Different Circumstances
Chapter 1: Giving Closure
After another successful Dumbledore's Army lesson in the Room of Requirement, Harry had some time to think for himself after everyone left for their common rooms to get ready for Christmas Holiday. He was about to leave too but he saw Cho Chang his crush looking at the picture of Cedric Diggory the boy who she dated and had died last year. The images of her and Cedric together flashed in his mind filled him with jealousy and sadness when he died that day.
"Are you alright" he asked as he walked up to her "I heard Umbridge gave you a hard time the other day"
Cho shrugged at that memory "Yeah I'm okay" she replied softly. She glanced up at the mirror, smiling sadly at Cedric's photo. "anyway, it's been worth it"
Cho started to cry; Harry knew she would do this after all she did date Cedric. He didn't want to talk about what happened that day, every time when Cedric was mentioned his blood boiled like when the Dumbledore's Army was formed in the Hog's Head Two months ago, he exploded about the tragic subject. He didn't mean to lash out like that but the young Hufflepuff's death was so gut-wrenching and didn't want anybody to understand him nor talk about it. He looked at Cho again who was grieving at the loss of Cedric now, he wanted to walk away because every time he looks at Cho, he sees her with Cedric despite him still having feelings for her. He remembers two weeks ago when he told Hermione about his feelings towards the Asian Ravenclaw, they get into an argument in which she won and told him that the world doesn't revolve around him and he needs to look at the world from other people's perspective especially Cho's perspective. Hermione also mention that nothing wins a girl's heart like honesty and vulnerability and the way to do that is by telling Cho what happened to her boyfriend Cedric during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.
"Do you mind if we sit down for a minute Cho?" Harry asked
"Okay Harry sure" Cho giving a slight nod as she wipes her tears
Out of nowhere a couch appeared and the two raven-haired teens sat down on it. Harry took a deep breath saying to himself "Okay this is now or never"
"What do want to talk about Harry?" Cho asked softly
"I want to talk about the events that happened six months ago with you" Harry answered
"Oh, I was going to ask you, but you got angry left the Hog's head in a hurry" Cho told him
"I really didn't mean to do that I was just so angry that nobody would understand me" Harry sighed
"It's okay Harry I know that day was horrible for all of us" Cho assured Harry "I can't imagine what you had go through with all the nightmares and flashbacks after that day"
"Yeah, Cho I went through all of that and I'm still having flashbacks of that night." Harry told her.
"It's sounds like you have PTSD Harry" Cho said.
"PTSD? What's PTSD?" Harry asked
"It's Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder is when someone experience or witness a terrible event in his or her life" Cho answered, "My father was the same way and still is suffering after being in two wars in his life."
"Two wars? What are the two wars that your father fought in Cho?" Harry asked interested in learning about Cho's past.
"The Korean and the Vietnam Wars my father was young when the Korean War started and when he turned 18, he joined the South Korean Army and fought in the Vietnam War serving as an Infantryman and then a Helicopter Pilot." Cho responded.
"Wait Cho you are a half blood like me." Harry said.
"Yeah, I'm a half blood my dad is the muggle, and my mum is the witch." Cho told him "Are you going to tell me about what happened to Cedric."
"Okay I got it Cho" Harry said then asks "Are you ready for what I have to say"
"Yes, I am ready Harry" Cho said
"Okay" Harry nodded "Cedric and I reached to the end of the maze where the cup was and after I saved him from the Sphinx's riddle which was a Spider before that he saved me from Viktor Krum who was under influence of the Imperious Curse. We stood there arguing who would take the cup, but we decided to take together as Hogwarts Champions but-'' Harry stopped as this part of the story could have been avoided.
"It's okay Harry" Cho assured him as she inches closer to Harry and gently holds his hand.
"The cup was a Portkey and we thought it transport us back to starting point of the maze, but it didn't we were transported to Little Hangleton graveyard then we saw Peter Pettigrew come out carrying appears to be Voldemort who looks like an abomination at this point I told Cedric to get back and Voldemort said Kill the Spare they were not expecting him, so Pettigrew killed with no hesitation" Harry continued trying hold back his tears.
Cho felt her heart clenched her boyfriend Cedric Diggory the boy who everybody wanted to be, in the eyes of Voldemort was nothing but a spare an innocent soul caught in the crossfire. Tears start to flow down Cho's cheeks, Harry wrapped his arms around the grieving Ravenclaw, she hugged him back as well. Harry cried too he couldn't hold it back any longer. This moment was the worst in his life sure Harry has been through tough times like the abusive treatment The Dursleys brought on him for ten years, Voldemort in two separate occasions in his first and second years, but this was just so Heart-Breaking not only he had to compete in tournament that the dark lord set him up, but he also watched his crush's boyfriend and tournament competitor get killed right in front him.
