Cooking like a Bachelor

by Avatar Vader

With nothing but uncertainty and dread looming in the future, Ron thought about what he could contribute to their upcoming quest. In the summer before the Horcrux hunt Ron learned how to cook.

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Homecoming

A/N: Thank you for being patient, the time has come! Lets get our Ron back home eh? Back where he belongs XD

Please leave a review after you're done! It genuinely inspires me to get working on this fic.

Special thanks to Nomminay who has gone above and beyond beta-wise for this chapter!

Ron POV

Ron was floating in a dark and empty abyss. It was eerily quiet which was strange to him because the last several months of his life had been full of shouting, screaming, and explosions.

He felt a strange tug, almost a beckoning from somewhere in front of him. Weird sounds crept from the darkness. Voices seemed to call out to him; oddly familiar they echoed around him in the void. As he approached, he could make out his Uncle Bilius' enthusiastic voice regaling one of his many stories. Intrigued he concentrated on another voice in the cacophony and he could make out Grandfather Septimus' gentle scratchy voice informing him of a particular chess moveset. Another cheerful voice seemed to whisper beside him telling him how cute he was and was looking forward to watching him growing up. In that moment, Ron knew that he could hear his family members that had passed away in recent years.

A deep yearning flickered to life in his chest, and he started to move toward the direction of the voices. The voices grew stronger as if welcoming him home and he allowed himself to be enveloped in the sounds. All of a sudden a bright blue flame erupted behind him and he heard another voice. It was loud and overpowered all the others.

"Ron!"

He whips around in the direction in shock, knowing immediately who that voice belonged to.

"Hermione?" He asked but all he saw was darkness. It was silent. He twisted around in the empty space again until he sees a tall mirror of sorts. He instantly recognizes it because etched into its golden frame was written 'Erised stra oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'. Unlike the mirror in First Year, the mirror section was enveloped in blue flames.

Enthralled Ron drifted closer to the mirror. The blue flames departed to the edges and revealed Hermione. She was sitting on wooden floorboards with a bushy-haired red-headed child. Ron couldn't tear his eyes away from an older version of his best friend as she hummed a familiar tune and bounced the child on her knee. He studied her porcelain face, her chestnut bushy hair, her relaxed posture, and her well-off clothing. His eyes trailed down her sleeve until he spied a simple gold band on her ring finger. His heart leaped at the sight and he moved closer to the mirror to get a better look.

The ring looked very ordinary and unremarkable. He felt somewhat saddened to see that there were no precious stones embedded. He somehow knew that this was his fault, he was somehow responsible for not giving her what any witch would have dreamed of when being proposed to. He suddenly felt ashamed that he could not give her what she deserved.

Hermione suddenly looked up directly at him, as if she could see him through the mirror, and gave him a happy and content smile. Startled, he moved back from the mirror's surface. Hermione gave no indication of his sudden movement and continued to gaze at him lovingly.

"I-I-I don't understand…Is this… my future?" He asked no one in particular. It was perfect… almost too perfect.

"It can be." A deep and firm voice echoed into the ether that surrounded him. Ron's entire body froze in place. "Or a version of it at the very least."

"Who are you?" Ron whispered looking around. He looked around but didn't find the owner of the ethereal voice.

"Go back to her." the voice said.

"Go back to her?"

He looked over to the mirror again. Hermione seemed to stop looking at him and went back to tending to the child. Seeing the child's features, he knew that this was his and Hermione's daughter. The familiar features of Hermione's structure and the Weasley fiery red hair was hard to miss. His heart fluttered with the possibility.

"That is something you wish to do, is it not?" the voice seemingly came from behind him.

"Yes, of course!" Ron said immediately, twisting around to find the source of the voice but found only the inky darkness.

"Good." The voice whispered.

Suddenly Ron could feel himself being pulled backwards through the fiery frame of the mirror. It was as if someone had grabbed onto his jacket and yanked.

"This will not be the last time we meet Ronald Weasley," The ethereal voice echoed, "For your sake, I hope that the next time is far into the future."

Bill POV

"We're losing him!" Audrey Weasley called to Fleur, "He's losing so much blood."

Bill's heart leaped to his throat, and Ron lay in the guest room surrounded by Percy and his new secret wife Audrey, Fleur and himself. Ron had come to them in the dead of night, in an abysmal state. His baby brother had lost two of his fingers on the left side, the ring finger down about halfway and the pinky was cut all the way down.

Bill gave an involuntary grimace at Ron's face, which was also marred on the left side with horrific burn scars. Fleur had to pull bits of magical glass out of the wounds that were embedded into his face, before applying a salve to help seal the wounds and reduce the scarring. He wasn't sure if the scars would ever go away but his wife did all that she could.

Bill had seen a lot of dark curses in his line of work but he had yet to see the one that reached across his brother's stomach. He could see the tell signs that it had activated and it was festering and oozing blood, which was where the majority of the concern was coming from. The bloody thing just would NOT close.

Ron was growing pale, his blood was being wicked away from the bedsheets by Percy who was doing an expert job at keeping the work area clean with his wand so the two women could tend to Ron.

Bill paced at the foot of the bed, just enough to be out of the way, but annoying enough to distract Audrey and Fleur.

"Alright Fleur, press hard on the wound. I'm going to try something." Audrey ordered. Fleur nodded and used her entire body's weight to press bandages hard into Ron's abdomen wound.

"Martus." Audrey chanted and drew a square in front of her with her wand. A pane of magic materialized in front of her with words and figures on it, one of which had a line that jumped up and down with Ron's breath. It reminded Bill of a telly or a computer screen he had seen once from a Muggle he flicked her wand to the right occasionally, and the pane of magic showed a new screen of information.

"Found you, you sneaky fuck!" Audrey exclaimed with a grin that reminded Bill of Percy getting a hard answer correct on homework.

"What? What did you find?" Bill asked, dreading the answer.

"A nasty bit of magic. It seems like this curse activates whenever he gets hit with dark magic. Each time that it does, it repeats this curse's initial strike on him ."

"What?" Bill gasped in shock.

She frowned at the flat pane of magic but clarified, "So every time he is hit with dark magic, the curse repeats the same pain inflicted on him when he got hit with this curse." She slashed her wand across the green pane and more information appeared. "It's sneaky but it's effective clearly… how did he get –"

"Snookipuss…" Percy called to his wife gently, "As interesting as this may be, my brother is currently bleeding out."

"Oh! Right, sorry, love." She blushed, "He has dark magic lingering inside his body. This is causing the curse to continuously activate and stay open."

Bill, Fleur, and Percy just stared at her confusedly waiting for her to go on.

"We just need to purge the dark magic from his body and we can close the wound." Audrey declared as she tucked a manic strand of hair behind her ear.

"I can purge dark magic," Bill announced eagerly, finally able to help his little brother. He pulled his wand out and was suddenly thankful for the years he spent in Egypt. He had experienced so much there, and purging dark magic was probably one of the most important things he'd learned.

"Incantus," Bill swooped his wand over his head and a glowing red circle drawn in the air above him, "Mallos." Small fiery hieroglyphs flared to life on the inner edge of the circle as if being drawn. Bill pushed the magic over Ron's body and cried out "Exangio!"

The circle array flared red and a single dark tendril wormed its way out of Ron's chest. Bill raised his wand about to banish the dark magic when Percy calls out.

"Wait!" He raised his wand. Fleur presses her potion-soaked bandages against Ron's wound and the hiss of Dittany emits into the stuffy room. "I think we need to know how this lingering curse activated."

"It's stopped bleeding!" Fleur says happily as she checks the wound.

Percy presses his wand into the Dark Tendril and whispers "Memora''

Before Bill could protest the dark tendril of magic seemed to expand above Ron's prone body and formed into a sphere. The inky blackness smoothed and like a muggle telly, a picture emerged with murky audio and imagery. He saw a scene where Ron was approaching someone, a man slumped over against a tree, and the man's stomach was bleeding as a large shard of wood pokes out. The man holds his hands to the wound trying desperately to stem the flow of blood.

Bill could see an injured Ron standing above this man. He gasped and saw the bloody extent of his wounds. His little brother's fingers were already gone and his face was covered in blood, now marred with shards of glass. Thankfully they had barely missed his left eye.

"P-please." The man begged, coughing up blood, "S-so much pain…"

Bill dragged his attention away from his brother to the injured man below. The man was at the base of a tree, bleeding out. He wore ornate robes that were torn from both combat and a large spike of wood that jutted out from his chest. His face grew pale and his eyes were starting to lose all light in them.

