Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, written by J.K. Rowling and published on July 8, 2000, is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series.
Summary Of The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The story begins fifty years ago. It starts with the Riddle family mysteriously being killed during dinner, and their gardener, Frank Bryce, being suspected but later found innocent. Now an old man, Frank Bryce wakes in the middle of the night seeing a light in the abandoned Riddle House. Investigating, he overhears Voldemort and Wormtail planning to kill a boy named Harry Potter. Voldemort notices him and kills him immediately. Harry Potter wakes up in the night with a severe pain from the scar Voldemort gave him. Worried that Voldemort might be nearby, he writes a letter to his godfather, Sirius Black, mentioning the pain in his head.
The next morning, Harry’s Uncle Vernon receives a letter from the Weasleys inviting Harry to the Quidditch World Cup, and reluctantly agrees to let him go. The next day, the Weasleys come to pick up Harry through the Dursleys’ boarded-up fireplace. The Weasley twins leave candies on the floor that cause Dudley’s tongue to swell. The Dursleys panic and throw things at Mr. Weasley as the Weasley children and Harry leave through the fireplace. Harry arrives at the Weasley house, The Burrow, where he meets the oldest two Weasley brothers, Bill and Charlie; Mrs. Weasley scolds the twins for making Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and giving them to Dudley.
The next morning, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione set off for the Quidditch World Cup. They travel by a process called Portkey, which involves using a piece of trash as a springboard into space. They use the same Portkey with Cedric Diggory, another Hogwarts student, and his father. Together, they transport to the World Cup campsite. After arriving, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione set up their tents.
Shortly after, Ludo Bagman, in high spirits from the festivities, arrives and makes a bet with the twins on the outcome of the Cup. Soon after, Mr. Crouch arrives and shakes Percy’s hand with great respect. Before leaving, they hint at a mysterious event happening at Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione buy souvenirs and head to the Top Box, where they meet Winky, a house-elf keeping a seat for her master. The game begins following a display by the respective mascots. In the end, Ireland wins, but Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum catches the Snitch.
After the game, a group of Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort, torture four Muggles by floating them in the air. Harry, Hermione, and Ron escape to the woods, where Harry realizes his wand is missing. Soon, someone uses his wand to cast the Dark Mark, Voldemort’s sign, in the sky. A house-elf named Winky is found holding a wand at the scene. The Ministry of Magic is in chaos for a week.
Ron is upset after receiving a terrible second-hand robe from his mother. Amos Diggory brings news of a man named Mad-Eye Moody, who is attacked at his home. Mr. Weasley rushes to the Ministry to sort everything out. The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione take a taxi to the train station and set off to Hogwarts by train. Upon arrival, during the Sorting Ceremony and dinner in the Great Hall, Dumbledore announces that this year Hogwarts will host the inter-school Triwizard Tournament, and that Mad-Eye Moody will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Mad-Eye Moody proves to be a capable teacher. He turns Malfoy into a ferret for attacking Harry from behind. During class, Moody teaches Gryffindor about the three Unforgivable Curses: Imperius, Cruciatus, and Avada Kedavra (the curse that killed Harry Potter’s parents). Meanwhile, Hermione starts a society to advocate for freeing house-elves. She urges Harry and Ron to wear badges. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry learns to resist the Imperius Curse.
In late October, delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive, and Ron is excited to see famous Quidditch player Viktor Krum with Durmstrang. On Halloween night, the Goblet of Fire announces the champions for the Triwizard Tournament: Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, and Harry Potter.
There is an uproar because Harry is too young, but the Goblet’s decision is final, and it is decided that Harry must compete. Gryffindor House celebrates, but Ron is sulky and jealous, and he stops speaking to Harry for a while. As school continues, Harry is frustrated because few people believe he didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire. With the first task approaching, Harry is anxious; during the wand weighing ceremony, a reporter named Rita Skeeter interviews Harry for a story about the tournament but publishes an exaggerated article about Harry’s tragic past.
A few nights before the task, Hagrid takes Harry on a late-night walk, which turns out to be a preview of the first task: dragons. Harry rushes back to Gryffindor Tower, where Sirius’s head appears in the fireplace, warning him that Karkaroff, the head of Durmstrang, is a Death Eater and probably still dangerous, and that Moody was the Ministry’s best Dark wizard catcher and is likely at Hogwarts for a reason.
The next day, Harry warns Cedric about the first task; Moody overhears, praises Harry’s honesty, and suggests he use his broomstick to get past the dragon. Harry and Hermione spend hours practicing the Summoning Charm, and on the day of the first task, Harry summons his broomstick, gets past the dragon, grabs the golden egg, and earns high marks. Everyone in Gryffindor goes wild with joy, and Harry and Ron reconcile.
Immediately after, Hermione takes Harry and Ron to the kitchens, where they meet Dobby and Winky, who is unhappy with her freedom. During class, Professor McGonagall announces that the Yule Ball is approaching and that champions must find partners; this proves to be an unexpected and difficult task. Harry gathers the courage to ask Cho, but she is already going with Cedric. Hermione has a date but won’t say with whom; Ron gets angry when he asks her as a last resort.
