Cho watched the students that had gathered in the Courtyard leave. Usually, she wanted to go with them on their trips to Hogsmeade, because they are so few and far in between now, but Cedric had told her he didn't want to go, and she felt no point in going without him now. He always seemed to make it fun for her, no matter how quiet he was. She was comfortable just having him at her side. Especially since he and Harry had said that You-Know-Who is back.

Nobody really believes them. But she did. She's stood by him faithfully ever since he confirmed Harry's announcement about it just after they had escaped in the Final Task in the Tournament last year. Marietta no longer talked to her. Instead, she had given her glares and snarky comments every time they passed the halls. If Cedric were with her, he'd frown, and try to tell her to go talk to her, but she'd shake her head and say she'd come around sooner or later. And would look ridiculous once she realized they were right.

She sighed and held her arms crossed as she turned to face Cedric, who was leaned up against the doors behind her. She smiled and kissed him on the lips softly, and curled up against his body to keep warm in the cold, November weather. It was already snowing outside, and she hadn't thought to wear much except a light sweater. She shivered slightly.

Cedric raised an eyebrow over at Cho, starting to take off his jacket. Shrugging it off his shoulders, he wrapped it around Cho's arms.

"Here," he spoke quietly, "you seem rather cold."

Smiling nervously over at her, he contemplated telling Cho. 'She should know,' he thought. 'She'll hate you for it,' his mind told him back. Cedric's insides churned, what if she told her father? What if it got around the school? He'd be made mocked, for sure. Wringing his hands, he smiled over at Cho, kissing her cheek.

"Thanks for staying behind."

Cho hummed and curled the coat around herself, taking his hands and putting them under the coat and holding them with her own. "Thank you. And of course. It'd be so boring without you."

She kissed the tips of his icy fingers and rubbed them with hers to try and warm them up, smiling at him warmly.

Cedric laughed nervously, entwining their fingers. Oddly enough, Cedric's fingers were always cold, whereas his body was usually warm. Sighing, he avoided Cho's glance.

"Cho, I... uh, I have to tell you something", he muttered nervously.

Cho's eyes widened. She was glad Cedric wasn't looking. She was immediately scared. She knew that talk. Marietta had talked to her about past relationships before and even when Cho first started dating Cedric. When they say something along those lines, it's almost never good. She swallowed nervously and blinked to keep the tears back.

"O-Okay." She whispered.

Cedric's hands started trembling, and he was starting to think that he might vomit. Walking towards the sofa, he motioned Cho to sit down next to him. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone." Cedric stared at the floor, wringing his hands. His fringe covered his face, dark brown hair mopping over his head.

Cho's face made a look of confusion. That didn't sound like something someone would ask of someone they are about to end a relationship with. So, if that wasn't it, then what did he need to tell her that made him so nervous? One of the yellow drapes by the window behind her fluttered, and she walked up and shut it, waving her wand to ignite the fireplace to warm them up. His Common Room was always so cold compared to hers. She put her arms through the holes in his coat and sat next to him, taking his hands in hers again.

"Of course I won't." Cho whispered.

Cedric laughed nervously, running his free hand through his (quite thick) hair. His face was red, and it felt as though he were about to vomit. Looking up towards the door, and contemplated fleeing. However, he couldn't move. His throat was dry, and oddly enough, he felt rather like crying. Men didn't cry, though. Laughing again, Cedric faced the ground again, face curtained by his hair.

"No, really. You can't tell anyone. Not even Marietta."

Cho blinked. "You know I don't even talk to her anymore. She doesn't believe us. I promise I won't tell anyone. Cedric, love, what's going on? Why are you acting so strangely?"

Cedric sighed, running his hand subconsciously through his hair. Staring at the floor, he felt the prick of tears at the corners of his eyes. "Ilikebaodjto"

Cho's brow rose. "Y-Wait what? I didn't catch that."

Cedric's words broke, tears seriously threatening to fall. "I like boys, too."

Cho's face emptied of blood. She could feel the cool air breezing against her face, but made no move to shiver in response. She couldn't breathe. She swallowed as her hands started to shake. He… What? She shook her head as the tears threatened to escape. This couldn't be true. It couldn't.

