Chapter 23

aMORTentia Part I

"She invited a bloody date for Cho to the family's dinner," Draco groaned. He was still reeling from the debacle that had been Tuesday night's dinner with Cho's family. Surrounded by the traditional Chinese customs and rituals with a living breathing example of everything her mother thought he lacked was, to say the least, rough.

Blaise could not keep from snorting with laughter, "that's brilliant. I love this woman."

So much for a supportive breakfast pep talk.

"If Lynn hadn't been there," he shook his head.

"What do you care Draco?" Blaise probed, "you do know it is fake right?"

"Of course, I do," he replied hastily.

Too hastily, Blaise's lips quirked, "all business?"

"All business," he confirmed.

"You're a terrible liar," Blaise drawled, he leaned back in his chair to observe his flustered friend.

Draco glared at him.

Blaise cocked his head at an incredulous angle, "You didn't?"

His onetime friend narrowed his eyes.

"You did!" Blaise laughed, "bloody hell Draco, you had one job."

"I didn't say anything!" Draco protested.

"You didn't have to," Blaise was confident, "it's written all over your face. Well she hasn't broken it off with you, so it must have been good."

"We are not talking about this."

"So physical…and emotional?" he queried in a clinical manner.

"Just physical," Draco replied tersely.

"Saucy," he smirked, proud of Cho, then arched an eyebrow, "Wait just? Why just?"

"Leave it Blaise," Draco warned.

"It would be easier if you just told me the truth."

"Like you wouldn't have a million questions even if I did?"

"Try me."

Draco glared again and sighed, "It's simple really, I know she's still got a thing for Diggory, and I can't compete with a martyred hero of the Light. Unfortunately Chang has a type, and its not me, our thing is just a distraction. And that's fine."

He cut off Blaise's inevitable question, "And I know she's still got a thing for Diggory because she was sad when we got back from the lake, she wasn't guilty. She would have been if it was Potter or someone else with a pulse. She was sad, hence, Diggory was the person she saw in that vision."

Blaise drew another conclusion from his friend's morose pronouncement, but didn't voice it.

"That's...rough," he commiserated.

Draco shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "Don't you have a business trip or something?"

His friend flashed a smile, "Going to Italy, a few meetings, a bit of work, dinner with Nonna."

"Avoiding your mother's charity auction?" it was Draco's turn to goad.

Blaise placed a hand to his chest, as though mortally wounded, "Never."

ooo

Cho rushed into the briefing room after getting a special emergency alert. Gawain was at the head of the room like a general exhorting his troops, "Alright listen up you slackers, tonight we are working in tandem with some bigshot international LEOs to wrap up a case. We've been keeping this under wraps and its finally time to bring this one home."

"Boss it's Valentine's Day!" a luckless Ron cried.

Gawain narrowed his eyes at the protest and scoffed, "Sorry pretty boy, if Crime doesn't have a girlfriend, you don't either."

Some choked laughter met this takedown but most knew to keep it quiet, the tension in the room was too high.

He shouted out assignments in rapid fire and fielded any non-Valentine's day related requests. Robards truly was in his element, his eyes were alight with anticipation. Everything had been timed down to the minute for this case and it required nearly all of the Auror staff, all current cases were being put on hold.

"We're waiting on the signal from our undercover op. before we take these bastards down." Like any mission involving a deep cover, their identity would be kept secret even from the LEOs working the case.

After Gawain dismissed everyone Cho handed over the notes from the meeting and asked, "Boss, do you have anything for me?"

Gawain looked up, "This isn't a desk duty night Chang, it's a field duty one, don't you have a boyfriend? Isn't that what I've been reading about in the papers every bloody morning?"

Cho blushed, "Yes, but it seems like an important mission."

He sighed, "this one's not going through the normal official channels, all the paperwork has been done at levels far above my paygrade, there's nothing for you to file."

Cho felt a little stung, "alright then."

