The Harry Potter Encyclopedia

Ancient Magical Competition

Established: Approximately 1294

Participating Schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang

Frequency: Once every five years (when active)

Age Restriction: Must be 17 or older

The Triwizard Tournament is a magical contest held between the three largest European wizarding schools: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute. Each school is represented by one champion, selected by the impartial Goblet of Fire.

Champions compete in three dangerous magical tasks designed to test their courage, daring, intelligence, and magical ability. The winner receives the Triwizard Cup, eternal glory, and one thousand Galleons prize money.

Death Toll and Cancellation

Discontinued: 1792

Reason: High death toll among champions

Revived: 1994

The Tournament was discontinued in 1792 after the death toll became too high. During the centuries it ran, many champions died in the dangerous tasks. The Tournament gained a reputation as one of the most dangerous magical competitions in existence.

It remained dormant for over 200 years before the British Ministry of Magic, the French Ministry of Magic, and the Durmstrang headmaster agreed to revive it in 1994, with new safety measures in place.

Revival at Hogwarts

Host School: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Organizers: Albus Dumbledore, Bartemius Crouch Sr., Ludo Bagman

New Rules: Age restriction enforced by Age Line around Goblet

The Tournament was revived during Harry Potter's fourth year. Hogwarts served as host, welcoming delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. An Age Line was drawn around the Goblet of Fire to prevent students under 17 from entering.

However, the Tournament was compromised from the start. Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, manipulated the Goblet into selecting four champions instead of three, engineering Harry Potter's selection as part of Voldemort's plan to regain his body.

First Task: Dragons (November 24, 1994)

Challenge: Retrieve a golden egg guarded by a nesting dragon

Purpose: Test courage, daring, and ability to overcome a deadly creature

Location: Enclosure on Hogwarts grounds

The Dragons

Champion	Dragon Species	Strategy	Result
Cedric Diggory	Swedish Short-Snout	Transfigured rock into dog to distract dragon	Success, minor burns
Fleur Delacour	Common Welsh Green	Enchantment charm to put dragon in trance	Success, skirt caught fire when dragon snored
Viktor Krum	Chinese Fireball	Conjunctivitis Curse to blind dragon	Success, but dragon trampled some real eggs
Harry Potter	Hungarian Horntail (most dangerous)	Summoned Firebolt broomstick, outflew dragon	Success, spectacular performance

The Golden Egg: Contained a clue for the second task - when opened in air, it emitted horrible screeching. The egg needed to be opened underwater to hear the merpeople's song that gave the clue.

Scoring

• Harry Potter: Tied first place with Krum
• Viktor Krum: Tied first place with Harry
• Cedric Diggory: Close third
• Fleur Delacour: Fourth place

Second Task: The Black Lake (February 24, 1995)

Challenge: Rescue a hostage from the merpeople's village at the bottom of the Black Lake

Time Limit: One hour

Location: Black Lake, depth of approximately 100 feet

The Clue from the Golden Egg

"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour - the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

The Hostages

Champion	Hostage	Method	Result
Cedric Diggory	Cho Chang (girlfriend)	Bubble-Head Charm	First to return (within time limit)
Viktor Krum	Hermione Granger	Incomplete shark transfiguration	Second to return (within time limit)
Fleur Delacour	Gabrielle Delacour (younger sister)	Bubble-Head Charm (attacked by Grindylows)	Failed to complete task
Harry Potter	Ron Weasley (best friend)	Gillyweed (enabled underwater breathing)	Last to return, but saved two hostages

Harry's Moral Choice

Harry took the merpeople's song literally and believed the hostages would die if not rescued. When Fleur failed to appear, Harry refused to leave Gabrielle behind. He saved both Ron and Gabrielle, returning after the time limit but receiving high marks for "moral fiber."

Final Scoring After Task Two

• Harry and Cedric: Tied for first place (going into third task together)
• Viktor Krum: Close second
• Fleur Delacour: Fourth place

Third Task: The Maze (June 24, 1995)

Challenge: Navigate a dangerous maze filled with obstacles and magical creatures to reach the Triwizard Cup at the center

Location: Maze grown on Quidditch pitch

Starting Order: Based on standings after Task Two

The Maze Obstacles

The maze contained numerous dangerous obstacles and creatures:

• Blast-Ended Skrewts: Dangerous hybrid creatures bred by Hagrid
• Acromantulas: Giant spiders (one attacked Fleur)
• Boggart: Took form of Dementor when Harry encountered it
• Sphinx: Posed a riddle to Harry, let him pass when answered correctly
• Golden mist: Turned people upside down
• Enchanted hedges: Could move and trap champions
• Fake Moody's interference: Stunned Fleur and Krum, controlled Krum to attack Cedric

The Sphinx's Riddle

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

Answer: Spider (spy-d-er)

The Tragic Conclusion

Harry and Cedric, both demonstrating Hufflepuff and Gryffindor values, agreed to take the Cup together as co-winners. Unknown to anyone, Barty Crouch Jr. had turned the Cup into a Portkey leading to a graveyard in Little Hangleton.

Upon touching the Cup, both boys were transported to the graveyard where Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew awaited. Pettigrew immediately killed Cedric with the Killing Curse on Voldemort's orders. Harry was bound and forced to witness Voldemort's resurrection using Harry's blood, Wormtail's flesh, and bone from Voldemort's father.

Harry escaped after a duel with Voldemort, summoned the Cup-Portkey, and returned to Hogwarts with Cedric's body, revealing Voldemort's return to the wizarding world.

Voldemort's Plan

The entire 1994 Tournament was manipulated by Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr. from the beginning:

1. Infiltration: Barty Crouch Jr. captured Mad-Eye Moody, imprisoned him in a trunk, and took his place using Polyjuice Potion
2. Harry's Entry: Crouch Jr. Confunded the Goblet of Fire into thinking there were four schools and submitted Harry's name
3. Assistance: Throughout the year, fake Moody subtly helped Harry, teaching him spells and ensuring he would succeed
4. The Portkey: Crouch Jr. turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey to transport Harry to Voldemort
5. The Plan: Voldemort would use Harry's blood in a potion to regain his body, then kill Harry

The plan succeeded in bringing Voldemort back to power, though Harry escaped. Cedric's death and Harry's testimony about Voldemort's return marked the beginning of the Second Wizarding War.

Aftermath and Legacy

Immediate Consequences

• Cedric Diggory's death shocked the wizarding world
• Ministry of Magic denied Voldemort's return
• Harry awarded 1,000 Galleons (gave it to Fred and George Weasley)
• Tournament suspended indefinitely
• Barty Crouch Jr. received Dementor's Kiss before he could testify

Long-Term Impact

• Harry gained combat experience that would serve him in coming battles
• Voldemort's return initiated the Second Wizarding War
• Harry's connection to Voldemort through blood provided protection
• Cedric became a martyr and symbol of innocence destroyed by evil
• Champions developed skills and courage necessary for future conflicts

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort." - Albus Dumbledore