Hi everyone. I thought about it, and I decided to release one chapter every day until Easter. Except the last one on Easter, the Yule Ball, these are fairly short chapters (3500 words maximum). So stay tuned as chapters get uploaded this week.

CHO X

"Cedric. Cedric Diggory."

She shouldn't feel ashamed to say his name. After all, this was something she hoped for. But saying it to Harry, in these circumstances, made her feel many things, and ashamed was sadly one of them.

"Oh. Right."

And he walked away, slowly. It took time before he disappeared. Guilt. This was another feeling Cho felt right now as she watched him fade away. It was strange, the range of feelings she felt over such few short moments.

Cho had been stunned. Stunned. There was no other word to describe her state. Well, it wasn't the only way to describe it. Blushing. This was the other word that could describe it. How could she be stunned and blushing at the same time, temperature rising on her cheeks and foreheads, and up to her ears?

She had been alone, with Harry, in a corridor near the class of Defence Against the Dark Arts she just came out from. Harry had emerged out of nowhere and asked to talk to her alone. Cho had agreed, and here they were, out of hearing distance from her friends, after Harry just asked her a question she didn't expect.

Do you want to go to the ball with me?

It wasn't the first time she was asked the question. However, she didn't expect it to come from Harry as well. And she had to say no. There were a few guys who invited her to the ball, including Roger, the captain of her team. She had felt sorry for saying them no, but she felt even more sorry right now. She had already said yes to Cedric. He asked her right when the ball was announced, and she accepted without hesitation. And now, she was forced to say no to Harry when he asked her exactly the same question, weeks later.

Slowly, Cho turned on her heels and headed back to her group of friends. She knew what awaited her. They would be asking her questions, without any doubt. And certainly, at least a few of them would suspect what Harry wanted to talk to her about. But Cho would rather not talk about it. So she straightened herself, put on an expression as normal as she could, and quickly invented a story she could tell her friends.

And she was right. The moment she came into view, her friends bombarded her with questions.

"So, what he did want?"

"Did he invite you to the ball, him too?"

"No," she declared firmly. "He wanted… to know if we could resume practices of Quidditch. You know, they were interrupted when the Triwizard Tournament began."

"At this time of the year?" Marietta asked, clearly not believing it.

"Oh, he doesn't want to resume immediately. But with everything that happened, he wants to test the ground, see if people in all our houses would be tempted to resume in the spring. With all the disagreements between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, he wants to verify early."

"Oh."

Most of the girls looked disappointed, but they seemed to accept her explanation. All but Marietta who looked at Cho suspiciously.

Their last lesson of the day was over. It was Friday, and they were only a few days from Christmas. The holidays had officially begun. They all went to the Great Hall to take their first dinner of the winter holidays. The mood was merry, discussions turning around everything but school or homework or subjects.

"Maybe we could go to the lake tomorrow?" one of the girls suggested. "I brought my skates. If anyone else has a pair…"

"What about snow sliding? The hill would be perfect…"

"I'm sleeping until noon tomorrow. I'm exhausted…"

"I think Harvey and I will go…"

And of course, the conversations also revolved around the upcoming Yule Ball.

"The Weird Sisters are coming! I can't believe it. I never had the chance to see any of their shows."

"I heard there's going to be another singer for the ball, coming from France."

"I heard he was from Bulgaria, like Viktor Krum."

"I heard this singer was a woman."

"Dumbledore doubled his initial order of Butterbeers. Apparently, Madam Rosmerta struggled to deliver and he had to contact other providers."

"Roger told me that he was going with Fleur Delacour."

"No way!"

"I hope there will be other kinds of dance than waltz. I would like something more modern."

"If the Weird Sisters are there, no worry to have."

"You think they will play Magic Works?"

"Surely. But I hope they will also play Do the Hippogriff. It's my favourite."

"Isn't that a little too rhythmic for a ball?"

"I guess they will play This Is the Night as well."

"Do you think they will play Muggle songs too?"

"What kind of music the Muggles could do for a ball?"

"I wish they also invited Celestina Warbeck."

"Do you think the people of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will like their songs?"

"They have no taste if they don't."

"How many mulled mead mugs do you think you will be able to empty that night?"

