A/N:: Thanks again to lilaznpinky525! They've been reviewing almost every
chapter since the third one. Thanks so much for everything! I finally got
the quote thingy fixed and reloaded the chapters that had it, so now
everything's normal again (was it normal to begin with?). This chapter's
going to be quite long, since I have it planned. Thanks and please review
when you're done. Oh and one more thing. Just in case you were wondering,
this takes place when Harry's in 6th year and Cho's in 7th. ********OotP
Spoilers, but what are you doing reading fanfic if you haven't read the
book.********
Harry, Ron and the rest of their group made it perfectly to their common room. Cho, however, had no intent of going back to hers. She crept through the castle and to the entrance hall, where she hid in a broom closet when she saw Mrs. Norris. Cho waited for a second, didn't hear anything, and got out of the broom closet. She tiptoed through the castle doors and outside. It was mid October, so it was brisk outside. The cold night air hit her face. Her feet wandered aimlessly. 'I feel sort of sorry for Harry.' She thought, 'His life is so horrible. But then again, Ron's family is really poor. Harry doesn't even have a family, though. And Harry's so damn handsome. What am I talking about? I'm going out with Ron, and that's the person that I'll love forever.' Tears welled up in Cho's eyes. 'Except for Cedric. God I loved him so much!' She sat down.
*****
Meanwhile, in the common room, Ron and Hermione were talking about Cho, Fred and George were looking through Hogsmeade real estate ads for a place to put their joke shop. People were doing random things, mostly talking about their favorite subject, Ron and Cho. Harry sat by the fire, wishing that Sirius's head would pop up like it had in the past few years, but he knew it wouldn't. He got up, tears welling up in his eyes, too, and ran up to his bed.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice came. "Harry. Please come down."
"No." Harry replied. "I'm going to go for a walk." Harry groped around in his trunk for the silver cloak, but didn't find anything. Remembering what Neville said about Ron 'borrowing' it, Harry got up and went to Ron's trunk, muttering, "I bet the prat has it." He found it on the bottom of Ron's trunk and put it on. "See you in the morning." He said to Hermione, who sat on his bed.
"Bye." She said nervously.
*****
'Why did he have to die?' Cho thought, the tears streaming freely down her cheeks now. She looked up, only to see a figure coming in the distance. She immediately wiped her face with her robes. The figure had gotten close enough so that she could see it was Harry. He sat down next to her, clutching a silver cloak.
They sat in silence for at least fifteen minutes, then he spoke, so spontaneous that Cho jumped.
"When did Ron ask you out?" Harry asked. He was glad it was so dark that Cho couldn't see his face.
"It's a long and sad story." Cho whispered.
"Uh-oh." He whispered. She laughed at him.
"You should be happy for him having a girlfriend."
"You sound be friends with Hermione. You sound exactly like her." Cho winced at the statement like it was Voldemort.
"I'm sure she's really nice, but she's so bossy."
"Okay, on with the story."
Cho looked at Harry, smiling. "Well he told me in my third year, your second." Harry gasped. Ginny was right. "It was when Hermione and Penelope were petrified. He was sitting by Hermione's bedside. You were probably off trying to solve the mystery or something." She said this part jokingly. "Yeah, Penelope and I are still very close, even though she's out of school. She's one of my best friends. I was there, visiting Her and Ron was sitting to Hermione's side. He just spoke to me and said, 'I guess we're on the same boat now.' I was shocked, because I had always been dating Cedric-- " tears welled up in her eyes again, and she was glad Harry couldn't see them streaming down her face. "Yeah, he told me then. He asked me to go everywhere with him. Hogsmeade, Feasts, Asked me once if I'd walk with him to Potions. Then of course there was the Yule Ball. He got so excited, because he asked me the day we were told about it. Of course I said no, because I knew Cedric would ask me. He did, so I wasn't lying to Ron. Ron was so upset.
"The first day of school this year, I approached him. I wasn't ready for him last year. It was just too soon. I was going to come to you, but then I wasn't sure you had been following me as long as Ron had. We've been going out since the beginning of the school year. I hope you'll forgive him. I thought you knew he liked me. You're best friends, I thought you told each other stuff like that." Harry shook his head.
"I told him stuff like that, I always assumed he didn't really like anyone." Harry dug his nails into his arm. "Stupid git." He added.
"No. Don't be mad at him." Cho said. "He didn't do anything."
"You're right I suppose. He has a right to ask you out."
"And so do you, and so does George Weasley."
"What does George have anything to do with this."
"Oh I had such a crush on him in our First year."
"Really?" Harry asked as Cho nodded. "It's a secret. Don't tell him."
"I won't." There was another long silence. Cho broke it.
