Discussion Topic - Cho Chang: Treasure or Terror?
This feels slightly off topic, but since you can hardly write a Harry/Cedric story without taking the Ravenclaw girl into consideration I think it applies. I've been sitting on this discussion topic for a while. Seeing that there hasn't been much activity on here lately, I figured now to be the perfect time for it.
I was thinking about how Cho was Cedric's hostage for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. Clearly (or at least most likely), in canon, it's because she's Cedric's girlfriend, as Cedric in the book/film is, presumably, heterosexual.
But what about the gay/bisexual!Cedric that we all love to write about?
I've read many a story where Cho is still the thing Cedric would sorely miss, despite an aversion to the female form. In fact, it's rare to find a story does anything different. Many of them attribute Cho's selection to the fact that Cedric's hostage can't possibly be another champion, i.e. Harry, if he and Harry are dating in the story by the second task. I find this line of reasoning a bit... off.
If you're one of the writers who has used this device, I mean no offense. In fact, I've enjoyed many stories that use it. I only argue against it because the hostage doesn't NEED to be a romantic partner. Canonically, only half the hostages were, Krum's and Cedric's. Harry's was his best friend and Fleur's was her sister. So if Cedric was gay, and had no interest in Cho sexually or romantically, why would she still be chosen as his? (I say this especially for instances where he's then annoyed that she was chosen for him because he doesn't like her.) It could be argued that it's because she was his date to the Yule Ball, but then, by that same logic, shouldn't Harry's hostage have been Parvati? And Fleur's Roger Davies? (Certainly this would've been simpler than flying her sister in from France, as the girl's clearly not of-age to compete and therefore did not arrive with the Beauxbatons students who came for the Tournament.)
So, if Cedric actually was gay, and had no romantic interest in Cho, why do you feel she might still be taken for him? (Perhaps Cedric wouldn't be able to deny his true sexuality without his doting, unwitting girlfriend as cover.) Or do you think someone else would be taken instead? Maybe a friend, one of his parents. Clearly the judges knew the champions well enough to select Fleur's sister as her hostage, rather than a random Beauxbatons student who was already there.
Edited to Add: I just realized something - do we have ANY reason to believe that Cedric and Cho were close BEFORE the Yule Ball? There isn't anything saying they weren't, but there also isn't anything saying they were. In fact, Cho seems to imply to Harry that, had he asked first, she would have gone to the ball with him. Meaning he probably wasn't her boyfriend before he asked her. So they can't have much of a long-standing relationship, really. Maybe a friendship developed since then, it's possible. Hmmm. This does put a new spin on things....
Thoughts?
I was thinking about how Cho was Cedric's hostage for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. Clearly (or at least most likely), in canon, it's because she's Cedric's girlfriend, as Cedric in the book/film is, presumably, heterosexual.
But what about the gay/bisexual!Cedric that we all love to write about?
I've read many a story where Cho is still the thing Cedric would sorely miss, despite an aversion to the female form. In fact, it's rare to find a story does anything different. Many of them attribute Cho's selection to the fact that Cedric's hostage can't possibly be another champion, i.e. Harry, if he and Harry are dating in the story by the second task. I find this line of reasoning a bit... off.
If you're one of the writers who has used this device, I mean no offense. In fact, I've enjoyed many stories that use it. I only argue against it because the hostage doesn't NEED to be a romantic partner. Canonically, only half the hostages were, Krum's and Cedric's. Harry's was his best friend and Fleur's was her sister. So if Cedric was gay, and had no interest in Cho sexually or romantically, why would she still be chosen as his? (I say this especially for instances where he's then annoyed that she was chosen for him because he doesn't like her.) It could be argued that it's because she was his date to the Yule Ball, but then, by that same logic, shouldn't Harry's hostage have been Parvati? And Fleur's Roger Davies? (Certainly this would've been simpler than flying her sister in from France, as the girl's clearly not of-age to compete and therefore did not arrive with the Beauxbatons students who came for the Tournament.)
So, if Cedric actually was gay, and had no romantic interest in Cho, why do you feel she might still be taken for him? (Perhaps Cedric wouldn't be able to deny his true sexuality without his doting, unwitting girlfriend as cover.) Or do you think someone else would be taken instead? Maybe a friend, one of his parents. Clearly the judges knew the champions well enough to select Fleur's sister as her hostage, rather than a random Beauxbatons student who was already there.
Edited to Add: I just realized something - do we have ANY reason to believe that Cedric and Cho were close BEFORE the Yule Ball? There isn't anything saying they weren't, but there also isn't anything saying they were. In fact, Cho seems to imply to Harry that, had he asked first, she would have gone to the ball with him. Meaning he probably wasn't her boyfriend before he asked her. So they can't have much of a long-standing relationship, really. Maybe a friendship developed since then, it's possible. Hmmm. This does put a new spin on things....
Thoughts?