"Less than students of Durmstrang. They look like they're all twice our weight."

"Who do you think Viktor Krum is going to the ball with?"

"No idea. Probably someone from his own school."

"I wonder how many girls asked him to accompany them."

"Well, at least, one of us is going with a champion," one said about Cho.

Cho participated to most of the conversation, but she tried to avoid the subject of partners for the Yule Ball and to redirect the discussion when they spent too much time on it. She looked at the table of Gryffindor. There was no sign of Harry there. She found it strange. He should be at dinner. There was no way he could have dined quickly enough to leave before she arrived. She worried that her response to his question might have affected him more than she expected. Perhaps she should try to check on him later, when she could.

But the moment this idea crossed her mind, she thought it was a very bad idea. The very short conversation she and Harry had today had been… awkward, to say the least. Harry was obviously embarrassed to ask her this question, and she had been embarrassed by having to answer it. She was afraid that things may never be like they were before between them. Cho could consider Harry as a friend earlier today, but now… Now that she knew that he…

She spotted Cedric at the Hufflepuff table, who looked at her with his irresistible smile. She couldn't stop herself from blushing and returned it. She had accepted right away when he asked her to accompany him to the ball. In her mind, it almost went without question. After all, they had kissed after the first task.

It hadn't happened right after the task. Cedric was way too surrounded, and people immediately carried him away to their common room of Hufflepuff. Cho only saw him the day after. She congratulated him, and without thinking, she kissed him. On the mouth this time. And he returned it. She had been so afraid for him when he faced his dragon, and worried when the dragon caught him, that she did it without thinking. She saw how half his face was burned. She had been afraid for Harry as well, but his injuries had been without comparison to those of Cedric. After that, she and Cedric crossed paths a few times, but without saying much to each other. Until the ball was announced, and Cedric asked her to come with him.

This was what Cho had hoped for, and she was overjoyed when he asked her. She accepted without hesitation. She regretted that this joy was overshadowed by today's events. At least, despite the general thrill and excitement among students and professors that reigned in the Great Hall during dinner, after they were finished and headed back to the Tower of Ravenclaw, they heard someone else in Ravenclaw who wasn't entirely happy about what was going on today.

"Never try to understand your sister's actions," Padma Patil told someone. "Sometimes, she does things… I wonder how I can have such a stupid twin."

Once inside the Ravenclaw common room, their group scattered to a certain extent. Cho used the excuse of brushing her teeth after dinner to avoid most company. Only Marietta followed her. It was good, since Marietta was probably the only person she wished to speak to about the matter that preoccupied her mind.

"So, what did Harry Potter and you really talked about?"

Cho sighed. Of course, Marietta knew her. She would know what really bothered Cho. "He asked me to accompany him to the ball."

Marietta had a small satisfied smile. "Well, look at this. I think you're the only girl in Hogwarts who managed to be invited by two champions."

"Probably," she said, bitter.

"What's going on, Cho? What's the matter?" All of a sudden, her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you accepted."

"What? No, of course, I didn't. I'm already going with Cedric."

"Phew! Well, yes, you are. So, what is putting you in such a state?"

"I don't know," she replied. "It's just… He looked like… I got this feeling that he waited quite some time to ask me."

Marietta had one of those expressions that said it was obvious. "Well, he definitely did. I mean, we're only a few days from the ball, and he chooses this moment to ask you. I mean, he should have known you would be taken by this time."

"Yes, maybe," Cho distractedly acknowledged. "I just… feel sorry for him. And I feel guilty for saying no."

"Guilty? Why should you? Wait. Don't tell me you have feelings for him."

"No!" Cho retorted way too quickly. "No, of course not. I'm with Cedric. You know it." Marietta had known about Cho's feelings for Cedric for a very long time. "No, it's just that… I didn't know… I didn't know that he had…"

"Feelings for you?" Marietta completed. Cho nodded. "Well, I'm not that surprised. I mean, I noticed how he looked at you sometimes, and it was clear that he saw you as more than a Quidditch player."

"What? You knew that. And you didn't tell me?"

"Why should I have? You and Cedric were obviously… well, going to end together. I didn't want to spoil all that. And anyway, he's not the only boy who's ever looked at you this way. If I was to tell you each time one does, I would spend my life reporting on the guys unable to tear their eyes away from you."

