The One to Keep

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~ Let's Talk About Quidditch ~

By: Phaedra
Editor: Kaihn Aelathali

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Cho sat in the middle of the Ravenclaw tent with scrolls of Quidditch plays surrounding her. Tomorrow morning she would be playing against Gryffindor, Oliver's team. Her beloved would be her rival. The very thought set loose butterflies in her stomach. The door swung open allowing a breeze to creep in and rustle Cho's papers. Cho looked up just as the rest of her team walked in.

"Here so early, Chang?" questioned Rex, one of the Chasers.

"Oh . . . well . . . I've had a lot of time on my hands lately." Cho scrambled across the floor after her papers. Roger was the only one that helped her.

"Lot of extra time? Figured you would be snogging with Oliver. By the way that reminds me..." said Roger, stroking his chin.

"No Roger! Oliver's not daft! He'd never tell me his plays, and I even if he did, I wouldn't want him to..." Cho rolled her eyes.

"Blast!" Roger scoffed and shook a fist.

"Actually," Cho blushed, "he . . . Oliver . . . he has increased the practices with his team. It's . . . well . . . tomorrow's a big game, you know?"

The players, minus Roger, rolled their eyes at the mention of Cho and her troubles with her boyfriend, especially considering the boyfriend was the captain of a rival team. Roger on the other hand, looked empathetically at his teammate. He reassuringly patted her on the shoulder keeping in mind that he had to uphold professional behavior during Quidditch meetings. He walked over to the window and looked over to the Gryffindor tent. Sure enough, the lights were on and faint silhouettes could be seen behind the windows.

"Well then," Roger said attracting the attention of his teammates, "tomorrow's game is BIG! At this point, we have one loss and so does Gryffindor. It's not yet set in stone who will earn the cup, but let's turn it to our favor! We're stronger, faster, and smarter!"

"Yeah, and if all else fails, Cho can always flash Ollie a bit of plumage! He'll be too busy thinking about scoring that he won't see us score!"

Rex and the rest of the team roared with laughter. Roger rolled his eyes. Cho flushed and buried her hands in her face, too embarrassed to respond.

"Go to the Pitch and start practicing, you half-wits!" Roger fumed as he hurled a Quaffle at Rex.

The team filed out, occasionally poking and smacking Cho on their way, while Roger turned his back to the board. A few seconds after the boys left, Roger heard Cho sigh in frustration before rising from her chair to follow them.

"Cho!" Roger called with his back still facing her. "Stay."

Surprised by Roger's sudden seriousness, she followed his order and sat back down in his chair. He pulled his gaze from the board and headed toward his office, with his eyes facing the ground.

"Come over here," Roger called from his office.

Cho started to worry. She knew that she performed poorly during the last game and she was about to hear a lecture about it from her captain. Or worse, Roger would further drill Cho about dating a rival player. Not just a player but a team captain. She feared that Roger would state that her relationship with Oliver was interfering with her play. Even though Roger had been a dear friend of Cho's since her first day at Hogwarts, he still remained objective when it came to his Quidditch responsibilities and treated Cho as just another teammate.

Crossing the threshold into Roger's office felt more like stepping into McGonagall's office, no, Snape's office. She was terrified. Judging by his overly serious tone, Cho figured Roger had something dreadful in mind for this discussion. She sat at the opposite side of his desk facing him, but his eyes were fixed on the scrolls in front of him, briefly reminding her of Oliver. Then Roger looked up at her and snapped Cho back to the moment. It was the first time that she had ever seen a serious look in his eyes. It was almost mesmerizing.

"Come here," he ordered and pulled a chair closer to her.

Cho took a deep breath and again followed his order. She was a bit relieved that he was willing to forego some professionalism and have her sit casually next to him. She sat by his side and looked over his shoulder to see what he was writing on the scroll. They were the Quidditch plays all right. However the lines and marking made the plays look like mindless scribbling. In fact, that's what he looked like he was doing. Mindless scribbling.

