Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. It was published on 8 July 2000. The original United Kingdom edition has 636 pages, and the US version has 734. It was made into a movie that was released in 2005.

Plot

Plot introduction

Throughout the three previous novels in the Harry Potter series, the main character, Harry Potter, who is James and Lily Potter's only son, has struggled with the difficulties of growing up and the added challenge of being a famous wizard. When Harry was a baby, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard in history, had Harry's parents killed and betrayed, but was mysteriously defeated after unsuccessfully trying to kill Harry, though his attempt left a lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. This results in Harry's immediate fame and his being placed in the care of his abusive Muggle (non-magical) aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, who have a son named Dudley.

On Harry's eleventh birthday, he learns he is a wizard from Rubeus Hagrid and enrols in Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. He befriends Ron Weasley, Arthur and Molly Weasley's youngest son and Hermione Granger and confronts Lord Voldemort, who is trying to regain power. In Harry's first year, he has to protect the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort and one of his faithful followers at Hogwarts. After returning to school after summer break, students at Hogwarts are attacked by the legendary monster of the Chamber of Secrets after the Chamber is opened. Harry ends the attacks by killing a Basilisk and thwarting another attempt by Lord Voldemort to return to full strength. The following year, Harry hears he has been targeted by escaped mass murderer Sirius Black. Despite stringent security measures at Hogwarts, Harry encounters Black at the end of his third year and learns Black was framed and is actually Harry's godfather. He also learns that it was his father's old school friend Peter Pettigrew who betrayed his parents.

Plot summary

The Weasleys invite Harry Potter, James and Lily Potter's only son and Hermione Granger to the Quidditch World Cup, to which they travel using a Portkey, meeting Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff sixth-year, on the way. In the match, Ireland triumph over Bulgaria, despite the skill of Bulgaria's star seeker, Viktor Krum. After the match, men wearing the masks of Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort, attack the camp site, causing terror and abusing the Muggle campsite owners. The Dark Mark is fired into the sky, causing mass panic.

At Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore announces that Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody will be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. Dumbledore also announces that Hogwarts will host a revival of the Triwizard Tournament, in which a champion of Hogwarts will compete against champions from two other European wizarding schools: Beauxbatons Academy, and Durmstrang Institute. The champions are chosen by the Goblet of Fire from names dropped into it. Because Harry is under 17 (the age of majority in the wizarding world), he is disallowed from entering.

At Halloween, the Goblet of Fire picks Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons Academy, Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian seeker that played at the Quidditch World Cup, from Durmstrang Institute, and Cedric Diggory, Amos Diggory's only son from Hogwarts to compete in the tournament. Unexpectedly, however, it also chooses Harry as a fourth champion. Harry's being chosen magically binds him to compete, forcing him to be an unwilling participant in the Tournament. Very few people believe Harry's protests that he did not put his own name in.

Despite chamions not being allowed to know, Hagrid covertly reveals to Harry that the first task is to get past a dragon. Harry struggles to think of a way past a dragon, until Moody suggests flying. Hermione helps him to perfect a Summoning Charm, which he uses to summon his Firebolt broomstick and fly past the dragon to retrieve a golden egg, receiving high marks from the judges. Harry's egg is supposed to contain a clue to the next task, but when opened it merely shrieks loudly. Later, Cedric tells Harry to take the egg into the bath in the prefects' bathroom to work out the clue.

The trio secretly meet Sirius Black at Hogsmeade, who tells them that Barty Crouch was fanatical about catching dark wizards, often stooping to the same level to punish them. This culminated in Crouch sending his own son to Azkaban. His son later died there. Sirius suspects that someone is attempting to attack Harry through the Tournament and make it look like an accident. He suspects Karkaroff, who is a former Death Eater who walked free.

Finally acting on Cedric's tip, Harry takes the egg to the prefects' bathroom and listens to the it underwater. There, the shrieks become the words of a song, which tells Harry that the task is to recover something dear to him from Merpeople at the bottom of the lake in the grounds.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are unable to find a way to survive underwater for the second task. On the morning of the task, Dobby gives him some Gillyweed that he heard Moody and Professor Sprout talking about. The Gillyweed gives Harry flippers and gills and allows him to find Ron, the thing that is dear to him, at the bottom of the lake.

Harry prepares for the final task, a hedge maze filled with dangerous creatures and obstacles, the goal being to reach the Triwizard Cup at the centre. Helping each other, Harry and Cedric reach the Cup. They agree to touch it at the same time and become joint winners.

However, on touching it they discover that it is a Portkey that transports them to a graveyard. There, Wormtail appears, kills Cedric using Voldemort's wand, and ties up Harry. Wormtail uses Harry's blood, Tom Riddle Sr.'s bone, and his own hand to restore Lord Voldemort to a body. Harry escapes with Cedric's body to the Cup, which takes him back to Hogwarts.

Under the panic caused by his arrival, Moody takes a traumatised Harry to his office. He reveals himself to have been working with Voldemort the whole time as a 'faithful servant'. He explains that he put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and has been guiding him through the tournament to ensure he would touch the Cup first. As Moody prepares to kill Harry, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape intervene and stun Moody. Slowly, Moody changes appearance to become Barty Crouch Jr., the supposedly long-dead son of Barty Crouch Sr., who was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Moody.

Dumbledore announces Lord Voldemort's return to the school. However, many people, including Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, refuse to believe it. Dumbledore puts his own anti-Voldemort plans into action.

Not wanting his tournament winnings, Harry gives all one thousand Galleons to Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George to start their joke shop, and returns home with the Dursleys.