Happy Birthday Cho chapter 3
Disclaimer- Still don't own Harry Potter or any other characters made my J. K. Rowling
A/N: Here's the part where I recognize my reviewers
ghetx2o- Nope it's not the end. Here's the third chapter.
lim-cho- I use Word to write these and all you have to do is click the "I" button and type what you want to.
PeZ-yUaN- Thanx, Continuing
I Love Cho (Hey, me too) - Glad you like it so much
Psycho Queen- Glad I helped change your opinion. I was super-pissed with how Cho was portrayed. I was like "NO! THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"
And without further ado. Here is chapter three of Happy Birthday, Cho
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It took Harry quite some time to get to sleep on the night of the twenty-sixth. For one thing it was hot in the dormitory and Harry tossed and turned until 1:30 in the morning. When sleep finally found Harry his dreams were riddled with him messing up during his intimate dinner with Cho. Harry awoke a couple times during that night sweating. Harry woke up for the third time at about 5 o'clock after about a total of about three hours of sleep. He stumbled down the stairs and into the common room which was empty save for Hermione who was always up really early.
"Morning, Er-my-knee," Harry said sleepily
"Morning, Harry" Hermione said looking up from her Arithmancy homework. "Geez, Harry, you look like you've been hit by a train"
"I feel like I've been hit by a train," Harry replied rubbing his eyes
"Well," Hermione said. "I promised myself I wouldn't do this but since it is an important day for you. I'll tell you my secret."
"Huh?" Harry said
"It's the only way I can get up so early. It's a little potion I call the wake-me-up. I think you need some of it"
Hermione reached in her bag and pulled out a vile of blue liquid
"Drink all of it," she instructed and Harry obeyed
The liquid tasted like grapefruit juice and Harry downed it in one gulp. After a couple seconds his eyes shot open.
"Wow! That's good stuff!"
"I know," Hermione said.
"Except now I almost wish that you didn't give that to me," Harry said
"What's up, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Have a seat and talk to me about it."
Harry sat down.
"Today's the 27th, Hermione," Harry said as if that alone was enough for his female friend to help him
"So?"
"It's Cho's birthday and I'm really nervous about it. I have a bunch of stuff planned but I'm really worried that I'll mess it up somehow"
"Oh," Hermione said. "Harry, don't worry about it. Worrying will just make it worse and you'll be a greater risk for a mess up. What exactly do you have planned for her?"
"Well," Harry said feeling slightly better. "I got her some flowers and a couple presents and I planned a romantic dinner. Actually it seems like I can't go wrong with all this, but I'm still nervous."
"Harry," Hermione said. "You could call me the happiest girl in the world if Ron did that for me. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you'd drop some hints that what youre planning is what I want for my birthday next year."
"Ok," Harry laughed feeling much better now
"It'll be fine, Harry," Hermione said soothingly. "You and Cho are gonna have great time. I can feel it. You are a great guy, Harry. From what you've said, you've gotten Cho some great things. Girls always like flowers and romantic dinners and I bet the gifts you got her are spectacular," Hermione paused. "Now we still have plenty of time before anyone else gets up. Do you need some help on your homework?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Harry said feeling on top of the world again. "Hermione"
"Yeah," she said
"Thanks"
"What are friends for?"
Harry smiled at his friend and went back upstairs and got his Transfiguration homework. Harry and Hermione worked on homework for the next hour and a half before anybody else came into the common room and it was nearly another hour until Ron made his way down the stairs and headed over to Harry and Hermione.
"Mornin' love," he said to Hermione, "Mornin', Harry. You're up early."
"Early?" Harry said surprised. "This isn't early. I've been up for about two and half hours."
"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed. "We had Quidditch last night and I heard you tossing around until I went to sleep and you still manage to get up and five in the damn morning"
"RON!" Hermione said outraged. "Don't use language like that"
"Im sorry, Hermy, but it just astounds me"
"Well, Ronny, it does happen to be a very important day in the life of our friend. Remember?"
Ron thought for a second.
"Oh yeah," he said. "No Quidditch tonight. I still don't see how that is so important."
After that remark Hermione slapped him on the back of the head
"What?" Ron asked then he remembered. "Oh. Cho's birthday."
"There you go," Hermione said. "Harry was worried about it and he woke up at five and came down here and talked with me about it. I think I helped a lot."
"And you did." Harry replied
Hermione flashed a smile and packed her books up.
"Where are you off to?" Ron asked
"Well, I want to get down to the Great Hall in time for post and I'm sure Harry does too"
"How do you know what Harry wants?" asked Ron
"The roses, Ron," Harry said slightly peeved.
