A/N: First fic! First fic! Please be kind! But pleeease review!





Hermione paced nervously back and forth in the empty Charms classroom on the fourth floor. Her friend Ron, a tall individual with flaming red hair, watched her progress with slightly narrowed eyes from atop a Charms desk.



"Hermione, you're going to gouge a hole in the floor," he commented as she stalked back and forth, her hands twisting at the small of her back.



"I can't help it, Ron!" she announced, flinging her arms in the air and plopping herself into the desk next to him. "I can't tell him - I can't!"



Ron studied her for a moment before answering. It was now their sixth and almost final year at Hogwarts, and Hermione was nearly as tall as he was. She had had her teeth shrunken to normal size in their fourth year, and took better time to dress herself flatteringly, all because of a certain person she wanted to impress. Ron groaned.



"Why, Hermione?" he said. "Why Harry? All these years we've been together, you've never said a word about liking him as more than a friend."



"I know, Ron!" she snapped. "I don't know exactly how it happened. He's just so - brave, I guess. Brave, and polite, and cute, and all those things that girls think are great in a guy!" (Ron took mental note.) "I guess I always did have sort of a crush on him - but what girl couldn't? I mean, all those books about him - defeating Voldemort -- and he's so good at Quidditch -"



"I s'pose that's why Cho likes him."



Hermione glared at him. "I suppose Cho might," she said, spitting out the word like a mouthful of poison - or Hagrid's treacle pudding.

Ron sighed. "What is with you and her? She's never done anything to you!"

"Exactly - not one word. I just don't like her. There's something kind of, uh, I don't know .. dangerous about her. She doesn't seem to me like Harry's type."

"And who is? You?"

"I didn't say that!" She colored slightly. "I guess I should have known better than to ask you for help about this."

"Well, it's kind of a shock, you know."

"How could it be that much of a shock?" she demanded, jumping off the desk and planting her hands on her hips. "Just because you're a guy doesn't mean you've missed all of Harry's good qualities."

"Don't get started on that again."

"Urh, Ron!" she groaned, stalking away and dropping into another desk and running her hands through her hair. "I knew I was making a mistake when I told you this! Just go, then, if you're just going to make wisecracks at everything I say."

That struck Ron in a rather sensitive spot. He was between girlfriends now, and Lavender (his latest ex) had given one of the reasons for their breakup rather violently. "You just don't know how to listen!" she had told him, tears in her eyes. "You make everything in life a joke. Well, Ron, you can't go on doing that to people when they tell you their secrets - you're going to be sorry one day!"

"I can listen!" he said loudly to Hermione, who looked surprised.

"All right, then," she said, rather surprised. "Prove it. What am I going to do about Harry?"

"You need to seriously boost up your self-confidence. You've got to work up the nettle and go up to him and ask him out."

"I can't do that!" Hermione cried, her eyes wide with horror. "What if - what if he says no? Then our friendship will be gone forever!" She flung herself dramatically down on one of the desks, her head pillowed on her arms. Ron leaned over and patted her awkwardly.

"Ron - you! You can!" She straightened up suddenly and leapt out of the desk, staring at him in surprised delight.

"Can what?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't know why I never thought of it before! Ron - you can ask Harry what he feels about me. He trusts you, he'll tell you -- and you can tell me!"

"And how exactly am I going to do this?"

"Just do it really casually. You know, when you guys are up - comparing Quidditch teams, or whatever you do up there in your rooms after dark."

"Hermione?" Ron started to laugh.

"Oh, don't deny it, Ron! I've heard you guys up talking and moving around up there all the time at ungodly hours after the lights are out! But anyway, just ask Harry real casual-like, see what he says."

"Hermione, I-"

"Great!" She flounced around the room. "Thanks so much, Ron! You're a lifesaver - you're such a good friend!"

"Mind telling Lavender that?" Ron said, watching her twirl around the room.

"Don't worry, Ron. Things will work out in the end between you and Lavender. If she's not meant for you, so what? You're a great guy. You deserve someone who's right for you."

"That sounds rather suspiciously like flattery."

She stopped twirling and staggered back to Ron, dizzy. "Come on. Go talk to Harry about me. Please?"

"Oh, all right," Ron said, getting regretfully off his desk. "Remember, don't blame me if he's hideously embarrassed and won't answer."

*



Cho Chang sat at the edge of the Hogsmeade lake, looking out over the glittering water and letting the breeze blow back her short black hair. Her head was pillowed on her arms, and she thought longingly back to the days when she and Cedric would come down to Hogsmeade and sit at this very bench.

