A/N: I don't really have a least fav but let this be a *spins the wheel* Harry/Cho. Harry takes Cho on the swan boats at the nearby muggle duck pond. AU because Harry and Cho obviously didn't end up together... I just never liked Cho, so even having Harry like her in the books was weird. I hate RonLav too but I didn't even want to write about them.
Submission for:
Fanfiction Scavenger Hunt Competition: Your NOtp - Harry/Cho
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Oh god! Oh God! He was late and she was going to kill him. This was just their third date and he had already been late to the previous dates. He was not having a good track record and he hoped he hadn't blown his chance after he had just recently convinced her to give him a shot after all these years.
He had just happened to see her, 2 years after the end of his Hogwarts career, after all the madness, walking along Diagon Alley. His first crush, first girl he noticed when his hormones kicked in. Her jet black hair, those long eyelashes that framed her dark brown eyes perfectly. Her full lips, her round cheeks and her heart-shaped face. And not to mention everything else about her: her smile, the way she crinkled her nose when someone told her funny joke, her intellect and ability to hold a witty conversation. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing.
He stopped right on the bridge which crossed the duck pond and looked out at the crowd. A lone hand shot above the heads of the muggles meandering on the bank, waving side to side. Her smile was bright and her body warmed by the black jacket he saw on her small frame. He waved and smiled back before walking towards her calmly.
Once he was within a few feet, she ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck. She had liked their last two dates: one to the muggle movie theatre near his home and another to a Quidditch match he managed to snag tickets for. Today he had told her to meet him here on the edge of the duck pond right next to the swan boats. He breathed the fragrant perfume around the neck of her jacket before she released him.
He looked at her closely, now able to take in her appearance fully. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail, gently wafting in the cool breeze. She wore a simple white blouse and black pants under the black jacket he had seen from afar. He had told her to dress comfortably and he still thought she looked great.
"I've never done this before, Harry," she said, blushing slightly.
He smiled at her warmly and led her back over to the crowd around the swan boats. "Don't worry about it. I've been on once or twice. It'll be fun."
They got to the front of the line and Harry helped her onto the closest swan boat before stepping in behind her.
"So, to turn right, I pedal you don't. To turn left, you pedal I don't. To go forward or back we pedal together in the same direction. Ok?" Harry asked.
"Ok," she said, clutching his hand lightly. Just her touch made him feel a bit giddy but he would play it cool.
"Ok, ready." Harry pedalled but she wasn't ready and the boat started to spin on the bank. She screamed, clutching his hand a bit tighter as he coaxed her to pedal. "Pedal with me," he said and soon the two, after many false starts, were pedalling in sync.
They moved along the edges of the pond, under the bridge Harry had been on moments before and along the long vines which hung from the surrounding trees. While they pedalled, they talked, they laughed, Harry showed her his one weird trick of wiggling his ears which she was playfully freaked out by, and they just sat in silence. Her hand was in his most of the time and he doubted she even noticed. But it just felt so natural, her hand in his, just floating on the surface of the water.
"It's so nice out here, Harry. Very peaceful. Nice earthy smell. The ducks." She said, looking around in wonder.
Harry wasn't paying as all he could see was the light in her eyes and her lips curving as she said each word. Then she turned back to him and was getting closer. What?
She stopped an inch from his face, her eyes staring into his as if reading him. Her eyes darted down between their bodies and his eyes followed until they both landed on their entwined hands. She blushed again, her pink cheeks standing on her pale skin. But then her eyes fluttered closed and Harry realized that this was the signal.
Harry's eyes closed as well as his free hand moved to cup her cheek. Their lips met and shocks ran their contact all the way down to his toes. He started out soft, not wanting to seem too pushy but she wanted to go faster. Who was he to say no?
He deepened the kiss, his hands finding her waist and hers moving through his hair. Harry felt himself getting lost in her, not knowing where he ended and she began. He leaned into her, pushing her backwards against the edge of the swan boat until he was almost on top of her.
He went too far! splash! The swan upturned, throwing the two of them into the duck pond. They both floated, their heads above the surface of the water and Harry was scared. He had almost drowned her, she was soaked, her hair and her makeup was a mess. He had ruined their third date now.
Then she laughed, a loud hearty laugh, causing a bit of difficulty to stay afloat while she did. He grinned back her hesitantly before joining in. She splashed him playfully and he splashed back. They were just enjoying themselves, making the most of a bad situation. Soon, the attendant came close to them with his own swan boat and helped the two out of the water. They stood shivering on the bank, her jacket held tight around her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry for ruining our date," Harry said, his eyes pleading that he hadn't upset her.
She smiled at him shyly before saying, "I had a really good time, Harry. Even the part in the water. You sure know how to treat a girl." Then she leaned up on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I should probably get home and out of these wet clothes. Call me later, ok?"
Harry smiled and pulled into a kiss, not satisfied with the quick peck. Their wet bodies were pressed together, the water cold on their skin, but they didn't seem to care.
Then she pulled away and walked away from him, "Bye, Harry."
He waved at her with a giddy smile on his face, "Bye, Cho."
