Disclaimer: SHArice doesn't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy X-2.
Author's Note: First and foremost, this fanfic will be extremely long in comparison to some others that are currently posted. I have a peculiar attraction to lengthy stories (take a look at my bookshelf and you'll see why), so don't expect things to move along as quickly as hoped. But I will develop the plot faster because I really want to get to the climax of this forsaken story. Also, forgive me if it Brie is a little forced. I'll work on bringing her character in a bit more subtlety.
Thank you to all reviewers! I'm just getting over a cold (and tons of school work), so pardon me for taking a while in updating. Also, I'm finally proud to present the chapter that I hope our HPCC supporters will enjoy after the previous chapter that was filled with dominantly dialogue. As to the whole Garrett and Belle situation, the antidote to your ailments will not be available until after the Winter Ball.
By the way, indigal, are you sure Crimson Regret is Ron? I do have a few things up my sleeve. Hehe heh… I'm glad you found the dialogue fitting because I sometimes forget to abandon my usual American slang, which ends up ruining some things they say.
Happy reading! Reviews are welcome.
ooooooo
The Melody of the Sphere
Chapter Six: No Turning Back
Harry Potter was a relatively simple guy – a little blunt, loved sports and food, and was somewhat unorthodox in his methods, but definitely not stupid. He stood gaping at his presumed former crush in the Room of Requirement where they had first kissed eyes large, jowl dropped, and psyche boggled.
"Is there something wrong, Harry?" Cho asked, shifting her curiosity from the tiny broken music sphere to his perplexed countenance.
He croaked. Literally. The secret that had been his was now exposed. The sphere that had been thrown upon him a little over a month ago by a strange witch in Diagon Alley once played its tune only for him. Until two minutes ago, no one was able to hear it. Was Cho certain she heard something?
"Harry, are you all right?" She was holding her hand to his forehead.
He shook off her touch and mumbled, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Just curious – ah – what exactly did you hear?"
Cho juggled the marble-sized orb in her palms. "I heard a song."
"A song?" Harry was sure he was sweating visible bullets.
"Yes; it's rather hard to describe."
Not entirely satisfied with her answer he asked, "What did you feel?"
"Hmm. I felt like everything was perfect. Like nothing bad could happen as long as I could hear it. I'm not sure how to put it, really." Cho was pacing in front of the fireplace, her eyes intense with concentration, trying to find the words to convey her thoughts.
"You felt content, but at the same time sad." He spoke slowly, his brow furrowed in a question.
"Yes," she replied. "How do you – ?"
Harry cut in before she could finish. "I see a sunset. The burning colors make me feel relaxed because it's the end of a long day, but then I think to myself: It's the end of the day. I may never get to see the sun rise and that's when I feel sad.
"It feels like the day before the end of the world. I picture all of my friends and I feel so happy to have known them." Harry and Cho were within inches of each other, hearts pounding an incessant ba bum within their chests. "To love them and be loved in return – nothing more I could ask for. But then I'm so sad and angry because I can't be with them anymore."
Cho was trying to steady her breathing. He was looking into her eyes – the windows to her soul – and she couldn't help but pry into his. They were so close. She would have heard his heart beating if her ears weren't ringing with the sound of her own. She dared to speak. "Is there pain?"
He didn't say anything.
"Here?" she asked, placing her hand on his chest. She felt him sharply inhale, but they never looked away from each other.
Harry felt her hand just to the right of his heart, where his ribcages touched. "Yes."
Cho felt his hand close around hers; his fairly calloused hands settled on hers like feathers, never snagging her delicate skin.
His words were like those found only in romantic literature. Cho let his voice reverberate through her. "It's like watching two lovers…walking hand in hand…their fingers interlaced. You want to look away, but you can't. You can't help but watch as they whisper sweet nothings and talk of forever. There's a light around them. One you could never hold a candle to and you're sad. Then you go home and at the door…your beloved is waiting. You've never felt so happy before. You've never wanted anything more. You're in love…"
She was crying. She finally felt it when she couldn't choke down a sob. Her eyes were stinging with fresh tears. "But you can't have them," Cho gasped, "because they're leaving you. You won't ever see them again!" No matter how hard she cried, Harry's green eyes kept her focus. She didn't dare look away.
Harry saw the first few tears race with each other down her face. Through the tears and sniffling, she still managed to look beautiful. Then a miracle happened. He didn't feel tongue-tied or embarrassed and pulled her to him, resting his forehead on hers. Cho felt another sob wrack her body at his comforting gesture.
His words were a softly spoken prayer – sincere but brief. "I would never leave you, Cho."
