Disclaimer: JK Rowling created and owns all Harry Potter related content, I'm just borrowing it because I am suffering from excruciating boredom.

Chapter 11

The Grangers' anniversary had come and gone splendidly. The couple had loved their new ski jackets, with Mr. Granger giving Harry a proud smile when Hermione told him he was the one who picked his. Harry was certain his cheeks remained red for the rest of the week.

The summer was progressing fast, and before anyone could blink they were halfway through July. Harry and Hermione were spending most of their time at Sapphire Park and the local library, where Hermione was slowly but surely turning her best friend into a bookworm in his own way. Harry had made his way through a few novels, and while he enjoyed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Great Gatsby, he was utterly fascinated by plays. The discovery surprised Hermione, but she offered him plenty of her favorite Shakespearean tales. Harry instantly took a liking to the world-famous playwright, especially The Winter's Tale, much to the delight of Hermione's parents. His favorite play, however, was much more contemporary – Harry picked up a small booklet titled A Few Good Men and instantly fell in love with it. He couldn't quite explain why, but he just felt inspired by the dialogue and found himself reading it over and over again in between reading other works.

One day in mid-July, Harry and Hermione were reading what they'd checked out of the library in the living room on the sofa. Harry sat on one end, his left elbow on the armrest and his hand propping up his chin while his right hand turned the pages. Hermione lay curled up on the other end, her back to the armrest, occasionally glancing over the edge of her tome at her best friend.

It was while they were reading that the Grangers strolled in, returning from a light day at the dentist office. The children quickly stood to welcome them, but Mr. Granger excitedly waved at them to sit back down. Exchanging confused glances, Harry and Hermione returned to the couch. The married couple sat down in the armchairs across from them, with Mr. Granger sporting a gigantic smile.

"Dad, why are you smiling like a crazy person?" Hermione asked uncertainly. Mrs. Granger let out a sigh, but even she was smiling, albeit not as much as her husband.

"Well, Hermione, you know how I always tell you those amazing stories about when I was your age?" He asked. Hermione sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"Dad, if you're going to ask me to light firecrackers in the backyard – "

"No, no, not those stories, those aren't the ones you should listen to!" The dentist interjected hastily. "No, sweetheart, I'm talking about how I always went camping with my mates, and you always said it sounded so fun!"

"I did?" Hermione asked, more to herself than anyone.

"Of course you did!" He grinned. "So, your mother and I were thinking – "

"You were thinking…" Mrs. Granger muttered, shaking her head with a smile.

"Oh, hush. Anyway, we were thinking, how fun would it be if the four of us went camping?" He asked, throwing his arms up triumphantly.

Harry was surprised, but immediately intrigued. From everything he'd gathered, camping involved eating marshmallows, staying up late, and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. It seemed like it would be nonstop fun, but he'd never been and wasn't sure if his vision was a bit idealized by what he'd read and seen on television. He turned to Hermione, who held a pensive expression.

"For how long?" She finally broke the silence.

"Oh, just a couple nights. I know this great spot just a bit up the road – "

"Dan, at least tell them that it's two hours away."

"Alright, yes, it's two hours up the road, but it really is perfect. You both would love it, there's this beautiful river, there's a quarry, and the sunsets are simply beautiful – "

"Sounds great!" Harry blurted, earning a pair of warm smiles from the adults while Hermione looked at him confusedly. He turned to his best friend. "What? I've never been camping before." He added quickly. "How bad can it be? As long as we're all together I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves." He explained. Hermione's brows scrunched together as she considered everything she'd just heard.

He turned back to Mr. Granger, who flashed him a thumbs-up, then turned back to see Hermione shrug.

"Alright. I suppose it could be quite fun if we make it." She said. "I assume we're not all sharing a tent?" She asked her father pointedly.

"No, don't you worry about that Hermione. You and your mother will sleep in one tent while Harry and I take the other." He answered. Harry suddenly choked on air, feeling his face get hot as he coughed repeatedly. "Oh, relax, Harry. The only thing you have to worry about is that I snore. We'll get you a sleeping bag when we get all our supplies."

