Skip to content
Answering Your Questions About Reactor: Right here.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Everything in one handy email.
When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

Reactor

The Harry Potter Reread has always wanted to watch someone pull a fire alarm because the reread figures this would be super cathartic, but doesn’t actually want to get in trouble for pulling the alarm. So… yeah.

This week we’re going to dive into some memories and meet a sphinx! It’s chapters 30 and 31 of The Goblet of Fire—The Pensieve and The Third Task.

Index to the reread can be located here! Other Harry Potter and Potter-related pieces can be found under their appropriate tag. And of course, since we know this is a reread, all posts might contain spoilers for the entire series. If you haven’t read all the Potter books, be warned.

 

Chapter 30—The Pensieve

Summary

Harry comes into Dumbledore’s office and makes sure to tell Fudge that he’s an idiot for suspecting Maxime (in so many words). Fudge suggests he head back to class, but Harry is firm on wanting to speak to Dumbledore. Albus tells him to wait in the office while they briefly search the grounds as Fudge requested. While waiting, Harry notices light coming from the interior of a badly closed cabinet and discovers a stone basin inside with an odd substance that looks rather like light made of liquid. After prodding it with his wand, the basin reveals a room. Harry leans forward until his nose touches the water, and is tipped into the room itself. It turns out to be a memory of Dumbledore’s; he is waiting with a group of witches and wizards for someone to be brought into the room and bound in a chair at the center.

The person they’re waiting for is Karkaroff, over a decade younger. Mr. Crouch is questioning him about information he claimed to have in Azkaban. Harry finds that Dumbledore is sitting next to Moody, back when Alastor had both eyes. He’s grouchy because he knows that Crouch is going to release Karkaroff if he spouts off enough names of Death Eaters—and after Moody went through the trouble of capturing him too. The first two names—Dolohov and Rosier—that Karkaroof gives are useless. One is already captured, the other dead. Karkaroff gives two more useless names, then mentions Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries, someone they had not suspected yet. Then, desperate to remain outside Azkaban, Karkaroff gives Snape’s name. Crouch informs him that Dumbledore has already vouched for Snape. Albus explains that Snape had been a Death Eater, then turned against Voldemort before the end of the war and turned spy for their side. Moody is clearly not convinced on that count.

Then the scenery moves forward to a later memory. This court scene is less tense… and Rita Skeeter is hanging about. In this one, a younger Ludo Bagman is being put on trial—it turns out that he had passed some information to Rookwood (an old friend of his dad’s), thinking that he was getting good intel for their side. Rookwood also promised to help Bagman get a job at the Ministry once his Quidditch days were over. Crouch is planning to give him a sentence in Azkaban for short time, but outcry from the floor leads him to put it to a vote. Not a single person votes to imprison him; the crowd is thoroughly enamored of him, in fact. Crouch grouses to Dumbledore that it would be a sad day for the Ministry if Ludo Bagman ever got a job there.

Another memory takes its place. This time, the courtroom is silent, apart from a sobbing witch seated next to Crouch. He calls forth four accused, among them his son. The crime they are charged with is torturing the auror Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice (Neville’s parents) to try and find the hiding place of the recently dispersed Dark Lord. Crouch puts it to a vote, and everyone in the courtroom agrees that they deserve life imprisonment in Azkaban. Barty Crouch Jr. is wailing at his father and then his mother to protect him, to keep him away from the Dementors, insisting that he didn’t commit the crime and knew nothing. His mother is whimpering and devastated. The woman in the convicted group (who we will later come to know as Bellatrix Lestrange) shouts that Voldemort will return and they will wait and be rewarded. Crouch’s son screams for his father’s help, but Crouch shouts back that he is not his son. His wife faints at the scene and their boy is dragged off by the Dementors.

