A/N: I haven't got too much to say this time around, so I'll keep fairly short and sweet. Thanks for the encouragement, Reeses! And to respond to your suggestion - yes, I did consider submitting my work to Sugarquill, but by that time they were no longer accepting fifth year stories. This is one of the reasons that I almost made this a sixth year story, although I began it a full year before Phoenix came out. But if I'd changed it, we'd have no Sirius, and I was so fond of the scene where Sirius and Harry reunite (Chapter 3) that I just couldn't do it. All right, I'll stop now and let you get to the story. I hope everyone enjoys the latest installment.
Chapter 18: Harry vs. Cho
As the week passed and the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match drew ever closer, Ron developed a bad case of nerves. It seemed that he could think of nothing else, which was a poorly timed problem to have. There were upcoming tests in nearly every class, and Bellaton's Defense Against the Dark Arts exam was the day before the game. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent every evening studying, but Ron just couldn't concentrate.
"Oh, I'll never remember the stratagems of Carabosse, Marbidan, and Grindelwald for the exam tomorrow," Ron sighed for the fourth time.
Hermione clenched her jaw and glared at Ron over the top of her book.
"Yeah, we know," said Harry. "You've been saying that all night. Look, if you can't study, why don't you just go to bed or something? That way the rest of us might get some work done."
Ron went, but he seemed even worse the next morning. He walked into the Great Hall like a zombie, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team all took notice. Harry could see Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all eyeing Ron uncertainly.
"Not letting the pressure get to you, I hope?" said Fred as he passed by Ron at the table. Ron gave his brother a thoroughly miserable look. Fred swallowed and hurried off.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was the last class of the day on Friday. By the time it rolled around, Ron was approaching basket case status. When Professor Bellaton handed out the exam in class, everyone began writing instantly – except for Ron. He sat there with his quill in hand, staring at the paper as if he didn't see it at all. With his head bent over his own parchment, Harry managed to catch Ron's eye and give him a Look, but Ron only scrubbed one hand through his hair. It only made him look more pathetic.
Harry knew the subject matter very well, but his consternation over Ron was making it hard for him to concentrate. Suddenly, Professor Bellaton appeared at Ron's shoulder. He bent over and whispered something to Ron, and when he straightened again, Ron had lost his vacant expression. A moment later he was scribbling like mad. Harry breathed a quiet sigh of relief and refocused on his own work.
"Well!" Ron said brightly as he, Harry, and Hermione left the classroom. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"What happened to you in there, mate?" said Harry. "I thought you were done for."
"I was thinking about the match," said Ron.
"Honestly, Ron, can't you stop thinking about Quidditch for one minute? Now's when you can start worrying about the game," said Hermione.
"What did Professor Bellaton say to you?" asked Harry.
Ron smiled. "He said I was going to make a good Keeper because he helped train me."
"He talked to you about Quidditch?" Hermione was flabbergasted, but Harry remembered how he'd felt before his first match four years ago. He privately thought that Bellaton had said just the right thing.
"Oh, no," Ron suddenly gasped, staring over Harry's shoulder. "Here comes the slave driver, let's get out of here..."
"Here who comes?" said Harry, twisting to look behind him just as Ron hissed, "Don't turn around, you idiot!"
Angelina was striding purposefully down the hall toward them, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in tow, all of whom looked extremely put out. Ron tried to duck around the corner, but Angelina had them in her sights. "Stop right there, Ronald Weasley!" she ordered loudly. Ron cringed. "Team meeting right now," she said. "We've got to discuss tomorrow's strategy. I would have preferred one last practice, but Ravenclaw booked the field."
Ron opened his mouth to protest, but he shut it again when he saw Fred and George shaking their heads vigorously at him.
There was nothing else for it. Harry and Ron joined the group and followed Angelina out of the castle. She seemed to need to work of nervous energy; they walked all the way around the school twice while Angelina rattled off instructions. Hardly anyone else spoke, none of them wanting to incur her wrath. It was when they reached the Quidditch stadium for the third time that Harry alone found the courage to say something.
