Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It is not mine. However, all OC's and the plotline are mine.

A/N: All I've done is made a few minor spelling and Grammar changes. I probably still missed a few, but at least it's better than it used to be.

Harry Potter and the Grim Decision
Chapter 1: The package
By: Nanio-713

Cho Chang considered herself to be an intelligent young woman. She knew that she was a very smart, rational, and logical person when she has to be. In other words: Cho knew that she was a genius. Unfortunately, all genius' have quirks. Cho's quirk was that she allows herself to be ruled by her emotions. Cho could do anything she wanted quickly and efficiently when she keeps her head, but when her emotions get involved things become messy.

It was because of this that events went so horribly with her last boyfriend, Harry Potter. She began to think about Harry in the summer after the Triwizard tournament. Cedric had died, and Harry was there to witness it. She and Cedric never progressed very far in their relationship – there was a lot of snogging and a little groping, but nothing else – but she still felt very strongly for him. She saw the look of pain in Harry's eyes at the end-of-the-year feast and wanted to see if they could help each other through it. That's when she decided that she would attempt to talk to Harry. The only problems she had to worry about then was keeping her emotions in check, and ignoring the fact that she liked Harry.

She had tried to hold her feelings for Harry in check during the year, but it became harder as time passed. By the time she was able to even start talking to him about Cedric, her emotions overreacted and she kissed him. On their date, her emotions started overreacting when Harry said he had to meet Hermione, and when that mixed with her need to talk about Cedric, it caused the huge row that signaled the end of their relationship. Then, all it took was Marietta's squealing to Umbridge to ensure their breakup.

She knew that she treated Harry horribly. She meant to get to know him before talking about Cedric, but she jumped straight into the relationship and it ruined everything. By the time her logic overrode her emotions it was too late; she had already broken up with Harry. Now, she was at least hoping to fix some of the damage that she caused within the last year.

This is why Cho was sitting at her desk wrapping a small package and tying it with string. She wrote a small note on a piece of parchment, attached it to the package, then tied the package to a Manus Masked Owl, who was cleaning his light grey feathers as his master tied the package to his leg. "There you go, Gandalf." Cho said, "Take this to Harry."

Gandalf turned his head at his master, and then took off out of the window when she waved her hand to signal that he should leave. Having completed that task, she then began reorganizing her room when her mother walked into a room.

"Cho, Marietta just floo'd to say that she'll be here shortly." She said, watching her daughter for a moment. Cho gave a quick "thank you" while walking around her room and straightening things out before her mother spoke again. "Cho, are you alright? You've been a bit distant these past few days? Are you thinking about Cedric again? Do you want to talk about it?"

Cho stopped what she was doing to look at her mother. "No mum, it's alright. I'm fine; I've just been distracted recently. You know, what with my 7th year coming up and my internship at the Runic Research Facility. I'm just tired. I don't mean to worry you."

"It's alright, sweetie. Your father and I will be shopping most of today, so you and Marietta will be alone until past dinner. If you get hungry just let the house elves know so they can whip something up."

"I will, mum." Cho replied as she walked up to her mother and gave her a quick hug. As her mother walked out of the room, Cho walked over to the mirror to make sure that she looked okay. Her hair was perfectly groomed (a result that takes nearly a half-hour everyday alone) and held in a loose ponytail that reached as far as her lower back and two loose strands framing her almond shaped face. She straightened out her blue jumper and black jeans, checking for any stains or lint. Seeing that everything was satisfactory, she put on some trainers and walked downstairs.

As she reached her living room, she heard a small chime followed by a burst in the fire, followed by a young girl stepping daintily out of the fireplace. Cho saw her friend Marietta smooth her hand over her curly, reddish brown hair and wipe any loose soot off of her blue jeans and red blouse. Cho was glad to notice that her face no longer had the large boils on her face that said "SNEAK" as she walked over to give her friend a hug.

"Hey Marietta," Cho began, "its good to see you. I see they finally managed to get those boils off your face."

"I wish," the girl responded, "The Healers at St. Mungo's barely discovered what the spell was that did this to me. They're looking for a cure as we speak, although they've admitted that I'm not a 'High priority' since I'm not dying or anything. I expect it will be at least another month before I'm cured. The only reason I look normal is because of a glamour charm."

"Let's talk about this upstairs," Cho said. As the two went upstairs and into Cho's room she turned and asked, "So are you going to keep that charm up at school?"

"I doubt it," Marietta grumbled as she began to pace, "If anything gets too close to my face the charm breaks, and I think the school has some sort of ward to remove glamour charms. Remember when I tried to use one on my face and it broke after ten minutes?"

