Author's Notes: I still don't own any of these guys, just to let you know. They're all JK Rowling's lovely creations.

=Key=

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Scene/Time Change

----------------------------------------------- = Day(s) Later

`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`* = Weeks/Months Later

~*~**************************************************~*~

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?!"

Pomfrey seemed nearly furious. She listened to me as I spoke of my ailments. Dizziness, headaches, vomiting, y'know, all that good stuff. But what she told me was kind of strange.

"Weasley, you're lacking iron and zinc. You should start eating more! You're looking deathly pale, too. Here."

I was sitting in the main part of the Hospital Wing, Oliver waiting outside. We figured it best if he wasn't in there when I was, because it might be a bit suspicious. I glanced over at the door, and then back to Pomfrey, who had a bottle with her. It was full of pills.

"Take one white one and one pink one every day before you eat breakfast. It'll raise the iron and zinc counts in your body and you should be just fine. But you should have come to me sooner! I could have saved you having to take these." She poured some of the bottle's contents into her hand. The pills were humongous. Horse sized pills.

"And I'm s'posed to swallow these?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Of course you are," she retorted. "Just a spot of water whatever you drink in the morning and they'll go right down. Remember, no chewing."

"Can't I just have some chocolate?" I whined.

"If you were any sicker, perhaps. But no, not right now. I daresay you have enough of it from Honeydukes?"

She was right there. We'd had a Hogsmeade trip just last Sunday, and I bought a whopping load of chocolate because it sounded good at the time. There were still some chunks left in my trunk, if I wasn't mistaken.

I took the bottle from her and nodded. "Yeah, alright. I'll be sure to do that."

"If your symptoms worsen any, come back to me, alright? I don't need sick children running around the school." Then she shooed me out of her office and I met with Oliver.

"So?" he asked nervously.

I held up the bottle and he blinked.

"Iron and zinc deficient. I need to take two of these pills a day."

"At least they're separated," he commented. "You don't want to take two of the same one by mistake. You could be wired on iron."

I grinned. It was a comforting joke. My body was freaking out and all I had to fix it were vitamins. It was kind of annoying. I had to let it go, though.

"Come on," Oliver said. "Let's go out onto the grounds. You haven't had too much fresh air this week, have you? Maybe you're just getting sick of the castle."

I really wanted to hug him and kiss him, but we were in the middle of a rather busy hall. Harry and Ron were coming our way, and I sighed.

"Oliver!" It was Harry.

He turned around, blinking. "Oh, hullo Harry." He nodded to Ron. "Ron."

They waved, and Harry itched his nose. "Hey, listen. I know we're playing against Slytherin soon, and I was wondering, when's our next practice?"

"Oh, well, it's..."

While Harry and Oliver talked, Ron walked over to me and glanced over me. Looked kind of worried.

"You okay, Fred? What were you doing talking to Pomfrey?"

I showed him the bottle. "Been feeling something dreadful for a while. Pomfrey said I was deficient. These pills are s'posed to help me."

"Hope it doesn't interfere with Quidditch," Ron muttered. "We don't need to lose to Slytherin, you know."

"Your concern thrills me, Ronnie," I said with a chuckle.

He smiled and then shook his head. "Just don't get too sick, will you? Mum'll be worried sick."

"You're always worrying about mum, Ron. I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself."

"...Well, I'll see you later then, Oliver. Come on, Ron. We've got to find Hermione," Harry said. Ron offered a brief wave and Harry did as well, and the both of them were gone.

I looked at Oliver and sighed. "I'm worried about Ron. He's...really not himself lately. I don't get it."

Wood shrugged. He didn't look all that concerned. "He'll be fine. He's got Granger and Potter to help him if he needs anything."

I took a quick glance down either direction of the hall. No one was around, and Pomfrey's door was closed...

I didn't even have to say anything. Oliver snaked his arms around me and pulled me into a sweet kiss. I grinned and then had to pull away. My stomach was gurgling and my chest was beginning to hurt.

"What?" Oliver asked worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head dismissively. "No, no. Not you. I just feel kind of sore, is all."

"Where?"

"'Round my chest. Probably that secret Quidditch practice I had with George where we beat each other senseless with the Bludgers."

Oliver's eyes widened. "What?!"

I laughed. "Jeez, calm down, Ollie. I was just messing with you. I don't know what it is. It may be my lack of sleep lately. I've found comfort only when I sleep on my stomach."

