Word Count: 2123


Or five people who left Cho, and one person who stayed.


One

Cho doesn't know a lot of things. She may be a Ravenclaw, but that doesn't mean she has the answers to everything.

But she does know that she is in love.

Cedric smiles at her, and she can't help but melt. It's been three months since the Yule Ball, since she danced in his arms and spent the entire night smiling. Three months, and she's falling a little more with each passing day.

"You'll forget all about me next year," she says as the two of them enjoy a lazy afternoon by the lake, and she's only half joking. "I'll just be some silly girl you fancied, and you'll be off, living your best life as a Quidditch player somewhere."

He just laughs and shakes his head, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Forget you, Cho?" he echoes, and there's amusement clear as a bell in his voice. "Not gonna happen. You are unforgettable."

Sometimes she doesn't feel like it. On her worst days, Cho can list at least a hundred reasons why she is unremarkable. But Cedric says it with the utmost certainty, and she wonders what she must look like in his eyes. "Promise?"

He raises his hand, holding up his pinky. Cho giggles and links her pinky with his. She can't remember the last time she made a pinky promise, but Cedric seems to do it without a second thought, like it's the most normal thing in the world. She wonders if he knows how adorably wholesome he is.

"I promise," he says, kissing her softly on the lips. "You are too wonderful to forget. I couldn't if I tried."

And that's enough for her.

Cho feels her body grow cold when she finally makes sense of what she's seeing. It isn't that Harry and Cedric have emerged from the maze, side by side. No, Harry is carrying Cedric, but Cho can tell that her boyfriend isn't hurt or merely unconscious.

"No," she whispers, and her knees threaten to buckle beneath her.

She doesn't even think about it as she bolts forward, nearly stumbling in her haste. Marietta is there, holding her steady. "Don't go down there, Cho," her best friend says. "Don't…"

Cho turns to her, gripping her tightly, tears spilling from her eyes. It can't be real. They're supposed to have a future together. He's supposed to wait for her, and then their life is meant to begin.

But that won't happen now. Cedric is gone, and she is alone.

Cho falls to her knees.

Two

Cho knows what they say about her. She can see the pity in everyone's eyes, but she knows there's something else lurking beneath the surface. Not everyone is so kind and sincere. They say she's crazy, that the grief has driven her mad. Maybe it has. Who's to say? Cedric is the first person she's ever known to die, except maybe her uncle when she was four. She thinks she remembers her mother sobbing uncontrollably for days too.

Except those days turn to weeks, and those weeks turn to months.

Marietta doesn't push her away or treat her like she's fragile. She holds Cho close and whispers reassurances in her ear. Cho doesn't know if she loves Marietta, or if she just loves the normalcy of this, but she allows herself to fall again, and she doesn't think a thing of it whenever she and Marietta kiss.

"We should get some sleep," Marietta murmurs as she and Cho sit in the common room, enjoying the silence as the rest of their Housemates sleep.

"Sleep is for the weak."

She doesn't say that sleeping means she will see Cedric, or that her heart can't take another dream of the boy she loves.

Marietta just laughs. "We could study," she suggests.

"I think I have a better idea," Cho says, and she kisses Marietta again.

They never made promises of forever, but Cho still feels the blow whenever Marietta stands before her with an apologetic smile on her freckled face. "It's nothing personal."

Cho laughs. How can it be nothing personal? The things she felt, the intimacy they shared? Those things were so incredibly personal, and Marietta can just act like they're nothing? She doesn't understand.

"I just… I'm not sure that I actually like girls. It all happened so fast, and…" Marietta shrugs. "I'm sorry."

Cho doesn't know what to say, so she just smiles and hopes it looks more genuine than it feels. "No worries," she says.

But, truthfully, Cho has so many worries. What if this is her destiny? What if she's always meant to be left behind, and she will spend the rest of her days alone?

Three

Harry is safe. Harry is easy. Cho knows he fancied her before, and she sees the way he looks at her now. All it takes is lingering after the Dumbledore's Army meeting is over, a little mistletoe (thanks, she believes, to the strange, enchanted room), and the rest is history.

Cho doesn't really feel anything with Harry, not like she did with Cedric or Marietta. Still, she doesn't mind the kiss. It's nice enough, and it makes her feel wanted. Sometimes that's all she really wants: to know she's wanted, to know someone cares about her because she feels so damn lonely lately.

Besides, attraction isn't all about love at first sight. Isn't it possible something will grow from this? Cho hopes so.

"Thank you," she says softly when she and Harry pull apart at last. She manages a hint of a smile as she wipes her eyes.

"For what?"

Cho isn't sure how to answer that, so she just kisses him again because it's easier than praying he might understand the things in her head.

Somehow, it doesn't hurt when Harry leaves her. Maybe it's because she's the one who leaves him. Truthfully, she'd known from the start that it wouldn't last. Try as she might to feel something, things with Harry always felt forced, and she finally had to accept that there was no way they could grow from there.

Still, Cho hates the way the loneliness makes her feel.

Four

Michael Corner is not her type. At least, she doesn't think he is. Then again, her type hasn't exactly worked out for her lately. Still, he's cute and funny, and he whispers all the sweet things that Cho likes to hear.

