Chapter Twenty Three

Ginny had waited long enough, she left the Dining Hall for the Ravenclaw Common Room, she could feel the eyes of other students upon her as she made her way through the castle. She had thought that many students had suspected that she and Cho were a couple long ago, but it seems confirmation of the rumour, in writing, in the newspaper, had apparently imbibed the relationship with something undesirable.

Ginny didn't care, not in the least. She had watched Harry Potter be singled out for years, both the truth and absolute falsehoods had been circulated viciously about him year in and year out. Both positive stories; The Youngest Seeker in a Century, The Chosen One and Dumbledore, Potter Vindicated! and negative stories; Harry Potter - Disturbed and Dangerous and Potter, Plotter and Liar, too? If Harry could survive all of that, she could and would survive this.

But would Cho? Ginny was certain that Cho was upset about having been the cause of Ginny's outing, for which, of course, she would blame herself. There was a chance that Cho had been unexpectedly disturbed by the now public nature of her personal life, but she had worked hard for this over a period of time and she had support. But whatever it was Ginny just wanted to see her girlfriend, she just needed to know that she was okay.

Ginny waited outside Cho's Common Room, she paced outside, up and down, like she had done once before. She pounced on a couple of students who were coming out, "Please, please," she said, a little desperately, "I need to see Cho,"

"She's not here," one girl replied, the other nodded in confirmation

"She is, please knock on her dormitory door, tell her I am here, please," Ginny looked desperate.

One of the girls turned back and the other stood, looking at Ginny, her foot in the doorway, holding it open. After a moment the first girl returned,

"She isn't there," Ginny pushed past them,

"Sorry," she muttered, walking straight past them and through the Common Room, she looked for the steps leading up where she knew the door to Cho Chang's bedroom door was most likely to be.

Ravenclaw students seemed disturbed to see a Gryffindor apparently barging into their private space, heading off difficulty, Ginny raised both hands,

"Sorry, two minutes, that's all," she took a small set of stairs at the back of the Common Room, at the top of which were three doors. Ginny guessed it was the middle door and rapped smartly on it,

"Cho Chang, don't you dare ignore me, I will be humiliated in front of all these Ravenclaw students that are staring at me like I have two heads." It was part joke, she wanted to signal to Cho that she was not angry with her, not upset at all, but quite determined to see her.

The Ravenclaw students began to gather at the base of the stairs, wondering if there was going to be trouble, would they be called on to protect and defend their Head Girl? Their fellow Ravenclaw? A full minute passed in silence, Ginny was beginning to wonder if Cho was either genuinely not here or really not going to allow her entrance. She had not actually anticipated either outcome, she had been completely convinced that Cho was indeed in residence, Cho would not have left Hogwarts without sending her word, not unless it was an emergency.

The idea of something dreadful having happened drained the blood from her face. She was too panicked to turn around and face the students she could feel collecting at her back, they were going to turn her out any moment, she knew it. A click sounded from the other side of the door and the door opened an inch, Ginnie breathed out in relief.

"May I come in?" she asked, more for the benefit of the Ravenclaw students below, she didn't want any of them to be able to claim that she forced her way in. She pushed the door open, but the curtains were drawn and it was so dark inside that she could not see clearly, she turned back,

"I am just going to check that she is okay, give me a few minutes and I will let you know,"

The students looked mutely at her and then at each other, shrugging and nodding reluctantly.

Ginny headed in and pushed the door to, gently, "Cho?" There was no answer.

"Lumos," Ginny said, quietly. The end of her wand lit up like a low burning torch, she held it up and looked around the room. To the right was Cho's four poster bed, to the left was an office area, a study desk and chair, a book shelf. Ginny walked further into the room, there was a window running the length of the wall at the back of the room and door between the desk and the window, probably the ensuite, Ginny thought.

She turned back toward the bed, the lumpy bed which was evidently where Cho was hiding out. Ginny approached the bed, "Cho?" There was no answer, the whole bed covering was pulled right up over her head. Ginny knelt at the bed,

"I just need to know that you're okay, then I will go if you wish."