Ron stared at the Death Eater and his wand hand had started to shake. Bill could see the tortured look in Ron's eyes as if trying to reconcile something.

Selwyn's bloodied hand reached up and clutched Ron's good hand, "Kill… me… Please". Bill's heart stopped and saw his brother freeze. The moment seemed to drag on and he could see the conflicted expression in his baby brother's eyes. Bill's stomach filled with lead when he saw a steely look come into Ron's eyes.

"Any last words?" Ron swallowed, as he teetered on his unstable feet.

Bill moved forward feeling a flash of anger, "No, Ron! Don't!"

The magical image didn't pay him any mind and continued to play out the scene before them.

"My…wife…" Selwyn struggled, "M-Margret… she didn't want… a war…" Selwyn coughed up more blood. It splattered all over the ground, "T-t-tell her… she's right… Always right…"

"If I find her, I'll tell her." Ron's voice seemed distant as he stood up to his full height. Selwyn's bloody hand slipped down and as if in slow motion. Ron raised his wand and pointed it right at Selwyn's forehead. A surge of panic rose in Bill and he reached out futilely at the image, "No!"

"Avada Kedavra."

A bolt of green lept from Ron's wand crashing into the Death Eater. Ron screamed and collapsed to the ground and clutched at his side which was now bleeding heavily.

The charm dissipated and everyone was in stunned silence.

"Bill, banish it," Audrey suddenly commanded.

Feeling like he was in a dream, Bill swiped his wand through the dark magic and the tendril shifted into white dust that floated out of the nearby open window.

"That was it, he's stabilizing now," Audrey said with a sigh of relief. "My theory is that the curse will activate with any Dark Magic, but because he used the killing curse himself, the Dark Magic pooled in his lingering wound. We cast that out, so he should patch up soon here. Oddly that amount of Dark Magic would indicate that this wasn't the first killing curse he had used."

"Mon Dieu! What the hell happened to this poor boy!" Fleur said as she placed a cool damp cloth on Ron's head.

Bill shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. He looked over to Percy to meet his eyes but Percy just stared at their younger brother in horror. The coldness that had burrowed in his chest grew at the thought of his baby brother taking a life. Ron had KILLED someone.

"The lingering wound is still there." Audrey's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Bill looked over to see Audrey had pulled up the pane of magic once again and she started reading through the stats it held, "It's too powerful of a curse for me to break myself."

Bill gave himself a mental shake upon the realization that the curse on his stomach was still active and making Ron continuously bleed out. It was a very dark and vicious curse, and what was worse it was one he was unfamiliar with. Dark curses in tombs he could handle, a curse on a person was another cauldron of potion.

"I fear that any attempt to break it might jeopardize his life further." Audrey continued and looked at Bill "Please don't do something stupid in an attempt to fix him."

"What?" Bill looked at her curiously, "What are you talking about? I wasn't – "

"Save it, you Gryffindors are predictable. There's nothing you can do for him. Any attempt on your part may very well kill him. He needs a Healer and a powerful one at that, to remove this curse."

Bill turned to Audrey fully, a surge of anger rising, "Excuse me?"

Audrey seemed to pick up on the tone shift and looked away from the magic pane she was reading. She told him plainly, "Ron needs a professional healer right now to help remove this curse. I don't want you doing anything stupid."

He took a step forward and Percy suddenly appeared between, "Bill, not now!"

Bill redirected his anger at Percy and his younger brother winced back, "Percy, she-"

Percy put his hands up, "I know, I know! She gets like this when she is in her forensic Auror mode. I will speak with her. I promise that she doesn't mean what she says!"

Bill looked back over to see Audrey looking over at them with an uncaring look that made Bill's family's famous temper flare.

"Percy! She just compared me to a dumb 'Gryffindor', a house which you're a part of by the way, and completely disregarded everything that I can do to help."

Percy winced again, "I know and I'm sorry. I will talk to her, I promise. Please don't yell at her. Mum will have your hide if you do actually yell at her, you know."

Bill gave a huff thinking about how much their mother would berate them for yelling at a pregnant woman. He let his anger go a little before lifting his chin to speak to Audrey.

"You are my brother's wife, so I will say this with the utmost respect for you. If you speak to me or anyone like that again, I will kindly ask you to leave. This is my home, at the very least you could respect that."

Percy sighed and Audrey was taken aback but then looked indignant.

"If you-"

"Everyone stop!" Percy yelled, raising his hands a little, "We're all a little stressed right now. Let's just cool it for a bit and just help Ron out, ok?"

She looked surprised but then gathered herself and nodded. Bill turned and decided to go outside. He hoped some fresh air and some time away would help him calm down.

Ron POV

Ron dazed in and out of reality, the left side of his face stung and his left hand was throbbing in pain. Familiar voices floated around him, but it wasn't the strange ones from last time, but rather warm and soothing. They were loud but friendly, reminding him of the days where he would sometimes fall asleep in the Burrow living room with the cacophony of his siblings shouting over a muggle board game that their Dad brought home. He had gotten pretty good at figuring out who was talking from those times.

"You remember when Fred and George hung him up by the rafters by his underwear, that one time?" He heard Bill's deep authoritative voice.

"Merlin, yes!" Percy's soft sharp voice rang out in laughter, "Ugh, Mum was livid. She was so pissed that she forgot he was hanging there while she was spanking the twins. Then he said…"

"Mummy, can I have some shepherd's pie now?" Both brothers said together and they roared with laughter.

Ron didn't think it was that funny. He remembered he had a sore arse for a few days after that. Although it was worth it seeing the twins getting their comeuppance.

"That was it…" Bill sniffed happily, "That was the last summer before I left for Egypt. Next time I saw you lot was… '93 I think?"

"Yep, World Cup." Percy chimed in, "Ireland vs Bulgaria, good match."

Ron frowned, remembering that match quite well.

"I dunno…" Ron croaked out, "Bulgaria's seeker was a bit of a twat."

"Ron?!" Bill and Percy called out and suddenly a hand was on his forehead. He recoiled slightly at the cold touch.

"Merlin, I can't believe you're up!" Percy exclaimed.

"How do you feel?" Bill asked.

"Like an Erumpant trampled me…" Ron commented hoarsely, cracking his eyes open to look at them.

"You look like it too!" Bill grinned.

Ron frowned wondering why Bill was grinning like a loon. That joke was nothing to be proud of.

"Oh come on Bill, that was a preexisting condition. You know that." Percy chided and Bill roared with laughter. Ron's brief annoyance gave way to relief and he just smiled dazedly at them. He brought his left hand up to flip off Percy when he noticed both his ring and pinky fingers were missing. He stared at it confused for a little bit. At his expression, both Percy and Bill froze looking at him unsure.

"What's the damage?" He asked, suddenly he wanted to know.

"Ron, now's really not the time…" Bill trailed.

Ron leveled an angry stare at his oldest brother, "I need to know. Tell me!"

"Your left ring finger is cut down to the first phalanges and your left pinky was sliced completely off," Percy said matter of factly. Ron felt a chill run down his spine, as he looked back down at the two nubs that were his fingers. It finally sank in; he lost body parts?!

"Perce… don't." he heard Bill plead.

"There was some cursed… artifact that exploded and sliced up the left side of your face. A few bits of the glass were embedded into your cheek and temple, thankfully missing your eyes. We got those out but it was clearly dark magic so it will definitely scar."

"Great…" Ron groaned, first the brain scars and now all of this.

"You also lost a LOT of blood," Percy said with his voice hardening, making Ron look back up. "The curse on your stomach is very dark, and when Dark Magic gets into it, it festers"

"So no more Unforgivables!" Bill snapped with a wave of festering anger.

Ron looked at him in shock, "You know?"

"Curse Memora charm," Percy explained. "We needed to know the origin of the Curse. It played back the moment the Dark Magic entered your system."

"Had it been used against you, it still would've hit you hard, but because you've cast it yourself the Dark Magic pooled inside of you. Feeding that lingering curse." Bill angrily explained.

"To sum up, using Dark Magic could genuinely kill you." Percy said his tone was as hard as steel "Especially the Unforgivables."

"Yeah, I uh… I figured that one out on my own." Ron looked away feeling ashamed. He thought back to the moment when this first happened. It was right after T taught him how to use the Killing Curse. She saw it happen to him in person and warned him against it.

"YOU KNEW IT COULD KILL YOU AND YOU USED IT ANYWAY!?" Bill roared, and Percy flinched. His guilt seemed to amplify Bill's anger and he winced.

