A/N: Time really flies when you realise that your last update was in JULY. I'm sorry. But here's a peace offering?
Previously on 'The Redemption'... Cho and Tom have a conversation that was long overdue
Chapter 29 – Beyond Help
In a way that could only happen at a boarding school, news of Cho's and Tom's separation spread like wildfire. There were no gossiping or sneaky glances but Cho could feel the curiosity seep into her as she traversed the Great Hall with Henry and Arlene flanking her like personal bodyguards.
"Cheer up Cho, they've got your favourite butterscotch pancakes this morning!"
Cho couldn't bring herself to work up a smile, instead allowing herself to be steered towards an empty section of the Ravenclaw bench where they sat her across from Lucinda and Sarah who had visited her a few times during her Hospital Wing stay.
"You're finally out!" said Sarah, looking genuinely glad.
"You look a bit better too without all that disgusting goo on your cuts" admitted Lucinda.
She couldn't decide whether it was actually funny or whether she was just glad for some small degree of normalcy, but Cho couldn't help the small bout of laughter that escaped her at Lucinda's way of dolling out backhanded compliments.
"Thanks" said Cho still smiling "I've missed you both too", earning a mystified look from Arlene while Henry shrugged in equal confusion.
With a false sense of cheeriness in the silence that followed, Cho reached out for the pancakes and piled three thin ones on her plate before drenching it with syrup. "So what have I missed while I was gone?" asked Cho to no one in particular.
Sarah spoke up, her light eyes glinting mischievously "Well, for one, Henry and Arlene are finally dating"
Cho almost choked on her pancakes, gratefully taking the glass of water that Arlene had materialised out of nowhere "You're what?"
"It's true. It's been about a week now. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to focus on your recovery" said Arlene airily.
Cho wasn't sure whether she meant recuperating from the quidditch incident or her 'split' from Tom but she assumed the former. Whether consciously done or not, Arlene and Henry had studiously avoided the topic of Tom at all costs which sometimes even extended to mentioning Slytherins in general. As a result, Cho was eternally grateful for this unspoken agreement and hoped that it extended to the entire population of Hogwarts.
"Nevertheless, I'm happy for you both though I wish you had told me sooner"
Henry gave her a sheepish look "Really?"
Cho cracked a smile "Of course. This way, I'll never have to hear another one of your sulking sessions-"
"Sulking sessions?" piped up Arlene with interest as Henry spluttered indignantly and the others laughed. "Please, tell me more about those"
At that moment unbeknownst to them, Tom walked in, wanting to grab an apple before class began but not wishing to linger amongst the stares of his followers. He paused in the doorway at the sound of raucous laughter at Ravenclaw table, his eyes resting on Cho who seemed to be in the middle of telling a story while the Pollux boy vehemently denied everything much to everyone's amusement.
She looked perfectly fine to him, a little pale and thinner than usual but so normal amongst her classmates. He wasn't sure what he expected but he couldn't deny the little spout of disappointment he felt at seeing how well she was doing without him. The sad truth, he realised as he continued looking on, was that she was a lot stronger than he cared to admit. When he rifled through her memories, he saw what she had lived through and what she capable of. She didn't need him, not when she had friends who adored her and cared for her like family, not when she could survive perfectly well all on her own.
But since when had he cared whether someone needed him? He took and thieved all the time, damn the consequences. He was selfish by nature and if there was something he wanted, he would have it. He shouldn't feel indebted to her because she didn't lay out his sins to Dumbledore. He shouldn't be concerned over what she thought of him. He shouldn't have felt the inexplicable stab of pain when he saw her laughing without him. He shouldn't care. Not about her, or anyone.
Her voice, soft and dreamlike in the infirmary nights ago, played over in his mind.
Did any of it mean anything to you?
He turned away from the Great Hall, wand in hand as he cursed the laughter that seemed to follow him.
The first full day back at classes seemed fairly unremarkable to Cho, even though she realised that she had a small mountain of homework to do as a result of her absence. The teachers were friendly to her, and no one dared to ask about Tom. Not even when she had Care of Magical Creatures with a small group of Slytherins did they deign to glance her way. She wondered while sketching out her anatomical diagram of a four winged creature how much of that had to do with politeness, or whether it was some unspoken agreement within the house.
Her last class was transfiguration, one of the subjects Cho had always found the most difficult. While McGonagall during her time was strict and professional, Professor Dumbledore had a way of being light-hearted while pushing every student to do their best. He smiled at her as she walked through the door with Lucinda and Arlene, beckoning her closer.
"Miss Chang, would you mind staying behind for a moment after class?"
Cho had been dreading this conversation with the Professor, knowing that she couldn't lie to him about anything. "Of course professor"
He nodded and gestured for her to sit back with her friends, his vibrant purple robes winking in the fading afternoon sun.
Her friends bade her goodbye and she waved, waiting for the last stragglers to leave the classroom. Dumbledore was speaking to some students who had questions with the lesson, patience lining his voice as he explained certain points.
Finally, the last of them left and Dumbledore perched himself on one of the desks. Following suit, Cho did the same, gently dropping her school bag on the floor beside her.
"I trust that your memories have returned?"
Cho traced the uneven scratches on the wooden table beneath her "They have"
"And you remember asking me to find the culprit who took away your memories?"
Cho swallowed, looking into the pale blue eyes that shone with intensity "I-I remember. Did you find the memory?"
Dumbledore sighed, leaning back "I did find it yes, but I didn't look to see who it was though I have my suspicions."
