Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

“Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear.”

Much like the first novel in the Harry Potter series, the fourth novel opens with a scene told mainly through the eyes of a Muggle who is not privy to the secrets of the Wizarding world. The Muggle Frank Bryce does not understand the significance of this comment from Voldemort, but the avid reader will note that Voldemort and his servant Wormtail are closing in on Harry Potter, plotting to kill him and use him for something reprehensible. This scene functions as a rendition of a villainous monologue in which an antagonist shares their plan for world domination, but in this case, there are missing pieces that will be filled in throughout the novel.

“Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive.”

Harry Potter has spent the last few years of his life thinking about the night Voldemort killed his parents and the miraculous circumstances that protected him from Voldemort’s curse. Voldemort was reduced to a barely living creature, and although Voldemort lost almost all of his power, Rowling makes it clear that there are ways in which Voldemort can return to power. Voldemort may be weak, but he will always threaten both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, especially when his loyal servants hide in plain sight.

“[I]t was a bright summer’s day, he would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything—even Lord Voldemort.”

Harry’s life has been full of hardship, but for this brief moment, he can only see brightness and joy for his future. Harry has no idea what will come during the World Cup or the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts this year. The Goblet of Fire signals a shift in the Harry Potter saga. At the conclusion of the novel, Harry will be a very different character with a far more serious task ahead of him than he could have imagined, and he will never again be able to pretend that Voldemort is nothing to worry about.

“Harry could see at once why Percy idolized [Mr. Crouch]. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager.”

The first look at Mr. Crouch offers a physical description that fits his public image to a tee. Mr. Crouch is a stickler for rules, law, and order, and he prides himself on being above reproach in a professional setting and in his private life. Percy adores Mr. Crouch and his rigid adherence to rules, but the true Mr. Crouch is far less admirable.

“I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master’s reputation.”

When Mr. Crouch discovers that his house-elf Winky disobeyed orders and left their tent during the chaos at the World Cup, he finds himself in the uncomfortable situation of being tied to the Dark Mark. Although Winky and her ancestors have served the Crouch family dutifully for centuries, Crouch wastes no time dismissing her loudly and publicly for being disobedient to her master. Ironically, Barty Crouch Junior also holds a similar set of beliefs, and he scoffs at the Death Eaters who turned their back on their master, Lord Voldemort.

“There’s traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets.”

Hermione’s comment here demonstrates something stronger than rivalry: distrust. From the moment the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang representatives arrive at Hogwarts, they put on a show of being happy to meet up and participate in the Triwizard Tournament. However, at the first sign of something strange happening with the Goblet of Fire, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime both jump to conclusions and accuse Dumbledore of luring them there under false pretenses.

“It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”

The announcement of the Triwizard Tournament kicks off a flurry of excitement at Hogwarts. Dumbledore explains that this contest is not just for money and fame: It is an important part of forming magical alliances. The tournament’s sudden reinstatement after being discontinued for a century hints that Dumbledore might think dark times are on the horizon and international magical cooperation might become critical in the near future.

“Not pleasant. And there’s no countercurse. There’s no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he’s sitting right in front of me.”

The introduction to Avada Kedavra marks yet another significant shift in the Harry Potter series. For years, Harry has wondered how his parents were killed, and in Moody’s first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Harry is finally given the name of the spell that did it. Moody’s declaration that the spell cannot be blocked and cannot be avoided adds to the mystique of Harry and his legendary defeat of Lord Voldemort.

“The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion.”

Dumbledore urges the students to think very carefully before putting their names into the Goblet of Fire. When Harry’s name comes out of the Goblet, some teachers insist that Harry cannot compete. However, as Moody points out, Harry is obligated to complete the tournament. It doesn’t matter that Harry didn’t consent to putting his name in the goblet: He is still expected to compete, whether he likes it or not.

“A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. [...] Harry Potter.”

When Harry’s name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, confusion and outrage break out. Harry is shocked, frightened, and angry when no one seems to believe that he didn’t want this to happen. This moment strains Harry’s friendships and his relationship with Hogwarts and the other schools who believe he somehow cheated the system, and Dumbledore allowed it to happen.

“Was Moody just being his usual paranoid self? Couldn’t someone have put Harry’s name in the goblet as a trick, a practical joke? Did anyone really want him dead?”

Despite everything Harry has been through and the fact that his life is always in danger, he has a hard time accepting that someone would go to such lengths to hurt him. Harry has always felt safest at Hogwarts and has a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that there is someone untrustworthy in his midst who might be helping Voldemort kill him. Nevertheless, Harry realizes whoever put his name in the Goblet wasn’t trying to do him any favors.

“It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.”

Time is a recurring motif in The Goblet of Fire. For Harry, time seems to go by much faster when the tasks approach, and he feels powerless to slow things down or escape from this cycle. Toward the novel’s end, Harry feels this familiar dread when the Hogwarts Express returns to London. Despite everything Harry has gone through during his fourth year at Hogwarts, he would give anything to stay there instead of returning to the Dursleys.

“By the looks of it, the only champion who would be facing the unknown on Tuesday was Cedric.”