"So . . ." he started in a throaty voice, "how are things?"

Cho was taken aback. Was this the goofy Roger she knew? She known his character for years, and he never acted this serious with her.

"Uh. . . buh. . . good?"

"Good?"

Roger raised an eyebrow as his eyes drilled through her. Cho felt uncomfortable. It wasn't until Roger wiped away his flirtatious face and gave her the familiar giddy expression that relaxed her senses. She didn't understand why Roger acted strangely for that brief moment, but that didn't matter now.

"I don't know, Rog," Cho spoke with ease. "I'm just. . . I don't know."

"That's the problem with you dames!" Roger scoffed. Cho couldn't help but smile. "Never know what you want! Best steak in the world could be handed to you on a silver platter, and you chicks can't decide if you're hungry!"

"No! It's not that!" Cho fiddled with the ring that Oliver gave her. Roger continued to scribble. "I'm just not so sure anymore."

"Not sure? About what?"

"Things."

Roger snorted and rolled his eyes. "Things?!" He tickled her playfully. "You'll need to elaborate on those things!"

"Roger!" Cho giggled. "No. . . it's. . . nah!"

"Aw, c'mon! Tell me! What are you not sure about? Something with Oliver?"

Bingo! Cho gasped and looked at Roger with big eyes.

"It is, isn't it?" said Roger. "I'm all ears."

"It's hard to explain. . ."

"Try me." More scribbling.

"Well, mind you I feel awful, I really do. . ." Cho looked away.

"But. . .?" He stopped and looked at her.

"I'm just confused."

"Confused?" Roger tried to sound surprised, but he knew exactly what Cho bottled up.

"Yes."

"Is that it?" he pressed.

"Well. . ."

Cho averted her head away from Roger. She pressed her lips while the room stayed silent for a moment. Roger gave Cho a moment to collect her thoughts before touching her cheek and leading her gaze to meet his.

"You know you can tell me anything, Cho." Roger gave her a tender look.

Cho smiled. She trusted Roger with her life, and with her secrets. She took a deep breath and opened up to her friend. Roger listened intently as Cho confessed all that had been going on. There was a long moment of silence until Cho began to cry. He brought her head close to his chest in a friendly, reassuring matter. That was all she needed for comfort.

"Give it some time, Cho," Roger said reassuringly. "These things have a funny way of working themselves out."

Cho let out a faint laugh. "They do?"

"Yes, you'd be fairly surprised. Just follow your heart within the boundaries set by your head."

Cho looked puzzled. She'd heard 'Follow your heart,' or 'Follow your head,' but never combined. Roger rolled his eyes and smirked.

"You're a Ravenclaw, Miss Chang! You can figure it out!" Roger then closed his playbook and packed his bags. "Now get out of here!"

Roger gave Cho a reassuring pat on the shoulder and strolled to the exit. She followed and he locked the door behind them. He paused to look at what Cho fixed her eyes on, the Gryffindor Quidditch Tent. Where Oliver is.

"Go on." He nudged her.

Cho walked towards the tent and stopped halfway in her tracks. She could faintly see Oliver's figure in the window. She turned around to search for some reassurance from Roger, but he had already left. She was on her own. Step by step she trudged to his door. She stopped in front of the big frame and took a deep sigh. Finally, she found the courage to open the door.

~*~*~

Cho looked down at her fingers and picked at her nails. Oliver stood several feet away with his arms crossed and eyes fixed out the window. Cho only took two minutes to speak with Oliver. Several minutes of silence followed. Random sighs were the only thing cutting the silence but they did nothing to relieve the tension.

"It's probably for the best, you know." Oliver swallowed hard. "I mean. . . I'm graduating soon. . . I guess. . . I understand where you're coming from. . ."

"Oliver. . ." Cho interrupted.

"No, I. . . I have to do what's best for my life. . . and well. . ."

"Can I just. . ."

