Hey all!! Welcome to my first piece of fanfiction! I really hope you enjoy and I really really hope that you'll review. Please be nice, but also be honest! This has some (actually very little) spoilers for HBP.
Also, some of the spells here might be spelled wrong. Please let me know if they are. My books got confiscated by my mom cuz I was too obsessed with them...:D.
Disclaimer: Basically, if you've heard or read about it from the books, I don't own it. It belongs to JK Rowling. I also don't own the name "Meilin", that belongs to the anime Card Captor Sakura, but the character is mine. I just borrowed the name.
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Secret of the Chosen Heir
Chapter 1: Encounters
Harry blew his bangs out of his face, "I'm going to go where Dumbledore took me that day first."
"But why? It's not like You- I mean Voldemort, would be stupid enough to hide two Horcruxes in the same place!" Hermione said knowingly.
"Yeah mate! Why do you want to do back there?" Ron asked curiously.
"Because I need to know what I am going to be looking for..." Harry replied, his green eyes narrowing, "If I am going to be destroying more Horcruxes, I need to know what I am looking for to find them."
"But you can't go by yourself!" Hermione cried.
"It's easier if I do this alone. If all three of us go missing, Mrs. Weasley is going to worry herself sick, not to mention get really angry when we return." Harry looked at the despair on Hermione's face, "Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to be destroying anything or battling or anything of the sort."
"I guess we can't change your mind once it's made up eh mate?" Ron said wryly.
Harry grinned, "I guess not."
"Well alright, just be careful Harry!" Ron clapped Harry on the back.
"And do send for us if something goes wrong alright?" Hermione said, still unconvinced.
"Really Hermione, don't worry" Harry held up the gold coin that Hermione had bewitched for the DA two years ago, "Everything will be just fine! Cover for me for a while though alright?" With that, Harry gave his two best friends one last grin and Disapparated.
"Oh Ron, I do hope Harry stays out of trouble." Hermione sighed.
Ron put a comforting arm around her, "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine."
--Harry--
Harry stumbled a bit as he arrived with a small pop, still not used to the claustrophobic feeling of Disapparating. He looked around at the sunny beach with a very blue and beautiful ocean.
"Bloody hell!" he swore quietly, "This isn't the right place!"
Harry was about to Disapparate again when a lone figure on the beach caught his eye. Unable to help himself, he stepped closer and saw that the figure was a girl sitting on the sand and hugging her knees, looking out over the water. She was wearing a white blouse and dress and her shiny black hair hung down to her waist. Because of her Muggle clothing, Harry thought at first she must be a Muggle. But coming closer, he gasped. The girl he was looking at was Cho Chang.
"Ch-Cho?" Harry choked out.
She turned her head and looked up at him, eyes growing wide in recognition, "Harry?"
"What are you doing here?" they exclaimed at the same time, then laughed.
"Ladies first!" Harry said, mischievously.
"Oh alright. Here, sit. It's quite uncomfortable looking up like this." she replied, moving a book that Harry didn't notice before.
"What's that?" Harry asked, gesturing to the book.
"A book that Father told me to read." she said lightly.
"Heirlooms and Other Important Items of the Magical World's Most Powerful Families." Harry read, "Sounds like something Hermione would read."
Cho laughed, "I guess so. Father said that stuff like this is very hard to find so the people working at this may want to give me a job."
"Who wouldn't give you a job! I mean, you got all your N.E.W.T.S right?"
She shrugged, "Yeah, but sometimes one of the only good qualities I have are my brains."
"Don't say that!"
"Why not? I'm not brave, I'm not exactly cunning or witty, nor am I exactly humble."
Harry thumbed absentmindedly through her book. His eyes snagged on a page, "Hey! Your family's in here!"
She glanced at the page, "I guess. Mother always said our family was powerful, but she never said why."
"What's your family's item? It doesn't say in here. It just says 'unknown'."
She shrugged, "No one ever told me. Apparently, it's some secret that will be passed down to one that is chosen."
But Harry was no longer listening, his eyes were frozen on the page that talked about the items from the founders or Hogwarts. There were pictures of each of the items along with where it was last seen.
"Cho, would you mind if I borrowed this book for a while?" he asked carefully.
"I think so. Father has a couple more copies at home. Why?"
"Oh, I just think Hermione would be really interested in this stuff."
Cho raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, "Alright."
They sat in silence for a while. Harry's mind was racing in every direction. With this book, their search for the Horcruxes would be made a lot easier because they would have an idea of what they are looking for.
"Harry?" Cho's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "I-I'm sorry."
"What? For what?" Harry asked confusedly.
"For everything. For not going to help you when the Death Eaters attacked. For assuming I could talk to you about Cedric. For not understanding. Everything I was foolish enough to do."
Harry stared at her. She was looking sadly out at the water, but there were no tears like he expected, "It's alright I guess. There's nothing to forgive. It's not like I blame you for not putting you life in danger or anything."
"I'm not brave like you or your friends. I never was. I couldn't bring myself to help."
