The next morning, Harry is relieved to learn that Hermione believes him about not putting his name into the Goblet of Fire. She urges him to write to Sirius and tell him what has happened, and Harry agrees. Meanwhile, Harry notices that the Gryffindors are the only ones happy about him being a Hogwarts champion, and the Hufflepuffs, who are “usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors,” have become “remarkably cold” (118) toward Harry. Hagrid and Hermione are the only ones who seem to believe that Harry didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and Ron and Harry aren’t speaking to each other. Harry feels incredibly lonely and hated by most of the school, especially the Slytherins, who taunt Harry with “Potter Stinks” badges.

In Potions, Harry is pulled from class with the other champions to have his wand “weighed” or assessed by the wandmaker, Mr. Ollivander. Rita Skeeter is there to write an article about the champions, but she only seems focused on writing a dramatic, over-the-top story about Harry’s tragic past. As Mr. Ollivander assesses Harry’s wand, Harry is reminded that his wand shares a special connection with Voldemort’s: the first time Harry visited Ollivander’s shop, he was told that the phoenix feather in his wand’s core came from the same bird as the feather in Voldemort’s.