Chapter 9: Gestalt
Harry, Cho, Hermione and Ron returned to Hogwarts right before lunch that day because they had no real reason to hang around the wizarding village, and also because Cho and Hermione thought it would be really nice if just the four of them had lunch by the lake.
Harry and Ron put up a brief objection as to why they should at least go to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, but the girls merely insisted, which ended the discussion. Harry however, thought he knew the real reason behind this seemingly natural idea.
He was certain that the topic of his safety had come up while Cho and Hermione were in the bathroom and immediately saw it for what it was; a clever way of getting him back to the school. But Harry was keen on spending some time with Cho and his reunited friends and did not argue the point.
Perhaps more even then getting reacquainted with Ron and Hermione, Harry was curious to see how his two best friends were actually like as a couple. Harry had sometimes imagined them as a younger version of Arthur and Molly Weasley; usually in various stages of one debate or another.
But he was pretty sure that, unlike Mr. Weasley, Ron argued with Hermione more to show his interest in her, rather than any real conviction to his opinion. Hermione on the other hand, was very much like Mrs. Weasley in that her point of view stemmed from her belief in what was the proper and moral thing to do.
Still, Harry had a feeling that their sudden closeness must have pushed some of the childishness from their relationship, much like it had with him and Cho. So it came as something of a shock to Harry to learn that he was mistaken about this.
Hermione and Ron's bickering, it transpired, had not changed much at all. They had, if possible, found more things to debate, as well as more ways to debate them. Despite this however, it could not be plainer to Harry that his two best friends were closer than they ever were before, and to think of how everything seemed to have worked out, put a smile on his face.
They spent the whole of the afternoon laying around and talking about anything and everything from alchemy to quidditch. Cho and Hermione talked at length about ancient runes, while Ron divided his lighthearted comments between them. After a relaxing day, they returned to their respective dormitories to get cleaned up for dinner.
Harry did not really want to dine in the Great Hall this evening, not because he had grown accustomed to taking his meals outdoors, but because he had put off telling Dumbledore about Bellatrix Lestrange's attack and dreaded the reproachful look he was sure would line his headmaster's kind old face once he had told him.
But dinner proved to be a pleasant affair. Just after dessert materialized onto the four great house tables, Professor Dumbledore announced that there would be another ball, co-hosted by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, to be held next Friday in the Great Hall.
Immediately Harry remembered their Gryffindor ball and thought it might be fun. Then he realized that he would have no responsibilities at all to do with this event and knew it would be a great deal of fun. He looked up from the custard tart he'd been enjoying and smiled at Ron and Hermione, who were already grinning at him.
Cho approached Harry after dessert and took hold of his hand. "Are you ready," she asked pleasantly. "I suppose so," Harry said, lazily. He could no longer put off telling Professor Dumbledore about the attack and had decided that he would do so with Cho right after dinner.
"We'll see you later, then" said Hermione, and she and Ron walked off. "Are you sure I should come with you?" Cho asked doubtfully, "You could leave my part out of it again... can't you?" Harry grinned. "It'll be okay, you'll see," he reassured her, and much to Harry's relief, when they reached their headmaster at the staff table, he gave them a very kind smile.
"Professor, we have to tell you something important," said Harry, and Cho squeezed his hand. "I was just about to take a little after-dinner stroll," Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes moving from Harry to Cho, "Perhaps you two should accompany me. I find that taking a relaxing walk in the company of a couple, of students that is, to be much more enjoyable." Harry felt himself go red, and noticed Cho do the same.
"Would you like me to come as well," squeaked tiny little Professor Flitwick, who had appeared at Dumbledore's side and was now eyeing Cho with something like concern. The Headmaster also looked at Cho, but contrary to the look of concern from their charms teacher, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with delight.
"I don't think that will be necessary," said Dumbledore, grinning at Cho. "Very well Headmaster," said Professor Flitwick, and then he turned to his Ravenclaw student. "Good to see you in better spirits my dear Miss Chang." He gave her a smile, and Cho smiled back, then she shared a grin with Harry.
The three of them walked around the third floor corridor as Harry and Cho told Professor Dumbledore all about the fresh attempt on Harry's life. In the end Dumbledore was very pleased with how they had handled themselves and merely asked that they return to the castle before sunset each day.
Harry and Cho spent the following week hand in hand, walking each other to lessons, often resulting in either one or the other turning up late for class. They had also started sitting alone together at meals, taking up a small open space at whichever one of their house tables provided. This however, did not last very long.
Tuesday dinner Gabrielle and Mark began sitting with them. Hermione and Ron joined them for breakfast Wednesday morning, followed by Neville and Luna at lunchtime. Finally, at dinner, Ginny and Michael sat down and announced that Cho would be the starting seeker for the first match of the season; Ravenclaw versus Slytherin.
