This is one of my first femmeslash one-shots and first ever attempt on Ginny/Cho. It's also posted on HPFF. Enjoy!
Before the Battle
Cho turned her head to Neville and Harry who were standing at the secret exit, where Neville was talking to Harry. Cho overheard him telling Harry that the ways leading outside of the Room of Requirement would lead to random places, to Merlin-knows-where, and that they should take care because of Death Eaters patrolling the corridors. He wished them good luck once Harry and Luna hurried up the staircase. Cho heaved a sigh when Harry had finally disappeared out of sight. She wished she could do something useful, instead of just sitting around and waiting for Harry to return. She tapped her foot impatiently on the stone flooring, and fidgeted nervously on her seat. She hated waiting…
If only Ginny hadn't been acting like some jealous little choleric newt… Why was she so weird anyway? Did she think that once Harry and Cho reached the Ravenclaw Tower, they'd start making out and forget why they went there on the first place? Her mind was not quite fitting all the pieces together; You-Know-Who was on his move to Hogwarts with probably a horde of other more Death Eaters in tow, close to battle with Dumbledore's Army, which had warriors comprised mainly of seventeen-year-olds. Tension was hanging in the air like heavy raindrops, driving everyone almost near frustration. The wizarding world's fate was lying in the hand of The Chosen One, who by no means, did even know what Ravenclaw's diadem looked like, which seemed to be of great significance for his mission of saving the world. His jealous girlfriend, Ginny, was acting strange towards Cho, and it didn't make the situation easier.
Cho looked like she was keeping her temper reigned in by running her hand through her raven-black hair, twirling her finger around the tendrils. She really had no interest in Harry. Those happy days with him were over a long time ago. Cho had come here to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, not to fawn over The Boy Who Lived. She suppressed a smile at the ridiculous thought.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Ginny was staring at her. At first Cho thought she was only imagining it, but when Cho turned to the redhead, Ginny shot daggers with her eyes at her. Cripes, what's wrong with this girl?
"Find yourself amusing, huh?" Ginny said menacingly, raising a brow at her.
"Ginny, what's the problem? Is there anything you want to tell me because now would be the appropriate time to do so," Cho said, furrowing her brow in confusion at the redhead. Michael Corner, who was left sitting between the two girls, shifted nervously, sending a curious look from one former girlfriend to the other.
"Nothing," Ginny fumed in response to Cho, pursing her lips. "Nothing, Cho!"
"Oh don't you Cho me! It doesn't look like 'nothing' at all," Cho said, trying to prevent herself from rolling her eyes so obviously.
Cho turned to Michael, bending forward slightly and half-whispering behind her hand, "Does that look like nothing to you?"
"Er…" Michael's facial expression faltered. When he caught Ginny's fiery look, he dropped his head and shrugged.
"Playing the charming card again, are we?" Ginny hissed, scowling at Cho.
"What?" Flabbergasted, she looked from Ginny to Michael, seeking for help. But he merely seemed to be trying his best to keep out of their business, pretending to be busy with his wand rolling between his fingers.
Cho was restraining the urge not to scratch Ginny's eyes out. If only the majority of the students in this room weren't Gryffindors and Ginny's friends, Cho would've already jumped to her feet and showed this redheaded hag how CHARMING she really was.
She glanced over to one of Ginny's best friends, Hermione, who was in a deep conversation with Ron; as though staring at the bushy-haired girl would make her understand why Ginny was acting this indignant. Hermione, the world's answer to a question that had never been asked, was silently listening to Ron, who was explaining something to her. Had they changed roles?
"I remember," Hermione nodded at him. "But the problem is how do we do it? And bear in mind, Ron, we have to do it quickly. This might be our last chance."
"I'll show you how if we get there," Ron insisted, his face full of hopes as though he'd never been so sure of anything else in the world. "Just trust me for once in your life, Hermione."
Giving in, Hermione gave him an affirming nod after a second or two, her eyes shimmered with fascination.
In the next moment, Cho noticed Hermione throwing suddenly a furtive look at her, and then lowered her voice. She leant forward to Ron, and the only bits of her whisper what Cho could catch was something of a chamber or anything of the sort.
Cho's eyes landed back on the Weasley girl, who fumbled shakily with her dangling scarf. There was something personal in Ginny's resentment towards her, and Cho could sense it.
"Look, if you've any problems with me, I'd like to sort them out now –" Cho started again.
"Don't you ever listen? I said it's nothing!" Ginny snapped.
"Oi, Ginny," a male's croaky voice startled the two. Ginny and Cho looked up as Ron stood in front of them, with Hermione's hand in his. "Tell Harry we're in the bathroom." He threw Ginny and Cho an earnest look before he dragged Hermione behind him towards the secret exit, in which Harry and Luna had disappeared.
