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Is it better to forget or is it better to remember? To Cho, the answer doesn’t matter. Both seem to sting, like a deep cut made by glass shards, her own hand bleeding from holding it. A two-edged sword, held by herself.
After a while, she doesn’t cry for Cedric anymore. No, she cries for what he’s missing. Cho looks at the Dumbledore’s Army meeting and cries because she knows he’s never going to produce a Patronus - what animal would fly through the air? She dares - dares , because it’s the only thing she has, dares to believe, dares to breathe even though Cedric isn’t and she feels it’s her fault even though that Muggle therapist said it wasn’t but how can she believe it - to hope it’s a swan, matching the beautiful creature that flies through the air, spun glass made real and breathing thanks to magic. There’s a frailty to the swan that Cho sees reflected in herself, and her eyes fill with tears.
The memory she had used had been one of the Yule Ball, Cedric slow dancing with her, humming the melody along. Cho, head resting on his chest, wasn’t sure if what she was listening was the loud thunder of his heart, or if it was hers.
Tears threaten to spill out of her eyes, and before she has even time to react, her swan flies toward her, kind eyes she recognizes as being Cedric’s. The magical creature, made of her own happy memories, nuzzled her face, playfully bickering her like a nudging ghost that tells Cho to be happy, to move on, but how? How could she stop the guilt? It overflowed from her, an impossible waterfall of salt water.
Her patronus, seemingly aware of her emotions and thoughts, flies up, impossible up, doing dives for her to watch, and Cho accompanies the movements with her eyes, a smile taking her lips.
“Hey, are you alright?” Asked Harry, bringing her back to reality, tearing her eyes off the swan - slowly disappearing, like all spells -, and he seemed genuinely worried. That was sweet of him.
“I’ll be.” Cho replied, smiling to him, the tears lightly stinging her eyes. Harry’s shoulders let down with relief, and a sense of warmth grew on her chest. “Hey, can you show me your Patronus? I don’t quite think I grasped the right wrist movement...”
Harry looked at her, and then nodded, putting himself on the right position, assuming his most teacher-ly voice, and Cho wiped away her tears as she focused on something else.