Cho slumped into the Ravenclaw common room later than usual that night,
disregarding her homework and the happy chants of her name from her
friends. It wasn't until Marietta opened up the curtains of Cho's four-
poster that she talked to someone. With mascara streaked down her pink
puffy cheeks, Cho explained in great detail every word and motion Harry had
used in their argument. And how she told him that she loved him.
By the next morning, Cho had partially forgotten the events of yesterday, or at least she tried fore they lurked in the back of her mind. Bearing a smile and waving to all her friends in the corridors, Cho acted as if nothing had ever happened, as if she was back to her usual self and had never left the pain she left as she tucked herself to sleep last night.
"He doesn't love me. He hates me," she remembering crying last night before her head hit the pillow to crash into a deep sleep. In her dreams, all she could recall the next morning was that she was sharing a hot cup of tea with Harry at Madam Puddifoot's when Harry got up swiftly and said, "I have better places to be, Cho," and he jogged out of the shop, arms linked with a Gryffindor in his class, Hermione Granger.
As Cho was reliving her ridiculous dream on her way to Divination she realized that that was what had caused the arguing between Harry and Cho in the fist place, Hermione. It was Hermione Harry left for on their date on Valentine's Day. And it was Hermione that Harry sided with when Cho complained about the spell Hermione had put on anyone that told on their secret defense group. Hermione was the reason that Cho and Harry would never have a chance. As long as Hermione was around.
A surge of anger took over Cho as Hermione herself walked past her in the hallway. Hate she had never felt before, even for Lord Voldemort when he murdered Cedric, crawled through her blood as she dropped her books on the floor and drew out her wand. There was Hermione, books clutched to her chest and chatting merrily with Harry at her side. Her jealousy was taking control of her, she wanted to hurt Hermione, to show her the pain that she caused Cho to feel every day. There was only one spell she knew that would display the hate she felt for the sixteen-year-old Gryffindor that was laughing with Harry as she marched down to her next class.
"Crucio!" Cho screamed, aiming her wand indomitably at Hermione. Hermione's large brown hair stood on its ends as she let out a painful scream, splitting the ears of those in the corridor. Her back formed an arch and her feet lifted off the ground. It wasn't for another fifteen seconds before Cho lowered her wand, a grin spreading across her face, until she looked up at Harry.
"Hermione! Oh my God, Hermione. Are you okay?" Harry was kneeling down at the ground, holding Hermione's head in his arms. Then as if he had just put what had happened together, he handed Hermione over to Ron and stood up, facing Cho. Within the next second, Harry was on top of Cho, his hands around her neck, shaking her madly, screaming on the top of his lungs.
"You bitch! You stupid little slut! What's your problem! What the fuck is your problem?" Tears surged down Cho's face; her body helplessly limp on the ground. She closed her eyes as Harry tried to strangle her, then moving on to punching her across her face. She could feel the blooding streaming out of her nose. But she didn't care. All she cared about was that she had hurt Hermione. She had shown Hermione what it was like to feel pain, to understand what Cho had faced in her heart ever since Cedric had died in her fifth-year. She showed Hermione how she felt about her. How much she loved Harry.
"Cho? Cho, are you okay? Wake up. Come on, Cho, wake up!" Cho opened her eyes to the face of Roger Davies, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a good friend of hers. "Oh, great! You're okay. Hold on, let me get Madame Pomfrey," he said gleefully and hopped away from her hospital bed.
Cho looked down at her body. Her torso was wrapping up in bandages, as if it was seriously damaged. She went to move her body upright, but a sharp pain hit her in the chest and she tumbled back to a laying position.
"Now, don't try to get up, dear," Madame Pomfrey exclaimed from the foot of Cho's bed. "I suspect the Headmaster will be in any minute to see you. Just keep seated the way you are, and drink this. It'll lessen the pain." Cho took a sip of medicine from Madame Pomfrey and looked back at Roger.
"Well, um, I don't know what that was all about, but, um, I'm glad you're okay," he stuttered out, not looking at Cho in the eyes, but more of his own feet. Cho smiled. Roger was cute when he was blushing, but not as cute as she remembered Harry when he had asked her to the ball. Her mind flashed back to Harry. She thought of the times she would get nervous during the defense group when Harry would walk over to see how she was doing. She looked up at Roger, who was mumbling something inaudible to Cho. She thought how she never felt that nervous around Roger, or any other boy for that matter. Only Harry.
