Pairing: Cho/Marietta (non-romantical)
Prompt: never
For the chopped comp where I had to use the prompts Ravenclaw, fireplace, anger and bad habits.
Word count: 599
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You practically throw yourself in the armchair closest to the fireplace. You watch as Cho walks up the stairs in anger. Deep down in the pit of your heart, you know that Cho has every right to be angry at you. You did sell the D.A out, after all. But you know that Cho is giving you the silent treatment for the wrong reasons. Cho blames you for getting her boyfriend and his friends in trouble.
In all honesty, they shouldn't have made the illegal club. It was their fault, really. And Cho has the nerve to blame you, you fume. Your eyes never move from the fire as you start to pick at your nails out of anger. The more that you think about it, the angrier you become.
Cho doesn't understand. Her parents don't hold positions in the Ministry. And even if they did, Cho would foolishly go along with it because of her boyfriend. He's a terrible influence, but Cho refused to listen you.
You, on the other hand, aren't foolish. Professor Umbridge terrified you. Your mother could lose her job just because some stupid children decided to break the rules. You couldn't let your parents suffer because of it. You wouldn't let them.
You move from one nail to the next, picking it down until it hurts. How dare Cho blame you for something that she doesn't understand? You did the right thing. You protected your family. And what do you get for that? You get the word "sneak" plastered across your face in pimples. Now, your best friend won't ever talk to you, even though she doesn't know the entire story.
"You're going to make your fingers bleed if you don't stop," a voice comes from behind your armchair. You know the voice anywhere; it's Cho. You tear your eyes away from the fire, and glance down at your fingers. They are raw and red, and close to bleeding. You shrug and scratch at the skin on your wrist instead, returning your gaze back to the fire.
Cho takes the seat next to you, and you purposely ignore her. You can see her taking several deep breaths out the corner of your eye. Finally, she talks to you for the first the time in nearly a week. "I'm sorry," she whispers to you.
You snap your head quickly towards her. "You're sorry?" you demand, outraged. "You've ignored me for almost an entire week because of your boyfriend. I'm your best friend, Cho. You should've stood by me, regardless of your boyfriend. I was only doing what was right!"
She nods, her sleek black hair falling in her face. She tucks her hair behind her ear. "I know. That's why I'm sorry. You are my best friend. You were always there for me. I must be a terrible friend for not standing by you when you need it. I just thought you told because you were angry with me spending so much time with Harry, and not enough with you."
"She threatened to get my Mum fired if I didn't own up," you admit to her. "I had to tell. I couldn't let my Mum get sacked because of this." You finally meet her dark eyes. "You understand that right? It wasn't because I was jealous."
"Oh, Marietta," she says softly. She pulls you into a hug. "I would've done the same." As much as you want to believe her, you don't. Because she's foolish, and you are not. "Are we good?" Cho asks after several moments of silence.
Despite everything, you whisper, "Yeah, Cho. We're good."
A/n – so many thanks to my beautiful wife, Kelly, for beta-ing this for me, even though she doesn't beta. If you didn't catch the bad habit, it was picking at her fingernails. My mom always told me that it was bad and I needed to stop.