That was it. That was the last straw. His eyes were misting over with imminent tears. Cho lifted her hands to cup his face. She wanted to feel his tears – proof that he wasn't putting on an act. In the blink of an eye, they were running over her hands. Cho wanted to laugh. They must have been a sight to see – both of them crying in the secret confines of the Room of Requirement.
Harry felt like such a wimp. Malfoy would have killed to see him crying. But it was the unmistakable sound of a voice that gave him the strength to pour out his emotions. It was barely a whisper, but it was Cho's voice. She had said his name. "Harry…" she whispered again. "Never leave me."
He didn't have time to contemplate what she did next. But her lips felt just how he'd remembered them, smooth and warm like satin. He couldn't stop with just a light brush of lips. He had to have more.
Cho couldn't believe it. She had wanted him to kiss her and he did. It wasn't like the one she remembered from last Christmas. He didn't freeze up nor did he pull away. In fact, Harry was outdoing Cedric. Everything that hit her senses weren't filled with memories of Cedric. Instead, they were being bombarded by the passion and zeal of Harry and Cho hoped they could try their luck again.
As he wrapped his arms around her slim waist, Harry marveled at how perfectly she fit against his taller frame. She smelled of lilacs and tasted of the pumpkin juice served at dinner. He had to taste her, all of her. He moved his kiss to her jaw, then her neck, then the soft skin behind her ear.
She gasped and said his name.
And realization hit. Reality swirled back like a storm. Music was playing. The sphere was glowing. Harry stepped back from her. She was looking at him. Her eyes were caressing because she wasn't trying to hold back. She gave in to the very thing he refused to let himself do. It wasn't the admiring look of an adoring fan he'd come to know, it was love – complete, open, and honest.
Harry was in agony. The way she was looking at him, the way his lips were still tingling, and the way he felt about letting something so foolish happen. He turned away.
"It means nothing," he said in a hoarse voice.
Cho stared at his back. She could see him shaking as his shoulders sought to move up and down to secure his breathing. Then she felt it. The pain in her chest sharpened. She didn't doubt that he was feeling the same way. "Why?"
Harry turned his head so she could at least see half his face. "I can't…"
"You can't what?"
"…have this. You and I – us – can't happen. The third task…Cedric." He heard her shift her feet on the carpet.
She didn't want to cry anymore. It would give him more of a reason to hate Cedric. He didn't want to be with her because of Cedric, she couldn't dance in his arms because of Cedric, and they could never exist because of Cedric. His memory would restrain her forever. Cho nodded her head and bit her lip to contain the sob that threatened to enrage Harry even more. "I understand."
"I'm sorry, Cho," he said turning around. "I really am. I don't have a choice."
She felt the frustration he tried to mask. He was angry at Cedric. He was angry at Voldemort. He was angry at all the students who said they shouldn't be together. She didn't blame him for doing so. Cho carefully approached him and placed the sphere in his upturned palm. She stared at the tiny object before lifting her gaze to his. "Good night, Harry." Without another word, she left.
o o o o o o o
The walk back to the common room never seemed so short before. Brows rutted and lips drawn back to hold off further lament, the seventeen-year old witch clambered into her four-poster bed and drew the curtains closed. For privacy she cast a Silencing Charm around her bed and curled into a fetal position, feeling chills and aches all over her body. But she wasn't in any physical pain. No, this sort of hurt was caused by a sensation, a burning of the heart. She had felt it once before, but never so strong.
"I can't…have this. You and I – us – can't happen."
Cho let the deluge come down on her pillow, her whimpering and sniffling filling her ears. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Her chest was threatening to burst. Nothing was right. Reality made everything remind her of the bravest person she knew who she had left standing somewhere within the silences of Hogwarts castle. He had made her feel so different just minutes ago. She wasn't just another girl that had potential. He had dubbed her the girl – the one that made him sigh even if all he saw was a glimpse of her face. He made her feel more than wanted or needed. In his eyes, although not flawless, she was beautiful. All the little things made her beautiful – the way she shifted her feet when she was nervous, the small dimple that formed on her face when she smiled, the way she pushed a stray hair away from her face, or how her tresses fell that made people distinguish her as Cho Chang.
"I don't have a choice."
"You have a choice," she sobbed into her pillow, "Just concede…" His amiable face, turning serious with the empathy and love she had seen that night, seeped its way into her mind. His hair had shone a dark brown against the crackling fire of the still room, making his eyes shimmer with an uncanny intensity in them. The fine disturbance his lips had on hers, brought her fingers to trace the shape of her mouth. It was so surreal. Then the image of Cedric came rushing to her. He was her first kiss. But Harry was her first real kiss.