Ending the day at the library with Cho, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville became another new trend. Ginny and Luna studied for their OWLs, though exams were not for several months, while Hermione and Cho poured over volumes of ancient runes which, aside from being one of Hermione's favorite subjects, turned out to be one of Cho's fortes.
Harry, Ron, and Neville did their homework there so they could have easy access to their assignment answers through excellent sources; namely Hermione and Cho. Even Mark and Gabrielle joined their unique little study group, although, much to Cho's dismay, they wrote little notes to each other almost the entire time.
Before the end of lunch on Thursday, Harry and Cho found a peaceful courtyard spot somewhere in between their next classes to enjoy the day's sunshine before the strong October winds arrived to announce the impending winter.
"Are you sure you don't wanna go someplace warmer," Harry asked Cho. The spot he had picked out did not appear as breezy as it actually turned out to be. Cho merely looked up from between his arms and smiled softly. "I'm fine right here," she said, closing her eyes. "Anyway, I like the breeze. It feels like I'm on a broom."
Harry knew what she was talking about because he felt the same way, and he marveled at how much the girl in his arms had changed from just a year ago. Then, as he was thinking how nice it would be to just carry on this way until he graduated, he suddenly realized that Cho would not be here for his final year and immediately felt a pang of regret.
Something of Harry's disappointment must have emanated through his embrace because Cho suddenly looked up at him. "Harry," she said with some concern, "is something the matter?" Harry realized at once that his time would be better spent making the most of this year with Cho rather than dwelling on next one without her.
"You've changed quite a bit," he said, trying not to sound at all put out. "So have you," answered Cho, straightening up, "I remember my fifth year—your forth; you looked so much younger then, and that was just two years ago." "I haven't changed as much as Ron has," Harry pointed out, "He's a head taller than me now."
Then he laughed. "But I guess you know how that feels," he joked. Cho took hold of his arm lovingly then pinched it hard, rather like a mother would to a misbehaving child. "Ouch!" Harry jumped and rubbed at the spot she had mortally wounded. "Very funny, dear," she smirked.
Cho reached for his face and he half flinched, but she merely caressed it very tenderly, looking deeply at it, as though she were a painter studying her subject. "Anyway," she said, and now there was a hint of sadness in her voice, "that's not really what I meant. You look older now; like you've been forced to grow up."
Harry suddenly remembered the weight of the prophesy he shared with Voldermort, which he had been carrying for a few months now, and knew it must somehow show on his face. "I remember the same thing happened to my brother Sai," Cho continued, "you met him, remember?"
Harry nodded. "You two are very close, huh?" Cho grinned. "He taught me how to fly, and how to play seeker." An airy laugh escaped her lips. "When I would practice dodging, he'd hell 'xiao xin', which means 'watch out', and I would half-jump off my broom."
Harry smiled at her, partially because he found the story quite amusing, but more so because of the vision he had just had; of him yelling 'xiao xin' and Cho jumping at the sound of it. He filed the memory somewhere in the back of his mind for just such an occasion.
Cho tugged at her necklace until her pendant emerged from the front of her robes. She examined it with a smug smile on her delicate lips. "He gave me this for my twelfth birthday, so we could always find each other," she explained, "He left his pendant in that cloak I gave you. I decided Gabrielle could use it for now."
Harry thought of his relationship with Tonks. Much of his behavior and outlook now were influenced in some small way by the late night conversations they had shared together; though Harry knew perfectly well that his intimate side was definitely a direct result of those talks.
"It's good you had someone older to go to for advice," he said, his mind still on Tonks. Cho looked away. "Oh... well, it wasn't always that way," she said, rather evasively. "When we were younger my brother and I didn't really get along. We literally hated each other, if you can imagine."
Harry quickly thought of Ron and Percy. "But then he saw a dark wizard murder a whole room full of defenseless muggles, and he had to testify as a witness, and he was terrified. I remember thinking he'd aged about ten years. So I did what I could for him—fix him meals, clean his room; things like that. Mostly I just listened to him go on about what he was feeling."
"In the end, he managed to send the coward to Azkaban, and I'll never forget how he thanked me. He said that if it wasn't for me, he might have killed himself." Harry suddenly thought of Hermione and how she alone had helped him through the first part of his forth year, and almost didn't notice the tear that had run down the side of Cho's face.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Cho quickly wiped her cheek and gave him a soft smile. "We've been very close ever since." Harry could not think of anything comforting to say so he took hold of her hands. "Anyway," she said, a little breathlessly, "I just wish I could've been there for you, too."
Harry suddenly felt choked up, but he did not want this to show and immediately thought of something funny to say. "Well, it's not too late," he declared, and she gave him a puzzled look. "I still have a bit more growing up to do." Cho grinned. "Obviously," she joked.
They spent the remaining minutes of lunch quietly sitting together until it was time to head to class. "I'll see you at dinner," Harry said as he gave Cho a hug. "Okay," Cho answered, hugging him as tightly as she could. Harry was watching her walking off when he suddenly felt the need to say something. "Cho," he called after her, and she stopped to look back at him.
