Okay everyone, here it is. The chapter where Harry first will meet Cho. I have to sincerely apologize to all of you for the length of this chapter, and can promise you that it's not going to be the template for the rest of the chapters. I'm especially sorry to my beta reader, who will eventually be cleaning up this chapter, and who I owe a lot to! Thanks soooo much Fran! I was just rushing to have Harry meet Cho, and had to give a lot of foreshowing information, and history of some of the characters involved. I'm trying to keep my chapters about six pages long, but this is an important one, as the story goes. It's from two points of view, Cho's and Harry's, really about two chapters crunched into one. If it seems that Marietta gives out info like a bond villain, please know that I wanted to explain in great detail why she was able to attain her new position, through a legal loophole in the system. It's a long read, and maybe not my best chapter, but use it for clues to future chapters. I hope you enjoy!
Kendrew: Sorry about the Paragraphs, but I'll work on em. As of this posting, chapter one thru five has been beta read, and fixed.
Greater Avenger: Thanks! Chapter seven is my favorite so far. Actually that one and six are the only ones I think I did really well on.
xHx: Harry will still be a little cocky in this fic, but remember things are not always what they seem.
Black's Phoenix: Right you are, but, as good a person as Cho is, she does have a habit of jumping to conclusions, and after the Hogsmead fiasco in OOTP who could blame her. But seeing as how Harry and Hermione are always together, and Hermione and Ron still haven't, at least by OOTP professed there love for each other, it's a misconception that any casual observer could make.
J or the blind: No, Harry did not actually see Cho at Diagon Alley. As far as her cousins hounding her about it, well…I'm not exactly sure how, I'm going to pursue that just yet. It's a work in progress.
Summet: Wow! Thanks for that praise. I hope I can continue to keep your interest. I really don't feel worthy. But I've read one story that should be the standard to which all other Harry/Cho fics should be held. If none of you have read it by now, let me recommend: "Follow Your Heart" by author sheen Rox ID: 1552296
Thank you all again for taking the time to read and review my fic, and I can't wait to be done with it, so I can read more fics.
Take care all
Sincerely,
Highice007
Chapter 10: Maritta's gang
Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione stood in the Wizarding side of platform nine and three quarters catching up with what was going on over the summer with students that passed them by. The platform was busy and several other groups of students were in huddles discussing the events of the summer holiday as well. Moody was keeping a watchful eye out for danger. Harry was receiving more thank yours from students and parents for defeating You-Know-Who at the Battle of the Ministry. He had to disappoint some that thought as the papers had said that he killed You-Know-Who, but assured them that it was only a matter of time, before he was defeated, just like his Death Eaters were. Harry shook hands, received hugs, and posed for pictures. He was feeling really good. A much better experience than last year, when no one would speak to him, he thought. Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis came up to Harry enthusiastically showing him their Harry Potter T-Shirts and said that they, were going to sell them at Hogwarts, just as soon as they could get the picture of Harry on his broomstick, in his Quidditch uniform, to move like all the rest of the pictures in the Wizarding World. "We would have already bewitched them to move, but were not allowed to use magic at home yet, so we'll do it in the dorms when we get to school!" Colin said proudly. Ron spoke.
"Oh come on guys, I mean Harry doesn't need all that attention that…" Harry cut Ron off in mid sentence.
"No! Ron…I think it's a good idea. After all I do have my fans to think of. Well, you two have been after my autograph for a long time. Would you like me to sign two of the shirts for you?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Really? Right proper!"" Colin and Dennis said in unison, as Ron looked on in shocked confusion. Colin immediately produced a quill, and Harry signed his picture on a few shirts. After Harry had talked to the Creevey brothers for a bit, they left to talk to a few friends a little further down the platform. Harry said goodbye for now and turned to look at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He was taken aback by the look of shock on their faces.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Harry…does Gilroy Lockhart have you under the Imperious curse or something?" Ron asked. "You've always shied away from attention like this. It's never been a big deal to you being who you are. Why the change?" Ron asked concerned.
