The Triwizard Tasks

• Type: Magical Challenge, Triwizard Tournament Component
• Purpose: To test the courage, daring, magical prowess, and powers of deduction of the competing school champions.
• Frequency: Three distinct tasks are held over the course of the school year when a Triwizard Tournament is active.
• Judges: A panel typically composed of the heads of the participating schools and senior Ministry of Magic officials. The 1994 panel included Albus Dumbledore, Igor Karkaroff, Olympe Maxime, Ludo Bagman, and Barty Crouch Sr..

The three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament are dangerous and designed to be spectacular. They are spaced several months apart, occurring in November, February, and June during the 1994-1995 school year at Hogwarts. Before each task, the champions are given a clue to help them prepare for the challenge ahead, which tests their problem-solving abilities as much as their magical skills. After each task, the judges award points to each champion on a scale of one to fifty. These points are cumulative. The champion with the highest score after the first two tasks is given a head start in the third and final task. The first champion to overcome the final challenge and seize the Triwizard Cup is declared the winner of the tournament.

Held on 24 November 1994, the first task required each champion to retrieve a golden egg from a nesting mother dragon. The dragons were specifically chosen to guard the eggs, which contained the clue for the second task. Each champion faced a different species of dragon:

• Cedric Diggory: Swedish Short-Snout
• Fleur Delacour: Common Welsh Green
• Viktor Krum: Chinese Fireball
• Harry Potter: Hungarian Horntail, considered the most dangerous of the four.

Harry Potter, advised by Barty Crouch Jr. (disguised as Alastor Moody), used an Summoning Charm to call his Firebolt broomstick and out-fly the Hungarian Horntail to retrieve his egg. For their performances, the judges awarded Viktor Krum and Harry Potter a tied first place with forty points each.

The second task took place on 24 February 1995 in the Great Lake. The golden egg's clue, a song audible only when opened underwater, revealed that the champions had one hour to rescue something precious that had been taken from them and hidden within the merpeople's village. These “hostages” were people important to each champion, placed in an enchanted sleep:

• Cedric Diggory: Cho Chang
• Fleur Delacour: Gabrielle Delacour
• Viktor Krum: Hermione Granger
• Harry Potter: Ron Weasley

Harry used Gillyweed, given to him by Dobby, to breathe underwater. He arrived at the village first but waited to ensure all hostages were safe. After rescuing his own hostage, he also brought Fleur Delacour's sister to the surface when Fleur was forced to retire after an attack by Grindylows. Although he finished outside the time limit, the judges awarded him high marks for his “moral fibre,” placing him in a tie for first place in the tournament's overall standings with Cedric Diggory.

The final task, on 24 June 1995, was to navigate a vast, enchanted maze constructed on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. The Triwizard Cup was placed at its center, and the first to reach it would win. The maze was filled with numerous obstacles, including a Blast-Ended Skrewt, a Boggart that took the form of a Dementor, an enchanted golden mist, and a Sphinx that posed a riddle. This task was heavily manipulated by Barty Crouch Jr., who was determined to deliver Harry to Lord Voldemort. Crouch patrolled the maze's perimeter, removing obstacles from Harry's path while impeding the other champions. He stunned Fleur Delacour and placed Viktor Krum under the Imperius Curse, forcing him to attack Cedric. Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory reached the Triwizard Cup together and, in a show of sportsmanship, agreed to claim it simultaneously. However, the cup had been turned into a Portkey, which transported them both to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. This led directly to Cedric's murder and the rebirth of Lord Voldemort.

Historically, the Triwizard Tasks were notoriously dangerous and resulted in numerous deaths. This high mortality rate was the primary reason the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued for several centuries. The 1994-1995 tournament was intended to be safer, with rules preventing underage wizards from entering. However, the interference of Barty Crouch Jr. and Lord Voldemort ensured that the event once again ended in tragedy, marking the beginning of the Second Wizarding War.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the three tasks provide the central structure for Lord Voldemort's complex plan to capture Harry Potter and return to power. Each task was subtly influenced by Barty Crouch Jr. to guide Harry towards victory, ensuring he would be the one to touch the Portkey in the maze. The challenges forced Harry to develop his magical skills, courage, and resilience under extreme pressure, while also highlighting his reliance on friends like Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Dobby. The conclusion of the final task serves as the novel's climax and a major turning point for the entire series.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the tasks are portrayed differently. The first task is an extended aerial chase across the Hogwarts castle and grounds, not contained within an enclosure. (film)
• The third task in the film omits the magical creatures like the Sphinx and the Blast-Ended Skrewt. Instead, the maze itself is the primary antagonist, with its hedges shifting and attacking the champions. (film)