Chap 10: The Champion

Just as Dumbledore was able to calm the crowd down, a loud thud rang throughout the stadium.

Harry was back.

The crowd erupted into cheers again as the Hogwarts side cheered on with enthusiasm. However, something was really wrong, Cho observed Harry, he seemed to be in distress, and Cedric, he was not moving…

As the officials rushed up towards them, Dumbledore was questioning Harry and soon the news was out.

"He's dead! He's dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

Chaos erupted as everyone lost their cool, some screaming, others crying, it was pure chaos. Cho saw Amos Diggory running down onto the pitch and to his son, wailing loudly as he got to his only child's body. Cho held back her tears at the sight of Amos Diggory mourning his son's death, her attention however, was soon drifted onto Harry who was being pulled away by Professor Moody.

"All students, return to your common room now!" yelled Professor McGonagall, the other professors soon mobilised and began sending students back to their respective houses. Cho however, stood there dumbfounded, she had to get to Harry, she had to. Marietta however, soon arrived and dragged Cho back to the common room along with the others.

"You don't get it! I have to find Harry!" shouted Cho.

"You can't! We don't even know where he is!" Marietta protested.

"I - Don't - Care!" Cho shouted, before breaking free of Marietta's grip and disappearing into the crowd, away from the pleading Marietta.

After slipping through various groups of students and remaining out of sight of the professors, Cho soon found herself at Hospital Wing, the only logical place Harry would be considering his injuries. As she approached the Hospital Wing, she noticed 2 ministry officials standing guard at the door.

This has to be the place, but how the hell am I going to enter, Cho thought.

Not having a choice, she took in a deep breath and walked up to the entrance.

"Hey, you are not supposed to be here, this is out of bounds!" one of the officials shouted.

"I'm Harry's friend, I'm here to see him."

"You can do that tomorrow, go back to your common room- HEY!" he yelled.

Cho tried to force her way through them before they held her back.

"Let me go! I will hex you!" She yelled.

"You would not!"

"HE'S MY BOYFRIEND! LET ME GO!" She screamed and she forced them off her and kicked open the door.

Inside, stood Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Mrs Weasley, Professor Snape, the Minister of Magic and last but not least, Harry. However, they all seemed like they had a huge argument, with the Minister of Magic, Mr Fudge, red in anger.

"Sorry Minister, this witch forced her way through."

"A student out-muscled you?" Fudge snarled.

"I didn't want to hurt her," said the official guiltily.

"She's an intruder, you are meant to use force-" Fudge said, before being interrupted.

"No harm should be done to my student, not even by you Cornelius," Dumbledore said coldly.

Fudge stared at Dumbledore for a good second, before dumping a bag of galleons onto the table beside Harry and storming away.

Finally realising how stupid it was to break in like that, Cho's face glowed slightly red in embarrassment.

"Ah Ms Chang, you can join us, I'm certain Harry won't mind," Dumbledore said calmly, Cho responded by sprinting towards Harry's bedside, giving him a huge hug and a kiss.

"Ah… Love…" Dumbledore muttered with an odd tinge of sadness behind his voice, before turning to face Bill, Hermione and Ron who just arrived and addressed everyone in the room. Cho however, tuned everything out and focused on Harry and Harry only.

"And now, Sirius, you may reveal your true form," Dumbledore said to the dog which Cho hadn't even noticed was in the room.

That dog however, transformed into Sirius Black, leading to Mrs Weasley screaming. Cho however, pulled out her wand and pointed it straight at Black's face, ready to defend Harry.

"Ms Chang, Sirius Black is not a threat, you may lower your wand," Dumbledore said calmly, Cho on the other hand, kept her wand up, pointing straight at Black's face.

"Cho, he's my father's friend, my godfather, it's fine," Harry said wearily.

Father's friend? The one Harry met at Hogsmeade? Cho thought confusedly, hesitantly, she lowered her wand.