"What I can't have a fan club? Ron, I spent all last year being an insane git that most of these people thought was going to hurt them. Can you imagine what it feels like to have almost the entire student body try to avoid you like the plague? To be sneered at, and talked about behind your back all year? To have the government and the newspaper say you're a delusional freak all the time? I've tried to be a normal student all this time, to just blend in, and have fun and graduate. But I can't. I'm not normal, and I'm constantly having to battle You-Know-Who, and his Death Eaters. And I have a choice to let the ministry call me a psycho, or get them to make me a hero. Well I chose hero because I think I've earned it, and nothing in my life can ever be normal. Remember in our fourth year when everyone was wearing Potter Stinks buttons? And now they wear T-shirts with My face on them? And now they bring up T-shirts for me to sign. Why shouldn't I be famous? I've been shucking off my birthright for several years, and now I'm going to use it. No one believed my story last year; they all thought I was mad. Well this year things are going to be different. This year the whole school is going to support me, and not just a handful of DA members. I think I deserve a happy year at Hogwarts." Harry boasted.
"Of coarse you do Harry, and you have so many accomplishments to be proud of. We were just caught off guard. I mean, you've never sought fame before. But your right, after last year I understand what you mean." Hermione said.
"Yea, you deserve a bit of a break in life after all you've been through." Ron added.
"Well…I've never tried to enjoy my fame before. This year I'm going to have a go at it." Harry said plainly.
"Good for You Harry" Ginny put in.
Pavati Patil and her sister Padma came up to greet her four fellow Gryffindors'. "Hello Hermione, hello all, what's new?" Pavati said.
"Okay, we got to visit the Muggle areas of London, and our dad in the ministry. He says the new Minister is a git, who hates the fact that to many muggle borne people are in important positions. Dad says he can't wait until the next elections, when he'll be out on his arse. Dad says that the only reason Fudge picked him was to get the support of some of the purebloods who have a problem with Muggle borne people in the Ministry. He says that there an important voting block. But no one ever imagined that he would actually become Minister like that." Ron stated.
"Yea, Fudge's suicide came as a shock to everyone, but I guess you can't blame him, his credibility was ruined after Dumbledore produced the Death Eaters captured at the Ministry. Oh! And thanks so much Harry for defeating them all." Parvati smiled, and shook his hand.
"Hey, you know, we were there too. We defeated You-Know-Who's Death Eaters as well. Fought just as hard as Harry." Ron said, as he indicated Himself, Hermione, and Ginny, lightly irritated.
"I know it was in all the papers how Harry saved you all, after you were overwhelmed by the Death Eaters in the end, but it was brave of you to attempt to fight them." She recounted the story in the papers. Harry noticed that Ron had an angry look on his face.
"Actually Parvati, I didn't really rescue anyone. We all fought the Death Eaters together. Ron took care of a few him self. None of us were ever hostages to them. I'm going to talk with Rita Skeeter to give a more accurate account of what happened soon. But just know that we were all heroes that day." Harry finished proudly.
"Really? Well congratulations Ron and you two as well." She said turning to Hermione and Ginny.
"Yes, your very brave Ron, you're my hero." Padma suddenly spoke and gave him a peck on the cheek, and a flirtatious smile that turned his frown into a smile and made him blush red.
"Err…um thanks Padma "he said as he fidgeted around nervously.
"How was your holiday?" Hermione asked of the Patil twins.
"Really great, we went on Holliday in India, to see, some of our family there. My Aunt Ekta has a broom shop there, the best in New Deli. They even have the new Comet 350's. And we found out that the Taj Mahal was designed after India's Wizarding School. But the magic school is much bigger of coarse." said Padma.
"Oh, did you hear the awful news about Iris Foxmead?" Parvati said in tragic excitement. "She was killed by a vampire attack in Dover. They found her stone dead, and drained of blood."
"Right, I've been following that. She's a seventh year Hufflepuff prefect. Err…at least she was, but I don't think I ever met her. Just saw her in the great hall a couple of times." Harry mentioned.
"I read it in the Daily Profit too. Poor Iris, she was really smart, we talked last year in the prefect's carriage on the way to school and back. What a horrible way to die."
"Wow, I really thought it was safe. I mean with vampire attacks being so rare. I mean there's really no need for them to do this anymore now that they own and operate so many blood banks" entered Ginny.
"Well they are asking everyone in the vampire and magic community if they have any information." Hermione added.
"Five minutes everyone, five minutes to boarding." The porters started to yell.
"Oh! We'd better get going." Hermione exclaimed. The group boarded the train together and Hermione and Ron headed off to the prefects carriage, after telling Harry and Ginny that they would see them later. The Patil twins said that they were going to visit one of there cousins in another carriage.
