Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Always
By: ChoCedric
"Dead! Dead! Diggory's dead! Dead! Dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!"
The frantic, horrific screams that had assaulted Cho Chang since that terrible night of June 24 were happening again. Her heart rocketed down to her feet as she flew off the bleachers and ran pell-mell to her boyfriend's side, pushing people out of her way.
And when she got there, she was greeted with the same sight she'd seen every single night for the last eight months: her love's still form lying on the grass, his lifeless eyes staring, staring, staring at her, his hands totally limp and unmoving. Cho bent down and grasped his hand as tightly as she possibly could, tears streaming down her face. "NOOOOOOOO!" she screamed. "WAKE UP, CEDRIC, WAKE UP! PLEASE! PLEASE WAKE UP!"
The next thing Cho knew, she felt her shoulder being shaken. She suddenly bolted upright and found herself in her Ravenclaw dorms, Marietta hovering over her. "Shhhh, it's alright, Cho," Marietta said softly as tears from her dream continued to stream down Cho's face. "Come on."
Since the Room of Requirement had been discovered, Cho and Marietta went there every time Cho came out of a nightmare of Cedric's lifeless body. Shakily, Cho got up and threw on her robes. Ignoring the whispers of their other roommates, Amanda and Meghan, who were likely to make a nasty comment about Cho, the two friends headed out of the dormitory, out of the common room, and to the Room of Requirement. Marietta supported Cho's still-sobbing weight as they stumbled along.
When they arrived at the room, they discovered that it was a room full of glass objects. Instantly, Marietta knew what kind of a mood Cho was in: she wanted to throw things, hurl things at the wall, scream, swear, and cry. As they stood there looking at each other, Marietta said consolingly, "C'mon, Cho, we're alone now. Just let it out."
Cho picked up a glass ornament and held it in her hand. Still wailing, she screamed, "He didn't tell me bloody anything!" and threw the ornament at the wall, and it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.
"Who? Potter?" Marietta asked softly.
"Yes!" Cho howled, picking up another object. "He tells his little friends Weasley and Granger everything, but don't you think I have the right to know as well? I was in love with Cedric, I was part of his life! Every time I go to sleep I have to see his dead body again and again and again! All I wanted to know was whether he suffered, whether he was in pain ..."
"I know, sweetie," Marietta crooned, taking one of Cho's sweaty hands in hers. "But you need to realize something. Potter was there when it happened ..."
"EXACTLY!" Cho shrieked. "And it was because of him that Cedric died! You-know-Who didn't even WANT Cedric, he wanted POTTER!"
"Cho, I thought you got past that," Marietta whispered. "I thought you didn't blame him anymore."
"I know it's not rational to blame him, but I don't feel like being bloody rational right now!" Cho screamed, throwing a few more objects at the wall and letting them shatter, just like all her dreams had. "He took him away from me, and I LOVED HIM! I want to know what happened to him! Maybe one of these days I'll be there when someone Harry loves dies! Maybe then their body can be dumped on a Quidditch pitch with total chaos around it, and maybe I won't tell him anything about their last moments, even if they were tortured brutally!"
"Cho, you don't mean that," Marietta whispered. "You're just angry, really angry right now."
Cho, out of control, ranted on. "And do you know what Potter did when I cried in Madam Puddifoot's?" she shrieked. "HE LAUGHED! HE BLOODY LAUGHED!"
"Cho, he probably didn't know what to do," Marietta consoled, totally out of her league. Cho's hand was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to squeeze it in her own. "And he probably didn't want to talk about it because he's hurting just as much as you are."
At this, Cho threw the last object and sank to her knees, all the fight draining out of her. The tears kept flowing, however, and Marietta let her friend bury her face in her shoulder. "It's not fair!" Her voice was muffled by Marietta's robes. "I loved him so much, Marie," she whispered through her sobs. "And I don't think I'll ever be able to fall in love again. I'll never get over this!"
"You will, sweetie," Marietta said gently, pulling her friend tighter against her. "It'll get better, I promise."
After a few minutes more, Cho's sobs finally turned to sniffles, and she looked up into her friend's face. "You're right," she whispered, distraught. "I didn't mean all those horrible things about Harry. It's just ... I want to know what happened to Cedric."
"I know, Cho," her friend said softly.
"Do you think I'll ever find out?" Cho asked, wiping her eyes.
"I hope so," Marietta said. "Then maybe you can have some closure."
"Yeah," Cho muttered. "Yeah. ... After another minute, she whispered, "Thank you, Marie."
"For what?"
"For sticking by me when I'm so miserable," Cho replied. "All our other friends don't want to be around me anymore because I'm not smiling and laughing."
"They're stupid anyway," Marietta said, rubbing Cho's back consolingly. "I understand how it feels to lose someone. They don't. Remember, I lost my father a few years ago? I know it's different from losing a boyfriend, but the grief can hurt just as much."
"Yeah," Cho said softly.
"Just don't pay any attention to them," Marietta soothed. "But I can tell you that it does get better." She sighed. "Listen, Cho, I need to tell you something. I'm really scared."
"About You-Know-Who?" Cho asked.
"Well ... yes, but about Umbridge as well," Marietta admitted. "She suspects something's going on in the school that's not supposed to be."
"Do you think she knows about Dumbledore's Army?" Cho wondered.
"I don't know, but she keeps staring at me in class, if you've noticed," said Marietta. "Cho, I'm worried. That woman's just plain evil. I think she's going to make me tell her the truth by threatening my mum's job at the Ministry, and I don't think I'm strong enough not to tell. After losing Dad, we can't have Mum losing her job, it'd be disastrous."
Cho looked at her friend. She knew how Marietta felt about her mother, but at the same time, she knew she'd be a little angry if Marietta told, because she had joined Harry's club in order to avenge Cedric. But at the same time, if Marietta did tell, she knew she'd forgive her, because she'd been the only one to comfort Cho after a nightmare of Cedric's lifeless eyes and the screams that had assaulted the air.
"You don't need to say anything," Marietta whispered. "I'm just telling you, just so you know. If I cave, Cho, please forgive me."
"I'll always be your friend, Marie," Cho whispered, embracing her fiercely. "ALWAYS. You've been the only one to tell me it's okay to grieve. You know, when I kissed Harry in December, I was trying to do what everyone wanted me to do: move on. But it didn't feel right, Marie, and today's date didn't either. I know I'm not ready for another relationship. I loved Cedric so so much."
"I know you did," Marietta soothed. "And you don't have to justify anything to me. It's okay to cry, Cho, but I also know Cedric would want you to be happy, to live your life."
"I know," Cho whispered softly. "And I'll try for him."
"I know you will. Now sleep, you look exhausted. I'll stay with you all night," Marietta promised as she cradled her friend. A few minutes later, Cho fell asleep, comforted by Marietta's strong arms, and no more nightmares plagued her that night.