CHO CHANG'S EIGHTH YEAR

By monkeymouse

NB: JKRowling built the Potterverse; I'm just redecorating one of the rooms. And one of the great things about JKR telling the story from Harry's point of view is that stuff could be happening all over the wizarding world that Harry isn't aware of.

Rated: PG-13

Spoilers: Everything

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4. The Knock on the Door

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Now that Cho had mastered lightening the body, and found that she was able to climb walls effortlessly and even make her way across ceilings, she asked at dinner one night later that week, "So, what's next?"

Lotus leveled a critical gaze at her daughter. "Do you eat during lessons?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"I won't teach during meals."

"Well, forgive me for being enthusiastic."

"Cho, why do you think you're playing one note at a time on the flute?"

Cho went back to eating. She knew the answer—concentration, meditation, focus—but her mother seemed to be in one of her moods. Something was wrong somehow, and she'd have to find out later.

She found out after dinner, which was probably how Lotus had planned it. Cho had just finished spelling the dishes clean and into the cupboard when her mother walked into the kitchen.

"There's tea in the parlour." That was all; she turned and left the kitchen.

This was strange. It was as if Lotus wanted to tell Cho something, but also wanted Cho to ask the first question, make the next move. Well, Cho thought, I've already done that. For a second she considered just going to bed and leaving the mystery until tomorrow or the next day; try to force her mother to do something for a change. But Cho immediately gave up on that plan, since she really wanted to know what was next.

Lotus was on the sofa; Cho sat in the comfy chair opposite. As soon as she did, her mother asked, "Has this been clear to you so far?"

"To tell the truth, not always. You let a few things go until I was already well on the way to learning them."

"So, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I trusted you. I haven't seen you or daddy do a lot of Chinese magic, but you've spoken of it, so that I knew that you knew what you were doing."

"Have you heard us speak of chi?"

"Only in connection with herbs. Is chi part of this larger magic?"

"Chi is part of everything. It's part of the life-force that moves us. We each have our own levels of chi within us, and the herbs and potions we've worked with in this family for generations are intended to balance the chi and direct its flow. Now do you understand why we can't talk about it as part of your training, even though it's an important part?"

Cho thought she understood, but, as usually happened when her mother's lessons abruptly shifted from one subject to another, she doubted her own grasp of the subject. "It seems to me that some of this was covered at Hogwarts, although not the way you speak of it. Our Potions and Herbology classes and so on."

"Fortunately, they didn't give you too many misconceptions. I think we can start tomorrow formally adding chi to the lessons. Informally, it's been there from the beginning."

Cho realized that this bit of news didn't clarify things very much. It was what she expected to happen. She felt that she was still at Hogwarts, in a way, but didn't know how she felt about that.

xxx

Winter seemed to come early to Diagon Alley; the days were cold and overcast, not at all like some of the golden, melancholy autumn days Cho remembered from her childhood and from Hogwarts.

But it didn't really matter to her. Chi was a concept that actually explained a lot to Cho. The hard part was what Lotus demanded of her: the ability to see chi. It didn't help that Lotus insisted that there were many different forms of chi, but refused to answer Cho's question (which she thought was a perfectly logical question) as to how many kinds there are.

"The kinds of chi are as numerous as the life it activates. And I don't mean just plants or just animals or just people. Chi is within and moves all things, from the ants in the ground to the stars in the heavens."

"Then why can't I see it everywhere?"

"Because you've only just started, Little Horse. Only the great sages, in heaven and on earth, can see more than one or two kinds of chi. If you could see many kinds, you would lose sight of the world itself. You may as well be blind."

"Well, what would I see now?"

"When I see a person's chi, it's rather like a blue fire. Of course, now that I've said that, you should try to forget it. You might see a different kind of chi and think it's a mistake."

"I'll try to remember that. I mean, I'll try to remember to forget. You know what I mean."

This brought an almost soundless chuckle from Lotus. Cho thought that her mother was especially beautiful when she smiled, which she did so seldom. Laughter was even rarer for her.

