A/N: Again the response was fabulous. Thank you everyone again. Your reviews are a great source of motivation for me. If there is anything you'd like to see in the story don't hesitate on writing it. I'll try to implement it in the story. For example if you want more description of Ginny/Neville just write it. Keep up the reviews. Each one of them (good or bad) is greatly appreciated.
After being absent for most of the last chapter, Cho is back with a vengeance here. If you thought the last chapter was a cliffhanger, wait till you read this one. I'm warning you beforehand. Also I'd like to warn that this chapter is slightly dark. Everyone may not like it. So please be tolerant. I'll asses how long to continue this mood after reading all your responses. Happy reading!!!
Chapter Fifteen: The Turn towards Evil
"What exactly do you think you are doing here?" asked Hermione sharply.
"What's that got to do with you?" said Cho defiantly. She had been following Harry and Hermione but couldn't contain the snort which escaped while they were snogging. Though she was busted, she was going to put up a brave face.
"Don't talk to Hermione like that," shouted Harry at Cho.
"You better answer us truthfully or there will be big trouble," said Hermione seriously.
"What do you think yourselves to be? You may be Head students but I'm here as a trainer, if you've forgotten. That puts me on par with teachers," replied Cho, pompously.
"Oh really! I'd like you to try and deduct points of us for misbehaving with a 'teacher'. You are a teacher after all," mocked Harry. Cho knew she was caught.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"To know what you were doing here," said Hermione.
"This place isn't your private property. Others have equal rights on the grounds of Hogwarts," replied Cho.
"Cho we don't want twisted answers! Clearly you weren't out here for a night walk. Otherwise you wouldn't be hiding behind a bush. Will you tell us why you were following us? It's the last time I'm asking! I can't be clearer than this!" roared Harry, losing his patience.
"Fine! I was following you. But I didn't know it was you," replied Cho, trying to think of the next excuse.
"What the hell do you mean by that? Don't talk in riddles. Why would you follow unknown people?" questioned Hermione.
"I saw two students out in the grounds. It was late in the night. I didn't want them to get caught by some Professor, so I was going to warn them," said Cho, not finding a better excuse.
"I haven't heard anything lamer than that. First question - When did you start sympathizing so much with two arbitrary students? What do you care if they had got caught? Second question - How did you plan to warn them from behind a bush? Third question - Why did you not say this when we first asked you?" asked Harry sarcastically.
"I don't need to explain everything to you. You are not some auror interviewing a criminal. I assure you that I had good intentions in mind," answered Cho.
"Good intentions, my foot! You are just a nasty liar. Would you care to explain which couple you were trying to warn a couple of weeks ago?" asked Hermione. Cho visibly paled. She had no idea that Harry and Hermione knew about her previous trailing.
"I don't know what you are talking about," she said slightly nervously. Harry sighed in frustration.
"She won't tell us anything," he said to Hermione before turning to Cho. "There is no doubt that you were following us with bad intentions. Since you won't tell us, there's nothing we can do now. But if you cause any harm to me or Hermione, you've had it. After Voldemort dealing with you would be no problem for me. And yes, our quidditch sessions end here," said Harry at length.
"You can't do that Harry! Quidditch is a thoroughly professional matter. You can't let things like this get in its way," protested Cho. Harry groaned. Cho was talking like McGonagall. He knew that she would go to McGonagall if he refused.
"Alright but take what I said very seriously. We both know that you are up to no good," warned Harry. He and Hermione continued walking.
Cho went back to her bedroom quickly. She had been an idiot to snort. Now Harry and Hermione would suspect her every move. She could not risk following them again. She had to think of other ways to get to Harry. Strangely she couldn't dislike him even though he had treated her like shit. She considered Marietta's suggestion of tricking Hermione. This was now reaching a point of no return. So regretfully she decided to use magic to break Harry and Hermione's relationship.
