Harry Potter and Voldemort are similar in many ways: they're both orphans, both Parselmouths (wizards who can speak to snakes), and both were raised in the Muggle world. What separates Harry from Voldemort is that Harry (among other things) has friends whom he treats as equals. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire we see how Voldemort treats Wormtail, his servant who's scared and desperate enough to cut his own arm off to bring Voldemort back. Voldemort lets him bleed on the ground for a while before finally giving Wormtail a new, magical arm. By contrast, Harry has devoted friends who help him because they love him: Dobby brings him gillyweed for the second task, Hermione helps him learn a Summoning Charm for the first, and Ron lets himself get cursed over and over again as practice for the third. Harry's friends freely volunteer their support in the challenges Harry faces. Voldemort has to rely on power and intimidation to keep his supporters in line.
Questions About Friendship
- What's the stated purpose of the Triwizard Tournament? Does the Tournament achieve its official goals? Why or why not?
- What pressures on the friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron does J.K. Rowling introduce in Goblet of Fire? What do these new tensions add to the plot of the novel? Why might Rowling choose to introduce these particular tensions in Goblet of Fire?
- Do you think that it's possible for Death Eaters to be friends with one another? Could a Death Eater friendship be the same as Harry's friendship with Ron or Hermione, for example? If so, why? If not, why not?