Keeping It Hidden (HP fandom)

[VividBubbles!]

Keeping It Hidden - A VividBubbles! and Emily Collaboration

Once upon a time there were two girls who both loved Harry Potter very much. So they collaborated and created this! It may have taken them 3 and a half months, but it is finally finished. They hope you enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: Both of these girls admit to not owning Harry Potter. Even if they wish they did.

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Part 1 (VB!)

Harry Potter had never really been a loud sneezer. Even when he was little he had always sneezed quietly, a tiny "ish!" that he had never made a big production of. Then, as Harry grew older, the Dursleys began to punish him every time he sneezed. Every little "ish!" or his stifled "ngx!" was rewarded with a slap on the head and being sent straight to his cupboard with the claim that he was going to get "Little Dudders" sick. So, Harry learned to silence his sneezes.

At first he would pinch his nose shut, then when the sneeze came, his head would bob forwards and no sound would come out. However, because pinching his nose didn't allow the irritant to be released by the sneeze, he usually had to stifle a few more times before the tickle went away. This was problematic. Sure, the Dursleys, being the dull bunch they are, wouldn't notice one completely silent, head-bobbing sneeze, but four or five? Well, they weren't completely stupid.

The Dursleys never really totally caught on to Harry's pinch sneezes, but he did notice that when his pinch sneeze fits happened more than once in a day Uncle Vernon was much more short with him, Aunt Petunia was constantly in a slappy mood, and he had a more than likely chance of getting sent to bed without supper. Harry decided he needed a different plan.

From then on Harry stifled his sneezes by tucking his head into his shoulder (which prevented the head-bob) and pinching his nose shut. He still had his pinch fits, and turning his head away had Uncle Vernon telling him to "Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy!", but the Dursleys didn't notice his sneezes anymore and getting yelled at was much better than getting slapped and sent to bed any day, so Harry was perfectly fine with it.

*****

Ron Weasley loved attention. It wasn't that he always wanted the spotlight on him or anything like that, it was just, he had lived with his large family for so long, and, with having so many other people in the house, it was hard for his mum and dad to always provide attention to everyone. He loved his family, but almost everyone with a sibling wishes to be an only child at least once. So Ron loved attention. But it was warranted.

As Ron grew older, he began to realize that if he wanted to get the attention he sought, the best way to do it was to be hurt or ill. So, whenever he was either, he'd amp up the production. When he was hurt he'd produce pathetic whines and whimpers that would make even the most adorable puppies pale in comparison. Then, when he was ill, he'd hack and cough and sneeze as loud as he could bare, producing large EISHHU!s that announced to the whole household that Ronald Weasley was sick and needed everyone's undivided attention.

Of course, he'd always try to keep from being nasty and gross. He wanted sympathy, not disgust. Ron would make a big production of all his aches and pains, colds and sniffles because, after all, he did truly love attention, and what better way to get it?

*****

Ronald Weasley sat in the middle of the Gryffindor table in the large Hogwarts dining hall. Harry sat in front of him while Hermione sat to his left, and Ginny sat to his right. Both girls were simply fawning over him, for, you see, over the course of the past four days Ron had developed a terrible head cold.

Edited October 31, 2012 by VividBubbles!

[Emily]

Weeeee I'm excited 8D CHEERS TO US FINALLY FINISHING THIS!

I keep wondering how we'll be responding to comments though LOL

Part 2 up tomorrow yay!

[EmeraldThread]

Yay, more Harry Potter! Recently I've been reading more HP threads and I'm getting a taste for these fics, and it's RON. Dude, can you pinpoint my favorite characters any better? I'm seriously looking forward to how this plays out! You're both wicked awesome writers and people and I've got no doubt this story will be just as great and do I sense future contagion? I like the start with the description of their sneezes, too.

[Sneezypeezy]

Please continue, you should make harry get a cold and Ron and hermione have to teach him to joint stifle because it's bad for him,mm I love this so far... MORE PLEASE

[VividBubbles!]

Weeeee I'm excited 8D CHEERS TO US FINALLY FINISHING THIS!

