CHAPTER 12:
TWO SEEKERS
"Harry! Harry, you okay? Say something, already!"
Harry slowly opened his eyes, and the faces of his teammates and Professor McGonagall blurred into vision. He was lying on a bench in the changing room.
"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, looking down at him.
"I-I think so," Harry muttered. "What happened?"
"A bludger hit you right dead in the face," Ginny answered. "Broke your glasses, and everything. Oh, don't worry, we fixed them." She handed Harry his glasses. "How do you feel?"
"Like a bludger just slammed itself into my face, what do you think?" Harry replied, jokingly.
"You should be thankful that your father gave you his hard head, Potter," Professor McGonagall commented.
***
A little while later, Harry headed out of the changing room, and spotted Cho on the other side of the pitch.
She was up on her broomstick, and was practicing catching the snitch, continuously snatching it out of the air, releasing it, and snatching it again.
As Harry watched her practice, he began to remember his last year at Hogwarts, in which he and Cho got to know each other a little better. He then remembered their first date, and how Cho began to cry for Cedric every time she talked about him, and how Harry couldn't see why Cho would want to talk about Cedric when it made her cry like that.
But then, Sirius died, and Harry finally knew how Cho felt. And then he remembered when, after much persuasion, he talked to Dumbledore about Sirius's death, and how much better he felt afterwards, as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.
"Hey, Harry! You coming?" Ron called from behind him.
"No, you go ahead," he replied, and he then felt himself mounting onto his Firebolt and sailing towards his rival seeker. He wished that he didn't have a giant bruise in the middle of his forehead, at that moment. But, he was slightly comforted when he saw a large bandage on the side of Cho's usually perfect face. The bludger hadn't been too easy on her, either.
"Hey, Cho," he called out, a few feet next to her.
Cho gasped and clutched onto her broom, as if she almost fell off. "Oh, hi, Harry!" she replied, turning to face him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Harry said, apologetically.
"Oh, don't worry. You didn't," she assured him, and, for some reason, she started blushing.
"Uh, how've you been?" Harry asked.
"Alright. You?"
"Fine. Can't complain. How's your head?" he asked, eyeing the bandage.
"It's not too bad," she replied. "I've had worse."
"Yeah, me too," said Harry. He looked at Cho, and their eyes met for a moment. It was then that Harry realized that he still felt something for Cho. It didn't seem so at the end of his fifth year of school, but that was probably because of Sirius's death.
"Hey, Cho," Harry began. "Is it true that you're going out with Michael Corner?"
"Michael Corner?" Cho repeated. "Where did you hear that?"
"From Ginny Weasley," Harry answered. "Uh...is it true?"
"Of course not, he's my cousin-in-law!" Cho replied, slightly disgusted.
"He's your...what?!" Harry exclaimed, slightly relieved. "I didn't know that."
Cho looked up at the snitch. "Harry," she said. "How about a little rematch? First one to catch the snitch wins. No quaffle, no chasers, no bludgers. What do you say?"
A smile spread across Harry's face. "Alright. Best out of three?"
"Okay."
The two seekers readied themselves on their brooms.
"Ready?" Cho asked.
"Yep," Harry replied, tensing up.
"On the count of three, then," said Cho. "Three!" And she bolted after the snitch.
"Hey! No fair!" Harry exclaimed playfully, and he shot after her.
The snitch darted here and there as Harry and Cho zoomed after it, their arms outstretched. After a few quick maneuvers, however, the snitch soon found itself, once again, within Harry's grasp.
"That's one catch for me," Harry announced, proudly.
"It isn't over, yet," Cho replied. "You've still got to catch it at least one more time."
"Yeah, I know, I know." He released the snitch, let it hover a good distance, then shot after it again, Cho following close behind him.
This time, the snitch was more determined not to be caught, and was moving even faster than before. Harry's hand was only a few inches away from the tiny ball. He could almost feel its wings beating softly against his fingers. Suddenly, the snitch shot upwards and out of Harry's sight. He stopped and looked around for the snitch, finally spotting it in Cho's closed fist.
