So, uh, this is where it got really stupid. It's embarrassing just glancing at it. I'm so so sorry. Please forgive me. Please?

And I still own nothing, except for this box which has 'Harry Potter rights' written on it in crayon. Sadly, I have discovered that it doesn't count for anything.

Chapter Six (if I remember rightly): Detour

'So.' I said awkwardly, as we stood around looking like idiots upon discovering that our flight had been cancelled.

'Well, no matter.' Chantez smiled, but it was a little strained. 'We've still got the week off, so how about a regular camping trip?'

I had the strangest feeling this was not going to be any better.

-o-o-o-o-

Chantez decided it would be best to pull us all along by Side-Along Apparition, which, I discovered, made me throw up. Violently. Ew.

Fang smirked at me, and I had a feeling Sirius and James would've been as well, if it weren't for the fact that Sirius was wiping spew from his mouth as well, and James was still trying to figure out which way was up.

'Hey, Max. Drink this, it'll make you feel better.' Chantez offered me a bottle, which I chugged desperately. When I'd drained a quarter of it, I handed it back to Chantez with a muttered 'thanks', and she passed it to a Ravenclaw who's name I didn't catch.

As I was vanishing my vomit, a Slytherin boy approached.

'Shouldn't you be back in your dungeon, plotting to kill all the muggles?' I accused.

'Well, that was a little rude, wasn't it?' He smiled at me in a disarmingly friendly manner. He'd have to do better than that, though. I'd been smiled at before, and I wasn't dead yet.

'Whatever. What are you even doing here? I thought this was Muggle Studies students only.'

'I am a Muggle Studies student.'

'But - Never mind. What do you want?'

'You're Max Ride, right? Monique's cousin?'

I had to think for a while before I realised 'Monique' was Nudge. I bristled.

'Yeah, what's it to you? Asking my permission to turn her into scum like you?' I spat.

He raised his hands defensively. 'Whoa, whoa, just passing on a message... don't shoot the messenger and all that.' His smile changed to a smirk, which was just as, if not more, infuriatingly charming.

'Okay then, spit it out.'

'She says she's sorry, and that you know what she means. She also said that she doesn't want to upset you, she's just doing what she thinks is right for her.'

I scowled. How selfish, 'doing what was right for her'. Didn't she care about what I thought? I'd kept her safe for all these years, and now...

'Do you want me to reply for you, or should I just leave you alone to sulk?'

Thankfully, Chantez interrupted my inner debate over whether or not I should punch him.

'Well, now that we're here, why don't we all get to know each other?' she said.

I stifled a moan. Please let this be a nightmare...

'Everyone sit in a circle!' Chantez exclaimed, beaming like this was the plan all along.

I plopped myself down next to Fang and Peter, who was fiddling with the grass restlessly.

'Well, um, how about we start with telling each other our names and our favourite colours? Why don't you start?' She gestured to the Hufflepuff girl on her left.

'Uh, I'm Rhea, and I, um, my favourite colour is green...?' she said shyly.

The Slytherin who had talked to me earlier was next, and I scowled, hoping he would notice.

'I'm Evan, Evan Rosier, and I don't really have a favourite colour. Oh, and Max, can you stop scowling at me now?'

I blushed, mortified that he'd pointed me out like that. Now I looked like the one being an asshole.

Soon, I stopped paying attention, and names started blurring together. I was only vaguely aware that James was making eyes at Lily.

Fang nudged me. Evidently he had just finished his introduction, and now it was my turn.

'Uh... I'm Max, and I like... uh... red.'

There. Done. Now I could zone out again.

-o-o-o-o-

After finding out that Nadia Swan was annoying as hell, discovering that Lily's favourite colour was purple, being hit by a water balloon which Sirius had brought for 'muggle spirit', and laughed at by Evan Rosier, we had nearly managed to go through the whole circle.

'I'm Rose Adams, and my favourite colour is yellow.' The Gryffindor girl smiled.

Another Slytherin boy. I was now pretty sure they were plotting to kill us all in our sleep.

'Rabastan, and blue is my favourite colour.' Like Rosier, he seemed strangely nice for a Slytherin pureblood, but I supposed they had to gain our trust before they could kill us.

'Right, so I'm the last one!' Chantez smiled her freaky smile at us again. 'I'm Ashley Chantez, and I like the colour orange. Now, let's start pitching tents!'

Oh boy.

-o-o-o-o-

'Stupid... dumb... crappy... GAH! Just... ARGH! Why am I even doing this? WHY?' Tent poles lay in a messy pile at my feet, and my frustration rendered me pretty much incoherent.

'Having trouble, Maximum?' a voice whispered in my ear, and I jumped, then whirled around to face the person who had snuck up on me. Evan Rosier. Of course.

'Don't do that.' I said, hoping I sounded threatening.

'Do what now?' he replied nonchalantly, twirling one of my pegs around his finger.

'You know what.' I snapped crossly. 'And give me back my peg.

'I don't know what you're talking about.' he said, walking away, peg still around his finger.

'Dammit! You - you Slytherin!' I yelled, running after him, and forcibly snatching my peg back.

'Oh, dear, did the big snake hurt the little lion?' he sneered, and I scowled even harder.

'Why are you even here?'

'Why aren't you?'

'That makes no sense!'

'Sure it does. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.'

That was when my brain imploded.

'Leave me alone! I haven't done anything wrong!' I stalked off, hoping I looked impressively badass.

I could feel his eyes boring a hole in the back of my head as he said, 'Believe what you like.'