In a recent interview of JK Rowling at the Carnegie Hall, she has stated that Cho married a muggle in the end. This is the story of how and what had happened.
She strolled through the busy streets of London. It was the beginning of December, and frustrated business workers, frantic shoppers, and several of those in holiday mood roamed the streets. It was one busy afternoon.
Cho hadn't planned to end up in London, but living close to Diagon Alley had brought her to this place quite a few times. After all, she rather enjoyed watching muggles shop, talking about 'mortgages and balance due dates' and renting apartments from their crappy landowners.
Cho found this activity peaceful and calming. Strange, people may say, but she liked the fact that these muggles, were in fact, oblivious to the world of dark arts and magic, somethings that had haunted her for many, many years.
It was her tender age of twenty four, and Cho had been working at the broomsticks shop in Diagon Alley. She enjoyed selling these brooms, as she herself, had been a great fan of them, and a rather slick player on these objects – the game of Quidditich, which, had stolen her heart many, many years ago and had given her position as a seeker. She enjoyed watching small boys gape at the newest models on display. She even had vintage models, like her very own Comet Two Sixty displayed near the front. It reminded her of her Quidditch days, and how she loved to fly.
But it was so long ago Cho felt her heart ache even to remember. Even the word 'Hogwarts' gave her the slightest throbbing pain, which, she tried very hard to ignore but couldn't.
It has been more than six years since she last graduated from Hogwarts: A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her once favourite place which had rapidly turned into one of her worst memories of all time in her fifth year.
Last time she had visited, when she was about eighteen, was during the great war. The war between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The war that had affected every single witches and wizards, and even muggles on this planet. The war that launched its debut with a very innocent murder. Of a very valuable student. A boy. Her boyfriend.
Cho quickly erased the thought out of her mind. She hadn't even tried to say his name out loud, nor even think about it for five years.
Cedric.
Cho shuddered. Perhaps it was the chilly wind that just blew through her hair.
Grasping her scarf tightly, Cho wandered into a Christmas Shop. Everything was colourful, pretty, and very sentimental. Sentimental. Not liking the idea, Cho headed back towards the door.
"Miss?"
A man with a questioning look on his face tapped Cho's shoulder politely.
Cho turned around. "Yes?" she asked.
"It's just – did you drop this, miss?" he held out a sickle. He looked at it, apparently amused.
"Er- yes, thank you." She said.
"Rather funny looking money, isn't it?" he said, half smiling. "A toy gift, I presume?" he said. There were kindness in his eyes and his voice was very gentle.
"Er – not exactly, well, yes." Cho said. She hastily took the sickle back, thanking him, and pocketed it.
Cho was about to head back to the door when the man interrupted her again.
"Sorry Miss, but if you are not in a hurry to go anywhere," he started, beckoning her to the nearest aisle, "perhaps you can take a look at these new Christmas mobiles?"
Cho stepped into the aisle.
"Actually, we are giving them out to the fairest of those who enter our store." He said, grinning.
"Here you go, miss." He handed her a mobile of small porcelain dancing couple that sparkled under the light.
"Oh no, it's alright really – I don't –"
"My gift to you, miss. You seem quite blue today. Hopefully I can at least spread some holiday spirits with you. After all, isn't that what Christmas is about?"
The man took off his hat politely and bowed. His kind features looked into her face.
Cho felt herself blush. She had never met anyone who had treated her like this. Holding the fragile mobile, she spoke.
"Sorry, what's your name?" she blurted out. The man turned around, surprised.
"David St. Clavis, m'am." He said, taking off his hat once again. "And yours?"
"Cho Chang." She replied, feeling strange. She smiled politely. "Thank you… for this…" she clumsily gestured towards the porcelain couple in her hand. "It really wasn't necessary but you know…"
David smiled. His hazel eyes twinkled warmly. "I hope your days are going fine, Miss Chang." He said.
"Oh, please call me Cho. And well, my days are quite alright…" she said. Then in a spur of the moment, she blurted this out without even thinking. "Would you like to grab some coffee?"
David looked surprised, but soon smiled genuinely. "I'd love to Cho."
Together, they stepped out into the snow.
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Later that night, she sat near the fireplace, holding a book and curling up on her sofa. Her owl was beside her, silently sleeping within her brown feathers.
She stared at the fire blankly. Suddenly, she had a strong urge to cry and laugh at the same time.
A thick tear fell from her eye without a warning.
"You're so stupid Cho." She said to herself, breaking into a grin. "So stupid…" she wiped the tear from her face hard, so that nobody would know she had shed a single tear at all.
As soon as she had done that, another thick tear fell from her other eye.
