A/N: Hello everyone I truly hope you're enjoying these more frequent updates. So far I have been lucky in getting more inspiration and less writer's block. I truly look forward to any constructive feedback or just general comments on the story. It is getting closer to where this story starts deviating from the original Deathly Hallows plot, I do hope you remember that though it is compliant it will eventually veer off into it's own thing. That being said, I am optimistic that my unintended haitus has helped in rebooting my ideas now. This story has been in my mind for years and I need to see it finished. Harmony has and always will be very important to me and I love that I have come back to them and to the fandom. Enjoy!

Look at me and look at you

Look at what you made me do

Look at me and look at you

Not all those who wander are lost

Not all those who wander are lost

Not all those who wander

All those who wander

All those who wander are lost

It's just wanderlust

–"Wanderlust" Lana Del Rey

Harry led the way as they trudged closer to the campsite. He could tell Ron was more hesitant, as he trailed behind him, his feet dragging in the snow. He was dreading what was to come and for good reason. Forgiving Ron had been all too easy for Harry after seeing him face the horrors of the locket. It was witnessing his biggest fears embodied even more so than saving his life that made it easy to give him a pass.

Maybe what Ron had said was right. Maybe the locket affected him more than the other two. After all, it happened to Ginny years ago as well. Ron had his demons, they all did. Yet Harry and Hermione always confided in each other, Ron on the other hand was never one to talk about his feelings. Harry knew there would always be insecurities that he would struggle with , being the last and youngest brother when his mother was hoping for a daughter…being in the constant shadow of The Chosen One, having to hear assumptions that his best friend and the girl he liked were secretly dating because no one could believe that a bond that deep could be just platonic…it wasn't hard to place himself in Ron's shoes. Who was he supposed to talk to about that? The locket fed on it like a parasite and in return poisoned his mind.

After a few more strides, the tent came back into view. Hermione was probably curled up, warm in her bed…Oblivious to the surprise waiting outside.

"Would you believe me if I said I'd rather hug Aragog right now than to have to face her?"

"Oh I believe you mate." Harry laughed. "I do not want to be you right now."

"Thanks." Ron said sarcastically.

"Listen, I'll go in first and wake her up…"Harry explained breathlessly. He was nervous as well, he wasn't sure how Hermione was going to react. "Just stay out here?"

"Right." Ron said limply. His face was devoid of any color yet again.

With one last encouraging look at Ron, Harry slipped past the flap and back into the familiar warmth of their makeshift home.

He heard the tell-tale signs that she was still sleeping, the jar fires had nearly extinguished, they now lay in dull embers at the bottom of the glass, the light sound of snores coming from Hermione could be heard coming from her sectioned off "room". Surely enough her found her curled up on her side, her back to him. Her curls sprawled behind her on the pillow.

"Hermione?" he said gently.

She didn't stir.

Harry walked up to her and shook her softly, as to not frighten her but still grab her attention.

"Hermione…wake up."

"Wha-what?" she said groggily. She turned around and looked at him in confusion, almost as if still asleep, it took a few minutes before she truly woke up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in her usually worried tone.

"Follow me, I've got something to show you." Harry soothed.

To build up more suspense and to force her to follow him outside, he trailed away before she could ask him any more questions. She barely had enough to time slip into her shoes as she trailed behind him and out back into the cold. Harry stepped to the side to a nearby tree, wanting a good vantage point to see her reaction once she joined them.

Hermione finally emerged outside, holding "Hogwarts a History" in her hand for whatever reason. Harry assumed it was because of the confusion and rush in which she had followed him that she grabbed the book that had been laying on top of her before it hit the ground. Her books were sacred to her in that way, she babied them as if they were actually living things.

"What—"

What's going on? was going to be the original question, however, it all died in her throat when she saw the figure of a red-headed man smiling nervously at her, arms open wide, wordlessly calling her in for an embrace.