"How d'you normally sleep?"

"Starkers," I snickered.

He grinned and I saw his tongue run over his lips. He'd really gotten into playing with his stud. I thought it was arousing.

"Unless you want me on you right here and now, you may want to stop that."

This time, Oliver smirked. He was just about to lean in for a kiss when we heard Pomfrey coming up to her door. We broke apart instantly, and she was glaring out at us.

"D'you still need something?"

I shook my head and snickered. "No, but you might."

"Why's that?" she asked.

I pointed down the hall. Draco was pushing Crabbe and Goyle, who were hexed terribly, down the hall toward the Hospital Wing. Pomfrey grumbled something about students going wild and told us to leave her alone.

We were only happy to oblige.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I shifted on my bed. Any way I tried to place myself was uncomfortable. My head was pounding and my stomach was going through loops. The change from the cool Winter weather to the springtime heat wasn't any help, either. I was sweating up a storm, and I was in only my briefs.

Granted, I had the drapes drawn around my bed so they couldn't see me. I groaned out as I moved yet again from my side to my stomach.

It felt nice, if not for just a few seconds. The pain in my skull subsided, and the heat didn't seem so terrible. I slowly moved my hands under the pillow, only to receive a nice trickle of pain in my sides.

"Damn it," I cried. My only chance for no pain and I ruined it.

I shifted onto my back and ran my hands over the front half of my body. It felt so sore, and so...tight. I mean, more so than usual. May have been weird to say, but I could swear that my pectorals were bigger. Kind of pink, too.

"What the hell's going on with me?" I asked no one. Then another mood swing came along and I felt tears break out from my eyes. I slammed my hands into the bed, more confused than I'd ever been before.

I heard George mumbling something in his sleep. I didn't think twice about what I was going to do. I peered out of the drapes and into the dormitory. No one was awake. Good.

I got out of my bed and tip-toed across the warm wood floor to George's bed. Pushing the drapes aside, I crawled into his bed and lied beside him. I nuzzled up close to him and felt surprisingly comfortable.

I woke him up. He muttered about how he wanted to get back to sleep, but when he noticed the tears stained on my cheeks, his whole tune changed.

"I'm scared, George," I told him quietly. He shifted so that he was facing me.

"About what, Fred?"

"I don't know what's happening to my body. I'm...I'm sick all the time, I get these weird feelings in the pit of my stomach. I'm always having headaches...And I throw up nearly every day when I wake up from the ten minute sleep I get..." I looked up at him, wiping my eyes. "What's wrong with me?"

George blinked, then frowned. He brushed some of my hair from my eyes and offered a shrug. "I really don't know, Fred. I don't know."

I set my head on the pillow and stared at George in an almost dazed manner. "Can I sleep in here with you, tonight? I haven't slep well in days and I..." I choked out a small laugh, "I remember how sleeping in your bed made me feel better."

"It's the twin thing, Fred," George said with a soft smile. "But yeah, you're welcome in here. Do you want to sleep under the covers and I'll be on top, or vice versa?"

I had just been incredibly hot on my own bed, but all of the sudden, I was freezing. George noticed and got up so I could get comfortable. Once I was under the covers, he got back on the bed and pulled me close to him. I grinned some.

"G'night, George."

"'Night, Fred. Sleep well."

I closed my eyes. I found myself feeling secure, comfortable and happy for the first time in weeks. And it was all because of my brother.

It's no wonder twins are so close. George has some kind of strange ability to make me feel better. Oliver kind of has it, but I think it's just George, since we've been together for fifteen years. Make that sixteen, because of the nine months we spent together in our mum. Yes indeedy, the two of us were inseperable.

There were days when I wish I could tell George just how important he was to me, but it's not something you can say with words. It's a feeling, and it's a feeling that finally allowed me to get some sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to being alone in my bed. George had probably gone off to do something, which wasn't too bothersome. For once I didn't wake up with that nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I was grateful beyond belief.

I stepped out onto the dormitory floor and went over to my trunk and gathered up my clothes. Before dressing, however, I stepped over to the mirror near my bed and stared over myself.

I appeared almost completely the same, but my defined muscles of my lower abdomen were beginning to disappear. Or at least, the lines between them were. My stomach looked like it did when I was twelve. I just tossed the thought aside. I was feeling...surprisingly well this morning, and I didn't want to ruin it by crying. So I just grinned at myself and put on my clothes.

