The book that could legitimately be called the turning point of the series is packed with action, backstory and significant darkness. It begins in the village of Little Hangleton, where Lord Voldemort and his servant Peter Pettigrew are in hiding. We hear that Voldemort is planning to return to power, and that he wants to kill Harry Potter. Harry sees this scene through a dream, and on his awakening, we find him having another miserable summer with the Dursleys in Privet Drive. However, he is saved by the Weasleys, who come to take Harry back to The Burrow so that he can attend the Quidditch World Cup with them. Their visit causes mayhem in the Dursley household, leaving Dudley even more terrified of wizards.

The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione take a Portkey to the World Cup, but on the night after the game a group of Death Eaters reunite and start to terrorize Muggles. Death Eaters were Voldemort’s followers, but unbeknownst to them, a truly loyal Death Eater is among them: one who went to Azkaban rather than renounce his allegiance, and who shoots the Dark Mark (a sign used to signal death) into the sky to scare them. Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys all return to Hogwarts, and it is announced that a Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year. This is a centuries-old tournament in which three seventeen-year-old witches or wizards battle through various obstacles to win eternal glory. Students from two other wizarding schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, arrive and the competing Champions are chosen from the Goblet of Fire. However, along with the Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory, Harry’s name inexplicably comes out too. He has no choice but to compete.

Ron believes Harry entered his name on purpose, and succumbs to jealousy, feeling that he is overshadowed by both his friends and his family. Meanwhile, the conniving journalist Rita Skeeter has taken an interest in Harry, and writes many articles that tarnish his reputation. Hagrid shows Harry that he will have to face dragons in the first task. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody, advises Harry to play to his strengths, suggesting that he should fly on a broomstick to get past the dragon. Harry does so, and manages to complete the first task. After it, he and Ron reconcile. It is then announced that on Christmas day a Yule Ball will be held in honour of the Triwizard Tournament, and Harry asks Cho Chang to accompany him. She must refuse him as she is already going with Cedric, and although Harry is upset, he does manage to get Parvati Patil to go with him instead. It is revealed at the ball that Hermione is going with Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Champion and internationally-famous Quidditch player. Ron is exceedingly jealous. The second task is set in the lake in the grounds of Hogwarts, and Harry must dive into its depths to save Ron. He successfully completes the task with a little help from Dobby the house-elf.

In the summer, Harry competes in the third and final task. It is a maze filled with beasts and charms that the Champions have to battle through, but in the end he and Cedric get to the Triwizard Cup at the same time. They take it together, but it turns out that the Cup is a Portkey, and the two are transported to a graveyard. Cedric gets killed by Peter Pettigrew, who is lying in wait for them along with Lord Voldemort. Using some of Harry’s blood, Pettigrew brings Voldemort back to life, and Voldemort and Harry battle each other in a deadly duel. Harry manages to escape with Cedric’s body and returns to Hogwarts injured and devastated. He is taken by Mad-Eye Moody, who reveals that he is in fact the faithful Death Eater from the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch Junior. He put Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire, and has been making sure Harry got through the tasks and got to the Cup first so that he would be taken to Voldemort. Dumbledore arrives and takes Harry away, leaving Crouch to the care of some Dementors. Harry is broken after the death of Cedric and the knowledge that Voldemort is back. He leaves Hogwarts worried about the future, scared about what might happen, and frustrated that so few people actually believe his story.