A Slight Deviation from the Plan
Cho awoke the next morning oddly calm, a stark contrast from the usual nightmares that plagued her sleep. There was no cold sweat, no lingering echo of a scream, almost nothing at all to indicate that anything had ever been wrong before. Weak sunlight streamed through the window like fingers, or strands of hair. The light brought no warmth to the room, and Cho shivered in her nightgown. Oddly enough, she couldn't really remember putting it on, and her memory never failed her. Nevertheless, it was on, and she was safe and dry. In the light, everything was clear, and there were no menacing shadows lurking behind her at every turn.
It was still early enough to do some light studying before heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast, yet when Cho shuffled down to the common room, stifling a yawn, a few younger students were already sitting there, deep in conversation. She had a nagging feeling that this wasn't a typical study group. Cho knew of the rumors, of course, about her and Cedric, about her and Harry, some true, others not, but was nevertheless put into a state of unease by the intense gazes of the other students as they turned to face her at the sound of the pad of her footsteps.
A fourth year, a girl she had never really spoken to before, muttered a word of greeting, and Cho inclined her head in response.
"There you are. Have you heard?" It was the girl who had greeted Cho. Her voice was sharp, inquisitive, and altogether unsettling. This was not a question.
Cho feigned confusion. "Heard what?" This led to a slight pause before one of the boys, someone Cho recognized from the DA, but could not recall the name of, replied.
"The Sneak is missing. Rumor has it that Umbridge finished her off, but we've found no evidence to support that." Cho wondered how they could've found out so quickly; breakfast was not for another hour, at least. She was still bothered that she'd forgotten not one, but two people's names. This day was certainly off to an unusual start.
The girl interjected. "And that's not all, either. We found you unconscious on the floor yesterday morning; I nearly tripped over you. I know you and Harry have been flirting around, but please have some decency, Cho. You of all people should know to be careful around him. You don't need any reason to get on Umbridge's bad side. Or ours."
Cho shifted uncomfortably in her slippers. "Yesterday?" Her voice cracked, and the girl stood up from the couch where she had been sitting, approaching Cho until she was a little too close for comfort.
"Yesterday, Cho. Your friends and I had a little chat about it, in fact. You've been a wreck all year, and we won't be forgiving of the points you've lost Ravenclaw in class because of your emotional fits anymore. You're a disgrace, and unless you can learn to control your tantrums and act like a proper Ravenclaw instead, I don't think you'll keep your Seeker position much longer on the Quidditch team. We wouldn't want you to be overwhelmed on your broom in the middle of a match after all."
Cho winced at the poorly hidden threat. "I'm fine. You needn't worry about me," she retorted. The words came out a bit too harshly, a bit too haughtily, and the girl in front of her barely suppressed a snicker before turning and rejoining her friends on the couch.
Feeling their stares like ice on her back, Cho walked back to the dorm, to her bunk, to safety, forcing her feet to slow with every step she took. Despite the more pressing issue of her teetering position as Seeker, she felt almost relieved that the rumor mill only thought she and Harry had been a little closer than friends for the night. She couldn't have come up with a better excuse than sex with the Golden Boy if she had tried! No one would ever know about Marietta, and that thought bothered her less than it probably should have.
She'd pay a visit to Pomfrey later, she thought, to get a written explanation for McGonagall as to why her essay was now late. There would be no trouble at all, and everything would return to normal.
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On a span of grass near the lake, hidden from the view of prying eyes, Marietta gasped and awoke with a start.
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Yes, thought Cho. Everything would be fine, indeed.