Cho Chang and the Mystery of Harry Potter

Cho Chang and the Mystery of Harry Potter

Chapter 2

So Much for Undying Love

*** summer after my 5^th year ***

This is getting ridiculous.

Me mum is getting worried because I'm "not eating enough," me dad is getting annoyed because I "spend too much time" in my room, me sister Kalia is getting freaked out because she needs some excuse to get freaked out, and me brother Hai is getting weird because, well, that's what he is--weird.

I have gotten numerous letters--too many, in fact--from my cousin Kila in the United States of America, asking me why I am not writing her that often. She says she is getting annoyed of my lack of response. So, I wrote this letter to her:

Dear Kila,

I have been very busy this summer and I am sorry I have not had time to write you. We shall be coming soon to visit you in the United States. I hope you are well there.

I am doing fine. Please do not bug me anymore with ridiculous and childish attempts of child psychology (no offense), because one, I am no longer a child, my birthday is coming up in August and I shall be sixteen, and two, it is getting annoying. Nice try, though.

I shall see you soon.

Love always,

Cho

Yes, I love Kila, because she is my cousin, but if she would stop with the psychology already...

*** July 2 ***

We are leaving for the United States today. We will be staying there for about three days. I must pack.

*** 2:30 pm ***

We are at the airport right now. Just waiting for the plane to arrive.

*** three minutes later ***

Alas! Here it is! (That sounded too Shakespeare. Rephrase: "Yay! Plane's here!" )

(There, much better )

*** on the plane sixteen minutes later ***

Whoopee! I'm going to the United States!

We are actually going to be staying in a place called Makai, Hawaii. We are meeting Kila there.

I heard that Makai is supposed to be a very beautiful island. I can't wait to get there!

Except...there's one thing...

What's an island?

*** next day (July 3) ***

We are at Kila's house, finally. (Oh, and I looked up "island" in the dictionary and it said that an island is a piece of land surrounded by water.)

Her house is beautiful. Really, it's not HER house, it's her parents' house. Her mum, Kikawi, is really cool. She let's Kila go to the beach every day! I can't wait to go to the beach with Kila (which means Kira in Hawaiian), sister, Kapaliele (which means Gabrielle in Hawaiian), her brother Iakona (which means Jason), my Aunt Kikawi(which really doesn't mean much in English) and my Uncle Elika (Elika is NOT a girls' name, it really means Eric)! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't WAIT!!!

Hawaii, itself, is beautiful. There are so many trees all over, called Palm Trees, and there are so many beaches around. The one thing is, it is really humid around here.

In the house, I have a view of the ocean through my window. I am going to clean it each and every day so that I can keep an eye on the beautiful ocean at all times. I love my room! It has a full-sized bed with a beach design on the sheets, and the walls are painted like it was outside, like the beach.

Kapaliele says that we are going to a Luau for the Independence Day.

What is a Luau, first, and second, why in the name of God is Independence Day in July?

*** two hours later ***

Iakona has been blabbing on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about the stupid Independence Luau tomorrow.

I asked Kila, "Why in the name of God do you have Independence Day in July?"

Kila told me, "Because we became an officially freed country in July. Why? When's your Independence Day?"

"Not in July."

Then we both laughed. (We actually got the joke, because Kila and I are around the same age.)

After Iakona's blabbing about the Independence Luau, I finally figured out what it was.

The Independence Luau is a big Hawaiian party and all the residents who are celebrating stay up 'till midnight and shoot firecrackers. They call the firecrackers "fireworks." They have all sorts of names for the fireworks, too. Like "Friendship Fountain" and "Lei Shooter" and something absurd called "The LoonyWork."

Well, thank you, Iakona, for clearing up my head.

Clearing it up?

Yeah, right.

Americans are weird.

*** next morning ***

"Good morning," I said cheerfully, bouncing up and down on Kila's bed. I couldn't wait to see the American custom I had learned about the other day, the Independence Luau.

"Kala, waiho!"

"Say what?"

"Kala!" Kala was Kila's name for me, since Shara was the closest to Cho that she could get and Kala is Shara in Hawaiian.

"What?!"

"Waiho!"

"What in the name of - "

She cut me off. " 'Waiho' means 'stop.'"

"Oh."

"Yeah? You got it?"

"Oh, waiho."

We both laughed.

"Makemake hele a kahakai?"

I knew what that meant--from guessing. (Okay, so Kila had taught me what "kahakai" means--beach.)

