======Yule Ball======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Formal Dance, [[Triwizard Tournament]] Tradition
  * **Location:** The [[Great Hall]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
  * **Participants:** [[Triwizard Tournament|Champions]] and their partners, [[Hogwarts]] students of fourth year and above (and younger students invited by an older partner), school staff, and visiting judges and headmasters.
  * **Key Features:** Held on [[Christmas]] Day, requirement of formal [[dress robes]], and traditionally opened with the Champions' Waltz.
=====Description and History=====
The **Yule Ball** is a formal ball held as a traditional part of the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. Its stated purpose is to provide an opportunity for the students of the competing schools to fraternize and promote inter-school goodwill. [[Professor McGonagall]] refers to it as a centuries-old tradition, indicating it has been a recurring feature of the Tournament throughout its history.
During the 1994 [[Triwizard Tournament]], the [[Yule Ball]] was held on [[Christmas]] evening from 8:00 p.m. until midnight. The [[Great Hall]] was transformed for the occasion; its walls were covered in sparkling silver frost, and hundreds of garlands of [[mistletoe]] and ivy crisscrossed the starry ceiling. The usual four House tables were replaced by approximately one hundred smaller, lantern-lit tables, each seating about a dozen people. A stage was erected at the far end of the hall where the band, [[The Weird Sisters]], performed. Magical plates provided a menu from which guests could order their food.
=====Role in the Story=====
The [[Yule Ball]] in //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire// serves as a significant event for both plot and character development. The lead-up to the ball created considerable social anxiety for many students, most notably [[Harry Potter]]'s difficulty in finding a partner, ultimately asking [[Parvati Patil]] after being turned down by [[Cho Chang]].
The event began with the Champions' Waltz, led by:
  * [[Harry Potter]] with [[Parvati Patil]]
  * [[Cedric Diggory]] with [[Cho Chang]]
  * [[Fleur Delacour]] with [[Roger Davies]] of [[Ravenclaw]]
  * [[Viktor Krum]] with [[Hermione Granger]]
The ball highlighted the growing romantic tensions among the main characters. [[Ron Weasley]], attending with [[Padma Patil]], became consumed with jealousy over [[Hermione Granger]]'s attendance with [[Viktor Krum]], leading to a bitter argument that ruined the evening for both of them. [[Harry Potter]] spent much of the evening watching [[Cho Chang]] with [[Cedric Diggory]], largely ignoring his own date.
Beyond social drama, key plot points unfolded. [[Rubeus Hagrid]] confessed his half-[[Giant|giant]] heritage to [[Olympe Maxime]] in the gardens, a conversation that was secretly overheard by [[Rita Skeeter]]. Additionally, [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] overheard a tense conversation between [[Igor Karkaroff]] and [[Severus Snape]] in the bushes, where Karkaroff showed Snape something on his arm that was "getting darker"—later revealed to be the [[Dark Mark]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
During the 1994 [[Yule Ball]], several specific areas of the [[Hogwarts]] grounds became sites for important events:
  * **The [[Great Hall]]:** The main venue for the ball, including the dance floor where the Champions' Waltz took place and the stage for [[The Weird Sisters]]. The smaller tables were the setting for most of the students' social interactions.
  * **The Entrance Hall:** The site of [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]]'s climactic argument after the ball ended, where Ron accused her of "fraternizing with the enemy."
  * **The Rose Garden:** Located on the [[Hogwarts Grounds]], this is where [[Rubeus Hagrid]] and [[Olympe Maxime]] went for a private walk. It was here that [[Hagrid]] revealed his parentage and [[Rita Skeeter]] eavesdropped on their conversation. It was also in these bushes that [[Severus Snape]] and [[Igor Karkaroff]] had their clandestine meeting.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, a scene is added where [[Professor McGonagall]] gives the [[Gryffindor]] students a dancing lesson in preparation for the ball, using [[Ron Weasley]] as her unwilling partner. (film)
  * The performance by [[The Weird Sisters]] is depicted as a modern, high-energy rock concert in the film, a significant departure from the less-defined musical performance in the book. (film)
  * The Champions' dance in the film is a highly choreographed, formal waltz, whereas the book simply states they "opened the ball." (film)