(no subject)
Title: Fish Soup
Characters: Cho Chang, Albus Dumbledore, Marietta Edgecombe, Fleur Delacour, Roger Davies
Word Count: 1,238
Rating: PG
Summary: The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrive at Hogwarts, and Cho learns that even the prettiest faces can have not-so-pretty personalities lurking underneath.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Cho Chang fiddled with the necklace her mother had given her two years ago, when she had made the Ravenclaw Quidditch House team as Seeker. It was a golden Snitch dangling off of a silver chain, and it was the same necklace that her grandmother had worn when she was a Seeker for Ravenclaw. Not that it mattered very much this year, Dumbledore had already announced that Quidditch was being canceled due to the Tri-Wizard competition, something that Cho couldn't even take part in. What was she supposed to do in her spare time?
"Hey Cho," Marietta said, nudging her and nodding up towards the Professor's table. "Looks like Dumbledore has something to say after all."
"Of course he does," Cho muttered, turning her dark eyes toward the front table. "Aren't those students from the other schools supposed to be arriving today?"
"Good evening students," Dumbledore said, spreading his arms wide to include them all. "Tonight, it is my great honor to introduce those students who will be sharing the castle with us for the rest of the year. Madame Maxine and the students from Beauxbatons along with Igor Karkaroff and his students of Durmstrang." Everyone applauded politely as the doors leading into the Great Hall swung open and a procession of students started in.
Cho's eyes widened when she saw the size of the woman leading the line of Beauxbatons students and she had no doubt that the majority of gasps coming from around the Hall were caused by her. "That's one big woman," Marietta said from her side.
She was about to agree when her eyes landed on one of the students, dressed in robes of pale blue, with long silvery-blonde hair and the bluest eyes Cho had ever seen. "Whoa," she gasped, completely riveted. Marietta nudged her, saying some about one of the Beauxbatons boys, but Cho only nodded distractedly, still watching the blue-eyed girl. She didn't even notice the look of disdain on the girl's beautiful face as she looked around the Great Hall, nor the way she sniffed when more seats were conjured up at the Ravenclaw table for them. She did notice, however, that the empty space next to her was suddenly part of the extended table, and the blue-eyed girl was the one sliding in beside her.
"Hello!" Roger Davies said exuberantly from across the table, standing and leaning over so that he could shake the girl's hand. "I'm Roger Davies, Quidditch Captain for Ravenclaw. Welcome to Hogwarts."
The girl raised a well-plucked eyebrow before taking his hand and inclining her head. "My name is Fleur Delacour," she replied, her voice rich and throaty. "And it is... as they say, a pleasure, I suppose." The girls near to her laughed behind their hands and said something quickly in French, which caused even more laughing. Davies, seeming completely unaware that he was being mocked, just continued to grin at Fleur like a dumbstruck idiot.
Fleur turned away from the group of Beauxbatons students, her eyes meeting Cho's. The dark-eyed girl swallowed hard, hoping that she looked as calm as she was trying to. Fleur looked her up and down, tapping her fork against her golden plate. "And you would be?"
"Marietta Edgecombe," Marietta said from Cho's other side, smiling brightly. "Pleased to meet you, so glad that you have come to Hogwarts."
"I did not mean you," Fleur said flatly, her eyes still on Cho. "And I do not know if I am so... pleased, to be in this castle of yours. It is very damp, no?"
"It's not all that bad," Cho said, her voice returning with her desire to defend her home. "Maybe a little drafty at times, especially in the winter, but it's better than a lot of other places. You'll get used to it soon enough."
"Perhaps," Fleur said with a shrug, "but I think that I will continue to miss my home. At least there dinner is on time, and we eat in a place much more suited to it."
Cho's eyes flashed, her awe at the girl's beauty fading away as her personality was revealed. "Dinner is on time here," she said stiffly, nodding as platters and bowls began to appear on all of the tables and the relatively quiet chatter of the students exploded into a roar. "That time is just different than what you're used to."
The look that Fleur gave her was, to her surprise, speculative and amused rather than upset. "What did you say your name was?" she asked as she ladled a bit of what looked like a rich fish soup into her bowl.
"I didn't," Cho said shortly, having decided that pretty or not, this Fleur Delacour was not the most appealing of characters.
"Would you please share it with me?"
Cho tapped her fork against her plate. "Will you leave me alone if I do not?"
"No."
"Cho Chang," she said, deciding that the fish soup, bouillabaisse if she remembered correctly, looked like the most appetizing thing on the table. "Now, if you do not mind, I would like to enjoy the feast."
"As would I," Fleur agreed, turning in her seat so that her back was to her fellow Beauxbatons students and she was able to look at the rest of the Ravenclaw table, and Cho, much easier. "But nothing makes a good meal like good conversation, would you not agree, Cho?"
The Irish girl did her best to not allow her teeth to grind together. "Normally I would say yes," she replied, trying to be polite. Professor Flitwick, her Head of House, would not be pleased if he learned that she was being rude to one of their guests. Especially one who could very well become one of the Tri-Wizard champions in a number of days. No matter how rude she was. Sighing, Cho amended her statement, "Yes, conversation does make a meal much nicer."
Fleur's smiling was dazzling. "Good," she murmured, sipping at her soup. "I see that you have a Snitch necklace about your neck, do you not? Do you play Quidditch?"
Looks like this is going to be one long feast, Cho thought, resigning herself to making polite, idle chatter with the Beauxbatons girl. Despite the fact that she wasn't even looking at them, almost every last Ravenclaw boy, and the Hufflepuffs at the next table, were staring at Fleur with a sort of longing, and Cho with more than a little bit of jealousy for being able to speak with her. See if they'd still look at her like that if they heard what she had to say about Hogwarts.
Later that night as they were settling into their respective beds, Marietta remarked on how lucky Cho was. "Getting to talk to Fleur all night like that," Marietta said. "Roger and some of the others would have given their left hands to switch you seats."
Cho muttered something incomprehensible as she pulled her covers up to her chin and turned towards the wall, her mind zooming. Of all the people at the Ravenclaw table, she must have been the only one not yearning to talk to Fleur Delacour with her throaty accent and exotic features. Not that it mattered. Hopefully, by the time dinner rolled around the next night, Fleur would have found someone else to talk to. Someone who would fawn over her and not give a Kneazle's tail about her personality.