"I wish you could've been there too," he said very sincerely, "It would've made things easier... but at least you're here now." Cho's eyes brightened, then she beamed and ran towards him, catching him in another bone-breaking hug. She kissed him very warmly, very tenderly, and gave him one last smile before she hurried off again.
For the rest of the day Harry struggled with what he was going to do for Cho. He really wanted to open up more to her now, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about doing so. He briefly thought about revealing the prophesy he shared with Voldermort, but then remembered that he hadn't even shared that with his two best friends yet.
Friday morning was greeted by a chilly breeze, although there was so much fanfare about tonight's ball that it passed unmentioned, and the main topic of conversation at breakfast, for the girls at least, was what everyone would be wearing at tonight's ball.
During breakfast many smug-looking Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws approached Harry and his friends and asked him specifically if he would be coming tonight. Harry suspected that the only reason they wanted him there, was so he could see how much better their ball was compared to Gryffindor's.
"Famous Harry Potter," Ron teased, and there were a few sniggers. But Harry was busy trying to read Cho's expression, which was a mixture of thought and regret. "My Harry," she smiled ruefully, "sometimes, I really wish you weren't famous." "Me too," Harry agreed wholeheartedly.
Harry spent the first lesson thinking hard about how he could be more open with Cho. His inattention was rewarded with extra homework, as well as a solution to his problem. Since he didn't really trust himself to explain things correctly, his feelings especially, he decided to show his experiences to Cho in hopes that she could draw the proper conclusions herself.
Just before the end of dinner, Hermione and Ron asked Harry what tonight's plan was. "Well, I was going to take Cho on a little stroll before we actually turned up at the ball," he said, looking at Cho, who raised an eyebrow. "Sound's like fun," she said, sounding pleasantly surprised. Ron and Hermione giggled.
"Well, I just thought of it," Harry said, evasively. "You don't mind, do you," he asked. "Of course not," Cho grinned, "It sounds wonderful, so long as..." She paused and turned to Luna. "Would you look after Gabrielle for me, until I get there, that is?" "Certainly," answered Luna.
Because Harry wanted to surprise her, he told Cho to meet him at the bottom of the marble staircase, even though it meant having to go up to Gryffindor tower to change and then come back down to the first floor to meet Cho, only to go back up to the seventh floor and the Room of Requirement.
Harry thought he'd be early to meet Cho at the base of the stairs so that he could have some more time to think about what he was going to show her. But when he reached the first floor, Cho was already there waiting for him. Even though this meant he would not have that extra time to think, knowing she was anxious to see him put a smile on face.
When she caught sight of him, she immediately stood up to meet him. Harry hadn't seen Cho dolled up in such a long time that he felt taken aback to he see her looking so pretty, and did not notice the flower she was holding until she had slipped it down a hole in the lapel of the cloak she had given him a month ago.
"There," she said, stepping back to admire the overall affect of the red flower on his dark clothes. "You look great," Harry said in a half-whisper. "So do you, my Harry," she said, wrapping her arms around one of his the way she always did.
They only took a few steps up the marble staircase before they encountered Mark, who quickly hid a rose behind his back and greeted them, sounding rather guilty of something. "Oh, Harry, I was just looking for you," he said nervously. Mark pulled out Harry's sneakoscope from a pocket and handed it to him, all the while avoiding looking up at Cho.
"Did it work out, then," Harry asked the nervous boy. "Oh yes. It really worked," Mark said, smiling weakly. "I'm happy to hear it," said Harry, noticing the even look Cho was giving him. "Well, we'll see you at the ball, then," said Harry, and he led Cho past the little first-year, hoping she would not comment.
"Can't you give him a break?" he asked Cho, when they had climbed passed the second floor. "I just did," Cho answered coolly, "I didn't say anything, did I?" "You could be nicer to him, you know, for me." There was a moment of silence in which Cho considered his request. "Fine. For you, then. But I still think they're a bit young."
"That's my girl," Harry said boldly, and he saw her roll her eyes, although he also noticed her go pink. "Did I tell you I dove down these stairs before?" Harry asked, indicating the side of the grand stairs. "You did?" asked Cho. "With my Firebolt, that same day you rode it," he said truthfully. "I'll have to try it sometime," Cho said eagerly.
Harry had a small surprise planned that involved stopping off at the forth floor classroom that not too long ago served as Gryffindor's ballroom. Colin Creevey was waiting there with his camera. They spent the next half-hour taking pictures by the great windows, as well as the Hogwarts banner they had used for the ball.
This little surprise served two purposes. Harry wanted some of his own pictures of, as well as with, Cho to keep for himself when the year was done. But he also wanted to give the rest of the students and teachers time to get down to the Great Hall so he could be sure they would not be disturbed.
