The Legacy of the Founders :: By: JoC a.k.a JkReviewer

::

Chapter IX – Xīn juè

After a brief introduction and exchange of names, the Changs, Cho and Harry slowly made there way inside the castle. He was walking two feet away from Cho, who looked a little pale, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Harry felt very weak, and he was sure his face was as pale as a ghost. The formal introduction to Cho's father had been very civil, but something in his tone of voice and selection of words, had made Harry shiver with some kind of fear. They were walking in silence, Cho's parents leading the way with her and Harry not five feet behind them. A meeting room had been reserved so they could talk, but Harry wasn't even sure he could move his lips when they got there.

He caught Cho's eye and she gave him a quick encouraging smile, before falling back in her own thoughts. Harry tried swallowing the big lump in his throat, but it was stuck there – making sure he had problems breathing and talking. His hands were slowly getting sweaty, and a panic feeling crept along his spine.

Cho's father opened the door to a room Harry had never been in, and motioned for everyone else to get inside. The room was brightly lit and well furnished, but nothing could drive the thought of walking in to a prison out of Harry's mind, as he heard the door close behind him. "Trapped!" Harry muttered to himself very quietly, but Cho seemed to have heard. Instead of giving him a frown and a disapproving look, she simply nodded slowly.

They took a seat besides each other, while Cho's parents sat down on the other side of a small wooden table. Harry tried his best not to look Cho's parents in the eyes, they intimidated him somehow. But then again, darting eyes could be seen as a sign of weakness to them– and he wanted to look his best. He sighed and pulled his gaze up trying to meet theirs. "Courage is a Griffindor quality, might as well use it…" he thought to himself sarcastically. But they weren't even looking at him; instead Cho's parents seemed to be waiting for their daughter to begin. Not one word had been uttered up until now, but Cho somehow knew she was expected to start.

She started moving her mouth several times, but not a word or even a sound came. She bit her under lip, meeting her father's gaze. His face - quite opposite Cho's, which was showing almost every emotion in the book – was completely frozen and expressionless. She opened her mouth again, but closed it shut immediately. Her eyes seemed to travel to another place, and her look became distant. A small smile grew on the edge of her lips and she blinked her eyes once, before turning her head towards Harry.

Her smile was so sweet and genuine it made Harry's worries and troubles fall apart and he slowly returned it. A clearing of a throat brought focus back to the question at hand, but the smile didn't seem to fade from either of their lips. A silent understanding had passed between them, and Cho straitened up.

"Mommy, Daddy this is Harry!" she said quickly, "Xīn juè"! Cho's mother failed at hiding a gasp, and the frown on her fathers face seemed to intensify. Cho still smiled, though she was shaking a bit now. Nobody seemed interested in explained what Harry assumed was Chinese, to him, but as he saw Cho' father turn his eyes to him, he knew that it could wait.

Cho had never told Harry what her parents did for a living, but from the interrogating look on their faces, criminal investigators or prison personnel wasn't out of the question.

"So…" her father began. "You are Harry?" It wasn't a question. "Cho send us a letter a week ago, saying that you and her were going out!" he paused for a while his eyes focused solely on Harry. "Naturally then we would want to meet you, so here we are!" He gestured at his wife and him, before leaning back looking very thoughtful. Harry chanced a quick look at Cho. She was again biting her under lip, something Harry knew she did when she was very nervous. He tried giving her a smile, but he couldn't move his lips.

"I have some questions for you Harry" her father suddenly said, making Harry's head spin around so fast he was sure it would fall of. He tried looking really attentive but he was sure it just made him look like he was staring. The fact that he could hear his heartbeat like a big drum in his head didn't make looking focused any easier.

"As Cho has probably told you she is my only child still living at home, and therefore she is also the only daughter within my reach!" Although stating the obvious he sounded like it was of great importance. "And because of this I only have one, besides my wife, to love and protect!" a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"I wanted you to know, Harry, before I get to the real questions that if you ever hurt my daughter in any way…" his face returned to the casual business one he had worn at the beginning, but a dark sparkle appeared in his eyes. He voice was calm and cool without the slightest hint of affection. "If you hurt her in any way, I will make you suffer!"

An eerie silence followed this statement, only the howling fall wind was heard, and it wasn't exactly comforting. Harry's lips and tongue were dried out, and he noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. He knew it wasn't because of real fear, like they one he once knew around dementors and such, but still it made him shiver. He forced his eyes to lock even more with those of Cho's father and nodded slightly.

