Chapter 54 Fragments

'Cho?'

'Yes?' she smiled while looking into Harry's face.

'Do you want to go to Slughorn's party with me? I thought since we both don't have somebody to go with or did you find someone already?' he asked. Cho recognized the nervousness from two years ago when he had asked her to the Yule ball but Cedric had beaten him to it.

'Oh know I haven't asked anyone yet, I didn't really think about it…' Cho said to buy sometime. She hadn't thought about it to be honest. She didn't really want to go with anyone else but Cedric, but Cedric wasn't here… Would he mind if she went with Harry? Just as friends of course.

'So you want to come with me in that case?' Harry asked.

'Well, alright,' Cho smiled.

Harry blinked what surprised but smiled then. 'That's great, I will see you here then?'

'Yeah, got yourself a deal,' Cho said.

'Ok bye,' Harry smiled.

Cho waved and went to her room. To the mirror. To talk with Cedric. She hoped he was there.

'Cedric?' she whispered to the mirror. She would see him soon again. It was almost Christmas. Almost. She still had to hold on a little longer. She had all his letter save in a box and she read them over and over every time she had the chance. She noticed he became very loved in the wizard world. Apparently he did a great job in the ministry as in the order and people kept remembering him for his victory of the triwizard tournament. He was loved and sort of famous. Even at school they still talked about the Cedric Diggory. And they often would hear her out about them when they got the chance.

'Cedric,' Cho said again. Louder now. She was alone in the room anyway. Green eyes. She smiled.

'There you are,' she smiled.

'There I am…' he said. He didn't sound happy.

'Am I disturbing you?' Cho asked insecure.

'No, not at all actually,'

Cho looked at him and didn't say anything further because he didn't either. Because he didn't ask her how she was or why she had called him or that she looked pretty today. It took her of guard. Was he alright?

'Are you ok?' she asked.

'Yes.' He sounded hoarse and his green eyes looked into her worried ones. His voice was hoarse and if he was…Cho couldn't find the word. Disappointed?

'I euhm…I'm going to a party with Harry, I hope you don't mind?' Cho said though she noticed it was the most horrible thing she could bring up now cause she saw him cringe.

'No baby that is fine,' he said anyway. 'I need to talk to you about something,'

'About what?' Cho felt her cheek growing feverish warm. What did he had to talk about?

'I euhm… The order is sending me on a mission…'

'Oh…' Cho felt relieved now it wasn't some new about him breaking up with her or that Selene had kissed him or any other horror scenario that had played through her mind.

'Is it dangerous?' she asked.

'I don't think so, Dumbledore will be with me,'

'Dumbledore is taking you on a mission? Must be very important then, he is talking to Harry all the time too, I asked if Harry would ask him if he knew why you-know-who stared at me so much that day, I don't think he asked yet because I didn't hear anything from it yet but I think that…'

'Cho…' he interrupted her.

'Yes?'

'We are going next week…'

'But next week is Christmas?' Cho said not understanding. She saw Cedric not slowly. She just felt all the color disappear from her cheeks. How her head got all light and her cheeks immensely hot again.

'T-then we will meet some later…I can spend a week at your home first or maybe even visit my mom, we can meet later,' Cho said hopeful.

'Honey… I don't think…we will be back that soon,'

'You're canceling me?'

'Oh Cho don't say it like you're some appointment I will skip on, it's not like that baby…I just don't have much of a choice, I hate it really! I miss you so much and I can hardly bear the thought of not seeing you for months and months again but…'

'But you secretly thought it was pretty sturdy to go on a mission and all…' Cho didn't mean to be bitter. She wanted to be sweet and understanding but it was out before she knew.

'No Cho, please don't say it like that…please…I will miss you so…'

'Oh alright…' was all Cho said. Cedric looked at her. His face in pure agony.

Cho tried to hold the tears to push them back but the was like the more she tried the faster they came. Till they made it hard for her to breath.

