Light in the Darkness

Chapter 28: Forgiveness and Chaos

"Are-you-mental!" Ron shouted at Harry. His best friend staggered to his feet, panting. Ron was completely drenched, hiding the sword of Gryffindor in one hand and the Horcrux in the other. "Why the hell didn't you take this thing off before you dived in?" He shook the Horcrux around while he spoke. He always knew Harry could be an idiot, he just didn't know he was this stupid.

Harry was shaking with cold. He dragged himself over to his clothes and pulled them on. He was looking at Ron like he was a ghost, completely stunned at the sight of him. "It was y-you?" Harry finally said, his teeth chattering in the cold.

"Well, yeah," Ron murmured confused. There was no one else around, he was drenched, holding the sword and Horcrux who else could have saved him?

"Y-you cast the doe?"

"What? No, course not! I thought it was you doing it!" Harry shook his head.

"My Patronus is a stag."

"Oh yeah," Ron recalled. "Thought it looked different. No antlers." Harry fidgeted a while longer with his things before turning to Ron.

"How come you're here?" Honestly, Ron had heoped that this conversation would never happen. Ron sighed.

"Well, I've come back. If, you know, you still want me." He cleared his throat and looked at the things in his hand. He handed Harry the sword. "That's why you jumped in, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But I don't understand. How did you get here? How did you find us?"

"Long story," Ron replied. "I've been looking for you for hours. It's a big forest, isn't it? And I was thinking I'd have to kip under a tree and wait for morning when I saw that deer coming and you following."

"You didn't see anyone else?" Ron glanced at two trees that were growing close together a few yards away. He explained how he had thought he had seen saw someone near there, but was too distracted by the fact that Harry was in a lake.

Harry ran over to where Ron was talking about. There was no sign of anyone, no footprints, nothing. "So, how did the sword get in the lake?"

"Whoever cast the Patronus must have put it there." They both stared at the sword.

"You reckon it's the real one?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"One way to find out, isn't there?" Harry returned.

They placed the locket down on a stone. Harry gave Ron the sword, telling him he should be the one to destroy the locket. Ron shook his head. That accursed thing brought the worst out in him. "Me? Why?"

"Because you got the sword out of the pool," Harry explained. "I think it's supposed to be you."

Ron paled a little. He hated the locket. Harry was braver, stronger than him. He would mess it up somehow. But Harry was determined for Ron to do this. "I'm going to open it. You stab it. Straightaway, okay? Because whatever's in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me."

"How are you going to open it?" Ron asked, terrified.

"I'm going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue," Harry said. He didn't seem tired at all. Did he understand how terrified he was to do it? Harry took a step forward and opened his mouth.

"No!" Ron yelled. "No, don't open it! I'm serious!"

"Why not?" Harry asked, genuinely confused. "Let's get rid of the damn thing, it's been months-"

"I can't, Harry, I'm serious." He tried to give Harry the sword. "You do it!"

"But why?"

"That things not good for me!" Ron exclaimed, backing away from the locket. "I can't handle it! I'm not making excuses Harry, for what it was like, but it affects me worse than it affected you and Hermione, it made me think stuff. It made everything worse, I can't explain it. And then I'd take it off and I'd get my head on straight again. But then I'd have to put it on again-I can't do it, Harry."