I keep wondering how we'll be responding to comments though LOL

Yes, cheers to us indeed! LOL

Okay, so I really have no idea how to respond to people like this so maybe, at the beginning of our parts, we give a general thank you to everyone who has commented and then possibly reply to certain people if we feel they deserve a recognition for their amazing comment or something on a part that we posted?

Besides that, I have no idea what to do.

Edited October 31, 2012 by VividBubbles!

[GeldingWest]

Oh my gosh yes! But why did you have to end it there!!? Please put the next part up soon. I'll be checking.

[Emily]

We're each going to be posting our parts everyday! (yay for daily posting)

@Elements: I know how you love Ron but after a while we kinda just shoved him in a closet and well...he comes back...sorta. You still get your Won-won!

@Sneezelover: ^^; Sorry we can't fulfill an requests because this has already been written out and stuff. (bad me for advertising, but you can ask for requests at my http://www.sneezefet...showtopic=47425)

@MadWonder: Thanks for reading! We're each posting our parts daily!

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Part 2 (E)

It was really a rather nasty cold, one that Ron didn’t need to particularly exaggerate to show the extent of his misery.

There was, however, much to be said about his large displays of sneezing and coughing, many of which went uncovered, allowing his sickness to spread wherever he went. Of course, by his side was his best friend. And of course, it was as per usual that said best friend caught whatever it was that Ron was making a show of, and suffered through it quietly without a word of complaint.

*****

It’s absolutely loathsome that potions has to be the first class of the day, a day that Harry feels particularly irritated, what with the dull ache in his head and stopped-up nose he can barely breathe through. Ron moans something about not finishing the essay because his head had hurt too much. Harry nods absently. Really, it would be fantastic if he just shut up about his stupid cold sometimes.

“Harry, Snape’s gonna kill me. Why didn’t I finish that stupid essay?”

“Honestly Ron, do you even need to ask? You were being a whining git the whole night while Harry was writing his,” Hermione retorts. “Besides, we had a week to write it. I finished mine last weekend.”

“’I finished mine last weekend,’” Ron mimics in a high-pitched voice, which results in a coughing fit that makes all three of them wince.

“Let’s get to class before Snape chews all our heads off,” Harry says hastily. The other two nod in agreement and pick up their paces wordlessly.

Harry sniffs gingerly; a small irritating feeling has settled itself in his nose. The cold air that always accompanies the dungeons has hit his nose at an odd angle this morning. The irritating feeling is building into an intolerable itch. Harry heaves a sigh and ducks into his shoulder to flinch four times in rapid succession.

“Harry, what are you doing back there? Hurry up!”

“R-right, comi-hh’iSH!” Harry sniffles in mild shock. That one had caught him by surprise. He anticipates the slap upside his head, then recalls where he is, and groans inwardly as he braces himself for much worse. At least next to Ron he won’t be as exposed to Snape’s snide remarks. Although, knowing him, he will probably dock as many points as he can for Ron’s lack of hygiene.

*****

The sharp odor of the crushed ginger today is really starting to bother Harry. It isn’t that it smells bad—there have been much worse, and the ginger smells quite nice actually, but it’s sharp and nose-clearing and making both Harry’s and Ron’s noses run. It’s particularly quiet today, so every sniffle and cough echoes in the large dungeon. Harry swallows often in attempts to wash away the itchy feeling nestled in his throat. Even Ron tries to draw as little attention to himself as possible. After all, Snape isn’t much one for doting. Ron shudders at the thought of a kind and caring Snape. The image leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

He stares down at his bowl of ginger. He really isn’t making much headway between coughing and half-heartedly crushing ginger while dreading the punishment when Snape collects the essays.

“Y’think maybe he’ll forget about collecting it?” he mutters to Harry.

“He wouldn’t miss a chance to dock points for late assignments.”

A shadow falls over the two as an icy voice inquires what they are whispering about.

“Would you two gentlemen care to share what you are gossiping about?” It is in a low voice, but he makes sure it is loud enough for everyone to hear.

