A Solace In The Silence

Part Three

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by Grace

A/N: Attention everyone! This part is pretty much fluff, but if you like it, I really need to know, because... well. I've gotten several wonderful reviews, but for the most part, does anyone really care about this series? I've had 100-something views on the last part and 7 reviews! Please, review and tell me if I need to keep going. And, also, this part is dedicated to those of you who did review and said such wonderful things about me! I love you guys! *sniff* Yep, well... I don't anything. On with the story.

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Tuesday passed in a blur of blue sky and sun. Before I knew it, the evening had come, and with it, the arrival of another ball. I wasn't looking forward to it, but the prospect of the tremendous crowd of arrogant-looking people was softened a little knowing that I had a friend, or rather, an acquaintance, among them.

I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I guess maybe I thought in the back of my mind that maybe that was why I met Percy, that maybe that was why I felt so drawn to see Cedric's grave when I did. I don't mean that I thought I was destined to find Percy because I knew he was my one true soulmate, or anything so stupid as that; actually, quite the opposite. I just wanted a friend. A real friend, not one of the members of the crowd I went around with. It's not that they weren't nice, or anything like that, it's just that they were so false about everything. I remember how they all used to giggle and tell me what a great catch I'd made when I was going out with Cedric. It was so annoying and stupid, because every one of them was congratulating me only to cover her jealousy. With Percy, it was very different.

So, I wasn't dreading this ball as much as I had been because I'd at least know someone present, and it was a little easier to feel happy for my parents. Don't misunderstand, I was still practically a dead girl walking, but one of the smaller weights had been lifted from my shoulders. I was grateful for that.

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The Tuesday meetings were more than dull. The atmosphere was stiff; the Ministry had split itself into two parties regarding... something. I don't actually know. Although normally I am the soul of focus at my job, the room was so hot and stuffy and boring that I wasn't of a mind to pay much attention. I sat in my seat and glued a look of intense concentration on my face so I could think about... Cho. Well, not just Cho, but she was what started the thought process. I thought about her; which made me think about Cedric Diggory; which made me think about Voldemort's return; which made me think about the chaos we were about to enter; which made me think of Harry, my brother's friend; God knows what that would have made me think about, because then the meetings were finally over.

I went home, showered, changed dress robes, and Apparated back to Headquarters with Father.

The decorations and the food were both as magnificent as they had been the previous evening; the company was just as well-to-do as before; the night was just as starry. No matter how much I may complain over the years about my job (it seems to be a habit acquired with age), I will say one thing for the Ministry: they can throw one hell of a party.

And, just as previously, the whole party retired to the dancing hall when dinner was over. Father abandoned me to my own designs and went to chat with his partner. I, for my own part, looked around and instantly spotted Cho.

She was standing around in the corner again, and she seemed to be looking through the crowd as well, for some reason. At the same instant, our eyes met. She smiled slightly, and I made my way toward her.

We didn't talk for a long time. What was there to talk about? I myself have never seen the point of talking anyway. I feel so much more comfortable in the silence.

Finally, she turned and gave me a look that I instantly understood. Just as before, we made our way outside.

We walked around the building and said very little; I was in a rare state of bliss. This was the first person, besides Ginny, that I could be with without trying to verbalize what I was thinking. As for Cho, I think she was relieved too; not because she's as anti-social as myself, but because I think she was tired of putting up a grieving yet cheerful front for the world.

Finally, she spoke.

"So, Percy. I've met you three times now, and I know nothing about you. Tell me about yourself."

"Uh... I don't... really know what to say..."

"Fine." Then she began to interrogate me in military fashion. "Middle name?"

"Rupert."

"Favorite color?"

"Ah... gray."

That was the color of Cho's eyes, but I didn't realize it until later.

"How many siblings, and what are their names and ages?"

"Bill, 24; Charlie, 22; Me, 19; Fred and George, 17; Ron, 15; Ginny, 14."

"Girlfriend?"

"...No."

"Most interesting thing about you that I would never guess?"

"Um... I'm wearing blue plaid boxers right now?"

I don't think I expected myself to say that any more than she did, but it was worth any embarrassment. She laughed. I must say, it was the first time I had heard her laugh in as long as I had known her, and I was really surprised. Then, she quieted down just as suddenly as she had begun to laugh, and we were silent again for some time. And then, without warning, I heard sort of stifled whimpering and looked over to see Cho, stopped short and sobbing hysterically. Under the sky and all the stars, outside of a building full of the biggest political celebrities in the magical world, with a boy she'd just met, Cho was releasing all the grief that had been building up inside of her since Cedric's death.

I highly doubt you will ever understand how awkward that moment was for me. I wouldn't wish that you would, certainly.

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Damn him. Damn Percy Weasley! He made me laugh. He made me forget the boy who was quite possibly the love of my life, for an instant. Damn him!

I knew I shouldn't feel guilty. I was aware, in the back of my mind, that Cedric would have wanted me to laugh again. I felt like a traitor anyway.

And, Percy, oh damn him! He made me laugh, which made me cry, which made him really, really embarrassed. And confused. He didn't know what to do with himself, and for the life of me, I could not stop crying.