Cho's days were fuller now than they had ever been at Hogwarts. She walked on teacups, and extended her moves to the walls and ceiling. She played the single note on the flute, losing herself in it. She read such few books as her parents had which talked about chi, and tried to wrap her mind around what she learned. Unlike Hogwarts, there were no texts, no real lectures, no exams. She had no way to be sure that she was learning what she needed to learn, except for her own instincts and the occasional corrective words of her mother.

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The shoppe closed for Christmas, after the annual crush of customers on Christmas Eve finishing up potions at the last minute. On Christmas morning Cho insisted on serving tea to her parents. Her gift was the tea set, which was enchanted to change its designs according to the phases of the moon and the seasons of the year. The cups and saucers and pot went from Chinese to Japanese, from Victorian to Dutch. This morning tea was served in a Swiss motif.

Her parents bought her a new set of books she had read most of her life: the five Classics by Confucius. This was an enchanted annotated set of the books, a scholar's edition quoting Lao Tzu, Meng Tzu, and other Chinese sages and scholars. Cho looked through one volume, and put it aside after five minutes. Not that she minded the difficulty, but, after all, this was a holiday. She looked forward to spending literally years combing through these books, perhaps never finding an end to what lay within.

That evening, after dinner, they were in the upstairs parlour using the tea set again. The set had gone from Swiss to a brightly colored Korean design, and the black tea had a strong but pleasant scent of lemon and ginger. Cho was inhaling the tea before drinking it, when she looked up at the wall and the objects mounted on it.

"You've yet to tell me: what are those things?"

"Apart from the obvious, you mean?"

"Mummy, either you trust me to want to learn about Chinese magic or you don't. And I doubt you'd go through all this trouble if you thought I couldn't do it."

"No need to get defensive about it, Cho. I just needed to know what you needed to know. So; how much do you know about the Immortals?"

"They lived in or about the eighth century. Each possessed a different magical ability."

"Actually, the ability lay partly in themselves and partly in their tools. That's why the tools are called the Covert Immortals. It's an intimate relationship."

"Then there's something about those tools, then, or are they just representations?"

"They aren't 'just' anything. They carry the power that their owners carry. The sheng is made of bamboo, as was the original."

"And whose weapon was that?"

"The lone woman among the Immortals: He Xiangu. They knew she was special at birth, because of six very long hairs on her head. When she was a bit younger than you are now, she began to change her diet, among other things, to become an immortal. Some years later, she rose up to Heaven; there were many who witnessed this."

"What other things, mother?"

"What?"

"What were the other things?"

"Is that important?"

"Just for my own curiosity."

"Yes. Well, He Xiangu also decided to remain a virgin for the rest of her life."

"Ah." Cho gave her mother a smile that held several meanings. "Even if I wanted to become an Immortal myself, I couldn't deprive you of becoming a grandmother."

"Well, I hope you don't rush into motherhood on my account." Now it was Lotus and her husband who exchanged meaningful looks. "Since you haven't mentioned it, I assume you've heard nothing."

Cho finished the thought: nothing about Harry. "And we know why I can say nothing even if I knew."

Xiemin sipped his tea, which the cup kept warm no matter how long since it had been poured, and spoke to Cho: "Your mother and I have taken this quite well, don't you think?" Cho couldn't help remembering some of the arguments she had had with her parents about Harry, and nodded. "I think you know what we mean to say. As to the sword on the wall, it's made of wood from a peach tree, which if anything has helped focus and amplify its power against evil spirits. The sword was the weapon of Lu Dongbin. These days he'd be called an alchemist. He was a thorough scholar, which you'll surely appreciate. He was also fond of drinking and fond of the ladies, which we'd rather you didn't imitate."

"No fear, daddy," Cho smiled.

xxx

The store closed early on 31 December, so that Cho could help her mother in the kitchen. They had to celebrate the New Year with the rest of Diagon Alley, which meant the Gregorian calendar rather than the lunar calendar. So they prepared a traditional ten-course dinner to celebrate. They would have invited their neighbours the Tans, but after Minister Scrimgeour was assassinated they had quietly closed up their house and moved back to China "for the duration." The Changs accepted that they would have no guests this year.

