• 1-The Amour
• 2-A First Look
• 3-A Quidditch Disaster
• 4-A Touch of Emotion
• 5-A Dream and a Catastrophe
• 6-The Right Decision
• 7-The First Comfort
• 8-Ron and Hermione's Confession
• 9-To Be Unfaithful
• 10-Injurious Plans
• 11-Two Broken Hearts
• 12-To Take Advantage
• 13-Two Wrongs Make a Right
• 14-Malfoy's Warm Heart
• 15-Comfort When In Need
• 16-A Hidden Room and A Secret
• 17-Threats and Unforgivable Curses
• 18-A Death To Defy
• 19-A Dragon's Pain
• 20-The Beginning of the End

[CHAPTER ONE]



Dear Harry,

It’s been a while since we last talked and I guess it’s because of the way I’ve been feeling for the past year.

I really want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for treating you so awfully. Cedric’s death has just finally seemed to sink in after one long year and I’m ready to move on. I have to move on.

All the comforting words you spoke to me in our fifth year makes sense to me now and I regret so much that it’s now and not any sooner.

If you’ll except my apology and forgive me, I’d not nothing more than to start once more at the beginning and make it up to you, Harry.

If you’re not busy, maybe we can go to Hogsmeade together today.

Please send your reply to me ASAP.



Lots of Love,

Cho



Harry read and reread the letter over and over again at the breakfast table on Saturday morning. He was having a hard time understanding the whole thing.



Cho Chang, the beautiful and popular Seeker for the Ravenclaw team, the girl who used to be Cedric Diggory’s girlfriend before he died, and the girl that Harry had been crushing on since third year, was writing him a letter of apology. To him, Harry Potter.



Not in a million years would he have expected her to acknowledge him, or even better write him a letter after the tragic death of boy boyfriend a year ago.



All through fifth year, Harry had made efforts to try and talk to her, tofortfort her, but Cho hadn’t wanted any of that. She’d even yelled at Harry that she didn’t want to see he face. His heart had been shattered at these words but he kept telling himself that anyone would feel the way Cho was feeling. She shouldn’t be bl for for it.



So for one long year, he’d forced himself to let go and to forget, even though it had been the most difficult thing for him.



And now, here in his shaking hands were the very sincerest of words from the girl of his boyish infatuations. He didn’t know what to feel. A jumble of sudden emotions had exploded inside of him and it was impossible for him to tell what they were.



Joy? Shock? Excitement? Nervousness? Maybe all of the them, but he knew that there was only one thing he could and should do, both for himself and for Cho.



Without hesitation, he plucked his quill from his bag and began scribbling a reply on the back of her letter.



Dear Cho,

Please don’t apologize. If anyone should be doing that, it should be me. I’m, just glad that we can finally be good friends.

I’d like to go to Hogsmeade with you today. I’ll meet you on the front stairs after breakfast.



-Harry





With a glowing smile, he checked his reply once and then retied it to Cho’s owl’s leg and watched it takf ovf over the House Tables.



saw saw through nervous eyes, the chocolate owl flutter gracefully onto Cho’s outstretched arm and letting her detach the parchment>



Harry was sure that his cheeks must have been flushing terribly but he didn’t take his eyes away from her.



Anticipation was mounting in his chestR>
R>

hen,hen, his heart jumped up into his throat when Cho glanced up at him and smiled shyly.



It was an ‘ok’ from her.



Grinning bashfully back, he returned his attention to his breakfast once more but no longer feeling remotely hungry.



Finally, after all this waiting. Cho had learned to forgive him.



He suddenly noticed a pair of agitated looking blue eyes boring into his. He looked up.



“What Ron?” he asked, surprised at the look on his best friend’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”



Ron continued to frown. After a moment, he shrugged.



“Nothing.”



“Okay....?” Harry said slowly, bewildered. Then he not Her Hermione, who was looking at Ron with a sad expression on her face.



What’s going on? he thought to himself. But those worries were completely forgotten when he remembered his date with Cho later that morning. Well, at least he considered it date.



It would be fun.



He cleared his throat and looked at both Ron and Hermione apologetically.



