Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Just a note to all those who wanted this done ASAP:

I'm sorry for how long it took but I worked hard to make sure it had as much quality and creativity in the last chapters! :)

Chapter 9

When You're Older: Cherish A Healing Friendship.

Chapter 8

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.

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Hermione laughed slightly at Mrs. Weasley's presumption of her affection for Ron. 'Of course she knows Hermione, she's a mother, they always know these things.' She told her inner self.

"Hello Ginny." Mrs. Weasley called out to the red-haired, petite girl who was walking down the stairs. "How have you been doing with your potions essay?"

Ginny sighed and hung her head. "I don't know Mum, it's rather difficult. I came to ask Hermione for some help." She looked up and smiled hopefully at her.

Hermione smiled back. 'She looks just like Ron when she does that.' "Sure Ginny," Hermione answered.

"Well remember dears, it's nearly 8 o'clock. Make sure you go to bed at a reasonable hour." They head Mrs. Weasley say as the walked away.

Hermione and Ginny went back upstairs. Hermione's legs ached from the constant travel throughout the house and from her travel being mostly limited to Ron's room and the kitchen. "Goodness, with how much up and down these stairs I'm doing, I'll have the legs of a bodybuilder!" Hermione laughed.

Ginny laughed at well. They were reaching the top of the stairs when she answered with a question. "Why do you think my family is so good at staying on their broom? It's the stairs, I'm tellin' ya!"

The two girls continued to talk though their combined work with the potions essay. Hermione was surprised to find that Ginny's assignment wasn't all that different from her essay last summer. "Either Snape has gotten lazy, or he didn't have time to think of something harder to assign." Hermione has commented. In any case, this made it easier than usual for Hermione, so she constantly was distracted form her original commitment.

"Hermione?" Hello, potions essay? Over here!" Ginny waved her hand in front of Hermione's face.

"Sorry, I was just thinking" She replied softly.

"About what?" She smirked.

"Um, well"

"About your favorite of my three brothers?"

"Uh, well, I"

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then." Ginny smiled widely.

"Yeah," Hermione blushed. "But it's only because he's illhe seems to be getting worse actually."

"Only because he's ill? I think there's another reason. Like maybe you care for him?" Ginny proposed.

"Of course I care for him, he's my friend!" Hermione reasoned.

Ginny sighed and shook her head back and forth. "Even getting Ron sick didn't get you to real-" Ginny stopped and drew her hands up to her moth in a quick motion. "Oops!"

"What? Ginny? Did you get Ron sick? How? Why?" Hermione questioned loudly with concern.

"Alright, but be quiet, okay?" Hermione nodded slowly. Ginny sighed again. "I stole a Fever-making potion from Fred and George's 'experiment room'. I actually wanted to make a thing of my own, but I'm not so brilliant with potions."

"Why would Fred and George have a Fever-making potion at all?" Hermione asked.

"To fake a sickness, of course! It's great to get out of school with! Oh, never mind, anyway Hermione don't be mad okay?"

"Why would a have a reason not to be upset?" Hermione glared with frustration. "You got Ron seriously ill!"

"It's not serious Hermione! Trust me, it's been human tested already several times." Ginny lowered her voice. "I did it so you could finally get you together with my idiot brotheryou did like taking care of Ron, didn't you?

"Well, I," She blushed red, remembering her two kisses. "Yeah"

Ginny/Hermione's (since they share the room) door slowly came open as the two girls quickly rushed back to the potions essay and faked working on it. Two tall, twin redheads stood in the doorway. One closed the door behind them.

"Well, well, our little sister has become a bit of a mischief-maker." Fred smiled.

George smiled. "Good one, Ginny. I think we're rubbing off on you."

"Just nobody tell Mom okay?" Ginny pleaded.

"Yeah sure, we won't tell." Fred answered.

"So how much did ya give him, only a bit right?" George added.