So the Changs were surprised when the doorbell rang five minutes after the first course was served. Cho went to the door and opened it to reveal Penelope Clearwater, who she met on her way to Hogwarts for the first time. Penelope was several years ahead of Cho, but they kept in touch, and Penelope was as much a friend of Cho's as any of the girls in Cho's year. Before Cho could say a word, Penelope's face twisted into a tearful howl; she grabbed Cho's shoulders, and at first could only get out one word: "Audrey!"

That ended dinner as a family sit-down event. Cho took Penelope to the upstairs parlour, where she sat before the fire and, sniffling between sips of tea, told her story to Cho and, when she brought food into the parlour for the girls, Lotus.

"I never thought he'd take that Ministry rot seriously," Penelope moaned. "The Weasleys have always been friends of the Muggle-born. And when Percy and I were together, he never once threw my parents back in my face. Never! But now…" Penelope started crying again.

"Let me take a guess, dear," Lotus said as she brought in two plates of steamed dumplings for the girls. "Nobody heard about this Audrey until two or three months ago; correct?"

Penelope just buried her head in her hands, quietly sobbing as her hostesses watched. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together and looked at Cho; Penelope's eyes were puffy and bloodshot, as if she'd been crying for hours. "I know it makes Percy sound as shallow as the gutter in the street, and I know he was never like that. Maybe I was more intellectual than he, but he never held that against me. Never!"

"Which means that he traded you for this Audrey for only one reason…"

"Mother, please!" Cho tried to stop Lotus from saying it, but Penelope spoke up.

"It's all right, Cho; Merlin knows I've thought the same thing. He knows I'll end up on a list of those the Ministry considers inferior, and he doesn't want to have me stand in the way of his career, now that he's working for Minister Thicknesse." Penelope grabbed for her teacup and sipped it. "And, whoever she is, I'm sure she comes from a fine old Pureblood family. And I hope he has a long and happy life with his Pureblood little bitch!" Penelope threw the teacup into the fire and dissolved into sobs again.

Lotus looked as if she were going to throw Penelope out, but Cho held up her hand. She Summoned the pieces out of the fireplace and Repaired the cup. "Penny dear," Cho said, taking Penelope's hand in both of her own, "do you want Percy to be with Audrey? Or will you try to win him back?"

"Honestly, I want him to suffer. I want him to know that his heart was broken, the way mine is now. But how will he ever know?"

"Nothing personal, but what makes you think he still could care, after doing something like this?"

"Be-because I, I remember," Penelope said as best she could through her tears. "When I w-was cured of the b-b-basilisk attack, P-Percy met me at the in-infirmary. And he looked so sad and so relieved, and he held me so, so…" She had to take a couple of deep breaths. "Why didn't I die right then, at that moment? I haven't been as happy since then, and now I just want the earth to open up and swallow me."

"Mother, please, can Penny spend the night here? She's in a bad way, and it's probably too late to take her anywhere else."

"Such as where?"

"We both have other friends here in London; other Ravenclaw girls. Perhaps they can…"

There was a thunderous banging on the door. This was followed by a man's voice calling out loudly and angrily: "Open up in the name of the Ministry! We're in search of a fugitive Mudblood!"

Lotus turned to Penelope. "Child, if you value your life, you will stay in this room. We can keep them from getting to you. And, just in case we can't, escape through the Floo. Come along, Cho."

"Maybe I should stay here with Penny…"

"No you should not! Your father and I may need your help. Get on!"

Cho gave Penelope's hand a quick squeeze, then dashed out of the parlour and down the stairs, with her mother behind her.

Two people, a witch and a wizard, had opened the door and stood just inside the house. They had tracked snow in on their boots and wore heavy cloaks against the cold.

Cho stared at the two intruders. She hardly noticed that her mother had something in her arms.

"I assure you," Cho's father said calmly and pleasantly, "that there's no Muggle-born in this family."

"Don't take us for fools," the wizard said. He was middle-aged, with a carefully-trimmed beard that was showing touches of gray. "I never said the Mudblood was in your family; just in your home."

"Perhaps you'd care for some food," Lotus offered, as calm and pleasant as her husband. "We've made quite a bit for the holidays."

