Heart In Hand

Chapter 1

Cho Chang looked out her window and sighed. Raindrops smeared the windowpane, blurring her view of the outside world. She turned back to her drab hotel room. The wallpaper was peeling, the carpet was filthy and contained a number of suspicious stains. The writing desk she sat at was old and decrepit, its four spindly legs straining to hold it up. The curtains were tattered, the bed mattress sagged, the water from the sink in the bathroom was brown, and a family of mice lived in the wall. At this time in her life, however, it was all she could afford.

Even if she had more money, Cho knew she would still be staying in this room. Every other hotel room in the area was already booked by people coming to pay their last respects to The Boy Who Lived. Cho sighed again. It seemed like it was yesterday that she was attending Harry Potter's wedding, but now it was his funeral she would be going to. Harry, along with his best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, and his wife Ginny Weasley, had been killed by You-Know-Who at their wedding reception. That was a day Cho would never forget.

The party had been in full swing. People were eating, drinking, dancing and just talking, when an earsplitting crash had come from outside the reception hall. The hall fell silent as everyone turned to find the location of the disturbance. Suddenly, none other than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named burst through the double doors flanked by scores of Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny who were not in possession of their wands were quickly killed as the Death Eaters reeked havoc among the guests, killing a few and torturing most. Cho had taken action, dragging as many people as she could through the flames the Death Eaters were spewing and forcing them through an open window to safety. She herself escaped with her life, but from that day on bore a long jagged scar running from her temple to her chin.

Now, as Cho pulled on a somber black dress with gold embellishments, she felt a twinge of guilt she hadn't been able to do more. Of course, she wasn't the only one to help others. Three women she vaguely remembered as being Gryffindor chasers had pulled people through the inferno, and that Quidditch-obsessed keeper and Ron's older brother, Charlie or something, had been attacking Death Eaters as fast as they were being attacked themselves. Still...

Slipping on her shoes she pocketed her room key and made her way down the narrow, rickety stairs to where a carriage was waiting to take her to Godric's Hollow where the funeral would take place. Cho stared out the window of the carriage at the passing scenery. A few rundown farmhouses, some underfed cows waiting dolefully at a barn door, pleading to be taken in out of the rain. The wheels sloshed through the muddy ditches in the road, each time threatening to become stuck and halt the vehicle in its tracks. They reached the cemetery devoid of such an event, however, and soon Cho was drawing an umbrella and stepping out onto the neatly maintained lawn outside the graveyard.

She surveyed the scene. About three hundred white folding chairs were set up in neat rows beneath a tent to block out the rain. A few seats were already filled, the rest bearing placards with the names of their occupants-to-be. In front of the seats, under a canopy of their own, were four gray marble tombs bedecked with crimson and gold hangings, each bearing a Gryffindor lion. A man wearing a grave expression dressed in all black stood outside the main entrance to the cemetery with a list in his hand. It was to this man that Cho walked and extended her invitation.

"Name please?" he asked skeptically.

"Cho Chang." He nodded and stood aside, letting her pass through the gates into the somber silence of the cemetery. She made her way down a narrow cobblestone path, graves lining either side. Flowers were blooming next to the headstones, joyful of the spring shower. Reaching the tent, she walked down the aisle between the rows of seats, scanning the name tags for the one bearing her moniker. She at last found it in the second row, right next to a redheaded man.

She sat down next to him, not looking at him. She could feel his gaze moving along her cheek, tracing the route of her scar. After a few awkward moments, he averted his gaze and went back to twiddling his thumbs and staring at his shoes. It took her a few seconds to realize it, but this was Charlie Weasley. She should have recognized him right away, after seeing him that night at the wedding, dueling with more Death Eaters than she could count. He had the signature Weasley hair, but was lacking freckles. His skin was tanned and weathered, his shoulders broad, his arms muscular. His hands were covered with burns, and he was sporting another large one on his face. Right away, she noticed the sadness in his bright blue eyes. Two siblings gone.

Not wishing to be caught staring, Cho looked around at the other mourners who had arrived early. Padma Patil, whom she recognized from her days at Hogwarts, was sitting with her twin sister Parvati. Both of them were dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs and the service hadn't even begun. A man and a woman she didn't know were sitting in the front row. The woman had bushy hair, the man slightly large front teeth. Cho took them to be Hermione's Muggle parents. A row back, a rather sickly looking Minerva McGonagall was pursing her lips as though trying to contain herself, and rounding out the early arrivals was Colin Creevey.

A carriage door slammed from somewhere behind her. Cho turned ever so slightly, just in time to make out what was left of the Weasleys. Specifically Bill, Fleur, Percy, Fred, George, Molly, and Arthur. Charlie turned too, and upon seeing his family stood up. The Weasleys hurried over, as they were lacking umbrellas and preferred to remain as dry as possible. Mrs. Weasley hugged Charlie so tightly that he looked as though his lungs were about to burst. "Oh, Charlie dear!" she exclaimed, flustered. "You gave us such a scare!"

"Mum, I'm alright," he gasped through her crushing embrace.

"I still don't think it was necessary for you to go back to Romania, dear. Especially not when that's where You-Know-Who is! You could have died!"