"Harry and Ginny eventually found Neville Longbottom in one of the last cars, and sat down with him.
"Hello Neville How was your holiday?" said Harry.
"Great!" said Neville with excessive excitement. "After my grandmother found out about my part in the Battle of the Ministry, she bought me a new wand and broom. She didn't even care that I broke my father's wand. She said that she had never been more proud of me. I also got a letter from my favorite teacher, Professor Sprout, telling me how proud she was of me, and that she hopes I take Herbology again as an elective, so she can thank me in person." Neville finished happily. Neville pulled out an oak eight inch wand with black coils around the end to show both of his friends. "It's got a dragon scale in it. A Norwegian Ridgeback! And that's not all; my broom is a nimbus two-thousand. See?" Neville said as he pointed to the black handled broom propped up against the corner of the carriage.
Harry and Ginny put up their trunks and other gear, and Harry put Hedwig in her cage on the floor. Harry turned to Neville.
"Well that's great Neville, and by the way, I never got to thank you properly for your help in the battle. I'm really glad you were there that day. Thanks, both of you." he said turning to Ginny.
"Anytime," she said, smiling.
"I'm glad I could help capture some Death Eaters. My parents would be proud if only they could know." Neville said a little sad. His parents had been Auroras in the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's secret force created to fight the Dark Lord Voldermort. Many years ago Neville's parents, had been attacked by a particularly horrid servant of Voldermort named Bellatrix Lestrange, who put the crucio curse on them until they had been driven insane. Neville visited them every summer in St. Mungoes, but they never really knew he was there. They never really new anything, anymore.
"How…have you been to see your parents this summer." asked Harry.
"Of coarse, their the same, but I went to visit them three times this summer at St. Mungoes. I saw Cho Chang there the first time I went." Neville finished.
"Oh and how is she?" asked Ginny, after Harry seemed not to care about what Neville had said.
"Well, we really didn't talk. I just saw her crying, and being comforted by a man I thought was her father. I didn't think she was up to a chat, and neither was I really." He said.
"Humm…that sounds like Cho Chang alright, always with the tears." Harry said casually.
"And you didn't find out why she was there?" Ginny asked concerned.
"I think she was visiting her mum, but she must have gotten better because I asked the Healer that I had seen her dad talking to once, and she said that they had left. Of coarse she couldn't say more than that. You know, Healer patient privilege and all. Harry and Ginny nodded there understanding.
"Well, I'm glad that it was nothing serious if they went home." Harry said.
The door to the carriage opened and a petite pretty blond-haired girl with green eyes walked in with her stemmer trunk and broom in hands, and a chameleon lizard on her shoulder.
"I'll get that for you." said Neville, as he got up to help her put her stemmer trunk in the overhead bin.
"Thanks. All the carriages are full up. I couldn't even sit by my sweetheart this trip." she said, as she sat down beside Neville. Ginny looked at the beautiful lizard on her shoulder. It had two bulging eyes, and what looked like a shark's dorsal fin on its head. A sharp looking spine ran down the back of it's green, yellow, and brown colored body.
"Cool lizard! What's its name?" asked Ginny.
"It's shadow, and I'm Gloria Kingston." She said extending her hand to everyone respectively.
"It's good to meet you Gloria, I'm Ginny Weasley, this is Neville Longbottom, and this is Harry Potter. Gloria's face was pleasant until she heard Harry's name.
Snort "Oh Potter, yes I see now. I should have noticed you from your pictures, and the scar. It was at the snort that Gloria made, that Harry and Ginny realized something about her that they had overlooked. She was wearing a green and silver tie, and upon closer inspection they also noticed that her chameleon's tail was covering up a silver snake set against a green crest.
"You're in Slytheren!" said Harry surprised.
"That's right. Best house in Hogwarts." Gloria said with a large amount of pride. She looked at the crest on the robes of her fellow students. "And your all Gryffindors, sorry about you losing the house and Quidditch cups this year." She said with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" asked Neville a bit confused.
"Well we Slythern's plan to stop your winning streak this year, and put the two cups back in Slytheren where they belong. And of coarse silver and green are much better colors to decorate the great hall with." She smiled as she closed her eyes to picture the image of Slytheren banners lining the ceiling.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but Gryffindor is going to win the house cup this year. We always win since I came to Hogwarts." Harry said with a pride matching that of Gloria's.
