"Lucky you are," said the bus driver from the front, trying to strike up a conversation. "It's a fine camp. Lots of things to do."

"Like what?" Bentham had already said a pool, a lake, and horses.

"Oh they've got everything. Zip lines, obstacle courses, bikes to ride, hiking, fishing, catching tadpoles, rock climbing. All kinds of things."

"And a bunch of nosy psychologists," Harry put in, but that only made the man driving the bus laugh.

"No, I don't remember any of those. Each camper gets their own counselor to go around with them. All the staff are volunteers. The camp is all about having fun. Basically whatever you want to do, the counselor will set up for you."

"Lots of people go to this camp?" Harry asked, staring out the window as the scenery changed from rolling hills to forested foothills. They were heading into the mountains.

"Oh, about fifty kids every summer. You look like you're right at the age cut off. It's kids seven to thirteen."

"My birthday is next month," said Harry. "Then I'll be thirteen."

"Food's not half bad either," said the driver. "Last week one of the kids started a food fight and I got a taste of a little bit of everything."

"You work there?"

"I'm the life guard at the pool and the bus driver. I'm also the camp nurse."

"That's a lot of jobs," Harry commented. He had been feeling sullen that morning because his stomach still hurt from getting hit the day before, but as the scenery grew more wild, he started to feel more amiable and open to chatting.

"I'm a paramedic the rest of the year. I take the summer off every year to work at the camp."

"If you're the lifeguard than who's watching the pool while you're driving me around?"

"Pool's closed today."

Harry frowned. They had closed down the pool to the rest of the campers just so he could get a ride to camp?

They were quiet for the next hour until they were deep in a forest. "Almost there," said the driver, and Harry started to feel anxious. He wondered what kind of rules there would be at the camp and what it would be like. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of a camp counselor dogging him wherever he went through the camp.

After driving around one more bend in the dirt road, there was a clearing and the bus pulled into a small gravel parking lot in front of a large log building.

"Here we are, Camp Kennewick on Immerdale Water." He parked and opened the door and Harry's eyes took in the parking lot warily. There was a smiling man that looked like he was in his early twenties standing outside holding a dark green hand written sign with Harry's name on it.

"Come on, looks like your counselor is waiting for you. He just got in this morning."

Harry stood up with his backpack and got off the bus.

"Hi Harry!" the man said happily, walking up to him with his hand outstretched. "Name's Rhys. Welcome to camp!"

"Hi," Harry said uncertainly. He wasn't used to seeing Muggles this happy, and even in the wizarding world he wasn't used to seeing smiles directed his way unless it was from Ron or Hermione or the Weasleys.

"Let's go to the cabin and then we can find something fun to do before lunch."

Harry gave a stationary wave goodbye to the bus driver, who he'd yet to ask of his name, and followed Rhys down a wooded trail next to the large log building.

"Have you ever been to camp before?" Rhys asked.

Harry could hear laughter in the distance and it sounded like several people might be playing a game.

"No."

"You're going to love it here then. What kind of things do you like to do?"

"Fly," Harry said without thinking, then he clamped his mouth shut tight.

"Like airplanes? Do you have your pilot's license?"

"No," Harry shook his head.

"Maybe we can find some model planes to fly. I bet they have some here." He led Harry to a cabin and up the steps to the small front porch and inside. There were three bunk beds like in the room he had at the youth home, but this room didn't feel oppressive like the other one.

"Your bunk is on top," he said, pointing to a bunk with a rolled up sleeping bag and pillow. "You can hang your bag from the top bed posts and decorate any way you like." He motioned to the top bunk across the small room which had a poster on the wall of a Muggle soccer player kicking the ball and blue yarn strung from the bed rails up to the ceiling and back down in several places.

Harry set his bag on the top bunk and then turned to Rhys expectantly.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to play twenty questions for a while," Rhys asked, and Harry's shoulders fell. He knew it. They were going to try to get him to talk about the Dursleys.

"I just mean," Rhys said seeing Harry's fallen features, "that I don't know what to suggest that we do until I know what you like to do. Of course if there's something you want to do, just ask."

Harry relaxed a little and Rhys lead him back out of the cabin. "Do you like to hike?" he asked out on the porch.

"I don't know," Harry said. He did like walking along the lake at Hogwarts, but he didn't know if that counted as hiking or not.

"Hiking's a maybe. Ok, what about riding horses?"

Harry shook his head.

"Hiking maybe, horses no. Ok, swimming?" Harry shook his head no.

"Rock climbing?"

