Harry Potter and the Sorceress Queen

"Shall I get them?"

Cho weighed the pros and cons in her mind. The house elf was going to return to its quarters when the Sorceress Queen has finished her supper. She didn't know anything about the palace, and was afraid of exploring it on her own. If only she could grab the wands, at least it would help for self-defense. She was no match, even with her fighting skills, for the Sorceress Queen, who didn't need a wand to cast magic. It was a hard decision, but finally Cho settled down on the plan to wait and see, outside the Sorceress Queen bedchamber.

It seemed like an eternity for Cho, crouching outside with her palms wet from cold sweat, and her heart pounding from fear and anxiety. Finally, about an hour later, the Sorceress Queen swept out of her chamber, looking triumphant from her capture of Harry Potter. Cho quickly ducked behind a suit of armor. The Sorceress Queen paused a moment as though she heard the rustle only several feet away, but she walked slowly away, with Brutus perched on her shoulder.

Cho waited until the Sorceress Queen had disappeared at the end of the corridor, then hopped out of her hiding place. She opened the marble door and entered...

The Sorceress Queen's bedchamber was pretty huge, almost as big as their common room. However, it did not host much furniture. The floor was covered with a thick dark green carpet, and there were only a few marble chairs and tables scattered here and there. It seemed to be empty. Cho tiptoed to the window, and reached out for the wands...

"So..."

Cho whirled around in shock. The Sorceress Queen was standing smugly at the entrance, arms folded. "I thought I did hear something behind me when I went to send the letter," she said. "How did you get out of the underground cell, my dear young lady?"

"Tell me where Harry is first," replied Cho, taking a few steps backwards. Her fingers closed around the wands.

"Do you think I will tell you, after I've waited so long for this?" The Sorceress Queen raised her hand, and Cho froze a second, what should she do? Was she going to let herself get caught again? It's now or never. Cho raised her wand.

"Conjuntiva!" she yelled, and the next second, without looking back, Cho ran and flung herself out of the window. (A/N: Sirius was going to suggest a spell for Harry to fight the Horntail, right? The spell's a Conjunctivitis Curse, which affects the eyes and visions of target. This is listed in the Harry Potter's Lexicon website.)

In the dark night, Cho was plummeting straight downward...she spotted the trees of the forest below, but before she fell on top of them, a black blur whizzed in lightning speed to her and Cho felt her arm grabbed by someone...

"HARRY!"

Harry himself was also very much surprised; he had reacted before thinking. "Cho, you okay?" he said, and pulled her up into a sitting position behind him on the Firebolt.

"Yeah," gasped Cho, slipping her arms around him without second thought. "Oh Harry, I was so worried...how on earth did you escape?"

Harry guided the Firebolt under the trees at the edge of the palace's gray walls, explaining briefly that he had suddenly recalled that he had his Firebolt with him, stored in the bag Jenna gave him as a prize for his superior use of the Multiplex Charm. Cho was amazed and relieved when she heard it.

"...and I got it out when that snake wasn't watching. It was getting sleepy...so I managed to fly out before it could get me...and I was circling outside...wondering what to do...and then I saw you fall, Cho, I..."

Harry was forced to cut off because the Sorceress Queen had taken action. Rising out of a region of the forest were a herd of large, angry creatures-winged monkeys. These were breed by the Sorceress Queen herself, therefore their appearance differed greatly from the ones Hagrid brought to class-their faces were cruel and twisted, their wings dark gray, almost black...they were flying in various directions, armed with stones and other heavy objects, Harry and Cho realized they couldn't hide under the trees forever...

Just then Harry felt something touch his right hand, which was gripping the Firebolt hard. Cho had laid her hand on his, and gave it a tight, quick squeeze. "Be careful." She said in a low, yet firm voice.

That comforting gesture and concerned words went straight to Harry's heart, and he in turn flipped his hand and held her hand tightly for a second. Just a second, and he resumed his position and shot out into the air, heading away from the palace.

The winged monkeys shrieked and raced after them, and soon the air was thick with flying stones, aimed straight to Harry and Cho. The latter was doing her best to ward the attackers off with her wand, but it was difficult for her to turn her upper body on the speeding Firebolt. Half of the hexes and curses she used were successful, and sent a few stones straight back to the winged monkeys.

A particularly large winged monkey was flying near... "Harry, turn left!" Several more stones were pelting at them, Cho did her best with the Multiplex Charm, but still one stone hit her hard on the back. She needed to change tactics, or...

"Hold on!"

"What?"

"Just keep flying, and don't move!"

Taking a deep breath, Cho released her hold on Harry's waist, and placed both her hands on his shoulders. Harry felt a strong weight pressed into his shoulders, he winced, and the next second Cho landed before him on the Firebolt. In those crucial seconds, Cho had somersaulted in the air and slipped her legs under the space between Harry's arms.

Were it not for the dangerous situation, Harry would have gone so red that his cheeks would be like on fire. Cho was sitting in front of him, not even an inch away, for under the circumstances she was pressed closely to him, her silky black hair brushing against his neck, her head on his shoulder, concentrating hard on fighting off the winged monkeys.

"Lower, Harry! Right!"

A jet of bright red sparks burst from Cho's wand and hit the nearest winged monkey. It was stunned and plunged head down through the air. Harry had no time to imagine the winged monkey falling onto the ground with a dead thud, meeting instant death.

By this time, they had passed the island and the great black sea lay before them.

"Okay, Harry..." Cho withdrew and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Most of them are down...um..." She blushed, edging a little further from him, but as Harry's arms were around her, holding on the broom, she still couldn't look straight at him in the eye.

Harry was blushing too, but somehow he was unwilling to let her go, yet. He just stared at her, when it occurred to him that they were flying straight ahead, regardless of direction. "Cho...er...can I have my wand back? We need to know how to get back, you know..."

"Oh, of course..." Cho gave it to him. Harry was about to mutter, "Point me," , but just then a loud sound of something enormous breaking through the waves thundered, and Cho and Harry looked down.

A gigantic creature had risen from the sea. It was dark brown in color, its neck as long as the basilisk Harry met in the Chamber of Secrets, the yellow smoke puffing out of its nostrils rose in great clouds, it turned its head toward Harry and Cho so they saw both of its fiery red eyes, as large as dinner plates, it opened its mouth...a Dragonfinn...just like Jenna described...

Harry made a sharp turn as yellow and green flames spurting out like an enormous wave came near to engulfing him and Cho...

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

The spell pelted out from Cho's wand and hit the Dragonfinn squarely on the eye. It winced a bit, but recovered almost in no time, and lunged a second attack.

Harry dodged, he pulled out of the thick mist of smoke, but the heat was so intense, that the end of his robes was burned.

There was no time to waste. Harry put an extra burst of speed on the Firebolt, and it zoomed almost vertically upward, taking them far away from the horrible Dragonfinn.

But before Harry and Cho had time to breathe a sigh of relief, new chaos ensued.

Brutus, in its giant vulture form, came flying toward them. There was a figure wrapped in dark red velvet robes astride it, her beautiful face contorted in profound anger-Abigail Grindelwald.

"So you think you're going to get away like that?" she screamed, raising both arms, even her mutilated arm, in extreme fury. Jets of sparks shot to Harry and Cho like showering fireworks.

Seeing the spells coming like a large colorful net, Harry did his best to perform the Shielding Charm and managed to block off the curses. Cho also used her wand to add power to the magic safeguard before them, but both knew it was only temporary, they didn't have enough strength to maintain the wall...

"Come up here..." commanded the Sorceress Queen. "Give up fighting or I'll make you!"

"Never!" shouted Cho, who was now full of hatred for the Sorceress Queen for hurting Harry. She longed to simply fly over and give the Sorceress Queen a good hard punch in the face. But the Sorceress Queen was riding on Brutus...that insidious beast...it was no use trying to stun that monster, the spells they knew were too weak...however, the Sorceress Queen is humane...

On a sudden thought, Cho whispered to Harry, "Aim her foot."

"What?" Harry turned the Firebolt as more spells whizzed toward them. Unfortunately, two broke through the shield and hit him, one on the shoulder; the other on his back. Blood began to trickle down from the wounds. Cho wasn't hurt because Harry was shielding her.

"Harry...you..."

"Don't bother...you said to mark her foot?"

"Yeah...sure you can do it?"

Harry nodded, and braced himself on the Firebolt with one hand. As Brutus swung around for the Sorceress Queen to cast more attacks, Harry squinted and took careful aim. "Relashio!" just as the Sorceress Queen raised her hand.

A jet of fiery sparks pelted toward the Sorceress Queen win tremendous force...she was busy on sending more hexes and curses to Harry and Cho and didn't pay much attention...suddenly she felt a sharp pain on her left ankle...she was irritated and bent down to check if the wound was serious...

Cho was waiting for this precious moment. Immediately she pointed her wand at the Sorceress Queen's wrist, which was fully exposed as she reached out her good arm to check her ankle...and Cho shouted with all her might, "Penetratus!"

A stream of ink-black sparks went straight to the Sorceress Queen, she felt an intense pain on her wrist and cried out in pain, almost her whole wrist was broken from the forceful spell Cho had used-one of the most aggressive magic she learned, and it came to use at perfect time.

"NO!" screamed the Abigail Grindelwald, staring at her wrist in horrified disbelief. Now she couldn't cast any magic as both her hands were mutilated...Brutus, unaware of what happened to his mistress...was hovering in midair...not sure what to do next...

Harry put both hands on his Firebolt again and zoomed away at maximum speed. It was essential that they should leave this dangerous spot in case the Sorceress Queen had come up with any new means of attack. When Harry looked back to make sure that the Sorceress Queen and her shape-shifter pet were no longer in sight, he slowed down and stopped.

"I think...we'd need to figure how to get back, Cho..."

"I know, Harry, use the Four-Point spell and fly south...oh, and Harry, I'm so glad we've got out of there alive, you're really alright from that nasty spell, are you? I..." Cho withdrew her hand from Harry's back; it was stained with blood.

"Don't worry," said Harry, looking at her anxious face. "Thank god you're safe."

Cho looked up at him, suddenly aware that she was still sitting in Harry's arms. She blushed, but in her heart she was determined to make a resolution...

"Um...Harry? I...want to say that I'm sorry that...I wasn't very good to you...because of...him, but now, I really want to say thank you and..."

Tears welled up in Cho's eyes and she tried to fight them back, but somehow the tears continued to stream down. Harry reached out and gently wiped the tears away. The touch of Cho's face stirred up something inside him. Maybe because of the fact they had just escaped from the clutches broke the barrier between them, or of Cho's heartfelt confession, his hand still on Cho's cheek, Harry bent down and kissed her.

Cho's eyes widened in surprise; her first reaction was to push him away, as she was taught to defend herself since she was young.

Harry felt the rashness of his action, so he quickly apologized, "Sorry, I didn't..."

But Cho raised her face, smiling through her tears. "No, it's okay. You've been wanting to do this to me for a long time, have you?" Reaching up to wrap her arms around Harry's neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him with all the warmth and sweetness she could give. Harry responded with a passion that surprised himself.

They sat on the Firebolt, holding each other in tight embrace. The waves below rolled and crashed. The air was still chilly and cold, bit it didn't matter now. For it was the one of the best moments of Harry's life.

It was still dark, but dawn was slowly forming in the east. The light of daybreak was glowing over the sea.