A/N: Major time lapse here…any more D/C romance would have been kind of filler so most of the H/C romance should be coming back. Hopefully that'll make some of you happy.
To wb: Well, sorry you thought the last chapter sucked. I perceive Cho to be someone who's gullible. I'm not saying that Cho forgave Draco for raping her, but she doesn't really know where to turn, considering Harry didn't provide much comfort. Thanks for your review.
To kupchoi: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad to like the story.
To Dragon Sword Master: Thank you for your review, but here's the thing: I'm really, really sorry, but I am not going to change the story. Therefore, I won't be killing Draco. I put a lot of time into how I wanted the story to go. Either you like it or you hate it...I'm hoping it's the former considering it is a H/C fic.
To Cho-Wood: Thanks for reviewing my story! I totally envision Draco as someone who also can act a bit more civilized than he is in the books (even if it's not realistic) and I also think Harry has some major anger issues as well…so glad we agree. And btw, your penname…do I sense a Cho/Oliver supporter? (ooh, I love that couple, hehe)
To Simbelmyne Star: Mandy! So glad I have you reading and beta-ing me! What would I do without you? I get so discouraged from bad reviews, haha! Thanks again for all your help!
To Maichang: Thanks for reviewing my story. Don't worry! Cho and Harry will live happily ever after, haha, they're my favorite couple! I just needed some Draco interference here, because it's purely a romance and so it'd be boring without some friction, haha! Keep reading!
To Yin-Yang Sama: Thanks for reviewing! I hope you don't think I'm evil for long…Harry and Cho will prevail, rest assured.
To Wewe12qw: Hey! No…your long reviews aren't boring—I love any kind of reviews, the more the merrier! I'm so happy you like my fic…I wouldn't hardly call it the "best" but I appreciate your praise nonetheless. I think I wrote in my bio that I am also interested in a Cho/Cedric/Oliver slash threesome kind of fic, which I prolly can't post here, and also a R/H songfic. I'm definitely going to write another H/C, but with no Draco—it's going to be with more action and prolly have more lemons; should be better than this one. Anyway, thanks soooo much for your support! Keep it coming! (BTW- Harry is just emotionally frustrated, so he's really not weak. And the blue eyes thing symbolizes that as Draco is repenting, he is becoming more human…his eyes are becoming a brighter color than the normal gray and lifeless hue they usually show.)
To MeanMarine: Thanks for reviewing for fic! I hope you will continue to R & R. The D/C romance in here is not the main feature of the story—it is a H/C romance…Harry and Cho are my favorite couple, too!
To xxsilverxstreakxx: Hey! Thanks for reviewing my fic; I'm glad you like it. It is unrealistic, (Draco would never be that nice) but hey it's ff. I will write a more traditional H/C romance with action/adventure, if that's more to your liking. Thanks for your support.
To Fredisyours: Yeah? LOL! I love you gurl…thanks for reviewing my fic, we should def. co-write something soon!
Chapter 14: Turbulence and Peace
Three months had dragged by at Hogwarts. Things were not appearing benevolent at all. All of the sixth years were tiring quickly from schoolwork; all of the seventh years were growing increasingly worried about the N.E.W.Ts. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick had adopted the mentality that doubling the amount of homework for the students was a better for everyone. Even worse, Professor Binns seemed to jabber away about the goblin rebellions until what was left of his face worked itself into utter exhaustion.
The Quidditch teams were practicing very hard to reach the final round and compete for the Cup. Harry couldn't remember a time when he had nearly zero hours of sleep; even when Umbridge kept him for detention into the wee hours of the morning, he remembered that he had more time to study and practice.
The entire castle seemed to be thriving with students and teachers alike, running around with newly found insanity. At the same time, the castle also seemed dead; all of its inhabitants couldn't keep up with the passing months before end of the year exams.
Hermione, as expected, had spent more time than anyone in the library. People started to forget what she looked like considering she had spent a considerable amount of weeks burying her face into a book. On occasion, Harry would join her and realized that judging by the dark circles beneath her eyes, she was getting less sleep than him, if that was possible.
Harry was concerned about his friend. When Hermione allowed Harry to join her for a study session, she hardly noticed he was there. He distinctly remembered the difficulty of engaging in small-talk with her.
"Hermione, you—er—might want to come have a bite with us in the Great Hall sometime," Harry joked.
Without glancing up at Harry, Hermione turned the page of her Advanced Arthimancy textbook. "Sure," she squeaked, very abruptly.
Harry tried again. "You really ought to come eat with us soon…I think Ron's getting frustrated he's got no one to tease." Harry finished as he forced a chuckle.
Apparently, this was not the right time to joke about Ron.
Hermione looked up and snapped her book shut. "Is that so?" she asked coldly. Her brown mane seemed more fried than usual, almost as if anger from inside was heating up her entire body.
Harry quickly opened his mouth but before he could say justify his joke, Hermione barked at him.
"You can tell Ron that I will not be joining him for meals anytime soon. I truly apologize for not playing his fool." Hermione wrinkled her forehead and pouted. She resumed to reading Advanced Arthimancy.
So, she's having personal problems too, Harry thought to himself. That was the last time he joined Hermione for a study session. He felt it was best to leave her alone.