"Maybe," Harry said as Rhys lead him off down a path. Harry could still hear laughter and shouts but he wasn't sure where it was coming from. Tall trees shaded the area and blocked his view of the rest of the camp.

"Wait," Rhys said, turning to Harry with a smile. "You said you liked flying. I have an idea."

Harry raised his brows and Rhys hurried off, making Harry almost jog to keep up. They took what seemed like a maze of paths until they finally came to an empty obstacle course.

"Ta-da," Rhys said, holding his arms out towards the course with a smile. "There's a zip line! Want to go up and have a try?"

Harry looked up into the trees at the wire stretched between them. "I'm- allowed?" he asked.

Rhys nodded. "Whatever you want buddy."

It was a few minutes before Rhys had Harry hooked up into a complicated harness and the two of them climbed up a ladder to a wooden platform up in the trees. Rhys had a harness on too.

"It's safe, don't worry."

"I'm not," Harry said. He didn't wait for the too eager counselor to hook him to the line. He took his metal D-ring and hooked it to the D-ring on the line.

"Wait, you need a helmet." He reached over and took a blue helmet off a hook on the platform and handed it to Harry. Harry put it on and buckled it into place and then smiled at Rhys. He could tell Rhys was expecting him to be scared of something like this, but Harry intended to prove otherwise. He held up his arms and fell backwards off of the platform. Rhys shouted but Harry was laughing as he zipped away down the line. The wind spun him around so he was facing forward and he stuck his arms up in the air as trees flew by him on either side. The ride was over quickly however and Harry was sad that it ended as he made another platform up in the trees. He skidded to a stop on the wood and unhooked himself. It wasn't like flying on a broom because he had no control over it, but it was still a rush he enjoyed, even with his still aching stomach and ribs and eye.

Rhys met him on the platform a minute later and looked like he hadn't enjoyed the ride as much.

"Tell me next time before doing something like that, yeah?" Rhys asked, though Harry had to give him credit for not looking miffed.

"Can we go again?"

"Yes. But do you mind if I stay on the platform this time?"

Harry laughed as he started to climb down the ladder. He didn't know what else there was to do at this camp, but he thought this was the best thing and couldn't believe no one else was here right now doing this with him. Ron would love this.

Harry went down the zipline five more times and was tired of climbing up and down ladders with all of his aches before Rhys told him it was time for lunch and helped him get out of the harness.

"Can we go back after lunch?" Harry asked.

"You're a thrill seeker, I can tell," said Rhys with a smile as he lead Harry down yet another path. They ended up back at the same log building next to the parking lot and Harry got his first glimpse at the other campers, who were all filing into the building with their counselors. None of them had bruises like he had, Harry noted. He looked at his shoes as they walked in and Rhys startled him by putting his hand on his shoulder to guide him to a seat since he wasn't looking.

"Load up," Rhys said when they found a seat on a bench. Harry chanced a look up and found a few other campers looking at him. One girl who looked like she was eight or nine kept looking at his black eye and then looking away. He tried to ignore her and put a sandwich on his plate and filled his cup with red juice that turned out to be watermelon juice.

"Only one rule at meals," Rhys told him, "and that's that every camper has to take one vegetable and one fruit, even if they don't eat it." It was like Hermione had made the camp rules he thought with a small smile to himself and he reached out and took a few slices of apple and a carrot and began to munch happily on them. Bentham was right, it was worth coming here instead of spending the summer in the oppressive youth home.

Lunch was almost over and Harry was still trying to ignore the little girl who kept staring at him and looking away, and Harry was just about to try to convince Rhys to go back to the zip line when another camper bounded happily in the door followed by his counselor. Harry's insides felt chilled like he'd swallowed a cup full of ice as his eyes followed the counselor across the room. No, no this was crazy! What was Snape doing here? In a Muggle camp of all places? He looked at the little boy who was probably about eight and the grin on his face. No child ever looked that happy while with Snape, not even Slytherins. What was going on here?

"Ready to go Harry?"

"Huh?"

"Back to the zip line? Or did you want to try something else?"

Snape started to take a seat next to his camper and Harry hurriedly stood up and rushed out the doors onto the large porch of the dining hall, Rhys right behind him.

"See you're already having fun," he said. Harry tried to smile but couldn't hide the uncomfortable look on his face.

"Are you ok Harry?"

"Yeah, I just... zip line?"

Rhys looked uncertain but nodded and lead him back towards the obstacle course.

"You look like you saw a ghost."

"Huh? Oh."

"Feel like talking about it?"

"Not really."

