And another Quidditch game.
CHO III
The weather was much better than two weeks ago. Not that it was a sunny and bright day, quite the opposite. The windows of the Great Hall only allowed a grey, toned off light to come in. Still, there was no storm outside. Clouds were white as snow, and didn't give any indication of rain coming. Cho had gone out very quickly before breakfast to see the state of the grass, to find it frozen by dew. The temperature was low, but it was nothing unusual for a game that took place in November.
She and Marietta, who had followed her outside, were warmly welcomed by their friends at the Ravenclaw table. But Cho sat down with the other players of her Quidditch team after she said hello to them. Before Quidditch games, she now preferred to sit with her teammates to focus entirely on the coming game of today. Roger made a place for her next to him. He was the new captain this year, following Trevor's departure, and he was obviously under a lot of stress for his first game as captain. The fact they would play against Slytherin certainly didn't calm him down.
Cho wished they played against Hufflepuff for their first game of the season, like every year. She liked to play against Cedric. But the Slytherins obtained that they played later because their Seeker was supposedly injured, even though everyone in Hogwarts knew that Draco Malfoy was only pretending. He had removed his bandages the Monday following the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
She attended the game, and truth be told, Cho was glad that she wasn't among the players who had to play on this day. Considering how the Dementors appeared out of nowhere on the field, she was more than glad that she didn't find herself on her Comet Two Sixty when it happened. She could still see very clearly Harry falling from his broom. Cho herself was injured more than once while playing Quidditch, but she never fell from such a high altitude. She was relieved when Cedric told her Harry was fine after he visited him in the hospital wing.
"Do you ever manage to eat before a game?" Jeremy, the new Chaser of the team, asked the others. He was toying with his food, but barely swallowed any. He was shaking.
"We must. We must be in good shape on the field." Cho emphasized her words by taking a sip of orange juice, although she had to admit that her stomach was contracted due to her lingering fear to see Dementors show up during the game again. Cho was no different to the other students. She was afraid of the Dementors ever since she crossed one aboard the Hogwarts Express.
"Eat what you can, Jeremy," Roger told him. "But eat something. That's important."
Cho talked about everything and nothing with the other players, especially Roger, but no one really had anything of importance to say. Ravenclaw people, and even some from Hufflepuff, came to wish them good luck. Some were Cho's friends. Her circle of friends wasn't limited to Ravenclaw. She had some in Hufflepuff, even if they were not as close to her than the Ravenclaws. Hufflepuffs were quite cheery these times, after Cedric won that game against Gryffindor.
Cho looked at him at the Hufflepuff table. He was surrounded by a group of friends as well. Cedric had taken the victory very well. He remained humble. Cho spoke enough with him to know that he didn't really consider it like a proper victory. He said they couldn't know what would have happened if the Dementors had not shown up. It was true that, considering Harry's record as a Seeker, the question could be asked. Cho only appreciated Cedric further while seeing that his head didn't inflate after he defeated Harry Potter.
She looked at the Gryffindor table. It took her some time before she found him. Harry was at an extremity of the Gryffindor table, while Cho was at the centre of her own, and his angled position resulted in the bushy hair of his friend, Hermione Granger, hiding him from Cho for some time. Cho was glad that his injuries were not too grave. Though she better focus on the game ahead of her. She wouldn't be facing Harry or Cedric today. It was Draco Malfoy she would confront.
"Okay, team. Let's go to the pitch," Roger said.
The seven players stood up together. Cho always felt very small among them. Even Jeremy was taller than her. On the other side, she also felt protected. She could rely on the guys in the team to ensure her safety, both inside and outside the pitch. And she was just about to need it.
The team of Slytherin had stood up right after them. As a result, the two teams faced each other in front of the doors. Cho had the impression that last year's scenario was repeating itself.
"So, Davies, are you going to say something clever, or will you stand here like the dumbest tree on the Earth?" Flint asked, and the rest of the team laughed.
"Can you repeat the question? I didn't understand with that troll accent of yours," Cho's captain replied, eliciting several laughs within Ravenclaw. Like last time, Cho refrained herself from laughing, especially when she saw how angry Marcus Flint looked.
"We will see who will laugh at the end of today."
