Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the encouraging reviews that I received since I posted the author's note. Many of you are right about staying true to what I wanted and not letting people's opinions change what or how I write– and the story has been put back where it originally was =) So Exam Week has started but because my Sociology TA messed up the assignment, it is now MUCH shorter than expected and I celebrated by writing a chapter! I know it's short but I promise I'll write another one ASAP. Enjoy!

Hermione lay in her bed. She was exhausted and yet she couldn't fall asleep. She kept listening for Ron but as far as she could tell, Ron had fallen asleep and the tent was quiet except for the snores coming from Harry's direction. Hermione rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking.

This was a new experience for her. She had never thought there would be something she would have to back down from and of all things, it had to be hurting Ron. She hated not being able to look the answer up in a book or fix it with a wave of her wand. And it hurt her watch Ron suffer like this; she would gladly switch places with him, if that was possible.

Ron, like Hermione, was exhausted but couldn't seem to fall asleep. He couldn't get comfortable – just about any position besides lying flat out hurt his stomach and Ron had never been able to sleep on his back. He lay there, enjoying the coolness of the cloth against his warm skin. He now truly regretted his decision to drink that water and he wondered how he could've ever been so stupid. Even after knowing they had been careful about making sure their water was safe, he still had to take a drink of it. Although it had been refreshing at the time, he was paying the price now. It was that bloody horcrux, Ron thought as he shifted on the camp cot that had once felt comfortable. But after today, Ron never wanted to spend another night in it. He wished he would just get better but he knew that it would take time. Ron sighed.

Hermione heard Ron sigh and she pushed herself up on her elbow. Squinting through the semi-dark tent, she saw Ron move. Hermione threw back her blanket and stood up quietly. She padded through the tent and stopped in the opening to Ron's 'bedroom'.

"Ron?" she whispered.

"Hermione?"

"Are you okay? You were sighing."

"I'm fine." Ron whispered back. Hermione came and sat on the edge of Ron's bed.

"Are you sure?" she asked, gently removing the compress. She re-wet and replaced it.

"I'll be okay, Hermione." Ron said.

"I feel so bad for you. And I can't do anything to help." Hermione spilled her thoughts to Ron.

"It's my own fault, Hermione. I'm the one who drank that water. It's my fault I'm sick." Ron's words did little to comfort Hermione and a single tear slid down her cheek. Ron reached up, wincing, and wiped it away.

"Hey, look at me." Ron said and Hermione, her eyes now swimming in tears, looked at Ron.

"This is not your fault. I'm not mad or anything because you can't do anything about it."

"I know but I feel bad for you. I wish we could trade places."

Ron's heart went through a range of emotions when he heard Hermione's words. It was incredibly sweet of her to want to trade places but then, he'd expect nothing less of his caring friend. On the other hand, Ron would never allow them to trade places, if was even possible. He couldn't imagine what it would be like, seeing Hermione in this much pain.

"Trust me, you don't want to have this."

"But it's going to wear you down, Ron. It'll take you weeks to recover from this. I just wish there was some way that Harry or I could take some of it from you."

"Hermione." Ron said seriously. "Even if there is a way to do that, don't. Having three half sick wizards is certainly worse than having one fully sick wizard and two healthy ones."

"But we'd all get better much quicker than you would if it was just you." Hermione's mind was racing; she was getting an idea.

"What?" Ron's clouded mind did not follow what Hermione had said.

"If all three of us split the sickness, then we'd each only be sick a few days, right? Well, being sick a few days isn't too hard to recover from. But being sick for a week or so takes awhile to recover from. And if we all had it for a day at a time, we wouldn't have a hard time getting better in the days between."

Hermione's eyes were shining and Ron knew she was cooking up a scheme and he knew he was able to do very little to stop her. He only hoped Harry saw things from his point of view. If there was ever a disagreement, it was voted upon and it looked like Harry would be the deciding vote.

"I've got to wake Harry." Hermione exclaimed, jumping up. Her sudden movement made Ron's bed bounce resiliently and Ron groaned and grabbed his stomach.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. Don't do that!" Ron moaned.

"Sorry."

"And don't wake Harry up yet. If he agrees with you about this, he's going to need all the sleep he can get. You don't sleep easily when you're throwing up every few minutes."

Hermione thought and decided Ron was right.

"And you should get some sleep while you can, too." Ron said. "I've got a feeling that there's no talking you out of whatever plan you're coming up with."

Hermione's faced portrayed no emotion.

"You should get some sleep Ron."

"I will if you will."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Call if you need anything." she said before turning back to her bed. She crawled in and lay there, wide awake. There was no way she could fall asleep now; her mind was going a million miles an hour.

Would it work? Hermione couldn't think why it wouldn't. She had seen much more complicated uses of the spell before and they had all worked perfectly. However, they had been done by Professor McGonagall but this wasn't that hard.

What could go wrong? Well, about a million things could go wrong but Hermione could just tell that it would work. And if it did work, then they could take turns being sick.

Hermione remembered reading that Giardia usually hung on for a week to two weeks and as long as the patient stayed hydrated, it would take care of itself. That meant that they would each have to take three or four days.

If it did work, there was a lot they could to do to make the disease as short-lived as possible. Being hydrated at the beginning … but that might not work totally, Hermione realized. But being rested wouldn't change, would it?

As Ron had realized, Hermione knew that having Harry's support in this plan would be vital. If he didn't agree then Ron would go on being sick alone.

Hermione sighed impatiently as Harry snored away.

So here's to TA's that mess up the assignment =) I know I left you with a cliffie but it was just too good of a chance to pass up. Review?