But as she looked at him, at how scared he was, and how nervous he was acting, she knew it had to be true. She thought about some of the signs she may have missed. And then she inhaled a sharp breath.

"That day… Tournament… You said… You knew what it taste like…" Cho whispered, more to herself.

She let out a cry, a broken sob, and wrenched her hands from his grip as she stood and backed into the wall, as far away from him as possible. The tears no longer were forced back. They fell down her face freely. Her entire body started shaking, and she could feel her legs start to give out.

"H-How?" She squeaked quietly.

Cedric drew his knees up to his chest, and buried his face in them, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I- I don't know! I love you, but... I mean, I've loved boys before, and... I mean, I didn't choose it!"

Cho's mouth gaped open in shock. Her hands shook and trembled noticeably.

Her words came out clipped. "I didn't ask if you chose it. I asked how it happened."

Cedric coughed, tears flowing freely down his face. "What do you mean, how it happened?"

Cedric pulled his knees down, and jammed his hands into his hair. "I love blokes, and... and I love girls, too!" His words came out shaky, choked with emotion.

Cho's teeth clenched together in rising anger. "How. Did you. Find. Out. And when."

Cedric gasped for breath, barely being able to speak in between sobs. "Th-Third year, I- my f-first rel-ationship was... he, he... I loved him, he was called Sam... a-and I knew I liked blokes t-then."

Cho realized then that he'd found out long before he even started dating her. But it didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse. As if she was living a false life. Although nobody really believed Cedric or Harry about You-Know-Who, she still saw the women staring at him admiringly and secretly, and giving her small glares for the fact that she was with him, and that he wanted her. Rumors had even gone around that she was slipping him love potions constantly to keep him away from the rest of them. And it wasn't true. She'd never told Cedric, but it still angered her, no matter how much he had always told her he loved her, and especially because of all the things they did together.

And now, she would have to worry about him pining over guys as well. And them wanting him too. Maybe there already were some guys. Her face paled even more. Harry? He spends a lot of time with him alone. Maybe…

She shook her head. No. Cedric wasn't a cheater. Even in this mental state, she'd believed that he would never be capable of hurting her.

But Gods. She became angry. Extremely, utterly angry.

"How could you?" she whispered, not realizing she'd said something until it was too late.

And then she just couldn't shut up. "How could you keep something like this from me? How could you say something like that? Do you even realize how much I've given up for you? What I've done to make you happy? I comfort you all the time when you have nightmares, dammit! I give you everything you want, and I hold in so much and I've lost all my friends for you! How could you!"

She shrieked and grabbed the closest thing to her- a potted plant- and threw it at him. It missed noticeably. She hadn't meant to hit him anyway. It flew past him and smashed against the wall on the other side. She screamed.

"Why, Cedric? Why? Am I just not good enough? Even though you love me as you say, am I never going to be as good as… as them? As guys? I'll never have a dick, so you won't love me enough? What the hell is wrong with you? How could you keep something like this from me? I deserved to know the second you said you liked me! I hate you! I hate you so much! You're pathetic! You-You're… You're a…" She swallowed and spat out the next word in disgust. "Faggot!"

The tears flowed down her face and she glared at him with a mixture of anger, hurt, and betrayal. She begged him to look at her. To see how much she was hurting. She bit her lip as it quivered and she sniffled.

Cedric's insides froze the second she'd called him a faggot. Faggot. That's all he was. Stupid, pretty, faggot. Cedric began to audibly sob, hands nearly ripping out his hair. "'M not a faggot. I-I s-still love you Cho! I... I mean... I thought you'd h-hate me.."

Cho's body shook with every second. Her heart ached for how hurt and vulnerable he looked, but she just couldn't stop. She just felt so angry. All of the names, all of the rumors, all of the drama that'd been happening, and she had kept all of her anger inside. And now it was all coming out on the one person she loved the most. The one person she cared about. The person she'd given everything to.

"I hate you. You disgust me. I wish I'd never met you." Cho whispered.

She knew it was a lie. She knew it. But she just couldn't stop being angry. The words kept tumbling out from her mouth without restraint. And she didn't have the strength to take it back or apologize.

