The Dance of the Stag and the Swan Chapter 14: The Horse, a harry potter fanfic

Author's notes!

Translation for the Mandarin conversation is at the end, enjoy!

Chap 14: The Horse

The next few days went by smoothly for Cho, at the Order meeting, it was agreed that Harry could learn a little more about the Order operations, something that Cho had the privilege of listening to, with her father being largely supportive of Cho learning more, believing that it was only a matter of time for her.

However, after the meeting, they were greeted by unwelcomed news.

"Harry, this is the court date for your trial." Her father said, handing Harry a letter from the Ministry.

"What? The Ministry did not drop the case?" Sirius asked, alarmed.

"I wanted to push the Ministry to drop it, but Amelia and Rufus felt that we should play into the Ministry's hand." Her father said, leading to the room staring at him, confused.

"They believe that this case is very dodgy, the dementor's presence in muggle London, and specifically at where Harry's at, they suspect foul play." Her father said, "Only the Minister, his Senior Undersecretary and the Head of the Aurors, which is Rufus, can control the dementors. They want to build a case against the Minister and his Senior Undersecretary. They want to use Harry's trial to further incriminate both of them and since it's in front of the Wizengamot."

"In front of the Wizengamot?" Mrs Weasley exclaimed in protest.

"Yes, the Minister's choice." He said with a scowl

"Harry, do not worry, Albus and I will be there to defend you, there is almost no way that you will be convicted." He said, before turning to Cho, "Cho, you will have to be there as well, as a witness.", to which she nodded.

The day of the trial soon arrived as Cho took her seat in the courtroom, the trial was secretly pushed forward by the Minister the night before but her father had anticipated the potential of this happening to harm Harry's image more. As a result, her father had them up 5 hours before the trial and when the news of its shifted timing was announced, they were already at the Ministry.

The courtroom itself was intimidating, with 50 different members sitting in the courtroom, something that her father cursed upon seeing, pissed at the Ministry's attempts to paint Harry in a bad light.

After issuing an official statement about the commencement of the trial, the trial began. Questions were being poured at Harry and Dumbledore, who was sitting comfortably in a chair he conjured.

"Harry Potter, are you aware that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen." Fudge interrogated.

"Yes," Harry replied firmly.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry 3 years ago did you not?"

"I did," Harry said, still not deterred by the interrogation, something her father had encouraged him to do, showed no signs of fear or doubt.

"Yet you conjure a Patronus on a muggle street."

"I did, it is in-" Harry said before getting cut off.

"You were aware that you could have been in close proximity to muggles."

"I did what I did to pro-" Harry said before getting cut off again.

"Yet you did what you did," Fudge said, eyeing Harry now.

"This is a court isn't it?" Harry questioned, glaring at Fudge.

"What? Yes, yes it is." Fudge said, confused but still eyeing Harry.

"Then would you let me speak and plead my case?" Harry said, voice still calm but firm and confident.

The court burst with murmurs, many nodding their heads with some staring at Fudge in confusion while others continued to glare at Harry.

"Yes," Fudge said, with restraint in his voice.

"I performed the charm to protect Cho Chang and myself from 3 dementors who were attacking us. I casted the Patronus Charm to ward them off."

"A blatant lie," Fudge snarled, "No 15-year-old can conjure a Patronus Charm and fight off 3 dementors, if that was the case you would not be sitting here right now."

"You casted a corporeal Patronus?" a woman in the crowd asked, ignoring Fudge's statements.

"What?"

"Was your Patronus a clearly defined form, not a vapour or smoke?"

"Yes, I have been able to cast a Stag since I was 13."

"Since 13?" Madam Bones said from the crowd.

"Yes, Professor Lupin taught me in my 3rd year, after I was attacked by the dementors in my Quidditch game," Harry said.

"Impressive." Madam Bones commented, which a majority of the audience agreed with

"IT'S A BLATANT LIE!" Fudge yelled, stunning many in the audience including Cho, not expecting the Minister of Magic to lose control like that.

"Calm down Cornelius." Dumbledore who had been keeping silent the entire time, seemingly happy with Harry's responses, said. "Perhaps Harry can attempt to conjure one now."