A peculiar grin spread across her father's face, and two loud sighs were heard from just beside him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cho's lips form a still nervous smile. It gave him confidence, and he looked back at her father. Even though he was happy to see him smile, it still freaked him out a bit, and he suppresses a shudder. Cho's father's arms, which had been crossed since the start, now relaxed a bit and fell to his sides. He too nodded giving Harry a somewhat genuine smile.

 "So anyway Harry…" he said making a 'waving-the-other-stuff-away' motion. "Tell me about yourself…"

After removing the sweat that had appeared on his forehead with the back of his hand, Harry started to retell his life story. Cho's parents of course knew the 'Harry Potter Chronicle' as it was described in Events that changed the magical world, as everyone else did before Harry went to Hogwarts. Cho had told them bits of information about him over the years, a thing that made Harry blush a bit. When he retold his quidditch matches, the one against Cho included, her father seemed really enthusiastic for the first time during their meeting.

"I was a seeker myself, before I went on to other things." He smiled, getting lost in an old memory. "I taught Cho everything I know before she even came to Hogwarts, so naturally she was a seeker too!" He said, giving her a fatherly, proud look. The conversation continued along this pleasant track, Cho's parents (or actually her father) praised Harry for his playing and his good OWL scores. Cho's father of course pointed out that his daughter had received an OWL more than Harry, but his was only expected so Harry simply nodded, while Cho hissed: "Dad!"

When they realised that he was the one who had started the DA last year, they both got a little tight tongued.

Harry remembered how Cho had told him that her parents had instructed her to stay clear of Umbridge, but she had disobeyed just like the other members. He somehow feared that she would be in for a tell off, but instead her parents seemed quiet and embarrassed?

Knowing better than to push the subject, Harry remained silent waiting for the next round of questions. Up until now the questions had been mostly nice and easy but Cho's father seemed to have regained some of the viciousness, Harry knew was saved for him. The strange smile appeared on his lips again.
"So Harry what do you plan to do after Hogwarts? How do you plan to take care of my girl?" he said interrupting the uneasy silence. It was obviously meant as a joke, but Harry wasn't really in a joking mood. He was way to nervous still. "I- I have some gold in a vault at Gringotts…"

He hated telling people about things like this, it felt and smelled like bragging – giving him an odd taste in his mouth. Cho's father nodded slowly. "Some gold?" he questioned, but was interrupted by another loud his from his daughter. He seemed somewhat taken back by this but he continued as if nothing had happened.

"What about a job? Have you given any thoughts to what profession you can choose?" Something in the choice of words, made Harry quite sure that Cho's father seriously doubted his abilities. He knew the answer by heart, but it took him half a minute to answer anyhow.

"Eh… I was thinking of becoming an Auror!" he said without too much determination. He knew he had said the wrong thing at that exact moment, but there was no way to take it back now. Her father seemed to get very angry but before he could say anything, Cho's mother who had remained silent up until now beat him too it.

"Harry… Do you love my daughter?" she said with a voice that only expected any of two answers. Harry chanced a quick look at Cho out of the corner of his eye. She looked very nervous. For some reason this gave Harry determination.

"Yes!" he said as sincere as he could muster. "I do, and I always will!"

In any movie or play this would have been a way too corny line to ever make it out of the actors mouth, but at this moment it was the only truth he needed speak. Cho sighed loudly besides him, and quiet sobs could be heard. Harry's eyes were still focused on Cho's mother and her reaction. But it didn't come. Instead she seemed to examine him in a way. Her piercing gaze almost made him flinch but he remained 'standing tall'.

Finally she nodded and a happy smile spread across her lips, making Harry breath out for the first time in almost two minutes. Cho's father looked suspiciously at her mother, but she silenced him completely with one look. Then she turned to Cho and said something in Chinese but Harry didn't even catch the words this time. "Memo to self…" he thought "Learn basic Chinese so you wont be let out!" Harry jumped in shock as Cho let out a high pinch happy scream, forgetting all about manners she jumped over the table and hugged her mother.

Her father joined in, and soon it was a big family hug leaving Harry sitting back, feeling very awkward. He felt sort of left out before Cho jumped right back over the table hugging Harry instead. At first he was surprised but then he hugged her back. She felt very warm, making him shiver a bit. The distinctive smell from her perfume enthralled Harry making him forget all about evil parents in-law, until they broke the silence with a clear throat clearing.

