Hiya! Welcome to Chapter nine. It begins the day before the Halloween Ball and there are a few songs here. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Go ahead and read. Oh, wait before I forget, R & R.
Chapter nine:
The Gryffindor 6th years settled down in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, most of them wearing grumpy frowns and looking tired.
"I swear, if Snape's going to come through that door, I'm going to scream bloody murder and take one of Fred and George's Skiving Snackboxes," Hermione muttered as she took out her books.
It didn't surprise anyone. Hell would have probably been much better than having Snape as a substitute professor. Ever since Rei had suddenly taken off, the Slytherin Head of House had started filling in for him. The greasy slimeball delighted in taking points off Gryffindor and giving detentions for the smallest of details. He had also given them an enormous load of homework that would rival the total number of homework since first year.
The door opened, all of them closed their eyes, not wanting to see their torturer, and some groaned.
"Hello, class. Very nice welcome you gave me. Very nice indeed," came a warm, jolly voice.
The class opened their eyes.
"Rei!!!" they all exclaimed happily.
Their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gave them a grin.
"I take it my substitute wasn't so good?" Rei asked.
"It was hell!" was Ron's simple way of putting it.
"I'd probably have jumped off the North Tower if it had went on any longer!" quipped Seamus.
"Where were you, Rei?" asked Parvati.
Rei smiled at the boys before turning to Parvati. "I was visiting my sick girlfriend," he told her.
Parvati and Lavender looked disappointed at the mention of a girlfriend while the boys whistled.
"Did the greasy—excuse me, Professor Snape give you homework?"
"Tons of it! We had to pass it yesterday since it was the deadline and it was given the day before that!" said Hermione. "I don't think any of us really finished it," she looked around and saw her classmates shaking their heads.
Rei raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah!" chorused the class.
"So, I'm guessing all of you are tired?"
"Hell yes!" exclaimed Ron.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Tell you what," Rei started. "The homework won't be graded," everyone sighed in relief. "And we won't have a lesson today. We'll just go to the lake, sit, relax and talk, what do you say to that?"
The Gryffindors were out of the classroom in a blink of an eye.
"Snape's really an evil git, isn't he?" Serendipity asked as the Gryffindors complained about how unfair Snape was on their way to the castle grounds.
"Yeah. He was also an evil git when he was a teenager," said Fate. "Destiny here was the one who came up with James coming up with Snivellus." (A/N: Does that make sense?)
Destiny shrugged. "Well, he was a sniveling prat."
"You actually came up with something funny?" Serendipity asked in mock disbelief. "I'm impressed!"
"Well, that isn't the only funny thing I came up with. There's Dip, there's Pity…" Destiny said, naming Serendipity's nicknames with an evil grin on his face.
"Shut up!"
Jessica nudged the almost dozing Cho and gestured to the half-opened History of Magic door.
"What?!" asked Cho, a tad bit annoyed.
A few of the Ravenclaw 7th years had slept at almost two in the morning due to the load of homework Snape had given them. Jessica wasn't one of them but Cho was.
Jessica gestured to the door again.
Cho turned and her eyes lit up. Rei and the Gryffindor 6th years, minus Harry of course, were passing by.
She poked a sleeping Erin, who was in front of her.
"Rei's back!" she whispered even though she know Binns wouldn't mind.
Erin's head shot up. She looked around and finally saw Rei.
"I'm saved!" she exclaimed.
"Let me guess, you didn't do homework last night," said Lara.
"I did do homework," insisted Erin. "I just didn't finish it. I think Cho was the only one who finished her homework."
"I didn't finish it but I stayed up late trying to," Cho grumbled, slumping in her chair as Binns droned on and on about Slayers who were tasked to kill rogue Vampires (A/N: I was watching Buffy earlier. Can you tell?). "I don't think Rei's going to let us pass it. I just lost a good night's sleep," she moaned.
"We've got another period of History of Magic. You can still sleep," said Jessica.
"Forget it. I'm not sleepy anymore," Cho said as she traced patterns on her desk with her finger.
"You were dreaming about Harry, weren't you?" asked Erin with a smirk.
