The Goblet of Fire

• Type: Magical Device, Impartial Judge
• Owners: Kept at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; associated with the Triwizard Tournament.
• Maker: Unknown

The Goblet of Fire is a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It is described as having no particular ornate features and looking as though it were fashioned from a single piece of wood. When active, the Goblet is filled with dancing, blue-white flames. When not in use for a Triwizard Tournament, the Goblet is kept within a jewelled casket.

The primary function of the Goblet of Fire is to act as an impartial judge for the selection of champions in the Triwizard Tournament. It is an object of immense and ancient magic. The selection process involves several steps:

1. A potential champion writes their name and the name of their school on a slip of parchment.
2. The parchment is then placed into the flames of the Goblet.
3. This act creates a binding magical contract. Once a champion is chosen, they are magically bound to compete and cannot withdraw.

To prevent underage students from entering the 1994 tournament, Albus Dumbledore drew an Age Line around the Goblet, a powerful enchantment that only a witch or wizard of seventeen or older could cross. Fred Weasley and George Weasley unsuccessfully attempted to bypass this with an Ageing Potion. At the designated time for the selection, the Goblet's flames turn red, and it ejects a charred piece of parchment bearing the name of the chosen champion for each participating school. Despite its powerful magic, the Goblet is not infallible. It can be fooled by an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm. Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Alastor Moody, used such a charm to trick the Goblet into believing a fourth school was competing, ensuring it would select Harry Potter as the sole champion for that non-existent school.

The Goblet of Fire is an ancient artifact with a long history of use in the Triwizard Tournament. For centuries, it was the sole method of choosing champions for the three participating schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute. Following a particularly high death toll, the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued, and the Goblet was presumably placed in storage. It was not used for several centuries until the tournament was revived in 1994. For the 1994-1995 tournament held at Hogwarts, the Goblet was placed in the Entrance Hall for students to submit their names. It ultimately selected Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, and, due to magical interference, Harry Potter as a fourth champion.

The Goblet of Fire is the central magical object and plot device of the fourth novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Its controversial and unexpected selection of Harry Potter as a fourth champion drives the entire narrative of the book. This selection forces an underage and unprepared Harry into the dangerous and life-threatening tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. It also causes widespread suspicion and ostracism towards him, particularly from his fellow students in Hufflepuff who believed he cheated to steal glory from Cedric Diggory. Crucially, the bewitching of the Goblet was a key component of Lord Voldemort's intricate plan to capture Harry. By forcing him to compete and win the tournament, Barty Crouch Jr. ensured that Harry would be the first to touch the Triwizard Cup, which had been turned into a Portkey that transported him directly to the Little Hangleton graveyard for Voldemort's rebirth ceremony.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Goblet is depicted not as a simple wooden cup but as a large, ornate, and metallic chalice with a distinct, almost runic design. Its flames are also much more dramatic and violent when selecting the champions (film).