Second Door to the Right

Chapter 8: Teatime

"So, what did you get for Christmas?" asked Celeste, lounging in the common room, yawning occasionally.

"The typical - books on Charms and such, candy..." Cho said indifferently, flipping through 101 Ways to Keep Your Quidditch Captain Happy ("From Successful Practices to Evading Those Inevitable Lectures").

"Anything from Harry?"

"Some roses..." she said, using all of her might to keep the pleasure in her voice at a minimal level.

"Ooh, that's so romantic. Nothing better than a bouquet of roses...Everlasting, right?"

"I think so."

"Hmm...Everlasting Roses are expensive...I've gotten one once. Just one bloody rose last year from my boyfriend."

"Do you still have it? The company that makes them guarantees a ten-year life for each rose."

"No, I snapped it in half when we broke up and chucked it into the fire. He was a total asshole. I would have been better off with that Hufflepuff, anyway."

Cho stared ahead at the fire, crackling merrily. The Christmas Ball had turned out to be more than just a dance. Apparently, after being cursed by Malfoy, Ernie Macmillan (after receiving a countercurse, of course) had gathered together a band of other Hufflepuffs and set out to jinx any Slytherin they walked upon. Cho felt very lucky indeed she escaped the ball unscathed. His friends' aim wasn't too great.

"Well, now that most of the holiday festivities are over, we'd better get started on homework - " Cho said, starting off for the dormitory.

"No! It's Christmas, Cho. What kind of person does homework on Christmas?"

"Someone who cares enough for her schoolwork, Celeste."

But it wasn't work that drew her away from the warmth of the common room and the holiday cheer. It was planning, planning for the next phase of her diet. She needed only two things: her mind and quiet surroundings. Unfortunately, with Celeste complaining about her ex-boyfriend, Cho couldn't exactly find the latter.

Now she was just alone in her dormitory with no one bother her...

Flopping onto her bed and taking out her Charms book, Cho waited.

Huh? Hello?

She waited a little more, but nothing came to her. No instructions, orders, and lashings came from within her, nothing. It was total calm.

It means, she thought, does this mean...? I've succeeded! Yet something inside tugged at her, urging her to move forward, not to be stagnant but to progress...even after success. Yes, she had done something wonderful but there could more than that, something more than just plain wonderful.

Well, she pondered, I could cut down on the amount I eat for breakfast. Three ounces sounds good, right, no more than that. Still no dinner, it's doing me good. As for lunch, I'll still have to eat something. Half of a small salad, then, no dressing. I'm so close to 100 pounds, if I could reach that, it would be a miracle...and if I'm below that...

Cho's body tingled merrily at the thought.

"Thought you said you were doing your homework," Celeste said warily, sticking her head in the doorway.

"Yeah, I am, but I'm thinking first."

"Charms, eh? In case you can't remember, Professor Flitwick didn't assign us any written homework. He just asked us to start thinking about Creation Charms, and like anyone's going to do that."

"Well, that's what I'm doing!" Cho snapped.

"Okay then, tell me, what's the wand movement for a Creation Charm? After all, you always look over the lesson before doing anything."

"Um..."

Celeste smiled.

"Cho, if you wanted to be alone, you could've just told me."

"Sorry," Cho muttered, feeling ashamed that she had tried to deceive her own best friend.

"Well, anyway, now that you have your Charms book out, why don't we look through the lesson on Creation Charms?"

"But I thought you said - "

"Actually, I've been looking forward to Creation Charms for a while now," Celeste said matter-of-factly. "I've always wanted to conjure toilets out of midair."

They spent the next hour playing around with Creation Charms, learning its wand movement (a somewhat swirling motion, though it really depended on what one wanted to Create) and incantation, and Cho finally managed to conjure a button out of nothing.

"Well, that was exhausting," Celeste exclaimed, "and I didn't even manage to Create anything. Damn, it's a lot harder than all the teachers make it seem. I mean, they can just conjure these huge chairs and at the rate I'm going, I'll be able to get shit out of the air. They do it like its second nature, really."