Title: Not Liking This
Characters: Cho Chang, Roger Davies, OFCs, Fleur Delacour
Word Count: 544
Rating: PG
Summary: All of the guys are jealous of Cho, because she's the one showing Fleur around the castle. Cho, however, isn't very pleased with her job.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
"Lucky girl," Roger Davies muttered as Cho passed by him in the common room.
Cho whirled to face him, long hair whipping against her cheeks. "What was that?" she asked, eyes flashing. She was getting tired of hearing the majority of the boys in Hogwarts mutter bitterly behind her back, and all because of something she wasn't even enjoying! Pretending that she could stand Fleur Delacour was not on her list of things to do.
Sure enough, Roger had a sullen look on his handsome face, like a little boy being told he couldn't have dessert. "I said that you're lucky, Cho. Getting to sit by Fleur every meal, being asked to show her around the castle and help with her English. I'd give up the Captaincy for that."
"In that case, you should never have been made Captain," Cho snapped before stalking out of the tunnel and past the blue-and-bronze suit of armor that guarded the Ravenclaw entry. She was not in the best of moods, and Roger's comment had made it no better. He should have been the one showing Fleur around, surely he'd give the girl all of the attention that she craved. Even Cho, well-mannered as she normally was, couldn't pretend that she was enjoying the French girl's company for much longer.
"Hey Cho!" Sally Clearwater, a Ravenclaw in Cho's year and a Chaser on the House team, called. She had her broom, a Nimbus Two Thousand, slung over her shoulder and two more Ravenclaw girls with her.
"Hey Sally," Cho replied, smiling despite her bad mood. "Dahlia, Kat. Where are you all off to?"
"We're going to go play some Quidditch, closest thing to practicing that we can get with it canceled for the year," Kat, Keeper for Ravenclaw, said brightly. "Care to join?"
"Love to! Just let me go and - oh." The smile slid off of Cho's face. "I can't right now."
"Why not?" Sally asked. "Two-on-two would be way more fun than just the three of us going at it."
Cho nodded towards the blue-clad, silvery-blonde coming up the corridor. "That's why," she said bitterly. "She just gets this thrill out of having me help her, and Flitwick is delighted because of it." The tiny man had practically fallen over himself assuring Madam Maxine that Cho would be more than happy to help Fleur whenever she needed it. "I get to play pretend every day. Thrilling, eh?"
"Poor girl," Kat said sympathetically, glaring at the approaching girl. Kat had had her eyes on Roger since the previous year, and now he only had eyes for Fleur. "Hopefully you'll escape from her sometime." The three turned and were gone before Fleur stepped up. Like every other girl in the castle they had an extreme dislike for the French girl and her bewitching ways.
"Hello Cho," Fleur said in that throaty voice of hers, smiling widely. "Where would it be that you are taking me today?"
Cho had meant to show Fleur some of the better short-cuts, but seeing some of her friends had given her a new idea. "The Quidditch Pitch," she said, starting off in the same direction Sally and the others had gone. She wanted to see how this girl handled herself on a broom.
--------
Title: Falling Flower
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour, OFCs
Word Count: 1,513
Rating: PG
Summary: Cho and her friends convince Fleur to play a game of Quidditch with them, even after they see how badly Fleur rides a broom. Cho gets a little uneasy about it, and for a pretty good reason...
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Cho tried not to grin at the confused look on Fleur's face when she presented her with a broomstick. Sally, Kat, and Dahlia didn't even try. They all had wicked grins on their faces as they kicked off the ground, Kat zooming for the goalposts while Sally and Dahlia started tossing the Quaffle back and forth.
"But you are a Seeker, no?" Fleur asked, looking slightly uneasy as she eyed her broom. "Must I ride this in the same manner as you? It looks uncomfortable."
"It's easier to play if you do," Cho replied as she mounted her broom and pushed off, hovering a few inches above the ground. "And I am a Seeker, but there's no real point to Seeking if it's just for fun like this." She did a few lazy circles around Fleur, enjoying the feel of being on a broomstick again. "Well come on, get on the broom so that we can play. You want to be a Tri-Wizard Champion after all, a small game of Quidditch should be no problem."
Fleur looked at her, somehow even paler than she normally was (which gave Cho a rush of amusement), and clambered onto the broom, clutching it awkwardly before pushing off.
"Whoa," Cho said under her breath as Fleur slowly, shakily, flew up to the same level as the laughing Sally and Dahlia, reminding her very strongly of the first time she had ridden a broom when she was about five. All Cho wanted to do was embarrass Fleur, to prove that she wasn't the most wonderful person on the plant, she didn't want to hurt her. And if she was having trouble staying on a broom then how was she supposed to catch or throw the Quaffle? Just trying might make her fall!
"Try a couple of laps before we start," Sally suggested, her voice full of mirth as Fleur started off. Once the French girl was out of ear-shot, she moved over near Cho. "Brilliant idea, one of your best," she congratulated, green eyes dancing.
"I don't know when I last laughed so hard!" Dahlia announced, wiping away tears. "To think, Delacour can't fly."
"I've seen better first-years," Sally added.
Cho shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe we should go easy on her," she said, eyes following Fleur's slightly shaky progress around the pitch.
"What?!" Sally practically shouted. "She needs this, needs to be shown that Hogwarts girls can be just as good as, if not better than, her precious Beauxbatons." Dahlia nodded her agreement. "Besides, you don't even like her."
"I know," Cho admitted, looking down at her broom handle. "It's just... she might get hurt, and then what are we going to tell Madam Pomfrey, or Flitwick?"
Dahlia started to look a little uneasy, but Sally's face was still set. "We'll tell them the truth. That we wanted to play a game and she joined in without mentioning how bad she was."
"I don't-"
"Ready?" Fleur interrupted, bringing her broom to a stop next to Cho. Her pale eyes were scared, but her face was determined. "Or have you.. how do you say... changed your minds?"
"No," Sally said quickly, grabbing the Quaffle from Dahlia. "Cho, you and Fleur against me and Dahlia. Kat is Keeper against us all. Ready?" Fleur nodded and, despite her fear that something bad would happen, Cho did too.
Then the Quaffle was in the air and, using the speed so necessary for a Seeker, Cho darted forward to snatch the large red ball from right in front of Dahlia. She streaked towards the goalposts, wind stinging her face, and shot for the leftmost hoop.
If Kat had been paying attention she would have caught it. But she wasn't, and the Quaffle flew through the hoop. Cho grinned at her friend, until she looked in the direction that Kat was. Fleur was about fifteen feet above them, clinging to her broom with just one hand. Somehow the girl had managed to fall off.