"I was not," replied Cho, a tinge of red at her cheeks.
"Right," muttered Lara, rolling her eyes.
Cho stuck her tongue out at Lara before listening to Binns' lecture.
"Oh, very good behavior Cho," Lara said sarcastically. "It just shows how mature you are."
The others giggled.
"Girls, please, I will have a quiz about this next meeting. I will appreciate it if the four of you will keep quiet so that your other classmates can hear what I have to say," said Binns.
The four Ravenclaw girls looked around the room. Almost everyone was dozing. They looked at each other before laughing.
"So we can finally go home?" Harry asked looking at Caleb hopefully.
"Yes, Master Harry," Caleb replied, nodding.
"I still don't understand why Rei got to go home yesterday," Harry grumbled as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
"It's because we don't want anyone to become suspicious," Elie explained. "It will be mighty weird if you and Rei appear at the same time. People are gonna link two and two together and figure out that Rei had something to do with your disappearance."
"Right," Harry muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Well, shouldn't we get going? The Ball's going to start in thirty minutes and I still need to get my clothes for the Ball at Hogsmeade."
"It's going to look great on you, Harry. You'll always look good in Muggle wear," Elie assured him. "It's half-formal and half-casual."
"I'm just glad I don't need one of those wretched ties (you know, the one's with tuxedos). I have no idea how to work those things," Harry said.
"Neither do I, Master Harry. Even after a thousand years of existence," said Caleb.
And with that, the three of them disappeared from the Realm of the Elves.
"Cho, you look gorgeous!" a blonde with stunning blue eyes told a brown-haired girl with caramel streaks in her hair.
"You think so?" asked Cho, smiling at Erin.
Erin nodded. Then, she looked at her watch and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Lara! Get yourself out of the bathroom! We're going to be late!" she exclaimed.
Lara walked out of the bathroom, a moment later. She was now a brunette with purplish-blue eyes. She looked way different. Actually all of them did.
"Where's Jess?" asked Lara as she fixed her hair.
"She went ahead since you took so long in there," Cho nodded at the bathroom then looked at Lara. "We'll be lucky if we'll be able to find her at all," she said, adjusting her own light blue robes.
Lara made her way to the mirror.
"Damn! We look good!" she exclaimed.
Cho smirked and rolled her eyes.
"So much for modesty," she muttered.
"I heard that, Cho!"
Cho smiled sweetly at her friend. "Heard what, Lara?"
"C'mon. Let's get our gorgeous selves to the Ball and grace everyone with our amazing presence," joked Erin, opening the door.
"You think Harry will turn up?" Lara asked as they walked down the stairs.
The Common Room was nearly empty, except for a few first years and second years, since Lara had insisted they be almost late to make a grand entrance. She had wanted everyone's attention on them. Erin, Cho and Jessica had protested to no avail. Finally, Jessica had gone ahead and left them.
"Maybe," Cho shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Well, we'll know once the Ball ends," said Erin.
She held the tapestry that guarded their tower up for them. Cho could have sworn she heard one of those rusted suits of armors whistle as they passed it on their way to the Great Hall.
"Who could have known those armors could whistle," mused Fate.
"I knew," said Destiny.
Serendipity and Fate looked at Destiny skeptically.
"Really, I did," said Destiny. "I saw one whistle when my brother was taking care of Lily and James. It whistled when Lily passed by. No, wait a minute, it whistled when it…erm…'saw' Lily and James snogging.
Cho scanned the Hall, thirty minutes later, for her friends. She spotted them after a minute. Erin was chatting up some fair-headed bloke and someone she presumed was Jessica was talking to a handful of masked girls. Lara was nowhere to be found. Cho finally came to the conclusion that she had planned something with Alex and now they were off doing who-knows-what somewhere.
She sighed as she put her butterbeer down. This Ball wasn't much fun without somebody to talk to.
"Serendipity, where do you think you're going? Didn't I ask you to watch the well?" Fate asked as her sister followed her and Destiny into Future and Fantasy's realm.
