Are you afraid?
He sees her, sitting alone by the lake, watching the glassy, calm water.
Her arms are wrapped around her self, knees drawn up, and eyes lowered; she has the appearance of one who has nothing to live for.
Walking over, he takes a seat by her. "Are you afraid?"
She doesn't have to look up to know it's him. "Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of what's going to happen in a couple hours."
She knows that he's talking about the siege that Voldemort and his Death Eaters have planned for Hogwarts. Everybody is preparing for it, teachers and the older students are lined up at the front of the school, getting ready to battle.
"No...I'm not afraid of Voldemort...I'm not afraid of the Death Eaters...I'm not afraid of pain..." She trails off, staring at the lake.
"What about death? Are you afraid of death?"
"Not death...but dying...dying without someone ever loving you..."
"Cedric loved you..."
She gives a short, bitter laugh. "Yes, Cedric loved me. But he was never in love with me. He was infatuated with me, but he was never in love with me. If he had lived, we probably would've broken up in the summer."
He is silent. He doesn't know what to say.
"What are you afraid of?" She turns to him, looking hard into his green eyes.
"Fear. I'm scared of being scared." He says, simply.
"I should've known."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, defensively.
She shrugs. "Well, you are the Boy Who Lived. Why would you be scared of something as trivial as what I'm scared of?"
"I think I would be scared of what you're scared of; I just never really thought of it."
"Oh."
There's another silence, but it's a different silence, it's a silence full of unsaid things, a silence full of apologies, a silence full of tension.
"Well, I probably should go now. Need to prepare..." He says, standing up.
She looks at him, perhaps for the last time. "Good bye, Harry. And good luck...whatever happens...good luck."
He nods, and says simply. "Good luck to you too, Cho." He turns and walks away.
The battle is heated. He has never seen or heard of anything like it. It's fierce, and Death Eaters, as well as students are falling every other second.
He dodges a jet of light for what seems like the millionth time. And then, that's when he sees her. She's battling Lucius Malfoy.
Out of nowhere, a masked Death Eater sends a spell her way, when her back is turned.
Time seems to slow to a crawl for him. He knows what's happening- his legs are carrying him to her, across the Great Hall. He reaches her just in time to catch her, as she falls.
He kneels on the cold stone floor with her, unaware of the battle going on. She's breathing, but barely. Her dark eyes open.
"Cho?" He whispers, but she can hear him, even with all the rest of the noise.
"Harry..."
He can see that she's slowly getting weaker. "Are you afraid?" He asks.
She nods. "Yes...I'm still afraid."
"You don't need to be afraid, because you do have someone who is in love with you."
"Who?"
"Me." He whispers, saying what he's wanted to say for months.
She smiles at him. "Well, Harry, then you shouldn't be scared either. Because someone too is very much in love with you right now. I'm in love with you, Harry." She squeezes his hand, and smiles again, and he can tell by the look in her eyes that she's not scared at all. Her eyes close, and she sighs contentedly. He knows that she's gone.
He sets her body down carefully, and stands up, ready to go back into battle.
He knows that he will not be afraid, because he will not die without someone who is in love with. He promises himself that he will not be afraid, because he is loved.
He is loved, and he also loves.
He sees her, sitting alone by the lake, watching the glassy, calm water.
Her arms are wrapped around her self, knees drawn up, and eyes lowered; she has the appearance of one who has nothing to live for.
Walking over, he takes a seat by her. "Are you afraid?"
She doesn't have to look up to know it's him. "Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of what's going to happen in a couple hours."
She knows that he's talking about the siege that Voldemort and his Death Eaters have planned for Hogwarts. Everybody is preparing for it, teachers and the older students are lined up at the front of the school, getting ready to battle.
"No...I'm not afraid of Voldemort...I'm not afraid of the Death Eaters...I'm not afraid of pain..." She trails off, staring at the lake.
"What about death? Are you afraid of death?"
"Not death...but dying...dying without someone ever loving you..."
"Cedric loved you..."
She gives a short, bitter laugh. "Yes, Cedric loved me. But he was never in love with me. He was infatuated with me, but he was never in love with me. If he had lived, we probably would've broken up in the summer."
He is silent. He doesn't know what to say.
"What are you afraid of?" She turns to him, looking hard into his green eyes.
"Fear. I'm scared of being scared." He says, simply.
"I should've known."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, defensively.
She shrugs. "Well, you are the Boy Who Lived. Why would you be scared of something as trivial as what I'm scared of?"
"I think I would be scared of what you're scared of; I just never really thought of it."
"Oh."
There's another silence, but it's a different silence, it's a silence full of unsaid things, a silence full of apologies, a silence full of tension.
"Well, I probably should go now. Need to prepare..." He says, standing up.
She looks at him, perhaps for the last time. "Good bye, Harry. And good luck...whatever happens...good luck."
He nods, and says simply. "Good luck to you too, Cho." He turns and walks away.
The battle is heated. He has never seen or heard of anything like it. It's fierce, and Death Eaters, as well as students are falling every other second.
He dodges a jet of light for what seems like the millionth time. And then, that's when he sees her. She's battling Lucius Malfoy.
Out of nowhere, a masked Death Eater sends a spell her way, when her back is turned.
Time seems to slow to a crawl for him. He knows what's happening- his legs are carrying him to her, across the Great Hall. He reaches her just in time to catch her, as she falls.
He kneels on the cold stone floor with her, unaware of the battle going on. She's breathing, but barely. Her dark eyes open.
"Cho?" He whispers, but she can hear him, even with all the rest of the noise.
"Harry..."
He can see that she's slowly getting weaker. "Are you afraid?" He asks.
She nods. "Yes...I'm still afraid."
"You don't need to be afraid, because you do have someone who is in love with you."
"Who?"
"Me." He whispers, saying what he's wanted to say for months.
She smiles at him. "Well, Harry, then you shouldn't be scared either. Because someone too is very much in love with you right now. I'm in love with you, Harry." She squeezes his hand, and smiles again, and he can tell by the look in her eyes that she's not scared at all. Her eyes close, and she sighs contentedly. He knows that she's gone.
He sets her body down carefully, and stands up, ready to go back into battle.
He knows that he will not be afraid, because he will not die without someone who is in love with. He promises himself that he will not be afraid, because he is loved.
He is loved, and he also loves.