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After Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant), disguised as Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), puts Harry Potter’s name in the Goblet of Fire, and Potter is picked as a Triwizard Champion, there is a dispute about whether this can just be ignored, as Potter is too young to compete. However, Barty Crouch Sr. (Roger Lloyd-Pack), the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, reveals that “the Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract,” so Potter has no choice but to compete in the games. Now, however, fans on Reddit have pointed out how ridiculous this comment is.
According to the lore of the Goblet of Fire, the cup itself is powerful enough to overrule even the most powerful wizards, giving Harry Potter no choice but to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. As Reddit user minimaxir points out, the Goblet of Fire doesn’t even need both parties’ consent when making this “binding magical contract,” as Moody puts Potter’s name in the cup without his knowledge, but Potter is still forced to compete in the tournament. This could point to a deeper mystery in the Harry Potter franchise, however, that has barely been explored in live-action.
Thinking back, it is shocking that wizards on the level of Crouch Sr., Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Snape (Alan Rickman), and more, couldn’t break the Goblet of Fire’s contract. However, this seems to point to the idea that some have theorized about suggesting that wizards in the past might have been more powerful than magic-users in the present. This means that the artifacts they created in the past might actually be impossible for modern day wizards and witches to overpower, which might explain how the Goblet of Fire is so unbeatable.
The details of the Goblet of Fire might be explored in more detail in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, as the longform format will allow for a deeper dive into the lore and mythology of the franchise. However, we’ll have to wait quite a while before this is explored, as the Goblet of Fire doesn’t appear until Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts, suggesting we won’t see the cup until season 4 of the reboot series. The show could explain the Goblet of Fire’s true power, or could just exacerbate this pretty hilarious issue.
Is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire your favorite Harry Potter movie? Let us know in the comments!
