OR DIE TRYING: CHO CHANG'S SIXTH YEAR
By monkeymouse
NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms. And one of the great things about JKR telling the story from Harry's point of view is that stuff could be happening all over Hogwarts that Harry isn't aware of.
Rated: PG
Spoilers: Everything
xxx
1. Home
The sound of bells striking five o'clock carried into many corners of London, including Diagon Alley. Mo Tan heard the bells as she pulled the shade down at the glass door of Chang's Emporium-the herb shoppe run by Xiemin Chang and his wife Lotus, with help sometimes from their daughter Cho. The family had gone out of the country on holiday, though, and Mrs. Tan, a neighbour who also kept a shop in Diagon Alley, was watching the store until their return.
At one minute after five, the Changs returned-a week early.
Lotus was first through the door. "Good; I was hoping you hadn't left yet."
"Lotus!" Mrs. Tan exclaimed. "Did something happen?"
Before Lotus could answer, another figure brushed by them, head down, deliberately not looking anywhere but at the ground. Cho Chang, carrying only her own shoulder-bag, rushed upstairs to the apartment. A few seconds later, the two women heard a door slam.
Just then, Cho's father came in, bringing two suitcases behind him with a Locomotor Charm. "So," he said, a bit too jovially, "how's business been?"
"Quite busy, actually," Mrs. Tan replied. "Bit of a surprise, really, given the hot weather. Seems to me that most folk never go out in the dog days if they can help it."
Lotus quickly spoke up. "That's a pleasant surprise, then. Dear, please take the bags upstairs; I'll settle up with Mo."
Xiemin knew his wife well enough to know that the two women wouldn't be discussing business. With a flick of his wand, the suitcases floated upstairs, with him following after.
When he had gone, Mo turned to Lotus. "How is the poor chick?"
"No better, I'm afraid. I'd hoped that Copenhagen would give her a bit of happiness."
"You never did tell me; why Copenhagen? Is there much of a wizarding community up there?"
"A surprisingly large one, actually, and we were able to get some business taken care of up there. But Cho was the real reason we went. When she was five, her favorite book--the first one she read completely by herself-was a collection of stories by a Muggle named Hans Christian Andersen. That was his city, and I hoped she'd get something out of that, but..." Lotus left the sentence unfinished.
"Why did you wait so long to go, anyway? She was home from school for two weeks by then."
"Oh, she insisted. We had to wait on the results of her O.W.L.s, you see."
"And?"
Lotus beamed. "Eight; three 'Above Average' and five 'Exceeds Expectations.' It would have been nice if she had one 'Outstanding,' though," she sighed.
"Still, it didn't seem to hurt her studies, did it, seeing that boy."
"No, and I really shouldn't have worried. Of course, ever since he was killed--"
Mo gave Lotus a questioning look. "You don't really believe the story, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"When the boys came back, and Ha Li Bo Te told the Headmaster that, well, that He Who Must Not Be Named did it, and had come back to life."
"Why shouldn't I believe it? It makes sense."
"Not according to what I've read in the Prophet. The Ministry has been writing some very interesting things about the boy."
"Really?" Lotus said coldly. "We haven't kept up lately, you know."
"Well, the paper keeps dropping in little hints about how he's just a boy after all, and probably a bit unstable..."
"Stop right there. Maybe I haven't read the papers, and I really don't care about the Ministry. But I saw the look on Ha Li Bo Te's face when he got off the train. I was with Cho, and she'd gone all to pieces, and the look he gave her, it was as if he wanted to die and take young Diggory's place. And I've read all of Cho's letters from Hogwarts, and I could tell she had feelings for Potter, long before she started seeing the Diggory boy. Whatever else she says and does and thinks, and as much as I hate her playing Quidditch at the school, I absolutely trust her as a judge of character. If there really was something wrong with Potter, she would drop him at once."
"Well, she may not have a choice in the matter. The Prophet's also been hinting that the Headmaster is on his way out, and they say that Ha Li Bo Te is one of his favourites."
"That's not really important. She's got two more years at that school, and she can do it under almost anyone."
"I hope so. Classes start again in a month, don't they?"
"She'll be fine when the time comes; I'm sure of it."
"I hope so, for her sake. So sad to face such a tragedy at her age. Well, I'll let you rest up from your trip. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Of course. I've brought you back something, but I probably won't be able to unpack it until tomorrow. You can bring the cat around then too; thanks again for taking care of him. Give our best to your family."
"Of course, dear, and tell Cho especially that we wish her well. Ta, then."
