Great Hall
The Great Hall certainly seems to be the heart of
Hogwarts, as every day the four houses of Hogwarts and professors alike join
together in this magnificent corridor.
Even the elitist wizard or witch would be bedazzled by the sheer
brilliance of this hall.
The room seems to be lit by an endless number of candles
floating atop the five tables set up here.
Four of the tables are evenly placed beside each other, measuring at
least a hundred meters each. These
polished tables seem to possess an endless number of golden goblets and
platters, which are empty at the moment, but rest assured; any decent magical
institution would fill them with many eats as breakfast, lunch, and dinner each
roll around. The walls adjacent with the
four tables are decorated with elaborately ornamented flags of the four houses:
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw,
and Slytherin.
Of course, seated at these four tables would be the students of these
houses.
At the front of the room is another table, identical to
the other tables in the room except for the fact that the professors at
Hogwarts dine there. Above that table is
the crest of Hogwarts, proudly displayed in all its glory. The occasional suit of armor is placed around
the room, as well as a few framed pictures, but it's not like the room really
needs to be decorated by things such as those.
Above the tabletops is a magnificent ceiling, if it's a
ceiling at all. It seems to be the
starry sky itself; the ceiling stretches upward so
high, it certainly is hard to tell if there's a rooftop covering the room or
not. Although someone who has been
reading his or her books about Hogwarts would tell you it's bewitched to look
like the sky outside. Nevertheless, the
room as a whole certainly is a breath-taking place.
Harry is seated by himself at a section of the Gryffindor's table. Not too many students appear to be
milling about. An elbow rests against the table's surface with his hand pressed
into his cheek, leaning to the side. His other hand idly flips through a book
that he has placed in front of him.
Cho enters through the main
doors, looking for one of her many Ravenclaw friends
who someone thought would be here at the moment. The room is scanned, but the
friend apparently isn't in the Great Hall. She's about to go check the Library
when her eyes happen to catch a certain boy sitting at the Gryffindor section.
She immediately breaks from the edge of the door and walks towards him.
"Good evening, Harry," she says with a friendly smile, once she's
gotten within a few feet.
Harry flips another page, frowning a bit, then grimacing
at some diagrams pictured. o O
( That's a nasty move if I ever.. ) "eh? Cho!"
Earth to Harry. The book 'Strategy and Maneuvers in
Wizard's Chess,' is shut and you've got his full attention. "Good evening.
how're you doing?"
Cho raises an eyebrow at the
book, but says nothing about it right away. "I'm doing fine." It's a
question she's used to lately, and the default answer falls out before she can
even think about it. She could probably be having a horrible day and still it
would fall out without pause. "How are you? No more headaches I
hope?"
Harry can sympathize with the default 'I'm fine'.
"Glad to hear that.. err..
well.. yeah. Not too badly at
any rate." He adjusts his glasses, then turns
around in his seat to face you. "Would you like to sit down?" Not
like anyone's going to protest about a Ravenclaw
sitting here in between meals and all.
Cho glances down at the chair.
With a nod, she seems to decide in the affirmative with a, "Thank
you," and pulls the chair out enough to seat herself, tilting it towards
him. "I can make you more of that remedy any time you need." Her
smile is the same friendly smile as before. "Not right now though."
She doesn't carry remedy components around in her robes. Well, not /usually/ at
any rate.
Harry nods his head, "Thank you. I was going to go
up to the hospital wing later on before bed. Least that way I could sleep
better, unless the headache goes away before then." They've been coming
and going without warning. Still, they haven't reached the levels that he
experienced last year.
"Having trouble sleeping?" Cho
says in an almost surprised voice. "I could help with that too."
She's recently become an expert on sleeping potions. But that's another story
all together. "If it's just headaches keeping you up, then you probably
don't need a sleeping potion, though."
Harry braces his hands against his knees as he looks down
at the floor, then back up at you, "It's the headaches. Not
every night however." Just whenever a certain
unnamed villain is making exceptionally evil plans. Actually no, it's
not just the periodic headaches. There's the odd nightmare here and there,
maybe they're tied into the headaches, maybe not. "I don't need a sleeping
potion.." Unless Pomfrey
decides to wrestle it down his throat at some point if it's necessary.
Cho nods, smiling
apologetically. "It's all right. Probably for the best
anyway. Most of them have rather unpleasant side effects." Which
she could list off, but she doesn't. Instead she alters the subject, nodding
down towards the book, "So why are you studying up on Wizard's Chess
moves?"
Harry ohs, "The only one
I've had didn't give any odd side effects. Thankfully..
Oh, Ron's been showing me how to play since our first year. I know the moves
for the pieces; I'm just trying to improve my strategy." The book isn't
helping all that much actually as strategy is something that comes with
experience.