Without even thinking, Cho turned her broom around and shot past the other two girls towards Fleur. She was almost there when, with an ear-splitting scream, Fleur's hand slipped and she began to plummet.
It was like time slowed as Cho dove down, her mind as empty as when she was going after the Snitch. Only Fleur was a lot bigger than a Snitch, and somehow she was falling faster than one. Yet Cho still reached out her right hand, closing it around Fleur's. She leaned back, sweat popping out on her forehead as she strained to hold it steady and stop falling.
"Excellent!" she heard Kat shout as she pulled the broom steady with Fleur's feet only a few inches about the ground. Biting her lip, Cho lowered the blonde to the ground before dismounting, legs trembling and her right arm screaming.
Fleur's hand was still in hers when they looked at each other. Anything Cho had planned on saying got stuck by the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
"I thank you," Fleur breathed, voice trembling as much as she was. "If not for you... then I think I would be going to the infirmerie, no?" She smiled weakly, the typically stunning gone from it. Yet, for some reason, Cho thought that she liked Fleur better like this. She seemed much more real, more... like a human.
"Anytime," Cho said, the lump vanishing as a wild grin took its place. Pure adrenaline seemed to have filled her veins, much like what happened after she caught the Snitch. "You're a bit bigger than what I'm used to catching, but I had to try." She rubbed at her right arm, though the pain had nearly vanished with the rush.
"That was amazing!" Sally exclaimed as she landed. "Cho... best save ever."
"Bloody fantastic," Kat agreed, face flushed as she hugged Cho and stood back to examine Fleur. "You alright then?"
"Looks fine to me," Dahlia remarked. "Probably too scared to ever get on a broom again, but it doesn't look like anything's broken."
"Should take her to the infirmary just to be sure," Kat suggested.
Sally tapped Cho on the arm, causing her to wince in pain. "And yourself too," she said, giving Cho a gentle push towards the castle. "We'll take care of the brooms and such, you get that arm looked at. Not surprised it's hurt, can't have been good to put that much strain on it."
"It was that or let her fall," Cho snapped. "And if you had listened to me then we wouldn't have played."
Sally rolled her eyes. "She wanted to, and no one's seriously injured, so go already. Try to get rid of that attitude while you're gone too."
With a tug on her hand, which was still clasped tightly in Fleur's, Fleur started towards the castle. Cho could still hear the excited buzz of conversation behind them and, with a sigh, realized that she would be getting awed looks and more jealous ones by the time night fell. There was no way Sally, at the least, would keep quiet what had happened. Just don't let Flitwick find out that Fleur fell and I'll be fine, Cho muttered inside her head. A lecture is not what I need on top of all this.
"You are a good flier," Fleur said quietly as they began walking up the hill. "And a very good Seeker, as well. Maybe..." She bit her lip and looked away, her grip on Cho's hand tightening briefly.
Why is she still holding my hand? Cho asked herself. Better yet... why am I still holding hers? As though she could read her mind, Fleur let go of Cho's hand like it was a snake, pale face turning pink. "Ummm... maybe what?"
"You could help me to become a better flier," Fleur said quickly, the words blurring together so that it took Cho a moment to sort them out.
Cho stopped walking. Fleur may have only been there for a little over a week, but she still knew enough about the French girl to know that asking for help was not something that she did often. And if she did, then it would be more in the form of carefully convincing someone, likely male, to help her. "You want me to help you?"
Fleur nodded, her blush deepening. "You do not have to, I just... you have now seen how poorly I fly, so it would not be anything new for you to see me do it again, and to help me become better. It is très embarrassing to be my age and not fly well at all."
"I can try," Cho said. Part of her demanded to know why she was offering to spend even more time with this girl she did not like, but it was overruled. Maybe this way the French girl would not be quite so unbearable. That, and surely she would act differently towards Cho now. After all, she had just saved her life. And strained my arm in the process.
Madam Pomfrey was not pleased.
Title: Did You Really?
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour, OFC
Word Count: 598
Rating: G
Summary: After saving Fleur, Cho gets to deal with everyone being in awe of her, and she doesn't really care for it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
"Did you really save Fleur Delacour?" an eager-looking second year asked Cho. "Daniel said that you dove over a hundred feet and saved her just before she hit the ground!" His dark eyes were shining and, to Cho's amazement and disgust, he was gazing up at her in adoration. She'd rather have jealousy.
This isn't happening. But all she said was, "Get on to class, no one could pull off a dive like that." To catch the Snitch, maybe, but not a person. A hundred feet was just impossible.
"But she said that you saved her when I asked!" the boy insisted, reaching up to grab Cho's sleeve so that she had to stay put or drag him along with her. And that was the last thing she needed, to make a scene in the middle of a crowded corridor.
Sighing, the boy had a good grip so it looked like she was going to have to deal with him, Cho nodded. "Yes, I saved her. Any Seeker could have done it and it was not a hundred foot dive. More like forty, maybe."
"But-"
"Any Seeker," Cho said, cutting him off and, before he could say anything else, she tugged her sleeve free and walked off.
It had been all of three days since she had saved Fleur's pretty neck - did she really just think of her neck as pretty?! - and word of it had spread through the castle like wildfire. Students from every year and house had been coming up to ask for her version of what had happened, or just to congratulate her. Professor Flitwick had been so furious at first that he had toppled right off of his desk after taking twenty points from Ravenclaw. But, after Cho had explained everything, he had congratulated her on a job well done and awarded thirty-five points to Ravenclaw. Madam Maxine had very nearly crushed her in a hug, sobbing her thanks.
"Tired of it yet?" Kat asked when Cho ducked into the Ravenclaw common room, looking harried. The other girl was practicing changing her cat into a fluffy pillow, which it seemed to be enjoying judging by the loud purrs.
"Yes," Cho muttered. "Why did you have to tell? I don't want all this, it's too much hassle." Being recognized for her talent was nice, but this was a little too much.
"You're our Seeker," Kat said with a shrug. "I figure if people know how bloody fantastic you are then they'll be scared of us next year."
"Figure in what I get to deal with in the mean time?"
Kat just shrugged again, flicking her wand. "You'll live. Little Miss Can't Fly is looking for you, by the way."
Cho's heart leaped into her throat, but she kept her face smooth. "Yeah?"
"Yep, said she'd be staying in the library until you got back."
"I'll see you later then," Cho said, grabbing her back and heading back for the rest of the castle.
"On a leash all of a sudden?" Kat sounded surprised. "A week ago you would have waited at least an hour before hopping off."