Harry only found out about the dragons because of Hagrid, and Fleur and Krum learned about them from Madame Maxime and Karkaroff. Harry knows that he doesn’t have to tell Cedric about the dragons, but he doesn’t hesitate to share the secret anyway in the interest of fairness. Harry cannot stand the thought of subjecting Cedric to public failure, even if he is preferred Hogwarts champion.

“He had been starting to quite like Cedric—prepared to overlook the fact that he had once beaten him at Quidditch, and was handsome, and popular, and nearly everyone’s favorite champion. Now he suddenly realized that Cedric was in fact a useless pretty boy who didn’t have enough brains to fill an eggcup.”

Harry begins to form something akin to an alliance with Cedric, if not a friendship. Harry was already a little jealous of Cedric, but when he finds out that Cedric and Cho are going to the Yule Ball together, Harry becomes more hostile toward Cedric. Still, Harry is motivated by a sense of nobility even when dealing with jealousy, and he still jumps into action to help Cedric in the maze during the third task. Harry’s jealousy doesn’t go away, but he forces himself to work through it.

“It just didn’t seem in character, somehow, for correct, law-abiding Mr. Crouch to be sneaking around somebody else’s office this late at night.”

When Harry sees the name “Barty Crouch” on the Marauder’s Map, he is confused and full of questions. Mr. Crouch has been too ill to go out in public for months, and Harry has a hard time believing that someone with such strict adherence to the rules would be breaking into offices. This unusual blip on the map is later explained when the truth comes out, and Harry realizes that it wasn’t Mr. Crouch at all but his son, who bears the same name, looking for Polyjuice Potion ingredients.

“Harry…maybe Moody thinks Snape put your name in the Goblet of Fire!”

Harry has a long-standing distrust and dislike of Snape, and he and Ron are often quick to assume the worst about the Potions Master. They have accused Snape of trying to kill Harry before, only to discover that Snape was trying to save or protect Harry. Harry wonders again if Snape could be capable of such treachery and who he might be working for.

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

Ron mocks Hermione for her obsession with liberating the house-elves, but Sirius points out that Hermione might be onto something. Harry, for example, has always treated Dobby with respect, whereas the Malfoys, Dobby’s former masters, treated him terribly. Mr. Crouch was unnecessarily cruel towards Winky during the World Cup, and Sirius hints that this lines up with the character of Mr. Crouch, who is not to be trusted.

“I would say [Barty Crouch] became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side.”

The conversation with Sirius brings up an interesting point not yet explored in the Harry Potter series: In the fight against evil, can good people become evil themselves? Sirius remembers how Barty Crouch became so obsessed with imprisoning as many Death Eaters as possible that he lost sight of the possibility that he was sending innocent people away. Sirius was one of these innocent people who served 12 years in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit.

“The less you lot ‘ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh’ll be. Yeh can’t trust any of ‘em.”

Although the Triwizard Tournament is meant to encourage alliances with foreign wizards, Hagrid harbors a grudge against the Beauxbatons students and Madame Maxime. Hagrid’s xenophobic comment here has less to do with where the Beauxbatons representatives come from and more to do with his falling-out with Madame Maxime. Hagrid feels like Madame Maxime used him to get ahead in the first task, and now he is nursing a wounded ego with distrust in his heart.

“Severus Snape was indeed a Death Eater. However, he rejoined our side before Lord Voldemort’s downfall and turned spy for us, at great personal risk. He is now no more a Death Eater than I am.”

In Dumbledore’s courtroom memories, Harry finds an answer to a question he has had for years. Snape was, indeed, a follower of Voldemort, and Harry’s parents died fighting against Voldemort. Harry is more determined than ever to believe that Snape cannot be trusted, but Dumbledore is unwavering in his belief that Snape has changed and will never return to Voldemort.

“Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. [...] Lord Voldemort had risen again.”

The horrifying conclusion of Chapter 32 brings the moment Harry has feared for the past three years. Since Harry learned the truth about what happened to his parents, he has lived in fear of Voldemort’s return to power. People like Dumbledore have warned Harry that Voldemort wasn’t gone forever and he would likely return one day, but Harry never thought he would find himself playing a vital role in Voldemort’s resurrection.

“My master’s plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards.”

Harry is stunned to hear Professor Moody talking about Lord Voldemort in such a worshipful manner. Harry quickly learns that this Moody is an imposter, and Harry has spent the last year taking Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons from a Death Eater. Barty Crouch Junior doesn’t care about hurting innocent children; he only wants the approval of his evil master.

“It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years.”

Fudge’s response to the news that Voldemort has returned surprises Harry. Fudge is determined to ignore all of the evidence that suggests Harry is telling the truth, and he goes so far as to call Harry, Dumbledore, and the staff at Hogwarts a bunch of delusional liars. Fudge is afraid of kicking off a panic, and he doesn’t feel equipped to lead the Ministry of Magic through a crisis like this, so he chooses to ignore it instead.

“Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort” (292)

Dumbledore’s parting words to the students at Hogwarts comes with a warning. He tells them that there are trying times ahead, and the time will come when they will each have to pick a side in the fight against Voldemort. He encourages them to remember Cedric, who was an innocent bystander and a child, and if Voldemort didn’t spare someone like Cedric, no one will be safe.