By Lisa Rene
Summers at Keswick Camp for Young Witches and Wizards had been a favorite pastime of the Weasley children ever since Bill had first gone as a child. Having just finished his third year at Hogwarts, this was Ron's third year at camp and Ginny's second. It was mostly Hogwarts students at the camp, but there were always a few foreign students mixed in. Ron wished his best friend Harry could have come this year, but he was stuck at his aunt and uncle's.
He flopped down into a seat next to a sandy-haired boy who looked about his age.
"Hi," he smiled, "Ron Weasley. Is this your first time at Keswick?"
"Yeah," said the boy, "I'm Jason."
"Oh," said Ron, noticing the boy's accent, "you're from America then?"
"Canada, actually. My parents had to come over here on some business, so they signed me up for this camp."
"Oh, you'll love it. Best two weeks of the summer. There's loads to do, swimming, boating, Quidditch, hiking. My family comes here every year. Well, it's just me and Ginny this year, my brothers are too old for it now."
The bus pulled to the side of the road near a dirt path leading to an overgrown field. An old, wooden archway stood at the entrance with a broken sign above it that read "Camp Keswick. Closed, Do Not Enter."
"Here we are," said Ron with a cheerful nod.
"Where? Is it closed?" asked Jason.
"What? No, of course not. That's just so no Muggles will go in. Come on!" Ron shuffled off the bus and waited for the other boy outside.
When they reached the archway, a young man wearing a Camp Keswick t-shirt and holding a clipboard smiled at them. "Ron Weasley! I'd know that hair anywhere. Come back for another try at beating me at Quidditch, have you?"
"Hey, Matt," Ron grinned. He turned to Jason, "Matt was my counselor last year, he's wicked cool."
"I do my best," said Matt, "and who's your friend here?"
"Jason. Jason Welby," said Jason, looking around, still confused by the dilapidated surroundings.
"W....W....Welby! Well, looks like you'll be in our cabin. Ron can show you around." Matt gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned to check in the next group standing behind them.
"Awesome!" said Ron as they headed through the archway. Once they crossed it, Jason stopped and smiled.
"Well, that's more like it." The overgrown field had disappeared and in its place, a sprawling campground sprung up before them. Bright red tents peeked out from within a woodsy area to the right, and to the left was a small Quidditch pitch. And beyond the field, down the hill, was a shimmering lake with a sandy beach and boats moored on a small dock.
"Oh, I get it, there are obscuring wards or something here, right?" Jason asked as they walked towards the tents. "I heard that you guys use them over here."
"Of course. Can't have every Muggle and their mother stumbling across a wizarding camp, can you?" said Ron with a quizzical look. "What, you don't obscure things in Canada?"
"No. I suppose there's just so much open space in Canada, we don't really need to worry about them. We just make sure that our big wizarding places are in the middle of nowhere, miles from anything. Sometimes a wayward Muggle will come across them, but then the Ministry just uses a Memory Charm on them. Doesn't happen very often."
They had reached the group of small, canvas tents and found the one that said "Matt's Rats! 2nd & 3rd Year Boys". They hauled their bags through the tent flap and stepped inside. Ron stretched his hands toward the ceiling. It was a standard issue wizarding camp tent. Three sets of bunk beds stood around the medium-sized room lit by sunlight pouring through small windows. An open door at the back revealed a small bathroom and shower. To the left, another door led to Matt's private room. Ron took a deep breath. It smelled just like a camp should smell, like sweaty socks and candy.
The other boys were already unpacking. Ron recognized a couple of second year Hufflepuffs and a third year Ravenclaw from Hogwarts. The sixth boy turned out to be a Beauxbatons third year named Philippe. Andrew, the boy from Ravenclaw, was showing them the stash of candy bars he had hidden in his suitcase. Ron also had a hidden stash. Fred and George had slipped him some Zonko's Joke Shop items, saying that they were a necessity for good mischief-making at camp. He was showing off his collection of Dung Bombs and Waterfall Balloons when the tent flap opened and Matt stepped in. The boys scrambled in front of each other, trying to cover up the contraband, but Matt smirked and pushed past them.
"Chocolate and Zonko's, boys?" he said, scowling. Then his face brightened and he winked at them, "Excellent! I get first pick." He scooped up a handful of candy bars and a few Dung Bombs and dashed into his room. The boys laughed. Matt came back out and rubbed his hands together. "Who's up for a bit of Quidditch before dinner?"
A few days later, the boys were spending their "lake time" in canoes, drifting aimlessly on the still water. Ron and Jason paddled their boat over to where the girls were having "swim time" inside of a roped-off area near the beach.
"Oy, there's my sister," said Ron, pointing his paddle at Ginny's red head, her hair glinting in the sun. "Let's get her."
Ron reached under his seat and pulled out two Waterfall Balloons, handing one to Jason. Ginny had her back to them, talking to two other girls. They glided up behind the ropes and with a gentle toss, lobbed the balloons up until they levitated a few feet above the girls' heads. Ginny, hearing the boat, turned and waved to her brother just moments before the balloons burst open and a torrent of water crashed down on the unsuspecting group. Ginny squealed, her eyes flashing. The waterfall continued for several seconds before she was able to splutter out a reply.
"You!" she cried through the streams of water running down her face, "You'll pay for that!" The girls joined her in splashing towards the boat, but the boys dug in their paddles and glided out of reach. When they were a safe distance away, Ron dropped his paddle and doubled over in laughter.
He turned around to Jason, "That was great! Did you see the look on her face?"
Jason's eyes lit up with laughter, "Yeah, I saw it," but he continued to steal glances at Ginny as they headed back to shore.