Cho sat down on her bed and watched her friend pace. "Yeah, I remember. Who cast the glamour charm on you for the summer?"

"Oh, that was my dad. I had to practically beg him to take me to St. Mungo's, After all, 'going there isn't free, and you should be glad the spell wasn't as bad as it could've been.' I swear, you'd think that he would side with me, but no!" Marietta cried mockingly.

Cho chuckled, "He's just upset that you signed a contract without thinking about the consequences."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Hey, I didn't twist your arm." Attempting to prevent her friend from becoming angry, Cho changed the topic quickly. "Anyway, these boils may cause some problems with your social life if they can't be removed soon. How are you going to handle that?"

"I don't know," the girl sighed as she sat down on Cho's bed as well, "I guess this may be a lonely beginning for me. At least you have a boyfriend. How is Michael, anyway?"

Cho groaned loudly, "Don't talk about him. I broke up with him two days ago."

"What?" Marietta cried, "We've only been on break for two weeks and you already broke up with him! What happened?"

Cho paused for a moment, then began by saying, "Well, if you must know I didn't appreciate the way he was always trying to feel me up. After one particularly bad day where he put his hands in one too many inappropriate places, I let his privates know physically that I didn't like being groped."

Marietta smirked, "Ouch, I guess that Weasley girl must've given him the impression that most girls are willing to go that far so quickly."

"No, she didn't." Cho replied, "Whenever I pushed him off, he usually stated that I was 'almost as prudish as Ginny.' He obviously didn't realize that it was a bad idea to bring up his ex-girlfriend."

Cho spent the next hour in this manner: joking, teasing, gossiping, and just playful banter. It was when Marietta began speaking about her mother's job that Cho noticed her owl, Gandalf, flying back into her room with the package she sent with him still attached. Oh no, he must not have wanted it.

"Mum's job seems so boring," Marietta said, laying back on Cho's bed and not noticing the Masked Owl. "I mean, besides Floo jams and the monitoring she did at Hogwarts last year, she doesn't do much with the Floo network. Its all just adding and taking off houses, then making sure people don't run into each other."

Cho didn't respond as she stood up to see her Owl. After looking over Gandalf she realized that the package and note were untouched, which meant that Harry never got them. That doesn't make sense! The only way Gandalf couldn't find someone is if there are powerful wards preventing it! How is it possible that… Cho lost that train of thought as she saw a Snowy Owl fly in and land next to hers. It looked at Cho imperiously (if such a thing could be done with Owls) before hooting and sticking out its leg.

"Will you be able to take this letter to where I want it to go?" Cho asked, feeling silly about talking to an Owl. She looked at the Owl for a moment before realizing something, "You belong to him, don't you?"

The Snowy turned its head and hooted in what seemed to be a positive manner. Cho wasted no time in switching the letter to the Snowy owl and asking, "Would you be able to show Gandalf where you're going?"

The Snowy and the Manus both turned to each other and regarded each other for a moment before both hooted in (what Cho thought was) agreement. She took off the note on her package and added a little more to it before putting it back on the package, allowing both Owls to fly back out of the window.

Cho turned around to see her friend watching her suspiciously. "What was that? Were you sending a package to someone?" Cho nodded, then Marietta continued with, "They must be in a well defended place if your owl couldn't get to him. Who were you sending that package to?"

Cho raised her chin slightly before replying, "Don't worry about it. It's my business and mine alone."

"Don't pull that tripe with me, missy." Marietta replied, "I'm not your mum, so you can't try to throw me off like that. Whose owl was that? It looked familiar, so it must be someone from school."

Cho stuck her tongue at Marietta, "Don't worry about it."

"Cho, I'm going to get this out of you. You'll tell me eventually."

"Well, let's see if your interrogation skills are up to the test."

Change Scene

Harry Potter walked into Grimmauld Place feeling terribly depressed. He walked through the front door, shaking his soaking wet cloak, and stepped into the living room. As he hung his coat he noticed that all of the dark and gloomy furniture that once inhabited the area was replaced by more modern pieces. He sat down on the couch while his guard, Tonks, walked into the kitchen to announce their arrival to whatever Order member was there. This is where I saw Kreacher. This is where… No! Sirius is gone, and nothing I say or do will change that. What's done is done…Harry shook off his thoughts as he laid back and thought about his predicament.

Harry was back in Grimmauld place in record time. Two weeks, to be exact. He was picked up by Dumbledore and Tonks since the Headmaster finally realized that placing Harry in Pivet Drive was a very bad idea. Then, the three of them went to convince a short, pudgy man named Slughorn into working at Hogwarts. That man was creepy. I hope he's going to be a good professor. After all, he'll need to be in order to survive the Defense against the Dark Arts curse. Finally, Dumbledore dropped Harry and Tonks off at Grimmauld place while he went back to Hogwarts and begin preparations for the next school year.

