A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of update in a while! I didn't even realize it had been so long since my last update! I hope you all like this one. A few ideas came from my friend and beta, IvySnowe. She rocketh. Anyway… I read Deathly Hallows… and cried… a lot.
Disclaimer: sigh It's all J.K.'s. She should share.
Warning: This is male/male SLASH if you haven't figured it out by now.
---------
Ever since the 'incident' with Ron's dream when he and Draco were studying, Ron was determined to avoid sleeping at all costs. He would stay up all night, drinking coffee and taking more notes mindlessly. He was to the point where he snuck into Snape's storage room and stole the ingrediants for a Pepper-Up Potion. Ron didn't see himself as the best potions student, but he was relatively passable… if you lowered your standards a little bit.
Ron decided to revisit Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to brew his Pepper-Up Potion. After 5 tired hours, the potion was complete. Ron's book said the potion was supposed to turn out a dark purple. He supposed lavender was close enough. He stored the potion in around 15 serving-size vials, drinking the first one almost immediately. A tingle spread through his body and he immediately felt more awake.
By the time Monday rolled around, two sleepless, Pepper-Up induced nights had passed. Ron's mind wasn't tired at all, but he could feel his body start to give in to exhaustion. He wasn't sure this was supposed to happen, but it didn't seem too out of the ordinary.
Before lunch that Monday, Ron was sitting around in 'His Room' when he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw Malfoy standing there, looking really pissed off.
"I haven't had a good day, Weasley, so let's just get working on this, shall we?" Malfoy said, brushing past Ron and sitting by the coffee table.
"I finished taking notes on all but three of the books." Ron informed Draco.
"Holy shit!" Draco exclaimed, looking through all of the notes Ron had written down. "What have you been doing? Not sleeping at all?"
Ron gave a non-commital shrug and sat on the couch across the table from Draco. He grabbed another book and started to take notes. After about a minute, he started to feel slightly light-headed. He set his quill down and walked over next to his bed to take another vial of his Pepper-Up Potion. Draco was watching him, scowling.
"What is that, Weasley?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy, but it's Pepper-Up Potion." Ron retorted.
Draco stood up and walked over to Ron, taking another vial that was still full and inspecting it. "This isn't Pepper-Up Potion, you dumbfuck!"
"Screw you, Malfoy. It's working and that's all I care about." Ron looked down to notice that his hand was shaking violently and his light-headedness had not decreased at all.
Draco tentatively reached up a hand and put it up to Ron's cheek, which was bright red. The skin felt like it was near burning. "Weasley, you're really hot."
"Only for you, Malfoy." Ron said, and, before he had time to feel embarrassed about what had just come out of his mouth, he doubled over from a sudden crippling pain in his abdomen.
"Shit, Weasley." Draco said, blushing furiously, his pale cheeks accented by a bright pink. He grabbed one of Ron's arms and half-carried him to the Hospital Wing.
---------
When the pair finally arrived in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomphrey immediately started fussing over the red-headed boy. She asked Draco if he knew what happened to him.
"Sort of, ma'am. He was taking this potion." Draco held up the vial, "He thought it was a Pepper-Up Potion. His stomach hurts, he's shaking, and he's got a high fever as far as I can tell. I was going to take this vial to Professor Snape to see if he knows what it is."
"You do that, dear. I'll see what I can do to help some of these symptoms in the meanwhile."
Draco practically ran to the dungeons. When he arrived at Professor Snape's office door, he started knocking loudly and wildly, not stopping until the door opened.
"Ten points fro- Oh. Hello, Mr. Malfoy." Snape growled in his normal grumpy way. "What seems to be the emergency?"
Draco held up the vial. "Professor, Ron Weasley is in the Hospital Wing. We were working on our Charms paper and he took this potion. He thought it was a Pepper-Up Potion, but I know it's not and now he's ill. You have to tell me what this is and what the antidote is!" Draco was almost shouting frantically.
Professor Snape sighed audibly. "Calm down, Mr. Malfoy. I'll do some diagnostic spells and see what I come up with. Report to Madam Pomphrey and tell her I will be there shortly."
Draco ran back to the Hospital Wing and relayed the news to Madam Pomphrey. In turn, the nurse told him that she had managed to slightly lower Ron's fever, but was afraid to give him other potions for fear that it would have bad effects with the one Ron had already taken. She granted Draco's request to stay in the Hospital Wing to watch Ron, at least until Professor Snape came back with news.
Draco sat by the bed looking worriedly at the sickly pale boy lying down. His entire body was shaking, as though he was shivering and an occasional groan was heard. After what seemed like an eternity, Draco heard the door open. A familiar slow drawl was heard.
"Poppy, I need to speak with you in your office. Mr. Malfoy, I know you are over there. Come too, this involves you."
Draco stood up, taking one last look at the miserable-looking Ron, before following the two staff members into the office. Madam Pomphrey sat at her desk and motioned for Snape and Draco to sit in the other two chairs. The walls of the office were covered in shelves full of Healer's books and common healing potions. Snape cleared his throat.
"It seems as though Mr. Weasley attempted to make a batch of Pepper-Up Potion and made a few mistakes in his brewing. He has managed to make a batch of Navitaserum."
Draco looked confused. "Navitaserum? I've never heard of it, but doesn't –serum mean-"
"Truth potion," Snape said "Though a very mild one. Navitaserum is a primitive form of Pepper-Up. It energizes the mind, but not the body. If the drinker consumes enough of it over an extended period of time, the body will start to shut down from lack of energy, but it will not be able to sleep, as the mind is so energized. The truth part is just a side effect, really."
"Is there an antidote, Severus?" Madam Pomphrey asked
"Yes, that is where Mr. Malfoy comes in. I have a… meeting of sorts very soon. The antidote takes only twenty minutes or so to brew, but it is very advanced. As one of my top students, I was going to ask Mr. Malfoy to brew it." Snape said.
"With all due respect, Severus," Madam Pomphrey replied "Why didn't you ask Mr. Potter or Miss Granger? Surely Miss Granger is capable…"
"She was the first person I asked on the way up here. I had to drag her away from her beloved Mr. Thomas, but she, for some reason, declined."
To say that Draco was angry was a great understatement. "Granger can go suck a gobstone! She and Potty don't realize how much they've hurt my Weasley! I'll do the antidote and it will be a thousand times better than Granger can even dream of doing!" Draco yelled and stalked out of the office towards the potions rooms, leaving two shocked adults behind.
---------
Draco flipped through his Potions book and finally found the page with the antidote. He had the potion perfectly brewed in nineteen minutes flat. As he carefully bottled the antidote, he saw a warning at the bottom of the page. He read it out loud, muttering to himself.
"Warning: There are a few side effects to this potion. This potion may reverse some of the effects of the following charms: Petrificus Totalus, Engorgio, Muffliato, and" Draco stoped and stared at the page. He gulped loudly before murmuring, "Obliviate."
---------
A/N: I'm sorry guys, but no review replies this time… for some reason, I can't see any of the reviews on my computer right now… :( They'll all be there next time, I promise!