"Mum, please, I can't breath!" Molly let go of him. "I had to go back, the Norwegian Ridgebacks on the reserve are breeding and I couldn't leave Julia, Mark, and Paul to handle all of them by themselves!"

"So noble, Charlie," George exclaimed.

"Risking your life so there will be more creatures to potentially dismember and fry you," Fred chimed in.

"Please grow up," Percy interjected in a haughty tone of voice.

Bill clapped Charlie on the shoulder. "They're all pretty broken up about Ron and Ginny," he told him gruffly.

"Got a funny way of showing it don't they?" Charlie replied.

"Eet iz too zad," Fleur said mournfully. Bill took his seat beside Charlie accompanied by Fleur next to him as the rest of the Weasleys filled in the front row. Molly sniffled a bit before staring blankly at the tombs.

The whole situation made Cho remarkably uncomfortable. She felt as though she was interfering with a family moment, like an outsider interrupting a ritual of some sort. The cumulative waves of grief coming off the family were enough to set your teeth chattering, palpable through the humid, moist air.

Cho glanced at the name plate beside her, desperately hoping it was not another Weasley. She liked them just fine, but the lot of them made her nervous. With a wave of relief she read Katie Bell. That name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. From Hogwarts maybe? It certainly hadn't been anyone in Ravenclaw, and it was unlikely that any Slytherins would be invited. As Cho pondered as where she had heard the name, the seats around her began to fill.

There were ministry officials, Hogwarts teachers, ghosts, loads of former Hogwarts students, Celestina Warbeck, Viktor Krum, Ludo Bagman, Gilderoy Lockhart, Cornelius Fudge, the Dursleys, and Oliver Wood who was accompanied by the entire Puddlemere United Quidditch team.

A short while later, Cho got her answer as to the identity of Katie Bell when three women, one blonde, one brunette, and one black, walked slowly down the aisle. After stopping to gravely greet Oliver Wood, they took the three vacant seats beside her. Katie was the blonde, Cho realized. She was in Cho's year at Hogwarts, a Gryffindor, and one of the other three women making an effort to get people to safety at Harry's wedding. The other two could only be Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson.

At last only one seat remained unoccupied. Witches and wizards from all over the world had come to the funeral apart from the seated three hundred. Well over one thousand people were clustered outside the gates of the cemetery in a sea of black, listening tentatively for the start of the service, despite the rain. Everyone was looking in the direction of the empty chair, waiting for its occupant to arrive.

The gates of the cemetery clanged shut and footsteps were heard on the cobblestone. Striding down the aisle to the vacant seat was none other than Draco Malfoy. A murmur went up from Harry's Hogwarts classmates. It was well known that Harry and Draco had never done anything but loathe each other, yet here Draco was, paying a respectful silence at his archenemy's funeral.

With all in order, Rufus Scrimgeour walked between the rows of chairs clad in a solid black robe and carrying a tiny golden book in his hand. He took his place in front of the tombs and, pleased with the revered quiet, began to speak.

"To us he was known as The Boy Who Lived. Another was the most faithful friend one could have. The third was brilliant in the strictest sense of the word, and the fourth had an unbreakable spirit, fiery as the hair that crowned her head." At this, Mrs. Weasley sniffed and put a hand to her mouth. "They were determined, talented, and had the strongest senses of right and wrong of any witch or wizard of their ages." A few people nodded, but most simply stared straight at Scrimgeour, hanging on his every word. "Here to speak in memory of Mr. Harry Potter, may I present Mr. Vernon Dursley, Mrs. Petunia Dursley, and Mr. Dudley Dursley."

The Dursleys made their way to where Scrimgeour was standing, Vernon not looking pleased at all about being asked to speak in front of a bunch of "freaks of Harry's kind." Nevertheless, he fished a piece of paper from his blazer pocket, held it up, and cleared his throat to speak.

"Harry Potter was a remarkable boy in many respects," he began. "When he first showed up on our doorstep at the age of one, we didn't know what to think. Petunia's sister, Lily, Harry's mother, was a witch born to non-magic," he choked the words out, seemingly with great pain, "parents. I had no idea of this, as Petunia isn't a witch nor has she ever been one. Imagine my surprise upon reading the letter sent to us by the late Albus Dumbledore, detailing Harry's predicament and what became of his parents, Lily and James." It was very clear that he had rehearsed this for quite some time, most likely coached to get the words out as quickly and stiffly as possible by Petunia. "He survived coming face to face with You-Know-Who," here there was a trace of sarcasm, "not only the one time when he was a baby, but many times during his years at school." He was not enjoying this. "He never complained about anything, just did as he was told. He was good tempered, friendly, and well-mannered. He would have been a pride for any parent to have as a child. Here lies Harry James Potter, rest in peace." A very relieved look spread over Vernon's face, and though he was obliged to stay for the rest of the funeral, he could not help but be thankful that it was over.

