The One to Keep

Heidi was the first of the fourth year Ravenclaws to awake on the first day of school. She jumped out of bed and ran across the room. She approached Cho's bed and flung open the curtains of the four poster bed.

"All right!" she shouted. "Where were you last night! Spill it!"

Cho squinted her eyes, barely distinguishing Heidi's silhouette. "Wha. . .?

"CHO WAS OUT ALL NIGHT!" Heidi shouted and woke up the rest of the girls.

"I was not!" said Cho.

"Oh my gosh, you were!" said Amy.

She ran to Cho's bedside and flung open the curtains on the other side.

"I . . . I can explain," said Cho as she rubbed her eyes.

"So explain!" said Marie poking her head through the curtains. "We want to know details." Heather, the fifth roommate, was still asleep.

"Uh . . ." Cho stammered with three eyes stuck on her. "I just got separated. The stairs changed before I got on and Oliver took me aside and wanted to talk to me and Cedric caught us . . . "

Cho took a deep sigh. She remembered the expression on Cedric's face when he caught her walking with Oliver in the corridors after hours. It made her feel uneasy.

"Oh. My. Gosh," the three girls said in unison.

"Oliver Wood? Oliver Wood! EEE!!" Heidi gushed. "He is so beautiful! What about Ced. . ." Amy elbowed her ribs to shut her up.

"Yea, he is so cute," sighed Cho without noticing Heidi's near slip-up.

"And athletic!" added Marie.

"Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Keeper," said Cho.

"And brave," sighed Amy.

"Well, all of that is just on the surface," said Cho.

"I'm sure you'd like to pry beneath that surface, Cho," said Jolene standing in the dormitory doorway, "but until then, it would be wise not to be tardy for your first class. I'd like to earn back the five points lost from Ravenclaw last night. You girls only have half an hour." Jolene, already dressed, turned away from the dormitories and headed for the library. The three pair of eyes flashed back at Cho.

"Five points!" said Heidi. "I bet it was worth twenty!"

Cho sighed, "Oliver led me to the cloisters to tell me something but he didn't get a chance. Cedric caught up with us and sent us back to the dormitories. And yes. It was worth thirty points!" She winked at her giggly friends.

"Damn that Diggory!" said Heidi.

"Well, lets get ready for class." Cho climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She was followed by the three girls. Marie was thoughtful enough to wake Heather, but received a grouchy reaction.

~*~

Jolene opened the door of the library and found the reading room deserted except for one boy. She couldn't recognize him from a distance so she walked closer to his table. It was Cedric. He looked up and waved at his fellow classmate. Jolene walked over and sat in the empty seat across him.

"I'd like to thank you for bringing Cho back safely last night. I'm surprised she did something so foolish," said Jolene.

Cedric smiled. "You are very welcome, but I won't be giving back the five points I took from your house. Sorry, but I had to be fair."

"Oh, you were more than generous," she said, "I would have taken her to the head of our house, Professor Flitwick."

"Isn't that a little harsh?" he teased. "Good thing they didn't make you Prefect. We'd be having ninety percent of the school hanging by their thumbs in the dungeon."

"That's not funny Cedric, I remember those days." Jolene recalled an incident during her first year when that particular punishment was performed. It was rumored that Snape had spent four hours in Dumbledore's office for that one. "Well, I didn't mean to bother you, Cedric. I headed to the library to kill a little time before Ancient Runes. . ." she looked at her watch, "which starts in five."

"Oh, that's my first class too," said Cedric.

"Oh, really?" Jolene rose from the chair and offered Cedric her arm, "Shall we?" Cedric smiled and got up from his chair, taking her arm, and walked with Jolene to Ancient Runes. They exited the library and walked down the hall. From the other end, they saw five frantic Ravenclaws running in their opposite direction. Cho slowed her steps to look at Cedric as if to say something. But, she was forced forward by Heather.

"C'mon, McGonangall will turn us to toads if we are late!" said Heather as she pulled Cho's arm. Cho picked up her footsteps to catch up with the other girls. Cedric watched her rush around the corner.

"Silly fourth years," sighed Jolene.

"Aww, c'mon Jo. I'm sure you are sometimes late for class," said Cedric.