Cho didn't like to recognize it, but Marietta was right. Cho was very popular, and although she didn't take much pride in it, she knew she was considered pretty by many people. The proof was the number of requests for the ball she received after Cedric invited her. She was really relieved that he invited her first, or she might have accepted someone else's offer, like Harry's.

"I wouldn't have minded that much to go the ball with him… if he had asked sooner," she voiced her thoughts aloud.

"What? You would have gone to the ball with a boy you didn't love?" Said this way, it was true that Marietta made it sound quite stupid. But Cho herself didn't find it ridiculous at all. "Come on, Cho. It wouldn't have been right either for you or for him."

"I guess."

There was turmoil within her mind right now. She didn't know what to think of all this. She never imagined that Harry could be interested in her. She really felt sorry for him. Had things been different, she might have given him a chance, to see where things could lead. She had to admit that a part of herself was flattered to received attention from him. But… Cho thought about Cedric. She had been thinking about him for a very long time now. Cedric, who was so handsome and good-looking, but also brave, and kind, attentive. When she got hurt, Cedric came to visit her in the infirmary, not Harry. No, she was definitely happy, overjoyed to go to the ball with Cedric. Only, this joy was tampered by Harry today. She wished he never asked her this question. She wished they could have stayed friends, and only friends. She feared they might not remain such from now on. And she regretted it. She really liked Harry. She never enjoyed Quidditch as much as when they played together, facing each other. She was afraid that all this would be gone from now on. They could never look at each other in the same way as before. Well, Cho would never be able to look at him the same way. And for Harry's future attitude towards her, she didn't know. It depended on how long he had been interested in her.

"Hey, Cho," Marietta brought her back to reality. "Don't start torturing yourself because you pity Harry. He's a champion of the Tournament, like Cedric. He will find another date for the ball. Even if it is at the last second, there will be a girl who will be ready to go to the ball with him. There are few who would miss such an opportunity."

This didn't make Cho feel any better. In fact, it failed utterly. But she pulled on a courageous expression and returned a smile to Marietta. "Yes, you must be right."

"Yes, I am. Now, finish brushing your teeth, and come enjoy the rest of the evening with all of us."

Cho accepted. Marietta talking to her had mixed effects, but she somehow managed to put Harry to the back of her mind for the rest of the evening. Although she dreamed of both him and Cedric during the night, and she found they didn't coexist well in her mind.

On the following morning, many people lingered into bed late in the morning. Cho stood up earlier, leaving her friends to sleep. She went to take her breakfast. Despite the school being almost full, since almost all students remained for the Yule Ball unlike most years, the Great Hall was quite empty. As a result, she was surprised to find out that Cedric had also woken up early, and that he was alone in his corner of the Hufflepuff table. He waved his hand at her, which she returned, blushing once more in the process, her heart beating quickly.

She was about to sit alone at the Ravenclaw table, but Cedric was making moves telling her to come and sit next to him. She didn't see any problem in that. Students normally didn't sit at a table that wasn't their house's, but there was no rule against it like for entering common rooms, and given how empty the Great Hall was, Cho headed to Cedric.

"Breakfast?"

He offered her a plate that contained bacon, pancakes and strawberries. "Thank you." He seemed to already know her tastes.

"Glad that the holidays are there?"

"Yes," she replied. "This year…"

"No need to tell me. I've gone through the O.W.L.s. I know what it is. But we don't need to talk about them. What are you planning for today?"

They took their breakfast together, laughing from time to time, but mostly enjoying each other's company without the presence of large groups of friends. Cho liked to have friends, but sometimes they could become heavy, like a presence that slowly turned tiresome when next to you for hours and hours. She was glad to have a moment alone with Cedric.

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked at the end of their breakfast. "I think it will be some time before the others wake up."

She accepted, and they went outside together. Snowfall from tomorrow stopped to fall for a moment, and they spent a good time making their way through the heavy snow that covered the ground. The carriage of Beauxbatons and the ship of Durmstrang took surreal appearances with this cover, though Cho wouldn't want to be in their occupants' place.

"Did you choose a dress for the ball?" Cedric asked her after some time, once they exhausted many other subjects.