Dumbledore—the current, real Dumbledore—tells Harry that it is time to return to his office. Harry apologizes profusely for what he’s done, but Dumbledore tells him that he understands. He explains that the basin is called a Pensieve, a place where one can view memories to see them more clearly. He gives Harry a demonstration, removes a memory from his head (it looks like a silver strand plucked from his hair for a moment) and Harry sees himself and then Snape talking to Dumbledore. Albus says that particular connections between those memories are rather obvious to him, but that’s what the Pensieve does best, make it easy to notices connections an patterns. Then he calls up a memory from the Pensieve of Bertha Jorkins, the way he remembered her as a student.

He asks Harry to tell him what he had come to his office to chat about in the first place. Harry tells him about the dream he had in Divination, how his scar hurt. Dumbledore asks him if it has hurt at any time besides this and the summer, which leads him to reveal that he and Sirius have been in touch since Black escaped the school; he recommended the cave where Sirius found refuge. The headmaster is lost in thought, pacing and extracting memories to put into the Pensieve. Harry asks why his scar is hurting, and Dumbledore says he only has a theory—that the scar hurts when Harry is close to Voldemort or when the Dark Lord is angry. They are connected through Harry’s scar. When Harry asks if he believes that Voldemort is indeed getting stronger, Dumbledore tells him that Voldemort’s first rise to power was marked by disappearances much like the ones happening now: Bertha Jorkins, Bartemius Crouch, Frank Bryce (the Riddle house caretaker).

Harry asks if the Longbottoms in the trial he witnessed were Neville’s parents. Dumbledore wonders that Neville has never explained why he is being brought up by his grandmother, and confirms that Frank and Alice were his parents. Harry assumes that they are dead, and Dumbledore corrects them—they are insane and being held at St. Mungo’s Hospital indefinitely. They do not recognize their own son. The attack on them came right after Voldemort’s fall, and because they were so well-loved, there was a great deal of pressure to immediately handle whoever was responsible. The Longbottoms were not cogent enough to give solid testimony, which leads Harry to wonder if Barty Crouch Jr. was not guilty, as he claimed. Dumbledore admits he has no idea, and suggests that he keep this information about Neville’s parents to himself until Neville choses to reveal it on his own. Harry asks about Bagman, and Albus assures him that Ludo was never brought up on similar charges again. Then Harry moves on to Snape, whom Albus also stands by. Harry can’t help but ask what makes Dumbledore think he’s trustworthy, but the headmaster makes it clear that the reason is between himself and Snape alone. Harry leaves the office.

Commentary

Man, Harry is so done with establishment and he’s only fourteen. Fudge is trying to be so buddy-buddy, asking him how he’s doing, and it’s all:

“Fine,” Harry lied.

Harry’s like, dude, you’re wasting my time. Also, I’m gonna make fun of you for suggesting that Madame Maxime could have possibly been involved with what happened to Crouch. I’m sorry, are you the Minster of Magic? Yeah, that sounds like a boring job. You sound boring. Potter out.

So Fudge is uncomfortable, but Harry is insisting that he gets his five minutes with Dumbledore, so he’s told to wait in the office, which leads him to the Pensieve. (I’d think that Dumbledore left that cabinet ajar on purpose, but it’s not as though he knew Harry was about to rush into his office.) And Harry’s thought is ‘I probably shouldn’t put my hand in there because I go to magic school and I know better…. But poking it with my wand is probably totally safe and fine.’ Harry, sweetheart. You just. You’re not really, uh. I love you and all, but I worry.

The Pensieve is, of course, a clever play on the terms “pensive” and “sieve,” which gives you a pretty good idea of what it is for. Apparently, witches or wizards in possession of Pensieves are often entombed with them, so no one is capable of using it following their death. On the other hand, some prefer to pass their Pensieves on to specified individuals. By that token, they could be incredible tools to learn things about loved ones and friends. Imagine if you could keep key memories preserved and clear to look back on. The applications are so broad. Most importantly, Pensieves show you the memories as they truly happened, not tainted by bias or human forgetfulness. I suppose the idea is that your brain has a copy of the unadulterated incident somewhere, and that’s what the Pensieve extracts. (No, it is not scientific at all.) So it makes perfect sense for Dumbledore to use it, as he is essentially being gifted with perfect recall.