When they finally reached the seventh floor, Harry told Cho to keep her eyes shut while he led her to the corridor with the enormous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and his would-be ballet trolls. Cho simply buried her face in his shoulder while they walked.
Harry left Cho at one end of the corridor, her eyes still shut tightly, and thrice walked passed the blank stretch of wall, thinking hard about Dumbledore's pensive. Harry quickly opened the highly polished door that had appeared after his third pass and steered Cho into the dimly lit room where a plain yet large desk was centered and upon which sat the familiar shallow, rune encircled stone basin.
"Can I open them yet," asked Cho excitedly, as Harry moved her before the desk. "Just a couple more steps," said Harry playfully. When Cho was in position, Harry placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered, "Open your eyes." "The DA room," she said excitedly, "I knew it." Then she spotted the pensive and eagerly bent over to examine the runes. "Is this... a pensive," she asked uncertainly.
Numbly surprised Harry nodded. He had gone as far as to prepare a little explanation for Cho about this particular device, but now realized that he had wasted his time. Feeling slightly crestfallen he removed his cloak and tossed it onto the desk.
"I thought you might... understand me a bit better if I showed you some of my, ah... private memories," said Harry, feeling himself going red and trying to sound casual. He shrugged and pulled out his wand while Cho stared at him. "Oh, my Harry," said Cho, flinging her arms around him and making him feel even hotter under the collar.
Just then a muffled sort of whistling echoed lightly throughout the room. The sound was coming from the desk, and Harry immediately suspected what it was. They heard the door behind them open and turned around to see Gabrielle walking in, an odd sort of expression on her face.
"Gabrielle?" Cho began, but then she continued in French, and Harry guessed she was asking her what she was doing up here. He was sure he heard Mark's name and suddenly felt as though he were eavesdropping. Harry turned his attention back to the table and lifted his cloak, thinking he would busy himself by silencing his pocket sneakoscope.
It was acting up again, just as it had done before. But as Harry reached for the whirling spindle, something clicked in his brain, and he realized that all the times he and Ron had thought it to be malfunctioning could have been a mistake because Scabbers had always been around. But why then was it acting up now?
"I 'ave been looking all ovur ze casell for you," said Gabrielle. "Why didn't you just use your pendant?" asked Cho, nonplussed. Harry's mind was racing and he could tell by the sound of her voice that Cho was just a few feet from Gabrielle now. "Xiao xin," said Harry, almost calmly, and Cho looked back over her shoulder at him. Then he shouted it. "XIAO XIN!"
Cho dove aside just as Harry pointed his wand and yelled, "FLAPENDO!" Gabrielle was blasted back and her very image blurred. But as she flew though the doorway, the form of Bellatrix came into focus and then landed in a heap. From the ground where she lay, Cho drew her wand and waved it all in one motion, making the door slam shut.
"Colloportus," followed Harry, and then it made an odd squelching sound. Cho cast another spell at the door and it very faintly began to glow. Harry had no sooner helped Cho to her feet when—CRASH! The door creaked and dust spewed out from its edges. Harry and Cho scanned the room quickly. CRASH! The door shuddered again, throwing up more dust.
Harry grabbed Cho's hand, "C'mon!" he said, leading her back towards the desk. If they were going to make a stand, Harry thought they had better have some cover, but as they reached the desk, his eyes locked onto the pensive and he suddenly had another idea.
He hurriedly placed the tip of his wand to his temple and drew out a silvery strand of thought. He deposited it into the pensive and gave it a quick swirl. The door creaked ominously again behind another thud and, wasting no time, Harry took hold of Cho's hand and plunged both his and hers into the basin.
The room lurched and Harry suddenly felt himself falling, tumbling in slow-motion. Cho pulled him towards her and held very tightly to him as they continued to descend. After a moment their feet touched down in what was unmistakably the school's first floor corridor just inside the courtyard.
"Are you okay," Harry asked Cho. "Yes," she said, casting a nervous look around. "If we're lucky somebody heard her having a go at that door," said Harry, looking in the direction of the Great Hall. He thought of running that way but then realized the idiocy behind this impulse.
"How did you know," asked Cho, obviously referring to Bellatrix Lestrange's disguise. "The sneakoscope for one, that was that whistling," Harry said, "but then you asked about the pendant and I fig—" but then Cho suddenly gasped, and her eyes went very wide. "She has Gabrielle!"
At these words Harry felt a chill run down his spine, and he suddenly could not feel his heart pounding anymore. "Maybe she only has something of hers," Harry reasoned, remembering that all Bellatrix would have needed for polyjuice was a bit of her hair.
"She was using effingo runes," said Cho, her voice shaking with dread. "That's why her true form showed after she was knocked back. She must have Gabrielle tied up, to keep her within the runes." Cho gave Harry a frightened, tearful look and he pulled her into a tight embrace.