"Harry wasn't Peter Pettigrew killed by Sirius Black as well as those 12 muggles 14 years ago?" Cho asked as she wipes her tears off her face.
"No Sirius didn't do that it was Peter Pettigrew that killed the 12 muggles when he was cornered by Sirius after he betrayed my Parents by telling Voldemort where they were." Harry responded
Cho gasped at this she always thought that Sirius Black killed those 12 innocent muggles and Peter Pettigrew as well as betrayed the Potters, but it was Pettigrew who committed those heinous acts towards his friends and the Wizarding World. It seems that Ministry of Magic lied about that like with many other things.
"How did Pettigrew escape?" Cho asked
"After Pettigrew casted Confringo which killed the 12 muggles and caused big hole in the street, he cut his finger and then transformed into his Animagus which is a rat and stayed with the Weasleys until my third year when me, Hermione, Ron, Remus, and Sirius had him cornered again at the Shrieking Shack. Sirius and Remus wanted to kill him I told them not kill Wormtail because my father didn't want them to killers. We tried bringing him to Dumbledore so he can stand trial and go to Azkaban but that failed when Remus transformed into a Werewolf and tried to attack us, but Sirius turned into his Animagus form which is a large black dog protected us while Wormtail escaped again." Harry explained.
"So, your father, Sirius, Professor Lupin, and Wormtail were best friends when they were in Hogwarts" Cho said
"Yeah, they called themselves The Marauders and they pulled off many pranks on other students mostly on Professor Snape."
"Sounds like they hate that creepy greasy big nosed git as much as we do" Cho giggled.
"Yep, they did" Harry chuckled.
"What happened after you dueled You-Know-Who Harry" Cho asked getting back the subject.
" I dueled Voldemort and when I cast Expelliarmus and Voldemort casted Avada Kedavra at the same time, Cedric's spirit along with my parents, many others that were killed by the Dark Lord's wand over the years and they told me to take Cedric's body back I did and then Everybody cheered for us and Fleur Delacour screamed at the sight of Cedric's corpse everyone was in shock I told Dumbledore that Voldemort was back and Mad eye Moody brought me back to his office turns out to be another one of the dark lord's followers by the name of Barty Crouch Jr. After he was interrogated by Dumbledore and Snape by using veritaserum then Fudge came in with a Dementor and sucked whatever was left of Barty Crouch Jr's soul. Our only chance to prove that Voldemort is back was gone" Harry continued on the with the story.
After hearing all of this, Cho's blood begins to boil how can the Minister of The Wizarding section of Great Britain Cornelius Fudge act in complete in denial of the existence of one of the most powerful and darkest wizard since Gellert Grindelwald also start a smear campaign on the two people who are beacons of hope that being her headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter the boy-who-lived who was too young to be in the Triwizard Tournament in the first place and witnessed the murder of her boyfriend Cedric. However, she was at awe at what Harry could conjure that night at the Graveyard Cho always knew that Harry was special and an immensely powerful wizard after all the adventures that he and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger went on but to pull off the Priori Incantantem at a young age against You-Know-Who was astounding.
"Cho, I want to say I'm sorry for all of this happening" Harry apologized sincerely. "I never wanted to compete in the Tournament. I never wanted to Cedric touch that cup."
"No, it's not your fault Harry, it's that Paranoid arsehole of a Minister Fudge's fault he should have never even let you in the Triwizard Tournament first place or better yet never should have had it here after that Quidditch World Cup fiasco"
"Yeah, you're right about that Cho the idiot Fudge should never have the Tournament after that debacle that summer" Harry said. "There's something else I want to tell you."
"What do you want to tell me Harry?" Cho asked
Harry takes another deep breath and tells Cho how he feels about her "I still like you Cho."
"R-really you still like me Harry?" Cho asked as she starts to blush.
"Yeah, I do like you Cho" Harry replied, "I mean when we played our first Quidditch game against each other two years ago, you gave me a run for my money despite me being on the Firebolt and you on the Comet Two-Sixty that's when my feelings for you grew that day."
"Aww that is so sweet Harry" Cho blushed then tells Harry "I really like you too Harry, I felt the same way that day as well but I need some time to get my life together and starting relationship with you wouldn't work in hindsight because it's been six months since Cedric was murdered and I just can't fall in love with somebody especially with the guy who saw his murder."
"Yeah it would be a disaster if we did fall in love right now" Harry said disappointed.
"It would be but don't be discouraged I do like spending time with you Harry." She told him "You're a sweet and noble guy and you teaching us how to defend ourselves from You-Know-Who and his boot-liking sycophants despite the Ministry of Magic doesn't want us to learn how to defend ourselves. It gives me and the rest of the Dumbledore's Army hope." Cho tells him.