"Like you said, it is hard. D'you think Hermione knows how to do this?" Cho asked.

"I've heard she can do N.E.W.T. level spells, but this? Eh, I don't know if even she could handle it. Ah, look, time for Christmas tea. Would you mind coming? I'm sure tea is very low in calories."

I've been working pretty hard, Cho thought. I deserve a little something other than rabbit food. It does get tiring, eating nothing but bland-tasting salad everyday.

"Sure, I'll come. And Harry'll probably be there, too, as long as he isn't pelting snowballs at Ron outside."

"He might be. That's what all the Ravenclaws are doing. Here, I'll check."

Celeste strolled to the nearest window and opened it, scanning for a distinctive shade of red.

"Ah, there's Ron with Harry ready to fire away. HEY RON!"

She saw him look up and wave. Celeste waved back.

"ARE YOU AND HARRY GOING TO CHRISTMAS TEA?"

"YEAH! AS SOON AS I'M DONE!"

"WELL, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE DONE?"

"JUST ABOUT...NOW!"

Cho heard a sudden slam of the window and a stream of swearing.

"Bastard! Look at what he did!" Celeste screamed.

Though Cho could see Celeste had a point, she had to restrain herself from falling over in hysterical laughter. Snow covered her face, leaving only her livid eyes.

"He magicked the damn snowball right into my face, the git! Ugh!"

"It's not going to take much to clean, though," Cho said, struggling against the urge to giggle. "Scourgify!"

"Thanks," Celeste muttered as the snow evaporated. "I'm definitely going to have to jinx him today. No better place than during tea..."

* * *

She had only seen Draco once today, and while he refused to meet her eye, he looked angry. About what, Hermione could only guess, but she had her ideas. He couldn't possibly know about what happened last night, she thought.

After her embarrassing encounter with Ron, Hermione had come up with an excuse to escape them all: Ron's infuriated glare, Celeste's disdainful expression, Draco's apathetic tone, she needed to run away from it all. She didn't go to the hospital wing like she had said but her dormitory. There she cried it all out, her desire for Ron's affections, her split heart, and Draco's continuous threats of telling...

I have to convince Draco I really do like him, she thought frantically while pretending to read An Advanced Guide to Arithmancy and Numerology. I need to, otherwise...

Hermione shuddered, which is what seemed to happen every time she thought of Draco telling her story.

Yes, I'll do it during Christmas tea, she thought. They'll be a lot of people there, talking about whatever they talk about, so no one will pay attention to Draco and me, right?

* * *

"Hello, Harry," Cho said brightly as she entered the Hogwarts Tearoom ("Special Occasions Only"), decked in red and green for the occasion.

"Decided not to skive this one off then?" he remarked casually, making Cho turn scarlet. "Want to sit here?"

"All right," she said, settling down between Harry and Ron (Celeste was already deep in conversation with him).

"Quite a riot last night, don't you think?" she asked, hoping to spark some conversation.

"What a shame Malfoy couldn't have sprouted fangs. I'd love to see Hermione try and kiss him like that."

Cho was taken aback at the coldness Harry displayed toward Hermione, but Ron, on the other hand, laughed heartily.

"Look, there she is and dear little Draco," Ron sneered.

"I wish I knew what they were saying!" Celeste said, her eyes sparkling. "That way we could tailor our plan to suit what's going on between them. We could play off their weaknesses."

"You'll need one of these, then," Ron said, pulling what Cho thought was a very stretched-out piece of candy Muggles often chewed and then spit out on sidewalks. "Extendable Ears, perfect for eavesdropping since you can't use any of those nifty Muggle things Harry told me about."

"Well, Ron, wouldn't you think someone would see it? Unless it comes with an Invisibility Charm, of course."

"Hmm, thanks for the tip! I'll tell Fred and George that. It'd improve sales, I'm sure..."

