Learn to Fly

Learn to Fly

Chapter 1

Cho looked down at the parchment. It had a great serpent on it with fluid handwriting. Neat strokes giving her condolences on the loss of her beloved. She sighed. How she wished she could turn back time. Before all the pain. She would have convinced Cedric not to go to the Third Task. But then, he had his pride. His reason would have been lost because of his overwhelming sense of dignity. She hugged the parchment to her chest, wishing things could be different.

***

Draco was frustrated. He had sent his letter to Cho three hours ago, and still received no reply. He plopped down onto his bed. What would she think? Was it weird having someone who was dormant in her present, but active in her past, to all of a sudden send a letter? No, he thought. I'm being considerate. He smirked. How his father was gonna love that if he found out. A Malfoy, considerate? Hah! Crucio...That'll teach you for even considering to be considerate! would be his father's reaction. Draco shook his head. He knew his father would inflict pain upon anyone, even his own son for the sake of the Dark Lord, but Lucius Malfoy was capable of compassion. Draco remembered the summers of his youth, when his father would play with him and the daughter of his dear friend, Min. Draco sighed and resolved that Cho would reply when she was ready. He looked at his closet. School started tomorrow, and he had a lot of packing to do.

***

Min Chang looked at his watch.

"Cho, hurry or you'll miss the Hogwarts Express!"

Cho grabbed her trunk and ran to the front door.

At the station, Cho hugged and kissed her parents goodbye, for she wouldn't see them for ten months, save for the holidays.

Cho quickly went into an empty compartment and laid her trunk by the seat. She needed some time alone before facing all her friends and peers. She looked out the window. Everything moved past with a blur. She felt that was how the past few months were. Everything happened so quickly. First, Cedric had died. Then for the next two months, all Cho did was cry and grieve, not allowing time to do its work. She felt no closure, no sense of peace, just grief. Her first real boyfriend was gone, murdered by the Dark Lord. Cho felt tired. All these depressing thoughts brought her down. She had stayed up all night worrying about how to act at school, and mostly about Draco's letter. After all these years of ignoring her, why did he choose to even acknowledge she was living now? She sighed. How she wished things were different. But life doesn't work that way. It doesn't yield to your wishes and desires. It takes its own course, like a river, ready to overflow and devastate everything around it. Cho laid her head back and closed her eyes, her worries slipping into slumber.

***

Draco searched every compartment in hopes of finding Cho. Just before he did, he ran into Potter and the Gang. How he loathed Potter. It was Potter who had inadvertently caused Cedric's death, causing Cho's pain.

When they were younger, Draco had regarded the Asian beauty as a sister, but as their relationship distanced, he saw her in a new light. With long, silky black hair, and amber, almond-shaped eyes, she was perfection molded into a 5'1" athletic frame.

She was fast asleep when he went into the compartment. She looked so at peace, yet Draco knew that was far from what she must have been feeling. Going back to school where her boyfriend had died could only bring pain. Draco sat across from Cho, carefully observing all of the delicate features on her face. How he wished to see her eyes. He remembered when they were younger: those eyes were filled with the colours of autumn leaves: gold, yellow, and brown in an elegant swirl. They would always be shining with mischief. But now, they would be filled with pain. How he wished he could protect her from all this pain. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her until she was at peace. What was so good about Cedric anyways? Sure he was nice, a pretty boy, and good at Quidditch, but nothing compared to Draco Malfoy. Besides, Draco had a history with Cho. Draco's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Cho stirring. He quickly got up and headed towards the door. He looked back once, to save the mental image of a sleeping Cho. His silver orbs glanced at her necklace poking out of her robes. So she still wears it, he thought with satisfaction. He opened the door and left.

***

Cho awoke with a sense of comfort she hadn't felt in days. The instant her eyes opened, she glimpsed a tall, well-built figure with golden blond hair. She wished he had stayed a while longer to talk. Cho got to her feet, and left the compartment to find her friends; ready to face anything that came her way.

Chapter 2

Already four weeks had passed, and Cho was glad to be around her friends. She knew good friends were hard to find, and her friends had helped her through this trying time. They had given her a photo album with pictures of her and Cedric at the Yule Ball, playing in the Quidditch field, and at their first date in Hogsmeade. She had cried when they handed it to her, grateful to have such considerate friends.

Cho had also talked to Harry. He was uncomfortable at first, not knowing what to say, but Cho assured him that she did not blame him in the least. She just needed time to find closure.

***

Draco had kept an eye out for Cho. He wanted to find time to speak to her alone, to see how she was doing, but Cho was popular; she was always surrounded by girls and guys alike. If only he could steal away a moment with her alone...

