Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter". It is hereby © to J.K. Rowling. I wrote this story when I was 12 years old in the year 2003. So, "Half-Blood Prince" wasn't out yet either. It didn't exist at this point. Again, errors in spelling and grammar have been intentionally left in to preserve my skills as a young writer. This story is complete. This is a repost.
Chapter Five: Safe haven
Two days went by. Harry was getting worried. During all that flying, Cho hadn't sent him a single telepathic message. He feared she was already dead and it made him fly even faster. They were almost there. Just an hour ago, they passed Hogsmeade. Even without any Hogwarts students there, the tiny village was just as busy as ever. None of them were tired. They had set up camp in various places to rest from their journey. Today was the day of the full moon. The day they would rescue Cho. They all were shaking with anticipation.
Cho waited alone in the room. Hoping to be free. She was quickly losing hope.
"Harry will come for me…he promised…" she whispered softly, and half-heartedly.
Her captor walked into the room, grinning evilly.
"Losing hope that your friends will never come and rescue you? I told you, they don't care about you, not even Harry. They're just leaving you here to rot.It's been three days. They haven't come for you. They never will. You are going to die here. No one cares for little Cho anymore. They couldn't care less about you…they've probably forgotten about you by now. And I'll be the only here to witness your death. Harry's probably found another girl…" The girl said, grinning even wider.
"That's not true! They do care for me!" Cho replied fiercely. "You say such things because you never fell in love and you would like to taste it! You've probably never been asked out in your life!"
The girl slapped Cho across her face. Her long fingernails cut into Cho's face and left a thin bleeding scratch on her cheek.
"Never insult me, or else…the consequences will have to brought into affect again."
"I do not care! Your threats do not bring me fear."
The girl raised her wand and levitated Cho to the ceiling and dropped her straight down to the floor.
"Scared now?" she asked.
Cho did not speak a word.
"Answer me!"
Cho still said nothing.
The girl went for Cho's hair and yanked out a piece of long, tangled, raven-black hair. Cho bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly as the girl got some scissors and cut her hair into uneven sections. The girl put the scissors away when she finished, and Cho opened her eyes only to see that she was seated into front of a mirror. She gazed at her reflection. It was no longer the same. She believed at once that she was ugly. She cried as she looked herself over, seeing all the scratches and gashes upon her body. Her hair, now frizzy and tangled, not to mention, seriously uneven with large split ends. Her hair that had once flowed down her back was now so short it barely reached the top of her shoulders. She began to cry at her hideousness.
"Not pretty anymore? Good." The girl cackled, smirking.
Harry, Akira, Tai, Sirius, and Lupin were flying over the tops of the Forbidden Forest. It was dusk and the five of them were drenched. By late afternoon it had started to rain, but for the moment, it had stopped and they were dying off.
"There it is!" Harry shouted, pointing at the clearing where Cho was.
"Good. Now I will have to dash off soon. I do not wish to turn into a werewolf while I am around you all. Of course, if that happens, Sirius will protect you all from me…won't you Sirius?" Lupin said.
Sirius nodded.
"Let's set up a small camp about a mile from the place. We don't want to be seen." Tai suggested.
"Good idea." Harry and Akira agreed.
They flew a mile from the clearing, which happened to be a little ways from the Whomping Willow. They set up a camp and ventured forward to the clearing.
"I must leave. The moon is starting to rise." Lupin exclaimed.
"Go right ahead…" said the four.
Lupin took off at a dash for the Whomping Willow and prodded the knot in the tree and got inside the secret passage just as he started to change.
"Good thing he ran fast or else we would've been wolf chow." Akira said, trying to make them laugh.
"Yeah…" said the other three.
They all chuckled weakly and continued walking in silence. When they were in the trees that surrounded the clearing, Sirius gave instructions to them.
"Tai, you and I are going to level this fortress to the ground. Akira, try and distract the girl. Harry, rescue Cho and bring her to the camp as quickly as possible. If she can't run or even stand up, carry her or do what you can to get her to the camp. Now everyone ready?" Sirius instructed.
"Yes." Said the three.
"Good. Let's go." Sirius replied.
They all moved forward, Sirius and Tai positioned themselves in front of the building, and the top half crumbled away. Cho's captor emerged from the now open ceiling, looking furious.
"What are you doing?" She hissed, looking at Tai and Sirius.
"Hey! Hey lady! Yeah, you! Over here! Hello! Look at me, thank you! Just wanted to let you know, you're a self-centered bitch who needs to get some." Akira shouted.
The young woman's face contorted with fury and chased after Akira as Harry went inside the collapsing stone building. He found Cho tied up on the floor, in the dark. She was unconscious. Harry couldn't see her in the dark, but he found the ropes that bound her and he carried her outside. He revived Cho and set her down on the ground, and seated himself next to her. She didn't move.
"C'mon Cho, please don't be dead." Harry pleaded.
Lightning flashed and illuminated the whole clearing. Then Harry could see Cho clearly.
"What has she done to you?!" Harry asked in rage.
He held her close to his chest. Then he felt her breathe. She moved her arms and wrapped them around Harry.
