" Do I have to go?" whined eleven year old Harry Potter to his mother.
"Harry, we've already been over this. Yes, you are going to summer camp. Neville will be there with you, and so will your sister. It's just four days, sweetheart," soothed Lily Potter. "Thurs, Friday, Saturday and on Sunday you'll come home."
Harry looked at his sister, Rose. She poked her tongue out at him. "I'm not hanging around with my brother," she taunted.
" Good," replied Harry, crossly. He turned back to his mother. "I still have to get my things for Hogwarts," he reminded her.
" We still have two weeks after camp before you leave for Hogwarts," responded Lily gently. " You'll be fine, sweetheart."
" Aw, are you gonna miss your mummy?" teased Rose.
Harry scowled. " That's enough, Rosie," chided Lily. "Now, upstairs and pack. We'll be leaving early in the morning to get you to the bus."
"A bus?" asked Rose.
" Yes, you're taking the Knight bus to the Cotswalds, where you'll have fun hiking, boating and swimming."
" Woo hoo," groused Harry, walking up the stairs. The lack of excitement in his voice made his mother smile.
"Don't forget to pack plenty of clean underwear," called Lily, making Rose snicker.
Harry growled and continued to his room.
He had to admit he did feel a bit excited, sitting on the bus next to his best friend, Nev. There were about fifteen other children and Harry supposed they would be his classmates at Hogwarts in a few weeks. To his relief, he wasn't the only one to bring a younger sibling.
The leader of the camp, Ms Charity Burbage, clapped her hands. " Quiet down, please. Mr Prang, our driver, needs to concentrate." The Knight Bus had been transformed to look like a more traditional bus.
" Here we go," called Ernie Prang, and the doors began to close. Harry and Neville exchanged a look of anticipation as the bus began to move.
" BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. Everyone peered out the window to see a blue Ford Anglia pull up along-side the bus, which had braked suddenly.
As they all watched on, a red haired man and woman got out of the car. The man went to the boot and got out two bags. The woman opened the back seat door, and two young girls got out, each with a carry on bag. The short, rotund woman ushered them quickly to the bus. Ernie opened the door, and Charity Burbage stepped out.
"So sorry to be late. This is my daughter, Ginny Weasley and her friend, Luna Lovegood," smiled Molly Weasley.
Ms Burbage checked her list. " Hmm, I have a Ronald and Ginevra Weasley listed, but no Luna Lovegood."
The small red haired girl scowled. " Ginny. My name is Ginny."
Molly stepped closer to the leader. "I'm afraid Ronald is home sick with dragon pox, so Luna will take his place. We did send the appropriate owls, asking if it would be okay. We'd already paid, you see, and they wouldn't refund the fee. Did nobody let you know?"
Charity frowned. " No, they didn't. Well, you two better get on board, we were just leaving." She waved her wand, sending both bags to the overly full luggage compartment under the bus.
Molly grabbed Ginny and hugged her tight before kissing her cheek. Some of the boys on board laughed and hooted, making the girl flush. She pulled away from her mum and grabbed Luna's arm. " Bye Mum, bye Dad, come on Luna."
Luna waved goodbye to the Weasley parents, allowing Ginny to pull her along. Molly and her husband Arthur watched happily as the doors closed again.
"Find a seat somewhere, girls," offered Ms Burbage, sitting in her own seat. Ginny nodded and looked down the aisle. There weren't too many empty seats, and none were big enough for two.
Ginny stalked down the aisle, Luna happily following behind her and smiling vaguely at people she made eye contact with. Most looked away though, then whispered as both girls walked past.
As she got near the back of the bus where Harry, Neville and Rose were sitting, another boy began teasing her. " Did the ickle girly get a kissy from mummy and daddy then," he teased, making the other boy near him laugh.
Ginny paused, noting that both boys were taking up one whole seat meant for two. "Shut it," she ordered.
The boy snorted. "Are you, a tiny Snidget, telling me to shut it?" he sneered.
"Are you deaf as well as ugly. Go sit with your troll friend over there, we need this seat," ordered Ginny, completely unafraid.
The boy frowned. "What did you just say to me?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
Luna tugged Ginny's arm. "Oh dear, I really do think he is deaf."
"Take a seat, girls," called Charity, from the front of the bus.
"He's not deaf. A bit thick between the ears, maybe," said Ginny to Luna.
The boy turned red as other kids around him laughed. " Look here, you can't say that to me," he told her. "You're just a little girl. I bet you're not going to Hogwarts for years."
"You tell her, Greg," said the boy across the aisle. A blonde haired boy in the seat behind his watched on in interest.
"Oh yeah, what House are you in?" questioned Ginny.
The boy tilted his chin. "This is my first year, but I bet I'll be in Slytherin," he boasted, "it's the best House." His friend across the way nodded in approval, as did the blonde haired boy.
"Are you ready for the Sorting? My brothers are already at Hogwarts, well, except Ron, but he's going this year. I know what you have to do to get Sorted," boasted Ginny.
Harry and Neville exchanged nervous looks at that. Both their fathers and Harry's godfather, Sirius, had told them horror stories about how one got sorted at Hogwarts. From fighting a troll to finding Peeves the ghost somewhere in the castle, each time they asked the stories got worse and worse.
" Besides, you look more like Hufflepuffs to me," said Ginny, shooting them a distasteful look.
" Girls," said Ms Burbage, coming down the aisle, " you need to be in your seats."
Ginny smiled at the leader. "Yes, ma'am. Greg here was just moving to sit next to his friend, so Luna and I can sit here. Isn't that nice of him?" she asked sweetly.