"We'll find her," he said to Cho, but even more so to himself. A numb sort of anger was surging through him now. Why had Bellatrix taken Gabrielle of all people? But then he realized the answer immediately. "It's because of me," said Harry, through gritted teeth.
Cho pulled away from him and he half-expected her to start berating him. It wouldn't have even surprised him if she slapped him across the face. He was to blame for this; for any pain Gabrielle was being put through, and it would be his fault if she died. But Cho was not looking at him. She was watching Luna Lovegood picking her things up from off the floor.
Harry had pulled out the only memory he'd ever added to the pensive before; the new prediction he had shown to Dumbledore. He did not intend to hide this from Cho, but he certainly did not think it was appropriate just now. After all, it was Gabrielle's life at stake, not his, and a prediction about him would do her no good.
But there was nothing he could do. Harry was almost certain that Bellatrix had gotten through the door by now, but he couldn't be sure that she had already left. A moment later they watched the glittering, bespectacled form of Professor Trelawney appear.
Cho was riveted to the conversation that played out between Harry and Professor Trelawney, and after its conclusion Cho turned slowly to Harry, a look of deepest shock and horror on her face. "The dark lord's favor... that's Bellatrix Lestrange isn't it?" she demanded.
Harry nodded, but before he could say anything Cho gasped again, "Gabrielle! We have to find her!" "Let's go, then," answered Harry. He had never exited the pensive on his own before but he thought he had a good idea of how it worked.
Harry concentrated hard on stopping the memory; envisioning his swirling thought coming to a halt, and then they suddenly began to rise, slowly at first, speeding up gradually until he felt his feet make contact with the floor, as though he had just hopped out of bed.
The first thing that Harry saw was the highly polished door standing open, several dents and burns pock-marking its front. Bellatrix had gotten through, but it looked as though Harry's idea had worked. She was nowhere to be seen.
They exited very cautiously, their wands at the ready, prepared for some sort of attack, but the corridor stood dark and empty. Harry cast one last look at Dumbledore's pensive, muttered a soft "I'm sorry," as though practicing for his headmaster, and closed the door. A moment later the door vanished.
Cho extracted her pendant and, with a weary look at Harry, as though she had done this far too many times, clutched it. Harry doubted however, that she had ever held it so tightly before. "She's a few floors down," she said.
They reached the grand staircase and paused to draw breath; they had run the entire length between the DA room and the stairs. Then they rushed down two floors, taking several marble steps at a time, and on the fifth floor Cho reached for her pendant once more. She merely glanced downward and they were off again.
Before they reached the third floor landing, Cho slowed to a stop, her fist held up to her chest. Harry looked back at her and she nodded the answer to his unasked question. Gabrielle was somewhere on this floor. Then, quite suddenly, Harry heard a voice in the back of his mind.
"It's because of me," it said, and Harry's anger flared once more, but this time there was fear mingled in with the rage; fear of what might happen to, not only Gabrielle, but to Cho as well. Harry knew his chances against Bellatrix were slim, and that they were far better with Cho at his side, but the possibility that both Gabrielle and Cho could die was something he could not fathom.
"Go tell Dumbledore," he told her. He turned quickly and, hoping to avoid a discussion, made to run. But before he had even finished turning around, Cho's hand seized his arm and, with surprising strength, jerked him around again. She looked both dejected and incredulous.
"Look," said Harry quickly, before Cho could open her mouth, "If we both go and fail, there won't be anyone to stop her from killing Gabrielle!" "I heard that prediction!" Cho insisted, "This trap is meant for you." Cho's eyes were suddenly over-bright, but her jaw was set.
"That's why I have to go—not why you have to," said Harry grimly. "You can't go after her by yourself—I won't let you!" Cho demanded, tears spilling down her cheeks. Harry felt his anger abate, to be replaced by a feeling of deepest sorrow. He had a feeling he would never see her again.
Harry closed his eyes to soothe the sudden burning he felt in them. "Go," he whispered. He heard her sob and looked at her again. Harry did not know until he saw Cho's face that it was possible to be tearfully afraid and hatefully furious at the same time.
Finally, after a long, frustrated glare, Cho's eyes closed submissively and more tears fell. Then she nodded in silent defeat. "Wait," she said, as Harry turned to go. Cho tugged hard on her pendant and the chain around her neck snapped.
Harry reached out a hand to receive the charm, but Cho gave him something else as well. She kissed him dearly; an odd touch of her lips he had never felt before, as though she were saying goodbye. With what looked like an enormous effort on her part, she pushed herself away from him and fled.
It was with a heavy heart that Harry watched her run down the stairs, and he could clearly see her tears as they fell. Then he noticed the gentle pull of her pendant in his fist and he turned towards the dark third-floor corridor with renewed anger.
As quickly as possible, Harry crept along the unused part of the castle, hugging the wall of the corridor, empty but for a rat here and there. When he reached a particularly dark corridor, the gentle pull from Cho's pendant made him sure that Gabrielle was through a single door in the wall that stood open ominously.
