It took a while for Harry to regain consciousness. In that time, Ron removed the locket from Harry's neck and put it on a rock nearby. He took the sword and placed it far away from the locket as it seemed the locket was trying to fight against the sword's power. Once he had taken care of the objects, he turned his attention back to his best friend and found he had opened his eyes and was studying him carefully.

The tension was getting to be too much for Ron so he asked, "You okay?"

"Ron?" Harry said incredulously at seeing his friend had been the one to rescue him from the lake. "How did you find me? Did you put the sword in the lake and send me that patronus?" Harry's mind was racing with the events of the past couple of hours.

"What? No, I just followed the light."

"Light, what light?"

"From my deluminator. I heard voices, you and Hermione, saying my name. Then a light led me here."

Harry cringed at his mention of Hermione. He hoped to be able to avoid that topic for a while longer. He instead focused on what Ron was saying. "So you found me and pulled me out of the lake," he said more to himself than to Ron. "Then who put the sword in the lake?"

"Beats me. When I got here you were in the lake being strangled by the locket."

At this moment, both boys looked towards the offending item. Now that they had the sword, they had to destroy it. Harry took the sword and handed it to Ron who looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"We need to destroy the locket."

"Yeah, so then here," Ron tried handing the sword back.

"No, you have to do it. You're the one who pulled the sword out of the lake." Harry said, "I'll open the locket."

"Do you even know how?"

"I have an idea." Harry studied the locket and then set it down on the rock. "Parseltongue," he whispered and then spoke to the locket to open.

Ron moved closer to the locket ready to strike when it fully opened. Harry moved out of the way and let Ron get closer with the sword. The locket was open now but Ron was hesitating.

'What was he waiting for?' Harry thought, 'Stab it!'

Ron was about to stab the locket but something made him stop. The locket started to project things to him. Things he was afraid of, things he didn't want to be true. Images of Hermione with Harry floated by, words meant to hurt his pride resonated in his ears. It was as if the locket could reach deep within his soul and pull out all of his inner fears. But then, he thought of Pansy. He thought of her kisses and of her soft touch. The more he focused on Pansy, the less it hurt to see Hermione with Harry, and the less the locket affected him. It was then he was able to snap out of it and finally stab the locket with the sword. After the horcrux lay motionless, Ron fell to his knees and looked to Harry.

"What happened Ron?"

"I saw, heard things. You and Hermione…"

"Listen Ron," Harry was about to explain about him and Hermione but Ron continued.

"I saw you two together and at first it hurt," Harry winced, "but then, I thought of someone else and realized that I'd be okay with it. You know, if it were true."

Harry thought about telling Ron the truth. He could just affirm his suspicions and then go from there. Ron seemed to be taking it well anyway. Maybe he truly would be okay with him being with Hermione. Yet, he couldn't make himself tell him the truth at that moment. This was something he and Hermione should do together. "Let's get out of here," he suggested they head back to camp as he was exhausted from the night's events and he was sure Ron was too. He wanted to get back to Hermione before she worried about him.

They walked back to Harry and Hermione's camp in silence, each with their own thoughts. Harry's mind was filled with mixed emotions as he was happy that the horcrux was destroyed and that he had found Ron, and at the same time he was apprehensive about having to reveal his feelings towards Hermione to him. Would he run out on them again? After Ron's confession that he'd be okay with them being together, he wasn't sure what his reaction would be. Why was he suddenly okay with it, if before he left he had feelings for Hermione? Ron had been jealous at Hermione choosing to stay with him instead of leaving.

Ron's thoughts were an equal mess. He thought about what the horcrux had shown him and what it had made him realize. He truly was over Hermione and his feelings for Pansy were strong enough to make him fight off the evil of the locket. He had to let his friends know everything he had been through. But how did he do it in a way that they would accept Pansy?

Before the boys knew it, they had arrived at the camp. Harry let Ron in through the wards set up to keep the tent safe. As they neared the tent, they noticed that Hermione was outside. It didn't take long for her to spot them. She saw Harry first and sighed in relief as she made her way to him. Then she saw Ron and stopped in her tracks.

"Hey Hermione," Ron said sheepishly.

Hermione couldn't believe he was back. She was glad, but she was worried at the same time. And where had he been anyway? Why was he back just like nothing happened, and more importantly, why was Harry not angry at his deserting best friend? She opened her mouth to voice her concerns, but no words came out. The only thing her mind thought appropriate for this situation came in the form of a loud smack to Ron's face.

"Hermione," Harry held her as Ron nursed his cheek. "Let him explain. He just saved my life."

"What?" This caused her to momentarily forget her anger towards Ron. "From what? Tell me what happened."

They went inside the tent and Harry explained what happened after he left the tent for a walk. He told her about the doe, the sword in the lake and how Ron pulled him out. Ron told them how he heard his name in the deluminator and followed the light that led him to the lake. He also told them about what he saw as he destroyed the locket.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and decided they had to talk to Ron about them being together.

"Ron, there is something we have to tell you," Hermione said.

She then told him everything that she and Harry had been through. She told him how they spent the days after he left and their trip to Godric's Hollow. Ron seemed to be taking it better than she thought he would so she felt confident enough to tell him that they were together. When she finished, Ron was still silent. She gathered that he would need some time to process everything she had just said but after a while of his silence she couldn't handle it anymore. Harry was also staying silent through all of this and she felt like the only one doing something about this awkward situation.

"Ron," she urged, "please say something. It's okay if you're upset but well things happened while you were gone."

Ron seemed to come out of his stupor and looked up at her. "You're right, a lot of things happened while I was away." The way he said this worried both Harry and Hermione but Ron continued, "I am okay with it. You two I mean."

