Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 8

When You're Older: The Unusual Occurs.

Chapter 7

"Promise you won't laugh."

"Of course not!" Ron said quickly, noticing that this dialogue sounded familiar.

"I like to lie on my back and look at the shapes of clouds and I also like to catch grasshoppers, I did it all the time with my dad when I was little."

"Funny you should mention that Hermione."

"Why?"

Ron smiled at her pleasantly. "You'll see"

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Ron and Hermione walked ahead of Mrs. Weasley and her daughter, Ginny, for quite some time. Hermione looked back a few times to make sure that there were still there. They had now arrived on the street that Molly's old friend lived on. Hermione made a mental not that they only had about 8 and half minutes before they reached the house.

A nervous voice crept out of the mouth of the brainy brunet. "R-Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I-uh-thanks for what you did back there" Hermione managed to say.

"Huh?" The light bulb turned on inside his head. "Oh, you mean the thing with Harry?" Hermione shook her head. "Oh that," Ron blushed, "That was-"

"Very nice of you." Hermione smiled.

"Thanks." Ron's smile back to Hermione made her feel like she could melt into a puddle right there on the sidewalk.

She felt a very strong desire that this moment to lean over to him and give him a kiss on the cheek, but she resisted stubbornly. 'No, you can't think of Ron that way. He's Ron, you know, you're best friend?' Hermione let out a small sigh and shook her head gently.

"Something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You just-uh-seem upset. Is there something wrong?" Ron repeated.

"No," Hermione smiled; she then looked to the blue sky. "Nothing at the moment..." That comment left Ron to wonder about somethings.

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A knock echoed against a wooden bedroom door, provoking a groan from underneath a lump of blankets.

"Time to get up, Ron." He heard a voice say.

"Uuuuuugh" He moaned. "I don't want to."

"Ron, don't make me come in there. It's time for supper, and you've slept for at least three hours now."

"Go awayI don't feel good." Ron replied.

"Ron." The voice sternly commanded. "You need to get up. I'm-I'm coming in."

The door opened and Ron looked from underneath his large Chudley Cannons quilt. Staring at him was the face of hisfriend. Gravity pulled bushy brown hair from her face down toward him. She looked somewhat frustrated because of his lack of cooperation, yet Ron could tell she was worried about him too.

"Are you really ill?" She asked, somewhat trying to hide her concern.

"Yeah, I think I've got a fever." Ron mumbled.

Hermione placed her hand on Ron's forehead. This was their first, real, time they had physically contacted without an evil force behind the reasoning, making the two teenagers being to turn a pink shade in the cheeks and for one of them, the ears as well.

Hermione slowly caressed his face, feeling the overall temperature. "Goodness, you're burning up. Do you want me to go tell your mum you won't be down for supper?"

"Uh-huh." He responded.

"Oh-uh-I could perform a charm to make you feel better, that is, if you really wanted to eat downstairs."

"No, I just want to go back to bed" Ron moaned again.

"Okay then. I'll be going now." She opened the door.

'Is Hermione-does she look disappointed?' Ron though to himself.

"Hermione?"

"Yes Ron?" She tired to hide her hope, for what, she wasn't quite sure.

"Can you bring up some food and medicineum please?" Ron said, trying to sound polite at the end.

"Sure." A large grin spread across her face, even though she had attempted to conceal it from Ron's vision.

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"Is Ron on his way down dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked from across the table.

Hermione continued to the kitchen and to Ron's plate. "He's got a fever. I estimate his temperature is about 104 degrees." (Celsius)

"Oh my!" Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Do you know how he got it?" She looked to Fred and George.

"Honest Mum! We didn't do anything to Ron this time!" Fred exclaimed waving his hands in front of face in defense. Ginny looked smug and amused.

Hermione motioned to the full plate in front of her. "Is it alright if I take his food up to Ron? He said he wanted some medicine as well, Mrs. Weasley."

"Yes of course dear." Fred and George whispered with large grins. (Ginny was smiling too, of course.) "I'll get the medicine for you."

Hermione levitated the two dinner plates, one her own and one Ron's, along with two glasses up the stairs. In one of her hands she held a glass medicine bottle. The other held her wand, which was directing the floating objects.

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* Knock knock * "Ron?"

"Uh?"

"Can I come in?"

"Uh-huh"

Hermione smiled and turned the knob of his bedroom door handle. Ron was still resting inside his cocoon of Chudley Cannon quilt. She let out a small giggle. The black, white and orange quilt had designs, logos and portraits of the team members woven into the fabric. And on the pillow she could make out a patch of bright orange hairs protruding from the tiny hole at the top of the quilt cocoon.

"Ron?"

The lump stirred slowly.

"Ron?"

"Hm?"