Ms Burbage smiled at Greg. " Well done, Mr Goyle, you're already showing the spirit of our camp. Now, please hurry and move and sit with Mr Crabbe."
Greg pouted and moved to sit next to his friend. Satisfied, Ms Burbage returned to the front of the bus. Greg shot Ginny a filthy look which she ignored.
Ginny allowed Luna to slide in first, then she slid triumphantly into the seat.
"Thank you. I think you'll be lovely Hufflepuffs," Luna said to Greg, who scowled.
"Shut it, Blondie," he growled, and turned to whisper with his friend, Vince.
Luna shugged and pulled out a Quibbler from her bag. Turning it upside down, she began to read.
Ginny settled in her seat and looked around, catching the eye of Harry and Neville. She eyed them, daring them to say something. They shrunk back in their seat, looking away. Ginny continued to look around at everybody, making eye contact with Rose.
"That was awesome," whispered Rose, beaming at Ginny.
" Rose, ssh," shooshed Harry, shooting a worried look at the much bigger Greg and Vince.
"Thanks," replied Ginny, ignoring Harry. " I'm Ginny, this is Luna."
"Rose," introduced Rose. "My brother Harry and his BF are over there."
"What's BF, boy friend?" teased Ginny, shooting them a look.
Rose snorted, while Harry gasped and Neville flushed. " Best friend, "corrected Rose, "practically since birth. They were born one day apart."
"Luna's my BF as well," said Ginny, looking at Harry. He smiled weakly at her while Neville didn't make any eye contact at all, continuing to look out the window. "Is this your first time at camp?" she asked Rose.
Rose nodded. "Yours?"
Ginny nodded too. "I didn't want to come; I can swim and fly at home. But Mum thought it would be a good bonding thing for me and Ron before he leaves for Hogwarts in September...and now he's not even here! Still, we'd paid the money, and Luna will be better company, anyway."
" Harry and Nev are going to Hogwarts, too," replied Rose. She looked confused. "So where is your brother, then?"
" He got the pox, dragon, that is. Charlie just started working in Romania this past year, we think he may have brought it back with him and passed it on to Ron and my other brother Percy. Course, Perce doesn't mind staying in bed, reading and all. He's a bit of a swot, is Percy. Now, Fred and George, Merlin knows what would happen if they were laid up in bed with the pox. I swear they would blow up their beds, they would."
There was silence as all the people around her tried to make sense of all the names mentioned. "Er, who are Percy and Charlie and Fred and George?" asked Rose.
"Oh, they're my other brothers. I have six. Bill's my favourite, though," confided Ginny.
"Goodness, you have six brothers?" asked Rose, scooting to get closer to this interesting girl.
Ginny nodded. " Yep and I'm the youngest, and only girl."
"Merlin, I thought one was bad enough," said Rose, shooting a look at Harry.
He scowled at her. "Shut it." He then smiled nervously at Ginny when she looked at him.
Ginny opened her carry on bag, fishing out a plastic container. When she removed the lid, the most delicious smells enveloped the back of the bus. "Mini muffin?" she asked Rose, offering her one. "Mum made them this morning."
"Thanks...mmm, apple and blueberry," moaned Rose, taking a bite.
Ginny offered Luna one and she took one herself. " Ooh, good, treacle tart, my favourite," she said, licking a crumb away from the corner of her mouth. Harry's mouth was watering, it was his favourite too.
"Gimme one, Freckle face," taunted Greg. The smell had made his tummy rumble.
"No, they're only for my friends," protested Ginny, about to offer one to Harry and the quiet boy, Nev.
Greg leaned over and swiped the container out of her hands. He threw one across the aisle to a boy there. "Hey, Theo, heads up. Here, Vince. Draco?"
Harry felt bad for Ginny, and almost expected her to cry. His own sister looked pale, as if she knew something bad was about to happen. " Should we call Ms Burbage?" whispered Neville.
Harry looked at Ginny. She looked grim and was again rummaging in her bag, To his surprise, she pulled out a wand. He nudged Neville and gestured to Ginny. Neville's mouth fell open. "How did she get a wand?" he whispered. Harry shrugged.
Ginny pointed her wand at Greg and muttered something under her breath. Harry saw sparks fly out from the end of her wand and almost saw the spell head straight to the stolen muffins, now in the hands of five boys, for Greg had shared them around, hoping to gain favour with them, the blonde haired boy in particular.
Ginny grinned and quickly returned the wand to her bag. Sensing eyes on her, she turned and met Harry's concerned gaze.
She put her fingers to her lips. " Ssh," and then to his surprise, she winked. She then turned back to watch Greg and the others.
"Ew, gross. What is this? Hey, Greg, you gave me this muffin, it tastes like shi-"
"What's going on down there?" called Miss Burbage.
"I think I'm going to be sick," moaned Vince. One by one they spat out their muffins and glared at Greg.
"What did you do?" complained Greg to Ginny, wanting to shift the blame back to her for making his friends sick.
"Who, me?" asked Ginny, batting her eyes in innocence.
"You did something, I know you did," he said, standing and looming over her, threateningly.
"Prove it," demanded Ginny.
The bus stopped suddenly. Greg was caught off guard and fell down in the middle of the aisle. Rose, Harry and Neville looked at Ginny, but she was giggling at Greg who ended up rolling down the aisle.
They all looked up when Miss Burbage clapped her hands. "Children -we're here!"
All the children eagerly scrambled to the closest window and peered out.
Camp had begun!
A/N Many thanks to pettybureaucrat and sbmcniel for their ideas for camp activities