#chomus

      The Irish lad walked over to her and sat beside her on the arm of her chair. "Oi. You 'ave ter get out o' this funk o' yers." He nudged her arm. "What's wrong, Chang?" Seamus' voice softened. "Aintcha 'appy?"

      She flinched—either at his words or at his tone, Seamus didn't know. Either way, she met his eyes. "What? Of course I am!"

      He raised his eyebrows. At least he knew by now not to point out how defensive she sounded. "Then 'ow about a change o' scenery?" He was already unfolding her from the chair and pulling her up by her hands before she could protest.

      "Where, Seamus? It's been two years, but this country is still being reconstructed."

      "Don't I know it. Where d'you think most o' our mates are? They're busy rebuildin' th' Wizardin' world." He shrugged and drew her over to the front door of her flat, where he helped her into a light cloak before he slipped his own on. "Come on. Let's 'ave a flight."

      Cho furrowed her brow. She wasn't convinced, clearly, but she didn't protest as they headed outside and he motioned her to follow him behind her building.

      "All right, choose: Across th' English Channel or over th' Strait o' Dover."

      Her brown eyes bugged out of her head. "WHAT?! Seamus, that's—! You can't—!"

      "Fer you, I will. So choose."

      Her cheeks took on some rosy color. "W-Well, you're not as a strong a flier as me, so—the strait."

      Seamus nodded. Then, without preamble, he Disapparated on the spot, bringing Cho along with him.

      "You're insane!" Cho howled over the winds after they landed in a small field behind someone's house in Dover. "You can't seriously think we're going to fly off suddenly to another country?!"

      But he'd knelt already, stacking two smooth stones together with a flattened blade of grass between them, and he cast a Compass Charm. "So if north's that way…," he mumbled, watching the blade wobble and turn, "then France must be…" He pointed in front of them.

      Cho shook her head and took his hand to yank him back to his feet. "No, Finnigan, France is southwest from where we're standing."

      Seamus reddened. "Just fly already, Chang…!"

      They both withdrew their brooms from Expanded, inner cloak pockets and mounted them, but Cho was right. What probably should've been an easy, hour-or-less flight for her was slow-going for him, since he'd never trained—hell, he'd never had more than that first year of Flying Class from Madam Hooch during school. Still, Cho never flew far ahead of him and never said anything when she'd realize Seamus lagging behind, though there was mirth in her eyes and a smile toyed with her lips each and every time she looped back to his side.

      When they landed on French soil, Seamus all but fell off his broom. He wanted to gripe, even though this had been his idea, but he had no breath to form words.

      Cho sighed and gave him a moment. Then she helped him to his feet once more and breathed some life back into him with a brief snog. They stayed together that way for a minute more, with her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist beneath her cloak, foreheads resting together. A strong wind threatened to ruin the moment, and Cho giggled. "Let me handle the Apparition this time, yeah? Hopefully somewhere nicer."

      Seamus nodded, leaning in to her, resting his head by the crook of her neck and catching the faint scent of her perfume before the spell's distinctive POP snipped them from the dreary seaside landscape to transport them to—

      "You've got to be joking." Cho's shoulders slumped. "Rain. Even here, in Paris. Revered Rowena, did we bring the crappy weather with us?!"

      Seamus pulled up the hood of his cloak and did the same for Cho, who was too gobsmacked by the awful weather to move. "Cho, luv, c'mon. You'll get soaked—"

      "What's the point?" she retorted. She didn't budge this time from the mouth of the alley in which they'd landed. "Rain here, rain there. You-Know-Who's reach could've destroyed parts of Wizarding Paris, for all we know. It's the same everywhere. And people are rebuilding. Everyone is rebuilding, except us—"

      "Cho." Seamus turned her to face him and even lit up the alley with wandlight so she could see him in the gloom. "Yes, it's a process. Yes, others are doin' th' rebuildin', luv. Not everyone is cut out ter sort out th' world's messes. I promise, you'll see Marietta again. I know it was a turn, tha' she'd volunteer ter work wit' 'Ermione after everything, but she knows a bit about 'ow th' Ministry works, an' she's cut out for it. Marietta isn't movin' on without you, I'm certain. I know you 'aven't seen 'er in a while, but it's not forever, luv."

      Cho froze and crumbled then, in his arms. She always cried when faced with the truth, but at least she was facing her feelings this time.