"But a plus side to it, you and me will see each other a lot more, when Ron and I go to Hogsmeade."
"Yeah. That will be good." Harry said, not really paying attention. He realized that he just had a full conversation with Cho. Cho, the one that Ron was kissing in the hospital wing. Cho, the one Ron went to Hogsmeade with. Cho, the one that Harry has liked for two years. Cho, the one that Ron had liked for four years or more. "Ok, I better get to sleep if I want to get up before 11 tomorrow." Harry said, getting up.
"Yeah, me too." Cho said, rising to her feet also. Harry turned to leave. "Hey Harry!" She called after him. "Same time tomorrow night?" Cho said, smiling. Harry returned the smile.
"Yeah. Great." He replied. They walked back to the castle together, but had to split up when Harry had to go to the side entrance. "Bye Cho."
"Bye Harry." Harry turned. "Wait Harry."
"Yeah?"
"Can you please forgive Ron. You don't even have to mean it. Just do it, ok?" Cho looked at him.
"Fine. I'll talk to him first thing in the morning." Harry turned around and rolled his eyes. There was no way he would apologize to Ron. Harry swung on the Invisibility cloak. "Bye." He whispered to Cho's back. He went into the common room and into his bed, thinking about what Cho said. 'He never told me? When I didn't like Cho he could have told me and none of this would've happened.' He thought. But then the kinder side of him whispered back, 'but you never would have known that Cho liked George Weasley!' Harry chuckled to himself at the thought.
"What's so funny?" Ron whispered from behind the curtain.
"Why should I tell you? You never told me you liked Cho since our second year." Harry whispered back. Ron immediately drew back the curtain, his face looking furious. "Never told me about the Yule ball, never told me about that day in the hospital wing."
"Who fed you this bull anyway?" Ron said, his face red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"The same person who told me to forgive you." Harry smirked like Hermione did the night of the riot.
"Hermione has such a big mouth!" He whispered to himself.
"You told Hermione, but not me?" Harry didn't bother to keep his voice down.
"Shut up!" Dean moaned.
"She overheard me asking her out once." Ron said.
"So you just neglected me?" If he hadn't been whispering, he would have been screaming.
"I didn't mean to." Ron said, then thought for a second. "Hang on. If you were surprised when I said I told Hermione, she couldn't have told you. Who told you?"
"Go to bed, Ron." Harry said pulling the curtains so Ron couldn't see him blushing into his pillow with happiness.
*****
A/N:: I know this chapter's longer than the others, but I'm going to make the chapters longer because once I start, I can't seem to come to an end. Thanks again to all of my reviewers!
Harry, Ron and the rest of their group made it perfectly to their common room. Cho, however, had no intent of going back to hers. She crept through the castle and to the entrance hall, where she hid in a broom closet when she saw Mrs. Norris. Cho waited for a second, didn't hear anything, and got out of the broom closet. She tiptoed through the castle doors and outside. It was mid October, so it was brisk outside. The cold night air hit her face. Her feet wandered aimlessly. 'I feel sort of sorry for Harry.' She thought, 'His life is so horrible. But then again, Ron's family is really poor. Harry doesn't even have a family, though. And Harry's so damn handsome. What am I talking about? I'm going out with Ron, and that's the person that I'll love forever.' Tears welled up in Cho's eyes. 'Except for Cedric. God I loved him so much!' She sat down.
*****
Meanwhile, in the common room, Ron and Hermione were talking about Cho, Fred and George were looking through Hogsmeade real estate ads for a place to put their joke shop. People were doing random things, mostly talking about their favorite subject, Ron and Cho. Harry sat by the fire, wishing that Sirius's head would pop up like it had in the past few years, but he knew it wouldn't. He got up, tears welling up in his eyes, too, and ran up to his bed.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice came. "Harry. Please come down."
"No." Harry replied. "I'm going to go for a walk." Harry groped around in his trunk for the silver cloak, but didn't find anything. Remembering what Neville said about Ron 'borrowing' it, Harry got up and went to Ron's trunk, muttering, "I bet the prat has it." He found it on the bottom of Ron's trunk and put it on. "See you in the morning." He said to Hermione, who sat on his bed.
"Bye." She said nervously.
*****
'Why did he have to die?' Cho thought, the tears streaming freely down her cheeks now. She looked up, only to see a figure coming in the distance. She immediately wiped her face with her robes. The figure had gotten close enough so that she could see it was Harry. He sat down next to her, clutching a silver cloak.
They sat in silence for at least fifteen minutes, then he spoke, so spontaneous that Cho jumped.
"When did Ron ask you out?" Harry asked. He was glad it was so dark that Cho couldn't see his face.
