A/N: Alright, well here is the chapter that may or break me. I know some of you wanted Ron to never come back, but well…he has. I think it wouldn't make much sense if he didn't come back, but trust me he will have a background role. But I have my reasons why he had to come back, along with…well, I won't ruin the surprises, but trust me, there will plenty of awkward, fluffy, and (hopefully) hilarious situations between our hero and heroine. So if you walk away now because he's back, I understand. For the rest of you, keep an open mind, and enjoy!
PS: So there is an Elderwand competition, eh? Any suggestions?
Chapter 7: Possessions
He tried to the pull down the zipper normally.
Nothing.
"Alohamora!"
Nothing.
"Open sesame!"
Nothing.
Ron Weasley grunted as he threw his hands into the air. It was hopeless. It had been hell enough trying to find the tent through miles of nearly identical English landscape, but he would rather search another hundred miles than try to break the protective charms Harry and Hermione had put up around the lodging.
"Perhaps it's Amrodons? They are known for locking people out of their houses, so I don't see why tents would be any different," said the sixteen-year old blonde standing next to him, her nose almost touching the tent as she investigated the entrance with a closer look. Ron merely rolled his eyes, ignoring Luna's proposal.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a silver cigarette lighter. Clicking the top of it, a bluish orb of light appeared before him. Luna looked on with interest, although Ron had shown it to her plenty of times over the past few days. It danced a bit around their heads before finally merging into Ron's body, filling him with a warmth which was welcome in the wintery weather.
An image formed within his head, and suddenly he had the notion to look in the forest. He pointed his wand into the wall of trees. "The deluminator is telling me that they're there," Ron said, proud that he alone knew the direction to head towards.
"Ah!" said Luna. "I was just thinking the same thing."
"And where would you get the idea to go into the forest? They could be anywhere!" said Ron, placing the instrument back into his pocket, resting his hands on his hips afterward.
"Just a feeling, I guess. That and the footprints," Luna responded matter-of-factly, skipping towards the forest, tracing Hermione's bootprints. Ron stood in his spot with his mouth slightly agape, not believing that he had overlooked such an obvious lead. He did not move until he heard Luna call him, muttering something about regretting bringing her along as he tread his own path through the hills of snow.
His partner was waiting for him at the forest edge, staring into the darkness ahead of them. "It's a bit creepy, don't you think?" she asked with no emotion in her voice.
"Reminds me of the Forbidden Forest," said Ron, his eyes shifting throughout the darkened scenery in hopes that there would be some sign of his two friends. "Let's just hope that Aragog doesn't have snowy relatives," he added as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"What's an Aragog?" asked Luna, hopeful curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Ron met her look and turned away, shaking his head. Under different circumstances, he would have laughed. It wasn't everyday that Loony Lovegood didn't know about an obscure magical creature. He was sure that he sounded to her a lot like she did whenever she went on about Crumple-Horned Snorcacks.
"Let's just hope you won't have to find out. We should probably light our wands if we're going in there."
"Lumos!" They both cried, the tips of their wands igniting in a burst of white light.
"Ready?" asked Ron, asking himself as much as he was asking the girl beside him. He was a bit apprehensive about entering the ocean of black in front of him, as prior experience had taught him that there was rarely anything good waiting inside mysterious forests. However, the warmth from Dumbledore's device seemed to increase within, giving him the confidence to move on.
Luna simply smiled in return, taking the first brave steps into the unknown. Side by side, the two teenagers traversed the mysteries of the silent woods. Several times one of them would jerk their head suddenly, causing the other to stop and listen for oncoming dangers. On one occasion, Ron spontaneously shot a stupefy behind him, narrowly missing Luna as she crouched to avoid the streak of red. The curse caused a branch nearby to come crashing down from ten feet above them, the hoots of an angry owl the only sign that any threat had been there.
"Sorry," Ron muttered, offering a hand to help Luna back to her feet.
"It's ok, Ronald," said Luna, wiping the dead grass from her knees. "I thought you had seen a Blibbering Humdinger. They like to breed in dark places like this, and daddy says that they aren't too keen to being stupefied."