"You're beautiful," he tells her as they walk through her parents' garden that summer.

And she smiles because she feels wanted, because she feels loved.

"I think we could be forever," he says.

She wants to believe it. After everything she's been through and all the heartache, doesn't she deserve something nice for once? She may be young at seventeen, but Cho is ready to know that her story has a happy ending and that sometimes people really don't leave.

"I hope so."

"I know so," he assures her before kissing her gently.

"It's like all you ever do is cry! Merlin! Everything reminds you of him!"

Cho feels her stomach twist itself into painful knots. Of course this would happen. It always happens. Everyone goes away in the end, and she wonders if it's all her fault. Isn't she the only common factor in all her relationships?

"He's dead, and nothing is going to bring him back!" Michael's eyes widen as he seems to realize what he's said. "I shouldn't have said that."

Cho stands tall and holds her head high. She wants to be loved, but not if it means sacrificing her dignity. "I think you should leave," she says, pointing to the door for emphasis.

"Cho, I'm sorry."

"Leave!"

And then he's gone, and she is left alone once again.

Five

Angelina Johnson is beautiful, and Cho has always admired her talent in the air. So when they find themselves getting close during Healer training, Cho is more delighted than she'll ever say. At least, she is until she realizes Angelina is just as happy.

It doesn't take long before Cho's falling all over again. It should be scary now because every time she's fallen, it's ended in heartache. Somehow, she isn't afraid, and she loves the feeling of butterflies in her stomach whenever Angelina kisses her.

"Well?" Angelina asks, smearing butter onto a fluffy roll before taking a bite. "Have you thought more on my offer?"

Cho sips her wine, nodding. The idea of going on a holiday with her girlfriend is strangely daunting. She's never been in a positon to make such a huge commitment. Still, there's something so exciting about that, and the best part of being in the same program is that their schedules often line up.

"The Bahamas, right?"

Angelina nods. "I've got a cousin who lives there," she says. "Been meaning to visit, but I never have the time."

"Do they know you're… That we're…?"

"Of course she does. I tell her everything."

That makes Cho feel warm and fuzzy inside. Her heart quickens, and she can't help but smile. "I think a holiday would be wonderful."

They make it nearly two years before things change. Angelina gets a job in London, while Cho finds herself working at a hospital in Cardiff. Their schedules never quite seem to match anymore, and planning anything feels more like a chore than something fun.

"It isn't fair to you." Angelina offers her a sad smile. "Well, to me either, but you know me. More concerned about you."

Cho chuckles. "You're right."

She still loves Angelina, and she knows it's a mutual feeling. Cho can see it in the way the other woman looks at her. Still, sometimes love isn't enough to make it work, and, as painful as it is, Cho knows she has to accept that.

"We can still be friends, yeah?" Angelina asks.

"Of course."

But she knows how things will go. They're both so busy, and, in the end, Cho will be alone once again.

And One Who Stayed

Siobhan Murphy comes into Cho's life completely by accident. It's just after the war, and Cho needs to hide away because the grief and trauma, regardless of their victory, is just too much to take. She flees the city and finds herself in the Irish countryside among Muggles who know nothing of the hell she's survived.

And then there's Siobhan. They meet at a pub when Siobhan buys a drink for "the pretty girl with the sad eyes." Cho finds out later that she's a poet.

"Why do you look so haunted?" Siobhan asks, tucking a cigarette between her lips and lighting it, inhaling deeply.

Cho laughs, but the sound is dry, devoid of humor. "Because I am."

That should be all it takes. No one wants to hear her cry about the grief inside her bones. Any sane person would run rather than willingly sit there and listen to Cho cry about her life. Isn't that what happens so often? Everyone gets tired of her pain that never seems to end.

The other woman grins, bright green eyes lighting up as she exhales a puff of smoke. "I'd love to hear about it."

Cho hums to herself as she lifts the teapot, pouring the steaming liquid into the cup. The door opens and Siobhan walks in, grinning wildly. "Did you miss me?" she asks, hurrying forward.

Cho can't help but laugh. It's been three years, and Siobahn is still the same, so bright and full of energy. Her enthusiasm for life never fails to make the world feel a little more beautiful.

"I thought you weren't due in until tonight. I'll grab another cup," Cho says.

Siobhan shakes her head, red curls thumping against her freckled cheeks. "No need. I'm taking you out to celebrate."

Cho raises her brows. "Celebrate what?"

Her girlfriend grins so broadly that Cho thinks it's a miracle her face doesn't split in two. "Celebrate you accepting my proposal, of course."

"Your what?"

Instead of repeating her statement, Siobhan pulls a ring from her jacket pocket. "Cho Chang, you've been my muse, lover, and best friend for exactly three years, seven months, one week, and three days. Not that I'm counting."

Cho wants to laugh, but she's frozen in place, her mind racing as she looks at the small sapphire that adorns the silver band.

"I love you. I plan to love you until my last breath," Siobhan continues. "I would be the happiest woman alive if you would be my wife."

Cho doesn't have to think about it. She throws her arms around the woman she loves, kissing her fiercely. "Of course I will."

And finally, Cho thinks she's found her happily ever after.