After a brief exchange between Sirius and Snape, who apparently were enemies, they shook hands and Dumbledore continued assigning various people in the room roles, sounding like they were establishing a group.

"And Sirius, I need you to assemble the old group," Dumbledore ordered.

Sirius nodded, however, glancing at Harry and Cho and said, "Can I stay behind for a short while, with my godson," which Dumbledore nodded to.

"Then this is it, you should both return to your common room," Dumbledore said, glancing at Ron and Hermione, before turning back to Cho. "I would assume that you will spend the night with Harry?" Cho nodded.

"It's settled then, you should spend the night at my office, I can't guarantee privacy here. And take this potion Harry, it will help you sleep better." Dumbledore said, handing a potion to Harry.

Cho and Ron supported Harry and led him to Dumbledore's office, with Sirius in dog form accompanying them. To her surprise, there was a bed set up when they entered the office, which they settled Harry into.

"Take this Zhu," Cho said softly, giving him the potion. Within a minute, his eyes closed and he was in deep sleep.

"So… you must be Harry's girlfriend, Cho Chang. I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather." Sirius said after a long period of silence.

"Yeah, I am" Cho said, attention still on Harry who was sleeping peacefully next to her.

Sirius nodded, before continuing, "Harry has spoken highly of you."

"He has?" Cho said, finally looking at Sirius.

"Yes, said it when we met at Hogsmeade earlier this year, was fond of you since the Quidditch match last year," Sirius said, making Cho smile. She had always known this, but to see Harry admit it to someone else certainly made it feel better.

"Reminded me a lot of James honestly, the way that they both talk about you and Lily, you 2 remind me of them so much."

"How so?"

"Well, if James was in the same position, Lily would have also bursted into the Hospital Wing despite Aurors being outside guarding it as well."

A small smile appeared on Cho's face, she knew some stuff about Harry's past, but not much. The thought of Harry's parents however, bothered her a little.

"Do you think Harry's parents will accept me as his girlfriend?" Cho asked Sirius, looking at his face intently.

"What? Why?" Sirius asked, taken aback by the question.

"I… I don't know, in Chinese culture, it's really important to obtain the blessings of the parents, filial piety I guess," Cho shrugged, "But I would never be able to get their blessings…"

Sirius stared at Cho for a while, thinking about what exactly to say.

"I'm sorry, this is a dumb question to ask," Cho said, embarrassment growing for her.

"No, no. It isn't. I understand where you are coming from," Sirius said, "me being Harry's godfather and close friends with his parents, obviously I'm the best one to ask."

"Truthfully Cho, from what I've heard about you from Harry, and what I've seen you do in this short amount of time, along with what I know about James and Lily, they will gladly accept you as his girlfriend, they were both some of the most selfless and caring people I know, Lily since the first day and James after he matured, I don't think that they will care about anything other than Harry's happiness, something that you clearly provide," Sirius said.

Cho nodded slowly, absorbing what Sirius said.

"Cho," Sirius said as she turned to look at him, "I can't act like I'm Harry's father, I'm not James, but as Harry's godfather, I can safely say that you are the woman who I want to see Harry spend his future with, you are a really really good person, that's for sure."

"Thanks," Cho muttered, still deep in thought.

"And with that, I have to go," Sirius said, glancing at a clock.

"It's been a great pleasure meeting you Cho," Sirius said with a bright smile, before transforming back into a dog and leaving.

Cho sighed as she laid down on the bed beside Harry, it's been a long day, filled with ups and very low down. Her thoughts wandered to Cedric, the charming, humble and kind 7th-year Hufflepuff, she even fancied him a little before Harry asked her to the Yule Ball and things became more serious between them. But now he's dead, just like that, all for a stupid fucking tournament. She looked at Harry beside her, thinking about how that could have been Harry, how the one that is crying all night would not be Amos Diggory, but Mrs Weasley, Sirius, Ron, Hermione and her… How much danger will this world put him in, why at every turn, her precious Zhu finds a new danger, someone trying to kill him. Why…

"Cho…" Harry said, shaking her shoulder, "Wake up."