Harry was grateful when Rhys decided not to press him on it further.

"How about trying the obstacle course? Or the ropes course?" Rhys asked when they got back to the zipline.

"What's a ropes course?"

"You go up in a harness and helmet and you try to get from tree to tree on ropes. See," he pointed to another set of lines high up in the trees that Harry hadn't noticed before. "You walk on the bottom rope and hold on to the top rope, and you're hooked to a safety line so you won't fall."

"Ok."

Rhys helped him get into a harness and helmet again and then did the same.

"You're coming up?" Harry asked. "I thought you didn't like heights."

"Heights are fine," Rhys said. "Zipping through the trees, not so much."

Harry laughed and they climbed another ladder. Rhys hooked him to the top rope with a safety line and read the rules nailed to the tree to him before Harry was allowed to climb out onto the ropes. It was harder than he thought it would be and he almost fell several times, which got his heart pounding despite that he knew he was hooked to a safety line.

"Come on Sev! Come on!"

Harry looked down towards the sound of a little boy's excited voice and spotted the same camper who had come in late to lunch running down the path next to the obstacle course. Snape followed and Harry watched horrified, but also with some curiosity. Snape wasn't wearing all black. He had on a dark green camp Kennewick t-shirt and black cargo shorts and expensive looking dark blue tennis shoes.

"Where are we going Dusty?" he called just before they both disappeared from sight at the other end of the path. Harry strained to hear what the boy's answer was, but he heard nothing.

"Harry?"

Harry turned to look at Rhys who had come out on the ropes with him. When had that happened? Rhys was on the platform before watching him do the course.

"What?"

"You ok? You just kind of froze and didn't move."

Harry realized he was gripping the top rope with both arms as if he were hanging on for dear life and loosened his grip. "I'll keep going."

"That ghost that it looks like you saw... was the same one from lunch."

"No such thing as ghosts," Harry lied as he moved off towards the opposite platform. He hurried along to the small platform and waited for Rhys to tell him what to do next. There was no ladder down from this platform, and it was just big enough for him to stand on.

"Take one of the two safety ropes and hook it to the other rope line. Got it? Ok, step off the platform to that other rope line and then move your second safety rope over. Great. You're doing great."

Harry waited for Rhys to join him and then moved off. He didn't see or hear Snape or his camper again by the time they made it across the nine rope sets and down to the ground again.

"Can we go to dinner early?" Harry asked anxiously. "Is that allowed?"

"Hungry? We can go now. Dinner's not for another twenty minutes but I know they're already starting to put food out."

They got unharnessed and walked to the dining hall. There were already a few campers in there with their counselors helping to set the tables, and Rhys was right, there was already food on some of the tables.

"Go ahead," Rhys said, and he and Harry sat down and started loading up their plates.

"Did you want to eat early because you were hungry or because you don't like being around a lot of other people?"

"Other people are fine," Harry said, eating a roll. He'd put some chicken on it and made a sandwich out of it. He only hoped Rhys ate fast like he was doing. He was practically inhaling his food.

"But not that ghost that doesn't exist?"

Harry looked at him and he raised his brows.

"One of the teachers from my boarding school is here," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Nobody I know knows I'm here."

Harry had only been there for a few hours and was already having a blast. The most fun he'd ever had over a summer in fact. Snape didn't like him, and Harry knew the second he saw him he'd start telling lies about him, about how he was a stuck up, spoiled, pampered child, and then they'd send him away. Either that or Snape would start criticizing him and putting him down. Or he would send word to Dumbledore that Harry wasn't where he was supposed to be, and Harry would be taken to the Weasleys. Harry did want to go to the Weasleys, but he sort of liked Rhys and he really liked the ropes course and zip line. The Dursleys had never let Harry do anything fun like this before, and now that he had the chance, he didn't want to have Snape ruin it for him.

"I see. Nobody knows about you?"

Harry looked up at him again as he ate a bite of an orange. "He hates me. He'll try to get me sent away." Last year Snape had tried to get Harry expelled after he and Ron flew the Ford Anglia to school. No, Snape wouldn't let him stay here if he caught him.

Rhys nodded. "Ok then Harry, finish up that meal," Rhys put on a smile and Harry looked incredulous. He was actually ok with sneaking into a meal early and hurrying out to avoid Snape? No, he didn't seem to be such a bad guy.

They passed the girl that kept staring at him on the way out and Harry tried to smile at her as Rhys allowed him to hurry down the path.

