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Paying For His Pedestal	By : twocanz Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Cho Views: 82652 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
A/N: Okay, whew! First, I want to thank all
the new people who are reading and reviewing, Hello and Thank you! DHsucks (love your name btw,lol),
I'm hinting very little to HBP. But good idea for that scene because it
would be great to have Cho sneak into the hospital wing to see Harry and she'd
probably hex Cormac herself for hurting her love/assailant. Sweetygirl, I'm glad you love
it! Thanks for reading it. Roger,
thanks for the compliment on the story and on my development of Cho. I
have a tendency to drag things out, especially when there's a major change in a
character. I know it's not Harry centric exactly, but I hope his change
is noticeable too. As for a happy ending...lol Timelord, thanks for reviewing and reading. One of
your suggestions however, I wanted to comment on. Harry tying Cho down to
talk to her. He promised he would never do that. She'd want that to
help push him away from her emotionally, not that he's a mind reader, but I
didn't have him do that...yet (yet, meaning I'm not saying what's happening
next!LOL). But let's remember that although he is nuts in this story,
it's still Harry. There's a level, however odd in this story, of
integrity, at least when it comes to her. As for your other concerns, I
hope it's answered in my response to Salon Kitty. Jake, as I've said before, comparing your views to Salon
Kitty is so great for me. IMO, you have a more Harry POV and Salon has a
Cho POV...I could be wrong, but it's awesome, so just let me live in that
dream!LOL J/K! But I do want to say one thing, I gushed for a one
moment when you suggested that Harry should have slipped a note in her pocket
before he left telling her he loved her! AWW, that was so sweet!
For one second I was a reader not the writer of this story, and wished I could
see that! I'm a big Harry/Cho fan, so I want the happy ending in the
beginning, middle and end of any story of theirs.lol SoftObsidian74, can't wait to hear more from you.
Thanks

so far. Also, whichever one of you or Salon Kitty that feels the most
pity on me and would like to beta for me when this is already posted, PLEASE
let me know!lol I was rejected from the other two sites I wanted to post
to because of grammatical and spelling (well that was a common rejection
between the too).

Salon Kitty, WHEW, I've
ticked you off, huh?lol No, it's alright, I understand. Actually,
part of this (well all because I wrote this) is my fault. I told myself
in the beginning of posting this story to warn about this chapter and some of
the following. I wanted to warn people it was written this way on purpose
just to show her mind set. She's off now, completely gone. And
Harry is also gone; WAY out there now. People who are crazy� No, sorry,
shouldn�t use that word�people who are exhibiting behaviors related to some
break in their psyche have a tendency to repeat things.� This story is from Cho�s POV, but you will
read Harry repeating things from his mouth too.�
And, as typical for me when I write HP stories, things get worse before
it gets better. This gets MUCH worse for Cho before it gets better, so
just be prepared. Part of your annoyance with me, seems also for Cho
herself.� I appreciate your anger on her
behalf at Harry, if I�m correct in my assumption. And I hope the next
chapter will clear some things up. Just some. I have a feeling one
person reviewing for sure might get it.�

But know too that with Cho just asking him blatantly if
he loves her isn�t something she feels she could do.� Everything was a lie now to her, everything
he did and said.� Her heart is already
broken, and to add to it by asking him point blank to say (or could say) he
doesn�t love her, she�s a good fuck, would tear her to shreds.� I see it as a defense mechanism for her NOT
to ask that question.� She feels sure he
doesn�t feel that way for her anyway, so why ask?� And also remember, before Harry told Ginny he
loved her, Cho never knew how she felt about Harry.� She would have been satisfied with 20 more of
their lunch dates.� They were in a
pattern; non-verbalized understanding, if you will.� As long as she got what she wanted, both
physically and emotionally, she was fine.�
As long as he got her when he wanted her, and satisfied her in every way
possible that she wanted at that time, he was fine.� I purposely made them speak of what they like
in girlfriends and boyfriends to show this pattern they had fallen into.� Cho referenced him with her girlfriends and
Harry spoke only of her with his friends.�
Not Ginny, not Cormac.� I tried to
emphasize this pattern during their lunch date; Cho being blatantly jealous of
him talking about Constance�s hair when she
was never jealous of Ginny (outside of the hospital wing).� And him walking her to class like a boyfriend
would.� I hope I�m making sense here, but
the point is, when Harry told Ginny he loved her and added (before) that he
didn�t like Cho she never thought about love. She ignored those feelings in her
chest.

Just a few more little points, the anal thing � I know,
and that�s all I�m going to say about that.�
Please also remember Harry�s need for control, that�s all I will say for
that.� And when getting upset at Harry in
this story on her behalf, without giving too much away, remember Harry Potter
in the real stories; what he needs to be happy; what he lacks in life; what
he�ll fight to keep�IF he can.� That�s
all I will say about that.�

I hope you do give the rest of the story a chance and
everyone else who�s not to happy with the way it�s going.� I appreciate EVERYONE�S feedback, good or
bad.� So thanks again!� I couldn�t ask for anything more.

Chapter 25 � What
Don�t You Want Me?

Four days�well, three
and three-quarters now� Cho told herself as she and Terry walked into the
Great Hall for breakfast.� The Ravenclaws
were determined to make it to the Hogwarts Express with some level of sanity,
dignity, and at least a shred of their hearts left.�

�We�re almost there, mate,� Terry smiled as they sat
down.� Four da�NO, three and three-quarters
days left!�

Cho giggled.� She was
happy to have a friend who completely understood, even though she hadn�t told
Terry any detail of her situation.� Marietta would not have
been so receptive of her pain.� �That�s
right!� I�ve already starting looking at
it that way!�

Through breakfast, Cho talked over her broken, aching
heart.� She smiled, though forcefully to
everyone else besides Terry.� And she did
all she could to make sure Terry was smiling genuinely if it was only just to
her.� They were a team, well, them and
the sofa in the common room which had become their new bedroom.

�I�don�t know if you�want to know this�� Terry began
nervously after Cho finished her conversation with Patricia.

Cho turned to her friend.�
�What?� You�ve found some other
bloke to tear your heart apart?� Thought
we were waiting to come back from holiday to get our hearts broken again?� she
joked, hitting him in the shoulder with her own.

�Oh, I haven�t told you? �I�m set to take Cormac off your hands!� Turns out he�s just into Ravenclaws, he
doesn�t care which way they use the loo!� Terry joked in return.

�Brilliant!� That�s
two Gryffindors off my hands, then!� Cho whispered her joke in return.

Terry laughed lightly, but then looked from her to the table
in question.� �No, actually�I didn�t know
if you realized how�intensely you�re being watched�� he whispered.

