Here goes the second chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
His Equal
Chapter 1: The Sorting Hat's Song
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Harry pushed through the hustle and bustle of the platform and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Close behind him were Ron and Hermione who were arguing over nothing relevant. Harry shook his head and smiled. Their stay at the Burrow had been filled with constant tiffs, which gave Harry his share of laughter.
Harry found them a cabin and stepped inside. He took his seat next to the window and looked out. He saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley standing together, waving up at him and as the train began to leave the platform he waved his goodbye.
Harry was finally in his seventh year. It seemed like yesterday that he was a clueless, muggle-raised wizard. Now he was practically a man with great power, much of which was unknown to him. Harry sat and thought about his sixth year.
Last year was very different from his other years spent at Hogwarts. While his previous years of school entailed vicious three-headed dogs, giant snakes, werewolves, and the resurrected Dark Lord himself, last year was completely void of Voldemort activity. Aside from chaos Voldemort caused during the summer, there was no activity during the school year. Harry had waited in dread for Voldemort's next vicious attack, which he thought, would be his worst, especially because he was once again at full power. But nothing happened.
Harry did not know the exact reason as to why Voldemort did not make a move, but Harry thought that it might have had something to do with his last major attack. Harry shuddered as he recalled hearing the news of Voldemort's latest deed. A couple of days before school last year, Harry heard, while at the Burrow, that the Chang family had been attacked. He recalled being sick to his stomach because the night of the attack, Harry had felt the most excruciating pain radiating from his scar. Harry thought that maybe Cho had been hurt. He pressed all of the Order members for an explanation, but got nothing. Harry thought back to the announcement Dumbledore had made during the feast upon their arrival last year.
The feast had ended and the tables were cleared. Harry sat next to Ron and across from Hermione waiting for Dumbledore to speak. Dumbledore's solemn face foreshadowed his speech.
"As I am sure many of you have heard, unfortunately, the Dark Lord struck the home of a student of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said in a very sad voice. Harry glanced at Hermione who was listening with her brow scrunched.
"The Chang family was attacked a week ago. Mr. and Mrs. Chang, along with their youngest daughter, Shendi Chang, did not survive," Dumbledore announced. The whole Great Hall was silent aside from a few Ravenclaw girls who were quietly weeping, "Whether you want to believe it or not, we are in a time of great danger and uncertainty. So I advise you to be wary."
Once Dumbledore finished his address, Harry looked over to the Ravenclaw table and to where Cho usually sat. He was not surprised that she wasn't there.
Cho did not return to school last year for her seventh year and despite Harry's constant pestering, Dumbledore refused to elaborate on her situation. Aside from Cho's absence, school turned out to be normal, which was unusual to Harry considering his perception of a normal school year.
"Harry."
Harry was shaken from his thoughts as he looked away from the window and to Hermione who sat across from him.
"Do you want anything off of the trolley? I'm about to go myself and get me some chocolate frogs," Hermione offered while standing up.
"No thanks," Harry replied. Hermione shrugged her shoulders and exited the cabin leaving only him and Ron who was also sitting across from him.
"Can you believe it, Harry?" Ron asked with excitement written on his face. "It is finally here! Our last year of Hogwarts."
"I know, mate. It's strange though. I can remember exactly what went on during my first year on the train like it was yesterday," Harry said sentimentally.
Ron became a bit more serious and asked in a low voice, "Do you think Voldemort will turn up this year?"
"I honestly have no idea," Harry replied. Harry didn't like thinking about it. It caused him to grow anxious especially ever since he heard the prophecy. He was the one who had to defeat Voldemort or die.
"Let's not talk about this now," Harry said as he manner sobered. Just then Hermione returned with her frogs. She looked a bit pale and bewildered.
Harry gave Ron a look and became concerned.
"Mione, are you alright?" Ron asked.
Hermione shook her head in disbelief and said, "Yeah, just in shock that's all."
"Why? Is everything alright?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked Harry square in the eye and said, "I… I think I just saw Cho Chang."
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Cho sat in her cabin alone, just as she liked it. She sat staring out the window watching the trees and mountains rapidly pass by. She leaned her head against the clean glass window wishing that the trip would go quicker. She was heading to Hogwarts to attend her seventh year of schooling. Schooling that should have been finished already.
Instead of going to school last year, Cho had spent a horrible six months in St. Mungo's. Cho shut her eyes willing the memories of the last year out of her mind. After the tragedy last year, Cho woke to find herself alone in a hospital room. After the first couple of days in the hospital, it became clear that Cho's instability was increasing. Cho tried to rid her head of her experiences at the hospital, which were painful and embarrassing to recall.
Cho's arms and legs were strapped to the bed as she struggle and thrashed about. She was present in the room, but her mind was somewhere else- in memories she was forced to relive everyday and fantasies that her mind created.
Cho was once again in her home surrounded by the horrors of that night. And before her was her greatest fear. There before her stood Voldemort. His hand was raised and the sadistic look in his eyes made her think of her family's slaughter.
"Crucio," Voldemort said.
Cho's mind was twisted and pulled in pain and torture and as her mind felt the pain, her body contorted in agony. The small, dark hospital room was filled with screams of pain as Cho writhed on the bed. No one could do a thing to help her.