"Honestly, Ron, you must have been hit in the head with a bludger or something because your short term memory has gone out the window, but I still love you," Hermione said and she gave Ron a peck on the cheek and started out the portrait hole while Ron and Harry hurried to get their books ready for the day
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Hermione didn't need to worry about getting to the Great Hall on time because the three Gryffindors were some of the first students in. Of course, all the teachers were sitting where they usually were. Among them was the newest in the long line of DADA teachers, Professor Delacour who seemed to be the best candidate to come back for a second year even though she wouldn't be Professor Delacour, she would be Professor Weasley. She and Ron's eldest brother, Bill, were engaged to be married on July 14th. Fleur had picked that day because it was her nation's day of independence and none of the Weasleys seemed to mind especially Mrs. Weasly who was beside herself at the prospect that her son would finally be settling down and cutting his hair not to mention that prospect of grandchildren. (A/N if I mixed up Bill and Charlie just let me know.)
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to sit at the Gryffindor table as the Great Hall filled up with hungry students. Harry looked over the crowd and was pleased to see Cho making her way to the Ravenclaw table with her usual gaggle of friends who seemed more excitable than ever today. Harry caught her eye and she gave another million-galleon smile in his direction. Harry smiled back and he felt like a million-galleons himself as he sat back down and munched on his bacon. He didn't eat much else because he was still a little bit nervous and didn't know if his stomach would like having anymore food in it. After what seemed like an eternity, the familiar hoots came and the owl post was at last arriving. One of the first owls dropped Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet. Then Harry heard an "Ooh" come from all over the room and quite a few people were pointing up. Harry looked up and was pleased to see that the clatter was about the Eagle Owl who carried in its talons eighteen dark red roses.
"Who are those for?" Harry heard Lavender ask Parvati
Lavender's question was soon answered as the owl made its way to the Ravenclaw table and gently dropped them in to the arms of Cho Chang.
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(Cho's perspective)
Cho had, along with everyone else sitting around her, looked up to see what the commotion was about and she gasped out loud as the Eagle Owl made its way towards her then dropped the roses into her arms. She was stunned for a second only to be brought to reality by Padma Patil
"Wow!" Padma said what was on everyone else at the table's minds. "Look, Cho, there's card."
Padma reached for the card but Cho got there first. "It's my card, Padma," she said matter-of-factly
Cho looked at the card and her heart leaped when she saw that "Harry" was printed on the outside of the envelope. She then carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the card which she read to herself completely oblivious to everything going on around her
Dear Cho,
Happy Birthday! 18 roses for 18 years
But this is not your only present
Meet me in the D.A. room
Tonight at Six
Love, Harry
Cho read the last line again and mouthed the words "Love, Harry". Cho thought she might faint right there.
"Wow, Cho," said her friend Stephanie who had been reading over her shoulder. "Looks like someone likes you"
"Yeah, well this someone doesn't like her friends reading over her shoulder," Cho said defensively
"Sor-ry," Stephanie said and then asked, "So are you gonna go?"
"Of course," Cho replied
"Ooh, so you like him?"
"No," Cho said. "I'm in love with him."
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(Back to Harry's perspective.)
After the flowers had arrived, Harry had spent much of his time poking at his scrambled eggs with his fork. He had no desire to eat anything whatsoever.
'What if she doesn't like them' a voice in his head said
'Of course she'll like them,' another voice in his head said. This one sounding awfully like Hermione's. 'Just look over at her. You'll see.'
Harry reluctantly brought his head up and looked over to the Ravenclaw table. His heart did two back flips when he saw that Cho was looking back at him.
'Thank you' she mouthed not wanting to yell across the Great Hall. This was between two people not among the whole student body
Harry blushed almost as deep a red as the roses. 'Can you make it?' he mouthed back
It was Cho's turn to blush. 'What's it about?'
'You'll see. Can you make it?'
'Of course I can'
Harry thought he would burst. He couldn't find the words so he just gave Cho a look that said everything that he couldn't. She smiled her great smile and went back to talking with her friends
"So, Potter," said Seamus who was sitting across the table from him. "You fancy her?"
"No, Seamus," Harry replied. "More than that. I'm in love with her."
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The rest of the day went by incredibly fast for Harry. His first class of the day was DADA with Professor Delacour. This class always went by fast because it was his favorite while the time he spent in Snape's crawled by. It was better than it had been since quite a few people had to take N.E.W.T. potions and he thanked everyone he could thank that Draco Malfoy had been put in the other classes. The only class that he shared with his sworn enemy was Transfiguration which he had that day after lunch and he promised himself not to say a single word to Malfoy no matter what happened. The last thing he needed was a detention.