"Well…" her father said, as he and her mother got up. "We better get going!" He picked up his things and put forward his hand. Harry shook it, maybe a bit eagerly and he was quite sure he hand was a bit sweaty from all the tension. "It was nice seeing you Harry…" he leaned in and whispered so only Harry could hear it: "Remember Harry… I always know, and if you do anything to my daughter!"

He didn't finish the sentence and he didn't need to, Harry knew exactly what would happen. He forced a smile to his lips, before giving a nod with the head as answer to her mothers goodbye.

* * *

After the life altering rendezvous with Cho's parents Harry had made his way to the prefect bathroom. Although he had taken a shower not more than an hour ago, he really felt like he needed it now. "Carpe diem" he said and the door sprung open. Even though he wasn't a prefect, he had overheard Hermione telling Ron about the new password, and wouldn't he be a fool not to use it then?

He turned on the hot water, before stripping down to nothing. He sat down slowly, in the swimming pool sized bathtub, the perfectly hot water destroying the hoarded tension. He was still quite shaken by the 'interview' and he was sure he had just acquired a could-be mortal enemy. After her parents had left the great hall, Cho had turned around, and before he could say a word they were locked together. Harry had almost fallen backwards when she had jumped up, locked her legs around him kissing him all over. Then without a word she had left him to follow her parents to the station in Hogsmeade. "Girls..." he sighed, before deciding that he needed a bath.

He opened a valve and bright blue bubbles filled the bath. He drifted on into a relaxed near sleeping state quickly and he didn't even hear the door open. A girly shriek broke him out of his dreams and he blushed red with embarrassment before even turning to see whom it was. Luckily (or unluckily, he wasn't sure) it was Hermione. "Ehh… hi" he tried blushing even more. Thank god for bubbles he thought before diving a little deeper under the water, hiding all but his head. She didn't say anything she just stood transfixed in with a look of horror on her face.

"Hermione?" he tried. After a few seconds she seemed to get an invisible slap on the cheek and the returned to reality. "Wha – What are you doing here?" she stuttered. Harry smiled unknowingly, at seeing Hermione so lost. She was normally the sensible calm one. "Well… You see, it's a long story…"

After end explanation of the meeting Hermione seemed to have loosened a bit up from her very tense self from before. She actually smiled when Harry told her about her Cho's father threatening him. Harry asked her to turn around so he could get up and get dressed. Her cheeks coloured up, but she turned without a word. When he was finished and about to leave she blocked the door and then started asking questions. But he kind of felt he had heard enough of those for one day, and decided to turn the tables around. With an evil smile he asked: "Hermione? When are you gonna tell me about Ron and you?"

He had expected her to shut her mouth like an ouster, but instead she shrugged and sighed loudly. "Well Harry… It's quite complicated you see Ron and…" but she didn't finish. The door made a noise as it opened and in stepped their favourite enemy – Draco Malfoy. At first he seemed surprised to see that anyone was in there but when he realised whom it was a smile spread across his lips.

 "Well if it Scarhead and Mudblood… What's the matter? In need of some private time?" he said, smirking. "Tut tut Potty! Don't you know you can't do something like that?!" He started walking around Hermione position him by the window. "But what is too expect when you spend all your time at that Weasley hole?"

The words hadn't left his lips before both Hermione and Harry had brought out their wands. Harry was surprised to see Hermione act like this, but he didn't care at the moment. Harry knew he was provoking him for a reason, and it took him all his strength to not throw a curse directly at Malfoy's face.

"What a lame one Malfoy…" he hissed back at him through gritted teeth. "What's the matter? Can't make up a good one when daddy's not around?" He knew he had hit a nerve, because Draco's face turned even paler than normally and he looked as hateful as ever. Harry was expecting him to go for his wand, but instead he walked towards the door, not taking his eyes of him.

He put his hand on the doorknob and was about to leave when be turned to Harry. "No one insults my father… If you are man enough, meet me in the Astronomy tower at midnight!" Then he opened the door and walked out, muttering something about dead and destruction. Hermione turned towards Harry, her eyes looking like she was in shock. "You can't go Harry, it's at trap! Don't you remember what happened in our second year?"

