CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Harry and Ron waited at the foot of the marble staircase near the Great Hall for Hermione. They noticed that the Great Hall had undergone MAJOR redecoration – the four long House tables were removed and the walls were overflowing with hearts as design. It seemed that the color for the night was either pink or red because first, the Great Hall was all pink and red and white (perhaps to neutralize the pink-and-red combination) and second, almost every girl in school was wearing either red or pink, even the teachers. (The boys wouldn't be caught dead wearing a red, much more a PINK tuxedo!)
"There she is!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the staircase.
Ron turned around and saw Hermione walking down the staircase. She was wearing a pale purple spaghetti-strapped gown and silver high-heeled shoes, and her once bushy brown hair was NOT bushy anymore. In fact, it was pulled up in a French twist. Ron had absolutely NO IDEA on how Hermione had fixed herself up like that in just two hours. Her get-up looked as if it had to be fixed AT LEAST for FIVE hours.
"God! You're so beautiful!" Ron exclaimed as Hermione stopped in front of him and Harry. "I don't know how you did it, but you are absolutely GORGEOUS!"
"Oh, stop it!" said Hermione. She was blushing furiously. "Hi Harry. You look nice."
"Thanks," said Harry, forcing a smile. "Go on, you two. Dance the night away. I'll just be by the refreshments table."
"You're not dancing?" asked Hermione. Harry shook his head.
"Then what's the point of coming to the ball?"
"Dunno," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.
"C'mon." Ron was pulling Hermione's arm towards the dance floor. "If Harry doesn't want to dance, then let him be. But I'm sure that if CHO asks him to dance, he won't be able to say no." He smiled at Harry. "See ya later, alligator!"
"Yeah," muttered Harry under his breath. "See ya."
* * *
It was almost half past ten, and Harry still didn't approach Cho. She'd seen him at eight thirty when she came down the staircase. She was with Liz and Charlotte, both whom she hadn't introduced to Harry. She had already danced with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw team captain, twice, with Neil Smith, a seventh-year Ravenclaw, once, even with Cedric once. She had gone back and forth to the refreshments table to get some punch, and she had seen Harry hanging out there.
'I wonder why he's not dancing,' she thought.
"Why don't you make the first move?" suggested Liz.
"Maybe he's just waiting for you to approach him, that's why he's not approaching you," Charlotte added.
"Maybe," replied Cho. "Yeah, I think I'll talk to him."
"Great!" exclaimed Charlotte and Liz in unison.
"Not now," she put in. "Maybe later. But not now."
* * *
'It's almost eleven o'clock, dammit,' thought Harry, 'and she STILL hasn't talked to me! Not even a measly 'hi'! None! Nada! Absolutely nothing!'
He had been hanging out at the refreshment table for almost three hours, but still, nothing has happened between him and Cho. He then decided to go out by the lake. When he got there, he could still hear the music and Lee Jordan's voice (he was the DJ).
"This song is for the lovers out there," said Lee.
The song started playing. Harry could hear some girls singing along. Other girls were persuading their partners to dance with them.
Suddenly he heard a familiar voice singing.
"How can I not love you? What do I tell my heart? When do I not want you here in my arms? How does one waltz away from all of the memories? How do I not miss you when you are gone?"
"Hermione?" he called, turning around.
"Yeah," Hermione replied. "It's me."
"What're you doing out here?" he asked. "I thought you were dancing with Ron."
"Yeah, I was," she replied. "But someone suddenly popped out of nowhere and asked me to lead you to her."
Before Harry had a chance to ask who 'her' was, Cho Chang appeared into view.
* * *
"Hi Harry," said Cho. Her voice was almost inaudible.
"Hi."
Harry knew it was rude to stare, but he couldn't help himself, especially now that he saw Cho up-close. She was wearing a pastel blue satin off- shoulder gown, and her short hair framed her face. She wore a gold necklace without any pendant, matched with her gold heart-shaped earrings, her gold ID bracelet, and a gold ring with a bright blue sapphire for the stone.
"You're so beautiful," he said unconsciously.
"Uh... thank you," said Cho, blushing. She nervously took a step closer to Harry.
"Um... do you remember that night when you... uh... told me you loved me? And... you wanted me to be yours?"
"Yeah, I do," he said, looking down at the ground. "You said no."
"I DIDN'T say no." Cho's tone was gentle, but a hint of firmness was distinguishable. "But I didn't say yes either. I told you I wasn't ready for another relationship, remember?"
Harry merely nodded his head.
"That was because I was scared," Cho explained. "I was scared of getting hurt again. I had undergone a tough ordeal with Cedric – we got into a lot of fights before the actual breakup. But now, I think my decision to think over what you told me was all right. Because I realized that I couldn't afford to be scared forever. I realized that I couldn't sacrifice my love for you just because I'm scared to try again and go into another relationship. And now I've decided that I DO love you, and I DO want to be yours. If you still want me to be yours, that is."
"Are... are you sure?" Harry couldn't believe his ears – Cho was saying yes to him!
