I agree with Nightcrawler, also about the brilliant theory about why Harry's Patronus is a stag. Congrats!
Why thank you.
Cho isn't very smart in my opinion (if she was she wouldn't behave like an idiot in all her scenes
). Maybe she's in Ravenclaw just b/c she likes to study (= is a nerd) and has no bravery, no hard working abilities and no slyness. --> her abilities are limited. And it serves her right!
Hmmm... I don't particully like the character of Cho, but I don't despise her either. I really felt sorry for her when Cedric died in GoF. True, she's not perfect, but then again neither are any of the other characters. Harry can be stubborn and arrogant. Hermione is too self-rightious, and Ron is too easily offended. Snape is a jerk, Sirrius is a troublemaker. Hagrid can never think far into the future and Dumbledore's beard is too long.
These flaws in the characters are what make them human and realistic. Imagine how boring it would be to read a book where everyone was
perfect.
Cho's flaw seems to be that she is too emotional, and perhaps a little shallow. Her boyfreinds have been the pretty boy Cedric, the famous guy Harry and the Quidditch player whatsisname.
She should have not entered a relationship while she was still greiving Cedric, that was a really dumb move. She is clearly far from perfect. However, all of these negitive traits stem from her insecurities. She is pretty, so that is what people will use to judge her. She is frustrated that nobody likes her for her personality, only her looks. She feels a need to fit in and therefore, dates popular guys so that people will accept her.
Whilst Cho is far from being brave or sly, I do believe that she works hard with her studies, otherwise she would not be in Ravenclaw. I think that her popularity negates the possibility of her being a nerd.
But also Cho had suffered - her boyfriend died previous summer. So how come that she was capable of a happy thought if Hermione said Cho was thinking about Cedric a lot, missing him? Was she so vain? Maybe she dated him because of social status - he was good-looking Prefect and Hogwarts Champion in one person?
Maybe Cho's happy thought was that it was The Boy Who Lived teaching her and fancying her?
Very true. I don't think that Harry was very helpful in this situation either. He was quite insensitive about the whole Cedric issue.
Apart from the happenings Cho's last year, I believe that she had lived a mostly happy life. Whilst she may be insecure, she had freinds, a family, and was in "the smart house". I'm sure that she had quite a few good memories to draw from.
I agree that a large part of the reason she dated Cedric was due to his good looks and champion status. I think that she is insecure, and that leads her character to making poor decisions. That does not in any way excuse from hurting other people, but I find comfort in the fact that her character is not inherently nasty, like Draco, but simply insecure.
About love triangle: I don't think Hermione would ever descend that much to be Cho's competition
Cho just felt threatened because Harry and Hermione were so close. I'm sure that Harry would have felt the same way if Cho had any close male freinds. In fact this reminds me of Viktor Krum's concerns about Harry and Hermione.
That would be funny. Or perhaps even a pair of monkeys?