Malfoy snickers on the opposite end of the room.

“Nothing, sir,” Harry responds plainly. He continues to mash his ginger, making a point to not look at him. His head throbs.

Ron chooses that moment to sneeze, upsetting his bowl of ginger juices and sending the dull blade he is holding flying backwards toward Snape.

“hahh-ESCHHuu!”

He recovers in a second, then realizes with horror that his knife is no longer in his possession and is, instead, levitating an inch away from Snape’s face. The knife drops with a clang on Ron’s cutting board.

“Twenty points from Gryffindor. Clean up that mess.”

Ron glowers at his knife, like it had wronged him. His ears turn bright red. As Snape walks away with a smug half-smile, Ron lets out a long string of curses under his breath.

“Language, Weasley. Five points from Gryffindor.”

Ron’s burning ears spread to his face in an angry red blush, giving him the overall appearance of a transfigured mutant tomato. Malfoy and his cronies are absolutely howling with laughter now.

“Perhaps, Potter, you should keep your idiot friend from doing anything to further embarrass himself, as he seems to be having difficulty doing so himself.”

Ron clenches his fists and opens his mouth to say something befitting the title Snape had bestowed upon him. Before he can say anything, Harry grinds the heel of his foot on his friend’s toe, crumpling his impudent expression into one of pain.

“Clever move, Potter.” Sneering, the greasy-haired potions master strides off again, leaving Ron to glare angrily at Harry.

“What was that for?” he mouths. This time Hermione intervenes, elbowing Ron in the waist.

“Give it a rest, Ron,” Hermione whispers, exasperated. “And isn’t it about time you started your brew?”

Most of the class had indeed already begun to throw their ingredients in their bubbling cauldrons. The spicy scent of ginger is even thicker now, and it’s reviving the imminent tickle in Harry’s nose. It ebbs into his throat, so when he starts to ask Hermione how much ginger he should add, his voice catches.

“Hermi—“ He turns away, and coughs hard into his wrist. He feels the uncomfortable piercing gazes of his friends behind his back and tries to swallow in a useless effort to cease the coughing. It’s to no avail; the conflicting actions simply make him choke, bringing about another bout of hacking.

“Blimey, you alright?” Ron stares at his friend in concern.

“Y-yeah, fi-fine,” Harry manages. Each expulsion of air from his lungs has left him breathless, and the fit has made his headache grow in increasing intensity. He clears his throat and holds himself upright. His head is positively splitting now – if there is someone sawing his head open, he wishes whoever it is will do it faster.

“I’m fine,” he repeats, turning back to his cauldron.

“Harry, you haven’t caught Ron’s cold, have you?” Hermione raises her eyebrow.

“Hermione, I’m fine,” he insists. “How much ginger do we need for this?”

“Three drops,” she replies, still eyeing him cautiously.

“Right, thanks.” Harry makes an effort to tone down his amount of exposure to the potion afterwards.

Hermione continues to peer at him curiously during the remainder of the lesson.

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[blackrose]

poor harry! i like this a lot you should keep going!

[stargazer]

Oooh. An HP fic! I really love this so far. Can't wait for an update.

[VividBubbles!]

blackrose: Oh, this'll definitely be continued! We're glad you like it!

stargazer: Yes, everyone should love HP and those who don't are meanies! Hope you like the update!

Part 3 (VB!)

It was almost the end of the horrid Potions lesson and Ron had all but abandoned his potion in favor of wallowing in self-pity.

"Harry!" he whisper-cries in despair. "What am I gonna do? This'll be my third late assignment! Snape'll have my head for sure!"

Ron then goes into a very detailed description of the various ways Snape is going to torture him in the detention he's sure is coming. The punishments are widely ranged. Everything from Snape feeding him to the Giant Squid that lives in the lake to transforming him into a redheaded ferret, as Moody had to Malfoy, to just sticking him out in the currently pouring rain outside where he'd develop pneumonia and die drowning in his own fluids, Madam Pomfrey powerless to save him.

