Cho's POV
"I can't believe I'm here." I thought, dismounting my sleek elm wood broom. I had always figured that if I were at Cedric's funeral, I would be in the coffin beside his, a group of our children mourning us. Now those children would never be. I tried to stop from crying. "Be strong," I told myself. What a load.
I walked slowly into the building, my heels clicking lightly on the pavement. Cedric used to joke about how those shoes had been our matchmaker. He said that if I hadn't been wearing them my first day at Hogwarts, my short figure would have been lost in the crowd. Now I wished I hadn't worn them at all. Without Cedric, I just don't feel right.
The building was a sea of black, and of mourners. I wasn't even noticed as I slipped in, which I suppose was good, because I was in no mood to talk. Then I saw all the mirrors, each one covered in black. I never knew the Diggorys were Jewish. I never got a chance to know. "Be strong," I thought again.
At the end of the room was the casket. It was open, so that even from where I stood, I could see him. I could hold the emotion in no longer. Screw being strong, I thought, running towards the casket. Standing beside his silent body, I broke down and cried, banging my fists against the heavy oak coffin. "Why?" I pondered aloud and in vain, searching for an answer and half-heartedly expecting Cedric to sit up and reply. Then I prayed for my love to be alive, for all of this to be just a horrible nightmare I would soon forget. I don't even know who the hell I expected to answer my prayers, I never really believed in any religion or god. I just wanted Cedric back.
Harry gripped my shoulder firmly, and turned me around to face him, bringing me back to the harsh reality with a start. "Why are you here? ", I asked, and then regretted I had.
"I... I... I... wanted to ask you..." was all he could stutter out before my fist met his nose with a sickening thud and the crack of broken cartilage.
I couldn't believe he even did that! The horny little prat just shows up at Cedric's funeral and tries to ask me out? Jeez! Does he think I some kind of slut that would just leap into his bed and make passionate love to him or something? Ticked off didn't even begin to describe how I felt. I was about to hex Harry into the fifth dimension when a hand brushed my shoulder, and a voice advised me to take a walk.
It was Prof. Dumbledore. "Albus." I corrected myself aloud; we are both grownups.
"What is it, Miss Chang?" he enquired, his light blue eyes sparkling in their trademarked way; full of light yet so much depth.
I was surprised at his reaction. I didn't expect to have him reply, I didn't think I had even said it aloud. But I was, after all curious. "Why did you take me to this place?" I asked, gesturing to the beautiful park where he had led me.
"You would've turned Mr. Potter into the boy who died." he said, and then chuckled at his own joke.
"He would've deserved it." I quickly replied. After all, even the thought of impaling him with a Quidditch goal didn't sound bad at all. Hey, I wasn't picky.
"I can assure you Mr. Potter had no intention to hurt your feelings," he said softly, his eyes full of sincerity and kindness.
"So he hit on me at my boyfriend's funeral?" I snapped back. "How could he dare defend Harry?" I thought to myself. I couldn't even look Albus eye to eye, so I stared at the swing to his right.
"He wasn't hitting on you." he replied.
"Sure he wasn't. And Prof. Flitwick likes girls." I shouted back, and laughed. I didn't know anyone who was naive enough to believe he was straight.
"Although I cannot attest to Filius' sexuality, I can say with the utmost certainty that Mr. Potter was not hitting on you," he said.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Because I sent him to ask you to join me in the battle against the newly arisen Lord Voldemort." he said, people apparatating all around him. I recognized a few of them. Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and... SIRIUS BLACK!
"Albus! Sirius Black is behind you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Albus turned around slowly. "Oh. Hello Sirius." he said to the raven-haired bastard.
To which the cocky little Satan-In-Training replied, "Hi Albus, beautiful out day, isn't it? Judging by the look of horror etched on the lovely Miss Chang's face, do you think she might like a bit of an explanation?"
"Erm... yes, I suppose so. Remus? Would you be so kind as to explain the situation to her?" Albus said, pulling the retired Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor towards me.
All I could think was screw it, this must be a dream anyway, so I stepped forward and spoke. "Yes, please Remus, do explain." I said, wondering what kind of disturbed explanation he might have to offer.
"Umn... yeah. You know I'm a werewolf, right?" I nodded, Snape had kind of told the whole school after all. "I know this is hard to believe, but back in the day, Sirius, Peter Pettigrew and Harry's dad James were best buddies and they found out about my..." I listened to him explain things to me, from the animagi part to the Whomping Willow incident to Peter's betrayal, and on, past Sirius' escape. I was completely amazed. "If this is a dream..." I thought, "...then I have a really good imagination."