For the next couple of weeks Cho spent a lot of her time in the library. She was looking for spells to put Hermione under. For five full days she had no success. With Madam Pince's permission she entered the restricted section. Even there she had no success. She was about to give up when a dusty book caught her eyes. Its title was 'Dark Magic of Ancient Times'. In normal circumstances Cho wouldn't even look towards a book on dark magic but this situation was a desperate one. She had to win Harry and she'd use dark magic if she needed. With trembling hands she took the book out. Though she found what she was looking for, the very thought of it sent chills down her spine.
The spell was called the slavery spell. It was used centuries ago to torture people. In modern time one could call it a mixture of the Imperious and the Cruciatus curse. But its biggest advantage was that it was not an unforgivable curse. As she read more about it, the more scared she got. It was a horrible thing to use on someone. She reminded herself that this was her only hope of getting to Harry.
One person who had noticed Cho's frequent visits to the library was Luna. When she was free and Ron wasn't, she used to do her work in the library. She saw that Cho was invariably there. She had also seen her heading into the restricted section. Ron had mentioned Cho following Harry and Hermione. Luna wondered if the two things could be related. One evening while the four of them were sitting together, she told them what she knew.
"I don't know what to make of it," said Hermione after hearing Luna out.
"There can be two ways to look at it. She could only be passing time in the library since she is scared of Harry's warning. On the other hand she could be plotting something," commented Ron.
"Luna, does Cho look relaxed or intense during her time in the library?" asked Harry.
"I haven't really noticed that much. I've not spoken to her or anything like that," replied Luna.
"Well, I don't think its anything serious. As before, all of us will be extremely careful around her. There is no immediate danger as far as I can see," said Harry finally. Hermione wasn't fully convinced.
"Why would she want to enter the restricted section? She's not terribly clever or anything like that," she said thoughtfully.
"Probably she hasn't been there ever before and wanted to see what it was like," joked Ron but the others didn't laugh.
"This is no joking matter Ron," scolded Luna. Ron apologized quietly.
"Let's just stay out of her way and we'll be fine," said Harry. Nobody had anything more to say on the matter, so they changed the subject.
Cho had finally made up her mind to use the slavery spell on Hermione. It had been a tough decision. Using dark magic would put her in the same league as the supporters of Voldemort. She didn't want herself to be considered as a deatheater but was still willing to try this spell. To try such a complex spell she needed practice. If something went wrong she would be in big trouble. The book had said that the spell worked on animals as well as people. She'd copied the relevant portion as she didn't want herself to be seen with such a book. She brought some spiders from the edge of the Forbidden Forest to test her spell. She wasn't particularly fond of spiders but was willing to handle them for such a big thing.
"Babsmania! Stop moving," she said pointing her wand at the spider. She smiled on seeing the effect on the spider. This was how the spell was supposed to work. She continued practicing for a few days. To her delight she was getting better at it. She marveled at how fast she had learnt the spell. Hermione was a gone case now.
Now that everything was there, Cho needed a plan to apply the spell on Hermione. She thought about this for the next couple of days. She needed Hermione in her bedroom alone. It would be difficult to get her there. Cho wondered what could be an excuse to make Hermione come to her bedroom. Hermione and Harry, both suspected her so wouldn't come to her without good reason. Then she got a bright idea. She would use Harry to get Hermione. She would tell Hermione that Harry was seriously injured and in her room. Hermione would come to her room without a word. Harry was one thing that would make her forget everything else.
Cho also had to make sure that while she was getting Hermione to her bedroom, Harry would not make an appearance. That was very unlikely to happen but Cho wanted the plan to be foolproof. She needed to be sure that Harry was somewhere else during that time. The only time she met Harry was during Quidditch practice. As it happened that would be a perfect place make Harry wait. The jigsaw was fitting very well in her head.
The day had now arrived for Cho to implement her plan. She had Quidditch practice with Harry in the afternoon. Both of them arrived on time at the field. They were halfway through the session when Harry saw Cho getting back to the ground.
"What's the matter?" he asked, getting down himself.
"Harry I'm so sorry, I've to check something in my room. I'll be back in five minutes. Please wait here while I go," replied Cho. Harry looked irritable.