That one makes Harry wince. He seems to be having the exact same problem at that moment. Biting back a cough that he knows will rattle his chest and give away his current ailment, he turns to Ron.

"Oh, bugger off Ron!" His voice comes out slightly raspy, but a lot better than he thought it would, albeit a bit harsh he admits to himself as he witnesses the flash of hurt that passes through his best mate's eyes.

He gives a small, exasperated sigh through his nose that nearly sends him over the edge. There's only 5 minutes left of class at the moment, 10 at most, and he isn't going to get himself discovered now. InPotions. With Snape.

Harry turns to the side of their table and grabs his C-grade essay on asphodel, its use in the Draught of Living Death, and its history.

"Here," he whispers, slipping Ron his essay under the table. If they're caught now, it won't be just an hour of detention to worry about. "Take notes. Then you'll at least have something to turn in."

Ron quickly snatches the report from Harry's hand and flips to the first page, expertly concealing the essay under the table. They’ve done this many times before. Hermione glances up at them only once to give a disapproving glare. Harry's not even relieved. She's going to lecture them later. He can tell.

The 7 minutes left of class pass way too slowly for Harry's liking as he tries to prepare not only his potion, but Ron's as well. In between checking for Snape (who has slunk off to who knows where) and stirring he and Ron's potions for exactly 4 minutes and 6 seconds, he rubs at his head. He wonders if the lumberjack inside is going to get tired any time soon.

When he looks up (17 seconds to go) to check for Snape again he catches Hermione sending a suspicious glance his way. But Hermione turns her eyes back to her potion (her complete potion) quickly and Harry's left to wonder if he only imagined it.

When the 17 seconds are finally up (they were a long 17 seconds—longer than microwave seconds, the longest of all the seconds) Harry's so full of joy he accidentally drops one of his spoons. He leans down and realizes that this couldn't have happened at a better moment.

The prickly tickle that's been in the very back of his nose is moving and growing and Harry pinches his nose shut and flinches 5 times into his robe-covered shoulder. He then hastily seizes the stirring spoon and sits up, promptly bashing his head into the wooden table.

He can hear Malfoy and his goons snickering behind him. He rubs at his head and grimaces. It feels as if the lumberjack was provided with a very efficient and well brewed Vitamix Potion. As Harry massages the growing lump on his head he watches as a shadow suddenly falls across the table. Of course, Snape decides to show up now.

Harry can hear the smirk in Snape's oily voice as he says something insulting to him. He doesn't really listen, instead mumbling a quiet "sorry, sir" before falling silent once again, waiting for Snape to leave. Eventually, the Potions Master stalks away, his black robes billowing behind him.

Snape stops at the head of the classroom and the minimal chatter that had been going on before comes to a sudden and abrupt stop.

"If you'll all now hand in your essays, class is dismissed."

Eager students hurry to get in line (knowing what would happen if they tried to swarm Snape to hand in their essays), ready to leave the gloomy dungeons. Harry is just as ready to leave as everyone else but he, Hermione, and Ron hang back for a few seconds, letting the line diminish before joining it.

Hermione is the first to hand in her essay. It's a twenty something odd pages about the uses and history of gilliweed—a plant she's been interested in ever since Harry used it in the Second Task. Ron is next. Snape sneers as he hands in his meager 2 pages of notes, as if he expected this of the young ginger.

Snape's expression turns to one of disgust as Ron turns to the side to stifle his sneezes (and fail) twice into his elbow.

"hehh-EGNGHSHuu! ESHNGaa!"

The sneezes give way to coughs and Harry watches as Snape's face twists even more. He has to clench his teeth to keep back his own coughs as he hands in his mediocre 7 pages.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all eagerly leave the damp, murky dungeons together, relieved to finally get away from Snape.

*****

[EmeraldThread]

I'm really liking where this is going (and I promise not to be too disappointed knowing that you're throwing Ron in a closet in favor of Harry )! Every time Harry stifles, all I can think is "Jeez, I can't wait until he gets caught. " But hey, both are awesome, and I'm really glad you decided to put Ron in here at all, I love you guys. :3

[Sneezypeezy]

Update soon please <3 I really want Harry to et caught! But I don't cause then I'll feel bad lol (: but oh well :3 Love this!