Ron closed his eyes forcing the shame and guilt away as he had done many times before. He lifted his head to try and meet Bill's angry gaze, "I-I didn't want to kill him…"

Memories of the incident flashed in his mind's eye, how T was on her last legs, how Selwyn goaded and taunted him and how Ron managed to beat the Death Eater by sheer luck. He joined the Coalition to defeat the bad guys and he was behind his friends to stop a terrible evil. But in that moment, when he was in front of Selwyn as he bled out like a gutted pig, he felt no rush of triumph. All he felt was pity.

"But it was either kill him or… let him suffer."

Ron missed the exchanged glance traded by Bill and Percy. As he tried to force down the rising guilt. He had to have done the right thing. Putting a rabid dog down was a hard but necessary thing to do. He plucked up some courage, looked back up, lifted his chin, and set his jaw stubbornly indicating that he felt he was in the right.

"By ki-killing him, I stopped him. " Ron looked at his brothers "It was right."

"We saw Ron," Percy said, putting a reassuring hand on Ron's shoulder. "We saw what happened… and if you ask me, putting him down was the right choice." Percy's expression hardened, "Selwyn was a fucking animal. I had to deal with him on a number of occasions."

"Percy!" Bill shouted at the third-born brother, "Do you honestly think Ron should become a murderer?"

"No!" Percy whipped around meeting Bill's challenging glare, "But monsters like Selwyn shouldn't exist either!"

Bill looked taken aback at Percy's venom and Ron could only stare at them in shock. He was expecting to be the one arguing about this, not Percy in his stead.

Bill's face flushed red with the famous Weasley temper, "That is not the way we do things! We're not murderers! If you stoop to their level you are just as bad as them!"

"How many more innocents need to die before we come off our high horse and 'stoop to their level'?" Percy snarled.

"Percy!" Bill shouted in disbelief, "Do you even know what you're saying right now?"

"You have no idea what they did to the Muggleborns in there! How they experimented and tortured them and then let their bodies to rot in the hothouse!"

Ron winced at the awful memory of entering that unfortunate place.

"They were going to do that to Audrey! They threatened to torture her. Fuck, they did it in front of me when I didn't want to co-operate!"

A deafening silence filled the room and Ron stared at Percy in shock. He had no idea the extent of what had happened with Percy and Audrey. He just arrived with the Coalition and put a stop to it. He had punched Percy in anger thinking he was a traitor. His guilt intensified before feeling like he had been dunked in water, when he remembered that Audrey was pregnant. He glanced over to Bill who was in shock but he could see his temper cooling.

Percy seemed to deflate a little and looked tired, "It-it doesn't matter now. Bill, we're all fighting in a war. I was playing spy while Ron was on the front lines."

Suddenly Ron had this need to touch Percy and so he reached out and grabbed his arm. Percy looked over to him and met his eyes. Something passed between them, a camaraderie that they never had before. They had never seen eye to eye on a lot of things growing up but in that moment, Ron felt like he understood Percy more than he ever had in his whole life.

Bill nodded, his eyes softening, "I'm sorry Perce."

Percy shrugged, unable to take Bill's empathy, "Audrey is safe now and that bastard's dead. That's all that matters now."

After a moment had passed, Bill sighed, "Look, I don't agree with all this. Unforgivables are insidious. I have worked with many Dark Curses and many twist and change the casters, always for the worst. Many people think it's just a piece of magic to be used, but it isn't."

Ron felt a slight dread in the pit of his stomach and Bill looked over to him with a serious expression.

"For you Ronnie, there is another dark curse on you that physically hurts you when you cast Dark Magic. Instead of twisting your mind, you almost died. If you use an Unforgivable again, it will kill you. Do you understand?"

Ron nodded slowly but gave nothing away. Bill sighed in resignation, turned, and left the room. Percy gave him a small nod, "He's worried. We all are. You were in a bad way when you came in."

"Are you ok?" Ron asked, thinking about Percy's earlier outburst.

Percy chuckled and rubbed his head. Ron shielded his head in confusion, "Oi! What the-, what was that for?!"

"Get some rest, Ronnie. We can talk later."

Ron frowned in confusion as Percy left. He had no idea what that was about but deep down he appreciated it. He thought about the strange moment with Percy, before his thoughts drifted to Bill and then the rest of his large family. He knew that the whole war was dangerous… it was a fucking war after all.

However, Ron knew if it came between him and a loved one… well.. he knew that he would be an unstoppable berserker if it came down to it. He would carve through anyone who stood between him and his family which included Harry of course but also Hermione.

He had known that she was always special to him, but to have this… drive to just be around her…. The want to make her day brighter and the yearning to share a life with her seemed to just grow in their time apart. Ron decided that if she took him back… he would never let go. He was hers… hell or high water. Marriage or breakup… the Quaffle was thoroughly on her side of the pitch.

x A few days later x

Ron was finally mobile again, at first, he walked around on shaky legs teetering on Bill and Percy's shoulders. It was tough but his resolve to get back into the fight seemed to hasten his recovery. He was driven to be the shield for the weak. He had always known how horrible the war was, of course. His family was affected by it, not to mention many other witches and wizards who had lost loved ones. Harry being the primary example of losing almost everything.

But Ashtomb Prison was the first time he had witnessed the Death Eater's cruelty firsthand. Prior to this, the Coalition strike team went after smaller dark wizards which were horrible in their own right but nothing to the scale of the prison. It had hit home how vulnerable the average witch or wizard was and how easy it was for them to be at the mercy of Death Eaters. He wanted, no needed, to defend them.

When he was able to walk on his own again, he wanted to find Harry and Hermione. He wanted to make sure they were ok. Partly because he was worried and partly because he felt guilty. However, he knew Harry wouldn't want him back, and he remembered just how vindictive Hermione could be. He doubted that she'd let him back into her life. In all honesty, he just wanted to check on them and make sure they were ok. Then he could get back to Theresa and the Coalition.

Ron sat down at the kitchen table of Shell Cottage. It was New Year's Day, Fleur and Bill had left to get basically two weeks' worth of groceries with three extra mouths to feed, while Percy had left to collect some things from his home.

Percy's wife, Audrey, came into the kitchen and started rummaging around through the fridge.

"Damn," She said, not happy with what she found.

"Looking for something?"

"Damnable cravings." She groaned, "Want something nice and salty but…. Aside from a salt shaker, they've got nothing."

"Hmm," Ron stood and looked into the fridge as well, seeing ground sausage and cheese and not much else.

"I can make something salty," Ron offered, "It's a family favorite. A sausage roll."

Audrey stares at him as a slight grin starts forming on her lips. "…I'm listening."

"Basically, it's sausage wrapped with cheese and dough. Baked for about a half hour and sliced evenly. Do you have any aversion to onion?"

"Not even slightly!" She laughed, "All the cravings I've had are all savory."

"Right well, get that sausage started, I'll run to the shop and grab the last two things we need."

Audrey nodded as she pulled out the sausage and waddled over to the stove.

Ron soon apparated back into the kitchen with a small bag of groceries. He started laying them out. "Found a tin of pizza dough, last time I did sausage roll with Mum the puff pastry puffed up far too much." Ron explained, "I had made pizza for… well. I made pizza and it was very good, just way too much effort for doing sausage roll but I decided to try out pizza dough as a crust."

"Never had pizza before. So I guess I'll see how the dough tastes at least.." Audrey commented, breaking the sausage into bits.

"I'd recommend trying it," Ron said, twisting on the tin with his hands, which soon opened up with a quick pop.

"You eat a lot of muggle food?" Audrey asked while Ron laid out the dough.

"Not much difference to be honest," Ron said quietly. "Honestly food tends to travel a far way, it transcends not only national borders but worlds."

"How do you mean?" Audrey strained the grease from the pan.

"Well… look at Fortescue's," Ron said as he smoothed out the dough. "Ice cream was invented by the French muggles in the 1700s, right? Well, magical France enjoyed the dish so much that they made their own version of it. A couple of years later, pure-blood kids line up in front of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Not even caring that the original was made by a muggle."

"Fair point." Audrey said, "Muggles have a lot of inventions that even we magical folk use that we don't acknowledge." Audrey stepped back letting Ron take over and finish up.

"Seriously," Ron said, dusting the sausage with a seasoning. "We're all humans at the end of the day. It's stupid to hate one another for something like birth or heritage."

Ron pops open the oven and slides the now-ready-to-bake sausage roll into the waiting heat.

"Oh lord, my feet are killing me," Audrey laughs and sits down at the table.

"Do you play chess?" Ron asks Audrey just shrugged, "Cool, I'm going to put you through your paces."

