Lover and Friends

chapter 4 : macaroni and cheese

Cho stomped grumpily into the isolated corridors of Hogwarts, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind her. She tried to tame her dangly, damp hair but soon gave up and tied it into a messy bun instead.

'Erg! Roger is so getting the cold shoulder tomorrow! What was he thinking! Making us practice for hours in the pouring rain! And we just had to miss dinner because he'd rather see us starve to death than lose a bloody Quidditch match!' Cho's stomps became heavier and more audible at the thought of her insane captain's determination to kill his team. And now she was left alone; cold, bitter and hungry.

She stopped on her tracks. She knew that the kitchen was just a tickle away, but was she really going to risk getting caught and possibly detention just because she was starving?

'Yes.'

Once she entered the kitchen, she was quickly overwhelmed by over a dozen house elves stopping on their tracks, staring at her for exactly 2.5 seconds before hiding themselves behind various kitchen utensils.

"Um…" Cho started uneasily. She didn't want to scare them in case one of them decided to snitch on her. "I was just…um…I was just wondering if I could borrow some stuff to make myself some food?"

"We can make food for little Miss, we can!" One of the house elves squeaked excitedly at her as he tugged the edge of her wet sweater.

"Oh, no! That's not necessary. I can make my own food. I'll just need a couple of things…" The house elves smiled eagerly at her.

Once Cho finished cooking her Mac and Cheese, she told the House Elves that she'd rather eat in her room so she could also finish up some late homework. She thanked them for their hospitality and continued on her way to the Ravenclaw common room, still stirring her Mac and Cheese so that it'll be perfect by the time she ate it.

Cho smiled to herself as the Ravenclaw portrait (? A/N: Not sure if it's a portrait or yeah…lol) became nearer and nearer. She was going to get away with it. Yay for her.

"A-ha!"

Cho shut her eyes. 'Damn, I knew it was too good to be true'

"Sneaking around the corridors late after curfew againMiss. Chang?"

Cho opened her eyes. 'I know that voice…'

Cho stared hard at the ground as Cedric rounded around her; his left hand grazing his chin as he searched her up and down.

"A-ha! Just as I had suspected…smuggling macaroni and cheese. Cho, how could you?" Cho smacked his shoulder with her free hand as he began to laugh at her.

"You're such a prat," she snarled. She was hungry, tired, cold, and definitely not in the mood to be teased by an arrogant Prefect.

" Oh c'mon, Cho. Lighten up," He said as he patted her back. "So, tell me exactly what you're doing with that large bowl of Mac and Cheese." Cedric conjured up a note pad and pen and pretended to be a detective waiting to take notes.

"Cedric!" Cho whined. She was so close to ripping his eyeballs out.

"Alright, alright! I'm kidding…just don't take it out on the macaroni…"

"What?"

"I mean, if you want to stir it to death then you're doing a good job…but…," Cedric pointed out.

"Oh! I completely forgot. Here, try this for me," She gave him a spoonful of Mac and Cheese for him to try out.

"Mm…too much cheese and not enough mac," Cedric finally said. Cho smiled triumphantly at him.

"Perfect."

"So I guess you really, really, like cheese, huh?"

"Nope. I just figured that if I eat a lot of cheese, I'll get extremely fat, will probably suck at Quidditch for the rest of my life, and really piss off Roger."

"Aw…that's just horrible," Cedric said "But I guess if it eliminates some competition, then by all means, eat your cheese infested macaroni." Cho rolled her eyes at him and actually almost smiled for the first time that evening. "Damn, I thought I almost got you to smile."

Cho showed all her teeth, squinted her eyes and stretched her face to give him the most unattractive smile she could muster up. His priceless expression quickly made her falter as she fell into a fit of giggles.

"Ahh…there's that famous Chang smile," Cedric flirted, but then became more serious. "No, seriously now. This is your second time being caught after curfew. I'm afraid I have to give you detention."

Cho's expression fell. "Cedric…you're joking, right?" His solemn face told her that he wasn't. "Can't we just…forget about the detention? How about I give you some of my deliciously cheesy Mac and Cheese and you forget about the detention?" Cho smiled hopefully.