Without needing any agreement, Harry pulled out his wand and his Stag emerged from his wand, galloping throughout the courtroom to the amazement of many, before finally stopping in front of Cho. To her amazement, its head bent down in front of Cho, allowing Cho to pat it. Despite being mostly vapour, Cho could feel a slight solid form when she touched it with positive thoughts flooding her head. Most importantly, she felt Harry's love, before it faded away.

Cho beamed at Harry before Fudge erupted in annoyance again.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled, before controlling himself. "It does not change the fact that he used magic outside of the school."
"As I said, I conjured the Patronus to defend Cho and myself."

"Why would there be dementors in muggle London!" Fudge snarled.

"Perhaps that question should be answered by you instead Cornelius," Dumbledore said, a smile appearing on his face. "Or we can turn to the 2 witnesses we bought today, one of which is a top Ministry official."

Fudge glared at Dumbledore for some time before turning to her father and herself and nodding.

Cho went first, confirming what Harry said, adding how it felt when the dementors were there after being questioned, which many nodded in agreement to after she shared her experience.

"My name is Yao Thomas Chang, I am a senior Auror who has been serving in the Ministry for 19 years. I am also the father of Cho Chang who is the defendant's partner." her father said firmly.

"Mr Chang, recount the events that occurred."

"I was exploring the city of London together with Harry and Cho after Harry's press conference and we were heading back to the Leaky Cauldron where we were staying for the night when we walked past the street. Due to it being their last night together before Harry leaves for his relatives, we decided to give both of them some quiet time together and I left for the cafe next to the street. However, 10 minutes later, I felt something was off, as an Auror of 19 years, I have encountered a fair share of dementors when I go and inspect Azkaban. I have grown to be able to identify small signs that a dementor was nearby the subtle negative thinking and goosebumps. I then left to check on both of them when I saw Harry Potter fighting the dementors, or specifically his Patronus in the form of a Stag fighting the dementors which were attacking my daughter. While his Patronus was successfully conjured, it was not strong enough to protect both Harry and my daughter from 3 dementors and he was losing strength from the overwhelming presence of the dementors, hence I fired my own which is a Crow and it chased away the dementors."

The court seemingly was satisfied with his statement while Fudge and what seemed to be his Senior Undersecretary.

"This is poor evidence, both witnesses are closely related to Harry James Potter." Fudge snarled but to the annoyance of the court which was protesting.

"Then perhaps we can use a Pensive and retrieve all their memories to analyse?"

"There is no Pensive here-" Fudge tried to argue but Dumbledore swiftly conjured Pensive.

"You were saying?" Dumbledore said cheekily.

Fudge, having no choice, ordered Percy Weasley to collect all 3 of their memories which were placed into the Pensive with the unique Pensive projecting an image to the entire court.

Cho watched in embarrassment as the memory started off with Harry and Cho's conversation which was oddly enough about future children. Cho turned to look at her father's face which was mixed with horror and oddly a restrained face trying not to laugh.

However, the memory soon reached the attack which played out exactly like what they had recounted. Giving Fudge no choice but to end the case with the crowd supporting Harry.

"The court is dis-" Fudge said before being interrupted.

"If I may Minister, I have a pressing case to present in front of the Wizengamot." Madam Bones said.

"You may at another time, you should know that confidential matters should not be presented in front of unrelated personnel," Fudge said, pointing at Harry and Dumbledore.

"On the contrary, what I have to present is related to Harry and the case we had just closed." She said, eyes narrowing on Fudge who looked uncertain.

"While the case of improper usage of magic is concluded, there is a pressing issue we have to address, the fact that there were dementors in muggle London." Madam Bones announced to the court. "After the reporting of the incident, the Auror department had decided to look into matters as dementors loose is a worrying matter. After checking in with Azkaban, they reported 3 dementors leaving their post, on the orders of a ministry official."

Gasps were heard throughout the courtroom with Fudge looking increasingly uneasy, like he was sick.

"Under the Dementor Act of 1718 under Damocles Rowle, dementors are to only answer to 3 people, the Minister of Magic, the Undersecretary of the Minister and the Head of the Auror department." At this moment, another man who Cho identified as Rufus Scrimgeour entered the courtroom, standing alongside Madam Bones. "In our attempts at solving this security risk, Scrimgeour had agreed to let a team of Aurors search both his home and his office where there were no records of previous orders. Additionally, Scrimgeour was not in office on the day of the attack, instead being on an assignment. As the law states, important decisions which can have drastic impact on the health and safety of wizards and muggles alike have to be made in the office in the Ministry of Magic with the approval of the Minister of Magic. Evidently, Scrimgeour hadn't filed any order as you haven't received any slip for approval have you Minister."