Letting the tears run silently down her cheeks with another flutter of her eye, Cho hoped her words were reaching his ears. "Just concede…love me."
o o o o o o o
"Morning, Harry, Hermione," Ron greeted. Within seconds, his bowl was filled with porridge and toast on the side.
"Ron, why does it seem I haven't seen you in weeks?" Hermione asked.
"Hmm?" His mouth was obviously full looking at his cheeks bulging with oatmeal. Harry winced at the sound of his hard swallow. "Well, we both are busy with homework…and I do have Quidditch."
"True, but we are in a lot of the same classes…and you haven't asked Harry or me once this year for help."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ron snapped his interest no longer in breakfast.
"Of course it's a good thing," she answered. "It just feels odd not having you around as often." Hermione resumed spooning her cereal out of the milk and dropping it back in with a satisfying plop.
Ron's face softened a bit.
Harry glanced back and forth between his two closest companions. Why don't they just tell each other how they feel? Harry wondered. He felt like a third wheel of a bicycle. As the saying went – two's a company and three's a crowd. Ron continued his meal, speaking only to Harry to pass the butter.
He looked around the buzzing Great Hall. At the staff table, Tonks (sporting medium-length orange hair around her heart-shaped face) was having a jovial talk with Madam Hooch – Quidditch, Harry thought, you can see the enthusiasm on Madam Hooch's face. The headmaster and deputy headmistress were speaking in hushed tones. He guessed it had something to do with the Order.
At the Slytherin table, Malfoy was being pestered by Pansy Parkinson. Although she was a rather sweet piece of eye candy, her crude personality and nauseating flirtation made up for the ugly hag she was born to be. Harry almost pitied the blonde boy for a moment.
On the other side of the Great Hall, the Hufflepuffs were enjoying the usual pre-ball tradition of warming up to their crushes. Everyone seemed to be moving into the first phase of their plans to have a date for the ball. He wanted to cringe at the all the flattery and blushing going around.
Finally, he let himself linger over the sight of Cho. She was ignoring the lively talk her red-head friend was conjuring, nodding every other moment to let the other girl know she was still breathing.
"But you can't have them…because they're leaving you."
She looked tired. It showed in her sluggish move to drink from her goblet.
"I would never leave you, Cho."
The guilt that he had managed to suppress during a night of wrestling with his sheets was coming back. The room faded to black, leaving only her swathed in light. What he had done was the boldest and most assertive thing he had ever dared to do. She had looked so heart-broken and down-trodden by fitful memories, hugging her appeared to be the only appropriate action. But he had wanted more. He wanted to show her just how much she meant to him.
Looking at her now, the realization of just how pretty she was hit. Something could have happened between them – something worth more than all the galleons in the world. Then Harry saw it. Not once did Cho Chang ever appear ugly to him. Her physical beauty was nothing compared to the exquisiteness of her soul. He had to admit that although she was somewhat of a crybaby and a little shameless at times, she was gorgeous.
"I don't have a choice."
He had let the beauty of everything that was important to him slip away with those words of finality.
"I'm going to class," Ron stated as he rose from his seat. Harry glanced over at Hermione who was staring at Ron's back intently. Ask her to come, you big oaf, he thought.
Ron had not taken more than two steps when he stopped and turned around. He sighed and cocked his head toward the doors. "You coming?"
The muggle-born witch let a smile loose and nodded her head. One minute later, Harry was waving at his friends who were exiting through the Great Hall's doors. Taking one last swig of his drink, the young Gryffindor hurried over to McGonagall's office for his Animagus lesson. They would be starting the actual transformation today. Wonder what I'll turn into?
o o o o o o o
Snow would be falling soon. The winds had picked up, throwing the now golden leaves from their perches atop the boughs. The giant squid rarely broke the surface of the water. Couples were finally in their second phase of asking their crushes to the Winter Ball. Inter-House relationships were not uncommon as you could look around the grounds to fine a blue Ravenclaw scarf around a Gryffindor. Or vice versa, Harry thought.
He and Hermione were finishing up an essay about the effects of the French Revolution on the magical world for Professor Binns. He found that giving up procrastination came easier when you had nothing to left to look forward to, especially when a certain someone was what you looked forward to.
Hermione peeked over her pile of books to see her friend's crestfallen face. She remembered the last night he had come back from the Room of Requirement. She had stayed up wanting to read up on the school's founders. Harry hadn't returned until well past eleven o'clock. He hadn't said anything, just exited with a barely audible good night. The Gryffindor prefect could read more than books, and she read a fairly upsetting problem from the look on his face.