"As…tempting as that sounds, I really—" Cedric began but Cho began poking at her Mac and Cheese with her spoon, which made a really unattractive squishy sound. "Fiinne. You got me with that whole…squishing thing." He smiled.

(A/N: I took SOME—not all—lines from the T.V show, One Tree Hill because I thought it was really cute. : )

"This is really bad Mac and Cheese. I never thought I'd see the day that the House Elves would actually cook something I wouldn't eat." Cedric said as he hesitantly swallowed another bite of his food.

Cho laughed. "Actually…um…I made it. I was really not in a happy mood so I probably ended up putting some random things into the pot."

"Oh, well that explains the fishy taste," he teased as Cho playfully rolled her eyes. "I didn't know you knew how to cook…or not cook…"

"Well, I can't really. This is all I know how to make. I asked my House Elf to teach me when I was about 7 and after I learned my first dish, my parent's forbade it to teach me to cook anymore because I was 'higher' than that."

"Oh…well, too bad the house elf couldn't teach you how to make steak," Cedric sighed.

"Shut up. Macaroni and Cheese is food of the Gods," she retorted.

"Yeah…if the Gods are 5 year olds," he laughed.

After they finished eating their food, Cho finally got up.

"Anyway, I better get back to my common room before my friends send off a search and rescue squad to look for me," She smiled. "You probably have to get back to your shift anyway, right?"

"Actually…I don't have a shift tonight. I just saw you looked really gloomy and decided to cheer you up," He confessed as they both started walking back down the corridors.

"What! You mean you made me share my macaroni and cheese with you for nothing?"

"Trust me…I regret it too."

"You're such a prat," She shook her head at him. "So—" She was abruptly cut off when a dash of silvery blonde hair came gliding down their way and dramatically flinging herself onto Cedric.

"Oh Zedric! I vas so scared! I vas vondering around ze corridors and ze next zing I knew, I vas lost!" Fleur Delacour cried out. Cedric looked up at Cho, not knowing what to do with the "frightened" girl on his shoulder.

Cho looked sympathetically up at Cedric. "The Beauxbaton's carriage is just outside the entrance hall which is a little further down, turn left, go down a bit more until you pass the Great Hall and another right towards the giant doors where you're massive carriages can't really be unnoticed." Cedric smiled gratefully at her while Fleur just scowled.

"Oh…vell…actually…I uh…I zeem to 'ave left my belongings down in ze Great Hall and I am terribly frightened to go down zere by myself so…Zedric…vould you accompany little, 'elpless, me?" Fleur seemed to have turned on her Veela charm, for Cho instantly saw Cedric gaze adoringly down at her petite frame. Cho felt a pang of jealously hit her once Cedric smiled his million dollar smile and nodded like a little boy ready to savor his candy.

Cho coughed rather loudly, snapping Cedric out of his little veela-trance and causing Fleur to glower at her.

"Oh, um…actually I think I was supposed to walk Cho back to her common room, so—"

"No, that's alright Cedric. Why don't you walk poor, 'elpless, Fleur down to the Great Hall. I'll see you two later," Her false smile planted on her face.

Cedric looked at her skeptically. "But—"

"Come, Zedric! Ve should 'urry if ve do not vish to get caught," Fleur giggled as she dragged Cedric down the corridors. Cedric took one glance at Cho who was secretly hoping they would hit an invisible brick wall and Fleur's perfect face would smash, as would Cedric's.

As soon as they were no longer visible, Cho started walking back to the common room. She had a nice, normal walk back, if you would consider arguing with your thoughts, normal.

You really shouldn't be angry with him. I mean, you were the one that sent him away!

Yeah, but he didn't have to AGREE with it! He was the one oogling at her the whole time anyway.

He didn't technically agree with it; whats-her-face sort of dragged him away. You're just angry because you like him and secretly wishes that he'd ask you to the Yule Ball

No, I don't!

Yes, you do!

No!

Yes!

NO!

YES

"Stop it!" She suddenly screamed out once she entered her dorm room, accidentally waking up some of her friends.