"Watch your Seeker, Flint. He might get injured for real this time."
The Slytherins went through the doors, and the Ravenclaws left not long after. On their way to the stadium, Cho saw Cedric waiting for them at the entrance of the changing rooms.
"Hey, Roger. I just wanted to wish you good luck," he said.
"Thank you, Cedric," their captain replied.
As Cho followed her teammates, her eyes met Cedric's and they exchanged smiles.
The atmosphere was feverish inside the changing rooms. Cho verified the state of her Comet like she always did before a match. It was with this broom that she caught the Golden Snitch against Slytherin last year, and she intended to catch it again today. They defeated Slytherin last time. They could do it again.
"Okay, team," Roger said. Everyone turned to him, ready to play. "It will be unusual for a first game, but we can win. We defeated Slytherin last year. We proved then that their new broomsticks were no good. Let's do it again today. And let's show Malfoy that he should have faked his injury for longer."
Everyone cheered at that, even Cho. She didn't like Malfoy, and she would gladly defeat him once again in a Quidditch match. As they flew out of the changing rooms, the cold wind refreshed Cho's face. This wasn't the lifeless, dying cold of the Dementors. This was the living air of November that filled her lungs with excitement as she could clearly hear the commentator.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Lee Jordan, and welcome to Hogwarts' second Quidditch game of the season. Today, Slytherin versus Ravenclaw."
Cho took a turn in front of the rows of seats where her friends from Ravenclaw cheered her, Marietta at their head. She tested the brakes and acceleration of her Comet, the joy of flying filling her heart and lungs, no matter how cold it was.
"For Ravenclaw, Roger Davies, Randolph Burrow, and Jeremy Stretton as Chasers. Duncan Inglebee and Jason Samuels as Beaters. Grant Page as Keeper. Cho Chang as Seeker."
Cho had applauded both teams during the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but her cheers, along with those of everyone else in the stadium, had been drowned by the storm. This time, the crowd could be heard very easily, and Cho distinctly noticed the boos of the Slytherins she just flew by.
"For Slytherin, Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey and Graham Montague as Chasers. Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole as Beaters. Kevin Bletchley as Keeper. Draco Malfoy as Seeker."
This time, it was the boos of the Ravenclaws that Cho heard as she flew by their section of the crowd. She flew next to Grant and patted into his hand before she headed for the central circle. All players aside from the Keepers gathered around it. Madam Hooch ensured that Roger and Marcus Flint shook hands before they joined their respective formation of Chasers, facing each other. Cho herself was facing Malfoy over the other players, and she felt his stare on her as the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch were released. He probably didn't forgive her for defeating him last year.
"The Quaffle is released. Let the game begin!"
Cho rushed in the direction towards her team's goalposts as Roger seized the Quaffle.
"Roger Davies… He dives to avoid one of Slytherin's Beaters… He makes a pass to Stretton… Intercepted by Pucey! Slytherin counterattacks… Pucey to Flint… To Montague… Back to Flint… He gets a Bludger in the face… But Montague recovers the Quaffle… He avoids Burrow… He shoots. He scores."
Cho cursed under her breath as she looked towards her goalposts, seeing Grant recover the red ball to throw it back to their captain. She also noticed at this moment that Malfoy was chasing her.
"Davies leads the attack for Ravenclaw… He makes a pass to Stretton at mid-field… Stretton loses it to Montague… But Montague gets a Bludger in the back! Davies… Oh! Davies got the same Bludger in the face… The Quaffle is falling…"
As she kept looking for the Golden Snitch, Cho watched from the corner of an eye the red ball dropping, its speed slowly decreasing. Randolph tried to pick it, but Pucey stopped him. Flint then rushed to recover it, but in a last minute effort, Jeremy got it under his nose. Flint's Nimbus was flying too quickly, and he rushed long past, giving the time to Jeremy to head towards the Slytherin scoring area, unopposed after a Bludger hit by Duncan threw Montague off course.
"Jeremy Stretton is flying straight towards the Slytherin goalposts. It's going to be his first chance to score in his career. He approaches… Prepares to shoot…"
"Get out of my way, Chang!"