There was a pause. Everyone's attention was drawn to the small girl sitting on her bed, playing with her fingers in her lap. "I-uh-gave him a normal dose"

Fred and George looked to each other with somewhat worried look and then smiled with shoulder shrugs to accompany the smiles of hopelessness. 'What was that for?" Hermione demanded.

"Well, you know when you were downstairs and asked our Mum for the food and medicine?" One of the twins spoke.

"Yeah?" Hermione remembered.

"Well, we figured that ickle Ronniekins was probably faking it. We decided to give him a taste of a real fever" The other finished.

"That's what you two were whispering about? And that's why you were grinning!" She directed the last part of her realization to Ginny. Hermione turned to the twins. "So how much did you two put into his food?"

"A full dose, of course." Fred said.

Hermione panicked. "If Ron's temperature gets too high he could be seriously hurt!"

"If you're so worried, why don't you just be his 24 hour nurse?" George proposed.

Fred exlaimed. "I don't want to take care of that loud mouth sleep-talker!"

"You mother already asked me to take care of Ron, actually, and I accepted her offer." Hermione informed them defensively.

They all rolled their eyes, "Well of course you would Hermione..." A twin commented.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione interrogated sternly.

George sighed. "Oh come on"

The other finished, "We know why you want to take care of Ron so much." Ginny smiled, awaiting the moment of truth.

"Well, yeah, I do too. Because he's my friend!" Hermione stated.

The redheads all sighed together once again. They turned to leave the room and as the exited, Ginny lamented, "She just doesn't get it..."

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Hermione consulted her collection of potions book to find a way to cure Ron's illness, other than by using Mrs. Weasley's bottle of 'Orabi's Finest Cure-All Magic Medicine.' She found in chapter 12, the book read:

The Gruiean (Gru-ee-ann) Every-Fever Antidote

This antidote cures all magical created fevers within a week, depending on the current temperature of the person with a fever. Every day the potion is taken, using accurate and logical amounts, the temperature is reduced by four degrees.

Hermione sighed with relief. 'That means if Ron takes the potion today, he'll be fine in about two days time.' She explained to herself. The book continued to describe the components and listed the materials needed. The potion would take half-and hour to brew, and Hermione would be able to have all the components she needed thanks to Fred and George's variety of ingredients stored in their 'experiment room.' She could have the potion done by midnight and Ron would be healthy, or at least normal, on Tuesday morning.

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Hermione entered Ron's room with the potion in her hand. Ron's breathing was painfully heavy; his covers had been thrown off to the side of his bed. Hermione took Ron's temperature: it was 108 degrees! Hermione then realized that when she took his temperature before, it was before the twin's dosage of fever maker had been consumed. 'Poor Ron, must be suffering so muchand now Ron's won't get better until Wednesday,' she sighed. 'It's a good thing I made the potion as soon as possible.'

Ron stirred with pain. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he rolled from one side of his body to another. "I don't think Ron would object to the charm to make him feel better now," Hermione murmured. "Rilieuia Dolure." A small white mist appeared above Ron's head and torso. The mist was slowly traveled into Ron's mouth. Ron then glowed had a light gray aura surround him for a few moments before it disappeared into the air. Ron's breathing returned to normal and he stopped stirring.

Hermione walked up to Ron and gave him the Every-Fever potion. Once she cleaned up the droplets from the side of his mouth, she reached for a small piece of cloth she had placed on the windowsill. It was cold and damp. Hermione placed it on Ron's forehead and sat down in a chair about four feet away from his bunk bed he had shared with Harry the night before.

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"Hrminy" Ron mumbled.

Hermione looked up from her book she was reading. It was two o'clock in the morning and she had stayed awake to check on Ron's condition every hour. "What?"

"Hrminy"Ron repeated.

'Oh he's just talking in his sleep, like Fred said he would.' Hermione remembered.

"Hrminyeh wantedtell youpumn ndnaflike uhunn friund" Ron rolled over on his side facing the wall. Hermione stood up and brought the chair a little closer toward the bed. She took his temperature, on the hour, for the second time that night. "106" She sighed.