"Ch- yawn -o? Are you -yawn-okay?" Marietta said, half-awake.

"Yeah…sorry. Go back to bed," Cho said as Marietta's snores became audible once again.

Cho woke up the next morning still a bit bitter about yesterday's happenings and still trying to convince herself that she was not jealous that Cedric liked Fleur.

"Morning, Chooo-y, Cho, Cho!" Cindy greeted her in a sing-song voice. Cho laughed at her friend's hyper behavior.

"Morning, Cind."

"Ready for breakfast? I'm starved!"

"I'm actually not that hungry, but I'll go down with you anyway."

Once the girls entered the crowded Great Hall, Cho's face immediately fell as she saw Cedric Diggory chatting up Marietta and some of her other friends at the Ravenclaw table.

"Hey Cedric!" Cindy said ecstatically.

"Hey Cindy, Hey Cho," Cedric replied. Cindy giggled uncontrollably as Cho didn't even look at Cedric but took a seat away from him instead. Cedric moved down to sit next to her.

"Morning, Cho!" Cedric said cheerfully while Cho tried her best to ignore him.

"Cedric, why aren't you eating?" Cindy asked him.

"Well, I'm still trying to digest the 10 gallons of cheese I consumed last night," Cedric said, trying to get a laugh out of Cho. Cho didn't laugh but continued to pile food onto her plate that she was not planning to eat. "C'mon Cho, it was a joke. You're supposed to laugh."

"It's not a really good joke then," She finally said. "Why aren't you at your table?"

"You seemed upset yesterday, just wanted to check up on you," Cedric smiled at her, hoping that she would return it. "C'mon Cho, you're acting childish."

"I'm acting childish?" She said. 'okay, so what if I am?' "If I'm so childish, why don't you hang out with your more mature friends?"

"Mature friends?" Cedric said in confusion but it suddenly hit him. "Oh I see where this is going…" Cedric chuckled. "You're jealous."

Cho scoffed. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Cedric's smile broadened as Cho glared at him harder. "You're scared that I'd like Fleur more than I like you."

'I like you? He likes me! Wait…no…he probably means friend-wise. Damn.'

Cho was just about to respond when that annoyingly angelic French voice fluttered in on their conversation.

"Oh Zedric!"

Cedric shut his eyes as Cho aborted her attention to the oatmeal in front of her.

"Hey Fleur," Cedric said unenthusiastically.

"Yezterday vas so much fun, vasn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Tons."

Cho tried to block out their conversation as she stared at the person in front of her. She wanted to burst out laughing at the sight in front of her; Roger Davis was pulling off his cloak and flexing his nonexistent arm muscle, hoping to grab Fleur's attention.

'She must have turned on that Veela thing again…' Cho thought sadly.

"So, Zedric," Fleur continued, ignoring the various males all of a sudden crowding her. "Ze Yule Ball…it should be a lot of fun, no? Do you know 'oo you are planning on taking?"

The subject of Cedric and the Yule Ball quickly grabbed Cho's attention. She turned her head to face Cedric and to her surprise, he wasn't gawking at Fleur like the rest of the blokes around her were. Instead, Cedric was staring intently into Cho's eyes, smiling.

"Actually, I do have someone in mind I'm thinking of asking…" Cedric replied, not taking his eyes off of Cho. Cho couldn't help but blush and smile. She was so surprised that Cedric had not been captured by that bloody charm that she almost jumped at him and gave him the biggest hug he'd have ever experienced.

But of course, she didn't :)

A/N: Whoa...so it's been almost 2 months since i last updated. Sorry! I guess i never really had time. Anywhoo..i hoped you liked this chapter! Kind of different i guess you could say. And to those Fleur/Cedric shippers, i didn't mean to bash on Fleur as much as i did. I didn't mean to make her the antagonist of the story...it just sort of happened? But i have nothing against her and i'm sure she's a lovely person if she were real:) heh. Well, i hope you enjoyed the chapter and i hope you'll be awesome people and review it! Thanks x)

x3 heidi

Disclaimer: i don't own any harry potter stuffers... :(