Fanfiction: Now That You Know
Title: Now That You Know
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and Cho Chang
Prompt: Lightening/and that is a panda’s purpose in life
Word Count: 985
Rating: PG
Summary: He was tired of questioning everything. She had the answer.
Author’s Notes: Part ten of Swan and Snark.
Zacharias Smith was not one to usually admit he needed help or someone else’s opinion, but he did wish he could have talked to Susan about the entire situation. She and Cho were girls, their minds thought alike, and she would know what was going on. But, ever since splinching her leg during Apparation lessons, Susan had taken to crying in her room and not talking to anyone for days.
While Justin asked various girls to try and convince her to come down, Zacharias joined Cho on the Quidditch field. At first, they only practised. He would throw the Quaffle through the goals, working on his form, while watching her catch chase the Golden Snitch with impressive skill. For a couple of weeks, that was how they spent their time together.
It was simple to him that way.
In Quidditch, everything made sense, and on his broom he felt he could do anything. The sky was the limit. Stupid things like favourite colours and childhood memories weren’t important on the Field. She wasn’t some girl who turned his insides out and made him question what thoughts were flying through his head. She was just another player, brilliant on a broom and very pretty to watch.
Everything was fine, until he became too comfortable with himself and felt the need to declare the superiority of his Quidditch position. He’d forgotten exactly whom he was speaking to, and the statement hadn’t pleased Cho Chang.
“And just how exactly do the Seekers have it easier than anyone else on the field?” Cho firmly asked, sounding insulted by his declaration.
Zacharias shrugged, and passed the Quaffle between his hands. “Think about it. You sit on your broom for the majority of the game, and you only move when you see the Snitch. Catch it, and it’s over. As a Chaser, I have to constantly score so that even if you manage to catch the Snitch, we can still win. It’s a bit biased, if you ask me, and the game favours your position.”
Her eyes widened for a second, but she collected herself long enough to declare, “Do you have any idea how fast the Snitch flies? You have no clue how hard it is to concentrate on something the size of a walnut while avoiding Bludgers all the time. The Beaters always aim for us, first, you know.”
This detail didn’t convince Smith, who only shrugged again as they floated down to the grass and dismounted their brooms. Spending time as the Quidditch commentator had left him with strong opinions surrounding the sport, and he certainly knew more about it than she was giving him credit for. “Good Lord, you only have to catch it once, and it’s worth 150 points. I can just imagine how hard it must be for you.”
Cho raised a finger to his face, fuming by now at the insults he had directed to not only her, but all the Seekers. One would have thought he had insulted her family or friends, but serious players - good players - often became very defensive when they felt their quality threatened.
“Any player who spends so much time making fun of others is usually compensating his own skills,” she stated, coolly. “There’s nothing easy about being a Seeker.”
If Summerby or perhaps even Diggory knew he was insulting their position, Smith was sure they would have had him hanging from the goalposts and have been done with it. Or even laugh it off and call him a git. While he didn’t find Cho as threatening as his teammates, the thought of having offended her still made him feel like lead had dropped in his stomach.
Why did she have to take everything he said so personally? Why did she have to be such a girl about it?
“Some Seekers are better than others,” Zacharias stated with certainty, pushing her accusing hand from his face. “For what it’s worth, you’re probably the best here right now.” Compliments never hurt, and he felt obligated to give them when fit. After all, wasn’t that what he was supposed to do?
She didn’t smile, but instead pressed her lips tightly together.
Why did this have to be so complicated, a game of getting everything right, but failing miserably? A game of insults and compliments, was it all this could ever be between them? After everything he had done to give it a shot, to make it work between the two of them?
If that was the truth, Zacharias Smith wondered if he had made a mistake in not listening to Summerby’s warning. Maybe Cho really was too unstable to try anything with. The idea that all of those months had been wasted stirred anxiety inside of him, even misery. Had it all been without a purpose?
In a move as quick as a Snitch itself, Cho Chang stood on her toes and kissed him lightly on the mouth. Instinctively, he wrapped his hands around her shoulders to make the moment last as long as it could. It wasn’t like the last time. Nothing about it was forced as she pressed her lips harder onto his. For that moment, all of the questions stirring in the back of his mind didn’t matter. Nothing did.
When Cho finally pulled away, taking hold of his hands, he didn’t expect her face to be as unreadable as it was. Was she upset, sad, happy, or what? Zacharias waited for her to say anything, now steps away from the heat of the moment, and starting to second guess exactly what had just happened.
She wouldn’t let go of his hands, squeezing them for what Zacharias could only imagine was some kind of comfort. Something washed over him, like static between their fingertips, and all of a sudden he didn’t feel up to telling her he didn’t like to be touched. “I needed to know.”