Cho was violently pushed aside, and she needed some time to stabilize her Comet afterwards. Malfoy just rammed her. She expected a penalty to be called, but Madam Hooch probably saw nothing as Jeremy's first shot resulted in the characteristic cling of a ring.
"Jeremy Stretton scores! Ten points on each side!"
Cho would probably have rejoiced more without the pain that lingered in her shoulder. So instead she focused on finding the Golden Snitch again as her ears kept hearing the comments of Lee Jordan.
"Bletchley sends the Quaffle to Flint… He passes to Montague… Who avoids a Bludger… Then avoids Davies… Inglebee… Ouch!"
Madam Hooch's whistle was heard through the stadium. "Penalty to Slytherin!"
Most of the crowd booed at the decision. Cho watched in direction of her Beater. Marcus Flint was holding his side nearby, while Duncan argued with the flying instructor that Flint had flow straight at him, and he only tried to defend himself. Roger came to his defence and argued as well, but Madam Hooch proved unflinching. Roger kept arguing.
"He tried to ram Duncan! He almost flew straight on his bat on purpose!" he shouted.
Madam Hooch whistled again. "Another penalty to Slytherin!"
Cho cursed under her breath again. What was Roger thinking about? You couldn't contest a decision from the referee like this. As unfair such a decision could be, contesting too much could be even worse. Now Slytherin had two penalties. Reluctantly, her captain flew away.
Marcus Flint took the first penalty, and Cho was forced, with the rest of her team, to watch as he described a slow arc that brought him in front of Grant's left ring. But Flint suddenly accelerated and shot through the right ring, and his goal was heard throughout the pitch. Then Montague took the second penalty and flew straight towards the centre ring. He finally shot at the left one, and Grant tried to stop it, but the Quaffle slipped through his fingers.
"30-10 for Slytherin."
The fact that the commentator did not sound happy at all about this result barely made Cho feel better. A commentator was not a player on the field, and his lack of enthusiasm was not to change much. The game resumed. Cho remained alert, looking for the Snitch everywhere, but so far the small ball avoided her sight. Malfoy, in the meantime, kept tail of her, and rushed past her two more times. She narrowly avoided a collision with him on both occasions.
Cho thought that she understood now. Malfoy's tactic was a variant of what she applied against him last time, when she cut his trajectory repeatedly, in order to cancel the advantages his Nimbus Two Thousand and One provided. Today, it was Malfoy's turn to cut her trajectory, but he did it much more brazenly, without caring if they collided. He risked penalties this way, but Cho also risked falling from her broom. Malfoy was taller and stronger than she was.
Cho was distracted by Slytherin's fourth goal, and took some time to adjust to Malfoy's tactics. She increased the speed of her Comet and made more unpredictable moves. Luckily, Cho was used to search for the Snitch while performing other tasks. Unluckily enough though, she still couldn't manage to get sight of it.
"Stretton with the Quaffle… He passes to Burrow… Burrow avoids Flint… Then Montague… Pucey is behind… The Quaffle is dislodged from Burrow's hands, and falls back… Pucey… Davies takes it back from him… and he flows straight to the Slytherin rings… He avoids a Bludger… Enters the scoring area… He shoots! He scores! 40-20 for Slytherin."
Just as it happened, one of Slytherin's Beaters flew straight to Cho. She glided on her left to avoid him… only to ram inadvertently into Malfoy.
"Hey! Get off me, Chang!"
He pushed her aside, and Cho found herself right in the trajectory of a Bludger.
The next thing she felt was a powerful hit in her hip, followed by a strong pain to her ribs, as a bat hit her strong at this place. Cho couldn't help but groan in pain as it spread through her body. She gripped her comet with both arms and hands to avoid falling as Madam Hooch's whistle sounded.
"Two penalties for Ravenclaw! Flying with intent to collide, and deliberate damage to their Seeker."
Cho could have rejoiced, but the pain in her chest and stomach was just too high for that.
"Cho? Are you alright?" Roger was flying towards her.
"Yes," she lied, but she knew right away that he wouldn't believe her. She was struggling to even remain on her broom. The pain that seared through her abdomen was burning.
"Can you hold up?"
She nodded, tears coming to her face. She hid it away from Roger.
"Bole will pay for that! Really? Hitting you with his bat?"