He waved her off, oblivious to the insult he'd just paid her.

ooo

Cho and Draco stood on the stoop, the brassy sound of club music reached their ears, they braced themselves. Astoria opened the door and greeted them enthusiastically, "You came just in time for the game!"

Cho and Draco shared an alarmed look.

"Game?" Draco asked cautiously as Astoria hastened them through the house, their gifts and cloaks were discarded posthaste and they found themselves seated in a circle with a selection of the other guests. Music thudded in the background.

Cho glanced around and saw that Marietta was sitting in the circle with them, her eyes widened visibly with shock, how on earth? True the circle contained more than just the de rigueur Slytherin complement. Hannah Abbott sat between Padma Patil and Pansy Parkinson. Ernie MacMillan was seated next to Terry Boot and Theodore Nott. Even Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordan were there.

But Marietta looked, aloof, she cocked her head, a challenge to Cho's shocked expression.

Cho raised a querying brow and Marietta gave a nearly imperceptible shake of the head.

Draco put a steadying hand on her knee and she tried to tune back into the explanation Astoria was giving. "—so you see, you might have already played some version of this game already, I'm told that muggles call it truth or dare."

Cho blinked in alarm and looked down at the tray of potion vials she was being handed, red, gold, blue and green. Draco was given an identical tray.

"Just remember the following, red is for Gryffindor, the dare, and in our case it's a tiny shot of modified love potion. Enough liquid courage for one rather passionate kiss, nothing further. Modified by yours truly. Gold is for Hufflepuff, and you must share something platonic with your requestor, a kiss, a secret, any act of friendship, essentially. The spell was modified by MacMillan."

"Blue is for Ravenclaw, a tiny shot of Veritaserum, enough for one truth, pretty self-explanatory. And finally, green is for Slytherin," Astoria grinned, "the trick vial, it can be any one of the previous three, it can also be a free pass, or it can be a chance to turn the tables on the requestor, the drinker only knows once they've drained the vial which will turn color upon completion."

She looked around the circle finding some incredulous faces looking back, "I think a demonstration is called for? As host I'll be the first requestor," she glanced around, "Daphne?"

Her sister narrowed her eyes and selected the green vial.

Cho could not help but be drawn in, "Strategic," she whispered to Draco, "using the most uncertain one on the most trustworthy partner."

Daphne drained the vial, it turned golden, she scowled.

"She could have used that later on," he whispered back, "it may have been overly cautious. I actually formulated that one."

Astoria laughed and accepted a kiss on the cheek from her sister.

"You never told me that!" Cho exclaimed, shocked, but keeping her tone low.

He shrugged, "Astoria didn't tell me what she wanted it for."

It was now Daphne's turn to choose, "Pansy," she said lazily.

Pansy selected her blue vial, and drained it.

("They were year mates, that makes sense.")

Daphne's lip curled, "Bottle or not?"

There was a rush of inhaled breath, as it turned out, there was nothing sacred about a Slytherin friendship.

Pansy sighed, and then sneered, "One hundred percent natural you skank." She flipped her blonde bob extravagantly.

Laughter broke out around the ring, and both witches smirked at each other, Daphne shrugged admitting defeat.

Pansy's eyes roamed around, they made contact with Cho's and flashed, Cho felt uneasy. Her lip twitched ever so slightly and she turned to Marietta, "You."

Marietta sucked in a nervous breath and bit her lip.

Pansy arched an eyebrow.

Marietta pursed her lips. And selected the red vial.

Cho's jaw dropped as her friend tipped the vial into her mouth without another hint of hesitation.

Pansy dragged Marietta forward and brought their mouths together in a rush. The two witches were locked in an undeniably passionate kiss, Pansy dominating the taller girl with an ardor she rarely displayed. But Marietta was holding her own, and it was clear that she'd done so before, she grasped Pansy by the waist of her skimpy dress robes while Pansy's free hand slid possessively down Marietta's silk-clad backside.

Astoria fanned herself for comic emphasis. Draco looked concernedly at Cho. The entire circle broke out in whispers.

