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
44. Finally, FINALLY
Cho Chang woke up at exactly 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 5, with a mouth that tasted of year-old candy. It was her first-ever case of "butterbreath"-the stale sweet taste that resulted from too much butterbeer the night before. She rushed to the lavatory to brush that away, then decided that, as long as she was up, she'd get ready.
There was no momentary fog, no question of "what day is today". She knew exactly what day it was, and what she had to do.
Once she'd washed up, she sat at her dressing-table. By now streaks of light were appearing in the sky. Days are getting longer, she thought to herself. She sat still as a stone watching the day lighten to morning, her mind as much a blank as she could make it. Only when she could see the sun clear the roofs of Hogsmeade, to the east of the castle, and reflect off of the lake, did she seem to remember herself.
Being too tired and happy last night to remember it, she took a brush to her hair, combing it out a full hundred strokes until it flowed like an inky waterfall halfway down her back. Then she took up her wand and muttered a couple of words in Chinese. Her hair re-arranged itself, plaiting itself into two long braids, which then coiled themselves on either side of her head.
Now her nails. She used a simple emery board to file everything down until her nails were gone; another fraction of an inch and she would have drawn blood.
She changed into the same sort of outfit she'd worn the day before: casual slacks and a light but warm pullover. Her Quidditch robes weren't in her wardrobe; Hogwarts' house-elves had spirited away the robes from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and placed them in the changing-rooms of the stadium.
She went down to the Common Room, where most of the team was waiting for her. She silently joined them, waiting for the last to appear-the Beaters, Becksnee and "Jinx" Jenkins. Once they had arrived, the team went to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Usually on a game day Cho ate very little: a spoonful of eggs, a corner of toast, maybe a single sausage. Today, she didn't even feel that hungry. At her wish, something appeared that was seldom seen at the House tables: a tea service. She poured herself a single cup, and slowly sipped at it, seemingly lost in thought.
The team realized that the Gryffindor players had already been to breakfast and gone. Draco Malfoy, however, was still at the Slytherin table. He got up and strolled over to Cho, standing directly behind her. "You may not realize it yet," he said in a near-whisper, "but you are going to be positively sick today."
Cho nodded her head; "And you're doing an excellent job of getting me there."
Becksnee and Skiddle tried to keep from laughing, but failed. Apparently, Draco was a glutton for punishment.
Malfoy barely managed to keep his composure as he continued: "It seems Potter's got a new broom, after all; better than his old Nimbus."
"We know all about the Firebolt, Mister Malfoy, thank you very much. I'm not particularly worried about it; are you? If so, perhaps we could arrange another hippogriff for you."
Draco walked away in a foul mood, not at all sure what it would take to get a rise out of the Ravenclaw Seeker.
"Seriously, Cho," Roger said in a low voice, "that snotty little git has a point."
"We've practiced how to deal with Seekers on faster brooms, Roger. And we've all watched Harry play for two years now. He likes to Seek high, pretend he hasn't seen the Snitch when he actually has, and then rush to close the gap. My Sprints can deal with that."
Now Roger was at a loss for words. "Er, right. Well. We leave the Common Room at half past ten. Don't break anything in the meantime."
"Don't worry," she smiled.
Roger suddenly decided that he had to go to the Head Table to talk to Professor Flitwick.
Cho went back to the Common Room, but couldn't sit still. Reading was hopeless; her eyes kept drifting to the sundial above the mantel. One by one the other players came into the room, but none of them said anything to each other. This was a time and place where words didn't count for anything.
At 10:29, Roger came in through the bookcase. The rest of the team rose, and they all filed out of Ravenclaw House.
xxx
The Ravenclaw robes and brooms had been placed in one of the changing rooms at the stadium, each marked with a Quaffle, Bludger, Hoop or Snitch. Cho first put on her shin-guards, drawing the bindings a bit tighter than she ever had before. Then the blue-and-bronze-trimmed robes with the Ravenclaw rampant eagle insignia. Finally, her mitts: a pair of dragon-hide gloves with the fingers out. This offered some protection to the Seeker's hands; from time to time, the Snitch had been known to fly straight at the Seeker, in order to break some bones and thus escape capture. Cho noticed that some of the stitches were giving way. She'd have to get a new pair over the summer.
