Summer Writing Series Challenge (August 2)
Challenge: A look at Harry & Hermione through someone else's POV. (Friend, foe, mentor, stranger,
animal...be creative!)
Title: What Does She Have That I Don't?
Word Count: 1,240
It sickened her to see the two of them sitting there, bantering back and forth like an old married couple. She couldn't believe that Hermione Granger was touching his arm, again, and Harry Potter still hadn't picked up on her flirting. Why is it that the one man she wanted, the one person who was her equal in every way, paid so much attention to someone as low-class as her?
"Hey, did you hear me?"
"What? Oh, Marietta, did you say something?" Cho Chang asked distantly, her gaze not wavering from the Gryffindor's table.
"I said we're going to be late for Arithmancy if you don't snap out of it," her friend said with mild irritation. "Are you still pining after Harry?" she asked incredulously.
"I'm not pining after him, Mari," Cho deadpanned. "Let's get to class."
Though she had spoken the words Cho remained seated for a few moments longer, staring fixedly at the back of Harry's head. It seems that's all I'll see of him... she thought glumly as she finally grabbed her books and left the Great Hall with her friends.
Classes went quickly for the Ravenclaw seeker that day. Her mind was everywhere but on what she was doing but somehow managed to maintain her awareness of what went on around her. Lunch was no better than breakfast when she watched Harry and Hermione laugh with their friend Ron Weasley.
"It's not healthy to live in the past, Miss Chang," Madam Pomfrey had told her earlier that year. "If you can't get over his death, you'll need counseling..."
The truth of the matter was that she wasn't upset at losing her boyfriend, Cedric was merely a friend. It did hurt that he had been lost but the real reason she couldn't contain her sadness was the way she'd used him to make Harry jealous. The guilt that had filled every corner of her heart tore her apart. She should have told Harry how she felt about him instead of goading Cedric into her selfish plans.
"It's obvious that he's moved on, Cho," Marietta said with a sigh from her side. "He's trouble anyway, why don't you just let it go?"
"Mari, have you ever heard someone talk and you get shivers? Or when you see him your heart skips a beat and it feels like you're about to fall over from dizziness because you realized that you'd stopped breathing?" Cho asked absently, looking to her plate for the first time since she sat down.
"I can't say that I have," Marietta said with a shrug. "I had a crush on Ron when we first started that club but I realized that they were breaking school rules and that it was wrong."
"I'm not talking about a crush, Mari," Cho said quietly, returning her gaze to The-Boy-Who-Lived. "What does she have that I don't?"
"Harry," her friend replied without thinking.
"That's been blatantly obvious for a few years now," Cho growled back. "I mean, she's so plain and bookish... she doesn't even like Quidditch! How can you not?" Cho shook her head and sighed when something occurred to her. "I'm going to talk to her."
"What?!" Marietta asked incredulously.
"Harry doesn't want to talk to me, why don't I talk to Hermione? She's nice, too nice, and won't turn me away if I talk to her." Cho said with a nod. "If Harry won't tell me why he likes her, maybe she can tell me why she likes him."
"Good luck with that," Marietta said with a shrug. "I have a feeling that she doesn't like you all that much, especially after everything that happened when you and Harry tried dating."
"I wasn't myself then," Cho countered quickly.
"You're not yourself now, Cho," her friend replied just as swiftly. "Let it drop, there's no way that Harry will look at you the same way again..."
"We'll see about that," Cho growled. "I think I can catch her while she's watching Gryffindor practice."
Cho Chang was rather nervous as she climbed the steps to the Gryffindor stands where Hermione traditionally sat as her best friends went through their paces on the pitch. She didn't know what she was going to say or how she was going to say it but she finally plucked up enough courage to finally step into the light to a surprised Hermione Granger.
"Cho?" Hermione asked curiously, a slight frown appeared on her face but quickly vanished.
"Hi, Hermione," Cho said nervously. "Do you... um... mind if we... ah... talk for a few minutes?"
"What do you want to talk about?" Hermione asked in that business-like tone that Cho had grown accustomed to hearing from the bushy-haired Gryffindor.
Cho cautiously sat next to the unofficial co-leader of the D.A. and stared nervously at her hands. "You've probably guessed already, but I was wondering if we could talk about what happened between Harry and me..."
"Why do you want to talk to me about that?" Hermione asked skeptically. "You should talk to Harry..."
"I would if he'd listen to me," Cho admitted sadly. "I know things didn't go well but I was curious why you two were so close. Harry told me that you were just friends, but it seemed to go deeper than that..."
"Honestly!" Hermione said while rolling her eyes. "Cho, nothing was going on between Harry and me when you two were dating... I don't know why that's so hard to believe!"
"It was at the time," Cho countered with a shrug. "You two were always together..."
"Because we're best friends," Hermione said with a sigh.
"I know that... but there were things you did that made it look like so much more..." Cho said quietly, finally looking to Hermione's perplexed face. "Don't tell me that you didn't realize how much he talked about you or how many times you'd touch his arm or he'd brush hair out of your face..."
"We didn't do things like that..." Hermione said with a quivering voice, her eyes flicking to the streaking form of Harry on his Firebolt.
"You would always finish his sentences and both of you would communicate without talking," Cho continued as her eyes followed where Hermione was looking. "Even now you're looking at Harry. Every game, every practice, you watch him and only him... Can you honestly say that you two are just friends?"
Hermione was quiet for a few moments, watching her best friend zoom across the pitch after a flash of gold when her eyes widened. "No..." she said quietly, forgetting that Cho was sitting next to her. "Why didn't I see it before?"
"So he was telling the truth?" Cho asked in shock.
"Why would he lie about that?" Hermione asked quietly, her cheeks beginning to turn pink. A soft smile suddenly crossed her lips and she turned to Cho with a look that made the Asian girl's heart shatter. "I'm sorry, Cho, but I've got someone I really need to talk to!" With that, Hermione grabbed her things and rushed off to the pitch.
Cho watched in horror as Harry flew down to meet her, snitch in hand, and Hermione surprisingly threw her arms around his neck. She watched as Harry pulled back and she felt tears begin to sting her eyes when he swept her into a kiss.
"What does she have that I don't?" her voice echoed in her head.
"Harry," Marietta's voice answered simply.