Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for George Probst & Dan Greenbaum.
Chapter Seven- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dragon Tribe- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hermione
I was the first person of my tribe to be called to the side- actually; I was taken far down the beach and into the forest- to talk to one of the camera people. It turned out I was actually talking to one of the producers.
"Hello, Hermione," he said, holding out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Dan Greenbaum, one of the producers of the show. I just wanted to ask you a few questions." He had a huge, blindingly white smile.
I nodded.
"So, you've decided as your strategy to make alliances with everyone, but really only be in on it with Draco," Dan said. "Why is this? Please answer all of my questions in complete sentences because they won't be showing me asking you everything after the editing." He was still smiling.
"Okay... Um..." I started. "I chose Draco to be my one person that I had a real deal with because we aren't really friends back at school, so I assumed that most people wouldn't expect me to confront Draco. I thought that tricking people would be the best way to go through with things just because, well it was the first thing that really popped into my head.
"Mmmhmmm..." Dan nodded, his eyebrows knitted together in a serious expression. "And why did you think Draco would trust you if he didn't like you when you were at school?" He wore a puzzled and interested expression on his face.
"I don't really know-" I started to say.
"Complete sentences," Dan ordered.
"Sorry. I'm not quite sure why I trusted Malfoy, or why I thought he would be a good person to have this deal with. When he told me that I could trust him, though, I believed him for some reason," I said.
"Interesting," Dan replied. "Well, that's all I need you for today," he said, getting up.
"Bye," I said quietly, walking off quickly. That whole meeting seemed kind of strange to me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Draco"Hi, I'm Dan Greenbaum, on of the producers of the show," he told me with a super-white smile. Mine was brighter, though. First the guy had dragged off Hermione, and now he was dragging me off into the depths of the forests, as well.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," I told him politely, shaking his hand. I wanted to make a good impression.
"Nice to meet you, Draco," he said, still smiling. "Now, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the game and your strategy?" he asked me.
"Sure," I replied happily.
"Okay," Dan looked down at a clipboard he was holding. "So, you've made an alliance with Hermione, but you two aren't such good friends at school. So why would you pick her? Please answer all of my questions in complete sentences since the asking part of this will not be shown on the actual show." He added the last part quickly as though it was something he was required to say but he got tired of saying it.
"I chose Hermione mainly because I assumed that most people wouldn't assume that we would be making an alliance together. I also thought it might be more of a challenge to get her on my side, whereas with other people, I know that they'd go with me in a second. I just thought that it wasn't the obvious choice, so I went with it," I told Dan truthfully.
"Interesting," Dan said, nodding his head. "Do you have any feelings toward Hermione besides friendly feelings?" Dan said this with a bit of a glimmer in his eye, as though he was plotting something evil or like he thought I would say something juicy at this question.
"I can't really say that I even have friendly feelings toward Hermione," I answered. It was true. "I think we're just two people that want to win this game, so we decided to work together on it, but that doesn't make us friends. So we're not enemies anymore, but that doesn't mean we're going to be best friends forever. We really don't have anything more than a neutral acquaintance with each other. And that's the truth." It was. I didn't think that being in an alliance with Hermione was suddenly going to make us friends, and that she'd forget that I was a horrible person to her and her friends or that I'd forget she was a mudblood. It just doesn't work like that.
A sly grin crept over Dan's face. "Okay," he said. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Malfoy." We shook hands again before he let me leave.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
RonI stared at Hermione as she chatted with Lavender while they sat in the shallow area of the water, splashing around. My mind was torn. I didn't know whether or not to have an alliance with her. I wanted to be in on her descisions and her every move in this game, but wouldn't that be the obvious choice for me? People in other alliances might be talking with each other and saying, "Oh, that Ron, I bet he went straight to Hermione and begged for an alliance with her!" But I don't want them to think that. I don't want people to think I can't do anything for myself and I need Hermione to be on my side, helping me the whole way through. But maybe that's the truth.
I looked over at her and Lavender again. She was getting out of the water! Lavender was staying, but Hermione was getting up and grabbing her towel from the beach. She was walking up to me. She was right in front of me! Christ! it's now or never, Ron!
"Hey, Ron," she said, sitting down next to me.
"Hi Hermione," I croaked. "Listen, I wanted to ask you something." I quickly glanced around to make sure there was no one listening to us. I couldn't see anyone else nearby.
"What is it, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"I wanted to make an alliance with you," I said, straightforward. I wasn't going to ease into it. It was hard enough just to say that.
Hermione's eyes lit up. "I was going to ask you that!" she said happily. "I really wanted to be in an alliance with you but I was worried that people might assume it was the obvious decision," she told me.
"That's what I was thinking, too!" I cried, astonished at the coincidence.
