OR DIE TRYING: THE STORY OF CHO CHANG
By monkeymouse
NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms. And one of the great things about JKR telling the story from Harry's point of view is that stuff could be happening all over Hogwarts that Harry isn't aware of.
Rated: PG
Spoilers: Everything
xxx
28. Happy Holidays
Cho stood at the window of her now-empty dormitory on Monday morning, watching as dozens of self-propelled sledges dashed over the thick snow. Each sledge was so full of students that they were hanging over the sides, threatening to fall out on the way to the station. All the castle, it seemed, was headed for the Hogwarts Express, in a mad dash to spend the holidays away from whatever danger threatened.
Cho looked round at all the empty beds. Jan and Raina, Libby and Letitia and Diana-all of them off to their homes. There would be no one for Cho to talk to on an evening before bed, or to study with in the library after breakfast. Why hadn't she gone?
Because she couldn't, she reminded herself. By the time she tried to leave, there were no more tickets to be had. Roger sold his own ticket . . .
Roger! He's still here! So maybe it won't be so bad. And there have to be others. She'd find out who else was staying.
But back to why; why was she staying? Because of Quidditch and her mother. She threatened to pull Cho out of Hogwarts altogether if the danger from the Chamber of Secrets became too great. But there was no way-no way on earth-Cho was going to leave without playing at least one match as Ravenclaw Seeker. High marks in school had always come easily to Cho; this position on the team had not. She remembered the price she paid in broken bones, in the suspicion and scorn of the team. It wasn't going to be for naught.
She had planned to get to the Great Hall early for lunch-there was so little else to do, now that the castle was nearly empty. However (and this seemed to be happening to her a lot lately) there was a change of plans. She saw a copy of Newt Scamander's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" lying open on a sofa in the Common Room. Even though she knew that this was probably the first place anyone would look for clues as to what was in the Chamber of Secrets, she started poring through it again. This time, though, she specifically looked for monsters that attacked ghosts. Certainly, anything with the ability to turn Nearly Headless Nick to stone would have done so before, and it would have been written up.
But, try as she might to find something, Scamander was no help at all. By the time Cho realized this, however, lunch was well under way. So she dropped the book, and dashed out into the corridor. She ran so quickly toward the Great Hall that she almost collided with one of the students; only her reflexes stopped her at the last minute.
Cho was about to run past him when he smiled and said, "Cho Chang, isn't it? I don't think we've been formally introduced." The student wore Hufflepuff robes with a Prefect badge.
They may never have been introduced, but Cho recognized him at once. "There's no need for introductions, Mister Diggory. I've seen you play."
Diggory smiled a toothy smile-like Gilderoy Lockhart but with sincerity-and stuck out a hand for Cho to shake. "And I hope to see you play sometime soon."
Cho realised that he expected her to shake his hand, but a bit of her Horse nature asserted itself. She wanted to keep this opposition Seeker off- balance. She ignored the outstretched hand, clasped her hands in front of her, bowed at the waist, then ran past Cedric, leaving with his hand sticking out and a very confused look on his face. It was all Cho could do to stop from giggling as she entered the Great Hall.
Roger Davies was in the middle of attacking a shepherd's pie. He looked up and motioned for Cho to join him. As she sat at the table, she looked around the hall. There may have been only a few students left, but, oddly enough, all four Seekers had stayed behind. Diggory was just walking into the hall, giving Cho a quick, almost pained, look before going to the Hufflepuff table. Draco Malfoy of Slytherin was there, flanked as he was everywhere but the Quidditch pitch by two imposing and stupid-looking students. And there was Harry Potter at the Gryffindor table, with one of the Weasleys; the red hair was a giveaway.
It was as if Roger could read her mind. "Don't worry," he said as well as he could with a mouthful of food. "You'll get your chance. It's just this monster business has thrown everything into a cocked hat."