"Were going to win the Quidditch cup as well." injected Neville.
"Well, we'll have to see about that." Gloria replied coolly.
"I for one can't wait to get back on the Quidditch Pitch again, grabbing the snitch and…" Ginny was cut off by Harry.
"You're not going to be seeker this year." Harry said in a serious tone.
"Wh…why not?" Ginny asked.
"Because I'm going to be Gryffindor seeker…and team Captain. I already sent in my request to Professor McGonagall last month." Harry beamed.
"And got the reply?" asked Ginny.
"Yes. Professor McGonagall was aware of my natural leadership ability, and with Umbridge out of the way, things are back to normal. But don't worry Ginny; I'll make sure you and Ron are on the team. You can be a chaser." Harry said happily.
"That's great! Congratulations Harry." said Ginny very happy for him.
"Yea, great job Harry!" Neville put in.
"Well don't celebrate too soon. Everyone knows that Slytheren has the best seeker in Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy." Gloria said.
"Ha! Yea I wonder how he's going to concentrate when I'm teasing him during the match, about his dad being in Azkaban." said Harry with a mischievous grin.
"His father is not in Azkaban with the Death Eaters. Luscious Malfoy is a great upstanding citizen, who's being kept in a cell at the Ministry until it's proven that he was under the Imperious curse, and therefore innocent." Gloria countered.
"Rubbish! I was there. He was acting of his own free will. I was there. I saw. He and Draco are happy that You-Know-Who has returned." Harry said angry and turning red. Gloria just gave him a dirty look. "Draco!" jumped Harry. "That reminds me I forgot. I'll be right back." He said quickly, as he headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Neville.
"Oh. I just remembered I had something I had to do." Harry finished. Just as he got to the door, it opened, and Ron and Hermione stepped in.
"Hi Harry, we…" Ron started, but was cut off.
"Oh Ron…Hermione, hey listen…wait right here for me, will you! I'll be back soon." Harry said urgently.
"But Harry where…" Hermione started.
"Be back soon guys! Uh, get to know Gloria. Neville will introduce you."
"But, we have something to tell you, Harry, you'll never guess who Head girl is this…"
"Just please wait right here please." Harry said, as he ducked out the door and into the next carriage. Ron and Hermione both looked at each other and gave a shrug. Then they turned to the other occupants of the carriage.
"Hi! I'm Gloria." said a blond haired girl with a lizard on her shoulder.
"Hi!" They both said in unison.
Harry made his way through the carriages of the train shaking the hands of several students, who congratulated him for his victory at the ministry, as he went. As he was making his way through the fifth carriage he realized his shoe was untied and stopped, to correct the problem. The pause allowed him to overhear a conversation between the only three occupants in the hall of the carriage, three girls whose backs were to him, and who were not yet aware of his presence.
"Imagine that stupid bitch and her friends pulling wands on us. How dare they! What a collection of useless gits, a mudblood, a retard, and a chink! I've never been so offended in my life." The first girl said in a fit of rage.
"Don't worry, we'll get even with them soon enough! But what's a chink Marietta?" The second girl asked.
"It's a derogatory term used by muggles to insult ethnically Chinese people. Quite witty, actually." The first girl said.
"But Marietta, ethnicity has never mattered in the Wizarding World. We only care about the purity of a person's magical lineage." The third girl put in. Her voice sounded familiar to Harry.
"I know that. But it still seemed to hurt her feelings, and that's what I was going for. Besides, we'll soon have her on our side, if all goes according to plan." The first girl Marietta added in.
"Where did you learn a muggle insult like that anyway?" asked the second girl.
"He told me. He's been living among them causing chaos in there society, for generations. It's what his kind always did. Rather ingenious ways of doing it too. And there's more than that. I've learned a lot of other muggle insults from him too really hurt people who are different. Even if the insults don't mean anything too me, it's still going to be fun to watch them cry. But that's nothing compared to what I've been learning in the dark books I've been reading. I have ways of getting even with them all that will insure that we never get caught. This is going to be our best year at Hogwarts ever." Marietta finished. Harry's nose started to twitch and he suddenly let out a sneeze.
"Ah-choo!" he sneezed loudly. The three girls turned to face him in surprise. They were all holding folders against their bodies with bright pink leaflets sticking out of them. He recognized the two of the girl's faces, Marietta Edgencombe, and Pansy Parkinson, who had lost a considerable amount of weight over the summer. The third girl he didn't know, but she looked as unhappy to see him as Pansy Parkinson. But Marietta smiled at him, and walked over.
