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

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14. Challenge

Everyone, including Cho, stared at Macarthur Culligan in surprise. Cho hadn't expected him to give in so easily; the others hadn't expected him to give in at all.

"Come down off that broom, then, so we can talk proper."

Still a bit suspicious, Cho set down on the Hogwarts pitch.

"We've known about you since last year, Miss Chang; you've seen to that. We know about your studying with Madam Hooch, and how you came by that Two Sixty. What we don't know is if you've ever played any matches."

This took Cho aback for a second. If she answered truthfully-that she'd had a few informal practices this summer with the Puddlemere United team- nothing serious, just larking about, really-she might be seen as either bragging or trying to set herself above the House team. So she answered, "A few pickup games, nothing serious. I daresay you all started out that way."

Cho had guessed well. The others glanced at each other and kept silent. Except for Roger Davies. He seemed more annoyed-indeed, angrier-than any of the others. "Since the rest of you seem afraid to bring it up, I'll ask it. Miss Chang, I daresay we all started out wanting to be stars. We learned soon enough, though, that Quidditch is a team sport. The Captain isn't here to be ignored; you have to be able to take orders, and not get yourself emotionally wrought up over nothing."

Cho wasn't about to get emotionally wrought up now, when she was so close. Instead, she fixed Roger with an icy gaze and said, in a low and even voice, "Are you referring to anything in particular?"

"There was the business of barricading yourself in your dorm last year."

"Come off it, Rog." Everyone was surprised to see "Jinx" Jenkins pipe up. "I mean, Snape's enough to rattle anyone, much less a First-Year."

Cho took over her own defense; "And since there's been no similar episode since then, I can't see why you're complaining."

"I'm complaining because I've seen all too many girls your age promise over and over to concentrate on the game, and then once they get a little 'boy crazy,' that's the last I ever see of them."

"No need to worry about me on that account, Mister Roger Davies. I take Quidditch much too seriously for any of that. Look, you may as well resign yourself. I am not going to leave you alone about this; I mean to play, and I mean to try out for the House team."

I guess this isn't a joke anymore, Roger thought; it certainly stopped being funny a few squares back. "Right, then," he spoke up. "We'll have a practice match: regulars versus reserves. You take Dimsdale's place as Seeker. Show us what you can do."

Cho simply smiled, nodded and walked a few yards downfield to where the other reserves were already huddled.

"This can't be happening," sighed Chaser Erasmus Skiddle, once he was sure Cho was safely out of earshot. "You want us to do 'er like we did that witch two years ago-Ponsonby?"

Roger glanced at Culligan, who held his hands up as if to say, "This isn't my decision to make; let's see what YOU'RE made of, too." Roger didn't have to think about it for very long. "Ponsonby got the message in five minutes and cleared out. I want to see the back of this one in three minutes."

"Don't you think she already knows the way the score stands, boyo?" Culligan asked. "She's talked of naught else for a year now, and she knows we'd be less than welcoming to her."

"She's either really dense or not easily discouraged. So it's up to us to discourage her."

xxx

Among the teaching of Confucius is the belief that compassion is an instinct in people. If we see violence, or even the threat of violence-for example, a child in the road in the path of a runaway cart-our first impulse is to stop the violence, rescue the child. Of course, some people are thicker than others, and it takes longer for them to get the message.

The two squads faced each other off on the field. Cho's mind was racing, trying to recall everything she'd ever done or read or said that had anything to do with Quidditch: search for the Snitch, mind the Bludgers, no, let the Beaters mind the Bludgers, there's two on my side, I have to watch out for Jenkins and, and, oh gosh, what's his name-

Roger tossed the Quaffle straight up into the air, and immediately both teams lifted off after it. Cho shot to a place five yards above the goals, out of harm's way-or so she thought.