The two played chess for the next hour and traded stories, Ron was filling her in about how much of a dork her new husband was, and Audrey shared stories of how her grandmother had been her role model as she grew up.

Percy, Bill, and Fleur soon arrive back home as Ron was pulling out the sausage roll.

"What's that?" Bill asked, flicking his wand and putting the shopping into his bedroom.

"Sausage roll," Ron said, setting the pan on the stove and taking the oven mitts off.

"Mum's sausage roll?" Percy perked up, recognizing the smell from their youth.

"Yeah…" Ron said, "Well, it's Mum's recipe."

"Well aren't we full of surprises?" Bill had a teasing smile.

Fleur lightly smacked Bill across the chest and quietly chided at him. Ron ducked his head and sliced the roll into equal pieces. They looked really good and he couldn't help but grin at his work.

"Who wants some?" Ron asked plating the food and sliding one over to Audrey. Bill and Percy eagerly sat down and Ron served them as well.

Later that night, Bill and Percy dragged Ron into the living room and sat him down next to the Christmas tree that was still up from the holiday that took place only a week ago. The fresh pine smell wafted from the tree, reminding Ron of happier times.

"Ok, what's this about?" Ron asked, exasperated at both of his brothers' insistence on being in the living room, in front of the tree.

Bill pulled out a box that was wrapped in paper and Percy set a bag down in front of Ron as well. They looked at him expectantly and Ron instantly knew what they were. He shook his head.

"Wait, we don't get each other gifts," Ron mentioned confusedly, referring to the fact that they all had come to. The Weasley siblings came to the agreement that due to their family's famous low wealth, they wouldn't get each other gifts.

"I know Ron," Bill laughed. "If you don't accept this as a gift, then when the war is over, you can pay us back."

"Plus think of this as us, supporting the war effort." Percy shot in, "This is from Audrey and I by the way." He held up the bag that had the insignia of Holston's Book Shoppe in the magical Cardiff. Ron remembered Percy bragging about getting a book on Charms from there before Ron started his first year.

"Go on then," Bill encouraged before he slipped his arm around Fleur who looked at them with a warm smile.

Ron picked up Bill's present and tore into it. In the box was a pair of fine leather boots, ones that came up to his shins. The toe cap had runes etched into it.

"A pair of Tarley's Runic boots." Bill explained, "Aurors wear them on missions. The runes will soften drops and be able to shift you into a quicker pace."

"It won't be by much," Fleur tossed in, "Just enough to notice it."

"Wow thank you, Bill!" Ron said, quickly slipping them on. They were a bit snug but the boots expanded and then shrunk back down to fit better on his big feet.

"You're quite welcome," Bill smiled, "Now the runes will likely deteriorate after a year or two, so you'll have to get it serviced. Only a galleon or two… or you can ask me and I'll do it for you."

"Go on and open mine, Ron." Percy waved his hand and the bag floated over to Ron's lap.

Ron reached in and predictably it was a book. It was rather thick and leather bound, the spine had gold lettering that sparkled in the light.

"The Intricacies of Wandless Magic: A Starter's guide." He read off the cover and his eyes widened. "Wandless Magic, are you serious?"

"Yep, it's difficult to learn but it is invaluable in a fight," Percy said grinning at Ron's smile. "At least with this if you get disarmed you can summon your wand back."

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed, he leafed through the book seeing Wingardium Leviosa and the Dancing lights charm.

"With a lot of practice, I know you can get it."

"Thanks, guys." Ron grinned, "I'll make it up to you I promise!"

"Happy late Christmas, Ronnie."

Ron leafed through the new book while an empty ink pot rested on his lap. He was going to attempt his first wandless levitation spell and the book had specified something rather light to use as a first try. He was getting excited, it was every magical child's dream to learn how to use wandless magic.

"When first starting out, clear your mind and focus only on the item. You will feel a light tug in your hand while still learning, this is normal." Ron read out loud, "that feeling is like a muscle that needs to be worked, when it feels natural, carry on to Chapter II."

"Wingardium Leviosa." Ron aims his offhand at the ink pot and could feel the weight, slightly heavier than the ink pot itself, the pot twitches slightly.

"Come on up." He mutters and the ink pot twitches again, the lid of the pot raising up but not the full inkpot itself.

"Wow," he grinned in utter shock, "Wandless bloody magic from Ronald Weasley…. Who knew?"

Ron suddenly heard a voice from his pocket. One he hadn't heard in months.

"R-Ron." Hermione's voice sobbed out, "I -I can't do this alone anymore Ron. I n-need you."

Ron froze in place as the ink pot fell to the floor with a clatter. He hadn't heard her voice in so long. His heart started pounding in his chest and he reached into his pocket and felt the deluminator emitting a glowing warmth.

Ron had thought it was a pretty useless bequeathment if he was honest, "Oh yay I can put the lights out from the comfort of my own pocket." he had joked with Harry, "Not like I have a wand that can do the same thing…"

Still though, he kept it on his person because the Dumbledore had given it to him, but in all honesty, he hadn't really thought about it since he had received it.

Ron stared at the deluminator and flicked the item on. A bright blue ball of light lept out and hovered in front of him. Hermione's voice came out even clearer. "Please come back to me. Please... come home."

It sounded like a prayer, not something that she was saying directly to him.

"I'm coming 'Mione," Ron reached his hand out and the moment his fingers touched the blue ball a jolt of energy ran down his arm and into his chest. Giving him a warm feeling that spread through his heart.

Ron knew what he had to do. He had to get back to Hermione. She sounded distraught! She sounded so broken, he had never heard the woman he loved in so much anguish. Whatever had happened, he had to make sure that she wasn't in any danger. Even if she threw him out on his arse, at least he can know she's ok.

Ron crept down the stairs and jotted a quick note to his brothers which said 'Found my way back, I love you both. – R'

Ron's new boots fit him perfectly and he barely felt his feet land on the ground as he ran out of the front door to get clear of the anti-apparation wards. He tightened his Runic coat that survived Ashtomb prison over his shoulders and shifted his pack to sit better on his back. All of his possessions were in the pack, he left with everything that could even possibly be traced back to him.

Ron pulled his wand out as he felt the weight of the apparition wards slip away from him. He slowed down realizing he had no idea where he was going. He knew Hermione needed his help but had no idea where she was thanks to the wards around their campsite. He held his wand up high over his head. A feeling crept into his mind and while he had no destination in mind, he somehow knew where he needed to go. Trusting his feelings he turned on his heel and disappeared.

Harry Potter POV

The forest was quiet, and the moon hung high in the sky while Harry took the night's watch. Though he was supposed to be on watch, he was just glowering and staring at Hermione's wand that he had to use. His own having snapped in half in Godric's Hollow.

What a failure that mission was… he told Hermione that he wanted to scout the town out, that maybe You-Know-Who had left a Horcrux at the site of his greatest defeat.

Hermione pushed back, saying that You-Know-Who would've hated Godric's Hollow. So far his Horcruxes were made up of objects that held great historical importance or reverence. Using a site that humiliated him seemed to run counter to his MO so far.

Harry had just scoffed and told her that he was going anyway and gave her an ultimatum to come with him or stay behind. Thankfully she had come with him and as it turned out, Voldemort DID, in fact, leave a Horcrux in Godric's Hollow. This one however was a massive snake that would have killed him if Hermione hadn't been there.

Ever since Hermione had been short and snappy with him.

Harry leaned back gazing into the woods, wondering if he'd see that strange doe again. For some reason the last couple of days a white doe would show itself on the very edges of the forest. It was a curious creature but its regular presence seemed to bring an air of normalcy to Harry.

When he asked Hermione she said she hadn't seen anything and quickly shrugged him off.

"Maybe I've finally lost my mind." He mutters out loud to himself, his breath fogging the air in front of him. "It was bound to happen eventually."

This war, this mission, was tearing him apart. He was freezing his arse off in the middle of nowhere, and managed to drag his two best friends along, only for one to up and leave and the other to be equally as frustrated and mad as him. If this mission wasn't so important, he would've left when Ron did, but he didn't have that luxury. He had to keep going; it was up to him to destroy Voldemort. He kicked out at a rock near him in frustration.

Merlin, what he wouldn't give to eat a proper meal. Ron was their main food source and ever since he left all those months ago, they had been surviving off whatever they could scrounge up or buy. Harry was pretty good in the kitchen thanks to the Dursleys but when it came to magical house-tending spells, he was absolute pants at it. Hermione had a lot of the knowledge and know-how but couldn't get it quite right. It wasn't like he could pop down to a local town anytime he was hungry, it was dangerous with the Death Eaters and Snatchers prowling around. Still, he had tried his luck with Hermione when the temptation was too much and he was always met with a firm wall of 'No!'.