Harry managed to calm down, but still felt queasy at the concept of crashing with his best friend's dad, even if they'd grown rather close over the past few weeks.

Shopping for camping supplies had ended up being an unexpectedly fun outing. They found a store big enough to rival the department stores that took up entire city blocks and entered excitedly. After finding an entire wall of sleeping bags, Mr. Granger asked his wife to look and make sure no employees were watching before promptly challenging Harry and Hermione to a potato-sack race using sleeping bags they'd pulled off the shelves. Laughing hysterically, the three of them hopped along before Mr. Granger took an unfortunate fall, inadvertently falling in Harry's path and sending the bespectacled wizard to the ground with him. Hermione coasted to victory and stuck her tongue out triumphantly at Harry before breaking into a fit of giggles as she helped him off the ground.

"You got lucky…" Harry grumbled, which only elicited more laughter from his bushy-haired friend. After tossing their broken-in sleeping bags into the trolley, the group continued purchasing all kinds of necessities for camping. Between the reusable water bottles, tents, lighters, bug spray, and sunscreen, their cart resembled that of a doomsday prepper more than anything.

The four of them eagerly returned home to pack before getting ready to depart. Harry, once he'd sorted enough clothes, headed downstairs, bag slung over his shoulder. He reached the foot of the staircase to find Mrs. Granger standing nervously in the kitchen holding a few packages in her hands.

"Harry, come here!" She whispered, beckoning him over as she glanced around. "Put these in your bag before my husband sees." She hissed, shoving a few things into his hands with surprising urgency. He unzipped his bag as fast as he could, but paused when he saw what he'd been given.

"Mrs. Granger – "

"Jean."

"Right, Jean, this is a bag of marshmallows. And this here's a package of chocolate bars and this is a box of graham crackers…" Harry listed in confusion as he finally got a good look at what he was holding. "You handed them to me like they were murder weapons, why – "

"Harry, my husband and I are both dentists, do the math." She responded plainly, but decided to elaborate at Harry's puzzled expression. "Foods like these are horrible for your teeth. Truly, utterly, horrible. But, I don't mind looking the other way once in a while, especially if we're going camping. It's not camping without roasting marshmallows, right?" She asked. Harry wasn't sure if it was rhetorical or not and stood silently with his mouth open before Mrs. Granger continued. "My husband, though, he's a bit stricter about sweets like these than I am. But! If you were to bring them, instead of me, another dentist, he wouldn't be cross about it." She explained. Harry nodded in understanding and hid the treats in his bag wordlessly. "It also helps that he likes you so much." She added with a wink before marching to the car.

Harry felt a smile stretch across his face at that, and quickly followed her out the front door. He added his bag to the trunk and climbed into the backseat to join Hermione. The two shared an excited look before the car revved to life, and soon they were cruising down the motorway towards their destination.

Eventually they left paved roads and the car ambled along a dirt road until Mr. Granger exclaimed in excitement that they had reached their area. He practically leapt out of the car and stood admiring their surroundings as his travel companions slowly exited.

"Welcome!" He said triumphantly, turning to them. "To the Forest of Dean!"

Harry took in their surroundings and couldn't help but feel amazed – they were settled on a remote patch of grass surrounded by some of the tallest trees he had ever seen. He heard the whisper of moving water not far from them. Quickly, he helped Mr. Granger set up the tents while Hermione and Mrs. Granger walked around to collect kindling for a campfire. Once they were settled in, Harry excused himself for a walk to follow the sound of the river. Hermione opted to join him, and the adults told them to be back before it got too dark. Nodding eagerly, the pair set off at a brisk pace.

They walked for a few minutes, listening carefully for the sound of moving water. They moved in a peaceful silence, only speaking to offer directions like "This way!" or "We're getting closer." Suddenly, the two exited the grove of trees and found themselves on a riverbank.

"Wow…" Hermione whispered.