Ron smiled at his companion as they continued onward, guided only by the lights of their wands and the feeling in his stomach. "She might be mental," thought Ron, "but she sure knows how to lighten up a situation."
They continued for several minutes in silence, both prepared for an unexpected attack. Ron wasn't sure what he was more afraid of: The prospect of having to fight off a horde Death Eaters or having to face Harry and Hermione after cowardly abandoning them. As soon as he had apparated away and he had been relieved the burden of the Horcrux, he regretted his decision. It had been a mistake. He never wanted to leave them, especially when they needed him most, but a combination of hunger, frustration, and what he was sure was a negative influence from the shard of Riddle's soul caused him to lose it. As much as he wanted to use a time-turner and stop himself from leaving in such a huff, there was nothing he could do now. It was his own fault, and now he would have to deal with the consequences. He just hoped that they would forgive him, although he had a chilling feeling that that option had only a miniscule chance of happening immediately.
It would be painful to let go of his pride and admit to Harry that he had been wrong…that he had been weak. But what Ron feared most was having to confront…
"Hermione."
"What?!" Ron said, turning around completely and almost tripping at the mention of her name. Luna had stopped ten feet behind him to examine the trunk of a tree which seemed to have fallen hundreds of years ago. As Ron walked back to her, he noticed that she was rubbing the surface with her right hand, her left hand clutching her illuminated wand.
"Look at this scratch," said Luna, tilting her head slightly.
Ron turned, looking at the spot under her pointing finger. It seemed almost untouched, but he realized that there was a slightly discolored marking splitting the bark down the middle.
"Specialis Revelio!"
The streak flashed brightly for a moment, a lime green arrow spinning where it had once been. Luna and Ron watched it twirl in the air for a bit before it stopped, pointing back towards the direction they had come from.
"Certainly looks like Hermione's work," thought Ron, impressed.
"At least we know we're on the right track!" said Luna, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone.
"We were already on the right track! Do you have no trust in me?" questioned Ron, glaring at her accusingly.
She just turned her head and smiled at him. "Of course I do, with my life!"
They stood there in awkward silence for a minute, Luna watching the arrow spin in circles again while Ron ran a hand through his hair, blushing. As soon as they managed to revert Hermione's tracking charm back to its original state, they started walking through the forest with the help of Ron's gift from Dumbledore.
"So," Ron started, trying to strike a conversation to ease their nerves a bit. He had been travelling with Luna for a few days now, and he found it increasingly difficult to talk with her for more than a couple of one-sentence exchanges. This was the first time that he had had to talk to her alone without the comfort of others being there to pick up if the conversation ever strayed down an awkward alley, as it usually did whenever Luna brought up one of her father's made-up animals. The handful of times Ron had a broad idea he wanted to discuss with her she somehow managed to bring the chat to an abrupt end, usually in the form of a head nod or a simple "I see." Despite this, Ron's desire to make noise in the otherwise quiet area was more than enough to force him to try again.
"This is the first time you've been away from home alone, huh?"
Luna pondered over the question awhile, tapping her wand against her chin. The motion left a bright mark on her skin, about the size of a pimple. "I guess so, besides Hogwarts. Daddy had talked about going on expeditions around the world during summer break, but I never thought the first time I would be so far away would be without him." Luna frowned when she finished.
Ron gave her what he hoped was a comforting grin and put an arm around her, tapping her lightly on the back. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Luna."
"Oh I know he will. When they took him away, I could have sworn there was a swarm of Retchulos around his head. They'll help him get home safe."
He fought the urge to scoff at her for ending another one of their talks with the mention an imaginary animal, choosing instead to nod in agreement for her sake. Apparently it was the right move, for she quickly squeezed his hand in thanks.
They stopped and Ron closed his eyes, clearing his mind so that all that remained was the influence of the magical force which had entered him hours ago. He pivoted a bit to his right, opening his eyes and motioning for Luna to follow him. They jogged along in the new direction, avoiding overgrown tree roots and crawling under low-hanging branches. Outside their bubble of illumination was nothing but darkness, nevertheless, they continued to move forward. After a few hundred yards later, Ron noticed something bright enter swiftly into his peripheral vision.