As they waited in the changing room, the amplified voice of Lee Jordan piped up over every other sound:
"Hallo, Hogwarts! And welcome to another exciting Quidditch match. Today, the most recent team to win the Cup, Ravenclaw House, will go up against Gryffindor, in an elimination contest; the winner to go up against Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup.
"Before we bring the Ravenclaw team onto the field, I've been asked to make this announcement. It seems that the Ravenclaw team is making history today. For the first time since something that is spoken of only as "the Twillhammer affair" of 1877, the Ravenclaw line-up will include a witch. Captained by Roger Davies, the team from Ravenclaw!"
For the first time in her life, Cho was walking to the center of the field, to wait with the other Regulars for the start of play. And maybe it was the acoustics of the stadium, or maybe she'd never heard the applause quite so loud.
I've been here before, she thought; we've practiced here more times than I can count. But with everyone-EVERYONE-here, it looks so much larger, the stands so much taller . . . Never mind. I've flown that high, I can fly even higher-
She was distracted by Lee Jordan, who seemed to be saying: "blahblah GRYFFINDOR!"
Here they came onto the pitch, billowing red robes, and the students' cheers seemed to grow even louder. Keeper Wood, very good at what he does, a bit of a fanatic, according to Roger; the Chasers, all witches and all of them very talented; lucky I don't have to tangle with any of them. Fred and George, the Godawful Beater twins-not exactly down to Slytherin standards but still they'll give us a rough day of it.
And Harry Potter.
Nobody can get drunk on butterbeer, and Cho certainly didn't feel any after- effects of the night before, but she suddenly found herself uncontrollably giddy. For two years, she watched with the rest of Hogwarts as the legendary Ha Li Po Te, the Hero Who Vanquished the Dark Lord, added a new layer to his reputation by starting out as a highly talented Seeker and growing from there. She knew that he was the best in the school, but the idea of competing against him in the chase for the Golden Snitch didn't make her at all nervous.
In fact, she smiled as she watched Harry take his place on the pitch as the captains shook hands and Madam Hooch gave the usual opening instructions. She smiled as she remembered her first Hogwarts flying lesson, and how the students faced each other in two rows, as if they were at a dance. And here it is again, and she practically giggled as the thought crossed her mind: May I have the pleasure of this dance, Mister Harry Potter?
Directly across from her, Cho watched as Harry stared straight at her, with an expression she couldn't mistake:
He's nervous! That's-adorable!
She felt Madam Hooch's whistle more than heard it, and it was on pure reflex that she kicked up into the air, watching Harry soar up to his usual hunting-ground above the action, while she settled halfway between the earth and Harry Potter.
Lee Jordan wasn't exactly calling the game, since it had only just started, but he was nattering on about the Firebolt as if it were the Seeker and Harry was just along for the ride. Eunice Murray was right, Cho decided as she scanned the stadium for the Snitch; no matter how much you love the game, if you're not a player, you'll never understand.
Katie Bell took first possession, and she was very good, charging down on Roger as if he wasn't even there. But Cho noticed this out of the corner of her eye, as she was busy shadowing Harry. The Snitch was nowhere in sight. Might as well introduce him to the Sprints-a little something she and Roger had worked out.
She saw Harry crossing to the Gryffindor goals. She rose up behind Harry and to the left, then swiftly cut down two feet in front of him, forcing him to the right. He turned again toward the goals, and Cho fell behind him again, then sprang up just in front of him. He veered off to the left. Her smile broadened; she felt like a sheepdog rounding up a stray. The Sprints were working. She couldn't keep up with a Firebolt's flat-out top speed, but a short fast hop was sometimes all that was needed
Katie, meanwhile was trying to get past Roger, was being rebuffed each time, then gamely recovering and trying again. It was as if the sun wouldn't rise again tomorrow unless she scored the first goal.
Harry countered Cho's Sprints by rushing toward the Ravenclaw goalpost; Cho kept up as best she could. Just as he got around it, though, he put on a burst of speed that took him halfway across the field in nothing flat. Just as he stopped in mid-field, Katie Bell managed to shoulder past Roger and score the first points of the game.
Amid the cheering, Cho saw Harry turn suddenly and dive to the ground. Now she too saw the Snitch and sped toward it. Harry was too close; she couldn't catch up now-
WHAM! Jinx Jenkins sent a Bludger straight toward Harry's head. It would have shattered his glasses if he hadn't swerved away. And, when he swerved, he lost sight of the Snitch.
