Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 17
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Chapter 17 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Four Champions
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[edit] Synopsis
The first three Champions' announcements were received with applause, but Harry's name is met with stunned silence. To Professor Dumbledore's repeated summons, Harry silently makes his way to the head table, then joins the other champions, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Cedric Diggory in the other room. Ludo Bagman bursts in and introduces Harry as the fourth Triwizard champion. Krum is angry, while Cedric seems nonplussed. Fleur Delacour claims it must be a joke, he is too young, but Bagman replies that the age restriction was never in the previous rules and because his name was selected by the Goblet, he is required to compete.
Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape enter. Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff immediately tax Professor Dumbledore as to how this could have happened. Snape insists Harry must have cheated and that he has broken school rules ever since he arrived at Hogwarts. Dumbledore cuts Snape off, and he asks Harry if he entered his own name or had an older student put it into the Goblet. Harry says he did not. Madame Maxime, convinced he is lying, suggests Dumbledore made a mistake with the age line, although McGonagall disputes this. Karkaroff appeals to the "impartial" judges, Crouch and Bagman. Crouch says the rules are specific, anyone whose name comes from the Goblet is magically bound to compete. Karkaroff demands that they resubmit names into the Goblet until each school has two Champions, but Bagman points out that the Goblet is now extinguished, and it will not reignite until the next Tournament. Karkaroff is threatening to withdraw when Professor Moody enters and reminds Karkaroff that the Durmstrang Champion is bound to compete by the same rules that prevent Harry from quitting. He suggests Harry's name may have been entered in hopes he would die in the Tournament and says someone must have used powerful magic to hoodwink the Goblet into believing Harry was the sole competitor from a fourth school. Karkaroff accuses Moody of looking for plots where none exist
Dumbledore interrupts the heated debate, saying their path is clear; all four Champions must compete. Madame Maxime protests, but when Dumbledore asks for alternatives, she has none. Dumbledore asks Mr. Crouch to brief the Champions on the first task. Looking rather wearied, Mr. Crouch says the first task will test their daring, but they will not be told what it is. It takes place the 24th of November, they are not allowed to ask for or accept help from their teachers, and will be armed with only their wands. Champions will be excused from end-of-year exams, as the Tasks are so difficult.
Seeming concerned by Crouch's appearance, Dumbledore invites Mr. Crouch to spend the night at the castle, but he declines. Dumbledore offers the same invitation to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, but they are already departing with their respective Champions. Dumbledore suggests Harry and Cedric head to their Houses so they can join the parties that are probably in progress.
On his way to Gryffindor tower, Harry thinks about Moody's words; someone entered him into the Tournament to put him into harm's way. The obvious candidate is Voldemort, and Harry remembers from his dream that Voldemort is apparently plotting to somehow kill him - but how? His musings are cut short when he reaches the Common room. There he immediately becomes the center of a grand celebration, into which his repeated protestations that he did not enter the Tournament are ignored. As quickly as he can, he retreats to his dormitory where he finds Ron. Ron asks the same question, wondering if it was the Cloak that got him across the age line. When Harry repeats that he never put his name into the Goblet, Ron is affronted that Harry refuses to tell him the "truth." Harry is left facing the closed curtains of one of the few people he thought would believe him.
[edit] Analysis
Harry is stunned, but also fearful, when his name is mysteriously selected by the Goblet of Fire, and he once again finds himself mired in unwanted attention and suspicious activities. The Goblet has determined that Harry must compete in the Tournament, disregarding his wishes and overriding the careful precautions and strict rules implemented by the Ministry of Magic, showing how little control they occasionally have over magical matters. Nearly everyone suspects Harry cheated to enter, although reactions are mixed. At this chapter's end, it seems Dumbledore is the only Tournament official who outwardly believes that someone other than Harry entered him, though Moody, who suspects there is a dark plot to murder Harry, and possibly McGonagall, seem to share his opinion. Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, the foreign outsiders, are certain that Dumbledore and the Ministry rigged the Tournament in Hogwarts' favor, while Mr. Crouch only seems concerned about following the rules. Ludo Bagman apparently views the upheaval as vastly amusing. Harry may have other concerns; although he is a talented young wizard, he is several years younger than the other champions and lacks the experience and advanced training they have. He will have to work hard to master new spells they likely already know. Meanwhile, Ron, who continues to fawn over Viktor Krum, grows increasingly resentful over Harry's celebrity, although Ron is perhaps bothered more by his own perceived inability to stand out in any significant way. Ron believes Harry somehow bypassed the age restriction line and, unconcerned whether or not Harry cheated, feels betrayed because he thinks Harry did not confide in him. Despite Harry's unfaltering friendship and confidence in him, Ron convinces himself that Harry is only concerned with seeking more fame and attention, further straining their friendship.
