Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter #4
It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be
starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry
is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be
played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be
careful - there are unexpected dangers lurking ...
One thing that Harry Potter hadn't dared to dream off with his wildest imagination three years ago was that he is a wizard. Harry has so far survived three very eventful years at Hogwarts but the summer holidays are quite the bore. Last year, Harry found out that his godfather Sirius Black was wrongfully convicted of a crime. He met Wormtail, one of Voldemort's followers. The ending of the third year was an all end well one, however it left some people shaken.
And thus we come to Harry's fourth year. Which begins well, eventful. Because the Quidditch world cup is to be held right in the heart of England. Just a few years ago, Harry never heard of what Quidditch was. It is the most popular sport played amongst wizards. Harry excels in riding the broom and has been names on of the best seekers Gryffindor ever had. And so, Harry together with the Weasley family, Hermione and Cedric Diggory and his father they travel to the World Cup. The match is one that will go into the history books. Not by the reason of the party who won, but more of the events that followed in the celebration. The Death Eaters, trusted followers of Lord Voldemort, have come to the location to cause mayhem and destruction. Even the Dark Mark is cast. Though Harry and the others get away unscathed, it again leaves a lot of people shaken. How close is Voldemort in getting back to his full power? Harry does have to put away this encounter as soon possible as school is about to start.
Rumors have been spreading that something big is happening at Hogwarts this year. Soon the students do get the news. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is to be held. A delegation of two other European wizarding school also made their way to Hogwarts to compete, Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute. However due to the events that the challengers face an age restriction has been placed. Harry and his friends cannot enter as they are too young. However it wouldn't be Harry Potter is Harry didn't get drawn. So as luck would have it, Harry finds himself competing in te Tri-Wizard Tournament for Hogwarts together with Cedric Diggory from House Hufflepuff and Fleur Delacour from Beauxbaton and Victor Krum from Durmstrang. Off they go... These Champions have to compete and complete 3 different tasks that will push them to their limits. I won't spoil the tasks but let me say that one does involve dragons. In the beginning of the tournament there is a lot of talk behind Harry's back on how he managed to enter. He didn't do it himself. Since he only fourth year participating Harry has the toughest job of all. Harry does gain more praise for his work as his fellow students start to realize that for signing up for the tournament you must be a mad man... The intention of the tournament was to strengthen the bonds of of international magic. But the ending proves well strenuous, not so by the schools themselves perse, some get along others don;t but by the interference of Lord Voldemort. Yes. He. Is. Back.
I can go in quite detail describing every scene of the book but then this will be a 12 page review or some such. My favorite scenes in The Goblet of Fire were mainly the character interactions. If you look at the young wizard trio Harry, Ron and Hermione, you see them getting older every year, they are becoming teenagers. And with that they start to think differently. The love/hate relationship between Ron and Hermione is only growing stronger, take the Yule Ball for example. Granted Ron doesn't make the smoothest move, but then again Hermione doesn't make it easy on him. Something is brewing there. Other memorable moments were of course the encounter with Hagrid and Madame Maxim of Beauxbaton, but some people can't handle the truth, as well as the fights with the dragons, and the ending in the maze. What shocked me the most was the ending of the book. It's quite a big plot twist with the Crouch family and how somethings were put into motion.
What I don't understand though some of the action that were made by certain people at the end like the Dementor and Fudge with Crouch Jr. Why? Get the truth first and now he is just being an ignorant bastard (sorry) not willing to accept the truth from Dumbledore, Harry, Snape and Mcgonagall. They were their, they heard the confession, the same goes for Mad Eye Moody. There is just so much obvious evidence and witnesses. Even the follow-up on the events, it all gets covered up.
Other nags that I start to develop are comparing the books and the movies together, they are beginning to be less and less similar with stuff being made up or left out or changed to suite the flow of the film better. Which is in my opinion quite a pity. If I were you I would stick to the books.
All in all J.K. Rowling has delivered four amazing books so far. Harry definitely is a high value target for Voldemort and with Harry's narrow escape from the cemetery. Voldemort and his trusty Death Eaters will definitely be following him. Lets see if for once Harry can have a normal school year. Yeah. As if..
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