Fudge nervously shook his head before Madam Bones continued.

"This leaves only you and your Undersecretary who could be responsible for this attack."

At this moment, a nasty high-pitched voice came from the audience.

"Are you implying that either the Minister or I ordered the dementor attack on Harry Potter Bones?"

"I am not ruling it out Dolores, this means either 2 things, one of you ordered the attack or there has been severe negligence from the Minister of Magic himself, both of which call into question his capability to lead our country in turbulent times like this." Madam Bones said as Cho felt her respect for Madam Bones steadily rising.

"In addition, I have reasons to suspect foul play. The media campaign you have been running against Harry Potter is evidence of your dislike of Potter. Thus there is possible intent of using the attack and the subsequent trial to incriminate him even more to discredit him."

"This is not discrediting him!" Fudge yelled, "He has been telling lies, he has no evidence of You-Know-Who's return."

"Then do you have evidence that clearly shows that he is not back?" Madam Bones retorted, "The Auror department has been attempting to investigate the death of Cedric Diggory but you have been vetoing every attempt."

"IT ISN'T TRUE!"

"It's not your place to comment without evidence, additionally, without evidence showing that Potter is lying, it means that you are running a defamation campaign against him." Madam Bones continued calmly.

Fudge had no words to respond, sitting in his chair stunned and pale, his Undersecretary on the other hand, glared menacingly at Madam Bones.

"The Auror department and I will continue to investigate, in the meantime, I suggest a vote of surveillance as the Minister's actions in recent times have been troubling, while this is not to the extent that I will call a vote of no confidence, I believe that current events mean that there should be increased supervision over the Minister' actions." She said, Cho roughly remembered what a vote of surveillance means, when a Minister is looking incapable of properly lead the country in the short run, a vote of surveillance can be called where decisions made by the Minister will have to be looked over by the heads of the major departments, mainly the head of the Auror department, Education and Law.

After much discussion in the court, the votes were eventually cast with the majority going to Bones in support of the vote of surveillance and to the dismay of Fudge and his Undersecretary, the vote of surveillance was accepted.

The vote was met with excitement among the Order itself with most members being happy that Fudge's power was being checked with many being confident of Madam Bones's ability to keep the Ministry from falling even further. The Daily Prophets discrediting campaign of Harry has also largely come to a halt, with most articles about Harry mentioning the court case and the embarrassment that Fudge had made of himself.

While the rest of the holidays went by smoothly for Cho, spending large amounts of time with Harry, there was something new troubling her. Ginny Weasley. Cho knew very little of the girl other than her being friends with Harry due to her being Ron's little sister. When she first arrived at Grimmauld place, she was excited to befriend her as they would be sharing a room with Hermione. However, Ginny had been cold towards her despite her being friendly with everyone else. The most troubling thing is that Ginny had been trying to spend time with Harry, trying to insert herself into conversations Harry is involved in. She was also uncomfortably touchy with Harry, occasionally brushing her shoulder against Harry or the small slap on Harry when they converse. To increase Cho's suspicions, Hermione seems especially uncomfortable when it happens but attempts to look natural when Cho turns to look at her. Being annoyed and tired by this behaviour, she decided to finally confront Hermione about it.

"Hermione, can I speak to you in private?" Cho asked Hermione when she spotted Hermione alone cleaning up the place.

"Hm? Sure, go ahead?" Hermione said, following Cho into Harry and Ron's room, a place she knew Ginny would not appear at.

"What's going on between you and Ginny," Cho asked after closing the door.

Hermione was clearly taken aback, looking at Cho hesitantly, before muttering that she didn't understand.

"Hermione, you don't have to lie to me, I have been observing you 2. Tell me what on earth is going on." Cho demanded, to which Hermione gulped nervously, before speaking.

"I can't tell you." She said,

"Because Ginny told you you can't?" Cho said, staring at Hermione.

