| “ | Obviously, she is feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all... And she probably can't work out what her feelings are towards Harry anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she’s afraid she’s going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she’s been flying so badly. | „ |
| ~ Hermione talking about how Cho is likely feeling. |
Cho Chang is a supporting protagonist in the Harry Potter franchise. She was a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts who became a member of Dumbledore's Army, a group made to stand against the Ministry and later Lord Voldermort.
She is portrayed by Katie Leung, who also voiced Caitlyn Kiramman in Arcane.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Cho Chang was born around September of 1978 to August of 1979 to unnamed parents, and she knew of her wizarding heritage since she was born into one. At an early age, Cho became a fan of Quidditch, and was a fan of the Tutshill Tornadoes team. Around 1990, she was allowed to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was sorted into House Ravenclaw, and became a member of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team. Additionally, she became best friends with fellow Ravenclaw Marietta Edgecomb, whom she remained loyal to even when she faced against other students.
Harry Potter Series[]
The Prisoner of Azkaban[]
Cho would meet Harry Potter during her fourth year at Hogwarts during a Quidditch match, where Potter developed a romantic interest in her. She would play in the Quidditch match against Gryffindor, and used a strategy to tail Harry instead of trying to find the golden snitch. Harry managed to catch on to her strategy, but the two were shocked at the sight of Dementors, who were actually Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Marcus Flint in disguise. Ravenclaw lost the game to Gryffindor, who would go on to win against Slytherin.
The Goblet of Fire[]
During her fifth year at Hogwarts, Cho took a romantic interest in Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff student who was also a contestant for the Triwizard Tournament. Cho accepted Cedric's request to be his date for the Yule Ball, and when she was asked by Harry, she gently told Potter that she was going to the ball with someone else. She would go on to treat Harry nicely since he was being mocked by other students since he was selected in the Goblet of Fire. After the ball, Cho began dating Cedric, and was a hostage during the second Triwizard Tournament since she was the "thing" Diggory cared for the most. When Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew, Cho was devastated at his death, and made her believe Harry's claims that Lord Voldermort has returned.
The Order of the Phoenix[]
While attending Hogwarts during her sixth year, Cho decided to become close to Harry to find some closure since he witnessed Cedric's death. Despite three failed attempts, Cho managed to become close to him after joining Dumbledore's Army to fight against Lord Voldemort to avenge Cedric. She became better at charms and spells from Harry's teachings, and later began a romantic relationship with Potter. Despite this, her relationship with Harry soured since she was still conflicted on her feelings for him and Cedric, and her jealousy over Harry's friendship with Hermione. When Marietta was exiled from Dumbledore's Army after betraying them to Dolores Umbridge, Cho defend her, which hurt her relationship with Harry and the other members.
The Half-Blood Prince[]
By her seventh year, Cho had no interactions with Harry, who stated that their relationship fell apart presumably due to her conflicting feelings, and loyalty towards Marietta. She was among the students and staff when Albus Dumbledore died, and raised her wand in the air as a farewell to the late headmaster.
The Deathly Hallows[]
During the Battle of Hogwarts, Cho rejoined Dumbledore's Army to fight against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. She survived the war after Harry defeated the Dark Lord (due to the latter's using Harry's Elder to cast the killing curse but it rebounded as the wand refused to kill its master), and later went on in life to marry a Muggle.
Personality[]
Cho is an intelligent, pure and sweet girl who stays loyal to her friends even at the hardest times, as shown when Marietta betrayed the D.A. In addition, Cho was known to suffer from emotional confusion, as Cedric's death hit her greatly, and she was confused with her relationship with Harry. Despite her good qualities, she was known to show jealousy, as she accused Hermione and Harry of having feelings for each other. Harry and Ron both described her as being depressed and not always cheerful, this culminating in her wanting more questions about Cedric's death when dating Harry. Cedric's death had a great part in her emotional state afterwards, as she would cry spells and often separated herself, even worrying about her position on the Quidditch Team.
For the most part, Cho was often found around Hogwarts with a gaggle of girlfriends, though after one of her emotional breakdowns over Cedric's death, they apparently left her during her depression. Despite this, Cho was a very loyal person (perhaps even to a fault); when she and her friend Marietta Edgecombe joined Dumbledore's Army, she insisted on bringing her friend along even when her friend expressed disinterest and cynicism to the club's effects. Later, even though Marietta eventually sold out the D.A. to Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic, Cho stood by her and insisted to the accusatory Harry that Marietta was a "lovely person" who "just made a mistake." Her loyalty and courage were shown again when she came back to Hogwarts to fight even after she graduated, and offered to show Harry up to the Ravenclaw Tower, indicating that she harboured no hard feelings against them despite their previously fallen out romantic relationship.
Gallery[]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2[]
Trivia[]
- While in the book, it is Marietta who betrays the D.A., in the film, her friend does not appear, so her role is replaced by Cho as the one who betrayed Dumbledore's Army, who fell under the effects of the Veritaserum.
- Many find the name of her character to be very controversial, especially for one of the only Asian characters in Harry Potter, with some contesting that it's not a real name, and some even considering it racist.
- Critics have also argued that not only is her name problematic but so is how she's portrayed in the books, as she's been mocked in the book for "crying too much" and "being girly"