"Being nosy Potter?" she asked casually. "We will talk soon enough mudblood, but for now I think you need to pretend that you didn't hear any of this conversation. I think you need to reflect on a different memory. Here let me help you to forget." She said with a shake of her head as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry reached for his own wand just seconds too late, as he heard Marietta utter that word that Gilroy Lockhart made famous to him. "Obliviate!" Harry was blinded by a bright flash from Marietta's wand.
Meanwhile during the same space of time:
Cho Chang and Beverly Jones both stood on the train station platform with their respective fathers. As the two men engaged in a conversation about the Muggle economy, Cho and Beverly were busy chatting with several other students, catching up on the events of each others summer holiday. Everyone they met talked about trips they had taken, friends they had hung out with, and shopping they had done, but the primary subjects of the day were about two things. The first was that The Harry Potter would be returning to Hogwarts, and the second was that Iris Foxmead, who was to be a seventh year Hufflepuff prefect, was killed in a vampire attack. Nancy Cromwell and Jeremy Stretton a couple of Ravenclaw seventh year students came up to the two of them. Nancy was wearing her long blond hair in a ponytail, and a crimson red t-shirt, with the Union Jack printed on it, and kaki shorts, with green flip flops. Cold weather never seemed to bother her, and she had earned the playful nickname "Eskimo" from a lot of students because of her style of light dress even in freezing temperatures.
The four students exchanged greetings. "Hey Cho, is it really true? Are you really not going out for Quidditch this year?" Jeremy asked.
"Um, yea, I uh…lost interest in it. I really was never that good in the fist place. Um, I know you will do great this year. But I'm so far behind on my school work that I've got to spend anytime I've got in class catching up on that. Cho said caught off guard, and looking for an excuse to explain why she didn't stay with the team, was because she believed herself to be the worst Quidditch player in History.
"Well sorry to hear that. But you actually were a great player. "Looks like we'll have to find a new seeker." Jeremy said.
"Who's team Captain this year?" Cho asked.
"I am. And I've got a lot of new strategies that I've been mapping out all summer to win the cup this year." He said proudly. "By the way, Roger Davies sent me an Owl; he says he's training to be an Auror. He's been in training for three weeks, and it takes twelve." Jeremy continued.
"That's great, I know that Roger will do well, he always was a natural leader." Cho said.
"Yea, I'm happy for him too. I know he'll do well." Beverly stated. Nancy gave Jeremy a kiss on the cheek.
"Baby, lets try and find an empty compartment." She whispered in Jeremy's ear, with a flirtatious smile, as she stroked his hair lovingly. He blushed.
"Err…well we'll see you two in class, we want to get good seats. Something a little private." He said with a mischievous grin. Cho and Beverly giggled as the two left.
"Well, we'd better find a carriage too before they all fill up, and we can't sit together. Beverly said.
"Okay, but I need to say goodbye to dad in private. I'll be right back." Cho said apologetically.
"No problem, me too, we'll meet by the third car." Beverly replied.
Cho and her father moved by a metal column away from the other people on the platform. "Dad, I need you to send me an owl everyday to tell me how mum is. I still feel guilty about leaving her." Cho said somberly.
"Don't worry Cho; she's going to be alright. She's in the best care in the world. The Doctor says that we won't know if they got all the cancer until they run some more test. But I have a good feeling about it, and I'll let you know as soon as I find out. I'll keep you posted every week. Just concentrate on your school work, and bring your marks up." Cho felt guilty, her grades were very poor last year, and she was really going to have to put in some extra effort this year to graduate. She had neglected to take summer makeup classes to be with her mum, so she wasn't going to have a lot of free time to herself this year. Oh well she thought, at least I know what I'll be doing instead of Quidditch practice.
"Before you go I have something for you." Mr. Chang said pulling out a small gold hexagon box the size of, a matchbox. Cho looked at it. It had several Chinese element characters carved on it and a gold chain necklace attached to it. The top had two Chinese water dragons carved on it, and it opened to reveal an empty compartment. "It's called "ài rén rú jǐ-bì hù", you understand? "Love protection." A special magical item that's been in our family for generations. Our ancestors used it for protection against Mongol wizards in ancient wars, to protect themselves. If the papers are right, and You-Know-Who is still out there, I want you to keep this to protect yourself. It will keep you safe when you are in the most danger. It can only be used once by each person who uses it, and I already used it long ago." Mr. Chang said in a very serious, but concerned tone.