At Cho's confusion, he elaborated, standing up and pacing the front of the classroom as though he were giving a lecture.
"Are you aware Miss Chang of the two main theories in regards to time travel? That one said the future is set in stone no matter what a time traveller does and-"
"The other can be changed," finished Cho "I do recall reading something about that"
A hint of a smile played on his mouth though it was hard to tell with the beard obscuring it from view.
"Ravenclaw indeed" he murmured before raising his voice back to a normal volume "But yes, those are the two that I am referring to. Now if I may ask, which one do you believe in?"
Cho hesitated, trying to articulate all the thoughts she had on this subject. "I think that some things are inevitable and some things can change," she said carefully, "For time turners, the main outcome of an event is largely the same, but small things can change. But I think, in the end, it depends on the time traveller and how far they are willing to go to change things."
Dumbledore nodded, as though her explanation generated a great deal of thought "Miss Chang, I'm sure you know that bad things happen to those who mess with time"
"I understand sir" replied Cho, watching as he continued to pace.
"But from what small parts I've gleaned of the future and what I suspect now, the future is not a happy place"
He stopped in his steps, clasping his hands behind his back in a gesture that seemed to lack his usual easy confidence "I do not claim that I know what is right or what should be done, but I think that perhaps, if you were sent here in the first place, the universe wants you to change a fate that seems inescapable"
Cho was quiet, mulling it over in her mind. It was a huge commitment that Dumbledore asked of her, but what could be any worse than what she had already experienced in the future? If she were to agree, she knew it would be a hard road to undo all the things that were already set in motion before she arrived. She would have to let him come to his own realisations about how wrong his ideals were, and she would have to prove that he didn't need the dark arts to be accepted. But how could she do that when he barely had enough humanity left in him to see an alternative path? How could she try and complete this mission when she could barely even think of him without feeling sick with the images of all those left dead and lost in his wake?
"It's not my choice to make Miss Chang," said Dumbledore quietly, interrupting her doubtful thoughts "And it's a heavy burden for you to bear. But if there is anything that I have learned from this war with Grindelwald is that the Wizarding World is not infallible. Perhaps it can stand now when we are united against a common enemy but that is not always the case. There may be a time when an even stronger force divides us and the damage cannot be reversed. I hope to never see that day, but what about you?"
Cho had already seen it and while Dumbledore didn't know the specific details, it was a horrible enough prospect for him to suggest changing the future for the sake of unnecessary bloodshed even though he knew the law.
"I don't expect you to forgive him" added Dumbledore in her silence, "No one can be capable of that while knowing the things you do, but the strange thing about redemption is that it's not always earned of deserved. But if just one person in the entire universe saw something in another that was worth saving, that's enough to change everything."
Cho lifted her eyes to meet his, noticing that the colour was astoundingly blue in the fading light of the classroom. He didn't look expectant or hopeful as she had suspected he would, but it still didn't make her next words any easier to say.
"I-I can't do it Professor," said Cho, her voice loud in the quiet of the classroom, "I can barely stand to think of him, let alone pretend to befriend him again after everything he's done. It doesn't matter if I believe he can change because this is something he has to realise on his own. I'm sorry but I cannot help"
Dumbledore smiled gently, nodding as though he understood "Then I'll see you next lesson Miss Chang. Have a pleasant evening"
Cho echoed similar sentiments and bade the Professor goodbye before trudging her way back to her dormitory. Had she made the right decision by refusing to help?
"The boy is beyond help" added the more realistic stream of her thoughts "There's nothing you can do about it"
Cho stopped and waited for the moving staircase to head back in her direction, listening to the grinding of stone. She knew that she was right but Dumbledore had a way of rubbing off his optimism on others and it made her doubt herself.
"Why does it look like you're ready to hurl yourself off the staircase?" came a sardonic tone from somewhere behind her.
She almost did lurch off the staircase in surprise, "Henry! Don't do that!"
He put both his hands on her shoulders and made her take a step back, before adding seriously "Just in case you were thinking about it"
Cho rolled her eyes though he was successful in making her feel better. Noticing for the first time what he was wearing, she pointed accusingly at his chest which was currently smeared with grass stains and bits of dirt.
"Were you at the pitch without me?"
Henry looked unapologetic as he ruffled his already windblown hair, "You literally ran into a quidditch stand a few weeks ago Chang"
"And now I'm all better," smiled Cho in what she hoped was a charming fashion "In fact, I'm ready to go for a fly now"
Henry eyed her, taking in the stock standard Hogwarts uniform and her grey skirt paired with polished mary-janes, "Are you really?"
She shrugged, "I should still have something in my locker room"
"And do you need to get your broom from your dormitory?"
Cho shook her head "I'll just use the school broomsticks"
Henry nodded, understanding without asking. While the broomstick had survived the crash with a little more than a bent twig, he knew she wouldn't be using it anytime soon if ever. It reminded her too much of Riddle and even though he and Arlene did not know the specifics of their separation, he knew it was not a particularly amicable one – partly because amicable was a word no one used to describe Riddle.
"Fine, let's get this over with" sighed Henry dramatically.
Cho laughed, not hysterically like she did at breakfast, but a real laugh that made her feel a little bit warmer inside.
"I almost forgot how much you love spending time with me" said Cho wryly as Henry slung a muddy arm over the shoulders of her neatly-pressed uniform.
"Well someone's got to do it," he said dryly.