A/N: I'm out of the writer's block which I encountered before the last chapter. It was mainly because I was writing after such a long time. Considering there was an update after so long, the response wasn't bad. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Keep them coming. There seems to be very contrasting reactions to Ron's character. Hope you like the way he turns out.
In this chapter you meet a character for the first time in this story. As the chapter title suggests her role is not positive. Sorry to inform his/her fans that unlike Ron he/she plays a total negative role in this story. You would make that out by the end of this chapter. Also in this chapter I wrote a small conversation involving Hagrid. It was one of the most difficult things to write. So I'm warning all Hagrid fans that they won't be seeing much of him in this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Twelve: An Unwanted Visitor
"GREAT SAVE BY WEASLEY!" boomed Luna through the microphone, "He has been magnificent today. That's the fourth time he saved from a seemingly hopeless situation. He is fast becoming one of the best keep…," she was interrupted by Professor Sprout.
"Miss Lovegood could kindly tell us what is happening in the match instead of singing praises of Mr. Weasley," said Professor Sprout curtly. Luna blushed.
"Gryffindor are leading by twenty points… Match has been closer than expected… Weasley charging ahead… passes to Thomas… Shoots…. SCORES! But what do we have here? Potter is diving for the Snitch… Surely he's seen it…. The Hufflepuff seeker is nowhere in sight. HE'S CAUGHT IT! GRYFFINDOR WINS AGAIN!"
The stands erupted. This was one of the best Gryffindor teams for a long time. The best thing was they were gelling as a team. Individual glory was long forgotten. Harry had given the youngsters a sense of security. This helped them play their natural game. Hermione rushed out and quietly pecked Harry on the cheek. Ron observed this and understood the mistake he'd made. This was how it was supposed to be between boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Why are you looking so serious? You've just won a match. It was one of your best performances. Weasley is definitely my king!" said Luna coming over to Ron.
"Just thinking about a few things. Match was great! We made heavy weather to start with but always had faith in Harry. Anyway why are you here?" asked Ron.
"I came to congratulate you. As I said this is the best I've seen you play," she replied and kissed him on the cheek before walking away. Ron stood dazed. He'd just observed Harry and Hermione to realize how natural their relationship was. Within a couple of minutes exactly the same thing had happened with him. What was the meaning of this?
Harry woke up early next morning. He sat down on the common room sofa. Hermione wasn't up yet. Hedwig flew in with a letter. Wondering who could be writing to him, he opened it.
Dear Harry,
You must be surprised to hear from me. It's a shame we haven't kept up during the past two years. Anyway I have some news on my side. After finishing Hogwarts I joined the Quidditch training program at London. I am not yet good enough to play professionally so I thought this would be a good option. Here I not only get to improve my skills but also train youngsters in the game. Till now I was training children who have not yet joined Hogwarts. The Professors were very happy with my work. As a test they are sending me to Hogwarts to help out first and second year students with their flying skills. Of course I am very excited by this. If I pass this test, I'll be eligible for a job as a semi amateur trainer. I will be at Hogwarts till the end of this academic year.
Harry, I'm sorry things didn't work out between us last time. I feel as if it is my fault. When you wanted to meet Hermione at Hogsmede I'd got angry. Probably I got scared that you'd ditch me for her. However now I think I was wrong. Hermione is not of your league. She's just a plain bookworm. You would definitely look for someone better than her. I don't mean it in a bad way. Hermione is and always will be your best friend but never anything more than that. I feel like a fool for thinking you'll fall for her. I hope we can talk it out once I get there. I'll be arriving today in the evening. Can't wait to see you again.
With regards,
Cho.
Harry crumpled the letter angrily. This was too much. He would not tolerate such hateful words towards Hermione. He didn't care a wee bit for Cho and she thought she could come back into his life smoothly. How egoistic could she get? What did she think of herself? He would clear this matter once and for all in front of her. That would put her in her place. He went back into his bedroom to get dressed.