"Yeah…wow." Harry managed as he took in his surroundings. The river flowed gently, not the roaring rush of a turbulent waterfall, but noticeably enough to fill the air with the pleasant sound of moving water. The setting sun cast all kinds of shades of gold and red along the water, which reflected upwards to bathe everything in sight in the most beautiful light Harry had ever seen. Their view was unbeatable – the river had carved out a path that led westward, allowing a completely unobstructed view of the sunset. "It's beautiful." Harry whispered. "I could stand here forever…"

"M-hmm." Hermione nodded in agreement. "Me too."

The two stood transfixed, watching the river run towards the orange sky that lay ahead of them, its blue waters glittering on the surface. Harry took in every detail he could – the birds chirping cheerfully, the trees swaying gently in a perfect breeze, the feeling of total awe that enveloped his entire body. He glanced at his best friend and found himself admiring her for a moment – the light from the sunset gave the appearance of highlights in her bushy hair, and her skin was practically glowing. He smiled to himself and turned back to the scene in front of him.

A moment after he redirected his eyes westward, he felt Hermione step closer to him and gingerly lean against his side. Carefully, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, squeezing her gently. He felt her sigh contentedly as they admired the world around them silently for a few more minutes, his body filling up with a pleasant warmth unrelated to standing in the sunlight.

Reluctantly, Harry checked his watch and mumbled something incoherent about getting back. Hermione nodded, inhaling sharply before stepping away and walking towards the cluster of trees that led back to their campsite. Harry took one last look at the setting sun, committing the picture to memory, before following his friend.

The pair couldn't help but gush to Mr. and Mrs. Granger about the unmatched beauty they'd spent the past ten minutes admiring. The dentists listened with rapt attention, deciding they'd go with the duo at sunset tomorrow to get a good look of their own.

Dusk finally settled over the campsite, and Harry quickly set up a roaring campfire – having years of practice of prepping the Dursley's fireplace. Everyone was given their own lawn chair and soon enough they were all roasting hot dogs over the fire.

"This might be the greatest thing I've ever cooked…" Hermione smiled to herself as she dove into her second hot dog.

"This might be the only thing you've ever cooked, sweetheart." Mrs. Granger smirked. Hermione narrowed her eyes at her mother, but even in the firelight it was obvious her cheeks were turning red.

"Do you not cook? Like at all?" Harry asked, curious. He had noticed that Hermione always volunterred to set the table while he helped the Grangers in the kitchen, but he assumed she didn't want to overcrowd anything.

"Hermione? Cook? Harry, do you like our kitchen?" Mrs. Granger asked, turning to him with an amused smile. Harry nodded nervously. "Do you not want to see it burnt to the ground?" She grinned, unable to subdue a fit of giggles.

Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Hermione Granger, who was brilliant in everything she ever attempted – except flying – was a rubbish cook? He couldn't believe it. He knew he'd been introduced to the culinary arts at an unusually young age ('Not by choice' he thought sadly) but he assumed most kids his age could at least handle themselves in the kitchen.

"Mum!" Hermione gasped, curling into a ball in her chair. "I'm not that bad…" She muttered, mostly to herself.

Harry had never seen his friend so embarrassed before. She kept her eyes locked onto her hot dog and ate in small, dejected nibbles. An awkward silence ensued, broken up only by the crackling fire that was still going strong.

"I…Hermione, I can teach you. You know, to – erm, cook some stuff. If you want…" Harry managed to sputter out. He felt his own cheeks flushing as Hermione's parents turned to him. "I mean, I don't want to overstep. Only if it's alright with you two." He added hastily. Mr. Granger smirked, but his eyes held an emotion Harry couldn't interpret. He wasn't sure if it was an emotion he'd seen directed towards him ever before.

"Harry, of course you're not overstepping. You can, but…" Mrs. Granger trailed off, holding a hand to her mouth in an effort to unsuccessfully hide her amusement. "You might need some protective gear. Maybe a hazmat suit!" She laughed, earning an eye-roll from her daughter.

"Harry, maybe you can teach me how to cook my mother's words, so she can eat them later!" She retorted, unable to mask the sly smile now stretching across her face. Harry saw both her parents' eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and fell into a fit of laughter of his own.

