AN: Thank you, androidilenya, for beta-ing! I apologize to everyone waiting on a Driving Lessons update.
It was a few weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the press had settled down for the most part. Cho was looking for work in London and trying to keep her head down. She'd been interviewed by a few magazines and newspapers because she had survived the Battle of Hogwarts. She didn't like to think about it.
It was about a month after it happened. Cho was sitting in a cafe after a promising morning interview, slowly sipping her hot chocolate as she watched the sunlight filter into the alley when she heard her name.
"Cho!"
She turned around. Before her stood Harry Potter, grinning widely. "Harry! Hey! How are you?" She smiled back.
"I'm great, thanks. I've even got a minute to chat; can I sit down?"
Cho nodded. "Where are my manners?" she joked. "Let me get you something to drink."
"No, I haven't got that long." Harry shook his head. "I'm glad to see you alive and well-right?" Cho nodded. "And..how are you?" Harry was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Cho couldn't tell if he had something on his mind or if just felt awkward because of their past.
"I'm fine. I'm looking for work, not much success so far. Know anybody hiring?"
"Um, the Ministry's willing to hire as Auror anyone who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts on the spot."
Cho shook her head. "Auroring's not for me. I'm trying to find something more...peaceful. Maybe I could take a break from the Wizarding World, study Muggles for a while." Harry still looked uncomfortable. Clearly something was weighing on him. "What is it, Harry?"
"I have...an idea. Do you still miss Cedric?"
Cho tensed. Cedric was a touchy subject for her. She wasn't fond of talking about him.
Harry noticed her tenseness. "It's just...if you'd like to see him one more time..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I have a method."
Cho lowered her voice as well. "But bringing people back from the dead is impossible."
Harry looked around. They weren't the only ones in the cafe, and the nearby street was full of people. "I'd like to talk about this somewhere more...secret."
"I've already paid for my drink, and my next job interview isn't for another hour."
Harry motioned for her to stand up. He took her hand and Side-Along Apparated her away from the London cafe…
...and outside of a peculiar looking house. Not letting go of Cho's hand, he rushed behind the broom shed with Cho at his heels.
"We're at the Weasleys'," Harry said. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a stone. "This is the Resurrection Stone. It doesn't bring people back from the dead as much as a...a memory of them. They appear like ghosts, but more-" Harry hit his arm with his fist, unable to place the word.
"Solid?"
"Yeah, sort of. Anyway, I was thinking, um, maybe if you wanted some closure, you could, uh, bring back Cedric and kind of talk to him."
Bring back Cedric? She didn't know whether to be excited or scared or cynical or all of them at once. The dead can't be brought back to life. Fact. Maybe it's not even a good idea to bring him back, Cho thought. How do I know I won't hurt him?
"How do I use it?"
"You turn it in your hands three times while visualizing the person." Harry handed her the stone. "I'll meet at the same place tomorrow to collect the stone, deal?"
"Deal." As Harry walked away from Cho, she switched her attention to focus on the stone in her hand. It felt cool and smooth against her skin. Harry wouldn't do this if he thought it would hurt. I guess I'll give this a go, she thought.
Cho closed her eyes and turned the stone over in her hands three times. She heard something materialize in front of her.
At last, she thought.
Closure.