Harry was completely stunned. For the first time, Cho had caught the snitch before he did.
"I can't believe it!" Cho exclaimed. "I actually beat Harry Potter to the snitch!"
After Cho had calmed down a bit, the two seekers shot after the snitch one last time. Harry went around one side of the snitch, while Cho went on the other. They both lunged for the snitch at the same time, the snitch shot upwards, and Harry and Cho collided into each other. Fortunately, they were only about three feet off the ground.
Harry landed in a heap on the ground, his limbs entangled with Cho's. When they both came to their senses, they immediately started laughing at what had just happened.
"You...you should have seen your face, Harry!" said Cho, in a fit of laughter.
"You should have seen yours," said Harry, laughing just as hard.
They both sat up and looked at each other. Cho's usually beautiful, dark hair was now static and full of grass, and Harry's glasses were dangling from only one ear.
Harry stood up, but with some difficulty, for he was still dizzy from the collision.
And when Cho tried to get up, she stumbled, fell forward, and locked her arms around Harry's neck in an attempt to keep from falling on her face, but she only brought Harry down with her, instead.
Harry fell backwards onto his back, taking Cho with him. He looked up into Cho's eyes, and they met for the first time in a long while. They stared at each other for almost half a minute, their smiles fading from their faces. His stomach did a huge flip-flop as he looked up into Cho's perfect face, only a mere few inches away from his.
Then, Cho closed her eyes, and began to slowly move her face towards his, her lips slightly parted.
Harry closed his eyes as Cho's face moved closer and closer. His heart beat faster and faster as he anticipated what would happen next. In a few seconds, which seemed more like an eternity, he felt the side of her nose brush softly against his. And then, finally, he felt her soft, warm lips press gently against his. He slowly moved his arms around Cho's small, warm body as her lips gently and softly massaged his. Every detail of this moment was wonderful for Harry. The weight and warmth of Cho's body upon his; the sensation of her breath flowing softly across his face; the slightest twitch of her lips against his.
Finally, Cho pulled her lips away from Harry's, and he was shocked to see that she was trying to hold back tears.
"Cho, what's wrong?" Harry asked, but he already knew. She was upset because, after Cedric's death, she started feeling an attraction to Harry. She was afraid that if she and Harry got together, she would be replacing Cedric. She could just forget about Harry, but that would hurt her even more. What she felt was a combination of sadness, confusion, guilt, and, most of all, fear.
"N-never mind," Cho replied, tears silently flowing down her face. "You...you w-wouldn't understand."
"At least try me," Harry urged on.
Cho paused for a moment. "I...I love you, Harry," she replied, tears silently flowing down her face. "But, I...I just...I just can't do this."
"Do what?" He looked deeper into her eyes. "Does this have anything to do with Cedric?"
She softly nodded her head.
"Cho, listen to me," he said. "I now know how you feel about Cedric. I lost my godfather last year, and you don't need me to tell you that it's no fun. It nearly killed me."
Cho's lower lip trembled as he said this.
"Now, I don't know where Cedric is now," Harry continued. "But I do know that he would never really leave you. And I know you miss him, and that's okay. But do you really think that he can rest in peace while your crying for him? It's been nearly a year and a half, Cho. Do you think he'd want to see you like this, grieving for him all the time? I don't know about you, but I don't think he would."
"So...so you think...you think I should forget about him?"
"Of course not! Don't ever forget about him. He was your first love. He was the one who started it all."
"But...but, wouldn't he be upset about us getting together, after all that he and I have been through?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I really don't. But, I do know one thing. He would want you to be happy. So, what do you say?"
Cho stared at him, then smiled and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Then, she lowered her head back down, but suddenly stopped again. "Wait a moment," she said. "Don't you think we should catch that snitch? It's still flying around."
"Let it fly," Harry replied. "I think I've caught something much better, anyway."
Cho smiled, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against his once again.
They lied there, kissing, in the quidditch pitch for nearly ten minutes, never once breaking apart from their embrace.
