Missing Hogwarts

"Harry!" Cho exclaimed with relief, as the fear that he wouldn't show slipped away.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Harry apologised immediately, striding across the floor of the Leaky Cauldron to embrace his old friend. She clung to him for a while, feeling the reassuring warmth of his arms around her. "There was a problem," Harry explained. "James made a horrendous mess in the kitchen and Albus wouldn't stop crying—I couldn't leave Ginny to deal with it all. Not in her current state."

Cho released him, and the pair settled down into two sturdy wooden chairs. "It's fine," she reassured him, "I understand." Though the truth of the matter was that she didn't understand at all. How could she? She wasn't a parent, after all. She had no experience with young children whatsoever. "How is Ginny?" she piped up.

Harry began to relax. "Oh, she's doing great. She's a little unsteady at the moment, but you know what she's like—she refuses to back down and let anybody help her. She's a fighter," he said proudly.

Cho nodded, although she actually knew very little about Ginny.

"The baby's due next month," Harry went on to tell her, "and we're certain it's going to be a girl this time."

He beamed as he spoke of his unborn daughter, and Cho couldn't help but smile too. Seeing Harry so happy made her involuntarily happy too. That was how friendship worked. And it had been far too long since the two had last seen each other.

"And how old are your two little boys now?" she asked politely.

"Albus is two, and James is four."

"Cute," she replied.

The pair sat there uncomfortably, neither one knowing exactly what to say next. Conversation used to flow so easily between them—what had happened?

Cho pinned it to them both being at different stages in their life. After all, Harry was at the top of his career—being an Auror and all—and he was happily married, with two young children and a third one on the way. Cho had none of these things. Her life seemed so insignificant compared to his.

"Enough about me, though," Harry said eventually. "How are things in your life?"

Cho nearly burst out laughing. Her life lacked the excitement that Harry's did, though there was one thing she felt happy to announce. Wordlessly, she held up her hand to reveal the delicate silver ring that adorned her ring finger.

"You're engaged!" Harry cried in delight, thrusting a hand across the table to examine Cho's hand carefully. He admired the ring and the way what little light there was in the inn bounced off it, causing it to gleam with beauty. "Anybody I know?" he asked, releasing her hand.

Cho shook her head. "Oh, no, I doubt it—he's a Muggle," she informed him proudly."His name is Rodger and he's me… he's my postman," she said awkwardly, dropping her voice as she faltered.

Although Cho loved him dearly, it was embarrassing to announce to an Auror, who happened to be married to a professional Quidditch player, that her fiancé was nothing more than a common postman. Especially when she herself was jobless.

Cho found Muggles fascinating, especially the concept of a man hand-delivering letters to other Muggles. She'd lived her whole life using owls, but eager to fit in had moved into a little Muggle neighbourhood to experience their different way of life.

Cho yearned for things to be the way they once had been. "I miss Hogwarts," she said aloud.

Harry immediately recognised the sorrow in her eyes and the misery in her tone. "You're unhappy?" he asked softly, his overwhelming concern for her forcing the words from his mouth.

She shrugged. "Not exactly. It's just, I miss being at school, where we had no responsibilities—where everything was planned out for us. I mean, how easy was it to live our lives at Hogwarts?"

Harry shifted in his seat uncomfortably, not entirely sure how to respond.

"I'm so sorry," Cho gasped, her hand springing to her face, horrified by the realisation of what she'd just said. Because of course, in Harry's case, life at Hogwarts hadn't been easy at all. Of the six years he'd attended, he'd faced fresh horrors with each new school year. Horrors she could never even begin to imagine facing. She felt herself blushing furiously.

"It's fine," Harry said casually, trying to block out the vivid memories that were now flooding his mind. He couldn't blame her because, despite the things he'd faced, Hogwarts had been a truly unforgettable experience. He'd felt more happiness there than he'd ever thought possible, and it would always remain his one true home.

And before either knew what was happening, the tears were streaming down Cho's face. Harry was no stranger to experiencing Cho cry. At Hogwarts, it had been a frequent occurrence, and although it had startled him at first, he'd slowly gotten used to handling the situation. But this was different. They were adults now, and they were sat in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron. It had been years since he'd dealt with this.

"Cho?" Harry asked cautiously, stretching his hand across the table to take hold of hers.

She sniffed loudly, frantically trying to wipe her tears away in shame. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she apologised quietly. "It's just that your life seems so wonderful, and I just—I just don't have much to live for," she hiccoughed.

"That's not true," he said, stroking her hand reassuringly. "You're engaged," he reminded her. "You'll be able to start a family soon. Don't dwell on life at Hogwarts; you've got so much to live for. So much to look forward to."

Cho gulped. "I still miss him, Harry." She said it so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

"Who?" Harry asked, though he knew exactly whom she was referring to.

"Cedric."

The name hung in the air hauntingly, creating a different kind of pain for each of them. Cho couldn't help it. That was partly the reason she felt so close to Harry—because of the connection he had to Cedric Diggory, her childhood love. Harry had gotten her through that impossible time when nobody else could, and she would forever appreciate him for it.

"Right," Harry said loudly, clearing his throat and rising from the table.

Cho blinked up at him in surprise. She hadn't expected this sudden change in attitude, from gentle and caring to firm and authoritative.

"Come with me," he ordered, pulling her to her feet.

Cho felt her bottom lip tremble as Harry led her around various tables, eventually planting her firmly in front of a dusty old mirror that hung near the back of the inn.

"Cho Chang," he stated, "I want you to stare into this mirror and tell me what you see".

"Harry, I think this mirror is merely meant for decoration," Cho said nervously, worried that the other customers would be watching them suspiciously.

Harry ignored her. "Look," he ordered.

Reluctantly, Cho turned to stare at herself in the mirror. Her appearance was faded from the dust, yet she could still make out her blotchy, tear-strained face. She was appalled by what she saw. What was Harry doing?

"You're a beautiful, young woman," he assured her. "You're engaged to a wonderful man. You're a talented witch and you're incredibly smart. You've got your whole life ahead of you, Cho," he said affectionately.

Beautiful? That certainly wasn't what Cho saw in her reflection. "Beauty and youth fade," she pointed out miserably.

Cho longed to be back at Hogwarts. She had been young and pretty, and incredibly popular—both with the students and the teachers. And before Cedric had died she'd been the happiest she'd ever been. She'd never used to cry so much back then.

"I don't want to grow any older," she choked out in response.

"Do not regret growing old, it is a privilege denied to many," Harry told her gently, thinking of his parents' short lives.

"That's very true, Mr Potter," Cho replied brightly, starting to lighten up again. "Very wise words indeed."

She pondered the phrase and all that it held for her. Harry was right—she did have a lot to look forward to. Who knew what the future could hold for her? Maybe all she needed was a change of attitude.

"Thank you, Harry," Cho said softly, turning away from the mirror to look him in the eye. His beautiful green eyes had not changed in the slightest since their time at Hogwarts.

A smile began to play on both of their mouths. Cho hugged him tightly, proud of what the two of them shared: a real friendship.

Originally written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 1—Round 1

Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Beater 1 (Harry and Cho—Friendship)
Additional Prompts: "Do not regret growing old, it is a privilege denied to many" and Mirror