Thief-like, Harry edged his way to the open door and looked in very cautiously. The small room beyond was empty but for a window and another open door. Harry guessed that this room was just an antechamber to the next. He crept inside, careful to keep out of the moonlight from the window, and crossed the small room.
The moment Harry looked though the doorway within, his heart stopped. There, unconscious and bound by rope to an old wooden chair, was Gabrielle. Visible around the base of the chair were odd lines that seemed to form an intricate symbol; the effingo rune Cho had suspected.
Then the little part-veela began to stir, moving her head slowly until she suddenly jerked it up. She cast widely around and then stared at the door. Her eye's locked onto Harry's and they went wide. She began to struggle with her bindings desperately and Harry suddenly tremble; but whether by fear or by rage, Harry did not know; he simply rushed into the room.
This chamber was twice as large as the previous one, and there was a lingering odor of burnt stone that seemed to be growing stronger. Gabrielle struggled harder, shaking her head violently. Then her eyes snapped onto something over Harry's shoulder. He turned around quickly and saw Bellatrix Lestrange standing in the doorway he had just come through.
She let out a soft cackle that still echoed throughout the empty, stone room. Harry raised his wand just as Bellatrix uttered something he could not make out. Strange symbols and lines flared to life on the floor around him, and he suddenly could not move. "Do not struggle hero; you can not escape," said Bellatrix triumphantly. He heard Gabrielle continue to thrash behind him, though he could not even turn his head to look her way.
She walked up to the rune on his right side and traced the innermost symbol with one slender, almost bony finger. Its glow changed from faint to dazzling red, and Harry felt his bones sear with pain. "Ah, long I have waited for this," she said, walking behind him to the next symbol.
Harry felt something like a thousand invisible needles stab him from every direction. Harry tried to scream but nothing came out. "My master gave me the honor of killing you," she purred, appearing on his left side. Again she traced the symbol, and Harry's head felt as though it were about to explode.
She walked over to the symbol in front of him and she laughed again. "Do not worry little baby Potter, your pain is almost to its climax, and then you will never feel pain again." She knelt down to trace the last symbol in front of him, and he was almost glad. The pain was too much for him, and he half-wanted her to activate the last one to be done with it.
Then a small bell began to ring somewhere inside the room and Bellatrix immediately turned around and drew her wand. Harry looked passed the door into the antechamber and saw Cho come charging in, that same fiery glint in her eyes as in the Forbidden forest just a week ago.
"You," Bellatrix fumed, "You can not give him solace now!" Cho looked down in front of her and noticed something Harry did not see before; another rune. Bellatrix muttered something once again; some sort of spell that finished with the name, "Cho Chang!"
The rune symbol glowed bright blue, and Cho suddenly looked incredulous. "Ah," said Bellatrix softly, "You know what this is, don't you? You know it will kill you if you try to enter. You can watch him die from there." She laughed again and turned back to Harry. Bellatrix smiled a gloating smile and then bent down to trace the final symbol.
All Harry could do was gaze at a frozen Cho, who had a look of terror on her face. But then her eyes opened wide and she looked down at the rune that barred the doorway in front of her. Harry thought he knew what she was about to do. She was about to enter the room despite the symbol of death upon the floor. He tried to scream at her not to but again nothing came out.
Cho took a deep breath, gave one last look at the rune before her feet, and then stepped over it. The symbol flared to a bright white, but then just as suddenly, flickered back to a blue glow. Then Cho raised her wand and sent Bellatrix flying.
Before she hit the wall she had been hurled against however, she made an odd motion with her wand and she stopped in midair before landing softly on her feet. "How," she demanded of Cho, who fired another curse towards her.
Bellatrix waved her wand in a circular motion that produced a bright circle. Cho's curse hit the circle and bounced back at her. She just dove aside in time. Then Bellatrix shot a wave of purple flame towards her and she ducked behind Harry just as it reached them. The instant it hit the aura around Harry, it vanished with a flash.
The next thing Harry saw was something flying though the air, not at Cho, but towards the wall behind her. Cho took notice and suddenly ran towards it, as though she meant to catch up to the flying object. Then Harry suddenly realized that the object was Gabrielle, chair and all.
Cho waved her wand and Gabrielle slowed to a floating stop. Bellatrix reached Harry, a triumphant look on her face, and pointed her wand at Cho. But before she could cast her spell, she caught sight of Hermione, Ron, and Ginny running into the other room.
Bellatrix swore and then again made that same slashing motion with her wand, sending another wave of purple flame, this time towards the doorway. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny ducked behind the wall and immediately Bellatrix turned, traced the final symbol, and then ran away from the others, towards the only window in the barren room.
She grabbed Cho's broom from against the wall and jumped onto the window ledge. Then, as she was mounting the broom, it suddenly jerked itself out of her hands and she overbalanced and toppled out of the window.