"EO!" I said (Kila had taught me that "eo" means yes.).

"You want to go to the beach?"

"Oh, that's what you said? All I heard was 'beach'."

Kila laughed. "Okay," she said. "Let me get dressed. Go wake up Iakona and Kapaliele. Go. Go!"

"Okay, okay," I responded, exasperated. "Gosh, I'm going!" I left.

As I bounced into Kapaliele's room (which was closest to Kila's), I thought, This is going to be incredible!

"Kapaliele!" I called. I am extremely hyper in the mornings (as you can see) .

Kapaliele groaned and rolled over to one side. I could tell that she was NOT going to enjoy this.

"Kapaliele," I said again, "wake up! How do you say 'wake up' in Hawaiian?" I wondered.

Kapaliele groaned and rolled over, and put her pillow over her face. "Hole," she muttered...or at least that's what I think she said.

"What?" I asked.

Kapaliele was seventeen and did not like to be woken up this early. I found this out the hard way.

Kapaliele threw the pillow at me and almost knocked me over. "Ho'ala," she said more clearly.

"Polara?" I asked.

"Ho'ala!" she said in frustration.

"Oh, ho'ala," I mused. "Okay." Kapaliele, however, did not accept the fact that I bounded into her room at 6:20 am.

The seventeen-year-old girl with jet-black hair and dark, Hawaiian skin groaned and threw another pillow at me. That time, it knocked me over.

"Kapaliele!" I exclaimed. Actually, it sounded more like "Kara-lee-ile," because I was muffled by the pillow.

"Say what?"

I threw the pillow aside. "Look, I'm sorry, Kapa. I didn't mean to wake you up this early, but...today is the Independence Luau! And we're going to the beach in two and a half hours, so get ready!"

Kapaliele sighed. "All right. Go away and wake up everyone else, Kala. Go on, now. GO!"

"Okay, take it easy!" That was the second time I had been told to go that morning...in less than five minutes, too!

I was literally bouncing with joy as I made my way to Iakona's room. I was going to a beach, for the first time in my life! And I was going to swim in seawater! Where the sharks dwell!

"Ho'ala, Iakona," I said. I have a very good memory.

"Pau pono, pau pono," Iakona said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Pau pono means all right," Iakona explained.

"Oh, pau pono."

We both laughed.

Iakona was about two heads taller than me, although he was two years younger than me. At fourteen, my cousin was actually not having many temper tantrums...so far...but I doubt that there will be many.

Iakona reminds me of Cedric, in a way. He is rather good-looking, if I may say so about my cousin without sounding that I love him as more than family (which I only love him as family, nothing else). He's also rather tall. Cedric was pretty tall, too.

Stop it, Cho, I said to myself. Cedric is dead. This is your cousin. Iakona. Iakona does NOT remind you of Cedric. Cedric was Cedric, and no one can replace him.

At least that's what I think.

***

After I left Iakona's room, I also realized that I knew someone that kind of looked like Iakona, too. A lot more like him than Cedric did. But who?

Let's see here, the messy black hair looks strangely familiar, except the person that I knew was a bit shorter than him.

I loved Iakona, yes, but the person that looked like him I love more than like family.

But who DID I love?

*** the Hawaiian Independence Luau ***

The Luau was great. We danced and some people even sung their favourite Hawaiian songs. Then there was a slow song that I recognized was sort of like the one that the Weird Sisters sung.

Little did the Muggles know.

I think I should tell you right now, Kila and Kapaliele are witches and Iakona is a wizard. They attend the school for witchcraft and wizardry called Makai's Owls School of Witchraft and Wizardry.

Anyway, I think Iakona listens to the WWN, too, because he seemed to recognize it. He grinned and faced me. He grinned just like that boy I love would grin. He held out his hand and asked me, "Care to dance, Cousin Kala?"

I grinned back. "Eo, Kaukini Iakona."

We danced to the Weird Sisters'-sounding-song, called "I Know Someone." (The Hawaiian Muggle version, however, was called "Me 'Lke Kekahi Kanaka," and was sung in Hawaiian. Little did they know..."Me 'Lke Kekahi Kanaka" was really played on the WWN and sung by the Weird Sisters...oh, yeah, and the Muggle version has absolutely nothing to do with magic.)

I Know Someone (the WWN version)

I know someone

Could it be you?

Under that strange disguise of yours

Can our love be true?

There's someone I love

Someone I know

Someone I see

Could it be you?

Could it be you?