Soon enough, the four of them were all laughing amongst themselves, the warmth from the fire allowing them to stay up late into the chilly night. Harry surreptitiously pulled out the sweets Mrs. Granger had given to him, and was surprised when Mr. Granger didn't give it a second glance when he placed one on his stick. He passed the bags to Hermione, who eagerly loaded up on marshmallows to roast.

The two of them feasted on s'mores, with Mrs. Granger observing affectionately and her husband occasionally glancing at the bag to see how many marshmallows they had plowed through.

"Just brush your teeth extra hard tomorrow." He sighed when the pair passed the halfway mark, prompting Harry and Hermione to exchange grins.

The night crept on, and soon the four happy campers were yawning constantly. Harry looked over and saw Hermione had closed her eyes, her head tilted to the side peacefully. He turned to her parents, who nodded in agreement. The three of them quietly got to their feet. Mr. Granger whispered about grabbing sleeping bags, and his wife followed him to the tents. Unsure of what to do, Harry stood by the fire and turned his eyes to his friend.

For the second time that day, he found himself admiring Hermione. The faltering yellow light radiating off of the fire made her brown hair shine an inexplicably beautiful color. He couldn't help but stare at her skin glowing in the firelight – it looked perfect. She looked so peaceful, with her lips slightly parted like they always were when she dozed. Harry drifted his eyes up and saw her nose was scrunched up a bit, as if she were still thinking hard even as she dreamt. He smirked a bit and moved his eyes up further, and saw how pretty her eyes looked as they reflected the firelight.

'Wait, why are her eyes open?' Harry thought to himself, then Hermione raised an eyebrow and the realization hit him like a freight train.

"Shit…" Harry whispered, his eyes widening in fear.

"Hello, Harry." Hermione smiled coyly as she got up and stretched. Harry felt his heart shrink in on itself, and his face was suddenly boiling hot. "It's rude to stare, you know."

"Uh, I thought – I mean, I wasn't – you know, erm – I just – "

"You should get some sleep." She sighed as she finally stopped stretching and turned to him. Harry suddenly found it impossible to meet her eyes. She strolled towards him with an impish smile and walked right by, bumping him with her shoulder as she passed.

Harry stood as still as a statue, trying to comprehend what had just transpired.

"What on Earth…" He whispered to himself, shaking his head. He heard footsteps approaching behind him and whirled around, but it was Mr. Granger holding a bucket of water. He gave Harry a quizzical look, and Harry realized his cheeks were still incredibly red. Harry murmured something about being fine and helped the dentist put out their fire.

As the pair walked to their tent, Harry recalled a fragment of their fireside conversation and felt the need to ask Mr. Granger about it.

"Mr. Granger, can I ask you something?"

"You can always ask me anything, but I'm not always going to give you an answer." He winked, before turning serious. "What's on your mind?" He asked as they reached the tent. The two stood in silence for a beat outside the entrance.

"When I offered Hermione, you know, to teach her how to cook, you looked at me with this…I don't know. This weird look I've never seen before. Did I do something wrong?" Harry asked, his eyes locked on his shoes. He heard Mr. Granger chuckle quietly as he unzipped their tent.

"Pride, Harry. It was pride." He answered with a smile before clambering in. Harry stood dumbfounded for a moment as the implications of Mr. Granger's answer hit him. He sighed, glancing up at the stars and blinking a tear out of his eye.

"I love camping." He whispered before entering the tent.

A/N: Happy Mother's Day! I know this chapter was posted a few hours later than I usually post but I had work and have been spending time with my mom because as much as I love you all, I love my mom more and that's never going to change.

Hopefully you all enjoyed this! Some more fluff because I'm in a good mood and I want to see happy Harry as much as you guys. Also, decided to send them camping because it's fun! The Forest of Dean was just some random campground I found on the Internet that has absolutely no significance whatsoever to these characters or this story.

Thank you to the many, many, many of you whom are leaving such kind reviews! It warms my cold, frail heart and makes my day every time I see them. If you are liking the story so far, please do write a review, or favorite it, or follow it, because it makes me feel happy :)

Stay safe!