It was another full minute before there was a little movement, Cho's hand wriggled its way out from under the covers. Ginny took it, she kissed it,

"Thank you," she whispered, if that was the best Cho could do, then it was good enough for Ginny, who knelt there for many minutes, without further response.

"How about a cup of tea? I promised to let your fellow students know that you're okay, what shall I tell them?" Ginny asked, she waited but no response was forthcoming. She pushed herself up off the floor, "I will be right back,"

Ginny went back to the door and came down the steps, the students were waiting silently.

"Have you seen the article?" Ginny asked them, they nodded.

"Is she okay?" one of them dared to ask.

"I don't know for certain, she slept poorly," Ginny guessed, "I am going to order some tea and toast. Will you allow me to sit with her for a while? If she needs help, I will contact Professor Flitwick."

They nodded, glad to know that somebody was going to take responsibility because they didn't know anything about mental illness and they didn't know what to expect.

Ginny called for a House Elf, one of whom arrived immediately with a loud crack!

"Could we please have a fresh pot of tea for two, with a large serving of toast?" Ginny asked, the House Elf simply disappeared with a crack and Winky reappeared after a minute with a tray. Ginny took it gratefully, "Thank you," she said, and a loud crack sounded as the only response.

Back inside Cho's room, she placed the tray at the end of the bed, she opened the blinds only two inches either side and dragged the office chair over to the bed. Ginny noticed Cho's hand still poking out from under the covers, she tore off a corner of toast with marmalade and laid it over the top of Cho's hand. She poured the tea and placed Cho's cup on the bedside table and settled herself in the chair, putting her feet up on the side of the bed.

"I'd like to see your pretty face? Even if you don't feel very pretty, today," Ginny began sipping her strong hot tea. "I've read the whole article. It's really very good. You and George have done something that will help a lot of people. I am very proud of you. I am open to being told to shut up."

The hand withdrew after a minute and then returned minus the toast, Ginny wanted to laugh out loud but she simply put another piece of toast where the last one had been. She wanted to see her, to see her and hold her, she felt impatient, but she knew that Cho was doing the best she could, and Ginny had to be grateful for what she had, which was more than she had ten minutes ago when she stood facing a closed door.

"I saw that The Daily Prophet outed us both. I know it's a bit self centred to mention this now, but I just wanted you to know that I am fine with it. Just so you know. I sent George an Owl this morning and asked him to talk to mum and dad for me. He'll put in a good word for you, too, I'm sure. Maybe we should send him around to yours on his way home?" The bed covers jiggled a little and Ginny interpreted that as a silent laugh.

"Your tea is on the bedside table," the hand and the toast withdrew. Several long minutes passed and then there was movement, it appeared that Cho was preparing herself for the next thing. There was wriggling, the long body stretched out, a black haired head poked out of the top of the covers, it slid up the bed into a sitting position.

"Hello," said Cho, it sounded unwilling, like the price she had to pay for a cup of tea.

"Hello," said Ginny, who pushed the plate of toast further up the bed for Cho.

They sipped the tea silently, and when Ginny got to the bottom of her cup, she placed it on the tray, moved the tray to her chair and then climbed onto the bed, crawled up beside Cho, and squeezed herself right up behind her. She pulled Cho back to lean on her, she raked her thick hair back from her face, she wrapped her up and kissed the back of her head several times.

"Can I do anything for you?" Ginny asked.

Cho gulped back the rest of her tea, pushed the cup along the bedside table and then pulled Ginny's arms around her more firmly still. She didn't answer, she seemed to be considering her options.

"There have just been so many changes, I am worn out," she said in a small voice.

"Yeah, it's been a big, big week," Ginny agreed, "Have you slept?"

"Not well," Cho answered, her voice was all wobbly, like she was about to cry.

"Well you are in the best place, then. Have you spoken to Mika?"

"I've sent her a text, she will try to fit me in throughout her scheduled appointments."

"A text?"

"A short message on the mobile phone and she will telephone me when she has time."