"Urm… y - yes," Hermione said, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Hermione, as much as I understand your position, whatever Ginny is doing is fucked up." She said, "The way she's acting around Harry is fucking wrong, she knows that I'm dating him."

"What?"

"Hermione, I'm not clueless, I've seen Ginny trying to get close to Harry throughout the last 2 weeks, I've seen the look on her face when I'm together with Harry. I've also seen you try to hide your expression. Tell me what the fuck is going on." Cho said firmly.

Seeing no way of convincing Cho otherwise, Hermione finally relented.

"She has had a crush on Harry since her first year, she has never gotten over it," Hermione admitted.

"So she's been trying to get close to Harry, to steal him from me," Cho said softly, menace in her voice.

"I - I've tried to tell her that she shouldn't be doing it!" Hermione squeaked, "B - But she's convinced that he will fall for her."

Cho did not say anything, deep in her thoughts and wondering what to do, should she confront her? What the fuck should she do?

"Cho," Hermione said, voice shaking a little, "Don't be too harsh on Ginny, she is 14 and she doesn't understand, add Harry saving her in her first year and it's a recipe for disaster, if you confront her, don't be too harsh. Please."

"Thanks Hermione," Cho said coldly before turning away from Hermione's pleading face and walking out of the room.

That night, Cho woke up from a nightmare, something that had become more common after the dementor attack, one that Harry said was a common after-effect. After calming her rapidly beating heart down, she sat up and looked around the room. It was pitch black but she could identify the silhouettes of the objects around her, on her left was Hermione sleeping soundly while Ginny, who was supposed to be on her right, was missing. Presuming that she went to the toilet, Cho ignored her absence and looked at her watch on the table nearby. She realised that it was 5 in the morning, around 30 minutes before Mrs Weasley woke up to prepare breakfast. Deciding that she had enough rest, she headed down to the kitchen to find something to eat.

When she reached the ground floor, she was surprised to find it dimly lit in the kitchen. To her surprise, Ginny was there, seemingly looking for food like Cho.

"Morning Ginny," Cho said wearily, surprising Ginny who jumped.

"Cho." She replied without any emotions, before leaving the kitchen intending to return to the bedroom.

"Ginny! Wait, I want to talk to you about something." Cho called out before Ginny reached the staircase, turning back and facing Cho. Cho could make out a face of suspicion and annoyance on her face in the dimly lit room.

"It's about Harry," Cho said, resulting in Ginny's face turning slightly pink.

"What about him?" She said defensively.

"It's not about him, it's about how you are acting around him." Cho scowled.

"H - Huh?"

"Ginny," Cho said in an exasperated voice, "You don't have to play dumb, anyone with eyes knows that you like him."

Ginny stared at Cho, face turning even more pink, her body language looking more uncomfortable.

"Ginny, I know that you like him, and I sympathise with your predicament," Cho continued, "but he is my boyfriend now. I'm sorry but the way you are acting is fucked up."

"I - I," Ginny stammered.

"Ginny, I like you, I truly do. You are smart, talented, popular, fun and hot, you can bag anyone else in the school easily." Cho said, "But Harry is already taken, he likes you as a sister and a friend, nothing more."

"Who are you to say that?" Ginny said, trying to sound firm but failing.

"I am his girlfriend." Cho said confidently, "I know that you are hoping that he would end up choosing you over me but trust me, Ginny, it's time to move on and live your life."

"It's my life and not yours." Ginny said more coldly, "I can choose how I live it."

"Ginny, think about this for a moment, is it worth of fuck up all your friendships just for a boy that is already taken," Cho said, leaving Ginny speechless.

"Think about this Cho, I know that Hermione does not agree with this, every time you try to get close to Harry she looks uncomfortable. I know that Ron supports our relationship, the twins as well." Cho said, "Then Harry, he does not understand this that well, but if you continue doing this bullshit, he will understand and distance himself from you. Do you want to lose him as a friend?"

"He will not distant him-"

"So you are suggesting that he isn't faithful?" Cho interrupted.

"Of course not."

"But what you are suggesting is that he is," Cho said, "If you know anything about Harry it's that he is loyal till the end."

"Of course I do." Ginny snarled.

"Then why are you still living in this stupid delusion?" Cho retorted, "Ginny, stop wasting your youth for an unattainable dream."

"It is attainable!"

"Tell me why!" Cho said, raising her voice.

