The article was printed in the week before the tournament began, and it became a hot topic for gossip around the school. Heads turned wherever Harry went, and the sound of jeers heralded his entrance into any corridor or classroom. Not just Harry either- the only person in the school who seemed to have remained his friend, the curly haired girl who never left his side (who appeared to be named Hermione Granger), was getting a fair share of unpleasantness as well. Cho made a conscious effort to roll her eyes at anyone who threw the odd insult or two at Harry and his girlfriend, but most of the time she was too focused on other things to worry about how Harry was handling things. They were barely friends, after all- who was she to start defending him?

One day as Cho was hurrying to class, late for Transfiguration, she happened to spot Harry stalking through the corridor ahead of her. She briefly considered giving him a few words of encouragement- he looked like he needed it- when she saw that he had dropped his quill.

"Hey- Harry!" she called, jogging to catch up to him.

"Yeah, that's right!" Harry shouted, catching Cho by surprise as he whirled angrily around to face her, "I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more…" His mouth dropped open a little as he saw her. Cho was taken aback. What did he think she had stopped him for?

"No- it was just- you dropped your quill," she said in bewilderment, holding it up.

Harry immediately blushed, looking ashamed. "Oh-right-sorry," he muttered. He busied himself with

putting it back in his bag, still bright red in the face, as Cho dithered around simply leaving or giving him a friendly word.

"Er…good luck on Tuesday," she said, smiling encouragingly at him, "I really hope you do well."

Harry blushed even redder, if that were possible. "Thanks," he muttered. "Er… Sorry about…"

"That's okay," Cho said gently.

He shouldered his bag. "Bye," he muttered, looking incredibly uncomfortable and sheepish.

"See ya," Cho said cheerfully. Harry turned on his heel and walked off down the corridor, seemingly anxious to get away from her.

Cho shook her head and turned off in the opposite direction, towards her Transfiguration classroom. No sooner had she started walking again, however, than a voice called out her name.

"Hey Cho."

It was Cedric Diggory, jogging to catch up with her. Cho, to her immediate irritation, felt her stomach do a little flip-flop. They had always exchanged smiles or greetings in the corridors, but ever since that morning the article came out Cedric had been stopping to have conversations with her. It wasn't that she minded, she just found it a little perplexing. Lorla was convinced Cedric had developed an interest in her, but Cho didn't believe it. Why should Cedric Diggory, still-perfect-six-foot-school-champion be interested in her? She was too sensible to even contemplate such a ridiculous suggestion. But the most irritating thing was, she had been contemplating the ridiculous suggestion.

Somehow Cedric had crept into her daydreams during History of Magic, and if she let her eyes wander during breakfast, lunch or dinner, they would wander over to the Hufflepuff table to see if he was there. The whole thing was disorienting, and Cho didn't like the sensation.

For once Cedric was bereft of the small knot of admirers that had taken to following him around the corridors. "Late for class, I see," he observed cheerfully as he slowed down to walk with her. "Who've you got now?"

"Professor McGonagall," Cho answered, feeling very short. Cedric was at least two and a half feet taller than her, and being around him always made her feel very self-conscious about her meagre height. Though that wasn't new- she was the shortest girl in fifth year after all.

"Ah. You're in trouble then," he said loftily.

"Don't remind me," Cho muttered. Cedric gave a delighted laugh.

"Never mind. You can say you were called to the aid of the school champion," he laughed.

Cho looked up at him questioningly.

Cedric gave her a smile and jerked his thumb back down the corridor. "Saw you back there with Harry," he said, by way of an answer. "Good to see not everyone's got it in for the kid."

Cho shrugged, but at the same time, felt a little bit pleased that Cedric had seen, knowing that someone as kind as Cedric thought she was a decent person herself. "I think everyone's making a big deal over nothing. They'll probably pull him out after the first task. He's only in fourth year after all- he won't be able to handle it."

Cedric ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, I dunno. Think you might be underestimating him. He's got guts, and it's not like he isn't used to stuff like this," he said, and Cho had to admit Cedric had a point. Everyone knew about Harry's escapades since coming to Hogwarts- such as in his first year, when he'd vanquished Quirrel, who apparently had been taken over by Lord Voldemort, and then again in second year, when the story went that Harry had fought and killed a giant snake under the school.

"I suppose so," she said. "But I still wish everyone would give him a break."

"Mmm," Cedric agreed thoughtfully, carelessly running his had along the smooth stone wall. "It'd take the pressure off me, for one thing."

"Huh?" Cho said, and immediately felt stupid.

"You know," he said, shrugging his shoulders again (which, Cho noticed, were very broad and muscular), "Everyone's expecting to me to cream Potter in the first task. To show him up, you know. For daring to become school champion." There was a derisive tone to his voice as he said the last part, as though he thought the students voicing that opinion were idiots. Cho happened to

agree.

"Don't you think you will?" she asked in surprise. She was under the assumption Cedric was perfectly confident about the coming first task. "I mean, he's in fourth year and you're in seventh. You've got a pretty big advantage."

"I think you're still underestimating Potter," Cedric said, "He's intimidating enough on the Quidditch pitch, and at the moment, facing the task, we're both equal." His expression suddenly became a lot more serious and he fixed her with a grave grey-eyed stare. "None of us know what's coming. It could be absolutely anything, and…" he trailed off, and smiled again, and laughed for no reason, as if to eradicate any seriousness the situation might hold "Ah well. Qué sera, sera, I suppose. Isn't that your Transfigs classroom back there?"

Cho had walked right past it without thinking. She felt colour rising in her cheeks. "Right."

Cedric laughed again, and then said, as if he had just thought of it- "Hey- are you going on the Hogsmeade trip this weekend?"

"Um, yeah," Cho said, as she stopped in front of the door. He grinned.

"Great. See you then." He jogged off to his next class, leaving Cho to face the wrath of McGonagall.