her hips and pushed her flatly on top of him. Then, he pushed roughly her pyjamas and knickers down her legs until they passed her knees. Once he had done this, Hermione straddled his waist, bringing her hot, wet pussy in contact with his aching shaft. She rubbed against him for a bit, moaning every time his tip touched her clit. That was not enough, though, so Hermione grasped his cock again and lifted it. Ron, putting his hands on her hips, lifted her and put the entrance of her pussy just above his dick. Then, looking into her eyes, he pushed her down onto him, and the both of them moaned pleasurable when she took his entire cock in her cunt.

"Oh, fuck, Hermione …"

"Gods, Ron, you stretch me so good. It feels amazing," she moaned, moving up and down his cock, the friction causing delightful sensations to course through their young bodies.

"Hermione … Oh, Merlin, ride me. Just ride my cock hard."

"Gods, yes," she said, moving faster, her groin slamming against his with every downstroke. Ron could feel his eyes rolling in their sockets at the pleasure of having her riding him like this. It was paradise.

"Ron, wouldn't you want — ooh — to see — my tits?" she asked him as she moved. "Eh, Ron? Wouldn't you — uff — want to see they bounce as I — Gods! — fuck your cock?"

"Oh, fuck, yeah!" Ron practically yelled, realising that he still hadn't see them tonight. What was wrong with him!?

Hermione smirked at him, her face a mask of lust, and then, moving her hands from his chest to hers, she slowly lifted her pyjama top, revealing her soft, flat stomach, until it went past her tits, which were still covered in a simply white cotton bra. Ron stared at them, enthralled by the way they moved inside the cotton cups, from which they almost spilled every time she moved down on him.

But Ron wanted to see more, so he moved his hands from her hips and ass to her chest and pushed the bra up, freeing her boobs and allowing them to bounce faster. He hissed at the delicious image, and then cupped them both in his hands, kneading them roughly. Hermione moaned hard at the contact.

"Fuck, love these fantastic tits!" he groaned, squeezing them. "They're so round and full and — fuck me faster, Hermione! Ride my cock hard!"

Hermione let out a loud, long moan and obliged, slamming harder into him while she clenched her already tight cunt around him, making them both alight with pleasure.

"Ron, I'm getting so close," she panted. "Oh, Gods, this feels so good … Oh, so good!"

"Ungh, Hermione …" grunted Ron, moving his right hand from her tits back to her ass. He gave her left buttock a hard squeeze, and then, remembering what he had done at the beginning, moved his index finger to her crack and began to rim her asshole, before putting his finger in to the first knuckle. Feeling that hot, very snug hole clench his finger made Ron's cock twitch. Hermione let out a loud 'Ron!' as she opened her eyes wide, increasing her already fast pace.

"You like it, don't you? You like my fingers in your tight bum, eh, Hermione? You'd love if I had another cock to fuck your ass at the same time I fuck your pussy, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, gods, Ron, yes!" she screamed, her eyes rolling, her head thrown back in pleasure as her back arched, pushing her tits into his left hand. "I'm so close, Ron! Push that finger deeper!"

Ron grunted animalistically, his hips thrusting upwards to counter her movements, and shoved more of hi finger into her asshole, then moving it in sync with their hips.

"Ron, oooh, oooh — RON!" she shouted as she came, her body convulsing atop his. Ron opened his mouth in a silent scream when he fell her pussy flutter around him, coating him even more in her juices. Fast, he put his other had on her hips and helped her move, as her movements had got erratic in her orgasm. When he saw her come back from her high, he quickly reversed their positions, shoving her onto the bed, and began a fast fucking between her legs, his left hand supporting his weight while his right squeezed her jiggling tits.

"Oh, GOD!" she screamed, her eyes open wide.

"Fuuuuck, Hermione, cummiiiiing!" he grunted, his cock swelling and then unloading powerfully in her still spasming pussy, filling her to the brink with his hot cum.