"But dad…we should give this to mum, if it protects people, than maybe…" Cho started.
"It doesn't work on what your mum has Cho. And she's safe from You-Know-Who. If he's back he's not after the Muggle world." Mr. Chang said. Cho opened the top of the box, and looked in it. It appeared to be empty.
"Is there supposed to be something in here?" she asked curious. Mr. Chang smiled.
"There is much in there, but you can't see it, it will only reveal itself when you are in great danger. I hope you will never have to use it, and you probably won't, but just incase it's nice to have. Keep it close to your heart Cho." He finished as he placed it around her neck. Cho turned around, and pulled up her hair, so her father could hook the two ends of the necklace together. She then faced him again.
"Daddy, please tell everyone I'll miss them, and thanks again for everything they've done for us. I'll send you all an owl when I'm settled in. I love you daddy!" Cho finished, as she hugged her father tightly, with a tear in her eye.
Mr. Chang gave her a tight squeeze. "I love you too Cho, and don't worry, things are going to get a lot better. I know it. Now hurry along, Beverly is waiting for you."
Cho and Beverly found a carriage with two available seats after a brief search. As luck would have it, Luna Lovegood was the only other occupant of the carriage, and Cho was overjoyed to see her.
"Luna!" Cho shouted with glee, and gave her a hug that squeezed the breath out of her. "How have you been? How was your holiday to Norway?" Luna smiled, "Hey Cho, hello Beverly, how are you guys?" she said returning Cho's hug and exchanging a less oxygen draing one with Beverly. Then Luna sat back down, and pulled out a copy of the Quibbler, and showed it to Beverly and Cho, pointing to a picture on the front of Luna and her dad against a snowy background. The picture appeared to be blurred. The two of them were moving off to one side of the picture, and both would point to an empty patch of ground in the snow every so often with excitement.
"There you see! An actual Crumple-Horned Snorack. I told you we'd gotten one. But we'll be lucky enough to see it live in Care of Magical Creatures class. It was a lot of work bringing him down. Dad and I had to use several stunning spells a piece on him, but we finally got old Blizzard to sleep. Blizzard, that what were calling him." Beverly examined the picture.
"Um, Luna I actually don't see anything but you and your father in the picture. And I thought that Crumple-Horned Snoracks weren't real. Is it out of camera shot?" Beverly asked.
"No. Its right there Luna said pointing to an empty blurry space on the picture. It's invisible." Luna said.
"Oh…ye…yes I see it Luna, Cho said. It, uh…looks…cool." Cho said embarrassed for her friend but not wanting to hurt her feelings. Beverly looked at Cho, in disbelief.
"Oh come on…I…Ouch!" Beverly was interrupted by a sharp pain from Cho kicking her in the leg and giving her a play along with it look. Beverly turned her attention to the picture again.
"Oh yes! I…I see it now. Very cool Luna. Congratulations." Beverly patted her on the back.
"Thanks!" Luna said pleased. Beverly opened the door of the compartment.
"Well if you two will excuse me for a minute, I've got to be off to the lavatory. Be right back." She said as she walked out the door on her way to the carriage that held the lavatories everyone had jokingly dubbed the "honey-wagon"
My friend Bridgett should be here soon. She's a second year Hufflepuff. We met in the DA class. Cho, is Harry having them again this year?" Luna asked.
"I…don't know…I… we haven't talked. I well haven't seen him yet." Cho said sadly. Luna looked confused (I mean more so than usual. ;) )
"Haven't talked yet? That's odd I asked Ron Weasley to have him write you." Luna said casually. Cho's face turned to one of excessive embarrassment.
"Oh, Luna, I wish you hadn't have done that. I…" The door slid open interrupting Cho, and Marietta Edgencombe stormed in flanked by Danielle Forester and Pansy Parkinson on her left and right sides, holding folders in on hand and wands in the other. Marietta started screaming at Cho without hesitation as her mates gave mischievous grins.
