Harry Potter, #4
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling
Contents
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Overview
Dumbledore secures Barty Crouch Jr. and has Harry recount Voldemort’s rebirth, confirming Priori Incantatem. Fudge brings a dementor that Kisses Crouch, then denies Voldemort’s return despite evidence.
Rejecting the Ministry’s inaction, Dumbledore mobilizes allies, forces a fragile truce between Sirius and Snape, and sends orders while Harry, devastated, is comforted and put to sleep.
Summary
Dumbledore binds Barty Crouch Jr., sends Snape for help and Fudge, and leads Harry to his office where Sirius waits. Urged to be brave once more, Harry recounts the graveyard: Voldemort’s rebirth, the duel, and the wand connection. Dumbledore explains Priori Incantatem and reveals Harry’s and Voldemort’s wands share Fawkes’s feather. Fawkes heals Harry’s injured leg.
They transfer to the hospital wing, where Dumbledore orders rest and silence for Harry. Fudge arrives with a dementor, which immediately administers the Kiss to Crouch Jr., erasing crucial testimony. Dumbledore confronts Fudge with Harry’s account, Crouch’s confession, and the pattern of events; Fudge responds with skepticism and hints from Rita Skeeter’s articles.
Dumbledore urges decisive action: remove dementors from Azkaban and reach out to giants, warning they will side with Voldemort. Fudge refuses, prioritizing public comfort and his position. Snape reveals his Dark Mark, proof of Voldemort’s summons, but Fudge still rejects the truth. He drops Harry’s tournament winnings and leaves, effectively splitting with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore immediately mobilizes: he secures the Weasleys’ support; sends Bill to warn Arthur discreetly; dispatches McGonagall to fetch Hagrid and Madame Maxime; and asks Madam Pomfrey to help Winky. He reveals Sirius to the others and compels a tense handshake between Sirius and Snape, instructing Sirius to alert the old allies and Snape to undertake a dangerous mission.
After Dumbledore departs to see the Diggorys, Harry, wracked with guilt over Cedric and rejecting the prize money, is comforted by Mrs. Weasley like a mother. Overwhelmed by grief, Harry takes the dreamless sleep potion and finally succumbs to rest as Hermione quietly closes the window.
Who Appears
- Albus DumbledoreLeads the response; questions Harry, explains Priori Incantatem, confronts Fudge, mobilizes allies, and directs Sirius and Snape.
- Harry PotterRecounts Voldemort’s rebirth and duel; learns about wand linkage; grieves Cedric; refuses winnings; takes dreamless sleep.
- Cornelius FudgeBrings a dementor that Kisses Crouch; denies Voldemort’s return; rejects Dumbledore’s plans; leaves Harry his winnings.
- Severus SnapeSupports Dumbledore; shows his Dark Mark as evidence; grudgingly shakes hands with Sirius; departs on a dangerous assignment.
- Sirius BlackComforts Harry; identity revealed to others; makes a tense truce with Snape; sent to alert old allies and lie low.
- Minerva McGonagallGuards Crouch; furious at the dementor’s Kiss; supports Dumbledore; sent to fetch Hagrid and Madame Maxime.
- Molly WeasleySupports Dumbledore, comforts Harry like a mother, and affirms the Weasleys’ allegiance against Fudge’s denial.
- Bill WeasleyPresent with family; dispatched to inform Arthur discreetly and coordinate sympathetic contacts at the Ministry.
- Madam PomfreyTreats Harry, provides dreamless sleep, and is sent to care for Winky after the night’s events.
- FawkesSoothes and heals Harry’s leg with phoenix tears; source of Harry’s wand core.
- Hermione GrangerKeeps vigil by Harry; quietly closes the window; witnesses revelations and Fudge’s denial.
- Ron WeasleyStays by Harry’s bedside; defends Sirius’s presence; witnesses the Ministry confrontation.
- Barty Crouch Jr.Bound after confessing; receives the dementor’s Kiss before he can testify further.
- DementorSummoned by Fudge; administers the Kiss to Barty Crouch Jr., destroying crucial evidence.