Buried Secrets

Chapter 7 -Unexpected Happenings

　

Taking Jing to Diagon Alley is a nightmare, Cho thought, with the resigned air of a martyr, as she waited impatiently outside the Magical Menagerie. Jing had been in there for forty minutes, and Cho could still hear her sister's delighted squeals and shrieks. I'll give her five more minutes, and if she doesn't come out, I'll have to drag her out, Cho decided. She pressed her nose on the window, Jing feeding a large white bunny. It was a pretty picture; her sister with those pigtails bobbing above the shoulders, bending down with a winsome smile. Cho changed her mind. All right, maybe ten.

While she paced outside the store, wondering what to buy next, she bumped into a person.

"I'm sorry--" Cho began, then froze when she recognized the girl.

It was Hattie Henderson, a six-year Ravenclaw. Tall and slender, she had a body perfect for a fashion model. Her sea-green eyes, cascading golden hair, and voluptuous chest made her one of the most attractive girls in Ravenclaw.

Perhaps the belief that few boys could resist her charm made Hattie particularly hostile towards Cho, ever since Cedric sought out Cho whenever possible and paid little attention to her. According to Maggie, Cho's gossipy friend, Hattie had also asked Harry to the Yule Ball, and had looked as though she might knock him out if he refused.

"So. Little Miss Cho, we meet again."

Cho took a step backward. "Hello, Hattie."

"How was your summer, widow? I do feel sorry for you." Hattie shook a finger before Cho.

Cho winced slightly, not only because the strong scent of scarlet nail polish, but also from the words. Thoughts of Cedric made tears spring into her eyes, as she had just visited his grave before.

"At least my summer was better than yours," she retorted, trying to appear unaffected. "What were you doing? Chasing after a bunch of new boys?"

Hattie's catlike smile disappeared. "I'm warning you, Chang. If you dare meddle with anyone I fancy, I'll make sure you regret you were ever born."

"Like I'd go after any guy who's that dumb," Cho muttered.

Hattie heard her and flashed Cho an enraged glare. She drew herself up to her full height and flounced her breasts. "Your days as Ravenclaw's princess are over. You'll see that boys will notice more than just your snotty face."

Before Cho could reply, Hattie had stalked off, her shiny golden tresses trailing behind her back.

"That was my line." Cho said, making a face at Hattie's back.

"Cho! Hey Cho!"

A smile spread through Cho's face when she recognized the voice, and the girl which it belonged to. Edna Elliot, a tall girl with auburn hair was sprinting toward her.

"Was that Hattie Henderson?"

"Yeah."

"What does she want?" Edna frowned.

Cho giggled. "She told me to stay away from her boyfriends."

"That Hattie," Edna glared at the retreating figure. "She's just jealous, that's all. You've got boys falling all over you without trying."

"Please, I'm sick of boys now." Cho begged. Truly, she didn't care for any relationship now. But at this moment, an image of Harry Potter popped into her mind. She tried to banish it by introducing a new subject.

"Where are the others? Andrea and Maggie?"

"We're meeting them for ice cream. Did you get my owl?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the cake; though I have to admit, it's--" Cho screwed up her face into a disgusted expression.

"Really?" Edna frowned.

Cho laughed; a happy, bubbling gurgle. "Of course not! It was fantastic! But Roger's going to kill me if he knew I consumed so many calories. Seekers can never be fat, because if they were, the brooms will slow down."

Edna laughed too, folding her arms in an amused manner. "Very funny, Cho. Are you here to get a pet or something?" She gestured to the store.

Cho groaned. "No, it's my sister, Jing. Don't know why--but she just loves animals and creatures. I've got to get her out."

Together, the two girls managed to haul Jing Chang from the pet store. The little girl wanted to buy two owls, three cats, and four mice, but Cho refused everything. Jing had long ago had an owl, and she wasn't going to let her bring any more animals in the house, or in Ravenclaw Tower.

"Cho! Cho, wait up!"

A tall (in Cho's case, anyone was tall except for her sister) boy with freckles all over his nose came sprinting toward them. He was running out of breath, but still wearing a goofy grin anyway.