Cho managed to fly up, and watched her teammates take their two penalties. They were obviously angry, and Cho was too. Roger scored at the first penalty, but Randolph missed the second, leaving the score to 40-30 for Slytherin.
The moment the whistle blew after the second penalty shot was completed, Cho flew down towards something glittering. The pressure of her Comet's handle against her ribcage was unbearable, but she sustained it. She sustained it until she heard something tear through the air right behind her. She felt an iron ball hitting her in the back, and the last thing she remembered was falling to the pitch, face first against the ground.
Cho experienced blurry impressions of people talking around, of her body being lifted and moved, and a soft surface under her back. Everything in her back and chest hurt, and when she finally opened her eyes, she was partially blinded by the light and felt a strong headache. She tried to lift her hand to her forehead, only to wince in pain again.
"Oh, don't tell me. You're supposed to be asleep. Here, drink some more."
Cho did as she was told by the feminine voice when a small recipient was brought to her lips. And she fell into complete darkness again.
When Cho woke up again, the light had diminished. She more easily detailed her surroundings and saw that she was in the infirmary.
"Welcome back among the living."
She knew that voice. She turned her head, causing a twinge in her neck. She met the handsome face of Cedric Diggory, who was looking at her with a kind smile.
"Cedric? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Your teammates went back to your common room, so I asked Madam Pomfrey if I could keep an eye on you."
"For how long have you been there?"
"About two hours, I would say."
Two hours? Cedric waited two hours for her? But then, she remembered something. "The match? What happened?"
He took a more contrite expression. "Your team lost. But they put up quite a fight. Slytherin was only leading by ten points when Malfoy caught the Snitch. The Slytherins won two hundred and thirty points against seventy."
Cho closed her eyes. They lost. And it was because of her. She wasn't there to catch the Snitch and Draco Malfoy caught it.
"Hey, it's not your fault, Cho. You were injured. One of the Beaters hurt you with his bat, then you got a Bludger in the back. You were in quite a state when you arrived here."
She snapped back at attention and turned her head quickly, earning another twinge, more powerful, that made her wince. "How bad?"
Cedric sighed. He seemed a little embarrassed. "A few fractured ribs, a leg and a fist strained, the other fist broken, a broken nose, and a concussion. It wasn't pretty, believe me. Even from afar. But Madam Pomfrey took care of it all. She's just keeping you for the night to make sure the bones are all healed."
Now she understood why she felt horrible pains in her back. She brought one of her hands at her face and turned it. It was a little stiff.
"Feeling fine?" he asked. She could perceive the concern in his voice.
"I guess. It hurts a little," she answered. She felt a small throb when she bent the wrist.
"Destiny seems to be against Seekers nowadays."
"Except you." She looked at him. He looked down.
"Not by my doing. I mean, I didn't choose for the Dementors to show up during the game. And I didn't have a whole team trying to injure me. I mean, it was obvious from the beginning that the Slytherins tried everything to drop you from your Comet."
Cho looked at the ceiling. "I should have been more careful. I should have avoided them."
"It's not your fault, Cho. The Slytherins never play fairly."
She knew that. And she should have accounted better for that during the game. She knew there were higher risks of injuries and wrong play when they faced Slytherin. As Seeker, it was her responsibility to avoid getting injured in those circumstances. If she succeeded, they could have won the game. Now the only chance Cho's team had to win the Quidditch Cup this year was to win their next two games, including the one against Hufflepuff, whose Seeker was sitting right next to her, comforting her after her defeat.
"If you don't mind, Cedric, I would like to be alone. Please."
A part of her felt guilty as she said the words. There wasn't an ounce of hypocrisy or glee in Cedric as he watched her being injured. He only really seemed to have come to the infirmary because he was concerned about her, despite the fact they played for opposite teams. And yet she was throwing him away.
If Cedric felt hurt by her words, he didn't show it. He stood up, and with a kind smile and after putting his hand soothingly on her wrist, taking care of not causing her any pain or harm, he took his leave.
Later in the evening, Roger came to visit her as well. He said he was relieved to see her well, and he was eager to see her back on her feet tomorrow morning. There was also her best friend, Marietta, who came to spend some time with her before Madam Pomfrey threw her out once the visit hours were over.