"I'm not on a leash," Cho declared. Yet she was fidgeting, leaning towards the exit. What's all this? All of a sudden I come when she calls like an eager puppy? Her face tightened slightly and she let her bag drop to the ground. She was no ones pet to be called. "Up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Fleur can wait a little longer while I stay here.
Kat grinned at her. "You know it."
------
Title: Raising Wrath
Prompt: 027. Late
Word Count: 716
Rating: PG
Summary: Fleur was patient, until Cho decided that being late was no big deal.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Fleur was seated at her usual table, all the nearby ones filled with boys who were spending more time sneaking glances at her than at the books in front of them. Among them Cho spotted a shock of red hair; it seemed that Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, was caught under Fleur's spell as well. For some reason seeing all of those boys gazing at Fleur made Cho feel the slightest twinge of jealously. She quashed that emotion as soon as she identified it, horrified that she would ever be jealous of anyone, especially Fleur! It was pure bollox and she simply would not stand for it.
"Hello Cho," Fleur said when Cho slid into the chair beside her. She was smiling, though it did not quite manage to reach her pale eyes. "You are later than I thought you would be. Did Kat not tell you that i was going to be waiting for you here?"
"She told me," Cho replied, opening one of her books. "I just decided to play a game of Exploding Snap with her before coming here. Sorry for being so late." A mixed feeling of delight and disgust stirred up inside her when Fleur's face fell even as her eyes flashed. Deciding that maybe it wasn't worth it to push her, Cho asked, "What do you need help with today?"
Fleur shook her head, silvery-blonde hair covering her face as she pushed her books into her bag. "I do not need help from you," she declared. She added something in French that Cho did not understand, but the way it was said made it clear that she was angry.
"What?" Cho asked, gaping at the French girl. had she pushed a little too far this time? Fleur looked genuinely upset.
"If you do not wish to help me, then I will not beg like a chien for it," Fleur snapped, somehow making the flush of anger creeping over her cheeks look elegant. "I do not need you, Cho Chang, many would help me!"
"You forced me into this," Cho pointed out, her temper starting to rise as well. How dare Fleur snap at her in front of all these people? She had saved her neck! "If anyone could help then why ask for me, eh?"
"Because you seemed like an intelligent girl. It would appear that I made a mistake, no?"
Cho's eyes narrowed; insulting her intelligence was just taking it too far. "Go on then!" she all-but shouted, jumping to her feet and pointing towards the door. "Find yourself someone else to play your little nursemaid!" And, before Fleur could do it first, she grabbed her books and stalked towards the door.
She had gone hardly ten feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn and look into icy blue eyes that somehow managed to burn. "You do not turn your back on me," Fleur said in a low voice, her grip tight. "You are the one who was late, you are the one who kept me waiting, therefore it is you who will be walked out on."
"Let go of me," Cho said, pulling away. "I saved you, you have no right to speak to me like that."
Fleur tilted her head a little, the flames in her eyes seeming to be doused by the ice. "Had it not been for you, then I would not have been on the broom, no?" she asked quietly. "If you had not been so busy trying to make me look like a fool..." She shook her head and released Cho's arm. "Leave."
But Cho stood still, as though rooted to the spot, her mouth gaping open. Fleur knew that playing Quidditch had been meant to embarrass her? And she still wanted Cho to help her? "Fleur..." she started, but the French girl raised her hand.
"I will leave, then," she said, sweeping past Cho in a flurry of blue robes. When the click of her heels had faded away the library was deathly silent. Cho stood in the middle of the entryway, all eyes on her, staring towards the door.
Why do I suddenly feel like a callous idiot? she asked herself, wondering why in hell she had thought being late wouldn't matter at all.
Title: Icy Venom
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour
Word Count: 576
Rating: PG
Summary: Cho learns just how cold an offended part Veela can be.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, sad as that is.
Notes/Warnings: Hints of possible femmeslash contained within.
Cho hugged her arms tightly around herself, staring up at the immensity of the carriage that had brought the Beauxbatons, brought Fleur, to Hogwarts. There was a chill in the air despite the scarf she had wrapped tightly around her neck, proving that autumn truly was underway with Halloween just around the corner. And with it came the announcement of who would be Champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament... she wondered if anyone that she knew would be chosen.
Stop that! Cho chided herself silently, taking a resolute step towards the stairs that led to the huge door. I'm here for a reason and I need to see it through now or else I'm going to lose my nerve. She was no Gryffindor to be brave every moment of every day, but she had her moments. The silent minutes following Fleur's departure from the Library had left her stunned, but also realizing that she was the one who had made a mistake. She could admit when she was wrong and, this time at least, she had been. Very wrong.
Before she even realized what she was doing, Cho had raised her hand to knock on the door. It swung open silently, admitting her to a moderate sized room with six large beds spaced evenly around it. One of them was occupied, and she knew without a doubt that it was Fleur. Her curiosity as to how the door had led her to the right room was overcome when she realized that Fleur was actually crying.
"Fleur?" she asked quietly, stepping up to the foot of the bed. She wanted to reach out and touch those shaking shoulders, to apologize and comfort the French girl until the tears dried up, but she suppressed those urges. Firstly, Fleur was angry with her and secondly... well, she shouldn't be having those urges at all. Hadn't she despised this girl more than any other only a few days ago? Didn't she still?
"Get out," a voice, so unlike Fleur's that Cho nearly stepped back, grated. "I do not wish to see you."
"Don't you at least want to hear what I have to say?" Cho asked, stepping forward. She was fighting a battle inside, should she leave or stay, and the staying was winning out.
"No."
Cho flinched at the cold venom that was there, but she didn't leave. Something was holding her there. "If I were you I wouldn't want to talk to me either," she admitted, tracing her fingers over the pale blue coverlet on the bed. "In fact, I probably shouldn't be here at all, but I am. To apologize for what I did earlier, and the stunt my friends and I pulled on you with flying. I shouldn't have made you wait just because I felt like being spiteful. I shouldn't have taken part in something that could have hurt you in anyway. But more importantly, I should have respected you more than I have. You have my deepest apologies and I hope that we can become actual friends."
The silence in the air was as cold as Fleur's voice when she said, "Perhaps."
Feeling as though she had just had her heart wrung out, Cho hung her head and left, hoping that Fleur would tell her to stop. But the words didn't come and the door shut soundly behind her, leaving Cho feeling like she was the absolute worst person on the face of the planet.
