Chapter Six: Camping

Disclaimer: JKR owns the Potterverse and all characters mentions in that series, I own all that is unrecognizable

A/N: my computer won't let me type out the word un plottable without the hyphen, it changes it automatically to unpalatable…

"Hermione where are we?" Laila asked as she untangled herself from Bobby.

"Some where near Stratford-on-Avon." Hermione said, walking around in a large circle casting spells on their campsite.

"What spells are you using Hermione?" Bobby asked pulling out his own wand.

"Salivo Hexia and such." Hermione said absentmindedly as she continued to circle.

"Here let me help." Bobby said and also began to circle. "I've made our location un-plottable, as well as a few other creative jinxes, if we could capture a death eater I could make a death eater repelling jinx, kind of like the muggle repelling jinx, except with a twist. See with the muggle repelling jinx, muggles who get too close suddenly remember they forgot to do something, and thusly they rush off to do it. With a death eater, we could cater a spell to be triggered by the dark mark, and when a death eater came to close, they'd suddenly remember they wanted to do… well I haven't really thought it through but something along the lines of getting themselves put into St. Mungo's for a extended period."

"That is an excellent idea, it'd keep them away and be taking them out at the same time!" Laila noticed that Harry hadn't said much since they had returned to England.

"What's the matter Harry?"

"I know I should be happy, I mean I have a sister and we're better prepared then we've ever been, we have plenty of supplies and we've got a better chance now, but I… it's just Ron should be here." Hermione laid a hand on Harry's shoulder

"I know… I'm still mad at him, but I can't help wishing for him to be here."

"You guys just have to have faith, he'll come back and when he does, things will be even better because you'll all realize how much you care for each other."

"Ron's kind of thick, and he really doesn't do well with emotions… I don't know Laila he might not come back, I mean who would willingly do this, and give up security?" Bobby just raised an eye brow at Harry, Harry caught his look and smiled for the first time since they arrived. "Okay I mean someone who isn't my sister and someone who doesn't fancy my sister… by the way I feel obligated to do my brotherly duty and inform you that she IS my sister and I'll be keeping careful watch… don't… well you know do anything that will make me have to kill you… Damn now I know how Ron felt when I was with Ginny."

"Who's Ginny?" Laila asked brightly, her interest peaked.

"Ginny is Ron's sister and she and Harry lo… like each other a lot." Hermione said, Harry gave a sad smile.

"That is no longer an option, not now not until … " Harry didn't have to finish his sentence everyone there knew what would eventually have to happen. Bobby felt things were getting to heavy, and decided to change the subject.

"So Harry lets get the tent up so that these lovely ladies can cook us dinner, I'm starving."

"Bobby you are always starving, I swear he eats all day long." The boys erected the tent and when Hermione and Laila walked in they were pleasantly surprised. Laila's parents had outdone themselves. The tent no longer looked like a spacious 10 person camping implement, it looked like a plush dorm. The living room area had two couches and a few arm chairs, there was a beautiful wireless set in a corner. The kitchen looked like it belonged in a SoHo loft not in a tent, there was everything the girls needed to prepare gourmet meals every night. The girls stopped their explorations long enough to unpack and put away all the food. Then they moved to the dining area, a beautiful table big enough for 8 sat in the middle of the room, with a buffet table along one wall. The girls then found the first bedroom, which had a small plaque on the door that read 'Hermione' Inside the girls found a richly decorated bedroom with a large four poster bed, and when Hermione laid upon the bed she was shocked about just how soft the sheets were.

"Egyptian Cotton sheets, 1600 thread count." Laila said with a smile.

"Why would your mother buy us all of that camping gear if they were planning to do this to the tent?"

"Well partly for appearances, my mother is telling all of her friends that Bobby and I had decided to go camping in West Virginia, to study the plants that grow only there. That will explain why Bobby and I will be gone for so long. At least five witches and wizards saw my mother and us picking up camping gear…"

"But what about your school, aren't they going to notice when you don't show up?"

"No worries there, I was home schooled and received my Diploma in January. And I think another reason is they really wanted to make sure you and Harry were well taken care of, but they didn't think you would accept such gifts from strangers."

"I'm not going to complain."

"You're not going to complain any less when you see your bathroom" Hermione gave a squeal and launched herself off the bed and into the bathroom. It was just as opulent as the bedroom, with a large step down tub, a shower stall and a beautiful vanity. Laila dragged Hermione from her room and showed her the rest of the tent, they merely peeked into the other bedrooms, but Laila showed Hermione the library, where they spent thirty minutes putting up the books Hermione had brought. Then Laila showed Hermione the room set aside for dueling practice, and a special room set up as a potions lab, complete with everything they could possibly want for ingredients. "Dad figured you could start a poly-juice potion now and then we'll have it when you need it. The tent is charmed so everything stays exactly like it is when the tent is packed up."

