Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Hey everyone, I hope you're all doing well. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Yellow 14, thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you're still enjoying what I'm doing with Marietta. Since Cho defended her so fiercely at the end of book 5, she must have been an amazing friend to Cho. It honestly seemed like she was the only one who stayed with Cho through the grief of Cedric's murder, and that is so disgusting to me. Your boyfriend is murdered and therefore your popularity goes out the window. It's so vile, and it shows such a lack of humanity and decency that I can't even fathom it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Cho and Cedric's trip in Hogsmeade.

xxxxxxxxxx

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip dawned bright and cold, and Cho awoke with butterflies in her stomach. She was both nervous and excited for the day ahead, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she was so nervous.

You know why, Cho, a voice that sounded like Marietta's piped up inside her mind. You know very well why.

Since the conversation with her best friend several days ago, Cho hadn't been able to stop thinking about her words. She hoped that Cedric hadn't noticed that her thoughts had been elsewhere over their past few meetings. If he did, he didn't let on, which sent a flood of relief through Cho.

It was silent in the dorm as she got ready; Amanda and Meghan certainly weren't talking to her. Unfortunately, they had overheard Cho and Marietta talking about Cho's upcoming trip to Hogsmeade the day before, and their silence now spoke volumes. Cho felt anger explode in her gut whenever she thought about how they were treating Cedric. She hated to think that two people she had once considered best friends were the type of girls who were constantly badgering Cedric for autographs, following him around in the corridors, batting their eyelashes at him and not leaving him alone. It was ridiculous, and the kind of behavior that Cho thought was juvenile and childish.

After she had finished breakfast, she went back up to the dorm to get properly ready for the trip. Amanda and Meghan left for Hogsmeade straight after the meal, which Cho was extremely grateful for. This meant that she and Marietta could spend some time together while Cho was getting ready, and they wouldn't have any interruptions.

"So, how do I look?" Cho asked after she'd finished applying her makeup. She had to make sure her face looked immaculate for the day, not a blemish in sight. She had brushed her hair to perfection, and done it up in a ponytail.

"Oh, Cho," Marietta sighed, exasperation and fondness clear in her voice. "You look beautiful." She patted Cho's shoulder. "You're too much of a perfectionist for your own good," she said with a soft smile. "Honestly, you're the only one who cares so much about your appearance. It matters to you more than it does to us. I've lost count of the number of times I've told you that."

Cho sighed; what her friend said was true. "I know," she said with an embarrassed smile of her own. "I can't help it. I really need to look good, especially today."

Marietta gave Cho a knowing look. "Honestly, do you think Cedric's going to mind how much makeup you wear, or what your hair looks like?" she asked. "He's going with you today to have a good time. You know Cedric, Cho."

Cho's heart grew lighter at Marietta's words, appreciating her honesty and her patience. "Yeah, I know Cedric," she said, her body growing warm. "I know we'll have a good time."

"Exactly. Keep thinking that way," said Marietta as she and Cho headed out of the dorm. Marietta had agreed to walk with Cho to the entrance hall to drop her off.

Cho's spirits lifted even more as they walked down the corridors. This felt very different from any Hogsmeade trip she had ever taken before, and she wondered how Cedric was feeling about it all. Was he as nervous as she was?

Once they arrived in the entrance hall, Cho looked around, and there he was. Like a true gentleman, Cedric was there waiting for her. He was dressed impeccably; it was obvious he wanted to look good today, too. Cho smiled, knowing she wouldn't have cared how he looked. The instant she thought this, Marietta's fond, exasperated words echoed through her mind. Maybe Cedric does feel the same, she thought.

"Have a wonderful time," Marietta said as she smiled, gave Cho a wave, and walked back in the other direction. She had homework to complete, and therefore wouldn't be going into Hogsmeade today.

"Thanks, Marie," Cho said sincerely as she gave her friend a thumbs-up.

Once she was gone, Cho walked towards Cedric, her smile brightening as she got closer. "Hey, Ced," she said, truly looking forward to the day.

"Hey, Cho," Cedric grinned as he squeezed her shoulder. "You look great."

Cho's heart melted at that. Looking into Cedric's expressive gray eyes, she knew he was being honest. "You don't look so bad yourself," she said teasingly. This was one of the best parts of their friendship - the lighthearted banter they could exchange.

