Disclaimer: I did not invent the following characters/ settings/names, etc. And you may recognize a very small following scene that actually happened to Harry, third year. It does not belong to me either. They all came from the talented mind of J.K. Rowling. :)
Sukuri 99: No worries! More chapters, trust me. ;)
Lilian: Wow, thanks for the compliment! Yup, more chapters to come! Pinky promise!
blackwatermist: Thank you so much for the compliment! And I will update daily…except for this week, because I have finals to "study" for. Yuck, final exams suck, don't they? . :)
Chapter 4.
Cho sighed nervously and wrung her hands in her lap, but had no idea why she was so worried. Malfoy had helped her a great deal the past couple of weeks, and she felt that she was a hundred times better at Quidditch than she had been before lessons. Cho mentally reviewed the last class she took; to her immense guilt, Malfoy had said that her strongest skill was Feinting.
"You should try using it against Scar Head –a feint will be your best bet," Malfoy had told her self-assuredly. "But don't even think about trying it at the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match; I know your style. I'll be expecting it." Cho remembered stifling a laugh.
Slowly, Cho brought herself out of her memories and sighed. I better head on out, she thought, feeling butterflies in her stomach the way only Quidditch matches could stimulate them in her. As Cho stood up, she was bombarded with boisterous applause and cheers from the Ravenclaw table. She grinned and lifted her hand modestly. The knot in her stomach slightly lessened.
As she walked out of the Great Hall toward the pitch, she felt Roger Davies, the captain, fall into step beside her. He smiled at Cho, brown eyes crinkling kindly.
"All right?" he asked. "You'll do great, Cho, especially with so many extra training sessions with Malfoy."
Cho smiled back. "Thanks, Roger. I feel pretty confident, I guess." He grinned and nodded.
They walked in comfortable silence until they parted for the changing rooms near the pitch. The weather conditions were almost ideal; blue sky, little wind, and mild sun. Cho laced up her uniform and grabbed her broom, heart pounding. I need this, she thought. I need to know I'm over him…Cedric. I need to know I can be myself again. Taking a deep breath, she joined the rest of the team outside as they prepared to enter the pitch.
After ascending into the blue sky with the team, Cho swung her broom to a stop and waited patiently for Madam Hooch to finish reciting the rules. She saw Roger and Angelina Johnson shake hands. Then…
Tweet. The whistle blew, and Cho sped upward, planning to look around for a glimpse of gold. She noticed Harry doing the same across the pitch. The small breeze fluttered around Harry's robes and ruffled his untidy hair. He was circling around slowly, face intense with concentration. Cho waited for the imminent heart-pounding, palm-sweating, and giggling spells that usually came over her when she was around Harry.
But none came.
Getting her head back in the game, Cho scanned each inch of the pitch carefully. "Johnson with the Quaffle!" Lee Jordan was yelling excitedly from his commentator podium. "Swerves past Bradley, ducks –wow! – two Bludgers! she aims…shoots…SCORES! Yes! Gryffindor leads 20 to 0! Good job, Angelina! Good thing someone has skills out there!" Professor McGonagall undoubtedly shot him a harsh look, because he continued a bit less enthused afterwards.
Cho continued studying the game extensively. Harry was still lingering above the pitch, looking for the Snitch.
"…And Ron Weasley blocks an attempt by Davies with a well practiced Bristle Kick!" came Lee's thunderous voice. "Oh yes! Now, on the other side of the field, Katie Bell scores! Gryffindor now leads 40 to 0! All right!"
Ravenclaw was falling steadily behind. It's now or never, Cho thought grimly.
She gritted her teeth and zoomed toward Harry, hand outstretched. As she passed his confused figure, Cho made a convincing grab by his ear and then pushed into a nosedive toward the ground. She soon heard the wind of Harry's broom speed behind her. He had fallen for it.
Swerving around the goal hoops and up and down, Cho led Harry on a wild goose chase for near a minute. While Harry concentrated on Cho's every move, Cho's feint allowed her to fly freely around the field searching for the Snitch. Finally, after skillfully leading Harry behind the stands, she finally spotted the golden flash of the Snitch hovering near the Slytherin spectators.
"Bradley!" Cho yelled at the dark haired Ravenclaw Beater as she sped past him. "Get rid of Harry!"
Bradley nodded in understanding and geared up to aim the huge Bludger at Harry. Cho didn't have time to turn around, but the halfhearted cheers from the Gryffindor section told her that Harry had dodged the Bludger but had fallen out of course with Cho. Good, Cho thought. Her plan had worked. For now.
