There You'll Be, a harry potter fanfic

"Well, guys, that's it for today. You're doing just great, really. Everybody's making great progress." A tired, agitated, but smiling Harry Potter is pacing the Room of Requirement twirling his wand between his fingers, while we, Dumbledore's Army, are discussing the spells we have learned today.

I'm tired as well, extremely tired. Droplets of sweat are running down my neck and back and my hair is a complete mess. I've broken two nails, and my ribs are still aching in the spot where Michael Corner's Stunning spell caught me. It was a simple spell, but I just got distracted and Michael used his first chance to stun me. I can't concentrate today. Every time I raise my wand and recall the incantation and the correct wand movement, I see you before my eyes. Your lifeless body, your accusing eyes, and a broken, hurt and bleeding Harry clinging on to you as if trying to shield you from something evil.

I blink away several tears from my eyes and shake my head. I hear Harry's voice again, this time strangely suppressed, as if under water. "Luna says the corridor is clear. Quick, break up in twos, threes, and for Merlin's sake, watch out for Filch!"

"Cho, are you coming?" This is Marietta, my best friend. I pocket my wand and turn to her.

"Why don't you just go ahead? I will catch up with you in a sec, Marietta," I answer in a hoarse voice and manage a half-smile. I make my way to the mirror and Marietta nods understandingly. Soon the Room of Requirement is empty. Harry is the last to leave. He places his hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. Every time his emerald green eyes meet mine, I can't help but admire how beautiful, how sparkling they are.

"Are you okay, Cho? That Stunner was pretty nasty. I was afraid you were hurt," he says simply, in a small voice. His hand still rests on my shoulder; I feel its assuring warmth through the thin fabric and I suddenly catch myself wishing that he would touch me, hold me tight, so that I could cry freely against his shoulder. I'm so confused I can't utter a word, not this time; I manage only a barely visible nod. "You were doing just fine tonight. You were the first to master Levicorpus," he goes on and I reward him with a sheepish smile.

"You explained it very well, Harry. I think you'd make a good teacher," I compliment him, and I don't even have to lie to him. He is a natural-born teacher and his magic is incredibly powerful compared to his age. He wasn't even 14 when he managed to conjure a corporeal Patronus, if I can believe the rumours spreading freely after the escape of Sirius Black, back in my fourth year.

He thanks me and wishes me goodnight, lifting his hand from my shoulder. Then, all of a sudden, I feel his fingers caressing my cheek for a short while, so short that I can't even tell if it's real or only a product of my imagination. I draw a deep breath and close my eyes, enjoying his touch. Time stops. When I open my eyes again, he's gone, having escaped the Room of Requirement, and I'm alone.

Not entirely alone. I'm standing in front of the mirror, face-to-face with your photograph you gave me shortly before the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. You're wearing your Hufflepuff robe and your trademark smile; the smile I loved so much, the smile that made my legs tremble and my heart miss a beat. My mask falls and I can't hold back my tears any more. I crumple on the floor, curl my knees up to my chin, and mourn you just like I used to, ever since that fateful June 24th. I cling to the happy memories of our short time together; the precious, fragile moments I will cherish until my dying day.

"When I think back on these times
And the dreams we left behind
I'll be glad 'cause I was blessed to get
To have you in my life
When I look back on these days
I'll look and see your face
You were right there for me"

It was well into November, still, the weather gods were in a very good mood. At a quarter to ten it was still cold, but the sun was shining bright and there was not a single cloud to be seen in the sky. This day promised to be beautiful indeed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Hufflepuff team!" Lee Jordan's voice poured from the magical megaphone as he announced the seven players, all dressed in canary yellow robes. "Chasers: Preece, Macavoy and Applebee. Beaters: O'Flaherty and Rickett. Keeper: Fleet. And last, but not least, the Seeker and Captain of the Canaries: Cedric Diggory!" The crowd burst into cheering. Even the Slytherins seemed to enjoy it. That could not be said of the Gryffindors, who still could not get over their unlucky loss against Hufflepuff a mere three weeks ago.

"And now, please welcome the Ravenclaw team: Captain and Chaser – Davies, Chasers: Stretton and Burrow; Beaters: Inglebee and Samuels; Keeper: Page and the Seeker: Chang!" This time, the cheering was incomparably louder as the Gryffindors joined in. Quite understandably: if the Claws won this match and Gryffindor won their remaining two, they would still have had a chance to win the Cup this year.

The two teams lined up opposite each other in the centre of the Quidditch pitch and the captains shook hands.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch said, calling for attention as she raised her whistle to her lips. I drew in a sharp breath and swung my right foot over my ancient Comet Two Sixty with a sigh. From the corner of my eye, I saw you examining me with a curious glance. When you felt my gaze meeting yours, you gave me a half-smile and discreetly nodded at me. This was it, you challenged me. It was meant to be a game between us, two Seekers, with the two teams being only assistants in our air duel. I picked up the glove you threw at me and decided to play the game by your rules.