"It had better be soon." Cho put some food on her plate and simply stared at it, her appetite suddenly fled. "Roger, I have to fly! I have to chase the Snitch! I practice and I practice, and what am I practicing for if not a match? I need a match!"
"They'll probably let us play again by the Spring thaw-if they've solved this Chamber business."
Just then, Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater walked into the Great Hall. They walked in separately, and tried to cover up the fact that they were a couple now, but Cho knew their secret, and could read the signs. She waved Penelope over to sit next to her.
"How are you feeling?" Cho asked in a whisper. "The last time we talked, you were higher than a Quidditch goalpost."
Penelope smiled from ear to ear. "I'm a mile beyond that now. I can't imagine being happier."
"So you and . . ."
Penelope raised her hand to silence Cho. "We don't want to announce anything yet," she whispered. "But I know I've never felt any feeling so glorious!"
"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'll probably be in the Common Room most of the day."
"Thanks, but talking about it works only if he's not around. And since he is, I expect I won't be spending much time in the Common Room myself."
"Oh. Er, right. Well, have a good time. I mean . . ." Cho was getting flustered, tripping over her own words, and turning Gryffindor red. She looked at Roger, who seemed amused by her discomfort. "And what's it to you?!" she barked at him.
"Nothing; nothing at all." He hurried away from the table, but was smiling as he retreated.
xxx
As Christmas approached, both the people in the castle and the monster hiding within it seemed to grow slower, lazier, maybe even a bit fatter. The snow had finally stopped falling, the days were at their shortest, and everyone seemed to put things aside in preparation for the Christmas feast.
Cho didn't have any problems with her homework. Charms, Herbology, Divination were all simple and straightforward, and Defense Against the Dark Arts was turning into a joke. Even Potions was bearable by now.
No, Cho's problem was Christmas. The train left on the 21st; Christmas was a handful of days away. But that handful passed through her hand like sand, and here it was Christmas Eve. And she didn't know if she would be giving presents at school, or to whom.
Students had beaten a path through the snow to the train station, but Cho couldn't take the few steps over the tracks and into Hogsmeade itself to buy anything. Hogsmeade was out of bounds except on special visiting days. If she were reported, she would surely draw a detention at the very least. Worse than that, the school might send an owl to her parents.
One present in particular kept bothering her: the book of Robert Burns poetry. She hadn't read it herself yet; the only Burns she knew was that song she sang on New Years Eve when she was a First Year. She didn't buy it for herself anyway. She bought it on an impulse the day Harry Potter lost all the bones in his arm. It was a get-well present that she had been prevented from giving him because of the mysterious attacks.
The problem was, she couldn't give it to him as a "get-well" present. Harry was well now, none the worse for breaking his arm or having Gilderoy Lockhart suck all the bones out. Besides, they'd never even met face-to- face, not counting the time Cho snuck into the hospital wing last year. But Harry was unconscious then.
Well, if not for Harry, then for who? It made no sense to keep it; she didn't buy it for herself, and wasn't really interested in Scots poetry. Wait a second: the song from New Years Eve. Roger Davies! He might like it . . .
No no no, Cho berated herself; that's all wrong, all wrong! He's Captain of the House team! I couldn't just give him a gift, no matter what!
--Why not?
--Because he'd probably take it wrongly.
--How many ways are there to take it?
--Either I would be trying to get some special favour from him about the team . . .
--Well, there's no worry there; you're already Seeker.
--. . . or he'll think it's something, something personal.
--Is it?
--OF COURSE NOT! He's fifteen years old! I'm just thirteen!
--For another month; then you'll be fourteen.
--But that doesn't mean I'll automatically become . . . Anyway, I don't want to make any mistakes.
--Mistakes about what?
--I don't know how he feels about me, and I don't want him thinking . . .
--Would you mind him thinking . . .
--STOP IT! I told you I don't want this now! I can't have this now!
