Disclaimer- I still don't own it. Rats!

The Return of the Camping Trip

Chapter 2: Packing, Arrivals, and a Game of Tag

Five days later, Hermione was diligently packing for the trip, which they would be leaving for in twelve hours, at 10:00 AM. Although the first time, they used no magic, they changed the rules a bit. As they were both legally able to use their magic, they decided to use it for certain things, to make it just a bit easier, such as starting the campfire and having light away from the campsite. They were still planning on using the Muggle tent, as a Wizarding tent ruined the experience.

Their anniversary was to fall on the second day of their four-day trip. Hermione was quite excited, as she had always loved Muggle camping. This would be the first time she had gone camping, Muggle or Wizard, since the wonderful trip in her fifth year. This time, it would be just the two of them, a thought that was quite appealing.

Hermione felt a strong pair of arms slip around her waist as she settled her clothes into backpack, soon followed by George's lips on her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access, continuing packing her clothes away.

"What are you doing?" George asked, his voice slightly muffled as his face was still pressed against her neck, placing gentle, wet kisses on her throat.

"Solving world hunger," Hermione replied sarcastically. Just to see what he would do, Hermione picked up the new bathing suit she had gotten that afternoon.

George watched in awe as Hermione held up a navy blue bikini, which could have easily passed for thick tooth floss. "D… did you get a new bathing suit?" he stuttered.

"Oh yeah, I just picked it up this afternoon," she told him, turning around and holding the tiny scraps of material against her body. "Do you like it?" George merely nodded, very intrigued at the idea of Hermione wearing that.

Hermione turned back to the pile of clothing she had on the bed, a smug smile adorning her face as she continued packing her clothes. If she could get that kind of a reaction by just doing that, she would have no problems during the trip.

"Is all of our gear ready?" Hermione asked as she packed away a tee shirt.

"All set up and ready to go," George told her, sitting down on their bed and pulling the covers up around him.

"You're all packed up, right?" she queried.

"Yes Ma'am," he said with a salute.

"Good," she responded, settling a last pair of shorts into her backpack and snapping it shut. "I'm all done here." Hermione set her backpack down onto the floor beside George's, climbing into bed once she was done.

"Night, Mione; I love you," George said, leaning over to kiss her goodnight.

"I love you too, George," Hermione said, kissing him again. "Good night."

******

"You ready?" George asked Hermione the next morning, standing beside their luggage.

"I'm ready," Hermione replied, smiling sweetly. George quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder, shrinking and lightening the rest of their bags magically before stuffing them into his pocket.

"Alright, let's go, then!" George said, taking Hermione's hand as they Apparated to the woods outside of the campgrounds. Hermione smiled brightly as they made their way towards the Park Ranger's cabin.

"You know," George said jokingly, "As I recall, this is exactly how you were before our last camping trip. All excited and immature."

"Yes, well, I'm entitled every once in a while," Hermione told him, faking defensiveness.

"And I wouldn't have you any other way," George replied, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger and giving her a gentle kiss.

"Come on!" she replied happily, tugging him along when they broke apart. The two of them quickly made their way to the cabin, stepping inside the rustic wooden building.

"Hello!" said a tall, pleasant man from behind the counter. "What can I help you with?"

"We have a reservation for a campsite this weekend," George told him brightly, smiling hugely. Hermione let go of his hand and commenced looking around in the cabin, very interested in the things on display.

"Ah, yes," the man replied, grabbing a few papers from the desk in front of him and shuffling through them. "Weasley, correct?"

"Yes," George told him. He eyed Hermione, who was currently examining a large set of antlers attached to the wall.

George couldn't help but smile at his fiancée. He had always thought she was rather cute when she got into something wholeheartedly, and the camping expedition was no exception. She had rushed around their flat ever since the night he had surprised her with the camping gear, making sure that everything was packed and ready to go. Hermione turned around and caught his eye, blushing slightly at the attention he was currently paying her.

