Chapter 3: Un Hibou et un Arc-en-ciel

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Never have, never will. If I did, I wouldn't be here, would I?

Notices:

Answer on the Wind- Ah... beta readers are awesome! Thanks, Rosie. You're comments are always appreciated. You know that!

Blackfire-pwns-all- Thank you for your huzzah! I shall indeed continue.

Sunsun18- Thank you for liking my plotline! After all, this is my first fanfic.

(A/N: "Un Hibou et un Arc-en-ciel" means "An Owl and a Rainbow" in French.)

"HURRY, HURRY, THE GATES'LL BE CLOSIN' SOON!" Cho's stomach grumbled noisily as she hiked up the hillock, towards Professor Grubbly-Plank's shrill, irritating voice. Cho smoothed down the front of her robes and heaved a sigh as she passed through the Hogwarts gates and made her way into the Great Hall.

Cho plopped down into the only available seat at the Ravenclaw table. She found herself sitting next to a girl she had seen around but didn't personally know. This girl had long, shiny black hair and olive skin. She was wearing a pale pink dress, white stockings, and a beaded necklace under her black wool school robes. Before Cho could even speak, the girl turned to Cho with a sweet smile. "Hi! I'm Angelica Delfino, but all my friends call me Angie. I'm in my third year. I've seen you around, I think. Aren't you Cho Chang, Quidditch player extraordinaire?" Angie stopped to take a sip from her cup of gaddleberry juice and waited for a response. Cho sat up and gave her best and brightest smile. "Yes, yes, I'm Cho. I'm not that extraordinary, though, when it comes to Quidditch. Thanks for making me sound better." Angie gave a tiny laugh and finished off her sponge cake dessert. "You're not too shabby, Cho. I've got to run now. See you later!" Angie grabbed her belongings and headed off towards the staircases. Cho watched her skip merrily up the steps.

"You haven't finished your dark chocolate éclair. Your haven't even touched your lemon pound cake. Or that cheesecake stuff. May I have them?"

Cho turned around and found herself face-to-face with a young girl about four and a half feet tall. Her hair was a sort of shimmering silver with sapphire-colored highlights and her eyes were light gray. Her skin was pallid, and her lips gnawed, but her teeth were pearly white. Her robes were black, but fringed and bordered with ornate, cerulean-blue lace. Cho was a bit frightened by the girl's appearance, but nevertheless she asked, "What's your name? I'd like to know exactly who I'm giving my dessert away to." The girl blinked twice. "Me? My name is Lucia Frost. I'm in my first year here at Hogwarts. I was sorted into Ravenclaw just fifteen minutes ago." Cho genuinely grinned at the newcomer. "Sure, Lucia, you can have my food. It's not too bad, really, I'm just not hungry. I need to think some things over, is all. I have a lot of things to decide."

Lucia nodded as she bit into the wedge of pound cake. "I've been assessing and evaluating my future too. I can't wait until the day when I'll be able to conjure my own Patronus. As soon as I get an "Outstanding" grade in all my N.E.W.T. exam subjects, I plan to become an auror. And I know I can do it. I believe in myself. Back home, I used to sketch the landscape. You know, dales and knolls and wolds and such. I feel the same way now that I feel when draw, and that is confident." Lucia wiped the crumbs away from the corners of her mouth and wiped some jelly off her nose with a napkin. "Oh," Lucia shouted suddenly, "I told Professor Trelawney I'd meet her as soon as I finished my meal! Sorry, Cho, I will see you later." And with that, Lucia gathered up her bags and rushed off. Cho was left sitting by herself at the Ravenclaw table.

"Great. I meet two nice girls in my house, and they leave me within minutes. Don't I have any true friends?" Cho muttered to herself, brushing some stray hairs out of her eyes. "Oh, ah, well. I'll just go off to the common room." Cho stood up and walked right out of the Great Hall. She was about to go up the main staircase when Neville Longbottom crossed right in front of her, arms folded across his chest.

"Why, hello, Cho! Making plans for my happiness with Ginny?"

(A/N: AHHH, CLIFFHANGER! Read and review! Read and review! R&R! Many, many thanks. And I know, no actual thoughts from Cho in this chapter, but there will be some interesting happenings in chapter 4. Now I've got to start writing it, before my friend Angelica A. does it forme...)