The Hogsmeade trip was cancelled. Students weren't allowed to leave the
castle without being accompanied by either a teacher, or some one who knew
how to do a proper Patronus, just in case.
No dementors came to Hogwarts.
Harry's training steeped up. He now spent every night in the Professor McGonagall's classroom, either learning animagi with her, or advanced DADA with Professor Dumbledore.
Hew went immediately after dinner, and stayed until past curfew. He was also excused from all his homework, so he would have more time to work.
Outside the castle boundaries, the second war raged. Hundreds were killed, many more driven to madness by Dementors or Death Eaters.
Harry was sure that Lucius Malfoy was one of those Death Eaters, but Malfoy didn't seem too cocky. He seemed scared, just like everyone else.
* * * * *
Christmas was still a happy day, though it was tough getting people presents. Everyone was wrapping potions, clothes, and other personal belongings in parchment, and giving them to their friends.
Harry was the only person not thinking about what to get his best friends. In fact, by Christmas eve, he hadn't given it a thought. He hadn't had time. Every one in Gryffindor seemed to understand he was doing something more important than anything they could think of, so they left him alone while he sat in the corner and thought. Finally, after spending an hour getting his last minute presents ready for Ron and Hermione, Harry went to bed.
Harry opened his eyes. He was in the great hall. Lightening was flashing over his head, lighting up the black room. Every time it flashed, Harry saw a girl sitting on the other side of the room, at the Ravenclaw table. He ran over to her.
"Harry! I'm so scared! I don't like the dark!" Cho cried.
"It's going to be okay, just stay there!" Harry called out to her. He was running towards her, but she seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Suddenly, the lights came on, and the Great Hall was filled with people swarming around him, suffocating him.
"Cho!" She walked up to him. "It's okay, Harry. I'm not scared when it's light out! I don't need you any more!" She stuck her tongue out, and changed into Ron.
"I told you she was no good, mate!" then into Hermione. "I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Then Ginny, "We could have told you this would happen, if you'd only asked." then to Fred. "I'm not Fred, I'm George, stupid!"
"Aaaah! What the hell?" Harry woke up.
"What is it, Harry? A nightmare?" Ron asked, groggily.
"No, it's nothing. Go back to sleep."
"Sure thing, mate, but not without opening my presents first!" Ron leapt on the small pile at the end of the bed.
Harry had given Ron his Chudley Cannons poster, which made Ron squeak when he unrolled it. "Cool! Thanks, Harry!" He proceeded to open a book from Hermione, sweets from Hagrid, and a sweater from his mum, all while Harry sat in his bed, watching.
"Are you going to open anything?" Seamus asked, noticing Harry.
Harry realized he hadn't given a glance to his presents, and moved to the end of his bed to open them.
He opened a bag of goodies from Fred and Georges store, ("I had a hell of a time getting it here" Ron said.) the same sweets from Hagrid, n emerald green sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a subscription to the Daily Prophet from Hermione, and a cookie from the Dursleys, the best present they had ever given him.
He was pretty sure Moody and Tonks had something to do with it. While Ron was going through the goodies he had given Harry, Harry noticed two more presents in the corner.
He opened the first one which was a letter.
Dear Harry:
I just wanted to thank you. Everything you've done, I don't think I could've survived it without your help. I owe you one.
Sorry for not having a present, Cho
Harry looked it over a few times, before Ron poked him, wanting to know what was in the tiny shaking box.
Before opening it, he read the small note attached. 'I hope this helps. I found it at Grimmauld place. Sirius must have kept it this whole time. I've never seen one last this long. The magic usually wears off after a few years. Good luck, and I hope to hear from you soon.'
Harry opened the tiny box, and a golden snitch flew out, darting around the room.
"Cool, Harry!" Neville said, watching it. "Yeah mate, who'd give you a snitch? I hear they're pretty expensive!"
"It doesn't say," Ron said, reading the note.
"Yes it does." Harry said, his eyes still following the snitch. He reached out, and before the snitch could dart out of the way, grabbed it.
* * * * *
Before going down to breakfast, Harry had some thinking to do.