"Hello, Terry." Cho greeted him with a smile.

"Hi, Edna." Terry Boot nodded to Edna. Then he smiled at Jing. "This is your sister, Cho?"

"Yeah. She's starting her first year, so I'm taking her around for her stuff. Jing, say hello to Terry."

Jing was rather shy to the much larger person, and one of the opposite sex. Her 'hello' was barely audible as she clutched Chipper closer.

Terry turned his attention back to Cho. "So--going out for Quidditch this year?"

"Of course!" Cho shot back, with a toss of her hair. "I wouldn't miss it for anything. Unless Dumbledore decides to bring in another Doomed Wizard Tournament."

Terry was rather taken aback by her attitude. He expects me to be all broken up about Cedric, Cho thought. Well, I'm not that brittle, for the millionth time.

"I'm going to try out for a Beater. Do you think I can make it?"

"Just try. I'm glad to hear that--we need some new blood. Roger is graduating this year." Cho smiled at him. She never knew, however, how damaging this little smile of encouragement was on boys.

"Thanks. Actually, I--I've wanted to be on the team since you--" Terry stammered, his cheeks flushed red. Cho blushed a little, but unconsciously stepped back, edging further from him. Fortunately, a shout rose from behind them.

"Hey Cho! Edna!" Two girls were standing and waving at them. Cho beamed at the sight of more of her Ravenclaw friends--Maggie and Andrea.

Maggie Quigley was a plump redhead who loved to wear huge hoop earrings, and was well known as the biggest gossip in Ravenclaw. Andrea Sullivan, on the other hand, was a shy, sweet Muggle-born witch. She had curling golden locks and sparkly blue eyes. Andrea was their usual consultant when the nastiest problems in homework arose. However, she had a defection in her right leg, when she had a car accident during the age seven, so Andrea always limped when she walked. With the combination of the practical, industrious Edna Elliot and the impulsive, active Cho Chang, they were inseparable since their first year.

Like every year, the four friends sought out seats at Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop, eager to launch into an incessant chat while slurping happily away on the best ice cream in the wizard world. Terry said goodbye to them, saying he had to get some new robes due to his growth of height. Cho wasn't too sorry to see him leave.

"I'll bet Terry's got a crush on Cho," Maggie pretended to count with her fingers. "Ninety-eight, ninety-ninth, one hundred! The one hundredth guy that's fallen for Cho since first year."

"Stop it," Cho threw her napkin at Maggie. "I've had enough of guys."

"Well I haven't," Maggie declared. Suddenly she sat up. "Oh. My. God."

"What?" Cho asked.

"Lee Jordan." Edna pointed.

Why Maggie fancied Lee Jordan always remained a mystery for Cho. Sure, he's fun to be around with, and his commentary during Qudditch always brought the audience endless mirth, but as a romance interest? It'd be like going out with a clown.

Whatever. If she likes Lee Jordan, it's her business. Besides, Cho thought, when I dated Cedric, I couldn't completely forget Harry. Any person would believe I'm mad, to prefer Harry over him.

Maggie was obviously panicking. "What should I do? Hide?"

"No you don't." Edna immediately said.

"Calm down." Andrea advised.

"If you hide, he'll never notice you."

"But..."

"Turn around and give him your best smile," Cho ordered, in such an authoritative tone that Maggie obeyed.

But luck didn't favor Maggie. Lee Jordan wasn't looking at their direction; in fact, he shouted, "There's Angelina and Alicia!" and hurried past, Fred and George at his heels.

Maggie thumped her head on the table like a deflated balloon. "Kill me."

"It's all right," Andrea soothed. "There's always next time."

"But he only saw those Gryffindor girls..." came a muffled voice behind a huge mound of chocolate ice cream.

"Cheer up," Cho patted Maggie's arm. "Maybe I can find some way...time's running out. I mean, he's graduating next year."

"Your ice cream is melting." Edna stated.

Maggie grudgingly got up and resumed eating. Cho brought up a new topic, and soon Maggie became her usual cheerful self.

"Can't believe we're taking the N.E.W.T.s already," groaned Maggie, wiping her bowl clean.