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"Uuh" Ron moaned. He sat up in his bed and he knew why he was awake, nature was calling, to put it simply. Ron climbed down the ladder of landed on the bedroom floor carpet. He noticed someone was in a chair a few feet away, but Ron's mind told him he had more pressing matters to attend to. His feet slowly dragged across the floor as he exited his room, and went out into the hallway.

Ron returned, as sleepy as ever. But Ron also realized that he was feeling much better. He had a nasty taste of potion in his mouth that he rinsed out in the restroom. Ron walked past his dresser, and grabbed an unfinished biscuit (dinner roll 4 Americans). Yet, before he was about to leave to his bed, Ron's eyes were drawn to a neatly folded piece of parchment lying next to his plate. He took a bite of food and unfolded the note.

Dear Ron,

I hope you are feeling better. I gave you the medicine your mother gave me after you passed out. I estimated your fever at 104 degrees, but it seems to be getting worse. Do you know how you got sick? I'm going to try to find out and cure it. I'll look in some of my books after I talk with your mother.

We're both concerned about you Ron, but don't worry; I hopefully will keep your mother from over reacting too much.

Ron laughed and continued to read.

Please keep in mind you need to stay in bed and get some rest. Don't do anything foolish.

With love and care,

Hermione

Ron smiled. 'Love and care, huh?' Ron thought. 'I really don't deserve thatjust for a fever' He began to feel dizzy but brushed it off. Ron's attention now went to the figure in the chair. He gave a small chuckle, 'A note, a book, and big hair, one guess who that might be.'

The redheaded 'patient' stood looking at his 'nurse.' Ron brushed some bushy brown hair out of Hermione's eyes. His slightly sweaty hand touching her soft face. The teenage girl moved stirred from her sleep to find Ron next to her.

"HmmmRon?"

"Thank you for taking care of me. You're great, Hermione." Ron whispered softly to her.

Hermione responded with a sigh and a smile. Then she spoke with a kind voice, "That's what friends do, Ron."

The two people look at each other, as if they were suspended in time. Ron placed his hand on the arm of the chair. His world was spinning around him. "Ye-aah" He answered Hermione as he slumped to the ground.

"Ron!" She said wit intensity. "You should have never gotten out of bed." She helped him up to his feet. "You need your nest." Hermione and Ron walked over to the bottom bunk and Hermione helped Ron to lie down on top of the comforters.

"Well, I had to use the toilet." Ron stated simply.

"Oh" She blushed, "well, um, stillyou should go back to bed."

Ron closed his eyes and sighed. Hermione guessed he was still half-awake, but she didn't care. She leaned forward once again. "Goodnight, Ron." She whispered. Her lips gently brushed his warm cheek.

As Hermione turned around toward her chair, now a few feet from her, Ron softly mumbled and whispered back, "G'night Hrminy."

A/N: Woo hoooo! I just love sapiness! And for those who love action/adventure stuff, don't worrymore of that is on the way! Just be patient with me, kay? ;)

The next chapter will be about Harry's summerI think. Review if you think I should continue w/ Mr. Sickie Ron, or go to Harry and then back to the Burrow setting.

Please remember to read and REVIEW! :) --Jishka

(Alphabetical order of Reviews, hehe I'm a dork!) : P (Actually it's so nobody thinks I put then in rank or something weird like that)

fredngeorgegirl: I do plan on getting them together but you guys will just have to wait until it happends. I promise that it will be very cute!

Naomi SilverWolf: I'm hyper a lot too, it doesn't scare me It scares those who have't had the expierence! muwhahha!

Nixie: Thanks for helping write this one! I'll need a hairbush more often for the next chapters lol ;)

Morgana: My older sis was sick too when I was writing the 8th and 9th chapters, so it was funny too. (I didn't realize both my sis and Ron were sick until I published it. lol)

Thanks to the consistent reviewers and commentators:

Ferguspork

Midnight Shadow

Sakusha Megumino (please check your email)