Disclaimer: I do not own anything, apart from Hyang Lin, which is my own creation. I also invented some of these characters, but not many!
Harry's POV
It was a cool night. A breeze blew in from the West, rustling the trees. Cho, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood beside the lake, talking.
"Um, I can't come to any of you guys houses this year," said Cho suddenly, "I have to go home."
"Can we come too?" asked Hermione. "And Ginny?"
"Aw, c'mon Cho! We'd love to!" Ron smiled, "Right Harry? Harry!"
Harry was lost in the night. A poke from Ron awakened him from his thoughts. "What?"
"Cho was just asking if we all wanted to stay at hers for the summer!"
"Oh yeah, that'd be… that'd be brilliant, Cho."
"O….Okay…"
Harry grinned. He wasn't going home to the Dursleys! He was so happy that he didn't notice the expression on Cho's face. A look of fear, and worry. "What's up, Cho?" Hermione asked, "You OK?"
"Yeah… I need to go to bed," replied Cho. She started to walk up to the looming castle, shakily. Hermione followed her.
"Well, Harry, one day to go and we'll be free! Any plans of pulling Cho?"
"I'm telling you, I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON CHO!" He laughed. "You pulling Hermione?"
"No! I'm gonna go pack my bags. You coming?"
"Yeah," sighed Harry, and followed his best friend towards Hogwarts.
Cho's POV
"Freedom!" Ron yelled as they stepped off the Hogwarts Express at Platform Nine and three quarters. "Now to the airport! FOR HYANG LING!" shouted Cho joyfully.
"Airwhat?" asked Ron, making everyone laugh.
On the plane, Harry and Ron were having a great time, though Ron was slightly baffled – "Are you SURE it's Muggle?"- and the girls were sitting in separate seats. Cho was not having a good time. She was afraid of them finding out. They would think she was such a snob.
"Guys…" she started. "I need to tell you something.."
"That you have a crush on Harry?" Ginny interrupted, "We always knew!"
Slightly astonished that they had guessed so easily, Cho continued, "No. You know why I'm going home, on my 18th birthday? I'm having a ball."
"You should be, what with being 18," laughed Hermione.
"N-no," said Cho, "a real ball, dancing. My father's hosting it."
"Whoa!" exclaimed Hermione. Ginny stopped applying her lip-gloss.
"He's holding a ball because… and this sounds weird, but… when we get there, I am Chonesia An Chyou Jun Lian Chang, Princess of Hyang Lin."
Hyang Lin was a self-ruled, English Speaking but Chinese area, a large island, with a monarchy.
"What!" Harry choked.
"Harry! You… you heard, did you?"
"Yeah… Cho, are you lying?"
"Why would I lie about it? The only thing is, the ball will be very formal, and you are VIP guests. Do you know table manners?"
"Ron doesn't," giggled Hermione, precisely one millisecond before Ron hit her on the head.
"Okay," Cho smiled, glad she wasn't thought of as snobby, "You will be dressed by a maid….."
Ginny's POV
Wow! A real royal ball! She was a VIP guest! Ginny was stunned. She was still squealing when the aeroplane's wheels touched the Tarmac at Hyang Lin Airport.
"Welcome, Princess." The doorman bowed low.
"And friends, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny," Cho explained.
"Right this way," said the maid, Ying, bowing low, before straightening and walking slowly towards some large gilt doors. The girls stepped inside. Ginny couldn't believe it! Her bed was pink cotton with silk sheets, right next to a balcony, where the warm air wafted in, smelling of jasmine and the Orient.
"Time for bed," said Cho simply, "We'll be preparing for the ball all day tomorrow."
Ginny snuggled down between the smooth sheets. She wondered what would happen the next day…
I will update soon! A lot of romance and drama is to follow – prepare!