"Oh, Ron …" she moaned when he finished, caressing his sweaty back slightly with the tip of her fingers.

"That was amazing, Love," Ron commented, moving off her body to lie besides her on the bed.

"Mmmmh, yes, it was," she agreed, nodding, a blissful expression on her face. "But we should get dressed."

"Why? I like you more naked like this," he teased.

Hermione let out a little giggle and then moved to give Ron a soft kiss on his mouth. "Well, Mr Weasley, I think that you've seen enough of my naked body from tonight," she said, getting up.

Ron just lay there watching her, enjoying the view of her young, sexy body as she put her pyjama top on. He licked his lips and almost groaned as he saw her slide her panties on next, her back to him. The way she wiggled her hips to place the tiny piece of cloth over her round, fantastic ass was almost enough to get him aroused once more.

"Ron!" he heard her scold him, having turned her head and caught him staring at her. "Would you get dressed, please?" she asked sternly.

"Okay, okay, you bossy boots," he responded, getting up and gathering his clothes.

"you're an idiot, you know?" she replied good-naturedly, getting on the bed and waiting for him.

"But you love me," Ron countered.

"Always," was her reply as he got in the bed and she snuggled next to him.

— o —

Ron woke up in the middle of the night, feeling a bit disoriented. He blinked a few times, yawning, and then checked out his watch. Harry would call him in just ten minutes, so there was no point in going back to sleep. He looked at Hermione, deeply asleep under the covers, her back to him, and smiled, remembering the way she had rode him just hours before. He gave her a soft kiss on the back of her head and squeezed one of her ass cheeks softly, enjoying the roundness. She made a purring sound, not waking up, and he got out of the bed, fearing that, if he touched her again, he would end up with a hard on.

He put on a couple of jumpers over his pyjamas, then wrapped himself in his thick cloak and exited the tent.

"Hey, Mat—" he started to say, but his words died in his lips.

The bluebell flames Hermione had conjured were there, next to the tent entrance, but Harry wasn't.

At first he just stood there, frozen, unable to act, barely reprieving his desire to shout for his friend. He lit his wand and was about to go into the tent to wake up Hermione when he saw a line of footprints in the snow, starting where Harry had been sitting and disappearing beyond the trees. It was snowing, yet there was little snow in them, so they must be very recent. The prints belonged to just one person, so Harry must have gone alone.

Had he seen anything?

Deciding not to alarm Hermione, he quickly followed the footprints, leaving the protected area. It was just five minutes later when he saw something move in the distance. Pointing his wand at it, he saw the light being reflected by the ground, and someone apparently coming out of a hole. He got ready to curse the person when they looked up

"Who's there!?" Harry shouted, fear evident in his voice, though he had tried to mask it.

"Harry?"

"Ron?"

"What the fucking hell are you doing?" Ron asked, his heart pumping loudly as he walked towards him. As he got closer, he saw that Harry had come out of a frozen pond in the middle of the forest, and was trembling, wearing just his underwear. "You're taking a bath in frozen water? Are you mad?" he asked, astounded. "Fuck, Harry, when I got out of the tent and saw you gone … Don't ever do that again!" he shouted at him, feeling a bit like Hermione.

"Sorry," Harry said, though he looked happy rather than contrite. "But look!" he said, pointing towards the ground. And then Ron saw it.

There, on the frosty earth lay was the bloody Sword of Gryffindor — or so it seemed.

"Is — is that —?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"But — but – how?"

Harry began to dress quickly, his entire body shivering. Ron, realising how cold his friend must be, cast a Heating Charm on him. Harry sighed in pleasure. "T-thanks," he said, still chattering due to the cold.

"You got into the water to get it?"

"Yeah."

"But — how is it possible? And how did you know?"

"Someone — someone showed it to me."

"Someone?" Ron asked, looking all around frantically. "Someone who?"

"Dunno," Harry responded, putting on his boots. "I was sitting there besides the tent entrance, when I saw a bright light coming from the trees. I looked up and saw a Patronus. A doe."

