DISCLAIMER: The Harry Potter series and all things associated with it are most definitely not mine; they belong of course to J. K. Rowling. If it were I'd not be writing here under a silly sounding pen name. As it is though, I am, and I'm not getting or intending to get any money for it. No infringement of rights intended.

SUMMARY: Life continues on after 5th year, but with Voldemort about, there no time for those left behind to learn and cope. Harry and Cho both try to deal with their losses, and help each other find themselves along the way. Romances develop late in the story and the past is brought up. Not you usual love story, the final pairings? You'll never guess ;). Give you a clue: Not- CC/HP. Rated PG-13 For reference to slashy feelings between minor characters, and perhaps for swearing.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you very much to those who reviewed, I appreciate it. I do notice that my chapters are currently ridiculously short, I don't intend them to stay that way, but real life currently occupies my top priority, and I think that life likes to throw curve balls at me around this time of the year. I'm already slow enough as it is but with Christmas round the bend, presents to buy and what not; I think you see my point. I myself, don't actually like this chapter very much, it is more of a lead on to the next chapter which is much more interesting I promise.

Dear Harry

It's unlucky that both our holidays had begun with a bad start. Mine has improved significantly. Dad got me a new broom! Not exactly sure why, I think it had something to do with cancelling on visiting my relatives (my sister got a Cump). I think he's really starting to spoil us. I'm not going to tell you what broom though, I think I'll leave you to figure it out yourself; mind you it's nothing as fancy as a Firebolt. I'm very glad you'll be back for Quidditch next year. Not to be petty but Ginny Weasley's hair whipped me in the face every time I went to block her from the snitch, not much fun at all. Do tell me if your holiday gets better, or you can complain about your terrible holiday, either way I won't mind.

Harry, when I swore that I'll be there for you the next time, I meant it not only for your needs, but truthfully I also meant it for my own. I need to be in this fight, and to do all I can against Voldermort, or I won't be able to live with myself. So let me be there, please. I read an article on the events in the Department of Mysteries just last week ago and there wasn't a single mention of any deaths. If it's true that someone died, I'm very sorry that you've lost someone you cared about, was he or she someone I knew? My advice is to just try to live your best and remember them, not that I'm doing too well on my own advice. I think you'd feel better if you talk to someone about it. Oh, could you ask Hermione about the DA for me? I don't doubt that she is probably a good person; I just don't think that it'll be a good idea...

Cho

Ps. (I'll be at Diagon Alley on the 26th of August, see you outside the apothecary near the Leaky Cauldron at around 12 if you can make it.)

Harry tucked the letter in to his pocket before dragging his trunk down the stairs. It was only yesterday that he'd been talking to Remus; I guess this time soon really is soon Harry thought. Petunia Dursley glared at the two wizards disdainfully, while Vernon shook with barely repressed rage. Harry ignored his spiteful relatives and followed as Remus, who had come to collect him, led him out the door. They walked quietly for a few minutes before reaching Mrs Figg's house where they knocked on the door but there was no answer. Instead, a cat greeted them from an open window. Harry recognised it to be Mr. Tibbles one of Mrs Figg's many cats. Remus reached and patted the cat's head before it leapt off the windowsill and led them around to the back yard. There they found her pruning roses.

'Good afternoon Arabella,' Remus said. ' I was wondering if we could use your floo network as Harry here is yet to learn to apparate.'

'You silly boy,' she scolded him lightly. 'You know as well as I do that Albus has told me you'd be here to borrow my fireplace. Come on then.' She said, putting down her gardening equipment and ushering them to her house. 'Wipe your shoes! I don't want you two tracking mud into my house.'

Harry did as he was told, feeling a bit guilty for almost forgetting to do so. In the living room, Remus passed Harry a slip of paper.

'Toss the paper into fire after the floo powder, it's Dumbledore's instructions to Grimmauld Place.' Remus said, before he stepped into the fireplace with his trunk and disappeared.

Harry followed His example and soon felt the nausea not uncommon to floo travel. Disoriented and Dizzy he tumbled out the fireplace clumsily, and covering the occupants of the room with soot. He felt Remus' hands lifting him up off the floor and saw Dumbledore, whose beard looked grey with soot.

'Sorry,' Harry mumbled as he dusted him self off.

