Disclaimer: I literally own nothing (not the quotes, or characters, or universe, or cover photo) except the plot of this specific, and the fact that I'm not JK Rowling or the photographer who took that awesome picture of hands makes me sad.

A/N: This is my first time writing this couple, I hope you like it! Also, as I was writing it, Rachel's tribute to Finn on Glee popped up in my mind, so that's where the lyrics at the bottom came from. Its a really beautiful song.

(nothing of importance, feel free to continue to the story.) Written for:

Tien Len comp: round 1: 5 of hearts: Cho Chang, starlight, "You don't have to apologize.", Langston Hughes quote; Thinks you Can comp: Cubbins: write about an unlikely hero; Winter games challenge: Women's Skeleton: someone injured or sick; Wizard Sweets challenge: Blood Flavored Lollipop: takes place in a graveyard; Chp. 3 Tite Acrostics: R: action prompt- roaming; Snowboarding Parallel: write a het pairing of your choice; Ffn terms comp: ship: write about someone popular; ABBA challenge: song prompt- lay all your love on me; wand wood comp: ash: write about Cedric; spells comp: avada kedavra: write about the death of a loved one; tv show comp: charmed: write about a couple with the universe against them;

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. - Langston Hughes

Reflections

Real life didn't always turn out so nice. But the day Cho Chang met Cedric Diggory, really met him, she couldn't think of another problem in the world.

She met him on a gorgeous day, perfect Quidditch conditions. Ravenclaw v. Hufflepuff, the semifinals. Cedric was a fourth year, and she a third, and they met eyes across the Pitch as her team got in place. Cho scanned her opposition, and as most of the players seemed to be glaring at her, Cedric grinned, and gave her a small nod. When she smiled, she realized how deeply set her scowl had been beforehand from the amount her face shifted, and she laughed out loud, earning a few strange looks but not caring.

Cho caught the Snitch in the end, after a rough match that put Cedric out of the game with a bludger to the gut. After the game, the Ravenclaws went to celebrate their victory, but Cho stayed behind, waving off her friends and teammates dismissively. Instead of heading to her victory party, she followed the Hufflepuff team to the Hospital Wing, and waited patiently for them to leave before tentatively taking a step inside.

She went in with the excuse that she had wished the injury upon him, or some nonsense like that. She had this gut feeling inside her that she had something to apologize for, though she didn't know what.

(Mostly, she just wanted to get to know Cedric Diggory.)

With her meant-to-be-silent footstep, Cedric sat straight up, looking around for the source of the small noise. He looked at her, and she flushed a bit.

"Hi," Cho said awkwardly, moving towards the stool beside his bed. "I wanted to see if you were okay." Her gaze moved to her feet, disliking his intense look on her. He seemed to be in some sort of daze, as if staring at her would help him figure out why she was there. "That was a pretty hard fall," she added, still not looking up.

Then, Cedric laughed, and Cho looked up, giving him an incredulous look. "Pomfrey mends bones in a minute, I'm fine. Why so interested?"

"Is everything a joke to you? You could've- died- or something! And it would've been all my fault-"

"Whoa, what? That's why you're down here? To clear your conscience? You don't have to apologize. And here I was thinking you were actually concerned for my well-being. And how on Earth is it your fault?"

"It was my first match, I probably willed that bludger into you, purely by luck," she defended, feeling rather stupid now, and then realizing what he had just tricked her into and scowling. "That was awful! I do care, that's why I came down here! What- look, are you okay, or not? Because it seems to me you're just fine, so I'll be going." She stood from her chair and turned, swiftly exiting the Wing. She reached the door, then-

"Wait! Cho, seriously, stay." She turned and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I was awful."

"Exactly, and how much more awful would you be if you left a bedded cripple-"

"Cripple?"

"alone, after you made him lose!"

"I'm not sure if you're aware, but that is not a good way to make someone stay."

Cedric sighed, then gave her a charming smile. "Keep me company?" he asked, grey eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

Cho contemplated for a bit, but when he added "...please?", she rolled her eyes and went to join him. When she sat, Cedric held out a hand.

"My hero," he said sarcastically as way of thanks, pointing at her. "Cedric," he said, grinning widely, "I believe we haven't been properly introduced."

"Cho," she shook his hand with a laugh, "It's lovely to meet you."