Cedric broke. He stopped crying. His insides felt cold. Time froze, and Cedric felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, while feeling completely numb at the same time. For the first time, he looked up at Cho, eyes completely shot red. He got up, standing about a foot away from Cho. "Cho, p-please... I love you, I swear..."

Cho backed up more into the wall and snarled at him. "Don't touch me."

Cedric felt tears flow down his face, lips and voice trembling. "Cho, I love you."

Cho shook her head in denial, blinking as the tears stained her face, reddening her eyes just like his. "No."

"Cho," Cedric choked, voice shaking heavily. "I l-love you, I always have, I... I just, I loved a bloke before and... sexually, too, but right now I l-love you."

She gasped. "'Right now'? RIGHT NOW? AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS? WE BREAK UP AND YOU MOVE ON TO SOMEONE ELSE AND TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM MORE THAN ME?"

Cedric choked, eyes flooding with tears again. "Cho, you are the love of my life."

Stepping closer, he put his hand on her cheek, begging softly. "Cho, please. I thought you of all people would understand."

SMACK. Cedric's cheek suddenly had a bright red hand indentation, and her hand tingled in pain. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, holding her hands in front of her mouth in horror. She had never before slapped anyone. She'd never laid a finger in pain on anyone in her life. And she'd just hit Cedric. Her face flushed with fear and terror. What was happening?

Cedric backed off immediately, hand cupping where Cho had slapped him. Staring at her in complete and utter terror, tears flooded down Cedric's face uncontrollably. His face burned, she had hit him hard. Cedric's breath came out in little shakes, small cries coming out every so often.

"I thought you loved me."

Cho's lip quivered as she dropped her hands down to her sides slowly. "I thought I did too."

She turned and bolted. She ran out of the Common Room, leaving him as tears ran freely down her face. She didn't stop running. Her legs acted on their own. She had passed Luna, who called out her name worriedly, but she didn't stop. She couldn't feel her sides, and her mouth was dry and raspy.

Finally, when she got to her Common Room, she ran up the stairs and collapsed on her bed in broken sobs. She curled up into a tight ball as the tears ran nonstop. Her chest ached. It felt like something had been ripped out of her. She screamed and moaned and cried out in agony and pain. She finally understood what it felt like to have a broken heart. She finally understood what they meant when love hurt. It felt like Cedric had stabbed her directly in the heart with every single word he'd said to her.

Yet, she could still smell him. Hadn't she just left him? She looked around the room, and realized she was still wearing his coat. But she didn't have the strength to take it off. She didn't want to take it off. This was still him. It still smelled of him strongly, and she buried her face inside it and sobbed even harder.

Cedric turned, facing the steps to his dormitory. He couldn't breathe, his eyes were flooded with tears, his face burned, his throat was completely dry.

Most of all though, he could feel a slight burn in his forearms. Cedric scrambled up the stairs to his dorm, sitting down gently on his bed. He pushed his knees up against his chest, sobbing hysterically into his knees. I knew I shouldn't have told her, his mind told him. All she thinks you are is a faggot. She doesn't love you. She wished she'd never met you. Cho. She plagued his thoughts, and Cedric subconsciously reached into his drawer. Pulling out a tiny blade, he contemplated his options. She'd never notice. She wouldn't care. She doesn't even love you. One cut. That's it.

Okay.

Two cuts. Two. He'll stop at three.

Four.

Five.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Cedric bent his head, staring at his arm. 'There's more room on the other arm,' his mind told him.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty. Forty. Cedric's eyes burned, his face burned, his chest burned, and apparently forty cuts still wasn't enough. Sobbing, he placed his blade back into the drawer, closing it gently.

A week went by in the slowest form of torture for Cho. When Marietta got back, she gave her a worried look, but didn't ask anything. She was grateful. She'd promised she wouldn't say anything, and there wasn't a way to even explain what happened even if she didn't, and wanted to tell someone.

Once she had finished crying, she never left her room except to go to classes. For the first two days, she tried to go into the Great Hall when food was served, but she couldn't get herself to eat anything. She stared at the food in disgust. And she couldn't help but see every food group as some kind of reminder. Sausages were his love for men. Broccoli was his thick hair. Carrots were the same representation. Even pie reminded him of how sweet he had always been to her.