The Headmaster chuckled and muttered a spell; the room was clean at the wave of his hand. Blue eyes met green and Harry suddenly felt ashamed. His behaviour at the headmaster's office was terrible, he'd been ignoring Dumbledore's letters and still hadn't apologised for breaking his things. Dumbledore suddenly serious raised a hand as Harry opened his mouth to apologise.

'Harry, I've more to apologise for than you to me. I've made a grave mistake in judgement last year I apologise for that. Dear boy, objects can be easily fixed but people cannot. I've done you a wrong, keeping the prophecy and my intentions from you. I promise I will not keep such things from you from now on, I've seen the damage that's done. Could you find it in your heart to forgive an old fool who had forgotten what it was like to be young?' Said Dumbledore sincerely.

'But you were only doing what you had to do. There is nothing to forgive except for me losing my temper on you.' Harry replied lowering his head.

'No Harry, there is always a choice. Sometimes the choices are difficult to see but they are there, my choices last year led us to a tragedy that could have been avoided. What is easy is not always right; to push you away was the easy way out of a difficult situation.' Dumbledore said.

Unknowing how to reply Harry said instead, 'Then I forgive you, if you can forgive me.'

'Then we are both forgiven.' The Headmaster contentedly replied.

'Hedwig!' said Harry, who'd given her instructions to arrive separately when he left Privet Drive, because Harry though that he should spare her the floo experience. He was surprised that she had arrived after one day when it took Harry hours on the broom last year to arrive at Grimmauld Place. Then again, that may just have been because of the route that Moody had picked. Harry was glad to see her. Because although the company at Grimmauld Place would certainly better than the Dursleys, Harry was already getting awfully sick of the tip-toeing conversations with the few order members who'd popped in, and the scenery at Grimmauld Place just reminded him of Sirius' absence. Order meetings were held but he was not allowed to attend.

Too bad Fred and George aren't here; I could certainly do with those extendable ears right now. Dumbledore had given him briefings last night as he'd promised, but being as enigmatic as he was, it was about as helpful as if he were speaking Mermish on land. All he could work out from what he was told was that he'd been moved to Order Headquarters because the wards at Privet Drive would fail at some indefinite time once he reaches seventeen so he is placed instead under the care of Remus, and that the Weasleys and Hermione would be coming to Grimmauld place, also at so indefinite point in the future.

Looking around his temporary room, Harry searched for something to do. Spying the now rather crumpled letter from Cho. He remembered that he should not only be writing letters to Cho, but to Hermione, Ron and Ginny, even Neville and Luna. Taking a quill and some parchment he began to write. Three hours later, Harry had finished all the letters except Cho's and sent them off by a pleased, if slightly laden looking Hedwig. He'd left Cho's letter without a reply and deciding to ask Remus or Dumbledore if he would be able to meet her at Diagon Alley. He'd spent the next hour nursing his tired wrist.

Cho

Surprisingly my holiday has improved, if not by much. Instead of staying with my usual relatives, I'm staying with Remus (Professor Lupin) now, although I can't tell you my new address, you could send them to Ron at The Burrow and he can forward them to me. I've attached Hermione's plans for the DA this year, and a pamphlet on S.P.E.W. As you see, I am under her strict orders to spread the word to everyone possible. I think I can understand the way you feel about Hermione, I felt the same at the beginning of our 1st year. She IS a good person though, would you mind if Remus, Hermione, Ron and his sister Ginny came with me to Diagon Alley, they've said that they'd like you to join us. If so I'll see you on the 26th. I think you'd get along well with Remus at the least; your advice was very close to what Remus had said to me.

Harry

Cho had been waiting for this letter from Harry for almost a week. She'd been beginning to get worried until Harry's owl Hedwig visited and dropped her this letter. The snowy owl was currently perched on top of her wardrobe far from the reach of her cat, Ashwinder who had a hobby of chasing owls. My home is turning into a zoo, she thought. Ashwinder was the first of their pets, named after her snake-like tail. Cho had brought her from the Magical Menagerie as a kitten when she'd found the feline to be almost as smart as a Kneazle. Mist became the second of their pets when Cho's sister Mei demanded that she should get an owl if her sister could keep a cat. Add her sister's new Cump, and the occasional visiting owls; pet wars were fast becoming popular.

'I won't be but a moment,' she said, to Harry's bright bird and put her quill to parchment.