"A Patronus?" Ron asked, even more confused.

"Yeah."

"And you followed it?" Ron inquired disbelievingly. "Are you insane? What if it was a trap?"

"Well, I just knew it wasn't evil. It felt even familiar, you know."

"No, I bloody don't!" exclaimed Ron, livid. Had his best friend gone mad?

"Well, in any case, it led me to this pond, and then I saw the sword lying at the bottom of it."

"And you think the person that cast the doe put it there?" Ron asked, as they began to walk back towards the tent.

Yeah, I think so. It would be kind of odd if it had been there all the time, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Ron said, nodding. "Do you reckon it is the true sword, not a fake?"

"Only one way to know for sure, but I think so. I mean, why would anyone come here to give us a fake sword?"

"A trap, perhaps?"

"In that case, they would have caught me already, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Ron conceded.

They made the rest of the walk in silence, both of them thinking about the whole event, until they reached the tent.

"Should we wait until morning to tell Hermione? Or until it's time for her watch?" wondered Ron.

"No, we've waited long enough. I want to get rid of that diabolical thing as soon as possible.

"OK," said Ron, glad. He was eager to destroy the fucking locket once and for all, so he walked towards his bed and, putting one hand on Hermione's shoulder, he shook her until she woke up.

"Ron? What —?" she asked, looking confused. "Is it time for my watch?"

"No, but you've got to get up. We —" he stopped. "Well, Harry's found something."

"Found something?" she asked, throwing the covers and sheets back and getting up, already awake. "What did you — No!" she yelled, her eyes the size of saucers, when she saw the sword Harry was holding.

"Yeah," replied Harry, smiling.

"But — Where? How?"

Harry retold the story to Hermione, who reacted even worse than Ron had.

"You followed an unknown Patronus outside the protection charms, and then dived into a frozen pond alone!?" she summarised in a scolding tone. "Harry, are you completely insane!?"

"I already told Ron, I had a good feeling about the doe. And as you can see, nothing happened, and we've got the sword."

"But — but —" she started, and Ron could almost hear the clogs in her brain going at full speed. "Wait a moment —" he rounded on Ron, her eyes narrowing. "If he saw the doe alone, why were you with him?"

Ron gulped. "Well I — I woke up and got out for my watch, and saw he wasn't there. I panicked a bit, and when I saw his footprints in the snow I followed them."

"You saw that Harry had disappeared, and you just ran away without waking me up!?" she asked, her anger increasing tenfold. Ron could almost perceive her radiating fury and surreptitiously took a step away from her

"Er — yeah."

Hermione stared at him, her eyes now showing hurt besides fury. "Of course, the silly girl must be kept hidden while the big men go in an adventure, isn't it?"

"No, it bloody wasn't like that!" Ron protested, though he didn't know how to excuse himself. Certainly he hadn't wanted to worry her, or put her in danger if it was for nothing but the truth was that he hadn't thought about how she would feel about being left behind. At that moment the worry about Harry had eclipsed every other concern.

"And how was it, then?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Well, I — I just didn't think, Hermione. I simply —"

"You didn't think," Hermione repeated, her tone icy. "How surprising, Ron! You don't think most of the time, so I don't see how that can count as a valid excuse!"

Ron flinched a bit at the low blow, but let it pass, understanding how she was feeling.

"Er — guys," Harry interrupted, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I think we're getting side-tracked. We've got the sword. Someone brought it to us, and that must mean we've got a friend out there, so those are two good news. We should focus on that."

Hermione turned her head towards him, but the scowl didn't disappear.

"If it was a friend who gave you the sword, why did they put it in the bottom of a frozen pond? Why don't just give it to us?"

Ron opened his eyes and looked at Harry. Fuck, she was right. What kind of sick person gave you something you need by putting it in the bottom of ice-cold water in the middle of winter?