Cho made a face when she watched them both heading up the staircase and wondered what spontaneous business they had to do together in the bathroom. So based on their prior conversation, Ron probably suggested to do you-know-what before You-Know-Who attacked Hogwarts and took over the wizarding world.
Thinking of harebrained scenes like that were the first signs of Cho's boredom. She hated waiting more than Ginny's annoying pubescent attitude directed at her. Sighing deeply, Cho rested her chin on her knees. She needed to do something else; maybe preceding the nonsensical controversy with the Weasley-girl might temporarily help.
She glimpsed back to Ginny, and there again, Ginny was staring at her. Only this time the redhead's eyes were a bit glassy, and when she looked away, her eyes dropped to the ground.
"Ginny, are you alright?" asked Cho, and she found she couldn't shove off her concern for the younger girl. Despite the fact that Ginny had been acting like a raving bitch for no apparent reason since they'd both arrived at Hogwarts. Michael, who Cho noticed was sensing the growing tension between them, left his seat and joined Neville and the guys from the other houses.
"Just leave me alone, would you?" Ginny nearly growled.
Ginny rose to her feet and stomped away, over to the rather dim corner of the room, out of hearing range and eye-shot from the others. She disappeared behind some large stacks of wooden storage boxes. Even though Cho was a bit irritated at Fire-head's behaviour, still she felt like she couldn't just leave the distressed girl and followed her. It's not like she had anything better to do…
She excused herself from her friends and walked over towards Ginny, who flinched when she noticed Cho approaching and took off for the door leading to the backroom.
As soon as Cho reached the door, she knocked a few times and then turned the doorknob, surprised that it was unlocked.
The torch-lit and musty room revealed boxes of different sizes, some of them covered with stained, off-white cloths. Sacks, some with wooden and metallic objects of all shapes and forms were disorganized on a pile in one corner. Old and unused broomsticks were displayed in a dusty cupboard behind a glass door. There were many old books, crickets, antique mirrors, and damaged cupboards.
Ginny was hunched up somewhere between a cobwebby bookcase and a pile of sacks, in the back part of the room, arms embracing her knees and her head resting on them.
"Ginny?" Cho asked tentatively in the dimness.
"Get out!" came a muffled voice.
"No, not until you tell me what's wrong," Cho persisted, coming closer.
"It's none of your goddamn business! Why do you care, anyway?" Ginny looked up and snarled, and even though Cho couldn't see the Gryffindor's face too clearly in the dim room, she knew Ginny was scowling at her again. And this made her incensed even more.
"Is it because I offered my help to Harry? Is it that?" Cho asked, flustered. When Ginny didn't answer, Cho continued, "My goodness, get a life, Ginny, you're no longer a little –"
"No, it isn't about that! Not only that."
"Huh?"
Ginny groaned, "D'you really want to know? Then listen!" Ginny jumped to her feet, rising to her full height. She was shorter than Cho, but the threatening posture with which she had approached Cho made her appear taller. Cho felt herself cowering away, backing off slightly.
"I've never liked you, just the way you bat your eyelashes, and smile, and that playing cute you always do; the way you talk in that sweet, innocent voice..."
'Ditto' was the first response Cho had in mind. She bit down her tongue, though, to hold back the word for safety. Maybe Ginny was just testing Cho's self-control and waiting for a comeback before continuing.
"That answers my questions regarding your unconventional hatred toward me," Cho said, exuding this air of Ravenclaw excellence around her. "The ground for my feeling in this particular instance hopefully isn't that I happen to be the first love interest of the love of your life, Harry Potter."
Ginny froze as her jaw half-dropped, she stared back at Cho and simply remarked, "You're an arrogant bitch, you know that?"
"Excuse me? You're the one acting all bitchy," Cho blinked at her for a few moments, an array of confusion displayed on her face. "If I was mistaken with my previous assumption, then correct me," Cho added, looking baffled. She felt her chest heaving at every word Ginny had said. And there was that prominent Weasley temperament that reminded her of why she could never get along with this girl.
Cho could've turn on her heel and let Ginny go on with ranting over her in a monologue, or she could stay and listen to this sullen twit, accepting the fact that Ginny was really just a bit jealous of her. Cho wasn't too picky, but the latter option was more entertaining.
Ginny's voice grew a bit shrill, coming across Cho's thoughts as she continued, flinging her arms in the air, "I am certainly not jealous of you, you got that? You know, I hate you … so much! I hate the way Harry's mouth almost dropped to the ground when he saw you entering the Room of Requirement earlier, when he didn't even shed a bloody glance at me."