Irritation crawled up his spine remembering a particular time that Hermione had denied his request to go to town for takeaway. She said it as if he were a little child she was scolding. In the moment he was furious but in hindsight, she was right. The last time he didn't listen to her, he was left in a mini-coma for three days. He still got goose-pimples when he thought about how his parents died. When he closed his eyes at night he could still see the flash of green as Voldemort killed his father; he could hear his mother's screams as she called out 'Not Harry, please not Harry.'

The crack of a branch echoed throughout the silent night, snapping him out of his thoughts. His head popped up in alert and through the darkness, he saw the brilliant white Doe as it walked gracefully through the forest, looking as if it were a sliver of the moon itself.

The Doe stopped and stared directly at Harry, which shouldn't have been possible due to the wards that were cast over the campsite. All the other nights he'd seen it, the Doe simply walked past their encampment.

Harry stood up and walked to the very edge of the wards. It flicked its head behind it and looked back at Harry. He crossed the barrier, walking slowly to the Doe, the fresh snow crunching under his feet.

As he got closer, Harry could see that the Doe was wispy and made no tracks in the snow. It looked like it was just slightly more solid than the ghosts of Hogwarts.

"Are you… real?" Harry reached his hand out to touch it, another loud crack echoed through the night and the Doe darted away. It jumped through the forest, weaving through bushes and brambles stopping a hundred yards away on top of a rise. It stopped and stared at Harry again, almost beckoning for him to follow.

Harry did follow, he crashed through the snowy trees and slowly climbed the hill where the doe waited.

"Where are you leading me?" Harry asked, praying that this wasn't a trap. The Doe circled Harry briefly and he held a hand out to brush its pelt. His hand sunk into the ghostly form and it was bathed in an inky coolness.

Yet there was also warmth to it… a shadow of affection.

The Doe pulled away once more trotting down a small slope and it started trotting serenely over a frozen lake. It stopped in the middle of the lake and put its head down as if it were going to drink. Harry walked towards it again, his green eyes bright with the pale white light that emanated off of the Doe.

As Harry approached, the Doe sank into the icy surface of the lake. Its body sinks as if it was going down a lift and just as the surface reaches the head it faces Harry.

"I'm sorry that I could not save her." A man's voice says from the Doe, startling Harry. "I tried to stop the attack but… I failed." The Doe's head slipped through the ice and formed into a single bright ball of light.

Harry watched the ball sink into the lake and it was then he realized whose voice that was. He was ninety-nine percent sure it was a particular potion's master but with how distorted it came out from a ghostly Doe, he couldn't be certain. Also, why would Snape even help him? He showed his true colours when he murdered Dumbledore and took Hogwarts for his true master.

The ball of light continued to sink down into the murky depths until it lay still at the bed of the lake.

"Why is it…?" He started and a glint of red caught his eye. "What the…" Harry peered closer and the light illuminated a longsword with a glittering handle and several egg-sized rubies on the crossbar.

"No fucking way!" Harry cried out, his heart jumped with the opportunity in front of him. He took a look around him to see if there was anyone watching him. Luckily there was not.

He quickly took off his shirt, shoes, and a pair of Dudley's second-hand jeans from when he was closer to Harry's size. He immediately regretted taking his clothes off as the frosty air bit against his warm skin. With determination, he set his foot on the ice and winced away as it felt like needles prickling his skin. He tried again, ignoring his instincts to turn back and find warmth, setting one foot in front of the other.

He reached the centre of the lake in a couple of steps. He slashed his wand and chanted the spell through chatting teeth. The ice cracked and groaned before him before splitting apart, leaving icy chunks at the top of the hole he had made.

"Ok Harry, it's just down there." He could see the ball of light glimmering in the inky darkness below him, "All you gotta do is jump down and grab it. Easy peasy."

He half wished he had gillyweed right now but was glad the water didn't seem to be as deep as the Black Lake. Before he could change his mind, Harry took a deep breath and did a shallow dive into the water. He almost turned back to the surface once he hit the frigid liquid. His body felt like it was being attacked by pins and needles, his primal instinct telling him to get out and find warmth NOW.

He ignored it all, using every ounce of willpower and focused on getting to the bottom of the lake. He swam deeper and deeper until he was close to the light. He reached out with his left hand to grab the sword when all of a sudden the locket that was still around his neck tightened, almost digging into his skin. Oh no he had forgotten about the locket! The locket seemed to float up sharply towards the surface making it look like a hangman's noose.

Panicked, he reached up to the locket to force it back down, but each time he grabbed it, it seemed to slip through his fingers like butter. Giving up he made a reach again for the sword, his fingers danced along its ruby-encrusted hilt. His lungs burned, his body felt like lead and he could feel his vision darken.

Determined, he reached out again and the necklace dug in painfully around his neck, forcing him to pull his head up. He grit his teeth and ignored it. He could feel the sword under his fingers. He screwed his eyes shut and with a single determination, his fingers grasped frantically but the pressure around his neck intensified. He let out a strangled cry in pain and the last of his breath left him.

Panicked, he tried to swim up, but his limbs felt heavy and his vision darkened. His mind begged him to go to the surface but consciousness was quickly slipping away.

No, not like this.

Suddenly a body slams into the water beside him. Harry felt a strong arm loop around him and all of a sudden he was shooting up toward the surface. The cool night air hit his face and he breathed a lung full before realizing that water had also started to fill his lungs. He coughed and spluttered. He felt disoriented and dizzy and didn't realize that they had made it to the edge of the lake until he was unceremoniously dumped there.

Harry was on his hands and knees coughing and gasping in precious air. He grabbed the cursed locket from his neck and threw it away. His dark feelings suddenly disappeared and for the first time in a while, he was able to think clearly again.

"You fucking idiot!" A voice roars and Harry recognizes it immediately.

"Ron?" He asked, looking up blearily.

"What were you thinking, jumping into the lake like that?" Ron snapped

"I-"

"Duri," Ron chanted and Harry found himself suddenly dry and warm. His body cried out in relief.

"Ron, is that really you?" Harry asked, trying to make out the blob in front of him.

Suddenly his face was hit by all of his items of clothing, and he made a feeble grab at them.

"Put some clothes on or you'll freeze," Ron's voice ordered.

Harry couldn't argue with that. His arms felt like lead and his fingers had trouble working properly, but he managed to pull back on his warm clothing. He heard Ron complete the same drying charm, supposedly casting it on himself. Finally, Harry put his glasses on and the world came back to sudden clarity. He saw Ron's furious face before him. Except this person couldn't be Ron. He did look like Ron with the typical Weasley fiery red hair and lankiness. This Ron had an ugly scarring all along the left side of his face. Harry couldn't help but stare at it, shocked at how red and raw it looked.

Ron seemed to become self-conscious and turned his head away, so Harry could only see his unmarked side. He snapped out of his staring and took in the rest of Ron's look. He wore a long trench coat that reached down to his knees with the collar was a near-perfect circle around his neck. Ron's ratty old trainers that had seen him through the last three years of Hogwarts were gone and he now wore black boots that reached up to his shins; they looked brand new.

"Ron," Harry managed to climb to his feet in shock about seeing his friend so different, "What happened?"

Ron didn't turn to him but frowned, "Why the hell did you dive in the water like that? With the locket too! "

"The Sword of Gryffindor. Not that it matters now, it's still down there."

Ron turned as if grabbing something before turning back around with a very ornate sword in his hands.

"You mean this? I saw you were trying to grab it when I was going down. I managed to pull it out when I came in and saved you."

Harry stared at it in disbelief as its beautiful decorated silver hilt twinkled in the moonlight. Harry grabbed it carefully with two hands to make sure he didn't accidentally cut himself. He let his eyes trail along the sword seeing three large rubies lined the guard with a fourth one placed at the pommel.

"Thank you." Harry looked up and said genuinely.

Ron ducked his head and turned away again, showing the right side of his face. Harry decided to ignore the scarring, afraid to subconsciously hurt his friend again.

"I wonder why it's in the lake? Why isn't it at Hogwarts?"

Harry shrugged, "A Doe led me to it."

"A Doe?"

Harry shrugged again, "It was hanging around our campsite for a couple of weeks now and tonight I decided to follow it."

"Wait, does Hermione know you're out here?" Ron suddenly asked and Harry ducked his head.

"Erh no. We kinda had another row."

"What? Why?"

Harry sighed, "Look it doesn't matter."