"Stupefy!" Ron screamed, two bolts of red energy shooting towards the intruder. Apparently, Luna had noticed it too and had reacted accordingly. Their combined spells flew at the creature, passing through it and dissipating with a hiss on the forest floor.
"It's a patronus," said Luna in a dreamy voice, inching past Ron towards the animal. For a moment Ron thought that it was Harry's stag, but he realized that this deer did not have antlers.
"Stay back, Luna!" Ron commanded, his wand ready for it to attack.
"I don't think it wants to hurt us, Ronald," Luna called back to him, not bothering to turn at his words of warning. "Hello there!"
The doe turned her head between the two of them, its hazy eyes blinking as if they had caught it off-guard rather than the other way around.
"Who do you belong to?" asked Luna in a tone often associated with talking to an old friend, petting its outline as if the real thing stood in front of her. The patronus did not answer the question, choosing instead to stare at Ron with great intensity.
He took a deep breath. "How do you know we can trust you? This could be a trap, for all we know!"
At these words the doe started walking toward Ron, his wand hand beginning to tremble. "Don't take another step closer, I…I'll stun you!" The animal seemed unphased by his empty threat, and eventually she was face to face with the young man. It lifted its front left paw as if to scratch him, but its face showed no sign of aggression.
"I think she wants what's in your pocket, Ronald," Luna informed him, as she rejoined him.
"This?" said Ron to the doe, taking the deluminator out of his coat. The doe nodded in approval. Cautiously, Ron clicked the button of the device. He felt a chill as the blue light which had guided them there in the first place left his body, circling the patronus's head twice before shooting off to their left. They followed it with their gaze, seeing that it had stopped yards away, now only a blue dot in a sea of black.
"Uhhh…thanks," Ron said, turning to reface their mysterious helper. However, by the time he had shifted his body the doe had vanished. "Alright, just a bit further apparently."
"Thank you, stranger patronus!" yelled Luna before following him, her voice echoing several times off the ancient trees around them. With every step, the light of the deluminator seemed to grow. Ron noticed that the land beneath their guide was significantly brighter than the rest of the world around them, and Luna was first to point out that there was snow up ahead.
She was right. When they had finally made it to the glow of the deluminator, they realized that they had reached a clearing in the middle of the forest. Several hills of virgin snow filled the field, tiny bits of grass sticking out where the might of winter had not managed to bury them. In the middle of the field sat a tiny pool of ice, one side with the surface broken to reveal running water. Ron reached into his pocket and sucked the ball of light back into its container, hoping that it too hadn't seduced them into a trap. He glanced quickly at Luna, and she nodded in approval of their unspoken plan. Gingerly, he stepped into the sunlight, his wand raised. Luna did the same, instead taking a sharp right turn to investigate the living wall surrounding the area, gazing at each individual tree as if they were paintings in a museum. The land immediately in front of them showed no signs that they had been touched. As Ron walked up the small incline in front of him, he could see that the opposite end told a different story. It seemed as if there had been a struggle by the open end of the pool. Across the section of land were foot and handprints, sections of the snow flattened as if bodies had been lying on top of them. Whoever had been there had not bothered to hide their tracks.
"Luna! Come look at this!" shouted Ron, going on his tip toes to see into the veil of black at the other end of the clearing. He heard the sound of graceful footsteps approaching, coming to a short halt behind him.
"It seems as if people have been here," Luna observed.
"Obviously," muttered Ron, taking a few steps more until he stood right at the edge of the water, now able to see the entire field. The closer he came to the ghostly footsteps, the more he realized that none of the prints were heading back into the forest. Whatever had been here had never left.
"Ronald," Luna whispered. He had not noticed her breeze past him, but she was now a few feet ahead looking behind a couple of bushes. Taking two large steps, he closed the gap between them and looked over her shoulder. He couldn't help but gasp at what he saw.