"Really Cho, I don't know why you're blaming yourself, but I really don't blame you for anything."
She turned to him with a small smile, "Thanks Harry."
"Well well well! Who do we have here? Baby Potter and his Muggle?" a high evil-sounding voice rang out behind them, ruining the moment.
Harry jumped to his feet, whipping out his wand and found himself face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange.
"You!" he shouted.
"Yes, me." Bellatrix smirked, "What a lovely encounter! I thought I would go for a nice walk on the beach and what do I find? Potter with his little Muggle. How amusing. You better put that away, Baby Potter, you wouldn't want your little girlfriend to find out what you really are do you?"
"Leave us alone!" Harry growled through gritted teeth as he stepped protectively in front of Cho.
"Oh how wonderful! Baby Potter is going to protect his little Muggle girlfriend. But to no avail!" Bellatrix pulled out her wand with a flourish.
"I'm warning you, Bellatrix." Harry's anger was rising uncontrollably. He could almost feel Cho trembling in fear. Bellatrix thinks Cho's a Muggle, and my girlfriend. She's going to do everything she can to hurt Cho first. Harry thought.
Bellatrix smirked again, "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew out of his hand. He clenched his teeth. Without his wand, there is no way he can protect Cho. So caught up was he in his anger that he failed to remember that Cho had her wand. While Bellatrix was preoccupied with Disarming Harry, Cho had slowly drawn her wand though she was trembling so hard that it would be futile to use any spell.
Bellatrix was walking slowly towards them now, wand still pointed at Harry. Her eyes caught sight of Cho's book lying in the sand and picked it up with a flick of her wand. She smiled, "I think Master would be very pleased to have this book. I remember he used to collect trinkets like these."
Harry lunged for her, but he wasn't fast enough.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix hurled the curse at Harry. Immediately, he fell to the ground and writhed in agony.
"Harry!" Cho fell on her knees beside him, careful to keep her wand out of sight.
"Liking the pain Baby Potter?" Bellatrix sneered as she intensified the pain.
Harry's scream snapped Cho to her senses, only she can help him now, "Expelliarmus!" Cho cried, jumping up.
Her spell deflected off the Shield that Bellatrix managed to conjure just in time, "Oh, so not a Muggle." Bellatrix said delightedly.
Cho gripped her wand harder and continued to point it at Bellatrix, trying not to let her fear show.
"Let's see," Bellatrix looked thoughtful, "Chinese, pretty face, shiny black hair, nice form...must be from the Chang family."
Cho's eyes widened as Bellatrix named her family from her appearance. She knew that her family looked alike in some ways, but she never knew that their looks were distinctive solely to her family.
"Master really likes your family. Pity your mother rejected his offer to join him." Bellatrix leered.
"You're lying!" Cho cried out, "My family never had anything to do with-with HIM!"
"Really? We shall see. Crucio!"
"Cho!" Harry pulled her down beside him before the curse hit her.
"Stupefy!" Cho yelled. Again, her spell deflected.
"Give it up Chang, a little snippet of a girl like you can't stand a chance against an experienced Death Eater like me! Expelleriamus!"
"Protego!" Cho managed to bring up a Shield before the spell hit her wand. But she knew she couldn't fight much longer, her fear was getting the best of her. She needed Harry.
"Accio Harry's wand." Cho breathed. His wand flew to her outstretched hand.
"How dare you steal from me!" Bellatrix screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"
Cho froze in terror, watching the green light fly closer and closer to her. As if in slow motion, another jet of light appeared and deflected the Killing Curse into the nearby sand, which promptly exploded on impact. She blinked and turned in the direction the light had come from.
"Bellatrix," a very tall person in a black cloak drawled. His face was extremely white with snake-like nostrils and slanted red eyes. Cho shivered to look at him.
Harry let out a horrific yell and clutched his scar.
"Master!" Bellatrix went white and fell to her knees at the newcomer's feet.
Cho's couldn't believe her ears, then she stared at him in terror. Voldemort himself was standing not five feet away from her.
"Cho, just go! It's not safe!" Harry said breathlessly, still clutching his scar.
She didn't answer, but continued to stare in terror as Voldemort approached her. He caught her face in his icy hands and tipped it up to his own.
"How very much you like your mother." he commented slowly.
Cho gulped and whimpered as he stroke her cheek with his finger.
"Leave her alone Voldemort!" Harry roared, standing shakily.
"I will do whatever I wish Potter!" Voldemort snapped, letting go of Cho, then he said in a softer voice to Cho, "It is too bad you are not the one."
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Harry seethed, pulling Cho back behind him, his wand pointed at Voldemort.
"That is of no concern to you boy. It is too bad I will have to dispose of her so she can't go talking to her family about me." the Dark Lord smiled evilly at Cho, "Perhaps even now your mother will see the error of her ways."
Cho remained speechless, her terrified eyes fixed on Voldemort.
"Don't you-" Harry was cut short as Voldemort carelessly flung him aside and pointed his wand at Cho.
"Cho!" Harry cried in horror as she collapsed, bleeding hard.
