Chapter 7: The Swan's Reflection
Harry could not recall how Luna managed to get him away from Hagrid's hut. All he could remember was feeling empty and betrayed even though Ron and Hermione had done nothing to him. "I'm alright Luna," he said, stopping in his tracks.
"I know," she answered, in her usual dreamy voice, "I just thought we'd better get back to the castle before... well, before it gets too dark, you know." Harry felt grateful to Luna now that he was away from Ron and Hermione. "Thanks Luna," he said, trying very hard to smile. "Well," she said after a moment, "I suppose I'd better get back... homework, you know."
"Right," Harry said, still feeling rather empty. Luna turned and started off. "Luna," Harry called after her, and she stopped and looked back. Harry paused, lost for words. "Thanks," he finally sighed.
"No problem," she said happily, and Harry turned to leave. "I'm usually in the library," she suddenly said, "OWLs, you know... if you ever want to talk." Harry's feeling of gratitude returned and he nodded, "See you around, then."
The next three weeks turned out to be some of Harry's loneliest. He wanted to avoid Ron and Hermione because he did not yet know what to think about their relationship, but he did harbor some resentment for the pair of them. Harry even evaded Ginny Weasley, which was not all too difficult as she spent much of her free time either in the library or with Michael Corner.
Ron and Hermione seemed to be thinking along the same lines. The pair of them suddenly had so many prefect duties that Harry barely had to avoid them. When he did see them Hermione would not look his way, but on the occasion that he did glimpse her face, she wore an expression between anger and wariness.
Ron was a different story. He would still talk to Harry however, it was little more than daily pleasantries. But Harry could not blame Ron for acting the way he did because he knew that, even if Ron did not want to be in the middle of his fight with Hermione, he would be able to do little in the way of keeping a neutral opinion.
No, what Harry actually took offense at was the fact that Ron acted as though nothing had happened between him and Hermione, and it felt as though there was no more honesty between them. Ron would change the subject almost as much as Harry did when anything remotely related to Hermione was lightly touched on.
Before meals Harry took to visiting the kitchens for food to bring outside somewhere where he could be alone. Sometimes he even brought along the Marauder's Map just so he could avoid specific individuals; Crookshanks in particular. Hermione's cat had taken to following him around Gryffindor tower and, although the ginger cat did nothing wrong, as far as Harry was concerned, he was guilty by association.
The library especially reminded him of his troubles with Hermione so that, as much as he might have wanted to be around people, even ones who did not talk to him, he avoided going near the place. Day by day Harry was becoming more and more reclusive so that even the prospect of talking to someone like Luna, who he could loosely relate to, lost most of its appeal.
So it must have come as something of a shock to Harry when he suddenly found himself entering the library in search of the person most students thought of as Looney. He had had it. He was starving for company, even if it was from someone he knew little about. When he finally found Luna hidden away in one of the aisles however, he was not surprised to find her with none other than Neville Longbottom.
"Hi guys," he said giving Luna a pleading look. "Hullo," she answered in her usual demeanor. "Do you want to go for a walk," she asked, shooting a quick glance at Neville. "Yeah Harry," Neville said, "I'm making her take a break from this place." And so, a moment later, Harry suddenly found himself with not one, but two new companions, and he was actually glad it was Neville and Luna.
After a while Harry found that it was not so hard to tell Luna and Neville his more personal feelings. He would not go into detail about how things had gone so wrong, but it was highly therapeutic for him to just go on about what he was feeling. In fact, he was getting rather use to confiding in them and it wasn't until Neville mentioned his parents that Harry realized how open he was, himself, becoming.
One day Neville decided to tell them about his mother and father and, although it seemed like his story was directed more towards Luna, Harry was still affected by it. True Professor Dumbledore had already revealed what had happened to Neville's parents before, but to hear Neville's account of the tragic event stirred more feelings than had the headmaster's telling.
Throughout Neville's narration Harry had to feigned several emotions and expressions; disbelief, shock, horror, and outrage, but oddly enough, he found that he did not need to feign understanding. He was very sensitive to sad stories now and he had a good idea of what to say and how to act when around those who had experienced a tragedy.
By the last week of the month, the three of them had fallen into such a routine that Harry felt a bit disappointed to hear that Luna and Neville would be going down to Hogsmeade the next day as it was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year.
Harry had no real desire to visit the wizarding village just now. His last visit on Valentine's Day the previous year was something of a disaster, and all he could think of was a possible confrontation with Cho or Hermione or both.