This chapter is a huge information dump, made interesting because we’re encountering a new magical artifact, and getting the chance to observe the events in realtime. It’s a damned clever device. It also allows us to get bits of info that we wouldn’t normally get because they’re not currently relevant—like the fact that Moody got a chunk of his nose taken out by the Death Eater Rosier. Cool fact, not something that we’d probably hear elsewhere. But it colors in the memories appropriately and gives us more to chew on.

While we learn a lot of essential nuggets that will all come together in a few chapters, I feel as though the atmosphere that we observe in these chapters is equally (or perhaps more) important. We get an idea of how wizarding justice is dispensed, while heavily influenced by personal bias. We see the tension these people are feeling at the height of the war, the vindictiveness that comes after. We see how righteous everyone feels to put bad people away while considering none of the consequences. We see them applaud Ludo Bagman for his prowess on the Quidditch field and care nothing for the damage he causes. All of this is helping us fill our gaps on the wizarding world while it’s at war. It’s a prepping device, as it won’t be the last time we get a healthy taste of their bureaucracy at its most rotten.

Bagman is gag-worthy, and we finally get the full measure of just how easily he has skated through life. It is a sharp commentary on celebrity, how they are excused for behaviors that other people would be destroyed over. In that, you have to agree with Crouch for once; he’s aware that only popular opinion is keeping that man afloat. But then we get to the trial for the Longbottoms and see how Crouch ignores his wife, and it’s impossible to think anything good of the man. She literally passes out at the proceedings and he acts like she is invisible. So his scramble for power has left him bankrupt of compassion, and he’s a sleaze too.

Barty Jr.’s pleading to his father is horrific, even if it is all an act. This is yet another place where Rowling shows how good and evil are not opposites separated by a strict dividing line. Barty should not be forgiven for what he’s done, but neither should his father. For all we know, it is this moment in court that cements his position as Voldemort’s “most loyal” servant. His father coldly disowns him in public, a father who had neglected him most of his life. Barty Crouch Jr. needs a new father, and is it any wonder that Voldemort fits the bill? The Dark Lord gives him more praise and attention that his actual father ever did. Voldemort is a better paternal figure to Barty Jr. than Bartemius Crouch. Good and evil cannot be narrow definitions under that kind of scrutiny.

This chapter is also the place where we find out what happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom. After dangling that string at the beginning of the book, it finally comes back around, and on a first read that’s one of the biggest backhands of the whole novel. Harry himself thinks what we’re all thinking in the next chapter—that Neville’s lot is arguably worse than Harry’s in a certain light. Side by side, Harry and Neville are distorted versions of each other. Harry has an abusive aunt and uncle, but Neville’s gran isn’t that much better in the support and affection department. Harry loses his parents outright, but Neville has to deal with the fact that his parents are still here yet incapable of participating in his life. Whether it’s the prophecy that gives them these nearly-mirrored fates is uncertain, but it highlights Neville’s relevance to this tale long before we realize how truly special he is.

Then Dumbledore drags Harry back to reality and they finally get their talk. This particular exchange is one of my favorites for so clearly discerning how age scrambles our brains with an abundance of information:

“This, It is called a Pensieve,” said Dumbledore. “I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind.”

“Er,” said Harry, who couldn’t truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort.

Oh, Harry. You will know that feel soon enough. One day you will have to do wizard taxes for a family of five, and it will all come crashing down on you.