Voldemort smiled down at her still form and without so much of a glance at Harry or Bellatrix, disapparated. Bellatrix followed suit after tucking something into her robes.
"Cho!" Harry cried out again as he hurried toward her. Blood was spreading rapidly in the sand and Cho didn't seem to be conscious.
"Oh god, please don't be dead Cho!" He tentatively took her pulse. It was weak, but it was still there. He relaxed a little bit, then tensed again as he tried to think of a way to get help. Fast.
St. Mungos! Harry slapped himself mentally for not thinking of it before. He carefully took Cho into his arms, took a deep breath and Disapparated.
--Later--
"So tell me again Harry James Potter, why didn't you send for us once you figured there would be danger?" Hermione asked for the millionth time.
Harry sighed. After he had brought Cho to St. Mungos Hospital, he had quickly owled Ron and Hermione telling them to come to St. Mungos. They had arrived promptly, without Mrs. Weasley much to Harry's surprise, though what lie they must have told he didn't want to know. He had told them everything that had happened. Talking to Cho, Bellatrix's attack, Voldemort's arrival, strange behaviour and attack on Cho, everything there was to tell. While Ron was still staring at him in shock, Hermione was nearly hysterical.
"Look Hermione, I was just so shocked that I didn't think about anything but keeping her and him away from Cho." Harry said wearily.
"You could've been killed!" Hermione bursted.
"Yeah thanks, Hermione." Harry mumbled.
"But there's one thing I still don't get," Ron said thoughtfully, "What did V-Vol-de-mort want with Cho?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't know, but..." he trailed off.
"What?"
"When he was looking at Cho, it felt as if he was...longing for something..." he paused, "Then it turned into disappointment."
There was a long pause as Harry's words sank in.
"Maybe her family has something that he wants or belongs to him." Hermione said presently.
"You mean a Horcrux?" Ron asked disbelievingly.
Hermione shrugged, "Well from what Harry told us about Cho's book and their family heirloom being passed down to one that's chosen and all, it could be possible."
Harry was about to reply when a new voice interrupted them.
"Harry Potter?"
Harry turned to see a young Chinese man with a serious face, "Uh...yes?"
"I am Cho's older brother, Wei Chang," he offered his hand, which Harry shook.
"Hey! I recognize you! You work as one the secretaries for the Minister!" Ron exclaimed.
Wei looked surprised, "Yes, I am. I assume you are related to Percy Weasley?"
Ron scowled at the mention of Percy, "Yeah, I'm his brother."
"Pleased to meet you as well," Wei shook Ron's hand and turned back to Harry, "Will you please tell me what happened to my sister, Harry?"
Harry sighed and told all there was to tell. Wei turned very white at the story and his face became contorted with worry, "Thank you Harry. I must inform my parents of this."
"Wei!" an older looking woman approached them with her husband and a young girl, "The doctor said we can go see Cho now."
"Yes Mother, I'm coming." Wei answered, "Thank you again Harry."
"Er, no problem Wei." Harry said awkwardly as Wei left to join his family.
"Did you guys know Cho had an older brother and younger sister?" Hermione asked.
"No! I though she was an only child!" Ron responded.
"Um, excuse me Harry?"
They all turned to see the youngest Chang standing behind them.
"Er...hi?" Harry blinked. She was almost an exact replica of Cho, but instead of brown eyes like the rest of her family, she had very startling violet eyes.
She blushed, "Hi, um...I just wanted to say thank you for saving my sister."
"I didn't do anything."
She shook her head and paused as if thinking, "You'll always protect her right?"
"What?"
"I mean...you'll...never let anything happen to Cho right?"
"Well...no I wouldn't if I could help it..." Harry wondered what she was getting at.
She suddenly stared at him dead in the eyes, Harry felt a little lost as he stared back, unable to look away.
"Promise you'll protect her. No matter what." she whispered.
"I-" Harry stuttered.
"Please..." Her eyes suddenly glinted almost harshly.
"Alright..." Harry breathed.
She stepped back, looking embarassed, "Thanks. Bye!" she turned and ran off.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"She was a little...freaky..." Hermione mused.
Harry shrugged, "She's probably just worried about Cho. Does she go to Hogwarts? I can't remember if I've seen her before."
"3rd year, Ravenclaw." Hermione answered, "Think her name was Meilin or something."
"Where ever you got that information..." Ron snorted, "We should go back, Cho's safe now and we're gonna catch it if we don't get back to my place soon."
"Right, let's go." Harry sighed and shook his head to clear it.
The trio walked out of the hospital and after making sure that no Muggles were around, Disapparted back to the Burrow. None of them saw Meilin Chang watching them in the shadow of the building with a frightened and regretful expression on her pale face.
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Well! Did I leave you hanging? hehe...I might continue this and I might not. It depends on the amount of reviewers that want to see it continued...so please review!!!!!!!!
A note on the pronounciation (in case you were wondering): Wei is pronounced Why. Meilin is pronounced May lin. I know I suck at making up Chinese names, even though I'm Chinese. :P
Review please:D