If it were anyone else saying that she had something in common with a guy, Cho would have betted that they were trying to match make her again. What I really need is a bit of a break. A break so she could sort herself out and get over the need to rely on someone else. Bouncing from boy to boy was pointless and tiring; all they were interested in was snogging and Quidditch. She loves Quidditch of course but it was something else to be talking Quidditch with a boy. Cho is the Seeker and now perhaps also the captain of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team, but even then they all assume they know more about Quidditch than she does (Tutshill Tornados all the way!).

Glad as she was that Michael had been there for her when she had lost her temper last year. Cho couldn't help but feel a little irritated with his attempts to impress her with his knowledge of Quidditch. So they broke up, on good terms.

Why do I fall for the worst people, The problem is, Cho supposedly has a gift as her mother used to say, in seeing the good in each person. Which makes it awfully easy to like people, and devastatingly hard to hate them. Whether or not it is actually a gift she didn't know. Empathy and telepathy she has heard, and even seen, so she knew she was neither. No matter how much I dislike Hermione and Ginny I still can't seem to hate them. This gift is more exasperating than it's worth.

She wrote that she would see him there before sealing the letter in an envelope and tying it to Hedwig's leg. Maybe they won't be so bad, she thought. Gee, we might even get along. With that thought she sent Harry's owl to Ron's and settled back into N.E.W.T level Potions - and How to Survive the Nasty Professors that teach them which she had been reading.

Occlumancy. I'd have to learn it, and soon. Seeing Hermione and Ron again had many perks; form Ron bringing Extendable Ears, to Hermione's help with Harry's holiday work (Hermione, You can't be thinking of work now! Ron had said). But Hermione being a very practical thinker had reminded Harry of the need to learn Occlumancy. Harry was grateful that she has spent a large part of her study time looking into the subject, and given him more advice than he could have asked for. Still it was another burden that he'd need bear, when he hadn't enough time to recover from Sirius.

'Harry! You've been learning it all wrong,' Hermione insisted, after Harry had described his lessons so that she could review how much he had learnt.

'But that's how I was taught!' replied Harry; agitated to be berated by her when he'd just been doing what he'd been told.

'Well then, you were taught wrong.' She said, this time more sympathetic than accusing.

'Well no wonder Harry kept having those dreams then!' exclaimed Ron. 'Snape is a bloody useless teacher. He's done more damage than good. I'm surprised Harry didn't have his brain sucked right out of him!'

'Ron!' Hermione scolded, but Harry could tell that she agreed with them both, even if Ron was exaggerating more than a bit.

'Anyway Legimancy doesn't effect the brain Ron, it only allows the Legimancer to read the victim's memories, and most defiantly can't suck Harry's brain out.' She said before continuing assessing Harry's skill and lecturing him with the proper techniques. Harry admired how she could make Occlumancy sound so much more appealing than Snape had. In fact three hours later he was feeling confident and bit eager to try it for himself.

'Now all we need is someone who can perform Legimancy –' Hermione was cut off by Ron's horrified look, '- someone you trust Harry' she continued, fixing Ron a glare.

'Well that puts Snape off the list, and we can't since we're underage...' Ron said looking thoughtful. 'What about Remus?'

Harry still felt a bit awkward around Remus, but he did agree that he could trust him completely. A little spark of hope ran through him, what if I read some of his thoughts like I did Snape's, would I see my parents... and Sirius. He quashed the thought quickly for even wanting to invade Remus' memories. He'd tell me if he'd wanted me to know. Harry decided and answered Ron.

'He'd be great.'

Remus had been reluctant to agree, as he felt strongly against invading others privacy and pronounced himself 'rusty with the spell'. But Hermione presented to him a worthy argument and he'd agreed.

'You see? Harry doesn't mind at all, do you Harry? Besides he needs the practice Prof- Remus' Hermione said.

This was how Harry and Remus ended up avoiding each other for almost week.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The next chapter really should be more interesting. There's even a bit of a pairing (of sorts) showing up. But same as last time, the chapter is not going to be up all that soon, especially because I don't even have an out line of what is going to happen this time. Just out of interest, would any of you readers out there stop reading just because it isn't going to be Cho/Harry? Because I really do have other more original (or insane, depending on point of view) plans for her in the very far future. For those that might be worried that I'd do any Cho bashing, I assure you, that is not the case.

Some technical issues, does anyone know whether or not the word 'place' and 'drive' in Grimmauld Place and Privet Drive should have a capital letter? In addition, I want to know whether Apparation, Floo, Occlumacy and Legimancy should also have capitals. You see I like details.