"You'd better not ruin our reputation," Cho said, with a wink.

"Come on, we've got our Ravenclaw honour roll student here," Edna laughed, eyeing Andrea. "I wouldn't worry."

Andrea blushed. "Don't ask me anything about Care of Magical Creatures. I mean, Hagrid's nice, but his teaching methods doesn't sit well with me."

"Speaking of Hagrid," Cho said. "I suppose Jing will get along with him very well. She's so obsessed with creatures, I don't know why. When she was seven, there was this boy, Tommy, who's really annoying. Once he brought a lizard to school and shoved it under the nose of every girl he met. Everyone screamed; I've heard it was bright green with brown and yellow spots."

"Don't remind me," Andrea groaned. "Remember our second year? Lee Jordan brought a giant tarantula on the train. So disgusting."

"You're interrupting Cho," Maggie said, apparently displeased. She didn't enjoy others speaking disparagingly of Lee.

Cho and Andrea exchanged glances. Cho shrugged but continued, "When he showed the lizard to Jing, you know what she did? She picked up the lizard by the tail, ("Gross!" Maggie said) and went 'This one is too small!'"

The other girls laughed. "How did Tommy react?" Edna asked.

Cho was about to answer, when she suddenly noticed that Jing wasn't back yet. Surely it wouldn't take Jing so long to find her squirrel.

"Excuse me, I'll have to find Jing." Cho pushed her chair back, shaking her head. "She should have been back in a moment."

Cho hurried through Diagon Alley, pausing and searching at every turning street. She puckered her forehead and twisted her fingers, downright anxious with worry. Crowds of people squeezing past her, talking and laughing, only adding to her frustration. Where was Jing?

A red blur caught her attention while she passed Flourish and Blotts. Could it be Jing? Cho quickened her pace and turned down into a narrow lane, shouting Jing's name. There was no one in sight. After a few twists and turns, Cho found herself in an empty alley. She debated whether she should go on or return to Diagon Alley.

She did not see a flash of purple light above, or hear a slight whoosh in the air above her. An enormous wooden beam came crashing down at lightning speed, straight to Cho's head.

* * *

"Hermione? Hermione, are you finished yet?" Ron called in exasperation.

No answer. Ron rolled his eyes and bellowed, causing several people in the bookshop jump.

"If you don't come out after count to ten, we're gonna split your ice cream!"

"In a minute!" Hermione yelled back, almost at the same volume level.

Ron turned back to Harry, shaking his head. "That Hermione. When you think how she can be such a bookworm, she gets worse. We got our books in ten minutes, and she? Three hours!"

Harry was holding a large vanilla and mango ice cream that was coated in nuts, and trying his best not to let the melting ice cream dripping on his new robes. Due to the new spurt of height during the summer, he had outgrown his old ones by a few inches.

He and Ron had long finished their own ice creams and were hanging outside Flourish and Blotts, hot and tired and bored. Crookshanks was pacing restlessly around them, his ginger tail high in the air.

Finally, Hermione emerged from the door, a tower of books in her arms. She staggered over to them, panting, then put her books on the ground. Pulling out her wand, she pointed to the books and uttered, "Imminutio!"

Immediately the pile of books became smaller and smaller, until each were the size of a big matchbox. Beaming, Hermione picked them up and stashed them carefully in her schoolbag.

"Wow--what's that?" Ron goggled.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "A Diminishing Charm. We learned this last year, Ronald Weasley."

"Did we?" Ron and Harry asked simultaneously.

"Flitwick mentioned it in one of his classes."

"We didn't learn it then!" Ron said triumphantly. "He only mentioned it, Hermione."

"But you still weren't paying attention! Honestly, you should start studying for your O.W.L.s soon, you're a fifth year now, for heavens' sake!"

"Don't you want your ice cream?" Harry said hastily, before Ron could retort. He handed the dripping ice cream to Hermione, which was already a mess.

Hermione wrinkled her brow, but soon had a solution. After a quick incantation, blue-and-white sparks flew from her wand, showering the ice cream. In a twinkling of an eye, the melting parts froze.

Ron raised his eyebrows, but this time wisely said nothing.

"Anything you still need to buy, Hermione?" Harry asked, a second attempt to establish harmony between his friends.

"Oh. I need to get some money from my vault, I've spent a lot on my books. Come on, Crookshanks."

They headed down the crowded road. Hermione was busy with her ice cream, so Ron and Harry maintained a rather stilted conversation.

They met several people on the way: Seamus, who was waiting for Dean and Neville outside of Madam Malkin's Robes store. ("Can you believe it? Neville lost his set of robes only yesterday, after he bought them.") Justin Finch-Fletchley and a couple of Hufflepuffs were sitting around a table at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. They didn't seem to be having a good time, their faces were serious and sombre, maybe because Cedric's death was still hanging over them. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie passed them, on their way to buy new Quaffles for practice.

Before they reached Gringotts, however, Crookshanks suddenly halted, his whiskers all raised as though electrified. Then he scooted away, right down the way leading to Knockturn Alley.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione shrieked. "What's the matter with him?"

She looked at Ron and Harry. "I'll go after him, I won't be long."

"But Knockturn Alley isn't safe," Harry protested, remembering his second year. "Wait a moment, Crookshanks'll be back."

At this very moment, they heard a faint scream of a girl. Then a sound--BOOM! They looked at each other.

"Fine," Harry said, pulling out his wand. "Let's just be careful, okay? And stay together."

They hurried into down the alley, wands out. They did meet a few menacing-looking wizards and witches. An old witch called out, "Having trouble, my dears? I'll help you!", but apart from that, no one bothered them.

"Stop!" Hermione grabbed the boys to stop them from going on. "I think I heard Crookshanks yowl."

They ran down the narrow lane Hermione pointed. Approaching a fork, they looked around. Suddenly Harry gasped.

"That's Cho! Down there!" Harry cried. "Come on!"

The trio tore through the left-hand fork, Harry being the lead.

Cho was trembling beside an enormous wooden beam. They could see a faint cloud of dust around the beam, showing that it had just crashed to the ground. Without thinking, Harry ran to her.

"Cho? Are you okay? What happened?"

"I--I'm fine," Cho managed to squeeze out. She looked up into his eyes, and immediately blushed. Those eyes of his--glowing a brilliant emerald green--for a second she was lost. She suddenly wished to bury herself into his chest and enjoy the warmth of his arms, as he had protectively done when they Flooed to the Burrow.

But she soon felt a sharp, piercing gaze on her, which she knew it must be Hermione. Remembering her promise, Cho stepped back.

"Uh--I was searching for my sister. She was searching for her pet squirrel. So--" she spread out her arms ruefully "--I thought I saw her here, and while I was thinking which way to go, this thing came crashing down. I screamed and jumped out of the way--just in time." She shivered.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, looking incredulous.

"That's weird," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I don't understand. Why would this beam fall down exactly in your direction?"

Harry was already walking to the end of the beam, trying to figure out where it came from.

"It probably was leaning against here," he pointed to a tall, black stone wall behind Cho. "And someone used magic to make it fall. I think the beam is too heavy to move."

"But how--why?" Hermione asked.

As they stood there, pondering, they heard a woman's voice calling.

"Hello? Harry--Cho! What are you children doing here?"

Celestine Foster came running toward them, looking extremely worried. As she neared them, Cho cried out, "Jing!"

Jing was following Celestine, her squirrel Chipper in her arms. "Cho!" she wailed, and threw herself into her elder sister's arms.

"Don't you ever go running away again," Cho admonished, holding her sister tight. She looked up at Celestine. "Thank you so much--how did you find her?"

"I was--er--walking around, and I saw your sister running helter-skelter in the alley, so I went to ask her what's wrong. We found her squirrel later, and then heard someone scream. So I ran up here, and saw you all! What a scare!"

Her face was white, and her lip trembled.

"Well," Celestine continued, seeming to make up her mind. "Come on, we'll talk later. You aren't supposed to be here."

"But--" Harry, Ron and Hermione began, but Celestine was already shepherding them away, muttering, "Knockturn Alley indeed, what a place for you children--"

Harry secretly felt indignant, no matter how much he respected Celestine. Children? He was fifteen years old!

They soon were back in Diagon Alley. Jing, who had been darting curious looks at Harry several times under her sister's arm, suddenly let go of Cho's hand and bounced right up to Harry, startling him.

"You are Harry Potter?" she asked, an excited pink flush spreading over her cheeks.

She was so adorable and eager that for the first time, Harry didn't feel annoyed at a new Potter fan.

"Yeah." He even managed to smile. "And you are...?"

"Jing! Cho's my sister. She has been talking about you all the time, you know?"

"JIIIIIII--NG!" Cho leaped forward and clapped a hand on her sister's mouth. She could feel her cheeks on fire.

Harry didn't know how to react. He just stood there, awkwardly, but at the same time his heart was pounding hard. Cho talked about him all the time...

Celestine was trying to hide a smile, recalling her conversation with Sirius, while Hermione was trying to restrain Ron from saying something stupid by stepping on his foot. ("Ouch! Hermione!")

Fortunately at this moment, someone pounced on Celestine.

"Cerr--restina, you were so long!"

It was a short, stocky woman, dressed in long flowing black robes embroidered with bright red pansies. Although her face showed signs of old age, her hair was miraculously thick and black, pinned up in a bun behind her head. In one hand she held a black silk fan, which she kept fanning every second.

"And who are these niños?" The old lady gestured to Harry and his friends, waving her fan.

"Oh! Let me introduce you." Celestine said, seeming rather discomfited. "Children, this is my stepmother, Luisa, from Spain. She just arrived here yesterday."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cho politely nodded, not knowing what to say yet. Jing hid behind Cho, only peeking out her head to see what was going on.

Celestine then proceeded to introduce Harry and Cho, but she didn't know Ron and Hermione. Before she could ask, Luisa had already swept over to Harry in a flurry of excitement.

"Harr--ry Potter! I cannot believe it! Ah--I see the scar! It is 'im--" And she went on babbling in Spanish, taking Harry's face in her hands, mussing his hair, turning him around, as though he was some toy.

Hermione and Celestine looked shocked, but Ron and Cho were amused. Harry went pink, he was rather embarrassed being fussed over in the middle of the street. He was relieved when Luisa finally let him go, due to Celestine's protests.

"'ow come you know 'im?" Luisa turned to her stepdaughter, beaming.

"Well..." Celestine tucked a lock of her pretty honey-coloured hair behind her ear. "It's a long story, Luisa. I--"

"Aw--just tell me. You are becoming so secrr-etive, Cerre-estina."

Hermione tugged at Harry's sleeve. "Who's that woman?"

"My mother's best friend," Harry replied in a low voice. He suddenly remembered something.

"Celestine, how's my godfather?"

"Fine, but making a slow recovery."

Seeing that her stepmother was looking inquisitive again, Celestine hastily said, "I'm sorry, I really wanted to talk to you, but I have to go. Luisa wants to see more of Diagon Alley. I'll see you later!"

She waved them goodbye and departed, talking rapidly to her stepmother. The four teenagers looked at each other. It was as though she was trying to hide something from her Spanish stepmother.

Cho broke the silence.

"Uh--I guess I'll have to go too. My friends are waiting for me."

"But the accident! Don't you want to discuss about that?" Ron asked.

Cho could feel Harry's gaze on her, and she tried not to blush, wanting to stay and leave at the same time.

"How about when we get back to Hogwarts? I just can't afford to talk now."

Harry watched her take hold of her sister's hand and go. He only turned back when she disappeared in the crowd.

"Cho," he said softly.

"Harry, you prat!" Ron was saying. "You should've run after her!"

Turning around, Harry saw Hermione muttering, "Could it be...?" her voice trailed off when she saw Harry looking at her. She flushed. "Shall we better go now? Gringotts, I mean. I need to get some money."

She finished with a note of finality in her voice. Harry decided to question her later.

* * *

A few hours later they returned to the Burrow, tired and hungry. Over a delicious supper, the children exchanged remarks of the new school year. Mr. Weasley wasn't back yet; Mrs. Weasley said that it was probably due to the Death Eaters' raid, the Minister was in total chaos.

"Wonder who'll be the new Dark Arts Teacher." George said, digging his fork into a baked potato. "Reckon the real Moody will be back?"

"I wish Lupin will come back," Ginny said.

"Yeah, me too." Ron and Harry said in unison.

"I wonder how he's doing now?" Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry also wondered where Lupin was. Sirius was hiding at his place when the Death Eaters attacked. Yet no one mentioned how Lupin was. Harry hoped it meant that Lupin wasn't seriously injured.

Just at this moment, Hedwig flew in and dropped a smoking envelope right onto Harry's plate, and took off immediately. Apparently the burning letter was too much for her.

"Goodness, who can it be?" Mrs. Weasley said. "Harry, don't open it, lean back, it's too--"

Harry needed no warning, the envelope looked ready to explode any second--

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING? SNEAKING INTO MALFOY'S HOUSE! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY REGARD FOR YOUR LIFE?"

"Sirius," Harry gasped. A Howler from his godfather.

Sirius's voice suddenly became calm and warm. "Okay, now that's out, tell that little girl, Cho Chang, thanks for saving my life. I'd want to thank her myself, but there are two bossy women nagging at me, and I can't get out of here."

A few feminine protests could be heard in the background. Ron grinned. Harry turned a brilliant shade of red. He prayed extra hard that Sirius wouldn't keep talking about Cho.

"AND DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME? I'LL BE WATCHING."

The envelope burnt into a pile of ashes. Harry's face was covered with soot.

All of them began to laugh, except Hermione.

"That was really a dangerous thing to do!" she said shrilly, once the laughter subsided.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, giving her a look of total bewilderment. "Don't you find it funny?"

"Not if it exploded somewhere! Suppose Harry received the Howler in Diagon Alley?"

There was a pause of silence. Suddenly it didn't seem funny anymore.

"He didn't say his name, Hermione." Ginny pointed out.

"Um, yeah, so who would know it was him?" Ron joined in.

"She does have a point," Harry cut in. "No matter what, I don't want Sirius having any chance of being exposed."

He looked so worried that Mrs. Weasley tried to soothe him. "Now, dear, I'm sure that Arabella knew before she let Sirius send the Howler. I'll write them, though. We don't want any more risks."

They continued dinner in a rather subdued silence, until the door opened.

"I'm home!" Arthur's Weasley's voice rang out.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley hurried to clear out a seat for him. "How come you're so late today?"

"Er...not the first time, you know, Molly. Had some--er--particularly difficult Muggle objects." Mr. Weasley shrugged and smiled, but Harry detected a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, you should have told me sooner. This stew doesn't taste good when it's reheated..." Mrs. Weasley muttered, bustling around.

Harry felt like asking Mr. Weasley a few questions, but with Mrs. Weasley around, somehow he swallowed the impulse. Then he remembered Hermione's strange reaction after the attack on Cho in Knockturn Alley.

"Want to go upstairs?" He asked Ron, and at the same time, winked. "Feelin' a bit tired..."

"Yeah, sure.

" Ron said, catching on immediately, since he had finished dinner long ago. In fact, Fred and George had already vanished, and Ginny was helping her mother wash the dishes.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione trudged up the rickety staircase. They heard a faint boom from Fred and George's room, and a red glow shining through beneath the door. Harry wanted to go in and see what they were doing, but Ron stopped him.

"They have to be quick, now Mum's occupied. She's still mad when they are experimenting, y'know."

When they entered Ron's room, Harry decided to have it out soon.

"Do you know something behind Cho's attack, Hermione?"

Rom gaped, and Hermione flushed. "What do you mean?" she said.

"Come on, you were muttering after she left. This is about her safety; I'd like to know what you know that we don't."

Hermione sank down on the bed. "Well, I guess you're right," she said quietly. "But it's only a hunch."

"Well, tell us!" Ron urged.

"When Cho was here, she discovered a handkerchief in the apron pocket she brought from Malfoy's house. I was thinking, it could be something valuable, even if it looked dirty and old. Perhaps someone on the Dark side wanted it back."

