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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Chapter 12 Summary

How It All Goes Down

The Triwizard Tournament

(Click the infographic to download.)

  • The Hogwarts Poltergeist, Peeves, drops a water balloon on Ron as soon as they all turn up at the gate.
  • Professor McGonagall (the Head of Gryffindor, who also teaches Transfiguration) comes storming out to escort the arrivals into the Great Hall.
  • The annual Sorting is about to begin, when the new Hogwarts students get placed in each of the four different Hogwarts Houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin).
  • Harry notices that all of his old professors are there – including his personal enemy, Potions teacher Severus Snape – but one person is missing.
  • There is no new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
  • Last year (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), the DADA teacher was Remus Lupin, an old friend of Harry's parents and Sirius Black.
  • But he had to resign when Professor Snape leaked the information that Lupin is a werewolf. (Oh, that pesky Snape.)
  • And the post still (apparently) hasn't been filled.
  • The Sorting starts.
  • The Sorting Hat – a "dirty, patched wizard's hat [... with] a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth" (12.34) welcomes the new students.
  • Finally, after the Sorting is over, everyone gets to tuck in to dinner.
  • Nearly Headless Nick (the Gryffindor ghost) looks enviously at all the delicious food.
  • He lets slip that Hogwarts has house-elves working in its kitchens.
  • Hermione flips out and decides that she can't keep eating food produced by "Slave labor" (12.95).
  • At the end of the feast, Professor Dumbledore (the headmaster) stands up to make some announcement.
  • Apparently, there will be no Quidditch tournament at Hogwarts this year. (What?!)
  • A storm is raging outside, which makes what happens next even more atmospheric.
  • The door to the Great Hall bangs open, and a man walks in.
  • "The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief [...] Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of nose was missing" (12.109).
  • But even more extraordinary is the man's eyes: one is a regular eye, but the other is "large, round as a coin, and a vivid electric blue" (12.110).
  • Professor Dumbledore introduces "our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher [...] Professor Moody" (12.113).
  • Everyone is totally dumbstruck.
  • Professor Dumbledore continues, "It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year" (12.121).
  • At this, everyone gets cheerful again.
  • The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.
  • It hasn't happened for the last hundred years because "the death toll mounted so high" (12.127).
  • But it's starting up again!
  • A champion will be chosen from each of the three wizarding schools on Halloween.
  • These three students will have to compete in three magical tasks.
  • In order to make this all work, Hogwarts will be hosting students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang during the school year.
  • There are rules, of course. Because the competition is so dangerous, only students over seventeen can enter.
  • And then, with the air still buzzing from this news, Professor Dumbledore sends them all to bed.
  • Fred and George Weasley are already planning on how to get around the age restriction (they're sixteen).
  • As Ron is falling asleep, he announces, "I might go in for it, you know [...] if Fred and George find out how to ..." (12.158).
  • Harry fantasizes that he has gotten in to the Triwizard Tournament, won the whole thing, and impressed his crush, Cho Chang.