If only, she thought sadly, looking out across the rippling smooth lake waters, if I could only see you one more time .. I'd take back that stupid argument about the ruby earrings you gave me. I'd wrap you in my arms and you'd kiss me like you used to do..

"He was a great man."

Cho gave a startled gasp and her head came up off her arms to look in surprise at the black-hooded boy who was suddenly sitting beside her.

"Where did you come from?" she sputtered, her heart pounding.

The boy, who looked about her age, continued to stare out across the water. "I knew him too," he said.

Something about the brown-haired boy intriuged Cho. She sat a little closer. "What did you say?"

"Cedric. He was my friend when he and I were young. I moved just before he went to Hogwarts. He was always the one to play by the rules; honest, fair, and sincere. Of course I never told him that, being eleven years old," the boy added with a wry laugh.

Cho sat in silence. She could see him, she could see her Cedric, playing with this boy, the one who always was willing to share his toys and help a younger child fight off a bully. She gulped and tears sprang into her eyes.

"You loved him, didn't you," said the boy, turning to her. He was not handsome - especially not like Cedric was - he had a wiry face and watery clear eyes.

Cho forced down a sob and answered. "I did."

"You must've hated him after that," said the boy, turning back to look out at the water.

"You-know-who? Yes."

"No!" said the boy, turning again to look at her with intensity suddenly in his face. "Not he-who-must-not-be-named! Potter. Harry Potter."

"What?" Cho stared at him. "Why would I hate him? He brought Cedric's body back after you-know-who killed him! And he wants to try and help me through this, I know he does. He's always had a sort of crush on me, I think."

"No," repeated the boy, shaking his head, keeping his gaze on her. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Great Wizards. What a lying little thief. I mean, I knew he was bad, he'd fooled even Dumbledore into thinking it was you-know-who, but for you not to have found out.." He shook his head slowly. "He's a more formidable enemy than I thought."

"You think Harry killed Cedric?" Cho cried. "Are you mad?"

"You've never wondered why he's never told anyone about it?" the brown-haired boy asked. "Why he left with Cedric, and then came back with Cedric's body and no proof whatsoever? Why he even put his name in the Goblet? To compete with Cedric, of course. He hated Cedric."

It was true, Cho thought, remembering the image of Harry at the Yule Ball two years ago, the look on his face when he watched Cedric and her dancing. The stupor everyone went around in after Cedric beat him at Quidditch. "But why?" she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because of you, Cho. He's always liked you, you even said so. Plus, from what I heard, Cedric beat him at Quidditch once. He's so big-headed he couldn't stand the thought of you loving someone else, or that someone was better at him than Quidditch."

The boy got up and prepared to leave, dusting sand off his black robes. "I would watch out for him if I were you, Cho. From what Cedric told me before he died, Harry is pretty unstable up here." He tapped his head. "See you around, I suppose."

"No - wait!" Cho grabbed the hem of his robes, anger swelling in her. "Don't go - please. If Harry really did k-kill Cedric, are you j-justing going to l-let him go?" Her speech was blurred with tears and hatred.

"I can't do anything to him. I'm not at Hogwarts."

"B-but I am!" Cho said. "Leave it to me!"

The boy studied her, his face beginning to light with a smile. "All right. You get him to take you on a date -- no doubt he'll say yes -- and you bring him down here for the next Hogsmeade visit. Halloween, right?"

She nodded.

"You see that trail?" He pointed to a trail into the forest that surrounded Hogsmeade and led up the mountain.

"Yeah?"

"Bring him there. Just you and him. Don't worry, we'll make sure he doesn't hurt you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Cho hesitated. She had never seen Harry be anything but nice. But Cedric's face rose before her, and she had a sudden, horrible mental image of Harry, maniac laughter in his face, standing over Cedric with a wand, shouting the words Mad-Eye-Moody had taught them .. Avada Kedavra ...

"I'll do it," she said.

"Good." The boy grinned at her. "You won't be sorry. Think of what you're doing for Cedric. You're avenging his death."

"Yeah," Cho said, hatred coursing through her. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I am."

*



"All right," Hermione whispered to Ron as they climbed the steps back towards the Great Hall, as it was lunch time. "You're going to do it really casually, right?" She clutched his arm and Ron looked irritably at her.

"I can't if you're hanging on my arm the whole time."

She released him guiltily. Ron rubbed his wrist where her grip had left red marks.

"I'm sorry Ron, it's just I'm so nervous, what if he says he doesn't like me? .. What if he guesses?"