"Enough!" the wizard barked, as he threw back his cloak and rolled up his left sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark branded into his arm. "We'll just run you all in. The Ministry can sort you out in a few days. Not the most pleasant way to begin the New Year, but you've brought it on yourselves by harbouring a fugitive." The wizard was going to touch the Dark Mark.

"Wait!" Lotus said. "At least we can see the year out with some music." Cho now recognized that her mother was holding the sheng that usually hung on the wall. Before the Ministry wizards could move again, Lotus put the sheng to her lips and blew.

At first Cho thought it sounded strange, like a dozen mouth-organs being blown all at once. Then Cho heard the notes begin to thicken; that was the only way she could describe it later. The sound became somehow tangible and powerful. Without seeing how it happened, the music turned into small whirlwinds that surrounded the Ministry intruders, paralyzing them, lifting them up off the floor.

Cho's father Xiemin told his daughter, "Out back." He immediately ran upstairs and took the wooden sword off of the wall, then strode to the kitchen, leaving his daughter to catch up. All the while, Lotus was blowing on the sheng; she seemed never to stop for breath.

The pair from the Ministry were carried through the house by their personal tornados, out through the back door and unceremoniously dropped among the dustbins. The man ignored his witch companion and pulled out his wand. "You've just signed your death sentence."

Xiemin didn't say a word; instead, he began waving the wooden sword through the air in intricate patterns, almost like a dance. As soon as he started moving, though, the pair from the Ministry again stood still on the spot.

As soon as Xiemin stopped moving, the Ministry wizards' heads fell off their necks. Their bodies, now quartered, fell in large bloody chunks onto the snowy ground.

Cho was the first to move. "Daddy, you and mummy go upstairs to the parlour. Don't look down here, and don't ask me what I'm about to do. Go; now!" Cho stood by the dustbins, waiting until her father was inside.

She wanted to do a better job of it, but time and circumstances didn't permit. Without words and without a wand, she moved the dustbins into the alley away from the back garden, then levitated the pieces of the dead wizard and witch into a dustbin.

"Incendio."

The remains of the corpses caught fire, and were cremated in a matter of seconds. But there were still some long bones that would indicate a body had been burned.

"Incendio."

Again and again; five times Cho burned the remains of the two Ministry Death Eaters until they were reduced to a handful of ash, which the wind then picked up and blew off into the night sky, never to be found. Then she repeatedly used the Scourgify cleaning charm to eliminate all traces of blood on the ground near the dustbins.

With that job done, Cho fell forward grabbing the rim of the nearest dustbin, and vomited into it. The bile burned her throat, as her tears burned her eyes.

Failure, she cursed herself; I'm a failure. Daddy told me I had to be ready to kill Death Eaters, but I couldn't do it just now; I couldn't. Daddy was there this time, but what about next time; what happens when it's just me? What makes me think I can do it?

Cho wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her gown. It probably didn't help, but she didn't care. I have to get away from here, she thought, trembling but not from the cold. I have to sort this all out, but not here. If I stay here and the Ministry comes nosing about, I'd probably give the whole game away.

A few minutes later, a more composed Cho went up to the parlour where Penelope was telling the Changs about her Muggle parents, on the faculty at Cambridge. "Penelope and I had better leave," Cho announced.

"Just like that?" her father asked.

"Even though it's a holiday, we don't know when the Ministry will miss those two, or when they'd send someone around looking for them. This may be the best time for Penelope to find a safer hiding place."

"Did you recognize them, then?" Penelope asked.

"Please don't ask me that, any of you," Cho said. "There shouldn't be anything they can get by Veritaserum or Dementor or any other way."

There was a minute's pause, as the others in the room looked at Cho, trying to figure out why she was acting so strangely. Finally, Lotus said, "You'll do what you think best, of course."

Cho took Penelope's hand and pulled her to her feet. As they went downstairs, Cho's father spoke up. "Don't do anything foolish now. Stop and think; we have our own resources for dealing with things."

"I know you do," Cho nodded, even though in her heart she doubted that even her parents understood what the Ministry was capable of. She started to say something else, then stopped and hustled Penelope out the back door and into the alley

xxx

To be continued in part 5, wherein Cho meets up with old friends and decides on a course of action…