She finally gave up, clattering her fork down loudly and storming out, retreating to her room and hiding herself away from the public.

But in the entire week, she never once took off his coat.

Someone had seen her sweating, and tried to help her with it to take it off, because she hadn't moved from her bed in a few days, but she screamed at them and snapped her teeth at them every time they tried to touch it.

She didn't want it removed.

It was her own little piece of him that she didn't want gone.

Once, she'd passed him in the hall on the way to her room. She rushed by him, looking down, when she noticed something peculiar. His arms were red, and there were lines on them.

Was he… cutting? She shook her head. No, he wouldn't do that. He's too tough. Too strong. She shrugged it away as soon as she'd thought of it. There was just no way he would do something like that.

She was sitting in class, staring at the board, not listening to Professor Umbridge when Professor McGonagall walked into the class and cleared her throat.

"I apologize for interrupting. But Albus wants to see Miss Chang."

Umbridge at glared at her briefly before resuming a tight smile and nodding. "Of course."

"Miss Chang." Professor McGonagall called.

Cho bit her lip and gathered her things quickly, running out of the room. Tears had always flown freely down her face. She didn't bother to stop them. And McGonagall made no comments about it. They walked in silence as they headed to his office.

The following week went by in routine. Wake up. Tell yourself to not cut. Skip meals. Go to class. Cut. Sleep. Repeat. Of course, Hogwarts robes had always been a huge help in hiding cuts- that, Cedric was thankful for. Of course, his friends had been worried. They wouldn't prod, and always believed Ced as to just being tired, or having too many hours as Head Boy. The pain of Cho hating him, despising him, not loving him, was honestly too much to bear. And when it was too much to bear, he'd find a simple solution. Cut. Just some stupid faggot, right? That's all he had to do, and things would be kind of not really okay. Food was tasteless, so he decided not to eat. He'd lost a little bit of weight- maybe 3 or 4 pounds. Sighing, Cedric would pull down the sleeves of his robes, making sure nobody had seen. It seems as though nobody saw, and if they did, nobody cared. And that was fine with him.

Cho swallowed as Professor McGonagall muttered the password to the Eagle, and it opened up and started rising. She motioned for her to step up, and so she did. Cho's heart hammered. What did he want, exactly? Why was he calling her here? She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? She'd been going to classes every day. Her head spun slightly from malnourishment, but she steadied herself quickly and stepped out as soon as it stopped.

Lightly, she knocked on the door, stepping inside when she heard him say softly, "Come in."

Cedric counted. 150 lines, in just one week. 150 whole damn lines. It was getting harder to hide, and maybe it's just be easier if he used his legs. Or something. It was getting sort of a routine- just as everyone was sleeping, he'd shut his curtains, and cut until he was shaking so bad he couldn't form a line anymore. Some of his friends may have not believed the "just tired" excuses, they keep prodding him. But they give up after a few minutes. And that was okay. Nobody would ask, nobody would notice. Faggot, weak, idiot, queer. Cedric knew the routine.

Cho walked inside slowly, peering around the corner to the desk in which he usually sat. She'd only been in here a few times, once being when Dumbledore had asked Cedric to confirm what Harry had said after the tournament. She stood by him. Tears stung her eyes yet again, and she blinked feverishly.

Finally, when she turned the corner to his desk, she found him sitting there, writing something down. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting quietly.

"You must be dizzy. Please sit down, I'll only be a moment." He said, not looking up.

She blinked and nodded to herself, walking up and sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She watched him write, more out of anxiousness than anything. Her eyes didn't really feel like wandering. She swallowed and waited, biting her lip.

Finally, he sighed and put his quill down, looking up at her with eager eyes, smiling. "Writing is such tedious work sometimes. But work is work."

Cho nodded, not really understanding why he was talking about that. Why was she here? What did he want?

He stared at her a moment before speaking. "How are you, Miss Chang?"

She swallowed again and cleared her throat. It'd been a while since she last spoke to anyone. "Fine, thank you."

He nodded and twined his fingers together, sitting back in his chair. "And Cedric?"

Her heart squeezed, but she nodded too. "He's fine."

He hummed, his bright blue eyes twinkling. "I see. Miss Chang, do you remember what I told you last year, after the Tournament?"