"Can't we call it a day?" he asked hopefully.
"No Harry. You know how important it is for me. I'll be right back," said Cho, leaving the field. Things had worked well till now. She headed for the Gryffindor common room. Since Harry was in the field, it was highly unlikely that Hermione would be in the Head's quarters. She found a couple of second years and asked them to fetch Hermione from the common room. Within a minute Hermione was walking towards her.
"What do you want with me Cho? I thought we'd seen enough of each other. Unless you have anything important to say, I want to get back to my work," said Hermione. Cho was angered to hear Hermione address her like this but she remembered to put on the act properly.
"Oh Hermione, it's horrible. Harry…," she purposely stopped. Hermione visibly tensed. Just then she remembered that Harry had gone for practice with Cho. If Cho was here then where was Harry?
"What happened to Harry? Please tell me Cho!" said Hermione frantically.
"He had an accident during practice. I couldn't find Madam Pomfrey so I took him to my room. He's been unconscious but he's just started calling your name in his sleep. I think you should come with me," said Cho speaking very fast. Hermione's face grew pale. She followed Cho.
"Why didn't you inform any Professor?" shouted Hermione in a panicked voice, while running towards Cho's room. She was panting now.
"This thing happened barely a few minutes ago. I had no time. Don't shout now, come fast. Harry needs you," replied Cho. Her heart was beating very fast. She hoped that things wouldn't go wrong at this point. She had already put a silencing charm in her room. She had noticed Hermione was not carrying a wand. That had made things easier. The moment she and Hermione entered her room, she whispered a locking charm.
"Where is Harry?" asked Hermione, seeing Cho's bed empty.
"He's waiting in the Quidditch field," replied Cho with a smile.
"Then we should go there. Why did you bring us here? He'll need our help," said Hermione trying to open the door. She had still not realized what was going on. When the door wouldn't open, she looked towards Cho. Seeing the look on her face, she deduced she had been tricked.
"For an intelligent bookworm, you get tricked very easily," laughed Cho.
"What is your problem Cho? This is not funny. What do you expect to get out of me here?" asked Hermione trying to sound angry. However on feeling the locked door she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn't an ordinary trick. There was more to it.
"By your voice I can tell you are scared. And you have good reason to be. Your relationship with Harry is over," said Cho.
"In your dreams! Whatever you do Cho, you can't separate me from Harry," replied Hermione defiantly.
"I had figured out that I could not separate you and Hermione naturally. I couldn't get him to show that somebody like him should not date a plane girl like you. So I've to use force. Babsmania!" shouted Cho. The spell hit Hermione on the forehead.
Hermione didn't feel anything different. Just as the spell had hit her she had felt a strange sensation passing through her body but now everything was normal. Whatever spell Cho had tried had failed.
"Don't look so happy Hermione. The effects of the spell will start once I command you. I'm first going to explain the details of the spell to you. After that we'll have a small trial run," said Cho.
"As you and Harry suspected I was indeed the person who had been following you two in the grounds. You would have guessed that I've harbored feelings for Harry for the past three years. When I got here, to my disappointment I saw Harry was not single anymore. However it didn't end there for me. I always get what I want. I tried my best to get Harry to myself. Getting McGonagall to arrange the Quidditch sessions with him was just one of my ploys. I followed you two to try and find out some useful information. I saw Luna hugging Harry and got a photograph through the Pensieve to cause tension between you two. But all my plans failed. You two seemed inseparable. As a last option I had to use this. I'm sorry for this. I'm not a dark wizard but this is the last chance I'll have to get to Harry," explained Cho.
"What are you talking about? Your spell has had no effect on me. I'm just as I was earlier. You are a pathetic cow who doesn't know how to back off," replied Hermione sarcastically.