Harry had been withdrawn over the past month, much like the way he was the month following the Department of Mysteries. However, with a lot of help from Remus and Moody, the young Potter was on his way to getting through his dark ordeal. But how did one go about curing matters involving love?
He woke up every morning, went to class, ate, and slept like a well-oiled machine – there was no real life at all. He worked off a mundane routine. The only time he really was alive was during their Quidditch practices. The Gryffindor House team prepared for their match against Slytherin with the most vigor and spirit Hermione had ever seen. It must have been the fact that their number one seeker was returning as team captain, which gave them further hope.
"How's practice been going?" Hermione asked, hoping he would open up a bit more.
"Fine," he curtly replied.
"Is Ginny adjusting?"
"She likes being Chaser better." He hadn't even lifted his eyes from his parchment.
"That's good." Hermione watched him scribble away at an unnatural pace. Do I look like that? Harry had never been so devoted to his studies before. Usually he played things on a whim, or studied with a slight distraction like his practice snitch. Nowadays he just buried his nose in a book. Something was bothering him. It was keeping him from smiling in the evenings when the warmth of the hearth shooed away the coldness of worries. Something was preventing him from being Harry Potter.
"Are you done?" asked Harry, rolling up his foot-long parchment.
"Just a few more inches," she answered. His robotic movements in packing his bag made her want to yell at him – to ask him what the hell his problem was.
"I'll see you at dinner then." Shouldering his satchel, Harry turned around to leave the silent sanctuary of the library.
"Harry," she called, "why don't you go to the pitch?"
"Why?"
"I've read that exercising relieves stress more than sleeping. Besides, it's Friday." Hermione was hoping she sounded casual to him. After all, it was pretty normal for her to recommend something she'd read to a friend.
"Maybe I will." With that, Harry left. A whimsical smile found his face after almost a month. Telling him to do something that she'd read showed just how much of a concerned friend Hermione was. It wasn't everyday that Hermione encouraged a person to go out instead of study.
o o o o o o o
"Do you want to come?"
Ginny lifted her head to see Harry standing over her dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, holding his broom.
"We have practice today?"
"No. I just thought some fresh air would be good." He was adjusting the dragon-hide pads Charlie had given him for Christmas. They looked a little odd when he wasn't wearing the traditional Gryffindor Quidditch robes.
"I'll be out in a minute," the youngest Weasley replied. She bounded off toward the girls' dormitory to change out of her school robes. With all the pressures of doing well on her OWLs beginning to take hold, a one-on-one practice with Harry would do her exhausted brain some good. Not only that, but she and Hermione had been worried about Harry. He ran their practices like Oliver Wood – frequent and without mercy.
Under the illusion that he was just trying to focus on getting good grades to become an Auror, Ginny and Hermione knew that something had happened that night he went to the Room of Requirement. The only person that didn't seem to take notice was Ron. Both boys were changing and refused to speak about anything unless it dealt with some sort of school work.
Throwing on jeans and one of her mother's many sweaters, the young lady ran down to meet Harry in the common room. "You want to wait for Ron?" Ginny asked as she approached him. "He should be coming back from McGonagall's soon."
"What's he there for?" It wasn't like Ron to pay personal visits with teachers.
Ginny shrugged. "Transfiguration help? He was never really good at it."
"Hmm…naw, let's go. He's doing fine as keeper anyway." Harry walked to the portrait hole, his Firebolt gripped tightly in his hand. The other was jammed into his pocket, holding the sphere.
Walking to the pitch with Ginny in his wake left Harry some time to think. Lately, his thoughts had revolved around getting up in time for classes, trying not to provoke Snape, getting assignments done on time, and planning an effective Quidditch practice program. The night he had kissed Cho came back as he fiddled with the sphere. He hadn't really thought about or noticed her for a while. Maybe he was getting over her?
"How's your NEWT classes?" asked the red-head as they stepped onto the field.
"Hard," Harry answered, "as usual."
"Hermione says you're doing really well in them."
He just scratched his head. "I don't know. I suppose I just want to make the grades for an Auror."
Ginny grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "After all the stuff you've been though, I don't see how they can turn you down." Giving her his thanks, they walked over to the broom shed. Harry opened the padlock with the key McGonagall had given him a couple weeks ago.
Inside was a whole assortment of brooms, beaten quaffles, splintered bats, and various sizes of bracers and shin guards. The ball chest was sitting in a large closet to his right. It seemed like the bludgers had settled down since there was no noise emitting from the closet.
"Do you think we'll need the bludgers?" Harry asked. He didn't like the thought of anymore broken bones.