Thank you, Jinx, Cho muttered, as she glanced at the scoreboard: Gryffindor 80 Ravenclaw 0. Eighty? Where was I when that happened? The cheering changed as Erasmus Skiddle scored the first Ravenclaw goal, then two more in quick succession. Ravenclaw was rallying; Cho redoubled her search for the Snitch. So did Harry; she watched him drop down close to the pitch, narrowly missing a collision with Pablo Molina in the process.
There! I see it! Oh, he sees it. Can't get to it first, but I can get to him first!
With another Sprint, Cho stopped between Harry and the Snitch. She hung in the air, smiling. It worked! He didn't try to go around; he actually stopped! Wood yelled at Harry; when he looked back at Cho, she was still there, still smiling, with the one thought in her head: How do you like THIS Seeker, Mister Harry Potter?
Harry climbed back up; she decided to follow him. He went into a swift dive; she didn't see a Snitch but followed anyway. Part of her mind warned her that she was falling into a trap. He swooped back up; she decided to stop shadowing him and stayed close to the turf. Then they both saw the Snitch; down by the Ravenclaw goal.
The two Seekers sped forward; Harry high, Cho low. Harry was closer; Cho would try one more Sprint-
And then she saw the Dementors.
Three of them rose up out of the stands right in front of Cho. Her hand, outstretched toward the Snitch, became a pointing finger as she screamed, then swerved away.
Turning back from a safe distance, she saw Harry whip out his wand and let loose some kind of Charm at the dementors. With the wand still in one hand, Harry grabbed the Snitch with the other. Gryffindor won.
Cho was frozen. She had let Gryffindor win; scared off of the Snitch by dementors who weren't even dementors after all. Some Slytherins were trying to throw Potter off of his game; or maybe Cho, or maybe both. But in that moment, Cho had only one thought:
Harry was ready for dementors? What kind of practices does Wood run?
xxx
to be continued in part 45, wherein Roger has some serious words for Cho the next day, and Hogwarts isn't talking about the game
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
44. Finally, FINALLY
Cho Chang woke up at exactly 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 5, with a mouth that tasted of year-old candy. It was her first-ever case of "butterbreath"-the stale sweet taste that resulted from too much butterbeer the night before. She rushed to the lavatory to brush that away, then decided that, as long as she was up, she'd get ready.
There was no momentary fog, no question of "what day is today". She knew exactly what day it was, and what she had to do.
Once she'd washed up, she sat at her dressing-table. By now streaks of light were appearing in the sky. Days are getting longer, she thought to herself. She sat still as a stone watching the day lighten to morning, her mind as much a blank as she could make it. Only when she could see the sun clear the roofs of Hogsmeade, to the east of the castle, and reflect off of the lake, did she seem to remember herself.
Being too tired and happy last night to remember it, she took a brush to her hair, combing it out a full hundred strokes until it flowed like an inky waterfall halfway down her back. Then she took up her wand and muttered a couple of words in Chinese. Her hair re-arranged itself, plaiting itself into two long braids, which then coiled themselves on either side of her head.
Now her nails. She used a simple emery board to file everything down until her nails were gone; another fraction of an inch and she would have drawn blood.
She changed into the same sort of outfit she'd worn the day before: casual slacks and a light but warm pullover. Her Quidditch robes weren't in her wardrobe; Hogwarts' house-elves had spirited away the robes from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and placed them in the changing-rooms of the stadium.
She went down to the Common Room, where most of the team was waiting for her. She silently joined them, waiting for the last to appear-the Beaters, Becksnee and "Jinx" Jenkins. Once they had arrived, the team went to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Usually on a game day Cho ate very little: a spoonful of eggs, a corner of toast, maybe a single sausage. Today, she didn't even feel that hungry. At her wish, something appeared that was seldom seen at the House tables: a tea service. She poured herself a single cup, and slowly sipped at it, seemingly lost in thought.
The team realized that the Gryffindor players had already been to breakfast and gone. Draco Malfoy, however, was still at the Slytherin table. He got up and strolled over to Cho, standing directly behind her. "You may not realize it yet," he said in a near-whisper, "but you are going to be positively sick today."