"It's a long and sad story." Cho whispered.
"Uh-oh." He whispered. She laughed at him.
"You should be happy for him having a girlfriend."
"You sound be friends with Hermione. You sound exactly like her." Cho winced at the statement like it was Voldemort.
"I'm sure she's really nice, but she's so bossy."
"Okay, on with the story."
Cho looked at Harry, smiling. "Well he told me in my third year, your second." Harry gasped. Ginny was right. "It was when Hermione and Penelope were petrified. He was sitting by Hermione's bedside. You were probably off trying to solve the mystery or something." She said this part jokingly. "Yeah, Penelope and I are still very close, even though she's out of school. She's one of my best friends. I was there, visiting Her and Ron was sitting to Hermione's side. He just spoke to me and said, 'I guess we're on the same boat now.' I was shocked, because I had always been dating Cedric-- " tears welled up in her eyes again, and she was glad Harry couldn't see them streaming down her face. "Yeah, he told me then. He asked me to go everywhere with him. Hogsmeade, Feasts, Asked me once if I'd walk with him to Potions. Then of course there was the Yule Ball. He got so excited, because he asked me the day we were told about it. Of course I said no, because I knew Cedric would ask me. He did, so I wasn't lying to Ron. Ron was so upset.
"The first day of school this year, I approached him. I wasn't ready for him last year. It was just too soon. I was going to come to you, but then I wasn't sure you had been following me as long as Ron had. We've been going out since the beginning of the school year. I hope you'll forgive him. I thought you knew he liked me. You're best friends, I thought you told each other stuff like that." Harry shook his head.
"I told him stuff like that, I always assumed he didn't really like anyone." Harry dug his nails into his arm. "Stupid git." He added.
"No. Don't be mad at him." Cho said. "He didn't do anything."
"You're right I suppose. He has a right to ask you out."
"And so do you, and so does George Weasley."
"What does George have anything to do with this."
"Oh I had such a crush on him in our First year."
"Really?" Harry asked as Cho nodded. "It's a secret. Don't tell him."
"I won't." There was another long silence. Cho broke it.
"But a plus side to it, you and me will see each other a lot more, when Ron and I go to Hogsmeade."
"Yeah. That will be good." Harry said, not really paying attention. He realized that he just had a full conversation with Cho. Cho, the one that Ron was kissing in the hospital wing. Cho, the one Ron went to Hogsmeade with. Cho, the one that Harry has liked for two years. Cho, the one that Ron had liked for four years or more. "Ok, I better get to sleep if I want to get up before 11 tomorrow." Harry said, getting up.
"Yeah, me too." Cho said, rising to her feet also. Harry turned to leave. "Hey Harry!" She called after him. "Same time tomorrow night?" Cho said, smiling. Harry returned the smile.
"Yeah. Great." He replied. They walked back to the castle together, but had to split up when Harry had to go to the side entrance. "Bye Cho."
"Bye Harry." Harry turned. "Wait Harry."
"Yeah?"
"Can you please forgive Ron. You don't even have to mean it. Just do it, ok?" Cho looked at him.
"Fine. I'll talk to him first thing in the morning." Harry turned around and rolled his eyes. There was no way he would apologize to Ron. Harry swung on the Invisibility cloak. "Bye." He whispered to Cho's back. He went into the common room and into his bed, thinking about what Cho said. 'He never told me? When I didn't like Cho he could have told me and none of this would've happened.' He thought. But then the kinder side of him whispered back, 'but you never would have known that Cho liked George Weasley!' Harry chuckled to himself at the thought.
"What's so funny?" Ron whispered from behind the curtain.
"Why should I tell you? You never told me you liked Cho since our second year." Harry whispered back. Ron immediately drew back the curtain, his face looking furious. "Never told me about the Yule ball, never told me about that day in the hospital wing."
"Who fed you this bull anyway?" Ron said, his face red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"The same person who told me to forgive you." Harry smirked like Hermione did the night of the riot.
"Hermione has such a big mouth!" He whispered to himself.
"You told Hermione, but not me?" Harry didn't bother to keep his voice down.
"Shut up!" Dean moaned.
"She overheard me asking her out once." Ron said.
"So you just neglected me?" If he hadn't been whispering, he would have been screaming.
"I didn't mean to." Ron said, then thought for a second. "Hang on. If you were surprised when I said I told Hermione, she couldn't have told you. Who told you?"
"Go to bed, Ron." Harry said pulling the curtains so Ron couldn't see him blushing into his pillow with happiness.
*****
A/N:: I know this chapter's longer than the others, but I'm going to make the chapters longer because once I start, I can't seem to come to an end. Thanks again to all of my reviewers!