Characters: Cho Chang, Albus Dumbledore, Marietta Edgecombe, Fleur Delacour, Roger Davies
Word Count: 1,238
Rating: PG
Summary: The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrive at Hogwarts, and Cho learns that even the prettiest faces can have not-so-pretty personalities lurking underneath.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Cho Chang fiddled with the necklace her mother had given her two years ago, when she had made the Ravenclaw Quidditch House team as Seeker. It was a golden Snitch dangling off of a silver chain, and it was the same necklace that her grandmother had worn when she was a Seeker for Ravenclaw. Not that it mattered very much this year, Dumbledore had already announced that Quidditch was being canceled due to the Tri-Wizard competition, something that Cho couldn't even take part in. What was she supposed to do in her spare time?
"Hey Cho," Marietta said, nudging her and nodding up towards the Professor's table. "Looks like Dumbledore has something to say after all."
"Of course he does," Cho muttered, turning her dark eyes toward the front table. "Aren't those students from the other schools supposed to be arriving today?"
"Good evening students," Dumbledore said, spreading his arms wide to include them all. "Tonight, it is my great honor to introduce those students who will be sharing the castle with us for the rest of the year. Madame Maxine and the students from Beauxbatons along with Igor Karkaroff and his students of Durmstrang." Everyone applauded politely as the doors leading into the Great Hall swung open and a procession of students started in.
Cho's eyes widened when she saw the size of the woman leading the line of Beauxbatons students and she had no doubt that the majority of gasps coming from around the Hall were caused by her. "That's one big woman," Marietta said from her side.
She was about to agree when her eyes landed on one of the students, dressed in robes of pale blue, with long silvery-blonde hair and the bluest eyes Cho had ever seen. "Whoa," she gasped, completely riveted. Marietta nudged her, saying some about one of the Beauxbatons boys, but Cho only nodded distractedly, still watching the blue-eyed girl. She didn't even notice the look of disdain on the girl's beautiful face as she looked around the Great Hall, nor the way she sniffed when more seats were conjured up at the Ravenclaw table for them. She did notice, however, that the empty space next to her was suddenly part of the extended table, and the blue-eyed girl was the one sliding in beside her.
"Hello!" Roger Davies said exuberantly from across the table, standing and leaning over so that he could shake the girl's hand. "I'm Roger Davies, Quidditch Captain for Ravenclaw. Welcome to Hogwarts."
The girl raised a well-plucked eyebrow before taking his hand and inclining her head. "My name is Fleur Delacour," she replied, her voice rich and throaty. "And it is... as they say, a pleasure, I suppose." The girls near to her laughed behind their hands and said something quickly in French, which caused even more laughing. Davies, seeming completely unaware that he was being mocked, just continued to grin at Fleur like a dumbstruck idiot.
Fleur turned away from the group of Beauxbatons students, her eyes meeting Cho's. The dark-eyed girl swallowed hard, hoping that she looked as calm as she was trying to. Fleur looked her up and down, tapping her fork against her golden plate. "And you would be?"
"Marietta Edgecombe," Marietta said from Cho's other side, smiling brightly. "Pleased to meet you, so glad that you have come to Hogwarts."
"I did not mean you," Fleur said flatly, her eyes still on Cho. "And I do not know if I am so... pleased, to be in this castle of yours. It is very damp, no?"
"It's not all that bad," Cho said, her voice returning with her desire to defend her home. "Maybe a little drafty at times, especially in the winter, but it's better than a lot of other places. You'll get used to it soon enough."
"Perhaps," Fleur said with a shrug, "but I think that I will continue to miss my home. At least there dinner is on time, and we eat in a place much more suited to it."
Cho's eyes flashed, her awe at the girl's beauty fading away as her personality was revealed. "Dinner is on time here," she said stiffly, nodding as platters and bowls began to appear on all of the tables and the relatively quiet chatter of the students exploded into a roar. "That time is just different than what you're used to."
The look that Fleur gave her was, to her surprise, speculative and amused rather than upset. "What did you say your name was?" she asked as she ladled a bit of what looked like a rich fish soup into her bowl.
"I didn't," Cho said shortly, having decided that pretty or not, this Fleur Delacour was not the most appealing of characters.
"Would you please share it with me?"
Cho tapped her fork against her plate. "Will you leave me alone if I do not?"
"No."
"Cho Chang," she said, deciding that the fish soup, bouillabaisse if she remembered correctly, looked like the most appetizing thing on the table. "Now, if you do not mind, I would like to enjoy the feast."
"As would I," Fleur agreed, turning in her seat so that her back was to her fellow Beauxbatons students and she was able to look at the rest of the Ravenclaw table, and Cho, much easier. "But nothing makes a good meal like good conversation, would you not agree, Cho?"
The Irish girl did her best to not allow her teeth to grind together. "Normally I would say yes," she replied, trying to be polite. Professor Flitwick, her Head of House, would not be pleased if he learned that she was being rude to one of their guests. Especially one who could very well become one of the Tri-Wizard champions in a number of days. No matter how rude she was. Sighing, Cho amended her statement, "Yes, conversation does make a meal much nicer."
Fleur's smiling was dazzling. "Good," she murmured, sipping at her soup. "I see that you have a Snitch necklace about your neck, do you not? Do you play Quidditch?"
Looks like this is going to be one long feast, Cho thought, resigning herself to making polite, idle chatter with the Beauxbatons girl. Despite the fact that she wasn't even looking at them, almost every last Ravenclaw boy, and the Hufflepuffs at the next table, were staring at Fleur with a sort of longing, and Cho with more than a little bit of jealousy for being able to speak with her. See if they'd still look at her like that if they heard what she had to say about Hogwarts.
Later that night as they were settling into their respective beds, Marietta remarked on how lucky Cho was. "Getting to talk to Fleur all night like that," Marietta said. "Roger and some of the others would have given their left hands to switch you seats."
Cho muttered something incomprehensible as she pulled her covers up to her chin and turned towards the wall, her mind zooming. Of all the people at the Ravenclaw table, she must have been the only one not yearning to talk to Fleur Delacour with her throaty accent and exotic features. Not that it mattered. Hopefully, by the time dinner rolled around the next night, Fleur would have found someone else to talk to. Someone who would fawn over her and not give a Kneazle's tail about her personality.
Title: Not Liking This
Characters: Cho Chang, Roger Davies, OFCs, Fleur Delacour
Word Count: 544
Rating: PG
Summary: All of the guys are jealous of Cho, because she's the one showing Fleur around the castle. Cho, however, isn't very pleased with her job.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
"Lucky girl," Roger Davies muttered as Cho passed by him in the common room.
