A Harry Potter Reread: The Goblet of Fire Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One: The Third Task

In chapter thirty-one of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry has to deal with some more Rita Skeeter nonsense, Bill shows up to get ogled by Fleur, and Cedric and Harry have an impromptu battle on who is most noble.

(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)

Harry’s got everything under control for the third task. He’s studying spells, (Hermione and Ron generously assisting) Sirius is sending advice, and–oh, what’s that? Rita Regurgitated Refuse has written another tabloid piece on what I would like to reiterate is a fourteen year old boy? 

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It’s when our trio is reading the pathetic hit job on how Harry is “disturbed and dangerous” with an assist from Draco Malfoy, son of Death Eater, hater of sunlight, lover of Button Makers that Hermione figures out what Rita’s up to. She does her patented Hermione-runs-off-without-explaining-anything move which, Hermz, my love, do you remember how that turned out for you last time?

But it’s time for McG to troll Harry a little (no, it’s not a death detention) by making him think the Dursley’s are showing up to watch him in the Third Task and look, now that’s in my head that Vernon showed up and insisted Harry box his opponents while Petunia ran off and explored Hogwarts like she always wanted to I need to read this crack!fic.

But no! It’s just Mrs. Weasley and Bill, who’s getting this from Fleur

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Mr. Diggory’s pissed as hell at Harry for the Rita Skeeter article that left out Cedric and again, we’re talking a fourteen year old boy  here, Amos!

Cedric tries to stop his dad because Cedric is a prince among boys

 

and Mrs. Weasley defends Harry

“Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos! I would have thought you’d know that, working at the Ministry!”

-JK Rowling,Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Which…I totally love and appreciate but Molly have you gotten over your Easter time amnesia about that article that smeared Hermione?! We know the egg thing was deliberate, because when Hermione turns up Mrs. Weasley is cold and awkward and seriously what is wrong with her. Let’s look at this logically, removing the fact that not two hours or so ago Mrs. Weasley was saying how Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble. Even putting that aside, Hermione goes to sit down with Harry and Ron and co, everyone behaving as if she’s welcome and this is normal, and Mrs. Weasley still thinks Hermione is some dastardly girl toying with Harry and Krum? Oh, Molly!

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Harry for once is not as dense as a plank of wood, figures out what’s going on, and is like “Yo Mrs. Weasley remember how you said Rita Skeeter is full of shit multiple times this book? Still true! Hermione isn’t my girlfriend” and Molly finally pulls it together.

The final task starts, and for all the amusing movie moments of Snape  tormenting Ron and Harry

and Ron dancing with McG

the movie has got to utterly shit the bed (pardon my language but this is how bad this is)  with the portrayal of the third task, which goes a little something like this:

Movie: “The Maze will change you! The spooky hedges! That like, billow a little and stuff! OooOOooHhh. Harry might leave Cedric to die for no reason!”

Book: Contains Blask-Ended Skrewts, Boggarts, Sphinxes, Riddles, Acromantulas, a weird trippy mist, and noble acts of heroism.

For all the things I dislike about the movie adaptation, this one might be tops. There’s this beautiful moment in the book, where Harry sees that Cedric is about to get attacked by an acromantula, and not warning him would mean Harry wins the tournament. But Harry warns him. And when the acromantula turns on Harry and Cedric could run off and win the tournament, he helps Harry instead. And then, when Harry is too injured to run faster then Cedric for the cup, Cedric insists Harry should win, because he deserves it more, and refuses to take the cup, even though Harry can tell how much Cedric wants to win. And then the cherry on the heartwarming sundae happens, when Harry insists they take the cup together, to tie for Hogwarts and win as a team, just like they made it through the maze and the other tasks helping each other.

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It’s such a testament to how wonderful of humans Cedric and Harry both are, that they desperately want to win, but genuinely think the other person deserves the win instead, and I was heartbroken and angry that it was turned into them running for the cup and Harry almost leaving Cedric to get eaten by a bush like he’d wandered into The Happening.

 

It makes what happens to Cedric next so much more painful, and I have no idea why they changed it in the movie to the abomination of spooooky bushes rustling while Harry and Cedric try to kill each other.

But I remember how noble Cedric was, and I’m prepared to get my heart broken next chapter!

 

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Do you wish the third task had been portrayed differently?

Would you have wanted to see the mess that would’ve been the Dursleys at Hogwarts?

In your opinion, what is the meanest/worst article Rita Skeeter wrote in this book?

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