"Angelina? It's time for dinner, you know... and I think we're as ready as we're going to be."
She stopped dead in her tracks and blinked up at the sky. "By Circe, you're right," she said. "As long as you all know what you're doing," she said, turning to look at the team.
There was a hasty chorus of yeses. Fred and George actually began to run but collided with someone who was leaving the stadium and went down in a heap.
"Hullo, Cho!" exclaimed Fred. "Sorry about that, didn't see you there." He began to help her up.
"That's all right," she said breathlessly, picking up her broom and brushing at her robes.
"Had a good practice, then?" said Katie.
"Ah, yes, thank you," she said, continuing to brush her clothes as if unaware of what she was doing. She glanced at Harry, looking very pretty with her hair swaying in the breeze and her cheeks pinked by the brisk air. "Actually, I was... that is, I..." She threw Harry a desperate look.
Harry took the hint. "Er... what luck," he said. "I wanted to talk to you about, um, the O.W.L.s." He wished Ron would stop smirking.
"Oh!" Her eyes went wide. "Yes, I guess I could tell you what they're like."
Harry could tell from the looks on his teammates' faces that they weren't fooling anyone. He trod hard on Ron's foot to wipe the smile off his face. "Fine," he said. "I'll see you and Hermione at dinner, Ron." The rest of the team headed off toward the castle with Ron, who was limping slightly. Harry didn't feel too sorry for him.
"Thanks," said Cho. "I've been wanting to talk to you, but you always seem so busy with classwork and all."
"Yeah, the professors are keeping us pretty busy," he agreed. So… do you want to sit down or something?"
"Okay," she said. "The stands?"
They entered the stadium and climbed the flights of stairs up to the stands, high above the field. Harry sat at the end of one of the benches, and Cho sat down beside him. The wind was a lot stronger so high up, whipping Cho's jet-black tresses around and mussing Harry's own mop. Harry wished it would stop; his hair was always unruly, but this was just making a bad thing worse right in front of Cho Chang.
They sat in silence for a long minute, looking down on the field. Cho was chewing her lower lip, seeming very unsure of herself. "So," Harry finally said, "what did you want to talk about?"
She looked up into Harry's face. She had lovely dark, almond-shaped eyes. Even when they were filled with sorrow, they still made Harry's heart skip a beat. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure," she said. "I… I did want to thank you for bringing Cedric's body back, though. I'm sure you could have just left him, but it meant a lot to his parents… and to me."
"Oh," said Harry, his heart sinking a bit. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but felt that he should have known that this was coming. "I was afraid you might hate me for what happened," he said, looking away from her.
"Oh, no!" Cho exclaimed. "It's not like that at all, no one blames you," she said. "You did what you thought was right. It was right. You couldn't help it that You-Know-Who…"
"Well, it was fast," said Harry. "Cedric never knew what hit him."
"That's good," Cho whispered. There was another long pause, and then: "I miss him."
Harry's discomfort must have showed on his face, because Cho began apologizing immediately. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know it must be weird for you to hear this, especially after you asked me to the dance and all, but you're the only one who understands!" She seized one of Harry's hands in both of hers. Harry looked back at her in alarm and saw a feverish light in her eyes.
He pulled back a little. "Have you talked to anyone else about this?" he asked. "Your parents, your friends?"
"Well, I've tried talking to Marietta," Cho said. "She's in my class. I know she feels bad for me, but she doesn't know what it's like."
"Why don't you go see Dumbledore? He's been around the block a few times."
Cho gaped at him. "You sound like you know him," she said.
Harry thought about this for a moment and realized that most of the students at Hogwarts had little direct contact with the headmaster. "Well, I think I'm kind of a special case," he said. "After all, I seem to get into at least one big scrape every year."