“Er, guys? I’m sorry but I can’t go to Hogsmeade with two.two. I promised-”



“Cho?” Ron cut in cooly.



Harry raised his eyebrows. “Uh, yeah. Cho.”



He was relieved when Hermione’s reaction turned out to be better than Ron’s.



“Oh that’s wonderful Harry! Good for you!” she beamed at him but her smile faltered under Ron’s glare. “Wh-what, Ron?”



Ron ‘hmph
/I>e/I>ed and instead of explaining his odd behavior, het sht shoved a huge spoonful of eggs into his mouth.



“Well, I hope you have fun then.” he said after taking a deep wig of his pumpkin juice and standing up. “Com one ‘Mione.”



Hermione’s eyes darted nervously from Ron to Harry and Harry gave her a reassuring smile.



“Go on. I might see you guys there.” he said.



Hermione nodded and then picked up her bag to go after Ron.



After the two had left the Great Hall, Harry tried to keep his eyes on his plate. He didn’t want to scare Cho by staring at her too much. especially since it looked like they were finally getting friendlier.



So for this reason, he didn’t notice that a pair of eyes quite icier and paler than Cho’s warm dark-brown one’s, were watching him very carefully from the other side of the hall.





An eternity of fifteen minutes later, Harry gathered up his belongings and made his way toward Gryffindor Tower to retrieve his cloak and return his bag.



The common room and dormitory was extremely empty since most people didn’t bother to come back after breakfast.



When he got back to the main entrance hall of the school, he saw Cho already standing there and waiting there for him.



Harry ran up to her. “Sorry I’m late, I had to go to my dormitory for a sec.”



Cho smiled. “It’s okay, I just got out here too. So, you wanna go already?”



“Sure.” Harry said, grinning lopsidedly. His eyes widened when he felt her soft and small hand slide into his limp one and squeeze it tightly.



“Let’s go.” she whispered.



Harry, still a dreamy expression on his face, let himself be pulled across the marble floor and out the large oak front doors of Hogwarts.



It being the middle of November, the air was chilly and crisp and a soft wind swirled about their feet, making the hems of their robes flutter as if in dance.



Cho’s tinkling laugh rang through the still air like soloist bells and made Harry feel even more cheerful than he already was. It was an odd feeling actually. It wasn’t a butterflies-in-the-stomach, jellies-your-legs type of feeling. It was more like what he felt when he was with Ron or Hermione.



Their lively walk to Hogsmeade seemed quicker to Harry than usual and he made no objection when Cho dragged him inside The Three Broomsticks first. Their cheeks were flushed rosy from the cold and their hands were quite numb.



“Two Butterbeers please.” Cho said to Madame Rosmerta before sitting down at an empty table near the window. Her eyes were glittering as she stared straight into Harry’s eyes without hesitation.



Harry tried to look comfortable and cool but he couldn’t help but break their gaze and look down at his idle hands resting atop the polished surface of the table.



“Harry-” Cho’s voice suddenly cut through the deadly awkwardness. “There’s a lot we should talk about.”



Harry nodded slowly and waited. He wondered what was coming.



Cho paused and looked out the foggy window with seriousness and determination written on her face. Harry had never seen her look so intent before. Her hands were clasped together tightly and her shoulders were tense with heavy thoughts.



“Cho?” he asked uncertainly.



She stared and her head snapped back in his direction. Her already pink cheeks glowed even more.



“Oh, sorry... I was just.... thinking.” she said softly.



“About what?” said Harry. That was when he noticed that there was a small tear forming in the corner of her eye.



Shocked and worried that he’d done or said something to cause this, he opened his mouth hastily and began stuttering his apologies.



But Cho shook her head and giggled despite her forlorn expression.



“No, it’s not you, Harry. I don’t even know why I’m crying. Stupid, huh?”



Relieved, Harry let out a laugh too.



“So then, what was it that you wanted to talk about?” he smiled at her warmly.



“Well-” Cho bit her bottom lip.



“Go on.” Harry prodded.



A cemented look of decisiveness crossed her blushing face and she leaned forward.



“This.”



Harry saw her close her eyes and his world went spinning crazily when he felt her warm lips pressing against his own startled ones.