"So you're here on your own? What would happen if Snatchers had found you? Harry, you can't go out on your own!"

"Oh like you did?" Harry snapped, old bitter feelings welling up.

Ron visibly winced, "Harry…"

Anger suddenly surged through him and Harry gritted his teeth.

"Damn that locket," he cursed before looking back up at Ron, "Look… I don't want to argue. Merlin knows that's all we've seemed to be doing these days. I'm just glad you're here."

Ron nodded slowly, unsure but accepted the olive branch.

"How did you find me anyways?" Harry asked.

"Does it matter? We should get back to camp. It's not safe to be out of the perimeter."

Harry made no move and Ron didn't either.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked.

Ron frowned, "I… I had to come."

"But why?" Harry pressed.

Ron raked his hand through his hair, "Because I was worried."

Silence passed between them before Harry shoved the sword tip into the snow. The sword stayed upright when he released it. There was so much to say, so much anger and bitterness that floated near the surface.

"You left." he stated. You left us, you abandoned the mission. You're meant to be my best friend!

Ron nodded and closed his eyes in regret, "I'm-I'm sorry. I was so angry. I was worried about everything."

Harry nodded, feeling remorseful, "I'm sorry for acting like I didn't care about your family. Truth is your family-"

"Our family" Ron corrected.

Harry nodded, feeling a little warmer, "Our family is the only one I've got left, and it's hard. Dumbledore entrusted us with this mission to defeat You-Know-Who and I… I can't do this on my own."

Ron opened his blue eyes and looked at him, "I know. Once I realized my mistake, I tried to come back to you, I really did, but I couldn't find you."

Harry nodded knowing that made sense. Their camp was hidden for a reason and once they were out of an area, they were as good as invisible.

"Let bygones be bygones?" Harry asked tentatively.

Ron nodded, "I promise not to leave again."

Harry nodded, accepting his words but not truly believing them. He trusted his best friend with his life but it may be a while before he felt secure in the knowledge that Ron won't leave him again. Speaking of which…

"Thanks, Ron… for saving me." Harry smiled for what felt like the first time in a long time.

"Don't worry about that." Ron looked awkward and ran his hand on the back of his neck, "You would do the same for me, regardless."

Harry nodded in agreement, happy that they had moved on from their awkward make-up.

"Should we go back to camp?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded before going over to the locket and picking it up. It felt cold and heavy in his palm.

"Before then, I think we need to destroy the locket."

Ron nodded and gave a small smile, "Good idea. Now we've got the Sword of Gryffindor, we can destroy the Horcruxes."

Suddenly an idea sprang into his mind and somehow his instincts were telling him to follow it.

"Ron, I think it should be you to destroy the locket." Harry said, looking up from the locket in his palm.

Ron stared at him in shock, "What? No way. You're the one who can use it, not me."

"It was you who pulled the sword from the water, not me," he pointed out. I almost got myself killed.

"Ha-Harry…I." Ron's face twisted, "That locket it… affects me. Way worse than it does you two."

"Then let's kill it and be done with it."

Harry wasn't sure how but Ron looked small at that moment, despite his lankiness. They had been through a lot together and faced harrowing challenges but he'd never seen his best friend so afraid.

"I'm… scared," Ron muttered quietly, dipping his head.

A rush of determination flashed through him and he crossed the gap between them. He put his hands on Ron's shoulders and his friend's face looked up unsure. Harry saw Ron's ugly scarring up close. The skin looked crinkled as if someone tried to melt his face. He stared for too long and Ron noticed. He turned his head to hide it and tried to move away. Harry shook himself out of his shock and held onto his shoulders.

"Look, you're right to be scared. But you can do this mate! You've got loads more courage than me, Hermione, and your family combined. Even by looking at your sorry arse, I can tell you've done amazing things, Ron. You were right beside me even when anyone else would've backed off."

"Come off it-"

"First year: You willingly sacrificed yourself for us, knowing that that Queen could've killed you. Second year: you followed me into the Forbidden Forest knowing full and well that there were massive spiders in there… your greatest fear. Third year: you stood in front of a convicted mass murderer and told him to kill you instead of killing me. Fifth Year: you helped lead the department of mysteries raid for the DA. Last year you dueled the Death Eaters that invaded Hogwarts. And I can't even list the amount of fucked up shit we've been through since July.

I have faith in you, Ron. I know you can do this. It's as simple as picking up the sword and thrusting."

Ron stared at the ground and nodded reluctantly. Selfishly, Harry knew that if Ron could be swayed to do this, he could be persuaded to stay with them.

"I'll do it," Ron said simply, Harry could hear the resolve in his voice, the steel in his eyes.

Harry led Ron to a boulder that rested on the edge of the lake. He placed the Horcrux on top of the stone making it look like the locket was a pagan relic to be worshiped over.

Which, Harry supposed, the creator of the Horcrux would likely not have any problems with.

"Alright," Harry said with a smile, "You've got to take it out right away. The bit that was in the diary put up one helluva fight."

Ron shifted but nodded. He raised the Sword of Gryffindor at the ready to attack.

"Ha-vass" Harry hissed, the Parseltongue seemed to come naturally to Harry now.

The door of the locket sprang open and a dark eye was swiveling in place, landing first on Harry and then on Ron. The locket let out a shockwave of force causing Harry and Ron to be flung back.

The locket pulsed again and a dark ring scatters out as ghostly images of spiders scatter out and start crawling over Ron's legs. He pushes back with his feet scrambling to get away.

"Ron! You have to kill it!" Harry shouted, though his voice was drowned out by cawing birds that fled into the night sky.

A terrifying voice hisses loudly from the locket. "I have seen your heart and it is MINE!"!

Ron's head jerks up, his face pale and twisted in fear. Thick black smoke poured out of the locket and collected in the space above it. The cloudy forms gave shape and soon Harry could recognize the forms of Molly and Ginny Weasley.

"Ron just kill it!" Harry shouted desperately recognizing what the locket was trying to do. All of a sudden an unnatural force pressed down on his chest making him lose his breath.

"Least loved by the woman who craved a daughter." The locket narrates as Locket Molly hugs Locket Ginny tightly

Harry climbs to his knees, wildly searching for his best friend. His eyes were drawn to the smokey form of Ginny as she turned into a copy of him. Locket Molly cups Locket Harry's cheek and Locket Harry seemed to beam with happiness. "Cast aside by your own mother, for the only friend you'd made on your own." Locket Molly formed into a smokey form of Arthur, who was handing Locket Harry a present. "Discarded by the man who didn't bother to buy you a wand."

Ron slowly lumbers to his feet using the sword as a cane of sorts.

"Destroy it, Ron!" Harry called out hoping his voice could carry over the whirlwind and crow noises.

The smokey forms dissipate and the black fog swirls around Ron, and Harry can hear, "… useless without Potter," and "would he even pass without Granger to hold his hand." "What a waste of space." Harry recognized these voices as being a part of the crowd of Hogwarts.

"No! Don't listen to them!"

The fog dissipated and solidified into the Weasley twins, though they were much younger. "Mummy said you were an ugly baby!" one of them teased. "She wept with disappointment when she found out you weren't a girl."

Ron looked up at the wispy tormentors with tears cascading down his cheeks. It made Harry's heart leap in fear.

The mist solidified again, this time into Hermione, though she was far more beautiful than reality, her eyes seemed larger and more vibrant than they really were, her lips fuller and it seemed like she had gone up in cup size in the chest region.

'Wow. Is this how Ron sees her?' Harry thought to himself.

Locket Hermione glares at Ron like he's the most pathetic bug in the universe.

"Who would ever look at YOU compared to the great Harry Potter?" Hermione spat out, "The only reason I got with you was to make Harry jealous."

A ghostly form of Locket Harry solidifies next to her and throws his arm around Locket Hermione as a jock would to his prized trophy girl. Harry suddenly felt sick.

"Thanks for letting me practice on Ginny, by the way." Locket Harry said with a twisted grin, "It makes Hermione and I's snogging sessions so much better."

Locket Harry leaned in towards Locket Hermione. Locket Harry and Locket Hermione kiss slowly at first before it grows in passion and vigor. Harry looked away from the gross scene and then to Ron, who was staring in fear.

"Ron! It's not real! Snap out of it!"

Ron seemed to hear him this time because he blinked before his face hardened.

"You're not real." he muttered. Ron climbed to his feet and approached the two forms with a steely expression.

"We're real though." Locket Hermione's voice deepens into an evil and grave voice. She gave Ron an unnaturally wide grin, with her eyes shining red and Ron looks away in fear. The image disappears and the mist swirls before transforming into dozens of dead bodies. They were all lying on the ground, in various stages of decay.