Harry had been watching all unfold from a safe distance. He had been smiling in uneasiness as he saw her face contort in different ranges of emotions. For a fleeting second, he swore he had seen the tiniest hint of a smile the moment she realized who she was looking at was real. It then quickly morphed into dejection, the weight of the words he had inflicted on her the last time she had seen him present on her face, almost as if she was reliving that fateful night over again. Now finally, Her eyebrows now furrowed in resentment, her lips falling into a scowl.

Harry's eyes darted between Ron and Hermione. Ron had now lowered his arms in disappointment. It was clear that both men had been expecting a vastly different reaction.

"What are YOU doing here?" she asked darkly.

"I came back?" Ron said lamely.

In reaction to that simple answer, Hermione did something neither Harry nor Ron had expected. Devoid of any other object, she hurled her favorite book hard at Ron, one of the hard corners hitting him to the right of his forehead.

"OW!" Ron yelled. "Hermione, what the hell!"

"Harry give me back my wand!" she said now directing her fury at Harry.

Harry was well aware of Hermione's prowess as a witch. At the same time, since she was always on his side and his friend, he never had to worry about being on her bad side. Her hair had frizzled up almost as if electrically charged. He had never seen her look so menacing.

"Hermione, we can talk about this rationally," Harry pleaded, attempting to deescalate the situation and also hiding her wand from reach. "You need to hear him out."

"Hear him out?!" she repeated. " Are you kidding me right now?"

This was the version of Hermione he hated to see, and it pained him that Ron who was a best friend to both had the habit of being the cause of it. The usual rational and logical Hermione gave way to a spiteful and more impulsive one. Being the brightest witch of her age also meant her mouth was equally as clever and cruel. At the end of the day as much as Ron liked to push her buttons, she had the upper hand in hitting below the belt. It was why they had failed as a couple. Ron was insensitive, as many boys were at his age, he had no idea how his tone and usual indifference got a rise of Hermione. Despite the fact that Harry was sure that deep down, she really was glad to have him back, He knew she was going to make him suffer before she forgave him.

"Can we talk…alone?" Ron said gravely.

Hermione shook her head vehemently

"Whatever you need to say you can say it in front of the both of us." she said indifferently.

"Actually, Ron's right, Hermione." Harry stepped in. "It's better you two have a talk."

"Look just save your breath, Ron." Hermione said dismissively. "This doesn't change anything."

"Hermione I know!" Ron exclaimed. Taking both Harry and Hermione by surprise. "I'm not here to make excuses…I don't expect your forgiveness after what I did to both of you. At least not any time soon."

Hermione remained rooted to her spot a significant distance away from Ron, her arms crossed indignantly and her foot tapped on the ground as she gave him silent okay to continue. Harry took it as his cue to leave, giving them enough space to be alone but still relatively close to intervene…in the case Hermione beat him into oblivion.

"No apology in the world can truly convey to you just how sorry I am. I instantly regretted it the moment I apparated away." Ron continued remorsefully "I know that you're angry and you have every right to be. I'm not here to argue. I'm here to sincerely apologize for everything I said and did…You mean so much to me and I hate having you hate me."

"I mean so much to you?" Hermione repeated incredulously. "You have a funny way of showing it! and don't you dare try to blame the locket for the horrible things that you said to us before you left. I always knew you were selfish Ronald…but I never knew you could be so cruel!"

Hermione felt hot tears of anger run down her face. Her face was red with anger, her wandless hands balled in trembling fists.

"You left us when we needed you the most!" She cried. "All because you are a selfish, insecure little boy!"

"I know that Hermione!" Ron roared. "I know the past few weeks haven't been easy for you. They haven't been for me either. I know I'm a prat, an idiot and whatever other insults you want to hurl at me!"

"I'm not trying to get sympathy here. I don't know what you've been dealing with….but I CAN tell you my life has been a nightmare since I left. And I intend to make up for it all."

Hermione and Ron stood on opposite sides, on one hand, one was crying of anger, the other was softly crying with remorse.

"I wanted to come back as soon as I left. I searched and searched for you" Ron said weakly. "Are you really going to write me off for one mistake?"