"Aw, they'll manage by themselves," Serendipity said. "Besides, I want to see Future and Fantasy and their kid again."
"Alright. But I'm blaming you if something bad happens to Harry," said Fate.
"Or Cho," added Destiny.
"Please," Serendipity rolled her eyes. "They're at a Ball. The worse thing that could happen is that they end up with terribly ugly and ill-mannered people like that Parkinson cow or that Goyle bloke."
"Hey! We're gods. We aren't supposed to be prejudiced," Destiny pointed out.
"Destiny, Zeus was prejudiced. Hera was prejudiced. Apollo was prejudiced. Hades was prejudiced. Hercules and Perseus were prejudiced," said Serendipity.
"Umm…Serendipity…Technically, Hercules and Perseus weren't gods. They were just half-gods," Destiny informed her.
"Argh! You know what I mean!"
Cho walked onto the castle's grounds. She wandered over to the lake, lost in her thoughts.
"Didn't think anyone else would be out here," came a voice.
Cho almost jumped at the sound of the voice. She turned around and saw someone with sort-of spiky dark hair and soft brown eyes. He wore navy trousers and a navy jacket. Underneath the jacket was a plain, white button down. He looked cute. But not as cute as Harry, she found herself thinking.
"Oh, hi," said Cho.
"What's someone like you doing out here?" he asked.
"Someone like me?" Cho echoed, feeling a bit offended.
He smiled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to sound rude." He ran his hand through his hair. "What I meant was, why's a girl out here all alone? Shouldn't you be with your dorm mates?" he asked.
"They ditched me," Cho said simply.
"Okay. Perfectly understandable,"
"What's your excuse? Don't tell me your friends ditched you, too?"
He shook his head. "Actually, I ditched them."
Cho raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
"Yeah. I just…er…needed some time to myself,"
Cho nodded in understanding.
"Want something to drink?" he asked her.
"It would be nice but you don't have to—"
He wasn't listening to her. He took out his wand and flicked it. Two cups of butterbeer sailed from the Great Hall and into his hands. He gave one to Cho before looking down at his drink, frowning.
"These aren't spiked, are they?" he asked.
"The butterbeer's not," Cho informed him. "It's the punch you should stay away from. Some whacko's gone and put some Firewhiskey in it. I don't think the Professors have even noticed their students getting drunk."
The guy smirked.
"Oh, Rei noticed. He just turned the other cheek," he said. "Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick are talking about something top secret, I suppose, Sinistra's talking to a group of students, Sprout and Vector are with her and for some reason I don't want to know, Trelawney's trying to flirt with Snape." He shuddered at the thought. "She's got to be drunk. There could be no possible reason that any girl, no matter how weird, would try to flirt Snape. Oh, yeah and Snape's screaming bloody murder."
Cho giggled and took a sip of her butterbeer.
"What about Rei? You just mentioned him turning the other cheek. What's he doing?"
"He's talking to some girl." He looked at her. "You're pretty observant. Ravenclaw?"
"Not telling," said Cho with a mischievous twinkle in her now blue eyes.
"Please don't tell me you're a Slytherin," he begged.
"Do you have something against Slytherins?" Cho asked him.
"Well, not all Slytherins. Just this particular group,"
"Avery and his gang?" guessed Cho. He nodded. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're a Gryffindor, aren't you?"
He shrugged and kept his mouth closed. He then drank his butterbeer. Cho did likewise.
"Want to go back inside?" he asked.
Cho nodded and they walked back to the castle in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.
When they got back inside, the band had just ended a song.
"Okay, we're going to ask some random member of the audience to sing a song for us," the lead singer said into the enchanted microphone.
The drummer looked around and pointed at the guy Cho was with. "You there! How about you?" he asked.
Cho turned to looked at him and saw that he was blushing.
"What do you think?" he asked her as the people around him urged him to do it.
"Go," said Cho, smiling.
He took a deep breath and went up the stage amidst the polite applause and the occasional snide comment. He talked with the band members for a few minutes before stepping up to the mike.
"They said I could pick any song I wanted and here it is," he said. "It's one of my favorites and it's called 'Here Without You' by 3 Doors Down."