What could he give Cho? It was too late, and he wasn't a good enough artist to make her something, and he couldn't give her something like his cloak, or broom, or map. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. He also didn't want to part with them.
Finally, it came to him. He ran downstairs to catch up with Ron and Hermione.
He walked in to the Great Hall, noticing for the first time just how many people had stayed for Christmas holiday. They were all afraid to leave the safety of the castle walls.
Harry stuck his hand in his pocket, making sure his gift was still there. It was.
He walked up to where Cho was sitting. She was alone.
"Hey Cho," Harry said, smiling. "Happy Christmas!"
Her face lit up. "Harry! Please, sit down!"
He did, and asked the first question that came into his head. "So, any good haul?"
She sighed, obviously not too happy about the first Christmas without her parents. "No, Alan said he couldn't get me anything if he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, but he said he was sure my parents would give me some good stuff. I had to run away to stop myself from crying." She paused.
"Again."
She sighed again. "I should probably talk to him about it. I think today might be the day I tell someone else about my parents. I just wish I had someone to back me up."
Harry looked at her, his mouth hanging open. Was she stupid? What was he, chopped liver?
"Harry," She said, rolling her eyes. "I can't take you to talk to my boyfriend!"
Oh. Oops.
"Well Cho, I think you need something to cheer you up on this wonderful Christmas day!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out her present. "Sorry it's not wrapped, it kept putting holes in my parchment."
Cho looked like she was going to cry. Oh great, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"Oh, Harry, thank you! It must mean so much to you, though!"
"Yeah, I guess, but a model seems so inadequate when I've fought the real thing."
Cho laughed, her eyes sparkling, and put the model of the Hungarian Horntail on the table in front of her.
She hugged him. "You're welcome, Cho, but you can let go of me now." Harry said after a moment.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She blushed and let go. "Cho!" An angry voice traveled across the great hall. The entire student body went quiet.
"What's going on here?"
Cho sighed, her eyes sparkling angrily. "Nothing, Alan. He gave me a Christmas present, that's all."
"Oh? Harry. You trying to make a play on my girlfriend?"
Harry was confused, and he was sure he looked it. Hadn't he just given her a Christmas present?
"No Alan, he isn't. I told you, he was giving me a Christmas present." Her fists were clenched together so tightly they were white, and her lips made a thin straight line, making her look suspiciously like Professor McGonagall.
"Well, then why are you two so chummy?'" Harry understood what Cho meant by Alan being overprotective. He was probably a very nice boy, most of the time.
Probably.
Cho stood up. She was fuming now. "We are so 'chummy' because he understands what I've been through!"
"Cho, no. Not like this!" Harry tried to pull her back down, but she just shook him off. Harry knew this was not really his business. He let her keep talking.
"What do you mean?" Alan screamed, not wanting Cho to have a special bond with another guy, especially her ex-boyfriend.
"I mean, that when I got home from school, my parents were dead on the living room floor! I spent the entire summer crying, all my friends didn't want anything to do with me this year because I was no fun any more, and I was afraid to tell any one because they would treat me differently! Harry is the only one who understands that I'm still me! He's the only one I can talk to! If that's too much for you to handle, then this won't work!"
Alan looked very pale, knowing she was right. But he still kept going. "Why the hell would I treat you differently then he would?" He screamed.
Cho seemed to have lost her energy. Tears were streaming down her face, and her answer was a whisper.
"Because he's the only one who realizes I'm not evil because my parents were murdered by Voldemort." She was whispering, but everyone in the room heard her say it, it echoed like she had shouted it. Harry knew that was the end of it.
It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name.
Cho stood there for a minute, waiting for an answer, but when none came, she turned on her heel and strode out of the Great Hall.
After a minute with the entire rooms eyes on him, Harry slowly stood up, pocketed the Hungarian Horntail, and backed out of the room, every face in the room following him.
Alan Deezling was still in too much shock to say anything.
Harry walked to the front door, and saw footsteps leading to the lakeshore. He knew that Cho would go outside, she wouldn't meet anyone there.
As he approached the frozen shore of the lake, Harry saw a black shape sitting under a tree, looking out at the lake.