Harry happens to glimpse another memory that Dumbledore puts in the Pensieve where Snape talks about something getting clearer, which is another moment where we skirt the Dark Mark. Harry wants to talk about the revelation that Snape was a Death Eater, but Dumbledore does not. Because while it would be nice for him to come clean about everything that’s keeping Snape here, it’s not his information to rightfully tell. But more importantly, can you imagine the terribleness of having to say, “Look, Harry, I know he’s a creep, but he was in love with your mom.” It’s just not going to go over well. It’s an awkward secret for sure, but there’s nothing that can make it less awkward. And I really doubt that knowing would have made Harry less suspicious of the guy in the long run. He is not ready to think well of the man, for good reason.

Dumbledore admits that he and Sirius have been in touch since he escaped last year, and that he gave Sirius the location of the cave to hide in. Which means that he likely wanted Sirius nearby to support Harry, which is kind of him given that he let the Triwizard Tournament continue once Harry was entered. You know, if he’s gonna let everything play out as it will, might as well give the kid some manner of adult emotional support.

On a more somber note, this is one of the first points in the series where Harry begins to notice that Dumbledore is incredibly old and looking tired. On the one hand, kids don’t notice everything when they’re tiny and Dumbledore does seem more magical than your average magic-user. But this is the point where Albus is starting to weigh things and see where the leads on Voldemort will play out. He’s already using up his reserves and we’re not even in wartime yet. If you need a clearer indicator that Albus Dumbledore is not likely to survive these books, I don’t know what it would be. (Apart from the fact that wise guiding mentors usually always die in these big myth arcs, but I digress.)

Dumbledore is entirely keyed in to where these events are headed, though, and proves that while he may be manipulative, he is a much better man for this job than the likes of Cornelius Fudge. Honestly, the fact that he reads Muggle newspapers is enough. That all by itself shows more sensitivity than the entire Ministry of Magic has on reserve. Dumbledore knows that Voldemort has more than magic at his disposal. He has ignorance and fear, and they’re easy to manipulate. It’s clear in this chapter just how little Harry knows, and while we might wish that Albus would just spill the whole thing, you can hardly blame him for thinking it’s a bit too early.

And I really appreciate that he makes sure Harry will keep the information about the Longbottoms to himself. He knows that Neville needs to reveal what he will on his own steam, which is more say than practically anyone gives that boy.

Chapter 31—The Third Task

Summary

Of course, Harry has to tell Ron and Hermione everything and send a letter to Sirius too. (Leaving out the bit about Neville’s parents.) They’re both nervous, and Ron wonders if perhaps Fudge was right to suspect Madame Maxime since she is half-giant. Hermione points out that Maxime has to deal with plenty of ridiculous prejudice on that count all the time, thanks. Harry goes to bed that night thinking of Neville and what it would be like to have parents who didn’t know you. He thinks angrily of the people who did this to Neville’s family, then remembers that Barty Crouch Jr. died a year later. Voldemort is the one to blame for all this suffering.

Hermione and Ron forego much of the studying for their final exams to help Harry prepare; the trio are learning a lot about Defense Against the Dark Arts that they might not have otherwise. McGonagall has given them leave to use the empty Transfiguration classroom to practice. One day while they’re working on a Shield Charm, they notice Draco outside with Crabbe and Goyle, talking to into his hand. Harry thinks of a walkie-talkie, but Hermione reminds him that those items don’t work at Hogwarts. Sirius is sending him daily letters to remind him to focus on the third task and stay safe. Harry is feeling better about the maze than he did about the other two tasks—he’s better prepared, and once it’s done, the tournament will be over for good.

The morning of the third task, Rita Skeeter has an article up in the Daily Prophet. It gives information about Harry passing out in Divination because of his scar hurting, and suggests that he might have deep mental confusion as a result of the scar. Malfoy told her about Harry’s Parseltongue abilities as well and suggests that Harry would do anything for power, bringing up his friendships with werewolves and giants. The article suggests that such friendships indicate Harry might have a love of violence, and that he shouldn’t be allowed to complete the Triwizard Tournament, seeing as he’s unstable and might do anything to win. This brings the trio back to wondering how Skeeter could possibly be hearing all the things she hears. Hermione has a sudden epiphany and rushes to the library. Harry is pulled from the Great Hall because champions’ families are allowed to watch the final task and get a chance to greet them beforehand. Harry is perplexed, knowing the Dursleys would never come, but find Mrs. Weasley and Bill there to see him. (Fleur is checking Bill out.)