"Yes, unfortunately it had to be for Snape's class one time in my first year."

"Ouch, I don't even want to ask what he did."

"Please don't. Not something I want to remember." They approached the door to Ancient Runes. "Well here we are." The couple walked in the classroom, sat in the front row and waited for class to start.

"Is it a pain looking after your Little Witch?" asked Cedric with a smirk.

"Cho? No. . . she is not too mischievous. But deep down I know there is a passionate flame that is waiting to explode. I just don't want her to make any mistakes."

"Wow, spoken like a true parent," said Cedric.

"Shh. . . class is about to start."

"Nag!" said Cedric.

~*~*~

Meanwhile in Transfiguration, Cho and the other fourth year Ravenclaws studied changing cats into to fans. The intelligent Ravenclaws had no trouble mastering the basics. They were now figuring ways to elaborate their fans. The laid back lesson gave the girls the opportunity to chat.

"So what does everyone have planned for winter break? Everyone going home?" asked Marie.

"Most likely," said Amy, "there's really not anything going on for fourth years this year."

"Yeah," said Cho, "as much as I love Hogwarts I would be terribly bored here on winter break."

"Well, my parents bought a condo last year in Switzerland," Marie said. "It would be available for us during winter break. I think it would be a great vacation for us."

"Oh my gosh! That is so cool!" said Heidi. "Can we invite boys?"

"Heidi!" said Cho, "that's rude!" She looked at Marie waiting for her response. The other girls also looked at Marie with big eyes and waited for an answer. Marie giggled.

"Sure. I'm bringing Joey, so it's only fair that everyone has a special someone," Marie continued giggling.

The other girls except Cho giggled. Cho was busy lining her red cat-fan with gold. It reminded her of the gold trimmed box of practice snitches she saw at Quality Quidditch Supplies last weekend. Then she thought of the hazel-eyed boy that bought them. Thoughts of the previous night flooded into her mind. She wondered why Oliver wanted to lure her to the cloisters and what he wanted to say to her.

'He probably wanted to butter-up to me so he'd have a personal tutor in Arithmancy,' she thought. 'But I don't have Intermediate Arithmancy until this afternoon. How would he know if I even took the course? Is he even in Arithmancy?'

Cho, Heidi, and Ritchie were extremely advanced in Arithmancy for fourth year students. They were in the upper-level class with the fifth and sixth years. Suddenly, Cho couldn't wait for the afternoon to see if Oliver was in her class.

'He doesn't seem like the type to study Arithmancy. Even if he did, he would be in Advanced being a seventh year. He won't be in my class.'

"So many boys to think about. . . eh Cho?" said Heidi.

"I'm sorry?" Cho looked up.

"Well what do you think?" asked Marie.

Cho looked confused. "About what?" Heidi and Amy giggled.

"About our new plan? Were you even paying attention?" Marie sighed.

"No!" defended Cho, "I was busy beautifying my cat-fan."

"You are referring to this?" Marie held up the tacky cat-fan. It was bright red with gold scribbles and splashes.

"It's Asian abstract!" said Cho.

The girls were bursting with laughter. Professor McGonangall gave the girls a stern look which quieted the girls. Moments later the professor excused the students if they were successful transfiguring their fan back to a cat. After accomplishing their task, the girls waved goodbye to their professor and left the room.

"What do we have next?" asked Amy.

"We actually have a two-period free block before lunch," said Heidi. "Double Intermediate Arithmancy for Cho and me after that."

"Ouch, Arithmancy sounds painful enough without 'Intermediate' preceding it," said Amy. "I will stick to History of Magic and Muggle studies, thank you!"

"Please, Cho's only taking Intermediate Arithmancy to flirt with the older students," said Heather.

"I am not!" said Cho, "Professor Vector recommended that I take the higher level. Besides, Arithmancy is one of my stronger subjects. You're just jealous!"

"Stop it you two," said Marie, "honestly!"

"What should we do until lunch?" asked Heidi.

"Library? Common room?" suggested Amy.

"Library," said Marie. "I get enough of the common room. Besides, maybe we'll see our friends from other houses."

"She wants to see Joey," said Heather.