Cho�s smile disappeared.�
She felt eyes boring into her from the back and the front.� But she had chosen to ignore the ones in
front of her.� Well, she was doing all
she could to ignore them.� �Oh, really,�
she said to her plate.� �That�s�nice.�

�He�� began Terry in bewilderment, �really doesn�t
care...who sees, does he?� I mean, for fuck
sakes, his�girlfriend is sitting right next to him!� And bloody hell, Cho!� Did you do that to his neck?� The scratches and the�that mess of love
bites?� My God, that must have been
some��

�Terry, please!� Cho begged, keeping her eyes toward her
plate.� She didn�t want to see the bites
he should have healed, reminding her of them.�
She didn�t want to see the scratches that laced his neck, reminding her
of what almost happened to him.�
�I�just�let�s not�discuss it.�

Terry nodded profusely, looking at his friend
apologetically.� �Sorry, mate,
honestly.� I just�would never�know
that.� He�s�risking a lot�watching you
so�blatantly.�

Cho closed her eyes tightly.�
She didn�t want to look at Harry.�
She missed him, she hated him, she hated herself, and she couldn�t look
at him and try to keep some shred of sanity.�
But in her reverie of Harry, something told her to look behind her.� As Terry watched the table of scarlet and
gold, Cho peeked at the table of silver and green.� She was right in her assumption, Draco Malfoy
was blatantly staring at the back of Terry�s head.� A silvery gaze met hers for a moment, but
unashamedly went straight back to the brunette boy beside her.

�You know, Terry,� Cho began looking back at her plate.� �You�re also being watched.�

Terry�s neck and back straighten quickly.� �R-really?� he whispered.� Cho nodded.�
There was obvious tension in the Ravenclaw boy�s neck as if debating
whether or not to verify his friend�s observation.� �Reckon we should�� You want to leave?� he asked suddenly.

�Absolutely!� Three
and three-quarter days after all,� Cho said, and Terry nodded in agreement as
they gather their things for class.

******************************************************************

For the rest of that Thursday morning, Cho tried to
concentrate on her school work.� She
tried to talk to her friends freely, but found it difficult without Terry
around.� The pretty girl only smiled when
class was over and Terry would be bounding down the hall to meet her.� Cormac had been thoroughly ignored.� The mere sight of him made her stomach
turned.� She knew it was not his fault,
and that he had done nothing wrong, but she couldn�t help but to feel his fingers
inside her touching what belong to�

Then there was her owner, himself.� Cho was thankful she wasn�t a sixth year.� Terry was stronger than he gave himself
credit for.� The Ravenclaw girl was done
with tears but if she was forced to spend any time with Harry these days,
especially extended periods like classes, the little bit of sanity she possessed
would be lost.

Walking to lunch that day, Cho smiled freely, though her
friend was not.� �What�s wrong, Terry?�
she asked.

Terry looked over his shoulder and then forward as they
walked.� �Nothing.� Nothing�yet,� he said quickly.� �Let�s get in, I�m starved,� he said,
brushing it off.� Cho shrugged her
shoulders, and kept in step with her friend.

Through lunch Cho could tell that Terry had something on his
mind, but he wouldn�t admit it.� In all
her attempts, she would only receive either a blatant lie of �no� or a confused
�I don�t know� from her friend.� Then, he
would often change the subject.

�He looks positively awful,� Terry said after Cho�s last attempt
at the end of lunch.� She knew, judging by
his line of sight, that he was talking about Harry.� Cho hadn�t looked in Harry�s directions,
though, just like breakfast, she felt his eyes on her.� �I mean�he�s still hot and all - the angst
look is definitely in � but he looks�sick.�
Bit deranged, actually.� And he
hasn�t eaten this period either!� he whispered his report to his friend.

�Oh, Terry, honestly, I don�t�care to know,� Cho said to her
friend�s plate.� But one of the splits in
her psyche did want to know.� That split
felt awful that Harry was obviously tormented inside because he had taken a
life a few nights ago.� However, another
part of her mind berated her for feeling any kind of sympathy for him.

Terry nodded in understanding at his own plate.� �I�m sorry.�
It�s just�I�ve never seen anyone look so��

�I have detention tonight with Professor Firenze,� Cho said
interrupting her friend.� �So I�ll be
late for our Pity Party.�

The sixth year snorted.�
�Leave me to whine on my own, will you?�
Fine!� I�ll find someone else just
as pathetic as me to cry and snore on, then!� he joked.� Cho giggled as well.� �Don�t worry, mate, I�ll be on the couch
waiting for you.� I do believe it�s my
turn for the tears.�

�Right.� Okay, how
about I walk you to class today?� Cho suggested as they ended their lunch.

Terry eyed her apprehensively.� �Are you�sure you want to do that, Cho?� I mean�I have�classes with�AND well, if
someone�s walking to class late��

Cho hadn�t thought about that exactly.� She could imagine herself cornered in the
corridor with Harry walking to class.� Or
worse yet, Ginny having walked Harry to class and Cho happens upon their kisses
good-bye.� Either way, the Ravenclaw girl
was glad the Ravenclaw boy was at least thinking like a Ravenclaw.� �Good point.�
Shall we head toward the greenhouses then?�

�Yeah,� said Terry, standing up.

Cho stood up as well and grabbed her bag.� As she did, she noticed a swift movement at
the Gryffindor table as well.� Glancing
over out of instinct, she saw that Harry had stood up suddenly too, without his
Golden group and eyeing her with no shame.�
Cho knew he was up for her, and looking to make a scene somewhere
soon.� �Shit,� she cursed, looking down
at her bag, pretending to be adjusting her flap.

�What?� asked Terry, suddenly, standing in confusion.

Out of her peripheral vision, Cho could see the Gryffindor
standing oddly still and still watching her.�
She sat back down.� �Just a
second, yeah?� she requested.� Terry
shrugged his shoulders and sat back down.�
The Ravenclaw had to think quickly.�
What could she do that would ensure that she could get away in front of
some teachers, and keep Terry from being put under the Confundus charm so that
she may be snatched away?� �You know,
Terry, I just remembered that I REALLY need to get to the Herbology fairly
quickly�um, to talk to Madam Sprout.�
Think, perhaps, we can put a rush on our go?� Cho asked and watched her
confused friend looked completely dumbfounded.

�I�uh�� the sixth year began with his mouth hanging open,
�suppose�so, Cho.� Hang on, what?�

�On three, then,� she whispered, peeking out the corner of
her eye to see her sitting assailant.

�What?� Terry asked just as confused as before.

�One, two�THREE!� she said in a loud whisper, grabbed her
friend and her bag and yanked them both from their seats.� As she pulled them into a run, Cho could see
Harry shoot up from out of his seat as well.�
The Ravenclaw girl prayed she�d make it out the door at least because if
she had too, she�d pull Terry into a near by classroom to hide.� Not that Harry didn�t have a map with her
name in red bouncing around on it, but the pretty girl wanted to at least
attempt to thwart his plans of grabbing her in the halls.

But help came in the form of a redhead.

�Harry, sit down for goodness sakes!� scolded Ginny.� �If you keep jumping up and down from your
seat like that, people will think you�ve gone mad!�

�I could care less what others think,� Harry said, and Cho
saw the door knob of freedom a few feet away.

�But Harry,� began Hermione, �you said you�d discuss what
happen with us on the way too�� But that
was all Cho heard as she and her friend made it out the door without the Chosen
One on their heels.

�I suppose I don�t have to ask what that was about,� Terry
said.�

Cho sighed as the two rounded another corner and slowed
down.� �It�s called leaving in three and
a half days with my sanity,� she answered simply, looking over her shoulder in
the process.

