Written for the Harry Potter Chapter challenge (The Third Task - write about friendship)

Written for the Prompt Relay challenge (Prompt: war)

Of Friendship and War

"Let go of me!" Cho fought against the strong hold of Oliver Wood as he tried to force her away from the Quidditch pitch. All those years of house Quidditch, and then professional Quidditch, though, had worked wonders on his strength.

"You're not going!" Oliver stated firmly.

"You're not the boss of me. I'm old enough to make my own decision." Cho took one forceful step to the broom storage shed, but Oliver held her back. "I'm a decent flier!"

"I don't doubt that, but you're still not going. Cedric was a mate of mine, and he wouldn't want this."

"Cedric's not here!" As soon as the words had left her mouth Cho couldn't believe what she had just said. Even after all these years, she still missed him. His absence defined almost everything she did. She still loved him.

Oliver seemed to swallow something that wasn't there, and his hold on her laxed slightly.

Cho fought back tears. "What I mean is… I'm old enough to do what I feel is right. Cedric would want to fight, too, Oliver. You can't stop me."

Oliver seemed to contemplate her words, eventually nodding. "Very well," he said. "You're right, I can't stop you. Please, just do as I say." He looked around at everyone. "That goes for everyone. We all need to be on the same page to help. If one of us goes missing…."

"Don't go back for them," Cho finished solemnly.

Oliver nodded without another word on the subject. "Grab a broom – doesn't matter which – and then line up on the pitch. We're going to fly over the enemy to try and attack from the air."

Everyone did as Oliver requested. There were at least twenty of them; it would probably be the only time players from each house would be working together on brooms.

Cho grabbed the first broom she could find. It was an old Cleansweep. Not fast, but would do the job. If she fell behind, she knew it would be the end. No one would come back for her – she would never expect them to.

"Ready?" Oliver placed a hand on the middle of her back.

She nodded. "Too many people have died already for me not to fight." She thought of Cedric and all those other innocent people who had lost their lives due to some power-hungry group of witches and wizards. It wasn't fair.

They mounted, and at Oliver's command they ascended in a spectacular formation that would have looked crafty on a Quidditch pitch.

Oliver spun his broom to face them all. "Fly together!" he said. "Protect others if you can, do not go back for those who fall behind." It clearly pained him to say that. "This may be our last night, and I'd just like to say that if –"

"Oliver!"

It was Lee Jordan. He was pointing behind Oliver's head. At a glance, Cho noticed that a green spark was heading straight for his head. "Oliver!" she also shouted, zooming past the others to pull him from the course of the curse just in time.

Flustered and slightly shaking, Oliver looked at her. "Thanks, Cho," he said.

Cho smiled. "Be careful," she instructed. "We can't lose you."

Oliver returned her smile and squeezed her hand before returning back to the shaken group of fliers. Without any more of his pep talk, he simply instructed them all with a, "Follow me."

Cho flew beside Lee Jordan, who grinned at her. "All the best, Chang," he said.

"You too, Jordan."

They didn't have to fly far before they were stopped by a group of Death Eaters from below. It was dark, but they must have seen them coming, for they all stood ready for the supposed attack.

They were out-numbered.

"Oliver!"

"Just do your best!" Oliver replied, talking to them all.

A curse fired from the ground and somebody Cho didn't recognise toppled from their broom.

"No one will judge you if you do something rash!" Oliver shouted over the cries of spells being shot out.

Cho took that to mean he was okay-ing the Unforgiveables. But… no, that was how Cedric died.

"Stupefy!" she cried, pointing her wand down. Surprisingly, she managed to hit a target.

"Nice!" Oliver said as he also fired a spell. Cho ignored the fact that the sparks were green.

It was a battle that would determine their future. Cho had never felt so frightened and brave at the same time. What if she didn't make it out alive? What if she was one to –

"No!"

Cho was broken from her thoughts by Oliver's painful cry. A quick look around told her that two more had fallen – and one of them was her companion, Lee Jordan. Oliver was looking stricken as the young man's body hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Don't you touch them!" Oliver shouted. "They are ours!" He fired another curse, missing all Death Eaters.

"Calm down, Oliver," Cho urged. We can't lose you, too.

Oliver seemed to read her last thought and nodded with a solemn acceptance of their fate.

They fought for a little while longer, but their plight was useless. As more fell, they become increasingly more outnumbered than they had been before.

Oliver called it. "Retreat!" she shouted to the remaining fliers. "I repeat, retreat now!"

No one needed telling twice. Cho was one of the first to turn her broom around, ignoring the taunts by the Death Eaters about being cowards. She flew as fast as her broom would allow, over the other battles that were occurring and safely to the ground of the Quidditch pitch. It, itself, was becoming a battle ground. The beloved pitch, loved by many, was not as she remembered it.

The number that landed was far fewer than the number that had left. Cho wasn't sure, but she even thought that a few more had fallen on the flight back to the pitch.

Oliver landed beside her, flustered and broken by their short fight. He turned to her and gave a weak smile. "We tried," he said.

Cho nodded, unable to smile. "We did our best."

"What do we do now?"

Cho reached out to squeeze his hand to comfort him. "We continue fighting," she told him simply. "Even if it kills us."

Oliver swallowed and squeezed back. He glanced toward the castle. "Well," he began. "Let's continue fighting."

They both walked forward.

"Even if it kills us," Cho mumbled.

I hope you enjoyed this. A big thank you to my Quidditch team mates for helping with characters and plot. Much appreciated. I do quite like how this turned out. Please let me know what you thought!

Also, please PM me if you have any pairing/character/any forms of relationships you would like me to write. Happy to do it!