They heard appreciative whoops coming from the living room area. They joined the boys there. Bobby was relaxing on the couch, and Harry was wandering around taking in everything the girls had already seen.

"Wait until you see your bedroom Harry, it's like living in a five star hotel." Hermione said. Laila took Hermione to the kitchen where they put together a simple meal of salad and steak. After dinner Harry and Bobby were discussing who would take first guard duty.

"Well laila can't, because she's underage, and if the ministry gets wind of any underage magic they'll swoop down on us." Harry said.

"Yeah that is problematic. I don't think Hermione should take guard duty either, she's really the brains of this operation and she should be putting those brains to better use, like making potions and teaching Laila everything she can."

"That's also problematic Bobby, how can I know if I've learned anything if I can't do magic? I mean I could help with the potions… oh I've got it. Hermione how long would it take to brew an aging potion? I mean that would trick the ministry right?"

"Oh Laila that's perfect, it shouldn't take too long, we'll go start on it now, by tomorrow you'll be 17 and won't register with the ministry." The girls rushed off to the potions lab to work the potion. Harry and Bobby decided that they would do guard duty together and take a potion to keep them awake and alert. After they swallowed their potions, they dragged a couple of lawn chairs out in front of the tent. Bobby fidgeted with his pocket for a moment before producing a pack of Salem Black Labels. He plucked a cigarette from the pack and lit it. Harry kept glancing at him, and the relative ease which he smoked.

"No worries, I've been smoking for a couple of years now, and I won't do it in the tent." Bobby said, answering Harry's unasked questions.

"Why would you want to smoke? I mean I heard those things give you cancer."

"Well normally they might, but I'm a wizard remember, a simple charm and they're safe, plus it helps me relieve stress."

"Really?" Harry's tone made Bobby laugh. He tossed the pack to Harry and then his lighter.

"Go on then, I know you're curious." Harry took a cigarette from the pack, placed it to his lips and lit it. He inhaled and then coughed his lungs out.

"You knew that would happen didn't you?" Harry said his voice raspy and his eyes red and watering.

"Yep, it's the best deterrent for smoking, let a kid try it, and when they find out what they have to go through, they don't do it anymore." Bobby laughed.

"You couldn't have just told me mate?"

"Nah, you had to experience it, me telling you wouldn't work 'cos I'm so good at it."

"Well… I'm going to finish it, don't want to waste it and all…" Harry lied.

"No use lying to me friend, I know how much stress you're under, and I don't judge…" Bobby was cut off when Hermione poked her head out of the tent.

"Do you guys smell something burning…" Hermione had turned to face Harry " HARRY JAMES POTTER WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING." Harry had the good grace to blush and then he regained his composure.

"Hermione, I'm an adult and if I choose to smoke, that's my right."

"But it's so bad for you Harry, don't you know that cigarettes give you cancer?"

"To be fair Hermione, I've charmed them to be safe, all the benefits of smoking, none of the cancer." Bobby said, and Harry envied his ability to be cool and calm with an angry Hermione snarling at him.

" What will Laila say when I tell her?"

"Low blow Hermione, but Laila already knows she accepts that this is just a part of me, and that asking me to change is not only unfair, but pointless. You sound stressed Hermione… cigarette?" Harry thought Hermione was going to kill Bobby, but all she did was turn around and go back inside.

"You're a braver man than I." Harry said, chuckling. "If I had done this without you she would have hexed me six ways from Sunday, and only let me out of it long enough to kill…" Harry's eyes had gone distant as he remembered what his future had in store for him.

"The evil-git-who-just-fucking-die?" Bobby suggested. "I don't mean to be all cloak and dagger or try to tell you what you should do… but it bother's Laila to hear his name…"

"Nah it's alright, I suppose it's better for her to not hear his name til he's dead anyways…"

"Yeah I've been wondering about that… how are you going to kill him… I mean tons of people have died trying… and no offence friend but you're just a 17 year old kid, no offence or anything."

"None taken I'm glad somebody remembers that I am just a 17 year old kid… but to be fair, 17 year olds are adults in our world."