Since it was Saturday, I hadn't any classes. I took the time to dress casually, and I wandered on down to breakfast.

I said what I wanted, and before me on a plate appeared bacon, eggs, orange juice and toast. But the smell of it just made me sick. I was so hungry, but just looking at food made me want to barf. I pushed the plate away from me and ran to the bathroom. Everyone watched me as I ran out, covering my mouth.

I made it to the bathroom on the second floor before losing it in the toilet. I was so surprised at how much came out when I only ate a little bit the day before. I was worried that I'd erode my espohagus or something. When I was finished, I cleaned out my mouth and grumbled. I was feeling so great, and now it was all down the tubes.

The halls were nearly empty when I walked out into them. From where I was standing, I could see the Quidditch Pitch out the window. There was someone out there on a broom, and I didn't even have to guess who it was.

"Fred! Fred!"

I blinked. Someone was calling my name. When I turned around, I realized that it was Alicia. She was waving at me from down the hall. I really didn't feel like dealing with anybody right now but Oliver.

"Fred, can I talk to you for a minute?"

I smiled some. A front. "Yeah, sure. I've got a billion of them in my life. I can share one with you!"

She smiled and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes when she arrived next to me. "I just wanted to ask you, d'you think that maybe...You know, if you want to, if we could..."

My heart was beating quite fast. It wasn't because of her. Or at least, that's what I thought.

"...D'you want to go out sometime? Like, to Hogsmeade? The next trip? It's coming up at the end of the month."

I began to stutter. I didn't know how to turn her down. I'd never had to do that to someone before. "Er...Well, I don't know if I'll be going to, meself. I've been worried that I'll get sick there and they'll have to drag me back to the school."

Alicia didn't look disappointed. Well, I don't know exactly if she was, since women confuse me to no end. Her green eyes didn't show it, and I felt bad.

"Oh, well, maybe next time, then, hm? If...If you want to, that is!"

I grinned at her, then shrugged. "Yeah, maybe next time, when I'm feeling better."

After Alicia left, I made my way out of the school and across the warm grounds to the Quidditch Pitch.

I was right, the person was Oliver. He saw me coming across the field and landed. I saw Angelina and Katie out there, as well. I don't know why, but I felt insanely jealous. He told them to go change, and when they walked off, I stalked over to him.

"Here I am, feeling like I might just lose all of my insides, and you're out practicing without me! With girls, nonetheless! What's up with you?!"

Oliver blinked, looking rather surprised. He put his Comet three-sixty down and folded his arms over his chest. "Just what are you talking about?"

I whapped him on the shoulder. He ran his tongue stud over his lip, messing with it.

"That won't work on me right now," I said venomously. "Why didn't you tell me we had practice?"

"It was just practice for them," Oliver said in a quiet voice. "You didn't need practice. Your beating skills are just fine."

"So you wanted to sneak some time in with just them, eh?" I said.

Oliver shook his head, then reached forward and pull me close to him. I tried to pull back, but I was kind of weak.

"Fred, love, what's wrong with you?"

I burst into tears. "I don't know. Something! Something that's pushing me to the breaking point!" I buried my face in his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around me and began to rock me back and forth slowly. I felt a kiss atop my forehead. "You took your pills this morning, right?"

I nodded against him.

"Hmm. Maybe we should go see Pomfrey again."

I pulled back some. "No, I don't want to. That witch is nothing but trouble. It's obvious I'm not lacking anything. And this damn feeling in my stomach won't go away!"

Oliver lowered one of his gloved hands down to my stomach and rubbed it gently. I don't know how, but it made it feel better. I looked up at him and sniffed, smiling some. He smiled back at me and shook his head.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say there was something in there that's making you feel this way, Fred."

I blinked. "Like a virus or something?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I got one of 'em over summer holidays and I was feeling like this for weeks. Hated the blasted thing, and it eventually went away on its own. All you have to do is be patient and wait."

I smiled again, feeling quite better than before. "Let's hope that's what it is."

Little did I know, that while there -was- something in my system, it wasn't a virus, and how much it would manage to change my life.

`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

As time passed and March faded into April, things didn't get better. In fact, they got progressively worse.