It turns out that Amos Diggory is peeved at Harry ever since Rita Skeeter’s article that made him out to be the only Triwizard Champion. Cedric isn’t pleased about it and Molly Weasley tells him off for being snippy to Harry about it, pointing out that Rita Skeeter is very good at causing trouble. Harry asks about Percy and they tell him that he’s been called in for questioning about Crouch’s instructions to him—they’re now getting concerned that the letters weren’t written by him. Cornelius Fudge will now be the fifth judge for the tournament. They all return to the hall for lunch a few hours later, and Mrs. Weasley is a little cold toward Hermione until Harry tells her that Rita Skeeter was just writing lies as usual and Hermione had never been his girlfriend. That seems to settle everything. At dinner that evening Harry notes that Fudge looks stern throughout dinner and Madame Maxime looks miserable and red-eyed.

The champions are led to the front of the maze, and informed that there will be people tracking the outside of the maze—if the champions are in danger and shoot up red sparks they will be rescued by them. Harry and Cedric are let into the maze first, following by Krum, then Fleur, according to their scores. Harry comes across Cedric again, who has been attacked by the Hagrid’s skrewts, which are now enormous. Harry comes across a Dementor and casts the Patronus charm, but when he notices it stumble, he realizes its a boggart and finishes it off with little difficulty. He hears Fleur scream and goes off in her direction through a golden mist, which turns the world upside-down. He takes a step forward and the world thankfully rights itself. He can’t find Fleur, and assumes she’s out of the running. He encounters a skrewt and thankfully manages to stop it with an Impediment spell. Then he hears Cedric yelling at Krum, and Viktor shouting the torture curse. Harry struggles to get to Cedric.

When he finds him, Cedric has been hit with the Cruciatus Curse and Krum is standing over him. Harry stupefies him, knocking Krum unconscious. Both he and Cedric are thoroughly confused over it and wonder if he didn’t attack Fleur as well. Harry suggests that they shoot up red sparks for him so he doesn’t get eaten by a skrewt. Cedric is understandably less-enthused to help, but agrees. Then they go their separate ways. Harry is getting closer to the end of the maze and comes upon a sphinx who gives him a riddle. He gets the riddle right (the answer is “spider”) and rushes closer and closer to the cup, but Cedric comes out ahead of him. Still, he doesn’t notice the giant spider (whoops) that’s about to attack, so Harry warns the older boy and head the things off. The spider lifts Harry into the air, but he manages to stop it with a disarming spell and then he and Cedric stupefy the thing together. Harry is dropped onto his already-injured leg, injuring it further.

Harry tells Cedric to grab the cup, since he is closest, but Cedric suddenly goes stubborn. He insists that Harry has helped him so much, that he should have tried to rescue all the hostages on the second task as well—Harry should take the cup. Harry is feeling slightly bitter about getting so close to the cup only to miss that he’s not having it. Cedric has beaten him (and he’s dating Cho, the jerk) so he should just take the cup. Cedric refuses. Then Harry decides that they should do it together; it’s a victory for Hogwarts either way, and they’ve both come so far. Cedric likes the idea, so he helps Harry over to the cup and the grab it at the same time… and are suddenly transported somewhere else.

Commentary

While Hermione hasn’t done great with her defense of house-elves just yet, her defense of Maxime here is on point. Ron tries to play the “well, we all know giants are really dangerous” card, and she shuts that down immediately while pointing out exactly why someone like Madame Maxime would need to keep her half-giant status a secret. It’s not particularly nice that Maxime got snippy with Hagrid over it, but you can’t blame a person for defending themselves against the horrors of bigotry in any way they see fit.

