The Hospital Wing

"Are you sure you don't want to come downstairs?" Harry asked, standing in the doorway. "I hear Dean and Seamus are setting off the last of the Filibuster Fireworks they got for Christmas." A large exploding sound was followed by the rattling of the walls.

"I don't want to," Ron replied. "I don't feel well."

"Ron…" Harry said. "You really don't feel well?"

"I swear! I have a headache, and those explosions aren't helping much."

Harry's tone turned from disbelief to concern. "Want me to tell them to stop?"

Ron smiled. "You can try. Thanks, Harry."

Harry clomped down the stairs and Ron drew the curtains around his bed.

A few minutes later, Harry and the other boys in the dormitory came upstairs.

"Are you guys stopping?" Ron asked, peeking through the curtains.

"Yeah," Seamus answered. "It's okay. We were getting tired anyway." Within a few minutes, all the boys had settled down for the night. Ron, too, fell asleep fairly quickly.

* * *

Ron woke a few hours later, coughing uncontrollably. He lay in bed trying to fall back asleep for a while, but he couldn't get comfortable. Soon, he was coughing so much that Harry whispered, "Ron, are you okay?" Ron was about to answer, but he had to rush to the bathroom before he threw up all over the bed. Harry sat up, but didn't do anything. The others were apparently still asleep.

Ron went back to be, but he had to keep getting up and running to the bathroom. After doing this several times, Harry came over to him and asked, "Want to go to the hospital wing?"

Ron nodded, scared to open his mouth. Harry escorted him downstairs and led him to the hospital wing, leaving Ron there for the night. He had almost thrown up on the way, and now he made a mad dash for the sink. Madame Pomfrey shooed Harry back to bed and gave Ron a potion to help him sleep. The potion tasted awful, but by the time his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.

A few hours later, Ron woke again. Before now, the hospital wing had been empty except for him and two giggling first years who were faking sick so they would miss a Transfiguration exam. Now, he saw Madame Pomfrey tending to another patient in the bed next to his. He couldn't see who it was; he could only hear coughing and Madame Pomfrey saying, "Couldn't have waited until you got to the sink…." He fell back to sleep, not worrying too much about it, and the potion's effects were still pulling him into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ron woke groggily the next morning. He pulled back the curtains around the bed, curious about who had come in late last night. He looked to his left and looked at the student next to him.

And he was staring into the pale face of Draco Malfoy.

"What are you staring at, Weasley?" Malfoy sneered.

"Just seeing who was there."

"Well, mind your own business. What are you doing here anyway? Faking sick so you won't get in trouble?"

"In trouble for what?"

"You know…. You and the Mudblood in the broom closet."

"Don't you dare insult her!" Ron half-shouted.

"How are you going to stop me?"

"I'll hex you so bad…." Ron reached towards the bedside table for his wand, but it wasn't there; he had left it in the common room.

Malfoy laughed coldly. "You don't have your wand."

"And neither do you. We're even." Malfoy scowled at him. "Now you take that back!"

"Fine!" he snapped, to Ron's surprise. Ron looked at him wondering, what's up his sleeve? But Malfoy didn't say anything, and Ron, thinking he had won this battle, tried to go back to sleep.

Just as he was about to drift back asleep, he heard mumbling.

"I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

"What?" Ron asked groggily.

"I said I'm sorry about you girlfriend."

Ron turned over and glanced at his nemesis warily. "Oh, yeah. Why?"

Malfoy was silent for a while, pondering whether to tell or not. "I have it, too," he said finally.

"AIDS?"

"Well, I'm HIV positive."

"How did you get a Muggle disease?"

"Well, it's an STD isn't it? How did you get it?"

"How did you know?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? Your girlfriend's got it; so have you."

"You still didn't answer me," said Ron, phased by Malfoy's use of logic.

"You know that girl, Hannah Abbot?"

"A Hufflepuff? And a half-blood! You, who always goes around like-"

"Shut up!" Malfoy commanded. "Look, I'm not proud of it."

"And what about your girlfriend, Pansy?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"You cheated on her?"

"She cheated on me. Besides, she won't even come near me now that she knows."

"Who else you been sleeping around with?"

"None of your business, Weasley!"

"I'm making it my business!"

Malfoy snorted. "Fine, if you must know, it's-"

"Mr. Malfoy," Madame Pomfrey called. "It's time to take your potion." She bustled over to the bed and put down a goblet filled with a frothing purple liquid. Malfoy stuck out his tongue, and the nurse took this opportunity to pour the potion down his throat. He choked and spluttered, and she walked away with the empty goblet.

"Who is it?" Ron asked more forcefully.

"Minnie," Malfoy coughed.

"Minnie?" Ron repeated. "Who's that?"

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Not Minnie, you prat, Ginny! Your sister."

"What!?" Ron exclaimed. "After all you've ever said about my family! You and Ginny?"

Then a thought hit him. "She didn't tell me she has-"

"She doesn't know," Malfoy interrupted.

"You have to tell her. You'd better tell her!"