"Thanks for coming, Roger. I appreciate it," Cho sighed out with a smile. Roger turned his head her way.
"No problem," he gazed back at his shoes and continued to talk. "As long as you're okay, I suppose I will go back to class. Bye." He stood up and began to walk out of the infirmary, but turned back, gave Cho a peck on her cheek, and walked back out with out saying a word.
As Cho went to rub the spot on her face where Roger had kissed her, Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, strolled into the hospital wing, his hands in the pockets of his flowing robes, whistling a tune Cho recognized as a song by the Weird Sisters. She couldn't help but uttering a chuckle.
Professor Dumbledore sat down at the end of Cho's bed. Looking her straight in the eyes he said, "I assume you know why I am here, Miss Chang."
"I can take a guess, sir." Cho attempted to sound brave and not intimidated by the Headmaster, who was now fumbling with the edges of Cho's sheets. He continued.
"Well, whatever compelled you to perform the Cruciatus curse of Miss Granger must have been caused by a long-term hate, because the damage that you inflicted upon her may be unfixable." Dumbledore linked his long fingers together and glanced over to another patient sitting four beds away from Cho. She was sleeping at the time, her mouth lazily opened, and the sheet unorganized on top of her. Cho couldn't help but feel slightly triumphant. Dumbledore said Cho had caused serious damage to her, and there was Hermione, lying helplessly on the bed. "I do hope you understand that you have used an Unforgivable Curse, Miss Chang, and the consequences cannot be taken lightly in this case."
Cho looked up at Dumbledore and mumbled, "I understand."
"With the understanding that you will be of-age in three weeks, expulsion from Hogwarts along with a six month sentence in Azkaban is in order." Cho's jaw dropped. She was going to Azkaban. Dumbledore continued once more. "Miss Chang, you are extremely lucky that you were under-age when you performed that curse. Otherwise, the Ministry would have decided upon a lifetime sentence in Azkaban." He twiddled his fingers a bit and then stood up sharply. "Your parents will be arriving soon, and we will be able to discuss the matters then. In the mean time, I believe you have a visitor."
As Dumbledore exited the hospital wing, someone walked in. The last person Cho wanted to see walking into the medical center at this time, Harry Potter.
By the next morning, Cho had partially forgotten the events of yesterday, or at least she tried fore they lurked in the back of her mind. Bearing a smile and waving to all her friends in the corridors, Cho acted as if nothing had ever happened, as if she was back to her usual self and had never left the pain she left as she tucked herself to sleep last night.
"He doesn't love me. He hates me," she remembering crying last night before her head hit the pillow to crash into a deep sleep. In her dreams, all she could recall the next morning was that she was sharing a hot cup of tea with Harry at Madam Puddifoot's when Harry got up swiftly and said, "I have better places to be, Cho," and he jogged out of the shop, arms linked with a Gryffindor in his class, Hermione Granger.
As Cho was reliving her ridiculous dream on her way to Divination she realized that that was what had caused the arguing between Harry and Cho in the fist place, Hermione. It was Hermione Harry left for on their date on Valentine's Day. And it was Hermione that Harry sided with when Cho complained about the spell Hermione had put on anyone that told on their secret defense group. Hermione was the reason that Cho and Harry would never have a chance. As long as Hermione was around.
A surge of anger took over Cho as Hermione herself walked past her in the hallway. Hate she had never felt before, even for Lord Voldemort when he murdered Cedric, crawled through her blood as she dropped her books on the floor and drew out her wand. There was Hermione, books clutched to her chest and chatting merrily with Harry at her side. Her jealousy was taking control of her, she wanted to hurt Hermione, to show her the pain that she caused Cho to feel every day. There was only one spell she knew that would display the hate she felt for the sixteen-year-old Gryffindor that was laughing with Harry as she marched down to her next class.
"Crucio!" Cho screamed, aiming her wand indomitably at Hermione. Hermione's large brown hair stood on its ends as she let out a painful scream, splitting the ears of those in the corridor. Her back formed an arch and her feet lifted off the ground. It wasn't for another fifteen seconds before Cho lowered her wand, a grin spreading across her face, until she looked up at Harry.