[Emily]

@Elements: ; 3 ; My deepest apologies. One day when the muse comes back and NaNo is over, Ron will reenter our lives LOL Hermione will so totally make sure he gets caught.

@Sneezelover: And we love you! :'D thank you for reading (lol again)

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Part 4 (E)

“Harry? Harry! Oy, you still with us there, mate?” Ron flaps his arm haphazardly in Harry’s face.

“What?” He blinks away the sleepiness from his clouded green eyes.

“I said I owe you one for lending me your essay.”

“Wha- yeah, I mean, no, it’s fine. It’s not going to help you much. A troll could’ve written something like that. You would’ve done the same.”

Hermione huffs indignantly, ready to begin her tirade on copying homework.

“Oh no, you don’t! Ron, you should NOT have accepted it—“ she turns on Harry “—and Harry, you shouldn’t have offered!” She whips her fiery gaze back on Ron, who gulps and shrinks back. “What if you were caught? You were copying his essay right under Snape’s nose!”

Ron scowls angrily. “I wasn’t copying! I was taking notes, and besides, look, this is Snape we’re talking about. If it was anyone but Snape then I—“

“You would have done it anyway! You must think I’m stupid if you believe that after four years, I still don’t know how lazy you are, Ronald Weasley. If your mother knew—“

“Knew what, that I copied homework? For Merlin’s sake, as if my mother didn’t already know that. Quit exaggerating things, Hermione.”

The witch flings her arms in the air, evidently furious, but she can’t think of a retort to counter his words. She exhales angrily and pushes between the two boys, storming ahead. Harry stumbles backward a few steps, suddenly unable to keep a solid grip on his sense of balance. He shakes his head doggedly in an attempt to clear his swimming vision. This goes unnoticed by the redhead, who is busying himself with glaring daggers at Hermione and muttering under his breath.

“Just because she thinks she’s so smart.”

Harry sighs tiredly and continues walking. “C’mon, Ron, let’s go. Moody might decide to turn us both into ferrets this time.” The thought of a bright red ferret doing synchronized bouncing alongside a black one does not sound particularly appealing. The very idea makes the itch that had lain dormant in his nose resurface.

Harry curls into his shoulder and promptly clamps his flaring nostrils shut, silencing three painful sneezes, each sending waves of pain through his head. The rest are not so inconspicuous.

“hh’NGKK-tt! EhNN-shh!”

“Why aren’t you walk—“

“Uhh-ISHH!-ksh!” Harry sniffs thickly before responding with a congested, “Dothig, let’s go.”

*****

“Late again, eh Potter? Weasley?” Moody greets them with a growl. “Sit down. I think you’ll enjoy this one.” His magical eye swerves around unnervingly, as though dancing in agreement. Ron shoots a look at his friend, who shrugs and motions to sit. They take their respective seats and each turns aside to cough, one unabashedly, and one timorously.

“Wands out. Miss Granger, how many times must I tell you we won’t be needing those textbooks?” Hermione blushes deeply and timidly slides her books back into her bag. Moody continues, “We’ll be blasting things today. A little break from the Imperius Curse.” Sighs of relief are heard from all about the room. Even though they were starting to gain immunity to the curse, it is still unpleasant to have voices in their heads telling them to dance on desks. Moody flicks his wand. Every move he makes appears menacing, but Harry tells himself that it’s just because of his wrinkly old scars and wooden leg and swirling magical blue eye. Spiders appear in front of each student. Ron gulps loudly, eyes bugging out.

“Why spiders again…” he chokes.

“Learn to like ‘em, Weasley. Or hate them more and concentrate on killing them with one clean blast.” Moody raises his wand again. “Repeat after me and aim at your spiders. Confringo!” A jet of fire neatly burns the spider in front of Ron to a crisp. He coughs nervously. “Get on with it now. Apologies Weasley, here’s a new one.”