"Thanks Cho I really appreciate. Harry thanked Cho. "I'm not discourage at all Cho I know that You and Cedric were dating, he meant a lot to you and I can't keep blaming myself for what happened that day." Harry said "It's getting late let's head back to our Common Rooms"
"Your welcome Harry and Cedric would not want us to blame each other what happened to him like my so-called friends that left me or anyone else in the school do when bad things to start to happen in the school and you are always there to save the day but anyway, I'm tired as well and let's head back" Cho said as she get's up from the couch.
Harry and Cho left the Room of Requirement and walked Cho to the Ravenclaw Common room entrance. Before Cho walks into her common room, she gives Harry a big hug thanking him for telling her what happened to her late boyfriend. As Harry returns to the Gryffindor Common room feeling a sigh of relief that he gave Cho closure and told her how he felt about her.
"Hey guys" Harry said walking into the Common Room seeing Hermione and Ron sitting down on the couch.
"Hey Harry" Ron and Hermione said unison
"So, did you tell Cho what happened to Cedric in the third task?" Hermione asked
"Yeah, I did tell her what happened to Cedric and Wormtail was responsible for his death, Hermione you were right about how the world does not revolve around me. People are suffering in this war especially Cho who lost Cedric six months ago." Harry told his friends.
"Well, I'm glad that you did tell her about that event. Did you comfort her too?" Hermione said. Then asks "Did you tell Cho how you felt about her as well"
"I did comfort her, and we cried in each other's arms. when I told Cho how I felt about her, she told me that we shouldn't be dating because it wouldn't work out because it's too early for her to move on especially with the guy that saw her boyfriend's death." Harry said.
"That sounds reasonable it's way too early for Cho to move on like that ." Hermione said
"Well Yeah Cho doesn't want to be the human fountain again." Ron said
"Really Ron do you have to be that insensitive?" Harry asked
"Yeah Ronald do you have to eat the teaspoon?"
"More like it's shoved up his arse sideways" Harry jokingly interjected.
Harry and Hermione both laugh, Ron snaps "Shut up you two it's getting late let's go to bed."
"Yeah, goodnight boys" Hermione said as she makes her way to 5th year Girls Dormitory.
"Night Hermione" Harry and Ron said in unison as they head to the 5th year Boys Dormitory.
Meanwhile in the 6th year Ravenclaw Girls Dormitory as Cho was getting ready for bed Marietta sits down on Cho's bed and asks her "Cho what did you and Potter were doing in The Room of Requirement? Did you two snog"
"What no I didn't snog Harry he told me what happen to Cedric six months ago Mary." Cho said.
"Really did Potter actually murdered Cedric" Marietta said.
"What no Harry didn't kill Cedric that day Mary it was someone else." Cho protested
"Who was it then Cho? Either You-Know-Who or Sirius Black?" Marietta asked.
"It wasn't You-Know-Who, Harry, or Sirius Black." Cho said
"Maybe it was our Werewolf professor Lupin because I know that him, Potter, and Black have been working together since Black has broken into the school to see his attention-seeking prat of a Godson two years back. Also, Potter told those two boot licking sycophants of You-Know-Who to get him into the Triwizard Tournament to impress you" Marietta said. "I've seen the way he looks at you it's just plain creepy."
"Mary that's not true okay could you please stop jumping into conclusions" Cho said.
"It's the truth Cho look at what the Ministry of Magic is trying to do. Preventing that four-eyed attention-seeking murdering pervert and our delusional headmaster from making a child army against an enemy that doesn't even exist and overthrowing the government that's doing perfectly fine without them" Marietta told Cho then suggest "You should tell your mum or Umbridge what Potter told you. Think about you could be a hero to the Wizarding World."
"Like hell I would tell that pink toad face bitch anything like that." Cho snapped
"Hey, watch your tone Cho that's the High Inquisitor. You should show some respect" Marietta said.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I hurt little toad's feelings like she got any since the way she has been acting lately" Cho said rolling her eyes.
"But still Cho she's high up in the ministry and our Professor okay" Marietta said.
"Sure Mary, can we start going to bed now?"
Marietta gets up from Cho's bed walks over to hers and spoke. "Okay Cho remember what I said tell Umbridge or your Mother what Potter told you."
"Okay Mary I will goodnight" Cho complied. As Marietta goes to bed, Cho closes her bed curtains and makes a vow to herself "Okay now that I know what happen to Cedric I could begin to move on. I know it's going to be hard for me but it would all worth it in the end." Cho lays down goes to sleep.