OR DIE TRYING: THE STORY OF CHO CHANG

By monkeymouse

NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms.

Rated: PG-13

Spoilers: Everything

2. Where You Ought To Be

She sat in her compartment with a group of "mixed" older girls; some were from Hufflepuff, some from Ravenclaw, but all of them knew the Chang shoppe in Diagon Alley, and felt that they could speak freely with Cho. Cho didn't know any of these girls, but politely kept the conversation going, and, as is the way of such things, they had become fast friends by the time the trip was half over.

"I wish it was next year already," Cho said as she bit the head off of a Chocolate Frog (crunchy style). "Whatever House I'm in, I want to try for Quidditch."

"A waste of time," one girl said without ever looking up from the Spells book she'd been reading for the past two hours. Obviously a Ravenclaw.

"Thank you, Madam Trelawney," said Penny Clearwater, a Third-Year Ravenclaw. "Are you trying to put Cho off with your doom and gloom?"

"Just being realistic; Slytherin's on a roll, and they'll sweep again. More's the pity."

Something about the way she said "Slytherin" made Cho decide she didn't want to be in that house, even if they offered her Captain. "What's so wrong about Slytherin?"

"In two words, Marcus Flint." The girl finally closed her Spells book. "By the way, I'm Amanda; Amanda Lightfoot, Fifth-Year Ravenclaw. Lightfoot by name but not by nature; can't fly worth a damn." But she smiled as she said it. "Flint's the Captain of the Slytherin team, and as a Chaser he's an absolute terror. Thinks nothing of beating on the opposition. An elbow in the eye, a foot in the ribs; it's all one to him. And the rest of the team follows along behind, even their Seeker, Terence Higgs."

"But they can't do that! That's not how it's supposed to be!"

"Once the game gets rolling, the refs can't see everything. They don't get away with it all, but just enough to make the difference."

"Well, I don't care; I won't let them get to me! I won't let anyone treat me like that when I'm Seeker!"

"WHEN you're Seeker? Pretty sure of yourself."

"I can afford to be sure of myself; I'm good."

"Hooch will be the judge of that," Penny said.

"Hooch?"

"Madam Hooch, the flying instructor and head Quidditch referee. Even if a House picks you in your second year, she's got to clear you."

"But why can't the First-Years play?"

"Oh, they used to," Penny said, "but that was about a hundred years ago. Good luck getting them to change it now."

Just then, the train started to slow down; they could see they were getting to the village of Hogsmeade, near Hogwarts Academy.

Cho grabbed her bags, but Penny stopped her. "They've got elves to take it all over, including your owl. Leave it here and enjoy the ride. Maybe I'll see you inside."

At first, Cho wasn't sure what Penny meant by "enjoy the ride". The night had turned suddenly chilly, and a blanket of fog was moving along the ground. She was shocked back into awareness by the booming voice of a gigantic man calling himself Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, telling the First-Years to board a fleet of small boats waiting at a pier by the station.

She got into one small boat with three other new arrivals. As soon as the last boat was filled, they pushed off under their own power, following Hagrid as he rowed on ahead. It was a bit hard to see him, as the fog had moved onto the surface of the lake. After a few minutes, though, the fog suddenly lifted and Cho and the others were amazed at the sight.

Cho had seen single castles before; her family had taken her to see the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and other castles as part of her endless education. Hogwarts, however, wasn't any castle she had ever seen or even imagined: it was almost as if the castle had taken root and grown over the past thousand years. There were turrets and walls and battlements and sections that hardly seemed like built-on additions; more likely that Hogwarts grew more room as it needed more room, like some of stone plant.

Cho was so focused on the castle that she didn't notice the boats docking until hers bumped into the pier. She got out with the others, and for a moment they all stood at the base of a wide stone stair leading to the main doors of the castle. Hagrid led them up to the doors, where they were met by an old, thin and rather severe-looking witch in spectacles.

"Welcome to Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall; I am the Assistant Headmistress here, and you ought to remember my name from the letters you received this summer.

"Before we go in, I will explain what will happen. The student body is divided into four Houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin. We will find out which House you will be in by your putting on a Sorting Hat. The Hat will tell you where you ought to be. After dinner, Prefects from your new House will conduct you to your Houses and your dormitories. Follow me."