"Why not? We can get more practice that way." She picked up a Comet Two-Sixty and grabbed a handle of the chest. Sighing, he lifted the other end of the rattling chest.
After several warm-ups, he and Ginny were going one-on-one with the quaffle. Even on his superior broom, the first-year Chaser was out-flying him with a substantial forty-point lead. Now I know why I'm a Seeker, Harry thought.
Virginia Weasley really was a natural-born Chaser. It was a pity that she hadn't tried out for the position before, but she would have been no match for Angelina or any former Gryffindor Chaser. Now, Ginny was easily the leader of the team's offensive trio. Perhaps it was how much she had changed over the years that kept Harry distracted. Her flaming hair, once the bane of her existence as it was a distinct trademark of her family, was now her most striking asset. Its bouncy motion when she walked would have put anyone under her spell.
"Care to take a break, Harry?" she suggested after noting the difference in their scores – 110 to 50.
"Sure," he replied trying to catch his breath. "Just let me round up the bludgers."
"I guess that leaves the snitch," she hollered rising above the spectators' towers.
Fifteen minutes later, Harry was still waiting for the second and final bludger to make its way to him as he waited on the field. Ginny was taking her search to the beams below the towers where Harry and Malfoy had raced to catch the snitch in their second year. A beater's bat hung limply at his side.
He was hoping that damned bludger would come and get him soon. Clouds were billowing overhead and the sun was beginning its descent in the western sky. His left hand was encircling the sphere in his pocket. Harry closed his eyes and willed the sphere to play. He heard the melody all around him as he stared at the sinking sun. The same feeling of absolute content came over him.
Someone was singing. "The daily things that keep us all busy all confusing me…" Harry opened his eyes and turned in the direction of the voice. It sounded so familiar. "That's when you came to me and said, 'Wish I could prove I love you, but does that mean I have to walk on water?'" He saw the woman from his dreams – the one that looked like Cho. Her enthralling voice spread over him like a warm blanket during a winter night. "When we are older you will understand that it's enough when I say so…and maybe some things are that simple."
Her hand was extended outward, a green sphere hovering over her palm. Its light glowed brighter with every verse. "When you walk away, you don't hear me say, 'Please, oh baby, don't go!'" Harry stepped closer to her. "Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight. It's hard to let it go." A light burst forth from the sphere, indistinguishable shapes flew around her, lifting her ebony locks around her face.
He had to lift his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light. All he could hear were her words and accompanying instrumentation forming in the background. "Hold me. Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on." Harry could feel the emotions running through him – doubt, excitement, remorse, tenderness – as she sang. "Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before." (A/N: Simple and Clean from Squaresoft's Kingdom Hearts. For complete lyrics, please see bottom of chapter.)
The light began to recede. The sphere was absorbing the light; containing it under its fragile surface. She began to fade. The young woman closed her eyes and clutched the sphere to her chest. In a gesture of prayer, she whispered something. Running toward her, he made a move to grab her arm, but the image had faded and the darkening pitch returned.
It was raining. Harry twirled in his spot, searching for the woman he had seen. What was going on? Why did he always see her? Who was she? "Harry!" The sleet of rain blinded his vision.
Not bothering to see who had called him, he pulled out his sphere. It was glowing dangerously. Lightning and thunder once again shook the sky. The sun had set, leaving them in the cold darkness of the pounding rain. "Harry, look out!" It was Ginny. Why was she flying toward him so fast?
The answer hit him, literally, as the immediate pain of taking a bludger to the head shook his senses. He could hear Ginny wrestle the bloody ball back in its place of the chest before feeling her arms wrap around him. His body fought to stay conscious, but to no prevail. Ginny was leaning him on her shoulders. Back to the Hospital Wing, he thought. As his eyelids fell, Harry remembered what the woman had said.
"Garrett, never leave me."
o o o o o o o
"Somebody help!"
Brie turned to see a red-head girl ready to buckle under the weight of a boy she was dragging into the Entrance Hall. Trotting over to the couple, Brie pulled off her school robe and draped it over their soaking forms. "What happened?"
"A bludger hit him in the head," the taller girl answered. "I can't carry him. He's too heavy."
"Here, let me help."
"Thanks." The other girl appreciatively smiled. Brie lifted his arm to shift some of his weight off the tired girl. She nearly dropped him when she saw his face.
"Holy smokes! Harry Potter!" His scar was visible even under the messy, wet mop of hair that covered his closed eyes. Harry groaned. A nasty bump was forming near his temple; the color purple beginning to mingle with the pale color of his skin.