Cho shook her head and tried to think of something else. It didn't matter what she was thinking of, though, or what she was doing. In the end she was alone. Cho tried not to think of her dead family members. She tried to numb herself and disconnect, but there was always the lingering feeling of emptiness. She was the only one in her family that lived and she didn't know why.
None of her friends kept in touch. They were all out making their marks on the wizarding world as employees. Through the haze, Cho thinks that she can remember her friends Marietta and Evie stopping by.
Cho was almost positive they took one look at her screaming like a maniac and bolted. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Dumbledore visited once or twice, but he did not speak to Cho.
Looking at Cho, no one would have a clue as to the amount of suffering she had gone through. All Cho had to show from that night was a scar on the right side of the back of her neck where Voldemort had hit her. Cho unconsciously fingered her scar.
Cho was puzzled about the meaning of her scar. It was about the size of her fist and it was the outlining of the shape of a bird, which she recognized as a phoenix.
As she touched her scar it did something it hadn't done before. It began to tingle. Cho tried to rub the feeling away, but the feeling only increased. As abruptly as the sensation started it stopped as her cabin door cracked open. The last thing Cho wanted was a visitor.
Cho whipped her head around ready to bite off the head of the intruder, but when she laid eyes on the person she was immediately shut up. She was shocked to see Harry standing in her cabin. His hands were stuffed in his pocket and he was nervously rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Hermione said you were here," Harry said. "Just thought I should see for myself."
Cho's face remained emotionless, despite her surprise. However, she merely stared at him with an empty gaze. Cho didn't want to talk to anybody. In fact, Cho literally had not had a real conversation with anyone in months. Every since the shock of that night, she felt as though she had nothing to say.
Her lack of response made Harry even more nervous.
"I don't really know what to say except that I'm sorry for what happened to you Cho," Harry said only to be answered with Cho's same stare. Harry tried to think of something else to say, but he knew nothing would really matter. Cho didn't look as though she wanted to talk.
"I think we're here so I'm going to go," Harry said. Just as he said this, the train lurched to a halt causing Harry to stumble forward. Harry caught himself, but as he did, his arm accidentally grazed Cho's shoulder. That split second of contact shot what felt like an electric current through Cho's body. She let out a gasp and the current moved through her system, giving her the chills.
Cho immediately looked at Harry with a changed expression that read of shock. By the look on Harry's face, Cho could tell that he felt it too.
"Umm… I'll see you later, then," Harry managed to stutter as he awkwardly exited Cho's cabin.
Cho was stunned. What could that have been? Cho let the thought go as she stood up and exited her cabin, merging into the sea of students. Cho walked off the train and made her way over to the carriages with a group of random students. The students stared at her and whispered obnoxiously, but she ignored them. When Cho got to the carriages she was surprised to see ugly beasts pulling the carts which were once before pulled by thin air.
Cho boarded the carriage with a group of seventh years she did not know. She stared at the beasts knowingly. She knew that only those who have seen death could see the creatures.
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Cho followed the slow mass of students as they filed into the Great Hall. Cho kept her eyes downcast as to not draw any attention to herself. Despite her efforts, it seemed that Cho was the topic of nearly everyone's conversation. Cho finally entered the hall and looked up to find a spot to sit. Upon looking up, she found hundreds of eyes fixated on her. She heard murmuring and there was pointing as well. She felt so strange, like she was suddenly an outcast or the new girl. It was a character so unlike her once popular self.
Cho shook off her feeling of self-consciousness and sat at the very end of the Ravenclaw table, furthest from the front of the hall. Cho was very much alone. She felt as though she no longer knew many of her old friends. She spotted some of her old Quidditch mates and a few acquaintances, but none of them approached her. They all just gawked and stared. Cho didn't mind it though. She'd rather be left alone anyway.
All of the older students had filed into their respective places and awaited the arrival of the first year students. Soon enough the youngest members of Hogwarts entered the hall in awe and excitement. The Sorting Hat ceremony commenced.
Professor McGonagall started with Priya Abdala and ended with Thomas Zachary. Each house cheered as a new student was added. Once the ceremony ended, Dumbledore stood to speak.
Dumbledore began, "I would like to welcome all of you to-"
"WAIT!"
Everyone looked around confused as to who had interrupted Dumbledore. Whispers began and someone finally said, "It's the hat!"
The whispers grew louder and Dumbledore exclaimed, "Silence! It seems that the Sorting Hat has something more to say."
The Hat began,
"The time of change soon draws near
And its now a time for Hogwarts here
To prepare for what is still to come
For the work of darkness it yet to be done
In the wake of terrors past
The truths we hold are not meant to last
For rearranging is the key
To effect the change we wish to see
For enemies be alert and keep friends close
Protect the ones who mean the most
For trials are to come of things yet unseen
For time shall tell what my verses mean
In mentioning time, 8 years in past
8 years of trials that swept so fast
8 years ago a house was sang
But today I call upon Cho Chang"
As the Hat finished its song, everyone fell deathly silent. Cho was in absolute shock. What could this mean? Cho did not move. She dared not move. All eyes were on her and Cho felt as though the walls were closing in.
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