"You have no idea all the crap I went through after you left. I felt guilty that I had possibly wrecked our friendship. You made me feel like I had actively gone out of my way to drive you out. I was worried that you had been killed out there on your own. And what's worse is that you made me feel like I did something on purpose to mess with you…Everything changed when you left Ron. And I mean everything. Things can't go back to what they were."

Hermione looked at Harry when she said this, the pair sharing the same guilt driven grimace.

"I know things have changed Hermione," said Ron after many minutes of silence. "I'm not expecting to just pick up from that day. I know I screwed up majorly. I just need to know that we'll eventually be friends again….I love you, Hermione. Despite whatever I made you believe with my actions and words... You are my family,You and Harry. You're both my best friends…that's all I want back."

It was then that the broken locket dangled from Ron's right fist. It's disheveled appearance caught Hermione's attention.

"What have you done to it?" she asked curiously.

If there was any other sign that it was now time for Harry to enter this conversation; it was that one. Hermione had finally gotten out all her anger and resentment across, as had Ron gotten his remorse across. The same Horcrux that had caused their original rift had caused at least Harry and Ron's reconciliation to take place. Maybe it would have the same effect on Hermione once she learned just how brave Ron had proven himself to be. She needed to hear his redemption story.

"Ron saved my life Hermione." Harry said walking up to the rucksack that lay forgotten behind Ron.

Hermione's bloodshot eyes finally drifted from Ron's blue ones to Harry's green. Her expression changed from anguish to worry in a split second.

"What do you mean?" she inquired anxiously.

"With this…"

Harry pulled the sword from the bag by its hilt, it shone brilliantly in the brightening dawn, the blade clean and flawless.

"Where did you get that?!" she queried, coming up to inspect it as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "How on earth did you find this?"

Harry recounted in detail how he had been transfixed by the Patronus of a doe. She scolded him when he came to the part of following a transparent entity that obviously had to have been summoned by someone else. She interrupted,needlessly reminding him how they both had barely escaped their death at Godric's Hollow days ago and how careless it had been to follow it after that experience.

"Right but where would we have been if I hadn't done it?" Harry challenged her.

"Well…I guess I cant argue that one." she shrugged.

"The point is," Harry carried on. " I never would've been able to reach it if it hadn't been for Ron."

Harry and Hermione both looked at Ron. He looked back at them sheepishly scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

" I just was at the right place at the right time." Ron grimaced.

Ron dug into this pockets and found the object that would best help explain just how he had managed to apparate into their vicinity despite the odds. The Deluminator.

"I think Dumbledore knew I would need this for more than just messing with the lights." Ron mused. "He knew I would walk away…"

" I was hiding in a small muggle neighborhood…a poor one at that, not safe even by wizard standards." he recounted. " I was in an alley, flickering with the lights when I could hear something coming from it…I thought I was going mad for a second. It was faint, almost like when that wireless would lose it's signal."

" What was it?" Harry pressed.

"A voice…yours and Hermione's." he answered, looking directly at Hermione for the first time. "You both said my name. When I tried to get a better listen, I pressed the button again and a light that I hadn't removed from any of the posts came out of it. It was a small blue light, when I put the deluminator to it, it brought me to the clearing where I saw Harry following the doe."

"I saw Harry go into the frozen water and he took forever to come back up and well…instinct took over."

"Harry what happened?" Hermione asked, her tone softening as she spoke to Harry.

"The locket." Harry said plainly. " I reckon it could tell I was close to finally having something to destroy it. It was choking me, if Ron hadn't come…I would've died right then and there mere feet away from the sword."

Hermione looked between both of them, her expression vastly different from the one she wore a few minutes before. Harry could tell she was fighting her own desire to rush at him and hug him after learning she was fast asleep as he was lying in a frozen body of water, struggling to breathe. He realised the reason she had stopped herself was because of Ron. Despite the fact she was still furious with him, he knew she didn't want to make an already difficult situation worse. They would undoubtedly have to tone down their usual displays of affection, at least for the time being.

"How did you it then?" she asked, addressing Ron. "did it fight you too?"