She nodded again. "Yes."

"What did I say?"

"'Stand by him, because he will be weak and vulnerable this year.'" Cho quoted.

She remembered that day well. Cedric was shaking and grimacing almost every other second. She had held his hand and soothed him with kisses while Dumbledore talked to him. They discussed the Graveyard, however painful, until Cho had finally had enough and asked him to let them leave for now. Before she could leave, though, he had asked her to wait a moment, and told her those words. Nothing more.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling even wider. "Very good. You are a bright witch, Miss Chang. You do very well in Ravenclaw. I am, however, confused, as to your sudden change in appetite. Cedric seems to not eat very well either. Tell me, does this have anything to do with something you two may have discussed recently?"

She gasped without meaning to, her eyes widening. "What?"

Dumbledore held up his hands in innocence. "My school has its secrets. I have no doubt about that. However, as a good Headmaster, I must know these secrets for the safety of students. It is not a bad thing, although I dare say that some of the… mischief, that the two of you have gotten into is quite interesting, to say the least."

Her cheeks burned as she realized what he was talking about. All of the times they'd run off, hiding somewhere, thinking they were alone, and they… She swallowed and coughed awkwardly.

"'M sorry." Cho mumbled.

He shook his head and smiled warmly. "It is not for you to be sorry about. That is your personal life, and you are teenagers. Hormones are very powerful at your age. It takes a great deal of inner strength to hold off for so many years."

She blushed even more, and nodded, hanging her head. He shifted in his chair.

"Miss Chang, do you know what the term 'self harm' is?" he asked quietly.

Her head snapped up again as she stared at him. "Yes. Why?"

"The look in your eyes tells me you've seen something along those lines. Am I right?" he asked, his head tilting just barely.

Slowly, Cho nodded. "Yes."

He hummed. "Unfortunately, though you may see him as a strong person, he really is not as strong as many assume him to be. For many years now, I do believe that he's been struggling to keep himself composed. I would say since around third year. I couldn't exactly be sure, seeing as most of the secrets in this school are, after all, secrets.

"However, I did notice something very large last year. He seemed… Happier. And I couldn't help but wonder, 'why? What could make a man who looked so sad and unhappy, suddenly become happy?'" Dumbledore said, sighing.

"After some investigating of my own, I came to realize, that it was because he had started talking to you. But as of recent, I've noticed that he is even gloomier than he had been before."

Cho swallowed, feeling the fear rise in her throat. She felt like she was going to vomit.

"Tell me, do you love him?" he asked.

She was taken aback. "Of course I do."

He nodded, taking a breath and sighing. "So, if he were to admit something as personal as he has, you must think he trusts you enough. Admitting something like that to someone takes a lot of strength. More than you could imagine. He put his faith into you, hoping you would understand, and hoping you would not judge him or hate him for who he is. He did not choose to be the way he is, Cho. Nobody really chooses that lifestyle. It is a part of who they are.

"Cho, you must understand where he is coming from. Look at it from his point of view. Someone he loves, someone he cares deeply about, should know his biggest secret. When he finally gathers the courage to tell that person, they recoil and look at him and see him as Mr. Malfoy would any Muggle born. Can you imagine the hurt he might be feeling right now?

"Now, if you were to see it from my point of view, I see it as two people who are deeply in love with one another, going through a very tough phase in their relationship. It is not easy, being in love. But you are both very strong, and very stubborn. You both fight for what you want. I see two people suffering in themselves, trying to find a way out of everything, but they can't, because they do not have each other.

"Cho, you must look at him. Really look at him. See how much trust he had put into you, and how much faith he gave you by admitting something like that. For it is not easy. He may be interested in more than just women, but that doesn't make him love you any less. It never has."

Cho's heart dropped. He was right. She knew he was. She bit her lip nervously, contemplating.

"If I remember correctly, he might be in his Common Room. You could still catch him before he decides to do something rather unnecessary." Dumbledore said, smiling.

That was the smile and the words she'd been looking for. Without so much as a nod, she ran out of the room, heading straight for Hufflepuff Common Room.