Harry falls asleep that night pondering over Neville, then Barty Crouch Jr. He goes from thinking of the boy’s wrongdoings to recalling that the boy died the following year. (As far as he knows, of course.) Which brings him back to the fact that Voldemort is ultimately the cause of all of this. And for a fourteen-year-old to display that level of understanding and compassion for so many people, for him to think of their struggles over his own, is really everything that makes Harry heroic. He has his moment of selfishness, like any good teenager would, but he overwhelmingly comes back to the plights of other people, how they feel and how they have been wronged.

The skills Harry has to gather for the final task allows the whole trio to really bone up on their defense techniques, and you have to wonder if Dumbledore didn’t consider that when allowing Harry to compete in the tournament. I’m gonna go ahead and say that was really, really intentional because it makes a lot of sense. Outside of the potential danger lurking at the end, allowing Harry to grow a very useful skill set that he can use against dark wizards was a smart move. It gave reason for him to learn above his grade level, and Ron and Hermione had to work alongside to help him. This is precisely what allows Dumbledore’s Army to become a thing in the first place. And all under the guise of “well, I had to learn a lot of stuff to handle this weirdo maze in fourth year.” Nice one.

At this point, there are so many clues about Rita Skeeter stacking up that you’re probably ready to throttle a teddy bear every time they show up. But the advantage comes from the book distracting us with other, more pressing issues, so we don’t get to think too hard on what the hell Draco is holding in his hand that is clearly allowing him to communicate with Skeeter. When Hermione finally gets her a-ha moment, we can’t care anymore because the third task is coming, and that’s what we have to focus on.

Harry is thinking that he feels so much more prepared for this than the other tasks (which is how you know everything is going to go horribly wrong because a lack of foreboding always spells disaster in fiction). So when the latest Skeeter article shows up in the Daily Prophet, Harry can only summon up a “Gone off on me a bit, hasn’t she?” and Harry, that is way too worldly for a kid in his early teens, let me hug you.

McGonagall tells Potter that family is allowed to view the final task, and I understand that we’re being kept in suspense for reasons, but the fact that McGonagall knows Harry is an orphan and has terrible relatives and doesn’t bother to clarify who is waiting for him is silly and also kind of mean. Minerva, just tell the kid what he’s in for. He’s going to have enough surprises today. Of course, then it’s Molly and Bill, and ugh, STOP BEING WONDERFUL WEASLEYS. I do wonder if this was Molly’s idea or Dumbledore’s, and how everyone went about arranging it. But seriously, this is the most explicit we’ve gotten in the series about just how adopted Harry is by their family.

Amos Diggory is being a jerk to Harry over Skeeter’s coverage and his kid not getting the spotlight, which Cedric is properly embarrassed over. (But the coming irony here is terrible, and I don’t want to think about it.) Molly gives Amos a hard time for believing Skeeter, and you wanna be like, Molly. Molly. People in glass burrows. Molly.

Fleur notices Bill, which we have to put a pin in for later, and when Bill goes on about his school days, the Fat Lady’s buddy, Violet, winks at him. Bill, are you a scamp? I get the feeling that you were a scamp. (He was a scamp.) Then again, that’s nothing compared to your mom, who admits to being out literally all night with your dad, back when they were running the place. And all of these stories are so cute until we get to the part where Molly tells them that the caretaker who was in charge before Filch’s time caught them and Arthur still has scars from that incident. Suddenly we know that EVERYTHING FILCH COMPLAINS ABOUT IS TRUE, and he really does miss being able to torture students, and whaaaaaaaat is happening, my brain is melting.

Then at dinner, Harry notices the Madame Maxime’s eyes are red, and Fudge is eyeing her suspiciously. I want to believe she was only questioned (which is bad enough). I really do. But I’m also really not convinced.