But after Friday morning's conversation, something occurred to Harry that pushed all other thoughts out of his mind. Luna had asked Harry about the Sorcerer's Stone, having only heard bits and pieces of his tale, and wanted to hear a proper account from Harry himself.
"But I don't understand that mirror... what it actually does," Neville said when Harry had finished his abridge version of the story. "I'm not entirely sure," Harry lied. He was suddenly preoccupied with his memories of the Mirror of Erised and did not want to go into a detailed explanation of how it worked. If he could find that mirror again, he reasoned, he'd be able to see his mother and father once more... as well as his godfather.
He decided to change the subject to give himself time to think. "I miss DA meetings," said Harry, feigning a reminiscent expression while his mind thought about where the mirror might be hidden now. "I miss the DA room," said Luna, "the way it made things that we needed just appear like that."
Automatically it seemed Harry's mind snapped onto the room of requirement. "Actually, I don't think it made those things." Harry gave it some further thought. "Remember that cracked foe-glass?" he asked, and Luna and Neville nodded. "Well, that particular foe-glass was in Professor Moody's office two years ago." Harry smiled as comprehension dawned on their faces. "Why not just provide a brand new one," he hinted.
"Because it takes what it needs from other parts of the castle," Luna and Neville chorused. "Exactly," Harry said, and then his mind stumbled over something. "Exactly," he repeated slowly. And then it hit him. He could find The Mirror of Erised again. He could use the room of requirement to summon it for him.
Harry skipped lunch that afternoon and returned to his dormitory to fetch his invisibility cloak. He had given the matter considerable thought and had what he felt was a satisfactory plan. He would visit the room of requirement right after class, during dinner that evening, while everyone else was sure to be in the Great Hall for supper.
Harry's plan worked fine, and when he turned around after his third pass and saw the highly polished door to the room of requirement, he immediately rushed over and opened it. At first the room was dimly lit and looked exactly as it had done when Harry had seen it last, but after he had shut the door and took three steps into the room, he saw it.
The Mirror of Erised was exactly as Harry remembered it, only it seemed a bit smaller now. Then he smiled to himself, remembering that he had been five years younger the last time he saw it at the end of his first year. Harry stopped several feet from the mirror, tossed his bag aside, and had just pulled off the invisibility cloak when he heard the door handle behind him turn.
The door, which in Harry's excitement he had forgotten to lock, creaked open very slowly. Harry just managed to pull the cloak back over his head, kneeling down beside his bag so that it would also be hidden, before the door had fully opened. "Hullo," the unmistakable silhouette of Cho Chang called out softly, "is there anyone here?"
Harry suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. He had been invisible around others before and never gave it a second thought, usually because he was just passing them by. Being alone and invisible in a room with Cho Chang however, was quite a different story. Now Harry felt as though he was spying on her, and he did not like the feeling that he was being dishonest like this.
Harry was just considering revealing himself to Cho when he noticed her free hand inside her robes and suspected that it was clutching her wand. He had an unnerving vision of Cho banishing Millicent Bulstrode's jawbone and decided to stay just as he was. Then Cho noticed the Mirror of Erised and immediately looked both puzzled and fascinated. She started towards the huge mirror and Harry knew she was about to receive a shock.
As Cho walked by and passed within a foot of him, a very small part of him wanted to stay and watch her reaction, but that dishonest feeling nagged at him once more and he reached for his bag, intending to leave.
"Harry?" Cho asked, and he froze on the spot. Harry turned around very slowly, wondering how she knew he was there, and frantically trying to think of how he was going to explain himself. But Cho was not looking at him.
She was standing a few feet from the mirror and gazing at something to the left of her reflection. Harry stood quite still, halfway between shock and anxiety as to why she was seeing his image. Then she turned to regard someone to the right of her reflection.
Harry saw her eyes go wide, and she began to tremble. Cho spun around on the spot to see if there were actually people behind her, just as Harry had done the first time he had gazed into this mirror. She turned back around. "Cedric," she said, taking a step closer.
Harry felt as though he were turning green, but he wasn't sure if the thought of Cho seeing Cedric was making him sick, or just a touch jealous. "Cedric," Cho said again in a voice full of forced calm, "Is that really you? But how?" Cho reached out a trembling hand and Harry saw tears welling up in her eyes.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a cracking voice. Harry wanted to stop her now. He had a feeling this wasn't doing her any good at all; on the contrary, it was probably very bad for her. "Say something, please," Cho begged, but then her hand, which had been an inch away from touching the mirror, froze. "You can't, can you," she said in a waning voice, her hand dropping to her side.