*******************************************************************

Cho had had a long day of classes.� She had done all she could to concentrate
considering how unfalteringly the Boy Hero stayed on her mind.� But the three-way split she had been
suffering through was slowly trying to at least work into halves.� Her heart still hurt, but she only hated
Harry for it, not herself.� That was as
sane as she was going to get until her freedom of Christmas vacation.

Dinner had been odd for her.�
Terry had seemed even more so tense but still refused to talk about
it.� Cho couldn�t push him, thinking
perhaps it was about Draco, and knowing that she hadn�t divulged any real
information about her and Harry except that he didn�t love her like he
should.� Luckily for the Ravenclaw
though, she made it out of the Great Hall with Terry and without Harry
following her.

Unfortunately, the Ravenclaw still had to serve detention
that evening for Professor Firenze in his celestial forest classroom.� Cho had served detention for him before and
it wasn�t as painful as when she had too for Snape, or McGonagall, or
Sprout�� The pretty girl had never gotten
into so much trouble before in one year.�
Her parents would be so upset if they found out.� And Harry was the blame.

After a long night of pulling weeds out of the magical
forest classroom, Cho walked out of the room ready to shower and spend the
night weeping on the couch with Terry.

�I just want you to know, I wasn�t going to force you the
other day,� said an even voice causing Cho to jump a half a foot off the
ground.� The pretty Ravenclaw turned
around to see Harry sitting on the floor next to the classroom door with two
objects between his legs.

�Harry!� What are you
doing here?� Cho asked foolishly.

The Gryffindor stood up and held the two objects in his
hands.� Cho recognized her shoes that she
had left in her effort to escape from him the other day.� �You�re here, aren�t you?� he answered.� �Besides, I wanted to return these to
you.�� Harry�s outstretched arm dangled her
shoes toward her.

Cho looked wearily at her shoes and her assailant.� She wondered if the Centaur inside the
classroom would hear her scream if Harry decided to grab her.� She wondered if she would scream.� With much uncertainty, the seventh year
reached out a lightly trembling hand toward her shoes.� The smile on Harry�s face as she did so was a
bit unnerving for the pretty girl, but she braved it anyway.� �Th-thank you, Harry,� she said grabbing the
shoes out of his hands.�

Harry simply nodded and lowered his arm.� �You�re welcome, Love.�

Cho watched the green eyes with red streaks smile as if the
red didn�t exist.� She nodded at her
assailant, then turned sideways in an effort to walk away.� As she took a step, so did Harry.� Cho stopped and turned her head toward him a
little more.� �Um�good night, then,� she
said, realizing how truly alone she was in the hall with him.

�Oh, you don�t have to say that yet,� he smiled.

Cho�s heart beat sped up out of fear.� �Wh-why?�

Harry walked a few feet toward her.� �Because, I�m walking you back to your Tower,
of course.� I��

The seventh year exhaled heavily.� �Harry, no.�
I�m fine to walk on my own, besides I don�t�trust you��

Harry�s chuckle was even more disturbing then his
smile.� �I was hoping to retrieve my
cloak, Cho,� his smile explained lightheartedly.� �You still have it, remember?� You wore it the last night you allowed me to
make love to you.� You were starkers so I
wrapped it around you.� Then I laid you
on the sofa in my common room and made love to you in it, remember?� he
explained in the same manner as before.�
�You told me how much I wanted you, how much I needed you�� You seemed to know it then. That was back
when you were happy with me and I could actually make you smile,� Harry added,
still in an upbeat tone.

�I was simply repeating what you told me to say,� Cho
interjected, then turned on her heels.�
�Fine!� Let�s�hurry then.� But no�funny stuff, Harry.� I mean it.�
Unless you do plan to force me��

The Boy Hero chuckled manically behind her.� �Funny stuff?�
No, I wouldn�t do that, Love.� You
don�t want me.� I repulse you,� he said,
buoyantly.

Cho felt a chill down her spine at his tone.� �You don�t�repulse me,� she said before she
could help it.� �I mean�� ANYWAY, where�s you�re Invisibility
Cloak?� Someone may see you walking with
me.�

�Not many people out at the moment,� he answered casually as
they walked up the stairs.� �Wouldn�t
matter much anyway, if they did see us, would it?� I mean there�s nothing going on between us.� You�ve seen to that.� I can�t touch you.� I can�t even bloody hold you for a� Oh, hang
on,� Harry chuckled suddenly, and the hairs on Cho�s arms stood up.� �I was never allowed to hold you for more
than fifteen minutes at time anyway.�
Funny, that�� he added, then fell silent.� Up an entire flight of stairs, Harry didn�t
say a word.� The Ravenclaw wondered if he
was still back there.� But before she
turned her head to see, he spoke again.�
�But you�ve�let me hold you longer than seventeen minutes on
occasion.� Blissful, wonderful, blessed
occasions.� You didn�t think I noticed,
but I did,� he laughed a little.� �You
haven�t a clue how wonderful you feel in my arms, Cho.� But,� he smirked, �I can�t�even touch you,
smell you�re hair or anything.�

�Harry, please�stop talking about this,� Cho begged, as she
walked quickly up the stairs. �It was
unnerving how casually he spoke about their intimacy and how easily he laughed
in a non-condescending way as he did.

She heard him snort, again.�
�Oh, I�m sorry, Gorgeous.� I
forgot we�re not to talk about how we feel.�
Well, you won�t talk about how you feel � you look lovely today, by the
way - and you won�t tell me why I�m no longer worthy of being with you,� he
giggled.� �I was never really worthy, of
course.� Not for you.� But it�s quite alright, Cho, I think I know
why��

Cho stopped in front of the eagle knocker and turned to the
obviously insane conversationalist behind her.�
�And�why is that, Harry?�

Harry smiled as he stepped closer to her.� Cho stepped back.� �Oh, don�t worry, Love, I won�t touch
you.� Mind fetching my cloak for me?� It is rather late,� he said, then gave the
eagle knocker the new answer to the riddle.

Cho considered him for a moment.� �Stay here, Harry�don�t�follow me up�please��

The manic chuckle of Harry Potter sent a chill down her
spine.� �Why of course not, Cho.� Anyone could be awake.� I�ll�be back later to watch you sleep, of
course, as I have the past few nights.� Terry�s
a lucky man.� But right now?� he asked,
narrowing his eyes in confusion.� �No,
that would be silly.� Go on then, if you
don�t mind.�

The pretty girl sighed, then turned to walk inside her
House.� Harry�s upbeat, happy, psychotic,
and manic rambling was unsettling for the Ravenclaw.� And what�s more, it was chipping away at her
bit of sanity.� She could hear him
laughing in her head already.� Cho knew
she was tittering in a wind storm on her ledge of insanity, but Harry had
fallen over and had found another way to bring her along.

�No, Cho.� Don�t let
him get to you!� Three days!� You can do it!� she told herself.

�Do what?� Terry asked, waking up from the couch as the
Ravenclaw descended her stairs with Harry�s cloak.

�Oh!�� Terry scared
her.� �Sorry, Terry.� I didn�t notice you were there.� I�ll, um, be back�shortly,� she said, rushing
toward her door.