The quiet of the dormitory night was broken only by a distant crash of something heavy, followed by the muffled voice of the Bloody Baron yelling at Peeves the Poltergeist. Cho had no idea what to do, or even why she should become so distressed over this one little book.
Even Ravenclaws, devotees of learning and solid facts, get flashes of inspiration from time to time, and Cho Chang had one now. She remembered what the Prefect had said on her first night in Ravenclaw; that the Grey Lady was somehow bound up with the painting over the fireplace in the Common Room. Pulling on her robes in case there was anyone down there, she grabbed the book and ran barefoot down the stairs to the Common Room. When the arrived, she immediately put the book on the mantel, then looked up at the painting.
"If you please, ma'am, I need some help. Please see to it that this book goes where it's supposed to be. If it's still here in the morning, I'll know I've been foolish and I'll donate it to the Common Room. Thank you. Happy Christmas."
Cho went back up to her bed in a much calmer state of mind than she had been.
xxx
Quan Yin awoke Cho with the sun already up. It lit a bright white landscape, but the temperature had fallen overnight and the owl tapped quite insistently until Cho let her in. Cho didn't understand at first; the house-elves seemed to have managed Christmas as they always did. Presents were stacked at the foot of her bed from her family. She hadn't even sent Quan Yin anywhere in the past few days. She read the note tied to the owl's leg. A small piece of paper with one word: "Thanks."
Someone got the book, then, but who? Someone who knew about Quan Yin. That seemed to focus on Ravenclaw House.
Time enough to worry later. The presents could wait; she'd slept through breakfast and wasn't about to miss the feast. She dressed in her class robes; she wanted to put on her Quidditch robes for the occasion, but felt it might be a bit much.
As she passed through the Common Room she glanced at the mantel; the book was gone.
The décor of the Great Hall was splendid: a dozen large trees floated above the tables, with ropes of holly and mistletoe connecting them as enchanted snow fell, only to vanish like smoke rather than melt. Cho noted, with a little disappointment, that Harry sat at the wrong side of the Gryffindor table, so that his back was to her. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin was facing her, but acted as if she were beneath his notice. Over at the Hufflepuff table, Cedric Diggory arrived late and glanced at Cho. She gave him no reaction. He bit his lower lip and sat with his back to her.
She could see Penelope Clearwater further down the table, looking dreamily across at the Gryffindors, and specifically at Percy Weasley. He returned her dreamy gaze, except when he was roused out of his trance by one of his younger brothers laughing at him. Roger sat still further down the table; he simply smiled and nodded at Cho, then went back to his food.
In a little while, Cho forgot her worries, tucked into several helpings of Christmas goose, sang along as best she could with the carols led by Professor Dumbledore, and popped open a few holiday crackers. After her first Christmas at Hogwarts, she suspected that the crackers were special, and this year simply proved her right. One cracker opened not with a bang but with the ear-splitting screech of a Chinese violin. There on the table lay a delicate gold chain and, on it, the figure of a galloping horse. It moved Cho almost to tears.
She looked around before opening a second cracker, and realized that Harry had already left the Great Hall. She pulled at the ends of the cracker, and it opened with the sound of flapping wings, reveal a pair of Golden Snitch earrings. They were for pierced ears, and Cho's ears weren't pierced. Still, she thought, maybe I'll get that done this summer.
The sun was already set as she made her way back to Ravenclaw. Roger had stayed behind to talk to Madam Hooch, and Penelope had left early. Percy Weasley left shortly thereafter, and Cho had a hunch that she knew what they were doing. But that was hours ago. . .
As she touched the spine of her Confucius, she heard something strange coming from the Common Room: music. They had no instruments. Cho crept toward the Common Room, and saw Penelope Clearwater. She was seated at what Cho would later learn was called a harpsichord. Penelope was playing some sort of halting melody; when Cho took another look, she saw that Penelope wasn't reading Muggle sheet music, but on the harpsichord lay open the black book of Robert Burns' poetry!