"It's because he can do better than you!" Ginny shouted.

Cho stared at Ginny with a mix of contempt and pity. She could see in Ginny's reactions how deep the delusion ran, but she could also see how much the truth was hurting her. How much the war between her delusion and reality is destroying her.

"Do you know what I've gone through to be this close to Harry?" Cho said silently, something Ginny looked taken aback by.

"I became distant with my friends, I became the so-called whore of the school, I became the attention-seeking girl, I became the target of the Slytherins, I became the devil who was dating Harry to hurt him. Do you know how much the world hates me because I'm dating him? Do you know how much hate mail I got sent by his admirers when Skeeter published the article? Do you know how many dangerous mail got intercepted by Dumbledore? Have you ever stopped to think about that? Or were you one of those secretly happy behind my back?" Cho listed, glaring at Ginny.

"Have you ever! I got attacked by Malfoy, I fought with my mom over dating him, I fought through Aurors to see Harry after the 3rd task. Hell, I recently got attacked by dementors because I was having a romantic walk with him. Do you know what I saw when the dementors attacked?" Cho said. Ginny's face was getting paler by the moment, words failing her as she stood rooted to the ground.

"I saw the end of the 3rd task, but instead of Cedric dying it's Harry." Cho revealed, "DO YOU KNOW HOW AFRAID I'VE BEEN ABOUT HARRY!"

Ginny looked as though she was going to faint with her face looking as pale as the Hogwarts ghost, her head shaking vigorously.

"Have you ever wondered what being Harry's girlfriend means?" Cho laughed, "You think it's all sunshine and rainbows? NO! The amount of stress and worry I have for his sake, the number of times I've had nightmares that Voldemort will kill him, but act like nothing is affecting me because Harry has enough of shit to deal with."

"Were you there for him when he was at his lowest? Were you there to help him when he became a broken mess? Trying to help him rebuild everything when you are trying not to crumble yourself?" Cho questioned, to which Ginny was shaking her head, eyes misty now.

"But you know what Ginny, I will go through all of that to be with him. I would drop everything in my life because I fucking love him. I would suffer and fight this war by his side, I will risk everything if I can have a future with him. Fuck it, I would die for him if it means that he can live a better life." Cho snarled. "Do you really think I'm not deserving of him?"

"What's going on down here?" Mrs Weasley said, appearing from the staircase, looking over the scene taking place in front of her at that moment. Ginny however, shook her head in response, before timidly apologising.

"I - I'm, I'm sorry Cho," Ginny said, sniffling.

"Thanks," Cho said quickly, before storming back up the stairs, tears now forming in her eyes. She had let everything out, all her problems, things that she had not raised to Harry, believing that he had enough on his plate. But everything she said was true, every word of it, especially the second last line. She would die for him, she knew she would.

Thankfully, Ginny's attitude seemingly changed after the fateful conservation, keeping her distance from Harry and whenever they converse, she stopped being touchy and respectfully maintained her distance. Additionally, Ginny's attitude towards Cho was no longer cold, instead, it was replaced by a mix of respect and guilt. She still remained uncomfortable around Cho but treated her a lot better, something that seemingly relieved Hermione who had to play both sides. However, there was still something plaguing her mind, her O.W.L.s. Surprisingly, her results haven't come out yet, something that truly worried her.

"Cho!" Harry called out from the ground floor, "The letters are here!"

Cho, who had spent the morning helping to clean up another room in Grimmauld Place, jolted down the stairs to see a crowd gathering around the dining tables, all of whom had their letters.

"Here you go." Harry said, passing Cho her letter, "You first."

To her surprise, the letter was heavier than usual, as if something else was inside of it. Her attention, however, was fixated on her results instead. She was confident that she had done well, but a nagging feeling told her otherwise. Hesitantly, Cho opened the letter with her shaking hands, pulling out the result slip.

Cho Celina Chang has achieved

Ancient Runes: O

Arithmancy: O

Astronomy: E

Charms: O

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Herbology: O

History of Magic: O

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

"How did you do?" Harry asked, observing Cho's face to see any reaction.

"9 O. ," Cho responded with a small smile, trying not to explode in happiness.

"And?" Harry asked, anticipating more.

"8 Outstandings, exceed expectations for astronomy," Cho said, now beaming in happiness.