A hundred days have made me older, since the last time
that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder and I don't think I can look at this the
same
But all the miles that separate
They disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face
I'm here without you baby but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight, there's only you and me
The miles just keep rolling as the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated but I hope that this gets better as we go
I'm here without you baby but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, there's only you and me
Everything I know, and anywhere I go
it gets hard but it won't take away my love
And when the last one falls, when it's all said and done
it gets hard but it won't take away my love
I'm here without you baby but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, there's only you and me
I'm here without you baby but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby but your still with me in my dreams
but tonight girl, there's only you and me
Since it hadn't been a song to dance to, everyone had stopped and listened. Now that it had ended, everyone was clapping or whistling or both. Cho though was just clapping, rather enthusiastically. That had been one of her favorites too.
"Good job, mate," one of the band members said.
The guy just blushed and got off the stage.
"That was great," said Cho when he stopped next to her.
"You think so?" he asked shyly.
Cho nodded and smiled. He blushed even more but also smiled.
"I've never done that before in my entire life," he admitted.
He ran his hand through his hair. Not unlike Harry, Cho noted. Well, there is a chance he is Harry. Cho was snapped out of her thoughts when the band began playing another song, this time it was quite slow.
"Wanna dance?" he asked.
Cho nodded and hesitantly wound her arms around his neck. She saw him swallow as he placed his hands on her waist. They stayed that way for quite a while, each one getting more and more relaxed as the band played on. The song ended and they almost reluctantly let go of each other.
"I think I see a friend of mine," said Cho, spotting Erin at the refreshment table. "Do you mind?"
"No, not at all," he replied as the band struck up a faster tune.
"Thanks,"
Cho made her way to Erin, who was nursing a mug butterbeer.
"Hey," said Erin. "Who was that hunk you were getting comfortable with on the dance floor?" she asked, eyeing him as he sat down at an empty table.
"How would I know?" said Cho, shrugging.
"Well, it seems like you should," remarked Erin. "You almost looked like you were—" Cho interrupted.
"If you're going to say what I think you're going to say…"
"Right. I won't. Waiting for Harry, huh?" Erin shot her friend an amused smile.
Cho glared at her. "I swear I'll—"
"Geez, I was just kidding," said Erin, rolling her eyes.
"Fate, Serendipity, you're here!" Fantasy said as Fate, Serendipity and Destiny appeared in a woody realm.
"What am I, chopped liver?!" Destiny demanded good-naturedly.
"Hello to you, too, Destiny," said Fantasy, smiling
"Where's Future and Skye?" asked Destiny, looking around.
"They'll be here in a minute or two," his sister-in-law replied. "He's grown so much. Looks like a human teenager now."
"Your son's name is Skye, Fantasy?" asked Fate.
"Yeah. It's hard coming up with names, you know," said Fantasy.
There was some rustling of leaves and Future and Skye appeared. Fate's and Serendipity's eyes widened as they saw Destiny's nephew.
"Well, we have to go. We'll be late for a banquet in Olympus," Future said before he and Fantasy disappeared.
No one paid heed to them.
"Umm…Destiny?" said Fate.
"Yes, I know, Fate, he looks very much like that Diggory kid, doesn't he?"
(A/n: Bit of a cliffhanger, isn't it? The continuation's somewhere down there.)
"Fifteen more minutes until the unmasking," Cho informed Erin, looking at the grandfather clock at the other side of the hall.
"I know. Lara better be here soon," said Erin. "Oh, there she is!" she exclaimed as Lara walked into the Great Hall with a guy who was presumably Alex.
Lara gave Alex a quick goodbye kiss before heading over to her friends.
"Hey," she breathed upon reaching them.
"Where were you?" asked Erin.
Cho smirked. "Do you even have to ask that?"
Both of them giggled.
"Oh, ha ha," Lara said sarcastically.
"Okay, ladies and gents, here's the last song before the unmasking," one of the band members said before strumming the opening chords of a fast-paced song.
{Insert lyrics of a 'Minority' by Greenday here}
While the song was being played, Cho looked around for the guy who she had danced with earlier. She spotted him, leaning on a wall by the doors.
