Harry was deep in thought, pondering recent events. Someone in this school wants to kill me, he thought. Now, people wanting to kill him wasn't anything new to Harry, in fact, it was almost as old as he was. That someone could seek to do it here though, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Now that got to him. This was his home. Where he felt he truly belonged, and yet he was still in danger. He flashed back to that day where his name had been chosen. The Fourth Champion. He felt the schools jealous eyes on him, heard their scornful whispers, sensed their simmering resentment. Even his best friend had fallen to it for a while. And then, the First Task. The fear, the exhilaration, and the feelings of pride and joy as he overcame the obstacle. The obstacle here just happened to be a giant dragon, hell bent on protecting her eggs, but hey, could've been worse. He could be dead. His mind kept going to that single, irrefutable fact.

And coming up, the Yule Ball. Harry, as silly as this might seem, was most terrified by that. There would be no adrenaline, there would only be him, his... date and an empty dance floor. Not that he had a date, he knew who he wanted to ask, but they weren't desperately close. Acquaintances, cordial friends at best. Cho Chang. His stomach did a backflip at just the thought of her. A year above him, stunningly pretty and popular to boot. But even then, Harry had worked up the courage to ask her weeks ago. But she traveled in bloody packs. It was ridiculous, he half wondered whether all those girls had been charmed into being around her. But she was just Cho Chang. She smiled at him when they passed in the hallways, and caught his eye during meals (which he couldn't help but notice she did only to him) but Harry had lines for his bravery, and it was drawn at groups of 10 or more girls.

He stared over a buttress onto the frozen landscape. Snow caked the trees of the Great Forest, looking as though a blanket had been laid over it, and the only other colors that could be seen were the greens and browns of exposed needles and leaves, or grays from the smoking curling out of Hagrid's chimney.

Harry resolved to return later that night, if only to think, as he begin to return to the Great Hall.

Breakfast, as usual, was an ordeal. It was always worse in the mornings, reflected Harry. The hushed whispers and the furtive looks came out in the early hours, as though they were eager to get back to shunning him after his night of refuge. Thankfully, Harry had his best friend back, but he still let out a sigh at the circumstances.

Almost against his will, he glanced towards the Ravenclaw table. He locked eyes with a gorgeous girl of Chinese descent, who favored him with a small smile before he looked away in embarrassment, his cheeks burning.

Several Hufflepuffs, and even more Slytherins glared at Harry as he walked past. They all still believed him to be the attention seeking boy that the Daily Prophet had, for some reason, decided to portray him as.

He ate slowly, pondering his food before chewing it in slow bites. After a while of this, he risked sneaking another glance at the Ravenclaw Table. Yes, Cho was still there. He looked at her for a few seconds, mouth slightly open. It closed with a click when Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. She was deep into an intense argument with Ron, and hadn't been checking her motions.

"Oh sorry Harry! But if some people," she looked dangerously at the red-headed freckle-faced boy that was sitting across from Harry "were more responsible about where they left their things, then maybe other people wouldn't trip on them and nearly break their necks!"

"Break their necks! Break their necks!" Ron yelled back in a strangled sort of voice, "you fell onto the bed for Merlin's sake!"

"The fact remains Ron that if you keep throwing your stuff around- sorry Harry!- one day it might happen!"

Harry sighed heavily as Ron made an angry retort. The morning after he had arrived, she had rushed into Ron's room to greet Harry. Ron's trunk had been laying in the middle of the floor, and her foot hit it, making her sail spectacularly through the air to land on Ron's bed. Thankfully, Ron just gotten up, so it was indeed the bed she landed on instead of what would have been a very embarrassed Ron Weasley.

It looked like they were still arguing over this month old disagreement. How true to form.

Harry almost didn't notice when the still bickering pair rose, and had to hurry to catch up with them. They seemed to have reached an agreement however (Hermione was looking away from Ron and he was doing the same) and both greeted Harry cordially when he rejoined them.

"What's first this morning?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

"Defense!" said Ron eagerly. Harry smiled too, "What are we learning today I wonder?"

"Something mad most likely," replied Ron, excited.

"Hopefully it's useful" added Hermione, joining their conversation.

"It will be," said Harry, "you know what he always says," 'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!' they all said at the same time. Laughing, they turned a corner, running directly into Professor Moody.