Harry felt really bad now. He knew he could have prevented any of this from happening had he just said something beforehand. She let her bag drop to the floor with a thud that echoed lightly throughout the almost empty room. "Well," she began with a hardy sniff, "I guess you know about Harry and me." Cho chuckled slightly. "Did you know he asked me to the Yule ball too, right after you did?"
Cho's expression grew pleasant suddenly, almost relaxed. "I'm sorry I never admitted any of it to you before," she said, and there wasn't the slightest hint of weakness in her voice. "But Harry doesn't like me anymore," she said turning to look at the opposite side of her. "Do you Harry?" she continued, looking as though it was costing her something to realize it.
Suddenly Harry had the strongest urge to tell Cho that she was wrong, but instead, he watched her face loose all expression and she took a few steps back to examine the rest of the mirror. This time her voice was speculative, suspicious even. "What are you?" Cho said slowly, apparently speaking directly to the mirror, "What is it that you do?"
Her expression suddenly turned grim and her eyes were very bright again. "Do you show me the past... what I've lost," she asked, her voice cracking with dread. Tears began to roll silently down her face. "Well," she said sadly, "that would make sense."
Cho closed her eyes, wiping her tears and pushing her hair out of her face by running her fingers all the way up her cheeks and up past her forehead, where they disappeared into her dark curtain of hair. All of a sudden Harry noticed that he was holding his breath.
"Harry," Cho began after she had recovered her composure, "I know I've never said it properly but, I truly am sorry, and I really do still... I mean," Cho paused, lost for words, and her eyes flicked away briefly, as though she didn't have the courage. "I hope you know that..."
Then Cho turned back to Cedric's image and, ashamed as he felt for having heard what had already been said so far, Harry felt like running from the room so as not to overhear anymore.
"I know you want me to be happy," she said, and then her expression turned soft, almost happy. "You don't have to worry about that now... I'll be fine, even if..." she looked at Harry's reflection, then back to Cedric's. Cho lifted her chin proudly, looking to Harry as though she were staring straight into Cedric's eyes. "Good bye, Cedric," she said softly.
And with that she lifted her bag from where she had dropped it, turned, and walked to the door. When she reached the exit she paused and took a deep breath. She looked back over her shoulder and cast one last smile at the mirror. Then she left, closing the door behind her.
Dazed, Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak but did not move for several moments after. His mind was racing with the memory of what he had just witnessed. Professor Dumbledore said that the Mirror of Erised showed someone their deepest, most desperate desire, and Cho had seen both him and Cedric. But Cho thought she was being shown the people she'd lost.
Harry continued to rack his brains, realizing how much he would have appreciated Hermione's help just now, and then lost all further train of thought, unable to take his mind off the troubles that ultimately led him to this room in the first place. Harry decided to do what he had originally come here to do. He stepped up to the mirror and waited.
The images of his father, his mother, and many other family members appeared behind him. Then the image of his godfather, Sirius, stepped out from behind some people. He was smiling and looked very handsome indeed, just as Harry remembered from Lupin's memories. Harry wanted him to come closer, but he remained where he was.
Then Harry noticed someone with his parents, someone it took a moment to properly recognize. It was Hermione, and she was smiling whimsically at him. Numbly surprised Harry looked back at his godfather and then noticed someone standing by him as well, and his heart stopped. There, standing beside his handsome godfather, was Cho Chang. She was also smiling, so softly in fact, that a small grin touched Harry's lips.
Then he shook his head, confusion overcoming his euphoria, and he turned away from the mirror. His mind had taken off again, and he suddenly wanted to do the same. Then a possible answer came to him and he suddenly thought he understood what the mirror was showing him.
That he, Harry, wanted Hermione and Cho back in his life just as much as he wanted to see his family and godfather again. But he had been so upset with the pair of them. Why would he want them back in his life?
Before Harry's head started to really spin, his stomach growled loudly and brought him back to his senses. He picked up his schoolbag and left the room somehow feeling worse than he had felt before he first arrived.
Harry needed some time to think, and since he did his best thinking these days alone outside, made his way to the kitchens for some food to take with him. For some reason he took more food than he usually did; perhaps because he had a feeling he was going to do a lot of thinking tonight. When he was far enough from the castle, Harry pulled off his father's old cloak and stuffed it into his bag of food.