He knew it was Cho, and he walked over and sat down beside her.
"You forgot your gift." He said.
"Harry, don't you know when to leave well enough alone?"
"Nope." He grinned. "Here, this is yours."
She took the Hungarian Horntail in her icy hands, and smiled when Harry handed her a pair of gloves he had in his robe pocket.
"I'm sorry for what just happened. I didn't mean for it to happen that way, I didn't want to bring you into it, and I certainly didn't want to do it in front of the entire school, either." She laughed.
"I suppose it's for the best. He was very jealous."
"He sure was." Harry chuckled.
'Well, Harry, you did happen to see him at his worst. He really is very nice, and I think I really liked him." She talked for a few more minutes, and Harry let her get it all out.
"C'mon, Cho. Let's go inside, you're shivering. We can go to my crazy new office, or something."
She nodded and smiled. As they walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry felt increasingly nervous, like he was responsible for everything that had just happened, and Cho was going to notice it any second, and never want to talk to him again.
"I want to know," Cho said, taking a deep breath, "What's happening with You-Know-Who."
It was Harry's turn to sigh. It was also his turn to have his stomach turn at the thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hah! That was almost 2000 words, and this time I remembered to not include the notes!
Ok, last chapter, I screwed up. It seems I cannot count. I said she had been going out with Alan since October. "That's four months" she said. But, if she broke up with him at Christmas, well, as I'm sure you noticed, that's not four months. Three, at most. More like two and a half.
Secondly, I got some complaints about the predictability of the Dementors turning evil. Duh! She basically said had happened by the end of the fifth book. But that's not important. The only reason they went bad is so every one would stay over Christmas holiday, and it would add some sadness and fear into their world. The dementors aren't really going to have too much to do with it.
Well, thanks for all the reviews, and sorry I took so long with this chapter. I was away on Monday and Tuesday, and I was sick yesterday. so I haven't gotten time to finish in a while.. Yeah. That's it. Review. Now. Or I will have to murder you. Metaphorically speaking.
"I shall call you squishy, and you shall be mine. You shall be my squishy!"
-unolimbo/emma
No dementors came to Hogwarts.
Harry's training steeped up. He now spent every night in the Professor McGonagall's classroom, either learning animagi with her, or advanced DADA with Professor Dumbledore.
Hew went immediately after dinner, and stayed until past curfew. He was also excused from all his homework, so he would have more time to work.
Outside the castle boundaries, the second war raged. Hundreds were killed, many more driven to madness by Dementors or Death Eaters.
Harry was sure that Lucius Malfoy was one of those Death Eaters, but Malfoy didn't seem too cocky. He seemed scared, just like everyone else.
* * * * *
Christmas was still a happy day, though it was tough getting people presents. Everyone was wrapping potions, clothes, and other personal belongings in parchment, and giving them to their friends.
Harry was the only person not thinking about what to get his best friends. In fact, by Christmas eve, he hadn't given it a thought. He hadn't had time. Every one in Gryffindor seemed to understand he was doing something more important than anything they could think of, so they left him alone while he sat in the corner and thought. Finally, after spending an hour getting his last minute presents ready for Ron and Hermione, Harry went to bed.
Harry opened his eyes. He was in the great hall. Lightening was flashing over his head, lighting up the black room. Every time it flashed, Harry saw a girl sitting on the other side of the room, at the Ravenclaw table. He ran over to her.
"Harry! I'm so scared! I don't like the dark!" Cho cried.
"It's going to be okay, just stay there!" Harry called out to her. He was running towards her, but she seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Suddenly, the lights came on, and the Great Hall was filled with people swarming around him, suffocating him.
"Cho!" She walked up to him. "It's okay, Harry. I'm not scared when it's light out! I don't need you any more!" She stuck her tongue out, and changed into Ron.
"I told you she was no good, mate!" then into Hermione. "I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Then Ginny, "We could have told you this would happen, if you'd only asked." then to Fred. "I'm not Fred, I'm George, stupid!"
"Aaaah! What the hell?" Harry woke up.