Candlelight danced in the windows, glinting onto the pair and uncovering something far more than friendship.

It was late next year when Cedric thought he may have feelings for Cho. The revelation was freaking him out, and the morning of his OWL exams (those, and their year gap, and their friendship among the reasons he thought it just wouldn't work), he game himself a stern talking to in the washroom mirror.

"Cho's pretty. That doesn't mean you like her...well of course, you like her, just not like like, you know?" he asked himself.

The excuses continued. The mirror was silent.

"She doesn't like you back. What if you get your heart broken?"

"It would've kinda sucked if you dated, then broke up when you left- but no, you won't be dating!"

"You're her quidditch rival. That won't work."

A few moments of silence passed, and then-

"But I like her. A lot."

And with that confession, Cedric washed his face and slapped his cheeks, trying to snap himself back into reality.

"What the hell are you doing in there?!" came a voice from the dorm, clearly pissed at being woken up so early.

"Friends. You're her friend," he assured himself, and his false confidence got him through the day. But Cedric admitted only to himself it was only a matter of time before he fell for her, hard and fast. And he had no idea what he was going to do when that happened, because they weren't the best of friends, but they were close, and his feelings were entirely unrequited.

(Not that it would matter, because Cedric was Hufflepuff for a reason, and the only relationship he had, early this year, was initiated by the girl.)

And Cedric could've sworn he saw his reflection wink at him.

Cho clearly remembered the day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and realized she had fallen for Cedric. It was the very last day of her fourth year, and in less than an hour, she was to board the train home.

And she had been scared, because the year after then next, Cedric was leaving. At the moment, she could think of nothing she wanted less. And before that, she had to make it the whole summer without seeing him. She was growing up; the realization came hard and fast.

Much like the fact that she really, really liked Cedric Diggory.

At first, their friendship had been a bit sporatic, but then they played a bit of Quidditch, and went for Hogsmeade visits, and before Cho knew it, starting the beginning of the year, they had seen each other every single day. She loved the comfort he brought her, and his smile, and kindness, albeit a bit cheesy, and how modest he was, but how when it came to her, he always knew what to say. She loved his eyes, and how they looked at her, and how he could make her laugh and let loose for a little and have fun.

And all she wanted was to be with him.

It was terrifying.

When Cedric saw her across the Platform the first day of his sixth year, her eyes bright with excitement and long dark hair blowing in the wind and that smile that she got when she looked at him-

his heart stopped beating.

And that's how he came to the unfortunate revelation that he was in love with Cho Chang. It was hopeless, endless devotion, from which he wanted desperately for something to come, but he was still pretty sure he didn't have that sort of guts.

So he smiled at her, and made a hand gesture to join him on the train.

Cho's feelings for Cedric crashed down on her rather abruptly one night in the Great Hall, when he sidled up to her to eat. It was the day before Halloween.

"Hey," he said, perching himself next to her at the Ravenclaw bench, waving to some of her friends a little ways down the table. She had asked them to give her some space, and Cedric had obviously noticed. Cho tried to ignore their giggles at his wave. "What's up? You look angry at the world."

"Angry at you," she clarified, steadfastly ignoring his gaze.

She saw him quirk a smile from the corner of her eye. "Oh, and what have I done to deserve your wrath this time?"

"You know," she hissed.

"I don't," he mimicked her tone, and she wanted to strangle him right there.

"We've talked about this already," Cho tried to keep her voice level, "and you made it quite clear you didn't give a shite about my opinion, so why rehash old arguments?"

"Cho," he said quietly, touching a hand to her arm, as she tried to ignore the her wildly beating heart, "I'm not going to do this if you don't want me to. Please, can we talk?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we already are."

Cedric groaned. "You're impossible," he said frankly, "somewhere in private, so we don't make a SCENE!" he yelled the last word, throwing himself off the bench. Cho scrambled to yank him back down, before smacking him in the shoulder.

"Stop that, you git!"

"You're making me blush," he grinned. "Just hear me out?"

Cho looked into his eyes, her first fatal mistake. They disarmed her; it was pretty pathetic. "Fine," she finally sighed, "not here."

"I believe I raised that point already?" he mocked, standing from the bench and dragging her from the Hall, down a deserted corridor. He leant back against the wall, and to his surprise, Cho stood tall right in front of him, a hard look in her eyes.

"Are you mental?!" she asked angrily.

