Yes, Ron did get tailed by some snatchers if I recall. *nods* And if it's at some inn in the middle of nowhere or outside of some quaint village, he could run into Draco who is trying to do some recon of his own for Lord Voldemort. We could have Ron fend off the snatchers with the aid of Draco (likely hiding his identity). And then they would probably be able to go back inside and confront one another. How would Draco approach Ron? If Draco is working for LV, is he tasked to bring Harry to him? Or would Draco try to "befriend" Draco in order to get to Harry? I'm just trying to figure out what mindset or tone we'll have at the start. Sorry if it's petulant. In the end, it's probably most likely that Draco and Ron just remain on no one's side. Ron's sick of Harry's dangerous life but still respects him as a friend but doesn't find it smart to risk his life when his family has been put in constant danger.

For Harry and Hermione, with Ron gone, we can deal with the slice of life issues of finding food, staying safe, maybe settling down in one place for a while. We could even have them celebrate christmas (while maybe pushing the whole Godric's Hollow to a later point) and just try to enjoy one another's company. And then there's the issue of the locket and who wears it etc.