The following morning, when Cho walked into the Great Hall with Marietta for breakfast, who had come to check on her early this morning, she was welcomed by a short ovation. She didn't feel like she deserved it, but most of her friends, her teammates, and almost everyone in Ravenclaw whose path she crossed, complained about Slytherin playing unfairly. That didn't stop Cho from noticing the mockeries coming from the Slytherin, which she did her best to ignore.
At the end of breakfast, Roger asked them all to come to the stadium to discuss a few things. The whole team of Ravenclaw gathered in the changing rooms, and Roger began to deliver them a speech.
"Look everyone. I'm going to put it bluntly. We lost. But this was only our first game. We have two more games coming, and we got to win them. They may seem far away, but we're going to train early for these. I know we just come out of a difficult match, but we don't have any time to lose. We could have won the Quidditch Cup last year, but the cancellation of the season took it from us. We're not going to miss our chance this year. We will be facing Gryffindor in March, so we're going to train nonstop. I want us all to be there tomorrow after classes. Understood?"
They all nodded. Cho noticed that the other people seemed quite determined, something she didn't expect after they lost such a crucial game.
"We're going to show the Slytherins that we're not down, and we're going to take the Quidditch Cup away from them!"
"YEAH!" Everyone shouted.
As the day went on and everyone she knew, even classmates and acquaintances from other houses, told her how unfairly the Slytherins won, Cho realized that the whole house of Ravenclaw, and not only her own house, was angry at the Slytherin. The defeat did not deter them. They wanted to win, and Cho wanted to win as well, but she couldn't stop the feeling that it was somewhat her fault, even if only partially, that they lost. Marietta tried to push her thoughts away when Cho shared them with her at the library, where they were studying with their usual group of friends.
"It's Malfoy's fault if you fell, Cho. He and the other players injured you on purpose. They cheated." Marietta sighed out of exasperation. "Stop blaming yourself. No one blames you for the defeat, except yourself."
"I knew the Slytherins play brutally, Marietta. I should have avoided Malfoy, distance myself from him."
"When he's following you everywhere? And flying with a Nimbus Two Thousand and One?"
The latest remark of Marietta hurt Cho more than her friend probably realized. She just reminded Cho that she had a broom of lesser quality than Draco Malfoy. Her friends didn't manage to remove the idea that she was in part responsible for the defeat, but they did lift up her spirits all the same. The conversation slowly diverted towards more mundane subjects, slowing down their work progress. Among those were the next weekend at Hogsmeade, which everyone was eager about even if it would be in almost a month.
A girl wondered aloud, not the first time, why Professor Lupin wore damaged clothes. Cho had no answer to that. Personally, she liked their new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. His lessons were always interesting. She never enjoyed this course before, but Professor Lupin had proved to be very surprising.
On their way to the Great Hall for dinner, Cho and her friends were discussing in advance what they thought they might do during the Christmas holidays. Cho was trying to see if there was a way for her to see Marietta while they would be away from Hogwarts. As they neared the Great Hall, they unfortunately came across a band of girls from Slytherin, the one led by Pansy Parkinson.
"Hey, look! The girl who fell!"
The Slytherin girls burst into laughs. "Shut up, Parkinson!" one of Cho's friends said.
"Or what? She'll fall on me?" Another burst of laughs.
Cho felt a mixture of anger and shame at those words. "Don't you have something better to do? Like faking being amused by your boyfriend's bad jokes?" Marietta shouted.
Pansy Parkinson's grin just grew wider. "Oh, it's appropriate that you talk about that. It just gave me an idea. Perhaps I could mix my own imitation of Chang's fall with Draco's imitation of Potter falling."
Cho's cheeks reddened. This was unfair. Harry fell because there were Dementors on the pitch. If Cho's injuries had been bad, Harry's could have been much worse if the Headmaster didn't slow down his fall at the last second. Even Cedric, who played against Harry that day, agreed that there was nothing to enjoy about with this accident.
"I can't wait to see that! The Seekers Who Can't Fly!" a fat girl named Millicent Bulstrode declared, beaming.
"Not as good as the Girl Too Fat To Fly."