Oliver pressed a finger to her lips to encourage Cho not to speak. She pouted her lips and tried to hold back her tears. He let out a frustrated sigh and turned his back to her. Cho was too afraid to speak. He stood there with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on the wall. Cho fiddled with her ring while she waited for Oliver to break the silence. Eventually, she took the ring off her finger and placed it on the desk. She got up and walked out, shutting the door softly behind her. She wiped the tears from her face and dragged her broom out of his tent.

Oliver turned his head toward the door after Cho shut it. He took in a heavy sigh and shut his eyes tight but tears still trickled down his face.

"Get a grip on yourself, Oliver!" he muttered to himself. "She's just a girl. A little girl."

He wiped his face and took a gulp of water. He sat down on his desk and dipped his quill in the ink. He wrote a few lines in his Quidditch notes and looked to the side of his scroll. There he saw Cho's ring. The gift had given to her as a symbol of his love. Frustrated he swung his arm across the surface of the desk knocking over scrolls and ink bottles. Scrolls unfurled across the floor while the bottles of ink shattered over them destroying his work. He saw his plays being destroyed, but his rage wouldn't allow him to care. Oliver buried his face in his hands. Moments later he got up from his chair to clean the mess he made. Walking over the papers, something crunch under his shoe.

"Bloody ink bottle!"

He bent over to lift the scrolls and underneath was a framed picture of Cho and himself, the glass cracked and shattered into a spider web.

Oliver froze in shock. "What have I done?" He couldn't believe this had happened. A few scrolls he could replace, but this . . .

He flicked away the shards of glass from the picture and removed it from the frame. He walked over to his desk and studied the picture for a while. She looked so happy in the picture.

'What did I do to make her so sad?' he thought. He looked away from his picture to the desk and saw the ring that he gave her. "How did this get here . . . unless. . . unless she left it there. My God, what have I done? She doesn't want the ring anymore."

At that moment, it became clear to Oliver how Cho really felt about him. This wasn't one of her emotional whims. She really did not want to be together anymore. He clutched the ring in his fist, slammed it on the table, and viciously grabbed the photo. He gritted his teeth and ripped a small notch in the photo, but that was as far as he could tear. He couldn't do it. He smiled of the memories and placed the photo and ring in the drawer of his desk.

"Goodbye Cho Chang."

~*~*~

It was moments before the Gryffindor Ravenclaw Quidditch match. The teams were in their respective halls of the pitch waiting to fly out and start the game. However, the Ravenclaw team wasn't quite assembled.

"Miss Chang!" Roger shrieked as he pounded at Cho's locker room door. "C'mon! I can't beat Gryffindor without you!"

Instantly the door swung open. Cho, dressed in her Quidditch robes and clutching her broom, glared at Roger with a cold stare. Suddenly the February air didn't seem quite so cold.

"Let's ride," was all she said

Roger was excited by Cho's determination, yet terrified to walk near her. Cho was in front of her teammates as they waited by the gates of the pitch to open. She held her broom so tight that her knuckles turned white. She was not going to let Oliver's team win.

On the other side of the pitch the Gryffindor team stood by their gate.

"Remember Harry," said Oliver, "Cho is very prone to accidents . . . be sure to KNOCK her off her broom!"

Harry took a gulp and nodded. At that instant, the doors swung open and players from both teams swarmed the pitch in haze of blue and garnet. Once Cho adjusted to the bright sun and cool air, she searched the crowds for the one person she wanted watching her. Cedric. Her eyes scanned the Hufflepuff section but he was nowhere in sight.

"Focus, Cho!" she said to herself as she shook her head. "There's only one golden shimmer that should be on your mind."

Madame Hooch signaled for the game to begin and the pitch was soon a flurry of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Goals were scored, fouls were made, and accidents occurred. But there was no sign of the snitch . . . or Cedric. She did notice that Harry ran a particular course at immense speed. Had he seen the snitch? Determined, Cho followed him and stayed close behind.