"Only a true Gryffindor can pull the sword out of the Sorting Hat," responded Harry, who already seemed to have thought about it. "I suppose it was a test. Only a true Gryffindor would be brave enough to retrieve the sword from there."

"Mmmh," said Hermione, not convinced. "But why not show themselves, if they are allies? And, most important, how did they know where we are?"

"Fuck," Harry said. "Didn't think of that."

"We should pack and leave soon," said Hermione, now worried. "If someone found us, even if with good intentions, someone else could as well."

"OK, but we should destroy the locket first," said Harry. "It's been too long."

Hermione stared at him for a few seconds, her expression doubtful, but then nodded slowly. "All right. Let's get rid of it."

Harry moved to the kitchen and got the locket, and Ron couldn't help but feel repulsed by its mere sight. Fuck, he hated that thing.

The three of them got out of the tent and Harry put the locket on top of a nearby rock.

"How are you going to do it?" asked Ron, eyeing the locket apprehensively. He could almost hear it muttering words into his ears.

Harry looked at him with an odd look. "It should be you."

"Me? Why?" asked Ron, shocked.

"Because it tortured you the most, Ron. It tried to use you against us."

"Harry, no," Ron said, shaking his head and giving a step backwards. "I — No, I can't."

"Yes, you can," Harry insisted, his eyes and tone denoting the faith she had on him. "It feared you, Ron, and tried to use you against us. It must be you the one to kill it. I know it."

Ron blinked a few times, and then glanced at the locket, lying on the rock as if it were something inoffensive. Then he looked at Hermione, who was watching him with a strange look, her previous anger apparently forgotten. She nodded at him.

Taking a deep breath, he turned his head back to Harry. "Okay."

Harry gave him the sword, and Ron positioned himself in front of the locket, grasping the hilt tightly.

"Shouldn't we open it?" Ron asked.

"If we knew how …" said Harry. "But the sword should be enough, I think," he added, a bit unsure.

"That's not exactly reassuring, Mate."

Harry just shrugged.

"What about parseltongue?" said Hermione suddenly.

"What?" replied Harry.

"It was Slytherin's locket, wasn't it?" Hermione explained, now sounding enthusiastic. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before, it's so obvious! I mean, You-Know-Who believed he was the only one who could speak it, didn't he?"

"Yes, of course!" said Harry, excited. "He would have seen it so fitting, using the ability he shared with his ancestor to keep his relic safe!" He looked at Ron. "I'm going to ask it to open. The moment I do it, you stab it. It might try to defend itself, like the diary."

"Okay," said Ron, gulping nervously. He could feel his hands sweaty.

Harry stared at the locket, concentrating on it, and then emitted a hissing noise. The locket opened at once, revealing two dark, attractive eyes.

"What the —?" asked Ron.

"Ron, stab it!" yelled Harry.

Suddenly, a column of black smoke emerged from the locket, taking the form of Harry and Hermione, both with red eyes. Ron, shocked by the sudden apparition, just stared at them, transfixed.

"There you are," smoke-Harry said. "Still here. Why didn't you leave? It's not as if you're of any use to us. We should achieve much more with you and your whining gone!"

"Yes," nodded smoke-Hermione, a cruel, yet incredibly alluring smile on her beautiful face. "We don't need you, Ronald. I don't need you." She put her arms around smoke-Harry's neck. "Without you, we could be happy. We could do anything. I am the most brilliant witch, and he's the Chosen One. Who are you?"

"Ron, don't listen to that!" he heard Hermione yell, yet he couldn't take his eyes away from the two images.

"Stab it, Ron!" shouted Harry.

"You're nothing," smoke-Harry continued, sneering. "Your family prefers me instead. Your brothers let me take anything from their shop while making you pay. Your mother is always more concerned about me than about you."

"She would gladly exchange you for him," Hermione added. "And who wouldn't? You're nothing, nothing, compared to him!"