"You stupid, mudblood loving, chinc bitch! How dare yousend me a howler! This is what comes from hanging out with the likes of those slime you call your friends. You have lost respect for the people who you need to be hanging around. The pure people. Now you're just acting like a pretentious little git! Well rest assured Chang, soon you'll be begging me to take you back into my circle of friends, and you'll be lucky if I don't make you grovel after your little stunt. You know eventually Mudbloods like Potter, and Jones are going to be out of this school, and out of the Ministry. A lot of positions are going to open up at the Ministry. If you want me to get you a job, you'd better start kissing my arse now to show your regret!" She screamed, her face flushed red with anger. Marietta suddenly changed her tone to almost a whisper. "Or maybe I should transfigure your head into a mushroom to give you a taste of what happens to people who mess with me." She finished waving her wand about as Pansy and Danielle giggled behind her. Cho and Luna pulled out their wands ready to protect themselves from the trio, and for the first time Marietta noticed Luna. "Hey I know you! You're that stupid little girl whose father runs that joke of a magazine. The Quizler." Marietta said with a slight aire of disapproval.
"The Quibbler" Luna corrected her.
"Yea, like I care." Marietta said casually. Marietta looked Luna over, and turned to Cho. "You know Cho…I really have to say, sometimes even when you befriend purebloods, their still not the right kind of people."
"Well you're absolutely right about that Marietta; after all I made the mistake of befriending you." Cho said with a look of anger on her face. Cho heard the door open behind Marietta and her gang.
Marietta's face became even redder with anger, and she and her cohorts pointed their wands at Cho and Luna.
"Cute Chang…real cute. But its three to two, you're a chinc, and your friends retarded. So it looks like I will be putting the mushroom head jinx on you today." She said as her friends let out a vicious laughs. Suddenly Marietta was grabbed around the neck from behind, and had a wand stuck against her head.
"Actually it's more like three to three, Cho's Scottish-Chinese, Luna's very bright, and you three are the only retards in this compartment. Now I agree with one thing you said though. I myself am curious to see the effects of the mushroom head jinx, as well. So please, fuck head. Give me an excuse." Beverly Jones said as she held her wand at Marietta's temple.
"Stay out of this Jones. It's…nnn…none of your business. It's nothing to…d…d…do with you." Marietta replied nervously as Danielle, and Pansy continued pointing their wands at Cho and Luna not sure what to do.
"When you mess with my friends it has everything to do with me. Now…shall we see the mushroom head jinx, or are you going to tell your fiends to put up their wands. Either way works for me, but I'm really keen to give the jinx a go." Beverly said happily. Marietta hesitated for a moment." Okay you asked for it! Fungu…"
"Okay! Stop! Stop!" Marietta screamed. She strained to look over at her two companions through the head lock she was in. P…p…put your wands away guys. Danielle and Pansy put there wands back in their robes disappointed, and Marietta did the same to the wand she still clutched in her hand. Beverly released her from the head lock, and gave her a sarcastic smile. "Too bad really, well anytime you change your mind about letting me try the mushroom head jinx just let me know. I'm ready anytime you want to start something."
Marietta gave her a dirty look but dared not say anything out of genuine fear.
Cho peered at Marietta angrily, and noticed the silver badge on Marietta's sweater for the first time. It was the Hogwart's crest with the words "Head Girl" across the front. "Hey what's this then? You're not Head Girl. You're not even a prefect. Jill Tanaka is our seventh year prefect."
"No you stupid chinc. I am head girl! Jill Tanaka has dropped out do to the git getting pregnant over summer holiday. They needed to chose a new seventh year Ravenclaw prefect over the summer and I got the letter. Since it became official before they selected head girl, and I had higher marks than any other seventh year, had more electives to my credit, and worked tirelessly for Professor Umbridge as an aide, I…was…selected…Head Girl." Marietta said in a condescending tone.
"But that's impossible. You were with me all the time last year. You wouldn't have had time to work for Umbridge." Cho said accusingly.
"Noooooo. I was with you half the time last year, the part of your time that you spent with the right people, and regretfully all those times we had to spend in the stupid DA classes. But all the times you went to spend with people like her, I was working for Professor Umbridge." She said pointing at Beverly Jones at the people like her part of the statement.
"But…you were…a spy for Umbridge all along? You planed the whole thing with the DA?" Cho said in shock. Marietta put her hand on her head and gave Cho a look of sincere pity.
"No you stupid chinc, I…" Marietta was interrupted.
