One of the most exciting events in theHarry Potterseries is the Triwizard Tournament. It’s a way to test the skill and determination of young wizards through some of the toughest challenges they’ll ever face. While there haven’t been too many Triwizard Tournaments mentioned by name across theHarry Potterseries, it is clear that the tournament has a deep history.
The deep history also happens to be rather bloody, as it is widely known that the three-school Triwizard Tournament is one of the most dangerous challenges that a young witch or wizard can undertake.Harry Potterfans may know the basics of the tournament, but there is so much more to understand.
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The History Of The Triwizard Tournament
The Triwizard Tournament is a roughly seven-hundred-year-old tradition in whichthe three major wizarding schools of Europe, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, come together to compete in a variety of dangerous wizarding challenges. While the tournaments were held every five years, the school that hosted the tournament would shift with each tournament.
The issue with the tournament is that it was too dangerous. The danger involved claimed the lives of a number of witches and wizards over the years, eventually resulting in the entire thing getting scrapped around the late 1700s. While not all of the event’s history is known, it is known that Hogwarts and Beauxbatons were the schools that dominated the tournament with more than sixty wins each.
The Triwizard Tournament would remain dormant for roughly two-hundred years before it would finally return. The tournament in question was the one that Harry Potter andCedric Diggory would compete in, proving that the dangerous tournament was still as dangerous and blood-filled as the previous iterations.
What Are The Rules Of The Triwizard Tournament?
While it may not seem like there are all that many rules for the Triwizard Tournament at a glance, that couldn’t be further from the truth, specifically for the qualifications to participate. For starters, only a single champion could be chosen from each school in order to participate, a rule that was broken during Harry Potter’s time at Hogwarts. Additionally, a rule was put in place during that same tournament that ensured no witch or wizard under the age of seventeen couldput their name forth in the gobletto be a champion, something that also didn’t end up working out.
Each tournament would feature three main tasks that would be judged by the leaders of the three schools, and those tasks would test a variety of things, most importantly magical prowess and wit. Completion of the task is not necessarily key to surviving in the tournament, both literally and figuratively, but it does seriously impact the standing of the competitor. An example of this would be Fleur Delacour’s failure of the second task in her tournament, something that didn’t disqualify her, but instead left her in last place amongst the chosen champions.
How Does A Wizard Win The Triwizard Tournament?
While the wizards did receive a score for their performance in their tasks, that’s not how the Triwizard Champion was determined, at least in the tournaments that are known. During Harry Potter’s tournament, the point system was used to determine the entrance order intothe final task, a hedge mazeat the center of which lay the Triwizard Cup, the object which must be claimed in order to become the Triwizard Tournament winner.
It is possible that there was a time in which a points system did determine the winner of the Triwizard Tournament, but without an in-depth history of the event from the official materials, that is impossible to know. Regardless, it is clear that only a witch or wizard that is incredibly intelligent, brave enough to face death, and skilled enough to both think of and use complex magic would be capable of becoming Triwizard Champion.
Harry Potter’s Triwizard Tournament
Thanks to Harry Potter competing in the tournament, a great deal is known about that particular Triwizard Tournament. There were supposed to only be three champions with them being Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum of Durmstrang, and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts. Still, Harry Potter’s name ended up being drawn as well thanks to some evil interference. The four champions were then prepared to undertake threedangerous tasks with Albus Dumbledore, Olympe Maxime, and Igor Karkaroff serving as the judges.
The first task was to claim an egg that a dragon was guarding. The witches and wizards were able to utilize whatever means they wanted to claim the egg, but they were also aware that one wrong decision would likely amount to a brutal end. Every champion would be successful in this task, with Harry Potter and Viktor Krum tying for first place. Krum would use a conjunctive curse to blind his dragon while Potter would simply use his flying skills to his advantage.
The champions were then meant to uncover a message that would aid them in their second task,a dive into Hogwarts’ Black Lakein order to retrieve something. As it turned out, that something they were meant to recover was people who were being guarded by all manner of magical creatures. Cedric Diggory would come out of the task with more official points when he placed first, but that would simply tie both Harry and Cedric for first place going into the third and final task.
The final task was arguably more straightforward than the others, the champions were tasked with making it through a maze to claim the Triwizard Cup. Despite the various obstacles and a cursed Viktor Krum, Harry and Cedric were able to claim the Triwizard Cup at the same time, thus making them dual Triwizard Champions. Unfortunately, that is where everything would go wrong.
This Triwizard Tournament was nothing more than a front for a scheme tobring Lord Voldemort back to his former glory, a plan that worked to perfection. Harry and Cedric were transported via portkey to a graveyard in which Cedric Diggory would be killed and Voldemort would return for the first time in decades. Harry Potter would be named the winner of the Triwizard Tournament, but it was likely a hollow victory considering he lost a friend that same day.