      And Seamus, as he had since the war ended, would be there to hold her, even if he wasn't the one able to fix things for her.

WHOOPS. This…was left as a draft in my files in 2013, *lol*. And back then I did not yet have the good habit I currently possess, which is to jot down my idea even if I can't write the entire thing in that moment. SO! I left the opening three paragraphs from 2013 after deciding to work with them and, after surprisingly recalling the gist of the summary I had in mind for this drabble, was able to write the rest! And, ngl, it helps to be hella inspired by a pal who's blazing thru her own old WIPs (lookin' at you, kimmy :P). So, yeah. Turned it into story where Chomus doesn't have a prob but Seamus comforts his gf bc of a stunning twist with her bestie! But only bc I adore Mari so much. (Honestly, tho, one rly wonders if Mari could ever work with 'Mione at the MoM. Hrmm.) Anywho!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

"Picking up the conversations

deep in your imagination

tune into the lonely voices

talking of their only choices"

—Depeche Mode, "Freestate"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Before it all

(Harry)

(Cedric)

(all the doom-and-gloom)

There was…

a m-o-m-e-n-t

It wasn't on the Quidditch pitch

nor in a class

(or even in Hogsmeade)

In the halls

lies a captive magic

of its

o w n

And she didn't figure it out right away

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Originally,

she bumped into him

b.o.o.k.s mixed&tumbled

They hastened to gather their things

on the way to class

Marietta couldn't be bothered to help

(she's always good for a grumble)

Dean had his arms full

(poor kid was trying to keep his art supplies balanced on his sketchbook)

But Cho

&& Seamus

didn't give the meeting another look

until l a t e r

when it was

too l!a!t!e

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As Harry fell for her

& she desired

Cedric

Seamus watched on the sidelines

(interested & not)

Cho played with hearts

(not really knowing what to do)

&…

C*R*A*S*H

Things all fell

a~p~ar~t

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

There were too many

jumbled

emotions

Cho was hurt

(again&again)

Seamus laughed halfheartedly

(at other things—he couldn't be near her)

But they saw what was going on

The world wasn't built for them

(they'd have to build one up on their own)

So…

With Cho hurt

&& Seamus never o-u-t-s-t-a-n-d-i-n-g

A realization happened

They could build a world of their own

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ditching the useless others

(Marietta included, Dean not)

o n e had the thought

to come together

& create a place

of their o w n

(because really, it shouldn't be shared)

& they relied on each other,

the two thought least likely

to do much,

and…

V o i l a

There wasn't a need for their classmates' drama

Why have drama,

When you can have the

c o m p a n i o n s h i p

you so desire?

And that is how you write Chomus. B) Seamus/Cho is more of a funny pairing, but I like to look deeper into their characters. They really are…well, kind of the underdogs. But this is cool! XD

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

"Where love reigns the impossible may be attained." —Indian proverb

                  "Ummm… Please stop," she breathed against his lips. Cho Chang pushed against him.

                Michael Corner looked at her, baffled. "But—I thought this is what you wanted."

                Cho inwardly rolled her eyes. Of course it wasn't his fault. Nothing was ever his fault. He was Michael Corner. Outwardly, Cho half smiled. "I just… I shouldn't have gotten into another relationship so soon. Please don't take it the wrong way."

                Corner grimaced and—looking at his really twisted expression—Cho wondered why she'd ever thought it had been a good idea to be with him. "How else am I supposed to take it?" he stated with a sneer.

                Cringe as she might, Cho cupped his cheek and gave him a sad smile. "Michael, you only broke up with Ginny a little while ago. Harry and me… Well, that was last year, but I think it's a little premature for their exes to get together so soon after they got together." She stood up and gathered her bag. "I'm sorry, really." Cho didn't wait for another sneer, so she left the library at a quicker than normal pace.

                Really, Cho wondered what was wrong with her. Cedric had been the best boy she'd ever seen. And then… Then he died, she thought glumly. She didn't feel any tears, though Cho was fairly sure she'd cried them all last year. This year, she'd been doing better. In fact, she'd been very good at avoiding Harry—whom she considered a big mistake—so far. Then Ginny Weasley had gotten Harry Potter finally, and Michael Corner, whom Ginny had been dating, had been angered by that and Gryffindor's Quidditch win over Ravenclaw. So Michael had found Cho, who—as it turned out—was not completely over Harry. Then several weeks of teenage semi-horniness had followed. Until Cho had broken up with Michael just now.