And then the final task is upon us, and everyone is in the maze. It’s pretty straight-forward in terms of the obstacles, so I won’t get hung up on that. But I do want to talk about how annoying it is that Fleur Delacour is the only female champion selected by the Goblet of Fire, and she comes last in every single task. And is also waylaid on the second two, so she doesn’t even come close to completing them. I understand that this is partly happening for the sake of plot; Krum is being used heavily in that regard, especially once he’s placed under the Imperius Curse and made to look as though he’s taking Karkaroff’s teachings to heart. Cedric, too, has a very important part to play in the book. But to have only one female champion, to have her be rude to her hosts and dismissive of so many people, and to also have her be the worst at everything in the tournament… it’s just shitty. I’m sorry, but it is. And I don’t really care if Fleur becomes more of a person in the following books and we get to see what makes her so great. If it has to be that way, then introduce her in the next book some other way, and give Beauxbatons a female champion who pulls out the stops and feels like a real contender. Don’t give us someone who is entitled, superior, and to top it off, not all that talented. It does the exact opposite of everything Rowling seems determined to do with these books. It is beneath what she’s built up.

In the meantime, we get Harry and Cedric, who have helped each other so much through these tasks that they might as well be a team. Cedric warns Harry that the skrewts lie in wait back the way he came, without even thinking of it. At this point, the danger is real enough that Cedric won’t take chances. Harry does the same; as soon as it’s clear that Cedric is in danger, Harry wastes no time in getting to him. He’s also worried for Fleur, confused about Krum, and concerned over everyone’s general safety all over again. That said, the obstacles within the maze are all appropriately scary and a good way to test a variety of skills from kids older than Harry’s age bracket. Until Krum starts, you know, throwing around Unforgivable Curses.

Poor Cedric didn’t cross the Sphinx like Harry, so he doesn’t know that there’s a spider coming for him at the end there. To be fair, neither does Harry, but I love that the answer to the sphinx riddle is a clue about what is coming. You are an awesome maze, maze. In other news, the Ministry classifies Sphinxes as Beasts rather than Beings because they have violent tendencies. It’s getting pretty clear that the Ministry just classifies things based on how scared they are of them. Because they’re awesome people. (Spoiler alert: They are generally not awesome people.)

We get to the end of the maze and Harry is a little worse for the wear, but Cedric isn’t having it. This fight between the two of them is hilarious because they’re just so determined to out-noble one another. Harry hates Cedric’s stupid face for being so kind and fair and nice when he’s dating the girl Harry likes and also older and handsome and good everything. Cedric can’t handle the fact that this kid has gone out of his way to keep him safe, and kept him in the running, even though no one else has been playing fair from day one. And on one hand, you have to love them both for being honestly good kids. On the other hand SHUT UP AND MAKE UP YOUR MINDS, NO ONE CARES WHO WINS AT THIS POINT.

Except it does matter. It matters that they fight to a standstill. It matters that they’re both tired and a little bitter and just want to finish. It matters that Harry suggests they both take the cup. It matters that they’re both excited for Hogwarts to have its champion, that they are on the same page at the end, that this tournament has been so much more than either of them really bargained for.

It matters because of what happens when they get to the other side of that portkey journey.

Yeah. We get to come back to that. See you next week, everyone.


Emmet Asher-Perrin is not going to think about what’s coming. She’s not. She will not… ugh, too late. You can bug her on Twitter and Tumblr, and read more of her work here and elsewhere.

About the Author

About Author Mobile

Emmet Asher-Perrin

Author

Emmet Asher-Perrin is the News & Entertainment Editor of Reactor. Their words can also be perused in tomes like Queers Dig Time Lords, Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Uneven Futures: Strategies for Community Survival from Speculative Fiction. They cannot ride a bike or bend their wrists. You can find them on Bluesky and other social media platforms where they are mostly quiet because they'd rather to you talk face-to-face.
Learn More About Emmet
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
55 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments