AN: I am the worst! Sorry for not updating this story for about a year or two. I won't bore you with all the usual excuses of life being busy (it still is but I'll deal). Thanks to everyone who is actually still reading this & a special thanks to JD Sparks who reviewed the other day and reminded me that I should really be updating this story ;) Lots of love, DecoyDream.
She had thought her home in Scotland would look the same as it did when she left, but it looked more vibrant somehow, as if the life of the inhabitants inside shone some sort of brightness onto the exterior.
She saw the shadows move behind the gauzy cream coloured curtains, a yellow light flickering behind the windows that made her realise how dark it had gotten outside. She glanced around at her surroundings, realising that there was not another house for miles that she could go to, and judging from Tom's lack of consciousness, she doubted he would survive another round of apparating.
Standing, she hoisted Tom up, winding an arm around his waist and pulling the other over her shoulder for support. She peered at his face, taking in his closed eyes and messy hair and just being able to hear the slightest sound of his shallow breathing when they were up close. She had to get him somewhere safe so she could heal him or get him help- quickly.
Steeling her resolve and ignoring the ache in her joints, she slowly hobbled to the front door. She was about to knock when the door flew open to reveal an older looking Chinese woman with grey streaks in her short hair curled into a perfect style that remained from her day out. Her dark eyes travelled from Cho to Tom, taking in his Hogwarts uniform and deathly pallor.
"What are you doing so far from school?" she demanded, sounding aghast as she ushered them in. She proficiently cast a conjuring spell, procuring a hospital grade stretcher seemingly out of nowhere before gently levitating Tom onto it.
"Grindelwald was attacking Hogsmeade," said Cho, "And my-my friend was hurt. May we stay here for the moment so I can help him?"
She raised a thin eyebrow, "Are you sure we shouldn't be taking him to St Mungo's? His injuries look far beyond the capabilities of one so young."
Cho almost laughed at the hint of condescension in her voice. It was familiar and Cho could never forget that voice that sounded the same even after coarsened with age. Her grandmother never did well with affection but she showed it in the smallest of ways, much like her parents used to.
"I'm going to train to be a healer after graduation," explained Cho "I'll do what I can for now and alert alert the hospital if need be."
Mrs Chang considered her, her eyes raking over Cho's rounded face "My eldest daughter Wendy refused to do anything with medicine. She wants to work at the Ministry after she graduates from Beauxbatons" she mused before adding "You remind me of her, my daughter."
Cho's smile never faltered through the piercing stare of her grandmother "Perhaps I just have one of those faces."
Her grandmother pursed her lips, "Perhaps. It is uncanny but I suppose so. Now, you can tend to your friend in the guest bedroom. All medical supplies are in the cupboard in the corner, including towels and such if you need it. I'll bring you some food shortly."
"Thank you," said Cho, "For your hospitality and help. How can I repay you?"
The older woman waved her hand off "Don't be foolish. Two students turning up at my door with one on the brink of death? I'm not cold enough to turn you away into the night no matter what you might hear from my neighbours!"
Cho chose not to mention that the manor had no neighbours for several miles so she thanked her again before levitating the stretcher up the stairs and towards the guest room. If Mrs. Chang thought it curious that the young woman knew where the room was, she did not say anything, choosing instead to go and find some food for her late night visitors.
Cho set to work right away, closing the windows to shut off the chilly air entering the spacious room before pointing her wand at the fireplace with a quick quip of "Incendio!"
Tom lay on the single bed, his frame a little bit too tall to fit the bed which caused his feet to dangle off the edge. Cho readied water and cloths, before turning her attention to his wounds where dried blood began to congeal and turn a darkish brown-red. Feeling as though she was deeply invading his privacy but realising it was necessary, Cho unbuttoned his shirt and peeled away the ragged cloth to reveal the gashes.
Luckily, it seemed to have stopped bleeding but the wounds still looked deep enough to cause more damage if it were to become infected. Readying her wand and reciting the spell she had learned at St Mungo's, Cho ran her wand over the area of the largest gash that stood out in sharp relief in comparison to his very pale skin.
"Vulnera sanentur," she recited, watching as the wound seemed to become shallower, "Vulnera sanentur, Vulnera sanentur, Vulnera sanentur."
The cut seemed to invisibly stitch itself up the more she performed the spell and Cho almost sighed in relief when it worked just like how she had practiced during her internship. Gaining more confidence, she sought to work on the other cuts that decorated his chest, methodically inspecting each one before using the damp cloth to wipe away the blood.
When she was done, she buttoned back his shirt and used a cleaning spell to get rid of the stains although she had no idea how to mend the fabric. Putting a light blanket over him, she went to work on his leg, deciding that perhaps she should leave bone mending to the professionals the next morning when he would hopefully wake up. Rolling up a side of his trousers, she murmured "Ferula!", watching as bandages and a splint fastened itself onto his leg.
"Not bad," approved a voice from a doorway, the voice stern but kind "I can imagine you becoming a healer one day."
Cho turned towards her grandmother, a tired smile on her face "You're not the first one to say that to me."
Mrs. Chang laughed "You really do remind me of my Wendy. What did you say your name was dear?"
Cho scrambled for a name and before she could realise what she was saying, she blurted out what she used to scribble in the margins of spare parchment back when she was a young 3rd year who fancied herself in love with the star seeker, "Cho Diggory"
Her grandmother gave her a look of astonishment "Diggory?"
Smacking herself on the head mentally, Cho cringed as she said "I'm married."
Her grandmother nodded and didn't comment on her age, which Cho supposed was normal considering the day and age. "Well, I hope that young gentlemen is your husband. If not, I don't suppose he would be too pleased with you spending the night with another man."
Cho's discomfort increased a hundredfold as she awkwardly laughed "He's not the jealous type."
Sensing Cho's embarrassment, Mrs. Chang set down the tray of food on the bedside. There was a plate of toast and a small pot of tea. Cho swore she could smell jasmine, which immediately made her feel quite homesick.
"Well, I'll leave you to it then dear. There's another guest room next door and a shower across the hall. There's some clothes of my daughter's in the guest room too that should fit you nicely. Was there anything else you needed?"
"No. Thank you very much. You've been absolutely wonderful to us," said Cho sincerely "Have a good night."
Mrs Chang left the room, leaving Cho to watch over Tom as he slept. He still had not regained much colour in his cheeks but Cho was confident that he would wake up after a decent rest. Pushing her sore body off of the chair, Cho slipped off to shower, gently shutting the door behind her.
Tom woke to the feeling of a stifling hot room that was bathed in fragmented moonlight. Feeling blindly for his wand but not finding it, Tom tried to sit up before realising that one of his legs felt unusually heavy and his head felt like it had been run over by the Hogwarts Express.
A hint of movement beside him caught his eye, and he was stunned to find Cho curled in an armchair, apparently asleep and unperturbed with the fact she was in the same room as him. Looking at his unfamiliar surroundings, he surmised it was a house of some kind and judging by the view of rolling green hills outside the window, they were in the countryside.
Tom tried to move again, but the strength in his arms seemed to have deserted him. Lying back in his bed and throwing off the covers, Tom reflected back on what had happened.
He had been in Hogsmeade, trying to find Cho to see if she was safe when he encountered Grindelwald himself in the tiny wizarding village. They had duelled and he was about perform an unforgiveable curse to incapacitate him when someone called his name…
He turned his head so that he was looking at her, a frown marring his features. Cho had been there. She had been the one to stop him. And then there was an orange flash and pain so excruciating that he could not hold onto consciousness. The last thing he remembered was her hand pressing against his forehead and her panicked voice before everything else stopped existing.
He looked down to survey his body, noticing that the wounds were completely healed over with the barest hint of scarring in the form of slightly raised skin that he could feel when he ran his hand over it. He looked further down at his leg, seeing that the reason for its heaviness was the wooden splint currently fastened to it. Did she heal him?
He saw her shifting in her seat and he immediately closed his eyes, pretending to sleep as he listened carefully to her movements. He heard her get up quietly, and give a soft incantation that caused the fire to die down to gently crackling embers. He listened as her footfalls crept across the room and as she struggled to open the window before succeeding with a slight creak. Tom held his breath as she came towards him, feeling her gently hoisting up the soft blanket he had discarded over his chest with a tenderness that made him freeze even in his pretend sleep. Pulling away, he heard her footfalls recede and the door open and shut.
He lay there, straining his ears for any sign of movement that would signal her return but he waited until his eyes grew heavy once more and the moon had begun to fade with light.
She did not return for the rest of the night.
After sending a patronus to Dumbledore to let him know they were safe, Cho spent most of the night wandering the hall of her childhood home, mentally cataloguing all the things that were different and all that were exactly the same. The loose floorboard in the study was still there and Cho smiled when she lifted it up and found a stash of candy hidden there by her mother in this age. When she was little, she did always wonder how her mother knew where her sweets were hidden…
The happy grin died on her lips when she thought about her parents. They were here now but they would be gone before their time and Cho felt a deep pang of something while knowing that she just healed the boy who would turn out to be her parent's demise.
She put the floorboard back tightly in place, getting off her knees and dusting off the skirt that she had borrowed from her mother's wardrobe. She didn't regret saving Tom, just like how she could never regret saving anybody's life no matter how much she disliked them. However, she couldn't lie to herself into thinking that it was just purely obligation or duty. Despite all the awful things he had done, she knew he, in his own twisted and misguided way, still cared for her. She may not love him as she might have once thought she did, but she did still feel something for him.
She left the room, quietly closing it with a soft click.
Tom woke up with a start, his ears sensitive and long trained towards even the smallest hint of noise after his childhood in an orphanage where being alert had saved him from various bouts of humiliation from bullies and the like. He immediately reached for his wand, briefly panicked that he once again could not find it before he saw that it was sitting neatly on his bedside table in the morning light.
"Oh good, you're awake," came a soft voice from the doorway. Tom looked at Cho balancing a large tray of tea and an assortment of breakfast foods while she used her foot to close the door. She placed it on his bedside table, nudging his wand to a side before pouring tea into a cup and watching him expectantly.
"How are you feeling?"
Tom was momentarily struck dumb at how strange she was acting, as though they had not spent the last few weeks trying their hardest to ignore each other. He struggled to lift himself into a more upright dignified position, cursing the weakness in his limbs that still remained after his rest.
Cho caught onto his efforts, lurching forward to gently help him up so that he was propped against the pillows. She handled him like she would a patient – carefully, coolly and without familiarity in her touch. Tom sat back silently, watching her warily as she went back to arranging breakfast.
"Would you like some toast or porridge? I was thinking that after breakfast, we could get you back to Hogwarts to get your broken leg healed. I was going to do it last night but I didn't want anything going wrong and-"
"I have faith that you can do it," interrupted Tom softly "You did a marvellous job on the rest of my injuries and I know you didn't have to help me- T-thank you for that."
Cho's cheeks grew warm and she leaned forward to pour tea with a splash of milk so that her curtain of long hair could partially hide her face, "I'm just glad you're alive and you know that I wouldn't leave you to die."
A sardonic smile touched his lips, his tone deliberate "I would have thought it would be easier for you to let me die."
She glanced at him sharply, her brows furrowed and words infused with reproach "You know I would never do that."
He raised a brow, wetting his tongue with the tea she had offered him earlier "Wouldn't you? Judging by the way you can barely stomach to look at me over the past few months, leaving me to the hands of Grindelwald may have been the easier choice."
She continued to frown, turning away from him to arrange his tray with a folded napkin to the side "Deciding to leave someone to their death is never an easy choice Tom."
The words weighed heavily between them as they settled into silence while Cho continued to putter around. Her eyes rested on Tom's torn and tattered outer robes, her fingers touching the cool metal of his green and silver Head Boy badge.
"Cedric was Head Boy too you know," she smiled faintly to herself at the memory "He was bright and warm and so kind to others. He was an excellent Seeker too except for the time when I beat him."
Tom felt uncomfortable listening to her list her previous lover's attributes. If anything, it only highlighted his lack of redeeming qualities and apparently her lack of judgment considering how starkly different they were.
"… But he died. I know you saw it in my memory, but did you know how it happened?"
Her voice was soft, gentle and not accusatory like he had thought it would be. He shook his head, not trusting his voice to speak.
"You ordered one of your followers to kill him. And do you know why he was there at the wrong place at the wrong time?" she smiled again, a million miles away and infinitely sadder "It was because he was helping someone else – he was true to who he was till the very end."
Tom knew how tactless he was going to sound but he wanted to know, "Why are you telling me this?"
She turned to him, glassy eyed but with a steady voice "Because I want you to know that when you decide to take this path, these people are faceless to you. They have no identity because they serve little purpose to you. You called him a spare. But to the people who love them, they mean the world. They're not disposable or forgettable. They are something to someone and I want you to remember that."
He swallowed hard, suddenly unable to meet her eyes.
"And what if I told you that I do know that and yet I don't care?"
She exhaled, the slightest smile playing around her mouth "No matter how much you deny it Tom, you do care and you always have. I just hope you can make the right choice in the end."
His gut twisted with something akin to anger, did she understand what she was asking of him? To give up all him and his followers had worked towards? To throw away being the most powerful figure in the wizarding world?
As though sensing his change in mood, she set his carefully arranged tray on his lap. "I'm not asking you to change who you are Tom but please just think if this is really what you want."
Tom met her words with silence, the quietness spreading long after she had headed downstairs and his tea had turned cold.