"Oh, give it here," Celeste snapped, snatching it out of Ron's grasp.

* * *

"Draco dear..."

"Don't 'dear' me, Granger. I've got a damn good idea as to what you were doing last night."

"You must be mistaken - "

"No, you're the one that's mistaken. I don't give a rat's ass whether or not you're my girlfriend. Actually, I'd prefer you weren't. There are plenty of girls I could date...most of them made of much better blood than you. I've got a lot of good connections, if you recall. I'd think that you'd at least remember that.

Hermione couldn't remember the last time she wanted to curse anyone this badly.

"Well, fine then!" she hissed. "Go have your Slytherin rubbish, I don't care either! Just don't...you know...don't..."

"Tell, m'dear?" Draco smirked, his face lighting up. "Granger, you can date that blood-traitor, poor house resident Weasley if you want to. You'll just have to pay a little price for it, I daresay."

"You wouldn't, you wouldn't dare," Hermione said, her voice trembling. Though she was still as angry as ever, his words had injected fear and dread into her.

"Oh, yes, I think I would. If it's one thing you need to learn from this year is that a Malfoy always gets his way. I got the help I needed, you got what you wanted, but in the end, you know I'm going to win."

"You - you don't understand, you've never been insecure, you - "

" - 'filthy rich and spoiled bastard'? Dear me, you are predictable."

Fury boiled up within Hermione like never before. She wanted to grab hold of his head, smash it against the wall, she would take pleasure in seeing the blood flow from underneath his silvery hair, watching it stain his clothes, yes, revenge would be so sweet...

She watched Draco pouring tea into his cup...his pompous smile...how she wanted to see it transform into a grimace of pain...

Blow up, you blasted teapot.

* * *

Several shrieks nearby abruptly halted Cho's discussion about her summer plans with Harry. She whipped around, and what she saw sent her ducking under the table, hoping she wouldn't laugh out loud. Prideful Draco Malfoy was covered head to toe in scalding tea, his blond hair dripping with tealeaves, his robes saturated to the point where it looked like he had just emerged from a swimming pool.

"YOU MUDBLOOD! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he bellowed.

"What? What could I have done?" Hermione said innocently.

"WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE? AND THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO CAN DO N.E.W.T. LEVEL SPELLS!" he yelled incredulously.

"Yes, what could I have done without a wand? I know I'm capable of doing something like that, but without a wand, I might as well eat the teapot."

"THEN YOU HAD YOUR WAND OUT THEN! I KNOW YOU DID!"

"Draco, Draco, calm down. I'm very sure I didn't have my wand out. Ask around, if you don't believe me."

"You there!" He pointed a menacing finger at a horrified Hufflepuff first year. "Did this rubbish take out her wand?"

"N-no, I-I didn't s-see her - "

"DON'T LIE!"

"I-I swear! She didn't!"

"TELL ME SHE DID! TELL ME SHE - " he screamed, shaking the poor student.

"Mr. Malfoy, is it necessary to manhandle younger students?" Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway, attracted by all the noise. A sudden silence fell upon the crowd. "Mr. Malfoy, will be please let go of him?"

"SHE BLEW UP THE BLOODY TEAPOT! SHE BLEW IT UP! ON ME AND ON PURPOSE!" Draco roared, pointing an accusatory finger at Hermione, looking only mildly interested.

"Well, from what I heard from the person you were harassing, Miss Granger did not take out her wand. So, Mr. Malfoy, that'll be ten points from Slytherin for making such a fuss over nothing and yelling yourself hoarse at innocent bystanders, and another ten points for bullying another student. Be lucky you weren't given a detention. Now I suggest you all calm down and finish your tea."

As she strolled out of the room, Malfoy let out a stream of curses, which caused more than a couple younger students cringe. He wheeled around, bearing down on the eerily quiet crowd, all who were staring at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" he shrieked, his pale face turning red. "YOU HEARD HER! GO BACK TO YOU TEA!"