"She showed it to me too, at the graveyard." Harry said. "I told her to turn it over to Dumbledore."

"I don't get it," Ron said. "What does a handkerchief has to do with a great big beam hurtling down at you?"

"The handkerchief came from Malfoy's house," Hermione stated. "And she was in Knockturn Alley today. No decent wizard goes there."

"I'd better tell her to send it to Dumbledore right away," Harry said, getting up and looking for a parchment. "She could have been seriously hurt today."

He knocked over Pigwidgeon's cage as he looked around, causing the tiny owl to let out a series of squeaky squawks.

"Harry, here." Ron rummaged through the drawer. "Blimey, calm down. Didn't know you were so concerned."

Harry went red, but tried to defend himself. "She saved Sirius's life."

Ron, however, continued to tease Harry until Hermione snapped, "Stop it, Ron. Harry has a letter to write."

Even though Ron had stopped talking about Cho, Harry found it difficult completing his letter. First he felt that his handwriting looked too spiky and messy, like his hair. Then he wondered if he should make general inquires, or just write a simple message. Finally, he didn't know how to sign his name. He'd rather throw himself out of the window than write, "Love, Harry" and "Sincerely, Harry" sounded too formal. At last, he took Hermione's advice and simply signed "Harry" at the end.

Ron half-gaped at the amount of parchment that went into waste.

"You've used up one-third of my parchment supply," he complained. "I could write a dozen essays on those."

"Sorry," Harry said, briefly contemplating if he should offer to buy Ron new parchment, but decided against it. "If you run out of parchment in school, just tell me, okay?"

"As if he would," Hermione muttered.

Ron swelled up in indignation. "You wait and see!"

* * *

"Granma has letter for you, Cho." Mrs. Chang said when Cho and Jing arrived home from Diagon Alley.

Cho's heart gave a quick beat. She'd almost forgotten she'd lied to Draco Malfoy about her grandmother being sick. He had used his eagle owl to carry the ingredients she randomly picked from their supply, before she could prevent him. God, what would her grandmother think?

"Um...oh." Cho rubbed her hands together, feeling sweat in her palms.

"How you know she is sick?"

"What?" Cho stared. Was her grandmother really sick?

"Granny is sick?" Jing asked, her small brow puckered in confusion.

Mrs. Chang pointed to a piece of parchment on the table. Cho snatched it up and read. It was actually written by her first aunt (the one who married a Muggle was second) who lived with her grandmother.

Dear Lee-yi,

I am writing to thank Cho for the ingredients she obtained at the Malfoys. How did you know Mother was ill? I meant to tell you, but it didn't become serious until a week later, then I really was worried. I did tell Lee-hwa (Cho's second aunt) before writing you, so I guess she must have told Cho, and Cho went off to Draco Malfoy for a brewing cure. However, the Healer said the ingredients were not the best for Mother's illness, so I didn't use them. But still, thanks for your help.

Lee-ying.

Amazed, Cho read the letter twice before turning to her mother.

"Why you not tell me you go to Draco house?" Mrs. Chang asked, though her face showed approval.

"I--I didn't--I forgot." Cho said lamely. In her sudden astonishment, she completely lost the ability to lie. Afterwards, although she was sorry for her grandmother, it was fortunate that her grandmother had fallen ill at that time, or Cho would have to come up with a really good lie, which, she did not believe her shrewd mother would believe.

"Draco's house?" Jing asked. When Cho nodded, Jing wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him," she remarked. "He always makes fun of me. And Chipper, and Lucky, and-- "

"Jing, don't talk like a child," snapped Mrs. Chang. Cho was a failure, but Jing was even worse. Having a passion for wild animals was even worse than playing sports, in her opinion. What kind of girl, especially a tiny, fragile girl like Jing, could love beasts? Besides, it was too dangerous.

Jing said nothing, but her eyes showed defiance. She was always scared of her mother, and could only rebel in silence, while Cho dared to argue openly.

"And Cho, we have guest today. Go upstairs and change."

"Who?" From her mother's excited expression, Cho expected something unpleasant.

"Your cousin Kwang coming to dinner. He transfer to Hogwarts."