--
I apologize for any Americanisms and grammatical errors. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and Cho Chang
Prompt: Lightening/and that is a panda’s purpose in life
Word Count: 985
Rating: PG
Summary: He was tired of questioning everything. She had the answer.
Author’s Notes: Part ten of Swan and Snark.
Zacharias Smith was not one to usually admit he needed help or someone else’s opinion, but he did wish he could have talked to Susan about the entire situation. She and Cho were girls, their minds thought alike, and she would know what was going on. But, ever since splinching her leg during Apparation lessons, Susan had taken to crying in her room and not talking to anyone for days.
While Justin asked various girls to try and convince her to come down, Zacharias joined Cho on the Quidditch field. At first, they only practised. He would throw the Quaffle through the goals, working on his form, while watching her catch chase the Golden Snitch with impressive skill. For a couple of weeks, that was how they spent their time together.
It was simple to him that way.
In Quidditch, everything made sense, and on his broom he felt he could do anything. The sky was the limit. Stupid things like favourite colours and childhood memories weren’t important on the Field. She wasn’t some girl who turned his insides out and made him question what thoughts were flying through his head. She was just another player, brilliant on a broom and very pretty to watch.
Everything was fine, until he became too comfortable with himself and felt the need to declare the superiority of his Quidditch position. He’d forgotten exactly whom he was speaking to, and the statement hadn’t pleased Cho Chang.
“And just how exactly do the Seekers have it easier than anyone else on the field?” Cho firmly asked, sounding insulted by his declaration.
Zacharias shrugged, and passed the Quaffle between his hands. “Think about it. You sit on your broom for the majority of the game, and you only move when you see the Snitch. Catch it, and it’s over. As a Chaser, I have to constantly score so that even if you manage to catch the Snitch, we can still win. It’s a bit biased, if you ask me, and the game favours your position.”
Her eyes widened for a second, but she collected herself long enough to declare, “Do you have any idea how fast the Snitch flies? You have no clue how hard it is to concentrate on something the size of a walnut while avoiding Bludgers all the time. The Beaters always aim for us, first, you know.”
This detail didn’t convince Smith, who only shrugged again as they floated down to the grass and dismounted their brooms. Spending time as the Quidditch commentator had left him with strong opinions surrounding the sport, and he certainly knew more about it than she was giving him credit for. “Good Lord, you only have to catch it once, and it’s worth 150 points. I can just imagine how hard it must be for you.”
Cho raised a finger to his face, fuming by now at the insults he had directed to not only her, but all the Seekers. One would have thought he had insulted her family or friends, but serious players - good players - often became very defensive when they felt their quality threatened.
“Any player who spends so much time making fun of others is usually compensating his own skills,” she stated, coolly. “There’s nothing easy about being a Seeker.”
If Summerby or perhaps even Diggory knew he was insulting their position, Smith was sure they would have had him hanging from the goalposts and have been done with it. Or even laugh it off and call him a git. While he didn’t find Cho as threatening as his teammates, the thought of having offended her still made him feel like lead had dropped in his stomach.
Why did she have to take everything he said so personally? Why did she have to be such a girl about it?
“Some Seekers are better than others,” Zacharias stated with certainty, pushing her accusing hand from his face. “For what it’s worth, you’re probably the best here right now.” Compliments never hurt, and he felt obligated to give them when fit. After all, wasn’t that what he was supposed to do?
She didn’t smile, but instead pressed her lips tightly together.
Why did this have to be so complicated, a game of getting everything right, but failing miserably? A game of insults and compliments, was it all this could ever be between them? After everything he had done to give it a shot, to make it work between the two of them?
If that was the truth, Zacharias Smith wondered if he had made a mistake in not listening to Summerby’s warning. Maybe Cho really was too unstable to try anything with. The idea that all of those months had been wasted stirred anxiety inside of him, even misery. Had it all been without a purpose?
In a move as quick as a Snitch itself, Cho Chang stood on her toes and kissed him lightly on the mouth. Instinctively, he wrapped his hands around her shoulders to make the moment last as long as it could. It wasn’t like the last time. Nothing about it was forced as she pressed her lips harder onto his. For that moment, all of the questions stirring in the back of his mind didn’t matter. Nothing did.
When Cho finally pulled away, taking hold of his hands, he didn’t expect her face to be as unreadable as it was. Was she upset, sad, happy, or what? Zacharias waited for her to say anything, now steps away from the heat of the moment, and starting to second guess exactly what had just happened.
She wouldn’t let go of his hands, squeezing them for what Zacharias could only imagine was some kind of comfort. Something washed over him, like static between their fingertips, and all of a sudden he didn’t feel up to telling her he didn’t like to be touched. “I needed to know.”
--
I apologize for any Americanisms and grammatical errors. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.