"I don't know," said Cho uncertainly. "My marks haven't been so good so far this term. I'd be too embarrassed."
"All the more reason to go see him," Harry said firmly. He peered into her face and she looked away again. "Are you getting enough sleep?"
Cho's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, you think I look awful," she said, her voice quavering.
"What? No, that's not what I meant," said Harry, now thoroughly confused. "You're one of the prettiest girls in school, everybody knows that –" He shut his mouth with a snap. He hadn't really meant to say that.
Cho ventured a tentative smile. "You think so?"
"Well… yeah, everyone thinks so," Harry floundered. "What I meant to say is, you sound like you could use someone who can do more than just listen. I don't like to think about last June either, so I'm not good for much more than that."
"Well, you're a very good listener," Cho said softly, giving Harry one of her disarming smiles.
Harry gulped, feeling his face burning. She was still holding his hand. Was it just his imagination, or was she much closer to him than she had been minute ago? There seemed to be a dozen emotions on display in her face: hope, uncertainty, sadness, fear…
Harry jumped to his feet. Cho let go of his hand as if she had been burned. "Why don't you go talk to Dumbledore right now?" he said quickly.
Cho's face darkened. "Right now?"
There was an edge to her voice that caught Harry's attention. "Is there something wrong with now? I just thought that maybe you should see someone who could actually help you –"
Cho stood up and swung one leg over her broomstick. "I came to you for help," she said flatly.
Harry felt a flash of anger. "Well, what kind of help are you looking for?"
Cho's eyes threw sparks at him. "Good night, Harry," she said frostily. A moment later she was soaring out of the stadium, leaving Harry to walk back to the castle alone.
By the time Harry reached the Great Hall, the sun had set and dinner was well underway. He saw Cho at the Ravenclaw table surrounded by her usual gaggle of girlfriends. She watched him come in, then turned up her nose and looked away.
"Finally!" said Ron as Harry approached his friends at the table. "What took you so long?"
"Cho wanted to talk. Well, I think that's what she wanted, but it got a little weird," said Harry.
"How so?" said Hermione.
"Well, she doesn't sound like she's coping with Cedric's loss very well," Harry said. He explained what had happened and ended with the near-kiss.
"Excellent!" said Ron. "How come you didn't actually kiss?"
"I stopped her," sighed Harry.
"I thought you liked Cho," said Hermione.
"Well, I do," said Harry. "Or I did, or… I don't know," he finished lamely.
"How'd you get from Cedric to almost kissing?" asked Ron.
"I told her she was pretty," said Harry. Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I wasn't trying to flirt!" he cried. "I hurt her feelings by accident and I was just trying to fix things." He sat down at the table. "I don't understand what she's trying to do."
"She's grieving and confused," said Hermione. "She knows you like her, and she knows that you're a nice guy. But she's not over Cedric yet, and she wants to be comforted, so she figures - why not by you?"
"I'll tell you why not," said Harry. "It's creepy being a dead guy's stand-in, and I think that's all I am to Cho right now. Besides, I didn't know what to say or do, and I don't like talking about the worst night of my life."
"So how did you get away?" said Ron.
"Well, when I didn't kiss her, she got mad and flew off," said Harry. He turned to look in Cho's direction and wasn't surprised to see her quickly avert a glare. "Boy, if looks could kill."
"I think maybe you've just lost any chance of ever dating Cho Chang, mate," said Ron.
"I guess it's up to her then, isn't it?" said Harry. "Maybe when she gets over Cedric she might like me for me."
**********
"Ron! Eat!" Angelina commanded the next morning at the Gryffindor table. Ron merely sighed and poked at his eggs with a fork.
"Come on, Ron, I thought you were feeling better about the match," said Alicia.
"Yesterday wasn't game day," sighed Ron.
"Good morning, Gryffindors!" boomed a voice behind them. They looked up to see Professor Bellaton and Professor McGonagall standing above them. "It's a beautiful day for Quidditch," Bellaton said. "Hope you're ready to hang on to the Cup."