"Well, many blokes do say my appearance is stunning," Cho said with an impish smile. Ginny's anger was drawn in wrinkles on her forehead as she shot Cho a deathly stare. Cho added, "C'mon, Ginny, I'm just kidding."
Ginny cut her off, her hands clenched into fists, "No! Who the sodding hell told you we're friends enough for you to kid me like that?" New tears welled up in her eyes; she started to shake all over.
Taken aback at the sudden superiority this seemingly fragile girl emitted, still Cho could hold her composure. She listened wordlessly, impressed at this new-found side of the youngest Weasley.
A short silence enveloped the room, as Ginny turned her head towards a few wooden dummies the D.A had used two years ago when they had practiced Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was as though she was trying to hide her tears from Cho, to bury her weakness. And then she added, calmer this time, "I don't know how this battle will end, Cho. It depends on Merlin-knows-what if I'll see Harry dead or alive in the end. I begged Fred and George to take me with them, so that I'd see Harry at least just for a short moment, before he'd face Voldemort," Ginny sniffed. "I – I was hoping he'd be glad to see me, and all that, but he wasn't. Not the slightest. And he looked at you, and…" she trailed off, turning back to Cho, words caught in her throat.
"But, Ginny, that doesn't mean anything. Harry moved on from me," Cho reminded her, "years ago, and you know that. And he's dating you, isn't he? He loves –"
"He broke up with me!" Ginny spat, then she turned around with her back to Cho, trying desperately to keep her voice from trembling. "On the same day of Dumbledore's funeral. I – I understood why he asked me for such a favour; it's just seeing him look at you, speak to you … and ignoring me –"
"I hadn't the slightest idea about your break-up, honestly. You both looked like you were meant for a lifetime," Cho consoled her, trying to reach out for Ginny's hand. But Ginny backed away, apparently not convinced. "Ginny, Harry and I are only friends, nothing more than that. I came here as a member of Dumbledore's Army, and, Merlin, not because of Harry!" Despite Cho's inner nuisance regarding Ginny's previous rants, she somehow felt like it was all right to comfort this girl. After all, deep inside she had compassion for Ginny. Cho had been in this situation when she was still dating Harry, when she thought that he'd have more affection for his female best friend, Hermione. Now thinking about it, she suddenly realised how nonsensically immature she was back then.
"I know," Ginny sighed. "It's just all these mixed feelings inside me, fear, worry, depression... With my brother, Hermione and Harry fulfilling the mission Dumbledore left to them and risking their lives every moment. All I could do was sit there and pray for their safety. And with the Death Eaters having kidnapped Luna, and some of my friends being tortured at Hogwarts … I thought I'd explode." Ginny ran a hand over the chest of the wooden dummy, speaking in a ragged voice, "You probably think what a little unripe, sensitive pubescent I am –" She sniffed and shivered all over, her hands wiping a tear from her eye.
"Oh, don't cry, Ginny," Cho said softly, her heart breaking for her. She didn't know what to do as she watched Ginny show the emotional side of her; she appeared so broken, terrified and hurt. Cho did the only rational thing she would do in a bizarre world where she would be friends with Ginny Weasley: she turned her around carefully and took her into her arms. Ginny stiffened, seemingly torn between pulling away and snuggling up into Cho's comforting embrace.
"What if he dies in the battle?" Ginny sobbed between sniffing and mourning.
"No, he won't. I strongly believe in Harry, and you should do it, too," Cho soothed, stroking Ginny's silky hair. Ginny smelt like a combination of freshly mowed grass and jasmine. The fragrance of her was calming and made Cho want to hold the younger girl tighter.
At first Ginny seemed like she didn't know where to place her hands, so she settled them around Cho's waist, sobbing in her shoulder. Her fingers played with the ends of Cho's smooth hair, and she hesitated before mumbling, "I – I don't want to lose him."
"But you won't. Once he's done with You-Know-Who, he'll come back to you," Cho whispered reassuringly into Ginny's ear. She'd noticed the younger girl's tension leaving. Ginny felt so soft and small in Cho's arms; she had a well-proportioned feminine body, yet trained due to Quidditch practices.
"Cho?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry." Ginny pressed her face on Cho's shoulder, as though trying to cover the guilt she felt towards Cho.
Cho pulled away, looking at the shattered Gryffindor, while her hands were still on Ginny's shoulders. "No, it's okay, Ginny. Don't be." Cho was surprised at her own sincerity. She tried hard not to show that she missed the warmth Ginny's body had provided. Zeus almighty, what was going on with her?