Mrs. Tan left the shop, and Mrs. Chang went upstairs.
xxx
to be continued in part 2, wherein a simple birthday owl is unusually difficult
By monkeymouse
NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms. And one of the great things about JKR telling the story from Harry's point of view is that stuff could be happening all over Hogwarts that Harry isn't aware of.
Rated: PG
Spoilers: Everything
xxx
1. Home
The sound of bells striking five o'clock carried into many corners of London, including Diagon Alley. Mo Tan heard the bells as she pulled the shade down at the glass door of Chang's Emporium-the herb shoppe run by Xiemin Chang and his wife Lotus, with help sometimes from their daughter Cho. The family had gone out of the country on holiday, though, and Mrs. Tan, a neighbour who also kept a shop in Diagon Alley, was watching the store until their return.
At one minute after five, the Changs returned-a week early.
Lotus was first through the door. "Good; I was hoping you hadn't left yet."
"Lotus!" Mrs. Tan exclaimed. "Did something happen?"
Before Lotus could answer, another figure brushed by them, head down, deliberately not looking anywhere but at the ground. Cho Chang, carrying only her own shoulder-bag, rushed upstairs to the apartment. A few seconds later, the two women heard a door slam.
Just then, Cho's father came in, bringing two suitcases behind him with a Locomotor Charm. "So," he said, a bit too jovially, "how's business been?"
"Quite busy, actually," Mrs. Tan replied. "Bit of a surprise, really, given the hot weather. Seems to me that most folk never go out in the dog days if they can help it."
Lotus quickly spoke up. "That's a pleasant surprise, then. Dear, please take the bags upstairs; I'll settle up with Mo."
Xiemin knew his wife well enough to know that the two women wouldn't be discussing business. With a flick of his wand, the suitcases floated upstairs, with him following after.
When he had gone, Mo turned to Lotus. "How is the poor chick?"
"No better, I'm afraid. I'd hoped that Copenhagen would give her a bit of happiness."
"You never did tell me; why Copenhagen? Is there much of a wizarding community up there?"
"A surprisingly large one, actually, and we were able to get some business taken care of up there. But Cho was the real reason we went. When she was five, her favorite book--the first one she read completely by herself-was a collection of stories by a Muggle named Hans Christian Andersen. That was his city, and I hoped she'd get something out of that, but..." Lotus left the sentence unfinished.
"Why did you wait so long to go, anyway? She was home from school for two weeks by then."
"Oh, she insisted. We had to wait on the results of her O.W.L.s, you see."
"And?"
Lotus beamed. "Eight; three 'Above Average' and five 'Exceeds Expectations.' It would have been nice if she had one 'Outstanding,' though," she sighed.
"Still, it didn't seem to hurt her studies, did it, seeing that boy."
"No, and I really shouldn't have worried. Of course, ever since he was killed--"
Mo gave Lotus a questioning look. "You don't really believe the story, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"When the boys came back, and Ha Li Bo Te told the Headmaster that, well, that He Who Must Not Be Named did it, and had come back to life."
"Why shouldn't I believe it? It makes sense."
"Not according to what I've read in the Prophet. The Ministry has been writing some very interesting things about the boy."
"Really?" Lotus said coldly. "We haven't kept up lately, you know."
"Well, the paper keeps dropping in little hints about how he's just a boy after all, and probably a bit unstable..."
"Stop right there. Maybe I haven't read the papers, and I really don't care about the Ministry. But I saw the look on Ha Li Bo Te's face when he got off the train. I was with Cho, and she'd gone all to pieces, and the look he gave her, it was as if he wanted to die and take young Diggory's place. And I've read all of Cho's letters from Hogwarts, and I could tell she had feelings for Potter, long before she started seeing the Diggory boy. Whatever else she says and does and thinks, and as much as I hate her playing Quidditch at the school, I absolutely trust her as a judge of character. If there really was something wrong with Potter, she would drop him at once."
"Well, she may not have a choice in the matter. The Prophet's also been hinting that the Headmaster is on his way out, and they say that Ha Li Bo Te is one of his favourites."
"That's not really important. She's got two more years at that school, and she can do it under almost anyone."
"I hope so. Classes start again in a month, don't they?"
"She'll be fine when the time comes; I'm sure of it."
"I hope so, for her sake. So sad to face such a tragedy at her age. Well, I'll let you rest up from your trip. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Of course. I've brought you back something, but I probably won't be able to unpack it until tomorrow. You can bring the cat around then too; thanks again for taking care of him. Give our best to your family."
"Of course, dear, and tell Cho especially that we wish her well. Ta, then."
Mrs. Tan left the shop, and Mrs. Chang went upstairs.
xxx
to be continued in part 2, wherein a simple birthday owl is unusually difficult