"Uh…" Ron struggled, looking at Harry for help in what to say. "Something like that…"

Hermione was fast to catch the quick nervous glances exchanged between Harry and Ron. Thankfully, she didn't persist. The time would come soon enough when he would talk about it on his terms.

"Well," she continued with pursed lips. "The important thing is that it's finally destroyed and now we are ready for the next one we find."

"Well whoever did send that doe did us a solid." Ron quipped. "Whoever did it has to be on our side."

"Any ideas of what the next one could be Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No…something of significant value to him…maybe related to another Hogwarts founder?" Harry wondered.

"Before we get into any of that, I just remembered. I…brought some food!" Ron remembered cheerily.

Ron dug deep into his ruck sack and pulled out a bag of bread and a box of melted margarine.

"Muggle neighborhoods are still risky, but easier to nick from." he said enthusiastically handing the bag to Hermione who reluctantly took it. "Hang on…I just noticed, why do you have Hermione's wand Harry."

It was Hermione's turn to sport a guilty look.

"It was my fault." she answered. " I tried to attack the snake and the spell rebounded and broke Harry's wand."

"The snake?!" Ron repeated in shock."Wait a minute you two had a run-in with you-know-who?"

"There's a lot we still have to catch up on." Harry responded.

"I have one spare if you need it," Ron uttered, pulling a black hawthorn wand from his bag. "I stole it from a Snatcher. They put a bit of a fight in numbers but they're other wise very stupid. The world is pretty messed up right now, you see it more when you're forced to move every three days."

"How'd you two work out the Taboo?" He asked as he broke off a piece of bread.

"Taboo?" Harry repeated in confusion. "What are you talking about."

"Like I said, there's a lot of useful information I picked up on the run." said Ron chewing loudly. " I can tell you all about it!"

Hermione made a sound of disgust before she picked up her discarded book and tucked under her arm. The noises Ron eating with his mouth full was not something she missed.

"I don't suppose you have anything more appetizing in this bag of yours?" she asked disdainfully. "Harry and I haven't been as fortunate to just steal from a muggle convenience store."

"Yeah I have a few more things in there" he said pointing to the bag in Hermione's grasp. "Fleur packed me a few sandwiches as well. I stayed with Bill and her for a bit…nice little place."

"Oh must've been nice." Hermione remarked sarcastically." He goes on a little vacation while we camp out here struggling for our lives."

"Hermione…" Harry said reproachfully.

"Fine!" she said raising her arms up in sarcastic defeat. "I'll be inside."

They noticed she took the bag back with her,despite her earlier apprehension.

Harry stayed back with Ron as he grabbed a piece of bread he had broken off for him.

"Well…" Ron mused. " I guess that was the worst of it. At least it was a book this time and not a flock of angry canaries. She's got a good arm though".

Ron winced as he touched the bruise Hermione's book had left.

"Well I did say she wasn't going to make it easy." Harry reminded him.

The pair took turn catching each other up on their separate perilous journeys. Harry made it his mission to avoid just one sensitive topic that would eventually be touched upon once Ron had settled himself back into their presence. Ron had explained to Harry just how much worse things had gotten both on the run and in the actual wizarding world. More and more disappearances and murders were taking place. The stories of Muggle-borns being tortured into false confessions had made Harry's blood boil. It wasn't just Voldemort that they were facing. He was menacing enough that much was true. Everything else that was happening was just the result of years of supremacy rearing its ugly head. There was much more at stake here than just one evil entity, it was an entire groups mentality that had gone unchallenged for years.

Things had to change.

Harry watched Ron explain his entire journey animatedly, for once he felt truly happy. Happier than he had been in a while. His best friend was feelings of resentment he had felt even a few hours before, were now long gone. Ron had been his first friend on the Hogwarts express, the one who's family finally gave him the nurturing love he had long since been deprived of. They had gone through many things in their years of friendship and it was now more than ever that he felt their friendship was indestructible. Fame, adolescence, girls, and war, whatever life through their way they would make it through together.