There, lying next to one another, were the still bodies of Harry and Hermione.
"Are they…dead?" asked Ron in shock. This was the last thing he had expected to find when he returned to them. Luna silently knelt down by the two, Ron hoping that she would tell him that they had just fallen asleep. However, instead of checking for a pulse, Luna did something that made Ron slap his forehead.
She poked each of them in the stomach a couple times with her wand.
Ron just stood watching with his mouth agape. His two best friends were in front of him dead as a doorknob and all Luna could do was poke them like they were injured animals? He felt the anger building inside him, but before he could yell at her the light emitting from her wand turned a dark shade of green.
"Well," Luna said calmly. Ron had the feeling that she was almost bored at the whole situation. His heart, however, was threatening to burst out of his ribcage at any moment. "They seem to be alive…"
"What do you mean seem to be?! Are you mental? They could have been here for hours! Oh," he uttered, dropping to his knees, "what a way for my two best mates to go. As human icicles."
"Ronald, don't be ridiculous. They'll be alright, we just need to get them warm, is all," Luna offered, putting her hand out to assist him in getting up like he had done for her hours ago. He grabbed her hand and lifted himself to his feet. She smiled. "Don't you trust me?"
"Yeah, yeah," he responded, forcing himself to check his friends' pulses to put his mind at ease. They were slow, but they were definitely there. He took off his coat and threw it over Hermione, knowing that Harry would have done the same thing if he was in his position. At first he attempted to make loud noises, hoping that they were merely dozing. As expected, though, they showed no signal that they realized that he had come to rescue them. They continued their immobility, and after a good ten minutes, Ron decided that it was best to move them to someplace warm and work from there.
"Luna, can you help me here?" he pleaded as he dragged Harry off the ground and on to his shoulder. "Ooph, when'd you get so heavy mate…Luna?"
"What do you suppose those are?" Luna asked, pointing to a spot just out of Ron's view. He slowly trudged to her position, Harry's boots dragging along behind him.
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered, "they found it…Gryffindor's sword…"
Luna shot Ron a confused look then returned her gaze to the gleaming metal embedded in the icy ground. Ron stared at the ruby-encrusted hilt and the long blade which reflected the rays of the sun. The next thing he saw made him furrow his brow in anger. Sitting inches away from the tip of the sword was Slytherin's locket, the artifact which had driven him to cowardice. However, something was different about it, a change in detail that caught Ron off guard:
The locket was open.
"Stop!" Ron called, grabbing Luna's hand as she reached to grab the two artifacts. "That locket is dange…"
His speech was interrupted as two dark red bolts shot from the locket towards their direction. Not knowing exactly why he was doing what he was doing, Ron dropped Harry in the snow as he dove towards Luna, tackling her onto the ground as he protected her body with his own. He could feel her taking hard, quick breaths against his chest as the streaks of scarlet narrowly missed them, hitting Harry and Hermione's motionless forms directly in the heart.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron demanded as he got off of Luna, brushing snow off him. Not wanting to know what the locket had done to their two classmates, Ron and Luna slowly backed away from the hill they rested on, abandoning the sword and Horcrux in their attempt to protect themselves. There was a moment of silent in the field, no element manmade or natural indicating the reasons why their two hearts were beating so fast.
Suddenly, the silence was broken as Harry and Hermione's previously limp bodies wretched out a painful scream, their backs arching and eyes falling into the back of their heads from the intensity of their sudden introduction back into consciousness. When the horrible sound stopped, now only heard through echoes which repeated throughout the entire forest, their bodies fell back to the cold, hard surface of the Earth. However, their chests were pumping as if they were breathing enough air to last them a life time.
Ron and Luna stood frozen in horror, watching Harry and Hermione come back to the life in a series of horrible contortions. Harry seemed to be mouthing to them "Help me!", but no words were escaping his throat. Their eyes grew smaller in the sockets, their clothes more baggy. It was as if they were disintegrating from the inside out. Ron looked to Luna for help, but she didn't meet his pleading glance. She was staring at the two, her mouth covered by a shaking hand.