At lunch Harry managed to eat more while every once in a while glancing over towards the Ravenclaw table and a couple times saw Cho looking towards the Gryffindor table. Those times they just smiled and blushed and went back to their conversations.
Disaster almost struck Harry as he waited outside the Transfiguration room with Hermione (Ron was in a different class). Draco Malfoy strode up the stairs wearing his signature cocky smirk that Harry had come to believe that that look was permanently etched on his face. Draco's cold blue eyes lit up when he saw Harry standing in front of the classroom door.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the love bird Potter," Malfoy sneered, "I saw the way you and Chang were looking at each other even though I can't possibly fathom what she sees in you."
"Harry, cool it," Hermione whispered instinctively
"Don't worry," Harry whispered back making sure Draco couldn't see that he was speaking. "I don't plan on doing anything. The last thing I need is a detention."
"Maybe it's because you're famous Harry Potter. Although that can bring bad publicity as your friend the mud blood can vouch for. I'd hate to see what the Daily Prophet's gossip column would have to say about Cho Chang being Harry Potter's latest bitch"
"MR. MALFOY!" came a voice that made everyone jump. It was Professor McGonagall. "I WILL not stand for that directed at or towards any student here. THIRTY points from Slytherin and I'll be seeing you tonight and for the rest of the week for detention. Now let us go inside and see if we can have a class in which language is not used."
Harry felt like kissing McGonagall right there. He was visibly shaking with rage and if she had not come up just then may have punched Malfoy in the nose. "Insult me if you must, Draco," he said through the side of his mouth so only Draco could hear, "but the next time you see fit to insult Cho Chang I cannot be held responsible for my actions. You got that?"
Draco didn't reply. His face was beet red with rage and he was also shaking with anger. Everybody filed in and Harry had one of the best Transfiguration classes in his six years at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had planned for today to show how one can change another human into an animal and she 'asked' Draco to be a volunteer. Draco seeing that if he refused he would probably get more detentions which he couldn't afford to have with the end of the Quidditch season coming up made his way to the front of the class where Professor McGonagall promptly transfigured Draco Malfoy into a weasel much to the pleasure of everyone else in the room.
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Normally the last class of the day ended at five o'clock but McGonagall decided to let the class out fifteen minutes early while she "dealt with Mr. Malfoy". Harry wished he could've stayed to see that but he had to get ready for the big night. He went back to the dormitory and dropped his bag off and found his dress robes. He then proceeded to the bathroom where he showered and changed.
After he was done in the bathroom he went back to his dormitory and opened his truck and retrieved Cho's presents, his invisibility cloak ('Might come in handy,' he thought) and the Marauder's map and looked at his watch. It said the time was five thirty but he made sure of the time by asking Ron, Seamus and Lavender before heading off. Most everyone had heard about what Harry was doing so none of them asked. In fact as he left there was a Colin Creevy led round of applause. He slipped out of the portrait hole very carefully so he didn't mess up his new dress robes which were a present that he gave himself as congratulations for winning the Quidditch cup. Actually he bought them because it brought back some happy memories unlike the ones of Sirius that he had been having all summer. The new robes were green like his old ones but a deeper shade, almost Emerald.
Harry slipped on the invisibility cloak as he walked down a corridor. While looking at the Marauder's map that he had activated. No one seemed near him. In fact it seemed as though every one was headed down for dinner. He did however not fail to notice the little dot labeled "C. Chang" that was still in her dormitory.
Harry made good time to the seventh floor and he had in his mind exactly what he wanted the dinner to be as he paced back and forth until the door appeared. As he walked in he noticed that "C. Chang" was out of her dormitory and on the move towards him.
Harry stepped into the room and it was exactly what he wanted it to be. He took the invisibility cloak of to get a better look at the room. There was one table with tow chairs and two lit candles on either end. There was violin music coming from somewhere and there was a serving tray with lid in the middle of the table. Harry took off the lid but nothing was under it
"Right," Harry said to himself. "Cho picks what we eat."
That reminded him. He took out the map and saw that Cho was getting closer. She was on the sixth floor and coming up the stairs. She was now on the seventh floor five inches away. Now four inches. Three inches. Two inches. Now the dot was right in front of the door
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Harry stashed the map in his robes, straighten out his robes, fixed his hair in a mirror that appeared and then disappeared and then he opened the door
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A/N: Well that's it for Chapter Three. Yes I know I'm evil for stopping there but I am also tired because it's three in the morning and I need to get some sleep. Please R & R. Ill probably have chapter four up on Wednesday. Thanx a lot