As Cho put her hand on the knob, she took a moment to smell
the cloak.� She couldn�t help it.� She did miss him.� She needed a whiff of him, of them.� It did nothing to help her sanity.

�Here you are, then,� Cho said, handing Harry the cloak
after stepping outside the door.

Harry�s green and red eyes watched her, and Cho noticed the disconnection
behind them.� The smile he had moments
before was gone.� �Thank you,� Harry
said, his voice no where near as upbeat as it once was.� He threw the cloak over his shoulder as he
watched the pretty girl.

�Right, well, night then, Har�� But Cho�s nervous words were interrupted when
Harry grabbed her by her arm.�
�Harry!� You said you wouldn�t
touch me!� You promised!�

�I didn�t promise anything, did I?� he growled, holding her
strongly but not harmfully.

�Terry is�just inside the�common room, Harry!� Cho said,
desperately.� �If I scream�he�ll hear
me!�

Harry snorted once more, but his green and red eyes didn�t
smile along with it.� Instead, they
stayed focused on the pretty girl.� �I�m
not going to hurt you, Cho.� I told you I
wouldn�t force myself on you.� It�s
just�I have no�other way to touch you.�
And I�couldn�t help myself, I guess,� he said, relaxing his angry
expression and letting her go.

Cho stepped back and sighed, hoping the lump in her throat
would subside.� �Good nigh - HARRY!� she
said once more, when he grabbed her hand suddenly.

�Why don�t you want to be with me, Cho?� Why?� he asked, pleadingly.

The seventh year wanted to shout to him that it was him that
didn�t want to be with her.� It was him
that didn�t love her.� It was him who
decided she was only a level of control in his life.� It was him that only wanted to fuck her, and not
make her truly his own.� �You�need to ask
yourself that question, Harry!� she said through clenched teeth.

�Love, it�s�I don�t�� Harry began urgently, �it�s�him, isn�t
it?� It�s him, I know it!� He�s the one�keeping you from me!� he said,
his eyes wild with anguish, certainty, and lunacy.� �He knows�about us, doesn�t he?� He wants to keep you from me!�

Cho was thoroughly confused by Harry�s words.� She didn�t know who he was talking, but she
hoped to God it wasn�t the sad, gay little Ravenclaw in the common room.� �Harry�wh-who are you�talking about?� she
asked, as he squeezed her hand.

�Y-you know who!� he sputtered out.� �McLaggen!�
He�s�convinced you�not to be with me!�
He�s�made you believe�he can make you�happier than I can��

Cho�s halves of insanity had gone right back into
thirds.� Harry�s wild, hurt, and
preposterous accusations about Cormac and her only hurt the Ravenclaw even
more.� Cormac make her believe she�d be
happier with him instead of Harry?� No
one would make the conflicted seventh year happier or sadder than the disturbed
sixth year standing in front of her.� She
was presently being pulled apart at the seams because he had that much control
over her emotions, her mind, her body.�
She never loved anyone as much, at all really, and she never hated
anyone as much as she did Harry Potter.�
But Harry was so selfish in his effort to save himself, he hadn�t
noticed or cared about the emotional change of his victim.� And now the Ravenclaw stood in front of him
splitting apart loving him, hating him, hating herself.

Sure the tears would come soon, Cho yanked her hand away
from him.� �Cormac hasn�t made me believe
anything, Harry!� It�s you who�s done
it!� Made me believe�� she took a breath
to swallow the lump in the throat.�
�Harry�my choice to be with�Cormac��
She ignore the nausea rumbling her stomach.� ��is my choice.� He�doesn�t know about�what we got up
too.� If he did, you�d be in�Azkaban,�
she swallowed again at the thought, then hated herself for the fear that shot
through her over it.� �I haven�t told him
you�raped me, have I?� Cho whispered, and watched Harry�s face contort in pain
while closing his eyes tightly and lowering his head.� �And I haven�t told him�that we were�sleeping
together�quite regularly afterward,� she added, and for some reason to make him
feel better.� �So, don�t blame�him.�

Harry was quiet for a moment with his head lowered to the
ground.� �You�haven�t�been with him yet,�
he stated quietly more than asked.

Cho�s eyes darted around and she wondered if she should lie
and say she had, or give him a date for when it will happen.� Either way, Cormac�s safety worried her.� �Well�when two people are in
a�real�relationship, they discuss when they may or�it just happens�naturally,�
she said, cursing herself for thinking back to the times she had imagined it
with Harry last year�this year.� �So no,
not�yet.� But it will be�special�when it
does.��

Make sure to pull your
hair back when you puke later� Cho thought to remind herself.

Harry was silent for a moment with his head still lowered
toward the ground.� �A�relationship,� he
said quietly, painfully.

Cho sniffed hard but willed the tears that plagued her tear
ducts not to expel themselves.� Seeing
him in pain was killing her.� The
Ravenclaw knew she should rejoice in what she thought she wanted to do to
Harry, but it only made her want to hold him, console him, give him everything
he�and she wanted.� But she
couldn�t.� It wasn�t her job to console
him.� She needed it herself, but he
wasn�t meant to hold her when she cried.�
She wasn�t the one he loved.�
�Yes�that thing you have with�Ginny,� she said, swallowing hard.

�That thing I have�� he repeated evenly to the ground.� �Cho, I�ve gone�clear out my mind without
you,� Harry began slowly, quietly, and anxiously to the Ravenclaw.� �I can�t�think.� I can�t�eat.�
And sleep?� Not bloody
likely.� And it�s all�because of you,
Love.� Without you�I�m just�no good.� I�m nothing.�
I can�t bloody function without at least��

�Fucking me?� the Ravenclaw responded, earnestly.

Harry looked up from the stone floor and into the stone eyes
of the pretty girl.� �Making love to you,
actually,� he corrected her.� �But I was
going to say hold you and��

�No, fucking me is a bit more accurate, don�t you think?�
Cho interrupted him, using his former upbeat tone to drive her point.� �See, you make love to Ginny as I�ve
explained to you in the past. �That�s
what people do in relationships��

The Chosen One narrowed his green eyes at his victim.� �Bloody hell, Cho!� he exclaimed and grabbed
hold her upper arms.� But Cho wasn�t
fearful at all, even with the deranged look in his eyes.� �Don�t you fucking get it?� What I have with you is FAR more important to
me than�what I have�with Ginny!� Why
can�t you see that?�

Cho sniffed hard through her newly surfacing anger.� �Why can�t you stop fucking lying to me?� she
shouted in his face before she could help it.�
Her anger was in full swing now, hearing him lie to her face about how
he feels about Ginny.� And she drew
strength from the sting of him blatantly lying to her.� The Ravenclaw felt the strong hands of the
Gryffindor tighten around her biceps.�
�Let me go!�� With a fierce
wiggle, she was able to push him in the chest and out of her grasp.� As the hypocritical hero stepped toward her
once more, the broken hearted Ravenclaw drew her wand.� Harry stopped in his tracks and Cho knew she
didn�t have very long to hold him at bay before he disarmed with his mind or
something just as ludicrously powerful that he hadn�t a clue he could do.

