In the Pensieve
Hurrying up the staircase, Cho checked her watch, then tentatively pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement. The fact the door was there straight away meant Harry was already inside, waiting for her. She peered into the room, which was darker than normal, and saw Harry sitting on a beanbag in the corner in front of a low table, face lit by what looked like a bowl full of light in front of him. "Errm..Harry?" said Cho awkwardly. "Hi Cho," said Harry. "Thanks for coming."
Cho Chang paused, hovering on the threshold of the Room of Requirement. It was so odd when it was this empty. She was used to it being full of people, the sound of laughter, the chant of spells or Harry's voice, explaining some aspect of Dark magic someone hadn't fully understood. For the first time it hit her, how close the "Army" had grown together, practising new spells, sharing minor triumphs and tragedies. But even then Harry had been apart from the group; a bystander not a participant; never aloof but never really joining in. It was amazing how easily he controlled them, even Fred and George Weasley grew (relatively) silent and thoughtful when Harry showed them something new. He had always seemed a bit remote to Cho, never unfriendly, but not part of the normal life at Hogwarts. Cho wasn't surprised at that. He had been marked as different from birth, after all.
Cho moved further into the room and shut the door softly behind her. She felt that familiar nervous feeling in her stomach as she looked down at Harry, his dishevelled mop of hair, his grin and above all else the intelligence gleaming out of those vivid green eyes. She looked around, selected a blue beanbag and sank into it, opposite from Harry. After staring at Harry a bit too long, she suddenly realised what she was doing, and, cheeks coloured, looked down at the runed bowl in front of Harry. He noticed her looking at it. "It's a Pensieve" said Harry quietly. "Have you heard of one before?" Cho shook her head slowly "I'd heard of it, but I'm not sure exactly what it does. Is it another Dark detector?"
"Nah" said Harry. "It's a kind of magical tool. It lets you store and manipulate your thoughts. Look." He tapped his wand to his temple with a funny sort of twist and, pulling it away, seemed to grab a silver thread from the roots of his hair. Startled, Cho leaned forward as Harry slid the thread into the Pensieve, where it began to fizz and froth like a bubbling liquid mirror. Harry tapped the bowl with his wand, but nothing happened. "Not quite got the hang of this." he said, tapping the bowl with his wand a bit firmer and Cho gasped as a silvery but unmistakable figure rose out of the bowl and said in a echoey voice "It's a kind of magical tool. It lets you store and manipulate your thoughts."
Cho looked up at the grinning Harry, and couldn't help smiling back. After what felt like ages, she finally broke their eye contact, her heart beating rather fast, and said haltingly "That's nice Harry but...where did it come from?" And she added rather fast as though forcing the words out "Why did you ask me here anyway?". Fool! she said to herself silently. What kind of a question is that? She had hoped, despite the Hogsmeade disaster, that maybe they could try again. But Harry hadn't said anything to her since. She felt so stupid. How could she have accused him of fancying Hermione? What had possessed her? When she glimpsed him at odd times in the corridor he looked pale and upset.
"When I realised the need, the Room provided the Pensieve. I think it can give you anything that has ever been stored in Hogwarts, if you really need it." began Harry, "and..well.." He looked away and continued slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "I've never spoken to you about...about the night that...about Cedric..and...the maze." Cho's insides seemed to freeze at Harry's last words. He looked directly at her, reading the emotion on her face, and continued softly "I think you have the right to know what happened. I..find it difficult still to talk about", he finished in a rush.
Dead silence. Cho felt like screaming. He didn't know, he had no idea. To have your feelings twisted in a knot between Cedric and Harry, to hear the rumours in the corridors and never knowing if they were true. Being reminded every day by the smallest things, corridors where Cedric and her had walked, talking of what they hoped to do after school, laughing, staring into those calm grey eyes. She fought it as best she could, but familar tears sprang into her eyes and cascaded unprompted down her cheeks.
"Also," said Harry "I did an interview. I don't know when it'll be published, but it's got all the details in it. That's why Hermione wanted to meet, she organised it. But you should hear it first, Cho."
"I find it too hard to explain", said Harry, "But with this, I can show you."
"You mean.." started Cho, startled out of her silence, "put your thoughts in there and have them speak to me?"
"Not exactly", replied Harry. "With the Pensieve you can actually go into the thoughts themselves, and see everything I saw. I've done it once or twice accidentally. It's quite safe. just..disturbing...sometimes."
"After..what you said..in the coffee shop I realised how selfish I had been. If anyone has a right to see what happened it's you, Cho" finished Harry. He looked at her openly, sympathy etched on his face.
Now she understood, she didn't know what she felt. To finally know what happened, to see with her own eyes, would be wonderful on some level, but...what would it look like? Did she really want to see Cedric dead? Did she even want to see Cedric moving around as though alive again? It hurt too much.
Harry seemed to sense some of what she was feeling. "I don't expect us to do it right now," he said, "Please - think it over and let me know what you want. It might be a stupid idea, but I thought you...deserved to have a choice."
Cho leaned across and, grasping his hand, planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Harry...I'll...think about it." She left, pulling a tissue from a pocket.
Harry touched his face where she had kissed him. It was still wet from her tears.