'I'm not going to let you win, Ollie!' she thought to herself as she neared the end of Harry's broom.

Harry kept looking back over his shoulder at Cho, his face a mixture of fear, intimidation, and something she couldn't quite pin down. If Harry was trying to lose her, it was not going to work. He may have had the better broom, but she was sure she was more determined.

"This is no time to be a gentleman, Harry!" Oliver yelled, "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM!!"

'KNOCK her off her BROOM?! KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM?! What the bloody hell, Oliver?!' thought Cho.

Cho was astonished. Just last week she shared something special with Oliver, and now he wanted her to plummet to the ground. Distracted by her thoughts, Cho let Harry slip further ahead until he caught the snitch. Her heart sank and so did her broom. She lost. She let Oliver win. Yet, she managed a smile and congratulated Harry.

During the walk back to the Ravenclaw tent, Roger furiously scolded his teammates for sloppy play. Cho tried to zone out her Captains nagging, especially since a considerable chunk was aimed at her. She was too agitated to be lectured and scolded. She knew what she did had been wrong and didn't need to hear it in Roger's moody tone.

"You HAD IT! What the bloody 'ell happened!?" Roger yelled in Cho's ears as she entered to tent.

She had enough. Knowing Oliver was smugly enjoying his victory over her was bad enough. She only wanted to strike where it would hurt him the most: beating him at his own game. And she failed. She furiously flung her broom across the tent, nearly shattering it against the chalk board.

"I KNOW, ROGER! I KNOOOW!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Do you think I LET Gryffindor win?! Do you think I felt sorry for Oliver and LET him win!?"

The other players took a step back at Cho's anger. For a little girl, she had a powerful voice. Roger stood his ground and crossed his arms.

"You had a duty, Miss Chang. . ."

"So did YOU, Mister Davies!"

"Uh. . .oh. . . Lover's quarrel!" Rex said. The other teammates snickered.

"SODD OFF!" Cho and Roger yelled in unison and glared back at each other.

Roger gritted his teeth and viciously grabbed Cho's arm and led her to his office. He slammed the door to block out the team, but that did not stop them from pressing their ears to the door.

"SIT DOWN!" he scolded her.

Cho pouted and slammed herself into the chair. Roger paced back and forth behind her while squeezing the bridge of his nose. He walked to the front of his desk facing her, but did not meet her eyes. He flipped through the play scrolls until he found one that was titled "Seeker." He took moment to study the moves, shook his head and slammed it on the desk in front of Cho. He glared at her.

"You did not follow ONE single play!" he said sternly. "What were you doing?!"

"Obviously not listening to YOU!"

"CHO! I have had it with you!" he yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. Before he could say, or yell, anything else, he stopped himself to calm down a bit. "I'm going to ask you one more time. . ." he sat in his chair to face her and they looked at each other, "WHY?"

Cho sighed and adverted her eyes. She did let her team down. She let her frustration and her moodiness cost them game and a chance at the Quidditch cup. Roger may be her good friend but he would still cut her from the team for acting like this. She swore to herself that she wouldn't cry, but she didn't know how to answer his question without bringing tears. She knew what had happened, but she didn't know how to tell him. She wasn't going to say anything. Why should she tell her Captain that she failed because she was distracted from her frustration with Oliver. . . and new feelings for Cedric. All Roger knew was that she disobeyed her plays. And Cho was content with that. She would rather get cut from the team than suffer the embarrassment someone knowing the impact her emotions were having on the rest of her life.

"It will never happen again," she finally responded.

"This is your last chance, Cho," Roger snapped. "Many kids are lining up for your spot. And they probably are more obedient than you are. You are constantly late for practice, if you ever show up to them! You're getting careless, Cho. Now that Oliver is out of your life, I expect to see improvements. . . FAST!"

Before Cho could defend herself with a response, Roger swiveled on his chair and waved her to go. She stood there for a brief moment wondering whether to save her face with words, but there was no point. Roger knew why Cho performed poorly, and sadly, he was right. She turned on her heel and left his office slamming the door on the way out. She paid no attention to the other teammates that had their eyes fixed on her as she walked out.