I was throwing up about every morning. I could eat, which was okay. But I couldn't eat the normal sweets that I did a while ago. I found myself attracted to wheats and carbohydrates. You know, all those healthy foods. It made me feel...well, healthy.

I was getting more sleep, now. The only problem is that, even if I slept a lot, I still felt really tired. I had a real hard time keeping awake in class and I nearly tumbled down the stairs a while back.

Oliver was growing progressively worried, himself. During the match against Slytherin, I was kind of half there, half not. I flew close to George, and we made it through just fine. But after the game, I just kind of floated down to the ground. Apparently I had fallen asleep on my broom. The next thing I knew, I was alone in the locker room with him and my head was in Oliver's lap. He took me back up to the school a little bit after.

Weeks and weekends passed by slowly, and it finally became the Easter Holidays. Four days off of learning. I was ecstatic.

I was curled up by the empty fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Some of the students went home to visit parents, and others spent most of their time outside. I, however, was repulsed by the smell of grass and flowers, so I had to stay inside. That is, unless I wanted to feel nauseated for the rest of the holidays.

My out-of-nowhere annoyance with the smell of grass made it hard for me to be around Oliver. It really pained me not to curl up to him, but every time I did, I'd breathe in and get this giant whiff of nature. One time I had to run into the bathroom and ...well, throw up.

He'd begun to wear this cologne that had a weak scent about a day or two ago. It hid the smell of the grass, and it smelled kind of like the ocean, so I could be around him again. I'd managed to match the parfum to his presence, and when I noticed it, my ears perked up.

"Hey, you."

I sat up in the chair and looked up over the top of it. Yes, it was Oliver. I grinned.

"Hullo. What're you doing inside?"

He shrugged. "I was looking for you, actually. I've got something for you." I hadn't noticed his arms were behind his back and he had something.

I kept grinning. I was wondering what it was. "Lemme see, hm? Lemme see!"

Oliver stepped closer to me and pulled a small box from behind his back. I blinked. I hadn't been expecting something like that. He opened the box and inside was a silver ring. It was just a band, no jewels or anything.

"It's...It's a promise ring. Bought it a while ago from a magazine I borrowed from Alicia. Owl ordered it. I wanted to give it to you so you knew that I'd, uh, well..."

I looked at him in anticipation. I was nearly crawling over the back of the chair. He was standing right in front me, and with a grin, he took my left hand and put it on my ring finger. I suddenly realized how shaky I was.

"So that you'd know I loved you and cared about you. And that I promise to be around even if we can't be in the school together."

I squeezed his hand and he leaned in. We kissed, and when I pulled back, I was smiling. The ring looked...right. Like it was meant to be there.

"I absolutely love it."

He nearly giggled, he was so happy. I got up out of the chair with a grunt, my lower back feeling kind of pained. I stretched and moved towards him, in which he opened his arms to welcome me warmly.

"I hoped you would...I kinda spent my next month's allowance on it..."

Oliver wasn't rich by far, but he wasn't poor, either. His allowance was the only money that he had to buy what he wanted for himself. I felt both shocked and flattered.

"But what about you? I mean, weren't you saving that money for a new broom?"

"Who needs a Nimbus when I have you?" he asked with a smile.

I blushed. I felt Oliver's hands travel down my sides, but they stopped when they reached my hips. Instead of my normally flat, parallel form, I...branched outward. I hadn't noticed it until now. I pulled back and felt my sides, then ran a hand straight down my stomach. It went out just a tiny bit. Not enough to be noticeable unless I was thinking about it.

"Do my hips and stomach look bigger to you?" I asked.

There really was no wrong answer to this question. Yes, they did. But apparently not to Oliver. He paused.

"Er...No. Not really."

I ran my tongue over my teeth. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

He shook his head a bit quickly. "N-No, no. They don't to me. I can feel it, but can't really see it."

That made me feel a bit better. A small smile broke out on my face. "You can't?"

"Can't see a thing," he confirmed. I moved back into his arms and hugged him.

"Thanks. My body doesn't even feel like it's my own anymore. I just don't know what's up with it. I've been taking those bloody pills just like Pomfrey said, but it's not really doing anything. I can just eat and sleep again. But I'm still terribly tired and get nauseated by the weirdest things."

I shouldn't have said that. I didn't even have a chance to retort as Oliver tugged me out of the common room. I had no doubt where we were going.

~*~**************************************************~*~

Author's Notes: Gooooooooooooooo review!