A/N: Oh, dear. I did it again, didn't I? SORRY. I have some lame excuses for not updating this time, too. But I figure you're not interested anyway... I don't really know if I'll ever finish this story. But now I'm posting chapter 8, and I really hope I have the strength of character to finish this. I'd be fun.

The hike is up, and boy, do things not go well here. The aftermath of Hermione and Harry's fake-fight brings both good and bad things, forcing the two to speed up the conclusion of the Ultimate Plan. In fact, the matter sort of slips out of their hands, when Laura and Madelyn come up with a not-so-brilliant idea to get Hermione and Harry back on speaking terms again (not that they need it).

As a matter of further frustration, the hike won't be over for another couple of chapters. I've decided how many and also which names I'll use for those chapters. I'll tell you right away.

Hike part one: Much ado about hiking (a. k. a. this very chapter) Hike part two: Mission: Impossible (which won't be set from the normal POV of merely Hermione, but some other people as well) Hike part three: Truth or dare? (Try guessing!)

Other names of upcoming chapters: (no order is set)

The coming of age Revenge is sweet... Expect the unexpected

I actually think I'll be finished with this story when I've got as far as six more chapters, give or take one, perhaps.

And so we begin...

~oOo~

Chapter 8 - Much ado about hiking

~oOo~

It had only been a week since the campers had arrived, and Hermione was already very close to developing a constant headache. The campers were hell. Well, not all of them, certainly. The Laura-ish Claire had taken it upon herself to see to that Hannah toughened up a little, aided and cheered upon by her very enthusiastic mentor, Laura herself, and Madelyn, who thought it was fun. Jenny and Rose had found each other, they had turned out to be very similar - apart from the witch part of Rose, that was. What was bugging sense, patience and thinking capability out of Hermione was Tina and Maria, who reminded her of Lavender and Parvati in the early years, before their friendship crashed into little splinters of wood*.

The two twelve-year-olds had spent the passed week giggling about and ogling Harry, and whenever he happened to pass they would giggle and send him admiring and somewhat flirtatious looks - well, as flirtatious as you can get for a twelve-year-old, anyway. It was driving Hermione insane. She and Harry were still "keeping their distance" from one another, when there was an audience, at least.

The good thing about letting Rose in on it all, Hermione soon discovered, was the fact that the younger witch was able to cover for her whenever she went out to meet Harry. If it hadn't been for those meetings, Hermione would have gone insane.

The scheme they'd put up to lure Dudley wasn't coming along as planned, either. At least not yet. But Hermione still had her theories that he was in fact waiting for the hike, which was now just around the corner.

That very moment Hermione was tugging the straps on her hiker's-backpack, which she'd filled with stuff to last the three-day-long hike. She was at that moment, just for a moment, alone in the cabin, since Laura had brought Madelyn, Claire, Hannah, Jenny and Rose on a Tina-and-Maria-hunting- expedition. Hermione personally suspected they were lurking around Harry's cabin - so did they all suspect - and that was why she'd been left alone in the cabin, in order to avoid any eventual bumps-in with her secret boyfriend.

But, it was only for a moment she was left alone. She'd just finished strapping together her backpack and slumped down tiredly on her bed when the door of her cabin opened, and in sneaked Harry. He looked like he was hiding.

"Hi", he said. "Please, Mio, hide me!"

He got over to her bed and sat down next to her. As if by pure reflex he leaned his head against her shoulder.

"They're stalking me!"

Hermione knew immediately who he was talking about. She couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Seriously, Mio. They won't leave me alone. Those two girls must have a built-in Harry-radar or something. It's creepy."

"That's all right, my dear. Not to worry", she said in her most chivalrous voice. "I'll protect you from the horrible, love-sick teens!"

She kissed his forehead before continuing.

"Honestly, Harry. One should be able to expect that YOU of all people would be able to handle two twelve-year-olds who fancy you."

"They're MUCH worse than Voldemort. I'll take him on again rather than keep hiding from those horrific monsters! And, by the way, I don't WANT them to fancy me. I only want YOU."

Then he kissed her for real.

It was lucky that Rose walked through the door first.

"Sweet Merlin! They're here in less than thirty seconds. Hide, Harry!", she whispered urgently.

"Just follow me out as soon as I go, OK?", Hermione said to him and brought out her wand. "Concealo!"

The charm made Harry invisible. She stood up from her bed, fixed her slightly messed-up hair and went for the door. She could feel Harry follow her, he had one of his hands on her shoulder.

Laura looked at her cousin questioningly when she came out of the cabin.

"Where are you going?", she asked.

"Oh. Just getting something from the, um... shower-room. Yeah. That's it. I forgot my... hair-brush in there this morning."

"Wait, I'll go with you."

"NO! Um... you should get your things ready."

"All right...", she lowered her voice so that only Hermione (and the invisible Harry) heard what she said. "But hurry back, Tina and Maria are giving me hell, here."

Hermione set off towards the showers in a light run, with Harry after her. When they'd reached the back of the houses, where they were hidden from view, Hermione turned Harry back to normal again.

"You go on ahead, Mio. I'll just get over to Dudders' cabin for a while. It's time to give him his first, unnoticed, hex."

"What're you planning?"

"Itch. The most annoying one he's had for years", he said and brought out his own wand. He leaned over and placed a brief kiss on Hermione's lips before he pointed his wand at himself and performed the same charm Hermione had done only minutes before. Then he was gone.

~oOo~

Laura was right. Tina and Maria were hell, at the moment. They were supposed to be packing their backpacks, although, they didn't exactly have any that were suitable for hiking. Well, they LOOKED like hiker's- backpacks, but with the way they were packed, Hermione reckoned that they were closer to make-up bags or something in the similar line.

Rose and Jenny were sitting on Rose's bed playing poker and Claire was trying to get Hannah to do something else with her hair than just an ordinary pony-tail.

Laura and Madelyn were in vain trying to make Tina and Maria finish their packing. Hermione decided that drastic measures were called for.

"Listen up!", she said with authority. The innocent girls (who weren't Tina and Maria) immediately compiled and their heads shot up and they looked at Hermione. Tina and Maria didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary happening until about fifteen seconds later, when everybody had begun to stare at them.

"What?!", Tina said.

"Well", Laura began. Hermione however silenced her cousin by stepping on her foot and took charge herself.

"We're going out on the hike in about twenty minutes. In ten we're supposed to assemble on the soccer-field - EVERYONE of us. ALL SET. Now, Tina and Maria, you're nothing even close to set."

Maria opened her mouth to object to Hermione's brusque treatment, but the older girl outsmarted her.

"And NO objections will be listened to. Now get to work - or I'll personally tell Harry about Tina's teddy-bear and Maria's fluffy pink pyjamas."

Laura obviously had to bite her tongue in order to keep from laughing out loud. Hermione knew she was mean, but she didn't care.

As long as it worked. And it most certainly did.

~oOo~

*In fifth year (this IS slightly AU now, you know) they had a big row when Lavender began dating a boy from Ravenclaw, who it turned out Parvati liked too. She tried to steal him from Lavender, and the latter broke off their friendship because of it. There was a number of minor other things going on, too, but the drop that made it all spill was that thing.

~oOo~

A/N: Aw, well. There it is. Not as good as it could be, but anyhow. Now I'll go back to my computer and write chapter nine. I'll try to be quick. Promise.

Which mission is impossible? Anyone think they have an idea?

Please review.