"Merlin's beard!" Harry exclaimed, embracing Cho in a hug, who was now jumping with joy.

"Wait Cho, there is something else in the letter," Hermione said, looking at the envelope.

Calming herself down, she opened the envelope once again, seeing another slip of paper inside with a badge. Pouring out its contents, she read the letter.

Ms Cho Chang,

I am pleased to name you the Quidditch Captain for the Ravenclaw team. More information about the tryouts will be provided after the school term commences. As the Captain, you would have the same privileges as a Prefect would such as the usage of the Perfect Bath. Should you decide against taking up the Captain's armband, inform me of this after the term commences.

Good luck,

Professor Filius Flitwick

Cho opened her hand to see a shiny Ravenclaw badge, one that had the word 'Captain' written on it.

"YOU ARE THE QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN?" Harry exclaimed with joy, planting a firm kiss on her lips before pulling away, realising that they were in the presence of several adults, many of which stared at them blankly.

"Ahem, perhaps the rest should open their letters too?" Sirius suggested, shifting the focus back to the letters, something Cho was grateful for.

Cho watched as Harry, Hermione, Ron, the twins and Ginny opened their letters. Hermione then shrieked in shock as she took out a shiny badge from her envelope, the new prefect for Gryffindor, something nobody was surprised by.

However, Harry then opened his palm and to everyone's surprise, 2 shiny badges were in it. Harry himself was stunned as his face was a mix of confusion and shock.

"Merlin's beard, we have lost 2 to the curse of the Prefects!" Fred shrieked in mock devastation, sinking to the ground, making everyone roar with laughter.

"My condolences Harry and Hermione," George said solemnly, shaking his head.

"Merlin's beard! Stop fooling around!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, slapping both of the twins on their shoulders. Her lips, however, were twitching.

"I really did not expect this…" Harry commented, "I thought Angelina would get the badge instead, and Dumbledore approving me as a Prefect?"

"You are just that amazing Zhu," Cho said, embracing Harry tightly.

"Oh Milord Potter, allow us back on the team, I beg you," Fred said, now on his knees together with George, resulting in another roar of laughter from everyone in the room.

"Congrats Harry," Ron said with a small and strained smile on his face, something that Cho immediately caught on as Ron's jealousy. Harry seemingly also got this as his body tensed up immediately, facial expression turning into worry.

"You ok Ron?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just… just a little disappointed that I was not the Prefect, a little," Ron admitted, "But it makes sense I guess, I'm too lazy to actually be a good Prefect."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, definitely," Ron replied, a wider and more natural smile now on his face, "At least with you as a Prefect, Malfoy can't mess with us as much anymore."

"Agreed," Harry said with plastered on his face

"Also, perhaps with you on the team, I can actually have a shot of becoming a keeper." Ron teased, resulting in Hermione smacking him on the head.

"You are going to trial as a keeper?" Harry asked, genuine shock on his face.

"Yeah, I always play as a keeper when I play with you all, reckon I have a decent shot," Ron admitted, cheeks burning brightly.

"Amazing, can't make guarantees though, but if you train hard enough you definitely can make the team," Harry said something that lightened Ron's mood a ton.

"Anyways I will probably trial other positions too, to add reserves to the team. The old team kinda suffered due to the lack of depth." Harry said.

"Really?" Ginny suddenly added, face now brightened, "I want to try too."

"Go ahead then, it would be amazing if we all were in the same team," Harry said, beaming.

At that moment, a bright thought suddenly popped into Cho's head, a mischievous smile now on her face.

"What's that smile for Cho?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, just thinking about the looks on all of your faces when I raise the cup this year." She smirked.

"Bullshit!" Harry and the Weasleys protested at the same time.

"You messed up giving me the Firebolt Harry," Cho said.

"I will still smoke you in the air," Harry said confidently.

At this moment, there was a sniff of a nose, everyone turned to see Sirius shockingly tearing up.

"I've failed James, his son is a Prefect now." He said, inviting a roar of laughter.

"Lily would be proud though, and Harry is a captain too," Lupin commented.

"True, but he is a Prefect, what have I done?" Sirius said in fake horror.

"Come on Fred and George, we have to grieve the loss of another one to the Prefect Curse." He said, with the twins nodding and solemnly following Sirius out of the room.