It was really too much. Cho wondered if she was getting too old, or if her ears were malfunctioning. First her grandmother turns out to be really sick, and now her cousin is transferring to Hogwarts? She hadn't even seen Kwang for five years.

"Why?" she asked, ignoring Jing's tugs on her sleeve. Jing was too young to remember Kwang. "Isn't he doing well at Beauxbatons?"

"Well, your uncle's boss call him back to England," Mrs. Chang said impatiently. "Besides, your uncle speak bad French. Not easy, he says."

Cho stumbled upstairs, with Jing close at her heels. She only had a hazy idea what Kwang was like. He wore glasses, she recalled. Friendly, yes, but she didn't like him very much, though she'd forgotten why.

After answering Jing's questions (it was more like telling her to get out, since Cho didn't know much about Kwang, anyway), Cho pondered on what to wear. She finally decided on a plain blue robe and tie her hair into a ponytail. She never felt comfortable wearing her fancier robes in front of boys, but she made an exception for Cedric during the Yule Ball.

When Mr. Chang arrived home, he brought Kwang and his parents back as well. By that time, Mrs. Chang had prepared a sizzling dinner and both Cho and Jing were nervous but ready.

"Cho! My, you have grown--very pretty." Cho smiled weakly. She knew Aunt Chang meant to say "you have grown." Almost every adult has to say that to a child they haven't seen for a long time.

Jing, however, received genuine comments of being "grown up" now, since it was easier to see a difference from a baby to a girl.

After Uncle Chang dutifully had a few words with her, Cho saw her cousin approaching.

"Hey cousin." He stepped forward, a slow smile forming on his face. He was tall, surprisingly, since shortness ran in the family. And good-looking, too, in an immaculate robe of shimmering green.

"Hi." Cho noticed that his glasses were gone. "You're...you don't need glasses now?"

Kwang laughed, showing a row of perfect, pearly-white teeth. "I got contacts."

"Oh. Um, wow. I never thought."

Kwang looked amused. "Hardly anyone have glasses at Beauxbatons. Most people get contacts, so I did." Then he noticed Jing, who was half-concealed behind Cho. "Hi there. Jing, is it?"

Cho gently pushed her sister forward. "Jing, come on. He's your cousin. Say hello."

"Hello." Jing gazed up at her cousin, apparently trying to gather courage. Kwang was even taller than Mr. Chang.

Kwang shook his head. His hair was glossy--too glossy, Cho thought, with gel and conditioner. "Are you really starting Hogwarts this year? You're so--small."

"I'm not small!" Jing suddenly burst out, her round black eyes full of fire. "I'm eleven!"

"But you don't look it," Kwang persisted. "At Beauxbatons, even the first-year girls are pretty mature."

Cho began to feel annoyed. She didn't feel particularly friendly to the Beauxbatons girls last year. Cedric had a hard time shaking off Fleur.

Jing bit her lip and looked down. Mrs. Chang had often complained that she was too short, like Cho, even though Mrs. Chang was only five feet one herself.

As though avenging his mistress, Chipper suddenly leaped from Jing's arms, landed on Kwang's chest, and scampered up to his head.

At the sight of the furry little creature, Kwang lost his suave manner and yelped, "Help!"

All the adults, at the sound of his voice, came running towards him. Cho would have enjoyed to stand still and watch her cousin squirm, trying to get Chipper off, but she couldn't. She could already hear her mother shouting angrily at Jing, "I told you not bring animals!" But since Kwang was already surrounded by four people, she could only hover nearby and feign concern.

Uncle Chang tried to cast a spell on Chipper, but he was afraid the spell would also hit his son. Jing, at her mother's commands, summoned Chipper back, and was ordered to "carry the beast upstairs and lock it up."

Kwang's hair was a mess and so were his robes. Cho tried to stifle a grin. But in her heart, she felt a burden weighing down. Besides looking after Jing, she will have to take care of her cousin too. And now she was friends with Harry (and his friends), but have made enemies with Draco Malfoy. Not to mention Hattie, who remained a bane of her existence, ever since Cedric asked her out.

It looked like it was going to be a very eventful year indeed.