"I don't really know what I am doing, I'm just worried, I care about you,"

"None of us knows what we are doing, but I'm glad you're here,"

The pair sat together, talking quietly for an hour or so, at which time Cho's phone rang. She explained what it was and Ginny nodded in comprehension, she grabbed the tray and left the room. Some of the Ravenclaw students were still in the Common Room when Ginny laid the tray down, they asked if Cho was okay. Ginny could see that they were genuinely concerned and probably had no more idea about Mental Health than she had had, she decided to take a seat and talk to them openly about their Head Girl, not breaking any confidences, of course.

"She has had a big few days. That Quidditch Grand Final was huge. You know she wants to play professionally?" the students were nodding, everyone knew that.

"So there were a lot of people here to see her," Ginny went on, "It was like a job interview in front of fifty prospective employers all at once and it was a lot of pressure." The students' eyes widened, they might not understand about job interviews but fifty employers sound pretty intimidating.

"Cho is becoming well known in the community, in the papers, and that's a lot of pressure too, she has nowhere to hide if she messes up - every one is going to know." Again, this simple message was something these young people could relate to, even if they did not fully understand.

"Cho wanted to use her exposure to draw attention to her experience, she remembers that when she was having a hard time, she felt alone, and she thought giving that interview might let someone else, someone who feels the same way, know that they aren't alone."

"It's a big risk for her, many of those selectors yesterday wanted to offer her a contract but she felt it wouldn't be right to accept an offer from someone who didn't know that she might sometimes need extra support. I think what she has done, has been extraordinarily brave, selfless really." The students didn't respond, Ginny wondered if that last concept might have been a little too complex for her young audience.

"She could have kept quiet and pretended that she was fine, she could have taken a contract, made a lot of money, been rich and famous and no one would ever know. But she was concerned that if there was just one person out there that needs help, someone that felt down, who lost someone, that felt like things were too dark, too hard for them to handle, that they would never get better, she wanted to let them know that they are not alone, that they can get better."

Comprehension was dawning a quite a few faces, Ginny persisted with the final part of her message,

"There isn't anything wrong with Cho. She hasn't got a disease, she isn't going to start freaking out or anything. You have no reason to be concerned or afraid, you can just speak plainly to her like you did last week, last month. You all know her, she hasn't changed, you just have a little bit more information than you had last week."

"She really is incredibly kind, incredibly clever and she cares about you all very much, she cares about this school. So when you see her, just say hi, ask her how she is, and she will say she is fine, or she is tired, or she has taken on a little too much or whatever. Quidditch is over now, exams are coming up for all of us, we are all going to be tired, stressed, feeling like we can't cope, so we need to be kind to each other, thoughtful, supportive, yeah?"

They all nodded. "Any questions?"

They all looked at each other, there was something unspoken, Ginny could sense it.

"Is it about me and Cho?" More nodding.

"Well, it's a little too early to tell, Cho and I are certainly very good friends, and there is a romantic feeling between us, but there has been so much going on that we haven't had a chance to work it out. But at the end of the day, it's between me and Cho, we are still the same awesome people whether we are friends, or girlfriends or whatever we decide to be in the future. And remember, we are being kind, thoughtful and supportive? We are not gossiping, discrimminting and bullying, okay?"

Some of the students were looking up the stairs and Ginny looked up and saw Cho, dressed and looking ready to go down stairs for lunch,

"Kicking me out of your Common Room?" Ginny grinned at Cho.

"Yes, it's beginning to smell like Gryffindor in here," Cho smiled back.

The students laughed at such a rude retort from their Head Girl,

"Alrighty then, it's a shame because your students are lovely," she bounced up and bowed low to Cho, "Lunch, my lady?"

"Yes please, I'm starving," Cho took the proffered hand and they stepped out of the Common Room, with a surprisingly long line of students following in their wake! Ginny ate her lunch at the Ravenclaw table with her girlfriend, after which they went for a walk in the sunshine and Cho began to put her poor start to the day behind her.

"I was right,"

"About what?"

"Your pretty face."