Mark Reads ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’: Chapter 17
In the seventeenth chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter welcomes the very worst kind of teen angst into his life as he learns he has to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, despite that he did not submit his name. Shit just got weird. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Harry Potter.
CHAPTER 17: THE FOUR CHAMPIONS
This did not go down as I expected.
In hindsight, I suppose it was inevitable that Harry would be a part of the Triwizard Tournament, considering this entire series is about his experience. But once they announced the third wizard and it was Cedric Diggory, I figured that would be the last we’d hear about it.
Of course, that’s not how things happen in Rowling’s world. The suspicion that Voldemort or Wormtail somehow fixed the Goblet to reveal Harry’s name is pretty obvious at this point, especially given the opening chapter, yet I’m still impressed with the way that Rowling makes things not quite as certain as they may seem.
- “Madame Maxime!” said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. “Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!”
Somewhere under Harry’s numb disbelief he felt a ripple of anger. Little boy?
Ouch, Harry. And it’s only going to get worse, dude.
Not only does the condescension towards Harry become more pronounced, but the exasperation the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Professors feel towards the situation becomes more vocal.
Truthfully, I don’t blame them. The rules of the Tournament are pretty specific and it certainly doesn’t look good that Hogwarts suddenly gets another chance to win.
What I don’t get is how not a single person really involves Harry in the process to figure out what happened.
- “It’s no one’s fault by Potter’s, Karkaroff,” said Snape softly. His black eyes were alight with malice. “Don’t go blaming Dumbledore for Potter’s determination to break the rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here–”
“Thank you, Severus,” said Dumbledore firmly, and Snape went quiet, though his eyes still glinted malevolently through his curtain of greasy black hair.
Thanks for your valuable contribution.
Aside from Dumbledore asking Harry two questions (whether he himself put his name in or had an older student do it), no one questions Harry further.
And then Mad-Eye Moody doesn’t make anything any easier:
- “If anyone’s got reason to complain, it’s Potter,” growled Moody, “but…funny thing…I don’t hear him saying a word….”
“Why should ‘e complain?” burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. “‘E ‘as ze chance to compete, ‘asn’t ‘e? We ‘ave been ‘oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money–zis is a chance many would die for!”
“Maybe someone’s hoping Potter is going to die for it,” said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.
Oh, great. As if Harry wasn’t already worrying about the situation, Moody plants this in his head.
- “There are those who’ll turn innocent occasions to their advantage,” Moody retorted in a menacing voice. “It is my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff–as you ought to remember….”
Wait. What? What??? Ok, did Karkaroff used to be a Death-Eater or something? WHAT IS FUCKING GOING ON.
Ready to get punched in the gut?
- “Yeah, okay,” said Ron, in exactly the same skeptical tone as Cedric. “Only you said this morning you’d have done it last night, and no one would’ve seen you….I’m not stupid, you know.”
“You’re doing a really good impression of it,” Harry snapped.
“Yeah?” said Ron, and there was no trace of a grin, forced or otherwise, on his face now. “You want to get to bed, Harry. I expect you’ll need to be up early tomorrow for a photo-call or something.”
He wrenched the hangings shut around his four-poster, leaving Harry standing there by the door, staring at the dark red velvet curtains, now hiding one of the few people he had been sure would believe him.
That kind of loneliness? That hurts.
🙁
Be prepared, guys. The teen angst is only exponentially increasing from here on out.