Ron and Jason sat down next to their cabin mates in the dining tent. Immediately, their dinner plates appeared before them heaped with that evening's meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. Ron could see the camp-elves scurrying back and forth in the kitchens at the back of the hall.
His eyes traveled to the table where Ginny was sitting, laughing with her friends. He noticed he wasn't the only one looking in her direction. Jason had also turned around and was staring at Ginny with a sheepish grin on his face. Ginny caught his eye and gave a flustered smile.
"Hey, don't get any bright ideas over there," cautioned Ron, "that's my sister."
Jason glanced at Ron and shrugged. "She's pretty, that's all."
Ron shook his head and sank his teeth into a crispy chicken leg. Ginny turned her attention back to the girls at her table.
"So, they really hit you with a Waterfall Balloon?" a brown-haired girl asked, leaning over. "Ooh, we have to do something to them."
Ginny picked at her dinner roll as a wicked grin spread across her face. "Leave that to me."
"Lumos," Ginny mumbled at her camp-issued safety wand, which issued a faint light ahead of her. Personal wands were prohibited at the camp, so this would have to make due. She had convinced her cabin mates to let her do the dirty work alone to avoid suspicion. In the darkness, she crept around the clearing to the boys' tents until she found Ron's.
Growing up with six older brothers, Ginny had become an expert in stealth and sneakiness. Silent as a snake, she extinguished her wand and slithered through the tent flap. Soft moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the six sleeping boys in their beds. She found Jason in a lower bunk, his arm draped over his face. Above him, she could hear Ron's soft snores. She reached into her robe and pulled out a handful of small, brown pellets. Reaching up, she lifted the edge of Ron's blanket and gingerly sprinkled the pellets around his legs.
She bent to do the same to Jason, slipping her hand beneath the blanket at the foot of his bunk. But as she released the pellets, a foot suddenly struck out and hit her hand. She sucked in her breath and froze as Jason lifted his head from the pillow, squinty-eyed.
"Hey," he said in a groggy voice, "who's there?"
Ginny shifted, and Jason saw her red hair shimmer in the moonlight. "Hey, you're... Ginny?"
Her heart caught in her throat. She was done for. Her brain cast about frantically for some plausible excuse. Then she remembered Jason watching her in the dining hall, and a plan began to take shape.
She moved closer to Jason so he could see her face. "I...uh...yeah, it's me," she whispered.
"What are you..." he started, but she cut him off.
"I'm sorry. You probably think I'm really stupid. My friends bet me that I couldn't sneak in here and steal something of yours. They noticed you smiling at me today, and they think you have a crush on me. I never could resist a good bet." She grabbed one of his socks off the floor and held it up.
"Oh," Jason smiled, glad that she couldn't see his cheeks. "Well, you couldn't disappoint them then, could you?"
Ginny winked at him. "See you later," she grinned and crept out the tent flap with a sigh of relief. Once outside, she set about to finish what she'd started.
Early morning light filtered through the window, and Ron stirred in his bed. His legs brushed against something slimy and wet and he lifted his blanket. The stench that greeted him made him sit bolt upright and he hit his head on the ceiling.
"Awghk! Stink Pellets!" he yelled, waking the others. It only took a moment for the smell to waft across the room before each boy had jumped out of bed, holding their hands to their faces. Ron looked down and saw that Jason's bed was smeared with the same brown goo.
They rushed as a group to the tent flap, but no sooner had they stepped outside than Ron tripped on a rope, setting off a large display of Filibuster Fireworks, spitting and crackling inches above their heads. It didn't take long before the whole camp was peering out of their tents, laughing.
Ginny strode over to them, clutching her sides. Jason shook his head and laughed.
"So, it was a trick then," Jason said. "Well, the joke's on me, I guess. But I thought you ..."
"What," smiled Ginny, "you thought I liked you?"
"Well, yeah."
Ginny let slip a mischievous grin, "Who says I don't like you?"
"You?!" Ron yelled, "You did this? How in the world did you manage that?"
Ginny raised her eyebrows, "You think you're the only one with brothers named Fred and George?"
Tanned, happy, and covered in bug bites, the campers lined up in front of the purple bus that would take them back to the train station. Ron shuffled his way down the aisle, but stopped short when he found the seat next to Jason already occupied by his sister. Ginny was giggling as she related stories of Fred and George's antics, and Jason laughed obligingly. Ron rolled his eyes and smirked, dropping into the seat behind them.
On the train, the three sat together, sharing Chocolate Frogs. As they approached the Ottery St. Catchpole stop, Ron and Ginny gathered their bags.
"Are you going on from here?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, to London," Jason replied. "My parents are meeting me there."
The train slowed and they all stood up. Ron could see his parents waiting on the platform.
"Well, it was great to meet you, Jason," Ron said, shaking his hand. "Hope you have a good year at school."
"Thanks, you too." Jason turned to Ginny, "Uh, it was nice to get to know you." A shy smile spread over his face, unsure if he should shake her hand or hug her. These end-of-camp goodbyes were always awkward. He'd only known her for a few days.
Ginny exhaled a small chuckle and lifted her face, planting a quick peck on his cheek. "Bye. Have a good trip home. Hey, maybe we could owl each other sometime?"
"Sure," Jason grinned.
As the train left the platform, Ron and Ginny waved to Jason through the window. They continued waving as the train rounded the bend, out of sight.
"Maybe we could owl each other," Ron said in a high-pitched voice out of the corner of his mouth.
"Shut it," Ginny replied, still waving, "he's really nice."
"Wait til I tell Harry."
"You wouldn't!" Ginny turned to glare at him, but then waved him off. "Besides, Harry wouldn't care."
"Mmmhmm," Ron murmured as they turned to follow their parents, "we'll see."
The End
