Chapter Two:
(A/N. Thank you to Gambit Gurl Isis and coach-potato01. I'm happy I got reviews. This is my first fanfiction story. I hope everyone likes it. Email me if you have any questions. PLEASE Review. I like to know what the audience is thinking. K, enjoy!)
The man led them to a small cab, they loaded their stuff, got in and they drove away from the airport. As they drove through the traffic without anything happening, it became clear to Hermione that this was an ordinary muggle car.
"Granger, is Camp Friendship a muggle camp?" Draco demanded in a tight whisper. Obviously she hadn't been the only one to notice.
"It seems like it." She responded. Draco muttered a curse and turned away. "You know, muggles aren't as bad as you seem to think."
"Sure." He responded sarcastically not bothering to face her. She frowned at his muscular back.
"Have you ever met a muggle, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded, her voice rising in anger at his prejudice.
"Well, no." He replied, and then his eyes narrowed. "But they are all disgusting, simple-minded creatures!" He retorted. Hermione was appalled; he was talking about muggles as if they were a different species.
"Says who?"
"Says my…" He paused and glared at her. "Why do you have to know everything? Always digging in things that don't concern you!" He snarled softly. They glared daggers at each other before turning away to stare out their respective windows. The ride was shorter than Hermione expected. They drove into a large forest and went up a muddy trail. They pulled up in front of a large building made of logs and shaped like a U with the two tips facing away from where they were. The cabby turned around to them and grinned.
"Welcome to Camp Friendship!" He cried happily a huge grin plastered to his face. Draco stared at the man with his usual expressionless face before dismissing the man as insignificant and glancing away. Hermione smiled at the man.
"Um, thank you." She said. They got out of the car and another employee of the camp came out, sporting the same badge.
"Hello, follow me. I'll take you to your rooms." The man said with a big smile. He led them through the entry way and to the left. He went down a large hallway before stopping in front of a door, unlocking it and pushing it open. Hermione stepped inside and smiled. It was a large center room with a round table holding a vase filled with white orchids in front. Behind it, a blue couch was facing away from the entrance towards a pair of French doors, which led out to a small garden. Two armchairs, the same colour, stood on either side of the sofa. White columns were at every corner of the room, which went well with the light blue walls. To the left and right were two plain white doors. Hermione went to the one on the right and found it to be a bedroom decorated in the same theme as the center room. A bathroom was adjacent to the bedchamber. She went back out.
"Well I hope you like it."
"Are all the rooms here like this?" Hermione asked. The man gave a short laugh and shook his head.
"Nope. The suites are normally reserved for celebrities who come. You guys were going to get two separate, smaller rooms but a Mr. Malfoy called and said he pay the extra so you two could have a suite." The man said. "Well, your stuff will be up in a little while." The man said and left. Draco slumped into the couch.
"I wonder if they hire people here based on how long they can smile for." Hermione said as she sat down on one of the armchairs so that she was facing the silver-haired boy. Draco laughed and Hermione joined in. They caught each other's eyes and suddenly realized whom they were with and the laughter ceased as quickly as it had come.
"I'm going to my room, mudblood." Draco said coldly as he stood up. Hermione glared at him.
"The one Daddy got for you because poor Draco can't sleep when he's in a small room?" She mocked. He glowered at her for a second before walking away.
"I don't need to listen to you, Granger. You're nothing to me." He said and slammed his bedroom door behind him. She felt a pang inside her but she quickly shrugged it away. A knock on the door made her get up and open it. Two men came in carrying the two suitcases and the two large trunks. Hermione took her suitcase and trunk and dragged them to her room. She shoved the trunk under the queen-sized bed and knelt beside the suitcase. She unlocked it and began to unpack. She was pleased to find that her mother had packed all of Hermione's favorite muggle clothing. Hermione changed into a pair of tight bell-bottom jeans and a large navy T-shirt with the British flag on the front. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed a book from the suitcase. She went out to the common room to read.
Draco lay on his bed thinking about the summer ahead when a knock on the door jarred him from his thoughts. He pulled the white door open and stared at Hermione. Despite what he had said before about her bushy hair, it simply wasn't true anymore. Her hair had turned from frizzy hair to gorgeous silky curls that hung just past her shoulders. She had filled out in all the right places. She had actually grown quite pretty.
"What do you want, Granger?" He demanded angrily, taking out his fury at himself for his ridiculous thoughts on the brunette. Her eyes narrowed and she pushed his trunk through the doorway, stubbing his bare toe in the progress. "Bugger all!" He cried falling back on his bed. "Geez, Mudblood! Watch where your going!"