You are a stranger

Under that mask

Take it off, now,

I don't want to ask

Don't make me take out my wand

Take off that costume yourself

Please, I want to see what's under

That mask in the shape of a house-elf

I know someone

Could it be you?

Take off the costume

And show me your face so true

Under the sky

And under the stars

This enchanted ceiling

Do you spot Mars?

You are a stranger

Under that mask

Take it off, now,

I don't want to ask

Don't make me take out my wand

Let me see your face

Shining here

With grace

I love someone

Could it be you?

Who?

I have always adored that song, and the Weird Sisters themselves, too. That song, though...

It made me realize...

...Nah.

*** next day ***

"Well, we'll miss you."

"Kakou aloha 'oukou!" That was Kila.

"Huh?" I asked.

"We love you," Kila translated.

"Oh. Well, I guess this is aloha, then," I said sadly.

Kila embraced me. "It's okay, Kala," she tried to comfort me.

We were sitting on Kila's bed, just the two of us. I had already packed up.

"How is it okay?" I asked.

"Well, we had lots of fun these past three days."

"Point one, keep going."

"Umm...you discovered what an Independence Luau is."

"Two."

"You spent time with family. There is nothing better than that, Kala."

"Okay, three. You've convinced me. I can't wait to come back, though."

"Keep in touch."

"Cousins forever?" I asked, reciting our motto.

"Kaukini mau loa," Kila recited in Hawaiian.

We brought out our wands and touched them together on each side. It was our departing sign. It meant, we love each other like sisters do and that we will keep in touch forever.

I am so sad to leave. "Departing is such sweet sorrow," like Shakespeare said.

I am always sad to leave.

Mum, Dad, Kalia, Hui and I all said our goodbyes, our Alohas. Then we left.

"Departing is such sweet sorrow."

Good advice, for a dead guy.

*** two days later ***

I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. I'll be in my 6^th year!!!

Maybe I should reconsider having another boyfriend. I need someone outside of my family to love me, I need to feel wanted.

I might reconsider.

Might, key word.

*** on the Hogwarts Express ***

I saw him today.

The boy that looks like Iakona.

But you're never going to guess who it is.

Yes.

Harry Potter.

*** two hours later ***

I am just chatting with my best friend, Marietta Edgecombe. I am actually extremely bored. Except sometimes...

...I stare out into space. Just like I did with Cedric. Only this time, it was different.

Cedric was not in my mind.

Harry was.

*** three minutes later ***

I can't take it anymore.

I'm going to see Harry.

*** ten minutes later ***

Woah, that was weird.

I walked down to a compartment and discovered Harry in it.

Harry...covered in Stinksap.

Harry...sitting with Luna, Ginny and Neville Longbottom.

Harry...holding a toad. Neville's toad, I presume.

I said, "Oh...hello, Harry," in a really nervous voice. "Um...bad time?"

He wiped his glasses so that he could see me. I smiled at him.

"Oh...hi," he said blankly.

"Um..." I said. I thought this was a really bad time to be talking to someone who I loved secretly...deep down...way deep down...

"Well..." I continued, "just thought I'd say hello...'bye then." I closed the door and snickered. How embarrassing that must've been for him!

Like I said, weird.

***

Padma's a Ravenclaw prefect! Congrats to her, I was one last year.

*** three minutes later ***

Undying Love

I thought I loved you forever

I thought I didn't know what I would do without you

I thought I really loved you

Loved you with undying love.

I thought I loved you eternally

I thought my love for you would never die

I thought I really loved you

Loved you with undying love.

I thought I loved you with my life

I thought I loved you with undying love

I didn't want you to leave me stranded

Like you had just done,

I thought I really loved you

Loved you with undying love.

I thought my life was ruined

Because you had left

I thought I couldn't bear life without you

Just writing your name used to give me pain

I thought my love for you would never die,

Never die,

Never die...

I thought I loved you forever

I didn't know what I would do without you

I thought I really loved you

Loved you with undying love.

But now I discovered

That I didn't really love you forever

I just thought I would

To keep my life moving

I didn't want to give up

Not on you

I wanted to keep you

Keep you in my undying love

So much for undying love

It's gone now

Not completely

I still have your remains in my heart

Always

Forever

Even though

The undying love

Is gone.

So much for undying love.

By Cho Chang.*

In remembrance of Cedric Diggory.

I will love you...

Forever.

Author's note 2: *Undying Love and "I Know Someone" were both written by Gabrielle D. Castro. Neither Cho nor I wrote them.

~Kitty