Hurrying up the staircase, Cho checked her watch, then tentatively pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement. The fact the door was there straight away meant Harry was already inside, waiting for her. She peered into the room, which was darker than normal, and saw Harry sitting on a beanbag in the corner in front of a low table, face lit by what looked like a bowl full of light in front of him. "Errm..Harry?" said Cho awkwardly. "Hi Cho," said Harry. "Thanks for coming."
Cho Chang paused, hovering on the threshold of the Room of Requirement. It was so odd when it was this empty. She was used to it being full of people, the sound of laughter, the chant of spells or Harry's voice, explaining some aspect of Dark magic someone hadn't fully understood. For the first time it hit her, how close the "Army" had grown together, practising new spells, sharing minor triumphs and tragedies. But even then Harry had been apart from the group; a bystander not a participant; never aloof but never really joining in. It was amazing how easily he controlled them, even Fred and George Weasley grew (relatively) silent and thoughtful when Harry showed them something new. He had always seemed a bit remote to Cho, never unfriendly, but not part of the normal life at Hogwarts. Cho wasn't surprised at that. He had been marked as different from birth, after all.
Cho moved further into the room and shut the door softly behind her. She felt that familiar nervous feeling in her stomach as she looked down at Harry, his dishevelled mop of hair, his grin and above all else the intelligence gleaming out of those vivid green eyes. She looked around, selected a blue beanbag and sank into it, opposite from Harry. After staring at Harry a bit too long, she suddenly realised what she was doing, and, cheeks coloured, looked down at the runed bowl in front of Harry. He noticed her looking at it. "It's a Pensieve" said Harry quietly. "Have you heard of one before?" Cho shook her head slowly "I'd heard of it, but I'm not sure exactly what it does. Is it another Dark detector?"
"Nah" said Harry. "It's a kind of magical tool. It lets you store and manipulate your thoughts. Look." He tapped his wand to his temple with a funny sort of twist and, pulling it away, seemed to grab a silver thread from the roots of his hair. Startled, Cho leaned forward as Harry slid the thread into the Pensieve, where it began to fizz and froth like a bubbling liquid mirror. Harry tapped the bowl with his wand, but nothing happened. "Not quite got the hang of this." he said, tapping the bowl with his wand a bit firmer and Cho gasped as a silvery but unmistakable figure rose out of the bowl and said in a echoey voice "It's a kind of magical tool. It lets you store and manipulate your thoughts."
Cho looked up at the grinning Harry, and couldn't help smiling back. After what felt like ages, she finally broke their eye contact, her heart beating rather fast, and said haltingly "That's nice Harry but...where did it come from?" And she added rather fast as though forcing the words out "Why did you ask me here anyway?". Fool! she said to herself silently. What kind of a question is that? She had hoped, despite the Hogsmeade disaster, that maybe they could try again. But Harry hadn't said anything to her since. She felt so stupid. How could she have accused him of fancying Hermione? What had possessed her? When she glimpsed him at odd times in the corridor he looked pale and upset.
"When I realised the need, the Room provided the Pensieve. I think it can give you anything that has ever been stored in Hogwarts, if you really need it." began Harry, "and..well.." He looked away and continued slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "I've never spoken to you about...about the night that...about Cedric..and...the maze." Cho's insides seemed to freeze at Harry's last words. He looked directly at her, reading the emotion on her face, and continued softly "I think you have the right to know what happened. I..find it difficult still to talk about", he finished in a rush.
Dead silence. Cho felt like screaming. He didn't know, he had no idea. To have your feelings twisted in a knot between Cedric and Harry, to hear the rumours in the corridors and never knowing if they were true. Being reminded every day by the smallest things, corridors where Cedric and her had walked, talking of what they hoped to do after school, laughing, staring into those calm grey eyes. She fought it as best she could, but familar tears sprang into her eyes and cascaded unprompted down her cheeks.
"Also," said Harry "I did an interview. I don't know when it'll be published, but it's got all the details in it. That's why Hermione wanted to meet, she organised it. But you should hear it first, Cho."
"I find it too hard to explain", said Harry, "But with this, I can show you."
"You mean.." started Cho, startled out of her silence, "put your thoughts in there and have them speak to me?"
"Not exactly", replied Harry. "With the Pensieve you can actually go into the thoughts themselves, and see everything I saw. I've done it once or twice accidentally. It's quite safe. just..disturbing...sometimes."
"After..what you said..in the coffee shop I realised how selfish I had been. If anyone has a right to see what happened it's you, Cho" finished Harry. He looked at her openly, sympathy etched on his face.
Now she understood, she didn't know what she felt. To finally know what happened, to see with her own eyes, would be wonderful on some level, but...what would it look like? Did she really want to see Cedric dead? Did she even want to see Cedric moving around as though alive again? It hurt too much.
Harry seemed to sense some of what she was feeling. "I don't expect us to do it right now," he said, "Please - think it over and let me know what you want. It might be a stupid idea, but I thought you...deserved to have a choice."
Cho leaned across and, grasping his hand, planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Harry...I'll...think about it." She left, pulling a tissue from a pocket.
Harry touched his face where she had kissed him. It was still wet from her tears.