"On my whistle...three — two — one —" announced Madam Hooch and finally blew her whistle.

I kicked off into the air and zoomed around the stadium, searching for the tiny golden ball. I felt free like a bird as I was circling the pitch on my broom, with the wind caressing my face and gently blowing into my hair. Every now and then I made a sudden change of direction, just to see if you were following me. Yes, you were; you decided to make it easy for yourself, hoping I'd lead you to the Snitch. We were completely unaware of the game under us as we were dancing our own tarantella; the bull and the torreador circling around each other in a lethal dance.

A good forty minutes into the game Lee Jordan announced the 14th goal for Ravenclaw in a row making it 140:0. The smile from your handsome face disappeared and its place was occupied by a mixture of scowling and concentration. You pulled away and started looking for the Snitch on your own, understanding pretty well that that was just about your last chance to win this game. I got scared, to be honest; I knew my ancient broom was no match against yours, so this time I followed you hoping I'd spot the Snitch before you did.

And indeed, after a couple of minutes of flying around I caught a golden glimpse as the Snitch zoomed in from my right and I knew my time had come. I made a sharp left turn and leaned forward on my broom to gain some more speed. By now, the crowd had already understood what was going on and the whole stadium burst into a roar. Looking back above my right shoulder, I saw you coming closer. Releasing the broom with my right hand, I leaned out as much as I could, feeling the tiny golden globe within the tip of my fingers, then, in one smooth movement my fingers closed around the Snitch and I let out a victorious cry.

Madam Hooch's whistle signalled the end of the match. The players landed in the centre of the pitch and Lee Jordan announced the final result: a Ravenclaw victory of 290:0. You came up to me, looked into my eyes causing me to melt away, and said three simple words as you extended your right hand. "Nice game, Cho."

Hell, I didn't understand then the difference it made, being addressed by you by my given name instead of my last name; all I could utter was "Thanks...Cedric..." as I automatically shook your hand.

You flashed a last smile at me, then gathered your team and left the pitch. I could swear I saw you wink at me as you turned back one last time before disappearing into the dressing rooms.

"In my dreams I'll always see you soar
Above the sky
In my heart there always be a place
For you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am there you'll be
And everywhere I am there you'll be"

The virgin December snow crunched pleasantly under our feet as us fourth-year Ravenclaws were making our way towards Greenhouse Number 3 for today's first lesson with Professor Sprout. Marietta, myself and two other girls stayed a couple of steps behind, excitedly discussing the greatest news of the morning. Roger Davies had finally found the guts to ask the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour, as his date for the Yule Ball. Rumour had it she was part Veela and she wrapped him around her finger in no time. Poor boy, he'd been preparing his speech for two days. We even helped him to rehearse how he'd ask her as he, obviously, could not put two consistent words together. Seemingly, it went well, as he turned up at breakfast all flushed red, with a huge, wolfish grin on his face, collecting some well-deserved high fives.

The four of us had no dates yet, although we'd turned a couple of boys down, two Durmstrang students among them. Good-looking as they were, it was a well-known fact they were practising dark magic at their school and the mere look of their Headmaster sent shivers down our spines. So we, very politely, with the necessary amount of blushing and batting our eyelashes, thanked them for the invitation and said we'd already had dates.

Still deep in conversation, seasoned with some trademark giggling and several properly placed "Oh, yes?" and "No way!" in between, we reached the greenhouse. Suddenly, we heard rushing steps and the sound of crunching snow from behind and turned around. It was a tall, handsome boy, dressed in a Hufflepuff robe. He must have followed us, because he was running in our direction.

I recognized you in an instant and my heart sank into my stomach. I knew you still hadn't had a date; you'd just turned down one of my roommates the other day. I can't even remember now what made me think of it so suddenly.

"Good morning, Cho," you said, still out of breath. "You got a minute?"

"Oh, no!" I thought to myself. "What on Merlin's beard does he want from me?" Well, I liked you, as a matter of fact. If you'd asked me out, I'd have immediately agreed, but the mere fact that you MIGHT ask me out freaked me out. So I decided to wait and see.

"Sure, Cedric. I'll catch up with you, girls," I answered, and tried not to pay attention to their giggling, which, honestly, I'd been getting fed up with, and my heartbeat, reaching a critical point by now.