She laughed. Thank God.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
HermioneOf course I was happy when Ron asked to be in an alliance with me. It was just what I was planning; to have an alliance with everyone.
But deep down I did feel a little bit guilty. I mean, Ron was my best friend. I couldn't just lie to him like that! A part of me was saying that what I was doing was horrible, but another part was reminding me that this was a game and that anyone who takes this seriously has some issues. I was leaning toward the latter.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dean"So who do you think is in alliances with each other?" I asked Seamus on one of our hourly strategizing strolls.
"Well," Seamus replied, glancing down the beach at our shelter. "Ron and Hermione are talking with each other. Isn't it an obvious decision for them have an alliance with each other?" Seamus looked at me.
"I guess," I replied. "But it's obvious for us to have an alliance, so maybe they do have one. I mean, as much as this is a game, people out here are still thinking about friendship," I told Seamus. He shrugged.
"Mail!" we suddenly heard someone cry from back at the shelter. We rushed over. People were crowding around Draco to see what the next challenge was. I shoved back a cameraman so I could see what the parchment said.
"It's a reward challenge where it sounds like we're going to have to find our way through a maze while blindfolded in exchange for blankets," Ron informed me.
"Blindfolded?!" I cried. "Oh, God." I shook my head. I had a feeling we were all going to be sleeping cold again tonight.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Reward Challenge- - - - - - - - - - - - -
NarratorThe Hippogriff Tribe chose Ginny while the Dragon Tribe chose Draco as their people who wouldn't be blindfolded during the challenge. These two people would guide their tribemates through the maze one by one until they were all at the other side.
"Survivors ready," George was calling, raising one arm. "Go!
The first member of each tribe ran through the maze. Neville was the first on the Hippogriff tribe and he ran straight into a wall.
"To the right, Neville!" Ginny was screaming. "To the right!
"Slow down, Hermione!" Draco cried. "Slow down! You're going to smash into something like Neville did!
But Hermione made it through in twice the time that Neville did. When Dean, who was second, stepped into the maze, Neville was only halfway through his.
"Neville, just pay attention," Ginny said from the platform she was standing on. "If you listen to me you will make it through this!
"How many people has the other tribe gone through?" Neville asked sadly.
"It doesn't matter!" Ginny shouted. "Just keep going!
Dean made it through with excellent agility at the same time Neville did. Ron was next for the Dragons, while Luna was next for the Hippogriffs.
"And the Dragons are one person ahead of the Hippogriffs," George said. "Can Luna fix it?" George was pacing the side of the maze, obviously getting pointers on what to say from one of the cameramen inside the maze, or something.
Ron was having a little bit of trouble getting through the maze. He kept on tripping over his own feet.
"Come on, Weasel!" Malfoy spat. "You can get through this stupid maze! It's not that hard! Take a right! Not a left, you buffoon! TAKE A BLOODY RIGHT!
"Good, now take a left there. Keep on going straight, Luna, you're almost there!" Ginny gave out a squeal as Luna exited the maze before Ron was through it. "Thank you Jesus!" she cried. Then she started instructing Parvati.
"Finally you're through, you dumb Weasel," Malfoy said rudely as Ron exited the maze. Parvati was halfway through. Padma warily entered it but made it through extremely quickly. She didn't bump into anything once.
"The sisters are neck and neck," George informed us.
They left the maze at exactly the same time. Next it was Pansy vs. Seamus. Now, one would assume that Pansy wouldn't be able to tell her right from her left and she would smash into everything and completely lose the challenge for her tribemates. But, it was quite the contrary. She went through the maze aMAZingly quickly, and got out when Seamus was just halfway through!
"For the love of God, Seamus, please hurry your fat ass up!" Draco whined. "I don't want to lose this challenge!" His eyebrows were turned up in pity for his tribe and his mouth was turned down in a whiney frown out of pity for himself.
By the time Seamus finally made it through, Harry was just exiting. The tribes were tied.
"Now we are at a tie!" George cried. "It's anybody's game now." Sometimes you wish he would just shut up.
Now it was Lavender vs. Colin. Another surprise was the speed at which Lavender was zipping through.
"Yes! Yes, Lavender!" Draco was so happy he was practically crying. "Just two more rights and then you've made it through the maze!" he squealed, clapping his hands.
Colin was about a third of the way through when Cho entered her maze. There was still one more person to go after Colin (Luna had agreed to go twice since Ernie was gone) but it didn't look like they were going to have time. Cho was two thirds of the way through and Colin was only halfway.
"Colin, please listen to me!" Ginny was screaming so loudly that her voice was getting hoarse and her eyes were watering. "Colin, take a left! Take a left, Colin! TAKE A FREAKING LEFT, FOR BABY JESUS'S SAKE!