Meanwhile Hermione came into the common room. Seeing the state of the sofa she knew Harry had already been to the common room. Her eyes fell on a crumpled piece of paper on the floor. Curious she opened it out. Despite it being a letter addressed to Harry she couldn't help not reading it. She felt guilty about sneaking into his personal matters but once she read the contents of the letter, her throat dried. Clearly Cho wanted to get back together with Harry. What would be Harry's reaction? Cho was miles ahead of her when it came to looks. Normally teenage boys are taken in by looks. Also Cho's description of her hurt her. She began feeling very insecure about the whole thing. What if Harry dumped her for Cho? The very thought made her eyes teary.
After getting ready Harry walked back to the common room. The sight of Hermione crying welcomed him.
"What's the matter sweetheart?" Harry asked, rushing to her and putting his arms around her. Hermione continued sobbing. Harry grew concerned.
"I read the letter Cho wrote to you," she answered finally.
"Oh shit! I should have taken it back to my room! But you aren't crying because of that. You would have seen the ball I made out of it. Cho means nothing to me. I was furious by the way she described you. Now tell me why you are crying?" said Harry.
"I feel insecure Harry. Cho is far better than me in looks. What if she takes you away from me?" said Hermione.
"I'm disappointed to hear that from you Hermione. I thought you knew me better. Do you think I like you because of looks? I like you because of your heart, your intelligence, your loyalty and the six wonderful years you've given me. On top of this you are gorgeous, at least to me. You seem to have forgotten I confessed my love for you. If it makes you feel better, I'll say it again. You are the only one for me Hermione and I love you. No Cho Chang can come between you and me," said Harry loudly. He followed it by kissing her tenderly. She responded with equal tenderness.
"Thanks a lot Harry. What you just said means a lot to me. I just felt bad after reading the letter. You make me feel loads better already. And yeah, I love you too," she said with a smile.
Later that day during dinner Professor McGonagall made the dreaded announcement. "We have a special guest at Hogwarts. As a part of her training Miss Cho Chang will be assisting first and second years in their flying lessons. She'll be here till the end of the year. I wish to welcome Miss Chang to Hogwarts and hope that her stay here is a successful one." There was some scattered clapping as Cho gracefully walked towards Ravenclaw table and sat down. She winked towards Harry on the way. He looked away. When dinner finished Cho asked Harry aside. He gave an assured smile to Hermione before reluctantly following Cho.
"Hi Harry, it's so nice to see you again," Cho said, smiling.
"Hi Cho, good to know you're going to be here," said Harry in a disinterested voice. Cho looked slightly confused.
"You got my letter, didn't you?" she asked.
"I did," Harry replied shortly.
"Well…," said Cho, moving closer to him.
"Well what?" asked Harry irritably. Cho thought Harry was putting up an act to tease her. She decided to take matters into her own hands.
"Harry I again want to apologize for how things ended between us. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. But I want a chance to make amends. I still like you very much. I really admire the way you finished off You-Know-Who. I was hoping we could get together again," she said simply.
"Just a minute Cho," said Harry. "Hermione, can you come over here?" he hollered. Hermione came and nodded politely towards Cho who looked more and more confused. Harry held Hermione close before speaking to Cho. "Cho you would remember Hermione. She is my girlfriend and I love her. That should answer your question," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Oh I see. That's okay," replied a shocked Cho. "We can still be friends, can't we?" she added.
"I guess. If you don't have anything more to say I'd like to get back. Me and Hermione need to discuss a few things," said Harry. Cho nodded.
Cho sat in her bedroom that night. Things couldn't have been worse. She had hoped that after getting back to Hogwarts, she would get Harry to go out with her. Being Harry Potter's girlfriend would certainly have been useful in her training. Harry was her. She had been his first girlfriend. How could some silly bookworm named Hermione Granger steal him away from her? It was unacceptable. She would make sure she got her man. Whatever it took she would do. This was a battle and she would fight for her right.
Cho started thinking of ways to get to Harry. He had made it clear that he was not interested. She hated Hermione for stealing Harry. However she realized that Hermione was probably the only way for her to get to Harry. So she needed to befriend her. If Hermione trusted her then Harry too would ease up. She needed to know as much about Harry as possible. The long day had got her tired. She dozed off.
"Hey Cho, I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean what I said," said Harry.