"Are you supporting us?" said Katie. "I thought only the Heads of Houses took sides."
"I was Keeper on the Gryffindor team once," Bellaton explained.
Professor McGonagall looked down at Ron. "Good luck today, Weasley," she said kindly.
"Thank you, ma'am," said Ron, but he didn't look any happier.
Bellaton clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You know what you're doing. You Weasleys seem to have a natural affinity for Quidditch."
The professors moved on. Ron frowned down at his plate. "These eggs are cold. Pass me that bowl," he said brusquely. Harry did as he asked, and Ron attacked his breakfast with grim determination.
"I wonder what House Professor Thornby was in?" said Hermione.
"I don't know," said Harry. "She's never said, has she?"
"Come on, team," said Angelina. "It's time to go."
Harry, Ron, and their teammates headed down to the stadium. They changed into their scarlet-and-gold uniforms while Angelina began one last pep talk. Students were climbing up into the stands above them. Dust trickled down from the rafters under the hundreds of feet. Finally it was game time and they moved to stand before the gate, broomsticks at the ready.
"How're you doing?" Harry whispered to Ron.
"I feel sick," he muttered through his teeth.
The gate opened and there was no more time for conversation. Harry slapped Ron on the back, and they all flew out in a line to the sound of Lee Jordan's magnified voice and the noise of the crowd. "The Gryffindor Quidditch team! Johnson, Spinnet, Bell, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, and Potter!"
Harry soared around the stadium with the rest of the team, drinking in the cool breeze on his face and the cheers from the crowd. They took their places as Lee announced the Ravenclaw team. Cho Chang expertly maneuvered into her position directly opposite Harry. Her eyes bored into his as if she were trying to stare him down.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle and tossed up the Quaffle, and Cho streaked straight at Harry. He barely had time to drop out of her way; her dark blue robes snapped against his face, leaving a mark that smarted in the breeze. There was no time to dwell on it; Harry soared off in the opposite direction, his eyes scanning the stadium for the Snitch.
"Ravenclaw takes possession! It's Bradley with the Quaffle, he passes to Worthing, Worthing passes to Lovegood, she's heading for the goal!"
Harry heard but didn't allow himself to watch. Every moment counted in a Quidditch match.
"It's the first test of the new Gryffindor Keeper, Ron Weasley! Lovegood's dodging the Bludgers like mad, she's got an open shot – GREAT SAVE BY WEASLEY!"
"YEAH!" cheered Harry, pumping his fist in the air. The sound was lost in the general roar. He soared past Ron, giving him a high-five as he went. Ron's face was alight with exhilaration, all trace of nausea gone.
"It's Bell in possession of the Quaffle, she passes to Spinnet, Spinnet takes aim – GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
Harry whooped again. Across the field, Cho scowled at him.
"Ravenclaw's back in possession, Lovegood's got – CHANG DIVES TOWARD THE PITCH!"
In a heartbeat Harry had turned around and was streaking toward Cho. She was hurtling to the earth as fast as she could go. Harry's eyes searched frantically, but he couldn't see the Snitch anywhere. A quick glance at Cho revealed both of her hands still on her broomstick and a sardonic little smile on her lips. A heartbeat before it was too late, Harry put two and two together and swerved out of the way, skimming just above the grass.
"MERLIN'S BEARD, CHANG PULLS OFF THE WRONSKI FEINT!" cried Lee. "Potter barely avoids plowing into the ground!"
Stunned, Harry caught Cho's eye. She smiled fiercely at him and took off again. Fine, Harry thought. If that's the way she wants to play, then that's how we'll play.
"This is proof positive that behind Chang's pretty face lurks the clever but deadly female Ravenclaw brain –"
"JORDAN!"
