The Game of Love
by Erise
Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. The same for 'The Game of Love'. However, I do own the ChatterParchment, and of course, this fic. =)
"It just takes a little bit of this... A little bit of that..."
Harry was glad to be back at Hogwarts after the long, dreary summer at the Dursleys'. The summer and train ride to Hogwarts had been surprisingly uneventful - no multitude of letters, prophetic house elf, Dementors, hurting of his scar or an attempt on his life. He sat down with the other Gryffindors, watching the Sorting of the new first-years, clapping whenever Gryffindor had a new member.
Harry's eyes wandered over the Great Hall, before finally settling upon Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker. He wondered if she was still grieving over Cedric Diggory's demise the year before - Harry was still quite shaken by that incident, although he couldn't help thinking that he now stood a better chance with Cho...
"Harry? Are you okay? You seem to be staring into blank space..." Hermione followed Harry's gaze, which was resting on Cho. She was about to open her mouth to say something, when Dumbledore beat her to it.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, everyone. Before we begin our feast, I have something to announce. There will be a game of sorts, called 'Angel/Mortal' played this year."
He waited for the murmuring to die down, before continuing. "Everyone is both an Angel and a Mortal. You will each get to pick a name - that person will be your mortal, and you will be his or her Angel. You, as an Angel, are expected to start some form of correspondence, preferably by owling or using the ChatterParchment. I will elaborate on the ChatterParchment later. The person you get as your Mortal will not be limited to your House or year - for the so-called objective of this game is to get to know people other than those from your house and year. Of course, you are expected to keep your identity as an Angel secret - until the end of the school year."
An excited murmur ran through the Great Hall again, and Dumbledore clapped his hands for attention. "Now, I know you are all excited about this, but do let me explain the ChatterParchment. After the feast, everyone will receive a ChatterParchment. It is an enchanted piece of parchment which is specially made for chatting. You only need to write the name of the person whom you wish to chat with on the ChatterParchment, and chatting can commence. When you receive a request to chat, the ChatterParchment will appear before you. The sender's identity will be cloaked in the case of Angels writing to Mortals. In this way Angels and Mortals can chat without meeting each other in the flesh. If you wish to chat with your Angel, simply write 'Angel' on the ChatterParchment. Does everyone understand what I just said? If not, the instructions are available at the library."
Harry found this intriguing - he had never played this 'Angel/Mortal' game before, despite his studying in a Muggle school before he entered Hogwarts. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who seemed equally interested.
"Having said all those... Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore raised his goblet of pumpkin juice and toasted the students.
...:::...
The ChatterParchments were given out after the feast, and everyone hurried to their dormitories, eager to find out who their Mortals were.
Back in the his dormitory, Harry sat on his bed, grasping his Eagle-Feather quill as he started to write his name on the ChatterParchment. The words 'Harry Potter' faded, and the name 'Cho Chang' appeared in its place. Harry stared at the ChatterParchment incredulously, hardly believing his eyes. What luck! thought Harry, tapping the ChatterParchment with his wand to clear the words away.
Ron, on the other hand, was also staring at the ChatterParchment, but with a different expression. His jaw was wide open, and he seemed to be pinching himself.
"Er... Ron? Are you all right?" Harry asked, giving Ron a poke as he did so.
"Arghhh! I can't believe it! I'm -NOT- going to write anything!" Ron yelled, roughly shoving the ChatterParchment under the bed. Gregory Goyle? How am I supposed to be friends with a -troll-? Ron thought furiously. The god of irony just had to play a joke on me...
...Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory...
Ginny stared open-mouthed at her ChatterParchment, which said 'Draco Malfoy'. I'm not going to like this... But I guess I have no choice... The god of irony just had to play a joke on me...
Hermione held her breath in anticipation as she neatly wrote 'Hermione Granger' on the ChatterParchment. Her name disappeared, to be replaced by "Harry Potter". Oh. Harry. Harry? Is this luck, concidence, or did the god of irony decide to play a joke on me?
Author's Note: So... What do you think? It's my very first Harry Potter fic, so feedback, suggestions and criticisms are welcome. Next chapter coming soon... Just as soon as I stop procrastinating =P