Cho nods lightly, "That
was probably one of the ones you can't use very often then. They don't
generally have side effects unless you start to use it a lot." Which he obviously didn't, if it was the only one he's had.
"I'd offer advice, but unfortunately I was never very good at Wizard's
Chess. You probably know more about it than I do." The smile is shown
again.
Harry rubs at the back of his neck, "I hope I never
have to use them enough to find that out." He should probably ask
Dumbledore if there's a spell out there that could dull the connection his scar
holds, or break it. It's probably not possible and if it is, it's being kept
from him for good reason. "I'm not very good at it either. I've only
beaten Ron once and that was because he got distracted." A grin is offered
with that.
Cho's eyes tighten for a second
at the first bit, but it loosens almost too quickly to notice. "I think we
should both probably stick to Quidditch, but it's
nice that you're trying to improve for your friend." Though he never said
it was for his friend, she's assuming it is on some level.
Harry wants to just improve his strategies, he's fine
with Ron winning, but given his ability to get into trouble, solve puzzles and
get back out in one piece.. you'd think he could do
better with chess. He cracks another grin, "Yeah..
I think that's about all I'm good at doing." His grades are good, but the quidditch pitch is where he feels more at home.
Cho shakes her head, "I
wouldn't say that. You /are/ wonderful at Quidditch,
but I don't think that's the only thing you're good at." This is where she
pauses, almost as if she isn't sure if she should continue. She takes a breath,
deciding to go ahead and say it, "Cedric was quite impressed with
you." Her smile is still there, if a bit sad, eyes still on him, but
growing distant.
Harry's ears turn red. ".. You're just saying that.. Quidditch is all I'm really
good at." It's not just sheer modesty that makes him think that. All his
life he's been treated as a little nobody and told he was good for nothing.
There are things he's good at, but quidditch is what
stands out. He starts a little as you mention Cedric's name. "He
was?" Well he's taken aback.
Cho is a little surprised she
was able to say it without her throat growing too tight. "Yes. He said a
few times how you should have gotten all the points for the second task."
She gives her head a small shake. "He never really talked much about his
own victory, but he thought that you had a good chance of beating him."
She has to take a pause at the end of that, to breathe. Her voice was becoming noticeably
tight near the end.
Harry is quite thrown off guard that you're talking about
Cedric. He's been loathe to approach the subject in your presence. "...
Cedric deserved the victory. Erhm, we all had help with the tasks. Cedric and I swapped information."
He can now tell about the slight bit of cheating that went on. "He was a
great opponent on the quidditch pitch and in the
tournament. Everyone keeps telling me that it's not my fault..
but I still feel guilty." His gaze slips down to
the floor as he exhales deeply. The change in your voice is noted so he
suggests, "If you don't want to talk about him.. we don't have to." He doesn't mind either way. Thinking
back is painful, but talking about it helps. That's what drove him stir crazy
over the summer, no one to talk to.
Cho has been avoiding the
subject for so long it's probably a good thing she's trying to talk about it
now. She gives her head a small shake, "No, it's all right." As long
as she can keep from her eyes mostly dry, she is willing to try to talk about
it. It certainly beats what Professor Valeth was
trying to get her to talk and think about. "Cedric mentioned that he never
would have made it through the First Task if not for you, but he didn't say why
or how exactly." And she vaguely remembers after the Yule Ball where he
went to speak to the younger Gryffindor for a moment. "I..
don't know exactly what happened, but.. I don't think Cedric would want you to
blame yourself." She continues to look at him, though with his eyes down
he may not see.
Harry nods his head before glancing back up.
"Alright... I was shown the dragons and Moody.. well not the real Moody of course hinted that I should play
to my strengths. I figured that Fleur and Krum were told and it was only fair
to let Cedric know too." He intakes a long breath, ".. I'm trying not to blame myself, but it's difficult to not
do so." He's not sure if he should tell you what happened for many
reasons.
Cho nods slowly, momentarily
thinking back for a moment. Most of her memories of Cedric aren't painful at
all, except in hindsight since she knows they can't be relived again.
"After the second task he said that if none of them had made it, he
thought you might have let yourself drown before you'd leave any of us down
there. I think he would have liked to get to know you better." She doesn't
remember being at the bottom of the lake, but she remembers the aftermath. For
a moment her smile almost reflects the same one she had that day, diluted, but near
the same. "And I can understand that it must be difficult, but... I don't
blame you." It's added as if she's unsure if it'll mean anything, but it's
sincere.
Harry fiddles with the cuff of his sleeve, "I
probably would have. Any longer and that gillyweed
would have worn off right there underwater. I started running out of time as it
was coming back to the surface." Yup, that's Harry, noble to a fault.