"Sorry Professor, but I'm speaking from experience here –"
"I'm warning you, Jordan –"
"And let's get back to the game! The Ravenclaw Chasers are mobbing the Gryffindor Keeper! Bradley shoots – ten points to Ravenclaw!"
After Cho's feint, the match really took off. The entire Ravenclaw team seemed to have taken a page from her book, playing as fast and as hard as possible without actually playing dirty. Gryffindor rose to the challenge, and soon even the crowd seemed tense. The game went neck-and-neck, with both Keepers making as many saves as possible and the Chasers flying at their best. The black Bludgers whizzed around the stadium as the Beaters tried their hardest to unseat the other team. Fred and George looked more serious than Harry had ever seen them before.
During one long stretch in which Gryffindor was unable to score, Harry turned Cho's own strategy back on her. When Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were back in possession and heading for Ravenclaw's goalposts, Harry suddenly put on a burst of speed, heading straight for their Keeper. He stretched out his arm to make it look even more convincing. Cho bought it; she flew up behind him and tried to get past but was unable to match the Firebolt's speed. At the last second Harry veered up and Cho was unable to completely avoid her own Keeper. Their brooms collided and they tumbled away from the goalposts. Angelina and Katie both scored before Cho and her Keeper could sort themselves out.
As they passed the three-hour mark, it was plain that everyone was starting to tire. It was the longest game that Harry had ever endured. The Snitch was proving to be especially elusive, but it wasn't for lack of trying on Harry's part. Whenever he spotted the fluttering golden ball, the Ravenclaw Beaters sent a few well-aimed Bludgers his way and he lost track of it. Cho came close more than once as well, but the twins foiled her every time. The Seekers continued to feint each other, and Harry could feel his shoulders aching from constantly pulling his broomstick away at the last moment.
At four hours they finally reached a turning point, but it was not in Gryffindor's favor. An exhausted Alicia failed to avoid one of Ravenclaw's Bludgers and took it in the head. With only two Chasers left, Gryffindor quickly lost the lead and the gap began to widen.
"Find that Snitch and end this game, Harry!" Angelina shouted as she passed him on her way to Ravenclaw's goalposts.
"What d'you think I've been trying to do?" he exclaimed.
The minutes ticked by; Ravenclaw's lead increased to sixty, seventy, eighty points. Harry circled high above the other players, searching desperately for the tiny ball that would finish the game.
And then he saw it – a flash of gold right in the middle of the field. In an instant he was pelting towards it as fast as his broom could carry him. Cho saw it too; from the other end of the field she began to rush headlong toward him on a collision course.
When asked about it later, Harry was not able to recall just what made him take his eyes off the Snitch and look up. Straight ahead at the Gryffindor goalposts, a Bludger slammed into Ron's shoulder at top speed. The force of it knocked Ron clean off his seat; he grasped futilely for his broomstick and began to plummet toward the earth.
No one else seemed to have noticed; the crowd was roaring in excitement as the Seekers both rocketed toward the Snitch, but Harry had forgotten all about the game. He dove beneath an astonished Cho and flew as fast as he could, straining to catch up with Ron. When he was close enough to see the paralyzed terror in Ron's eyes, he stretched out his hand and snatched at him. There was an excruciating tug on his arm, and Ron's fall stopped with a jerk. "Gotcha!" he gasped.
Harry's palms were sweaty; Ron's hand slipped out of his, and Harry grabbed his cuff. There was a ripping sound at Ron's shoulder. Harry's muscles were screaming in protest. "I can't hold you!" he shouted.
With a supreme effort, Ron threw up his free arm to try and catch hold of the Firebolt. The ripping sound came again, and his sleeve completely gave way. Harry's breath caught in his throat, but Ron barely began to fall again before one of the twins caught him. A split second later the rest of the team swarmed around them, bearing Ron up.
"Showoff," Ron gasped.
Harry sagged against his broom handle, wearied beyond belief.