A clinking sound of cups followed, and the chatter gradually returned. When Malfoy sat down, Hermione was adamantly staring at her teacup.

"That was quite a show," Cho said, unruffled. "We're having some holiday, eh? First the ball, now Christmas tea."

"Oh, forget about Malfoy's little outburst!" Celeste whispered enthusiastically. "You know what I heard?" She relayed much of the conversation to Harry, Cho, and Ron. "It's just like what I've been thinking all along."

"Well, what have you been thinking?" Harry asked.

"That Hermione isn't going out with Malfoy 'cause she fancies him. They're bound together by - well, I don't know what's keeping 'em together. That we'll figure out later. Ron, you're in luck! She fancies you after all! Now, if only we knew what she was up to...and I wonder what that whole 'I don't want you to tell people, Draco' crap is all about."

"Well, I think that what she doesn't want everyone to know is the reason why she's going out with him and pretending to like him...that is, if she's still pretending she likes him. Remember what we saw at Hogsmeade, Harry? They looked like they had a row, and the next minute they were kissing." Cho said.

"Really? You think?"

"Well, maybe, yes," Cho said impatiently. "Anyway, what d'you reckon happened with the teapot and what not? It blew up, but how? I'm pretty sure she didn't have her wand out."

"It's what happens when you lose control of your temper," Harry said, attracting a confused look from Cho. "See, the summer before my third year, I got mad at Aunt Marge and well..."

"And Harry blew her up!" Ron exclaimed.

"Really?"

"Well, she didn't really blow up," Harry said sheepishly. "More like inflated." Ron snickered, who clearly found the memory high amusing. "Well, I'm done with my tea."

"I'll come with you," Cho and Ron said simultaneously.

"And since I really don't want to be left without friends with a very ticked off Draco Malfoy, I'll come as well," Celeste added.

Leaving their cups and saucers behind, they stood up and headed for the door. At least, three of them did anyway...

* * *

That Mudblood's going to pay for what she did, he thought angrily. No one publicly embarrasses a Malfoy and then gets away with it. Oh, look, it's Weasley and his little crew: Potter, Chang...

Wait, Weasley? Huh...

* * *

"MOVE! AHHHHHH!"

A curse from somewhere sent Ron flying into a group of Ravenclaws, spilling tea everywhere.

"What - the - hell - " he panted, shaking tealeaves off his robe. He sent a particularly nasty look at Hermione, who mouthed "Malfoy" and winked. Is she trying to tell me that Malfoy cursed me, he thought. Well, she hasn't been too helpful and could by lying just so she could have another go for me - "Oh, Ron! Stop cursing my boyfriend!" - but out of the people here, he definitely seems like the one that would have cursed me. And while Hermione's been paying absolutely no attention to me, she wouldn't ever curse another Gryffindor. Well, here goes -

"Furnunculus!" Ron yelled, waving his wand madly at Malfoy.

Ugly red boils popped up on Malfoy's neck and slowly inched towards his face, and he was clawing his hands into his face, trying to puncture the boils. Ron noticed Hermione doubling over with silent giggles and felt more confident.

"Malfoy, you look great with those," he jeered. "You should try wearing them more often."

"Tarantallegra!"

"Protego," Ron said immediately after, sending the jinx right back at Malfoy, where it caught him unaware, causing him to dance uncontrollably.

"Hermione, help!" he moaned, trying unsuccessfully to regain control of his legs.

"Sorry, dear, but if I take out my wand, you might have another go at me," she said, smiling sweetly. Even Ron couldn't help but laugh as he jogged out of the tearoom, leaving a fuming Malfoy struggling to retrieve his wand out of his pocket.

* * *

"You're being awfully quiet," Cho said as she flipped through Transfiguration Made Easy: A Student's Guide to the Transfiguration N.E.W.T. after the Christmas feast.

"I'm just wondering...what happened today during tea."

"It was funny, wasn't it, Malfoy losing his temper like that?"