He was too dazed to do anything, let alone kiss back, but Cho seemed to take over as she claimed his mouth and began kissing him passionately.



Her tongue was soon intruding past his lips and exploring his mouth with a searching hunger that he’d never expected her to possess.



They were suddenly interrupted when a cold drag vog voice hissed out of nowhere.



Cho broke away and Harry, his cheeks scarlet, turned his head to look at the person who had spoken.



“Well, well, well, what’ve we got here? Potty and emotional sponge snogging in the middle of a pub? Not something I’d ever thought I’d see.”



Harry’s rival and loathed archenemy was standing in front of their table with a grim smirk on his face. Blaise Zabini, Malfoy’s best accomplice

of late, was standing right behind him.



“Sod off Malfoy.” Harry said furiously, glaring at him.



“Dear god, Potter. From the look of your face, you’d think that someone threw a ripe tomato at you.” he laughed. “And don’t get me wrong, I care nothing about your little girlfriend but I have to say I feel sorry for her, that was the lousiest kiss I’ve ever seen- if you can even call it a kiss that is. It was more like a toad puckering-”



“I said fuck off ferret.” Harry said standing up from his stool. His stool fell over with a loud clatter.



Malfoy whistled. “Oooh, touchy touchy. Didn’t your mother ever tell you to control that awful temper of yours? Oh wait. Pardon me, you don’t have a mo-”



His next words were completely unheard because Harry had flung out his clenched fist and punched Malfoy in the nose with all his might.



Malfoy gave a shriek of pain and staggered backwards into Blaise who caught him before he fell.



Cho was looking stunned at Harry and Blaise’s eyes were burning with rage.



He hurled himself at Harry and began pounding his knuckles into Harry’s face. Harry fell over backwards with Blaise on top of him and was pinned to the ground.



He tasted a stream of blood coming out of his mouth and struggled to kick his opponent off of him.



“Get off you fucking bastard!” he yelled loudly. “Get off!”



“Break it up boys! Break it up! What in the name of Merlin's is going on here?” an angry voice of a woman bellowed across the room.



he was only half-conscious as he felt someone yank an unrelenting Blaise off of him. Harry winced and gasped for breath.



“Harry! Harry! Are you okay?” Cho was screaming. Harry opened his eyes but everything was blurry.



My glasses. He though as he tried to sit up.



A slicing pain shot through his ribs and he groaned, lowering himself back onto the floor.



“Somebody get him back to Hogwarts!” Madame Rosmerta commanded urgently.



“No! I’m fine!” Harry said hastily. “I can manage!” It was a lie but he didn’t want to give Malfoy the pleasure of watching him be carried off to the Hospital wing, especially since he’d been the first to throw the punch.



“I’m okay.” he repeated firmly. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself onto his elbows and then finally, with excruciating effort, forced himself to stand dizzily on his feet.



He felt someone place his glasses into his palm and he put them on.



Even with them, the room and it’s occupants seemed to be swaying back and forth. Or maybe that was just him.



He managed to shoot Malfoy an icy glare and turned to Cho, who’s face had gone white and had tears in her eyes again.



“Let’s go.” he muttered.



She nodded and they exited the hushed pub immediately.



Once they were outside, they walked in silence for a while, Cho supporting Harry around the waist and Harry leaning onto her shoulders.



“I’m sorry about all that.” he mumbled as they neared the gatf Hof Hogsmeade.



“It wasn’t your fault Harry! It was them that started it, disgusting Slytherins.” Cho said angrily. “Really, why in the world do they always have to ruin things for everyone?”



The tips of Harry’s ears went red at this. Yes, Malfoy had ruined their moment. Their kiss.



He chose to stay silent. He didn’t know how to respond to that.



What he did know though was that tomorrow, Sunday, he would squash, possibly murder (literally) Malfoy in their Quidditch match against Slytherin. he wasn’t going to let Malfoy gloat about anything anymore after what he did today. No, the twitchy ferret would be on his knees begging for mercy once the dirty game was over.



With a grim yet satisfied half-smile, he drew Cho closer to him and they made their way slowly back to the castle.