Professor McGonagall led the children through several hallways and into the Great Hall, where more witches and wizards than Cho had ever seen (outside of the Cup match in Gibraltar) were waiting for them, seated at four tables that ran almost the length of the Hall. They all seemed to be watching the new arrivals very closely.

Cho noticed a couple of students pointing to her, then whispering to each other. She scanned the faces around her, and realized: she was probably alone. There were a few black students, and some Pakistani, but she was probably the only Chinese student at Hogwarts. She decided to deal with that as she had dealt with such problems the rest of her life: by taking people as they come. Some would give her a hard time for no reason at all, but there was no sense worrying about any of that until it actually happened.

McGonagall brought forward a battered old stool, and set a pointed hat on top of it. The hat seemed to be made of shreds and patches, and was hardly a proper hat at all-except that, when she put it on the stool, it stayed upright, opened a seam between two of its patches, and started singing:

"Just once every year I reports

To the dining hall here at Hogwarts

For some hats may fly

Or keep your head dry

But I am the one Hat that Sorts!

Now Gryffindor may be your seat

Or you may think that Slytherin's a treat

But the sooner I decide

Where you're going to reside

The sooner you'll all get to eat!"

Professor McGonagall began calling out the names of the First-Years:

"Reginald Beechcroft!"

As she did so, a boy came forward and sat on the stool. She placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and the Hat sang out:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

And so it went

"Harrison Bergeron!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Naomi Cadwalader!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Cho Chang!"

Cho had gotten so involved with the rhythms of McGonagall reading names and the Hat shouting out Houses that it didn't register at first that she was being called. She gathered herself together, wished that one of her parents was here with her, and went up to the stool. As she approached, more nervous than she could ever remember being, she looked at the Head Table, where a very old wizard with a very long white beard smiled and winked at her. This actually relaxed her as she sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head. At once a voice started humming between her ears:

"Well, this is a rarity, I must say. A love of reading, and a brilliant mind; you'll go far already. But you also have a hunger to prove something; such a strong hunger I can almost taste it, and I don't have a tongue. Which will it be? Ravenclaw for learning or Gryffindor for valour?" Before Cho could even answer the question in her own mind, the Hat started talking again: "Out of respect for the Great Teacher, I'd better put you where your brains will be appreciated, and you'll still have a chance to prove your bravery over in RAVENCLAW!"

The way that the Hat shouted out the last word jarred her; she didn't quite know what to do until she saw Penny Clearwater, on her feet, happily clapping and waving Cho over to her table.

As Cho went over to the Ravenclaw table, she had to wonder how the Hat knew to call him the Great Teacher; everyone else in England referred to the long-gone Chinese philosopher as Confucius.

All told, six boys and six girls were sorted into Ravenclaw that night. They were settling themselves at the dinner table when there was a call for attention from the Head Table.

The old wizard with the long white beard rose to speak, and Cho realized with a shock that he was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

"Greetings to those who have returned, and to those here for the first time. Most of the announcements I have to give are the ones I give every year at this occasion. Remember that the Forbidden Forest has its name for a very good reason, and avoid it. The list of items not allowed on campus has grown to include Sorcerer Slingshots and Hair-Dyeing Combs. This last may disappoint some of you, but the Ministry has found that counterfeit combs have been flooding the market lately, and that these combs have the unfortunate property of making the hair change colour three times a day and then fall out after a week. Let the buyer beware, as the old saying goes.

"Madam Hooch will take the names of returning Quidditch players and their positions next week. At that time the Houses will hold tryouts and submit the names of prospective team members to Madam Hooch for clearance.

"We all welcome the return of our Defense Against the Dark Arts master, Professor Quirell. Having spent a sabbatical year on the Continent, I am sure that he has brought back a great deal of useful information, from which we can all profit.

"Having said all that, I have a wish for this year for all the students at Hogwarts: may you attack your studies as ferociously as I am about to attack my roast chicken. Enjoy!"

Food suddenly appeared on all the House tables-masses of it, in seemingly unending quantities. Cho had to sit back a minute and take it all in. She decided she'd like meals at Hogwarts, but would have to be very careful not to put on too much weight. Couldn't be a proper Seeker, after all, if one weighed as much as a troll!

xxx

To be continued in part 3, wherein we meet her fellow First-Year Ravenclaws, and discover the delights of the Common Room.