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Yes!" Harry couldn't help it – he hugged Cho tightly as if he would never let go. Cho hugged him back.
"I love you, Cho," he muttered, stroking Cho's hair.
"I love you too, Harry," replied Cho, still locked in the embrace.
* * *
"Since it's Valentine's night, I want everyone to grab a partner – anyone at all – and start dancing to this song." Lee Jordan's voice was heard all over the palace.
"We're tired already!" screamed Wood.
"Yeah!" Fred chimed in. "Give us a break!"
"Then don't join in!" retorted Lee. "You're just going to miss the LAST DANCE OF THE NIGHT!"
Time, I've been passing time watching trains go by, all of my life...
"It Might Be You" was playing. Everyone started getting on the dance floor and moving slowly to the song.
"Would you dance with me?" Harry asked Cho, extending his hand. "You know, I haven't danced all night."
"I thought you'd never ask," said Cho, taking Harry's extended hand. They walked hand-in-hand towards the dance floor, where they, like the others, moved to the slow beat of the song.
"Maybe it's you, maybe it's you; I've been waiting for all of my life." Harry, unexpectedly, had been singing.
"I love you." He kissed Cho on the forehead.
"I love you too." Cho and Harry's lips met, and they were instantly locked in a soft yet passionate kiss.
* ~ * ~ * THE END * ~ * ~ *
A/N: YESSS!!! 17 chapters down, no more to go!!! Yehey! I just gotta tell you guys that I spent exactly 2 months and 12 days working on this fic. (Long, eh? I know. Ü)
Now for my speech: I'd like to thank all the little people who stood behind me while I worked on this project... kidding! No, but seriously, I hope you guys aren't THAT mad at me… I mean, for not updating for so long... (this chapter was supposed to be posted in time for Valentine's Day!) I lost Internet access for a long time (actually, I haven't even gotten it back yet!). And also, I'd like to apologize for the double Chapter 11 thingie… that was a technical problem while I was uploading the chapter and honestly I really don't know how in the world that happened and I don't know how in the world am I supposed to fix it. I'm really sorry you guys!
Oh, another thing: coOL-wacky, my friend, thanks SOOOOO much for updating these chapters for me! I really appreciate it! (Hey guys, say THANKS to coOL-wacky here! Give her a big round of applause! Ü)
Well, since this fic is already finished, I'd really appreciate it if you'd review my work. Thank you very much to those people who really stuck around and waited for my fic to finish. Thanks a lot you guys! (OK, now you can kill me.)
Harry and Ron waited at the foot of the marble staircase near the Great Hall for Hermione. They noticed that the Great Hall had undergone MAJOR redecoration – the four long House tables were removed and the walls were overflowing with hearts as design. It seemed that the color for the night was either pink or red because first, the Great Hall was all pink and red and white (perhaps to neutralize the pink-and-red combination) and second, almost every girl in school was wearing either red or pink, even the teachers. (The boys wouldn't be caught dead wearing a red, much more a PINK tuxedo!)
"There she is!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at the staircase.
Ron turned around and saw Hermione walking down the staircase. She was wearing a pale purple spaghetti-strapped gown and silver high-heeled shoes, and her once bushy brown hair was NOT bushy anymore. In fact, it was pulled up in a French twist. Ron had absolutely NO IDEA on how Hermione had fixed herself up like that in just two hours. Her get-up looked as if it had to be fixed AT LEAST for FIVE hours.
"God! You're so beautiful!" Ron exclaimed as Hermione stopped in front of him and Harry. "I don't know how you did it, but you are absolutely GORGEOUS!"
"Oh, stop it!" said Hermione. She was blushing furiously. "Hi Harry. You look nice."
"Thanks," said Harry, forcing a smile. "Go on, you two. Dance the night away. I'll just be by the refreshments table."
"You're not dancing?" asked Hermione. Harry shook his head.
"Then what's the point of coming to the ball?"
"Dunno," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.
"C'mon." Ron was pulling Hermione's arm towards the dance floor. "If Harry doesn't want to dance, then let him be. But I'm sure that if CHO asks him to dance, he won't be able to say no." He smiled at Harry. "See ya later, alligator!"
"Yeah," muttered Harry under his breath. "See ya."
* * *
It was almost half past ten, and Harry still didn't approach Cho. She'd seen him at eight thirty when she came down the staircase. She was with Liz and Charlotte, both whom she hadn't introduced to Harry. She had already danced with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw team captain, twice, with Neil Smith, a seventh-year Ravenclaw, once, even with Cedric once. She had gone back and forth to the refreshments table to get some punch, and she had seen Harry hanging out there.
'I wonder why he's not dancing,' she thought.
"Why don't you make the first move?" suggested Liz.
"Maybe he's just waiting for you to approach him, that's why he's not approaching you," Charlotte added.
"Maybe," replied Cho. "Yeah, I think I'll talk to him."
"Great!" exclaimed Charlotte and Liz in unison.
"Not now," she put in. "Maybe later. But not now."
