How Mad-Eye Moody Put Harry Potter’s Name In The Goblet Of Fire

How Mad-Eye Moody Put Harry Potter’s Name In The Goblet Of Fire

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody managed to alter the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as the one who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire, but it took a well-orchestrated plan. Although Mad-Eye served as a key member for the remainder of the Harry Potter franchise, he wasn’t exactly himself in his introductory appearance. In fact, another figure was impersonating him all along. Albus Dumbledore hired the wizard as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, seeing as he was skilled in battling the specific method of magic. During his first year as the DADA professor, he guided Harry Potter during the Triwizard Tournament, but he ended up having ulterior motives.

Lord Voldemort needed a pathway for Harry to complete a ritual that would bring back the Dark wizard’s physical body, and that opportunity hinged on the student’s participation in the Triwizard Tournament, leading to who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire. To infiltrate Hogwarts in order to manipulate Harry, Voldemort enlisted the help of a Death Eater named Barty Crouch Jr., who previously escaped from Azkaban. Barty then kidnapped Mad-Eye and disguised himself as the professor by using Polyjuice Potion. This allowed Barty to walk freely around Hogwarts as he concocted a precise plan to give Harry a chance to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. In order to do so, the Death Eater was forced to use magic to carry out the next step of the plan.

Barty Crouch Jr. Used A Powerful Charm To Put Harry’s Name In The Goblet Of Fire

How Mad-Eye Moody Put Harry Potter’s Name In The Goblet Of Fire

The Triwizard Tournament traditionally featured one student from each of the three schools in attendance. That trio of Champions wasn’t allowed to be under the age of 17 based on the age spell that Dumbledore put in place. Despite those restrictions, Harry’s name was chosen as the fourth Champion from the Goblet of Fire, prompting people to wonder who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire, the impartial judge used to select contestants. While staff and fellow students believed that Harry may have put his own name in the Goblet of Fire, it was actually Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Professor Moody. Barty used a powerful Confundus Charm to confuse the Goblet of Fire so that it would select Harry’s name as the fourth contestant from an unspecified school.

The plan worked, as Harry followed through with the competition against Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum. Barty, meanwhile, continued guiding Harry through the three tasks before successfully turning the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey. Voldemort was able to restore his physical body before Barty intended to kill Harry to solidify himself as one of the Dark Lord’s most loyal followers. Instead, Dumbledore and other members of the staff caught on to Barty’s ploy and rescued the real Mad-Eye, allowing for his presence in the succeeding Harry Potter installments.

Why Everyone Thought Harry Put His Own Name In The Goblet

Harry potter voldemort Goblet of fire

Everyone remembers the Goblet of Fire scene in which Dumbledore basically pins Harry against a wall and asks him roughly, “Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?”. The scene in question occurs directly after Harry’s name flies out of the Goblet, and Dumbledore calls him out in front of the entire Great Hall. He takes Harry back with the rest of the champions, as well as their respective school’s headmasters, and starts to immediately grill Harry about how and why exactly his name was selected.

Unfortunately, many believed it was Harry who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire because they thought his ego had gotten the better of him. Many believed that Harry wanted the glory of winning the Triwizard Tournament all to himself, including for a brief moment Dumbledore. There was no question that Harry had a reckless streak while attending Hogwarts, but many thought this was due to him having something to prove. Fortunately, the question of who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire was found not to be Harry, as Dumbledore recognized that only dark magic could’ve confounded the Goblet, and Harry wasn’t capable of that.

What Happened To Barty Crouch Jr. After The Goblet Of Fire

David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Many characters, such as Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black, have managed to escape from the Dementors in the wizard prison Azkaban. However, in the end, Barty Crouch Jr., who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire, isn’t able to outrun the Dementors once he’s caught the second time around. The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie doesn’t explain what happens to Barty Crouch Jr. after he’s exposed for impersonating Mad-Eye Moody. Rather, he’s simply carted out of the room and is never heard from again. It’s implied that he’s taken back to Azkaban, but this would create an Order of the Phoenix plot hole – there’s a mass breakout at the beginning of the film, but Barty Crouch Jr. isn’t there.

While the movie offers zero explanation, the books do explain what happens to Crouch Jr. In J.K. Rowling’s novels, it’s said that Crouch is taken to the Dementors to suffer the Dementor’s Kiss, which sucks the soul out of his body. It’s a fitting end for the Harry Potter character, as taking him back to Azkaban would’ve not only created a plot hole, but it would’ve proved an unworthy punishment for someone who has already broken out once before.

Why Everyone Was Mad At Harry When He Was Chosen For The Triwizard Tournament

Hermione, Harry, and Ron after the lake task in the Triwizard Tournament

With many people believing that it was him who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire it caused great strain on some of Harry’s most personal relationships — particularly him and Ron Weasley. However, Ron wasn’t the only one who was upset with Harry for competing in the Triwizard Tournament, as throughout Goblet of Fire it seemed like the entire school was against Harry. Ron was personally upset because he wished Harry would let him in on the secret of how he did it, and was mad that Harry wouldn’t fess up. In addition, Harry’s inclusion in the tournament fed into Ron’s worst fears of forever remaining second-best to his best friend.

The Triwizard Tournament rules stated that one had to be 17 to enter, with the Weasley twins proving the consequences of what would happen if one tried to put their name in being underage. Most of the school believed that Harry had secretly found a way to add his name and then refused to spill the beans to anyone else, making him both sneaky and ungenerous. Hufflepuff house, in particular, scorned Harry because they believed he was stealing the glory from not only their house but also Cedric Diggory. Ravenclaw probably followed suit for these reasons, and Malfoy and the Slytherin house were never ones to just leave Harry alone. In the end, Harry’s name is cleared, but that didn’t stop the incident from making huge waves in Harry Potter.

Key Release Dates

  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
    Release Date:

    2022-04-15