Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Discussion Guide

DISCUSSION GUIDE
and the Goblet of Fire

DISCUSSION GUIDE
ABOUT THE HARRY POTTER

BOOKS AND THIS GUIDE
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are among the most popular and acclaimed of all time.
Published in the UK between 1997 and 2007 and beginning with Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone, the seven books are epic stories of Harry Potter and his friends as they
attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Crossing genres including fantasy,
thriller and mystery, and at turns exhilarating, humorous and sad, the stories explore
universal human values, longings and choices.
The Harry Potter books are compelling reading for children and adults alike; they have
met phenomenal success around the world and have been translated into 77 languages.
A whole generation of children grew up awaiting the publication of each book in the
series with eager anticipation, and they still remain enormously popular.
The Harry Potter books make excellent starting points for discussion. These guides outline
a host of ideas for discussions and other activities that can be used in the classroom, in
a reading group or at home. They cover some of the main themes of the series, many of
which, while set in an imaginary world, deal with universal issues of growing up that are
familiar to all children. You will also find references to key moments on pottermore.com,
where you can discover more about the world of Harry Potter. These guides are aimed at
stimulating lively discussion and encouraging close engagement with books and reading.
We hope you will use the ideas in this guide as a basis for educational and enjoyable work –
and we think your group will be glad you did!
Visit harrypotterforteachers.com for more Harry Potter discussion guides and reward certificates 2
DISCUSSION GUIDE
INTRODUCTION TO
HARRY POTTER AND THE
GOBLET OF FIRE
Harry becomes aware of a wider wizarding world in this
volume, as he attends the Quidditch World Cup with the
Weasleys, and becomes involved in the Triwizard Tournament
at Hogwarts, competing against students from other schools.
Hermione becomes obsessed with the condition of the
house-elves after witnessing the treatment of Winky by
Ministry official Crouch, and starts an organisation to help
them.
The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor

‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, teaches his students about Unforgivable
Curses, while Harry struggles to master skills for the three tasks that constitute the
Triwizard Tournament, a competition he did not enter willingly. At the end of the third
task, he is transported by Dark Magic to a graveyard where the Death Eaters have
gathered to witness the rejuvenation of Lord Voldemort.
Escaping against all odds, Harry returns
to Hogwarts with the body of his
fellow competitor, Cedric Diggory,
discovers the true identity of Moody,
and delivers the ominous news that
Voldemort has regained his power.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

GOBLET OF FIRE
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. The previous books have all opened at the Dursleys’ home, but this book starts
instead in the Riddle House (Chapter 1). The pain Harry feels in his scar in
Chapter 2 is an omen of what is to come. Soon after, the Quidditch World Cup is
interrupted by a sinister attack (Chapter 9, ‘The Dark Mark’). Why do you think
J.K. Rowling departed from the way she had started the other books?
Pottermore Tie-In: Moment 1, Chapter 1. Go to www.pottermore.com
2. Why can’t younger wizards learn to Apparate and so get from one place to another
quickly? Why do they have to use a Portkey? Is there any advantage to using a
Portkey? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Floo powder to get
from one place to another?
3. What is the effect on the

students and staff when
Harry’s name comes out of the
Goblet of Fire in Chapter 17,
‘The Four Champions’? For a
brief period Harry and Ron
fall out over Harry being
chosen to compete in the
Tournament as Hogwarts
DISCUSSION GUIDE

GOBLET OF FIRE
Champion. Why is this? Who else is upset by Harry’s selection?
4. Talk about the many ways in which Harry is helped through the tasks of the
Triwizard Tournament by adults and fellow pupils alike. How much of his success
is down to him, and how much to others? How does Harry repay the support he
receives? Why does Harry take time to free others besides Ron during the second
task? How does the relationship between Harry and Cedric develop through the
three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament?
5. Hagrid’s obvious infatuation with Madame Olympe Maxime provides many

amusing moments, including when he dresses in a dreadful hairy suit and tames
his hair into bunches to impress her. Hagrid is often a source of humour in the
series. What aspects of his character make him a good vehicle
for humour? What scenes did you find
particularly funny in this book?
6. How does Barty Crouch Jr,

disguised as Mad-Eye Moody,
use the Invisibility Cloak and
the Marauder’s Map? What clues
are there in the story that would
lead you to suspect that Mad-Eye
DISCUSSION GUIDE

GOBLET OF FIRE
Moody was not the person he appeared to be? Why could Dumbledore not detect
this deception? Why is Snape convinced that instead of the true culprit, it is the
students who are stealing his ingredients for Polyjuice Potion?
7. Harry has his first experience with Dumbledore’s Pensieve in Chapter 30, a magical
device through which he learns many important facts from the past. The first
time he unintentionally enters the Pensieve, Dumbledore tells him, ‘Curiosity is
not a sin […] But we should exercise caution with our curiosity … yes, indeed …’
(Chapter 30, ‘The Pensieve’, p. 504) What does he mean by this? When does Harry
not exercise caution?
8. When Harry faces Voldemort in Chapter 34, ‘Priori Incantatem’, Harry’s will takes
over and he refuses to answer the questions Voldemort asks. Harry is determined
not to die cringing, but to stand up to Voldemort in the way his
father did. What events and experiences
have helped Harry develop this
courage?
Pottermore Tie-In: Moment 1, Chapter 34.
Go to www.pottermore.com
9. What do you believe causes the

connection between Harry’s wand
and Voldemort’s? How do the
shadow figures that emerge from
DISCUSSION GUIDE