Eventually, Harry and Ron find partners in the pretty but annoying Patil twins for the Yule Ball. On Christmas Day, the night of the ball, Ron wears his horrible robes and spends the evening glaring at Hermione, who attends with Viktor Krum. Harry, feeling down about Cho and Cedric, wanders off with Ron, and they overhear Hagrid telling Madame Maxime, the head of Beauxbatons, that he is half-giant. After the ball, Cedric suggests to Harry to take a bath with the golden egg, but Harry is suspicious of the advice.
Returning to Gryffindor Tower, Harry finds Hermione and Ron in a huge argument over Hermione going with Krum instead of Ron.
The next day, Hagrid does not start teaching. Rita Skeeter writes an article claiming Hagrid’s giant heritage makes him violent and dangerous. Hagrid is embarrassed and refuses to leave his cabin. During a trip to Hogsmeade, Ludo Bagman offers to help Harry with the tournament and mentions that Mr. Crouch has stopped coming to work. Hermione insults Rita for writing such terrible articles. Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts and visit Hagrid, convincing him to come back. Hagrid is grateful for their loyalty and asks Harry to win the tournament.
That night, Harry takes the egg to the bathroom. It tells him he has an hour to retrieve something valuable taken to the bottom of the lake. Returning to his dormitory, Harry sees Mr. Crouch in Snape’s office on the Marauder’s Map. In his shock, he drops the golden egg, causing a loud scream. Filch and Snape appear immediately. Moody arrives, sends the other men away, and returns the egg to Harry. Moody asks to borrow the Marauder’s Map, which shows all of Hogwarts’ grounds and buildings and the location of every person within.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Plot, Long Summary
The night before the second task, Harry still hasn’t figured out how to breathe underwater. He falls asleep in the library and is awakened by Dobby the next morning. Dobby gives Harry a ball of gillyweed and sends him off to the lake for the task. The gillyweed gives Harry gills, allowing him to swim underwater easily. He finds Hermione, Ron, Cho, and Fleur’s sister asleep and bound together in a mermaid village. Harry waits to ensure all the champions rescue their hostages. Fleur does not come, so Harry takes her sister, finishing last but earning high marks for his moral fiber.
Immediately after, Rita Skeeter publishes an article claiming Hermione is toying with both Harry and Krum’s hearts. The three friends read this article during Potions class. Afterward, Harry overhears Karkaroff nervously confessing to Snape that something on his arm is returning. The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione meet with Sirius Black in his dog form in Hogsmeade.
Sirius reveals that Mr. Crouch’s son was imprisoned as a Death Eater and that Mr. Crouch has not been coming to work, nor did he attend the World Cup in the seat Winky saved for him. Returning to Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit the kitchens to give Dobby a gift of socks, making him very happy. Winky is still miserable and drunk, claiming to guard a big secret for her former master. Meanwhile, Hermione starts receiving hate mail for allegedly breaking Harry Potter’s heart.
The four champions are shown the maze they will navigate for the third task. Returning, Krum asks Harry about his feelings for Hermione. They hear a scream and find Mr. Crouch emerging from the forest, talking nonsense. Harry runs to tell Dumbledore, but upon returning with him, Mr. Crouch has disappeared. While waiting in Dumbledore’s office, Harry looks at a Pensieve, a tool for studying memories, and enters Dumbledore’s memories of three Death Eater trials. At one, he sees Mr. Crouch convicting his own son; at another, he sees Ludo Bagman being released; at the third, Karkaroff testifies against Snape, who Dumbledore confirms to have turned good.
After returning from Dumbledore’s office, Harry and Cedric meet and agree to help each other in the tournament. Harry tells Cedric about the dragons, while Cedric informs Harry about the second task clue. The night before the third task, Harry has a dream about Voldemort’s plan to kill him and wakes up screaming. The next day, he tells Dumbledore about the dream, but Dumbledore is more concerned with how Harry’s scar is hurting than the specifics of the dream.
The third task is a maze filled with magical obstacles. Harry and Cedric reach the Triwizard Cup together and agree to take it at the same time, tying for the win. However, the Cup is a Portkey that transports them to a graveyard where Voldemort and Wormtail are waiting. Wormtail kills Cedric and ties Harry to Tom Riddle’s tombstone, then uses Harry’s blood to resurrect Voldemort.
Voldemort summons his Death Eaters and reveals that a servant at Hogwarts has been helping him. He duels Harry, but their wands connect, and the ghosts of Voldemort’s victims, including Harry’s parents, appear to help Harry escape. Harry grabs Cedric’s body and the Portkey, returning to Hogwarts.
Back at Hogwarts, Harry is taken to the hospital wing. Moody takes him to his office and reveals he is the servant who put Harry’s name in the Goblet and helped him win the tournament. Before he can kill Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall burst in and subdue Moody. They give him Veritaserum, forcing him to reveal he is Barty Crouch Jr., who escaped from Azkaban with his father’s help. Crouch Sr. was found dead in the forest.
Dumbledore sends an owl to Azkaban to have the Dementors recapture Barty Crouch Jr., and later he addresses the school, warning them of Voldemort’s return. He urges them to unite against the Dark Lord and sends a message to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, advising him to do the same.
Back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk about what happened, and they vow to stand together against Voldemort. The school year ends, and they return to the Dursleys for the summer, with Harry feeling stronger and more determined than ever to face the challenges ahead.