Chapter 12

Revealed Secrets


It didn't take long for Harry to start to feel comfortable in Everwood. Everyone treated him like family and it seemed as though Ron was their family. It was nice for Harry to take a break from magic. No one in Everwood knew about the magical world, and seeing as they were living with a Muggle, they were basically prohibited from using it. Cam seemed completely comfortable with Harry and Ron, making Ron feel relieved and appreciative of his friends.

They'd been able to go to dinner at the Burrow once a week, which had made Ron's mum all the more happy with the two boys. None of Ron's family ever brought up the fact that they were more than friends, but didn't seem too uncomfortable by it either.

Jeremy had been working near-constantly looking to find ways to treat Ron's illness. He had Ron come in three times a week to check in. As far as Harry was concerned, Ron just worked later on those days and Jeremy was just a friend he'd met through Amanda. They'd only been there two weeks when Ron had another episode.

Amanda and Cam were making dinner and Harry was sitting in the kitchen visiting with them. Ron was watching the telly and, when he felt the episode coming, he ran back to his bathroom and grabbed the phone to call Jeremy. He'd gotten sick twice by the time Amanda came looking for him.

"Ron, dinner is- Ron! Are you okay? Cam!" Amanda had run over to Ron and wrapped her arms around him. Cam came running into the room with a giant bowl in his hands, Harry on his heels. He picked Ron up gently and walked him back to Ron and Harry's room, laying him on he bed and putting the bowl next to him.

"I'll call Jeremy!" Cam shouted, leaving the room again.

"Stop, he's on his way. Relax, I'm fine," Ron croaked, his voice sore from being sick. Amanda called to Cam to come back. Harry stood in the doorway of the room, watching Ron. His face looked torn. Ron locked eyes with him, a determined look on his face hoping to calm Harry down.

Cam came up behind Harry and put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Come on, Harry, let's grab Ron a glass of water. He'll be fine, Jeremy's coming over to look at him,"

Harry let Cam lead him away from the room. Ron felt defeated. Defeated by this disease. He leaned grabbed the bowl and got sick again. Amanda sat on the bed and rubbed his back, and Cam came back in with a glass of water, which Ron took gratefully. Cam looked back at the door at a shy-looking Harry and smiled gently. There was a knock at the front door, so Cam left to grab it. Harry walked in slowly and knelt down next to the bed. Amanda got up and walked out of the bedroom, muttering something about talking to Jeremy.

Harry put his hand on the side of Ron's face and looked into his blood-shot eyes. He glance around the room cautiously before pulling his wand out from under the mattress of their bed and muttering a spell under his breath. A wet washcloth came flying toward them and Harry caught it and softly ran it over Ron's sweaty forehead.

"You're sick," Harry whispered.

"I'm fine, Harry. Just must have a stomach flu or something," Ron responded, trying to sound stronger than he felt. He leaned forward and kissed Harry. He knew Harry wasn't convinced, but he just prayed that Harry could let it go and not over-exaggerate it. Jeremy came into the room then, swift yet calm, and went to the other side of the bed.

"How's he holding up, Harry?" Jeremy asked lightly.

"I guess that's up to you, isn't it?" Harry said, smiling politely and trying to hide the worry in his eyes.

Jeremy smiled and looked at Ron quickly, noticing the plea in his eyes. "Probably just a little stomach flu, nothing to be worried about. I've got to take a look at Ron for a minute, Harry, could you possibly go grab him a fresh glass of water please?"

Harry nodded before looking down at Ron and kissing him on the forehead. "I'll be right outside,"

Ron nodded and watched as Harry left. He turned to Jeremy.

"Thanks," Ron told Jeremy.

"Of course. Look, Ron, I've been really looking into this thing, but the fact of the matter is that it's getting worse. I'm working with the best doctors is the world right now and we're at a loss. We might need to start keeping you in the hospital and see what's going on in your brain and body daily as well as what happens with them when you have an episode. I'm not quite sure what else to do at this point,"

Ron stared at Jeremy intently. He had an internal debate with himself and then finally took a deep breath and began as best as he could.

"Jeremy, there's something you should know. I need you to take it calmly and hear me out. Bullocks. I dunno how to say it. I think it's the only way to make me better. Jeremy, I'm a…I'm a wizard. There's a magical world and we keep it secret from non-magic folk. They are the ones who sent me to you, my kind of doctors. I think that, now that you know what the disease is, it's time to get them back involved,"

Jeremy stared at Ron for at least five minutes, his face screwed up. Ron pulled his wand out from under the mattress where it was kept with Harry's. He waved his wand at the bowl full of sick from before Jeremy arrived. The contents of the bowl vanished. Jeremy's breath caught and he started to stammer. Ron pulled out the phone and called Hermione, desperately needing help in this situation.

Hermione arrived not a full minute later and sat with Jeremy, explaining things to him, for nearly half an hour. Afterwards, he came back to the bed and sat down on it, deep in thought, while he looked at Ron.

"How soon can we get them involved?" Jeremy asked. Ron smiled and gave Hermione a grateful look. The Healers arrived ten minutes later after Jeremy had dipped out to explain to Amanda, Cam, and Harry that he was doing tests to see what was the matter with their friend. Hermione couldn't show herself due to Amanda and Cam not knowing how she'd gotten there, and Jeremy didn't want Harry to know the extent of what was going on.


Two days later, an owl tapped at their kitchen window. Ron sent a silent thanks to Merlin that Cam had spent the night at Amanda's the night before. The note was from his mother. In a scribble that screamed anger at Ron, Molly Weasley had written how she expected him at the Burrow that evening because something needed to be 'discussed'. Ron rolled his eyes and chucked the note. He explained to Harry that they'd be going to dinner at the Burrow that night instead of the following night as originally planned. Harry was fine with it.

When they arrived at the Burrow that evening, there was a copy of the Daily Prophet sitting on the front counter. A picture of Ron was on the cover, lying in their bed in Everwood with Harry knelt beside him. Ron watched as Harry's photographed self leaned down and kissed Ron's forehead and stood up from the bed. A gasp that came from his left made him jump. He looked at Harry who had his hand over his mouth, his face screwed up. Ron looked back down at the paper. 'The Boy Who Lived, Saving His Friend From a Deadly Disease' was the headline. Ron closed his eyes and tried to re-even out his breath.

"Is it true, Ronald?" Molly Weasley screeched, coming into the kitchen. "Sit! Tell me, now, are you dying?"

Ron could tell she'd been crying because her eyes were swollen and her face was splotchy. Ron took a steady breath and looked up at her from where she'd sat him down. Harry was standing next to her, looking down at Ron with such a look of hurt and dread that it made Ron's heart hurt.

"Yeah, mum. I'm sick,"

The world knew. And Harry and my family were the last to know. Don't judge me. I'm not expecting you to understand. The point is, I told them. I told him. And it was his decision to make for what he wanted to do next. Keep in mind: True love is never happy. Not this love, at least. What's weird is that, especially in our circumstance, it's okay that it isn't happy. Because at the end of the day, if it was always happy it wouldn't be able to be real. And if we were anything, we were real. So now he knew. And the story continues.


Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I have another coming soon. My sincerest apologies for putting this story on hiatus for so long, but I'm back to finish it up! I'd love it if you could leave some reviews to let me know what you think! Thanks so much!