The Snitch was still flitting quickly above the Slytherin stand. Cho bent forward on her broom to speed up. Don't… move, she commanded the Snitch nervously as she stretched her arm out. The Snitch was now so close that Cho could count the golden feathers in its wings. Please, Cho silently pleaded. Let me catch this Snitch... I want to know I'm healed. I want to know that I can move on…
Then, right before Cho made a grab for the Snitch, it quickly darted down toward the Slytherin students, who were staring upward at the Ravenclaw seeker. Cho cursed loudly, much to the amusement of some students, and she immediately dived into the stands. The Snitch was now flying dangerously close to a fifth year named Pansy Parkinson. Cho decided to wait for it to fly back in the air, but the sight of Harry catching up to her again incited her to act instantly.
Cho sped up and then slowly rose to kneel on the Comet, left hand gripping the broom tightly and right hand extended. Cho continued "surfing" this way over the head of the Slytherins until the Snitch was practically in her hand. Almost…there! Cho's heart pounded so violently now that she thought she was going to explode if the anticipation continued any longer. COME ON! Cho screamed inwardly, broom flying at top speed. She grabbed for the golden ball.
…And caught it.
A few moments passed before Cho realized what had happened. She simply stared at her enclosed fist, mouth agape. I did it. I finally did it, Cho sighed, with a mixture of relief and rejuvenated happiness that she hadn't felt in over a year. I've finally moved on.
Wanting to make sure she had actuallycaught it, Cho tightened her grip on the cold ball as she flew toward the center of the pitch. Her teammates gave her a confused look at first, but then Cho grinned and thrust her fist enthusiastically into the air to reveal the Snitch inside it.
"Cho Chang has caught the Snitch!" Lee Jordan's voice filled the stadium. "Ravenclaw wins!"
The cheers that met her immediately after were so deafening that Cho cheered along with them, in spite of herself. Blue and silver clad students rose to their feet, waving banners and roaring at the top of their lungs. The rest of the Ravenclaw team bore down on Cho and began to cheer, high-fiving and hugging her so hard that she almost fell off her broom. "Yeah! Yeah!" Roger Davies yelled over and over again, yanking Cho's arm into the air and swinging her around to face the rest of the cheering spectators. Immense euphoria and jubilation bubbled within Cho, and she couldn't stop grinning. She knew that this moment would forever be a turning point in her life.
After changing out of her Quidditch robes, Cho excitedly headed back to Ravenclaw, practically skipping. She knew the partying inside the common room would continue until the wee hours of morning, and she was eager to join them, as she would be the motive for celebration. As Cho turned the corner to climb the stairs, she spotted Malfoy walking back to his own common room. Cho felt odd excitement tingle down her spine. She owed Malfoy an enormous thank-you –after all, he had helped with her amazing win.
Cho ran back down to meet him, grinning from ear to ear. Upon reaching him, Cho threw her arms around his neck and squealed excitedly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! How can I ever repay you!"
Malfoy tensed, then pushed Cho away awkwardly, looking slightly red.
"Whatever," he drawled. "It's just one more achievement I can add to my list: Amazing Quidditch Coach. Taking a lost cause like you and changing you into a winner was damn near impossible, but I managed to accomplish it!"
Cho was still too animated to allow Malfoy's arrogance to dampen her high spirits. "Yeah, okay!" Cho agreed. What he's saying is true, anyway, Cho admitted to herself. "Thank you so much, Malfoy," she continued. "You seriously saved me from myself, I mean, you have no idea. Thank you sooo much!" She started to give Malfoy another huge hug, but he quickly dodged her outstretched arms and coughed slightly.
"Er, yeah, whatever," Malfoy said uncomfortably, running a hand through his flawless blond hair.
The two stared at each other for a while before Cho broke the silence.
"Well, I'm going to go wash up," Cho said. "I just wanted to thank you, Malfoy. You seriously…you seriously saved my life."
He did save me, Cho realized incredulously, surprised at the words that had just flowed out of her mouth. He saved me from my depression, from my isolation, from my broken heart. Just by showing me that I could excel at something! That I could excel at Quidditch, the love of my life before I met Cedric. Malfoy saved me by pulling me out of the sadness consuming me by giving me a taste of the happiness I felt before. Cho smiled to herself. Welcome back, old self, she sighed contentedly.
Malfoy was watching Cho closely with his grey eyes, as if just realizing something himself. There was another silence, but not so uncomfortable. The sunlight shone through the tall stone windows, illuminating both Malfoy's and Cho's silky hair. Birds chirped and playing first years laughed in the distance, yet it was tranquil and quiet.
"And you saved mine." Malfoy finally said. "We're even."
With that, he turned and walked briskly around the corner, Slytherin robes billowing around his feet.
(A/N) Yay, Chapter 4 is posted! How was it? I understand the ending might have been a bit confusing to non-diehard HP fans, but I'll give you a clue: Wizard's Debt. Well, please review :) Thanks for R&R-ing, readers that did! You really give me a great idea of what you guys like! Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! Snaps for you! ;) Chapter 5 will be up soon!