Cho and the others rushed over to Harry, a look of horror and shock on their faces. Harry's head erupted with pain and he could not be sure exactly what was happening now. "They're death runes," said Hermione and, just like Cho, looked deathly pale, "We have to break them, but they might be to strong." "We have to try," demanded Cho.
Harry continued to scream inside, and there seemed to be a blinding light engulfing him until he could see only white. "We don't equal their strength," he heard Hermione's voice say. Then he heard Cho's voice, and felt oddly happy that hers would be the last one he'd ever hear. "Equal... Solace..." Cho was saying, and then Harry knew no more.
Harry floated on the edge of dreams for so long that he only realized he was awake when he finally felt the bed beneath him. His eyelids felt so heavy that he kept them shut and was only vaguely aware of an oddly comfortable weight covering his body.
Then he noticed his soft grip around something slender; or was it his hand in someone else's. Harry automatically reached over and found his glasses on the bedside table and put them on. Immediately he saw Cho napping in a chair beside him, slumped over and using his bed as her pillow. The cloak she had given him had been laid out over his blanket.
His body ached and he did not really want to move but still he brought Cho's hand to his chest, placing his other hand over it so that it was cradled between them. Cho stirred slowly and then, quite suddenly, jerked her head up to meet Harry's gaze.
There was in her expression, evidence of much sadness and worrying, but as her eyes began to fill with tears of joy, the softness and color seemed to return to every part of her face. "My Harry," she said, in barely a whisper. Cho looked as though she desperately wanted to fling her arms around him but thought better of it.
For a moment she merely stared at him, smiling. But then she looked over her shoulder and called out to the others. "He's awake everyone," she said, wiping her face. There were many hurried footsteps before the faces of Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Gabrielle came into view. Harry looked at each in turn and felt somehow happier with each smiling face that gazed back at him.
"What happened," asked Harry, slowly sitting up so he could see everyone properly. "We were able to break the death runes," answered Cho. Harry thought back through the flashes of memory that seemed to be his only link to what had happened. "But... I heard you give up," he said. He turned to Hermione, "I heard you say you couldn't equal their strength."
"It was the prediction," Cho said, "the one in the pensive. I guessed what, or rather, who the four parts were. It was a gestalt." "And just in time too," added Ron, and he gave Cho a look of deepest admiration. Harry smiled. "Looks like I owe you," said Harry, glancing at Cho, Hermione, Ginny, and then Ron. But Ron frowned slightly.
"I didn't help," he said with obvious disappointment. "What," Harry asked, "But it was you, and Hermione, and Cho, and Ginny." He looked at each as he named them. "I saw all of you there," he insisted. "I was there, mate," Ron agreed, "but it was Gabrielle, not me." Harry looked at Gabrielle, who flushed but grinned nonetheless.
Harry tried to piece it together. "How did you figure it out, then," Harry asked Cho after some thought. "I noticed there were four symbols," she began, "Hermione said 'equal', and I remembered Bellatrix mentioned the word 'solace' to me. That's when I realized who the prediction was referring to."
"What happened to Bellatrix," Harry asked, remembering how she had fallen before she could mount Cho's broom. Ginny shook her head. "There was no sign of her anywhere. Professor Dumbledore figures she was able to transfigure herself into a bird or something. He's positive she not within miles of the school."
Then he remembered a frightening sight. Cho was about to cross over the rune Bellatrix said would kill her. "I thought you couldn't pass that symbol without it..." Harry wanted to finish his question, but couldn't say the last bit.
"Well," Cho grinned at Hermione, "I remembered something Hermione told me about that particular rune. It needs to have a specific name to set it off; only Bellatrix set it against 'Cho Chang', which isn't my real name."
Harry gave her a puzzled look. "My real name is Xiaucho," she said, smiling. And then Harry realized... her brother, whom she called Sai; his real name was Xiausai. That's how Cho had introduced him at the quidditch match. Harry grinned back at her, rather stupidly.
"Hang on," he said next, for he had just realized that she had arrived far too quickly to have reached his headmaster. "I though you were off to tell Dumbledore." He suddenly felt as though she had deceived him. "I was," Cho insisted, "but then someone stopped me." "What d'you mean someone stopped you," asked Harry incredulously. "It was somebody in the shadows," she said, "he wouldn't show himself."
Her expression changed and Harry had never seen her look so serious before. "He told me that it was all a trap for you. Said if I didn't go to you straight away, you would die. He even told me which corridors to go down, and which room you would be in." Cho looked at him critically. "I didn't want to take that chance," she said, almost defensively.
"But then," Harry said, turning to Hermione, Ron and Ginny. How did you know to come, and where to find me?" Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out a bit of folded parchment. "I found this note in my pocket, before we left the tower," Ron explained.
"I don't know how it got there," he elaborated, handing Harry the bit of parchment. "I laid my clothes out about a half-hour before, and that pocket was empty." Harry unfolded the note anxiously, half curious, half doubtful, but entirely puzzled.