Penelope worked at the keys, producing more than a few wrong notes, but finally sensed another presence. She turned, saw Cho staring at the book, then jumped up and ran to Cho, throwing her arms around her and kissing her on both cheeks.
"It's from you, isn't it!" Penelope gushed. "Thank you; it's wonderful! However did you know?"
"Know what?"
Penelope led Cho to a sofa, then Transfigured the harpsichord back into the day-bed. "My parents gave me music lessons before I got my letter. I've loved music since I was a baby, and I wanted to have a career in it; before I found out I was a witch, that is." Penelope sighed. "With these attacks now, sometimes I wonder if I should have stayed among the Muggles."
"What were you just playing? I thought it was a book of poems."
"It is," Penelope smiled, "but I always used to take any poem I found and tried to set it to music. It's ages since I've done it."
"Well, then, I'm glad you like it. But what made you think it was from me?"
"I had a little help there from Percy," the older girl blushed. "He went over to the bookstore this morning. I know that this isn't a Hogsmeade day, but he's a Prefect and rank has its privileges. Anyway, they remembered the purchase because the book had been there ever so long, and it was bought by a Chinese girl, and, well, there's only one of you here."
"I see. Well, I'm glad it all worked out, then."
"You bought it for someone else, then?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. Happy Christmas!" Cho ran up to her dormitory, feeling strangely as if she had intruded on something private between Percy and Penelope.
At least now there was time to look through the presents from home. Her parents had sent her a new edition of the Five Classics of Confucius, and a scarf with a painting of the Goddess Quan Yin (Cho tried to playfully tie the scarf onto the owl, but the owl objected rather strongly).
As she was looking through the books, she noticed a small envelope hidden inside one of them. She opened the envelope and read what was inside.
If her hand hadn't covered her mouth, her screams would have been heard past the Common Room and into the corridor.
It was an itinerary. She would be with her parents this summer, and-for the first time in her life-she would be going to China.
xxx
to be continued in part 29, wherein Cho and Roger talk of Quidditch, among other things . . .
By monkeymouse
NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms. And one of the great things about JKR telling the story from Harry's point of view is that stuff could be happening all over Hogwarts that Harry isn't aware of.
Rated: PG
Spoilers: Everything
xxx
28. Happy Holidays
Cho stood at the window of her now-empty dormitory on Monday morning, watching as dozens of self-propelled sledges dashed over the thick snow. Each sledge was so full of students that they were hanging over the sides, threatening to fall out on the way to the station. All the castle, it seemed, was headed for the Hogwarts Express, in a mad dash to spend the holidays away from whatever danger threatened.
Cho looked round at all the empty beds. Jan and Raina, Libby and Letitia and Diana-all of them off to their homes. There would be no one for Cho to talk to on an evening before bed, or to study with in the library after breakfast. Why hadn't she gone?
Because she couldn't, she reminded herself. By the time she tried to leave, there were no more tickets to be had. Roger sold his own ticket . . .
Roger! He's still here! So maybe it won't be so bad. And there have to be others. She'd find out who else was staying.
But back to why; why was she staying? Because of Quidditch and her mother. She threatened to pull Cho out of Hogwarts altogether if the danger from the Chamber of Secrets became too great. But there was no way-no way on earth-Cho was going to leave without playing at least one match as Ravenclaw Seeker. High marks in school had always come easily to Cho; this position on the team had not. She remembered the price she paid in broken bones, in the suspicion and scorn of the team. It wasn't going to be for naught.
She had planned to get to the Great Hall early for lunch-there was so little else to do, now that the castle was nearly empty. However (and this seemed to be happening to her a lot lately) there was a change of plans. She saw a copy of Newt Scamander's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" lying open on a sofa in the Common Room. Even though she knew that this was probably the first place anyone would look for clues as to what was in the Chamber of Secrets, she started poring through it again. This time, though, she specifically looked for monsters that attacked ghosts. Certainly, anything with the ability to turn Nearly Headless Nick to stone would have done so before, and it would have been written up.