"Cho?" he said, finally, a little uncertainly. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry." He hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder. "Shhhhh... Shhhh... It's okay..." he soothed. Nervously.

Damn him.

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Eventually, Cho stopped crying. The situation was beyond self-consciousness at that point.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, wiping her eyes. We started walking again, and I removed my hand from her shoulder. "It's just that... I don't know. I don't think I'm strong enough to deal with this." A pause. "You know, I just feel like I lost the only person I could connect with... I just put so much of myself into him... That part of me's gone now. Oh, gosh. Like you really want to know. I'm sorry, Percy, you'd better go back in there and... socialize, or something. I'm just going to bring you down or bore you."

I stared at her. In the dark, I could just barely see her face. I was dimly aware that we'd stopped again.

"No... Actually, quite the opposite. I'm glad to be out here. I'm glad you're telling me this. I'm honored you're telling me this. You need to let it out, Cho."

She stared at me... I think it was in disbelief. We started walking again.

"You know, I've only had one girlfriend in my life," I said thoughtfully after awhile. "We went out for – geez, it must have been two years. I really did love her, you know, the way young people love. All or nothing. Well, I know it's nothing like what you're going through, but we broke up shortly after I left Hogwarts. It was too much to stay together, too much distance, and neither one of us was ready to put that much effort into a relationship. Still, I felt amputated after the fact. Like I'd just lost my best friend. God knows I could always talk to her. But... it was gone. I just sort of let everything build up inside of me and never let it out. It took me forever to get over her. Actually, I don't know that I'm over her now... Yeah, well... I think there was a point to that story..."

"There was," she said. "Thank you, Percy."

"For?"

"For staying."

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Percy stood by me and understood me in a way no one else in my world did, at least, no one alive. He kept it up all through the week, at every single ball. We either went outside and walked around or stayed in the building and danced. We came to an understanding to mingle for the first thirty minutes of the party, however, because we were starting look... well... bad.

I learned a lot about Percy from those nights, and I think I told him more about myself than I'd ever told anybody, Cedric excepted. I learned that he was a workaholic, and very ambitious; he had been Prefect and Head Boy, which I vaguely remembered. My life before Cedric seemed like another universe.

I learned that Percy was only really close to his sister; and I inferred, because he never told me, that he really loved his brothers more than they would ever know. He told me about all of them: about how he'd always looked up to Bill, about how Charlie kept bringing pets home throughout his childhood and now trained them for a living, about how Fred and George were already looking to start their own company, about how Ron was growing up way too fast and already head over heels for some girl. He mentioned that one of Ron's friends was Harry Potter, and I gulped but said nothing. Percy then realized what he'd said, and changed the subject.

My parents couldn't have been more thrilled that I was at least talking to someone, even if it wasn't them or any important people.

I spent the days sleeping, mostly. I went down to the pool a few times. But mostly, I slept. I dreamt about Cedric, but they weren't nightmares like they had been in the days after his death. They were peaceful dreams of him telling me things would be fine, not to worry, he'd always love me but I had to move on, and so on and so on. They were a great comfort to me.

Things were looking up.

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I was sort of in a fog for the rest of the week. I went to the meetings, even paid attention and made suggestions at a few; Fred and George didn't play any – okay, well maybe a few – stupid tricks on me, and Ron got a letter from Hermione and was therefore in a good mood. He also got a letter from Harry, though this didn't have half of the effect of Hermione's, and Harry would be staying with us shortly. In fact, Harry was going to come on Saturday. This was all well and good until we figured that that was a day before they promised to come to the ball. Therefore, Dad checked with some official who told him to just go ahead and bring Harry, because he was who he was.

Cho and I began to talk to each other more and more, and I began to consider her my friend. And, by degrees, I forgot to be self-conscious around her.

I made a few other acquaintances at the parties, including Lucius Malfoy's wife and some guy named Gorr. He spoke about three words of English. Weird.

Most of my time was spent with Cho, however, and I wouldn't have had it any differently.

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I was kind of sad when Sunday night rolled around. I'd be going home; I'd be going home with my parents; I'd have no one to listen to me talk, or to talk to. I was going to go crazy.

I knew Percy would write me, though, and it wasn't like I didn't have friends. None of them were very good friends, but they'd serve the purpose of distraction just fine. Therefore, I just resolved to get through Sunday so I could go home and be away from the wretched graveyard.

My mother made me wear jewelry, and do absurd things with my hair. I ended up wearing a silvery-gray kind of fabric, and remembered as I put it on that that was Percy's favorite color. Strange.

The Ministry building was even more beautiful than it had been the previous six nights. I suppose they wanted to save the best for last.

As I came in, my attention was immediately attracted to a large group of redheads. I smiled as I realized they were probably Percy's family; then I spotted a black head amongst them, and realized with a start that it was Harry.

Harry who had asked me to the Yule Ball.

Harry the Hogwarts champion.

Harry the Gryffindor seeker.

Harry who had been with Cedric when he died.

Oh, great. There went my resolutions to have a good time.