"Stop calling me that!" Cho cried. Beverly stuck the wand to Marietta's head.
"I'm fascinated by your story, but if you insult my friend one more time, you'll regret it. Now continue, but respectfully." Beverly said in a cautioning tone. Marietta gave her a dirty look, but pressed on.
"You invited me to the DA class, or I wouldn't have known about them. You knew I hated Potter, but you tried to change my mind about him. I went with you because we were friends, but I hated every minute I was there. I didn't tell Umbridge at first so I wouldn't get you in trouble. I still had hopes of persuading you to go against him. It seems we both failed in our efforts to convince each other to see eye to eye. But when I realized that you would not change I had to make sacrifices for the good of society. So I told Umbridge, and his little clandestine meetings were broken up, at the expense of my summer, and a lot of physical pain. My attempt was to get Potter expelled. With him even more a villain than the papers portrayed it would be safe for the Ministry to put in more teachers like Professor Umbridge. The right kind of teachers."
"Sooo…how does that make you head girl? Umbridge was chased out of here. Dumbledore would never allow someone like you to be the Head Girl." Cho said confused as to where Marietta was going with this.
"It's simple really. As I was of great help to Professor Umbridge, I got her recommendation, and high marks. Flitwick had to give me points for my service to her weather he liked it or not, because it was in service to the legal authority of the school. Now you also know that when it comes to studying, I'm the hardest working student in the school, with all the electives, and extra credit work I do. So I had the highest marks of any prefect. And finally there is Dumbledore himself. He…despite his questionable actions at the Ministry of Magic last year, is a fair man and puts a lot of stock in following the rules. That means not picking whoever he wants as head girl. So they had to choose me. I was the most qualified." Marietta finished with a great aire of posh.
"So why are ya spilling your guts to us now?" Cho asked slack jawed. Marietta gave her an evil look that seemed to send a chill up Cho's spine.
"To know the answer to that, look at the people in this room that you oppose. Head Girl, a Slytheren Prefect, and their best friend. If you three get out of line this year, we will be watching, and believe me, we will make your life difficult. I told you the story because I don't want you to have any doubt about how difficult I can make it for all of you Cho. Furthermore let me just say…" Beverly cut her off.
"Alright, shut up! Your really boring me with your narcissistic tale now. Get out the lot of you, before I make it really difficult on all of you. Gits!" Beverly said with a yawn. Marietta left followed by her gang to the pleasure of everyone in the compartment.
After a while of talking amongst them-selves about how Marietta was a stupid git, and things they did over the summer, Cho excused herself to go to the lavatory. When she made it to the door of the lavatory car, the door opened and Harry Potter staggered through in a daze. Cho's heart skipped a beat. "Oh! Uh…Harry. Harry I…how are you?" she choked out. Harry looked at her in a daze.
"I forgot where I was going." He said shaking his head in confusion. "Where is Draco?"
"Who?" Cho asked not understanding his behavior.
"Draco Malfoy. The Slytheren prefect. I…I was looking for him…I…" his knees almost buckled. Cho held Harry to steady him.
"Harry, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Cho asked concerned.
"Cho? Cho Chang?" Harry said still dizzy.
"Yes Harry it's me. Come and sit down in my carriage. I'll get you some water." She said calmly.
"You, you brought M…Mar…Marietta to my DA class. You got the cla…cla…class broken up. It's all your fault. You…" he said slightly enraged, but still to dizzy to be yelling.
"Harry…I…I'm sorry about Marietta. I want to take it back. Please forgive me. If I had known she would…I would have never brought her to the class. I'm so sorry." Cho pleaded in tears.
"You betrayed me…I…I remember, your fault. Harry stammered. "Get away from me!" He started angry.
"But Harry please, let me help you! You need…" Cho begged.
"I said leave! Just…leave!" Harry screamed angrily. Cho's face was streaming with tears. She tried to speak but no words came out, and her throat hurt severely. She ran off to the lavatory to cry in private. She would be in there for most of the remainder of the trip. "Harry sat on the ground by the door. "I…I remember." He said to himself. Not sure why he remembered it with such rage, not sure why he just yelled at Cho Chang, and not sure why he was sitting in the hall of the carriage. All he could remember was leaving his friends in the last carriage of the train, and that it was all Cho's fault that the DA was broken up. Odd that he should meet her, when he was thinking so hard on the subject he thought.