Ron grasped the sword more firmly, seeing red, and lifted it over his head. Then, with a loud yell, lowered it with all his strength, hitting the locket and destroying it. At once, the two figures vanished, the locket emitting a last, ear-piercing wail of pain.

Ron let the sword fall from his trembling hands.

"You should try new tactics," he muttered to the pieces of the horcrux, and, though he was more than a bit shaken, his voice sounded way more determined than he had expected.

"Ron?" asked Hermione timidly, taking a couple of steps towards him.

"I'm — I'm fine," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed for having his fears exposed.

Harry took the broken locket and put in in his pouch. "Well done, Ron," he said. "You destroyed part of You-Know-Who's soul."

"That sounds a lot cooler than I felt, Mate."

"It always sounds cooler than it is," Harry replied, putting a hand on his right shoulder. "I — I need to go the bathroom," he told them, though it was obvious it was just an excuse to leave them alone. "When I come back we can move the tent to another place."

He entered the tent, leaving Ron and Hermione on their own. Ron looked at her. Though he had told her about what the locket did to him, he still felt a bit mortified.

"It was all lies," he told her. "I know it was all lies."

"Yes," she nodded, approaching him, putting her hand on his cheek in a gesture of infinite tenderness. "You're my chosen one, Ron. You. And Harry's. Our lives changed when we met you."

Ron felt his eyes starting to moisten, overwhelmed by emotion.

"Well, you started Hogwarts. I'd say that was the real change," he argued, half-joking, half serious.

"My life at Hogwarts didn't make me any happier until you became my friend. That made me happy. And when you became my boyfriend it turned even better. Happier than ever, Ron."

Ron looked at her, his heart swarming with love for this amazing girl, and it was then that he realised a couple of tears were running down her face, and the expression of shame she was wearing.

"Hermione?"

"I'm s-sorry," she said, almost sobbing. "I'm sorry, R-Ron."

"What?" he asked, perplexed. "Sorry about what?"

"About what I said earlier. I — I just saw that locket taunt you using your deepest fears and insecurities, and I did the same. I'm — I'm so ashamed!"

"Hermione, hey," he said softly, cradling her face in his arms and making her look at him. "I know you didn't mean it. You were just angry, and you were right. I should have told you before running in search of Harry."

"No, I didn't mean it, but I know you very well; I know what hurts you the most, and when I'm angry at you I use it, and that's horrible. And I promise I'll work on that, that I'll try to be better."

"I do that sometimes, too," he said softly. "And you were right, anyway. Half the time I act or speak without thinking."

"Well, I think too much," she replied. "So it's good you go with your guts sometimes. That way we balance each other."

"Well, that means we're perfect together, doesn't it?" he asked, giving her a grin. She smiled at him, too.

"I love you, Ron. And really, I'm very sorry for what I said."

"I love you, Hermione. And I'm sorry for not telling you. I promise if something like that happens again, I will." He stared into her eyes. "Are we good, then?"

She nodded. "We're more than good," she responded, and got on her toes to kiss him.

The kiss soon turned into a full-blown snog, until he broke it with a groan of frustration.

"We should get going, before I get a hard on."

She let out a little laugh and nodded. "Yes, we should. There's not a point in you getting all hard if I can't take care of it, is it?"

Ron groaned. "Hermione, you kill me."

She laughed again, more freely this time. "Let's pack," she said, and, moving away from him, entered the tent.

"Yeah," he nodded, following her. And it was then that what they had done really hit him for the first time. Feeling completely exhilarated, he shouted, "Bloody hell, guys, we destroyed the fucking locket! We're another horcrux down! Just three more to go!"

Well, it's not as good as the previous chapter. More smut, though.

Of course, as Ron didn't leave and they're no longer carrying the locket, Harry's life is not under threat when he dives after the sword (well, besides the fact that the water is freezing!). However, I still wanted Ron and Harry to have a little moment here. Of course it can't be as important as in the books, but still.

Next story I'll update will be — or that's the plan — 'The Case that Changed Everything,' so see you there!