But, try as she might to find something, Scamander was no help at all. By the time Cho realized this, however, lunch was well under way. So she dropped the book, and dashed out into the corridor. She ran so quickly toward the Great Hall that she almost collided with one of the students; only her reflexes stopped her at the last minute.
Cho was about to run past him when he smiled and said, "Cho Chang, isn't it? I don't think we've been formally introduced." The student wore Hufflepuff robes with a Prefect badge.
They may never have been introduced, but Cho recognized him at once. "There's no need for introductions, Mister Diggory. I've seen you play."
Diggory smiled a toothy smile-like Gilderoy Lockhart but with sincerity-and stuck out a hand for Cho to shake. "And I hope to see you play sometime soon."
Cho realised that he expected her to shake his hand, but a bit of her Horse nature asserted itself. She wanted to keep this opposition Seeker off- balance. She ignored the outstretched hand, clasped her hands in front of her, bowed at the waist, then ran past Cedric, leaving with his hand sticking out and a very confused look on his face. It was all Cho could do to stop from giggling as she entered the Great Hall.
Roger Davies was in the middle of attacking a shepherd's pie. He looked up and motioned for Cho to join him. As she sat at the table, she looked around the hall. There may have been only a few students left, but, oddly enough, all four Seekers had stayed behind. Diggory was just walking into the hall, giving Cho a quick, almost pained, look before going to the Hufflepuff table. Draco Malfoy of Slytherin was there, flanked as he was everywhere but the Quidditch pitch by two imposing and stupid-looking students. And there was Harry Potter at the Gryffindor table, with one of the Weasleys; the red hair was a giveaway.
It was as if Roger could read her mind. "Don't worry," he said as well as he could with a mouthful of food. "You'll get your chance. It's just this monster business has thrown everything into a cocked hat."
"It had better be soon." Cho put some food on her plate and simply stared at it, her appetite suddenly fled. "Roger, I have to fly! I have to chase the Snitch! I practice and I practice, and what am I practicing for if not a match? I need a match!"
"They'll probably let us play again by the Spring thaw-if they've solved this Chamber business."
Just then, Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater walked into the Great Hall. They walked in separately, and tried to cover up the fact that they were a couple now, but Cho knew their secret, and could read the signs. She waved Penelope over to sit next to her.
"How are you feeling?" Cho asked in a whisper. "The last time we talked, you were higher than a Quidditch goalpost."
Penelope smiled from ear to ear. "I'm a mile beyond that now. I can't imagine being happier."
"So you and . . ."
Penelope raised her hand to silence Cho. "We don't want to announce anything yet," she whispered. "But I know I've never felt any feeling so glorious!"
"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'll probably be in the Common Room most of the day."
"Thanks, but talking about it works only if he's not around. And since he is, I expect I won't be spending much time in the Common Room myself."
"Oh. Er, right. Well, have a good time. I mean . . ." Cho was getting flustered, tripping over her own words, and turning Gryffindor red. She looked at Roger, who seemed amused by her discomfort. "And what's it to you?!" she barked at him.
"Nothing; nothing at all." He hurried away from the table, but was smiling as he retreated.
xxx
As Christmas approached, both the people in the castle and the monster hiding within it seemed to grow slower, lazier, maybe even a bit fatter. The snow had finally stopped falling, the days were at their shortest, and everyone seemed to put things aside in preparation for the Christmas feast.
Cho didn't have any problems with her homework. Charms, Herbology, Divination were all simple and straightforward, and Defense Against the Dark Arts was turning into a joke. Even Potions was bearable by now.
No, Cho's problem was Christmas. The train left on the 21st; Christmas was a handful of days away. But that handful passed through her hand like sand, and here it was Christmas Eve. And she didn't know if she would be giving presents at school, or to whom.