"You kept your promise…" She whispered.
"Cho! Thank god, you're alive!" Harry exclaimed.
He hugged her tighter and felt Cho's bare back and plenty of scratches and cuts. He pulled out her white cloak and gave it to her.
"It's from your mum and dad. Tai and Akira have one too, put it on." Harry said, handing it to her.
Cho put the cloak on and clumsily tried to stand up. Harry helped her and both took off at a run. Cho's captor saw them getting away and she stopped chasing Akira and went after Harry and Cho. Sirius saw this, transformed into a dog, and bit the woman's leg as Tai hastily tied her to a small tree. The three took off after Harry and Cho.
Harry and Cho had already reached the small camp and they were sitting in a brightly lit tent as Harry gently lifted off Cho's cloak and examined all the gashes on her back.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"She would hit me when ever I said or did anything that she didn't like. She had a whip…that's why I have so many marks on my back. Just today, she gave me this, and this too." Cho explained, showing Harry the scratch on her face, the piece of hair she had missing, and the uneven split ends of her hair.
Cho could tell that Harry was very angry.
"Don't be mad. Just be happy that I have been returned to you, alive." Cho said.
"You're right…" Harry sighed, calming down. "Now about those cuts…I'll need to er…"
"Yeah, I know…" Cho replied, reaching for Harry's pocketknife and cutting the already torn fabric on her back down the center. "That should do it…"
"Thanks…" Harry said.
He got his wand, studied an enchanted medical kit, and muttered a few incantations and Cho felt a great amount of the cuts disappear.
"That's all I can do right now, we have to leave soon. We don't want that dreadful woman following us." Said Harry.
"That's alright. I do feel better now…I'm sure I can take care of the rest on my own…" Cho replied thankfully.
Akira, Tai, and Sirius walked in. Akira and Tai saw their sister and pounced on her.
"You're alive!" exclaimed Akira.
"I don't believe it! You're ok!" Tai said, crying. "I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see my sister again!"
"Sorry, to break the moment here, but we have to leave. I doubt that rope won't hold that girl for very long," Sirius said. "Lupin's waiting for us. The moon has disappeared, but it's still raining."
Akira and Tai nodded and exited the tent after Sirius did. Harry found a spare shirt of his and handed it to Cho.
"Wear that until I can get you a shirt your size," Harry said. "I won't look. I swear!"
"You'd best hope I don't catch you peeping or I'll have to smack you." Cho said giggling.
Harry turned around, closed his eyes, and stood in the corner of the tent. Cho took off her night gown and put the shirt on, realizing something.
"Harry, do you have any jeans? Or leggings or something?" Cho asked. "You can look…"
Harry opened his eyes and quickly rifled through a bag and pulled out a pair of his smaller jeans.
"Here." He said tossing it to Cho.
Cho caught it and put them on. She didn't bother to ask about shoes, she wouldn't mind going barefoot for a while. She tapped Harry on the shoulder, letting him know that she was fully dressed and ready to go. He turned around and looked her over.
"Looks fine to me. Here's your cloak. Let's go. They're all waiting." Harry said.
They exited the tent. When Cho turned around, the tent was gone.
"Get the brooms!" Tai shouted over the howling wind and pouring rain.
Lupin and Sirius got the brooms and were casting charms to hold the brooms still enough for them to mount them.
"Harry, Cho, get on that one there. The more weight on these in this weather the better. You'll stay balanced and you won't fly away or get blown off course." Sirius said.
Both headed for the broom they were instructed to go and they mounted it.
"Once you mount it, take off!" Lupin yelled.
Harry nodded. He and Cho kicked off and shot into the air, fighting against the wind. Akira and Tai flew up next. Soon after Sirius and Lupin flew up on separate brooms.
"Let's go!" All of them yelled.
Together they nodded and shot through the sky like bullets.
The wind eventually stopped, but the rain kept on coming. Everyone shivered from the ice cold rain, and shook their wet hair, stinging their faces.
As the hour progressed, the rain lessened and Cho could no longer stay awake. She fell asleep, leaning against Harry's chest. Harry smiled when he saw Cho asleep in his arms. When the rain finally stopped completely, the sun was starting to rise and Cho awoke to the rising sun and watched the sky turn from black to gold.
"It's so beautiful." Cho said quietly after a time.
Harry was slightly startled that Cho had woken, but his gaze followed Cho's. He gazed at Cho for a second.
"The sunrise is beautiful…" Harry replied.
Cho nodded.
"But not as beautiful as you are…" Harry whispered in her ear.
Harry could clearly see Cho now. Better than he could last night in the tent or in the light of the bright lightening. Cho's bright eyes were duller than usual and she was pale. Only now, color was returning and her eyes were becoming brighter each moment the two of them spent together. A pink tinge crossed Cho's face. Harry looked down and saw Lupin's home coming into view.
"There it is!" Harry said pointing at it. "We're staying there."
Cho looked at the place and loved it.
"It's wonderful, Harry!" Cho replied.
They flew down towards the cottage and touched down lightly. They all dismounted their brooms, leaned them against the outer wall by the door, and stepped inside Lupin's home.