***

Quidditch season began in November, and Roger Davies had demanded that everyone on the Ravenclaw team to come to practice early in the morning. Cho had talked to Davies, telling him she could not play as Seeker. Quidditch brought back too many memories. Davies was devastated, but what could he do? The Reserve Seeker was to be used, but Davies still had hopes that Cho would change her mind.

***

October 8^th. Cedric's birthday. Cho remembered how Cedric had asked her to meet him on the Quidditch field. That night, they shared their first kiss. They flew all night, practicing moves, up and down. Cho needed to get outside and feel that happiness she felt that night. She wanted to fly and remember that moment.

***

Draco knew that today was Cedric's birthday. He remembered the year before, the day after, how everyone had heard about Cho and Cedric getting together. Draco knew that Cho would do something in memory of her beloved. He realized exactly what is was when he saw Cho walking out the Entrance Hall, clutching her Comet Two-Sixty in her hand, towards the Quidditch field. It was around eight, after dinner. He knew now was the time to talk to Cho.

***

Cho sat on the damp grass. What was she thinking, coming out here? It only brought back memories, of times that could never be again. She lay back, looking up at the stars, only to see a blanket of fog covering the beautiful sources of light and hope. She lay there for quite some time, trying to find an excuse not to fly. To feel the wind brush her cheek, to feel freedom, when her boyfriend could no longer feel anything. Light footsteps interrupted her train of thought. Cho looked up. Pale complexion, gelled spiky blond hair, and blue-grey eyes was the image that greeted her.

Draco sat next to Cho.

"I wanted to see how you were."

"It's nice to be back with friends." Cho looked to her left, to study Draco. He was hard to read. He always had been. Even when they were little. She remembered how once, he had fallen off his broom when they were flying, and masked his pain, so not to worry her. His eyes, concealing the excruciating pain of falling eight feet off the ground, when he was only 4'6". She loved looking into those pools of blue-grey; never-ending, as if you were swimming further and further into the ocean, where it was bottomless.

"Weren't you gonna fly?"

Cho shook her head. "I can't. It's just so hard."

Draco looked at her, meeting her eyes, not saying a word. He knew what she meant. They had always been so connected, sharing a bond equivalent to those of identical twins.

When you feel the dream is over

Feel the world is on your shoulders

And you've lost the strength to carry on

Even though the walls may crumble

And you find you always stumble through

Remember never to surrender to the dark

Draco took her hand in his. He held them and brought it up to his lips.

"Cho... Cedric is at peace now. I know you miss him, but he would not want you to linger."

Cho knew this, but could not bring herself to face the truth. She felt a tear slowly emerge, and felt it slide down her cheek. "I just wish he could be here," she whispered. Draco brought his hand to her cheek, wiping away the single tear, brushing his lips on the spot where the tear trickled down to.

Cuz if you turn another page

You will see that's not the way

The story has to end

If you need to find a way back

Feel you're in the wrong track

Give it time; you'll learn to fly

Tomorrow is a new day

And you will find your own way

You'll be stronger with each tear that

You cry, then you'll learn to fly

He held her tight. "Come fly with me," he said. Cho looked into the bottomless pools shining with love and compassion, and finally got to her feet. She took his hand; and Draco mounted his Nimbus 2001, with Cho holding tightly onto him. They flew for hours, in silence, each knowing what the other was feeling.

In your head so many questions

The truth is your possession

The answer lies within your heart

You will see the doors are open

If you only dare to hope and

You will find a way to fight

The fears that kept you down (A1)

Draco set Cho down onto the field. He hugged her, as if protecting her from the dangers of the world. Cho listened to the steady rhythm of Draco's heartbeat and sighed. She felt his necklace poking the top of her head. She smiled. They had gotten the necklaces as a set when they were little. His was a snake, while hers was a raven. She knew she meant a lot to Draco, and he was a significant part of her life as well. She looked up to see Draco silently staring at her face. She smiled. How tall he had grown. He slowly bent his head and his lips met hers. With her heart finally at ease, she relaxed and let her emotions take over. She loved the feeling of Draco's strong arms around her waist, how his hair curled into ringlets when gelled, and his deep fathomless eyes shining with love when he looking at her. Cho knew that Cedric would always hold a special place in her heart, but Draco had a claim on her love since they were children.

Draco took Cho's hand and they headed towards the castle. Cho looked up again to see the stars shining down on her and Draco; her sense of hope and light was renewed, and the fog of doubt lifted. She was finally at peace, and the stars were twinkling, shining down on the lovers with hope.