"Why, thank you," Cedric said, laughing. Oh, that melodious, contagious laugh. Cho would never stop marveling at the pureness of it, the way it sent a jolt of something through her body which was utterly indescribable. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely," Cho said as they headed out the front door, along with a throng of other students. But to Cho, none of them mattered. There might as well be no one else there at all.

As they walked to the village, their conversation was light and easy. In all the years she had lived, Cho could honestly say that it was easiest to talk to Cedric, something she would have never thought possible. He was the heartthrob of Hogwarts, someone which so many people admired and looked up to. He was genuine, selfless, and was always there to lend a hand to anyone who needed him. In hindsight, Cho should have known he would be easy to get along with simply because of all of these traits.

Unfortunately, as Cho and Cedric entered the village and caught sight of more students, it was obvious that the hero worship of Cedric could also be a bad thing. This was made known as soon as the shops came into sight, where many of the students currently were.

"I'm guessing you'd like to go to Honeydukes first, so you can restore your chocolate stash?" Cedric teased as they neared it. There was a huge crowd of students at the doors, anxious to go in and get their own candy.

"Absolutely. It looks like the line's pretty long though," Cho said as she observed her surroundings. "I don't mind waiting if you don't."

"Nah, I don't care," Cedric said easily. "We can talk while we wait, you know."

"Sounds great," Cho said, smiling as they neared the crowd that was at the doors.

Once they arrived, they stood in the line that was waiting to go in. "What kind of candy are you aiming for today?" Cho asked, having to make her voice loud over the noise of the other students.

"Ah, you should know me by now, Cho. I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count," he grinned.

Cho laughed. "Chocolate frogs, of course. What was I thinking?" she beamed. "I'm doing the same."

"Of course you are," Cedric said. "I wouldn't suspect anything else."

Cho was about to reply, but before she could, several girls had spotted Cedric. Losing their place in line, they fought their way over to him. Cho saw, from the color of their robes, that they were Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students.

"Cedric!" one of them beamed. "How's the true Hogwarts champion today? It's great to see you!"

"Er, hi," said Cedric, and Cho instantly saw an emotional wall surround him. The change was so sudden, and Cho realized that this had become all too familiar for him. "Don't call me that."

"Modest as always. You don't need to be so humble," another girl said. "Would you mind signing my book later?" She looked at Cho standing beside him, and gave her a look that was as cold as the Arctic. "You're Cho Chang, right? The Ravenclaw seeker?" she asked, a note of disdain in her voice. She was one of the Hufflepuff students.

"Yeah," said Cho, an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. She didn't like the way the girl was looking at her, and she despised how she was staring at Cedric.

"I'm sorry," Cedric said, sounding not the least bit apologetic. "I'm busy today. I'm not going to have time to sign your book."

The girl pouted at him, batting her eyelashes. "Surely you can spare a minute?" she asked, and there was a whine in her tone that grated on Cho's nerves. "You're not spending the whole time here with her, are you?"

"Yeah, I am actually," Cedric said, his voice growing cold. "I'm enjoying myself very much, too. So if you don't mind ..."

The girl's face fell, truly looking upset for an instant before her expression changed to one of derision as she turned to Cho, glaring at her. She and the other girl flounced back to their place in line.

"I'm sorry about that," Cedric apologized as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Merlin, you shouldn't have to endure this. The nerve of her, to treat you like that." He truly looked angry, and Cho thought her heart would literally jump out of her chest. Never had anyone spoken to someone else like that in order to stick up for her.

She was trying to find something to say to him, but before she could, his face changed to that of embarrassment, nervousness, and that vulnerability that Cho had seen before. "I'm worried you're going to see a lot of this, if you're going to spend a lot of time with me," he confessed.

"Ced, if you're offering me the chance to leave, you're being ridiculous, and too damn noble for your own good," Cho said emphatically, shocked that he could even have any of these thoughts. "I'm not going away just because some silly girls decide they're going to be petty. You're worth too much for that. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you said to that one girl." She said this quietly, coming very close to Cedric so that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

The expression that took over Cedric's face then was truly remarkable to behold, and one that made Cho's heart beat wildly in her chest. "Cho, I ..." He stopped and cleared his throat, truly at a loss for words. "I ... thank you. And of course I'm not going to let anyone treat you like that. I'm just sorry that you have to put up with this."

"Ced, this is not your fault," Cho told him softly. "Don't let this ruin our day, please? They're not worth it."

