The day was a perfect summers day, with a bright blue sky, soft looking clouds drifting languidly across the blue, giving some random, fleeting shade to the lush green below. The fresh breeze, so uncommon to the urbanised society, floated in through the open windows in a lazy pace. It was telling the raven-haired beauty on the ledge there was no hurry in the world. That there were no worries as it caressed her smooth skin.
But the caresses were futile on her, for she didn't notice the beauty of her surroundings. She didn't see the bright walls, or the cream coloured furniture she had surrounded herself with. The vanilla fragranced flowers filled the air inside with their sweetness, but their every attempt of bringing the young woman out of her stupor was to no avail.
They only increased it.
"Honey! I'm home!" The male voice was the only thing that had brought her out of her hour-long apathic state.
"Hey darling. Where's Derek and Maria?" She asked giving her husband a loving kiss, though he felt she didn't put her entire heart to it. She never did.
"Oh they are out in the car. They promised they would bring in the groceries," he got a distrustfully raised eyebrow from his wife. "No honestly! They are! We made a deal," he said as he circled his arms around her waist and she did the same to him. "In change for me buying them ice-cream, they were to take the groceries inside," he had to smirk as his wife smiled at the clever plan.
"But you know we can't use that for ever, Mike. There will be a day when we would need a hand, and that day might not be as hot as this one have been, and they won't be lured in to a deal as easily as now…" she smirked up at him and he silently cursed her ability to look alluring no matter what she did. Even pointing out flaws in his otherwise brilliant plans was enough to make him growl, and then not out of anger.
"And you're right as ever," he sighed and was glad their children chose to interrupt at that point.
"Hey mum, dad! What'll we do with these?" said the nine-year-old Maria holding the lighter one of the bags. Her two year older brother usually took the heavier burden, and smiled as his sister took charge.
"Out in the kitchen, Maria. Out in the kitchen," said her mother ushering the children off with one hand, seeing the other one was occupied holding to their father.
The girl was off with an "ok" and disappeared in to the kitchen. Her brother lingered behind a bit longer, and smiled gently at his mother. He had inherited her dark colouring. He had short dark hair, dark brown eyes, and a golden complexion.
"You alright mum?" he was calmer than children most, and noticed things others would have seen as nothing. How she hated her son for reminding her of the love of her life. She loved him, but she hated him as well.
She was proud of her son to have gotten in to Hogwarts, and she secretly loved her husband for being so understanding at something which muggles most would have abandoned her.
She was proud of her daughter for being inquisitive, and a steady learner. She loved them all, but it wasn't the same type of love she felt for Him.
Mike had left the two to help Maria unpack. Derek still looked up at his mother, who he loved most and felt most connected with. Mainly because their shared gift. He was still waiting for an answer and noticed the momentary flash of pain. He decided to accept her answer, but not to believe it.
"Yes honey. I'm alright. Just a bit tired that's all," she finally said with a weak smile, while walking along with her son into the kitchen to unpack his bags.
Night had fallen on the Mathews house, and the eternal struggle with getting your children in to bed was going on. Derek was excited over them going to Diagon Alley to get his things, and kept asking his mother of what time they would get there.
Maria was just being a brat. She too wanted to be a witch like her mum, and she too wanted to go to Hogwarts. When she finally settled it was with the promise of getting a magical toy from their visit.
Mike watched his wife manage to put their children to sleep without using the wand he saw poking from the strap hidden underneath her skirt. She had begun hiding it there as soon as he had gotten to know the truth about her.
He had been rather shocked at first, but at a second thought he never was scared of her powers. He knew she was powerful, and that she had fought in a war at a young age, supporting the now retired headmaster Dumbledore, and the now present headmaster Snape. He didn't have any problems with her being what she was. He respected it deeply.
But he did want to know why she was so distant at times. Why he never felt her love with her whole heart. Why he wasn't the receiver of the whole potential a love between a man and a woman could have. She loved their children with everything a mother could love her children with. But he never got that, and it made him a bit jealous at times.
She walked up to him, motioning him by exiting that he was to kill the lights in their daughters room.
"You alright honey?" he asked softly as he hugged her, smelling her dark hair.
"Mhm.. I'm just a bit tired. That's all," she hugged him back, closing her eyes and imagined him being someone else. It never worked for long though. He smelled wrong, he felt wrong, and he always ruined it by talking at those moments.
"Why don't you go to bed, and I can take the dishes…" he murmured in to her hair trying to usher her towards the master bedroom.
"No, you have to go to work in the morning. I don't. I can take them. And besides," she had swiftly taken the wand from its strap on her thigh. "I've got this to make it go quicker…" she grinned up at him and pushed in through the door before walking downstairs.
By each step she took downwards, her smiling face faded to a more sombre mould, and then it froze in the blank apathic mask she had worn so many times in her solitude.
With a flick of her wand, she set the dishes to wash themselves, and she then settled her self on the window ledge and looked out at the darkening sky.
Cho Chang, now Cho Mathews, was sitting on her own world, waiting for something which could never be.
As the sun was long since set, and the air no longer was as warm as during the day, she still sat there in the open window, waiting for her one true love to come and get her. The only word heard, as gentle as the breeze, was "Cederic," …
Obsession.