This did not come from Cho's group of friends. It came from behind the Slytherin lines, and Millicent Bulstrode turned immediately towards the origin of the voice.
"Who said that?" she yelled of her booming voice.
"That's her!" Another girl with the green sleeves of her house pointed towards the back of someone. Someone with flaming red hair.
"Hey, Weasley!" Bulstrode boomed. The girl with red hair turned towards her right away. The Slytherin girl moved towards her, the other girls of her band behind. "Repeat what you just said?"
Cho looked at Ginny Weasley, the little girl who just insulted Bulstrode. She was so small that she barely reached Cho's height, and that said something since Cho was the smallest student in her year. But despite this, and despite the fact that Millicent was maybe twice her height and weight, and cracking her bone and muscles very loudly, the sister of the Weasley brothers stood straight and looked at the Slytherin monster when she replied.
"That you're so fat that no broomstick can carry you!"
Cho noticed that other students just stopped to watch the scene evolve. She thought that they ought to do something. Millicent Bulstrode looked furious. Her face was entirely red, and she began to slowly advance towards the little girl.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Before Cho could decide what to do, another student, much taller, but with the same bright red hair than his sister though it was cut short, and the badge of Head Boy on his chest, emerged from the gathering crowd and stood between his little sister and the muscle mass. "Explain yourself, Bulstrode."
The Slytherin girl was just as red from anger, but she now hesitated. Before she could answer, two other boys with red hair, identical, appeared as well.
"Someone has a problem with our sister?" they said in tandem.
The group of Slytherin now looked much more reticent and less confident, having three students older than them, including the Head Boy, facing them.
"Fred, George, stay out of it," the elder brother said though.
"Yes, Fred and George. Obey your Head Boy," someone said on a mocking tone in the crowd around, but Percy Weasley didn't seem to notice it like his twin brothers did.
"Bulstrode, explain yourself. I will not ask again," he said threateningly.
"I… We were just talking," the fat girl said.
"Talking? You yelled so loud that everyone in the Great Hall heard you."
"She insulted her," a girl from the Slytherin gang said. "She said Millicent was fat."
The Weasley twins burst into laughs. "That's not an insult…" one began.
"It's a fact," the other completed.
There was a chorus of laughter throughout the crowd. Bulstrode was turning purple.
"Enough! Ginny, Fred, George, back into the Great Hall. I'll deal with you later. And all of you, go away."
The two other brothers and the sister walked through the crowd as it slowly disbanded. Percy Weasley approached Bulstrode. As Cho and her group of friends walked away as well, she managed to hear the end of their conversation.
"I don't care if my sister insulted you, Bulstrode. Violence and intimidation are forbidden at Hogwarts. Consider yourself lucky I stopped this. Now, you go to your common room, and you don't leave it for the rest of the day."
"But… I didn't take my dinner!" the girl shouted.
"As if she needed it," one of Cho's friends say in a whisper. They all laughed this time, even Cho. It felt good to see such a Slytherin being brought down. They spent most of dinner discussing what they just witnessed, and remembering the most funny anecdotes and situations in which Slytherins ever found themselves. Finally, this weekend ended on a good note.
At the end of dinner, Cho and her friends happened to leave their table at the same time as Ginny Weasley. Cho quickened her pace to catch her outside the doors.
"Hey, Ginny." The girl turned towards her. She seemed surprised that Cho spoke to her. "I just wanted to thank you. Really. You're very courageous."
It indeed took a lot of courage to speak against Millicent Bulstrode, a girl with the reputation to bully smaller and younger students. But Ginny Weasley simply looked straight into her eyes. "I didn't do it for you."
Then she turned her heels and walked away, leaving Cho dumbfounded. She was just trying to be nice with her. She didn't understand why Ginny behaved so abruptly with her.
"This girl needs to learn some good behavior," Marietta commented.
But Cho chose to not make a mount of it. Ginny Weasley had opened the Chamber of Secrets last year because she was manipulated, controlled by a dark spirit. She had pity for this girl, so Cho wasn't about to be angry just because she lacked some manners in speaking to her.
The group of Ravenclaw students went back to their tower, and later Cho had no trouble falling asleep.
No Dementors this time, but it didn't stop a player from being gravely injured.
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Next chapter: Hermione