Chapter 4

Ginny packed her bags hurriedly, so excited she could barely get her hands to move. She'd done it; she was going to the Himalaya Mountains! She'd actually been picked as one of the representatives from Gryffindor.

Of course, with Hermione, Harry, and Ron all out of the race, she hardly dared to think that it had been that much of a contest. Heck, the only person she'd probably had to compete against was Neville, and that could hardly be called competition; first, for obvious reasons, second, because he'd been chosen as the other "winner".

Of course, Ginny was too hyped up to spend to much time worrying about what exactly it was that she had won. A trip to some of the most beautiful mountains ranges in the world, or an extra load of homework?

She hadn't found this out until later, but the eight students who were chosen to go were also expected to turn in a six foot assignment to every teacher when they got back, plus the work they'd be given by the teacher who would accompany them along the way.

That was another curious fact. As of now, no one knew who the teacher was going to be. Rumor's abounded of course, but so far Ginny hadn't been able to discover any concrete evidence supporting any of them. And they were leaving in the morning! The only thing she could figure was that the information would be announced at breakfast.

She was about halfway through her packing when the door to the dormitory banged open and a smiling Hermione burst in.

"I thought I'd find you packing," she grinned, taking in the untidy view.

Clothes were spread everywhere across Ginny's bed and on the surrounding floor. Piled amid them were little bits of jewelry (she didn't have much) and personal items, as well as her writing and drawing pads, a bathing suit, sunscreen and glasses, along with numerous other assorted items.

"You're only going to be gone for four weeks you know. And I'm sure even a small village will have a washing machine."

Ginny frowned, confused. "A what?"

Hermione grinned. "Nevermind. The point is, your not going to need all that stuff. In fact I came to tell you that you'll probably want to pack lightly, because I'm sure you'll be doing lots of hiking."

"Hiking?" Ginny gulped. She hadn't actually considered what exactly they would be doing while they were there. And "hiking" didn't exactly fit her definition of "vacation".

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How did you think you were going to get anywhere? They don't exactly have roads all the way up the mountains you know."

"Surely-surely we're not going all the way up?" This was so not good.

"You never know," Hermione told her somberly. "So if I were you, I'd take a few of the tropical island clothes out and put in a few more winter ones. And, this is just a suggestion, but you might just want to leave out the jewelry entirely."

Ginny glanced from Hermione to the pile of stuff and back.

"You're joking?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm not, and if you're smart you'll take my suggestion."

She smiled again then, going instantly from I-know-better older sister to friend. "And Gin, have fun!"

Ginny nodded and grinned at that. "Don't worry, I plan to."

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Draco gave his wand one last flick, and the top of his third trunk shut with a bang.

That should do it.

Satisfied, he grinned to himself. It had taken him awhile, but with just his wand to help him (no house-elves, can you imagine!), he had finally managed to succeed in packing everything he thought he might need for a trip to the mountains. Now he just had to wait.

He paced around the dormitory for a few moments, trying to remember if there was anything he'd forgotten. As far as he knew, there wasn't. He'd even remembered to pack a couple of good books in case he got bored. He had his clothes, winter and summertime ones, just in case they went farther up the mountain than he really expected, four different pairs of shoes, each specially made for different terrains, and plenty of snack foods and bottled waters, just in case they decided to try to make him eat bark or something. The bottled waters were in case the springs or the town's water supply was contaminated. His father had even sent him a water-testing spell. Not willing to take chances, Draco had already tested it before he packed. It worked.

Exiting the dormitory, he headed down the stairs and into the empty common room. The rest of the Slytherins were still wondering around the school, he figured, but it was almost nine o'clock; they'd be back shortly.

He shivered in the cold air of the dungeons, and threw himself down in the best chair by the fireplace to pass some time. It was going to be a long night.

As he stared into the flames, a sort of chain reaction of thoughts occurred. The red flames reminded him of red hair, red hair reminded him of the Weasleys, and the term "Weasleys" reminded him of Ginny.

A pretty normal occurrence actually. Most things here lately reminded him of her. Everywhere he looked he saw her face, and even when he was laying in bed late at night sleeping, lost in a dream where she should not have been able to find him, there she was.

It was driving him insane.

But in a strange, new, delightful kind of way, in was empowering, invigorating. It must have been the feeling of a challenge. For once he knew he was meeting a worthy opponent. Someone who could play the game their own way and possibly succeed. She was everything he needed to add some spice to his life, and she was going to see that it was the same way for her. Eventually.

Draco smiled then, and the light in his eyes had the look of someone who was determined to take on the world.

And win.

A/N: How was that? Did you all like it? Personally, I think this was one of my favorite chapters. I really got to explore the character of Draco as I'm writing him, and I hope you all thought I managed it okay. He may not be exactly like he is in the Canon, but as this is just for fun, I'm not worried about it. Besides, how could he be strictly the Draco JKR has him as and fall in love with Ginny? I don't see it happening!

A big thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers:

Kneh13- Thanks for yet another review! I really appreciate them.

Tara yo- I know, I know, your not the only one who says that they're too short, but they really do help me write more. But maybe I could try to make them a little longer. I'm warning you all though, if I do, they might turn out to be anywhere from 6-10 pages at a time and will probably take longer to update. Will anyone mind that? Maybe you guys should vote. Short and fast or longer. Please tell me what you think in a review. And thanks Tara!

Dragonsprincess- That Draco thinks Ginny is "cute" is an understatement, lol. Though he doesn't realize it yet, trust me, he has a very big "thing" for her. *grins*

Hallee87- Thanks for reviewing, and I am trying to get one of these chapters out a day, so I hope that's fast enough, hehe!

Aidenfire- You're right! Draco is a little too obsessed with his game. Or Ginny. Or both! *cackles* But things really are going to get interesting in the next chapter, the whole "tension" thing between the two of them is going to be stepped up a notch.

The rest of you who are reading this, REVIEW PLEASE!