Cho nodded her head; "And you're doing an excellent job of getting me there."
Becksnee and Skiddle tried to keep from laughing, but failed. Apparently, Draco was a glutton for punishment.
Malfoy barely managed to keep his composure as he continued: "It seems Potter's got a new broom, after all; better than his old Nimbus."
"We know all about the Firebolt, Mister Malfoy, thank you very much. I'm not particularly worried about it; are you? If so, perhaps we could arrange another hippogriff for you."
Draco walked away in a foul mood, not at all sure what it would take to get a rise out of the Ravenclaw Seeker.
"Seriously, Cho," Roger said in a low voice, "that snotty little git has a point."
"We've practiced how to deal with Seekers on faster brooms, Roger. And we've all watched Harry play for two years now. He likes to Seek high, pretend he hasn't seen the Snitch when he actually has, and then rush to close the gap. My Sprints can deal with that."
Now Roger was at a loss for words. "Er, right. Well. We leave the Common Room at half past ten. Don't break anything in the meantime."
"Don't worry," she smiled.
Roger suddenly decided that he had to go to the Head Table to talk to Professor Flitwick.
Cho went back to the Common Room, but couldn't sit still. Reading was hopeless; her eyes kept drifting to the sundial above the mantel. One by one the other players came into the room, but none of them said anything to each other. This was a time and place where words didn't count for anything.
At 10:29, Roger came in through the bookcase. The rest of the team rose, and they all filed out of Ravenclaw House.
xxx
The Ravenclaw robes and brooms had been placed in one of the changing rooms at the stadium, each marked with a Quaffle, Bludger, Hoop or Snitch. Cho first put on her shin-guards, drawing the bindings a bit tighter than she ever had before. Then the blue-and-bronze-trimmed robes with the Ravenclaw rampant eagle insignia. Finally, her mitts: a pair of dragon-hide gloves with the fingers out. This offered some protection to the Seeker's hands; from time to time, the Snitch had been known to fly straight at the Seeker, in order to break some bones and thus escape capture. Cho noticed that some of the stitches were giving way. She'd have to get a new pair over the summer.
As they waited in the changing room, the amplified voice of Lee Jordan piped up over every other sound:
"Hallo, Hogwarts! And welcome to another exciting Quidditch match. Today, the most recent team to win the Cup, Ravenclaw House, will go up against Gryffindor, in an elimination contest; the winner to go up against Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup.
"Before we bring the Ravenclaw team onto the field, I've been asked to make this announcement. It seems that the Ravenclaw team is making history today. For the first time since something that is spoken of only as "the Twillhammer affair" of 1877, the Ravenclaw line-up will include a witch. Captained by Roger Davies, the team from Ravenclaw!"
For the first time in her life, Cho was walking to the center of the field, to wait with the other Regulars for the start of play. And maybe it was the acoustics of the stadium, or maybe she'd never heard the applause quite so loud.
I've been here before, she thought; we've practiced here more times than I can count. But with everyone-EVERYONE-here, it looks so much larger, the stands so much taller . . . Never mind. I've flown that high, I can fly even higher-
She was distracted by Lee Jordan, who seemed to be saying: "blahblah GRYFFINDOR!"
Here they came onto the pitch, billowing red robes, and the students' cheers seemed to grow even louder. Keeper Wood, very good at what he does, a bit of a fanatic, according to Roger; the Chasers, all witches and all of them very talented; lucky I don't have to tangle with any of them. Fred and George, the Godawful Beater twins-not exactly down to Slytherin standards but still they'll give us a rough day of it.
And Harry Potter.
Nobody can get drunk on butterbeer, and Cho certainly didn't feel any after- effects of the night before, but she suddenly found herself uncontrollably giddy. For two years, she watched with the rest of Hogwarts as the legendary Ha Li Po Te, the Hero Who Vanquished the Dark Lord, added a new layer to his reputation by starting out as a highly talented Seeker and growing from there. She knew that he was the best in the school, but the idea of competing against him in the chase for the Golden Snitch didn't make her at all nervous.
In fact, she smiled as she watched Harry take his place on the pitch as the captains shook hands and Madam Hooch gave the usual opening instructions. She smiled as she remembered her first Hogwarts flying lesson, and how the students faced each other in two rows, as if they were at a dance. And here it is again, and she practically giggled as the thought crossed her mind: May I have the pleasure of this dance, Mister Harry Potter?
