Author: Thalia Kendall
Category: General, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and situations are used without permission, no infringement is intended.
Summary: Three separate Christmases in the space of fifteen years, delineating various points in the lives of Roger Davies and Cho Chang. Christmases come and go, some happier than others, but love remains the same.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be ready for Lyta's birthday, but, alas, didn't happen. So it will have to be a combined birthday and Christmas fic. Roger/Cho, the Ravenclaw OTP, and hope you like!
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It was a fabulously beautiful night, all things considered. Cho felt like a princess in her dress robes, despite the fact that she knew most eyes were on Fleur Delacour and Hermione Granger. For once, her hair didn't tangle, her roommates kept their giggling out of her hearing, and no one had to worry about things such as tasks and rivalry.
Really, it didn't matter that Cedric could never love her the way they all thought he did. After all, she didn't love him like that either, and tonight, she was content just to play and dance the night away.
Everything was lovely, from the fluffy fake snow to the iridescent swirl of dress robes. Cho danced with Cedric, and when he went to talk to Harry, had an entertaining conversation with Philippe Callais from Beauxbatons, who tried very unsuccessfully to learn how to speak Chinese. As the night progressed on, things grew more casual and light-hearted, the couples twirling about more sparse as several went off in different directions.
It was nearly the stroke of midnight when a very familiar shadow fell into her path.
Cho had always told Roger that if he didn't smile more often, he'd be forever assumed to be some sort of Byronic romance hero. Such a comment, made by anyone else, would have incurred Roger's wrath, but the Ravenclaw captain had always kept a soft spot for his Seeker. But tonight, Roger looked all hero, without the Byronic bit. He was smiling... not the quick, slightly absent-minded grin of everyday, but a genuine, warm smile.
"I think I deserve at least one dance, don't I?" he asked lightly. Cho gave him a puckish look.
"Where's your veela friend?" Cho hadn't anything against Fleur, not particularly, but the girl wasn't an easy sort to like, either.
"Off speaking to Madame Maxime," he replied. Without the influence of Fleur, he was the Roger that she'd always known. "And I don't think that anyone can begrudge me one dance, can they?" he looked at her fondly. "Certainly, no one can blame me. You look absolutely lovely."
Cho blushed against her will and took his familiarly calloused hand. As the last waltz started up, he took her in his arms. Roger and Fleur had been an elegant couple, but those who watched the two Ravenclaws dancing together, broken from two of the school's golden couples, seemed to understand something silent and unspoken. Professor Flitwick smiled indulgently at two of his best and brightest. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled knowingly.
But Roger and Cho were oblivious to how they looked. Blue eyes met brown like so many times before, but through the swirling fake snow and the soft, luminous candlelight, an indefinable something seemed to shift in the air between and around them. Roger kept his steadfast gaze fixed upon Cho as the song drew to a close, and as the music died away, he cupped her face with his hands.
"Happy Christmas, Cho," he whispered, warm breath caressing her hair. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips gently over her forehead. He had never kissed her before.
Cho suddenly knew that this would be remembered as one of the most perfect evenings of her life. But for now, she kept that secret to herself. Giving Roger a brilliant smile, she squeexed his hand.
"To the first of many Happy Christmases," she remarked.
It felt more right than anything she'd ever done.