Before Harry can even lift his wand, Seamus Finnigan sets off one of his renowned giant explosions, sending clouds of black smoke in every direction. He stands in the middle of the fumes, face blackened and hair blown out of proportion.

Harry makes the mistake of breathing in the smoke cloud, and he again finds himself bent over at the waist hacking painfully into bent arm, conscious of at least two pairs of eyes on him. It is almost irritating, the way they all gape. It’s like they’d never seen someone cough.

“Got a cold there, Potter?” Harry shakes his head lightly and mumbles a quick “no, sir.” “Better take some Pepper-Up before the next task.” Professor Moody clunks away to examine the damage done by Seamus’s explosion.

“Harry, are you sure you feel all right?” Hermione has apparently gotten over her earlier episode. Or not. Ron, who is situated between them, is sneezing with great gusto but Hermione blatantly ignores his showy display and reaches her hand out over him to feel Harry’s forehead.

Harry stops her hand midway and plasters on what feels like a reassuring smile.

“’m fine. It was just the smoke.”

Hermione frowns, withdrawing her hand. She wants to press on. She wants to ask him what was wrong. She wants to make him admit to what he’s hiding.

“You won’t learn anything in my class if you don’t do anything.” Hermione jumps, suddenly aware that Moody is in front of her and levitating her runaway spider in her face. “Start blasting, Granger.”

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Hermione says in a small, embarrassed voice. She immediately fries her spider, causing Ron to look her way in disgust. She ignores him again, and continues to observe Harry’s strange behavior while she absently summons and blasts spiders.

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[Sneezypeezy]

I love your writing <3 this story is getting intense. poor harry!

[stargazer]

I'm still loving this!

Looks like Harry won't be able to hide his cold for much longer.

[Sneezypeezy]

Please update soon (: I'm in love! <3 I can't stop commenting either lol! Harry needs to get his stifiling under control... Or hermione and Ron are gonna find out... And we wouldn't want that.... Maybe (;

[EmeraldThread]

I just realized I read this hours ago and forgot to comment.

Anyway, STILL AWESOME. I love how it's getting harder and harder for Harry to hide his sneezing (and those spellings were great ) and I so want everyone to find out about this. Or at least Ron and Hermione to fully realize what's up. I really thought there was going to be fainting in this part and I was like (more so than I was already).

So looking forward to the next update!

[Sneezypeezy]

Okay, one last comment for now... This is my favorite Harry potter fic ever! <3 I really want Harry to explain to ron and hermione why he stifles and then they have to try to get him to not do it anymore! That would make my life!(: love you Ive been stalking this page for the update!(:

[VividBubbles!]

Sneezelover123: I agree. Emily's writing is definitely amazing. And yes, poor Harry indeed. Good thing we're torturing Ron in this part. LOL.

Stargazer: Oh, Harry definitely won't be hiding his illness for much longer.

Sneezelover123: Look, an update! Yeah, Harry's not doing so well with his stifling.

ElementsofGray: Oh, fainting will come, my dear. Fainting will come. Anyways, glad you like it!

Sneezelover123: I love your enthusiasm girl! LOL. And of course, stalking is just another form of flattery, so thank you for stalking!

Part 5 (VB!)

Harry stares glumly at the plate in front of him. Ever since the smoke incident in DADA his head has been pounding. He rubs at it, annoyed.

“Harry? Are you sure you’re all right?”

Harry sighs and plasters a smile on his face before looking up at Hermione.

“Hermione, for the third time, I’m perfectly fine. The smoke just got to me is all.” Harry says, exasperated but trying to hide it.

He knows Hermione is just concerned and it’s sweet but Harry can handle a little cold by himself. After all, he’s handled much worse.

“I mean, look at Ron.”

Harry gestures to the pale, freckled boy on the other side of Hermione. Ron’s coughing into his fist blatantly and, as his chest rattles and shakes, Harry is concerned for his friend.

“Oh, Ron,” Hermione says, worry in her voice as she begins rubbing soothing circles into his back, “That cough sounds horrible!”