"Alright," said the man behind the counter a few moments later, "Here is a map, and the rule sheet." He handed George a sheet of paper. "One of the rangers will drive around at night, to prevent theft, and things like that."

"Thank you very much," Hermione said, taking George by the hand once again. They carefully walked from the cabin towards the campsites, their noses buried in the map. When the finally arrived at the site that had been marked off on the tent, they were quite pleased.

There were only a few tents in the entire park, and none of them were close. Their site overlooked the lake from the high bank, and George could tell that the sunset over the water would be extremely romantic. The showers were only a site over, and the area was littered with kindling for a fire.

"This is great!" Hermione said happily, setting her backpack down on the picnic table. The two of them worked quickly to assemble the site, using magic sparingly. Once they had gotten the tent up, a nice fire going, and their bags settled away, Hermione and George settled down into chairs beside the fire, discussing their plans for the next few days as they prepared their lunch.

"So, how about a nice hike through the woods after lunch?" George suggested, poking at the fire to keep it going.

"Sounds good," Hermione told him, taking a bite of a hamburger. The two of them quickly finished their lunch, cleaning the dishes magically, as it was much easier than the Muggle methods.

Once they had made sure that there was no food lying around, George took Hermione's hand and they commenced to walk through the thick trees around the campgrounds.

"Isn't this great?" Hermione asked, taking in a deep breath of the heavily scented air.

"Yeah," George said, surveying the green forest all around.

"George?" she inquired, looking very thoughtful all of a sudden.

"Yes, love?" he replied, turning to face her. Hermione was watching him questioningly, a mischievous glint in her eye. George always got very nervous when she did that.

Very quickly, without any kind of warning, Hermione dropped his hand and cried, "You're it!"

"Why you little…," George said, beginning to run to catch up to her. Hermione swerved around a tree, and George circled it three times before realizing that she had moved on from it.

Finally getting frustrated with the whole process of running, George waited until Hermione was not looking in his direction, choosing that moment to Disapparate and reappear right behind her.

George cleared his throat, making Hermione spin around in surprise. "You're it," he replied, tapping her on the shoulder and taking off as fast as he could.

"Hey!" Hermione yelled. "Cheater! No Apparating!" She quickly ran after him, catching up when he tripped on an exposed tree root. She pressed one finger to his back, avoiding prolonged contact so she could run quicker.

Their game continued for the better part of fifteen minutes, and George was having the time of his life. It felt great to throw away all of the worries of adulthood and act like a kid again.

As Hermione turned around to check on George's progress, she tripped. George quickly used a Softening Charm to cushion the fall. Hermione hit the ground, bouncing slightly. George continued to run, jumping and landing with his knees on either side of Hermione's waist.

Hermione looked up with wide eyes, grinning slightly. George framed her face in between his hands, pressing his lips to hers gently. Hermione's arms slowly worked their way around his back, pulling him closer. George softly stroked her temples with his thumbs before threading his fingers through her hair.

When they pulled back, even more breathless than they had been from the game, George smiled sweetly down at Hermione. "I love you," he said, cupping her cheek in one hand.

"I love you, too," Hermione replied, biting her lip. After a few more kisses, they headed back to camp, both grinning broadly as they anticipated what was to come later.

******

(A/N- hee hee, fluff! This is rated a bit higher than the last one for implied content (no, I don't plan on writing any dirty scenes!), as you just read. Sweet, though, wasn't it? I'm working on this, and hopefully I'll get it written quickly. Love ya lots!

elijahsbaby1981- Your fic sounds really cool! I can't wait to read it. No, I don't mind, since you said you got the inspiration from me (I'm quite honored!)

Maddy- thanks very much!

starzinluv- thanks, I'm trying to make it good!

ali weasley- Thanx a lot!

Dazedpanda- thank you very much!

tickle the dragon- cute name! Thanks a bunch!

I hope I can get the next chappy out soon!)