"Look, Cho," he sighed, and Cho resisted the urge to slap him. She was tired of excuses.

"This is dangerous! Don't you understand that? I thought Hufflepuffs were cowardly, anything to keep you from this tournament. Your Dad, your friends, they can't live without you! I can't live without you!" Cho sucked in a breath, realizing what she had confessed hoping he wouldn't react awkwardly to her latest statement.

He did. Cedric's eyes went a little blank for a moment, then focused on her. She could feel him take her in, scanning her scowling mouth and flushed cheeks and hard eyes. They locked eyes, and Cho suddenly became aware of how close they were, of how easily she could lean in and-

Cedric coughed, snapping his gaze from hers, and that's when it all became clear. Cho looked at Cedric, and seeing her face in his bright eyes, it was as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Because she loved him. Those feelings she had tried so hard to supress were staring her in the face, because Cedric was seriously considering entering this tournament, the one where seriously fatal events took place, and she didn't know what she would do if he didn't make it out.

"Cho," he said finally, quietly, gripping her arms and looking her in the eyes. "I'm not going to enter if you don't want me to. But you're right, I was a coward. But I've had a bit more faith in myself lately, and you'd have to be an idiot to not know it had everything to do with you. I can do this. I know it. I want to compete, I really do, and I know I can. But it's all up to you, I promise."

Cho barely heard him over the sound of her heartbeat, but heard him she did. It was her decision.

If she was the one to hold him back, what would change between them? That didn't really matter to her, if it meant Cedric's life. The real issue was a matter of trust, if she trusted him enough to-

she trusted him with her life.

"Okay," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Seriously?" he quirked an eyebrow, and Cho laughed, smiling wider.

"Yeah," she promised, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Cedric held her close, their hearts beating together.

It was reported in the Prophet to be one of the clearest nights in the century, and Cho, being the Ravenclaw that she was, wanted to stay up late and stargaze. So by some miracle that is still a mystery to Cedric after they roamed up to the top of the Astronomy Tower twenty minutes later, Cho managed to convince him to hijack their Prefects' patrols in favor of a night of stargazing.

(But if Cedric was being honest with himself, as he so often was when she was around, it wasn't a mystery at all.)

It was, indeed, a beautiful night. Cedric turned his head to the stars every so often to watch them. The galaxy was in crystal clear view around them, filled with thousands of stars that spanned into infinite space. They were amazing.

But Cedric couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Standing there, in the starlight, he had never seen anything more beautiful.

She outshined them. Everything about her, beyond the beauty- her kindness, and her confidence; her wit and her smile, her competitive edge. Her compassion. Her.

"Aren't they gorgeous?" she asked, moving around her telescope to stand closer to him, yet still looking at the sky. The stars reflected in her eyes.

"Definitley," he said, not even bothering to look again.

Merlin, he had it bad.

"I'm so happy I got to see it. I feel bad for my friends, we're all pretty obsessed," she laughed.

"You have a window in your dorm," Cedric retorted cheekily, and Cho rolled her eyes.

"It's not like this," she said firmly.

"No," he agreed, then muttered, "It's definitley not like this."

But Cho caught his words, and turned to look at him. "What was that?" He flushed under her gaze.

"Nothing," he promised with a smile he hoped was confident.

Cho took a step closer, and Cedric tried to take one back. He internally groaned when he hit the ledge. "Seriously, what did you say?"

"Nothing," he said again, trying to laugh it off.

"What are you hiding?" Cho quirked an eyebrow with another step, and Cedric held out his hands for her to take a step back for reasons he did not know. They were close, they hugged. Why did it bother him that she was getting closer and closer-

Maybe it had to do with this damn impending Yule Ball and that all he wanted to do was work up the courage to ask her, or the fact that they were alone, or that that almost-dying-thing with the dragon in the first task made everything quite more real, or that she just looked so goddamn gorgeous-

and before Cedric knew it, he was kissing her. It had probably happened while he was thinking, but what was much more concering to him at the moment was that she was kissing him back. Vaguely, he felt her soft hair intertwined in his fingers, and her arms wrapped around his neck, and with that he was inexplicably lost in the sensation that was kissing the girl he had come to love.

The kiss was without a doubt the best he had ever had, but eventually, after what seemed like an infinite amount of time, Cho pulled away. And they just stood there, looking into eachother's eyes, only centimeters apart and standing on the Astronomy Tower but in fact hundreds of thousands of meters away, among the stars.