"So Cho, I wanted to ask you something. That is, if you still have no date for the Yule Ball, I'd feel honoured if you agreed to be my date," you said, looking straight into my eyes. I was at a loss. Should I giggle? Should I blush? Should I faint? What would the heroines of those cheap Muggle paperback love stories do,when their prince on the white horse arrives? In the end, everything turned out less dramatic than I thought. Blushing was something out of my control anyway and I felt all my blood rush to my face. Fainting was out of question as I was leaning against the wall of the greenhouse. With regards to giggling, I just found it inappropriate for the major event of the century. So, I chose a more civilized option. I met your glance and answered as clearly as seemed possible in my current, miserable situation.

"Thank you, Cedric. I'd very much love to." Of course, I was wise enough not to mention the simple fact that I had been dreaming of this moment ever since that Quidditch match in November last year. I flashed you a shy smile and I saw a smile the size of Hagrid form on your face in answer.

"No, I thank YOU, Cho. You've just made me very happy," you whispered in my ears and, as if in a haze, I felt you planting a kiss on my forehead. "I've got to go. I'll be seeing you around." And with these words, you left me before I could even manage to come to my senses; I was just standing there completely perplexed, feeling utterly ridiculous, and very much in love. I was not much use in that Herbology lesson.

"Well you showed me how it feels
To feel the sky within my reach
And I always will remember all
The strength you gave to me
Your love made me make it through
Oh, I owe so much to you
You were right there for me"

The Quidditch pitch was almost unrecognizable. It had been transformed into a gigantic maze, with a twenty-foot hedge around the edge of it. The stands were beginning to fill with students and the air was electrified with excitement.

You and the other champions were nervously pacing around, awaiting the beginning of the third, last task which would decide the winner of the Triwizard Tournament. You and Harry were tied in first place and you had a pretty good chance of beating him, yet, your self-assured smile disappeared from your face. Your lips were drawn together into a thin line; your eyes fixed onto a point known only to yourself, and your hands tightly clenched into fists to prevent them from trembling.

The champions' parents were kindly asked to leave the small clearing in front of the entrance to the maze. They made their last goodbyes and, albeit hesitantly, left, only to take their places in the front row of the tribune. Your Dad was the last one to leave, shaking your hand one more time, then pulling you into one last, bone-crunching hug. Mr. Bagman, the Ministry representative, pointed his wand at his throat and in his magically magnified voice announced the last task and the current stand of points. Upon hearing your name the stands burst into a roaring ovation which you acknowledged with a smile and a wave of your hand, but your eyes saw only me and my eyes – only you.

The four House Heads and Hagrid had already taken their position outside the perimeter of the maze and Mr. Bagman was about to blow his whistle, when I felt I couldn't bear it any more. I rushed down the pitch, flung my arms around your neck and kissed you, full on the mouth, not aware of the hundreds, maybe thousand of spectators. Then, wolf whistling and cheering erupted again, but we didn't care. All I saw was you, all I felt was your lips on mine.

"I love you, Ced," was all I could manage, still overwhelmed by my emotions. "Please, please, be very careful in there!"

"I will, Cho, I promise. And I love you too," you smiled at me and held me away at arm's length as you looked deep into my eyes.

"Khm...khm..." we heard Mr. Bagman clear his throat and reluctantly broke apart.

"I'll be waiting here, Ced," I whispered and closed my eyes as I felt your fingers very gently caressing my face, as if they were willing to memorize the contours of it.

"On my whistle, you two!" said Bagman. "Go!"

You turned around once again and flashed a smile at me. Then you looked up at the stands, nodded at Harry and, wand at ready, disappeared in the maze.

"'Cause I always saw in you my light, my strength
And I want to thank you now for all the ways
You were right there for me
You were right there for me
For always"

It was a beautiful, sunny day on the 30th June, but I could not enjoy the sunshine. My heart was broken; my eyes were puffy and red from the countless tears I'd shed, my voice was rough and hoarse from constant crying, and my world was empty because you weren't in there any more.

Hundreds of people gathered in the wizarding cemetery of Ottery St. Catchpole that day. Headmaster Dumbledore, the Heads of all four Houses, other teachers, numerous students, several Ministry workers, the whole Weasley family, the Lovegoods – all were there to say their goodbyes to you. My Dad and I Flooed to the Weasleys and from there we took a 15-minute walk to the cemetery. Dressed in a traditional, simple white dress – white is the colour of mourning in China – I felt weird among all those witches and wizards in black.

I sat besides your devastated parents and we held and comforted each other during the hour-long ceremony, of which I don't remember anything. Numerous speeches were given: first by the Headmaster, afterwards by Professor Sprout, then some more, but I don't recall any of the words being said. They flew by my ears, just like your short life flew by; just like the wind sweeping through our hair while we were chasing the Snitch; just like those crazy three minutes of the opening dance of the Champions as we were waltzing around the Great Hall, slightly breathless, slightly dizzy and very much in love.

I will always keep a part of you with me. My happy memories of you. Your love, your strong hands, your charming smile.

There are other words to remember, whenever I think of you.