"Well, that was it," said the lead singer once the song had ended. "And now a word from our beloved Headmaster."
Cho could see some people sneer at the word 'beloved'. Definitely Death Eater's children, she thought. They're the only ones who don't like Dumbledore.
Dumbledore walked onto the stage. The leader of the band offered the microphone but he politely refused.
"Good evening, students. I trust you all had a good time?" Everyone cheered their answer. "Ah, yes, I thought so. Unfortunately, the night must come to an end and it is time to take off your masks and undo the spells. Sixth years and seventh years, since some of you are…incapable," Dumbledore glanced at where some of the unconscious and drunk students were, an amused smile on his face. "I will be glad to do the spell for all of you," He raised his wand and said a few well-chosen words and the upperclassmen gradually turned back into their normal selves.
Once Cho was back to normal, she surveyed the Great Hall and caught sight of Jessica, standing with some Hufflepuff fifth years. She looked at the spot by the doors where she had last seen him. Her eyes widened. There he was, looking way different from the way he had looked when Cho had met him. He was staring at her, looking surprised.
"What are you staring at?" Skye uncomfortably asked as Serendipity and Fate looked at him.
Serendipity was the first to snap out of it. She started to grin mischievously.
"Dip, I don't think I like the way you're smiling at my nephew," said Destiny.
"Destiny, tell me, can your nephew act?" asked Fate, realizing what Serendipity was thinking.
"Yeah. Can he?"
"Hello? I'm right here, you know," said Skye, getting a tad bit annoyed. "And yes, I can act. Quite good actually. Mother sometimes sends me to the mortal realm to set some people straight and Father sends me down there to create some good-natured havoc. Wait, Mother's not supposed to know about that. You won't tell her, will you?"
"Skye, let's talk," said Serendipity, still smiling.
"About what?" Skye and Destiny both inquired.
"Skye, how would you like to go down to the mortal realm for us?" said Fate.
Skye shrugged. "Depends on what you want me to do down there."
Fate and Serendipity now wore identical grins.
"Why are you two grinning like that?" Destiny asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's a bit creepy." Skye nodded his agreement.
The sisters glanced at each other.
"Well…"
Cho quickly regained her composure and wandered over to him.
"Hey, Harry," she said.
Harry swallowed before replying. "Hey, Cho. I didn't know that was you,"
Cho smiled and to her relief, so did Harry. "Didn't know that was you, either. But I guess I suspected it on some level,"
Harry gave her a sheepish smile and ran his hand through his hair, blushing.
"Ladies and gents, the last song of the evening," announced a band member. "And as requested by Professor Rei Nightshadow, it's a slow one."
"W-would you like to dance?" he asked shyly, the butterflies in his stomache multiplying a hundred fold.
Cho blushed and nodded. They walked onto the dance floor and they mimicked their actions earlier, although this time it was without hesitation. Cho sighed in contentment and rested her head on Harry's shoulder.
{Insert half of a love song here}
Somewhere between the song, Cho looked up and found her gazing into Harry's amazing green eyes. Slowly, without either of them thinking, their lips met.
Heaven. That was the only way to describe it.
Harry pulled her closer as the kiss ended and Cho rested her head again on his shoulder.
{Insert the other half here}
"Cho?"
"Hmm?" Cho replied languidly, her eyes closed.
She heard him hesitate and raised her head, looking concerned.
"Harry?"
Harry took a deep breath. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, looking quite vulnerable.
Cho smiled and brought Harry's head down. She kissed him on the lips, catching him somewhat surprised.
"I hope that's a good enough answer," said Cho.
Harry gave her a lopsided grin that made Cho's legs turn to jelly.
"Harry James Potter! Where have you been?!"
Harry groaned and Cho giggled. He glanced at Hermione and Ginny who were looking halfway between ecstatic and livid, obviously not noticing who Harry had his arms around. Ron, who was standing a few feet behind them, did, though, explaining the stupid smile on his face. Harry could even see Draco smirking at the refreshment table.
Almost everyone's attention was directed to them.