A few people shot questioning looks at the Dursleys and muttered a bit about an insensitive Muggle, but became silent again when Arthur and Molly Weasley stood to speak for Ron and Ginny. The Weasleys' speech was much longer, much more heartfelt, and much more moving as they highlighted all the key events in each of their lives and all of their traits. Many people had gone teary-eyed even at Vernon's speech in memory of Harry, but when Mrs. Weasley broke down and started sobbing during the middle of a story about Ginny getting her first broom, it reduced even Charlie and Bill to tears.

Cho was already sobbing, long and loud, straight from her gut. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all had tears dripping down their cheeks, even Gilderoy Lockhart, who had only recently stopped thinking about how fine his jet-black robes looked, could be seen with a trembling lower lip.

Hermione's parents did the same, sending Parvati and Lavender into hysterics and wishing they'd been nicer to her, Cho was feeling stabs of guilt every time Hermione's name was said about being so hard on Harry for being friends with her, Draco Malfoy tried to bring himself to look sad, but hard as he tried, he couldn't. Viktor Krum looked like he was about two breaths short of some sort of nervous breakdown, and Hagrid's bucket-sized tears kept falling thick and fast. Everyone, much as they wanted to pay their respects, wanted the gut-wrenching service to end. When it did, the guests silently filed into a large dining hall, many still dabbing at their eyes.

Since the tragedy at Harry and Ginny's wedding, reception halls had made Cho extremely nervous. Finding the name plate that indicated where she was to sit at the round tables that were clustered in the vast space, she sat down. No sooner had she pulled in her chair than she was joined by Katie, Alicia, and Angelina. Cho could guess that their tear-stained, makeup-smeared faces were a mirror of hers. Oliver Wood sat down with them too, as did Draco Malfoy. The four former Gryffindors were shooting him suspicious glances so often that finally, he spoke.

"I suppose you're all wondering why I was invited to Potter, Granger and the Weasleys' funeral?" he drawled.

"In a manner of speaking," Katie replied coldly.

"Come to blow us all up?" Alicia asked in an equally chilling tone.

"You ladies seem to be a bit behind the times in the war with You-Know-Who. If you haven't heard, I'm a part of the Order."

Alicia dropped the fork she was holding and Katie choked on her water. Cho wondered what the Order was. "You? In the Order...with us?" Angelina said slowly.

"That's right Johnson. Just because my father's a Death Eater doesn't mean I am," he sneered.

"I don't believe it," Oliver groaned.

"Believe it, Wood, because it's true," Draco snapped.

"But...but why?" Katie stammered.

"I felt like shit after I heard what had happened at Potter's wedding. I figured I had to make up for my father's acts, so I joined the fight against the Dark Side and my father," he explained.

"That'd be a bit easier to believe if you weren't a snarky, evil bastard," Alicia told him.

Draco was about to retort, but then fell silent, looking at Cho. The others turned to her as well. She glanced nervously around, clearly sensing that she wasn't supposed to know about this Order stuff. "Shit. Do we tell her, or modify her memory?" Angelina asked.

"Better just to tell her," Oliver said.

"What the hell is going on?" Cho asked him.

"Er...Katie. Explain."

Katie sighed. "Fine. The Order of the Phoenix is an organization dedicated to fighting the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It was the primary defense and attack source during the first war, and the first to catch on to You-Know-Who's uprising at the start of the current war. In short, we're the ones who believed Harry during his fifth year while the rest of the world thought he was mental."

"The Order consists of a bunch of aurors," Angelina added, "as well as every living Weasley except Percy, a load of Hogwarts teachers, some people from the Order the first time it was established, and a couple of Hogwarts alumni including me, Katie, Alicia, Oliver, and this fool apparently," she said, jerking her thumb at Draco. They all looked at Cho, waiting for her reaction. Whatever they expected her to say or do, it was certainly not what happened next.

As they peered at her, studying her face for any trace of emotion she asked, "How do I join?"

The rest of the table just looked at each other for a moment. "You're sure about this?" Alicia asked.

"Every single member's life is in danger day in and day out," chimed in Katie.

"It's a very real possibility you might die," Draco warned her.

"I don't care," she said.

"You don't care?" Oliver looked at her, completely baffled.

"I don't care," she repeated.

"Talk to Charlie," Angelina told her. "He's in charge of personnel, you might say."

"No way!" Alicia exclaimed. "It was Charlie that let this bastard in?" Oliver stifled a laugh.

"Shut the hell up, Spinnet," Draco retorted and the conversation buzzed once more.

Cho could handle the thought of dying. It wasn't something new to her. After all, there had been times when she was at Hogwarts that she had considered killing herself. Those times when she thought nobody could understand her. And they couldn't. It was all too complex for someone else to look into and comprehend. Now, she wanted to do the right thing, to join the Order. It seemed to her for the longest time that her chance to do something meaningful had come and gone with Dumbledore's Army, and she hadn't taken advantage of it. Now, though, her chance was staring her in the face and there was no way she was letting it slip by again. Maybe that was why she always remembered the night of the wedding. She had done something heroic, and it had felt so good. That night, she wasn't the hormonal weeping mess she had been at school, and she liked it that way. For the first time, though it was in the midst of a crisis, she was okay. Even after that, for the first time in years, she felt like she was able to be happy. Able to be happy and happy...to be.