Directly across from her, Cho watched as Harry stared straight at her, with an expression she couldn't mistake:
He's nervous! That's-adorable!
She felt Madam Hooch's whistle more than heard it, and it was on pure reflex that she kicked up into the air, watching Harry soar up to his usual hunting-ground above the action, while she settled halfway between the earth and Harry Potter.
Lee Jordan wasn't exactly calling the game, since it had only just started, but he was nattering on about the Firebolt as if it were the Seeker and Harry was just along for the ride. Eunice Murray was right, Cho decided as she scanned the stadium for the Snitch; no matter how much you love the game, if you're not a player, you'll never understand.
Katie Bell took first possession, and she was very good, charging down on Roger as if he wasn't even there. But Cho noticed this out of the corner of her eye, as she was busy shadowing Harry. The Snitch was nowhere in sight. Might as well introduce him to the Sprints-a little something she and Roger had worked out.
She saw Harry crossing to the Gryffindor goals. She rose up behind Harry and to the left, then swiftly cut down two feet in front of him, forcing him to the right. He turned again toward the goals, and Cho fell behind him again, then sprang up just in front of him. He veered off to the left. Her smile broadened; she felt like a sheepdog rounding up a stray. The Sprints were working. She couldn't keep up with a Firebolt's flat-out top speed, but a short fast hop was sometimes all that was needed
Katie, meanwhile was trying to get past Roger, was being rebuffed each time, then gamely recovering and trying again. It was as if the sun wouldn't rise again tomorrow unless she scored the first goal.
Harry countered Cho's Sprints by rushing toward the Ravenclaw goalpost; Cho kept up as best she could. Just as he got around it, though, he put on a burst of speed that took him halfway across the field in nothing flat. Just as he stopped in mid-field, Katie Bell managed to shoulder past Roger and score the first points of the game.
Amid the cheering, Cho saw Harry turn suddenly and dive to the ground. Now she too saw the Snitch and sped toward it. Harry was too close; she couldn't catch up now-
WHAM! Jinx Jenkins sent a Bludger straight toward Harry's head. It would have shattered his glasses if he hadn't swerved away. And, when he swerved, he lost sight of the Snitch.
Thank you, Jinx, Cho muttered, as she glanced at the scoreboard: Gryffindor 80 Ravenclaw 0. Eighty? Where was I when that happened? The cheering changed as Erasmus Skiddle scored the first Ravenclaw goal, then two more in quick succession. Ravenclaw was rallying; Cho redoubled her search for the Snitch. So did Harry; she watched him drop down close to the pitch, narrowly missing a collision with Pablo Molina in the process.
There! I see it! Oh, he sees it. Can't get to it first, but I can get to him first!
With another Sprint, Cho stopped between Harry and the Snitch. She hung in the air, smiling. It worked! He didn't try to go around; he actually stopped! Wood yelled at Harry; when he looked back at Cho, she was still there, still smiling, with the one thought in her head: How do you like THIS Seeker, Mister Harry Potter?
Harry climbed back up; she decided to follow him. He went into a swift dive; she didn't see a Snitch but followed anyway. Part of her mind warned her that she was falling into a trap. He swooped back up; she decided to stop shadowing him and stayed close to the turf. Then they both saw the Snitch; down by the Ravenclaw goal.
The two Seekers sped forward; Harry high, Cho low. Harry was closer; Cho would try one more Sprint-
And then she saw the Dementors.
Three of them rose up out of the stands right in front of Cho. Her hand, outstretched toward the Snitch, became a pointing finger as she screamed, then swerved away.
Turning back from a safe distance, she saw Harry whip out his wand and let loose some kind of Charm at the dementors. With the wand still in one hand, Harry grabbed the Snitch with the other. Gryffindor won.
Cho was frozen. She had let Gryffindor win; scared off of the Snitch by dementors who weren't even dementors after all. Some Slytherins were trying to throw Potter off of his game; or maybe Cho, or maybe both. But in that moment, Cho had only one thought:
Harry was ready for dementors? What kind of practices does Wood run?
xxx
to be continued in part 45, wherein Roger has some serious words for Cho the next day, and Hogwarts isn't talking about the game