TO BE CONTINUED
TWO SEEKERS
"Harry! Harry, you okay? Say something, already!"
Harry slowly opened his eyes, and the faces of his teammates and Professor McGonagall blurred into vision. He was lying on a bench in the changing room.
"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, looking down at him.
"I-I think so," Harry muttered. "What happened?"
"A bludger hit you right dead in the face," Ginny answered. "Broke your glasses, and everything. Oh, don't worry, we fixed them." She handed Harry his glasses. "How do you feel?"
"Like a bludger just slammed itself into my face, what do you think?" Harry replied, jokingly.
"You should be thankful that your father gave you his hard head, Potter," Professor McGonagall commented.
***
A little while later, Harry headed out of the changing room, and spotted Cho on the other side of the pitch.
She was up on her broomstick, and was practicing catching the snitch, continuously snatching it out of the air, releasing it, and snatching it again.
As Harry watched her practice, he began to remember his last year at Hogwarts, in which he and Cho got to know each other a little better. He then remembered their first date, and how Cho began to cry for Cedric every time she talked about him, and how Harry couldn't see why Cho would want to talk about Cedric when it made her cry like that.
But then, Sirius died, and Harry finally knew how Cho felt. And then he remembered when, after much persuasion, he talked to Dumbledore about Sirius's death, and how much better he felt afterwards, as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.
"Hey, Harry! You coming?" Ron called from behind him.
"No, you go ahead," he replied, and he then felt himself mounting onto his Firebolt and sailing towards his rival seeker. He wished that he didn't have a giant bruise in the middle of his forehead, at that moment. But, he was slightly comforted when he saw a large bandage on the side of Cho's usually perfect face. The bludger hadn't been too easy on her, either.
"Hey, Cho," he called out, a few feet next to her.
Cho gasped and clutched onto her broom, as if she almost fell off. "Oh, hi, Harry!" she replied, turning to face him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Harry said, apologetically.
"Oh, don't worry. You didn't," she assured him, and, for some reason, she started blushing.
"Uh, how've you been?" Harry asked.
"Alright. You?"
"Fine. Can't complain. How's your head?" he asked, eyeing the bandage.
"It's not too bad," she replied. "I've had worse."
"Yeah, me too," said Harry. He looked at Cho, and their eyes met for a moment. It was then that Harry realized that he still felt something for Cho. It didn't seem so at the end of his fifth year of school, but that was probably because of Sirius's death.
"Hey, Cho," Harry began. "Is it true that you're going out with Michael Corner?"
"Michael Corner?" Cho repeated. "Where did you hear that?"
"From Ginny Weasley," Harry answered. "Uh...is it true?"
"Of course not, he's my cousin-in-law!" Cho replied, slightly disgusted.
"He's your...what?!" Harry exclaimed, slightly relieved. "I didn't know that."
Cho looked up at the snitch. "Harry," she said. "How about a little rematch? First one to catch the snitch wins. No quaffle, no chasers, no bludgers. What do you say?"
A smile spread across Harry's face. "Alright. Best out of three?"
"Okay."
The two seekers readied themselves on their brooms.
"Ready?" Cho asked.
"Yep," Harry replied, tensing up.
"On the count of three, then," said Cho. "Three!" And she bolted after the snitch.
"Hey! No fair!" Harry exclaimed playfully, and he shot after her.
The snitch darted here and there as Harry and Cho zoomed after it, their arms outstretched. After a few quick maneuvers, however, the snitch soon found itself, once again, within Harry's grasp.
"That's one catch for me," Harry announced, proudly.
"It isn't over, yet," Cho replied. "You've still got to catch it at least one more time."
"Yeah, I know, I know." He released the snitch, let it hover a good distance, then shot after it again, Cho following close behind him.
This time, the snitch was more determined not to be caught, and was moving even faster than before. Harry's hand was only a few inches away from the tiny ball. He could almost feel its wings beating softly against his fingers. Suddenly, the snitch shot upwards and out of Harry's sight. He stopped and looked around for the snitch, finally spotting it in Cho's closed fist.