Ron was more like relieved to hear his friends confess their love to him. He was relieved that he wouldn't break Hermione's heart when he confessed he too was in love with someone else. He wanted to tell them everything now but somehow felt that he needed them to understand about Pansy first. He decided to tell them everything he'd been through starting when he left them and found the group of Snatchers.

"There's actually a lot I have to tell you guys. About where I've been, and why I am okay that you two somehow got together."

Now it was Ron's turn to talk about what he'd done in the time since he left them all those months ago. So he talked. He told his friends about how angry he was that they weren't making any progress and how the locket made his feelings grow worse as he wore it until he exploded and left. As soon as he had left he had regretted it but that's when he ran into the Snatchers and couldn't leave. He had to explain what Snatchers are, as neither of his friends had encountered them before. From this point, Ron told his story concealing Pansy's identity. He told them he found a girl among the Snatchers and he told them her story. He also went on to tell them about their escape and how they found they shared a mutual attraction that grew as they spent time together.

Harry took his friend's revelations better than Hermione. She seemed to be intrigued with this girl Ron was describing.

"Why haven't you told us her name Ronald?" Is there something else we should know about her?"

Ron hesitated. He didn't want to reveal Pansy yet. It would be better if he introduced them face to face. "She's a Slytherin," he blurted out.

"So we do know her." Hermione glared at Ron. "Just tell us who she is."

"Look, why don't I just bring her here. She's actually waiting for me back at our camp. Must be worried that I'm not back."

"You're leaving us again?" this time it was Harry who spoke.

"I promise I'll be back. I just found you guys again, I'm not about to lose you."

Harry and Hermione walked Ron out to the edge of their camp and watched as he left still weary of whether he would return but hoped that their friendship was strong enough to finally be on the mend.

Ron tried to hurry back to his camp but it took longer than he anticipated. When he saw the tent relief washed through him before feeling dread at what Pansy would think of him being gone so long. He had just entered the tent when he was swept into a hug by Pansy.

"What took you so long? I thought something happened to you. I was about to go out looking for you, but since you promised you'd be back…"

"Pansy slow down," Ron started to say before she cut him off with a desperate kiss. After she was assured he was really here safe and sound, Pansy let him go and put her hands on her hips waiting for his explanation.

"I found them. Harry and Hermione. I was just with them."

"Oh," Pansy said and her anger dissipated. She instantly deflated and now looked worried about what happened while he was gone.

He related the events yet again. "Pansy, we have to go join them. That's what we agreed on right?"

"Yeah, we should go," she made to start packing up but then looked to Ron again. "What are we going to tell them about us?"

"I already told them everything," he said and Pansy flinched.

"Everything?"

"Well, everything except for your name. They know your story, they know our story. But they don't know who you are. Just that you are, were, a Slytherin."

"How did they take it?"

Ron snorted, "As if they can refuse to accept it. Seeing as they both got together while I was gone. It kind of made things easier for us though. I told them I'm okay with them, so they have to be okay with us."

"Let's hope so," Pansy said and they started to pack up their camp.

Ron and Pansy made their way to Harry and Hermione's camp and Ron decided he would go ahead so he could introduce her to them and prevent a blow up. His plan was ruined though as his friends were waiting for him outside and instantly saw who was with him.

"Parkinson, Ronald? Really?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Yes, really." Pansy made to step back but Ron held on to her hand.

"But she's…"

He cut her off. "She's the girl I talked to you about. Everything I said, about the kind girl who helped me with the Snatchers was about Pansy."

Hermione looked at the Slytherin girl and remembered all of the insults and hurtful words that the girl had said to her before. "I don't know if I can be okay with this."

"Why not?" Ron countered. "I'm okay with you and Harry."

"Yeah, well that's different."

"How is it any different? Is it because she's a Slytherin?"

"Ron…"

"No, I'm not going to let you guys look down on her because of her past. I've already told you what she's been through. What we've been through. If you trust me, then you should accept that I trust her. That I'm happy with her."

Hermione took a moment to consider his words. She had already accepted that what he had been through help him move on. She herself had used that time to move on as well. Hermione was okay with the idea of Ron moving on but she had her doubts about Pansy. Understandably so, as the Slytherin girl had been nothing but hateful during their time at school. Yet, after hearing about how much she had helped Ron safely return to them, she could no longer deny that she could be good for him. She decided she would put the past in the past and give Pansy a chance. Even if she still held her reservations towards the girl.

"You're right," she sighed. "It's not any different than it is with me and Harry. She made my life…our lives miserable at Hogwarts so it's going to take some time to get used to her being with you. But, she can stay."

"I understand," Ron's eyes shone in appreciation to his friend for understanding where he stood. "She did target you a lot at Hogwarts. But she's changed, and she'll show you just as she's shown me."

Hermione nodded in agreement and headed back to her tent.

Ron looked over to Harry to see what he would say. "It's like she said, it will take time to get used to." He then turned to Pansy and said, "We'll trust you for now because we trust Ron. You'll have to gain our full trust by working with us and not against us. You can stay." After he's had his say, he turned and followed Hermione into their tent.

Ron remained there thinking about what had just happened. Things would get better now that his friends were working to accept his girlfriend. That thought brought a smile to his face. He knew where he stood with Pansy and he was happy to finally be with a girl he truly liked.

"That went better than I thought. They're willing to give you a chance."

"It's all we can ask for right now," she took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Together they started to set up their own tent.

Well there you have it. It's longer than my usual chapters to make up for the wait. I hope it's not too confusing with all of the different character's POV's and thoughts and words and…yeah. I just wanted to get all of these events out of the way. I know that things seem too easy. Like all of the characters are just accepting things that are happening. But don't worry, nothing's ever that easy and people may initially accept stuff that they're really not okay with. ;)

Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? What can I do to make this story better?