Fun in the Summer

three

They all met for a simple lunch of sandwiches and fruit. To Rose's relief, the tables weren't segregated by sex, so she was able to sit with Harry and Neville, and Ginny and Luna joined them.

After lunch they were told to take their trays of food up to the service area, where camp elves would take them away to clean. Most of the other children did this with no fuss, although Harry noted that Draco told Greg to take his, and Pansy told Tracey to take hers.

Ms Burbage beamed at them as they all lined up outside the communal hall. "Right, now we are going to go on a nature hike. There are some lovely flora around these areas, and you may come across some creatures. I must ask that you do not attempt to catch the creatures but you may leave some food for them. Our camp elves have prepared some bags of food scraps for them, you can take one soon. Now, I have highlighted which path we are going to take, I ask that you buddy up, we don't want anybody getting lost." She began to hand out a pamphlet of all that the camp had to offer, including several hikes in the area, one of which was highlighted.

Ginny grabbed Luna's hand. Naturally, the twins paired up, with Lavender hovering near them. Greg and Vince paired up, as did Draco and Theo. Pansy paired with Tracey, Daphne with Astoria and Susan with Hannah. Terry and Anthony paired up too. Harry looked torn between his sister and his best friend, while Ernie flushed at being picked last for the boys.

"It's all right, Harry, I'll pair with Ernie," offered Neville kindly, "go and look after Rose, she looks a bit lost." He moved to stand next to Ernie, offering to be his hiking buddy. Ernie nodded in relief, and Harry moved to stand next to his sister, who grabbed his hand and held on tightly.

"We'll be hiking for an hour, and then we will come back and do some arts and crafts, so take note of what we see on our hike. You may like to draw or paint a picture of something that takes your interest, the views are magnificent. There are several flowering bushes on our hiking path that you may pick from, these are noted in your pamphlet," explained Ms Burbage.

Harry looked over at Neville, who looked keen to find the flowers. Luna was whispering in Ginny's ear. Draco merely looked bored.

They set off, with the Patil twins eagerly following their leader. Terry and Anthony were second, with Susan and Hannah close behind them. The rest followed at their own pace, which soon made a gap from the front pack.

Draco had no interest in walking for the sake of walking, nor take in the impressive scenery. He did, however, find it amusing to walk amongst the foliage, holding a branch back till the very last moment, so it flung back and smacked Greg and Vince in the face. He cracked up laughing, ignoring the two boy's scowls.

"That's not very nice to treat your friends that way," said Rose, bravely.

"What's it to you?" sneered Draco.

Harry stepped protectively in front of his sister. "It's just not very nice, that's all. But they're your friends, so it's none of our business, Rose."

"That's right, do-gooder. You'll be a Hufflepuff for sure," stated Draco. He pushed past Ginny and Luna, who were coming to see if Rose needed help. He elbowed Luna and she fell to the ground.

"Hey!" called Ginny angrily, as she helped Luna to stand. Draco ignored her, stomping away from the path they were supposed to stay on. Reluctantly, Theo followed him, looking back at the others, shrugging with some sort of regret.

"I don't like that boy," said Ginny. She looked at her friend. "Luna, are you all right?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine, but I fear Draco and Theo aren't. That path is full of dangers, look," exclaimed Luna. Sure enough, the path the boys had taken was marked with a large X, stating in large letters it was not safe to take.