'Cho!' Cedric said painful. Touching the mirror as if he wanted to break through it to comfort her. She saw at his face he couldn't bear it, he just couldn't stand it to see her in so much pain. And Cho was happy to see that. To see that he saw how he made her feel. Unwanted. Second. Less important than his work. She saw Cedric's mouth popping open the slightest.

'What?' she snapped half choking in her sobs.

'The way you looked at me just now…' Cedric swallowed. 'That will haunt me forever…'

How had she looked? Angry? Hurt? Cho knew the answer. She had looked at him, in a brief moment of weakness, as if she had wanted to hurt him. Or wasn't that entirely true? Had she looked the way how she actually thought. Not wanting to hurt him, but herself. Flashbacks. Those awful flashbacks of all the bad things in life. Tony touching her. Killing him. Charlie drowning her. Cedric breaking her heart. Voldermort. Death eaters.

'Cho! LOOK AT ME!'

She hadn't noticed he had called her name several times already or how she had pressed her nails in her own arm so hard that it was bleeding. Now tears streamed over Cedric's cheeks as well.

'Honey, just a little while longer, I will see you soon again, I promise, I promise,'

'You promised me these weeks…' Cho sobbed. 'You promised that!'

'I know…I know if just could…'

'Don't bother…' Cho cried and dropped herself on the bed. 'Work is more important, I get that,' she sobbed and muffled her scream of pain in her pillow.

'Cho please…baby… calm down ok? Focus please…I'm here, talk to me, look at me…just calm down,'

Cho focused on his voice. She looked with her hand for the mirror while she still hid her face in the pillow.

'A little more to the right honey…' she could hear him sniff brave and probably he would wipe his tears away now.

'There you go,' he said when her hands touched the cold glass. She pulled the mirror against her as if it was him, even though the thing was too small to be actually hugged. She just pressed it tight against her.

'When will I see you again?' she asked hoarse holding the mirror in front of her face again.

'I…I don't know…I…' Cedric stroked the glass as if he tried to wipe her tears away.

'You don't know?'

'No….I'm sorry…I have no idea when there is time…'

Cho looked at him wide eyed.

'You don't want to see me…'

'Don't be so ridiculous Cho!' he called out, almost angry that she just considered that. 'I know you say that just to torture me and I deserve it but don't you start believing it!'

Cho felt her hand burn as she squeezed the mirror so hard.

'You don't have time for me!' she cried out.

She saw how he opened his mouth to invalidate that argument too, but he shut his mouth as he discovered to his pure horror it was true. Cho's mouth instead now popped open.

'Nonono Cho, NO CHO DON'T!'

But it was too late, she smacked the mirror against the wall with all the force she had. And it would shatter in dozens of tiny fragments while it still echoed Cedric's scream through the room. Cho regretted her action the moment everything was completely quiet.

'Cedric…' she sobbed and fell down on her knees between all the sharp pieces that would cut through her panties into her knees. She took her wand.

'R-reparo,' Some of the pieces moved but they didn't go back together. Cho's sobs filled the room as she started to gather them piece by piece, cutting her fingers over and over again till she couldn't see where she grabbed anymore. She looked crying at her bloody hands.

'Cho?' someone knocked the door. It was Marietta. 'Harry is waiting for you downstairs, are you ready?'

Cho just cried and didn't answer as she tried to get rid of all the blood by smearing it at her clothes. She didn't hear Marietta anymore but after awhile the door did open, but it wasn't he friend. It was Harry.

'Cho…' he said worried.

'Oh I'm sorry,' Cho sobbed. 'I just…' she couldn't get much more out as she cried.

Harry sunk next to her carefully. 'You're wounded, we should take you to Madam Pomfrey,'

'Not now,' Cho said sobbing. 'not now…' she still tried to get all the broken bits of glass but Harry stopped her as he kneeled next to her and took her wrists. Cho let herself be comforted and leaned against his chest as he petted her back a bit helpless, she closed her eyes and pretended he was Cedric.