"Hermione! Oh my God, Hermione. Are you okay?" Harry was kneeling down at the ground, holding Hermione's head in his arms. Then as if he had just put what had happened together, he handed Hermione over to Ron and stood up, facing Cho. Within the next second, Harry was on top of Cho, his hands around her neck, shaking her madly, screaming on the top of his lungs.
"You bitch! You stupid little slut! What's your problem! What the fuck is your problem?" Tears surged down Cho's face; her body helplessly limp on the ground. She closed her eyes as Harry tried to strangle her, then moving on to punching her across her face. She could feel the blooding streaming out of her nose. But she didn't care. All she cared about was that she had hurt Hermione. She had shown Hermione what it was like to feel pain, to understand what Cho had faced in her heart ever since Cedric had died in her fifth-year. She showed Hermione how she felt about her. How much she loved Harry.
"Cho? Cho, are you okay? Wake up. Come on, Cho, wake up!" Cho opened her eyes to the face of Roger Davies, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a good friend of hers. "Oh, great! You're okay. Hold on, let me get Madame Pomfrey," he said gleefully and hopped away from her hospital bed.
Cho looked down at her body. Her torso was wrapping up in bandages, as if it was seriously damaged. She went to move her body upright, but a sharp pain hit her in the chest and she tumbled back to a laying position.
"Now, don't try to get up, dear," Madame Pomfrey exclaimed from the foot of Cho's bed. "I suspect the Headmaster will be in any minute to see you. Just keep seated the way you are, and drink this. It'll lessen the pain." Cho took a sip of medicine from Madame Pomfrey and looked back at Roger.
"Well, um, I don't know what that was all about, but, um, I'm glad you're okay," he stuttered out, not looking at Cho in the eyes, but more of his own feet. Cho smiled. Roger was cute when he was blushing, but not as cute as she remembered Harry when he had asked her to the ball. Her mind flashed back to Harry. She thought of the times she would get nervous during the defense group when Harry would walk over to see how she was doing. She looked up at Roger, who was mumbling something inaudible to Cho. She thought how she never felt that nervous around Roger, or any other boy for that matter. Only Harry.
"Thanks for coming, Roger. I appreciate it," Cho sighed out with a smile. Roger turned his head her way.
"No problem," he gazed back at his shoes and continued to talk. "As long as you're okay, I suppose I will go back to class. Bye." He stood up and began to walk out of the infirmary, but turned back, gave Cho a peck on her cheek, and walked back out with out saying a word.
As Cho went to rub the spot on her face where Roger had kissed her, Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, strolled into the hospital wing, his hands in the pockets of his flowing robes, whistling a tune Cho recognized as a song by the Weird Sisters. She couldn't help but uttering a chuckle.
Professor Dumbledore sat down at the end of Cho's bed. Looking her straight in the eyes he said, "I assume you know why I am here, Miss Chang."
"I can take a guess, sir." Cho attempted to sound brave and not intimidated by the Headmaster, who was now fumbling with the edges of Cho's sheets. He continued.
"Well, whatever compelled you to perform the Cruciatus curse of Miss Granger must have been caused by a long-term hate, because the damage that you inflicted upon her may be unfixable." Dumbledore linked his long fingers together and glanced over to another patient sitting four beds away from Cho. She was sleeping at the time, her mouth lazily opened, and the sheet unorganized on top of her. Cho couldn't help but feel slightly triumphant. Dumbledore said Cho had caused serious damage to her, and there was Hermione, lying helplessly on the bed. "I do hope you understand that you have used an Unforgivable Curse, Miss Chang, and the consequences cannot be taken lightly in this case."
Cho looked up at Dumbledore and mumbled, "I understand."
"With the understanding that you will be of-age in three weeks, expulsion from Hogwarts along with a six month sentence in Azkaban is in order." Cho's jaw dropped. She was going to Azkaban. Dumbledore continued once more. "Miss Chang, you are extremely lucky that you were under-age when you performed that curse. Otherwise, the Ministry would have decided upon a lifetime sentence in Azkaban." He twiddled his fingers a bit and then stood up sharply. "Your parents will be arriving soon, and we will be able to discuss the matters then. In the mean time, I believe you have a visitor."
As Dumbledore exited the hospital wing, someone walked in. The last person Cho wanted to see walking into the medical center at this time, Harry Potter.