'How could Roger be so cruel!' she thought. She fumed by the lake over her performance and the scolding. . . and the fact that Cedric was a no show at the game. 'And where was he? He never misses a Quidditch match! Not even MINE! How could he do this to me! I thought we were friends. Hmm friends? Boyfriend? CHO!! Argh! This is the reason why you lost the ruddy game! No it isn't! If Cedric was there. . . This is all HIS fault! I always did well when he was there. When he watched me. It's all his fault! But why? Why do I do well when he is there? Cuz I'm better than him! ME! He was always so smart and good looking and talented and. . .cuter. . .sweeter. . .I love his eyes. . .those perfectly rounded gray eyes. . . and his lips. . .they were so pink and kissable. . .mmmm.' Cho closed her eyes and hugged her knees. She daydreamed for a bit as the sun set over the mountains.

The night turned darker and colder. Other than the castle there was hardly any lights around, but that didn't scare Cho. Suddenly, she heard a noise in the woods and abruptly sprang to her feet. She didn't realize that she had been by the lake for so long. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Something was out there.

"H. . . Hello?" Cho stammered.

No sound was heard. She relaxed a bit, thinking that she was safe. However, she had left her belongings in the Ravenclaw tent in haste of leaving Roger's office. She jogged to the Quidditch pitch and noticed that one of the tents illuminated the field.

'It's probably that sheep-raper studying for his next match! OOOO!' she thought to herself, inflaming her feelings about Oliver again.

Then she realized that Oliver's tent was on the other side of the pitch.

'Who is up this late working on plays? Cedric?'

She cautiously approached the lit tent and discovered that it was indeed the Hufflepuff tent. Cedric MUST be in there! Her walk turned into a run until she was face to face with his door. She stopped and stared at the knobs. She'd seen them before, but now they were intimidating. She took a deep breath and tapped on the door.

'Five, four. . .ONE! RUN CHO!'

Before Cho could take a step, the door opened. There he was. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, his hair slightly tussled, and his tie pulled loose. He was mesmerizing. She longed to look at his face. Though she had seen it before for years, it was different now. It wasn't the faint candlelight that illuminated the rugged features of his face, or the cold air that wanted her wrap her arms around him. It was him, Cedric. Only, now, Cho had finally opened her eyes. She realized what she had for all these years. How could she not notice him like this before? He was everything that she wanted in a boy, but she paid no attention . . . until now.

She couldn't stand it any longer. She flung her arms around his neck and gave him an intimate hug. She hung onto him tight as if he was going to leave forever. She'd hugged him a million times in the past, but this time it was different. It was warmer and more personal than it ever was before. Wait . . . something wasn't right. Cho had her arms around him but where were his? She should be engulfed by them from now. He did not hug her back. Instead of returning Cho's affection, he gently freed himself from her grasp. She looked at him confused. Shouldn't he return the affection? Didn't he still feel the same? What's changed? He didn't even meet her eyes. He seemed . . . distracted. As if something or someone else was on his mind.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"N . . . nothing," he uneasily replied without looking at her. "I'm just a bit . . . surprised."

"Well . . . I'm here!" she said with a smile hoping to receive a better response.

Cedric finally looked in Cho's eyes but there was hardly any love in his eyes. He looked as if he didn't want her there, like she was a nuisance or just some kid.

"Do you need anything," he asked coolly.

"No . . . I was just out here," she said looking at her feet, "and I saw your light on, and I thought I would say hi."

"Oh, well I'm on my way out. I'll be heading to my common room now."

He blew the candles out and locked the door behind them.

"Oh," said Cho, "can I walk with you? I should be heading back now too."

"I expected you too," he replied walking ahead of her, "it is still dark outside. Come on, now!"