Cho stood abruptly, eyes blazing, chair scraping on the floor. Pansy's eyes fluttered open and found hers, she slowly brought her hand back up and disengaged the kiss. She gave Cho a wink and sat back down leaving Marietta standing alone in the middle.

Marietta turned to face Cho defiantly.

Cho jerked her head at the hallway and she walked away from the circle, her best friend following in her wake.

"Well then," Astoria said quickly as they left, "That was an excellent demonstration, who would like to go next?"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Cho hissed after they had found an empty bedroom.

Marietta was angry, "I'm cultivating a source!"

"You're cultivating a Venomous Tentacula!" Cho shot back.

Her friend scoffed bitterly, "Hypocrisy is so not your color."

She wanted to deny it, but she knew why the words had stung so deeply, the naked truth was like a slap in the face. They glared at each other, eyes flashing with anger and hurt. Mortified, Cho felt tears forming and she looked away.

"Oh Cho," Marietta relented and gathered her into her arms, tucking her head under her chin, "why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

Cho shuddered and sobbed into her friend's shoulder, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I kept putting it off, and the lies just kept getting bigger and bigger."

"For an Auror you're a great big wuss," Marietta chided, teasing.

"I'm not an Auror," she corrected with a watery chuckle, pulling herself back, "I don't know why I bothered keeping it from you," she shook her head, "how did you find out anyway?"

Marietta smirked, "Blaise, speaking of wusses, he rolled on Malfoy before I finished my latte, but I was suspicious from the beginning."

"Blaise knows?!"

"Malfoy didn't tell you?"

"When did he find out?" Cho demanded.

Marietta's brow furrowed, "From the way he talked about it, he was in on it from the beginning. The political part anyway, he didn't seem to know about the rest of it. That was just before we all went back to Hogwarts."

"I'm going to kill him," Cho muttered savagely.

"Which one?"

Her mouth set in a mulish line, "I haven't decided yet."

Cho pondered what her friend had said, "You've known since then?"

"More or less," Marietta acknowledged.

"Why didn't you confront me then? Why did you wait this long?"

Marietta looked down and she spoke softly, "I wanted to know if you'd tell me on your own, I was afraid you didn't trust me."

Cho felt guilt rush over her, "Marietta I'm sorry, it would never be that, of course I trust you, I was just being a cow—"

The taller girl hugged her cutting her off, "No more lies," she whispered fiercely.

"No more," Cho promised instantly, relief flooded through her, she felt the tension bleed out of her.

They sat down on the bed together and shared a smile.

"In the spirit of honesty, I have to say," Marietta started haltingly, and covered her face with her palms, "I'm not a hundred percent sure Pansy is just a source."

Cho laughed at the red blush that spread across her friend's face, "Oh, Merlin what are we doing? I know I just said I want to kill Malfoy, but half the time, lately, I also want to screw his brains out and sometimes…" she shook her head, "these damn Slytherins, so much for Ravenclaws being the smart ones."

"I know!" Marietta cried, "I'm blaming it on the cursed curiosity."

"Hey," Cho caught her friend's gaze, "we deserve to find happiness, in whatever form it comes, and if it's with Slytherins, so be it."

"So, you're happy for me?" Marietta asked shyly, the corners of her mouth turning up.

"You have to ask?" Cho raised a brow.

Marietta shook her head unable to stop smiling, and then, "Should I be happy for you?"

Cho took a deep breath, and let it out, "I can honestly say that I'm not sure." She leaned on Marietta's shoulder.

"He's nothing like Cedric," Marietta pointed out, Cho nodded, "and that's not necessarily a bad thing."

She nodded again.

"And Pansy may be an Outstanding bitch, but he's a Death Eater Cho," she continued seriously, "and he became a Death Eater after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and after the battle at the Ministry."

"I know." Cho hung her head, unwilling just yet, to share completely.

"Please be careful," Marietta left it at that and squeezed her hand.

The sounds of the party filtered through the door, they shared a glance, Cho nodded.