                Really, though, she didn't consider them "broken up"—there hadn't been anything to break. Yes, they had kind of comforted each other and Michael was an okay snog, but—

                Did this school have to have nothing but wet, little prats for male students?!

                Cho ran a hand through her perfect hair, messing it up. Merlin, what she really needed was a good workout on the Quidditch pitch. The more she thought about it, the more she felt the urge, so she swung by her room, grabbed her gear, and went outside.

                Since it was a free period for only a few seventh years like herself, the pitch was empty of team players. Cho quickly changed and hopped on her broom. She winced a little—she had landed a little hard on the handle—but flew up anyway. She steadied herself when she was level with the tallest goal ring. Then…she plummeted.

                It wasn't the "bad" kind of plummet. She had control of her broom, so she was able to pull up deftly right at the last second. She smirked at the maneuver. Only someone as skilled and light as she could've done such a thing, and there weren't many in her league. Sure, there was Harry…and Ginny. That Malfoy bloke hadn't been too, too bad, either. And—

                Cho stopped her silent babbling and relaxed into her flight. Her robes billowed behind her, and she enjoyed the speed of the ride. Really, the backdrop was only a blur of colors as she whizzed by and became a blur herself until she eventually slowed and alighted on the ground. The relaxation one good flight could induce was so therapeutic for her. In fact, she was in a good mood right up until she headed back to Ravenclaw Tower.

                On her way back to her House, Cho passed by a pair of Gryffindor boys. She wasn't really paying attention to them, but that changed when one of them laughed at her. Cho slowed down.

                "A bit late ter save th' day, aren't ya?" one joked in a thick Irish brogue.

                Irish, Irish, Irish—it hit Cho who this was. He was Seamus Finnigan, one of Harry's friends and Quidditch groupies. That had to make the black boy beside him Dean Thomas, Seamus' best mate. Cho scowled at her luck to have been caught one last time in her Quidditch robes, especially after Gryffindor had pummeled Ravenclaw a while ago.

                "Seamus, don't start something," Dean told him, but he was trying to hide his smile.

                Cho frowned. She was determining if she should get involved or not.

                "No, no, no," Seamus assured his mate, brushing him off. "You should know that you're good," he said to Cho, "but you'll never be great."

                Something in her snapped. Maybe it was because it was her last year, maybe it was because of Michael Corner, maybe it was because she finally realized she couldn't be a whiny child forever—whatever it was, it was strong, and Cho acted before she had a split-second to think. It was only when Seamus' blood dribbled warmly on her knuckles that she came back into the present. The Asian girl gasped. "O-Oh! I-I'm sorry, really!"

                "Bloody 'ell!" Seamus yelled. "You bunched by nobe!" The wizard covered his nose with both hands and both glared at and looked astonished at her.

                Dean conjured up a rag for him. "We should get you to Madam Pomfrey, mate. Come on." He glanced warily at Cho before shuffling Seamus off.

                "He… He had it comin'! Yah, he did…!" Cho tried yelling after them, but her voice was too soft. She was just as astonished as the Irish lad.

                Maybe "astonishment" wasn't quite the word to describe it, because, as the next few weeks flew by, it came to be known well throughout Hogwarts that it was Chang versus Finnigan.

                "What an arse," Cho's best friend, Marietta Edgecombe, growled at the lunch table one day. "What?" she asked when Cho smiled.

                "Oh, I agree with you," Cho said, "but—while he makes me angry a lot whenever he decides to argue about everything under the sun—I actually find it quite amusing. He thinks I give a damn, but I don't."

                Marietta looked at her quizzically. "Then why do you bother arguing with him?"

                Cho cupped her cheek. "Well, I'll admit that sometimes he does get to me, but I'm letting off steam more than anything else." She started to pull her hair back into a ponytail but stopped as she realized something. "Aw, nooo… I forgot to finish my Transfiguration essay… I'm gonna go to the library. I'll see you in the Common Room after break, okay?" The witch quickly gathered her stuff and slung her rucksack onto her back.

                She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the book she needed was still on the shelf. She reached for it and pulled—and found the book pulled back. She yanked, and it yanked. She quirked an eyebrow. Maybe Finnigan was trying to check it out. She wouldn't mind a good argument with him right then. In fact, when she heard a low growl on the other side, she was unmistakably sure it was Seamus.