"So what if I do!" snapped Marie.

"Now, now girls!" said Cho. "Play nicely!"

Cho opened the door to the library and the girls stepped inside. The girls were surprised to find the place deserted, even though it was only the first day. Usually more students were already hard at study. Today, the library even lacked its usual group of ever-studious Ravenclaws. The girls seated themselves at a table in the middle of the room. The only other student in the library was a Slytherin, alone at a table across the room. Only Cho recognized him; it was Drew Thornborough. Drew and Cho had been good friends since her third year. Not every Slytherin was openly hostile to other houses, and Cho did not despise someone just because they wore the green and black robes. However, his enigmatic and introverted nature prevented her from getting too close, leaving her unable to learn very much about him aside from gossip. She looked at him in attempt to flash a smile and wave, but his face was buried in his notebook and headphones covered his ears. Drew looked up in time to see Cho's back as she turned to her friends and took her seat. He resumed his writing. Heidi opened her Arithmancy book and began studying. Marie, Heather, and Amy got together to prepare for their first lesson in Muggle Studies.

Cho was about to open her Arithmancy book and study with Heidi, but a young man in scarlet Quidditch robes caught her eye. It was Oliver. His ruffled hair and slightly dirty boots indicated hours of intense practice. He walked quickly from the library's second entrance to a table in the far corner of the study area and opened the rolls across the table. He studied the rolls briefly then furiously scribbled lines and dots on the parchment. It was clear to Cho that the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood, was planning plays for his team. She could not take her eyes off of him. He looked up in Cho's direction and caught her gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment before a sound splintered the usual silence of the library. Drew had snapped his book shut and quickly stalked out of the room without a second glance to anything except what was directly in his path.

"What's his problem?" said Heidi in reference to Drew's sudden departure. "This year would have been absolutely fabulous with that sadistic prat lurking around here."

"He's not bad, Heidi," said Cho watching Drew leave. "I'm sure he's just misunderstood. That's all." Heather rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Is there one guy you don't fancy, Cho?" said Heather rolling her eyes in disgust.

"It doesn't hurt to be nice to everyone and make a few friends in the process, Heather!" snapped Cho.

"Argh! I can't study with you girls bickering. I'm going to the common room. See you in class, Cho." A very irritated Heidi left the girls in search for peace.

"I'm going to the courtyard." Heather also left the library.

Marie and Amy continued studying Muggle Studies without any notice to their surrounding. Cho started to study her Arithmancy. Moments later she looked up and noticed Marie and Amy packing their bags.

"I want to find Joey before our class. See you at lunch Cho?" said Marie.

"Oh. Of course." Cho said as she watched her friends leave the library.

No one was around except the hazel-eyed boy. She looked over to him. He was rolling up the scrolls and prepared to leave the library. With a sunken heart, she turned her head down to her books. She heard his footsteps, but their sound was amplifying instead of diminishing. He was walking toward her.

"I never finished what I wanted to say," he said with a strong Scottish accent. Cho was so startled with his husky voice that she almost spilled her ink bottle.

"Oh. You startled me," she panted.

"Sorry, may I sit down?

"Of course." He shoved his scrolls under his chair and looked at Cho deep into her brown eyes. There was several moments of silence before either had the courage to speak.

"Uh. . . well. . . I was wondering if. . ." he stammered.

He looked at Cho's face, and any hopes he had for finishing a sentence quickly vanished. Cho kept quiet, eager to hear what he had to say, and just as afraid of her own voice.

"Umm. . ." he continued, but his gaze broke away from Cho and looked at the figure behind her.

It was Cedric. Oliver looked up at the tall Hufflepuff and his face hardened. Cedric looked down at the Gryffindor, matching him glare for glare. Cho's face showed no expression, but looking back and forth between the two frightened her. She looked from Oliver up to Cedric and felt temperature drop. It was the second time in as many days the three had been in the same area at once, and not a bit of warmth could exist in the area. Cho suppressed a shiver. Oliver stood up without breaking eye contact with Cedric as the temperature dropped even lower. Cho felt really uncomfortable.

"I got to go," she hastily packed her bag and got up. "I'll be late for class."

"WAIT!" the boys said in unison as they watched Cho leave.

They then glared back at each other with piercing eyes. Cho just ignored them and rushed out of the library. She had about twenty minutes before Arithmancy so she decided to kill the time in the Ravenclaw common room.

Cho walked in the common room and plopped herself on the navy and bronze trimmed couch. The room was quiet. Heidi was in the corner desk studying Arithmancy and the younger students sat on the other end of the room writing notes to each other. No doubt Heidi had scolded them get them to be quiet. Cho lay on her side on the plush couch and felt her eyelids grow heavy. Her mind was racing, going over and over what had just happened.

'What was Oliver trying to say? Why does Cedric always have to interrupt? Why has Cedric been acting funny lately? Why did Drew ignore me? And what's bothering Heidi? She never stays this angry for this long. Hmm . . . Quidditch practice tomorrow . . . can't forget,' Cho fell asleep and started to dream.

Cho was flying carefree not on Hogwart's Quidditch Pitch but on an open green field. She wasn't paying attention to where she was flying. Suddenly, she lost control of her broom and started to fall, but someone flew to her and plucked her out of her tumble. She could not see the face of her savior as she sat in front of him, his arms around her grabbing the front of the broom, holding her too tightly to allow her to turn around. 'Hold on,' the husky voice echoed in her ear. The voice was soothingly familiar, but the wind buffeted the sound too much to identify its speaker. She leaned back and breathed in his manly scent. She felt very relaxed and secure having a strong young man holding her on the broom. She closes her eyes and leaned back into him, making herself as snug as the broom would allow. Seconds stretched to eternity at the same time they flew by all too quickly as she felt the broom descend. The young man helped her off the broom, then put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her face. She looked up at him but the glare of the sun on her eyes made it impossible to distinguish his face. She did notice the face was drawing closer to hers. She could almost fell his breath upon her lips. She expected to fell the warm soft pressure of a gentle kiss as she whispered "Oliver," but instead felt a smack to the face. She awoke.

"I have been slaving on the Quidditch Pitch, beating bludgers, sharpening my skills, while your lazy bum sleeps!" Roger stood over the disgruntled young Seeker with a bat in his right hand. "Now tell me, where is the justice in that Chang?"

"OW! Roger! What are you doing?" she rubbed her cheek.

"Oh, come off it you big baby!" he snapped. "I didn't hit you hard at all. Maybe if you would stop dreaming of that Gryffindor Keeper and practice with the Ravenclaws, you may have a higher threshold for pain! Why weren't you at practice!?"

"Practice? Now?" Cho was still dazed from the dream. "Wait, you knew I was dreaming about Oliver?" Roger sat on the coffee table and faced Cho with a big smile.

"Because you talk in your sleep!" Cho smacked his arm. "Anyway, we had practice early this morning. Didn't you get my owl?"

"Owl? What owl?"

"I had Guinevere deliver the message to you last night!"

"Did not!" Cho snapped.

"Did so!" said Roger.

Cho ran up to her dormitory to find her white dove Guinevere perked on her nightstand with a letter tied to her leg. She chirped incessantly. Cho obviously did not notice her when she sneaked in her room late last night. Cho opened her drawer and fed her pet a treat. Then she looked over to her clock and found she slept through lunch and ten minutes into Arithmancy.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so late!" Cho ran down the dormitory stairs and through the common room.

Roger tried shouting at her but she was left the room before she could understand his message. She ran up to the Arithmancy door so fast that she felt her knees start to buckle. She opened the door slightly but her knees could not support her. She fell into the classroom flat on her face. She didn't look up but she could feel every staring face on her. A few students started to laugh. She finally got up. Her face was red as pickled beets.

"I'm sorry Professor Vector, I . . . I lost track of time."

"That's not all she lost track of," laughed Eliza, a nasty Slytherin girl.

The laughter of the other students intensified.

"Silence! Cho please take a seat. Ten points from Ravenclaw!"

The Slytherins in the room tried to suppress their giggles but proved unsuccessful. The embarrassed Cho took an empty seat next to Heidi.

"Good going twinkle toes!" she said.

Cho was too embarrassed to say anything back. Professor Vector continued his lesson. Cho was thankful that he was reviewing material from Beginner Arithmancy. She did not miss anything important. Cho looked around the room to see if she recognized any classmates. The front of the room was Eliza whom Cho would rather not be in the same room with. On the other side of the room, she saw Cedric. In the back left corner she noticed Drew. All of the students were now engaged in the difficult lecture. Professor Vector carefully tailored numbers, variables, and complicated variables on the board. Heidi handed Cho a note several minutes before the end of the double lesson. She looked at Heidi with a questioning face. Heidi just shrugged her shoulders in return. The note was not from her. Cho discreetly opened the note and began deciphering the messy writing.

'I never had the courage to say this in words so I am going to make a brief message...'

Before she could read anymore she felt the note disappear from her hands. She looked up and saw Professor Vector glare down at her with very cold eyes, clenching her note.

"First you are late, and then you pass notes? DETENTION!"

"Wait," said a husky voice.

A young man stood in back of the room. It was Oliver. Cho turned around and saw those beautiful eyes look at the professor with plead. She must have missed him when she looked around the room. She was excited he was in her class but at the same time she wished he wasn't. He must have seen her humiliating stunt. She felt her face flare red again and turned away to hide.

"I sent Cho the note. Punish me not her, Professor." Cho turned back around to face him as well as the Professor.

"Oliver, you will report here at sev. . ."

"Cho read the note during your lecture, sir," Eliza interrupted. "I find that disrespectful."

"Oliver AND Cho report to my office at seven. Slytherin will suffer ten points for Eliza's interruption. I find THAT disrespectful. I expect more from older students. I am assigning all even and odd problems for my disgust. Class dismissed." The students groaned. Drew threw a book at Eliza when the professor was not looking.

"Looks like Cho's got a date tonight," giggled Heidi.

"I hardly call detention a date. What is going on with me this year, Heidi? I've lost Ravenclaw 15 points in less than 24 hours, got detention on the first day of school. . . what next?" Cho was suddenly bumped from behind.

"Excuse me, midget!" puffed Eliza in a nasty tone and hurried ahead.

"What's her problem?" said Cho. She felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I reckon. Why does it have to be every damn day? I don't know." Cho turned and saw her good friend Drew.

"Drew!" she said giving him an excited hug. "How dare you ignore me in the library this morning? How are you? How was your summer?"

Heidi shot them a dirty look. She did not trust Slytherins. Drew was no exception to her.

"You weren't paying attention in the library. I'm feeling grouchy and summer was dismal" Drew said as Heidi rolled her eyes.

"Drew, you're always so negative!"

"Don't have a reason to be positive except for your friendship, luv," he said. "Anyway, I'm going to use this time before dinner to exercise my role as prefect. Eliza could use a scolding for her behavior in class. Sorry about your detention. Bye now." Drew broke away from the two Ravenclaws and headed to the Slytherin common room. Heidi kept quiet. She knew Cho wouldn't appreciate it if she expressed her feelings about Drew.

~*~

The Great Hall was filled with warmth and excitement just like the night before. Cho was sitting next to her fourth year friends as well as Roger and Jenna. They enjoyed a delicious meal of prime rib, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and many other goodies. Marie was speaking to Jenna of the vacation plans during winter break while Roger spoke of Quidditch to Cho.

"I'm sorry Rog," she said, "I've got myself detention at seven. Can't we practice tomorrow morning? I'll work twice as long! I feel bad, I really do."

"If you weren't so damn cute Chang, I'd hang you from the goal posts!" said Roger. "Tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. we practice. When do you have class?"

"Double Potions first period. I won't be free until fifth period after that."

"All right," said Roger with a mouthful of potatoes, "we practice some in the morning and some in the evening. Sunrise, sunset."

"Sounds good to me," said Cho.

"Better be awake and ready to go, Chang," said Roger. "I have no shame walking in the girl's dorm during inappropriate hours to retrieve you."

"I'll be there," said Cho. She turned to Marie. "Okay so refresh me about winter break. I didn't quite grasp it this morning."

"Still out of it, Cho? I've heard all about your shenanigans this morning," laughed Jenna. "It's going to be great."

"Okay, I'm only going to say this one more time," expressed Marie, "My parents have a Condo in the Alps where we are going to have a blast this winter! We're going to ski, make cocoa, snowboard, and cuddle up by the fireplace," she looked over to the Hufflepuff table and smiled at Joey.

"And how do your parents feel about this," asked Amy.

"They're fine with it."

"No kidding?" said Roger.

"And who said you were invited?" asked Heidi.

"What? How could I not be invited? Marie!"

"Of course you are Rog, Heidi give him a break," said Marie.

The Ravenclaw group chattered endlessly about the winter plans. Marie was beginning to worry if things were going to get out of hand but should no concern in front of her friends. Dinner was drawing to a close as the clock approached 7 pm. Cho looked around for Oliver but could not find him. After scanning the hall one more time, she headed to her Ravenclaw dorm room to freshen up.

"I thought you had detention," said Roger when he noticed Cho entering the common room.

"I'm just going to brush my teeth."

"For detention?" asked Roger. "Oh I see, good girls like you don't get detention. They use that excuse to cover up for a songfest!"

"I am not," defended Cho, though she would rather snog with Oliver than share detention. "I really do have detention. I am a very bad girl!" She joked and waved good-bye to Roger.

She ran to her bathroom to beautify herself. When she was satisfied with her looks, she rushed to Professor Vector's office. She was probably the only student excited to go to detention. But when she reached the office, she was disappointed to see Oliver missing. She looked at her watch. It was one minute before 7 pm, so she wasn't too early. 'Where is he?' she wondered as she sat in an empty seat. The Professor was no where to be found either.

Cho looked around his office and noticed the many unusual trinkets. There were many toys controlled by magic, paintings of great Arithmantists and astronomers, and over a dozen clocks. The professor's desk was situated in front of a large window. That section of the office seemed like a sun room. It extended about five feet from the face of the castle. The wall and the roof were all glass. She walked over to the window and observed the view. She noticed the sun began to set over the hills on the lake. It was a beautiful and romantic scene. She took a moment to soak in the beauty of the sunset and returned to her chair.

Professor Vector's grandfather clock began to chime at exactly 7 pm. From all the clocks in his office, the magnificent antique grandfather clock was the only one that broke the silence. Before the 7^th chime, Oliver rushed in the room and took a seat next to Cho. She did not look at him. She kept her eyes forward. He did not know what to do either. The atmosphere of the classroom was unusually relaxing for Cho, even with Oliver sitting next to her. She felt rather lofty. Several more minutes passed with no sign of Professor Vector. Oliver was also beginning to feel light-headed. He spoke to Cho without hesitation.

"Miss me?" he said to her with a cocky smile.

"Hardly," Cho smiled back. "You almost got yourself in more trouble."

"Me? Trouble? Nah!" he flashed another smile at her.

"You seem different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're not stuttering when you talk to me for starters," Cho's eyes twinkled.

"I've grown immune to your enchanting brown eyes, Miss Chang," he said. "But you still blush when I smile at you." He winked and then giggled. Half an hour passed seven. They did not know why, but Oliver and Cho felt rather comfortable as if every ounce of shyness evaporated from their bodies.

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Hey, where is Professor Vector? He's late."

"Sooner he comes the sooner we suffer," Oliver said yawning.

"The sooner we suffer the sooner we can get out of here."

"And do what? Homework?"

"No, for your information I do many other things than study."

"Like what?"

"Well, hanging out with friends, I dunno. . . usual girl stuff."

"So . . . usual girl stuff? What do you girls do?"

"Many things you guys will never know about," Cho smiled at Oliver.

"Oh yeah . . . try me," he leaned closer to her face.

"What would you like to know?" she leaned closer to him.

"Everything," his lips was centimeters away from hers. He wanted to kiss her. He could almost taste the sugar of her lips. He wanted dessert.

"Hmm. . . NOPE," she turned her head. "None of your business!" She giggled.

"Oh Come ON!"

"No no no no no!" she giggled harder. Truth was the girls never did anything nasty enough to qualify a lead role in 'Witches Gone Wild,' but nevertheless they were rather mischievous. After all, girls will be girls.