"I will. I just haven't gotten the chance yet."

It was quiet, but Ron could practically hear his blood boiling. Ginny and Malfoy? How could she? Ron only spent a few minutes thinking on it, however, before he fell asleep.

* * *

By the time Ron woke again, it was dark in the Hospital Wing. His pounding head hurt so bad, he had almost forgotten about Malfoy and his little sister, when the door clicked opened and Ginny entered. She tiptoed to Malfoy's bed.

"Ginny," he whispered.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. I couldn't sneak away."

"I understand." She leaned down to kiss him when Ron opened the curtains and Ginny saw him out of the corner of her eye.

"Ron! I thought you were asleep! I'm sorry, I should have told you about us. You're not mad are you?"

"Mad? No, I'm not mad. I don't have enough energy to be mad." He sunk back into the pillows, meanwhile giving Malfoy a meaningful glance.

"Ginny, I have to tell you something," Malfoy muttered.

"What?"

"I'm HIV positive, and you have to get tested."

She stared at him, hardly breathing. "No, not you too," she gasped. "First Hermione, then Ron, now you?" The tears forming under her eyes glistened in the moonlight.

"Ginny…." Malfoy whispered, but she fled, out of the Hospital Wing and back to the common room.

* * *

Ron didn't know how he could sleep, with all that was going on. But he was so exhausted that he could only bear to stay up a few hours at a time. By the time he woke up next, it was midmorning.

Madame Pomfrey had sent the giggling first years back to class just in time for their exam, and now he was alone with Malfoy.

"Ron," someone murmured, and he looked around to see who was calling him by his first name. To his surprise, it was Malfoy.

Ron didn't make a sound, so Malfoy continued. "I'm sorry about all the things I've done to you."

"You're sorry?" Ron cried in disbelief.

"Yeah. You and me, we're not so different. So what, my family's got more money than yours? I love your sister more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life, and I don't care what her background is like. I just…." He trailed off, coughing uncontrollably.

"For Ginny's sake, I hope you don't die," Ron said. "Wow, I never thought I'd hear myself saying that."

"I hope you don't, either. For her sake," Malfoy wheezed.

* * *

Over the next few days, Ron realized that Malfoy was actually a pretty good friend, as long as no one else was there. If Harry or one of Malfoy's Slytherin buddies came to visit, he would put back on his "evil guy" act, but other than that, they could talk freely.

The school had owled home to tell them off Ron's illness, just to make sure they were aware, and Ginny had written home to tell them that she was going to get tested that weekend. So a couple of days later, an owl flew into the Hospital Wing for Ron.

"It's from my mum," Ron told Malfoy. He read it out loud.

Dear Ron,

We're sorry to hear that you've been sick. We've all been very worried about you since you were here at Christmas. We all hope you will get well very, very soon.

I don't know if you've heard, but Ginny wrote home to tell us that she might be sick, too, from her boyfriend. She didn't say who it is, but I'll be sure to send him a Howler when I find out.

"Great," Malfoy muttered.

Feel better, and we're all praying that you - and Ginny - will be well soon.

Love,

Mum (and the rest)

Ron sighed. When Ginny went to London this weekend, he would be praying, too.

* * *

Later that night, Ron woke yet again to the creaking sound of the Hospital door being opened by Ginny. She went to Malfoy's bed.

"How are you feeling, Draco?"

"Alright."

"I'm leaving tonight, but I'll be back on Sunday. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." They leaned together and started to kiss.

"Hello!" Ron exclaimed.

"Sorry, Ron," Ginny whispered. "Well, I have to go. Take care of yourselves!"

"Bye, Ginny. Good luck," Malfoy said. Then she was gone.

* * *

Ron couldn't remember that Saturday too well. He was starting to feel a little better, and he didn't need to sleep as much now. Harry had brought him his homework and Malfoy's friend had brought him his, and they struggled through it together.

By Sunday, Ron was awake enough to be worried about Ginny. She didn't come up to the Hospital Wing all day; he was sure she would when she came back, at least to see Malfoy. But night fell and she still wasn't back. And Ron fell asleep when it got past midnight.

He had been dreaming about the time by the lake when Hermione had first told him she was sick, when he felt a jolt and woke suddenly.

It was Ginny, bouncing on his bed.

"What are you so happy about?" Malfoy yawned.

"Guess what, you two?" Ginny asked, smiling.

"What already? It's the middle of the night, Ginny," Ron grumbled.

"I tested negative!"

The boy's faces lit up and Ron was fully awake. "That's great!" they both exclaimed.

"But I have to go do my homework now; I'll come back and see you tomorrow."

* * *

By Monday afternoon, both Ron and Malfoy were released from the Hospital Wing and sent back to class. They didn't get to see each other alone much, which meant they couldn't be friendly to each other, but whenever Malfoy insulted Ron in the hallways, he would wink, and whenever Harry tried to hold Ron back from hurting him, he wouldn't struggle too hard. And Harry wouldn't find out about Malfoy and Ginny for quite some time.