“N-no…. ‘m.. ‘m fi—“

Ron sputters as he coughs and shakes his head. Hermione continues to rub his back and after another minute or so the coughing begins to subside.

“It’s.. it’s okay, Hermione,” Ron turns back to the table and Hermione hands him a cup of tea that had appeared while Ron was coughing.

Ron nods his thanks and sips the tea gingerly, not wanting to ignite another bout of coughing. He soon, however, has to place it back onto the table before diving into his robe’s elbow to sneeze twice.

“hh-ECHSHuu! ESHNCHii!

Harry can’t help but softly chuckle at the girly sneeze that comes from Ron. “Harry, shh,” Hermione chides him, slapping his arm playfully while trying to hide her own amused grin.

“Yeah, Harry. Shud up, you gid,” Ron says stuffily before lightly coughing into his fist. Harry watches as worry leaks back into Hermione’s eyes.

“You know, Ron, you should definitely get some Pepper-Up for that cough,” she says, grabbing ahold of Ron’s hand and using it to drag him from the table. He wobbles for a second but Hermione’s grip steadies him.

“Are you coming, Harry?” She asks the raven-haired boy.

Harry looks up at Hermione, his brain slowly processing what she just asked him. “Wha-? Oh, umm,” he stammers, “No. I think I-hh.” His voice catches, a tickle flaring up in his nose. “I’ll stay heh-here. Finish my lunch.”

Hermione sends Harry a confused, suspicious glace but accepts defeat when Ron begins to cough once again. “Alright, Harry. See you later.”

Harry waits for his friends to leave the Great Hall before standing and quickly heading out himself. He hurries up a staircase and heads into the bathroom where he shuts himself in a stall before letting the sneezes overcome him.

“hh-ISH! ESH! ECHSH! heh.. ihh… eh.. ISHCHaa!”

Harry grabs a few pieces of toilet paper and blows his nose softly. He flushes the make shift tissues and heads to the sink to wash his hands. Rain pounds on a window to the left of him and he heads to it. It’s raining heavily outside though not exactly storming. Harry watches as the rain continues to fall before a flash of color catches his eye.

Harry notices that he can see the Quidditch pitch from the window. Suddenly, he catches sight of a person on a broom. His curiosity gets the better of him and he climbs the stairs to his dormitory, grabs his broom, and heads down to the Quidditch pitch.

Edited November 3, 2012 by VividBubbles!

[Sneezypeezy]

Omg love love love! Harry did have his stifiling a little more under control though... But that just will make It more amazing when he loses it! please another update tonight <3 this suspense is killing me!!! And now Harry will get even more sick when he goes outside in the rain! Yumm <3 more please!

[stephab13]

Wow. You guys are evil! Not that I'm complaining.

It's written so well, too! Very in character, and your voice(s?) jump off the page... er... screen :-)

[GeldingWest]

Oh Harry, why? Why would you go outside? In the rain!! Are you trying to torture me with your delightful sneezes?! Apparently and I love it! Love! Cookies for both of you wonderful writers!!

[Emily]

screw this it's almost tomorrow right now anyway I offer humbly the next part a little earlier.

@Sneezelover: 8D ohoho, you and I share similar views heheh. Losing control is the best thing evaaar!

@stephab: You're certainly one to talk about evilness! (you and your little tortured Warblers ) :'D THANK YOU!

@MadWonder: dude, I love your name LOL I'll keep VividBubbles!'s cookies safely tucked away in a place nobody will ever find them >)

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Part 6 (E)

Harry clutches his Firebolt, hurrying through the halls before Ron and Hermione come back from the hospital wing. His head hurts tremendously but all he wants to do right now is to fly.

“Harry, where’re you going?” Harry turns in the direction of the voice, nearly losing his footing. He sees Neville and sighs in relief.

“Quidditch practice,” Harry replies casually.

“Oh.” Neville continues down the hall until it dawns on him that there is no Quidditch Cup this year. “Wait, Harry, you can’t possibly have Quidditch practice!” He notices the rain pouring outside. “And it’s raining!”

Harry is conveniently out of earshot when this realization hits Neville.