The magical flame of the torch nearest them reflected in Ginny's eyes, and there were new tears forming in the corners of them, running down her cheeks. Cho wiped the redhead's cheek gently with her thumb when she cupped her face with one hand; Ginny's cheek was warm and smooth like baby skin. Strangely, when her eyes fell upon Ginny's crimson and supple-looking lips, Cho suddenly wondered how they would taste and…
But before she could finish her thought, Ginny had pulled her closer, closed her eyes and brushed her lips ever so slightly against Cho's. Cho gasped in shock, and Ginny pulled away, whipping herself free from Cho's grip.
"Sorry, I lost myself," Ginny mumbled, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "Well, just in case we die in the battle, at least 'we've kissed and made up', right?" She shrugged, trying to give Cho a hopeful smile. "I know I completely lost my mind," Ginny murmured more to herself, tugging at her scarf; maybe a habit she did when she was nervous. "Please spare me with humility and don't tell anyone."
Cho stared at the Gryffindor contemplatively. Ginny was really full of surprises, she thought, so unpredictable and impulsive.
Neither of them spoke for a moment. There was a horrible, awkward funk in the air. Cho felt her own finger brushing obliviously over her lips, as though it had burnt her but in a pleasant way. Her other hand grabbed at Ginny's arm; pulling her closer, she whispered, "Don't worry, I won't." And then Cho leant forward for another kiss, and when Ginny responded, Cho felt her belly swooping, like fireworks had exploded in her stomach. She'd never kissed another girl before, but if this was the feeling of it, she might as well start to like it.
Their breaths mingled with passion, and Ginny pressed Cho even closer to her. Cho was surprised at the sudden control Ginny took over her. She wondered if Ginny really was this desperate to make out with her, or if she was just a little bit too libidinous. She smiled mischievously against Ginny's lips when she contemplated about that thought.
Ginny pulled Cho's cloak aside to feel her body against her own. Cho let her; she enjoyed that being under control. The thin cotton of their blouses was the sole hindrance between them. Cho opened her mouth a little, and soon Ginny found the entrance, exploring the warmth of her mouth tantalisingly.
Their cloaks landed both on the ground, and Cho felt Ginny exploring her body with one hand, pulling the blouse out from her skirt, and sliding a warm hand under her blouse, caressing the skin. Cho let out a muffled moan against the Gryffindor's mouth, pulling away just to move to her ear and kiss her neck, slightly out of breath. Fire reeled down Cho's spine and soon heated up her entire body. And the heat she felt could possibly set the whole stockroom on fire. She thought to herself that if this was a dream, what a cruel joke that would be.
She roamed her own hands on Ginny's perfectly-shaped body, undoing the buttons of the lower part of her blouse. As soon as she found the opening, she caressed Ginny's silky skin tentatively, causing Ginny to jerk under her touch.
"Ticklish?" Cho nuzzled her ear, inhaling her mind-blowing fragrance. Ginny gave a short giggle, which altered to a soft moan when Cho's hand started caressing her firm breasts. From where she found the courage to be so forward, she didn't know. Who would've thought that after their argument and just before the battle started, she'd make out with the least expected person and share an intimate moment with like this.
It felt like uniting fire and ice, so unrealistically real, like being awake in a wonderful dream. And then, Ginny's hand slowly strayed down to Cho's thigh, pulling up the skirt with every stroke she made, moving over the sensitive skin, and moving higher. Cho's body arched from the contact. Ginny kissed her neck tenderly and didn't hesitate to carry on with pleasing her.
But before her hand made actual contact with the spot it had been aiming for, there was a sudden banging at the door.
Both girls jumped away like repelling magnets, panting, hearts throbbing against their rib cages.
"Hey, have you two killed each other inside there?" someone called from the other side of the door.
"That's Fred," Ginny shrieked in a whisper, quickly closing the buttons of her blouse.
"Ginny, Mum and Dad are here," Fred said, pounding the door again.
"Answer him," Cho suggested, picking their cloaks from the ground, putting hers on and handing the other to Ginny, who did the same.
"Er, coming," Ginny shouted towards the door, voice still husky from the kiss.
Cho and Ginny went outside, where they found Fred leaning against the doorframe, and George scrutinising the two girls up and down.
"Did you wrestle? Comb your hair, sis," George chuckled.
"N – No," Ginny answered, turning away to avoid her brother's eyes, before flashing Cho a bashful smile. "We just cleared some things up, didn't we, Cho?"
Cho nodded hastily, her cheeks crimson.
When Fred and George went ahead of them, back to the group and towards their parents, Cho felt Ginny squeezing her hand a last time.
"By the way," she stammered, giving Cho a sincere look, "I don't hate you."
"I know, Ginny," Cho smiled. Ditto.