Chapter 125: 7-4
"That's Malfoy for you. —To think you actually knew the entrance to the Ministry of Magic."
Draco smiled bitterly at Hermione's impressed voice. It was the corridor of the Department of Mysteries. —At last, they had made it this far.
He was glad he remembered the system of this era. Once Hermione Granger became Minister for Magic, even the arrival system for the Ministry had changed to be much more convenient. He couldn't help but think once again that Cornelius Fudge was simply not suited to be Minister. ...Not that the man had been entirely useless.
"Look at that. It's glowing."
Luna pointed toward the end of the dark corridor. It was Maria's earring. The kids rushed over with a shout. Draco was certain of it. They were being lured in.
There was no way the Death Eaters would miss something so conspicuous. It had been left there intentionally. Maria's earring, that is. Hermione must have realized their enemy's scheme as well. —Even so. There was no turning back.
Guided by Harry, they stood before a door. Harry used Sirius's knife to unlock it. On every face was a resolve that risked life itself. Even on Luna Lovegood's.
The door to the battlefield was opened.
"—Maria...?"
Spotting someone who shouldn't have been there and hearing a voice that shouldn't have been heard, I threw off the Invisibility Cloak.
"...Cho?"
A black-haired girl, who hadn't been there during the "last" Sirius rescue operation, stood in a tattered state, dragging her robes.
"You—why—that state───could Harry have...?"
"Why, you ask? Never mind that! Ah, look at you—how terrible."
Cho took a step into the room. Beyond the door, an unbelievable roar of noise had echoed. Yet as soon as the door closed, the sound vanished as if the world itself had changed. —So that's why I didn't notice! It was just a room I happened to hide in when I saw the Death Eaters, but this place severed all connection to the outside. The Department of Mysteries is as absurd as ever.
"I have to go."
"Wait, no! Treatment comes first. Couldn't you do it yourself?"
"I don't have my wand. I did first aid."
"First aid where?! You're covered in blood."
"My legs are fine. All my limbs are intact. If my legs are okay, I can move."
"Goodness!"
Cho grabbed my arm to stop me. At that moment, a sharp pain shot through me like electricity, and I groaned. Cho gave me an exasperated look, as if saying, See?
"It's a miracle you're even standing with those injuries. ...You were tortured, weren't you? Harry saw it."
"He... must have been furious, then."
"It was far worse than that. He had eyes like he was about to kill someone."
Knowing all too well what that meant, I gave a bitter smile. Cho began treating me carefully. ...It felt strange.
"...Can I ask, after all? Why are you doing this for me?"
Cho had no obligation to tag along with Harry this time. Even with me—though our relationship was showing signs of improvement thanks to the D.A.—there wasn't enough affection to warrant risking her life. If Harry showed that level of fury, she must have known this wasn't just some trial of courage.
And yet—why───?
"—To complain to you."
Cho spat cold words as she wrapped bandages using Ferula.
"Gullibly getting captured by our greatest enemy—you don't realize your own worth."
"I do know. Well, I realized it this time. Being a Seer and all that... though in the end, that's all just a misunderstanding."
"That's not it. That's not what I'm talking about. —I'm saying you have no right to neglect yourself."
"............"
I went silent despite myself. Contempt floated in Cho's eyes.
"Whose sacrifice does your life stand upon?"
"Ah..."
"Cedric protected you. Your life was spared at the cost of Cedric's death. To have that... ruined like this, to have Cedric's final moments wasted—that is something I cannot forgive."
The girl was angry.
"I won't forgive it."
"───"
"You must live. The moment Cedric died for you, your life was no longer something to be dictated by your will alone. That is the atonement you owe to Cedric. —Unreasonable? I know it is. Cedric wouldn't want such a thing? Yes, of course I know that."
Cho stood up. Her beautiful black hair fell over her shoulders, and with light reflecting in her eyes, she looked down at me.
"Because this is—my revenge."
I gasped. —How beautiful.
"You must keep living just to be hated by me."
"Cho..."
With that, Cho smiled. She reached her hand out to me, her eyelashes trembling softly.
"So—I will protect you. If you're on the verge of dying, I'll rush to your side anywhere. I will protect you to the end. And—your very life will be the proof of my love for Cedric."
I took her hand. She was taller than me. Even so, I felt as though we were facing each other as equals.
"When you said 'to satisfy myself'—I didn't realize those words could be so aggressive."
"That's right. Did you only just realize it now?"
She giggled, radiating her Eastern beauty without hesitation. It was a gentle face. It seemed almost unreal that the word 'revenge' had come from those lips.
"...I don't dislike you."
"I don't dislike you either."
Leaning on the girl's support, I headed toward the door.
All the more—I engraved in my heart that this battle was for the sake of 'living'.
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