"What do you mean Harry? I don't get you. One moment you are with Hermione and next moment you come rushing to me," asked Cho.
"That's exactly what it is. Last night I was with Hermione but later I realized I'd been an idiot to turn you down. Hermione is fine but she can't compare with you. You are probably the most gorgeous person in this world. I can't turn you down just like that. Any other guy would have to wait ages to get someone like you. The two of us have so much in common. We're both good Quidditch players, seekers to be precise. It's my good luck that you want to be with me," replied Harry.
"Thanks, you're so sweet," said Cho shyly.
"Will you be my girlfriend Cho?" whispered Harry. Cho didn't answer. Her lips crashed upon Harry's. They kissed passionately for several minutes. Harry's hand was moving all over Cho's body.
"I take that as yes," smiled Harry. Cho nodded. They started kissing again. This time it was even more passionate. Cho was moaning against his mouth. Harry shifted his attention to Cho's sensitive spot on the side of her neck. He bit it gently.
"Oh Yes! Don't stop Harry!" she almost screamed. To her surprise Harry stopped.
"We can't do this here. Anybody can see us here," he said breathlessly.
"Well, I have my personal bedroom. Want to move there?" she asked mischievously. Harry nodded eagerly. During the entire walk to the bedroom they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Finally they reached Cho's bedroom.
"This is going to be fun. I hope you're up to it," said Harry. Cho grinned.
"Oh yes. I'm ready for anything you have to offer," replied Cho slyly, closing the door behind her.
Damn! Why did it have to end there? It had been such a wonderful dream. It was exactly like she wanted her and Harry to be. She wished some part of it could be real. Just as she was getting into bed, she remembered something in the dream that could be useful. Their common interest in Quidditch. Quidditch was the only way she could get to spend some time alone with Harry.
In the morning Cho decided to put her multiple plans into action. The first years had their flying lesson in the late afternoon so she was free in the morning. The first thing she needed to do was to find Hermione. Luck was smiling on her today. She found Hermione picking up a sheaf of papers which had scattered on the floor. It was an empty corridor so nobody was helping her. Cho took her chance and started helping her to pick up the papers.
"Nice day isn't it?" asked Cho, starting a conversation.
"It is," replied Hermione.
"Hermione, I didn't know you and Harry were together. That's why I asked him. If I'd known I would not even have thought about getting together with him. I hope you understand that," said Cho trying to sound truthful. Hermione was surprised.
"It's okay Cho. I'm sure Harry will understand," said Hermione, still not looking at Cho.
"You know I still want to be friends with you and Harry. I think I made him angry yesterday. I feel really bad for that. Could you please apologize to him on my behalf? I don't think he'll listen to me at this point of time," said Cho sadly.
"I'll give him the message," replied Hermione. All the papers were in her hands now. She thanked Cho for the help.
"You don't need to thank me. I should be thanking you for hearing me out. Please remember to tell Harry what I said," said Cho and briefly hugged Hermione before going back to her room. Hermione was intrigued by Cho's behavior. Why was she being so nice? Normally she wasn't like this. Was there a catch somewhere? She needed to talk to Harry about this.
In the evening Hermione saw Harry talking to Ron in the Gryffindor common room. She was glad that Harry had got his best mate back. She had felt partly responsible for the end of Harry and Ron's friendship. Though it would take a long time for the three of them to get back to where they were, they would eventually get there.
"I hate to interrupt but I want to discuss something with Harry," she said. "Ron you can stay too," she added seeing that Ron was preparing to leave. Ron decided to stay. It was nice when the three of them together. Just like it always had been.
"I was telling Ron about the Cho incident. That girl has some nerve," said Harry hotly.
"What a coincidence. I was about to talk about her as well. She had lots to say today when we bumped into each other in the morning," said Hermione.
"Did she say anything hateful to you? I'll kill her if she did," Harry almost shouted, standing up.
"Relax Harry! No need to panic. If she did I'm more than capable of taking care of it myself. But what she did was quite the opposite. She was so nice and friendly. It is so uncharacteristic of her that it makes me suspicious," replied Hermione calmly.
