"Good redemption," Sirius commented, glancing between Ron and Hermione
carefully. "How'd it fight back?"
Ron looked down shamefully. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Wait, how'd you get the sword? You said it was in a frozen pond?" Hermione
asked. When Harry flushed and avoided her gaze, her mouth fell open. "Oh no, Harry, you
didn't."
"I did. Stupid, I know. Especially since the locket was still around my neck. It tried
to drown me."
Sirius rounded on Harry. "What?!"
"Ron saved me. Dove in after me, pulled me out, and went back down for the
sword. So... can we all just move on now?" Harry asked, exhaustion dimming his eyes.
Sirius gave a curt nod, but Hermione was still eyeing Ron distrustfully.
"Please, Hermione."
"Fine," she agreed, glaring at the redhead, contemplating the exact movements of
Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex just in case he said or did something else to rile her. "But I want
to know how you found us to begin with."
Ron pulled out the Deluminator. "With this."
March 27th, 1998The group had spent months continually moving from campsite to campsite,
stopping for only a day or two before moving again. Sirius helped considerably with the
locations, as he had spent a year on the run with Buckbeak before Voldemort's return.
It took several weeks of constant apologising, but Ron mended his friendships with
Harry and Hermione—though the latter kept him at arm's length, spending most of her
time researching with Harry or training with Sirius, expanding her skill at wandless magic.
Ron had also provided them with more than just the Sword of Gryffindor.
Apparently, during his escape from the campsite many months before, he had been picked
up by a group of Snatchers and was able to disarm one of them, thus furnishing Harry with