"I wish I could have gotten to know him better too. He was a nice guy. I
can't help but go back over what happened in my mind. There..
there really wasn't anyway around it. If Cedric had
touched the cup alone.. He still wouldn't be here, I
wasn't about to take the cup. I felt he should have won..
I still feel that way."
Cho reaches up and rubs two fingers
over each of her eyes for a moment, so the tears that were forming there don't
have a chance to escape. "I think.. No, I know
that he would have liked that. He wasn't greedy, and he didn't think winning
was everything, but I know that winning, even if he was going to share it,
would have been a wonderful moment for him." She reaches over and touches
his arm briefly, just a small bit of reassurance, before it lowers back onto
her lap. "If there wasn't any way around it, then you really shouldn't
blame yourself..."
Harry shifts a little in his seat, ears going redder as
you touch his arm. ".. there really wasn't.. but it's always me that Volde.. you know who wants dead." He ignores the weight
suddenly appearing in his chest, "He was a good guy. He didn't deserve
what happened." Potter is glad that Cedric didn't suffer any. That he can
be thankful for.
Cho nods slowly, "Cedric
was wonderful. And most people don't deserve something like that happening to
them, but..." She trails off, throat tightening to the point where she
can't continue on that train of conversation. Instead she takes a breath and
says instead, "You're a good person too. I know we didn't really talk
much, but I'm glad I'm getting to know you better." One might wonder if part
of her is doing this because Cedric can't.
Harry shakes his head, "no one deserves it. I
thought that maybe some did.. but..
it's awful, even if it's painless and quick.." No
one deserves to die at the hands of Voldemort and his
supporters. The blush creeps across from his ears to his cheeks now. ".. I
try to do what's right. You're extremely nice.. I'm
glad we're getting to talk too." Aside from him finding you quite pretty,
which that's taking a backseat in light of everything else.
Cho nods, smiling a bit more.
"You're probably right. I know I'll never be as good and noble as you or
Cedric, but I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to anyone else. I
think that's part of the reason I've taken medical magics
so serious this year." Not to mention Defense Against
the Dark Arts. She doesn't exactly blush, but her cheeks are taking on a slight
tinge of color, but that could be from general emotion.
Harry continues to stay red in the face. It's not as if
he wakes up in the morning and says 'I'm going to do something noble and good
today!' It just happens and he acts.
Like father like son. ".. I'm told I'm like my dad in that respect.
I think Madam Pomfrey is grateful for the extra pair
of hands in the hospital wing." It's a good thing Professor Lupin is back then. He's great to work with for extra
studies.
Cho continues to smile. The
fact that it isn't something that he consciously tries to do would probably
impress her more. She's not really the brave kind, but she does have a strong
sense of right and wrong. "I think she's glad to have a helping hand. I'm
anxiously awaiting when I can be allowed to practice
healing charms. I know how to do a lot of them, though." But so much can
go wrong with healing charms.
Harry rolls his sleeves up to his elbows, more to keep
his hands busy than anything, "I'm sure she'll let you. Especially after
Gryffindor plays against Slytherin. It's a guarantee
that there'll be injuries." Madam Pomfrey has
probably been crying for help in the hospital wing. 'Dumbledore, I need help,
if that Potter winds up in here ONE more time!'
Cho's smile touches her eyes,
"You two do seem to get a little... rough with each other." The Slytherin and Gryffindor teams obviously have a rivalry
going on. Ravenclaw doesn't really have animosities
towards the other teams, not of that nature, "I hope you don't get too
seriously hurt though."
Harry can't help but laugh, "Rough..
that's an understatement. I hope I don't get too
banged up myself. But it's not a real match unless that happens." Quidditch is synonymous with pain. "I've been injured
enough for everyone IN Gryffindor."
Cho nods. "I had a problem
with injuries myself." Partly because she's so small, and not really that
tough, but the last two years she's been doing much better. Probably helped
that there was no Quidditch last year and she really
wasn't put into harms way like him. "But if you do get injured, Madam Pomfrey will fix you up, and if for any reason she can't,
I'll certainly try to."
Harry pushes his glasses back up his nose as they were
slipping a bit. "I'm not worried about getting injured." It's all the
risk in playing quidditch after all. It's a
combination of rugby in mid-air and the emergency room. ".. thank you for the offer.." Can he stop going completely
red now? boys aren't supposed to blush!
Whoever said that probably conviently
forgot about all the times they blushed when talking to their first crush. Then
again, most people conviently block memories of such
when they're old enough to give advice and sullen words or wisdom. Cho reaches up to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear,
still smiling, "Couldn't promise it'd be as good as Madam Pomfrey, but I'd do my best not to make it any worse."
Harry grins, "I'm perfectly capable of making the
injuries worse on my own, thanks. I'm sure you'll do fine, otherwise you
wouldn't be helping out Madam Pomfrey as you
are." He has supreme confidence in your abilities! "Do you think
you're going to go into healing after you graduate from Hogwarts?"