Harry walked along the edge of the lake towards the Forbidden Forest. When he was just about to enter the bushes that led to his favorite hiding spot, something caught his eye. Skirting the edge of the forest was a great, black, bear of a dog. Harry's heart started pounding and his feet automatically carried him towards the beast. When it caught sight of him however, it bolted into a thicket of trees.
"Wait!" Harry shouted, "Sirius! It's me!" But before he knew it he had sprinted towards the thicket and plunged headlong into it, his hands outstretched in front of his face, pushing branches aside. His wildest thoughts were running rampant through his mind now. His godfather wasn't dead, and now he was sure of it. Although he could not see him anymore, he could still hear him crashing through the bushes and shrubs just beyond his vision.
And then, as he entered a partial clearing, a sudden chill came over him and the moonlight that had been pushing softly through the canopy of leaves above disappeared. He could feel his sweat turning ice cold. Harry stopped dead in his tracks and quickly withdrew his wand. And then he saw them, two hooded dementors, gliding eerily over the dank forest floor, their familiar rattling breath making Harry's blood go cold.
"Expecto—" Harry began, but then a shrill cackle echoed throughout the dark forest and his hair felt as though it were standing on end. "What's wrong little baby Potter," drawled Bellatrix Lastrange's evil, mocking voice, "Don't you want to play with the big bad dementors?" Then she laughed her hideous laugh.
"Expecto—" Harry tried again, but again he was interrupted. "Do you still miss him... my dear dead cousin? Why not join him... I will help you." Harry felt as though there were something caught in his throat. "Expecto, Expecto..." but he couldn't do it. Even if he managed to get the words out, he could not cast around for a happy memory.
His mind was suddenly clouded, and a dreadful image emerged. He saw his godfather standing on the dais in the Death Chamber, and he was laughing. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he taunted. Harry knew what was coming. He wanted to close his eyes and run, but he couldn't move or look away.
And then a silvery blur flew across his line of sight, distorting the image of Sirius and the dais. "What!" he heard Bellatrix shout, "Who are you?" The dark forest came back into focus and he could see something large, its great white wings spread wide, attacking one of the dementors. The other one was already fleeing into the tall heavy treetops, leaving behind a small silvery trail, as though it were bleeding ghostly blood.
The silvery swan collided with the remaining dementor and then vanished, leaving the hooded figure falling backwards where it crashed soundlessly onto the earthen floor. Harry turned and saw Cho Chang, her wand held firmly in her outstretched hand, and a fiery glint in her eyes. He looked back at Bellatrix, who vanished with a pop that echoed throughout the forest.
Harry turned and ran towards Cho. Her eyes were suddenly shut tight and there was concentration etched onto her face. There was another pop and Harry stopped as he saw Bellatrix emerge from behind a tree some twenty feet behind Cho. But before he could cry out a warning, Cho leapt aside, having heard a branch beneath Bellatrix's foot snap in two. Harry also had to jump aside as the jet of red light from Bellatrix's wand, that had barely missed Cho, almost hit him.
Bellatrix hid back behind the tree she had emerged from just as two stunning spells, one from Harry, the other from Cho, shot past her. "So, you have come to comfort little baby Potter in his time of need?" Bellatix taunted. "Yes," answered Cho defiantly, and Harry stared at her. He suddenly remembered the same feeling at the Ministry of Magic with Hermione. "Don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead, it's my fault if she's dead..."
Cho looked over at Harry and nodded. Harry shook his head, guessing what she was about to do, but she had already started to run. Harry shot a stunning spell at the tree Bellatrix was behind as Cho continued to run forward. But there was another pop and Cho, who had been eyeing Bellatrix's tree, turned instead and pressed her back against the tree she had just reached, looking wildly around.
Harry plunged his free hand into his bag and pulled out his invisibility cloak. Hastily he wrapped it around himself and then ran at Cho. Somewhere to his left he heard Bellatrix yell, "STUPIFY," and a jet of red light shot past him. Almost at the same time Bellatrix cast her spell, Cho had done the same and Bellatrix was forced back behind her tree, cursing furiously.
When Harry reached Cho he flung the cloak around her, slipping out of it as he did. "Get out of here!" he said frantically, "she's after me, not you!" "No!" Cho screamed, and than he was pushed to the ground. The weight of Cho's body pressed on top of his as splinters from the tree rained down on them; the result of a curse hitting the spot where Cho had been.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" cried Bellatrix, running forward. Their wands flew up into the air, yanking the invisibility cloak off of them so that it fluttered through the air in a high arch. Quite suddenly Harry heard a roaring sound accompanied by crashing and the breaking of many branches. Bellatrix was blinded by a flood of light and she flung her hands in front of her face to shield her eyes.