"I brought your food and medicine." Hermione climbed the bunk bed ladder, and sat down next to the slowly unfolding lump. She smiled pleasantly at Ron.

"Thanks." Ron returned the favor, and smiled back. A few seconds following this his head swayed slightly and his eyes fluttered between open and closed. Ron set his body up against the back wall of his upper bunk bed he shared with Harry.

"Ron, maybe you should get some more rest. You still appear to have many symptoms of a high fever which could potentially lead to a greater illness." Hermione spoke, sounding sophisticated, as usual.

"I'm fine I'm just," Ron yawned and swayed some more. "Not awake yet"

Hermione commanded the two dinner meals up to the bunk. "You brought two dishes up for me, wow! I'm not sure if I'm that hungry but you know what they say: feed a fever, starve a cold." Ron grinned, amused with himself.

"Ron, one of those is mine" Hermione spoke plainly.

"Oh" Ron's ears reddened. 'Great,' he thought, 'that probably sounded selfish'

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Ron and Hermione sat quietly letting the minutes pass by while they ate their supper, until something strange happened. Ron's face fell right into his food! Hermione laughed and then realized he wasn't moving. She pulled his body up, using a charm to wipe off the biscuit from his nose, the corn from his cheek, the sweet potatoes from his forehead, and then set him against the wall again.

"Ron?" She tapped her hand against the side of his face. "Hello, Ron? Speak to me." His eyelids opened at the speed of a snail's grandmother. He mumbled some gibberish and seemed to fall back asleep. "Ron! Come on, wake up" He mumbled some more incoherent words. "Okay Hermione, remain calm" She spoke out loud to herself. "I'll just move the food, lie him in his bed, get the medicine, and then" Hermione planned out her actions and then followed though.

"Ron? Can you hear me?"

"Mhmerpm bejnn" Ron replied.

"Okay, maybe not." Hermione sighed. 'I'll have to do this the hard way' She took Ron's jaw and held it gently, but firmly in her hand. She took the medicine she had placed in a measuring cylinder and poured it with great care into Ron's open mouth. A few dribbles came out from the corner of his halfway open mouth. Hermione summoned a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the dark brown liquid. 'I'm so close to him.' She told herself. 'If only I could-' She leaned toward his face a placed a light, gentle kiss on his feverish cheek. She blushed furiously after doing that particular action, praying Ron wasn't aware enough to realize what she had just done.

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Hermione walked down the steps to the kitchen with a relieved heart; she had finally done it. She kissed Ron Weasley on the cheek, and he didn't object. Considering this was because he wasn't able to do so, never really bothered Hermione.

"Hermione dear, how's Ronald?" A familiar motherly voice asked from the living room. The family had apparently finished their supper and dispersed to their own destinations.

"Well, he seems to be rather dizzy and had constant spells of drowsy. I'm afraid Ron's fever may become something worse if he doesn't take care of himself." Hermione answered with a worried expression. After a few seconds she had realized that her answer would probably upset Mrs. Weasley, the protective and perhaps, over reactive mother.

However, the unexpected happened. Mrs. Weasley didn't burst into tears, run up to her 'near-death' child, or acted irrational. Instead, she paused with a facial expression across her face. It then turned to a concerned look. "Well, I agree that Ron will need attention in order to recover. From the symptoms well I don't know what could have happened. Do you have any idea how he became ill?" She looked to Hermione.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any ideas either Mrs. Weasley." Hermione was puzzled.

"I see" She thought for a few moments. "Well, the best thing would be for someone to keep an eye on him. I, being his mum and all, should take care of Ron. But-I-uh have some work I need to attend to as well." This tone reminded Hermione of Mr. Weasley's 'dinner disappearance'. Molly turned to Hermione; her hands feel onto the bookworm's shoulders with care. "Hermione, dear, do you think you could take care of Ron?"

Hermione appeared to have a mix of hopefulness, shock, and pure happiness all in one. "Oh, sure!" She smiled.

"I didn't think you'd object." Mrs. Weasley winked at her.

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Ron awoke with a heavy feeling upon his chest. He groaned in agony, he seemed to feel like his condition was getting even worse! "What happened?" Ron asked plainly. He looked around his room; his unfinished meal had been placed on his dresser. "Oh yeah, I-I must have passed out or something" He laughed. "I last remember seeing corn and potatoes." Ron guessed his supper had been re-prepared from the looks of it. That reminded him of another matter as well. "Hermione" He said with a soft and low tone. He sighed and fell backward onto his pillow, not taking notice of the piece of paper lying next to the food.

A/N: Yay! Another is up! Don't worry, the answer to Ron's illness will be in the next chapter! Muwhahaha! I hope you enjoyed all the fluffyness! Heheh I love writing sap! _

Oh and don't worry about Ron's "you'll see" comment, it will be taken care of in good time! Muwahahah!

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