Rediscovering Her Wings
Chapter 1
Note: Rowling said in an interview that Cho ends up marrying a muggle. While we don't learn anything about who the guy is or what happens to Cho (beyond that she has a daughter who ends up going to Hogwarts), I'd like to think that Cho does, indeed, get her happy-ever-after. So, this is a fic where Cho meets her husband and gets to fall in love again.
Fair warning, this story will probably read like a stand-alone romance that partly takes place in the HP universe. Just so you know what you're about to start reading.
One last note: This is inspired by ChoCedric's fiction "Broken Wings," which talks about why Cho loses her love of flying in the wake of Cedric's death. This story is meant to loosely pair with that one because in addition to finding love, Cho learns in new and unexpected ways to fly. Anyway, I think I've bombarded you with far too many notes for anyone's taste. So, on with the story!
It was a balmy Friday evening in early July and 23-year-old Cho Chang was in desperate need of a break.
She needed a break from wearing her St. Mungo's Healer robes, because lime green was absolutely not her color.
She also needed a break from checking the St. Mungo's supply rooms and placing fresh orders to some of the many apothecaries that supplied them. People were always misplacing things and since the supply room was magicked against the use of summoning charms (which were hazardous to use anywhere in a hospital setting), it took forever to reorganize.
And a break from brewing healing potions would be nice, too. She managed pretty well with potions now that Professor Snape wasn't making snide commentary behind her back – but carefully monitoring multiple bubbling cauldrons at once was tiring.
Lastly, Cho needed a break from dealing with injured people in general. She loved her work as a healer, but this afternoon was dreadful.
She had to deal with the same two Muggle boys – Jerry and Trey – again. Over the past few weeks, they'd show up every so often with boils all over their skin or nosebleeds that flowed like waterfalls or hives that turned green when they scratched their skin. The poor things would show up miserable and in pain. Plus, they were confused because had no idea what magic was, and then they'd have to get their memories wiped by Ministry Obliviators, which only made their existing confusion worse. She hoped they'd be all right.
The break Cho needed the most, though, was a break from the wizarding community in general. Not that she hated being a witch, or the wizarding community was at all a bad place.
In fact, things had gotten a lot better since the end of the War. With Voldemort (yeah, Cho had no problem saying his name now) and many of his foremost Death Eaters dead, the wizarding community in Britain was freed of their terror. Kingsley Shacklebolt was now Minister of Magic, and he was presiding over lots of changes to the Ministry. Harry Potter, the famous "Chosen One" was working as an Auror and rounding up the last of the Death Eaters and war criminals, who would be fairly tried by the new Wizengamot. Dementors no longer guarded the wizarding prison Azkaban, and the conditions were now much more humane.
Everywhere you went, change was in the air. Like how Hermione Granger had somehow gone from a petty trickster who'd jinxed the word "SNEAK" onto poor Marietta's face – to someone who fought to give House Elves new freedoms and rights. Cho still wouldn't want to be friends with the woman, but now that Marietta's face was de-jinxed and Hermione wasn't hurting anyone else, Cho no longer had the urge to stab her in the eyeball with a fork.
Cho herself was even conducting some experiments that she hoped would do a lot of good – though she wasn't getting any results just yet. Still, she was respected by her co-workers for her initiative, as well as for her gentle and caring nature. Everyone at St. Mungo's was really nice, and the best part was that Cho got to work alongside Marietta, who'd also gone into healing.
Cho hoped that if her late boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, could see where she was in life, he'd be proud. Even though it had been 7 years since his death, Cho Chang still wanted nothing more than to make her true love proud.
Life was satisfying, even downright peaceful, these days. But Cho stopped short of saying it was "good." Because the loss of her true love, Cedric Diggory, still hurt. Yes, Cho had only been 15 years old when she met and fell in love with the handsome, kind, and charismatic Hogwarts Champion – and 16 when he died – but the pain never went away.
No one called Cho a "crybaby" anymore, but she hoped people could at least be respectful of the fact that she still loved Cedric. And she would probably never stop. Did they not understand?
A couple of months ago, Marietta had asked, "Have you thought about starting to date again?"
"What? Why?" asked Cho, taken aback. She hadn't given dating a thought ever since she broke up with Harry Potter. It seemed like a whole other lifetime back when she was at Hogwarts, living with Marietta and three other Ravenclaw girls who couldn't stop talking about boys.
"No reason," Marietta said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Is it because you're moving in with Daria and you just want everyone else to be as happy as you are?"
"Okay, maybe." Marietta sighed and tucked a lock of curly red hair back behind her ear. "So, do you want to come to our house-warming party this weekend?"
"Uh, obviously. What should I bring?"
Marietta waved a hand dismissively. "We just want the pleasure of your company, is all."
When she went to the party and saw the happy couple conniving to set their friend up, Cho decided to placate them by saying yes when a nice young ministry official named Mason asked her out to dinner.
"How was the date?" Marietta asked the following Monday as they re-checked the stock room.
"It was… nice," replied Cho. "He's very nice."
