Pawns On the Board
.x.X.x.
~CrazyPlotQueen~
The faint, melodious sound of the orchestra had captured Cho Chang's attention the moment she walked inside the ball. Her dark, warm eyes had swept the ballroom for the source of the lovely music, searching for any hint of the rich cello melody, but found none. She chalked it up to some unknown amount of magic.
The girl wasn't really paying much attention to the swirling, glittering party around her. She wasn't paying much attention to the gossamer, silky dresses the woman were dressed in, the smooth, suave tuxedos the men wore, or twinkling chandelier that dangled from the lofty ceiling. She wasn't paying much attention to piles of steaming food layered onto the banquet table, or the polished champagne glasses being passed around.
Alastor Moody, her handler, took note of that.
"Focus, Cho. The enemy is at hand," The older man strolled up to the girl, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. Cho flinched; she hadn't been paying attention to anything but the music, and Moody had startled her.
But he was right. The enemy was at hand and her mission depended on whether she could play herself off as an innocent school girl.
Cho Chang, eighteen years old and a student at Hogwarts, was not just some innocent school girl. After joining the Order of the Phoenix, Cho was taught defense spells and attacks, she even made sure she knew a bit of physical combat, just to make sure all her bases were covered should she ever need to use it. No longer a girl, able to take care of herself, her group had immediately put her into play.
And here she was, in play on the chess board. Seeking out one of Voldemort's spies that was rumored to be attending Hogwarts Springtime Ball. The Order only had one clue to discern this spy from the crowd. The spy had a black ballpoint pen, with silver accents, and his initials engraved in gold.
Cho did not waver in her conviction, nodding her head discretely, and began to wade through the sea of people. She was a gem amongst rocks in this crowd; that much she had made sure of that. A black gown hugged her from, accentuating her curves, and a necklace of midnight blue sapphires hung along her collarbone. Her dark, silky, thick hair was piled on top of her head in bouncy ringlets.
She looked heavenly tonight, and Cho knew it. It would be easier to carry out what she was ordered to do this way.
The familiar feeling of dread sinking in her stomach welcomed her to the dance as she made her way across. Really, Cho didn't want to murder someone. She didn't want to have that blood on her hands. But the Order needed it done, and Voldemort was the evil that plagued her life. He'd done terrible things, and someone needed to stop him.
Cho vowed to do all she could put an end to his chaos. So she was here, a lion among gazelles, waiting to pounce on her target.
"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!" A voice suddenly called out as Cho felt someone knock into her, their champagne splashing all across the front of her gorgeous gown.
The girl stumbled over her feet, and unfortunately, her tall heels made none of this easy. Her ankle rolled, and a gasp of pain slipped through her lips as she landed on the polished tile floor of the hall.
Immediately, the guests around her ceased their chatter to spare a glance at Cho, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks in waves. What good focus she had, Cho thought bitterly. She couldn't even walk across the floor without messing up, or making a scene, or blowing this mission-
"Pardon me, but I am so, so sorry. Are you alright, Miss?" A husky voice asked her from above. Brushing away the loose strands of hair that originally hindered her view of the speaker, she finally noticed who had knocked into her. He was certainly good looking from the floor; he had chiselled features, dark hair and bright grey eyes that contrasted wonderfully against his baby blue tuxedo.
"Perfectly fine, thank you," Cho snapped curtly, relieved that the party goers' conversation resumed around her. She roughly grabbed the man's hand that was held out to her, rising to her feet as gracefully as possible.
"I truly am sorry," The man repeated, a genuine look of embarrassment on his face. "I'm...not the best dancer. Or the most careful one."
"Then why are you at a ball?" Cho rolled her eyes at his words, too annoyed to conceal her feelings.
"Socialization. I'm a bit of a social butterfly. And there's good food," He chuckled lightly, meeting her eyes. "My name is Cedric. And you are…?"
"Cho Chang. Fifth year at Hogwarts," She replied with a nod.
"You're Cho? I've heard of you! You're that seeker for Ravenclaw." Cedric brightened, happy to have found something in common with the woman he knocked over. "I'm actually surprised that I'm a year older. You look much older than I. And much more attractive," He admitted quietly, a shy smile creeping onto his face.
The girl smiled a bit smugly at the compliment; sure, she knew she was attractive, but hearing him say it was an ego booster. One she needed after that mortifying slip up.