* * *
'It's almost eleven o'clock, dammit,' thought Harry, 'and she STILL hasn't talked to me! Not even a measly 'hi'! None! Nada! Absolutely nothing!'
He had been hanging out at the refreshment table for almost three hours, but still, nothing has happened between him and Cho. He then decided to go out by the lake. When he got there, he could still hear the music and Lee Jordan's voice (he was the DJ).
"This song is for the lovers out there," said Lee.
The song started playing. Harry could hear some girls singing along. Other girls were persuading their partners to dance with them.
Suddenly he heard a familiar voice singing.
"How can I not love you? What do I tell my heart? When do I not want you here in my arms? How does one waltz away from all of the memories? How do I not miss you when you are gone?"
"Hermione?" he called, turning around.
"Yeah," Hermione replied. "It's me."
"What're you doing out here?" he asked. "I thought you were dancing with Ron."
"Yeah, I was," she replied. "But someone suddenly popped out of nowhere and asked me to lead you to her."
Before Harry had a chance to ask who 'her' was, Cho Chang appeared into view.
* * *
"Hi Harry," said Cho. Her voice was almost inaudible.
"Hi."
Harry knew it was rude to stare, but he couldn't help himself, especially now that he saw Cho up-close. She was wearing a pastel blue satin off- shoulder gown, and her short hair framed her face. She wore a gold necklace without any pendant, matched with her gold heart-shaped earrings, her gold ID bracelet, and a gold ring with a bright blue sapphire for the stone.
"You're so beautiful," he said unconsciously.
"Uh... thank you," said Cho, blushing. She nervously took a step closer to Harry.
"Um... do you remember that night when you... uh... told me you loved me? And... you wanted me to be yours?"
"Yeah, I do," he said, looking down at the ground. "You said no."
"I DIDN'T say no." Cho's tone was gentle, but a hint of firmness was distinguishable. "But I didn't say yes either. I told you I wasn't ready for another relationship, remember?"
Harry merely nodded his head.
"That was because I was scared," Cho explained. "I was scared of getting hurt again. I had undergone a tough ordeal with Cedric – we got into a lot of fights before the actual breakup. But now, I think my decision to think over what you told me was all right. Because I realized that I couldn't afford to be scared forever. I realized that I couldn't sacrifice my love for you just because I'm scared to try again and go into another relationship. And now I've decided that I DO love you, and I DO want to be yours. If you still want me to be yours, that is."
"Are... are you sure?" Harry couldn't believe his ears – Cho was saying yes to him!
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Yes!" Harry couldn't help it – he hugged Cho tightly as if he would never let go. Cho hugged him back.
"I love you, Cho," he muttered, stroking Cho's hair.
"I love you too, Harry," replied Cho, still locked in the embrace.
* * *
"Since it's Valentine's night, I want everyone to grab a partner – anyone at all – and start dancing to this song." Lee Jordan's voice was heard all over the palace.
"We're tired already!" screamed Wood.
"Yeah!" Fred chimed in. "Give us a break!"
"Then don't join in!" retorted Lee. "You're just going to miss the LAST DANCE OF THE NIGHT!"
Time, I've been passing time watching trains go by, all of my life...
"It Might Be You" was playing. Everyone started getting on the dance floor and moving slowly to the song.
"Would you dance with me?" Harry asked Cho, extending his hand. "You know, I haven't danced all night."
"I thought you'd never ask," said Cho, taking Harry's extended hand. They walked hand-in-hand towards the dance floor, where they, like the others, moved to the slow beat of the song.
"Maybe it's you, maybe it's you; I've been waiting for all of my life." Harry, unexpectedly, had been singing.
"I love you." He kissed Cho on the forehead.
"I love you too." Cho and Harry's lips met, and they were instantly locked in a soft yet passionate kiss.
* ~ * ~ * THE END * ~ * ~ *
A/N: YESSS!!! 17 chapters down, no more to go!!! Yehey! I just gotta tell you guys that I spent exactly 2 months and 12 days working on this fic. (Long, eh? I know. Ü)
Now for my speech: I'd like to thank all the little people who stood behind me while I worked on this project... kidding! No, but seriously, I hope you guys aren't THAT mad at me… I mean, for not updating for so long... (this chapter was supposed to be posted in time for Valentine's Day!) I lost Internet access for a long time (actually, I haven't even gotten it back yet!). And also, I'd like to apologize for the double Chapter 11 thingie… that was a technical problem while I was uploading the chapter and honestly I really don't know how in the world that happened and I don't know how in the world am I supposed to fix it. I'm really sorry you guys!
Oh, another thing: coOL-wacky, my friend, thanks SOOOOO much for updating these chapters for me! I really appreciate it! (Hey guys, say THANKS to coOL-wacky here! Give her a big round of applause! Ü)
Well, since this fic is already finished, I'd really appreciate it if you'd review my work. Thank you very much to those people who really stuck around and waited for my fic to finish. Thanks a lot you guys! (OK, now you can kill me.)
