Fun in the Summer

one

"Do I have to go?" whined eleven year old Harry Potter to his mother.

"Harry, we've already been over this. Yes, you are going to summer camp. Neville will be there with you, and so will your sister. It's just four days, sweetheart," soothed Lily Potter. "Thursday, Friday, Saturday and on Sunday you'll come home."

Harry looked at his sister, Rose. She poked her tongue out at him. "I'm not hanging around with my brother," she taunted.

"Good," replied Harry, crossly. He turned back to his mother. "I still have to get my things for Hogwarts," he reminded her.

"We still have two weeks after camp before you leave for Hogwarts," responded Lily gently. " You'll be fine, sweetheart."

"Aw, are you gonna miss your mummy?" teased Rose.

Harry scowled. "That's enough, Rosie," chided Lily. "Now, upstairs and pack. We'll be leaving early in the morning to get you to the bus."

"A bus?" asked Rose.

"Yes, you're taking the Knight bus to the Cotswalds, where you'll have fun hiking, boating and swimming."

"Woo hoo," groused Harry, walking up the stairs. The lack of excitement in his voice made his mother smile.

"Don't forget to pack plenty of clean underwear," called Lily, making Rose snicker.

Harry growled and continued to his room.

He had to admit he did feel a bit excited, sitting on the bus next to his best friend, Nev. There were about fifteen other children and Harry supposed they would be his classmates at Hogwarts in a few weeks. To his relief, he wasn't the only one to bring a younger sibling.

The leader of the camp, Ms Charity Burbage, clapped her hands. "Quiet down, please. Mr Prang, our driver, needs to concentrate." The Knight Bus had been transformed to look like a more traditional bus.

"Here we go," called Ernie Prang, and the doors began to close. Harry and Neville exchanged a look of anticipation as the bus began to move.

"BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. Everyone peered out the window to see a blue Ford Anglia pull up along-side the bus, which had braked suddenly.

As they all watched on, a red haired man and woman got out of the car. The man went to the boot and got out two bags. The woman opened the back seat door, and two young girls got out, each with a carry on bag. The short, rotund woman ushered them quickly to the bus. Ernie opened the door, and Charity Burbage stepped out.

"So sorry to be late. This is my daughter, Ginny Weasley and her friend, Luna Lovegood," smiled Molly Weasley.

Ms Burbage checked her list. "Hmm, I have a Ronald and Ginevra Weasley listed, but no Luna Lovegood."

The small red haired girl scowled. "Ginny. My name is Ginny."

Molly stepped closer to the leader. "I'm afraid Ronald is home sick with dragon pox, so Luna will take his place. We did send the appropriate owls, asking if it would be okay. We'd already paid, you see, and they wouldn't refund the fee. Did nobody let you know?"

Charity frowned. " No, they didn't. Well, you two better get on board, we were just leaving." She waved her wand, sending both bags to the overly full luggage compartment under the bus.

Molly grabbed Ginny and hugged her tight before kissing her cheek. Some of the boys on board laughed and hooted, making the girl flush. She pulled away from her mum and grabbed Luna's arm. "Bye Mum, bye Dad, come on Luna."

Luna waved goodbye to the Weasley parents, allowing Ginny to pull her along. Molly and her husband Arthur watched happily as the doors closed again.

"Find a seat somewhere, girls," offered Ms Burbage, sitting in her own seat. Ginny nodded and looked down the aisle. There weren't too many empty seats, and none were big enough for two.