Cho whirled to face him, long hair whipping against her cheeks. "What was that?" she asked, eyes flashing. She was getting tired of hearing the majority of the boys in Hogwarts mutter bitterly behind her back, and all because of something she wasn't even enjoying! Pretending that she could stand Fleur Delacour was not on her list of things to do.
Sure enough, Roger had a sullen look on his handsome face, like a little boy being told he couldn't have dessert. "I said that you're lucky, Cho. Getting to sit by Fleur every meal, being asked to show her around the castle and help with her English. I'd give up the Captaincy for that."
"In that case, you should never have been made Captain," Cho snapped before stalking out of the tunnel and past the blue-and-bronze suit of armor that guarded the Ravenclaw entry. She was not in the best of moods, and Roger's comment had made it no better. He should have been the one showing Fleur around, surely he'd give the girl all of the attention that she craved. Even Cho, well-mannered as she normally was, couldn't pretend that she was enjoying the French girl's company for much longer.
"Hey Cho!" Sally Clearwater, a Ravenclaw in Cho's year and a Chaser on the House team, called. She had her broom, a Nimbus Two Thousand, slung over her shoulder and two more Ravenclaw girls with her.
"Hey Sally," Cho replied, smiling despite her bad mood. "Dahlia, Kat. Where are you all off to?"
"We're going to go play some Quidditch, closest thing to practicing that we can get with it canceled for the year," Kat, Keeper for Ravenclaw, said brightly. "Care to join?"
"Love to! Just let me go and - oh." The smile slid off of Cho's face. "I can't right now."
"Why not?" Sally asked. "Two-on-two would be way more fun than just the three of us going at it."
Cho nodded towards the blue-clad, silvery-blonde coming up the corridor. "That's why," she said bitterly. "She just gets this thrill out of having me help her, and Flitwick is delighted because of it." The tiny man had practically fallen over himself assuring Madam Maxine that Cho would be more than happy to help Fleur whenever she needed it. "I get to play pretend every day. Thrilling, eh?"
"Poor girl," Kat said sympathetically, glaring at the approaching girl. Kat had had her eyes on Roger since the previous year, and now he only had eyes for Fleur. "Hopefully you'll escape from her sometime." The three turned and were gone before Fleur stepped up. Like every other girl in the castle they had an extreme dislike for the French girl and her bewitching ways.
"Hello Cho," Fleur said in that throaty voice of hers, smiling widely. "Where would it be that you are taking me today?"
Cho had meant to show Fleur some of the better short-cuts, but seeing some of her friends had given her a new idea. "The Quidditch Pitch," she said, starting off in the same direction Sally and the others had gone. She wanted to see how this girl handled herself on a broom.
--------
Title: Falling Flower
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour, OFCs
Word Count: 1,513
Rating: PG
Summary: Cho and her friends convince Fleur to play a game of Quidditch with them, even after they see how badly Fleur rides a broom. Cho gets a little uneasy about it, and for a pretty good reason...
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Cho tried not to grin at the confused look on Fleur's face when she presented her with a broomstick. Sally, Kat, and Dahlia didn't even try. They all had wicked grins on their faces as they kicked off the ground, Kat zooming for the goalposts while Sally and Dahlia started tossing the Quaffle back and forth.
"But you are a Seeker, no?" Fleur asked, looking slightly uneasy as she eyed her broom. "Must I ride this in the same manner as you? It looks uncomfortable."
"It's easier to play if you do," Cho replied as she mounted her broom and pushed off, hovering a few inches above the ground. "And I am a Seeker, but there's no real point to Seeking if it's just for fun like this." She did a few lazy circles around Fleur, enjoying the feel of being on a broomstick again. "Well come on, get on the broom so that we can play. You want to be a Tri-Wizard Champion after all, a small game of Quidditch should be no problem."
Fleur looked at her, somehow even paler than she normally was (which gave Cho a rush of amusement), and clambered onto the broom, clutching it awkwardly before pushing off.
"Whoa," Cho said under her breath as Fleur slowly, shakily, flew up to the same level as the laughing Sally and Dahlia, reminding her very strongly of the first time she had ridden a broom when she was about five. All Cho wanted to do was embarrass Fleur, to prove that she wasn't the most wonderful person on the plant, she didn't want to hurt her. And if she was having trouble staying on a broom then how was she supposed to catch or throw the Quaffle? Just trying might make her fall!
"Try a couple of laps before we start," Sally suggested, her voice full of mirth as Fleur started off. Once the French girl was out of ear-shot, she moved over near Cho. "Brilliant idea, one of your best," she congratulated, green eyes dancing.
"I don't know when I last laughed so hard!" Dahlia announced, wiping away tears. "To think, Delacour can't fly."
"I've seen better first-years," Sally added.
Cho shrugged uncomfortably. "Maybe we should go easy on her," she said, eyes following Fleur's slightly shaky progress around the pitch.
"What?!" Sally practically shouted. "She needs this, needs to be shown that Hogwarts girls can be just as good as, if not better than, her precious Beauxbatons." Dahlia nodded her agreement. "Besides, you don't even like her."
"I know," Cho admitted, looking down at her broom handle. "It's just... she might get hurt, and then what are we going to tell Madam Pomfrey, or Flitwick?"
Dahlia started to look a little uneasy, but Sally's face was still set. "We'll tell them the truth. That we wanted to play a game and she joined in without mentioning how bad she was."
"I don't-"
"Ready?" Fleur interrupted, bringing her broom to a stop next to Cho. Her pale eyes were scared, but her face was determined. "Or have you.. how do you say... changed your minds?"
"No," Sally said quickly, grabbing the Quaffle from Dahlia. "Cho, you and Fleur against me and Dahlia. Kat is Keeper against us all. Ready?" Fleur nodded and, despite her fear that something bad would happen, Cho did too.
Then the Quaffle was in the air and, using the speed so necessary for a Seeker, Cho darted forward to snatch the large red ball from right in front of Dahlia. She streaked towards the goalposts, wind stinging her face, and shot for the leftmost hoop.
If Kat had been paying attention she would have caught it. But she wasn't, and the Quaffle flew through the hoop. Cho grinned at her friend, until she looked in the direction that Kat was. Fleur was about fifteen feet above them, clinging to her broom with just one hand. Somehow the girl had managed to fall off.
