There will be a panel of five judges: Ludo Bagman, Mr. Crouch, Madame Maxine, Professor Karkaroff, and Professor Dumbledore himself.
Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, brings out an ancient-looking case.
Inside the case is "an impartial selector" (16.68) for each school's champion: the Goblet of Fire.
It's exactly what it sounds like: a golden cup with a spout of flame coming out the top.
People who want to be considered for school champion have 24 hours to put their names on a slip of paper and throw it into the Goblet.
Dumbledore reminds those who want to nominate themselves for champion that there's a strict age minimum of seventeen years.
Fred and George Weasley plan to take an Aging Potion to try and trick the Goblet of Fire into accepting their names.
As Karkaroff hustles his students out of the Hall and back to their boat, he catches sight of Harry.
He stops and stares.
A voice from behind Harry growls, "Yeah, that's Harry Potter" (16.87).
Karkaroff goes pale at the sight of Mad-Eye Moody.
Karkaroff rushes out the door with his students in tow.
The next morning, all the Durmstrang kids put their names into the Goblet of Fire.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan arrive at the Age Line.
They each take a drop of Aging Potion.
Fred and George go across the Age Line first.
But before they even make it to the Goblet of Fire, "there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle" (16.108).
Both of them sprout "identical long white beards" (16.108). Nice contrast to their bright red hair!
Everyone burst out laughing at the sight of Fred and George with their beards.
The rumor around the breakfast table is that Cedric Diggory has submitted his name.
A Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina Johnson, has also submitted her name.
All the Beauxbatons students walk in, form a line, and put their names into the Goblet of Fire.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione go off to visit Hagrid at his gamekeeper's cottage for the first time this term.
Hagrid looks horrible: he's dressed up in "his best (and very horrible) hairy brown suit, plus a checked yellow-and-orange tie" (16.146).
Why he's dressed up, the trio decide not to ask.
But he's in a good mood: the skrewts are growing: "On' y trouble is, they've started killing each other" (16.147).
Hermione tries to get Hagrid to join S.P.E.W., but he refuses: "It'd be doin' em an unkindness, Hermione" (16.157).
They all troop up to the Hall for the Halloween Feast.
That's where Harry figures out why Hagrid has been dressing up: Hagrid talks to "Madame Maxine with a rapt, misty-eyed expression Harry had only ever seen him wear once before – when he had been looking at the baby dragon, Norbert" (16.171).