"Please," the red-head responded, "can we get him to the Hospital Wing first?"
Brie nearly slapped herself for her naivety and nodded. "Sorry."
Once the two girls successfully got Harry to the Hospital Wing and under Madam Pomfrey's care, they were shooed out to the corridor. Brie didn't know what to say to the other girl. She had left the Great Hall – and a wonderful dinner – in search of Cho. The Chinese girl had been depressed and quiet for a while and began to worry everyone in her house. Then out of nowhere, Brie was shouldering an unconscious Harry Potter to the Hospital Wing.
"I didn't catch your name." Brie saw the other girl staring at her, a small smile on her face.
"It's Brie," she answered, extending her hand in a formal greeting.
"Virginia Weasley," the red-head replied, taking her hand. "But my friends call me Ginny." Ginny almost regretted saying her name as Brie began looking at her warily. After her incident in the Chamber of Secrets, the tale of Harry saving her and her being in love with him spread like wildfire.
"Are you – ?" Brie began.
Ginny beat her to the chase. "Yes, I'm the girl who was locked in the Chamber of Secrets several years ago," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No – I mean yes – but aren't you that Granger girl's friend?"
She either must have not heard of her adventure or was not shocked by it, but Ginny was grateful the other red-head didn't bring up further questions about it. "If you're talking about Hermione Granger, then yes, I am."
Brie smiled triumphantly as if she'd found the ultimate treasure, but immediately shook her head as she saw Ginny's perplexed expression. "I'm sorry. I guess you want to know why I'm asking, huh?"
"Well, people usually associate me with Harry, so this is a little bit of a shock."
Brie laughed a bit before saying, "Oh, well, you see, I'm a friend of Cho's. Do you know her? Cho Chang?"
Ginny nodded. "Who doesn't?" She could clearly recall during her third year when Harry had walked into the common room with his head hung low. Cho had already promised to be Cedric's partner for the Yule Ball leaving Harry crushed beyond all doubt.
"The thing is," Brie continued, "I'm a bit worried about Cho because she's been a little down lately." Ginny could sympathize with her. Harry was often seen moping around, too. "After her and Harry's break-up last year, everyone assumed it was because of the situation with Cedric. But I spoke with Cho and, although she didn't admit it, I knew she was mad at Hermione Granger."
"You mean she believed Harry and Hermione were – uh – together?"
"Yeah," she breathed. "She thinks they're official, even now, if you know what I mean."
Ginny burst out laughing. She could hardly contain herself; the prospect of those two together never actually crossed her mind. It had always been Hermione and Ron or Hermione and Viktor. "Oh, I'm sorry," she gasped out between giggles, "It's just that they don't see each other – gasp – that way."
"But they're always walking around together," Brie countered, a little agitated with Ginny's incessant laughter.
"They're best friends!" Brie had always thought Cho blew things out of proportion, but she had really gotten upset over something so non-threatening.
"Hermione isn't Harry's girlfriend," she stated, mostly to herself.
"Nope. As a matter of fact," the fifth-year Gryffindor replied, "Hermione already has an admirer and he is not Harry Potter."
"Oh," Brie awkwardly said as Ginny finally stopped shaking with mirth, "So who does Harry fancy?"
"I wouldn't be a good friend to him if I told you that." Ginny watched as Brie's face fell at her answer. It was very touching to see a friend so concerned. Maybe a little hint wouldn't hurt. "But I give you a small hint," Ginny continued with a sly smile. "Harry has been down since his last visit to the Room of Requirement. Something must have happened there and it doesn't seem like he could have fallen into depression by himself."
"How do you know it has to do with the Room?"
"Hermione and I are friends, so it's only natural for a little girl talk to move in the direction of Harry's love life." Ginny extended her hand, a gesture of parting. Brie took it and shook the taller girl's hand vigorously. "Particularly when his love life has revolved around only one girl who he dated last year."
Brie smiled. She knew that they would easily become good friends. Ginny reminded her of herself when it came to playing matchmaker. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Virginia Weasley," she said with a subliminal message in her next sentence, "I hope you'll forgive me, but I must go and cheer up a friend."
"As do I."
Releasing her hand Brie nodded and turned in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room. "Perhaps I'll be able to meet Harry on more normal terms later on." Ginny handed Brie her robe, which she had dried with a spell.
"You can always trap him in the Hospital Wing when he wakes up."
"Oh no, not me, but I do know someone who would be concerned about his well-being. Good night, Ginny." Brie turned and walked down the corridor; Ginny watched as the girl's figure vanished around the corner.
"Good night, Brie," she whispered.
o o o o o o o
Dear Diary,
It's Friday and everyone is in the common room talking about Halloween and the first Hogsmeade visit at the end of the month. I don't know why Professor Dumbledore is making it so late into the year. I guess it's because of all the things Hogwarts has been though.
Today also marks the end of the second week since that night. Maybe he pitied me and really does love Hermione Granger. I hope not. Then again, I'm a hypocrite, too. I'm still hung over Cedric. I can't just forget about him. If only he would tell me exactly what happened.
Closing her leather-bound book, Cho stuffed it at the bottom of her trunk. Many of her entries were short without any insight whatsoever. Emotions seemed like a thing of the past after her rejection. No one except Brie was making an effort to cheer her up. It was probably better that way instead of everyone constantly asking her if she was all right.
"Cho, are you in here?" Brie asked, opening the door to the girls' dormitory slowly.
"Yeah…" The Ravenclaw Seeker gave her friend an unconvincing smile.
"Here," the red-head said, handing her a napkin with rotisserie chicken and a dinner roll, "You didn't come down for dinner, so I brought you a little bit."
"Thanks, Brie." The enticing aroma tempted Cho to devour her small helping, but she would wait until a relaxing shower.
"Did you hear about what happened today?" Brie asked, hoping Cho would be a little interested.
No, I didn't hear about what happened, Cho thought. Because I don't care. But to please her friend who was trying so hard to perk her up, Cho would give her the pleasure of spreading further gossip. "No, what happened?" She could almost see Brie's face light up.
"There was a nasty accident at the Gryffindor practice." C'mon, take the bait.
Cho took some time to register the words accident and Gryffindor. "Go on," she urged.
Hook, line, and sinker. Brie tried so hard to suppress the chuckle that was at the tip of her tongue. She had to thank her lucky stars for running into Ginny Weasley. "I didn't get the full story, but someone took a bludger to the head. They're unconscious in the Hospital Wing right now. I ran into their Chaser Ginny Weasley."
"She didn't mention who, did she?" Cho was on the edge of her bed, leaning closer to Brie.
Brie scratched her head before answering, "Well, I did catch a glimpse of one of the beds." She paused, listening to Cho hold her breath. "I couldn't see his face too well – "
"It was a he?" Cho shut her mouth at Brie's shocked look.
"Yeah, he had really messy black hair."
"Harry…" she breathed. Standing up, Cho grabbed her robe and walked over to the mirror to straighten her uniform out.
"Going somewhere?" Brie asked as Cho turned the doorknob to the common room.
"I'll be back before curfew," she replied and made a dash out, leaving Brie laughing on the floor.
"And the award for best actress goes to me," the red-head joked in the silence of the dormitory. Cho was so funny when the light of situational irony shone upon her.
o o o o o o o
Harry looked around. For once, he wasn't surprised to come around to the sight of the Hospital Wing. The throbbing in his head wasn't too bad – Madam Pomfrey had probably magically taken care of that. His vision was a blur. Where had his glasses gone?
"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey assessed as she walked in to check on him.
"Where's Ginny?"
"I assume she's in Gryffindor Tower." The stern healer shoved a piece of chocolate in his mouth. "You have a visitor."
"Moo…if…ick1?" Harry asked with his mouth full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Mr. Potter." With that, she left him to chew on the edible remedy. Harry hated it when she wouldn't listen to him or others' requests to pay visits.
His thoughts lingered to the woman he had seen that night. Who was she? He had seen her in his dreams when he was known as Garrett. But what had really interested him was the sphere she had. It looked like she was performing an Acoustics Charm to create a sphere. The shiver of excitement he felt earlier ran up and down his spine again. Her voice was so beautiful, so exotic.
Harry heard a scuffle of feet behind the curtain that served as his barrier to the rest of the room. He heard the figure take a deep breath before drawing back the white cloth.
Cho looked Harry over. He had gauze wrapped around his head, holding a patch of mint-scented medication to his temple that was a little discolored with black and blue. His hair spontaneously poked out where the gauze wasn't covering his head. "Hi," she greeted softly.
"Hi," he replied. She was standing at the foot of his bed, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I heard you got into an accident," she explained.
"Madam Pomfrey let you in?" he asked. "She hates visitors."
Cho nodded her head. "She let me in because – well – my name was the only thing you were saying."
Harry's head began throbbing even more. He was calling for Cho! "It was?" He looked away from her, trying to find something to stare at. Nothing worked – his feet, his hands, or the floor.
"It's okay," she assured him. "Brie says I talk in my sleep, too." She was standing by his side, nervously shifting her feet. Harry looked up at her; his green eyes boring into her, seeking a better answer for her being with him. "Actually," she continued, "she says I sometimes mumble your name."
"Cho," he said, "I can't return your feelings." He knew the memory of their kiss was still strong in her mind. He couldn't let the problem continue. It would end then and there in the Hospital Wing.
"I don't expect you to. You reserve the right to decide who you like."
Harry watched as she lowered her head. Wasn't this what he wanted? Hadn't he wanted her to give up her feelings for him, so that she wouldn't be in danger? Yes, it was. Then why did he feel so sad to hear her say that?
"Well, I'm glad you're better," she said moving toward the curtain. "I guess I'll go."
Do I want her to leave? No.
Will I regret letting her leave? Yes.
"Don't go!" Harry leapt from his bed. "Ugh." His weak legs gave out under him, sending him to the cold floor.
Cho turned to see him trying to get up, his arms shaking without the use of his legs. "Harry," she pleaded walking over to his shrunken form, "don't move. You'll only make your injuries worse."
Harry felt her trying to lift him. He grabbed anything to help himself up. She steadied him on his feet and stepped back, allowing him to gain balance. Harry looked down at her as he grasped the corner of his bedside table. How am I going to tell her we can't be together?
"Harry." Cho smiled. "Funny…it feels like I betray you when I say someone else's name that way."
"In what way?" Harry let go of the table, feeling himself teeter forward.
Cho secured his balance, holding his strong forearms in her hands. "The way that I've said only one other person's name before."
"Cedric?" he asked, feeling his blood simmer at the thought.
She nodded slowly before saying, "But he's not the most important person to me anymore." Harry took her hands in his. He couldn't allow them to continue like this. People would talk and soon Voldemort would learn of another one of his weaknesses. But maybe one day, when the prophecy is fulfilled, they could walk together. One day…
"I can't promise you much, Cho," he started, realizing just how warm and small her hands felt in his, "I can only offer you my friendship. I don't want anything to hurt you."
This is hurting me, she thought. Every thing he was doing was painful. "But it hurts," she sobbed, "It hurts so much." Cho placed her forehead against his chest; her tears soaking his shirt. "My chest hurts."
"Cho…" he whispered, tilting her chin up. He looked down into her eyes, trying to burn the memory of her face, just as she was, in his mind. He would never see her look at him that way again. He had to remember everything.
Harry held his breath in anticipation as he brought his face closer to hers. Cho felt the delicate intervention of his lips as they brushed against hers. The satin warmth and softness he remembered from the other night was once again tangible. The kiss was gentle, almost impersonal as they withdrew mere seconds later. Cho knew that would be the last action of their forbidden love as she felt Harry hold her close. Tomorrow, he would return to living the exciting life of Harry Potter and she would remain simply Cho Chang – one-time fling of The Boy Who Lived. There would be no turning back to what they shared that night in the Room of Requirement or here.
"Cho," he said again, tightening his hold on her, "remember what I said before. I will never leave you."
In an answering squeeze, she whispered, "No…never leave me."
ooooooo
Author's Note: Aack! I actually wrote fluff! Somebody check my pulse quick! Does it feel normal? It doesn't? Oh no…I'm suffering from fluff-itis!
Well, putting trivial matters aside, I seriously hope this chapter was much more satisfying to read. It took me forever to get into the mood to write. I hope Brie's character wasn't too forced in her conversation with Ginny and Cho. Also, the thing with Garrett and Belle – it develops slowly like in the game from which I derived it from, so anyone who hasn't completed Final Fantasy X-2 is going to have a bit of a headache in trying to figure them out.
Please don't abandon reading this because this will be my first "extremely long" fanfic. Some other stuff that I've written is usually one-shot or a few chapters. I don't want to post them until I've edited them because I wrote them almost two years ago and my writing seriously stank back then.
Many thanks to Hotaru, Yashiro, and Ayu! You guys are the greatest!
1 Moo…if…ick? Who is it?
Simple and Clean (from Squaresoft's Kingdom Hearts)
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
Please, oh baby, don't go
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
You're giving me too many things
Lately you're all I need
You smiled and me and said,
"Don't get me wrong I love you
but does that mean I have to meet your father?
When we are older you'll understand
What I meant when I said, 'No, I don't think life is quite that simple.'"
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
Please, oh baby, don't go
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
The daily things that keep us all busy
All confusing me
That's when you came to me and said,
"Wish I could prove I love you
but does that mean I have to walk on water?
When we are older you will understand
That's it's enough when I say so
And maybe some things are that simple."
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
Please, oh baby, don't go
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
Hold me
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before