Harry was completely stunned. For the first time, Cho had caught the snitch before he did.
"I can't believe it!" Cho exclaimed. "I actually beat Harry Potter to the snitch!"
After Cho had calmed down a bit, the two seekers shot after the snitch one last time. Harry went around one side of the snitch, while Cho went on the other. They both lunged for the snitch at the same time, the snitch shot upwards, and Harry and Cho collided into each other. Fortunately, they were only about three feet off the ground.
Harry landed in a heap on the ground, his limbs entangled with Cho's. When they both came to their senses, they immediately started laughing at what had just happened.
"You...you should have seen your face, Harry!" said Cho, in a fit of laughter.
"You should have seen yours," said Harry, laughing just as hard.
They both sat up and looked at each other. Cho's usually beautiful, dark hair was now static and full of grass, and Harry's glasses were dangling from only one ear.
Harry stood up, but with some difficulty, for he was still dizzy from the collision.
And when Cho tried to get up, she stumbled, fell forward, and locked her arms around Harry's neck in an attempt to keep from falling on her face, but she only brought Harry down with her, instead.
Harry fell backwards onto his back, taking Cho with him. He looked up into Cho's eyes, and they met for the first time in a long while. They stared at each other for almost half a minute, their smiles fading from their faces. His stomach did a huge flip-flop as he looked up into Cho's perfect face, only a mere few inches away from his.
Then, Cho closed her eyes, and began to slowly move her face towards his, her lips slightly parted.
Harry closed his eyes as Cho's face moved closer and closer. His heart beat faster and faster as he anticipated what would happen next. In a few seconds, which seemed more like an eternity, he felt the side of her nose brush softly against his. And then, finally, he felt her soft, warm lips press gently against his. He slowly moved his arms around Cho's small, warm body as her lips gently and softly massaged his. Every detail of this moment was wonderful for Harry. The weight and warmth of Cho's body upon his; the sensation of her breath flowing softly across his face; the slightest twitch of her lips against his.
Finally, Cho pulled her lips away from Harry's, and he was shocked to see that she was trying to hold back tears.
"Cho, what's wrong?" Harry asked, but he already knew. She was upset because, after Cedric's death, she started feeling an attraction to Harry. She was afraid that if she and Harry got together, she would be replacing Cedric. She could just forget about Harry, but that would hurt her even more. What she felt was a combination of sadness, confusion, guilt, and, most of all, fear.
"N-never mind," Cho replied, tears silently flowing down her face. "You...you w-wouldn't understand."
"At least try me," Harry urged on.
Cho paused for a moment. "I...I love you, Harry," she replied, tears silently flowing down her face. "But, I...I just...I just can't do this."
"Do what?" He looked deeper into her eyes. "Does this have anything to do with Cedric?"
She softly nodded her head.
"Cho, listen to me," he said. "I now know how you feel about Cedric. I lost my godfather last year, and you don't need me to tell you that it's no fun. It nearly killed me."
Cho's lower lip trembled as he said this.
"Now, I don't know where Cedric is now," Harry continued. "But I do know that he would never really leave you. And I know you miss him, and that's okay. But do you really think that he can rest in peace while your crying for him? It's been nearly a year and a half, Cho. Do you think he'd want to see you like this, grieving for him all the time? I don't know about you, but I don't think he would."
"So...so you think...you think I should forget about him?"
"Of course not! Don't ever forget about him. He was your first love. He was the one who started it all."
"But...but, wouldn't he be upset about us getting together, after all that he and I have been through?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I really don't. But, I do know one thing. He would want you to be happy. So, what do you say?"
Cho stared at him, then smiled and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Then, she lowered her head back down, but suddenly stopped again. "Wait a moment," she said. "Don't you think we should catch that snitch? It's still flying around."
"Let it fly," Harry replied. "I think I've caught something much better, anyway."
Cho smiled, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against his once again.
They lied there, kissing, in the quidditch pitch for nearly ten minutes, never once breaking apart from their embrace.
TO BE CONTINUED