Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the wonderful and talented J.K. Rowling who has graciously allowed us who write to use them without disemboweling us. I own nothing.
A/N: First off, I'm really sorry for taking so bloody long to get this chapter up. I've been writing a lot, but I just haven't found exactly what I want. But I think I've got it here. A big hearty thanks to all those who reviewed; especially to Nicole Ann Wood, who serves as my beta reader. Love you guys.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Winter's Fire
Chapter One: The Ravenclaw point of view
The Ravenclaw common room
An eerie wind rattled the windows of the nearly empty common room. Unlike the Gryffindors, who were usually very rowdy and loud, the majority of Ravenclaw students preferred quiet and calm. Right now however, most of the students were away for the Christmas holidays. The only people who remained were a sandy-haired fourth year boy and a somber-looking girl by the name of Cho Chang.
Cho stared out the window at the frozen landscape. She had stayed behind this Christmas for three reasons, but she'd only tell you two if you managed to corner her. She had stayed behind because she hadn't wanted to go home and deal with her parents, who were always pushing her to succeed, whether in the magical or Muggle world. She just didn't want to deal with them. The other reason she'd admit to was because she wanted to escape her stifling crowd of over-protective friends. Well, they weren't really friends, more like acquaintances who she associated herself with just to stay popular. Her real friends weren't popular at all, of course no one knew about them. Who would want everyone to know that her best friend was a neurotic and breathless Gryffindor two years below her?
That's what Cho admired most in people – she liked people who weren't afraid to show the real them. Perhaps then, that's why she was drawn to people like Luna Lovegood, Colin Creevy and Neville Longbottom. Those were her real friends. Nobody knew about that of course, they only hung out on weekends, holidays and summers – whenever her entourage of "popular" friends wasn't around.
The third and most secret reason she had elected to stay was because she wanted to make some new friends, or more specifically one new friend. Ever since her second year, she had envied the closeness Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter shared. She wanted those kinds of friends – the kind that she would hang out with long after she had left Hogwarts. She was determined to make friends with those three, because she liked all three of them. But in truth, she wanted to be more than just friends with Harry Potter.
Cho had harbored a crush for the dashing boy since her fourth year, when she had first played him at quidditch. She was tired of beating around the bush and she was going to make her move – in the next couple of days. Her plan was actually very simple. Since most of the school was gone for the better part of two weeks, she would be able to try and befriend Harry and company without being harassed by the status-conscience student body.
The winter weather was depressing her even further. She jumped off the window sill and dashed up the staircase and flung herself onto her bed. She laughed loudly at her own immaturity and began to pull her clothes off. Cho didn't even bother to put on her pajamas since there wasn't anyone else in the room. She just fell asleep right there with a steady wind blowing outside her window.
Cho awoke in the middle of the night, shivering. She took a moment to realize she was lying on top of her blankets dressed in nothing but her underwear. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Outside her window, a fierce blizzard howled. Cho stood and planted her feet on the cold wood floor and a sudden chill ran though her body. She walked quickly to her dresser and pulled out a set of cotton pajamas. She pulled off her underwear, making a mental note to switch to cotton and pulled on her warm pjs. Yawning, she walked back to her bed and crawled under the warm blankets. Within minutes, she was once again fast asleep. . .
When the weak sun finally peaked through her curtains, the blizzard was gone, but a prevailing window still howled and the sky was an ominous gray. She leaned her head against the cold stone of the window frame and looked out into the winter landscape. She sighed and dressed quickly. Today was going to be a cold one, so Cho decided that she was going to wear pants instead of the pleated skirt she was known for. She wrapped her scarf around her neck, put her gloves in her pockets and flung her cloak around her shoulders.
As expected, the common room was empty. Cho walked gracefully down the spiral staircase and across the deserted common room. She flopped down in a large, cushy chair next to the fire. She glanced at her watch. It was 9 o'clock. If she hurried, she might be able to catch Harry and his friends at breakfast. Cho sighed, jumped up from the chair and flew out of the portrait hole. Within two minutes of leaving the common room, she found herself standing in front of the entrance to the Great Hall.
The Hall was almost totally deserted. At the Slytherin table, only a few students sat eating quietly. The Hufflepuff table was empty, as was the Ravenclaw table. As Cho's eyes came across the Gryffindor table, her heart leapt. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together talking quietly. She walked toward the table and stopped across from them. At first, her presence went unnoticed. Then Ron looked up from his plate. He was startled. Ron nudged Harry; Harry looked up and nearly choked on his bacon. Hermione smiled up at her.
Cho begin to wring her hands nervously. "I was wondering if I could eat with you guys," she looked into Harry's bright green eyes, "I – I just don't want to eat alone."
Harry just stared at the beautiful young woman standing across from him. Ron followed suit. It was Hermione who finally broke the tension.
She beamed up at her. "Sure Cho, sit down." Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.
Cho sighed with relief and plopped down in a seat across from Hermione, who was seated between the other two. An awkward silence fell over the table.
It was Harry's turn to try and break the ice. "So Cho, what do you think of all this business with that Umbridge woman?" Cho just rolled her eyes.
For nearly forty-five minutes, the usually quite Cho Chang talked on and on about just how much she loathed and despised Dolores Umbridge. The four talked quite animatedly about what pissed them off most about her and what they would do if ever they were given the chance to beat the snot out of her. Even Hermione, who never spoke ill f teachers, occasionally contributed something to the conversation. It seemed as though Cho had been part of the gang the whole time. With time, Harry Ron and Hermione soon learned that Cho Chang was very different from what people made her out to be. She actually detested all the attention she was given and was in fact a very down-to-earth girl. Cho, in turn, was absolutely delighted with the new companionship she had found. It was everything she had hoped for. These three were true friends, not ones hung on status and popularity. It was by far the best breakfast she'd had in a long while.
Eventually, the hearty laughed died down to chuckles as the foursome ran out of jokes and mean things to say about Umbridge. It was nearing ten o'clock. Cho didn't want this time to come to an end, but she knew it was coming. Suddenly, Ron spoke. "Well, as fun as this has been – I think we'd have even more fun out in the snow, eh?" Harry and Hermione both nodded enthusiastically. Cho went back to wringing her hands. As the trio got up from the table, Cho looked after them longingly. Just as they had reached the door and Cho's hope of going out with them was about to vanish, Ron turned.
"Oy Cho! Are you coming or not?" he shouted, waving frantically. Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. For some reason, Cho started laughing too. The four of them ran all the way though the castle and out into the grounds. A gentle snow was falling on them and the wind was gone. The sky was now a crystalline blue. It was perfect. For that moment, Cho Chang forgot that her robes didn't have a lion on them. For that moment, she was with friends, and it was beautiful.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************A/N: Okay people, again, I apologize for taking almost a month to post this, but school's really been crazy. Tomorrow's a day off for me, so I should be able to get another chapter up, this time with some action. Oh, and keep your eye on Hermione. She's gonna be getting real jealous, but who she's jealous of is a secret. And again, a big thanks to those who reviewed.