Point of View

Did you know... if you have Cho Chang literally in Chinese pinyin, exactly the same spelling, it could mean smelly sausage? Pity the translators for the Chinese version of Harry Potter decided to give her very respectable name. Worse, that name makes sense too.

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Chapter Two: Cho

Cho was on her way to see Professor Dumbledore to make a proposal for a school ball. She had really enjoyed the Yule Ball the year before, not only because she had gone with a handsome school champion, but another one had asked her to go with him. She was positive that Harry would ask her this time. Life was Great.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged from Dumbledore's office, looking very happy indeed. She beamed around at everyone and everything she saw, and walked down the familiar corridor, hurrying to get back to the Ravenclaw Common Room to spread the good news. Hogwarts was going to have a ball!

Cho was already planning everything. Where she should be for Harry to find her and ask her go to go with him, how she should do her hair, what dress robes she should wear, et cetera (A/N: I learn French. I don't exactly say many etc.'s anymore). Apart from all these things, though, she had the feeling she was missing something.

"Oh Cho-o!" She spun around in the direction of the voice. It was Draco Malfoy. Cho sighed. She knew that Draco would want to go with her, but if she did... her life would be ruined.

"Hi Draco," she replied, looking around to see if anyone else was there. No-one was, so she went over and kissed him on the cheek. He was so cute!!!!

"So, how did your talk with that Muggle-lover go?" Draco asked, smoothing Cho's hair. "Did he agree?"

"Oh yes," she replied. Then she put on a melancholy face and said, "Draco, darling, you know that I would simply love to go with you, but you and I both know that I can't."

Draco's face fell. "But-but-- you said, this time, we could," then his mind seemed to clear. "It's POTTER, isn't it? I KNEW it! How COULD you choose him over me? What has Potter got that I haven't? Hm?"

"Oh honey, I would love to go with you, but I simply cannot be seen with the Seeker of the last place Quidditch team. I have to go with Harry. I have to find him before all the other girls do. Impress me with your Quidditch skills next year and I'll go with you then. Bye sweetie." She patted him awkwardly on the cheek and left, not seeing that a fifth year girl with blonde pigtails had listened to their conversation.

This was going exactly the way Cho had planned. First she would hurt Draco a little, make some empty promises, then get Harry to ask her to the ball, and at the ball, she'll dump him and dance with Fred Weasley, and dump him at the end of the school year, after two-timing with George Weasley. She would have broken four hearts in the space of two weeks. Not that it mattered anyway. She was leaving Hogwarts, and will be spending her last school year at Beauxbatons Academy, because her family would be moving to France. Undoubtedly she would have broken more hearts when she finished her education.

She walked happily and briskly, thinking about and fine-tuning her plans. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't see Ginny Weasley walking her way and collided into her. So excited was Cho that she actually blurted out half her plans to Ginny on the spot.

"Ginny! Guess what Ginny! We're going to have a ball! I just went to see Professor Dumbledore and he gave me full consent! Isn't that wonderful? I think the Hall should be decorated in pink... Oh this is sooo exciting! I'm pretty sure Harry would ask me this time. Oh! I've got so much to do! I need to be at a place where Harry can easily find me and ask me to go with him, I need to go to Hogsmead and get some new dress robes..." that was when she realised what she had said. Uh-oh. She needed, nevertheless, to walk away with dignity. "Well, see you later Ginny." And she was off fully aware that the eyes of several boys were on her.

Back to the Common Room... hastily...round a corner and almost tripping over Snape, who was sitting on the floor doing something -- "oops, sorry, Professor..." back to the statue of a giant. "Not negotiable," she said and the statue moved calmly away, revealing a hallway, the way into the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Inside, Cho saw that everyone was crowding around the noticeboard. The words flashed one-by-one: 'End of School Year Ball!!!' and underneath, 'All years may attend. June 10^th.' And some other stuff. Padma Patil appeared next to Cho.

"Who are you going to go with?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Cho lied.

And she sat there, grinning.

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two chapters down, and a lot more to go!