How It All Goes Down
The Triwizard Tournament
(Click the infographic to download.)
- The Hogwarts Poltergeist, Peeves, drops a water balloon on Ron as soon as they all turn up at the gate.
- Professor McGonagall (the Head of Gryffindor, who also teaches Transfiguration) comes storming out to escort the arrivals into the Great Hall.
- The annual Sorting is about to begin, when the new Hogwarts students get placed in each of the four different Hogwarts Houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin).
- Harry notices that all of his old professors are there – including his personal enemy, Potions teacher Severus Snape – but one person is missing.
- There is no new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
- Last year (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), the DADA teacher was Remus Lupin, an old friend of Harry's parents and Sirius Black.
- But he had to resign when Professor Snape leaked the information that Lupin is a werewolf. (Oh, that pesky Snape.)
- And the post still (apparently) hasn't been filled.
- The Sorting starts.
- The Sorting Hat – a "dirty, patched wizard's hat [... with] a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth" (12.34) welcomes the new students.
- Finally, after the Sorting is over, everyone gets to tuck in to dinner.
- Nearly Headless Nick (the Gryffindor ghost) looks enviously at all the delicious food.
- He lets slip that Hogwarts has house-elves working in its kitchens.
- Hermione flips out and decides that she can't keep eating food produced by "Slave labor" (12.95).
- At the end of the feast, Professor Dumbledore (the headmaster) stands up to make some announcement.
- Apparently, there will be no Quidditch tournament at Hogwarts this year. (What?!)
- A storm is raging outside, which makes what happens next even more atmospheric.
- The door to the Great Hall bangs open, and a man walks in.
- "The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief [...] Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of nose was missing" (12.109).
- But even more extraordinary is the man's eyes: one is a regular eye, but the other is "large, round as a coin, and a vivid electric blue" (12.110).
- Professor Dumbledore introduces "our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher [...] Professor Moody" (12.113).
- Everyone is totally dumbstruck.
- Professor Dumbledore continues, "It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year" (12.121).
- At this, everyone gets cheerful again.
- The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.
- It hasn't happened for the last hundred years because "the death toll mounted so high" (12.127).
- But it's starting up again!
- A champion will be chosen from each of the three wizarding schools on Halloween.
- These three students will have to compete in three magical tasks.
- In order to make this all work, Hogwarts will be hosting students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang during the school year.
- There are rules, of course. Because the competition is so dangerous, only students over seventeen can enter.
- And then, with the air still buzzing from this news, Professor Dumbledore sends them all to bed.
- Fred and George Weasley are already planning on how to get around the age restriction (they're sixteen).
- As Ron is falling asleep, he announces, "I might go in for it, you know [...] if Fred and George find out how to ..." (12.158).
- Harry fantasizes that he has gotten in to the Triwizard Tournament, won the whole thing, and impressed his crush, Cho Chang.