Cedric couldn't stand thesilence. "Will you go to the Ball with me?" he blurted, because it was, at this moment, all he could think.

Idiot, his subconscience snapped.

"Yes," she breathed, beaming up at him, and Cedric felt like he could fly.

The Yule Ball was awesome, yes. The Staff really outdid themselves, and though it had nothing to do with them, the Christmas snowstorm was a really nice touch.

All of these things flew out of Cedric's mind, though, when he looked at her. She was beautiful, and took his breath away. Nothing could come close.

And when she saw the way her eyes widened with the way he looked at her, he knew she felt the same way. Finally. He was pretty sure, anyway, but the kiss she greeted him with was excellent clarification.

"You look amazing," he said immediately after they broke apart.

"So do you." Her smile was brilliant.

He attempted to gracefully offer her his arm, and she took it and laughed. They talked quietly for a bit: about school, the tasks. There had been a few Hogsmeade weekends, but most of their 'dates' were spent roaming the castle, talking comfortably and being themselves simply because they were with each other.

It wasn't long before the Champions were told to line up with their partners.

"I have a confession," he whispered to her as they filed, "I can't dance."

"My father taught me when I was little. I'll teach you. Who knows? I might not be very good either. It's been so long."

"But you'd be doing it, so it would still be good, you know? I just look like a boulder."

She laughed and squeezed his arm, "Now that's not true at all."

Right as they were about to dance, she began to whisper directions in his ear, guiding him into the pre-waltz pose. "Put your hands on my waist, okay? And then take this hand." They were just in position when the music began. She pulled her head back and smiled at him as they began to dance, and she whispered little steps the whole way through.

They danced, and ate, and talked, and sat, and drank, and then danced again. And there were smiles, and laughter, and kisses. And it was as if it was just the two of them, in a castle covered in snow and stuck in time.

At the end of the night, they were the only couple left. Cedric had his arms wrapped tightly around her now, and Cho had her head on his shoulder, eyes closed. It was almost completely quiet, the only noise the quiet music echoing from some corner of the room from a wireless. Or perhaps it was still the band, though this song wasn't really their style. Cedric didn't really know, or care. It wasn't a slow song, but they swayed back and forth all the same. It was peaceful. It was wonderful. And all Cedric could think of was how lucky he was.

"Cedric," Cho said suddenly, snapping Cedric out of his reverie when she looked up at him. There was something in her eyes, something more. He could see it in them together, dancing faintly in the window. "I love you."

He almost didn't hear it, but when he did, he looked at her with wide eyes. And then he kissed her.

"I love you, too."

The first time Cho had the strength to see Cedric's grave was a week after school ended.

It was a beautiful day. Shining sun. Glowing, cloudless sky. Fresh summer flowers. One of those unbelievably perfect days that England so rarely receives.

And all Cho could think was that it wasn't fair. The world should be mourning. It should be dark, and raining. One of the kindest wizards to ever live had died over a hundred years before his time. Not just died. Killed. In cold-blooded murder.

Why was everyone just moving on?

Why couldn't she? She didn't want to move on. She loved him, she always would. But she wanted to be happy. But then, she's not sure she deserves that, because if anyone did, it was Cedric.

And Cedric's kind soul. And amazing future. And beautiful heart.

Why does she get to live?

Why does she have to live without him?

She can't, she knows it. When Cho looked in the future, she saw the two of them together. That was over. She didn't know where to go from here.

"My hero," she said softly, smiling, yet beginning to cry on the grass next to his grave. "I love you," she said even softer.

She could see her reflection in his headstone. The tears streamed down her face, and she reached out to touch his name engraved in the cold stone. She traced it, praying he could feel it. "Wh-why?" she choked out. "Why did you leave me?"

The sun got just a little warmer, then. It was as if there was just a little more light, shining from the sun down to her. She was sure it was him, encouraging her to live.

To love.

"Cedric," she said, wiping away her tears and looking at the sky, "I love you," she told him, just to make sure he heard.

Just a little more light warmed her.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
There's nothing that I would not do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love.

Bob Dylan

A/N 2: I don't care what anyone says, Cho and Cedric were perfect together, and their story is one of the most heartbreaking in the whole series. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, I had a great time writing it.

Lara