Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth installment of the seven-book series by J.K. Rowling. Although the Harry Potter series has been marked by widespread commercial success, The Goblet of Fire is the only novel in the series to receive the prestigious Hugo Award for science fiction and fantasy. In the fourth novel of the beloved children’s book series, Harry Potter returns for his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As strange things begin to happen in the Wizarding world, Harry faces an unknown enemy hiding at Hogwarts. Harry is entered into a dangerous tournament against his will, and if he wants to survive the year, he will have to learn more magic than ever before, keep his eyes open to any signs of evil lurking in his midst, and rely on the support of his friends. Like its predecessors, The Goblet of Fire addresses friendship, good versus evil, coming of age, courage, identity, grief, and the importance of teamwork. The Goblet of Fire also tackles new topics of international cooperation, jealousy, the loss of childhood innocence, and the rise of evil. The version used for this guide is the ebook of the Arthur A. Levine imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Plot Summary

One night over summer vacation, 14-year-old wizard Harry Potter awakes from an unusual dream with his scar hurting. The next day, Harry is invited to attend the Quidditch World Cup—a major sporting event for witches and wizards for a game played on flying brooms—with his friends, but on the night of the World Cup, pandemonium breaks loose, and the sign of the evil Lord Voldemort appears in the sky. Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin the new school year, and the headmaster Dumbledore announces the reinstatement of the Triwizard Tournament, a multi-school competition that brings the students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang together for one year. Each of the three schools will be represented by one champion, chosen by the Goblet of Fire. The Triwizard Tournament will include three dangerous tasks meant to challenge the oldest and most advanced students of 17 years or older, but when Harry is unexpectedly chosen as a fourth champion, he is forced to compete.

Harry successfully completes the first two tasks through a combination of skill, luck, and a lot of help from friends and teachers. He battles a dragon during the first task by utilizing his flying skills, and in the second task, he uses gillyweed to help him breathe underwater when he journeys down into the lake at Hogwarts. As the competition wears on, Harry forms unsteady alliances with the other champions: Krum from the Dark Arts-centered Durmstrang, Fleur from the sophisticated and snobbish Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion, who is from Hufflepuff House. The champions compete against one another but develop mutual respect as the competition wears on.

Amid the drama and danger of the Triwizard Tournament, strange incidents occur all over the Wizarding world. A Ministry of Magic witch, Bertha Jorkins, disappeared and hasn’t been seen since the summer. The famed Dark wizard catcher Mad-Eye Moody has come out of retirement to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Mr. Barty Crouch, a Ministry of Magic official with a tight-fisted approach to law and order, has not been seen in public for months, and he suddenly turns up at Hogwarts disheveled and confused, only to disappear without a trace. And for the Death Eaters—those who followed Voldemort before his downfall 13 years ago—signs begin to appear that their old master is getting stronger.

During the third task, Harry and the other champions must maneuver through a giant maze and reach the Triwizard Cup to win the tournament. However, when Harry and Cedric reach the cup at the same time and decide to share the victory, the cup unexpectedly transports them to a strange graveyard, where Cedric is killed by Voldemort’s servant Wormtail. Harry’s blood is forcibly taken and used to revive Voldemort, who takes a human form for the first time in 13 years. Voldemort summons his Death Eaters to watch as he tries to eliminate Harry once again and end the ridiculous rumors that a mere child could defeat such a great and powerful wizard as himself. However, despite Voldemort’s efforts, Harry escapes and returns to Hogwarts with Cedric’s body.

After the third task, only those close to Harry believe his story about what happened in the graveyard. The man Harry thought was Professor Moody turns out to be an imposter: a Death Eater sent by Lord Voldemort to steal Moody’s identity and make sure Harry Potter wound up in the graveyard for the rebirth ritual. This imposter, who also put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire, is none other than the son of Mr. Crouch, the Ministry of Magic official, and Crouch’s son confesses to kidnapping the real Moody, casting Voldemort’s mark into the sky, and killing his father to return to Voldemort’s service after 13 years of waiting.

As Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts comes to a dramatic conclusion, Harry and his friends are left wondering about the fate of the Wizarding world. The future is uncertain, and in the aftermath of the graveyard, Cedric’s death, and Voldemort’s return to power, Harry learns that he will have to rely on his friends now more than ever to get through the dark times ahead.