As Harry shuffled through his thoughts, he saw Tonks walk back into the living room and remove her trench coat. She wore a tight orange shirt with a dragon emblazed on the front, a pair of pants that Harry knew she must have morphed into, and a pair of black steel toed boots. Tonks sat down next to Harry and said, "Alright, Moody knows we're here and has cleared off." She looked at Harry and saw that he was deep in thought. "Harry, are you alright? Do we need to have another grief talk?"

Harry almost began laughing at this comment. Tonks' first "grief talk" was on the day after Harry returned to Pivet Drive. Tonks and Lupin showed up at night (via the window) with a couple of bottles of Firewhiskey, and the three began speaking about Sirius. The three then proceeded to get smashed while they discussed how Sirius' death was Voldemort's, and not Harry's, fault. Tonks then attempted to teach Harry how to dance, but her clumsiness and his inexperience caused the two to become a jumbled heap on the floor. Harry grinned at Tonks. "I don't know if I can handle that much Firewhiskey again without you trying to teach me to dance."

Tonks buried her face in her hands, "Uhh, you're not going to Let me forget that, are you? I was drunk! Everyone's equilibrium is thrown off when they drink."

"Yeah, but not everyone gropes their charge while trying to get up." At Tonks' shocked face, Harry began to laugh and say, "What, you didn't expect me to believe it was an accident, did you?"

A smile crept upon Tonks face, "Well, I had to find out whether or not those muscles of yours were real." As Harry began to blush lightly, Tonks chuckled and stood up. "Come on, Harry. Let's get you unpacked."

Tonks levitated Harry's trunk as Harry grabbed Hedwig's empty cage. As they walked to Harry's room, he wondered if the Black family ever made a portrait of Sirius. It didn't really matter; it wouldn't bring him back. Harry walked by the elf heads when his face lost all expression. "Tonks, what happened to Kreacher? I haven't seen him yet."

Tonks smiled before responding. "He's no longer around. Lupin chased him around the house and ended up locking him in with Buckbeak. Oh! Before I forget, don't call Buckbeak a 'disturbing, ugly beast.' Apparently, it offends him."

Harry began to laugh as the two reached the Master bedroom. "This is your room now, Harry, since Sirius left everything to you."

The two entered the room and Tonks placed Harry's trunk at the foot of the huge King size, four poster bed. Harry looked around and saw a dresser and a wardrobe on the left of his bed, and a single desk on the right side with parchment and ink sitting on top There was an open window right in front of it. Next to the door, there was a small table and two chairs. Harry placed the cage on the table and proceeded to sit down in a chair.

He wondered if the Weasley's were going to visit him or not. He wouldn't blame them if they stayed away; Grimmauld Place was a very depressing place, after all. Harry wouldn't even want to come here if it wasn't for the fact that it was the safest place the Order of the Phoenix had. Tonks sat next to Harry and disrupted his musings. "Knut for your thoughts?"

"No need," Harry quipped, "Dumbledore and Voldemort take them for free. I was just wondering if I'm going to see the Weasley's, and if it's still safe here now that Sirius is gone and Narcissa knows we're here."

"Well, we're only going to be here until Dumbledore gets the new Headquarters ready. The Weasley's will be here with you until the new HQ is up, and then we're all moving there. I don't know where the new one is located, but it should be ready in a couple of weeks. Also, you shouldn't joke about your thoughts."

"It's true," Harry replied, "Both used to break into my mind all the time. Snape did too. It's a good thing you've been teaching me Occlumency."

"We couldn't leave you open for exposure. I'm just surprised that you caught on so quickly." She paused, "Wait, no I'm not. They teach basic shields the first week of training. Anyway, I'm amazed your shield is so strong now."

"You yourself said that its all about willpower and we both know that I can be downright mule-headed."

Tonks laughed. "Yes you can, Harry. Anyway, I think it's high time that we move on to Legilimency."

"How about we start tomorrow? Dumbledore told me that you were going to be my guard until my Birthday, and there's no time like the present, right?"

"Sure, we'll start tomorrow. Now let's go downstairs and eat, all of this traveling and serious conversation has made me hungry."

Tonks and Harry headed downstairs and prepared a wonderful dinner. They spoke of the Wizarding world, and Tonks began to fill Harry in on the latest Wizard trends, bands, and Quidditch matches. Harry in turn told Tonks about some fashions and bands that were popular in Muggle London. As their dinner was ending Tonks said, "So I hear you're dating some cute Asian girl at Hogwarts? How's that going, Harry?"