"I know," Cho agreed, loftily arching a brow. "I just have the cheekbones."
"You certainly do," Cedric teased back, entertaining her joke. He tilted his head towards the dance floor. "Would you care to dance?"
"Is this you making up for spilling champagne on my dress?" Cho asked wryly.
Cedric chuckled again, "No. I'm just not an idiot who would miss the chance to dance with such an amazing girl."
Cho paused. She had a mission, didn't she? A job to do. Her dark eyes swept across the ballroom inconspicuously, hoping to look for her handler, and found that Moody was nowhere in sight. She had the green light...so what was she waiting for? She could probably look for the spy while she danced with Cedric, and besides, it would help keep up the illusion of being a student.
"Alright, I'd love to dance, " Cho flashed him a blinding, pearly white smile as Cedric took her hand, a smile on his own face.
.x.X.x.
A soft gasp flew from Cho's lips, her hands gripping the smooth fabric of Cedric's pants. The student was currently in Hogwarts' corridors, away from the glittering party, and pressed up against the stone cold walls, silvery moonlight filtering through the window and illuminating the couple. What was supposed to be a dangerous mission had quickly escalated into a action of passion, and although Cho Chang wasn't happy with her choice, she certainly didn't regret it. After all, making out with an extremely attractive and sweet boy was something one rarely regretted anyways.
The pair had spent a good half hour dancing, joking, and laughing inside the ballroom. Cho found she was quite comfortable with the boy after getting to know him, and the two of them had migrated into the corridor to escape other people. They had simply wanted to talk, but all that talking...Had escalated to other things.
Cho let out a hum of contentment as Cedric's steady hands slid up to her dress, pulling it down a little further than he already had.
"God, you're so beautiful," He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, then placing his lips to her neck.
Although, she was lost in the heat of the moment, the girl was a bit disappointed at the progression of her night. She was humiliated in the ballroom, distracted by another student, and was now putting her entire mission in jeopardy. What if Voldemort's spy had left the party already?
How had Cho been so easily distracted, how was she such a fool?
"Cedric, stop."
The boy immediately paused the kisses he was pressing to her collarbone, his hands tangled loosely in her hair that had come undone during their ordeal. Cho had to give him credit, he stopped immediately when she asked him too, even in the heat of the moment.
Their gaze met, and in the dark, shadowy hall, she could see the confusion and worriment in his eyes.
"Is everything okay?" He asked softly, his hand sliding around her waist protectively. Cedric radiated genuine concern, the girl realized, and felt a tinge of guilt. He liked her, he genuinely liked her. This wasn't just a one night thing for him, and suddenly Cho knew yet probably wasn't a one night thing for her either.
Cho laced her hand with his free one, and bit her lip. "Cedric, I'd like to continue this, I really would, but I think we should head back to the party now. We've only met tonight, after all," The teen pointed out.
Cedric pulled away, taking a step back from her. "Right, right. Sorry, Cho," He nodded quickly.
Cho wanted to tell him to come back, wanted to tell him to hold her and kiss her like he did again, wanted to tell him how much she had enjoyed that, but the girl had a mission to accomplish tonight. Greater good, she told herself. But that didn't mean she couldn't see Cedric again after tonight…
"I want to see you again," Cho blurted hurriedly, trying to remove any doubts of her interest in him, and perhaps salvage what she could of this night with her.
"You do?" A genuine smile grew on his face. It was the brightest thing she'd seen in awhile. "I can give you my number, and you could call me," He offered, glancing around, then blushed. "I don't have anything to write it on…"
Cho's thin lips slipped into a frown, and she pulled out her clutch, searching for a scrap of paper. She found none, and shook her head, her loose curls bouncing along.
Cedric gently took her hand again, and reached to his pocket, "May I?" He chuckled embarrassedly. Cho nodded, laughing along with him as he retrieved the pen from his pocket and began to scrawl his phone number on it.
But in the dim light of the corridor, she saw a glint of metal. Then she spotted the silver accents, a pattern of vines along the black ballpoint pen. And finally, C.D, engraved in gold. His initials.
It was the pen. The pen that identified the spy, the spy Cho was looking for. The spy she had to kill.
No. No.
Why her? Why him? Why had her heart grown so fond of him in this way?
Damn it all, Cho cursed to herself as she watched him scrawl his number across her dainty hand.