There was a screeching sound, followed by a heavy thud and then the uneven purring of a very old motor. Harry and Cho got to their feet. "Come on," he said, grabbing one of Cho's hands and making a break for the Ford Anglia that was idling several feet from the heap that was Bellatrix. Cho looked up, reached out her free hand, and caught the falling cloak.
Harry yanked open the driver side door and Cho dove in, rolling to the passenger side of the front seat before turning her attention to the invisibility cloak. Harry got in and slammed the door shut. The car sped forward and Harry glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Bellatrix getting back to her feet.
"Whose car is this," Cho asked, passing Harry his wand and taking a look back at Bellatrix. "It use to belong to Ron's dad," Harry answered, "and this is the second time it's saved my life." Cho looked at him. "Well actually," Harry reconsidered, remembering how he had been flown away from the Dursleys' house five summers back, "it's the third time." Cho grinned and then stuffed Harry's cloak back into his bag.
There was a loud crash as a curse hit a tree in front of them, causing it to fall directly into their path. The car swerved and spun out of control, throwing up dirt and leaves as it skidded across the uneven forest floor. Harry pulled Cho into a protective embrace just as the backside of the car collided with a tree. The engine stopped abruptly and Cho gasp.
"What do we do now," she whispered, looking up at him from between his arms. Harry caught sight of the tiny silver button on the dash. "We wait," he said, reaching over to push it. "Please work," he pleaded, and a second later the car around them vanished. Then they too became invisible.
Harry felt Cho's hand squeeze his arm. "Harry," she whispered urgently, and Harry looked out of his window. Bellatrix Lestrange had just entered the clearing and was noticeably limping. She held her wand out in front of her and constantly shifted her attention as she scanned the area.
After a moment Bellatrix walked out of view and the pair of them let out a sigh of relief. "We need to get you out of here," Harry whispered. It was an odd feeling, not being able to see either yourself or the person you were talking to. "My broom's still at the pitch," Cho told him. "Good," he began, "Use a summoning charm. Get your broom and go for help, and I'll—"
"I'm not leaving you here," Cho cut in fiercely, breaking away from his embrace. Cho's eyes, the only thing he could see of her, narrowed and there was an angry determination within them. "Look, that's a death eater out there, and this isn't some DA meeting," he told her. "If you still think the truth's going to scare me off Harry Potter, you're wrong," she hissed, taking Harry aback. Cho's hand found its way into Harry's. "We can both manage on my Comet," she pleaded, squeezing his hand tightly, "my brother and I have ridden together loads of times."
They felt the sudden, overpowering chill that could only mean one thing. They looked out and saw a dementor gliding into the clearing. "Right then," Harry said, looking into Cho's eyes, "get your broom, and I'll handle that one." Cho squeezed Harry's hand again and then let go of it. They took a moment to prepare their wands.
"I'm ready," Cho said, and then she winked at him. "Accio Comet." Harry cast around for a happy memory, eventually landing on his time alone with Ron and Hermione right before the Gryffindor ball. Seconds later, Cho's broom came whizzing into view.
The Anglia reappeared as its doors opened wide and the pair of them jumped out. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry bellowed, and an enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand and charged the hooded creatures.
A moment later, Harry turned and saw Cho mounting her broom in her side-saddle fashion. He quickly took position behind her and had just gotten his hands on the broom, reaching around Cho's tiny waist to do so, when she kicked off. There was a popping sound behind them and, a second later, a curse flew by and hit a tree just ahead of them.
They climbed to avoid the falling debris and Cho swerved her broom sharply to the left to avoid another curse. There was another popping sound and Harry knew Bellatrix had disapperated again.
Another curse, this one from somewhere ahead of them, shot past and shattered more branches. Many winged creatures took flight and there was a jumble of screeching, hissing, and flapping in their wake.
"Do you know the way to the castle," asked Cho over the torrent of noise. "No, but I think we're going deeper in," Harry answered, taking notice of the thickening canopy. There was another pop, but apparently, Cho was waiting for it. She swerved her broom hard to the right, kicked off one tree, and then off of another so that they had reversed their direction completely.