Bartemius Crouch's odd behavior should be noted. He appears to be acting woodenly and unable to display even the minimal fluidity that he normally has. In particular:
- Mr. Crouch states that if someone's name is ejected from the Goblet, they are required to compete in the Tournament. The rule-book wording almost certainly states that any person entering their name into the Goblet must compete if they are selected. The previous evening, Professor Dumbledore had mentioned to the students that, "The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract"; however, Mr. Crouch neglects to mention this.
- Mr. Crouch avoids firelight, possibly to prevent people from seeing him acting differently than usual, and he says almost nothing; when he does step into the light, he looks old and tired, possibly ill, to the point where Dumbledore is concerned.
- Mr. Crouch declines a drink, making a thin excuse to leave Hogwarts.
- Professor Moody appears in the room very quickly, in theory to keep a closer eye on Karkaroff, but quite possibly to keep a better handle on the situation unfolding with Mr. Crouch.
It should also be mentioned that Karkaroff is, at least in Moody's eyes, a suspicious character. Though Harry has not yet had this confirmed, he is beginning to suspect that Karkaroff was, or still is, a Death Eater. In the previous chapter, Karkaroff was stunned to see Harry at Hogwarts; Moody seems to think that there might be buried hatred, or perhaps not buried so deeply.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- Why are some Tournament officials (Snape, Karkaroff, Madame Maxine, etc.) convinced Harry cheated or refuse to consider that he might be an innocent victim?
- Why does Ron believe that Harry really entered his own name in the Goblet? Has Harry ever lied to Ron before?
- Why aren't the Champions told what the first task will be?
[edit] Further Study
- Professor Dumbledore is very careful in his questions: he asks if Harry put his own name into the Goblet, or had an older student do it for him. Why did he not ask him if a non-student did this?
- Why did Dumbledore not comment when Mr. Crouch gave a different interpretation of the rules than Dumbledore had the previous evening?
- Why is Mr. Crouch only concerned with following the rules, rather than investigating that the Tournament may have been tampered with or there could be a plot against Harry?
- Why does Ludo Bagman seem unconcerned about Harry being mysteriously entered into the Tournament?
[edit] Greater Picture
We will find, early in the next chapter, that it is not only Dumbledore and Moody who believe Harry was entered into this contest against his will. Hagrid and Hermione also are convinced that Harry was railroaded into it. It is interesting to note the reason for this conclusion: Harry's expression revealed that it was an unwelcome and utter surprise when his name was called. Ron, watching Harry at the same time, failed to perceive what Hermione did; this is another indication, if one is needed, of Ron's jealousy and resentment adding to his already ongoing lack of emotional sensitivity. There is, of course, a very good reason why Moody believes Harry from the very beginning.
Ludo Bagman has no involvement in the plot to enter Harry into the Triwizard Tournament, but he immediately uses the upset as an opportunity to make money by betting heavily on Harry to win. It is probable that Ludo hopes to win enough to pay off his gambling debts from the Quidditch World Cup. And though Ludo will continually offer Harry advice to help win each challenge, Harry always refuses. Unknown to Harry, however, others are secretly working to ensure his victory.
It is also interesting how easily "Moody" stays in character. Barty probably had little time to study the real Moody before overpowering him and assuming his identity; yet he always acts in an extremely convincing manner and knows things that only Moody would. Additionally, he is, to a certain extent, controlling the real Moody while in character. It is possible, although unlikely, that there is some Legilimency going on here; at the book's conclusion, Barty is easily captured, and, arguably, if he were a Legilimens, he would have been reading Harry's mind, and seen what Harry saw in the foe-glass. It is much more likely that, apart from having the real Moody under the Imperius curse, he is periodically dosing the real Moody with Veritaserum and quizzing him on what he knows.
Not only does Barty remain in character as Moody so well, he continually shows a rather twisted sense of humor while doing it. As Moody, he theorizes that there is a "dark plot" against Harry, all while knowing that anything he says is the actual truth, and that everyone will either write him off as being over-reactive and paranoid or unable to prove anything. It is a large clue that it is Moody who suggests how the Goblet was hoodwinked, since, as it turns out, that is what happened, and it was he who had done it.
It should be noted that both Moody and Barty would suspect Karkaroff, Moody because Karkaroff was once a Death Eater, and Barty because, once captured, Karkaroff had named other Death Eaters to save his own skin. Thus Moody distrusting Karkaroff is an easy part for Barty to play.
