The Secret Diary of Cho Chang Aged 15 and 3/4

September 5^th

It's been a couple of days since my talk with Professor Dumbledore. It got me wondering how much he actually knows about what going here. Or should that be what he doesn't know about what goes on here? I mean, I didn't tell anyone what Julian Barnes said. Well, I told George, but he wouldn't tell anyone. He keeps his word.

And chatting about Harry and Oliver Wood? That was totally surreal. I'm betting that the staff has been told to look out for him even more so this year. I've not really seen him at all this year. Well, our paths rarely cross because of our different houses and years, but I thought being back here he might have sent me an owl, thanking me for my letter. Obviously not. The famous Harry Potter has other things to worry about. Oh God, now I sound like a complete cow.

The silencing charm is working fabulously. April has got a bit suspicious, but I've found a new concealing charm so I don't look as if I've not been sleeping.

Which I haven't. I've grabbed a few hours here and there, but I have the same dream about Cedric. Always him being torn in half. Every time I shut my eyes, I see it happening.

4:30am.

Nothing. I think I'm beyond tiredness now. What else can I do? I'm scared to sleep. I'm scared that each day something bad will happen. Which is ridiculous, I mean Mum and Dad have always said that Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, especially with Professor Dumbledore in charge. I know they're right, but Dumbledore is a very old man, he can't be expected to last forever, can he? It's too early in the morning to be thinking like that.

I've done all my homework, which will keep the teachers off my back. Well, I've got detention with Snape, the greasy haired git. Saturday afternoon and I have to clean the dungeons. Yesterday there was a Slytherin/Gryffindor double lesson. I bet the dungeon looks like a bomb's hit it.

6:00am

Are all Slytherin's nasty little sods? The only reason I've got detention is that Adam Bulstrode told Snape that I threw a conjunctivitis curse at him. As if I would.

6:05am

Well, ok, I did.

6:07am

Only because he deserved it though. I'd heard him laughing about the "shambles of the Tri-Wizard contest and that stupid Hufflepuffer."

It was lucky Snape did step in. I was going to throw an acne curse at him. Which would have only improved that arse's looks. What Snape said to me though....

"Miss Chang, far be it from me to cast aspersions on the longevity of your, how shall I put this, grief, but this is NOT the place for you to be throwing around childish curses. Flinging curses around my classroom is not advisable. You will come to these dungeons on Saturday and these cauldrons will be sparkling by the time you've finished. Oh, and if you think it'll be just a quick cleaning charm, then think again." He turned to go and then, with a sadistic sneer on his sallow face, he said, "Silly me, of course, 30 points from Ravenclaw for your blatant disregard for school rules. See me after class for the time on Saturday."

The greasy-haired-sour-faced bastard.

9:30am

I took my broom outside for some early Quidditch practice. The first team meeting is on Sunday afternoon and I want to be in proper shape. When I got down there, Harry was already there. I didn't know what to do, so I just clambered up on the stands and watched him. I felt like I would have been intruding if I had just upped and flown with him. He looked so tiny up there on his broomstick. Funny to think that he's looked on as the saviour of the wizarding world. All that expectation heaped onto one person's shoulders.

No wonder Dumbledore is keeping an eye out for him.

Then, I don't know how long I was staring, but not seeing, 10 or 20 minutes, but he stopped in mid air and he saw me.