"What is it, Harry? A nightmare?" Ron asked, groggily.
"No, it's nothing. Go back to sleep."
"Sure thing, mate, but not without opening my presents first!" Ron leapt on the small pile at the end of the bed.
Harry had given Ron his Chudley Cannons poster, which made Ron squeak when he unrolled it. "Cool! Thanks, Harry!" He proceeded to open a book from Hermione, sweets from Hagrid, and a sweater from his mum, all while Harry sat in his bed, watching.
"Are you going to open anything?" Seamus asked, noticing Harry.
Harry realized he hadn't given a glance to his presents, and moved to the end of his bed to open them.
He opened a bag of goodies from Fred and Georges store, ("I had a hell of a time getting it here" Ron said.) the same sweets from Hagrid, n emerald green sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a subscription to the Daily Prophet from Hermione, and a cookie from the Dursleys, the best present they had ever given him.
He was pretty sure Moody and Tonks had something to do with it. While Ron was going through the goodies he had given Harry, Harry noticed two more presents in the corner.
He opened the first one which was a letter.
Dear Harry:
I just wanted to thank you. Everything you've done, I don't think I could've survived it without your help. I owe you one.
Sorry for not having a present, Cho
Harry looked it over a few times, before Ron poked him, wanting to know what was in the tiny shaking box.
Before opening it, he read the small note attached. 'I hope this helps. I found it at Grimmauld place. Sirius must have kept it this whole time. I've never seen one last this long. The magic usually wears off after a few years. Good luck, and I hope to hear from you soon.'
Harry opened the tiny box, and a golden snitch flew out, darting around the room.
"Cool, Harry!" Neville said, watching it. "Yeah mate, who'd give you a snitch? I hear they're pretty expensive!"
"It doesn't say," Ron said, reading the note.
"Yes it does." Harry said, his eyes still following the snitch. He reached out, and before the snitch could dart out of the way, grabbed it.
* * * * *
Before going down to breakfast, Harry had some thinking to do.
What could he give Cho? It was too late, and he wasn't a good enough artist to make her something, and he couldn't give her something like his cloak, or broom, or map. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. He also didn't want to part with them.
Finally, it came to him. He ran downstairs to catch up with Ron and Hermione.
He walked in to the Great Hall, noticing for the first time just how many people had stayed for Christmas holiday. They were all afraid to leave the safety of the castle walls.
Harry stuck his hand in his pocket, making sure his gift was still there. It was.
He walked up to where Cho was sitting. She was alone.
"Hey Cho," Harry said, smiling. "Happy Christmas!"
Her face lit up. "Harry! Please, sit down!"
He did, and asked the first question that came into his head. "So, any good haul?"
She sighed, obviously not too happy about the first Christmas without her parents. "No, Alan said he couldn't get me anything if he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, but he said he was sure my parents would give me some good stuff. I had to run away to stop myself from crying." She paused.
"Again."
She sighed again. "I should probably talk to him about it. I think today might be the day I tell someone else about my parents. I just wish I had someone to back me up."
Harry looked at her, his mouth hanging open. Was she stupid? What was he, chopped liver?
"Harry," She said, rolling her eyes. "I can't take you to talk to my boyfriend!"
Oh. Oops.
"Well Cho, I think you need something to cheer you up on this wonderful Christmas day!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out her present. "Sorry it's not wrapped, it kept putting holes in my parchment."
Cho looked like she was going to cry. Oh great, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"Oh, Harry, thank you! It must mean so much to you, though!"
"Yeah, I guess, but a model seems so inadequate when I've fought the real thing."
Cho laughed, her eyes sparkling, and put the model of the Hungarian Horntail on the table in front of her.
She hugged him. "You're welcome, Cho, but you can let go of me now." Harry said after a moment.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She blushed and let go. "Cho!" An angry voice traveled across the great hall. The entire student body went quiet.
"What's going on here?"
Cho sighed, her eyes sparkling angrily. "Nothing, Alan. He gave me a Christmas present, that's all."
"Oh? Harry. You trying to make a play on my girlfriend?"
Harry was confused, and he was sure he looked it. Hadn't he just given her a Christmas present?