Harry stared at them in shock, his heart pounding at the scene before him.

"You could not save them. With all of your high talk and noble rhetoric, thousands of families were destroyed by your inaction." the voice mocked.

Ron froze in place, the sword hanging limply in a now-shaking hand.

"How many were killed?" The voice asks, "Tortured, raped… simply because you chose to stay in the forest with Harry and Hermione. "

"Ron!"

"You are a coward Ronald Weasley."

"Ron! It isn't true! Kill it!" Harry gasped.

That seemed to kick Ron into gear, he surged forward and raised the blade above his head. The smoke shifted once again into a humanoid form.

"Pl-Please" This person coughed up blood, Harry could see this person's front slick with blood. "I ha… have a… family. A daughter…"

Ron froze in place again as a second form walked out of the smoke, this person was tall and covered by a dark hood. He loomed over the wounded man like a spider about to strike.

"Tell-"

"Avada Kedavra." Ron's voice comes out from behind the hood and a green light burst forth from a drawn wand. The robed figure turned to face Ron, "Selwyn was weak and marred by generations of inbreeding. Thank you for removing weak blood from the Dark Lord's army." The robed figure sneered in the locket voice before pulling down the hood to reveal Ron. It was a different version of Ron, with sharp facial features, his nose was a perfect length, and his hair was trimmed short. The most striking thing was his eyes, gone was the deep blue that Harry cherished in his best mate, these were blood red and glowing slightly.

"This could be you, Ronald," The twisted form of Ron said, "You can have anything you've ever wanted. Have the power to save everyone you hold dear, marry the Granger girl, get a respectable home, start a family and live out the rest of your life in peace. ."

The real Ron stared at his other form, the sword still shaking in his hand.

"You can have it all," Locket Ron gave a wide smile, "But you only need to do one thing." Locket Ron put up a single finger and pointed it at Harry. "Kill Potter."

Ron froze and slowly turned to face Harry. Dread pooled in Harry's stomach and he shook his head.

Locket Ron raised his chin, "He doesn't care about you or your family. He only cares about pleasing Dumbledore."

Harry looked at Ron, trusting his best friend to make the right decision before looking at the black smoke that pretended to look like his friend.

"You don't know anything! Ron is a hundred times the man you could ever think he could be."

Locket Ron laughed. It was a high pitched and cruel laugh that sounded very much like Voldemort.

Ron seemed to gain some resolve. He frowned in determination and raised the silver blade once more.

"A pity…" Locket Ron sighed before whipping around to face Harry, "I'll do it myself."

"NO!" Ron cried out and he slashed down cutting through the ghostly form before the sound of metal on metal clacked through the cold winter air.

The ghost form of Ron froze in place, turning to stare at Ron with a growing rage.

"Murderer! You think it was an act of mercy but all you did was kill him in cold blood!" It spat before it was sucked into the locket. Along with all of the other ghostly forms as well.

The whirlwind suddenly ceased and it was silent for a few moments. Then suddenly a dark cloud hissed out of the broken locket.

"Fool!" Voldemort's voice seethed out as the dark cloud bursts outward. The dark magic rushed out slamming into Harry and Ron before disappearing completely.

Harry slowly stood up looking for his oldest friend. He finally saw him kneeling on the ground sobbing into the earth with his head pressed against the snow.

The remains of the locket rest where it was destroyed.

Harry jogged over but stopped when he heard Ron sobbing horribly. Harry's insides froze and he just stared at Ron's sobbing form. Harry never knew how to handle emotions.

"I'm… I'm nothing." Ron's hand moved to his abdomen holding his stomach, he clutched his side and squeezed tightly. "I'm use- useless."

"R-Ron…" He placed a tentative hand on Ron's back feeling way out of his depth, "None of that is true mate. Your parents love you. No one thinks you're worthless."

"I'm nothing." Ron presses his forehead into the snow deeper.

"Wrong." Harry steeled, "We love you, Ron. And all that locket said about Hermione and I, it's not true. It's never been a possibility.

Ron lets out a meek whimper and turns away from Harry. Harry stands awkwardly wishing that Hermione was actually here. She would know what to do or at least be able to handle the emotions of someone else better. Harry wanted to get through to his friend but he didn't know how."Honestly," Harry forced a chuckle, "I don't see what you see in her romantically. She's nice and all, but she's far too bossy."

Ron didn't say anything but kept sobbing quietly.

"Why don't we go back to camp?"

Ron shook his head, "Won't Hermione just get mad?"

Harry was taken aback, "What? Oh? Uh Nah mate. She's mad at me at the moment, but it's nothing I can't deal with. Once she sees you she'll be over the moon!"

Ron looked up at him for the first time and he could see the pure devastation on his face. Harry instinctively knelt down and put his arm around his friend.

"That locket… don't listen to it. It takes our worst fears and twists them around back at us. It's been influencing us all this time and very nearly drove us all apart. It's gone and we're going to get rid of the rest of them."

Ron was silent for a moment, replying in a small voice, "It's right though. I am a weak coward."

There was a pause between them before Harry responded, "Sure maybe, but that doesn't mean you will be one forever."

Ron looked over at Harry in confusion. Harry wasn't sure where he was going with this but he knew he had to speak plainly.

"People can change, right? So change it."

Ron looked away in thought. Harry didn't know if he said the right thing or not, so he kept going, "Erh, to be honest, Ron, you're one of the bravest people I know. I mean the hat put you in Gryffindor for a reason right?" Ron nodded.

"So don't believe what a shitty Horcrux says about you. Only believe what your best mate says about you."

Ron turned to him and nodded, "I guess I should, shouldn't I?"

Harry did a little internal dance, happy he had gotten through to his friend somehow.

"Yep, so let's get to camp. I don't know about you but I could really use a warm fire right about now."

"Right."

Ron nodded to himself and stood up, he took a single step and Harry saw him wobble and start to teeter over. Harry darted over to his side catching him before he could faceplant into the snow.

"Easy there mate." Harry's eyes looked down to Ron's stomach where a growing dark blood spot was slowly staining his clothes.

"What the…"

"Dark Magic….." Ron muttered, "It's a thing."

Harry led Ron up the hill, Ron held the Sword of Gryffindor in his hand using it as a cane. It was alarming how fast Ron went pale and how dark his undershirt got.

"Hermione's going to be so excited to see you." Harry supplied, unable to bear the silence any longer.

"Doubt it, she'll probably ring my head," Ron said as they crested the hill, following Harry's footprints back to the tent.

"She can be pretty scary sometimes." Harry agreed, nodding his head, "but her heart is usually in the right place."

Ron mumbled something about canaries but Harry couldn't hear it properly.

He looked down and saw the blood stain growing at an alarming rate.

"R-Ron, you're really bleeding!" Harry called out and pushed Ron's new trench coat aside to see fresh blood staining the sweater he wore underneath.

"Oh?" he presses his right hand up to his bleeding abdomen and seemed to keep pressure on it.

Harry noticed Ron seemed to sag at the memory of what happened. "Got into a fight. Heh, you should see the other guy."

"What happened?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's a… long and horrible story, Harry," Ron said tiredly, his hand clutching the sword hilt tighter as Harry started leading Ron towards the campsite.

Hermione Granger POV

Hermione's sleep schedule was totally out of whack. If it wasn't the cold creeping through the tent's opening, it was nightmares involving her stumbling over a certain redhead's corpse, how she longed for nightmares of old, where she was getting kicked out of Hogwarts.

She yawned as she pulled a sock on, her feet had blisters from a long trek earlier in the week and they needed consistent tending to.

She would soon relieve Harry's watch so he could get two hours of sleep to function during the day. In all honesty, she didn't really want to see him at all the last couple of days. His reckless choice to go to Godric's Hollow, despite her insisting not to, had caused a rather large divide between them.

She debated leaving herself, especially when she wore the locket, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. She grit her teeth and bore with it. Where would she even go? The burrow was the most logical choice in her mind, or she could go be with her parents for the last few months before Voldemort started his crusade against other nations. Australia was far away so she may end up living for a while longer.

She heard a rustling in the living room and noticed how quickly Harry's footsteps were sounding against the wood board that made up the tent's floor. Based on the sound Harry was headed to the bathroom at speed.

"Maybe he has to pee" she muttered to herself and slipped another sock on.

"Hermione!" Harry sounds desperate, "Where's the first aid kit?"

Hermione's heart leapt to her throat, did he get hurt again?!