She noticed that Culligan, the other Seeker, stayed below the fray rather than above it. He probably thought that the Golden Snitch would stay close to the ground at first. She took a quick look at the grassy field; nothing. She didn't see it up at her altitude, either. She turned her head to look over her shoulder; if she hadn't, a Bludger would have broken her nose.

She knew she was a target now, and would have to look for the Snitch while under fire. She quickly dropped down closer to the others, where the Quaffle was passing from team to team, and points were made on both sides almost casually.

Cho wanted to complain to someone: is this a game or a drill? She almost didn't see the Bludger coming at her from the left. At the last second, she rolled right, letting it pass. She rose up a few feet to resume Seeking.

That's when things started to get warmer.

Cho had just spotted a flash of gold near her side's goalpost and was about to get a bit closer when Erasmus Skiddle body-checked Cho into the gallery. He didn't do much more than knock the wind out of her, and Cho kept control of the Comet. She drifted right, then, when she was sure Culligan was looking elsewhere, she made a power-dive toward the gold flashing.

Roger Davies watched her, feeling no emotion about the body-check.

Halfway there, both Bludgers hit her with "kidney punches" in the back. They knocked her off course for a bit, but she didn't break off her dive, except to level off three feet above the ground when the Snitch took off down the field.

Roger Davies watched this without feeling anything.

Roger did break a sweat when Culligan, seeing Cho chasing the Snitch and too far away to catch up, took the Quaffle out of the air in mid-pass and bounced it off the back of Cho's head, almost knocking her off of her broom. Almost, but not quite. She hung on and continued her hot pursuit of the Snitch, racing across the field just inches away from the grass.

But just as her right hand flashed out in front of her and caught the Snitch-just at the moment all play should have stopped-two Bludgers hit her left shoulder in quick succession. Immediately after that she was body- checked by one of the Chasers into the stands again. This time, she hit with the sickening crack that could only mean a broken bone. She slid to the ground, with a broken rib in her side but with the Snitch still in her right hand.

"STOP IT!"

It took Roger Davies a few seconds to realize that the words had come out of his mouth.

Jenkins landed next to Davies. Before he could say anything, Davies turned on him. "Don't just stand there, you idjit! Get Madam Pomfrey! She's hurt!"

"But you told us."

"Now I'm telling you different!" Jenkins flew toward the castle as the others stared at Roger. "Look, this is hard for me, but I admit it; she's got real talent. I looked straight at it for more than a year now, and I didn't do anything except try to keep her off the team. Well, I say thank heavens she has the talent and the nerve to keep coming back. I can't ignore her any more. I only hope she'll still have us."

"We DO have a Seeker, you know. Remember Culligan? Seventh-Year chappie? He's not going to retire, no matter how good she is."

"Fine. Then she goes on the reserve list instead of Dimsdale; he was never anything but a joke. She takes practice with the rest of the team and year after next, maybe sooner, she'll be a Seeker that'll knock the eyes out of everyone-including Harry 'First-Year' Potter!"

By this time Madam Pomfrey had arrived. She cast a quick Levitation spell on Cho, who now floated a few inches off of the ground. "Can you tell me where it hurts, dear?" she asked Cho.

Cho, wincing in pain, could barely gasp out the words: "Left arm. Right side."

Pomfrey pressed her fingers deftly against Cho's side, and found the rib that had been broken. Then she noticed that Cho's robes by her left wrist were dark-soaked with blood.

Pomfrey quickly sliced through the robes with her wand, using a Cutting spell, and saw her worst fears realized. One of the bones of Cho's forearm had not only broken, but had punctured the skin.

Pomfrey glared at the Ravenclaw team, most of whom couldn't meet her gaze. "I suppose none of you will admit to who did this," she said angrily. Without waiting, she turned Cho around, to take her to the hospital wing.

However, as she passed near Roger Davies, Cho reached for his hand and slipped the Golden Snitch into it. Roger was prepared for Cho to curse him out; instead, all she said was "Thank you" before she fainted.

xxx

to be continued in part 15, wherein Cho finds that another very important change has taken place.