The game had resumed in their absence, Padma was now whispering in Miles Bletchley's ear.

Pansy arched a brow when they returned to the circle, "Good talk?"

Cho gave the blonde an enigmatic smile, "The best."

"Chill you two," Marietta advised, she slipped into the circle next to Pansy and briefly bumped shoulders with her. Mollified, for the present, the blonde relented.

"Everything ok?" Draco asked.

Cho narrowed her eyes at him, "Not for you." She left him to wonder what that meant.

ooo

They got drinks from a well-supplied bar after the conclusion of the game, a few of the participants had fled to secluded areas of the house and grounds, many chose to dance in the cleared out grand dining room. The scheme had served its purpose, there were very few groups that consisted of only one Hogwarts house, Astoria knew how to break the ice, that was for sure.

In addition to the bar, to keep things interesting, there were several more vials of the colorful potions decorating the tables and ledges. Cho formulated a plan.

There was a collective gasp in the crowd and Cho looked up to see a middle-aged wizard and an ethereal blonde in her twenties stumble into the dance floor.

Someone scoffed close to Cho, "Who the hell cheats on Aurelia Zabini? He's fucking mad."

She squinted, sure enough, it was Richard Bletchley. They must have just come from the Widows and Orphans Charity Auction, Marietta was going to have a field day. The tall, waif-like blonde he was with wore a feathered party mask and swayed in an apparent drunken stupor, but her captivating sapphire eyes found Cho's for a brief, clear moment.

Cho frowned unsettled by the strange sense of recognition, and started forwards but Draco held her back, "Not a good idea," he cautioned.

She returned to the problem at hand, "We're going to play again," she informed him, "Just the two of us.

She Summoned a collection of the party vials and pulled Draco into a convenient secluded alcove, furnished with a loveseat. Astoria saw them slip away and winked saucily, she conjured a curtain for the alcove and left.

He looked at the vials she had chosen and swallowed, blue and a few red.

"There are a finite number of vials here," she smiled beguilingly, "you'll want to choose wisely."

Her silver and white dress robes shimmered in the candlelight, and he was all too aware of her soft pink mouth, he blinked to try and clear his head, "Is this another interrogation?"

"I'll go first," she plucked a red vial from the air and downed it. She leaned over and, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady herself, kissed him without reservation.

Better to make the most of it, he thought, dragging her fully into his lap and felt her settle against him without breaking the kiss. Arousal rushed through them as their tongues teased one another playfully.

Tantalizingly slow, she pulled away leaving Draco panting, but stayed within the circle of his arms, stayed straddling his hips, "was that a helpful demonstration?" she asked, cheekily wiping the smeared gloss from around her mouth.

In answer he drank a blue vial, praying that it wasn't the biggest mistake of his life.

O.o

AN: I think writing about Slytherins has given me an evil streak as well. I liked putting in a twist in this chapter, I considered Marietta and Blaise but it was too predictable and they didn't click as well as she does with Pansy and Blaise was needed elsewhere in this chapter. And you thought Cho and Draco were the only Slytherclaw romance 😉. More twists to come in the next chapter!

I wanted to get this out as a thank you for the very sweet and encouraging, it is only one part of a very dramatic evening but it's a fun one 😉 and only two days late for Valentine's Day, score.

Hope you enjoy!

PS: commas, I will definitely try to work on them going forward, but I'm riding a momentum wave and I really want to finish! And then I will go back through and edit, I finally see the huge benefit in getting a bunch of chapters out prior to publishing the first one o.O lesson learned for the future

And also hell yeah, Cho deserves to be witty AF, an early review I got called them cold lightning which was gratifying to hear, I hope they are still living up to that ideal

PPS: apologies, i was too hasty in getting this chapter out, I forgot to add in a scene XP forgive me!

PPPS: also, in case anyone was wondering, if the green vial turns red the requester has the option to direct the subsequent passionate kiss towards anyone else in the circle, Astoria and Daphne were never going to kiss romantically...