Chapter Text
Well, that was an auspicious beginning, Cho thought to herself dryly as the Deputy Minister of Magical Transportation went into another round of hysterics.
All she had done was tell him politely that his request could not be fulfilled at the moment as she was new to the job and the required documentation hadn’t been filed yet, and he had absolutely lost it.
“I’m sorry, Mr Reese,” her supervisor, Audrey Fernsby came and said politely. “But Miss Chang is right. Please come in when you have completed the prerequisites.”
“I’m sorry about him,” she added after he had left. “Everybody’s a bit high-strung these days.”
Cho smiled dryly, tucking her hands into her pockets, trying not to remember pounding her fists against the wall and sobbing until her chest constricted and she couldn’t breathe back in sixth year. “I can understand that.”
Audrey eyed her contemplatively. “Yes,” she said. “I suppose you can.”
Cho ignored that, though she had to admit it caused something to turn in her stomach. From the shy Chinese girl around whom weird things happened in Primary, to the clever, popular Ravenclaw quidditch player to Cedric Diggory’s and Harry Potter’s ex-girlfriend. It was quite the journey.
But she kept going, because that was the past and she had to move on.
“The first Muggle-Born registration camp has begun,” Audrey continued casually. “I need some help because some of the data has been …. misfiled. Would you mind?”
Cho gave a start, heart thumping as she met the older woman’s gaze. It had barely been one week into the job when the Ministry had fallen – though not much had changed, except her ex-boyfriend’s WANTED posters being plastered all over. If she weren’t in touch with other DA members, if she didn’t know enough Muggle history to know exactly where the Muggle-Born ‘investigation’ and registration and trials was heading, she’d think it was exactly how it were meant to be.
But Audrey’s careful gaze told her exactly what was going on here. Doing this would mean getting on the bad side of many powerful people.
Interfering got Cedric killed, her mind told her. Marietta would hate this.
And then she remembered Harry telling them hoarsely how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had murdered him, just for being in the way. No defence knowledge would have helped. No warning. A game of chance.
Just like that.
She remembered how helpless she had felt, sitting in Hogwarts, feeling like she was dying, clawing at her hair in an attempt to feel, all the emotions bottled up, all the words gathering in her mind and dying at her tongue, all the tears that fell and the constant ache at her throat and heart. She remembered feeling purposeful and fierce for the first time in ages in the Room of Requirement, her Stunning Spell striking true.
She was Cho Chang and that period in her life and whose ex-girlfriend she was did not define her future. She wanted a change? Well, she was going to stand up for what was right, help others, define herself and make this her year.
“I’m in,” she said, and Audrey smiled.