"In my estimation friend, age has nothing to do whether or not someone is an adult, or even a man. An adult is someone who is capable of taking their experiences and emotions and apply them to difficult decisions, an adult is someone who is capable of determining what's best, and what's right, and then deciding between the two… I'm not an adult." Harry took a minute to digest what Bobby had just said.

"Then what in your estimation makes a man?"

"A man… well a man does what's right, he protects his family, he never runs out on his responsibilities, he… it's hard to explain man, the best I can come up with is a man doesn't need to tell others he's a man, he doesn't need to be told either. When you're a man you and everyone else knows it."

"That's some heavy conversation ya'll are having." Laila had poked her head out the tent. She came out fully carrying a tray laden with goodies, Hermione followed with a small table. " We thought you boys would like a snack, something to keep your strength up." Harry saw the tray contained soda, steak sandwiches, and some homemade buttermilk biscuits.

"Now I know why I fell in love with you!" Bobby said, rapturously eyeing the spread.

"It couldn't be because the first time we met I fed you could it?" Laila said with a smile.

"How did you meet?" Hermione asked, helping her self to a sandwich, and nudging Harry over so that she could share his seat.

"My parents and I were having a picnic in the park, and Bobby and his friends were having a basket ball game there, someone missed a basket and the ball rolled over to where we were sitting. Bobby came to retreat it, and when he saw what we were eating, he figured out that we were wizards too, he excused himself for a moment, took the ball back, then blew off his friends. He came back and we invited him to join us, to discuss common interests. He got our address, and then began to show up normally around meal times, his excuse being that his mother couldn't cook nearly as well as our house elves."

"Mrs. Lockwood took pity on me because I'm so skinny. She thought my parents were starving me. When she found out that I'm just really skinny, and I eat like a horse she was a little miffed, but she got over it. You know it wasn't the food that kept me going back to belle manor. There was this pretty little thing who lived there, needed a Knight in shining jeans to rescue her from boredom." Bobby said and giggled.

"When we first got together mom was thrilled, she looked at is as an opportunity to fatten Bobby up a bit. Dad was wary at first, he even made Bobby take an unbreakable vow."

"Yeah about that… your dad and I didn't really do an unbreakable, we just sat in the room watching football and he told me if I did anything to you before you were thirty he'd castrate me." Harry and Hermione laughed, Laila threw the crust of her sandwich at him. Eventually the girls returned to the potions lab to finish the aging potion. Harry and Bobby sat on guard, occasionally smoking. When the morning came, Laila took the aging potion. In appearance she virtually remained the same, she grew about an inch, and her hair became a little longer, but other wise she was the same.

"Alright boys to bed, Laila and I will take turns watching during the day, we'll move on this evening." Hermione said as she cleared the breakfast dishes away.

"I'll take first watch Hermione… I'd like to practice some spells."

"I'll join you, I'm not tired and we really haven't had a good chat yet." So both girls took up the chairs the boys had brought outside. Laila took out her wand as did Hermione. "Now this is a simple spell, it's called the full body bind. The incantation is Petrificis Totalis, and the wand movement is such, Hermione demonstrated waving her own wand. Just beyond the edge of their protective spells, a small rabbit froze. Laila laughed but Hermione hastily did the counter jinx.

"That poor bunny." Laila said, still smiling.

"Yes well… ACCIO RABBIT." The bunny zoomed through the wards. When Hermione caught it, the bunny was shaking. Laila went inside and got some left over lettuce, some carrots, and a small dish of water. Hermione conjured a rabbit hutch, and put the rabbit inside it, Laila put the food and water into the hutch as well. "Now you can practice your jinxes on a moving target.

"Hermione I'm not going to jinx a helpless bunny." Laila said.

"That was a joke Laila, I'm not going to hurt a bunny, it just looked really thin. We'll keep it long enough to get it nice and fat and then we'll eat it…"

"I'm not going to…" Laila noticed Hermione was laughing. "It's not funny… poor bunny."

"Yes poor bunny… now what are we going to name it?"

"Hmm… I've always liked the name Angus."

"Angus… the rabbit?"

"Hmm yes it fits." The rest of the morning was spent in debate over Angus' name. Around 1 p.m. the boys appeared at the mouth of the tent and complained, loudly, that the girls were neglecting them in favor of a rabbit. The girls made breakfast for the boys, lunch for themselves and then retired to the potions lab. The boys took up their post outside the door, and chatted about trivial things until supper time. After they had eaten and washed the dishes, the boys packed up the tent and Hermione and Laila magically removed all traces that anyone had camped there. As the last rays of sun finally disappeared, they apparated to another forest to make camp for the night.