Goblet of Fire Chapters 33-37 FINAL discussion

Okay, everyone -- here are this week's chapters:

33: The Death Eaters
34: Priori Incantatem
35: Veritaserum
36: The Parting of the Ways
37: The Beginning

This is our last Goblet of Fire thread, so let's have everyone's overall opinions of the book this read-through, as well as thoughts on the final chapters.

. . .

All right, I'll go first, shall I?

This book is still one of my least-favorites (along with CoS). I'm not sure why I dislike it, other than the fact that I feel it could have used some editing (but the same is true of the next three books, as well, all of which I like better than this one). I think part of my dislike may also have to do with the whole Moody situation -- I really liked that character, and so felt a little betrayed when he turned out to be the bad guy.

Looking back over the course of the book, did any of you feel that there were clues that Moody wasn't who he seemed to be?

You mean turning Malfoy into a ferret wasn't a clue for you? (God, I love that scene.)

That was a great scene! And I suppose it could be considered a clue -- but it also served to endear Moody to me! ;-)

My general impressions of this one are that it has some examples of the best and worst qualities of JKR's world and writing.

The final showdown with Voldy is creepy, scary and riveting. The quidditch world cup is cool, and the idea of the triwizard tourney is great.

What bored me was the house elf crap. I think it's cool that she's always for the underdog, but do they have to be so damned annoying? Also, WHERE WAS HER EDITOR? because there are entire swathes of nothing that could be airlifted out of there. It's just too damn long.

#5 -- I know you're not a fan of Dobby from earlier discussions. I do like Dobby, but I have to admit that I found Winky pretty darn annoying.

5,6- I wish they could have found some way to tell us about Barty Crouch other then Winky.

This book gave me such nightmares. I dind't like the whole spell to bring voldy back. It was just too creepy. I know for Voldy that usually isn't the case, but it just seemed to weird

JKR does seem to display her complicated plot lines in this book. What with the fake moody, the invisable crouch jr, the wand cores, the deatheaters

Its amazing we keep up!

I was very creeped when the wand thing happened. It made me so sad, Cedric asking harry to take his body back. So so sad

I still can't read the part where his parents come out of the wand without crying. Of course, my American version has it backwards. James comes out first. For the longest time I thought there was going to be some big surprised that Lily died first. I now assume it is just one of those editorial errors. My British paperback has Lily come out first.

The scene in the graveyard was CREEPY!
The movie did the best it could, but I've always found the scene in the book way scarier. Maybe I just have an overactive imagination. ;)

The graveyard scene is so scary, and just the fact of Cedric's death was very sobering. I remember thinking, "these aren't kid's books anymore." I really didn't think she'd go there.

I agree that the graveyard scene is spooky. Cedric's death is just shocking -- the tear-jerker, for me, is DD's speech at the banquet: "Remember Cedric Diggory."

I actually found Cedric's death a let-down the first time I read the book. I knew that someone was going to die, and I had assumed that it would be someone we had already come to know and love. and for some reason I never felt close to Cedric at all. I just didn't identify with him for some reason.

(POMC) I was both sorry and relieved when CD died, sorry cause he was such a nice guy, and relieved that it wasn't someone I cared more about, I remember anticipating at the time that it would be one of the Weasleys or teachers.

I had thought it would be a Weasley, a teacher, or one of the Gryffindor boys of their year.

(POMC) It was also too bad that Ced never got a chance to fight back, just boom! but maybe thats the best way to go, no pain no suffering, but I will fight to the end myself, unless I go boom....

I hope you don't go boom, polly! ;)

Here is my problem:
Was Cedric even mentioned before the fourth book? (Excuse my fuzzy brain cells if he was.) It seems to me that he appeared in the fourth book just so she could kill him off. If he were in Star Trek, he'd be wearing a red shirt.

He's in the Quidditch in Book 3.

I see what you mean about a "red shirt" but I think she was warming younger readers up for the more deaths to come. I mean, didn't the death in OotP affect you far more? And forget book HBP! And the DH bloodbath! She didn't want to go in too hard for the first death.