"How about a tour of the rest of the camp while everyone's at dinner?" he asked. "They should all be in there in another few minutes. Then you can see what else there is to do."

"Ok," Harry said.

Rhys lead him to the edge of the woods and out into a meadow that bordered a long skinny lake in the mountains. "That's Immerdale on Water. Pretty clean and good for swimming, but you have to pass a swimming test in the pool before they let you swim in the lake. You can still kayak or canoe though with a life jacket."

"Archery is over there," Rhys pointed across the meadow, "I'm not very good but there's always another counselor who is. There's an arts and crafts building too," he said, "but you can't see it from here. It's behind the archery range. They also have bb guns but you have to pass a little gun safety course before you can do that activity. They give you an arm band, see?" He held out his arm and Harry saw several little rubber bracelets on his wrist in different colors. "One for gun safety, one for swimming in the lake, and one for doing the ropes and zip line courses on your own."

"I want to get that one," Harry said eagerly.

"Keep things up and you'll get it soon. I don't think many others have even done the ropes and zip lines yet."

At the lake's edge they walked along a path into a patch of trees and Harry found ten or more bikes of varying sizes in a bike rack.

"We can go bike riding. There's a mountain bike course, or you can ride on any of the trails. Only rule is you have to wear a helmet. You seem to like going fast, so I thought you'd like to ride bikes up and down the trails."

"No," Harry said, though he bit his lip.

"Really?"

"I've never ridden one before."

"Well camp goes for another month. I can teach you how."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. Want to start now?"

Harry grabbed a black helmet and put it on and picked out a silver and blue bike that looked like it was his size. Rhys adjusted the seat down for him and then explained how to balance using the handlebars and how to pedal. Harry fell probably more than ten times before he managed to pedal several feet, but once he'd figured it out he was off racing around the trees in the flat bike area.

"There you go!" Rhys shouted and laughed.

"This is ace!" Harry said with a grin. He wondered if Ron had ever ridden bikes or if this was a strictly Muggle activity. It was like flying but on the ground.

"Can we go for a ride?" Harry asked, but Rhys was already putting on a helmet and pulling out one of the taller mountain bikes.

"Come on. Lead off and I'll follow."

Harry forgot all about Professor Snape and his camper and the girl that kept staring at him as they rode off on the trail that went around the lake.

It was dark when they got back to their cabin and Harry was surprised to find that there were several stations around the camp where there were flashlights with fresh batteries for anyone who needed them.

"Hey Rhys, you guys missed campfire tonight," said another counselor as they got inside. "A bunch of the girls got up and sang silly songs."

"Blech, girls," said a boy who was about ten from the bunk across from Harry's.

"We were riding bikes around the lake," said Rhys as Harry climbed up into his bunk and started unrolling his sleeping bag.

"Oh cool!" said the other boy who shared the cabin who was probably also ten. "Can we do that Jake?"

"You have to learn to ride first."

The other two boys and the counselors continued talking about their day, but Harry was more tired than he thought from all of the climbing and riding, and as soon as he had his sleeping bag unrolled he fell face first onto it and went to sleep.

"Busy first day eh?" Jake asked, and Rhys nodded, also very tired. He laid down in his sleeping bag and tried to block the noise of the others out to sleep as well.

* * *

Severus Snape was bouncing back and forth between angry, curious, and irritated. He'd just seen Harry Potter, of all people, racing through the camp on a bike with a counselor. What was pampered prince Potter doing there in his camp? It was almost dark when he'd seen him, but he was sure it was the brat who lived. He had a feeling that Dumbledore had something to do with this, but wasn't sure how. No one knew he counseled at this camp every summer. This is my place he thought, irritated. Potter is too spoiled to be here ruining camp for the other children who genuinely needed and deserved to be there. The last thing Potter needed was more attention thrown at him. His head would swell to the size of a pumpkin and then the boy would be impossible to deal with when they got back to Hogwarts. No, that wouldn't do at all.

Dusty reached up and grabbed his hand then to lead him back to the cabin from the bathroom where he'd been brushing his teeth.

"Come on Sev. I don't want to miss the story."

"I'm coming," he said, trying not to let any of his irritation come through his voice. Dusty came from an orphanage and had recently been removed from his foster parents who were mentally abusive to him. His mother had died in jail and his father hadn't been a part of his life since he was born. He didn't want to let his own foul mood, or POTTER interfere with Dusty's good time this summer.

That night as he lay in his bunk listening to Dusty snore above him, he wondered how Potter had managed to sweet talk his way into coming here. He just couldn't fathom it, and it kept him awake well into the night.