Cho was gratified to see the smile that returned to Cedric's face, making his gray eyes look even more captivating. "Okay," he said, taking Cho's hand and squeezing it. "I won't."

xxx

After that encounter and the subsequent conversation, Cho and Cedric's morning and afternoon in Hogsmeade went better than they thought possible. They joked and laughed as they finally entered Honeydukes, and purchased all the candy they wanted. Cho and Cedric smiled embarrassedly at each other when they both, at the exact same time, offered to pay for each other's chocolate. They eventually decided that Cedric would pay this time, and next time, Cho would. "That is, if you'd like to come into Hogsmeade with me again," Cedric said, a brief bout of nervousness returning to his voice.

Cho grinned at him. "You're on," she said with no hesitation. "Of course I would."

Cedric beamed. "Then it's settled," he said as he handed over his money to the cashier.

As the couple walked out of the store, chocolate in hand, they decided to go to lunch at the Three Broomsticks next. The pub was crowded, but they managed to find a table just for the two of them.

As the meal progressed, they munched on their fish and chips and continued to exchange light conversation. Cho sipped on her butterbeer, feeling the warmth of it flood her body. It was warmer than usual, she realized, but somehow she didn't think this was due to the butterbeer. The added warmth was due more to the boy sitting across from her, smiling at her and completely ignoring the looks that other students were giving them. His attention was completely on her, and Cho still found it amazing. She never thought she would have the undivided attention of anyone like Cedric. This strong, handsome, charismatic boy was proving her wrong in every way.

They decided that since Cedric had paid for the chocolate, Cho would pay for lunch, and they would reverse it for the next Hogsmeade trip. Cho realized that she and Cedric had a rhythm going, a kind of synchronization that she had never felt with anyone before. Their decisions, their conversation, their plans ... it felt so natural, and Cho knew that this was an experience she would want to repeat over and over again.

Their next destination was the clothing store, and Cho promised herself that she wouldn't drag Cedric around here for too long. But Cedric seemed to be so relaxed that he truly didn't care, and he said as much. "I told you, Cho, absolutely no one can be as bad as my mum," he said as they walked inside the store.

Still, Cho was attentive to the time, but Cedric never lost his smile as they walked around. Cho ended up buying herself some new robes, which Cedric told her, in no uncertain terms, looked wonderful. After Cho had bought them, she went into the dressing room and changed into them. Once she returned to Cedric's side, he gave her a smile that was, to Cho, full of warmth and radiance. "Those look amazing on you," he said sincerely as they headed out of the store. "Those were an excellent choice."

"Thanks," said Cho, and she knew she was blushing. "I'm glad you like them. And I hope I wasn't as bad as your mum," she said with a wink.

"Not even half as bad," Cedric joked back, and he took her hand. Cho's body jolted to life at his touch, and she was happy not to let go as they continued to walk.

"Want to head back to Hogwarts?" Cho asked. "We can go back to the Quidditch pitch and fly if you'd like."

The smile Cedric gave her told her how he'd answer. "What a great idea," he said. "I've really enjoyed Hogsmeade today. What about you?"

"Me too," Cho agreed softly, looking into Cedric's eyes once more. "And I'd love to do it again next time."

"Me too," Cedric said as they began to make their way towards Hogwarts.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in each other's company as they flew around the Quidditch pitch, not caring the least little bit about the cold weather. Neither Cho nor Cedric could stop smiling, and none of the things Cho worried about made a speck of difference to her in these moments.

When it was dinnertime and Cho and Cedric finally left each other's side, both had the same impulse as they arrived in the entrance hall. They embraced each other, reveling in the feel of their friendship and the memories of the beautiful day they'd just experienced. "Thank you for everything," Cho whispered, pulling back from him and seeing those gray eyes shining out at her.

"No problem," Cedric said, his smile soft. "Thank you for everything, too. I had a wonderful day."

"Me too. And we'll have another one tomorrow if you're up for our usual Transfiguration session and our customary fly," Cho said, the words very easy to say.

Cedric laughed, the gentle sound filling the entrance hall. "Of course," he said.

And giving Cho's shoulder one last squeeze, he gave her a cheeky salute and headed into the Great Hall. Cho followed several seconds after him, and walked over to the Ravenclaw table, truly feeling that right now, her world could not possibly be any brighter.