Slowly rising from the bed, Cho looked around her before realising that she was in fact still in Dumbledore's Office, in a bed next to Harry. Looking at the clock nearby, she was stunned to see that it was already close to noon.

"Morning," Harry said wearily, trying to put on a smile, trying to mask the feelings of anguish.

"Morning," She said, giving him a peck on his cheek, "How are you feeling?"

"Shit," Harry muttered.

"Harry-"

"It's fine Cho, I don't want to talk about it."

Cho stared at Harry helplessly. She had seen Harry on his low days, days where he hated life and everything about it or days where he was stressed out of his mind. But she has never seen him this low before. He looked hollow, devoid of emotions. She knew nothing she said would help with this pain.

"We should leave the office, Dumbledore will be back any time," Cho suggested.

"I don't want to go," Harry said shakily, "I don't want to see anyone."

"You don't need to Harry, we can go to the hideout, just me and you, no one else, if anyone bothers you, I will hex them," Cho replied.

Harry's eyes met hers and he looked as though he wanted to say something, but all that came out was a small nod.

"Come on Harry," Cho said, grabbing his hand and leading him out.

The journey to the hideout was probably the longest journey that she had ever taken. Every corner they turned, there seemed to be someone standing there. Whenever they catch a glimpse of them, their faces either turn into one of pity or confusion, with many turning to their mates and talking in hush silence. Cho wanted to curse every single one of them, but she knew that it would only slow the journey. If it was feeling long for her, it must feel like an eternity for Harry.

Thankfully, they eventually reached the hideout. It was empty as always, other than a letter on the table which Cho picked up to read.

If you need someone to talk to, Ron and I are in the common room.

Hermione

Cho passed the note to Harry who after reading it, shook his head and sat down next to Cho, leaning onto her for support. She leaned her head onto his, tightening her embrace of him. Glancing around the room, she looked at the place that they had spent almost all of their time in. A mix of the best moments in the year and the most stressful ones. She looked at the different objects lying throughout the room, every single one reminding her of the time that she had spent alongside Harry. All the preparation for the Triwizard tournament, all the memories that they had made. She thought back to her first night with Harry in the room, both running away from the chaos of the Yule Ball, both seeking refuge in this very room and both relishing in the company of the other, laying on the bean bag and sharing about their lives. Back then this room was a symbol of Harry's suffering, wanting to stay away from the public's eye to bring peace into his life. Now, she saw it as a symbol of their love and a symbol of comfort, leaving behind the opinions of others and the harsh reality of the world and finding peace in each other.

"Thanks Cho, for everything," Harry finally said.

"Shh… You don't need to thank me for anything Harry, it was for us," Cho said, rustling his messy hair with her hand, something that was becoming more and more like a habit for her.

"You know, you were pretty crazy last night?" Harry said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Why so?"

"You ran into Hospital Wing yesterday screaming that I am your boyfriend," Harry said.

"What! I did not scream."

"You definitely did, Dumbledore and Fudge were arguing and your scream completely stunned both of them."

"Haiz, ok, maybe I did scream, just a little bit though," Cho finally admitted, making Harry chuckle softly, though a very hollow one.

"You would be fine Zhu," Cho finally said after a long silence, "you will get through this."

"Would I," Harry said pessimistically, "every year something worse happens, will I ever get through this?"

"You would Harry," Cho said confidently, "one day, you will get through all of this hardship and pain, we will get through it, together."

