The Mists of Memory

Chapter 8 - Distances

'MALFOY, WAKE UP! GET OFF ME RIGHT NOW!' Ginny's scream was so loud that it resounded into the hall of the abandoned building they called home and echoed in the library. Harry put down the book he was reading and looked up.

'Ginny!' shouted Ron as he moved to stand up, but Harry was quicker and stopped him. He stood, put his hands over Ron's shoulders and looked at him.

'It's better if I go. Maybe Ginny needs help,' he said.

Ron looked back, a deep frown furrowing his eyebrows, his eyes narrowing. 'She's my sister. What if that...Malfoy did something to her?'

'She's also my girlfriend, Ron. Please, let me take care of this.' Harry saw the anxiety in Ron's dilated pupils and how he breathed heavily. 'There's a Dementor in the area; she must be trying to wake him up; I'm feeling it as well... it's still far and doesn't affect me much, but it must affect Malfoy.'

Finally, Harry's words caught Ron's attention and helped him calm down, so the red-haired wizard started rereading his book.

'Okay. But please, see what happened. I swear I'll kill him with my bare hands if he's done something to her.'

The frown, and the worry in Ron's hazel eyes, showed all his pain. Harry smiled and nodded, hurrying out of the room and up the stairs.

*

Two years had passed from the day Harry had asked Ginny to be his girlfriend.

A few months after leaving Hogwarts, the Ministry asked him to go to Hong Kong for an informal mission since he still couldn't follow the Aurors officially—he hadn't even started his training yet. However, his name still meant something, and the matter was about a Death Eater.

He'd met her there—Cho Chang. He hadn't looked for her; it had simply happened. They spoke briefly as he walked through a Market looking for clues and decided to meet again that evening for dinner.

She'd changed a lot. Melancholic and sad, her gaze looked empty and detached; she seemed a shadow of the girl she'd once been. He'd asked her if he could help her. He told her he wanted to be at her side, as a friend or something more.

"I'm sorry, Harry. When I see you, I think of Cedric," she said. The discomfort made him blush. He, too, had suffered a lot for Cedric's death, as nightmares and guilt tormented his restless nights in the summer before his fifth year at Hogwarts. He'd often wake in the middle of the night screaming Cedric's name; the death he witnessed affected him too much to bear. Hell, Dudley had thought he was gay and that Cedric was his boyfriend! When his cousin teased him about it, Harry stared in disbelief and laughed at Dudley's stupidity. He knew that the other boy had said that only to tease him, but it had done nothing to ease his guilt. Maybe if Harry had been stronger, or more careful.. if he hadn't asked Cedric to take the cup with him.

He'd also been confused about his feelings for Cho. When she kissed him under the mistletoe, he'd been happier than ever but also had again felt guilty. She was crying for Cedric. She couldn't avoid thinking of Cedric whenever she was with him.

In the end, he had given up on his hopes that she would change her mind. He felt free when he realised that he didn't feel that strong pull of his heart towards her anymore, but in truth, it was a lie. He couldn't stand the thought of dating a girl who always compared him with somebody else. It took him years before he made peace with his feelings and dared to face her again. They met by accident, even this time, not because he'd looked for her.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm not blaming you; it wasn't your fault even that time at Hogsmeade; I also was to blame. But I can't think of a life with you. When I look at you, I'll always think of Cedric."