"Be patient Hermione and don't talk to me like that! In a couple of minutes you'll be my slave. This spell is called the slavery spell. It is a mixture of the Imperious and the Cruciatus curse. After I command you for the first time, you'll be under an effect similar to the one of Imperious Curse. It won't be as strong though. So you won't have any difficulty in fighting it. This is where the pain comes in. If you even dare to disobey my orders you'll feel pain much worse than the Cruciatus curse. What is worse is that nobody will be able to see your pain. To them you'll appear normal but the pain you feel inside will increase tremendously. If you even think about disobeying my orders you'll feel aches inside your body as a warning sign. Only I can take this spell off you or it has to be some extraordinary happening. That is what the book said. So say goodbye to freedom," said Cho grinning devilishly. Hermione got very scared.
"You wouldn't do this Cho. Come on Cho, I've never harmed you. If you want you, I and Harry can talk this over," begged Hermione in a desperate voice. She was trembling all over.
"I'm sorry Hermione. To give you an idea of how intense this spell is let's give it a try. I'm going to ask you to pick up that book with your left hand. You disobey me and pick it up with your right hand. See what such a small mistake does to you. I hope you're ready. From this moment, you Hermione Granger are my slave. I order you to pick up that book with your left hand," commanded Cho.
Hermione felt a cool feeling in her body. It was similar to the Imperious curse which she'd experienced during fourth year. It was quite weak, so she was able to overcome it. Curious to find out about this spell, she stretched her right hand towards the book. Pain built in her arm all the way but it she was able to tolerate it. As her right hand touched the book her body exploded. She couldn't scream or shout. Immediately she picked up the book with her left and the pain receded. Cho smiled at Hermione's reaction.
"That hurt, didn't it? I know that though to me you looked normal. This was a very minor mistake. So you can imagine what it'll be like when you disobey me completely. A complete defiance can be fatal or worse. I see that you are in your senses. Do you have anything to say?" asked Cho.
"Cho I beg you not to put this spell on me. I'm willing to do anything. Please take it off," pleaded Hermione. Her body was still stinging from the previous bout of pain.
"What I want you can never give me willingly. That is Harry of course. Can you leave him?" said Cho. Hermione shook her head silently.
"You see! That is why I have to use this spell. Now I'll tell you the rules you need to follow for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. As soon as you are out of this room you'll breakup with Harry. If he asks any reasons you'll be vague. Just say it wasn't working or something like that. Avoid him if you want. Now the most important thing. In no way should you let anybody else know that you are under this spell and I cast it on you. This includes speaking, writing or any other form of communication. Even if you cry in front of others it gives them the hint. So be really careful of that. I'd advice you to spend most of your time alone. Every night after Harry is asleep you are to come to my room. I may have some instructions for you for the next day. Other than this you can act normal with anyone you meet including Harry. I don't mind the two of you talking. You will soon realize why anybody under this spell has never dared to disobey," finished Cho.
"Cho please!" said Hermione in tears. Cho didn't even look towards her and walked out of the room. For about ten minutes Hermione just sat in Cho's room and cried. A few minutes ago her life was perfect. Within such a short span it had turned upside down. She didn't understand how she would deal with her present situation. How could she leave Harry? She loved him more than life itself. The thought caused tremendous pain in her body. It wasn't as bad as the previous bout but still pretty bad. She couldn't imagine how she'd tell Harry that they were over.
Still unsure of herself she stepped out of the room. The school which always looked so inviting now looked gloomy. She saw Ron and Luna passing by. The scene made her cringe. Such moments would elude her from now on. She was willing to face any pain for Harry but this was too dangerous. Even if she threw caution to the wind and told him everything, the effects could be disastrous. As Cho had said, she could die. Other than that she could be impaired for life or become mentally unstable. That would cause Harry greater pain. She avoided Luna and Ron. Just as she was about to turn into a corner, she bumped into someone.
"Hi love, where have you been? I've been looking for you all over. Bloody Cho kept me waiting in the field and never came back," said Harry putting his arms around Hermione. The pain in Hermione's body started rising. Reluctantly she got herself free. Her heart went out to Harry, who now had a confused expression on his face.
"What is it, love?" Harry asked gently sensing something wasn't right. Hermione paused before replying.
"Harry I think…," she couldn't complete her sentence.