Students had beaten a path through the snow to the train station, but Cho couldn't take the few steps over the tracks and into Hogsmeade itself to buy anything. Hogsmeade was out of bounds except on special visiting days. If she were reported, she would surely draw a detention at the very least. Worse than that, the school might send an owl to her parents.
One present in particular kept bothering her: the book of Robert Burns poetry. She hadn't read it herself yet; the only Burns she knew was that song she sang on New Years Eve when she was a First Year. She didn't buy it for herself anyway. She bought it on an impulse the day Harry Potter lost all the bones in his arm. It was a get-well present that she had been prevented from giving him because of the mysterious attacks.
The problem was, she couldn't give it to him as a "get-well" present. Harry was well now, none the worse for breaking his arm or having Gilderoy Lockhart suck all the bones out. Besides, they'd never even met face-to- face, not counting the time Cho snuck into the hospital wing last year. But Harry was unconscious then.
Well, if not for Harry, then for who? It made no sense to keep it; she didn't buy it for herself, and wasn't really interested in Scots poetry. Wait a second: the song from New Years Eve. Roger Davies! He might like it . . .
No no no, Cho berated herself; that's all wrong, all wrong! He's Captain of the House team! I couldn't just give him a gift, no matter what!
--Why not?
--Because he'd probably take it wrongly.
--How many ways are there to take it?
--Either I would be trying to get some special favour from him about the team . . .
--Well, there's no worry there; you're already Seeker.
--. . . or he'll think it's something, something personal.
--Is it?
--OF COURSE NOT! He's fifteen years old! I'm just thirteen!
--For another month; then you'll be fourteen.
--But that doesn't mean I'll automatically become . . . Anyway, I don't want to make any mistakes.
--Mistakes about what?
--I don't know how he feels about me, and I don't want him thinking . . .
--Would you mind him thinking . . .
--STOP IT! I told you I don't want this now! I can't have this now!
The quiet of the dormitory night was broken only by a distant crash of something heavy, followed by the muffled voice of the Bloody Baron yelling at Peeves the Poltergeist. Cho had no idea what to do, or even why she should become so distressed over this one little book.
Even Ravenclaws, devotees of learning and solid facts, get flashes of inspiration from time to time, and Cho Chang had one now. She remembered what the Prefect had said on her first night in Ravenclaw; that the Grey Lady was somehow bound up with the painting over the fireplace in the Common Room. Pulling on her robes in case there was anyone down there, she grabbed the book and ran barefoot down the stairs to the Common Room. When the arrived, she immediately put the book on the mantel, then looked up at the painting.
"If you please, ma'am, I need some help. Please see to it that this book goes where it's supposed to be. If it's still here in the morning, I'll know I've been foolish and I'll donate it to the Common Room. Thank you. Happy Christmas."
Cho went back up to her bed in a much calmer state of mind than she had been.
xxx
Quan Yin awoke Cho with the sun already up. It lit a bright white landscape, but the temperature had fallen overnight and the owl tapped quite insistently until Cho let her in. Cho didn't understand at first; the house-elves seemed to have managed Christmas as they always did. Presents were stacked at the foot of her bed from her family. She hadn't even sent Quan Yin anywhere in the past few days. She read the note tied to the owl's leg. A small piece of paper with one word: "Thanks."
Someone got the book, then, but who? Someone who knew about Quan Yin. That seemed to focus on Ravenclaw House.
Time enough to worry later. The presents could wait; she'd slept through breakfast and wasn't about to miss the feast. She dressed in her class robes; she wanted to put on her Quidditch robes for the occasion, but felt it might be a bit much.
As she passed through the Common Room she glanced at the mantel; the book was gone.
The décor of the Great Hall was splendid: a dozen large trees floated above the tables, with ropes of holly and mistletoe connecting them as enchanted snow fell, only to vanish like smoke rather than melt. Cho noted, with a little disappointment, that Harry sat at the wrong side of the Gryffindor table, so that his back was to her. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin was facing her, but acted as if she were beneath his notice. Over at the Hufflepuff table, Cedric Diggory arrived late and glanced at Cho. She gave him no reaction. He bit his lower lip and sat with his back to her.