"What did she say?" asked Harry, sitting down again. Hermione told him the whole story. She was careful not to miss out any detail.
"Doesn't sound like her at all," commented Ron.
"So how do we tackle her?" asked Hermione.
"Hmmm… as far as I know Cho wouldn't do anything bad. I'm still curious about her sudden change in behavior. We have to be careful of her. Just be polite with her when she talks to you and don't socialize. I will keep out of her way as long as possible. You do the same," said Harry. Hermione nodded.
"I hope this is not one of her tricks to get you Harry," said Ron.
"I don't think so but would like to be careful all the same," replied Harry.
That night Harry and Hermione finished their homework early. Since Harry hadn't had much exercise during the day, he decided to go for a night walk.
"I'm going for a walk. Want to come along?" he asked Hermione.
"Sure. Anything to spend time with you," replied Hermione flirting. They walked all though the grounds of Hogwarts. They passed Hagrid's hut and decided stopped by to say hi.
Meanwhile Cho was looking out of her window. She saw two figures out in the grounds. Who would be walking around so late? If the Heads caught them they would be in big trouble. She crept out of her room and followed the two of them. As she got closer she recognized them as Harry and Hermione. No wonder they weren't afraid of getting caught by the Heads! She kept following them. She didn't know why she was doing it? Perhaps it would help her get to know something about Harry which might be helpful later on. Thankfully for her the two of them didn't snog. She couldn't bear the sight. She had to wait for ten long minutes when the two of them went into Hagrid's hut.
The whole exercise had been a futile exercise for Cho. She didn't find out anything except Harry's favourite walk route. Grumbling she got back to her room.
Hermione looked behind her shoulder. She had been suspecting that they were being followed but Harry dismissed it. He said some first year might be trying to catch them snogging. Hermione wasn't convinced but didn't press further.
The following morning Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting together for breakfast. While Hermione was busy reading the Daily Prophet, Harry and Ron were discussing a few Quidditch strategies. Ron noticed Hagrid coming towards them.
"Hi Hagrid," greeted Ron.
"Hiya Ron, I'm glad ter see yeh with yer old pals again," said Hagrid.
"I know, I'm glad too," said Ron happily.
"Ron, I hope yer fight with Harry and Hermione had nothin ter do with me. Yeh don' have any problem with me right?" asked Hagrid. Ron was bewildered.
"No Hagrid. What on earth made you feel that? Why would I have any problem with you?" countered Ron.
"That's nice ter hear. But why didn' yeh come into me hut last night with them?" asked Hagrid. Ron was even more confused. Harry spoke for him.
"Hagrid, last night it was just me and Hermione. Ron wasn't with us. You can say we were on a romantic night stroll," Harry said to Hagrid.
"That's strange. I saw three pairs of footprints in the lane leading ter me hut. Maybe it was someone else. See yeh guys later," said Hagrid and walked away. Hermione looked at Harry with an 'I told you so' look on her face.
"So we were being followed. Maybe it was a first year as I said before," said Harry. Hermione looked indignant.
"Harry, how can you be so casual about this? Obviously someone is trying to follow our moves. That's not a good thing even if it is a harmless first year," she said quickly.
"Hermione nobody will harm us here. Please don't worry. I'll protect you if there's any problem," said Harry soothingly. Hermione calmed down.
"I'll be right back," said Hermione and rushed out of the hall.
"Am I being too casual about this?" Harry asked Ron.
"I dunno. I wouldn't be very pleased if I got to know somebody was following me and my girlfriend," replied Ron.
"I'm not saying that I'm pleased. I'm just not panicking. Nobody in this castle would have anything against me and Hermione," said Harry.
"Hermione doesn't feel that way. Harm or not, nobody likes their privacy taken away. How would you feel if somebody deliberately walked into you and Hermione snogging?" asked Ron.
"I know what you mean. I'll talk to Hermione. There she comes," said Harry.
"Harry it's not some silly first year. I just checked the size of the footprint. It's larger than mine but smaller than yours. What do we do?" Hermione asked panting.
"I'm sorry for being so casual earlier but I have the perfect solution. We'll carry the Marauderer's map whenever we go out," replied Harry.