"Harry," Cho said suddenly, "reach into the front of my robes." "What?!" he shouted stupidly. "My pendant Harry, take it out. I can't let go so you'll have to do it." The instant he had removed one hand from the Comet's handle, his other hand slipped off and he had to wrap his arm around Cho's waist to keep from falling off.
"Sorry," he said quickly as Cho struggled to steady the broom. "That's okay," Cho said, and Harry suspected she was trying not to laugh. Harry didn't know how he managed but a few seconds later he had fumbled with the neck of her robes, reached down her front, and withdrew the pendant.
"Hold it in your fist and think of Gabriel," Cho instructed him, and there was another pop in the distance. "Why," Harry asked without thinking. "My pendant will point us in her direction." Harry closed his eyes, thinking hard of little Gabriel. He felt the pendant throb softly in his fist, and felt as though his whole body was being gently pulled in a direction slightly to his left.
Harry let go of the pendent and pointed out the direction to Cho, who promptly turned the Comet that way. Another curse flew up from somewhere to their right; Bellatrix was back on their trail. "The back end's too heavy," Cho told him, "we need to switch places to center the weight." And with that, they dove. "We better make this fast," she said, and it was.
The instant their feet touched the ground, Cho's hand found Harry's waist and, ducking under his arm, rolled around him as their momentum carried Harry and the broom a few steps forward. In a heartbeat Cho was in position behind him, her arms wrapped tightly about his middle and the side of her face pressed against his back.
"Go!" she urged him, and no sooner had they kicked off did a curse hit the very spot where their feet had just been. Harry pushed the broom forward, faster and faster while more curses flew at them. He made for a great oak and pulled into a power-climb along its trunk. Harry reasoned that Bellatrix, no matter where she apperates, would have a job of hitting them at this height.
This might have worked had Bellatirx not changed her strategy. She began targeting everything in front of, as well as above them, causing a cascade of branches, leaves, and in some cases, bits of little creatures. Suddenly there was an enormous explosion several feet in front of them, followed by a long creaking sound, and then a loud snap.
A giant tree branch at least forty feet long slowly broke from its trunk and toppled over, directly into their path. With curses still flying to either side of them there was nowhere to go but down. They dove and Cho held on so tight that Harry could barely breathe. They were literally racing the falling branch. "Comet Harry!" Cho shouted, her head still pressed tightly to his back, "not a Firebolt!"
Harry wished she'd reminded him sooner and knew it was too late the moment he tried to pull out. When he kicked the back end of the broom down, pulling the handle up as he did, Cho's Comet reacted much slower than he expected and he knew they were going to crash. But then Harry suddenly felt Cho's legs next to his. She was also kicking the back end down, and he could hear her groaning with the effort of pushing her slender legs.
But it was enough. The Comet's tail brushed the ground hard and twigs broke off for several feet before they leveled off. There was an earsplitting crash right behind them as the falling branch landed, pushing up a cloud of dust high into the air. At the same time a patch of ground just ahead of them erupted, hit by another curse and Harry had to break hard.
Cho, who had been trying to remount her Comet, was unprepared for the sudden lunge and lost her balance. For a second or two, she was able to keep her hold on Harry, but before he could come to a stop, she lost her grip and hit the ground, rolling to a stop beside some tall bushes.
Harry touched down and ran back to Cho with his heart thumping wildly; partially because he was worried about Cho, but also because he knew Bellatrix was still near by. He crouched low and, when he was only a few feet from Cho, dropped her Comet and extracted the invisibility cloak from his bag.
Cho lay motionless on the ground and, as Harry reached her, slowly lifted her head, but before she could even brush the hair away from her face, Harry knelt down beside her, spreading his cloak so that it encompassed both of them. "Don't move," he said urgently, and she lowered her head back down. "Where does it hurt?" Harry asked, brushing her hair aside.
"Everywhere," she joked, grinning and closing her eyes, "but I think I'm alright. Nothing feels broken." Harry suddenly felt light-headed with relief. Then Cho's eyes suddenly snapped open, a look of fright mirrored within them. "She's coming," she whispered, placing a hand on one of Harry's while her other hand found her wand.
Harry quickly pushed her wand down. "No. She might not see us." Bellatrix Lestrage limped into view looking livid, and stopped just a few steps from them. Harry held his breath, and knew Cho was doing the same. Slowly Bellatrix came closer and closer, and Cho's grip on Harry's hand tightened.