"So Sirius isn't really the boggy man under my bed?" I said, sarcastically, daring him to answer me. I was shocked beyond belief when he actually did.
"Huh?" Remus said, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Just say yes, Remus. The look of utter stupidity is not flattering on you." Albus not so softly whispered.
"Umn... I suppose yes," he said, hesitantly, almost expecting to be laughed at.
Well, I thought to myself; this seems a bit real for a dream. I pinched myself. "Ouch, god damn it!" So this is real. Terrific. Just bloody terrific.
"Now that you have confirmed this is no dream..." said Albus. Lord, you'd think he could read my mind. "...Will you kindly join us in the war on the dark..."
"...Farts!" Sirius finished. "Whoops, I meant arts, really Albus, I did." he added, while trying unsuccessfully to look innocent in front of the older man. God I hate it when a forty-year-old man acts a tenth of his age.
"Sirius! Can't we have one serious moment?" shouted Snape, his beady little eyes twitching, and his eye brows pointed in a look of absolute contempt.
"Of course not, I'm Sirius!" replied Sirius, his eyes full of childlike fury.
"Did I mention that I really hate immature forty year olds?" I thought to myself, pondering what Sirius Orion Black would look like in a bib.
"Miss Chang, will you help us, please?" asked Remus, utilizing his puppy eyes, which were of course, incredibly good, which figured, since after all, he gets more practice then most people do.
"Of course, Remus." I replied promptly. "How could I not help? I mean Cedric was everything to me. Voldie is going to regret he ever messed with me!" I thought to myself. "Where do I sign?" I said aloud.
"Right here" said a man I recognized as Mundungus Fletcher, and he quickly tossed me a quill and a parchment that was headed "We are not responsible for any death or devastating injury you may sustain while working for us.... you will not be paid, however you will be allowed access to all the Oreos and milk money can buy..."
"What the...?" I shouted. If this was his sick idea of a joke...
"Gotcha! You don't really have to sign anything." Mundungus blurted out. God it's so damn easy to hate him whenever he opens his oversized mouth. And his god-awful fashion sense didn't hurt, thinking about the red and green pants which, of course, were three sizes or so too large and the West Ham t-shirt he was wearing.
"Hah, ha. So funny." I was livid. And they wonder why people switch to the dark side.
"Mundungus get a brain and act your shoe size. I mean; she's already having a really bad day. I mean, she just got here from her boyfriend's funeral." said Remus.
"Thanks, Remus. You have reassured me that some men actually do have brain cells that aren't in the southern hemisphere of their bodies." I said, and then winked at him.
"Anytime, Miss Chang." Remus said, his eyes full of wonder and half admiration.
"Call me Cho, really, it's ok." I said. "I'm not a student anymore." He nodded silently.
"Albus?" I called out to the old man.
"Yes?" he replied, his silvery locks reflecting the moonlight well.
"What can I do to help?" I enquired, as I was very anxious to start repaying the Death Eaters for what they had done to Cedric and for what they had done to everyone else, for that matter in their pathetic attempt to take over the world. At times, those dark dolts reminded me of a muggle cartoon in the states; "Pinky and the Brain" I think it was called. A couple of mice tried to take over the world nightly. But Lord Voldemort was a lot more powerful than a couple of dumb mice.
"Go home, and sleep. You can help us later. As for now, you are in no emotional condition to go out and battle Lord Voldemort," said Albus wisely, a twinkle in his eye.
"But tomorrow, you can report to the dungeons and assist Professor Lupin and myself" said Snape. "Be there at eight sharp. Or else." he said, snarling at me, his black eyes giving off some sort of liquad hatred of anyone that didn't happen to have a snake on their pristine gray uniform.
"Really Severus, was that needed? I mean, she is volunteering after all," said Remus. "Anyway, who died and made you king of the world?" Remus said, then smiled.
"Thank you very much, Remus, but really, I can defend myself. I'm a big girl after all." I said. "And Snape, I'll be there with bells on at eight."
"Severus, I never knew you were so kinky..." said Mundungus, whom I had already lost any and all respect for.
"And I never knew a small mind such as your own could hold so much filth." I shouted back, and caught him off guard.
Mundungus was totally shocked. The bottom of his toothless jaw actually hit each and every grain of sand in the sandbox. Severus looked pleased, as if Christmas had come early for him, and Santa had landed on the still burning fireplace. God, I could live Albus' age and still not understand his warped little mind. Remus grinned, his eyes full of a childlike quality I had never seen before in a grown man, not in an immature fashion, but in a way that almost made me want to hug him. Albus just smiled and twirled his long beard around his finger. And I smiled too, for the first time that day as I left the park and headed home.