"Constant vigilance is right!" he roared, and they all jumped. "Keep in mind you three, always keep an eye out, you wouldn't want a Death Eater surprising you as easily as I just did. Got a little surprise for you before class today. Come now! Let's go, my surprise may take awhile and I don't want to keep my class waiting." he finished gruffly.

He led them up several flights of stairs and thru several passages that Harry didn't recognize. He realized that they weren't headed to Moody's classroom, but as he began to point out the fact the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher stopped in a darkened alcove, abruptly opening a small door.

Mist flowed out, coalescing into a giant, six-foot-tall hairy spider. Ron screamed and scrambled backwards while Hermione stood frozen, but even as the spider began to shift into a heavily cloaked figure, Harry already knew what to do.

"Riddikulus!" he yelled, focusing hard. The half-formed dementor's cloak wrapped around it, and the creature bounced down the stairs like a beach ball. Harry let out a shout of laughter as it rebounded off the wall and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Very good Potter!" growled Moody, "Yes, you'll be a hard one to beat in this tournament. You two," he turned on Ron and Hermione, whose faces were white. "Did you see what he did?!" they nodded dumbly. "That's what it takes to survive out there! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared again, and the pair jumped.

He led them through the veritable maze of Hogwarts for a while longer, until, covered with dust, they emerged out of a suit of armor directly across from his classroom. "Another lesson for you three! You'll find your enemy in many places, often when you least expect it. There is always a weak-link. Someone who knows a way in that you don't." Glaring at them like it was their fault, he ripped open the door to his classroom.

"Seats, now! Talking, stops!" they class obeyed almost instantaneously. He walked slowly to his desk while Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats.

Moody looked at them all, the scars on his face stood out in sharp relief inside of the lighted room.

"Today, we will be covering one of the most important aspects of the Dark Lord. Control. There are many ways to gain possession over people," he began "some are better than others, but none of them are one-hundred percent good. Why use the Imperius Curse, infallible as it is, when you can use love?"

Dean and Seamus snickered and Moody rounded on them. "Thomas! Finnegan! What would you do if your mother was taken?"

"Well... anything to get her back, I suppose." said Dean, as Seamus nodded in agreement.

"You see?" gestured Moody,"Love can drive those with ability to do great and terrible things. He-Who-Must-Not be named may not love, but hate is a weakness as well."

"B-but how sir?" asked Hermione, hand in the air "if you hate, if he hates, then he doesn't care about anyone. So why would that be a weakness?"

"Ah, you're thinking too straightforward, someone filled with anger makes reckless decisions. They stop at nothing to eliminate the objects of obsession, and are, in a fashion, controlled by it. A good example is sitting before me." and Harry found himself at the center of the classroom's attention, just like when they discussed the Unforgivables.

"Why did Voldemort," many people winced a the name "become evil in the first place?"

"Because he's a bloody git that's why," muttered Ron.

"His hate for muggleborns," Hermione shifted uncomfortably "caused him to descend into magics so dark, they haven't been seen in ages. Likewise, his attack on the Potter family was due to his anger at their refusal to join. But here his weakness was exploited, because who did he meet? And what happened to him?" Harry felt eyes shift to look at him again.

"So class, always guard against weaknesses. You'll have them, no matter how powerful you are, and the enemy will be trying to find them out, mark my words. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared again, and everyone jumped.

Harry turned the corner, deep in thought. He had, like he promised himself, come back to the wall. Turning another corner, he banged into a person coming around from the other side. The person was about to fall down, but as they started to tip, Harry caught them around the waist.

Harry found himself face to face - literally, holding a surprised asian girl. He cleared his throat, had the night's winter air just jumped 30 degrees? "Um," Harry cleared his throat "h-hi Cho." He tried to appear calm, even though his insides were trying to beat their way out of his body.

"Oh! Harry! Um, hello, nice night isn't it..." she trailed off embarassedly, her cheeks pink. Harry realized he was still holding her, and jumped back. His feet slipped on the icy stone and he pinwheeled his arms wildly trying to regain his balance, but despite his best efforts he fell to the floor with a muffled 'huff!' accompanied by a sharp crack! as some of the ice broke.

Cho giggled a little as she bent to help him up "Thanks Harry, that makes me feel a lot better." she grinned playfully. He snorted as the awkwardness dissolved, "Watch out Miss Chang, maybe next time I'll let you fall."