*****

Harry stands at the great doors and looks outside hesitantly. The pounding in his head is growing, and the cold air hits him squarely in the chest. The rain is also pelting harder than it had been ten minutes ago, and whoever was outside earlier had gone back in.

“Just for a bit,” he promises himself, striding into the downpour. He points his wand at his fogging glasses and mutters, “Impervius.” His vision doesn’t clear up, so he frowns at his wand—is that his wand? He is sure it was never so bendy that it appeared to be a wriggling black snake. Harry scrunches his eyes close tightly and gives a few tentative shakes of his head. His wand is reverted back to its original form. A chill runs down Harry’s spine; he better start flying soon.

He mounts his broom clumsily, and with all the gracefulness of a rock, he kicks off the ground. The usual exuberance that fills him when he flies is absent and replaced instead by a sudden weight that threatens to pull him back to the ground. Harry flies crookedly and grips his handle with cold, clammy hands as he circles the field. His head feels as though it’s on fire, but he’s so cold that his teeth are knocking against each other.

The persistent tickle in his nose suddenly jumps the urgency meter several notches into the red. Harry doesn’t even have time to crane his neck towards his shoulder as his breathing quickens and he sneezes openly into the air.

“ehISHhu! Hh’ESCHuu—ITShoo!”

This is enough to send Harry somersaulting through the rain. His head thuds sickeningly and he reels forward—or sideways? He can’t tell—almost losing his grip on his broom. The rain hits him harder and Harry wisely decides that he’s done for the day.

He lands unsteadily and wobbles his way back to the castle, breathing heavily.

*****

“Oh Harry, there you are!” The one person Harry doesn’t want to see is running frantically towards him. “Why are you—“ Hermione gasps. “You haven’t been flying in that, have you? Oh Harry, why?” She whips out her wand and mutter a few incantations. Harry’s drenched robes are instantly dry, but he realizes then that he is shivering uncontrollably, and quite noticeably.

“Thagks,” he mumbles quietly. “Goig bagk to start by hh-hobe-hobe—“ He interrupts himself to pinch his nose shut three times in his shoulder-tuck position. “eh-NNk! NNgx-shh! Hh’ehIH-NGt!—uhh.”

He finds Hermione’s hand holding his arm. Hermione is disconcerted that her grip is the only thing keeping Harry from falling over.

“Harry, you need to see Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione protests angrily. “Why must you insist on being so stubborn?”

Harry knows she’s right, she’s always right, but he doesn’t feel like verbalizing his overall weakness right now. He wrenches his arm weakly from her grasp.

“’s dot like I’ll die,” he slurs hoarsely.

“Well, you’re certainly not winning any arguments with that if you’re flying around in the rain with a fever!” Hermione shrieks.

“Oh, shud up, Hermione,” Harry mumbles tiredly. Her piercing voice is making his ears ring. “And I haved’t got a fever.”

“Fine!” Hermione snaps. “See if I care that tomorrow’s headline will be ‘The Boy Who Fainted!’”

Harry watches her storm off. In a sort of dazed stupor, he makes his way to the library, dragging along his Firebolt and lead-filled feet. No one would think to look for him there, he hopes.

He’s not even aware of the stares and whispers he gets, sitting alone in the library with his Firebolt propped against his chair and an unopened book laying on the table. His head droops lower and lower until he crumples into his folded arms across the table, sinking into a restless sleep.

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

OH HOW I LOVE SENDING SICK FEVERISH BOYS IN THE RAIN

Edited November 4, 2012 by Emily

[Sneezypeezy]

Mmmmm (: this is getting more hot every update... If that's even possible <3 thanks for the update!(: love this! Hermione knows <3 yay lol but there's a lot she doesn't

[EmeraldThread]

Please keep sending sick, feverish boys into situations that will make them suffer.

LOVE. Very much love for the both of you, I'm pretty darn excited that I got to read both parts together. :3 This is getting really good, though. I mean, better. It was already really good. I love Harry's sneezes more and more, and Hermione being all worried about him is so sldkfjkdljfsYES.