�Stay back!� the seventh year ordered bravely of the hero.� Harry stood at attention, having not reached
for his wand, but watched her intently with his eyes that seeped deep into her broken
soul.� Cho blinked hard, trying to break
the gaze; she couldn�t get lost in them at the moment.� What she needed was to get her point across
and get away.� �Let�s get something
straight, Harry�� she began, �you have�nothing with me!� You prove that�every single day you�re
with�� Cho stopped herself before she
said Ginny�s name.� As she swallowed the fifth
year�s name down her throat, it collided with the lump already there.� �Point is,� she continued, �we have�we HAD
nothing but sex!� So you can�t be this
upset�over�shagging me!�� Harry opened
his mouth and stepped forward, but Cho raised her wand toward his pain-stricken
face.� With all the strength she could
muster not to break down in front of him, she held her position.� �No!� I
don�t want to hear anymore of your�li��
But within the few words she uttered, her strength disappeared, and the
teary-eyed Ravenclaw gave the answer to the riddle, and ran inside her House.

****

Heading toward her stairs as water ran down her face, Cho
swung her wand hand around with sparks flying from the tip when she felt a hand
on her shoulder.� �NO, HARRY, PLEASE!�
she nearly shouted.

�Ouch!� Cho!� Terry
shouted, shaking his smoking sleeve.

The seventh year adjusted her wet eyes on her concern and
formerly on fire friend.� �Oh,
Terry!� I�m�sorry!� I just��
Cho wiped her tears away, and quickly examined her friend�s arms for
permanent damage.� He was fine; she was
not.

�Are you�alright?� Oh,
never mind, stupid question.� Was
that�him�outside the door?� he asked tentatively.� Cho nodded as she held back her sobs.� �Persistent little bugger, isn�t he?� Terry
snorted toward the door.� The teary-eyed
girl couldn�t help but snort a little as well as she nodded.� �Sofa, then?��
Cho nodded once more.

********************************************************************

Two and a half days.�
The broken hearted Ravenclaws reminded themselves through breakfast and
walking the corridors that morning for classes.�
Cho noticed that Terry was acting uneasy after each class, but would
smile anyway as they talked.� She still decided
it best not to push her friend; he had never pushed her for information.

�Okay, our classes are on the other sides of the castles
after lunch today.� How do you want to do
this?� Terry asked as they finished up their meal.

Cho took a drink of her juice and shook her head.� �Don�t worry, Terry.� I�ll be fine.�
I don�t want you to be late.�

�Yeah, alright, Cho.�
Last time you would be �fine�, you disappeared,� he said apprehensively.

The girl sighed.�
�I�know.� But - Oh, Cormac!� she
said suddenly, looking up toward the Gryffindor table, and looking pass the
Boy-Who-Kept-Constant-Watch-Of-Her.�
Cormac was talking to said boy�s girlfriend.� �I�ll walk with him.� I suppose I should considering we have a date tomorrow.�

Terry considered her, then her date, then her watcher for a
moment.� �Sure about this?� he asked
tentatively.

�No,� she answered honestly.�
Harry was in such an unbalanced state, she was surprise to see Cormac
smiling with a full set of teeth in his mouth, let alone alive.� �But what can I do, Terry.� Two and a half days, and all.�

The Ravenclaw boy sighed.�
�I reckon you�ve got a point.�
I�ll see you after the next class then,� he said before gathering his
things and heading out.

Cho watched Cormac for a moment, knowing she was being
watched by someone else.� As he
reluctantly began to rise from Ginny�s side, the raven-haired girl rose from
her seat quickly.� Rushing around her
table, she could see out of her peripheral vision that at least one other
Gryffindor that has had his fingers inside her, rose from his seat as well.

�Cormac, hang on!� Cho called out, speeding toward her
fellow seventh year.

The tall boy smiled brightly at the pretty Ravenclaw as he
stopped at the end of his table.�
�Jiao!� What�s up, Lovely?�

Cho could see the Boy Hero heading down the aisle.� �Nothing!�
Nothing at all.� Just thought I�d
walk with you to class if that was alright?� she asked quickly, nervously.

�Harry?� Harry!� Harry, hang on!�� Cho could hear Hermione called out, and saw
out of her side vision a bushel of brown hair following the hero.� �I thought�you wanted to talk to me about
something��

�Well, let�s get going then!� suggested Cho quickly,
grabbing Cormac�s arm and rushing them out the door.

The handsome seventh year snickered when they entered the
hallway.� �Looking to complete our Monday
Morning before class, are you?�

Cho narrowed her eyes in disgust as she frowned to
compliment it. �She felt offended and
dirty by the mere suggestion, besides the fact that the memory alone made her
nauseated.� �Not likely,� she said evenly
before she could help it.� �In fact�� the
pretty seventh year began stepping further away from him as they walked.

�Harry, wait!� she heard the clever Gryffindor witch beg as
two people came bursting out of the Great Hall.

Cho instantly threw a smile on her face and snaked her arm
around Cormac�s well-defined one.�
�Yes!� Actually, we�uh�need to
discuss�when that�will happen,� she said with false eagerness, the bile in her
stomach rumbling in the process.� �Let�s
do that�on the way to class, shall we?� she asked, pulling him along with her.

�Harry!� Harry, what�s
wrong with you?� Cho heard Hermione ask before she and Cormac rounded the
corner.

Once out of sight of the Gryffindors, Cho released the other
one and the fake smile on her face as well.�
It seemed almost instantly that she found herself attached to the seventh
year Gryffindor once again.� The stone of
the wall was up against her back, and lips she used to enjoy kissing were
covering hers.� �HMPH!� she moaned
unhappily at the unexpected affection.

�Mmm, indeed,� Cormac said smiling, releasing her mouth for
only a second to speak before filling her mouth once more.

Cho grabbed the well-defined biceps again, but this time
with her hands, pushing hard against the aggressive male.� But the Gryffindor, and she was beginning to
believe this held true for everyone in that House, was unrelenting with his
�affection�.� Cho also knew that if a
certain Gryffindor rounded the corner and saw her struggling with the seventh
year, the seventh year would be no more.�
In a brief, nonsensical moment, the pretty girl called out for assailant
in her mind, wishing him to save her from the other, and further in, wishing it
was him holding her against the wall.�

Using one of her tricks to buck Harry off her a zillion
times in the past, Cho eased her hands to Cormac�s chest and pushed with all
her might.� �Cormac!� she shouted in a
whisper.� �What on earth possessed you��

The seventh year boy licked his lips and snickered.� �Oh, come on, Jiao.� We�re quite past the formalities, aren�t
we?� I felt your insides, haven�t I?� We�re a proper couple now.� Why can�t I grab my girlfriend and snog her
senseless against the wall before class?��

Cho was speechless, angry, and sick as she watched the
handsome face of the Gryffindor smile.�
What else was he to think?� They
had been rather intimate.� And she had
told him in the pass that although she didn�t want a boyfriend, she wasn�t
seeing anyone else but him.� Now a
barrier had been cross, and Cho knew it wasn�t his fault for feeling he could
treat her accordingly.