"Would you really?" she asked skeptically. "Well, no definitely not" confessed Harry, making her smile. They stood next to each other in silence for a little bit, looking around at the frost covered landscape. All of a sudden, Cho giggled. Harry looked at her with raised eyebrows, lightly questioning her sanity. She laughed again, "Oh don't you get it Harry?"

He stared at her, slightly bewildered "Get what?"

"You broke the ice! Get it?" she dissolved into laughter again, and this time Harry joined her.

"So," asked Harry after they were done, "how's the Tornadoes doing?" He felt strangely at ease, something that had never before happened in her presence. He had indeed broke the ice, and found he could comfortably talk to her. Harry had to stop himself from smiling due to the happiness he was experiencing at the moment.

"They're doing great!" she gushed, "did you see them play the Sacramento Switchbacks in the international match during the summer?"

"No," he replied, feeling very out of the loop. Thankfully that didn't dampen her enthusiasm, "Well it was fantastic! You should've seen this move the Tornadoes used! They're calling it the Chaser Crunch! So the Sacremento Chaser, I think his name was Allen Ward, he shot up through a gap they'd left in the middle of the pitch. But he was blocked by William Arrows," Harry nodded, familiar with Tutshill's famous Chaser.

"The other two Switchback Chasers, can't recall their names, they were on opposite sides of the pitch being covered by Rogues and Lexley. Arrows stole the Quaffel, and made like he was going to throw, it was great! Rogues and Lexley crossed paths above and below Ward, and the Switchback Chasers were too busy covering them to watch where they were going. Anyway, Sacramento's Chasers both end up slamming into Ward at exactly the same time! It was just, wow. And the Tornadoes blew them away, 360-70." she paused, out of breathe at having talked so fast.

Harry laughed slightly, then sighed, "I wish I could have been there. I don't do anything magical during my Summer Break." Cho patted his arm sympathetically, "I heard about your relatives, are they really that bad?"

"Worse even. It's like living with Slytherins." Cho winced.

"Well, only about two and a half more years right?" He nodded slowly, "Provided I live that long."

"You will live that long. Don't say things like that," said Cho, rather sharply.

Harry shook his head, like he was trying to wring out those thoughts, then smiled at her. "Well, there is that small matter of me being entered in a tournament famous for death."

"Oh is there?" said Cho off-handedly "didn't notice." Harry laughed quietly.

"Besides," Cho continued, a slight blush on her cheeks, "there is one good thing about the tournament."

"And that is?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"The ball." she stated matter-of-factly, although her cheeks were crimson.

"Ah about that..." said Harry hesitantly, his mouth very dry now.

"Yes?" questioned Cho eagerly.

"Well I was wondering... were you going with anybody?"

She sidled closer to him, "Not yet, but I was hoping..." she let the hint trail off.

Her sudden proximity gave Harry new found courage, "Then, would you be interested in going... with me?"

Cho beamed at him, "I would be very interested Mr. Potter."

He gave a relieved laugh, "Are you sure? I'm giving you a chance to escape," he mock warned her.

She laughed too, "Well how about I give you a chance to escape? I have two older brothers."

She stuck her tongue out as Harry's jaw dropped open. "T-two," he sputtered "Well, er, what do they do?" he asked, trying to recover by sounding calm.

"Oh nothing big," said Cho nonchalantly, "One's an Auror. The other's a beater for the Belfast Brutes, but really, what do you have to worry about? After all," she continued slyly as Harry had a minor panic attack "you are the Boy Who Lived."

He gulped audibly, "Sure. Piece of cake. A-and," he licked his lips nervously "your father?"

She winked, "That one, Mr. Potter, you'll have to find out on your own. Same goes for my mum."

Harry took a deep breathe, but then smiled at Cho. It was a dangerous sort of smile, the kind of dangerous that was normally associated with Fred and George Weasley.

"Perhaps one day... you'll meet my Godfather." She laughed nervously, "Any hints as to who he is?"

"No, but... If you do meet him. Good luck." he smiled wickedly.

Oh dear, thought Cho to herself. Oh SHIT! thought Harry to himself.

"Anyway... I have to go," she said apologetically. "Oh, alright then, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, and Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, for asking me I mean," she smiled and kissed him on the cheek before walking away, leaving Harry to hold his hand to his face in disbelief, processing what had happened.