I agree, RED-SHIRT!

"Maybe you're the plucky comic relief!"

(Sorry, random movie quote.)

I agree that Cedric was a fairly expendable character, but like LG, I think she wanted this death to be as low-key as possible.

13 Polly *SPOILER* I was kind of relieved when Sirius died in OoP for the same reasons. (ducks) I was so afraid it was going to be one of the five kids who went into the Ministry with Harry.

20 foggi "Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy."

They killed Kenny!

Bastards!

I have a couple new thoughts rereading this after DH.

**DH SPOILERS**
I always thought it was odd that when Voldemort is monologuing in ch 33 he talks about his attempt to come back that we read about in book 1 but doesn't mention his almost-come-back in book 2. Now it makes sense: He had no idea that the diary was in use, nor that it had been destroyed. So he didn't know that he had almost come back -- right?

That set me thinking. Here, think with me: He was close to returning in the Chamber ... at some point he would have realized that he was regaining his body, right? Even though it was the diary, not him, that was acting in the Chamber, eventually it would have become him. So at what point is the horcrux no longer just a bit of soul but the whole being resurrected? Apparently at a point beyond where Riddle got. It just seems weird that Voldemort wouldn't be able to feel one of his bits regaining more strength.
**END DH SPOILERS**

And, since these books reveal new fun stuff with the scope of the next books,

**HBP SPOILERS**
I always thought the last paragraph of Voldemort's monologue, when he is talking about how Harry would be allowed to fight without DD there to help and we would be left in no doubt who is stronger, was foreshadowing. Especially after DD dies in book 6, meaning Harry's last battle will be without DD's help. And then Harry wins the duel with Voldemort, or at least escapes the graveyard alive, which gave me hope for the good guys winning.
**END HBP SPOILERS**

One of my favourites in the series, apart from the house elves. Moody is brilliant, and the darker scenes in the graveyard transport the series out of the trite into more meaningful territory. Shame the rest of the series doesn't manage to do as well.

So, I finished my reread this weekend and realized that this is the first time I've reread this book since DH was released. Last year I listened to SS/PS, CoS and PoA and read OotP, HBP and DH with the group. I got GoF on audio from the library but it was all scratched and annoying, so I don't think I made it past the World Cup in my listening. All that was a lot of background to say:

****DH SPOILER****
The thing that hit me much harder than it ever has before was DD turning to Snape in the hospital and saying "Severus, you know what I have to ask you to do." and Snape's immediate acceptance of the incredibly dangerous role he will have to play....for a much longer time than he had to do it before.
****END SPOILER****

*sigh* Sev. . . .

This time around I noticed that DD didn't know about the Marauders map.
I always have a hard time starting this book because it is sooo long! I agree with a 208 comment about needing an editor. It was a good thing that Winky was left out of the movie, although I like Dobby. I'm with others in that the book is scarier than the movie in the graveyard. I worried about young children seeing that when the movie came out.

I worried about young children seeing that when the movie came out.

Haha, leave it to the movie to dull everything down to perfectly mild. Nothing to get too excited about!

Re: Snape
That is one of my favorite scenes in all 7 books. Especially on rereads, when you are no longer assuming what Snape is about to go do, but you KNOW what he's going to do. Coward indeed....

***OotP spoilers*****

so, did anyone notice how at the very end of GoF Harry turned to watch the horseless carriages. even though he had already seen Cedric die, and we find out that you can see thestrals if you have seen death in OotP. so shouldn't Harry have seen the thestrals then? and even in the first year because he watched his mom die?

JKR answered that discrepancy (don't ask me for a source): Harry needed Cedric's death to sink in over the summer before he could see the thestrals. Remember in the beginning of OotP, Harry has nightmares about Cedric's death? That's what allowed him to see them the next year. Also Harry didn't remember his mother's murder. JKR also said that she didn't want to open the thestral plot at the end of a book; it made more literary sense to wait another book before she addressed the issue.

That makes sense..... the requirement actually being you have to see death and accept/register it. thank you 06nwingert.