"Okay. Fine," said Oliver, "I have my ways of finding out these things." Cho kept quiet and tried to hold back her giggles.

She faced the front of the room with a half-smirk on her face. From the corner of her eye she saw Oliver taking glances at her. She also stole a couple fleeting looks at him when he wasn't paying her attention. After several minutes of this game, the two exploded in laughter. They laughed and giggled for what seemed like an eternity. They were laughing for no reason at all.

Eventually their laughter broke and they stared deep into each other's eyes. They weren't laughing, giggling, or even smiling. The just looked at each other with peaceful faces. Their gaze broke when the chairs they were sitting on began to shake. Magic merged the chairs together into a loveseat. Now Oliver and Cho were forced to sit closer, but of course they didn't mind. The soft and plush cushions added more comfort to the relaxing atmosphere. Cho felt her heart pound harder. She could feel the warmth of Oliver's body on her right side. Oliver could smell the tropical scent of Cho. He placed his arm around Cho's shoulders and brought her head closer to his heart. She did not resist but took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. She felt so relaxed and protected in his strong embrace. She opened her eyes again to make sure she was not lost in a dream.

'I barely know him. So why does this feel so right? I never felt so calm and protected yet at the same time scared and confused. I don't even know his birthday or favorites. Nothing. So why do I feel like this? Oh, I never want this night to end. How did I end up from gazing at him from afar to being in his arms like this? His eyes are so piercing yet inviting. What could he be thinking at this moment? I want to hold you forever. Why does he look at me like that? I'm only fourteen. He is seventeen. He is so much more mature than me. How would I know? I don't know him. I want to get to know him. I want to know his favorites, dislikes...what does he look for in a girl. Girl. Am I just a girl to him? Would he ever see me as a young woman or just a little girl? I think I'm mature for my age. Is he? I know a lot of guys older than me and definitely foolish for their age. Why would he be different? Is he any different? I doubt the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain is any different than Roger or Cedric mature-wise. Could he be mature? Is he as suave and intriguing as I think he is? Gryffindor captain. Is it wrong to fall for your competitors? He is smart. Athletic. Charming. Good-looking. Almost perfect.' Cho thought. Knowing this wasn't a dream; she took a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

Oliver began to run his fingers through her soft dark hair. He knew from her relaxed sighs that his touch was soothing her. He continued to pet the beautiful girl. Oliver thought to himself. 'I barely know her. Until now, she was just a young and beautiful Ravenclaw. I barely began to scratch the surface. I want to find out more. No other girl could steal my tongue by only looking at me. Why do I find it hard to speak to her? She is so young but she is so mature. Would she be intimated by me? What would her parents think? No, she's not like the other girls. She is a deep ocean I want to sail. Why don't I have the courage to tell her how I feel? I'm a Gryffindor! I'm supposed to be brave. I'm going to tell her. I want her. I'd rather make a fool of myself than regret not telling her. What would she think? When will I find a more perfect time? The stars are out.' He rested his head on top of Cho's, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held is stance for several moments. He wanted to preserve this feeling.

"I have to tell you something. Let's go to the window and look at the stars," he whispered to her.

"Hmm?" Cho awoke from her daze, "Okay."

They rose from the couch and Oliver held her hand and led her around the desk. They stepped to the large window. They both looked up at the sky was beautiful. The navy velvet sky was sprinkled with specs of diamonds. The window was so big and clear the couple felt as if they were out in the open. They were so taken by the view, both of them forgot about their timidity they normally feel around each other. Oliver placed his arm around Cho's shoulders and held her close to him. She could hear and feel his heart beating. He squeezed her closer to him. He gazed dreamily upon her face.

"Cho," he whispered.

He faintly lifted her chin with his fingertips. He drew his head closer to hers. The slight touch of his fingers was enough to detonate her heart into furious beats. His other arm wrapped around the lower curve of her back and brought her closer to him. His arms were so strong yet gentle. His face leaned closer to hers. She could almost feel the warmth and moisture of his mouth. There couldn't have been a more perfect moment for Oliver and Cho to perform their first kiss.

