A/N: for all those who reviewed my fic, I would really like to thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't know how grateful I am….. Hoping to read your reviews in this chap….. Now, on with the fic…..

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the plot of this fic……

Sometime during the night the rain stopped.

When I awoke the next morning, the boys and girls were still sound asleep, but Harry was gone. I slipped out of the tent, blinking in the bright sunshine and wondering where he might be.

"Harry?" I called softly so as not to disturb the kids.

There was no answer. I went over to check on the horses and found them wet but otherwise fine. Peeling off my sweatshirt, I used it to wipe off their saddles and gave each horse a quick rubdown. Then I headed for the creek, but after I splashed some water on my face, I still felt grubby. My clothes were wrinkled from being slept in, and I was sure my hair was a mess. There was nothing I could do about my clothes, but since I had a comb in my jeans pocket, at least I could fix my hair.

As I took off the rubber band that held my ponytail and yanked the comb through my tangled tresses, I kept looking around for Harry. There was still no sign of him, and I was beginning to get worried. What if something happened to him?

I hurried back toward the tent. "Harry!" I called, louder this time. "Harry, where the bloody hell are you?"

"Right here."

Turning in the direction of his voice, I saw Harry coming out of the woods, and I heaved a sigh of relief. "Where have you been?" I exclaimed.

He grinned. "Miss me?"

"Yes! I-I mean, you weren't there when I woke up, and I thought…"

"You thought I'd been devoured by a grizzly bear or something, right?" he teased. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Don't be silly. There aren't any bears in these woods," I told him. "So where were you?"

"I was trying to find some dry wood so we could have a fire this morning," Harry said. "There are some packages of instant cocoa mix in my saddlebags along with the snacks, and I thought the kids ought to have something hot in their stomachs to start the day. But as you can see, I came up empty. Guess we'll just have to make do with more trail mix and fruit for breakfast."

"Guess so. It's a good thing the kitchen packed plenty of that stuff." I sighed wistfully. "Do you know what we'd be having for breakfast if we'd been able to find the campsite? Sausages, eggs, hash browns-the works. And for supper last night, T-bone steaks and lobster bisque."

"Stop!" Harry groaned. "If there's one thing I love, its lobster bisque."

"I never had it," I said.

He looked surprised. "You're kidding! I'd have thought Grant Granger's daughter would eat things like that all the time."

Oops! I had completely forgotten who I was supposed to be! "Oh, dad's crazy about it," I said quickly, "but I'm-uh-allergic to shellfish so I always order something else." To change the subject, I glanced over at the crumpled pile of nylon that had once been the boy's tent. "Want me to help you pack that up?"

"Thanks. That would be great." But instead of going to the tent, Harry stood there, staring at me.

"What?" I smoothed my hair nervously, sure that he must be thinking how awful I looked. I bet Cho, his almost-fiancée, was always perfectly groomed.

"Nothing. It's just that you're talking to me for once instead of giving me the cold shoulder or yelling." He smiled. "Keep it up. I like it."

Actually, I liked it too. I could feel my face getting hot. "How about tackling that tent?"

Harry nodded. "Sure."

As we pulled up the stakes and furled the damp fabric into a neat roll, the kids began coming out of the other tent, yawning and stretching.

"What's for breakfast?" Emilia wanted to know.

Harry and I looked at each other. "Three guesses and first two don't count," I said at last.

"More dog food, right?" Alfred asked.

When we nodded, all the kids wailed. "Oh, gross!" But they didn't really seem terribly upset, and they gobbled up every single remaining snack, down to the last crumb of cheese, washing it down with fresh cold water from the creek. After breakfast the kids all volunteered to help break camp. Harry showed them how to tie up their bedrolls and strap them behind their saddle, and Lena, Deac, and Charlotte helped me take down the tent.

"I feel like a real woodsman now," Deac said proudly as Harry gave him a leg up onto his horse.

"Yeah, me too," Charlotte agreed. "Do you think we can go on another overnight trail side soon, Hermione?"

I laughed. "Maybe. Just give me time to recover from this one!"

When everyone was mounted, Harry rode over to me and asked, "Think you can find your way back all right?"

A day ago I would have bristled at his question, thinking he was doubted my competence. Now, however, I smiled and nodded. "No problem. In fact, once we're on the main trail, I know a shortcut that will knock about an hour off the trip." Before he took up his position at the end of the line, I asked impulsively, "Harry, why did you volunteer to do this? Come along the trail ride, I mean."

"Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment," he replied with a grin. "Actually, I thought it would be fun. I love to ride, and I like kids. When I was little, my folks sent me to sleep away camp each summer, but I never got to do anything like this." More seriously, he added, "In spite of everything that went wrong, I'm really glad I came, Mione. I think we make a pretty good team, don't you?"

"Yes," I said softly. "Yes, I think we do."

Using the shortcut, our trip back to Briar Grangers took only a couple of hours. As we approached the stables, I realized I was sorry the ride was coming to an end.

This so weird, I thought. Yesterday morning I didn't think I'd be able to stand spending twenty-four hours with Harry, but now I wish we had another twenty-four hours together!

Harry certainly turned out to be very different from what I'd expected. He wasn't snotty at all. He'd been sweet, and funny, and friendly-when I'd let him be-and he had worked every bit as hard as I did. Maybe Luna was right about him after all, I mused. But then I reminded myself that Harry didn't know who I was. Would he have been nice to the daughter of John Granger, Briar Grangers' landscaper, as he was to the daughter of grant Granger, the resort's wealthy owner? Even though I was uncomfortable with my false identity and lies it forced me to tell, I couldn't bring myself to tell Harry the truth-not yet anyway. I was starting to care about him more than I'd imagine possible and I couldn't bear the thought of seeing the warmth of his green eyes turn to ice.

I led my group into the stable yard, and after Harry and I helped the kids dismount, they all raced back to their cabins, eager to tell their parents about the adventures we'd shared. Some of the other stable hands came out to take the horses to their stalls, remove their track, and rub them down.

"Everything went alright on the trail ride, Hermione?" Terry asked as he took Crookshanks' reins from me.

"Uh-kind of," I hedged. "Tell you about it later. Right now I'd better give Hagrid a full report."

"I'll go with you," Harry offered.

So we went to Hagrid's office and told him the whole story. "It worked out fine, though." I said in conclusion.

Hagrid scratched his head. "Sounds like a kind of unusual trial ride, but you two seem to have handled the situation pretty well, all things considered."

"The kids really enjoyed roughing it once they got used to the idea," Harry added. "And Mione did a terrific job. The mix-up about the map was entirely my fault, and I'll be glad to tell Mr. Granger so. I wouldn't want Mione to get in trouble with her father."

Hagrid looked puzzled. "With her dad? Why would-"

"Gee, will you looked at that!" I interrupted quickly, making a big production of checking my watch. "It's almost lunchtime, and I bet Harry is dying for some real food for a change. I know I sure am! We'd better be going. See you later, Hagrid!"

Harry followed me out of Hagrid's office. "You're right, I'm starving, and I could really use a hot shower and some clean clothes."

"Me too." We paused at the stable doorway. "Thanks for everything, Harry. I really mean it."

"My pleasure," he said. "And I really mean that."

"Well I guess I'll be seeing you around," I murmured.

His smile made me feel suddenly weak in the knees. "You can count on it, Mione."