The last few days of the term fly by rapidly with Cho and Harry spending almost all of their time in the hideout, only appearing in public during mealtimes. Hermione and Ron dropped by from time to time where they will stay for a few hours, recounting stories and memories about their friendship over the last 4 years, 3 and a half of which Cho wasn't present in. While Cho always enjoyed their company, especially Hermione whose knowledge of magic was something she admired and the thirst for more was something they both bonded over, the better times were spent when it was only Harry and Cho together. Understandably, Harry did not want to recount the fateful day and neither did he really confide in Cho about how he was feeling, she knew that this was Harry's approach to dealing with the trauma. While it wasn't something Cho agreed with, who was she to judge Harry's way of coping? Instead, they spent most of their time snuggling with each other and surprisingly at times, studying new magic together. The Triwizard tournament and bonding with Cho had oddly given Harry a new thirst for knowledge, seeking to learn more about magic and how to become a stronger wizard. Cho suspected that this was a way for Harry to cope with the trauma, by seeking to become a more capable wizard, able to fight better and protect the people around him. As sad as this might be, she continued helping Harry to pursue this desire, especially with You-Know-Who coming back meaning that a second-wizarding war might truly be on its way.

However, the last day of the term soon arrived and after the End-of-Term feast, where both Harry and Cedric were toasted, Cho soon found herself arriving at King's Cross station, marking the official end to this term. While every student was hastily taking their stuff and leaving the train, Cho had one last thing to do before stepping out of the train.

"Harry!" Cho called out as he walked past her compartment, dragging him in. He had left the compartment previously to give Fred and George his winnings from the tournament, something that he had previously discussed with Cho during the last few days of the term.

"Urm Cho, I think we need to leave this train soon, everyone is waiting for us outside," Harry said, glancing out of the train window.

"I know, but fuck them for 1 second, I need to say goodbye to you."

"You can do it off the-" Harry said, before he was abruptly stopped by Cho planting her lips aggressively onto Harry's. Harry's body tensed up till he was like a statue, taken completely off guard by her aggressive move. Harry however, soon recovered from the initial shock, loosening up and embracing Cho tightly, his hands positioned on Cho's lower body, fully taking in the moment.

"I think that constitutes assault, no?" Harry commented after they broke apart, making Cho roar with laughter.

"Only if you did not like it, did you?" Cho teased.

"Obviously," Harry said.

"So, did the twins accept your winnings?" Cho asked as they slowly left the train, hand-in-hand.

"Took some convincing, but they accepted me as an investor."

"Investor?"

"Yeah, they offered 25% profits in the beginning but I countered 15%, eventually settled on 20% but they can't pay me anything till they begin to earn more," Harry explained

On the platform, Cho could see her father standing at the station, seemingly in deep conversation with a person who seemed to be Ron's father. When her father finally caught a glimpse of her, he quickly excused himself from the conversation and ran towards her, embracing her.

"Pa," Cho said endearingly.

"It's so good to see you again sweetheart," Mr Chang said, before breaking apart from their embrace.

"Ah and you must be Harry. I am Mr Chang," he said, stretching his hand out and shaking hands with Harry.

"Yes, good to see you Sir," Harry said awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with meeting his girlfriend's dad.

"Just call me Mr Chang " He said, smiling at him, "Oh yes, my wife and I would love to meet you over the holidays to talk about… let's say intriguing things we have seen and heard."

"Pa!" Cho exclaimed in protest.

"I'm kidding," He said, "but Harry, we do really want to meet you over the holidays, would you like to come over to our place for a weekend during the holidays?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Fantastic, we will plan everything and Cho will tell you the date," he said, a wide smile appearing on his face.

Cho looked at the pair curiously, not understanding the dynamics between them.

Hopefully, they are getting along, she thought.

"Ah Harry, your relative is waiting for you," Mr Chang said, glancing over to the back of the train station where a large beefy man stood waiting with a scowl on his face, judging from the description Harry had given her, that was Vernon Dursley, "I shall introduce myself to him, meet you at the exit sweetheart."

After seeing her father walk towards Mr Dursley, she turned back to Harry.

"Take care of yourself Zhu," She said softly, holding his hands firmly, "don't get into any trouble."

"Since when did I get into trouble? Ow!" Harry said sarcastically, resulting in Cho poking his sides before leaning in to give Harry a final peck.

"See you soon Zhu," Cho said, before turning away and chasing after her father.