Chapter 21. Remembering

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU… YOU COMPLETE IDIOT, GO AWAY!'

Cho heard Cedric scream. It hurt her ears, she would just wish he would stop.

She felt two hands on her face.

'Cho? Cho!'

She couldn't respond, wanting to but couldn't. Then she received a smack on her lungs. It almost helped, just one more. Instead she felt a pair of lips on her mouth blowing air into her and then another smack. Than one helped and Cho choked out the water, gasping relieved for fresh air. She coughed out the water over Cedric and he pulled her up a little and stroked her wet hair. He stared at Charlie and Selene. Charlie was here. Cho felt panic, everything was so blurry. Was it Charlie who was holding her? No that was Cedric right? They were so awfully alike. It frightened her.

'Take him away from here. Now, or there will happen things, you really don't want to happen.' Cedric threatened.

Selene tried to say something.

'Cedric you know he didn't mean to…'

'STOP TRYING TO DEFEND HIM! HE ALMOST KILLED HER SELENE, MAY I BE TRULY MAD AT HIM, FOR ONCE!'

Cho trembled. Cedric sounded like Charlie when he screamed and she heard him sob once. She wanted out of here. Memories of Tony came back as she thought how Charlie tried to kiss her, she almost gasped for air again as she remembered her time under water. Selene walked towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off. Cho was glad with that but she still wasn't able to feel her real feelings for the moment.

'Don't touch me.' Cedric barked at Selene.

'Cedric…' Selene said and she touched his hair.

'Don't, only Cho may do that, alright!'

Cho squealed softly. He defended her. Cedric looked into her eyes and when she met his she suddenly felt frightened. Flashbacks strolling over her like a cattle cows and she was afraid.

'Cho…' Cedric said when he saw her look.

'Let go of me…' she muttered. 'Let me go.'

He released her slowly, actually not able to and she crawled a little away. Selene swiftly took Charlie out of the room.

She needed to get out. Out. She needed air. No hands. no touching just air.

'Cho…' Cedric tried again.

'Leave me…' she said then , she was confused but as she looked at Cedric she saw all kind of horror scenario's over his face. Probably things that contained her leaving him. She wouldn't, she just needed air. Just no male hands touching her. This was traumatic, it was! She couldn't handle more nightmares. Tony, Charlie, drowning. She didn't want to connect Cedric to that so he could not touch her.

'Please…' he said, touching her leg but she pulled it away.

'No!'

'Dad!' he suddenly called out then. Cedric's face anxious and he looked at her as if she was on point of disappearing. She wouldn't! She just needed…air!

Cedric's father came upstairs, and looked at his youngest son now, who was trying to hold his soft sobs.

'Cedric?'

'Charlie tried to drown her.' He hissed, his teeth clenched together to hold the fury rushing through his body. 'He tried to drown her!'

'Is she alright?' his father said and kneeled down next to Cho, but she cringed. No more men! Cedric shot in between.

'Don't touch her, she doesn't want that!'

His father pulled his hands back, looked at Cedric asking.

'What…'

'Erase her memory, now!' he totally panicked, trying to hold her again but she shrieked and sobbed. Erase her memory? No…NO! Why wasn't she able to say that? She recognized the feeling of being in shock from the night when they killed Tony. No, no erasing memory. She would be fine. She would hold Cedric again, but just not now. Give me time, she wanted to yell but she couldn't. Why couldn't she.

'What?' his father said. 'But Cedric…'

'Erase her memory!'

'No!' Cho shrieked in horror. 'Don't, Cedric don't!'

She found her voice. Thank goodness she found her voice.

Cedric looked at her as if he expect her to do something. He was waiting for her to touch him to prove she didn't need her memory erased. She knew him well enough that he probably already convinced himself that she would leave him if he didn't do this.

'Hold her then.' Mr. Diggory said. What? No! They couldn't do this! They couldn't do this.

She struggled, and kicked Cedric as he tried to grab her.

'No Cedric please! I will be alright I will be alright! Don't do this please! Give me time, give me time!'

Cedric stared at her but than his father pulled his wand and Cedric held her tight and she looked at him.

'I will never forgive you for this.' she said and she saw how he closed his eyes in pain of her words.

'Amnesia complete.'

'NO!'

Cho wasn't sure if it was she was the one who screamed it or Cedric, their kiss faded away, what Charlie did to her fade away, the very moment next moment a huge black hole appeared in her memory.

'Cho?' Cedric whispered. 'Are you…'

'W-what happened?' she said. 'Why am I all wet? Why is your dad here, why… where are my clothes?'

Cedric quickly got out of his shirt, pulling it over her head. Softly he rubbed his hands over her arms to warm her a little.

'You… you tripped, into the water.' He mumbled then. 'You wanted to go for a swim, I was cleaning my room… and you tripped, I was not there.'

'Oh…' Cho said hazy.

Cedric looked at her for awhile and she saw how his gaze wondered to his father who understood the message and left the room.

'Cedric…' she mumbled than and she freed herself from his arms. 'I… I need to get some air for a moment, and I will dress.'

She stumbled out of the room still not sure what just happened or what Cedric just told her.

It all made no sense.

Cho heard how Cedric knocked her door softly and she muttered something like come in. So he did. She stood in front of the mirror examining her head.

'No bumps to see.' Cedric tried to cheer her up, coming carefully closer.

She didn't understand where he was so careful about and wrapped her arms around him.

'I don't remember anything from yesterday since… since lunch…'

'Shh…' he said and he pressed his lips on her hair while closing his eyes. He seemed to be disappointed about something, as if she should remember a certain part and it made him sad she didn't.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

Cedric made a laughing sound but Cho saw it was a sob.

'I am all fine, you're the one that tripped. Are you hurt?' Cedric tried to talk over it.

'No it…it's okay, only my throat a little…'

'Well you inhaled some water.'

She cuddled against his chest, wrapping his arms around him even closer and she pressed her lips on his bare skin.

Cho had a pretty lovely summer holiday. Though Cedric was acting weird and edgy sometimes and she didn't see Charlie all those weeks and they told her he went to stay with Selene. When they returned on the platform ¾ they twirled around each other as two little satellites. Some people smiled, seeing them like that and Cho heard Cedric's mother mutter something like 'isn't it sweet' and Cedric would groan embarrassed and Cho would laugh at him. If Cho moved, he moved as well and as he saw her dragging her suitcase to the train he swiftly took it over from her.

'Leave that to me, Miss Chang.' He winked and he pulled his own and her suitcase to the train, David catching up with Cho who was strained a little ahead of Cedric.

'Hey Cho,' David said.

Cho chuckled.

'Hey David.'

He smiled sweetly at her and Cho heard Cedric mutter behind them.

'David, hey! Best friend wanting attention here!'

David turned around laughing.

'Oh and why are you so much craving for attention, Mr. Diggory?'

'Well I find it really no style that you don't even say hi to me!'

'Hi.' David said dryly before turning to Cho again, teasing his friend who dropped the suitcases and gave the other boy a push in his back, which made him tremble and smack onto the platform.

'You're not so steady on your feet, Mr. Rankin.' Cedric joked while helping his friend up once again and Cho shook her head disapproving.

'Guys.' She muttered.

'Your guys.' David grinned cheerful and Cedric huffed.

'What?'

'She has only one guy, and he's standing here.' Cedric muttered.

'Oh Cedric, can't you handle a little competition?'

Competition. Cho once told Cedric he had no competition. Did that still count now they were just friends? And why did she had this horrible feeling she needed to remember something, but she just couldn't?