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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Chapter 18 Summary

How It All Goes Down

The Weighing of the Wands

  • Hermione meets Harry the next morning and confirms that she believes him.
  • But Hermione also states the obvious: "[Ron's] jealous!" (18.13).
  • Harry can't believe it, and refuses to try and make amends with Ron.
  • Hermione tells Harry he has to write to Sirius to explain what's going on with the Triwizard Tournament.
  • Harry writes to his godfather: "I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion" (18.31).
  • Harry can't explain why he's feeling so anxious, so he just closes the letter and sends it off to Sirius.
  • Harry's life in Hogwarts gets miserable: the Hufflepuffs give him the cold shoulder because they think he's stealing the spotlight from their boy Cedric.
  • Hagrid believes Harry, but he's still making him help with the skrewts: "No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny army. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs – but still without recognizable heads or eyes" (18.52).
  • Even the Ravenclaws think that Harry "had been desperate to earn himself a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting his name" (18.57).
  • The Slytherins make a bunch of badges: "Support CEDRIC DIGGORY – The REAL Hogwarts Champion!" They also flash: "POTTER STINKS!" (18.64-5).
  • Harry gets into a fight with Malfoy (of course).
  • They both hit each other with a spell at the same time, so the spells ricochet instead.
  • Harry's Furnunculus curse makes Malfoy's friend Goyle sprout green boils.
  • And Malfoy's Densaugeo curse makes Hermione's front teeth grow and grow.
  • Professor Snape comes along and sends Goyle to the hospital wing.
  • But he also claims not to see any difference in Hermione's teeth.
  • And he takes fifty points from Gryffindor for Harry and Ron's protests.
  • Harry and Ron get detention together, to boot.
  • Harry starts fantasizing about cursing Snape with the Cruciatus Curse.

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  • Colin Creevey (a younger Gryffindor) comes into Harry's Potions class to bring Harry up to Ludo Bagman.
  • Apparently, the Daily Prophet is doing a story on the four Triwizard champions.
  • Ludo Bagman is sitting next to a witch in magenta robes.
  • Turns out, this is Rita Skeeter, the (rather terrible) reporter.
  • She wants to do a private interview with Harry "to add a bit of color" (18.122) to the article.
  • Rita Skeeter starts asking Harry some personal questions about how he entered the tournament and, of course, his past traumas.
  • As Harry tries to answer, Rita's quill keeps writing independently.
  • And it writes things that are absolutely not true: it reports that, "Tears fill those startlingly green eyes as our conversation turns to the parents he can barely remember" (18.154).
  • Harry protests: "I have NOT got tears in my eyes!" (18.155).
  • But Rita ignores him.
  • Professor Dumbledore interrupts their interview to announce that the Weighing of the Wands is about to begin.
  • Mr. Ollivander, the London wand maker, is waiting. He's going to confirm that all of the champions' wands are in good condition.
  • And indeed they are.
  • Then, the four champions pose for photographs.
  • Rita Skeeter seems to be particularly keen on putting Harry front and center in the photos.
  • When Harry gets back up to the dorm, Ron tells him he's had an owl.
  • Otherwise, Ron won't speak to him.
  • The owl has a letter from Sirius: Sirius wants to arrange a chat for the night of November 22nd.
  • He plans to come see Harry through the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
  • Sirius is anxious about Harry's safety.