Harry Potter and the Jade Heart
Chapter 11
"Fights and Failures"
"Are you all right? You don't seem to be acting like your usual self," said Harry.
"And how would you know how I usually act?" snapped Cho. They were sitting in the library together. Cho had been staring at nothing, tapping her quill. Harry had never seen Cho with a temper before. He didn't know how to react.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
The truth was that something was bothering Cho. All the anonymous letters she had been receiving were getting to her. They were pushing her to the edge. They never said much, but they said enough.
Harry had noticed that Cho's mood seemed to coincide with the weather. There hadn't been a sunny day since the beginning of April. Things just kept getting darker, along with Cho's demeanor.
Harry's scar hurt quite often as well. He knew it had to do with Voldemort, but why hadn't he heard about anything? All of Hogwarts continued as though nothing was happening in the rest of the world.
"Harry?" asked Cho. Harry must have drifted off in his thoughts. He looked over at her. It seemed she had been looking at him for a while now. "Why don't you hang out with Ron or Hermione anymore?"
Harry was very surprised at this question. "What do you mean? Of course I do."
"No, you don't. You used to be joined at the hip, and now I bet you couldn't even tell me what's been going on with them."
Harry didn't understand why Cho was so interested in his relationships with Ron and Hermione. "Well, I guess we just needed a break from each other. We can't hang out with just each other forever."
"Why not? They're you're friends, aren't they? Are you saying you get tired of your friends?" That question made Harry a bit angry. What exactly was she getting at? "Can you just drop people so easily?"
"Cho, what is your problem?" he asked, angrily. "I'm still friends with them. But people grow up. Sometimes they grow apart. Am I not allowed to be with other people?"
"You want to be with other people?" she asked in a crushed manner.
'Is she for real?' thought Harry. "I like being with *you*. Is it so wrong that I spend some time with you and not Ron or Hermione?"
Something about what Harry said made Cho fight back tears. Harry wanted to feel bad, but he didn't even know what he did and she was just acting too weird. Cho was staring down at her parchment, which now had tear drops smearing the ink.
"Would you please tell me what's wrong? What on earth could be bothering you so much?"
Cho looked up with an angry look in her eyes. "You of all people wouldn't understand!" She stood up and fled from the library. Harry just sat there bewildered. The way Cho looked just now reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was. Thoughts of his dream returned to him. He thought of how Cho was just out of reach, and when he was falling she resembled a dementor. Harry decided not to go anywhere in case she returned. He didn't want her getting any ideas or interpreting his absence upon her return.
Cho came back about an hour later. Her eyes were a bit red, but the rest of her face reflected a level of calmness. She sat down.
"I shouldn't have snapped at you," she said. "I'm sure you don't deserve that. I guess it's just getting close to that day."
'Day?' thought Harry. Cho saw the confused look on Harry's face.
"You know. It's been almost a year since the third task, and I just--"
'Oh.' Harry can't believe he had forgotten. "Don't worry about it. I--" He was about to say he understood but then remembered Cho yelling at him. "I....Do you want to be left alone?"
"No, no," said Cho, shaking her head. "That's the last thing I want."
"Don't worry. I'll be here for you."
Cho smiled gently at him. "Thank you, Harry."
Later that evening Cho threw all ten letters she had in her trunk into the fire. She no longer trusted the person sending them. The only person she could trust was Harry, and those letters just made her question that.
Chapter 11
"Fights and Failures"
"Are you all right? You don't seem to be acting like your usual self," said Harry.
"And how would you know how I usually act?" snapped Cho. They were sitting in the library together. Cho had been staring at nothing, tapping her quill. Harry had never seen Cho with a temper before. He didn't know how to react.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
The truth was that something was bothering Cho. All the anonymous letters she had been receiving were getting to her. They were pushing her to the edge. They never said much, but they said enough.
Harry had noticed that Cho's mood seemed to coincide with the weather. There hadn't been a sunny day since the beginning of April. Things just kept getting darker, along with Cho's demeanor.
Harry's scar hurt quite often as well. He knew it had to do with Voldemort, but why hadn't he heard about anything? All of Hogwarts continued as though nothing was happening in the rest of the world.
"Harry?" asked Cho. Harry must have drifted off in his thoughts. He looked over at her. It seemed she had been looking at him for a while now. "Why don't you hang out with Ron or Hermione anymore?"
Harry was very surprised at this question. "What do you mean? Of course I do."
"No, you don't. You used to be joined at the hip, and now I bet you couldn't even tell me what's been going on with them."
Harry didn't understand why Cho was so interested in his relationships with Ron and Hermione. "Well, I guess we just needed a break from each other. We can't hang out with just each other forever."
"Why not? They're you're friends, aren't they? Are you saying you get tired of your friends?" That question made Harry a bit angry. What exactly was she getting at? "Can you just drop people so easily?"
"Cho, what is your problem?" he asked, angrily. "I'm still friends with them. But people grow up. Sometimes they grow apart. Am I not allowed to be with other people?"
"You want to be with other people?" she asked in a crushed manner.
'Is she for real?' thought Harry. "I like being with *you*. Is it so wrong that I spend some time with you and not Ron or Hermione?"
Something about what Harry said made Cho fight back tears. Harry wanted to feel bad, but he didn't even know what he did and she was just acting too weird. Cho was staring down at her parchment, which now had tear drops smearing the ink.
"Would you please tell me what's wrong? What on earth could be bothering you so much?"
Cho looked up with an angry look in her eyes. "You of all people wouldn't understand!" She stood up and fled from the library. Harry just sat there bewildered. The way Cho looked just now reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was. Thoughts of his dream returned to him. He thought of how Cho was just out of reach, and when he was falling she resembled a dementor. Harry decided not to go anywhere in case she returned. He didn't want her getting any ideas or interpreting his absence upon her return.
Cho came back about an hour later. Her eyes were a bit red, but the rest of her face reflected a level of calmness. She sat down.
"I shouldn't have snapped at you," she said. "I'm sure you don't deserve that. I guess it's just getting close to that day."
'Day?' thought Harry. Cho saw the confused look on Harry's face.
"You know. It's been almost a year since the third task, and I just--"
'Oh.' Harry can't believe he had forgotten. "Don't worry about it. I--" He was about to say he understood but then remembered Cho yelling at him. "I....Do you want to be left alone?"
"No, no," said Cho, shaking her head. "That's the last thing I want."
"Don't worry. I'll be here for you."
Cho smiled gently at him. "Thank you, Harry."
Later that evening Cho threw all ten letters she had in her trunk into the fire. She no longer trusted the person sending them. The only person she could trust was Harry, and those letters just made her question that.