Then, as swiftly and unexpectedly as it had started, it stopped. Almost as if someone had cast a silencing charm on the area, Harry and Hermione dropped to the ground on their hands and knees, gasping for air. Saying a silent prayer of protection, Ron stepped toward his black-haired friend, who was the closer of the two.
"Harry…you alright?" he asked, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder.
At first Harry did not acknowledge that Ron was there. There was a minute where Ron gripped his shoulder as if trying to assist, and it seemed to work. Harry was beginning to regain control of his breathing, managing to turn his hyperventilation into a series of long, deep breaths.
Ron waited until Harry's breaths had a considerable space between one another. They were still kneeling in the snow.
"That you mate?" he asked, a smile appearing across his face.
Harry slowly tilted his head up so that he could look Ron eye to eye. The color drained from Ron's face as he realized that Harry's eyes were not the normal emerald shade he had become accustomed to, but rather they blazed a blood red.
"Hello there, mate," responded the possessed Harry, his voice sounding a mix of his own and that of a snake. Before Ron could react, Harry had jumped at his throat, clutching it tightly. Unable to breathe, Ron tried to wriggle out of his friend's grasp, his wand dropping to the snow in the process. The only noise he could make a horrible gurgling sound. Harry got up onto his two feet, bringing the red-head's body with him, his feet inches above the ground as Harry brought his arm into the air with superhuman strength.
"Stupe...mmmf!"
Luna tried to stun Ron's attacker, but her incantation was cut short by a moist, freezing-cold hand. A second later, she felt the sharp point of a wand jab into her throat, causing her to gasp. "Oh, Ron brought a friend Harry! Now we can't let Looney Lovegood go around casting spells! She might upset the Snorcacks!" laughed Hermione in a serpent-like tone of her own, her eyes tiny crimson fireballs.
Ron's face was turning blue, a sharp contrast to the hair on his head. What had happened to them? This was a fate worse than death, being unconscious pawns in the vile plans of Lord Voldemort. Although they looked identical, these were not his best friends. As his brain started to shut down from lack of oxygen, images of Harry and Hermione floated into his head, their laughter filling his ears. He had abandoned them once, and he wasn't going to die without proving to them that he was truly sorry.
With a renewed determination, hanging on the edge of death, Ron desperately reached into his pocket. Taking the deluminator out, he glared into the face of the man choking him. "Get out of my friend, you bastard!"
Clicking the button, an immense orb of blue magic flew into Harry's chest, causing him to stumble backwards and drop his friend. Not even stopping to take a breath, Ron landed on the ground with a roll, picking up his wand in the process. As he completed the maneuver which sent bits of snow flying in every direction, he pointed his wand at the girl who was slowly suffocating Luna.
"Impedementa!"
The spell hit the unsuspecting Hermione in the side, causing her to stumble a bit with a hiss. Luna took the opportunity to dive towards Ron, one hand holding her wand as the other checked to make sure he was ok.
They both stood up and pointed their wands at Harry and Hermione, who had recovered and were now standing side by side.
"Who are you and what have you done with my friends?" yelled Ron, holding a protective arm in front of Luna.
"We should ask who you are, Ron Weasley," said Harry, pure bitterness in his voice. "You think you would just waltz back here and we'd welcome you back with open arms?"
"WHO ARE YOU?" Ron demanded, ignoring the previous question. The two possessed teenagers were slowly walking toward them, Hermione's arm wrapped around Harry's. Defensively, Ron and Luna matched their steps but in the opposite direction, attempting to maintain the space between them.
"Ron, I cried for you," cooed Hermione, tears coming from the eyes which did not belong to her. "You broke my heart, Ron Weasley."
The arm which held his wand dropped. "Hermione, I didn't…"
"I loved you and you left me! You left me and Harry alone to DIE!" Hermione said, the spite in her voice tearing Ron's heart in two.
