Megan & Cho - Azkaban Interview
Who: Megan and Cho When: May 12, early evening Where: Megan and Andy's house What: Cho is interviewing Megan for her War Stories book
Megan had only intended to stop by Arcadia Park for a second after work, just to see how the protest was going. She had not anticipated on Daniel, one of the leaders of the protest recognizing her and coming over to talk. He had tried to get her to take the stage and tell her story, but with one look at the growing crowd she had balked, shaking her head frantically and trying to leave. But Daniel had simply put an arm around her, assured her that she didn't have to speak if she wasn't ready, and stood with her - her of all the people there! - while the protest waged on. She'd gotten so caught up in listening and remembering that the afternoon flew by, and before she knew it was evening and almost time to meet Cho. With a hurried apology to Daniel, and a petition folded in her hand, Megan hurried home, hoping that if Cho was already there she hadn't been waiting long.
"Hi Megan," Cho said brightly, looking up from her spot on the front porch swing. "Long day?"
"I'm so sorry!!" Megan exclaimed, hurrying up the steps to the swing and fumbling for her keys. "I had gotten off work and I just wanted to see how the protest was going and I lost track of time! I hope you weren't waiting long?"
"No, of course not," Cho said, standing now. "It was nice to sit and think for awhile, anyway. I don't get to do that often enough."
Unlocking the front door, Megan held it open to usher Cho into the house. "I'm sorry it's such a mess! I thought I'd have time to clean. It really isn't this messy," she insisted.
Cho raised an eyebrow at the spotless house, though she was mostly unsurprised by Megan's claims that it was "messy." Living with Oliver taught her one thing: no one's definition of "mess" meant the same thing. "I don't mind, really."
Megan bit her lip, looking around the house and seeing a fine layer of imaginary dust and grime over every surface, resisting the urge to re-polish the furniture. "Are you hungry?" she finally asked, hoping the effort of finding some easy to prepare food would distract from her need to clean. "I think I have some fruit and vegetables in the ice box."
"I'm good." Cho smiled. "Really. I promise."
"Okay!" Megan nodded, her hands clasping in front of her as she rocked on her feet, nerves beginning to settle in the pit of her stomach. "If you need something to drink or anything just tell me and I'll be happy to get it!" she insisted.
"I'll let you know," Cho said again, and then she looked around for a place to sit. "Should we start? How was the protest? Did you do much protesting?"
"Oh, no, I don't... I'm just curious. To hear what they have to say. I don't... I mean, I'm not a very good protester." Gesturing to the sitting room off to the side, Megan led the way to the couch, sitting in the far corner of it and pulling one of the throw pillows onto her lap as she babbled. "But everyone is so against it, and I just wanted to know the other side, you know?"
Cho nodded, studying Megan as she spoke. "I'm not against it," she said quietly. "I'm not for it either. I'm not really." She shrugged and then tried to smile. "We all have things we'd like to forget."
"I just don't think..." taking a breath, she tried to steady her voice, focus her thoughts, and failed as it all came tumbling out. "I don't think anyone really understands! I mean, I know the war was horrible. I didn't have to be fighting to know that. I know there are things I'll never understand about it. But... it isn't fair! Someone who witnessed a horrific event - one horrific event - gets an all gone card? What about us? Some of us witnessed horrible things before being put away. And then have to relive it every second for nine months? And then be told 'Sorry! You have to continue to remember them for the rest of your life every time you go to bed and every time you get too exhausted to push it away and every time someone is mean to you. And if you want to forget, well, then you are an awful person. Because you should be able to deal with all of the memories because Muggles can and because it's unpatriotic to want to forget and because, well, you should be stronger and it's your own fault for not being stronger.'" Frustrated, she dug her fingers into the pillow on her lap, feeling herself flush as she realized her outburst. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get upset. I'm just... confused," she said in a much smaller voice, her eyes dropping to focus on her hands.
"Well, you don't want to forget," Cho said. "Not exactly. That's why you're here. We're recording your memories now, right? That's not forgetting."
She nodded, blinking quickly before looking up. "Right. Did you... have any questions or... I've never done an interview before. Is there a process?"
Cho shook her head, though she quietly lay her notebook open on her lap. "No," she said. "Just talk. Talk about your experiences, and I'll ask questions if I'm confused."