But Cho didn�t care.�
He wasn�t the one she wanted.

�I don�t give a�� Cho began angrily, and watch the smile on
Cormac�s face slowly diminish.� But the
Ravenclaw paused knowing that he had to survive to the end of the school
year.� Or at least until Harry decided to
get over his need for her.� And more
importantly, Cormac had to last long enough for her to get over Harry.�

Cho quickly plastered on her fake-for-Cormac�s-sake
smile.� �You�re�right, Cormac.� There�s�nothing wrong with having a�snog before
class,� she said and watched his smile reappear.� But as it leaned toward her, the Ravenclaw
had absolutely no interest in tasting it.�
�BUT, I�uh�just remembered�I must�I mean, I dropped my�quill�yeah, in
the Great Hall.� I�ll�catch up with you��
she lied.

�Alright then,� Cormac said, then grabbed her chin and
kissed her lips once more.� Cho pulled
away with a brief smile and a need to wash her mouth off.

As Cormac headed up the corridor to their next class, Cho
turned the corner back toward the Great Hall.�
She waited around the corner, giving Cormac time to make it to the third
floor for class before she began her actual trek up.� But something caught her attention in the
corridor leading to the Great Hall.� She
could hear Hermione pleading.

�Harry, honestly, you�re acting like your heart is
broken.� But you won�t tell any of us
what�s happened?� What�s going on?� You�ve been like this for well over a week
now!�

You know, you may want
to consider being an Auror.� You�re
rather brilliant at stumbling upon conversations that do not involve you, Cho
sighed to herself as she trained her ear to listen to the conversation.� When she peeked behind her, she couldn�t see where
Hermione and Harry and whoever else it was exactly, but their low voices
permeated the quiet corridor.

�I�I�did something�Hermione�something�horrible,� Cho heard
Harry say, anguish evident in his tone.�
The Ravenclaw wondered how Harry�s best friend would react to hear of
his first kill.� She knew Hermione�s
reaction would not be like hers, unless they truly did harbor unrealized
feelings for each other.� Cho just
remembered fear coursing through her body at the idea that Harry could have
been killed just the night before he told her.�
And that she may never see him, hold him, touch him again.

Then again, Cho didn�t want him to come back.� She needed him to stay away from her by any
means necessary.� If it�s death, so be
it.� The Ravenclaw didn�t care.� She just wanted him back in her arms, kissing
his face and�� Cho�s mind was truly not
under her control anymore.

�What, Harry?� Hermione asked, worriedly.� �You can tell me.� It was the night you and Dumbledore went to
find the object, right?�
Was�Bellatrix�there��

�No!� Harry said in a stained voice.� �This happened�earlier this term��

Cho�s heart stopped beating.�
He couldn�t possibly be foolish enough to tell Hermione about the
Hogwarts Express, she hoped, prayed.� No, Harry!�
Please don�t! she begged him in her mind.� Please,
Love�� The raven-haired girl was
terrified that he�d tell someone their secret and he would truly be taken away
from her.� Which is what she wanted of
course, well at least, needed.� Do they allow conjugal visits in Azkaban?� But that was not the issue.� Cho needed to figure out if she would run to
where ever they were and interrupt them before he could tell.� And then she needed to figure out what potion
she could take to get a better handle her psychosis.

�Oh,� said Hermione, tentatively.� �What�then, Harry?�

The Ravenclaw listening placed her book bag on the floor of
the corridor.� She was ready to run and
find them.� Her mind was made up, he was
not to tell their secret.

�I�� began Harry, as Cho�s eyes darted around the corridor
looking for the source of the voices.�
�I�I�� Hermione, tell me�that
you�re�my best friend!� Harry suddenly demanded, to both girls� surprise.

Cho�s eyes stopped darting around the corridor taking to
narrowing in confusion instead, while Hermione stuttered out her response.� �O-of course, Harry.� You are my best friend.�

�Thank you,� Cho heard Harry respond gratefully.� �I�just�I just need to know that�you�ll be�my
friend�no matter what.� No matter how bad
or��

�Harry, what are you on about?� Of course, both Ron and I will be your best
friends no matter what.� And then of
course, there�s Ginny��

�NO!� Harry said fervently.�
�I�m not�talking about them!� I mean
you, Hermione!� You!� I could very well�lose�Ron�and�everyone
else�� But�you, Hermione.� No matter what I�ve�done�will you
still�PLEASE�be my friend?� he begged.

Cho hurt inside FOR the Boy Hero.� The pain she usually soothed in him was
pouring out of Harry but she couldn�t, wouldn�t touch him.� Of course, in her pitying the Gryffindor and
wishing to console him, the Ravenclaw took a moment to tell herself how stupid
she was for desiring it.

�But�Harry, why would you lose�Ron and Ginny?� Hermione
asked tentatively.� �How is that even
possible?� Ron�s�been you�re best mate
longer than I have.� And�Ginny�she loves
you, Harry.� And besides, the Weasleys
aren�t letting you go, so you can�t very well lose their youngest children, can
you?� Hermione tried to joke, but Cho could tell it was forced.� The clever young witch was thoroughly
confused.� The sensible Ravenclaw in the
corridor was also slightly confused.� If
Harry admitted too what she thought he�d be admitting too shortly, then why
wouldn�t he just beg Ron AND Hermione to stay his friends?� But all was for naught because the Ravenclaw
hadn�t any intentions of allowing Harry to throw himself to the wolves.

�I can,� Harry mumbled.�
�I�have already�in a sense.� The
lot of them,� he finished quietly.� The
sound of pain seemed even heavier in voice.

Everything was quiet for a moment between the two best
friends.� Cho fought with her emotions,
particularly the one that wanted to find Harry and hold him.� She felt awful.� How could Harry lose one of his best friends
over her?� Cho didn�t care if he lost
Ginny, she secretly wished for it even still.�
But since she first laid eyes on Harry, he was always accompanied by the
redhead boy.� And as Harry told her,
Ron�s family had practically adopted him.�
If he admitted to anyone what he had done to Cho, he�d go to
prison.� His best friend would dismiss
him forever, and the family that cared for him would see him as a repulsive
pervert and cast him off promptly.

As Cho thought through her guilt, a new case of it developed.� If Harry told, then Ginny would leave him,
Ron may dismiss him, and Weasley family may as well.� But then, Harry would be free�and Cho would
not press charges.� In fact, she�d lie
and say it never happened, all for the opportunity to have her assailant to
herself.�

It was ridiculous.� It
was emphatically absurd.� Her split
emotions were pulling at her in every way at the prospect of Harry telling on
himself, causing Cho�s heart, mind, and shattered soul to ache.� She couldn�t handle this anymore.

The sound of footsteps in the hall pulled the Ravenclaw out
of her variations of guilty, insane thoughts.�
�Harry?� Hermione?� Bloody hell, where have they gone?� asked
Ron, his little sister by his side.�
�HERMIONE?� Ron yelled out once more.�
�See, Ginny, I told you I�m not sure about those two.� But I swear if he has his hands on her,
I�ll��

But Cho didn�t hear what Ron would do to his best
friend.� The Ravenclaw picked up her book
bag and took the corner leading to her next class.� Plagued with Harry�s pending words as she
walked but her plan if he used them, Cho tried her best to combat them all,
along with her emotion, with one phrase.�
�Two days and a half�that�s all��

*****************************************************************

�Trust me on this!� Cho told Terry as they stood in front of
the Rowena Ravenclaw statue in the common room.

�Cho, don�t be ridiculous!�
No boy can go up a girls� staircase, no matter how big a pouf he may
be!� Terry joked.

Cho laughed with her friend.�
�Trust me, when a bloke is�motivated enough, he finds a way,� she said,
eyeing her friend knowingly.

Terry narrowed then widened his eyes in mere seconds.� �You�re not�serious?� Merlin�s nightshirt!� What can�t that bloody hot boy do?�

Cho sighed.� �One
thing, for sure,� she said miserably.� Two,
thankfully in Cho�s diluted mind.� Harry
hadn�t told on himself the day before.�
But the Ravenclaw knew better than to think he had a change of heart.

Terry�s smile disappeared and he patted his friend�s
shoulder.� �I�m sorry, mate.� How insensitive of me.� Come on then, let�s get you ready for this
party.� Do your little trick,� he
ordered.

The seventh year girl nodded before peeking around the busy
common room.� Then swiftly, she touched
her wand into her House�s namesake�s ankle.�
Terry still looked disbelieving, but didn�t say a word.� Quietly, the two walked toward the girls�
staircase.� They stood still for a moment
before Cho pushed the boy onto the stairs and followed behind him.� �Holy fuck, it�s working!� Terry whispered
loudly as he rushed tentatively up the staircase.

Patricia was the only one of the three girls not surprised
and unfazed by Terry�s appearance in their room, even though she was only half
dress.� �CHO!� You can�t bring a boy in here!� Up here for that matter!� scolded Marietta.

�Oh, bloody hell, Marietta!� Like you�ve got anything I want to see!�
Terry quipped.� �I�ve only come to help my
friend get ready for her party.

�Yeah, Mari,� said Patricia in her bra and panties.� �Terry�s as fond as penis as I, Cho, and in
the future Constance, are so it�s no big deal.�
Maybe you should leave! �We�ve got
what you want, don�t we?� she laughed.

Marietta
narrowed her eyes at her roommate and the intruding boy.� �You lot are far from�what I want,� she
growled, and Cho raised an eyebrow to her former best friend.� �Anymore, at least,� she added quietly.

�Brilliant!� said Terry.�
�Now may we get on with this?� My
friend here has a handsome bloke coming to pick her up in two hours!�

After showering and washing her hair with her last bit of
shampoo that Harry enjoyed so much, Cho was in front of the full length mirror
in her room wearing her dress.� Many
emotions ran through her as she looked at herself in the mirror, in the dress
that Harry watched her put on in the dressing room, in the dress he had kissed
her and told her she was beautiful in.

�What�s wrong?� You
look stunning in that dress,� said Terry behind her in the mirror zipping up
her dress, as the other girls were in the bathroom helping Patricia with her
hair.

�Beautiful, actually,� Cho replied miserably.

Terry narrowed his eyes in confusion.� �Okay, yeah, beautiful.� And you sure sound like you look that way.�

The pretty seventh year shook her head.� �I�m sorry�� she sighed, �someone�told me�I
looked beautiful in the dress.�

The sixth year�s eyes narrowed again.� ��Someone�, eh?� How?�
You just got the dress with its alterations last night.�

�When I�tried it on��

The sixth year gasped.�
�HE WAS THERE?� MY GOD!� Terry
shouted in surprise.

�SSSHHHH!� Cho said, swatting her hand at him.� �Keep your voice down, will you?� He snuck into�my dressing room and��

�Did you shag him on the dresses?� Terry asked eagerly with
a smile.

Cho snorted and hit her friend.� �Of course not!� Are you mad?�
Beside, Patricia was only a few cubicles away.�

�A screamer, are you?� Terry joked.

Cho laughed.� �You are
mad, aren�t you?� Completely insane!�

After the giggles died down and Terry was taking turns
holding Cho�s hair up and down to see the best look for her dress, the pretty
girl�s self-confidence began to wane on whether or not she could go through
with the date.

�Maybe up would be nice, considering you don�t have one of
those massive angry red love bites on your neck!� he joked, holding her hair up
on her head.� �This is going to be
wicked!� I�ve never had a doll to play
with.� Parents would have gotten the hint
earlier on, had I.� But my first is a China
doll.� How very sheik!� he laughed.

Cho couldn�t respond.�
She didn�t know if she could allow herself to be held by Cormac as
his�girlfriend, especially when the one she loved will be there with his
girlfriend.� The Ravenclaw feared she�d
burst into tears or into a violent bout of vomiting if she had to endure the
party with both Gryffindors.� But she had
to go through with it.� She had to prove
that she could be with someone else other than Harry, if not for Harry�s sake,
for her own.� Still, she wasn�t sure.

�Tell me I can do this, Terry,� Cho requested suddenly as
Terry brushed her hair.� �Please��

The boy narrowed his eyes in the mirror at the pretty
girl.� �Of course you can, Cho.� I won�t use any spells on your hair to keep
it that way.� You can change it if you
like!�

The seventh year lowered her head.� �No.� I
mean�this party�Cormac�going there�with�you know who there?�

�The Dark Lord�s coming too, is he?� Holy shit, did everyone get an invite to this
party except for me?� Terry joked.

Cho giggled and elbowed her friend in the ribs.� �You are unbelievable sometimes!�

Terry sighed self-righteously.� �That�s what I�ve been told!� Too damn good for my own damn good!� That�s why I get the hot boys following me
around all over the place!�

�Got a train of naughty boys on your tail, do you?� Cho
couldn�t help but joke.

Terry�s eyes rolled toward the ceiling in a pure, memory-induced
ecstasy.� �Oh, a glorious train of boys�� Been far too long since I�ve been the taker
in that!� What a fabulous summer I had!�

�TERRY!� Cho laughed, elbowing her friend once more.� �Stay on the bloody subject please?� she demanded
in a giggle.

�Oh, right, sorry,� he apologized.� �Subject at hand:� Going to the party with a gorgeous bloke,
trying to get over another gorgeous bloke who may not be there.� Piece of cake, Cho, he may not be there.�

Now it was Cho�s turned to narrow her eyes at her friend�s
reflection.� �What are you on about?� Of course he�ll be there.� He and�she�are apart of the Slug Club.�

The Ravenclaw boy shook his head and exhaled.� �I don�t think he�s in�much of a partying
mood, do you?� He looks�like his heart�s
been ripped out or something.�

Cho did all she could not to blurt out �GOOD!� though she
was sure Terry, if anyone, would understand.�
But deep down she knew that Harry was hurting in some form or
another.� �I suppose sex deprivation can
make a person look that way,� she said.� If my heart wasn�t presently torn out of my
chest and my soul wasn�t hiding out in the Shrieking Shack, I would still look
wretched from lack of sex�

�I reckon�� began Terry unsurely, �but are you
sure�that�s�his problem? �All the trouble
he�s gone through.� All the trouble he�s
potentially putting himself in risk of going through.�

Cho turned her head slightly too actually look at her
friend.� �What else could it be then,
Terry?� she asked pointedly.� Her friend
watched her eyes for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders before looking
away.� �It can only be that�� she said
toward the mirror.

�But, Cho��

�Terry, I�m going to his party tonight with Cormac
McLaggen,� Cho said matter-of-factly.� He
nodded slowly, opening his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.� �And he�s going to the party with�Ginny
Weasley; his girlfriend.�� Cho stared at
her friend for a moment, wondering if he would catch her meaning.� When he still looked fit to protest, she
continued again.� �If it meant something
more to him then�sex�then I wouldn�t be going to this party with Cormac and he
wouldn�t be going with�� She stopped,
swallowing hard at the tiny lump developing in her throat.� Cho promised herself she wouldn�t cry
tonight, or anymore, over Harry.

Terry sighed once more.�
�I know, Cho, but he looks like he�s been put the through the
ringer.� If this was�all about sex�then
why doesn�t he just sleep with his girlfriend then?�

Because he�s not
suppose to sleep me while he has the perfect girlfriend, and that�s his kick!� I�m his level of control in his hellish life!
Cho wished she could say, but knew it would cause to many questions she had
NO intentions of answering.

�Honestly, Terry, who�s side are you on here?� Is he paying you to convince me to go back
into his bed?� Cho accused harshly, unfairly knowing he was clueless to every
aspect her and Harry�s �relationship�.

�No, Cho!� Terry answered, affronted.� �I�m on your side, of course!� It�s just that�I hate to see you�throw
something away that��

�That doesn�t exist!� Cho interjected.� �He�doesn�t want me, Terry!� Not like I�want him!� He proves that everyday he�s
with�without�me��

The Ravenclaws fell silent for a moment as they heard
Patricia, Marietta and Constance
laugh loudly in the bathroom. �Doesn�t exist,� Terry whispered miserably,
lowering his eyes to the floor.� �I�m
sorry, Cho.� It�s just�much better than
what I�ve received.� Least you didn�t
tell him you loved him, and he ran away.�

�No, I�m�sorry, Terry,� Cho said, feeling guilty for yelling
at her heartbroken friend.� �I�just�IT�S
just a power trip for him, I think�� she said before she realized it.� �He wants his cake�and eat it too.�

Terry raised his eyes to meet his friend�s in the
mirror.� �A power trip for�Potter?� He�s got�unbelievable power socially, and who
knows magically, why would he choose to be so unhappy?�

The pretty girl covered her pretty face, willing herself to
stay under control of her emotions.� Her
sanity may be for shit, but the tears she had to hold back.� But when she thought about her friend�s
question, Cho realized she didn�t have an answer.� Harry could have any other girl he wanted,
she was sure.� If he wanted to cheat on
Ginny there would be a slew of girls that could be just as discrete as Cho,
without the rape.� But the Boy Hero had
chosen Cho to be his Perfect Imperfection.�
And even though the circumstances in which they came together were by
all means fucked up, deep down inside it made the Ravenclaw smile that Harry
wanted her.

Own you!� Possess you!�
That�s what it is!� He doesn�t
WANT you, he�s made that perfectly clear!�
Control you, however�

�I�don�t know, Terry,� Cho answered her friend,
finally.� �I just��

�He asked me about you,� Terry said suddenly, interrupting
her.�

Cho�s heart stopped as her eyes widened.� She turned around to face her now nervous
friend shifting on his feet in front of her.�
�What?� she barely asked out loud.

Terry nervously tilted his head to the side, then the other,
then nodded profusely as he watched the ground.�
�Yeah�yesterday.� I�m sorry, mate,
I should have told you.� But�I was
just�wondering why�I had been waiting to see�what he wanted for the past two
days��

�Past two days?� Cho asked, interrupting him once more.� �Terry��

�Yeah�well, you see, Cho�I was going to tell�� Okay, this is what happened,� he said,
looking toward the closed bathroom door to make sure the girls weren�t on their
way out.� �Well, on Thursday, my class
before lunch, he sat next to me.� Potter
never sits next to me in class.� Not that
we aren�t�friendly.� We are.� It�s just he�s always with Ron and
Hermione.� But anyway, he greeted me in
the most miserable tone I had ever heard.�
But that was it, he didn�t say anything else to me.� And every class after lunch he did the
same.� Then yesterday, from morning until
our last class he sat next to me.� He
made it a point to sit next to me.� That
yummy bloke Dean Thomas was going to sit next to me in Potions and Harry
suggested to him that Ron needed a partner for the experiment!� I couldn�t believe it!� But I didn�t complain.� One delicious morsel to the next, I
reckon.� Then again, they didn�t have to
choose between themselves, I would have taken them both on!� Damn it, Cho, now the train thing is stuck in
my head thanks to you!� he laughed.� Cho
didn�t look amused, mostly because she was no longer breathing in
anticipation.� �Sorry, sorry.� I won�t touch what�s yours�but he could touch
me�� ANYWAY!� During Potions, which was all lecture this
time, I finally heard him say something other than hello to me.� I wasn�t sure I heard him correctly at
first.� Old Sluggy was droning on and on
and Draco was looking extra hot sitting toward the front of the class and�anyway,
another story.� So I turned to my side
and Potter was still staring straight ahead.�
Then, I looked ahead thinking I was hearing things.� Then I heard him again, �How�s�she
doing?� Okay, then?�� And when I looked back at him, he was just
watching Slughorn like he was so interested in what properties of arsenic heals
canker sores if extracted properly.� I
just said, �Alright, I guess,� not knowing how to answer it.� Then he just nodded toward the professor like
he had given the answer.� And then, there
was no more conversation until nearly the end of class.� He just kept saying toward the teacher though
whispering to me, �Tell her I�tell her I m��
I was going to ask him what �m� meant but I decided to guess.� He MISSES you!� It�s more than obvious that that is the
case.� If I can see it�then surely you
must be able too!�

�Terry, I know he�misses me,� Cho said quickly after she was
finally able to close her gaping mouth.�
�He misses the sex, of course.�

The Ravenclaw boy considered his friend for a moment, before
nodding slowly in defeat.� �Of course,�
he sighed.� �That�s probably why I�m
meeting with someone tonight.� That�s the
other thing I haven�t told you.�

Cho turned around to face her friend, as her eyes widened in
shock.� �Really?� How��

Terry smiled.�
�Honestly, I think I should thank your �someone� for this.� Two days of sitting next to him, gave my
�someone� the wrong impression more than likely.� And he�s not likely to grab his ass out of
jealousy as he did you,� Terry joked.�
�Then again, he�s�probably not�jealous exactly.� Why would he care about me like that�anymore?�
he added sadly.�

Cho held her friend�s shoulder compassionately.� �You don�t�have to go, you know?�

Terry nodded in understanding.� �I know.�
You don�t have to go to the party either tonight, you know?�

Cho and Terry watched each other�s eyes in understanding
that they only had with each other.�

�We both need strength to get through this evening,� Cho
said, and Terry agreed.
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Paying For His Pedestal