Cianna Black
ci400
Hufflepuff
November Project


Of all of the Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is by far my favorite. In this book we learn a lot more about the wizarding world outside of Hogwarts. The characters we've been following through school finally have a chance to interact with other wizards from all over the world. Harry faces many challenges throughout this book, starting with the Triwizard Tournament challenges, and extending to his poor ability to interact with girls. This book can be seen as a turning point in the series, our favorite characters have finally grown up, and just in time for the rise of Lord Voldemort.
We first see more of the wizarding world when Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys attend the Quidditch World Cup. Witches and wizards from all over the world were out to watch the favorite sport of the magical world. Until then, Harry was not aware of the extent of the wizarding world, and was even surprised by the fact that there were other schools of witchcraft and wizardry. At this event Harry is also introduced to Veela, which can be seen as foreshadowing for Fleur Delacour being chosen as the Beauxbatons champion. Additionally, this is the first significant appearance of Lord Voldemort, the fact that his supporters are still out in force is a warning for the magical world of what's to come.
When Harry returns to school, Professor Dumbledore announces that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts during the upcoming year. This means that students from other magical schools will be spending time at Hogwarts, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of Hogwarts to learn about and get to know students from all over the world. Even though the age requirement is 17, Harry ends up being the second Hogwarts champion. At this point there are many options to be considered, how could Harry have possibly been entered into the tournament, who entered his name into the Goblet, why did they do it?
The first task in the Triwizard Tournament involves getting past a dragon. Hermione and Ron help Harry practice for this, proving that the age requirement was a good idea. Although the task is supposed to be a surprise, all of the champions know about it before hand, showing us that a little cheating is all part of the tournament. Harry, with some help from Professor Moody, finally decides that flying will be his best option, and practices a summoning charm with Ron and Hermione for hours on end. He completes the task successfully, only suffering a minor scrape, and ties with Krum for first place.
The next big event is most easily my favorite part of the whole Harry Potter series so far, the Yule Ball. When reading this we were all able to connect to the characters, having gone to at least one dance in our lifetime. Harry and Ron suffer the "unexpected task" of having to find a date to this ball, most importantly Harry because he needs to open the dancing portion with a partner. This is also when we find out that Hagrid is a half-giant, and suspect that Madam Maxime is the same. I really enjoyed this part of the book because we get to see the characters as normal teenagers, and not fighting dragons or battling living chess boards.
It is up to the champions to figure out the next task using the golden egg they captured from the dragons in the first task. Harry leaves this until the last minute and realizes it was a harder than he expected. With a little help from Cedric, he finally figures out that the second task involves being under water for a long time and realizes he needs to figure out how he'll stay under water alive for an extended period of time. He is also helped with this task by two characters we first meet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Moaning Myrtle who tells him how to hear the clue from the egg, and Dobby who gives him the gillyweed to use while he's in the lake. During this task we also see evidence of Harry's true heroic qualities, he becomes so preoccupied with rescuing all of the hostages that he forgets that he is competing with the other champions.
The third and final task is composed of a maze full of many obstacles which the champions need to successfully complete. With the help of Ron and Hermione, Harry diligently prepares for the task ahead of him, and what he's not aware of, is how much it will acutally entail. Harry enters the maze and gets through most of it with ease, thanks to his extensive preparation. He and Cedric reach the Triwizard Cup at the same time and learn that it is a portkey. This portkey takes them to an abandoned cliff where Voldemort plans on making his return. Cedric is killed right before Harry's eyes and Harry is left to battle Lord Voldemort all alone.
Surprisingly, it is difficult for Harry and Lord Voldemort to duel due to the bond between their wands. Wands with the same core can have interesting reactions when used against eachother. Harry receives help from the ghosts of the people Lord Voldemort last killed, the result of the two wands being used against eachother. Harry manages to get hold of the Triwizard Cup and is transported back to Hogwarts, taking Cedric's body along with him.
At the end of the book we are blindsided by the ending as we usually are with the Harry Potter books. We discover that "Professor Moody" is the villain, although he is not the real Professor Moody, he is none other than Barty Crouch Jr., one of Voldemorts most faithful servants, and the man involved in the attack on Neville Longbottom's parents.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than any of the others. I enjoyed the introduction of the other aspects of the wizarding world, and the Triwizard Tournament. I felt that this book was a turning point in the series, the characters have grown up and are dealing with more important issues than they have in the past. Most importantly, this is the book where Lord Voldemort makes his triumphant return, something that will play a big part in the next books, and means bad news for the magical world.

*Tambaqui Potter laughs...
About time we had someone to do the Goblet of Fire books... (It was all POA and OOTP), but good summery and knowledge of the book...Good opinion in the conclusion...
45 points...