The note was addressed specifically to Ron and instructed him to find him, Harry straight away. It stated that he needed their help and described briefly the fastest route to find him, including three secret shortcuts that most people didn't even know about.
Gabrielle slid her way into Cho's seat, and Cho placed an arm around her. "How's Mark?" she asked the little Ravenclaw. Harry, who was still pouring over the mysterious note, turned so fast at the sound of Mark's name, that he cricked his neck. "What?!" he asked, massaging the side of his neck.
"'E is doing better," Gabrielle smiled. That's when Harry spotted a familiar person just a few beds away. Cho looked over to him as well and, with a pat on Gabrielle's hand, sent the little girl over to the boy's bedside.
"Bellatrix found Gabrielle and Mark before they reached the Great Hall," began Cho, who was looking rather apologetic. "Mark was very brave. He tried to stop her from taking Gabrielle but..." Cho paused, and Harry thought he knew why.
He was pretty sure that Cho now felt bad for having treated Mark as she had with regard to her charge, but Harry couldn't help thinking that Mark would probably consider his selfless act a small price to pay for the approval of one Cho Chang.
"But why did Bellatrix go after Gabrielle," asked Neville with a puzzled expression, "I thought she was after Harry." Everyone seemed all at once to look at Cho, who glanced affectionately at Gabrielle. "My broom," she said simply.
"Professor Dumbledore seemed quite certain that she scryed my Comet and picked up on my feelings for Gabrielle, as well as for you," said Cho, looking at Harry. "Either Gabrielle or I would've served her purpose; to lure you to that room with the death runes."
Harry had to spend the next day in the Hospital wing but did not mind so much because Cho stayed with him almost the entire time, and he had a steady stream of visitors to help pass the time. Neville and Luna told him all about the ball he missed. "It was alright," said Luna, dreamily. "But I dare say I had more fun at the Gryffindor Ball." Luna grinned at Neville, whose round face turned red.
Gabrielle visited Harry with Mark, who had gotten out just the day before and looked as though he had had quite enough of the hospital wing. When Cho turned up however, Mark's expression took on a more pleasant mood.
Even Gabrielle seemed to notice this. "It's too bad she alrezy 'as a boyfriend zen," she said coolly, in reply to a comment Mark made about how pretty Cho's hair looked. Cho turned to Harry trying very hard to suppress a giggle. Mark flushed and then told Gabrielle how much prettier Cho's hair would be if it were blond. Gabrielle rolled her eyes, but blushed all the same.
Hermione and Ron turned up just after dinner that evening to accompany Harry back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry, Cho, and Gabrielle were recounting Friday night's attack when they arrived. "Did you hear?" Ron asked, "They're gonna rename the hospital wing after you. It's gonna be the Harry Potter wing."
"Grab a seat guys," Harry told Hermione and Ron. "Go on, then," he said, looking at Cho. "Well," Cho said, picking up where she left off, "I realized I was the solace. I thought Ron was the equal, Hermione was the reverent, and Ginny was the unrequited."
"Hang on," said Harry suddenly, "How d'you know Ginny was the unrequited?" Cho smiled. "Marietta told me about their little conversation, and she suspected it by the way she talked about you. Anyway, Hermione confirmed it for me one time, when you boys were practicing quidditch." Cho and Hermione looked at each other and giggled. "What's so funny?" asked Gabrielle. "Nothing," chorused Cho and Hermione.
"Anyway," Cho continued, "When Gabrielle got free of her ropes I realized that Ron was the only guy. Then I guessed that the gestalt was composed of all girls. It's usually more powerful that way. So it turned out that Hermione was the equal and Gabrielle was the reverent." She paused and turned to the little girl. "How did you manage to free yourself anyway?"
"I zidn't," Gabrielle shrugged, "A rat chewed through eet, I zink. I saw one running off afzer I wuz free." There was a moment of silence. "Ron," said Hermione seriously, "could a rat have crawled into your pocket to leave that note, before you changed?" Ron nodded, and then his eyes went wide.
"You don't reckon..." Harry asked uncertainly. "Peter Pettigrew?" said Harry, Hermione, and Ron altogether. "He would've known about those shortcuts," reasoned Hermione, "The ones in that note." "You mean Peter Pettigrew—Wormtail, was it?" asked Cho.
"I don't remember Pettigrew being at the Department of Mysteries," Harry said, looking at Ron. "I don't reckon he was," said Ron, looking at Hermione. "I don't recall seeing him there either," concluded Hermione.
"You don't think, maybe," Ron began to say. "Well," said Hermione, looking at Harry, "You did save his live, you know. Maybe he was trying to redeem himself." Harry gave it some thought. "I reckon I did the right thing, then... sparing his life, I mean." Cho took hold of his hand. "It's better to be merciful... than vengeful," she said wisely.
The End