Suddenly, their moment was interrupted with an obnoxious noise. Every clock in the office was ringing, banging, and roared non-stop. Dozens of clocks made a cacophony from bongs, chimes, and mechanical racket. The noise was so unbearable the window around the couple began to tremble. The two could not bear the noise. They felt as if their ears were to explode. The ringing seemed like hours before it stopped, but the sound still echoed in their ears.

"What happened?" asked Cho, covering her ears. "They didn't behave like that when it was seven. Why would the 8 o'clock ring be so obnoxious?" Cho rubbed her ears.

"It's midnight," said Oliver. The clocks in the office all pointed to 12 am. He checked his own watch to verify the accuracy of the clocks. "I don't understand. It didn't seem like 5 hours! Professor Vector didn't even show up to give us detention! Not that I'm complaining." He winked at Cho. Cho was still in pain from the ringing she didn't notice.

"Well, why didn't the grandfather clock chime once during those hours? It rang when detention was supposed to begin. I wonder if Professor Vector enchanted the clocks."

They heard a hissing sound and looked around the room to find the source. The atmosphere started to feel cold and heavy. The relaxed feeling seemed to escape. Oliver looked to the ceiling and found a message written in white smoke.

"I hope this experience as taught you the value of time," Cho read. "I have wasted your time tonight as you have wasted moments during my lecture. Go now and reflect upon your detention experience."

Professor Vector obviously bewitched the room to so the occupants would let their guard down and believe time was accelerated. He was also successful in bringing the students to a dream world and slamming them back to reality. The couple suddenly remembered a plentiful of incomplete homework, assignments, and early morning meetings. They felt as if the weight of the world was dropped on their shoulders.

"Oliver!" yelled Cho, "I have to get up early tomorrow! I have Quidditch practice!"

"Quidditch! I haven't finished revising my plays! And Muggle Studies...Potions!"

The frantic Oliver dashed out of the office leaving Cho alone with the now silent clocks. Cho now felt confused and rejected. She began to tear up. It was only the first day of school and she already felt an overload of pressure. She sat alone in the office with tears running down her cheeks. 'Why would the professor use emotional punishment? That was a dirty charm!'

"You coming?" Oliver said as he poked his head in the office.

He had a soft expression on his face. Cho quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. She did not want him to see her cry. She grabbed her bag and met him at the door. He held the door open to her and she walked out without looking at him. He followed.

"Wait," he said. "Let me walk with you."

Oliver felt uncertainty rush back into his system but was still brave enough to speak to Cho. Cho also felt the same sensation and didn't say a word. Throughout the duration of the walk, neither spoke to each other. They walked two feet away from each other as if they were merely sharing the hallway. The couple was not comfortable with each other as they were in the office. Self conscious and shyness that was nonexistent during their stay in Professor Vector's office began to expose in their actions. They felt rather unsure and awkward with themselves.

When they approached the stairwell that descended to the Ravenclaw common room, Cho said a soft good-bye. Oliver ignored his shy conscience and grabbed her wrist and forcefully flung her into his arms. He gave her a tight squeeze and wished her sweet dreams. He hesitated to perform a forward act, but nevertheless he was a brave young man. Cho was rather stunned by Oliver's sudden change of heart. He stared at her for a brief moment and soaked in her beautiful face. In one smooth motion, he gently placed his had around the back of her neck and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Good bye Cho," he whispered as he embraced her petite frame.

His strong natured hug sent her blood pumping through her heart at an alarming rate. The few moments without being close to him were enough to freeze her system. But his warm embrace instantly livened her senses. When he let go, there was still the lingering feeling of his warmth. Oliver walked around the bend of the hallway but took a last look at his crush. He smiled. Cho was still taken aback by his boldness. When he was out of sight, she took a deep sigh and entered the Ravenclaw common room. Just like the night before, she crept in her dormitory room and tried not to awake her roommates. Unlike the night before, her heart was high in the clouds instead of treading through mud. She remembered that Oliver never got his message across to her, but she was smart enough to know what he wanted to say. She lay on her bed with a high feeling she never experienced. Thinking about Oliver made her feel warm and wonderful. She had no problem falling asleep that night. She was eager to see Oliver again in her dreams.