Harry's face fell slightly and said, "You're a little behind, Tonks. Cho and I have broken up. You know: boy sees girl he likes, they kiss, girl begins crying because of her dead boyfriend, and then breaks up with boy because girl thinks that he fancies one of his other friends."

Tonks winced, "Ouch! Sorry I brought it up, mate. Who did she think you fancied?"

"Hermione. Anyway, enough of my horrible love life. What about yours? Have you hooked up with Lupin yet?"

"Harry, stop trying to push that one. I tried that already; Lupin's been dating some squib girl who decided its fun to date a guy who can literally become an animal for the past month without telling anyone."

"I'm sorry I tried pushing that one, then."

"It's alright. Actually, I'm going out next week with a guy from the Department of Magical Creature. He's from Dublin, and his name is Alexander. He seems like a really nice guy."

"Meaning that he hasn't asked you to customize your transformations?"

"Hey, you don't pick on my love life and I won't pick on yours."

"Alright, alright, I won't push your buttons. So, where are you going? I need some ideas for the next girl I decide to date."

"I won't be much help then. We're just going to do the old 'dinner and dancing' routine. I think it'll be nice, so long as he doesn't get the wrong idea."

"I hope he won't for your sake." At this point Harry let out a large yawn. "Well, as much as I'd love to keep chatting, I really should get some sleep. You going home, or are you sticking around until someone comes to change shifts?"

"Actually, I'm staying here for the night. I'm on a new assignment the Ministry has set up with Dumbledore where I'm heading Hogwarts security, so I have nothing to do until August. Dumbledore decided to have me stay here with you until then." A roguish smile appeared on her face, "Come on, Harry. Let's go to bed."

Harry blushed slightly as he returned her smile, "As you wish, milady." Harry then proceeded to wrap his arm tightly around Tonks' waist and led her up the stairs. Tonks began blushing brightly when Harry started laughing uproariously. "I love teasing you Tonks. Just think; I would've never gotten this comfortable with girls if it wasn't for you."

Tonks laughed as Harry loosened, but didn't release, his grip on her. "Oh I'm going to get you for that Harry, just you wait."

Tonks reached her room (which was just before Harry's) and gave him a hug before entering. Harry made his way into his own room and noticed that Hedwig and another owl were in his room. Hedwig had a parchment on his leg, while the other owl didn't. Harry untied the package from Hedwig's leg. Harry quickly picked up the note on it and read:

Dear Harry,

Please don't trash this until you've seen the package. I know you have no reason to, but I hope you can trust me with this.

Cho Chang

PS: My Manus Screech Owl, Gandalf, couldn't get past your wards. Luckily, your Snowy Owl arrived to take this package.

Harry looked at Hedwig and said, "So that's where you've been. I've been worried about you, you know? I thought you might've gotten hurt or something, disappearing like that." Hedwig flew onto Harry's shoulder and nipped his ear apologetically. "It's okay Hedwig, I forgive you." Harry sat down and opened the package with Hedwig still on his shoulder. He opened the wrapper to find… a rather large book. He opened it to a random page and noticed that it was blank. He flipped to the first page and noticed a note. It read:

Dear Harry,

I know that we didn't leave on very good terms when we last saw each other, and for that I'm sorry. I did not mean to treat you so horribly this past year. First, I kept crying and bringing up Cedric to you, which was unfair. Then, I broke up with you and went out with Michael Corner (who I recently broke up with, by the way). You did not deserve it. Hopefully, you can find the kindness in your heart to forgive me. If so, please keep this journal. It is magically linked to a journal that I have, and anything you write will appear in my journal. If you wish to speak to me again, merely write it in here, and I will know. If not, then let me know that you don't wish to write to me, and I'll send Gandalf to retrieve this journal from you and will leave you alone.

I know that it will not be easy to forgive me due to all that's happened between us, but all I ask is that you try. All I want to be is your friend for now, and hopefully we can grow back into something more.

Sincerely,

Cho Chang

Harry sat there for a moment and wondered about whether or not he should write back. She was straightforward in her apology, but should I forgive her? Can we go back to being something more? Realizing he wasn't going to answer that this night, he stroked the screech owl's feathers and said, "Gandalf my friend, I'm going to keep this book for a while. You can go back to Cho now." The owl nodded once and flew out of Harry's window. Harry moved Hedwig to her cage, placed the journal on his desk, and lay down in the large bed mentally debating about what he should do about Cho's letter.