"Stop crying." She told herself, burying her head in her arms. "Stop crying, you bloody foolish girl. Stoppit." She demanded.
One by one, tears continued to fall.
Silently, Cho got up and opened her ancient chest near the fireplace. She rumbled through it. There was a warning inside her mind, telling her to stop what she was doing at once. It pierced her. She could feel the pain that was about to erupt. However, she continued to go through the stash of her old photos.
Cho thought herself as reckless, for the lack of a better word, as she drew out a dusty picture of a teenage boy and a teenage girl, who were moving inside it.
"Cedric."
Beneath the layers of dust and faded colours, a seventeen year old Cedric Diggory smiled and waved at her, along with a sixteen year old of herself, who was grabbing his arm, laughing.
Cho watched silently as the Cedric in the picture kissed the teenage Cho on her lips, full of love.
She went through this many, many times. Yet, every time it was something new. Something inside her that could not contain this sadness, and madly erupted beneath her skin, causing her to cry in pain and agony.
However this time, Cho smiled faintly.
"Cedric," she talked to the picture.
"You know, you need to stop smiling and waving at me like that. I've moved on, you know. And you're not here. So how can you still act like I belong to you?"
Another tear fell from her brown eyes.
"I'm twenty four now. I have a job. I'm mature. I'm not that childish little Quidditch playing girl you once knew. I changed. I'm so much more different."
Another tear.
"And I feel like a stupid fool sitting here talking to your picture, again, after eight years of your death. Cedric, stop it. Move on. I've moved on. You know I dated two more boys after you? See? I did move on."
Two more tears. They were falling faster.
"And after Voldemort was defeated, your death was avenged. So you should be happy. You can thank Harry Potter, really." Cho sighed. "I'm glad Harry is happy. Remember when your friends and the entire school made fun of him in your fifth year? Right, during the tournament. Remember how unhappy he was? And you were actually worried about him. Worried that there was too much pressure."
Tears fell and fell.
"Why did you have to care about him so much? That was our last year together! Why him? He's married with kids now. Ginny Weasley? Do you recall her? Yeah. I saw them and their kids in Diagon Alley. I even waved at him. He's so happy."
Cho closed her eyes.
"And so am I, Cedric, I'm happy too."
Cedric in the picture grabbed the teenage Cho by the legs and thrust her upwards, causing her to giggle.
"I really am. I'm not lying. I really am."
Tears fell faster and faster.
"And I'm not a crying baby. I'm not. I hate when people call me that."
Her brown owl hooted peacefully in her sleep.
Cho reached into her pocket and took out the porcelain mobile David had given her earlier. She looked at it in detail for the first time. The man, dressed in black tuxedo, was holding the woman by her waist and her hand. The woman's long, black hair fell to her hips, and her white, swan like dress fell gracefully to her feet. Their tiny dotted eyes were staring longingly at each other.
"Remember Yule Ball?" Cho whispered hoarsely, not taking her eyes off the couple.
"Thanks for asking me." She said, tears in her voice.
"But now," she began. " I found someone." She smiled. "David. Isn't that nice? He's a muggle, a very nice man. He gave me a gift. He thought I looked blue."
Cho laughed bittersweetly.
"And damn he was right." Cho laughed more. Then she stared at Cedric once again, who was cuddling teenage Cho with all his might.
"I know I've said this over a thousand times – but I do wish you were doing that to me right now." Cho said.
"But, like I said, I've moved on, Cedric. And I cannot think of you, nor look at you like this anymore…and I'm pretty pathetic, doing this over you, after eight years...after some teenage love affair back in the day."
Cho kissed the teenage Cedric. She smiled at him one last time.
"Goodbye Cedric."
With that, she put the photo deep inside the chest and locked it with a key. Then, she threw her key into the fire.
The fire grumbled, slowly taking the melting key into its possession, as if it had understood.
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Cho stood in her wedding dress. In a few moments, in the St. Mary Chapel, Cho would become Cho St. Clavis.
Cho stared at the engagement ring David had given him. It was small but full of love. David and Cho had shared many days after their first encounter, and David had the courage to ask Cho to be his wife.
Cho loved David. She really did. And she will forever remain faithful and true to him. She will forget of all the love she had before, and put David into her heart.
David knew she was a witch. There were no secrets between them.
Later that day, as she walked down the aisle, holding David's hand, she closed her eyes.
"It's okay." Cedric told her. "I'm happy for you. I will love you forever, Cho. But don't worry about me. You have a great life ahead of you. Be happy." With that, he flashed his last smile.
Cho opened her eyes, and looked into David's hazel pairs full with love and passion. She smiled happily as she have never before in eight years.
With that, she planted a big kiss on his lips, who gladly accepted her.
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Fin.