Without even thinking, Cho turned her broom around and shot past the other two girls towards Fleur. She was almost there when, with an ear-splitting scream, Fleur's hand slipped and she began to plummet.
It was like time slowed as Cho dove down, her mind as empty as when she was going after the Snitch. Only Fleur was a lot bigger than a Snitch, and somehow she was falling faster than one. Yet Cho still reached out her right hand, closing it around Fleur's. She leaned back, sweat popping out on her forehead as she strained to hold it steady and stop falling.
"Excellent!" she heard Kat shout as she pulled the broom steady with Fleur's feet only a few inches about the ground. Biting her lip, Cho lowered the blonde to the ground before dismounting, legs trembling and her right arm screaming.
Fleur's hand was still in hers when they looked at each other. Anything Cho had planned on saying got stuck by the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
"I thank you," Fleur breathed, voice trembling as much as she was. "If not for you... then I think I would be going to the infirmerie, no?" She smiled weakly, the typically stunning gone from it. Yet, for some reason, Cho thought that she liked Fleur better like this. She seemed much more real, more... like a human.
"Anytime," Cho said, the lump vanishing as a wild grin took its place. Pure adrenaline seemed to have filled her veins, much like what happened after she caught the Snitch. "You're a bit bigger than what I'm used to catching, but I had to try." She rubbed at her right arm, though the pain had nearly vanished with the rush.
"That was amazing!" Sally exclaimed as she landed. "Cho... best save ever."
"Bloody fantastic," Kat agreed, face flushed as she hugged Cho and stood back to examine Fleur. "You alright then?"
"Looks fine to me," Dahlia remarked. "Probably too scared to ever get on a broom again, but it doesn't look like anything's broken."
"Should take her to the infirmary just to be sure," Kat suggested.
Sally tapped Cho on the arm, causing her to wince in pain. "And yourself too," she said, giving Cho a gentle push towards the castle. "We'll take care of the brooms and such, you get that arm looked at. Not surprised it's hurt, can't have been good to put that much strain on it."
"It was that or let her fall," Cho snapped. "And if you had listened to me then we wouldn't have played."
Sally rolled her eyes. "She wanted to, and no one's seriously injured, so go already. Try to get rid of that attitude while you're gone too."
With a tug on her hand, which was still clasped tightly in Fleur's, Fleur started towards the castle. Cho could still hear the excited buzz of conversation behind them and, with a sigh, realized that she would be getting awed looks and more jealous ones by the time night fell. There was no way Sally, at the least, would keep quiet what had happened. Just don't let Flitwick find out that Fleur fell and I'll be fine, Cho muttered inside her head. A lecture is not what I need on top of all this.
"You are a good flier," Fleur said quietly as they began walking up the hill. "And a very good Seeker, as well. Maybe..." She bit her lip and looked away, her grip on Cho's hand tightening briefly.
Why is she still holding my hand? Cho asked herself. Better yet... why am I still holding hers? As though she could read her mind, Fleur let go of Cho's hand like it was a snake, pale face turning pink. "Ummm... maybe what?"
"You could help me to become a better flier," Fleur said quickly, the words blurring together so that it took Cho a moment to sort them out.
Cho stopped walking. Fleur may have only been there for a little over a week, but she still knew enough about the French girl to know that asking for help was not something that she did often. And if she did, then it would be more in the form of carefully convincing someone, likely male, to help her. "You want me to help you?"
Fleur nodded, her blush deepening. "You do not have to, I just... you have now seen how poorly I fly, so it would not be anything new for you to see me do it again, and to help me become better. It is très embarrassing to be my age and not fly well at all."
"I can try," Cho said. Part of her demanded to know why she was offering to spend even more time with this girl she did not like, but it was overruled. Maybe this way the French girl would not be quite so unbearable. That, and surely she would act differently towards Cho now. After all, she had just saved her life. And strained my arm in the process.
Madam Pomfrey was not pleased.
Title: Did You Really?
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour, OFC
Word Count: 598
Rating: G
Summary: After saving Fleur, Cho gets to deal with everyone being in awe of her, and she doesn't really care for it.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
"Did you really save Fleur Delacour?" an eager-looking second year asked Cho. "Daniel said that you dove over a hundred feet and saved her just before she hit the ground!" His dark eyes were shining and, to Cho's amazement and disgust, he was gazing up at her in adoration. She'd rather have jealousy.
This isn't happening. But all she said was, "Get on to class, no one could pull off a dive like that." To catch the Snitch, maybe, but not a person. A hundred feet was just impossible.
"But she said that you saved her when I asked!" the boy insisted, reaching up to grab Cho's sleeve so that she had to stay put or drag him along with her. And that was the last thing she needed, to make a scene in the middle of a crowded corridor.
Sighing, the boy had a good grip so it looked like she was going to have to deal with him, Cho nodded. "Yes, I saved her. Any Seeker could have done it and it was not a hundred foot dive. More like forty, maybe."
"But-"
"Any Seeker," Cho said, cutting him off and, before he could say anything else, she tugged her sleeve free and walked off.
It had been all of three days since she had saved Fleur's pretty neck - did she really just think of her neck as pretty?! - and word of it had spread through the castle like wildfire. Students from every year and house had been coming up to ask for her version of what had happened, or just to congratulate her. Professor Flitwick had been so furious at first that he had toppled right off of his desk after taking twenty points from Ravenclaw. But, after Cho had explained everything, he had congratulated her on a job well done and awarded thirty-five points to Ravenclaw. Madam Maxine had very nearly crushed her in a hug, sobbing her thanks.
"Tired of it yet?" Kat asked when Cho ducked into the Ravenclaw common room, looking harried. The other girl was practicing changing her cat into a fluffy pillow, which it seemed to be enjoying judging by the loud purrs.
"Yes," Cho muttered. "Why did you have to tell? I don't want all this, it's too much hassle." Being recognized for her talent was nice, but this was a little too much.
"You're our Seeker," Kat said with a shrug. "I figure if people know how bloody fantastic you are then they'll be scared of us next year."
"Figure in what I get to deal with in the mean time?"
Kat just shrugged again, flicking her wand. "You'll live. Little Miss Can't Fly is looking for you, by the way."
Cho's heart leaped into her throat, but she kept her face smooth. "Yeah?"
"Yep, said she'd be staying in the library until you got back."
"I'll see you later then," Cho said, grabbing her back and heading back for the rest of the castle.
"On a leash all of a sudden?" Kat sounded surprised. "A week ago you would have waited at least an hour before hopping off."