                The raven-haired girl smirked. "Nice one, Finnigan, but I need this more than you do." Automatically, the book was released to a surprised Cho. "Er… Thank you, I guess." Then she looked through the space and paled when she saw beady little eyes. She turned away. "Ugh. Go away, Michael."

                She heard his scoff and knew he rounded the aisle and walked after her, though her eyes were closed. She bit her bottom lip and hung her head as she almost sprinted to her carrel. Her cheeks burned as she felt the few pairs of eyes in the library on her.

                "Please leave me alone, Michael," Cho quietly pleaded.

                "I'm sorry, what was that? Beggars can't be choosers, Miss Chang," he said as she glared at him, spitting out her surname. "You wanted me. Well, you have me."

                Now she outwardly rolled her eyes. "Merlin! You're so in love with yourself, you don't know when to give up."

                Michael sneered, looking rather ferret-like. "Oh, you know you can't handle yourself against anyone. You're hurting inside because Irish-boy's words are really hurting you. It's okay. I'll comfort you again, despite your pushing me away before."

                "Michael, get lost."

                His expression turned dark. "As I said, you mediocre Quidditch Seeker, beggars can't be choosers. Look at you, an average girl with average grades and average powers and average sports skills."

                Cho's face grew very red at his harsh words. "Yah, so what? At least I'm actually above average than you who's below. You couldn't quite make it, could you? You're kiddin' yourself, tryin' to drag me through th' mud."

                "And what is with that accent?! You're not Scottish! What are you trying to do, make your average life interes—" There was a sickening crunch that interrupted Michael's sentence as a fist appeared from nowhere and connected with his nose. The ferret-boy was knocked off his feet, and Cho gasped.

                "No one's allowed ter make fun o' 'er but me!" Seamus told the Ravenclaw boy. "And I happen ter like 'er weird accent! So scram, Corner, or I'll get me wand out and Hex you ter th' oth'r side of th' school!"

                At that threat, Michael got up and scrambled away. Around Cho and Seamus, there was quiet applause. Seamus just seemed grateful that Madam Pince hadn't been around to witness that.

                "Ah, 'ell…," he grumbled, and he shook his right hand. "Tha' hurt more than I thought it would." For him, it seemed as though nothing were out of the ordinary. He faced Cho. "Why're you lookin' at me like tha'?"

                Cho shut her gaping mouth. "You, erm…didn't have to do that," she mumbled, dropping her eyes briefly to the carrel.

                Seamus put one hand on his hip and readjusted his pack on his opposite shoulder. "Yeah, I did. I was deliverin' th' punch you gave me before." He paused. "It was 'im you wanted ter punch before, right? 'Cause tha's a lot of trouble I just got into if I was wrong."

                She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "And you aren't in trouble for just punchin' him to begin with?"

                He grinned and picked up her bag. "Minor details." He started walking out of the library, Cho on his heels.

                "Gimme back my bag!" she said.

                "What if 'e comes back? 'e's probly lookin' fer round two."

                "I'll handle him if he returns."

                Seamus snorted. "Don't I know it. My nose is still sore. Are you sure you weren't actually sorted into Gryffindor? Tha' was quite forward of you ter 'ave socked me like tha'."

                She glared at him. "I'm a Ravenclaw, through and through."

                He shrugged. "Whatever."

                "Really. I'd never want to be a temperamental, headstrong Gryffindor."

                "We're not temperamental!" he corrected. "We're brave!"

                "So that's what they're callin' it now."

                "You know," he said as they approached the Great Hall for lunch, "you ought ter reevaluate yer opinion of yerself. I think it's a wee bit high."

                "Whatever you say, lad."

                "Don't you start with me, Scotch–Asian!"

                She smacked his shoulder. "I grew up in Europe! Of course I'm gunna have a European accent! Why does everyone nitpick that?!"

                "Would ya rather I nitpick yer flyin'?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

                "Urgh, you're such a groupie! If you like it so much, then go out for the team yourself!"

                "Wanna skip lunch and go snog?"

                "Yah."

Hahahahaha!! XD I loved writing this! This was inspired mainly by Cho's actress giving Cho a Scottish accent, though it's never stated in the books, but I liked that and kept it. :3

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew