Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys head into the stadium for the Quidditch World Cup. In their viewing box, Harry meets Winky, Mr. Crouch’s house-elf, who was sent to save her master a seat. Winky knows Dobby, the house-elf Harry freed from his cruel masters, the Malfoys, and she laments that Dobby has gotten all sorts of strange ideas in his head since being liberated. They are joined by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and Ludo Bagman, who will be commentating on the match. Harry’s nemesis Draco Malfoy arrives with his mother and father, who believe that wizards with Muggle parents—people like Hermione—are “second-class” (40) citizens. The festivities begin with the presentation of the mascots: beautiful feminine creatures from Bulgaria called veela that dance and enchant the men in the stadium and leprechauns from Ireland that throw gold coins into the audience, to Ron’s delight. As the match kicks off, Harry is impressed by the young Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum, whom Harry thinks is “the most exciting player on the field” (45). Ireland dominates the match, and although Krum catches the Snitch for Bulgaria, the Irish team is too far ahead, and they win the match.