Ron and Hermione's relationship seemed at an ultimate low. No one knew what was going on between them, and rumors were flying around that they had broken up. As for Harry and Cho, all of the rumors about them were true. Harry and Cho had indirectly broken up, as they weren't speaking to each other. At least, every time Cho tried to talk to Harry, he wouldn't acknowledge her presence. Furthermore, Draco was publicly announcing that Cho had made him a better man, and was acting much kinder toward his peers. Cho and Draco had even been spotted snogging and holding hands, signs that Cho had a new boyfriend. Hogwarts was growing increasingly divided. Since the news of Harry and Cho's drama had become public, half of the students supported Cho's relationship with Draco since Harry had pretty much left her in the dark when she needed to be comforted. The other half could not fathom why Cho would go for her alleged rapist.
Harry strained his brain in attempts to get thoughts of Cho out of his head, but he always failed. He saw her on the Pitch, in the hallway walking with his archenemy and strolling along with the person he hated most at Hogwarts in Hogsmeade, the place where they had he had taken her on their first date. Hurt, anger and feelings of betrayal had grabbed onto Harry's soul and twisted it from side to side while he breathed in agony. The insurmountable pressure he was feeling from the upcoming exams made his life unbearable as it is but his anger and confusion over the Cho situation made it hard to concentrate. He had fallen in love with her and she wasn't letting go of his heart.
During the middle of Charms, Ron turned to Harry, who was busy scribbling notes.
Ron spoke. "I know you still love Cho, mate."
Harry slammed down his quill and whispered furiously through his teeth, "I don't want to talk about this." Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair, making it messier than usual. His neck turned scarlet; the last thing he wanted was his best friend trying to feed him a heart-to-heart chat about his love life going awry.
"You cry over her every night. You have dreams about her, Harry."
Harry sighed, banging his fist softly against the edge of his desk. Professor Flitwick looked at him briefly then continued his lesson.
When he calmed down, Harry spoke in a more subdued manner, "Why the hell is she with Malfoy?"
Ron spoke slowly, trying not to sound as though he was blaming Harry for his own troubles. "Maybe because he was there for her when you practically slammed the door in her face."
Harry started writing again. "I can't help it. It hurts me every time I look at her."
"But you still love her," Ron protested.
Harry nodded. "I'll always love her."
Ron shook his head. "Then, don't let her go, mate. You're loosing her each day you ignore her. I'm serious."
"Why are you so against me? You're supposed to be my friend."
"I am your friend—I'm friends with you both and I just want to see you happy and together."
"She seems perfectly content with Malfoy."
Ron nodded, perplexed. "That's true, and he has been a lot more tolerable ever since they've been together. But still…it's not the same. Malfoy can never be you, Harry."
Harry continued to take notes and changed the subject. "Ron, why don't you tell me the truth about you and Hermione?" he asked.
Ron looked down on his parchment. "I love Hermione."
"Then, what's really going on?"
Ron began, "We let it slip away."
"What did you let slip away?"
"The love. Our relationship. We…drifted apart. We've been fighting for a long time."
"I noticed. But why didn't you tell me?"
Ron sighed. "It began just as you and Cho were starting your relationship. I remember one time, before your first date, you said that we had inspired you. So, 'Mione and I pretended that nothing was wrong so we could—er—I guess, continue to 'inspire' you. But really, we just…I really don't know what happened. We drifted apart. We let stupid things get in the way. Schoolwork, Quidditch, anything—anything started an argument between us. Hermione called it quits about a week ago."
Harry patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Ron, I'm so sorry."
Ron shook his head. "That's what I'm saying, Harry. We let it slip away. You can't let the same thing happen to you and Cho. I know you still have those feelings for her and I know she does for you, too—she still tries to talk to you…all the time, mate."
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"You can't let your hurt pride get in the way, like I did."
Harry laughed uneasily. "Ron, you can't compare what happened between you and Hermione and what happened between me and Cho. For starters, Hermione didn't date the git you despise with every fibre of your being, with the full comprehension that he raped her." Harry finished, annoyed.
Ron defended himself, "Yeah, but Cho still tries to talk to you. Hermione stopped talking to me completely. It hurts my pride that she can't even discuss the situation. I don't even know what happened. One minute, she's all lovey-dovey, the next she's complaining about every little detail that's missing in our relationship. I don't know what I even did wrong…I guess I just wasn't as emotionally supportive as I should have been. She's a high maintenance girl." Ron paused. "But you know, Harry, romance…you and Cho never lacked that. That's why I have to say the distance you've kept from her has pretty much gone on long enough. I mean, what are you playing at? Don't give up—don't loose her to Malfoy", Ron shuddered, "she's still trying to make it work—she hasn't shut you out. I think that's a good sign."
Harry looked down at his parchment. He suddenly realized that he had written Harry & Cho all over it, subconsciously.
Ron continued, "You have to have enough of this," Ron pointed to Harry's chest. "You and Cho definitely have more than enough."
Harry spoke, understanding everything that had gone wrong. "You have to have just enough heart."
A/N: Doesn't it seem like things are getting better! I hope everyone stays with me. I'm sorry for the shortness of most of the chapters, I just realized how short they actually were. My next fic will definitely have more to it. Thanks to everyone for reading!