"I'm not on a leash," Cho declared. Yet she was fidgeting, leaning towards the exit. What's all this? All of a sudden I come when she calls like an eager puppy? Her face tightened slightly and she let her bag drop to the ground. She was no ones pet to be called. "Up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Fleur can wait a little longer while I stay here.
Kat grinned at her. "You know it."
------
Title: Raising Wrath
Prompt: 027. Late
Word Count: 716
Rating: PG
Summary: Fleur was patient, until Cho decided that being late was no big deal.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and possibly Warner Brothers if I base it off the movies a bit.
Fleur was seated at her usual table, all the nearby ones filled with boys who were spending more time sneaking glances at her than at the books in front of them. Among them Cho spotted a shock of red hair; it seemed that Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend, was caught under Fleur's spell as well. For some reason seeing all of those boys gazing at Fleur made Cho feel the slightest twinge of jealously. She quashed that emotion as soon as she identified it, horrified that she would ever be jealous of anyone, especially Fleur! It was pure bollox and she simply would not stand for it.
"Hello Cho," Fleur said when Cho slid into the chair beside her. She was smiling, though it did not quite manage to reach her pale eyes. "You are later than I thought you would be. Did Kat not tell you that i was going to be waiting for you here?"
"She told me," Cho replied, opening one of her books. "I just decided to play a game of Exploding Snap with her before coming here. Sorry for being so late." A mixed feeling of delight and disgust stirred up inside her when Fleur's face fell even as her eyes flashed. Deciding that maybe it wasn't worth it to push her, Cho asked, "What do you need help with today?"
Fleur shook her head, silvery-blonde hair covering her face as she pushed her books into her bag. "I do not need help from you," she declared. She added something in French that Cho did not understand, but the way it was said made it clear that she was angry.
"What?" Cho asked, gaping at the French girl. had she pushed a little too far this time? Fleur looked genuinely upset.
"If you do not wish to help me, then I will not beg like a chien for it," Fleur snapped, somehow making the flush of anger creeping over her cheeks look elegant. "I do not need you, Cho Chang, many would help me!"
"You forced me into this," Cho pointed out, her temper starting to rise as well. How dare Fleur snap at her in front of all these people? She had saved her neck! "If anyone could help then why ask for me, eh?"
"Because you seemed like an intelligent girl. It would appear that I made a mistake, no?"
Cho's eyes narrowed; insulting her intelligence was just taking it too far. "Go on then!" she all-but shouted, jumping to her feet and pointing towards the door. "Find yourself someone else to play your little nursemaid!" And, before Fleur could do it first, she grabbed her books and stalked towards the door.
She had gone hardly ten feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn and look into icy blue eyes that somehow managed to burn. "You do not turn your back on me," Fleur said in a low voice, her grip tight. "You are the one who was late, you are the one who kept me waiting, therefore it is you who will be walked out on."
"Let go of me," Cho said, pulling away. "I saved you, you have no right to speak to me like that."
Fleur tilted her head a little, the flames in her eyes seeming to be doused by the ice. "Had it not been for you, then I would not have been on the broom, no?" she asked quietly. "If you had not been so busy trying to make me look like a fool..." She shook her head and released Cho's arm. "Leave."
But Cho stood still, as though rooted to the spot, her mouth gaping open. Fleur knew that playing Quidditch had been meant to embarrass her? And she still wanted Cho to help her? "Fleur..." she started, but the French girl raised her hand.
"I will leave, then," she said, sweeping past Cho in a flurry of blue robes. When the click of her heels had faded away the library was deathly silent. Cho stood in the middle of the entryway, all eyes on her, staring towards the door.
Why do I suddenly feel like a callous idiot? she asked herself, wondering why in hell she had thought being late wouldn't matter at all.
Title: Icy Venom
Characters: Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour
Word Count: 576
Rating: PG
Summary: Cho learns just how cold an offended part Veela can be.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, sad as that is.
Notes/Warnings: Hints of possible femmeslash contained within.
Cho hugged her arms tightly around herself, staring up at the immensity of the carriage that had brought the Beauxbatons, brought Fleur, to Hogwarts. There was a chill in the air despite the scarf she had wrapped tightly around her neck, proving that autumn truly was underway with Halloween just around the corner. And with it came the announcement of who would be Champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament... she wondered if anyone that she knew would be chosen.
Stop that! Cho chided herself silently, taking a resolute step towards the stairs that led to the huge door. I'm here for a reason and I need to see it through now or else I'm going to lose my nerve. She was no Gryffindor to be brave every moment of every day, but she had her moments. The silent minutes following Fleur's departure from the Library had left her stunned, but also realizing that she was the one who had made a mistake. She could admit when she was wrong and, this time at least, she had been. Very wrong.
Before she even realized what she was doing, Cho had raised her hand to knock on the door. It swung open silently, admitting her to a moderate sized room with six large beds spaced evenly around it. One of them was occupied, and she knew without a doubt that it was Fleur. Her curiosity as to how the door had led her to the right room was overcome when she realized that Fleur was actually crying.
"Fleur?" she asked quietly, stepping up to the foot of the bed. She wanted to reach out and touch those shaking shoulders, to apologize and comfort the French girl until the tears dried up, but she suppressed those urges. Firstly, Fleur was angry with her and secondly... well, she shouldn't be having those urges at all. Hadn't she despised this girl more than any other only a few days ago? Didn't she still?
"Get out," a voice, so unlike Fleur's that Cho nearly stepped back, grated. "I do not wish to see you."
"Don't you at least want to hear what I have to say?" Cho asked, stepping forward. She was fighting a battle inside, should she leave or stay, and the staying was winning out.
"No."
Cho flinched at the cold venom that was there, but she didn't leave. Something was holding her there. "If I were you I wouldn't want to talk to me either," she admitted, tracing her fingers over the pale blue coverlet on the bed. "In fact, I probably shouldn't be here at all, but I am. To apologize for what I did earlier, and the stunt my friends and I pulled on you with flying. I shouldn't have made you wait just because I felt like being spiteful. I shouldn't have taken part in something that could have hurt you in anyway. But more importantly, I should have respected you more than I have. You have my deepest apologies and I hope that we can become actual friends."
The silence in the air was as cold as Fleur's voice when she said, "Perhaps."
Feeling as though she had just had her heart wrung out, Cho hung her head and left, hoping that Fleur would tell her to stop. But the words didn't come and the door shut soundly behind her, leaving Cho feeling like she was the absolute worst person on the face of the planet.