Cho Chang and the Mystery of Harry Potter

Cho Chang and the Mystery of Harry Potter

Chapter 3

A New Love

*** at the Great Hall during the Sorting Ceremony ***

We have a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her name is Professor Umbridge. Finally, a female professor! She reminds me of a toad.

To be blunt.

Oh, and the Sorting Hat's song sounded weird. Like it was giving some sort of strange advice or something like that.

It said something like:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!"

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might someday be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name,"

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,

And treat them just the same."

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had

A House in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-bloods

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the Houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with deuling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downharded.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfill my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you....

Let the Sorting now begin.

Then the normal applause.

But this time, it wasn't all applause. People were whispering things like, "What in the name of Merlin is that supposed to mean?" and "And I'm going to take advice from a hat?". I myself didn't understand, so I asked Marietta, "Merlin's beard, I don't understand. Do you?"

"No," she said, with a Luna Lovegood-look on her face. (you know how Luna gets those dreamy looks on her face) "Merlin's beard," she echoed.

Anyway, then the Sorting began.

"Abercrombie, Euan."

The hat looked thoughtful as a timid-looking boy put the hat on his head. Then it shouted out...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The whole Gryffindor table clapped loudly.

"Baurick, Stephanie."

A short girl with dirty blonde hair bounced to the stool and jammed the hat on her head happily. The hat considered a moment, then roared...

"RAVENCLAW!"

Marietta and I clapped along with the other Ravenclaws. Great! I had so much to teach the girl called Stephanie. I couldn't wait!

"Blinderslish, Jennifer."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

It was the Hufflepuffs' turn to cheer.

And on the sorting went.

Finally, Rose Zeller was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Dumbledore said the greatest words on the planet: "Tuck in."

After the feast, Dumbledore gave the beginning-of-term announcements. He was just getting to the announcements of the Quidditch tryouts when...

Hem, hem.

Professor Umbridge had just interrupted Professor Dumbledore! No teacher had ever done that before. How could she dare??? I snickered. She obviously didn't know the way things worked around here.

But Professor Dumbledore only seemed slightly taken aback. He hid it, mostly. Anyway, this woman looked like a toad, yet had this high-pitched, super-girly voice. She was wearing a fluffy pink cardigan. Boy, she needs some fashion tips! I could see Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown pointing at her cardigan and laughing together. Umbridge did not seem to notice. Toad!

Umbridge gave this super-boring speech. More boring than Binns' class, if that's possible. I got so bored, that Marietta, my friends Hazel Matthews and Melinda Boreberry, and I were all talking about the latest fashions in Muggle London. Which is an extremely boring topic, if you ask me, but it was better than having to listen to that...that toad...nag on about the stupid Sorting Hat's song.

Anyway, finally, Dumbledore dismissed us, and we went to our Houses to go to bed. Good thing, too, looking at the fact that Professor Toad's lecture was giving me more sleep than Professor Binns' class AND that spell they put me under when I was Cedric's hostage all put together could give me!

*** 11:00 pm ***

Marietta and I had a chat.

No, this wasn't good.

You see, I kept glancing over at the Gryffindor table during the Sorting. (And the Sorting Feast, and especially during Umbridge's speech.) And guess who noticed?

Not Harry.

Marietta.

Yeah, Marietta noticed that I kept glancing at Harry. So she asked me if I liked him.

I told her that I didn't, of course not. I assured her, and she believed me. Then she left, and I wrote this poem:

It's True

Do you know

How much pain you cause me

How much love you make me

Feel for you?

Do you know

How much I look at you

With not just friendship but also love?

It's true.

Do you understand

I love you?

Can you see it?

Can you feel it?

I love to hear your voice

When I hear it, I rejoice.

Don't you see I love you?

It's true.

Do you see

How much you are a friend to me

But also a hero?

Can't you see

Me blush when you are around

Without me meaning to?

Well, I've got news for you--

It's true.

By Cho Chang

I showed it to Marietta, and she said, "It's cool. I like it."

I said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Good night, Cho."

"'Night, Marietta."

Then she closed her curtains around her bed and went to sleep.

Little does she know...hehe...

*** First Hogsmeade Trip ***

Today I went to Hogsmeade with Marietta. We had heard of this secret meeting thing and decided to see what it was about. I mostly convinced Marietta to come, though, because there's no way in Heaven that she'd go unless I was going. Mostly I wanted to come because I knew that if it was secret, Harry Potter was behind it.

Turns out that Harry WAS there, along with his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. I remembered them from the second task. The three of them were actually the ones in charge.

The meeting was for a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts club, which I thought was pretty cool, so Marietta and I signed up. I kinda made her. But what made my stomach flip was the way that Harry looked at me. Every time he looked at me, he kinda got this crazed look on his face, like he was madly in love with me. Well, I've got news for him--I love him, too. I really do. I love him.

"Do you see

How much you are a friend to me

But also a hero?

Can't you see

Me blush when you are around

Without me meaning to?

Well, I've got news for you--

It's true."

Maybe there's a possibility that Harry and I will actually go out. I mean, it's a wild dream, but hey, it could happen! But now I feel really guilty because Cedric died and if I did go out with Harry, I'd be going out with the person who watched Cedric die. And I would have that pit feeling in my stomach for enjoying myself and completely forgetting about the first love of my life instead of mourning for him. I can't help but cry.

I know crying makes me sound like I'm really weak, but I am. I'm really weak. I'm not strong. As Catallus said, "Obduro, mea puella, sed sine te non valeo." Except, I'd have to change "puella" to "puer," for then it will say, "Obduro, mea puer, sed sine te non valeo." Which means in English: "I stand firm, my boy, but without you I am not strong."

Which is completely true. I stand firm, but without Harry I am not strong.

I love him. I really do.

***

Forgetting

Why are you slipping away

I said I'd never forget you

The memory is falling faster

I'm forgetting

I scold myself

I yell at myself

It's not doing much good

I'd never forget you it I could help it

Could someone please

Help me not to be

Forgetting

The one who helped and made me

A very strong girl

Your memory is not clear

You're falling away

I can't help it

I'm forgetting you

I'm so sorry

I don't mean to do it

It's just my life's

So complex

And I'm falling in love

With someone else

Help me not to be

Forgetting

The one who helped and made me

A very strong girl

Your memory is not clear

You're falling away

I can't help it

I'm forgetting you

I can't help it

I'm forgetting you...

By Cho Chang

In remembrance of Cedric Diggory

"My first love, who formed me, but I can't help but move on...I'm so sorry, Cedric..."

Oh, I'm so sorry...

I feel terrible. I feel so guilty that I'm falling in love with Harry, because he's the one who watched Cedric die. I feel like I'm cheating on Cedric. I can't help but cry. Once again, I semi-quote Catallus: "Obduro, mea puer, sed sine te non valeo." But who is the puer that I am not strong without: Cedric...or Harry?

Maybe it's time for a new love.