Cho scuttled after him forgetting about her belongings left in the Ravenclaw tent. Cedric did not say one word during the entire of the walk. He would either be focused on where his feet stepped or what was out in front of him. Something was definitely bothering him. Occasionally, she would brush his arm discreetly to gain his attention, but he continued to ignore her.

'What is he so focused on? CEDRIC! I'm right HERE! MEEE! He probably is stressed out from school. Midterms are coming up. Yea, that has to be it. What ELSE could possibly distract him?'

Firm in her beliefs, Cho walked contentedly beside Cedric, even if he did continue to ignore her. As they entered the Great Hall, Cedric turned to Cho and gave her a smile and said goodbye. It was good enough for her. Although she did not receive so much of a hug, she still felt as though she was walking on a cloud on the way back to her common room. She walked in and plopped herself on the couch with a smile. She felt good about seeing Cedric, even if he was playing distant at the moment.

"What's with you?" asked a figure in the shadows. It was Roger.

"Oh, it's you!" Cho snapped, still upset with him. "If you're going to lecture me again about today's play then, BRING IT ON! There's nothing you can say that would bring me down from this high."

She set her head back against the couch and closed her eyes smiling. Roger approached her and plopped his book in her lap.

"What happened?" said Roger. "Wait . . . if it has anything to do with 'ol Ollie, I don't want to hear it. I'm rather sick of this drama, actually."

"Why are you so moody lately? And what was with the third degree today?"

"I'm over it." He whispered and sat beside Cho. "Look . . . I'm very sorry for my attitude earlier."

Cho wanted to interrupt and confess her fault, but decided to listen to what Roger had on his mind.

"It's just that the things I want so badly slip through my fingers. Every single damn time," he looked deep in her eyes. "Ever get that feeling?"

"Y . . . Yea," Cho stammered, "I guess."

"I'm talking about the Quidditch cup."

"Oh!" Cho perked. "Of course."

Roger flashed his charming smile again. He could be very smooth when he wanted to be.

"Well, I'm off to bed," he started to rise from the couch but quickly sat back down. "Wait. Why are you suddenly so cheery? Snogged with pretty boy, Michael Corner or something?"

"NO! Please! Let's just say . . . I'm about to have the steak that was handed to me on a silver platter!" Cho said remembering Roger's analogy. She dashed up the stairs leaving Roger confused for a moment.

"Huh . . . OH!" Roger exclaimed, figuring what Cho was talking about. "WAIT! Is it Cedric!" He chased after Cho on the girl's staircase.

Cho stopped in her tracks and looked at Roger has he climbed the stairs. Roger stopped as well, forgetting about the hex that prevented the guys from climbing into the girl's rooms. He used to charm his feet to float over the stairs, but forgot to perform it in haste. Suddenly the stairs turned into a slide and forced Roger and Cho to crash back into the common room. The laughed at their misfortune and said their goodbyes.

~*~*~

Cedric slowly walked into his common room. The room was empty except for a blonde girl curled up on a couch reading a book. She looked up at him and smiled.

"There you are! I wondered where you were," said the girl playfully as she rose from the couch.

"I was in my tent, studying. If I had known you were waiting for me I would have returned sooner."

The girl rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I wasn't waiting for you! I just had trouble with a bit of first years and hour ago. Would have been nice if my fellow prefect was here to help straighten them out," she said and winked at Cedric.

"Sorry, Elle," Cedric laughed. "Well, I'm here now."

He grinned sheepishly and pulled her body closer to his. Elle giggled at Cedric's silly attempt at being smooth.

"What are you doing!?" Elle whispered. "There could be first years spying! How are we supposed to set an example?"

"Aww c'mon," Cedric whined. "Just one . . . please?"

Elle smiled and kissed him softly on the lips and quickly broke away from his grasp.

"Good night, Diggory!" She whispered and dashed up the stairs.

The smile quickly faded away from Cedric's face as he returned to his dorm room for bed. He lay atop of his bed with his fingertips grazing his lips, pondering recent events until he fell asleep.

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