But Harry actually didn't hear any of this. His hands were curled up in fists and his knuckles were bright from grasping his wand to tightly. Harry had taken a stand since Sirius died. This time Malfoy will pay…

* * * * * *

To anyone and everyone who speaks Chinese, please don't flame me for the headline. One of my friends translated it for me…

But if you are Chinese and you would like to help the story, could you please correct the text and then drop me a line? Thx… :)

I can't really tell you what it means but I guess you'll guess it anyways. This actually have some meaning alter, and that's the reason why Harry and you won't know the translation just yet!

I realise this might be a dull and boring chapter, but most people tell me to go slow and I thought it would be quite funny to portray the meeting with the in-laws. Something I myself have always been very afraid of, and fortunately (or unfortunately???) it hasn't happened yet. Soon the actual story will start to roll and after reading about 100 different fanfics over the last month I'm feeling quite comfortable that most of you will be pleased with the result.

As always I'm sorry for not updating sooner but the fact that Monday was the 1. Of September made me quite sad, because I then realised that if I had gone to Hogwarts it would have been my seventh and final year! Sigh

Hope you enjoy!

I still don't get this getting reviews thing. I mean I couldn't be happier with my loyal readers (I'm writing this for you) but even very bad fanfics get reviews faster than this story and thats when it hit me! You have to write crap to get reviews so here is a snippit of the next chapter:

Harry: "Hi Cho!"

Cho: "Hi Harry"

Harry: "Umm… Do you wanna kiss?"

Cho: "Sure"

And then they kissed for a long time.

Harry: "Cho?"

Cho: "Yes Harry?"

Harry: "Wanna walk 2 the great hall?"

Ron: "Hi guys"

What do you think?

Hahahahahaha Don't worry I won't do that! Damn that was funny writing… huh? What? It was funny! Nevermind…

* * *

Disclaimer: Some guy just sold me everything about Harry potter so actually I own it now! Wohoo… Wait, What? A fake? Noooooooooo……

Anyway, as always:  I don't own any thing related to the Potter-universe that you can recognize! It all belongs to da J.K. Rowling woman, man!

Any criticism or comment you might have, about the story, the grammar, my weird sense of humour – I would be happy to hear it!

Respond to reviewers: (thanks y'all :)

Indigal – Thanks as always for reviewing! Wow I'm glad you liked the Quidditch! I actually thought it was dull because I had to hold back – Harry can't show his true potential against a seeker like Zacharias now can he? :) Anyways, I want to hear if you think I should do it R rated, PG13 rated or something in-between?

Slate07 – Well there will be a lot of "power" stuff if that's what you mean, and of course he will have to face evil – but who said anything about it only being in the end of the story? ;) hehe

Blazinangelwings – Arhhh don't have so high expectations of me I'll just end screwing it all up! I know this chapter is pretty dull but I hope to have another chapter up during the weekend! Anyways, are people actually reading these replies or not?

Devotion408 – me too! I'm dead scared of the day when it comes… :0

I love Cho – Forget school eh? Well that would be a good idea if it wasn't for this girl… Ehh… anyways, thanks for licking the quidditch part, but as I said above it will be a lot better when a better opponent will be around!

Hippyman69 – Aliens? Jay and silent bob? Hehe riiiight! Anyways, you don't think I should make it "nasty"? Well I never intended to do it X-rated, but I might be able to make it sorta 'beautiful' (Wow that felt weird even just typing it) Thanks for saying it's cool, I had my troubles when I decided to start this story but you guys got me convinced.

CyberdogZ – Well she obviously trusts Harry very much and he trusts her, but maybe you are right! We'll see what happens right? How come everyone likes the quidditch thing?

Kyi18 – Thanks! =) Well I'm prolonging it maybe because I'm not really a fan about the whole double date "everyone-is-happy" thing. Maybe because I have a secret meaning behind it? Anyways I don't even know if they are gonna be together! They might already be, they might not ever be… Hmmm what a puzzle! :) And yes I am very evil, one of my human flaws! That and I can't get enough of martial arts movies… Hmmm

RexEx – Hey a kindred spirit! Well to tell you the truth I can only write like this because there is this girl at school who is quite special and well she makes me think strange. Hehe! Of course I'll read your story… Just a sec! Hehe Thanks for commenting my writing, maybe it's because my fingers are getting more used to throwing out words now, who knows? Im from Denmark, u?

TigerCat – On the edge of the seat? That must have hurt if you have been this way since the weekend! Hehe J/K Don't smash your head, I like flattering reviews just as well! Thanks for still keeping with the story. :D

Please review – I like questions and ideas, cuz that way you guys might influence the direction of the story!