She could see Penelope Clearwater further down the table, looking dreamily across at the Gryffindors, and specifically at Percy Weasley. He returned her dreamy gaze, except when he was roused out of his trance by one of his younger brothers laughing at him. Roger sat still further down the table; he simply smiled and nodded at Cho, then went back to his food.
In a little while, Cho forgot her worries, tucked into several helpings of Christmas goose, sang along as best she could with the carols led by Professor Dumbledore, and popped open a few holiday crackers. After her first Christmas at Hogwarts, she suspected that the crackers were special, and this year simply proved her right. One cracker opened not with a bang but with the ear-splitting screech of a Chinese violin. There on the table lay a delicate gold chain and, on it, the figure of a galloping horse. It moved Cho almost to tears.
She looked around before opening a second cracker, and realized that Harry had already left the Great Hall. She pulled at the ends of the cracker, and it opened with the sound of flapping wings, reveal a pair of Golden Snitch earrings. They were for pierced ears, and Cho's ears weren't pierced. Still, she thought, maybe I'll get that done this summer.
The sun was already set as she made her way back to Ravenclaw. Roger had stayed behind to talk to Madam Hooch, and Penelope had left early. Percy Weasley left shortly thereafter, and Cho had a hunch that she knew what they were doing. But that was hours ago. . .
As she touched the spine of her Confucius, she heard something strange coming from the Common Room: music. They had no instruments. Cho crept toward the Common Room, and saw Penelope Clearwater. She was seated at what Cho would later learn was called a harpsichord. Penelope was playing some sort of halting melody; when Cho took another look, she saw that Penelope wasn't reading Muggle sheet music, but on the harpsichord lay open the black book of Robert Burns' poetry!
Penelope worked at the keys, producing more than a few wrong notes, but finally sensed another presence. She turned, saw Cho staring at the book, then jumped up and ran to Cho, throwing her arms around her and kissing her on both cheeks.
"It's from you, isn't it!" Penelope gushed. "Thank you; it's wonderful! However did you know?"
"Know what?"
Penelope led Cho to a sofa, then Transfigured the harpsichord back into the day-bed. "My parents gave me music lessons before I got my letter. I've loved music since I was a baby, and I wanted to have a career in it; before I found out I was a witch, that is." Penelope sighed. "With these attacks now, sometimes I wonder if I should have stayed among the Muggles."
"What were you just playing? I thought it was a book of poems."
"It is," Penelope smiled, "but I always used to take any poem I found and tried to set it to music. It's ages since I've done it."
"Well, then, I'm glad you like it. But what made you think it was from me?"
"I had a little help there from Percy," the older girl blushed. "He went over to the bookstore this morning. I know that this isn't a Hogsmeade day, but he's a Prefect and rank has its privileges. Anyway, they remembered the purchase because the book had been there ever so long, and it was bought by a Chinese girl, and, well, there's only one of you here."
"I see. Well, I'm glad it all worked out, then."
"You bought it for someone else, then?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. Happy Christmas!" Cho ran up to her dormitory, feeling strangely as if she had intruded on something private between Percy and Penelope.
At least now there was time to look through the presents from home. Her parents had sent her a new edition of the Five Classics of Confucius, and a scarf with a painting of the Goddess Quan Yin (Cho tried to playfully tie the scarf onto the owl, but the owl objected rather strongly).
As she was looking through the books, she noticed a small envelope hidden inside one of them. She opened the envelope and read what was inside.
If her hand hadn't covered her mouth, her screams would have been heard past the Common Room and into the corridor.
It was an itinerary. She would be with her parents this summer, and-for the first time in her life-she would be going to China.
xxx
to be continued in part 29, wherein Cho and Roger talk of Quidditch, among other things . . .