Hermione walked swiftly to the living room and saw a disheveled Harry standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a long sword with glittering rubies encrusted on the hilt and a hefty blood spot on his side. She gasped.

"Is that-"

"The first aid kit, Hermione!" Harry interrupted, looking manic.

She was startled from her shock before exclaiming, "It's in the kitchen! I have blisters on my feet, remember?"

Annoyed, Harry tore off into the kitchen and soon darted past her with the first aid kit tucked under his armpit.

"For the love of…" Hermione says exasperatedly, "Harry! What the bloody hell is going on!?" She steps out of the tent after him and freezes.

Before her was Ron who sat slumped up against a large boulder that sat near the entrance. She froze upon seeing his pale freckled face carrying a long ugly pinkish scar down the left side. Her eyes trailed down his weathered trench, which was open revealing his well-toned torso. Harry passed her with the first aid kit in hand, kneeling down beside him. It was then she saw the large red patch on the side of his abdomen, which Harry was quickly pulling his shirt up, revealing soiled bandages, before opening their first aid kit.

"Dittany?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron's voice was raspy and painfully familiar. "You'll have to… put it on the wound itself. I'll take the bandages off, and pop it on right away."

"Right."

She watches with morbid fascination as Ron pulls a wad of bandages off from the side of his stomach. Blood oozed freely from purple and black veins that seemed to spider web out from a central gash across his abdomen.

Harry uncorks the bottle and pours all of the Dittany on the wound. Upon contact, the wound began to hiss and green-tinged smoke began emanating from the wound.

"Hnng," Ron grunted as discomfort wracked his body. "That's good, can you do me a favor and wrap me up nice and tight?"

"Yeah, put your arms above your head and lean forward a bit," Harry replied, as Ron did so, Hermione noticed that his left hand was missing parts of his fingers. The pinky was completely cut off and the left ring finger was cut down to the first knuckle.

Hermione felt sick! What had happened to her… Ron?

Hermione wrapped her arms around her stomach and heavy tears streaked down her cheeks. She wanted to ask him what happened, but her words caught in her throat. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run into his arms but she didn't trust herself to not fall over onto him sobbing.

"You alright mate?" Harry asked as Ron's face was growing pale.

"Yeah… yeah… yeah…" Ron mumbled, "I'm good… I just get… tired when this shit happens."

"It's happened before?" Hermione squeaked in shock.

Ron's eyes shot to Hermione and she froze in place. He looked at her wide-eyed as if he realized she was there. They stood and sat there staring at each other, not believing each other is quite real, before she took a step forward. Gravel crunched under her foot. She took another step, then another, before she found herself at his side hugging him as Harry finished bandaging his wound up.

"My 'Mione…" Ron sighs lethargically, his head slumped into the crook of her neck.

"R-Ron." She sobbed and a mountain of stress, pain, and longing seemed to wash away just at his words. "Oh god, Ron. What happened to you? Where were you!?"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted, noticing Ron was drifting off. "Let's get him to his bunk. Looks like he'll pass out in a moment."

Hermione nodded, seeing how pale Ron looked. Harry checked Ron's stomach and noticed that there was no new blood on the new bandages.

"Right stand up," Harry ordered, putting his hands under Ron's armpits and heaving him up. "You're heavy, mate. I need your help here."

Ron's legs seemed to move and helped push him up, but his head lulled sideways and his eyes were fluttering closed. Hermione rushed in, grabbing Ron on one side and Harry took the other. They managed to bring him inside and lay him down on his bunk, Harry pulls off his boots and Hermione takes his bag and places it under the bed. Harry lays down some blankets that were enchanted with a warming charm, and Hermione starts tucking her boyfriend in, making sure that Ron was as comfortable as possible.

She gnashes on her bottom lip in nervousness as she smooths the blanket laying on Ron's chest, just not wanting to stop touching him. She couldn't believe he was here, back with them, with her. Hot tears formed back in her eyes, thinking about how much she had missed him.

She feels a firm hand press against her cheek. She closed her eyes and held Ron's hand in place. She wanted to hold on to the warmth of his calloused hand against her skin. Ron's hand felt strange and haunting only having three and a half fingers on it. Hermione opens her eyes and stares into his. She did not see the typical sharp blue eyes that she fell in love with, but soft blue ones that had seen too much, they were filled with pain, both emotional and physical pain.

"I'm so… so sorry I left you, Mione," He mumbled, Ron's thumb wiped away several tears down her cheek. "No tears… I don… don't deserve them."

Hermione kneeled down next to his bed. Ron's hand is now limp beside him. She runs her hand over Ron's hair, pushing his orange hair back so she could see his facial scars. The sight of them twisted her heart fiercely.

"Oh, Ron." She wept softly. "What happened to you?" She runs two fingers up and down his cheek to feel the scars.

"I missed you…" Ron gave a wry smile before succumbing to exhaustion and falling asleep.

"I missed you too Ron." Hermione sniffed and stroked Ron's hair away from his face. She didn't know how long she knelt there staring at Ron, so very glad that he had returned. After a while, her knees were hurting and her legs were cramping. She finally got up and as she did so her eyes moved down to Ron's bandaged-up stomach. With a sudden thought, she whipped around her eyes hunting down her target. They finally landed on Harry who was dozing on his own cot. She moved towards him and folded her arms.

"Harry James Potter you had better tell me everything that happened with Ron, right now!"

Harry startled awake and looked up at her blindly. "Wha?"

Hermione sighed but still had a stern look, "Tell me what happened out there? How did you find him?"

Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. He pulled his glasses on to come face to face with a stern witch.

"Right…" He started, "I'll tell you what I can. But some things are not up to me to tell."

"Harry-" she said threateningly. He put his hands up in defense.

"Hermione, this is not up to me. This is serious stuff, and I will not break Ron's trust like that." Harry retorted angrily. He would not be pushed around anymore, he was over her attitude for the last few months.

Hermione just scoffed and went back to tending over Ron. Harry sighed before swinging his legs over the edge of the cot.

"Look," Harry said after taking a deep breath. "I saw the Doe again tonight and I ended up following it. It led me to the sword. I dove into the water to get it and the locket tried to kill me in the water. Ron dove in and he saved me. He grabbed the sword as well. He saved my life… again."

Hermione stared at Harry in shock, "Oh Harry, you didn't! That water must be freezing! Not to mention following a strange creature like that."

"Well it led to the Sword of Gryffindor, didn't it?" Harry said defensively, gesturing to the ancient revered magical artifact in the corner of their tent.

Hermione didn't argue knowing that having the Sword of Gryffindor was indeed a boon. They now have a way to destroy the Horcruxes that they were on a mission to find.

"After I recognized him I asked him what happened to his face. He pretty much dodged the question." Harry continued, "He was being shifty but I don't care, I'm happy to have him back!"

Hermione couldn't deny that either. She was so happy that Ron had returned and she couldn't bare that something awful had caused that scar. Suddenly feeling the need to make sure Ron was really there, she grabbed his hand and ran her fingers over the missing stubs and the scars that accompanied them. Her heart throbbed in her chest as red-hot anxiety fired through her body.

"Harry, what if he tries to leave us again?" She asks, massaging Ron's injured hand nervously.

"Don't worry Hermione," Harry reassured, and he put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, "I have no intention of letting him go again."

A/N:

So that was a long one, as well as a long wait and I apologize for that. It was a combination of a bunch of... just utter bad luck that decided to fall on me at once. My computer was blue screening on me randomly, started running DnD for some friends (Which is a hefty time commitment in and of itself, but sooooo worth it), my job has gotten shuffled around and I was moved to a program that is balls to the wall back to back all day (so I don't have the same amount of down time to get on and noodle with a fic), and my oven/stove was leaking gas and I couldn't use it until it was fixed and it took a MONTH AND A HALF FOR THEM TO GET THE PART! Like I'm a patient man but lord above was that testing me... (though I did make some pretty stellar Chicken Alfredo in my pressure cooker soo... silver side of the cloud? haha mmmm alfredo XD)

Another reason for this one being delayed was that when I had passed it off to my Beta (The glorious Nomminay) she gave a thorough read-through of it and basically told me "Was this really what you're happy to post?" After I took another look at it, I realized she was right and went through it with a fine-toothed comb to make it... better. All this is to say in a long round-about way. Thank you Nom! For keeping me honest on this project of mine and never letting me slip when it comes to this pretty hefty-sized fanfic.

Please, leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter! It was a bit more focused than others I think, let me know if you'd prefer these types of chapters, or more of the other styles, where I bounce between scenes and such.

~AvatarVader