The Tri-wizard Tournament

• Type: Magical Contest, Inter-School Competition
• Organizers: Traditionally, the Heads of the three participating schools. The 1994 revival was organized by the Ministry of Magic, specifically the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
• Founding Schools: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Britain), Beauxbatons Academy of Magic (France), and Durmstrang Institute (Northern Europe).
• Selection Method: An impartial judge, the Goblet of Fire, selects one champion from each school.

The Tri-wizard Tournament is a legendary magical competition designed to test magical ability, intelligence, and courage. Held between the three largest magical schools in Europe, it was established as a means to foster international magical cooperation and friendly relations. The contest unfolds over the course of a school year and consists of three highly dangerous and demanding tasks. Champions are judged on their performance in each task by a panel, which in 1994 consisted of the Heads of the three schools (Albus Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, Igor Karkaroff) and two Ministry of Magic officials (Barty Crouch Sr. and Ludo Bagman). The champion who achieves the highest total score across all three tasks wins the Triwizard Cup and a prize of one thousand Galleons. To be eligible, students must put their name into the Goblet of Fire, a magical artifact that chooses the most worthy student from each school. For the 1994 tournament, a new rule was implemented for safety, requiring all potential champions to be of age (seventeen years or older). Dumbledore enforced this with a magical Age Line around the Goblet of Fire.

The tournament held at Hogwarts in the 1994-1995 school year was the first in over a century. It uniquely featured four champions instead of the traditional three, after the Goblet of Fire mysteriously selected Harry Potter in addition to Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum.

1. The First Task: Held on 24 November 1994, this task required each champion to retrieve a golden egg from a nesting mother dragon. The golden egg contained a clue for the Second Task. The champions faced different breeds:
   • Cedric Diggory faced a Swedish Short-Snout.
   • Fleur Delacour faced a Common Welsh Green.
   • Viktor Krum faced a Chinese Fireball.
   • Harry Potter faced a Hungarian Horntail, considered the most dangerous of the four.
2. The Second Task: Held on 24 February 1995, this task challenged the champions to rescue something precious that had been taken from them, to be retrieved from the Merpeople at the bottom of the Great Lake within a one-hour time limit. The “hostages” were:
   • Cho Chang for Cedric Diggory.
   • Gabrielle Delacour for Fleur Delacour.
   • Hermione Granger for Viktor Krum.
   • Ron Weasley for Harry Potter.
   • Harry, using Gillyweed, was the only champion to understand the clue without outside help, though he finished last because he chose to rescue both Ron and Gabrielle Delacour. He was awarded second place for his “moral fibre.”
3. The Third Task: Held on 24 June 1995, the final task involved navigating a vast maze grown on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The maze was filled with magical obstacles and creatures, including a Sphinx, a Boggart, an Acromantula, and Blast-Ended Skrewts. The first champion to reach the Triwizard Cup at the center of the maze would be the winner.

The Tri-wizard Tournament was first established sometime in the late 13th century. For centuries, it was held every five years, with the host school rotating among the three participants. However, the history of the Tournament is fraught with peril; a notable incident involved a rampaging Cockatrice that injured the Heads of all three schools in 1792. Due to the high death toll among champions, the competition was eventually discontinued. In 1994, the Tournament was revived with the intent of implementing stricter safety measures to prevent champion fatalities. This revival was spearheaded by Barty Crouch Sr. and Ludo Bagman of the Ministry of Magic. Despite these precautions, the 1994 Tournament ended in tragedy with the murder of Cedric Diggory.

The Tri-wizard Tournament is the central framework for the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The entire event was secretly orchestrated by Lord Voldemort and his servant, Barty Crouch Jr., who had disguised himself as Alastor Moody using Polyjuice Potion. Barty Crouch Jr. was responsible for submitting Harry Potter's name to the Goblet of Fire, creating the unprecedented situation of a fourth champion. He then subtly guided Harry through each task, ensuring he would be the first to reach the Triwizard Cup. Unbeknownst to the participants, Crouch had turned the Cup into a Portkey. When Harry and Cedric Diggory touched the Cup simultaneously, they were transported to the cemetery in Little Hangleton. There, Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew on Voldemort's orders, and Harry's blood was used in a dark ritual that restored Lord Voldemort to a physical body. The tragic conclusion of the Tournament marked the definitive start of the Second Wizarding War.

• In the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire, the format of the tasks is significantly altered. The Third Task, for instance, features a living, shifting maze with no magical creatures, instead posing a direct physical threat to the champions. (film)
• The selection of the champions in the film is also more dramatic, with the Goblet of Fire violently projecting the names into the air. (film)
• Barty Crouch Jr. confesses his plan under the influence of Veritaserum in the book, but in the film, his identity is exposed when the Polyjuice Potion wears off. (film)
• The revival of the Tournament was a key sign of the wizarding world feeling a false sense of security in the years after Voldemort's first fall from power.