"So dramatic those 3 are." Mrs Weasley commented.

"Imagine all of them in school together," Tonks said, inviting shudders throughout the room.

"We will have a celebration tonight, 2 new Prefects, 2 new Captains and excellent results." Mrs Weasley said, beaming warmly at Hermione and Harry, before turning to Cho with the same warmth, something that made Cho feel a lot better. While Mrs Weasley was always friendly to her, she never showed the same warmth to Cho. That however had recently changed, something she suspected was due to her overhearing the conversation between Ginny and herself. She suspected that hearing Cho's revelations and love for Harry, Mrs Weasley was finally convinced that she was what Harry needed, hence starting to treat her more like another daughter.

The celebrations took place later at night where many Order members showed up. To her surprise, her entire family arrived as well, even her sister Cheng.

"Ma! Pei-pei!" Cho exclaimed in joy when she saw them enter the place, she dashed to both of them, embracing them tightly. She has not seen them since the day of the attack and the only means to communicate with them was through her father.

*"Cho 你还好吗?" Her mom asked about her condition worriedly.

"Mhm 你们呢?" Cho asked back, worried for them since it had been a while.

"没问题，只是十分担心，幸好你没事." Her mom replied, relieved that Cho was alright

"Good evening Mrs Chang," Harry said, bowing politely to Cho and her mom's delight.

"Oh Harry," Mrs Chang exclaimed, running towards him and embracing him tightly, "Thank you for protecting my daughter, you saved her life."

To Cho's amusement, Harry's face was plastered with shock, but gracefully accepted the hug.

"My husband told me about what happened and how you stood up for yourself during the trial," Mrs Chang said, nodding happily, "Seems like Cho chose the right man."

"Ma!"

"不对吗?" Mrs Chang said. Cho sighed and nodded, her mom was correct that Harry was the right man for her.

"Ah! Emily, it's great to see you." Mrs Weasley said, walking towards Mrs Chang and embracing her.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"Oh it's nothing, she's been really helpful as well." Mrs Weasley replied, "Well shall we begin the party?"

Other than her family, the other guests at the table were Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Bill Weasley, Moody and surprisingly, Professor McGonagall who made a rather shocking appearance.

"Ah, my new Prefects and Captain." She said, a small smile appearing on her face, "I do hope you both live up to my expectations of you 2."

Upon hearing this, both Harry and Hermione shivered a little, knowing that pleasing their head of house would be a task indeed.

"Also, Harry, when the term commences, please meet me in my office after you escort the 1st-year back." She added, confusing all of them.

At that moment, Sirius, Fred and George all finally made their appearance, dressed in full funeral clothing.

"Today, we mourn the loss of another 2 to the Prefect's curse," Sirius said.

"Another victim to the horrible plight, a plight that has plagued my family for a long time." Fred continued.

"Today, we will celebrate the legacies they have left behind." George ended before all 3 took their seats.

The group roared with laughter, her father looked like he was suffocating with laughter, even McGonagall snorted, mouth twitching a little. Her mother, however, looked confused.

"不理他们，那三个是很无聊的," Cho commented to her mother, inviting her to ignore the ridiculousness the 3 were.

The party, however, was a blast with her mom a lot more friendly and warm to Harry, something that Harry looked relieved at.

Apparently, all it took was for both of our souls to nearly get sucked out, she thought happily to herself.*

*Translations for the conversation in Mandarin*

"Cho, have you been doing well?" Her mom asked about her condition worriedly.

"Mhm, what about you?" Cho asked back, worried for them since it had been a while.

"Thank god that you are ok, I've been alright, just worried." Her mom replied, relieved that Cho was alright

"Good evening Mrs Chang," Harry said, bowing politely to Cho and her mom's delight.

"Oh Harry," Mrs Chang exclaimed, running towards him and embracing him tightly, "Thank you for protecting my daughter, you saved her life."

To Cho's amusement, Harry's face was plastered with shock, but gracefully accepted the hug.

"My husband told me about what happened and how you stood up for yourself during the trial," Mrs Chang said, nodding happily, "Seems like Cho chose the right man."

"Ma!"

"Am I not wrong?" Mrs Chang said. Cho sighed and nodded, her mom was correct that Harry was the right man for her.