"Got anything else to say? Come on, the power of your passion could kill me."
"I dunno…" Cho trailed off.
"I guess there won't be a second date, then. I know a few other guys who might want to go out with you, though. Want to be set up with any of them?"
"Not really, sorry."
"Please?" begged Marietta.
"All right, I'll try," sighed Cho. "For you and Daria, I am willing to try."
"You do know that Daria and I won't stop setting you up with people until you're as happy as we are, right?"
"Thanks, Marie," Cho replied as she gave her well-meaning best friend a hug.
So she'd allowed herself to be set up with a few more very nice men, and had ended up on a few more very nice – but utterly lackluster – dates.
Cho wouldn't have traded her relationship with Cedric for anything, even knowing how it ended. Because her love for Cedric had forever changed her, and she would never again attempt to settle for less than the pure, unadulterated love and joy they'd found together.
Whenever she needed a break from the wizarding world, Cho would venture into London's vast and beautiful St. James Park. She lived in a tiny studio that overlooked the place, making it easy for her to walk around, people-watch, and feed the swans.
In the dimming afternoon light, she wandered past a gazebo and watched as a man got down on one knee to propose to the woman she was with. She joyfully accepted and was kissing him a moment later as he shoved a diamond engagement ring onto her finger.
Cho felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes and tried wiping them away. She didn't often cry at stuff like this anymore, but the 7th anniversary of Cedric's death was two days ago and the experience of visiting his grave with the Diggorys was fresh in her mind. If Cedric hadn't died, she was sure she'd be engaged – probably even married – to him by now. He'd promised he was going to propose after they both finished Hogwarts, and she knew their love would've lasted a lifetime.
Breathe. Just breathe, she told herself as she sat down at the base of a nearby tree. The sadness would pass quicker if she didn't try to fight the tears.
Many minutes later, when she'd about recovered, Cho settled her gaze on a game taking place in an open field some distance away. Judging by the way the men were kicking the ball all over the field, she knew it was called soccer. It was a little bit like Quidditch, but without the Bludgers, broomsticks, and Golden Snitch. Welcoming the distraction, she wandered a little closer to watch.
All at once, the black and white soccer ball came flying away from the field, right in Cho's direction. She stopped it with her foot and looked up as one of the players came jogging over to her.
He was tall and of mixed race, with a coffee-and-cream complexion and a head of loose dark-brown curls so long he had them tied back in a ponytail. She kicked the ball in his direction and watched as he knocked the ball into the air with his foot and gracefully caught it in one strong, long-fingered hand.
"Thanks," he said.
"Isn't that ball meant to be kicked?" asked Cho.
"It's called a throw-in," explained with a shrug of his broad, muscular shoulders. And made his way back to the field.
Cho sat back down to watch, just because she could. Watching their informal soccer game was no hardship, since all the players were young and athletic.
But the man with the long curly hair stood out among them, anyway. He had golden eyes the color of caramel, and Cho loved the way they lit up as he played with ferocious enthusiasm. Cho especially appreciated the way he smiled and congratulated teammates and opponents alike whenever someone scored a point. Plus, he had this engaging Cheshire-Cat grin – it was brighter than the brightest Lumos spell Cho could manage. She wondered what it would be like to have him smile at her like that.
All at once, as the players wound up in a tight clump around the ball, one of them tripped and fell on top of his arm, yelling in shock and pain. "Oh my God, is he okay?" shouted the guy with long hair.
Gripping her wand under the long sleeve of her dress, Cho Chang ran into the middle of the field. "I can help! I'm a nurse!" she yelled.
The soccer players parted for her as she knelt in the fresh grass and examined the young Black man for injuries. She could tell from his nose and arm that he probably had a broken nose and a broken elbow. But he was probably too dazed to know, and nobody else had gotten a look at things yet.
"Episkey," she muttered under her breath, and the young man's nose became less smooshed. She managed the same spell on his elbow, while maintaining the pretense of a medical examination.
"Is my cousin okay?" asked the curly-haired guy with a tone of concern.
Cho looked up. "Well, there are no broken bones, but he's got a bit of a bloody nose, some bruising, and a headache. We should let him sit down and get some rest. Are you okay to get up, Mr…"
"Ralph," he responded as she helped him to his feet. "And thanks for that."
"No problem," replied Cho as she led him to a nearby park bench to sit down.
"Well, thanks anyway," added the curly-haired guy as he sat down on the other side of his cousin. Even sitting down, his tall and muscular physique was intimidating, but Cho knew she had nothing to fear. "We were glad to have a nurse nearby when he got injured. Can you tell me your name? So I can thank you properly?" He held out a hand to Cho.
"I'm Cho," she replied, taking the hand. It was intimidating and familiar all at once, how that large hand wrapped around her own smaller one, surrounding it in warmth.
His caramel-colored eyes lit up as his hand squeezed hers, reflecting the summer warmth while giving her assurance and peace all the while. She hoped he'd never let go. "Pleasure to meet you, Cho. I'm Will."