"I'll be there in a minute, Emily," I said. "I can't find my quill. Go on ahead without me."
"All right," she said, leaving with Marietta, SuYoung, and Min. They had decided to head to Transfiguration class earlier this morning.
"Ah ha!" I exclaimed. "Found it!" I threw the covers back onto my bed and stuffed the quill into my bag along with an inkwell. I rushed out of the common room and down two flights of stairs before I bumped into someone – hard. I fell backwards and heard the smashing of my inkwell in my bag. "Oh no!" I opened my bag, pulled out my book, parchment, and quill, which were covered in ink. "Not again."
"Cho, are you okay?" Michael asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I was in a rush; I didn't look to see where I was going—"
"It's quite all right." He helped me off of the floor and took my things from me. "Let me help you."
"Oh, erm…thanks," I said as he handed my things back to me, clean. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then…"
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"'Bye." I headed off to Transfiguration class.
"What took you so long?" Emily asked as I sat down.
"I bumped into Michael—" I began.
"Who?" Marietta asked.
"Michael Corner – the fifth year – the one in our House."
"Oh, that one." Marietta smirked.
"What are you smirking about?" I asked.
"Nothing." She glanced over at Emily and giggled.
I looked over at Emily. "What?"
"Well…erm…you know after he asked you to the Yule Ball and you said no….he was disappointed."
"So? I couldn't help it that I went with Cedric."
"Yeah but I think he really likes you. I mean he was really disappointed."
"Stop trying to make me feel bad, Emily."
"I'm not, Cho, I'm just saying… You have a lot of choices after Cedric."
"What do you mean 'after Cedric'?" I questioned.
"Class will begin," Professor McGonagall's sharp voice rang as she walked to her desk and pulled out her wand.
* * * * *
"I say that you should do something with Michael," Marietta said during lunch in the Great Hall. "I think he's nice and I'm sure he's sweet too."
I shook my head. "No, I can't."
"Cedric wouldn't know," she mumbled.
"He would too. I don't want to. I'm not like that. I won't turn against Cedric."
"No one said you would be turning against him."
"Oh, just hush, Marietta. Why don't you do something with him if you want me to so badly?"
"Yuck, no. I don't really like him…"
"He's nice to me."
"That's different," she said, putting a forkful of food into her mouth. "Besides he likes you."
"Whatever."
"Just one thing though, Cho: it really wouldn't kill you or Cedric. Catch him alone in the library or common room and talk to him. Cedric wouldn't know then, would he?"
"You're really urging this aren't you?" I said, peering at her from the corner of my eye.
"Forget it, Cho," Marietta said.
"I can't help it if I really like Cedric."
"She doesn't just like him," Emily said. "She loves him."
I blushed. "I do not, Emily! I like him…a lot. Heavens, it's only been two months."
"Oh well. If the two of you carry on like you have been then I'm sure you'll love each other sooner or later," she said with a smirk.
"I'll see you later, okay?" I stood up and swung my bag over my shoulder.
"Good luck Michael-hunting!" Marietta called out.
"Not funny!" I yelled at her as I walked out of the Great Hall. I walked out of the entrance hall and to the Grand Staircase. I didn't want to find Michael at all – I didn't need to listen to Emily or Marietta. There's no need to do anything with Michael. Marietta and Emily were just being crazy, I thought as I walked up to the Ravenclaw Tower hoping that Michael was nowhere nearby. I climbed into the common room and sat in an armchair by the fire. I didn't want to get involved with anyone but Cedric who was nicer to me than any other guy I have met before. I soon heard footsteps entering the common room. I turned to see who it was: Michael Corner and two of his friends. I turned quickly around and reached into my bag, pretending to do something.
He and his friends sat down across from me and lair their things on the table. I pulled out the Transfiguration homework and began to work on it. I noticed every once in awhile one of his friends would look up at me. They were talking on a low whisper. I couldn't stand the three of them talking so I walked up to the girls' dormitories. I replaced The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5 with a few ingredients for Potions class. I walked down the girls' dormitories and out of the common room. I walked down the Grand Staircase and spotted Cedric on the second floor walking into the library with a few friends and a bag swung over his shoulder. I caught up with him.
"I was wondering where you had gone, Cho. Your friends said that you had gone to your common room and I knew that I couldn't go in there," Cedric said. His friends were smirking behind him.
"Yeah, I was just trying to get away from the chatter of the Great Hall," I said, ignoring the laughs of his friends.
"Well, we have a few minutes before class starts. Let's talk in here." Cedric beckoned his friends in who continued to snigger loudly as they passed me.