"It looks like the Dragons are pulling ahead once again," George informed us. "If Cho can finish this now, she will win this challenge for the Dragon tribe and win hear tribe some blankets.
"THAT'S IT CHO! KEEP GOING STRAIGHT! WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Malfoy screamed at the top of his lungs as Cho stepped through the exit of the maze. He jumped off his platform and rushed to the group hug the whole team had piled into.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hippogriff Tribe- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ginny
All that was running through my head as we headed back to camp was how much I wanted our tribe to win that Immunity challenge tonight. If we didn't, I feared that I might be the next to go.
"Hi, I'm Dan Greenbaum," someone said, popping up next to me. "I'm one of the producers of the show. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the game?" He flashed me a bright white smile that caused me to see dots floating in the air.
I blinked. "Uh... Okay," I replied. Did I have a choice in the matter?
"Lets go over here, away from the others," Dan said in a cheesy voice. He reminded me of a game show host. He should switch jobs with George, I thought.
We walked down the beach and Dan told me to sit down on a rock. A cameraman pointed his camera right in my face.
"So, you had probably the most important job in this challenge, Virginia," Dan said.
"Ginny," I corrected. This guy annoyed me.
"Sorry, Ginny," he said, still smiling obnoxiously. "You had the most important job in this challenge, but yet your tribe lost. Do you think that if you have to go to tribal council tonight that you will be a target for some votes? Please answer in complete sentences because once the show is edited, the viewers won't see or hear me asking you questions." His last sentence seemed like some sort of ritual that he was sick of reciting.
"Okay," I replied. "Well, I guess I think of myself as a target. I mean, it's practically, like, my fault that we lost this challenge. But, like, now that I think of it more, if it hadn't been for Neville's stupid teaspoon brain, we wouldn't have had a slow start. And if it wasn't for Colin's dumb ears that weren't hearing anything except for Harry's voice- Colin's, like, totally obsessed with Harry- we wouldn't have lost by so freaking much. I mean, it totally isn't really my fault. I guided other people so well and we would have totally won this challenge if our whole tribe was full of Luna's, but of course we have to have some stupid baboons or else there would be no conflict. You know, I'm getting, like, really pissed off right now." I sighed angrily and turned to the side, resting my forehead in the palm of my hand. I held up my other hand to show Dan to wait. Instead I got a camera in my face.
"You know, Vir- Ginny," Dan said. "I heard some of the other tribemates saying that your temper got in the way of your guiding skills. Do you think that's true?" He asked me. Somehow I believed him. He sounded truthful.
"What?!" I said, taken aback. "My temper- no way. How the hell can these people say such hurtful things? Who said this?!" I demanded.
"I think it was Pansy," Dan told me. His smile had disappeared. "Ginny I don't care about anything more than the justice of this game. And if people are talking about you behind your back, I am going to inform you of it. Think of me as a friend, please." Dan's eyes were so full of seriousness and... Well, like things that made me believe him, that I couldn't not believe him.
I nodded.
"Now, why don't you go give Pansy a piece of your mind," he instructed.
I nodded again, almost robotically, and stormed down the beach in Pansy's direction. A few minutes from now, that stupid girl is going to wish that she'd, like, never been born!
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
HarryGinny passed me with an angry look on her eyes, stomping down the beach. I grabbed her arm.
"Ginny, before you go off and kill yourself, I wanted to ask you something," I said, pretending to sound loving again.
The anger in her eyes subsided and I could practically see her round pupils becoming heart-shaped.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked in a dreamy voice.
"I want to make an alliance with you," I told her.
"Like, of course!" she cried happily, smiling. "Duh, I'll totally be in an alliance with you, Harry. This is so totally cool." She pulled away from me.
"Now you can go beat up Pansy," I said.
She winked and then stormed off, suddenly full of hatred again. I watched her march right up to Pansy.
"I hear you've been talking about me, Pansy! For your information, I don't have a temper to get in the way of my instructing skills!" she spat at her.
"Well it's not like you don't talk about me! I may have a few small craters, but that doesn't make me a crater face!" Pansy screamed back.
"Ugh!" Ginny squealed.
"Bitch!" Pansy said. She reached out and started pulling Ginny's hair. Now this was getting a bit out of hand.
I ran up to the girls and pushed them apart.
"Break it up, girls," I said, feeling superior and special.
But that was only the beginning.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: I like this chapter. Did you all like Dan Greenbaum? Ha, ha :D Review please! Thanks! Oh, and also, I spelled decisions wrong somewhere back there and I accidentally hit "ignore" in spellcheck, and now I can't find it, so please pardon me for the error.
