She would have known the instant he walked into the room. The room seemed to buzz, and heads turned, including hers.
People swarmed him, and she could see it made him uncomfortable, even as he politely smiled as he shook hand after hand. He had told her years ago he didn't like large crowds, and it seemed not much had changed.
She observed the changes in him from when she had last seen him. The date was etched in her mind, and would be forever.
May second, 1998. The day he had defeated Voldemort.
He'd spoken to her that day, briefly, although for the life of her, she can't remember their conversation at all. She was still trying to fathom what lay ahead for the wizarding world, and what it would mean for her.
In the end, she had chosen to leave. Her father was keen to travel, worried for his wife's health. Madam Chang had not an easy time at the ministry under Umbridge and it took it's toll. Cho was happy to get away too; London held too many sad memories, too many lost hopes.
She had met and married a Muggle, but they had split up a year ago, and she had returned to her roots, landing a job at the ministry, to her mother's pride. Nothing much, just administrative work, but it was enough for now, as she rebuilt her life.
She had seen Harry Potter several times at the Ministry since she had started working but always from a distance. There was a time she had shared a lift with him – and several other people – but he was so engrossed in the file he was reading, he took no notice of the people staring at him, or nudging each other. Indeed, it took the lift lady a cough and a - "your floor, Mr Potter, sir," and he had looked up, taken note of his floor level, and smiled at the lift lady.
"Thank you."
He'd walked out and onwards. The door closed and the lift shot down.
"That was really Harry Potter," someone said in awe, as if surprised he'd do something as mundane as catching a lift.
"He is ever so nice," confided the lift lady. " Third floor..."
He'd always been nice. Even now, here at the party, as someone tried to grab his arm and drag him to a group of loud people, he managed to disentangle his arm and gesture to a corner, where a group of familiar red heads seemed to be watching in amusement. He mouthed something to them, and they all grinned and raised their drinks to him, making him scowl. He flipped them the finger and turned to walk in the other direction, ignoring their hoots and howls of laughter.
He stopped at the bar, leaning over to request a drink. Seeing who it was, the bar tender hurried to serve him, but Harry began chatting to him, seemingly in no hurry to rejoin the party.
Feeling daring, she walked to the bar too, a few feet from him, but close enough that, if he looked her way, he couldn't miss her. She too, ordered a drink and sat back, waiting for it, and twirling her hair around her fingers while she pretended to scan the crowds. In reality she was watching him out the corner of her eye, trying to work up the courage to go and talk to him. Or rather, hope he'd come and talk to her.
"Starting without me, Potter?"
Cho recognised her immediately – Ginny Weasley.
She noted Harry say something to the bar tender, then turn around to face her, his eyes only focused on her as she moved to his side.
"Sorry I'm late, practice ran over," she told him gently.
Cho watched as Harry slid an arm around her waist, drawing her closer to his side. They spoke so softly Cho couldn't hear what they were saying but she noticed Harry seemed livelier, more animated. She moved a bit closer.
"Your drinks, sir," offered the bar tender, placing two glasses in front of them.
"Thanks." Harry picked them up, handing the one with a colourful umbrealla in it, to her.
She took a sip, eying his glass. "Is it going to be one of those nights?" she teased, gesturing to the firewhiskey he skolled; promptly ordering another. The bar tender placed it on the counter and he nodded his thanks before addressing her question.
"It's better now you're here?" he told her in a husky tone.
Cho was surprised; it was a tone of suggestion, of intimacy, one she could never imagine Harry of 14, 15, using. Still, he obviously wasn't that boy anymore.
"You know what happened the last time you gave me these fizzy drinks," Ginny laughed, skolling her drink too.
He leaned in, and she saw his tongue flick over Ginny's ear before he said softly. "I'm counting on it."
Now she felt like an interloper, being a witness to their flirtation. She tried to discreetly move away but her movement caught Ginny's eye over Harry's shoulder, and she called out.
"Cho? Cho Chang, is that you?"
Cho froze momentarily, before turning to face them with a beaming smile on her face.
"Ginny...and Harry, hi, how are you?" she said.
"It's been quite a few years, how are you?" asked Ginny.
She hated explaining to people how her marriage had failed, or that she was starting over again. So she settled for "fine, thanks."
Ginny smiled. "You're working here at the ministry, then?"
Cho nodded. "Department of Magical Transportation." Not her first choice but she had her fingers crossed for openings in other departments.
There was silence; Harry shuffled behind Ginny.
"We really should go over and see your family, Ginny," he told her, taking a sip of his drink.
At Ginny's nod, he smiled easily at Cho. "Nice to see you again, Cho."
Ginny took the drink out of his hand, skolled the rest and set it back on the bar. Harry sighed in pretend annoyance but then took Ginny's hand and led her away. They were stopped several times and Cho observed Harry tense slightly, but then relax as Ginny spoke to them, drawing Harry into the brief conversations she had before making their escape. One of them said something to make Harry laugh, and Cho was surprised to see how relaxed he now was.
Over the course of the night she couldn't help but watch them. They didn't move too far away from the family; they didn't need to, people came to speak to him, to them. Ginny sat on his knee, his arm around her waist as they conversed easily with friends. Cho thought she recognised her old Ravenclaw house mate, Luna Lovegood, and also Neville Longbottom.
The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, stopped by to talk to them before making a quick speech. Almost immediately after he'd finished, Harry and Ginny rose, she pressed a kiss to her parent's cheeks before they left, arms around each other's waist.
The party seemed duller once they had gone, although as Cho herself headed out, she heard their names mentioned in several groups. It seemed, no matter what, Harry Potter couldn't escape being the main event, whether he wanted to be or not.
She wondered if they even realised how everyone was watching them, or if they were aware of the power they emanated, simply by their presence. Everyone seemed to strive to make some sort of contact with them, yet at times, they seemed to be wrapped up in a world of their own, judging by their whispers, their shared looks, their discreet touches. Cho was sure they would be on the front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow.
It was not a lifestyle she could envision living, yet Ginny Weasley seemed to handle it just fine. Cho supposed she was used to having eyes on her all the time, as a member of a popular Quidditch team.
As she left the ministry not long after, Cho realised she was content merely being an observer; her time with Harry was a mere snippet of his past life, a time to reflect on. Sadly, her time with Harry tied up with memories of Cedric and she couldn't help but wonder what could have been.
But now it was time to look forward, not back. She truly wished Harry a happy life and from what she had seen that night, Ginny was just the woman to give him that.