But when Bellatrix saw Cho's discarded broomstick, she froze, very quickly hobbled over, and picked it up. For a moment all Bellatrix did was stare at it, but Cho must have realized her next move because she whispered, "Protego," just before Bellatrix shouted, "EXPELLIARMUS!" This time Cho's wand did not move, and nor did Harry's cloak.
Bellatrix swore loudly and then, like a madwoman, wheeled around wildly in place, firing curses in all directions. Twigs and dirt were blasted into the air and debris rained down everywhere. Bits of earth and branches landed on Harry and Cho but they stayed still. Then Bellatrix stopped abruptly and, for a moment, just stood there. She swore once more and then mounted Cho's comet, kicked off the ground, and sped off. She was gone.
Harry helped Cho to her feet and was relieved when she simply brushed away the dust from her robes, as though she were merely getting up from a leisurely picnic beside the school's lake. Harry used the pointer spell and a few minutes later, they emerged from the edge of the forest and started towards the castle.
"Who was that?" asked Cho, looking not at Harry, but towards the trees lining the lake. "Bellatrix Lestrage," answered Harry automatically. "She was the woman on that notice, wasn't she?" she said in a dull voice, "One of the ten that escaped from Azkaban." Surprised as he was that Cho realized that fact, Harry's brain had already taken off, and he do little more than nod dazedly.
His mind was racing again with all that had just happened. A not-too-distant memory resurfaced; The Darklord's favor shall assume the task, to rid him of the boy who could be his undoing. Bellatrix had said that she was the Darklord's most loyal death eater. The grim he had seen had been a trick by her, and he, Harry, had fallen for it. He might even be dead now had it not been for the girl walking next to him.
Harry gazed at Cho admiringly. "Cho," he said, and she turned to him. "You were really brilliant back there," he said, smiling. Cho's expression changed from attentiveness to amazement. "You really think so?" she asked disbelievingly. Harry nodded, "Absolutely brilliant."
To Harry's surprise Cho stepped off the path they had been on and headed towards a clump of trees and thick bushes by the lake. Harry followed curiously. "I can't believe it," Cho marveled, making her way through some brush that Harry faintly recognized, "we were pretty lucky, weren't we?"
"I was the lucky one," he insisted, and they emerged into a small clearing. "How did you know I went in there?" Harry asked; the question had popped into his mind suddenly. "I was over there," she said, pointing over to a patch of bushes; Harry's patch of bushes. "I heard you yelling from here; then I watched you go in."
But then Cho looked down rather timidly. "I wasn't trying to snoop," she said apologetically. Harry shook his head. "Don't apologize Cho," he half-demanded, "I was lucky you did what you did." Cho looked up and smiled softly, and for a moment, all they did was stare at each other.
"What were you doing out here?" Cho asked. She turned and headed for the bushes she had pointed out, although she kept her head turned to Harry as though hoping he would follow. "I was on my way here when I saw h...," Harry began but he paused, not entirely sure he should tell her.
Cho continued to stare at him. "I saw a...," Harry sputtered, playing for time. Cho frowned slightly and looked away. "Why weren't you at dinner?" she asked. Then Harry remembered Cho in front of the Mirror of Erised and knew he could not tell her about that either. "I got food from the kitchens," he said, almost changing the subject, "I was gonna eat out here." Cho looked back at him. "You wanted to be alone, then?"
"I'm sort of getting use to being by myself," Harry said unenthusiastically. "Do you mean Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley?" Cho asked, catching Harry off guard. "I heard from Luna Lovegood," she shrugged, stopping as they reached her book bag. "Just remember, Harry," Cho continued intently, "they're not your only friends, okay."
Harry smiled and looked down at her bag. And then he caught sight of something very odd. There, on a bit of parchment, was a small drawing of a snitch, and directly below it, two elaborately embellished, intertwined letters. Harry made out the letters H and X just as Cho knelt down and stuffed the parchment hastily into her bag.
Once again Harry remembered Snape's worst memory, but in contrast to all the other times, this recollection put a smile on his face. He thought about his father's doodle during his OWLs and smiled more still. Cho grabbed the strap of her book bag, looking slightly embarrassed. Then her expression became pensive. "Harry, what did you see?" she asked.
Harry didn't really want to admit it to Cho, but before he could make up an answer, she elaborated. "Who were you calling... when you were on your way here... you said you saw something." Harry knelt down across from her. "I thought it was somebody I knew," he said. "But forget about that," he insisted, "you ah... are you alright?"
