Cho Chang meandered over to her window in the Ravenclaw girl's dormitory and let the small, fragile owl in. The owl reminded her of herself, of her heart especially- full of hope and love and then crushed, until deep down, there was nothing more than what was seen on the surface- a lonely, heartbroken, mourning teenager.
She read, her mind wandering back to the owl that was not unlike herself, and her teardrops dotted the letter.
"Dear Ms. Chang:
We are delighted to ask you to invite your parents to meet with us at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday in the Charms Classroom. Please notify us immediately if this time is not convenient. Please also know that you are more than welcome to join us in discussing your progress here at Hogwarts.
You can let your parents know that they will be meeting with the following professors at this time:
Argus Filch- CaretakerProfessor Filius Flitwick- Charms
Professor Minerva McGonagall- Transfiguration
Professor Horace Slughorn- Potions
Professor Cuthbert Binns- History of Magic
Professor Severus Snape- Defense Against the Dark Arts
Professor Rubeus Hagrid- Care of Magical Creatures
Professor Pomona Sprout- Herbology
Professor Aurora Sinistra- AstronomyMadam Rolanda Hooch- Flying Instructor/ Quidditch Referee
Professor Albus Dumbledore- Headmaster
Thank you, The Hogwarts Staff."
Cho notified her parents in the fewest words possible (she was speaking to them in short, snipped messages as to not let them in on her grief), and finally wept herself to sleep.
She awoke late the next morning, and then rushed to get dressed. She hurriedly combed through her stick-straight, sleek black hair, pulled on a pair of black pants and a silky red blouse, mentally preparing herself to meet her parents.
She checked the mirror, put her carefree façade in place, and walked down the stairs with a forged spring in her step.
The moment she saw her parents, she put her phony smile on her face, and led them up to the Charms classroom so that they wouldn't be late.
Dumbledore introduced himself, addressing Filch to begin.
"Filch? Argus?"
"Huh?"
"What do you have to say about Ms. Chang?"
"Who?"
"Cho Chang."
"Who's that?"
"Well there you have it," said Dumbledore, "And that's a good thing."
Mr. Chang chuckled.
At Dumbledore's signal, Filius Flitwick began, "I am Professor Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor and Ravenclaw head-of-house. Cho is a very wise young girl, and I believe that she will go far in her life, whatever she chooses to do."
"I'm Horace Slughorn, and I instruct Potions here at Hogwarts," said a hearty voice from across the circle of teachers, "Cho, well, she always does her best work, and while I am not sure that Potions is her best subject, she puts forth effort, and that's all that's needed for success."
Minerva started a few moments after Horace finished. "I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress and Transfiguration professor. Ms. Chang is a good students and a fine girl. You should be…proud."
"Cho…Cho Chang. Tries her. Hardest. To succeed," said Binns in chopped up sentence fragments, "I am…Professor Binns. I teach. History. Of Magic."
Cho's parents nodded, trying their hardest not to express their disbelief.
Pomona Sprout spoke next, "I'm Professor Sprout, Herbology instructor at Hogwarts. I give your daughter…credit for her hard work and effort."
"Ms. Chang," said Snape, "is a decent student in Defense Against Dark Arts. I'm her DADA teacher, Severus Snape."
Cho swore she saw her mother shudder at his tone.
"I'm Professor Aurora Sinistra, Astronomy professor. Cho has quite a talent."
"Rubeus Hagrid 'ere. I teach Care of Magical Creatures. Cho's nothin' to be ashamed of."
"I'm Rolanda Hooch, and I am the Quidditch referee and flying instructor here. You can tell your daughter has a passion for the sport." A small smile finished her opinion.
"Cho is a great student," said Dumbledore with a comforting smile, "however I am concerned about her."
Cho couldn't hold up her façade anymore, and her calm, confident expression slipped away to a grimace.
Dumbledore resumed speaking, "Ever since Mr. Diggory's passing, she hasn't been the same."
A wail escaped her lips at the sound of his name.
"Her grades have been slipping, she is distancing herself from her friends, she refuses to visit the counselor, Madam Jessica, and nothing seems to calm her grief."
By this point, Cho was weeping and her parents had gotten out of their seats to comfort her. The moment her mother started rubbing her back and her father began peeling her tear-soaked hair away from her face, though, she wept louder and wrangled herself away from them.
"Cho," started her mother, but she was interrupted.
"NO!"
All of the professors and her parents stared in shock.
"I'M TIRED OF IT ALL!"
"Cho, darling, calm your tone and we can talk this out. Remember, every problem has-"
"No, Dad."
He stopped talking, pleased that she had stopped attempting to shatter all of their eardrums.
"I'm tired of everyone, everything, everyday, every minute, every second, every whisper, every tear," her sobs came louder now, "I-I can't d-do this! This grief, this life, it's too much to bear.
"Every time I break down, every time my mask slips away, I have everyone trying to comfort me, everyone trying to tell me that everything will be okay. And I want nothing more to be able to believe them.
"But the truth is, that nothing will ever be okay, nothing will ever be the same. He will never come back, never hold me or talk to me ever again. And I can't stop this grief, because while everyone else forgets about him, I can't. He would have wanted someone to remember him forever, and my tears are a constant reminder."
She caught her breath, trying to stop the tears from falling but failing miserably.
None other than Severus Snape spoke up.
"Cho," he said softly, then got up and took the empty chair aside of her, resting his hand on her shoulder and not minding when she flinched at his touch, "I understand."
"No! No one understands; no one has been through this."
"Yes, but this is where you're wrong. Almost everyone in this room has lost someone they loved."
No comment.
"And we all have accepted that the ones we loved, they're still with us- spiritually, mentally, deep in our hearts. And, let's face it, dear, that boy would have never wanted you to grieve over him and never continue your ambitions in life." His hand slid off of her shoulder and he wrung it in his lap, searching for the right words to say next, "I lost someone when I was younger, and she was young too, and I have only a few things left to remember her by, but I hold those dear to my heart. I made the mistake of spending plenty of time wallowing in my own sorrow after her death, and now I know that when someone loses someone they love, that there is never anything you can do to get them back or to make them feel better except share what you know and hope for the best. So, Ms. Chang, what do you say? Can you try to move on?"
"I…I…I don't know." But her color was back, her tears had dried, her voice wasn't shaky anymore…and they all knew that she was trying, and that she would gradually recover, return to her life, she just needed the support of everyone who loved her, and the gift of time.
