The journey from the bar to the building of Cho's flat was somewhat of a blur. Whether this blur was because of the once again increasing snow flurries or the lingering effect of his drinking at the bar, Harry followed the dark haired girl down the cold street and to a nondescript brick building.

She unlocked the door and after allowing him inside and out of the chilly hallway, Harry could not help but notice that the interior of Cho's flat could not be more different from the bar, or from his own flat, for that matter. The place was delicate and neat, much like Cho herself. The walls were a pale blue color and Harry could not help but wonder if this color had been influenced by her past house at Hogwarts. Cho removed her coat and tossed it over the back of her couch, then made her way to the kitchen across the room. Harry stood somewhat uncomfortably in the entranceway of her home, not quite sure what exactly made him decide to come home with this girl. His feelings for Cho were once so strong, if he had told himself 4 years ago that he would be standing in her flat on a winters night, he surely would have hit his future self and thought he was a complete lying git.

Cho wandered back into the sitting room a few minutes later with two glasses of water, setting them down on a small coffee table and setting herself down on the couch next to it. Even in her slight drunkenness she had a delicate way about her, and Harry could not help but remember all the causes of his past fondness for her.

She glanced over at him from the couch, and Harry realized that he still had not moved from his place near the door. He removed his coat and placed it next to Cho's on the back of the couch, and she beckoned him towards where she was sitting. Harry made his way to the couch, and though he felt a small pull of apprehension inside him, he continued onward in the situation he had allowed himself to become a part of. He took his place on the other cushion of the loveseat, so there were several inches between his and Cho's bodies. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Harry, would you mind handing me one of those glasses?"

Harry's eyes darted from her to the water glasses on the coffee table and back to her. He leaned forward in his seat, grabbing a glass and bringing it back, then placing it in her hand. Cho put the glass to her lips and took a sip. She looked over at Harry again, who was still perched somewhat unsurely on the sofa.

"You can have the other one, you know".

"Oh, er, right, thanks." Harry reached out and grabbed the other glass from the table. As every minute passed he became more unsure of the position he was now in. The effects of the firewhisky had began to wear off quite some time ago, and he was certain that Cho was in a much different state of mind than him. She relaxed on the couch, leaning back, occasionally closing her eyes for a moment, occasionally sipping on her water, and more frequently looking at Harry. He felt a sort of expectation from her, and the situation itself seemed to call for some sort of action. At the precise moment he began to have this thought, Cho sat up and leaned forward to speak to him.

"Harry, do you remember how we were sixth year? I really did like you, but after Cedric and everything…I was just so hurt and confused and you had so much going on on your own, I can't help but feel like…we never got a real chance, you know? There were so many other things in the way we didn't even get an honest try."

Harry noticed the slight sparkle of tears in her eyes, and he was unable to tell if this emotion was brought on by her choice of drink for the night, or if she had really been torn up about this for all these years. Either way, Harry felt completely unsure of what to say to her. He could agree with the fact that life had gotten in the way of them, had influenced their actions and emotions in a way that tore them apart. Harry could not help but feel a bit of confusion on what to do — he had had such strong feelings for Cho during his earlier years at Hogwarts, and now here he was, on her loveseat, in her flat, discussing their past relationship. Cho's eyes moved to his again, and he realized he should at least try to answer her.

"Well, er, yes I suppose you're right. But you know just…the war and all…I had a lot going on. So did you."

It seemed to him that Cho had been looking at his lips directly all while he was speaking. She leaned forward even farther as he finished his thought, and in a hushed tone as if to keep a secret, she said,

"Well, I don't have much going on now, and it doesn't seem like you do, either".

She smiled slightly, and this time, Cho moved her entire body over a few inches towards Harry's half of the loveseat. The tight pull of apprehension continued to grow in his chest, but he not yet had a reason to act on it. They were just talking, old friends, speaking of past times.

Cho was now much closer to Harry on the sofa and he could smell the clean, sweet smell of her shampoo. She leaned forward once again in the silence and asked him to kiss her.

A small piece of Harry's mind glimmered with excitement — Cho was very beautiful after all, and it's not every day a girl went this far out of her way to kiss him. However, the sinking feeling of uncertainty he felt was more influential than the slight flattery. Cho seemed to disregard Harry's silence, as she continued to lean forward, her face approaching his slowly. She was a foot away, then 10 inches, 8, 7, until she began to close her eyes and close the rest of the space between them. Out of habit Harry's eyes began to close as well, but once they closed all he could imagine was long red hair and a Weasley he hadn't spoken to for months. He pulled backwards immediately and stood up.

"I'm er, I'm sorry. I can't." Harry shook his head and looked downwards. Cho sat in stunned silence, and he could not tell if she was about to cry or yell. He was almost certain he'd never seen her seem so shaken.

"Is something wrong, Harry? Did I…"

"No, I just, er, I just…can't. I'm sorry. I…I should go. Yeah". He looked downwards once more and made his way around the couch, retrieving his coat and putting it on. Cho had turned around on the couch, still starting at him.

"So, er, goodbye, then. Sorry. See you." Harry hastily made his way out the door before she had a chance to say anything, or cast a spell at him. As Harry walked quickly down the hall a million thoughts raced through his mind. The feelings of shock and slight flattery of Cho's advancements were still fresh in his mind, but even more present was the image he had of Ginny. A small piece of him had been trying to get over her, for her own good, and perhaps his as well. But this proved itself not as easy as he had hoped. As much as he loved living with Ron, his freckled face and bright red hair couldn't help but remind him of the girl that Harry had not been able to keep, even after everything that had happened. It had been months since he and Ginny had spoken, but this was the first occurrence in quite some time that had made him feel so affected by her lack of presence.

As he walked out the door of Cho's building, he allowed himself a moment to stop and compose himself. The snow drifted down around him and the sky was still dark, the stars shining and the moon a sliver between the trees. He closed his eyes again and as he felt the cold wind brush him, he once again imagined her face, her long red hair, her smile. Harry then turned and began to walk down the street.