Cedric sighed, looking around the deserted Common Room. Most people were asleep in their dorms, but Cedric couldn't sleep. Now, honestly, he barely ever slept. And most of it was done in History of Magic. Groaning, he absentmindedly ran his fingers across the cuts on his forearm, somewhat contemplating grabbing his blade from upstairs. There were only a few new ones, so it could compensate...

Cho gasped for air in front of the Common Room, and started pounding on the door.

"Cedric!" she called.

Cedric jumped, halfway on his way to the stairs. Was a First Year lost? It was already early December, they should know how to get in by now. Walking up to the entrance, Cedric pulled down the sleeves of his jumper down past his knuckles. "Erm... yes?"

Cho cleared her throat. "Cedric, it's me. Please open the door."

Cedric froze, standing at the door. Cho? His mind went numb, and filled with complete anger. What, she thinks she can just show up when she feels lonely? "I'm sorry, I thought you never wanted to know me."

Cho grimaced. "I… Please let me explain. I really don't want to talk through the door."

Cedric's face flushed pink, and he felt the familiar sting of tears in the corner of his eyes. "Sorry, there's only a f-faggot through this door."

Cho groaned and whimpered helplessly. "Cedric I-I'm sorry. Please let me explain. You're not a… a faggot."

She grimaced at the term, realizing just how vile it sounded coming from her mouth. Gods, she felt so horrible.

Cedric's face flushed with anger, and tears priced at the corner of his eyes. "Really? You thought so not too long ago. Just some fa-faggot behind this door, nothing else." He'd missed her. He hated what she'd done, he missed Cho.

His Cho.

Cho sniffled and started crying. "C-Cedric, please… Let me explain to you… I-I didn't mean it… Please… I love you…"

Cedric choked back his tears, leaning against the barrels. "You said you wish you'd never met me. You said you hated me, Cho."

Cho's lip quivered. "Cedric, please! I'm begging you to let me explain!"

Cedric choked out a laugh, tears filling his eyes. "Explain what? That something I can't control makes you fucking despise me?"

Cho stomped her foot, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Dammit, Cedric! Let me in! Please!"

Cedric stepped back, pushing the barrels aside to let Cho in, arms hanging limply to his sides, face flushed with anger, and his eyes filled with tears.

Cho stepped inside and shut it behind her, turning to face him. Her heart dropped immensely at the sight of him. His eyes were sunken in, like he hadn't slept. He looked at her like he barely even knew her. And he was so thin. He looked like he lost so much weight, but that didn't even seem possible. She swallowed and, hands shaking, tentatively grabbed his hand, taking him to the couch and sitting him down.

"Wait here just a second, okay?" she asked.

She rummaged around the room until she found a discarded book. She transfigured it into a bowl.

"Augamenti." She murmured.

The bowl filled with water, and she stood and grabbed the hem of her skirt, pulling his jacket up. She ripped a large chunk of it, revealing a lot more thigh than she was used to, and dipped it into the water. She let it sit in there while she took his hands and slowly pulled up the sleeves to reveal his cut skin. And on both arms. She didn't show that she was scared at the sight of it.

"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.

Cedric yanked his arm away, backing up from Cho. Immediately, he yanked his jumper sleeves down, face flushing a darker red. "N-no. Nothing hurts. Cat."

Cho sighed. She knew he'd probably do this.

"Cedric. You don't own a cat. And neither does any of your roommates, so don't try that. Please let me help. I owe you at least that much. This is my fault. Please, Cedric." She pleaded with him, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

Cedric's breathing sped up, and he pushed farther away on the sofa. "What do you want from me, Cho? It's not what you think."

"That's a lie!" she shouted.

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "I didn't come here to argue. You wouldn't have done it if it weren't for me acting the way I did. Please just let me help you. The wounds will get infected and you'll get sick. Please, for the love of God, just let me help."

Cedric's mind spun, and he began to feel nauseous. Nobody'd ever confronted him about... that. Ever. And all be damned if he'd let Cho be the first.

"Care of Magical Creatures, it's not such a big deal. It'll go away soon, just some owls and whatnot."

Cho's lip quivered noticeably. "Cedric, please. Stop lying to me."

She fumbled with the sleeves of the sweater nervously, trying to get him to let her help him. She owed him at least that.

Cedric's lip trembled, and he was breathing shallow. "Cho, I haven't a clue what you- is that my jumper?"