They neared the Great Hall. Hermione took a deep breath, and stepped in after Ron. "..What if..what if .."

Hermione trailed off. And Ron could suddenly see why. The Gryffindor table was not entirely occupied by Gryffindors now. A Ravenclaw girl with short black hair and large dark eyes was at Harry's side.

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "What's she doing there?" she said in a stricken undertone to Ron.

"I don't know.." Ron said, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go. He's going to think you're jealous if we don't go up there."

He had to half-drag Hermione up to the Gryffindor table. Harry beamed at them as they came up towards the end of the table, where he and Cho were sitting awfully close together.

"Ron! Hermione! There you guys are! You missed the greatest thing -- Cho asked me out!" he said in an undertone, his face blushing scarlet. "She and I are going to Hogsmeade together - this weekend for the Halloween trip!"

Hermione gave a queer kind of half-sob, and bolted away from Ron's side. She dashed away up towards Gryffindor Tower, leaving Harry, Cho and Ron staring after her.

"Hermione?" Harry half-stood as she left, calling after her. But Cho pulled him down. "Sit next to me," she said in a sweet voice.

Harry sat down. "Ron -- do you know what's up with Hermione?"

"I guess she's having a hard week," Ron said, only half-lying. "She and I were talking just before we came .."

"Oh, never mind about Hermione," Cho said brightly. "Let's talk about Quidditch, Harry! Who are you going to have as Chasers this year, since Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson have left?"

Harry brightened and turned to her. "Oh, I was considering that fifth year, Gregory. You know I saw him in flying lessons the other day, he's pretty good . ."

Ron sat down on the other side of Harry, silent as he and Cho talked nonstop Quidditch throughout the whole dinner. He ate his dinner in quiet, listening with half an ear to the two lovebirds beside him and the other half worrying about Hermione.

"Ron, aren't you going to try out for Chaser this year?" Cho sang. It was a while before Ron realized she was talking to him.

"What for?"

"To get on the team, of course!" she said, looking surprised. "Like your brothers! They were superb Beaters, you know. I played against them. Of course I suppose they were probably the Quidditch talent of the family. I know lots of families like that, where all the good stuff is used up on the older kids so the younger ones always do badly."

Ron sputtered, unable to come up with a response.

"It's too bad Fred and George didn't try out for England!" Cho trilled, before he could formulate a civil response to her earlier taunt. "But of course they had to go earn money, I see. Keep up the family and such."

Ron stared, shocked that anyone could be so blatantly horrible. His spoon dropped into his soup bowl with a clatter. Stew sprayed up and splashed Cho's robes.

"Oh, no! Ron, you clumsy oaf! Look what you did!" Harry sprang up, seized a napkin, and began to rub the brown spots on the corner of Cho's shirt without thinking. She looked down at him with surprise, and when he realized what he was doing, he blushed down to his hairline.

"Cho, I'm -- I'm sorry -" he sputtered, trying to back away.

Cho seized his shoulders, leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. A chorus of "Ooh's" went around the Gryffindor table, except for Ron, whose eyes were blazing with fury.

"Good night, Haarrrrr-eee!" Cho sang as they finished dessert. Ron was glad it was over; he was hating Cho more and more as she and Harry got deeper and deeper into staring into each other's eyes over chocolate pudding and ice cream. By the end of the meal, he was sick and tired of the two.

"Bye, Cho!" Harry waved furiously to her as she departed with her Ravenclaw friends.

Harry would not stop talking about her as he and Ron climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"Cho is so cool! She's really pretty, isn't she? And so talented! I don't know what I'm going to do next time we have a Quidditch match against each other, do you? She gets top grades too, just like -"

"Just like Hermione!" Ron shouted.

"What?" Harry stopped and stared at Ron as the rest of the Gryffindors climbed around them.

"I said, just like Hermione! What, have you forgotten her already?"

"Ron, what are you talking about?"

"It's Cho!" Ron yelled, losing his patience. "Didn't you listen to her? Didn't you listen to her insulting me? She practically said that my family was poor and that Fred and George have to earn money for us! How can you like her?! Not to mention Hermione!"

Ron stomped away from Harry, leaving him standing alone and surprised in the middle of the stairway.

Too late, Ron remembered that he had promised not to say anything about Hermione to Harry.

*

A/N: The rest coming soon! I think it might be fairly long. *hangs her head* Sorry! Please review! (No suggestions about who will be together, please. That I already have my mind made up about. You'll just have to wait and see, although those who know me well enough know what it'll be! ;) Cya!