20 June 2000

Cho heaved an exhausted sigh, as she plunked herself down on her bedroom room floor and stared around at her surroundings. In her three years of living in the cozy, little flat, she had never seen it so empty, so deflated, so…morose. Cho's breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, doubts began assailing her mind. Inexplicably, she couldn't help but wonder whether her decision to leave England—her country, her home—was the right one.

She mentally shook herself. Of course it was. What did she have left in the dismal place, really? Her parents were long gone, unfortunate victims of the war. Her friends…well, Cho was sure they would forget about her, eventually…

As if on cue, there came a knock from the sitting room. Frowning, Cho dragged herself to her feet and approached the flat's front door, hesitating slightly as her fingers closed around the brass doorknob. Her Portkey at the Ministry was set to leave for New York City in just under half-an-hour. After several long moments of contemplation, however, Cho relented and tugged the door open.

The door had barely opened an inch before there was a flash of reddish-gold, and something petite and warm grabbed Cho around the middle, sobbing violently into her shoulder. Gazing down at the familiar head of strawberry-blond curls in astonishment, Cho quickly shut the front door and prized the girl's arms off. "Marietta—?"

"Why are you doing this?" Marietta demanded, tears falling down her cheeks in earnest. She looked up at Cho with large, blue, reproachful eyes. "Cho, you can't just wake up one morning and decide to leave!"

"It didn't happen in one morning, Marietta," Cho said briskly, strolling past the fair-haired girl and back towards her bedroom, where three fully-packed trunks stood side-by-side on the floor. Quickly, Cho scooped up numerous pairs of neatly-folded socks from the floor and emptied them into the last of the trunks, snapping it closed. Then, dusting her hands, she turned back to Marietta, who was watching her in disbelief. "What?" Cho asked tiredly.

"What do you mean, 'It didn't happen in one morning'?" Marietta asked slowly, crossing her arms and facing Cho with an incredulous expression on her face. "Do you mean to say that you've been planning on skipping town since—?"

"The end of the war," Cho informed her quietly, drawing her wand. "Locomotor trunks."

Marietta darted out of the way, as the four large containers nearly knocked her over in their haste to enter the adjacent sitting room. Cho followed them out, Marietta still clucking at her heels.

For a moment, neither of them said a word, and Cho almost believed that Marietta had given up. But then— "Cho, you can't leave."

Cho bit her lip, finally turning around to meet Marietta's distraught gaze. "Why not?" Cho asked softly. "Marietta, there's nothing left for me here."

"What are you talking about?" Marietta cried in disbelief. "You've got an incredible job at the Ministry, a beautiful flat, and plenty of money!"

"It's not about—"

"Cho," Marietta said gently, "I know you're still hurting over your parents, but I'm sure they wouldn't want you to run away."

"I'm not running aw—!"

"What is this about then? Is it about Cedric, or—or Harry?"

"Of course not—!"

"Cho, I've told you a million times!" Marietta wailed, seizing Cho's shoulders and giving her a little shake. "You could have any boy in this country if you just tried!"

"This isn't about boys," Cho said coolly, jerking away from Marietta's grip. "Merlin's beard, Marietta—there's more to life than boys!"

"Cho, I don't understand—!"

"No, you don't," Cho agreed hotly, glaring at her friend. "You don't understand. You don't understand what it's like to feel like your life is stuck in this horrible limbo between bad and worse, Marietta. I'm just not happy here anymore."

"Oh, Cho," Marietta's eyes widened. "I didn't know—"

"I know you didn't," Cho sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "That's why I didn't tell you—or anyone else."

Marietta shook her head, turning away to mop her eyes. Then, suddenly, she swiveled back around to face Cho, eyes blazing. "All right, you've made your point—maybe I don't understand you." She squared her shoulders, narrowing her eyes. "But I was your best friend for seven years, Cho," she said angrily. "Did that mean nothing to you? How could you let me find out that you were moving to a different continent from a Ministry newsletter?"

Cho's heart sank to the floor. And before Marietta could continue, Cho hurried forward and embraced her tightly.

"Listen," Cho said gently, as after several moments, she pulled away. "I need this, Marietta. I just—I need to start over. It took me months—years, actually—to convince Bennett to let me work for the department overseas, and I really, really can't miss this opportunity."

There was a long silence, as Marietta considered Cho closely. Then, miraculously, she lifted a watery smile to her face.

"All right."

Cho gazed at her friend, astonished. "What?"

"All right," Marietta repeated, her smile widening. "New York's a brilliant place—it's your kind of place. You'll love it, I promise."

Cho's heart constricted with emotion; she beamed at her friend.

"But—" Marietta hesitated, averting her eyes from Cho's. "But…don't forget—"

"Never," Cho confirmed, squeezing Marietta's hand. "I-I'd—I could never—"

"Good," Marietta interrupted thickly, returning the squeeze. Two final tears rolled down her pink cheeks. "I just…where—honestly, where is the good in goodbye?"

Cho gave a strangled laugh, as a huge lump swelled in her throat. "It's there, somewhere," she assured Marietta, smiling determinedly. Then, with a soft sigh, she straightened, drawing her wand once again. "Well, my Portkey leaves in twenty minutes," she said. "Write to me, all right? And come visit me in a few months, once I'm all settled—"

"Cho, I'm coming to the Ministry," Marietta declared firmly, "To drop you off."

Cho blinked. "You—what?"

"Come off it," Marietta scoffed, rolling her still-puffy eyes. "Do you honestly think you can lug four trunks and three bags onto the Knight Bus and into the Ministry by yourself? Let me do this one last thing for you."

Cho gazed at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, she smiled, nodding. "All right."


Author's Note:

This is my entry for MadHatterBellatrix10's "Goodbye" Challenge. I chose to write about friends, Cho and Marietta. For those of you who don't know my headcanon very well, Cho left for America a couple years after the end of the Second Wizarding War because she wanted to start over. Come on, let's give the poor girl some love! :)

Ari