Cho nods. "I'm considering
it. I'd like to play Quidditch a little while longer,
but I'm not getting my hopes up there." She does think she's good, but she
doesn't tend to compare herself to those who play it above school level.
Seeker's such a highly important position too. "Have you given any
thoughts in what you want to do?"
Harry folds his arms across his chest, "You'll do
good there.. You could also play quidditch
professionally. If you don't want to do that, I'm sure the minor leagues would
fight for you to be on their teams." He goes quiet as you ask him that and
he shrugs, ".. Don't know.."
Things are so uncertain for him. "It's probably best if I play things by
ear. The false Moody said I'd make a great auror, but
I'm not sure I want to work at the Ministry now."
Cho puts an arm to rest on the
table as she listens. That tinge of color returns to her cheeks as he says the
bit about playing quidditch above school level. It's
gone rather quickly though, "You've got years left to decide, so you've
got time to weight options. Just go with something that you'd enjoy." She
pauses before adding, "My mother used to work with the Ministry. In the International Magical Cooperation Department. I know
she'd want me to work there. It's interesting enough, but I don't really think
it's something I'd enjoy doing. Not like medical magics
or quidditch at least." She certainly wouldn't
make a good auror, too non-confrontational.
Harry leans his back against the table's edge.
"Right now.. I don't trust too many in the
ministry aside from Mr. Weasley." He's heard.. a bit too much from Fudge
himself and he doubts the man's motives. "I HOPE I have years left to
decide.. I am thinking about my options at any rate.
It just depends on how well I survive any future encounters with You Know
Who."
Cho's smile falters for a
moment as he says that last sentence, but she nods after a moment. He is a
target of the darkest and most feared wizard in the history of wizardry. Or at least one of them. She's only recently getting to know
him, and it certainly tightens up her chest to think of anything bad happening
to him. All she can manage to say is, "I hope that you don't have to fight
him alone."
Harry would love to know WHY he's such a target, but
Dumbledore won't tell him. Knowing that Dumbledore has that knowledge drives
him nuts when he thinks about it, but there's no point in badgering the man.
He's already stated that Harry will know when the time calls for it. ".. I
hope I don't either.." Even if it's probably
better that way, but not likely now that Voldemort
knows their wands will not work properly against each other.
Cho can't promise she'll be one
of the people fighting (not much of a fighter, really), but she certainly
wouldn't mind being there to help when things come down. She reaches over and
touches his arm again, lightly, but this time not drawing away that quickly.
"You certainly seem to inspire a great deal of people." She's
certainly been making an effort to get better in Quidditch
just so she can give him a decent match. She honestly doesn't even care if she
wins, as long as it's a good match.
Harry wants to win at quidditch,
if anything to beat out Slytherin, that's pretty much
it. A good game is more important anyway. But he's having
to change that tone as he's been put in charge of the team since Wood's
graduation. And he's red all over again "... Naaaah.. I don't know
anything about that.." How cute, he's getting
embarrassed.
Cho isn't giggling at least.
She does continue to smile, then she suddenly seems to
realize exactly how long she's been sitting here. "Oh, I probably should
get going. I was looking for someone, and thought she might be here. She's
probably back in the common room by now." She shakes her head, "If
you want I can stop into the Hospital Wing and make sure that Madam Pomfrey has a headache remedy ready for you tonight, so you
don't have to wait for it to settle." She pauses, "If you still have
a headache, that is." She doesn't start to get up yet though.
Harry is glad that you aren't giggling. He still doesn't
understand why girls giggle so much. "Alright..
Thanks.. I've almost forgotten my head was bothering
me while we were talking. I should probably head up to my common room
anyway." He picks up the book from the table, tucking it under his arm as
he rises. "I'll be sure to stop by the hospital wing in a bit." Unless he gets herded there on his way upstairs. "...
Thank you for talking to me.." About
Cedric and all.
Cho rises herself, pushing her
chair back into place carefully. She's looking away as she says, "I'm
really glad I did. Talk to you." It's something she's needed to do for a
while now. Sit down and just talk, especially about Cedric. Everyone tends to
avoid the subject around her, with reason, but it certainly wasn't going to
help to continue with the silence. "He shouldn't be forgotten, after
all," she says in a very soft voice. Forgotten, or avoided. She turns back
towards Harry, smiling again, "Good night. I hope you sleep fine. And
thank you." She releases the chair back and turns to walk towards the
doors now.
Harry shakes his head, "No, he shouldn't be
forgotten.. Uhm.. if you err, ever decide you want
to talk about him again.." Maybe he can even bring himself to give you a
bit more information as to what happened. Naturally he can't say everything...
"Good night Cho.."