Cho blinked and looked down at her chest, and then back up at him. "Y-Yeah."

Cedric froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. So she'd kept his jumper. It means nothing. "Cho, I... you don't want anything to do with me." Subconsciously, he pulled the sleeves of his jumper down past his fingertips.

Cho bit her lip. "I-I'm sorry. I lied. I didn't mean to say that. I was wrong. So wrong."

Cho curled the sweater around her. It had been something she'd done frequently when she felt like she was going to cry. She nuzzled it softly and sighed.

"I should never have said what I did. It was so wrong. Please let me fix those scars. And let me explain everything while I do. You know that I… I do better with explaining when I'm doing something." She mumbled through the jumper.

Cedric sighed, contemplating her suggestions. He wanted to forgive her, honestly, he did. But something was nagging at the back of his mind, all of those awful things she said. "Those scars aren't what you think they are."

"Dumbledore told me, Cedric." Cho blurted.

Cedric raised his eyebrows, face flushed instantly. "He told you wrong. You haven't seen anything, so you don't know. It was an incident in Care of Magical Creatures."

Cho's mouth gaped open. "Are you honestly going to call him a liar? Dumbledore? Of all people?"

Cedric's face flushed deep red, and his voice was trembling. "You're wrong."

Cho shook her head. "Cedric, please stop lying to me. Please. Just… Just let me help you."

Cho reached her hands out for him, the tips of her fingers just barely touching his legs.

Cedric's voice trembled, hands gripping the edge of his jumper. "I'm telling you, it was just a mishap in Care of Magical Creatures! Stop worrying!"

Cho sighed. "Cedric. I am begging you. Please stop. If you love me, you'll let me help you."

Cedric's voice caught, and he could feel his face heat up. Shaking madly, he shook his head. "Why do you want to help me? I'm just a faggot, right?"

Cho shook her head, looking at him with all the love she could possibly try to show him. "No. You're not… that. You're Cedric. You're kind, and sweet, and strong, and sensitive, and you love me. And I love you. And I was so, so wrong. About everything. I should never have acted the way I did. You trusted me with that secret, and I basically slapped you in the face with it. And that was so unkind of me. I love just the way you are. I never stopped loving you. Not once. And I'm so sorry for making you feel the way you have."

Cho slowly had been scooting closer to him the entire time she spoke, until her knees grazed his. She grabbed his hands and lifted them to her lips, kissing them softly.

"I'm sorry." Cho mumbled, kissing his knuckles. "I will forever be sorry for making a mistake like that. I just- I already get so much torment from girls, and because you're so perfect, and girls love you, and now I have to worry about guys too. I can't lose you."

Cedric looked down, fringe falling back in his face. "To be fair, you quite literally slapped me in the face with it."

Cedric sighed, moving in closer to Cho. "I don't understand", he laughed, "why you would ever think I loved anyone but you."

Cho's lips curved into a smile as he talked about her slapping him. She turned her head and grabbed the cloth that was sitting in the bowl beside her, looking at him.

"May I? Please?" she asked.

Cedric's hands trembled, fiddling with the edges of his jumper. Slowly, he turned away, not answering.

Cho's free hand, the one not holding the cloth, grabbed his fingers. "Please."

Cedric sighed, eyes starting to prick with tears again. "Why?"

"It'll get infected. And I want to clean it. I want to… to take care of you."

Tears spilled over onto Cedric's cheeks, and he wiped them furiously away with the back if his sleeve. "Fine."

Cho nodded and set the cloth in her lap while she pulled up his sleeves gently. The scars… There were so many of them. She couldn't even begin to count them. She picked up the cloth and started dabbing at the skin on one arm, holding it in her lap.

"You know," she murmured. "To answer your question, I think… I think it's because I never imagined myself actually having you. Of you wanting me. Every single day, I think and wonder if you'll ever leave me because I'm not enough for you. And… I think that I mostly saw it as some kind of betrayal in myself, for not believing you enough. But I know that now."