They drifted down to the pitch and found a crowd of people running up to meet them, including Madam Hooch, Professor McGonagall, Hermione, and the entire reserve team. "My goodness!" cried Professor McGonagall. "Weasley, are you all right?"
Ron nearly fell off his teammates' brooms. "Not quite," he gasped as he straightened up.
"Madam Pomfrey will want to look at that shoulder," Madam Hooch said.
Professor McGonagall was holding a hand to her heart. "Weasley, Potter, each year you spend at Hogwarts takes three off my life."
"You know, you weren't the thing I was expecting to catch," Harry panted.
"Too bad you're not worth one hundred and fifty points, Ickle Ronniekins," said Fred, trying and failing to sound lighthearted.
"He's worth a lot more than that," Angelina said stoutly. "Well done, Harry."
Nearby, the Ravenclaw team was celebrating with what seemed like their entire House. Cho was waving the Snitch around triumphantly with nary a backward glance at the Gryffindor team. "Guess I picked a bad time to fall off my broom," Ron lamented.
"Poppycock," scoffed Professor McGonagall. "I played a five-hour game when I was a Chaser on the Gryffindor team. I could barely hold my head up by the end. You all did very well. Fifty points for Potter's selfless act and your quick wits," she said to the team. "I'd give you more, but that would look like favoritism."
"Yeah, and it could set a dangerous trend," said George. "Some fool Slytherin might throw himself off the Astronomy tower to get some extra points."
"Perhaps," said Professor McGonagall with a dry smile. "Come, then – off to Madam Pomfrey with you, Weasley."
Ron protested even though his shoulder was causing him obvious pain. In the end his complains merely earned him a group of mother hens in Angelina, Katie, Ginny, and Hermione. They marched him up to the hospital wing and hovered around while Madam Pomfrey prodded his shoulder, all the while tsking about how dangerous Quidditch was. It turned out that Harry had caught Ron by the arm that had already been damaged by the Bludger. "You're lucky you didn't dislocate your shoulder!" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey. "Even with what I can do, you're still going to be black and blue tomorrow. Why Dumbledore allows this sport to continue at Hogwarts, I simply can't imagine!"
"What's that red mark on your face, Harry?" Katie asked.
Harry raised a hand to his cheek. There was a spot about the size of a Knut on his skin that stung when he touched it. He explained how Cho's robes had whipped against his face when the game started.
"She did it on purpose," said Ginny. "I saw her. It was downright vicious, and I've never known Ravenclaws to act like that. They're usually so nice."
"Cho and I had a disagreement," Harry said. Ginny's eyebrows rose, but Harry refused to elaborate further, especially in front of Fred and George. They'd make his life a living hell if they knew she'd tried to kiss him – and that he'd refused.
"Well, we have beaten them four years running," said Katie. "Maybe this was just fuel for the fire."
"They could have at least acknowledged that their bloody Beaters nearly killed Ron," grumped George.
"Ravenclaw's not as bad as that," said Ron dismissively. "They were too excited about Cho catching the Snitch. I'll bet they didn't even notice."
"We already have a sworn enemy, and that's Slytherin. We don't need another!" said Angelina. "Don't start hating the Ravenclaws for a game that they won fair and square. At least they didn't cheat."
While Madam Pomfrey continued to examine Ron's battered shoulder, the conversation turned to an analysis of the game. It was an animated discussion, but Harry spent most of it in silence, thinking about Cho. It was true; she'd been celebrating with the rest of her team with no concern for Ron whatsoever. Harry had always thought of Cho as a nice person; she'd even been kind to him when she had to turn down his invitation to the Yule Ball. But the Cho he'd seen today was a completely different person, spiteful and selfish, in Harry's opinion.
Harry knew that Angelina was right. Ravenclaw had rightfully won the game and there was no point being bitter about it, but Harry found himself unwilling to let Cho off so easily. She could have at least looked back, he thought.
By the time he left the hospital wing, Harry had resolved to think of Cho no more.