Shadows
Title: Shadows
Rating: PG
Characters: Su Li, Cho Chang
Word Count: 375
Disclaimer: Recognize it? Not mine. Also, the relationship was created by Su's previous Muggle. I just made it pretty. *smiles*
Warnings: Character death
Summary: Su remembers her relationship with Cho
Notes: I play Su at stoatshead_hill, and while the following differs in some details, like her birthday, it captures her relationship with Cho, and her feelings for her friend. (And yes, they continued as friends, despite how this reads.)
Note 2: I am my own best friend beta, so concrit is, as always, welcome.
Note 3: Those on my f-list won't notice, but I've made all my fanfic public, and will continue to do so, but everything else will stay friends-only.
I have lived in the shadow of Cho Chang all of my life. Our mothers were friends, shared tea, shared stories, shared their pregnancies. We were born a month apart. She was three weeks early; I was late. It set the pattern of our lives.
Growing up, Cho managed to hit every childhood milestone before me. Toilet training, shoe tying, reading. Eventually I stopped trying to match her. I would never catch up.
That month never meant much until the summer Cho turned 11 and went to Hogwarts, leaving me to celebrate alone for the first time. At my birthday party, five days into the school year, all anyone talked about was Cho, Ravenclaw, Cho, pride, honor, Cho.
My eleventh year was topsy-turvy. Never was I so glad to be alone. Never did I miss anyone more.
September 1st, 1991: I was riding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. At the Sorting, everyone was staring at Harry Potter. I was looking for Cho. I was Sorted into Ravenclaw! Cho didn’t notice; she was whispering with Marietta.
Now that the month had stretched to a year, I thought things would be different. I could choose my own friends, stand on my own feet. But I was wrong-it was still a competition. Not bad in Charms, Su, but Cho scored three points higher on that exam last year. What happened? They never mentioned how I was the best in Potions. Cho had made the Quidditch team, and I was scared of heights.
Cho was beautiful. I was invisible. She was dating Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Champion.
“Who’s Ced taking to the Yule Ball?”
“The Chinese girl. You know, the one in Ravenclaw.”
I was a Chinese girl, but not the. Such a small difference. Why did it hurt so much?
Almost-seventeen and Cho lost her virginity to Michael Corner in a broom closet at Hogwarts. I had my first kiss six years later.
Sixth year, Dumbledore dead and my parents took me to Shanghai. Cho finished school, joined the Order of the Phoenix. Was killed in battle.
I mourned.
I realize now that I was fortunate, then, competing with the Golden Girl of Ravenclaw. How much harder it is to be overshadowed by a ghost.
Rating: PG
Characters: Su Li, Cho Chang
Word Count: 375
Disclaimer: Recognize it? Not mine. Also, the relationship was created by Su's previous Muggle. I just made it pretty. *smiles*
Warnings: Character death
Summary: Su remembers her relationship with Cho
Notes: I play Su at stoatshead_hill, and while the following differs in some details, like her birthday, it captures her relationship with Cho, and her feelings for her friend. (And yes, they continued as friends, despite how this reads.)
Note 2: I am my own best friend beta, so concrit is, as always, welcome.
Note 3: Those on my f-list won't notice, but I've made all my fanfic public, and will continue to do so, but everything else will stay friends-only.
I have lived in the shadow of Cho Chang all of my life. Our mothers were friends, shared tea, shared stories, shared their pregnancies. We were born a month apart. She was three weeks early; I was late. It set the pattern of our lives.
Growing up, Cho managed to hit every childhood milestone before me. Toilet training, shoe tying, reading. Eventually I stopped trying to match her. I would never catch up.
That month never meant much until the summer Cho turned 11 and went to Hogwarts, leaving me to celebrate alone for the first time. At my birthday party, five days into the school year, all anyone talked about was Cho, Ravenclaw, Cho, pride, honor, Cho.
My eleventh year was topsy-turvy. Never was I so glad to be alone. Never did I miss anyone more.
September 1st, 1991: I was riding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. At the Sorting, everyone was staring at Harry Potter. I was looking for Cho. I was Sorted into Ravenclaw! Cho didn’t notice; she was whispering with Marietta.
Now that the month had stretched to a year, I thought things would be different. I could choose my own friends, stand on my own feet. But I was wrong-it was still a competition. Not bad in Charms, Su, but Cho scored three points higher on that exam last year. What happened? They never mentioned how I was the best in Potions. Cho had made the Quidditch team, and I was scared of heights.
Cho was beautiful. I was invisible. She was dating Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Champion.
“Who’s Ced taking to the Yule Ball?”
“The Chinese girl. You know, the one in Ravenclaw.”
I was a Chinese girl, but not the. Such a small difference. Why did it hurt so much?
Almost-seventeen and Cho lost her virginity to Michael Corner in a broom closet at Hogwarts. I had my first kiss six years later.
Sixth year, Dumbledore dead and my parents took me to Shanghai. Cho finished school, joined the Order of the Phoenix. Was killed in battle.
I mourned.
I realize now that I was fortunate, then, competing with the Golden Girl of Ravenclaw. How much harder it is to be overshadowed by a ghost.