"I was." She said sweetly and his eyes widened. She had also grown more confident. She held her shoulders back and her head high, making her look even more attractive. She rolled in his suitcase as well. She paused at the doorway expectantly, her hands on her well defined hips. Finally she rolled her eyes and walked out. "You're welcome, Malfoy!" She growled right before she slammed the door behind her.
Draco got up and shoved the trunk into the back of his closet. It wasn't like he'd be using it any time soon. He grabbed the heavy suitcase and easily lifted it onto the king-sized bed and unzipped it. Someone, a house elf most probably, had bought him muggle clothes and packed it into the valise. He thought about the odd looks he had gotten from the people here when they saw him in his school robes. He stripped of his robes, grabbed a light-green polo shirt and some jeans and pulled them on. He pulled on some shoes in case Hermione got any other wild ideas about squishing his feet and went out to the common room. A short man with a fluffy white beard and white hair was walking through the doorway.
"Ah, Draco! Just in time. We're going to have so much fun this week." The man said with a smile. "Follow me!" He cried.
"He looks like bloody Santa Clause." Draco muttered. He heard Hermione choking on her laughter. He led them out of their suite, up a large staircase and down a large corridor. He stopped in front of a large door. "This is the Hug Room. Once you step inside the only way to come back out is by giving each other a real, heartfelt hug. Now there's a spell in here that will keep the door locked until you've done so."
"Wait. A spell? I thought this was a muggle camp." Draco said a frown on his face betraying his confusion.
"It is. I'm a wizard, an old friend of Albus Dumbledore. Anyway, I founded this camp many years ago to help muggle children sort out their problems with society. Using a little bit of magic here and there. The campers don't know of course. We use small spells to help them along and they rationalize it any way they can. That's why we keep magic here to a low minimum. I'm doing your case as a favor to Albus. I had planned to use the same techniques that I use with the other campers but Albus has informed me how difficult your case is. So, were going to need all the help magic can give us!" The old man said with a hearty laugh. "Well enough talking with me. In you go! Time will flow differently in this room. So, one hour in there is one minute out here. That way you have more time to complete this exercise. You have enough food and water for four days and a small bathroom. But don't even try to use the bathroom to escape each other! The door will only open when you actually have to use the restroom. Well, good luck!" The man said and shoved them inside. The room was plain. It had a small loveseat in the center of the room and two chairs at opposite corners of the room. A small fridge was behind the couch against the wall.
"This sucks." Draco muttered. He slouched into the couch. Hermione sighed and sat down on the chair on the left side.
"That about sums it up." Hermione said. Draco glanced at her, a smirk on his face. She had really grown tired of seeing that smirk.
"Aw, Granger! You're not developing a crush on me? Is that why you're agreeing with me? I mean, I know I'm handsome, but please. I have enough girls drooling all over me!" He said.
"Uh! Gross. I don't think that will happen anytime soon!" Hermione said with a small shudder. Draco laughed mockingly.
"Oh come on, Granger! You know as well as I do that I'm considered one of the hottest guys at school!" He said. Hermione stared at him incredulously.
"God! Can you be more arrogant! No wonder you don't have any friends!" She cried. His smirk disappeared and he glared at her
"I have friends!"
"No, you have minions. People you can order around and they'll do exactly what you tell them to."
"Well at least I don't have two dumb boyfriends who don't even appreciate me!" He retorted. Hermione didn't want to admit it but Draco was right. Sometimes Harry and Ron just didn't appreciate her.
"They aren't my boyfriends, but they are good friends. Which is more than I can say about Crabbe and Goyle."
"Who cares if they're good friends? They do what I want them to do. I don't need anything else." He growled.
"You're using them, Draco! Don't you realize that?"
"So what?"
"Bloody hell! Do you ever think about anyone but yourself?" She demanded her voice nearing the maximum pitch.
"Yes, I do!"
"Oh yeah? Who? Lord Voldemort?"
"No, my mother! Not that it matters! You'd never understand what it means to be alone!" He cried. Then he froze; he seemed to have realized what he had just said. He turned away. Hermione didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. His gaze switched back to her and he glared at her as if it had all been her fault.
"I don't need your pity, Granger."
"That's not what I meant." She said as he went over to the mini fridge and looked around inside.
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does." She insisted as he took out a sandwich. She stood up and he whirled around and scowled at her.
"No, it bloody well doesn't!" He snapped. She flinched and turned away. He went back to the sofa. She went back to her chair. They were going to be here a while.