Her face paled in the silvery moonlight, he was Voldemort's spy. It made sense to her; he wa popular, attractive, charismatic… everything a spy would be to gain the information he needed.
Unable to comprehend this latest development, Cho snapped.
"What was I to you?" She hissed, startling the boy. "What was I? Was this some ploy, a convoluted trick? Did you know I was looking for you and you hoped to play me, and gain more information for your master? Your sick and evil master?" Her voice raised with every word, until Cedric was staring at her slack-jawed.
"Ch-Cho I don't understand what you're talking about-"
"Don't lie to me! Not now, not after all of this!" She snapped, effectively silencing him with her words. "I know who you are beneath the surface."
He was silent. Watching her with his dark, sad eyes. The hall went silent after her accusation, and all that filled it was the silvery moonlight and the thick tension.
Finally, Cedric's husky and golden voice quavered, "How did you know?"
"The pen," Cho answered immediately, her voice going hoarse.
"A gift," He nodded soberly, "From my master."
"Your master? How can you call him your anything? Y-You are despicable, and-"
"You're not exactly clean either, Cho! You lied to me as well! You're one of them," Cedric gestured hopelessly to the ballroom. "Do you really think I would have pursued you had I known? You may be an amazing woman, but I would not stoop so low as to break your heart or risk your life in that way."
The girl gritted her teeth, on the verge of crying as he went along with his confession. She knew she'd ruin her perfectly applied mascara if she let her tears flow, but she didn't give a damn, allowing a few tears to slip down her cheeks. She didn't want to show weakness, especially to the enemy, but in this moonlit corridor of Hogwarts, Cedric didn't seem like an enemy. He was her classmate, her friend. Cho had allowed him to hold her in a way no one had previously, allowed him to kiss her in a way no one had before.
She was utterly enamored by this man- no, just a boy, a boy who was a pawn in Voldemort's game. And she was a pawn too.
"You really had me fooled," She whispered to him, her hands shaking. Cho Chang knew what would come next.
Their eyes met, and for a second, they shared a brief glint of regret in their eyes.
"Is it time?" Cedric asked hoarsely, his voice barely audible.
She simply nodded weakly, pulling her wand from a secret pocket inside her gown. Cedric did the same, with trembling hands from the inside of his blazer.
"Goodbye, Cedric. I...I hope whatever happens now is for the best," Cho choked back a sob. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to kill someone as nice and as kind as him. The greater good, she kept repeating to herself.
"Goodbye, Cho. I had a lovely evening with you," Cedric told her, taking a deep breath and steeling himself.
Once she determined her opponent was ready, they raised their wands, sharing one last regretful look.
.x.X.x.
The silvery moonlight shone down onto Cedric's pale, bloody face until it was covered up by the fabric of the body bag. And then, he was gone.
Cho Chang sat against the cold, stonewall of the corridor, rubble lying at her feet. She wasn't the perfect picture of elegance and polished beauty like she had been when she first arrived at the ball- no, she looked much different. The girl was battle worn; her hair was a tangled mess, covered in soot, and so was her face. Her gorgeous, black gown was torn and burned in several places, and cuts littered her body, with a large gash stretching across her temple. She had never thought Cedric could kiss her so gently, but hurt her so badly. It was a sounding, really.
"Miss Chang, you've done the Order a great deal tonight," Alastor Moody's voice boomed through the hallway. Cho glanced up, rubbing the dust from her eyes as she flicked around. She hadn't noticed the crowd of wizards and officials that had poured in to document the battle, but either way, she didn't care. She took a boy's life, who was no older than she. It was terrible, really. "You're a hero. I know the job was tough, and the spy was tricky to weed out, but we knew you'd get the job done. I'm proud to be your professor," Moody chuckled, taking a swig from his flask.
Cho silently watched as they carried Cedric's body out, her dark eyes trailing until it left her sight. She didn't feel like a hero, not even close. She felt like a pawn on a chessboard, and she knew Cedric probably felt that way too. They were nothing special, just expected to do what they were told. Their feelings and wishes were never taken into account.
Just pawns on a chessboard, waiting for someone else to make their move for them.
In the pale, silvery moonlight that glinted against her midnight black hair, Cho Chang ignored Alastor Moody's praises and rose from her spot, drifting back towards the ballroom and the beautiful, melodious music from the orchestra.
.x.X.x.
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