"No, not that. I'm just thinking...what do you think Hermione's up to? What's the difference between her behavior this year and last year?"

"Isn't it obvious? Last year, at least she kept her head down, and this year, she's a complete snob. Why do you care? Is this all for Ron?"

"Well, somewhat, yes, but I just like to help people, and in order to help them, you need to understand them first."

"Hermione doesn't deserve any help," Cho said coldly.

"I know, but whatever's plaguing her...oh, whatever. I'll think about it later. So, what are you reading?" She showed Celeste the cover. "Ah, I have the Potions one since I'm horrible at that subject. What d'you think N.E.W.T.s are going to be like?"

"Like the O.W.L.s, I guess, but more advanced material. Also won't be as many, because we dropped a couple courses, but the exams'll probably take longer."

"Are you nervous?"

"Of course, but I'm not dwelling on it yet. After all, they aren't until our seventh year." "Yeah...well, look, I'm going back up to the dormitory to practice the Creation Charm. See you, then."

"Bye."

But Cho's mind wasn't entirely on bidding her friend farewell. She was thinking about what Celeste had said: In order to help them, you need to understand them first. Cho didn't think she had ever heard anything so enlightening. They all want to help me - Celeste and Harry, she thought. They all want to keep me safe and are somehow convinced I'm going to kill myself through this diet. But they don't understand me, not at all. And today, during tea, when Hermione said something about being insecure, that's me. I've always been doubted at home and at school and by even the person I love, Harry. And the only way I can overcome that insecurity is by being perfect, and no one understands that.

Except maybe...

Goodness!

I think Hermione might be the only person who would understand me. She's insecure too, even though she's pretty and smart, but she's not trying to overcome it the way I am. She thinks that by being overly social it'll cover it up. Well, I've already tried that and it doesn't work. Look where I've ended up. I'm as flawed as ever, even after supposedly succeeding.

* * *

The end of the holidays was a positive happening for Cho, and she was possibly the only one who thought so ("Don't know why you're looking so happy," Celeste grumbled as they set off for Charms, their first class of the new term.). After decreasing her already minimized "meals," the gnawing hunger grew worse, and she discovered that even Olde and Useful Potions could no longer serve its original purpose. Insomnia visited her nightly even after draining Quidditch practices and mountains of homework, and no matter how warm the bedpans and thick the down comforters were, Cho found herself shivering involuntarily as she lay in what would have been a world of warmth. Only one thought sustained her. Thus, she was glad for the distraction classes unknowingly provided.

If only those classes were as enjoyable as they used to be.

"Celeste, I'll catch up with you later," Cho panted as she stood against the wall on the way to Charms (located on the seventh floor) near the end of January.
"What's up? You look really tired."

"Just - I forgot a quill. I'll, um, I have to go back and get it, okay?"

Cho started down the staircase, waiting for Celeste's footsteps to disappear. Breathing with relief, she headed up the stairs again, only to end up clutching her chest and feeling like she had just run a mile. What is wrong with me, she thought. I'm athletic - Ravenclaw Seeker and all, and yet I can't even make it up a staircase. During her climb, she passed by a mirror and quickly glanced at it. What she saw, however, made her nearly fall over.

Her eyes, once so warm and deep, appeared shallow and possessed the appearance of someone extremely paranoid. Her hair, once so thick and glossy, hung lank and had clearly lost all of its volume. Most shattering of all were the creases beneath her eyes, the product of many sleepless nights, aging her young face.

Eyes filling up with tears at the sight of her once-beautiful face, she ran all the way up to class, ignoring the fact her muscles were protesting with all the strength they had left.

"Sorry, Professor, I had to go back to - " she panted as she arrived at the Charms classroom ten minutes late.

"Celeste here has already explained it all. Take a seat, please."

Trying to ignore all the curious stares from her classmates, she collapsed into a seat next to Celeste, and by the look on her friend's face, she clearly didn't believe at all Cho had gone back to get a quill.

The chair felt unusually hard under her.