"Yes, I have," she answered.

"Could I see it?"

She looked at him suspiciously, but from his smile he was not serious. He laughed. "Only at the ball."

"I can't wait."

"Please, tell me you have your own dress robe."

"I do. I would never dare to come to the ball without it. Not when I must accompany such a beautiful young woman."

He managed to make her blush once more. They walked next to the carriage at this moment.

"I heard Roger is going to the ball with Fleur? Do you know if it's true?" Cedric asked her.

"I heard rumors about it, but I didn't ask him the question," Cho replied. "I'm happy for him, if that's the case."

"I'm sure he must feel like he's in heavens."

Cho frowned slightly. "Do you know her well? Fleur, I mean?"

"We're not strangers. I got the chance to talk with her a few times. When we were chosen as champions, and during the photographs too. And on a few occasions. I wouldn't say that I know her very well though."

His expression changed all of a sudden as he was looking at Cho. She realized at this moment that her own features on her face had hardened. Cedric stopped, and he sighed, looking down.

"Cho, I don't want to hide anything from you. So I'll be honest. Fleur did ask me to come to the ball with her." Cho's heart stopped for a moment. "And I said no."

"You said no?" she asked, uncertain.

"I said no. Because I'm already going with you. And you're the only one I want to go to this ball with."

She plunged deep into his beautiful eyes. Without realizing it, they found themselves very close to each other. And they kissed.

It wasn't a quick kiss, like after the first task and she then ran away. This one was long, deep. And it made her heart pump blood faster than it ever did.

The rest of the morning went perfectly. She spent it entirely with Cedric. When she came back to the castle for lunch with him, she was cold, and wet, but happier than ever. She felt as if she was the luckiest girl on earth. She and Cedric went separate ways this time though, for the Great Hall was way fuller for lunch.

"Where have you been the whole morning?" one of her friends asked when she sat down with them, removing her scarf.

"I was taking some air," she replied, her cheeks still on fire. Marietta was looking at her with a knowing face. She looked in Cedric's direction, then towards her again, and Cho smiled back at her.

Lunch was a joyous time, and Cho had no problem participating to the conversations. The only time it was disrupted was when she caught a discussion between Padma and her twin sister from Gryffindor, Parvati.

"Did you really have to go with him?" Padma was asking her.

"Come on, Padma. It's not such a drama. Anyway, if I don't enjoy myself with him, I'll spend the rest of the ball with other people," her twin sister replied. "It could be funny."

"I guess we don't have the same definition of funny. You really had to go with this one?"

"Look, I choose who I date, Padma. I don't need your permission. I know you never approved of me and Harry…"

Cho was drinking a glass of water when she heard this, and she almost choke on it. Marietta patted her on the back to help her.

"Hey! Everything is fine?" her friend asked her.

Cho nodded, but she was listening to the conversation between the twins. "I'll never approve because he's trouble," Padma was saying.

"Is there any fun without trouble? By the way, do you have a partner for the ball? You should find one."

On that, the sister from Gryffindor left and headed for her table. As for Padma, she headed towards the exit of the Great Hall.

"Excuse me," Cho said to her friends, still breathing with difficulty. "I'll go to the washroom."

"I come with you," Marietta said, and three other girls stood up to follow her as well.

"No, no. Please. I'll be fine. I'll be back in a minute."

She really needed to go to the washroom, but at the same time, there was something else she wanted to know. She kept coughing on the way out, but she caught back on Padma in the Entrance Hall.

"Hi, Padma."

The Indian girl turned to see her. "Hi, Cho." She coughed again at this moment. Padma frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I just swallowed the wrong way."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Padma, I apologize, but I heard you talking with your sister. You don't have a partner for the ball?"

Padma looked a little sad about it. "No, I don't. But well, there are more important things in life. I heard you were going with Cedric. Congratulations."

"Thank you." She coughed again. "I'm sorry. Do you want help to find someone? I know some people who…"

"It's fine. I would rather go alone. Seeing how my sister chooses her partners doesn't encourage me to follow her example."

Cho's heart raced faster. "Who is your sister going with?"

Padma answered, and Cho was shocked when she further explained how it happened.

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Next chapter: Ginny