GOBLET OF FIRE
Voldemort’s wand during the connection help Harry escape? Why does Voldemort
need Harry’s blood to regain his body? Is Harry learning to become a great wizard
or is he just lucky to escape the forces that arise against him? Do you believe that
Harry is living out a destiny or acting of his own free will?
10. Why does Cornelius Fudge refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned?
Why does he refuse to believe Harry’s story? The final chapter is entitled ‘The
Beginning’. What does that tell you about the events that happened in this volume
and the events to come?
IN DEPTH
1. GROWING UP
In what ways do we see the main characters starting to grow
up in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?
What things are they experiencing
that they haven’t in the previous
books? What is Harry’s
unexpected task in Chapter 22?
2. SATIRICAL ELEMENTS
Much of the humour in the Harry
Potter series comes from the
juxtaposition of our world and the
DISCUSSION GUIDE

GOBLET OF FIRE
wizarding world, providing contrasts to the institutions that are familiar to us, such
as educational, governmental and medical. What are some of the other comparisons
in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Compare the Quidditch World Cup and the
Triwizard Tournament to sporting events in our world. What are some of the
chilling connections between things in our world and the more sinister events in
this book?
3. THE MEDIA
What does the journalist Rita Skeeter do to alienate Harry and Hermione? Why is
it so important to Hermione to get revenge on Rita? What other characters receive
Rita’s attention in this book, and what effect does it have on them? How does Rita
Skeeter’s journalism show the power of the press?
4. S.P.E.W.
What is the significance of Hermione’s campaign for the welfare
of the house-elves? Why is she adamant
about improving their conditions?
Why do the house-elves resist her
efforts? Discuss what Sirius Black
means when he says: ‘If you want
to know what a man’s like, take
a good look at how he treats his
inferiors, not his equals.’ (Chapter
27, ‘Padfoot Returns’, p. 443)
DISCUSSION GUIDE
ACTIVITY AND PROJECT IDEAS
DESIGN A COVER
OBJECTIVE
To design an alternative cover for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
UK CURRICULUM AREAS
Art and Design
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Practise and improve design and craft skills and think about ways of creatively
interpreting books
START POINT
Discuss what makes a good book cover and how important the look of the cover is.
Ask for examples of covers students like from the group’s wider reading of books.
What elements can be included in book covers, for example action scenes, characters,
symbolic objects and text. What things make a book cover exciting and attractive?
MAIN ACTIVITY
1. Get your group to brainstorm

their ideas for Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire. Ask them to
select a scene that conveys
the tone of the book as well
as the characters or storyline,
based solely on reading Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
DISCUSSION GUIDE

Tell them to think about:
• Distinguishing elements that quickly identify the storyline.
• What colour do they think it will be?
• Which character(s) might be on the cover and what might they be doing?
• Will there be any special features?
• Think too about fonts and styles for the author’s name and book title.
Encourage them to think beyond covers that already exist and to imagine their
own.
2. Get them to sketch the cover first and then supply ready-cut pieces of card (198mm
by 130mm is the standard size of a paperback) so they can create their own cover
for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Supply lots of different colour options so they
can bring the cover to life.
WRAP-UP
Display the covers and talk about how the children enjoyed designing the covers and
how satisfied they are with their work. Do the covers look like
they intended?
DISCUSSION GUIDE
FOUR MORE ACTIVITIES

1. CHARACTER QUOTES
Select ten quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and ask your group to
guess which character said which quote. Prepare some hints to help guide the
children along if they are struggling to find the right answer.
2. CREATE A MASK
Ask your group to make a colourful mask based on one of the characters from
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Discuss how they imagine the character to
look, based solely on reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Encourage them
to think beyond the obvious characters of Harry, Ron and Hermione and to
imagine some of the more minor ones. The villains of the story might make for
an especially vivid mask.
3. CHARACTER CHALLENGE
Give children one minute to write down as many different characters as
they can remember from Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire. Give a small prize for
whoever can produce the
most. Collate all of them on a
flip chart and see how many
different ones the group has
named.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
4. INVENT SOME GAMES

The Triwizard Tournament challenges the schools’ champions to defeat dragons,
undertake an underwater rescue and find their way out of a giant maze. Have the
children imagine that there is a tournament at their school. Can they think of
some games/tasks that would be included in their tournament? Give each task
a name and devise a competition of six different rounds that would test the four
competing young children.

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DISCUSSION GUIDE

and the Goblet of Fire

ABOUT THE HARRY POTTER

The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

3. What is the effect on the

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

5. Hagrid’s obvious infatuation with Madame Olympe Maxime provides many

6. How does Barty Crouch Jr,

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

9. What do you believe causes the

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

DISCUSSION POINTS FOR

ACTIVITY AND PROJECT IDEAS

1. Get your group to brainstorm

ACTIVITY AND PROJECT IDEAS

ACTIVITY AND PROJECT IDEAS

FOUR MORE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY AND PROJECT IDEAS

4. INVENT SOME GAMES

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