Trials and Tribulations
Epilogue
After the whole ordeal in the summer, the return to Hogwarts and a large overdose of schoolwork seemed like a breeze in comparison. Cho had to stay a few days in the Hospital Wing just to make sure she was in good enough condition to continue on in school.
Of course, where there are students, there are rumors. As soon as the kids flooded the halls of Hogwarts, Hermione had been bombarded by questions from everyone in all of the houses, not just Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
She just said nothing.
That night was supposed to be a special one, but instead it turned out to be an event which caused Cho to relive her lost love and choose between the past and the present. It was a dilemma, with no perfectly good option in sight.
Still, they had gotten through it. Voldemort had escaped, but that was the least of Hermione's worries.
The spell that Cedric had learned, the sectumsempra curse, it had nearly killed poor Cho. A large scar still covers an immense portion of her torso, and it will never heal from her body, or memory.
Somehow, the school also found out that Cho had gone blind. They all rushed to her, trying to give her their condolences and pity, but she just smiled back at them warmly and said it was no big deal. It also seemed that the whole school had found out about their relationship as well (probably because Ron had told Ginny, who had told Fred and George, and then the rest of the school).
Some of the students, mostly Slytherins, would give them dirty looks, and even Draco said that it only added to the fact that she was Mudblood trash.
Most of the school however, supported them, and even a few girls came out to tell Cho how they felt, as if they were given courage from knowing that she liked Hermione. The guys on the other hand, acted like it was a severe loss for all of mankind.
"Aw, she was so gorgeous that she even attracted girls with her looks. No wonder no guy was given any time of day from her! Hey, maybe Cedric was actually a girl…!" some said in a joking manner.
The whole time Cho was recuperating, Hermione had thought up of another perfect plan for during the school time. It would be her last wonderful gift that she could possibly offer her, besides playing Quidditch again.
"Come on Cho! I want to show you something special…" their hands were intertwined together as they raced through the hallways all around Hogwarts, making their way to the seventh floor.
They finally came to a stop and Cho gasped for air. She hadn't run like that since she was conditioning her oxygen control since Quidditch practice. Panting, she tried to listen around to find where they were. There was no sound, except for them breathing deeply, not even a talking student.
Hermione walked past a piece of wall three times, concentrating profoundly on her special gift.
It was in the Room of Requirement.
"Come on, it's ready!" she exclaimed happily as she grabbed Cho's hand. "Oh and… close your eyes before we go in, okay?"
The Ravenclaw sighed sarcastically, "As if it really mattered…" still, she shut them tightly and let Hermione guide her into the room. She had no idea what she was about to see, and so when they stepped inside and shut the door, she let out a gasp of surprise as she felt the ground slightly give way after each step.
"Open your eyes," whispered Hermione, her breath tickling Cho's left ear. Once again, she rolled her eyes, "It won't make any…difference…?" she trailed off as she opened her eyes and looked around.
She was able to see again.
The room itself had transformed into some sort of a tropical paradise island. It was lush with all sorts of varying plant life, like palm trees and other exotic bushes. Little fruits of different sizes and colors spotted the multiple trees and vines hung from the branches lazily.
The trees parted down the middle to reveal the whitest sand she had ever seen in her life. It was if they had disapparated to the best beach in Hawaii. Cho took unbelievable steps and let the feathery sand shift under each foot.
Both girls walked through the parting and were greeted with a sight of a large cliff. Down the middle, a waterfall was spilling down into the most extraordinarily crystal clear blue water. It was the size of a massive circular swimming pool or small lake.
"Hermione…! I…I…can see! I can see all of these things!" she turned to face Hermione, and she could see her. Her features had aged, probably due to the increasing stress she had faced this year. Her long brunette hair was still unruly and frizzy, but it now reached down to her chest.
Tears streamed down her face, "I…can see you." Those crystal dark blue eyes were now sparkling with their old fire that she once had before going blind; no hint of cloudiness or a shroud. She gave a running hug and tackled Hermione to the sand playfully.
"Come on! Let's go swim! Oh, it's so clear!" They both ran and jumped into the water, robes and all. They swam around and splashed each other with water happily.
Cho dunked her head underwater and looked around at all of the sea life underneath. Fishes of all kinds were swimming at the very bottom, and tortoises were swimming in circles with their families.
She came back above water for a gulp of fresh air and scanned the water. "Where's Hermione?"
As if on cue, arms wrapped around her neck and a giggle was heard behind her. "Haha, silly, I've got you. You can't escape me!" Wriggling underneath her grasp, Cho turned around and kissed her deeply. Pulling her face back just barely enough to breathe, she grinned slyly, "Escape? Why would I want to do that?"
They pressed their lips together again. The feeling of the cool water around them, and just the fact that they were holding each other was enough to make them feel at ease. Breaking to take another breath, Cho started swimming back towards the shore.
Hermione followed, and the pair plopped down on the sand close to each other, their robes soaked and dripping wet.
Cho flipped over on her side and wrapped her arms around Hermione, bringing her closer to her so that their bodies pressed closely up against each other. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying just the sounds of birds and lapping waves. Cho's chest pulsed up and down against Hermione's back in the tempo of her heartbeat. Finally, she broke the silence.
"How were you able to restore my eyesight? Isn't it…physically and magically impossible?"
Hermione didn't respond immediately, but instead rolled over to face Cho, and placed a kiss on her neck. "The Room of Requirement will give you whatever you need, as long as you desire it in your mind. I desired a room that would allow you to see once again, and so it gave me that. It is the one loophole to reality."
Cho sighed, "So…once I step out of here…I won't be able to see anymore?" Hermione shook her head and placed more kisses along her exposed collarbone. "I'm sorry…like you said, it's impossible. The room only gives you temporary sight, so long as you stay in it. But we can stay in here for as long as you want…that is… until we have class again."
Cho looked at her and smiled, "In that case, I never want to leave. I love you." Dark blue, sparkling eyes enchanted Hermione and she laughed.
"I never want to leave either." She kissed her feverishly and pulled Cho into a tighter embrace. Smiling into the kiss, she deepened the lip lock before pulling away just enough to speak, their lips touching each time she moved her mouth.
"I love you."
Author's NoteSorry for finishing it so early. I had another fanfic in mind, and if I didn't finish this now, I'd get sidetracked and never finish it at all. Also, school will be starting in less than a month, so I need to get this one done.
Rushed it a bit, and I left out something that I really wanted to happen, but I guess I'll have to put that in a different story.
Hope you liked!