"We needed you, mate" scolded Harry. "You ran home to mummy and daddy so that you could get three square meals, while she and I suffered through near starvation and endless despair. While you sat at home having a ball with your loved ones, Hermione and I risked our lives to try and save the world. You're a coward Ron Weasley. You don't deserve friends." Harry licked his lips wickedly, glancing to his side. "…or her."
Hermione let out an evil chuckle which reminded Ron of Bellatrix Lestrange. She kissed Harry on the cheek. "Mmm yes, who would want to be with a cowardly and weak blood traitor like you, Ron? No one loves you. You will ALWAYS be second best. To your siblings, to your peers…to Harry."
"What's wrong Ron? Don't like hearing the truth? You and your filthy family disgust…"
"Stupefy!"
"Protego!"
Luna's curse ricocheted off of Hermione's summoned bubble of air. "Ronald, don't listen to them, they're not themselves!" she beckoned to Ron as he stood frozen in place, his eyes filling with tears. Reluctantly, he moved his feet as Luna dragged him backwards, away from the hands of his two best friends.
"You see, Ron," shouted Hermione, the serpentine voice louder than ever, "unlike you, I always have Harry's back! You're just an expendable sidekick. We don't need or want you! We spent so many nights laughing at you when you were gone, glad that you were never going to come back. So stupid, so useless…"
Ron was breaking down, all mental capabilities lost as his two friends shot at his greatest insecurities. He tripped over a rock, causing Luna to tumble down with him. They inched backwards now on their backs, Ron's wand shaking pointlessly in the air. He long lost the ability to defend himself.
"Listen Ronald," whispered Luna into his ear. "You may have left them, but you did come back. They are your friends and you know in your heart that if they were themselves they would take you back. You are as important in this grand plan of Harry's as anyone else. Snap out of this before it's too late!"
Ron blinked, his eyes not leaving Luna. She was right. Voldemort knew how to play with people's minds, and if he was to fall to this trick then he truly didn't deserve to be there. For all of them, he had to be strong. He had to solve this problem.
Harry and Hermione stopped a few feet from their location, wands pointed and arms still entwined in one another. They were smirking, taking occasional moments to stare into each other's eyes.
"Now, traitor," said Harry in his demonic voice, "You will pay for your sins!"
Hermione raised her wand and snuggled closer to Harry. He kissed her on the forehead before turning his head to stare at Ron some more. Ron broke the visual connection and instead turned to Luna, her nod confirming that she knew what to do.
"Goodbye, love," choked out Hermione, malice in every syllable. "Avada Ked…"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Protego!"
The roar of flying spells filled the air. Ron's spell destroyed Harry's shield charm, allowing Luna's to soar past and disarm Hermione before she had the chance to finish her Unforgivable Curse.
"Accio wand!"
Spinning several feet above them, Hermione's wand suddenly stopped and flew directly into the outstretched arm of Luna Lovegood. Hermione roared in anger, lunging at the two in an attempt to reclaim her weapon. Ron grabbed Luna's hand and together they ran back to their original location near the open end of the pool, dodging Harry's bolts of green and red as they attempted to escape. They barely made it over a set of snow-covered bushes when one of Harry's spells hit their fragile barricade, causing it to set on fire.
"Come on Ron, I thought you wanted to prove you weren't a baby," they heard Harry shout at them, although they had no idea specifically where he was. "So why don't you fight me face-to-face? Best mate to best mate…"
Ron shot up. "You are not my best mate, VOLDEMORT!" It was the first time in his life that he had said the name of the Dark Lord, much less without a shiver, but he was inspired. This was his chance to prove once and for all that he was not inferior to Harry, that he could be the hero without his or Hermione's help.
"Crush the worm, Harry," gushed Hermione, reattaching herself to her best friend's arm. "I was wrong to want to be with you Ron. It's always been Harry."
"Rejected by your own family. They would gladly take me over you. I'm the son they always wanted, you are nothing!" added Harry, his eyes glinting like rubies in his pale face.