Cho took the cloth, soaked with blood, and rinsed it in the bowl, and began dabbing again. "Dumbledore told me that you don't choose it. That it's just who you are. And he told me that you loved me, and that I should never doubt it. He told me to protect you, especially this year. Because you'll be vulnerable. He told me that you trusted me, and that you put your faith in me, in order to tell me that you… you like guys too. And I realized then that… that you did love me. A lot. And you'd never leave me without a good reason."

Cho bit her lip as the tears began to fall. She didn't even try to wipe them away as she sniffled.

"And… I was so wrong. And I'm so sorry. I never stopped loving you. And I never will. And these are all my fault. I shouldn't… I didn't… I…" Her voice broke, and she openly cried.

She kept attempting to clean the wounds. She had finally finished on one arm, and kissed it repeatedly. As if it somehow could fix it. She kissed the tips of his fingers, his wrist, his palm, and every inch of the cuts as she cleaned. The blood stained her lips, but she didn't notice.

Cedric's throat closed up, and his breathing was shaky. "Cho, don't ever believe otherwise when I tell you that I love you." His arm had begun to sting now, and blood had started to flow through the open wounds. "I- if I could change it, I would." Tears began to fall, and he sniffled gently. "I mean, my dad would hate me. He would." Cedric laughed, hair falling into his face. "Okay, he wouldn't. But he wouldn't accept it, either." Cedric clenched one of his fists, trying to stop the blood flow. "It only really hurt when you said that you hated me, and wished you'd never met me. That, and calling me a faggot." Cedric smiled weakly.

Cho swallowed and emptied the bowl, transfiguring it to some bandages, and wrapped up his arm. When she was finished, she pulled his sleeves down and wiped her eyes. When she looked up at him, her heart hurt.

"I know it wouldn't change anything, because I already said it, but I take it back. All of it. I wish I'd never said any of that. I don't hate you. I could never hate you." Cho whispered.

She fumbled with his fingers, trying to keep herself calm. "And I never, ever, not once, would want to live a day without you. I can't live without you. For me to never have met you…" She shook her head. "That'd be the most unbearable form of torture. I will always be glad to have met you. I love you so much. I gave you my virginity, my everything, for a reason. Some day, when all of this is over, I'll be yours. We'll be together forever. I never want to leave you."

Cedric nodded, slowly pressing his lips against hers, hand curling to the back of her neck. It rather hurt to move his arm, but that was alright. That pain would slowly subside. Pulling away just an inch, Cedric laughed lowly. "I just... I forgive you. It's just that I trusted you, and..."

Cho whimpered when he pulled away. "I know. I'm so sorry. Forever sorry."

Cho put her hands on his neck and kissed him, leaning her body into him as she sniffled and cried silently, the tears falling down her cheeks, staining them. Her breathing came out uneven as she kissed him. If she could pour the contents of her heart into him, she would have, then and there. She'd give everything to him. She would never make him hurt again. She swore to herself that she'd never be so selfish.

Cedric pushed her away, tears flowing onto his cheeks. "Cho, I... I love you, but..."

Cho looked confused. "What? Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

Cedric pushed away, looking down. "Cho, I... there's a few things I didn't tell you."

Cho slowly sat back down and looked at him nervously. "What is it?"

"You, uh... well, I lost my virginity to you, you know that, right?"

Cho nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Cedric looked away, scratching the back of his head. "You weren't the first person I ever did anything... ah, sexual with."

Cho swallowed, and her stomach churned, but otherwise, she didn't look much surprised. "I figured that part out, when I put the pieces together. When you told me you knew how it tasted when I… er, at the Tournament, before the Third Task… I didn't even think about it before, but it made sense now."

"Oh." Cedric stared lamely at her, nodding slightly. His voice came out shaky, but he did his best to get his words out. "Y-yeah, I've.. um.. given, and kind of received, I mean, it was just palming through clothes, but, uh... yeah."

Cho put on her best smile and grabbed his hands gently, holding them close to her. "It's okay."

Cedric smiled, entwining his fingers with Cho's. "Thanks. Just... thanks."

She kissed his knuckles and nodded. "I won't hurt you again. I swear. I love you."

a/n: Hey guys! Another of mine and Shannon's. This one was a little more… Well, a lot more difficult… For me to write. And for her too. But we really wanted to do this for a long time. I really hope it's okay. Review, please! We'd love to hear more opinions! :)