"Can I get back to you two later?" he asked in a somewhat annoyed voice.
"Harry, you really should talk to them. Besides, you haven't told me where you've been either," said Cho.
Hermione and Ginny's eyes widened as they finally noticed her. They knew how much Harry liked Cho and he would probably be furious if they somehow interrupted in the middle of something. But he looked annoyed and Ginny caught a bit of amusement in his eyes.
"Cho! Oh my gosh! We're so sorry!" said Hermione as she blushed.
"W-we didn't mean to—" sputtered Ginny, also blushing.
"It's alright," said Cho as Harry sighed and let go of her.
"You two have the worst of timing, do you know that?" Harry told them.
Cho elbowed Harry in the ribs. "Harry!"
"Right. I'll tell you in the Common Room," said Harry, talking to his Gryffindor friends. He turned to Cho. "I'll tell you tomorrow, okay? Right now, I have to deal with these guys," He gestured to Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Okay. I'll see you at breakfast," nodded Cho before placing a kiss on Harry's cheek.
"G'night," said Harry.
He then led his friends back to the Gryffindor Common Room, a goofy grin on his face.
Cho walked back to her friends, who were currently gaping.
"What?" Cho asked innocently.
"Don't you dare give us that innocent look, Cho! We've seen it too many times before. How did—when did—you and him—oh, you know what I mean!" stammered Jessica, who had recently rejoined Erin and Lara.
"I do but I'll tell you in the dorm. There are too many eager ears here," she said, looking around at the lingering people, trying to act inconspicuous.
"Let's go then," said Lara.
"Well?" Ginny said expectantly as the four of them entered the Common Room.
"Well, someone in the Order suggested that I should get away from here so I can train properly for the battle against Voldemort," said Harry, partly lying. He thought for a moment. "That's it really."
"And you didn't bother to tell us where you were going or at least leave us a note?!" demanded Hermione.
Harry hung his head. "I'm sorry. There wasn't enough time."
Hermione and Ginny sighed while Ron, surprisingly, stayed quiet.
"It's okay, Harry. Really," Ron finally spoke up.
"Just don't put us through that again," Hermione added.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I can't promise that," said Harry. "But I swear I'll try to tell you guys in advance."
"That's good enough, Harry," said Ginny.
"Anyways, what was going on between you and the Ravenclaw Seeker?" Ron asked with a smirk on his face.
Harry almost let out a groan. He knew that the question would come up sooner or later but he had wished it would be much later.
"Well…"
"Aha! I knew it! You two finally became a couple!" Erin exclaimed happily, jumping on Cho's bed (they were already in their pajamas).
"Erin, keep it down!" Cho whispered though she was smiling. "The whole house is going to find out if you keep that up!"
Jessica and Lara were rolling around on Cho's bed, laughing, happy for their best friend. Jessica finally sat up.
"So…"
"What?" asked Cho.
Jessica grinned evilly. "Is he a good kisser?"
"Jess!" Cho blushed furiously.
"What? Don't tell me you didn't expect anyone to ask you that? I mean, we are talking about the famous Boy-Who-Lived here,"
"Yeah," Cho said slowly. "But I wasn't expecting it from you. I was expecting it from Lara," She glanced at Lara, a smile on her face.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Cho?!" Lara demanded, trying to look mad but failing miserably.
"Well, is he or isn't he?" asked Erin.
Cho blushed again. "Um…" She nodded.
This sent the girls into another round of laughter. They stopped laughing immediately when the door opened and a Ravenclaw sixth year appeared.
"Can you keep it down?! Some us are trying to sleep here!" she said before turning around and walking away, muttering about people who didn't fully act their age.
The friends stifled their laughter and walked back to their respective beds, said goodnight to each other and pulled the curtains close.
I finally got them together!!! Rejoice! Oh, anyways, what do you think?
Hehe…I know what some of you may be thinking. "What? No I love you's and other fluffy stuff?" That's what one of my friends said when I let her read it and I can honestly say that she was thoroughly disappointed with it. And I will say to you what I said to her, "Wait for the next chapter!"
Ciao!