"Who would want you? You are nothing compared to the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, the Famous Harry Potter. He has the life you want, and now he has the girl you want. Your deepest fears are coming true, Ronald. Congratulations…"
Hermione's voice trailed off as she slithered her hands behind Harry's neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Abandoning his offensive stance, Harry wrapped his hands on her hips and deepened the kiss.
Ron had expected this moment ever since his attraction to Hermione had manifested into a crush. He had a feeling in his heart that there was always something going on behind his back between Harry and her, but neither had mentioned it being anything more than friendship. However, compared to his throat being crushed by an empowered Harry or dodging wave after wave of killing curses from their wands, the sight of them didn't really do anything. He watched slightly bemused as Tom Riddle did his best to enact what he thought to be Ron's deepest fear. It almost seemed as if they were trying to see who could eat the other's mouth first.
He could hear quiet moans escaping Hermione's mouth as their kiss intensified. Their hands were exploring each other's backs, clutching bits of their clothing in their wanting grasps.
"He's really putting his parseltongue to good use," observed Luna, who was now standing beside him holding her wand in one hand and Hermione's in the other. They tilted their heads at the same time, trying to comprehend the situation at hand. It was as if the two had forgotten that they were trying to kill Ron and Luna and instead were focusing on attacking one another's lips, with a will which seemed to overpower Voldemort's influence.
"Doesn't it bother you that your girlfriend is snogging your best friend?" asked Luna. Apparently, they shared Ron's famous lack of tact.
"To be honest," he paused as Harry and Hermione parted to take a deep breath, restarting the kiss when their eyes locked, "I'm more disgusted with the way their doing it then the fact that they are. How do they produce that much saliva? Merlin, was that how I was with Lavender?"
"I think they look adorable," said Luna, smiling as she continued to watch them attempt to suffocate each other with their tongues.
"They might be if they weren't possessed by an evil sorcerer," said Ron, realizing that their eyes were still an unnatural shade of red, albeit less bright than they had been before. They gawked at the scene in front of them for a moment more, watching on like children in a petting zoo. "I suppose we should stop this, huh?"
"Yes…" Luna trailed off. Hermione had just managed to toss Harry's glasses aside, his hands buried into her bushy hair. "But how do we do that? They seem pretty preoccupied."
Ron rubbed his chin a bit, and then slapped his forehead. Sometimes he himself couldn't believe how dense he was. "Duh! I should have thought of it earlier. Accio sword!"
The silver broadsword flew into his outstretched hand, the tip reflecting sunlight into his eye. Luna eyed him curiously. Ron checked to see if Harry and Hermione had noticed anything, but they were still encompassed in their snogging session that Ron thought that anything short of Armageddon would get their attention. Telling Luna to stay back, Ron marched through a stretch of splotched snow, pieces of it melted from coming into contact with various curses and jinxes. He stopped above his target, shining in the snow like a lighthouse in a sea of white. Ron raised the sword in the air, tip-down with two hands on the hilt.
"Burn in hell, Riddle."
With a swift plunge and a yell resembling a battle cry, Ron drove the blade into the locket. The sound of metal tearing into metal filled the field, a terrible sound only outdone by the two screams which followed it. He turned to face his two friends. They had finally disconnected from one another, but were now lying in heaps next to one another on the snowy grass.
"Luna!" he called, but there was no need. By the time he was checking Harry's pulse, she was already at Hermione's side doing the same for her. He listened close to Harry's chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat. Instead, he heard him cough violently, as if he had just spit out water after a long swim. Ron watched as Harry's eyes fluttered open, happy that they had returned to their normal color.
"Ron…RON?" said Harry weakly, his eyes only half-open. "What are…"
Ron laughed and hugged his best friend as if he had not seen him in ages. "It's good to have you back man."
"Hermione…where is Her…"
"Don't worry, mate. Luna's taking care of her."
"Lu…na?"
"I'll explain later, but first we have to get you guys some warmth and food."
Not having the strength to argue any further, Harry just nodded and slumped onto Ron's shoulder. After somehow managing to get up with Harry's added weight, Ron helped Luna do the same with Hermione and together, following Hermione's tracking charms, they slowly made their way back to the tent.