"Yes," Cho replied, nodding, "just a little... I'll be fine." She lifted the strap of her bag up to her shoulder and got to her feet. Harry suddenly realized that he did not want Cho to leave and immediately got to his feet. "Cho," he said, trying to stay calm, "if you're not... I mean... I haven't really talked to anyone." Harry let his bag fall to the ground. "And we can talk about anything."
He cast around for a topic, any topic they might share, and before he could stop himself said, "...even Cedric." Now he had done it, he thought. He had mentioned Cedric and any moment now Cho was going to break down and cry. She was going to regret saving his life.
But Cho did not lash out, nor did she break down. Instead, she smiled softly at him and let her bag slide down her arm to rest on the ground. "I don't have to talk about Cedric anymore," she said, "I miss him, but..." "Did you love him?" Harry asked suddenly, surprising even himself. Cho nodded. "Yes, I did," she said casually.
"How do you tell if you love someone?" he asked, for Harry had just remembered a conversation with Tonks in which she tried to explain it to him, and for some reason, he wanted to see if Cho thought the same way. He knew Tonks' explanation made quite a bit of sense, even if it had taken him a while to understand.
Cho turned her attention to the lake and, after a moment, glanced sideways at Harry, as though questioning his motives. "Well first," she began slowly, looking back to the lake, clearly still pondering her answer. "I think you can't help but think about the person, all the time..."
"And second, I think you'll do anything just to see the person..." Cho half-laughed at this point. "And I know you couldn't stay mad at him," she said, giving Harry a whimsical look, "even if you wanted to." Something deep down inside made him sure she was talking about him specifically.
"Why Harry? Who do you think..." but before Cho could finish her question, Harry immediately thought of Sirius and blurted out, "My godfather." Cho's eyebrows shot up. "Oh," she said, looking away uncomfortably; it had, after all, been the very subject that had caused his blow-up at her.
"Did Hermione tell you who he was," Harry asked, unsure exactly what she had been told. "No," Cho said, still a bit uneasy, "only that he... passed on. I'm sorry." Harry took some time to think and Cho, quiet and still, looked back out at the lake. Could he really tell Cho Chang about his godfather? And how would she take it?
Harry made up his mind. Cho had saved him from the dementors and Bellatrix Lestrange even after his severe telling off. He felt closer to her now than he had ever thought possible and he was sure he could be open with her. Harry took a deep breath and Cho turned back to him. He sat down and Cho followed his lead.
"His name," Harry began, and Cho already looked hypnotized, "was Sirius." As expected, Cho's eyes widened. It could not be plainer to Harry that Cho already knew who he was talking about. He nodded. "Sirius Black?" she asked in an unsteady voice. Harry nodded again. "From... Azkaban?"
Harry felt a great sadness push its way into his thoughts and he looked away, his eyes starting to water. Whether or not Cho noticed this change, the next thing she said surprised him. "Tell me about him," she pleaded faintly, as though the fact that he was an escaped convict did not bother her in the least.
"You... wanna know about him?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Well, all I've heard is that he murdered a lot of innocent people," she said, but before Harry could begin to vindicate his godfather, Cho plowed on. "But I'm sure you wouldn't care about him so much if any of that was true, right?" she finished, leaving Harry's mouth hanging slightly open, his angry defense of his godfather's character lodged firmly in his throat.
Harry looked down, thinking hard. He was sure now that he could tell Cho the whole story; that he could share this with her. "But it's alright... if you don't want to talk about it... with me, I mean," Cho said sadly, looking away. "No," Harry half-shouted, and Cho's attention snapped back onto him, "That's not it. It's just that... I've only realized."
Slowly and confidently he reached out and took hold of both her hands. Cho looked down disbelievingly at her own hands, gently cradled in his. "Cho... I can tell you anything... can't I," Harry said, as though he had only realized it. Cho started trembling, and her eyes were suddenly over-bright. "Yes, you can... Harry, I always hoped..." She paused, loss for words.
She cleared her throat and tried again. "I always..." she paused again, but then Harry spoke. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?" he asked, in a casual voice. Cho smiled at him softly, "Not yet," and Harry beamed.
"Well, luckily for you," he said, opening his bag and pulling out the food he had taken from the kitchens earlier tonight. He started to lay it out between the pair of them while Cho made herself more comfortable.
Harry picked up a roll of bread, ripped off a small piece, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then swallowed. "Sirius was my dad's very best friend," he began, "best man even, when my mum and dad married..."