It had been two days since Harry and Hermione had been stalked. It was a Sunday. Harry was relaxing in his bedroom. He wanted to spend a restful day since it had been a long week. But his plans were short lived as Hermione came into his room.
"Harry Professor McGonagall wants to meet you," she said. Harry groaned and went to the fireplace.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," greeted McGonagall.
"Good morning Professor," replied Harry.
"Potter I had something to discuss with you. As you know Miss Chang is here to train younger students. Yesterday she came to me and said though she was enjoying herself tremendously, her own training was suffering. She wants to keep in touch with playing Quidditch. To play Quidditch she needs a partner and I would like you to be her partner," said McGonagall. Harry gaped at her in horror. He had to get out of this. He decided to tell McGonagall the truth.
"Actually Professor I don't think that's a very good idea. You know me and Cho had… sort of a… an affair two years back which didn't work out well. So I'm not very comfortable around her. Maybe you can arrange somebody else," he said in a pleading voice.
"Don't be ridiculous Potter. This is a strictly professional matter. Miss Chang herself chose you as her partner. She said you were the best seeker at Hogwarts and she needed to compete with the best. I expect you to be there at the time she tells you to," McGonagall said sternly.
"So Cho chose me as her partner," said Harry.
"Yes she did," replied McGonagall.
"And there's no way out of this for me," asked Harry hoping for some miracle.
"No there isn't," said McGonagall, her voice still stern. Harry felt defeated. There was nothing he could do. With a polite nod he went back to his quarters. Hermione saw the forlorn expression on his face and asked what had happened. When Harry told her she was equally indignant. But she too knew there was no way out of it.
"You better be nice to her Harry, otherwise she'll call you for extra practice sessions just to irritate you," she said.
"I hate this. Why did it have to be me? I'd much rather spend that time with you," said Harry looking very frustrated.
"What we want, we don't always get," replied Hermione calming him down. To make matters worse Hedwig came in with a small note saying 'First practice session at 2 pm today. Cho.' Harry just growled on reading it.
At ten to two Harry reluctantly took out his broom and set off for the Quidditch pitch. He could never have imagined there would be a day when he would not be looking forward to flying. Cho was waiting for him.
"Thanks for agreeing to this. It is really important for me," she said. Harry snorted. He wanted to say 'I didn't have a choice in the matter' but remembered Hermione's words.
"Okay let me explain how we'll practice. I'll let the snitch loose. We'll be throwing Bludgers at each other to try and divert each other's attention. In the meantime we have to keep our eyes open for the snitch. The first one to catch the snitch wins," said Cho. Harry nodded. Cho released the snitch. It was very boring for Harry. He caught the snitch every time before Cho.
"I think we'll call it a day Harry," said Cho after Harry had caught the snitch for the fifth time. Harry sighed in relief. As he was flying down he heard a loud scream behind him. Cho had fallen off her broom.
"What happened?" Harry asked going up to her.
"I just felt dizzy and fell. Luckily I was quite close to the ground. I seem to have twisted my knee though," she replied in a shaky voice. She tried to stand up but failed.
"Can you help me?" she asked Harry. Harry held out his hand and Cho managed to stand up holding it tightly. But when it came to walking she couldn't manage. She had put all her weight on to Harry's shoulder. She leaned against him before hobbling slowly.
"I hope it's not a problem Harry," she said.
"It's okay. I'll drop you at the hospital wing," replied Harry stiffly. He was very uncomfortable with Cho so close to him. Her body was pressed against his back. They were moving very slowly indeed. As they got to the hospital wing they noticed Madam Pomfrey was not there. Cho sat down on a chair.
"Shall I go and call Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked out of courtesy.
"No that's okay. You've done enough already. I'll wait for her. Thanks for everything," she replied. Harry was only to glad to walk off. When Harry was out of sight Cho stood up with a triumphant smile on her face. It had been so easy to trick Harry. This was something she had thought of right there in the field. She had tremendously enjoyed being so close to Harry. She didn't know feigning injury could be so easy. Luckily for her Madam Pomfrey wasn't around. Being an expert she might have caught her act. This was going too easily. Before long Harry would be hers.