Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Broken Wings
By: ChoCedric
Before that terrible day, Cho Chang had always loved to fly. To feel the wind in her hair, to be soaring above the sky, gave her a feeling of total freedom, as though she could conquer anything. Quidditch was something she adored, and being a Seeker had always come as a natural ability. Capturing that golden ball always filled her with pure joy.
That was how she and Cedric Diggory got to know each other: their total love of flight brought them together. They spent many enjoyable afternoons and evenings spreading their wings and soaring on the Hogwarts pitch, laughing and chasing each other goodnaturedly. As the months passed, they became best friends, and then their friendship blossomed into a deep love. Cedric was someone who let her fly figuratively and literally, and the best days of her life were spent in his company, seeing him smile and watching his gray eyes light up, feeling his protective arms around her; her heart swooped and did dives, just as the couple themselves did on the pitch.
But then, that terrible day came. Cho was sitting in the stands with Marietta and her other friends when her life totally fell apart. She'll never forget the sight of him, all the life gone from his pointless, staring gray eyes, and oh, God, the total look of fear and vulnerability on his face made her heart shatter. She'll never forget the horrific screeches of "Dead! Dead! Diggory's dead!" as she held his lifeless hand, looked into his staring eyes, and pleaded with him to wake up. She screamed those two words until her throat was raw, tears coursing down her cheeks. She kicked and struggled as Roger Davies carried her away from the body of the only boy she'll ever love.
And now, her love of flying has been totally quashed. Memories of Cedric and the times they spent together flood her mind as she slowly flies above the pitch. She remembers when they soared right in the star-strewn sky, and sobs rack her body as she almost falls off her broom with the weight of all the remembrances. They had even spoken of marriage, hovering above the ground where everything was fresh and beautiful. She kept one hand on her broom and one hand holding his as they smiled at each other, and she remembers all the warmth and love in his smile.
But then, that smile was cruelly taken, and the look of shock and fear on that wonderful, handsome face permeates her brain. Another broken sob is torn from her as she remembers stroking that face tenderly in the hospital wing the day after his death, quietly talking to him and kissing his cold, unresponsive lips. God, what an awful feeling it was to know that the words "I love you, Cho," would never be whispered again, that their hands would never join while on brooms again. Whenever she tries to fly she just can't do it well, because she remembers the smiles, the laughs, the joy, the tenderness, the love, and she knows she'll never find another person like him, ever. The love of her life is forever gone.
Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw captain, tells her that if she doesn't start flying better, he'll have to kick her off the team. In her heart of hearts, she doesn't care. Let him throw her off the team. She doesn't give a toss anymore. The joy of flying is gone, because every time she gets on a broom she is haunted by the sight of his cold body, his lifeless gray eyes staring up at the night sky, the same night sky in which they used to fly together.
Cho vows to herself that at the last Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, she will try to conquer her demons and win for Cedric. But of course, she's such a failure these days that she sneezes at the last minute and Ginny Weasley snatches the Snitch from right under her nose. Lowering herself to the ground and jumping off her broom angrily, she throws it to the ground and marches off the field, right past the spot where she had seen her love's body lying, her entire being consumed by raw grief. The wound is just as fresh as when he died, maybe even worse. The days aren't getting easier, and the nights are filled with images of the staring eyes which used to be filled with so much laughter.
Michael Corner runs to comfort her, and Cho throws herself into his arms, tears still flooding her face. She knows that there will be rumors later that she and Michael are dating, but that's not true. Michael's just a good friend who lets her mourn Cedric as much as she wants; he's a shoulder to cry on. When Cho hiccups and sniffles, "Why aren't you with Ginny Weasley?" Michael tells her they just broke up, and his grief-stricken best friend's the main priority right now. Cho is thankful for his presence, and burrows even deeper into his arms. I'm so sorry, Cedric, I failed you, she thinks in despair. I tried to win for you, and I couldn't even do that. Pictures of his lifeless eyes burn the backs of her pupils as uncontrollable sobs continue to make her body shake violently.
The following year, Cho quits the Quidditch team, because she cannot fly anymore. "Cedric wouldn't want you to be this way," people tell her, and deep within her, she knows this. But she just can't do it; she can't bear the memories. Her wings are forever broken, damaged beyond repair. She doesn't think she'll ever love again. She still has nightmares of his corpse lying on that pitch, everyone shrieking and sobbing around it, his once vibrant eyes staring, staring, staring into nothingness. Cedric was her soulmate, and he was violently ripped away from her. And she doesn't think she'll ever heal. She knows her wings certainly won't.