"No Alan, he isn't. I told you, he was giving me a Christmas present." Her fists were clenched together so tightly they were white, and her lips made a thin straight line, making her look suspiciously like Professor McGonagall.
"Well, then why are you two so chummy?'" Harry understood what Cho meant by Alan being overprotective. He was probably a very nice boy, most of the time.
Probably.
Cho stood up. She was fuming now. "We are so 'chummy' because he understands what I've been through!"
"Cho, no. Not like this!" Harry tried to pull her back down, but she just shook him off. Harry knew this was not really his business. He let her keep talking.
"What do you mean?" Alan screamed, not wanting Cho to have a special bond with another guy, especially her ex-boyfriend.
"I mean, that when I got home from school, my parents were dead on the living room floor! I spent the entire summer crying, all my friends didn't want anything to do with me this year because I was no fun any more, and I was afraid to tell any one because they would treat me differently! Harry is the only one who understands that I'm still me! He's the only one I can talk to! If that's too much for you to handle, then this won't work!"
Alan looked very pale, knowing she was right. But he still kept going. "Why the hell would I treat you differently then he would?" He screamed.
Cho seemed to have lost her energy. Tears were streaming down her face, and her answer was a whisper.
"Because he's the only one who realizes I'm not evil because my parents were murdered by Voldemort." She was whispering, but everyone in the room heard her say it, it echoed like she had shouted it. Harry knew that was the end of it.
It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name.
Cho stood there for a minute, waiting for an answer, but when none came, she turned on her heel and strode out of the Great Hall.
After a minute with the entire rooms eyes on him, Harry slowly stood up, pocketed the Hungarian Horntail, and backed out of the room, every face in the room following him.
Alan Deezling was still in too much shock to say anything.
Harry walked to the front door, and saw footsteps leading to the lakeshore. He knew that Cho would go outside, she wouldn't meet anyone there.
As he approached the frozen shore of the lake, Harry saw a black shape sitting under a tree, looking out at the lake.
He knew it was Cho, and he walked over and sat down beside her.
"You forgot your gift." He said.
"Harry, don't you know when to leave well enough alone?"
"Nope." He grinned. "Here, this is yours."
She took the Hungarian Horntail in her icy hands, and smiled when Harry handed her a pair of gloves he had in his robe pocket.
"I'm sorry for what just happened. I didn't mean for it to happen that way, I didn't want to bring you into it, and I certainly didn't want to do it in front of the entire school, either." She laughed.
"I suppose it's for the best. He was very jealous."
"He sure was." Harry chuckled.
'Well, Harry, you did happen to see him at his worst. He really is very nice, and I think I really liked him." She talked for a few more minutes, and Harry let her get it all out.
"C'mon, Cho. Let's go inside, you're shivering. We can go to my crazy new office, or something."
She nodded and smiled. As they walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry felt increasingly nervous, like he was responsible for everything that had just happened, and Cho was going to notice it any second, and never want to talk to him again.
"I want to know," Cho said, taking a deep breath, "What's happening with You-Know-Who."
It was Harry's turn to sigh. It was also his turn to have his stomach turn at the thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hah! That was almost 2000 words, and this time I remembered to not include the notes!
Ok, last chapter, I screwed up. It seems I cannot count. I said she had been going out with Alan since October. "That's four months" she said. But, if she broke up with him at Christmas, well, as I'm sure you noticed, that's not four months. Three, at most. More like two and a half.
Secondly, I got some complaints about the predictability of the Dementors turning evil. Duh! She basically said had happened by the end of the fifth book. But that's not important. The only reason they went bad is so every one would stay over Christmas holiday, and it would add some sadness and fear into their world. The dementors aren't really going to have too much to do with it.
Well, thanks for all the reviews, and sorry I took so long with this chapter. I was away on Monday and Tuesday, and I was sick yesterday. so I haven't gotten time to finish in a while.. Yeah. That's it. Review. Now. Or I will have to murder you. Metaphorically speaking.
"I shall call you squishy, and you shall be mine. You shall be my squishy!"
-unolimbo/emma