Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Chapter Thirty-Seven Summary & Analysis

The next few days are a blur for Harry. The Diggorys refuse Harry's attempt to give them the Triwizard gold and Harry returns to Gryffindor Tower the next evening. Dumbledore spoke to the school and nobody asks Harry what happened. Harry notices, however, that students give him a wide berth and he thinks that they probably believe Rita Skeeter. Harry enjoys his time with Ron and Hermione the most, but he's sad when he learns that Dumbledore insisted that he spend some time with the Dursleys and not go straight to the Weasleys' after school ends.

On Thursday, Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to visit Hagrid. They notice two huge cups and ask if he was having tea with Madame Maxime. He brushes them off and asks Harry if he's okay. Hagrid says that Harry will be okay and says he knew that Voldemort would return. He tells Harry that Dumbledore shared what Harry did and praises Harry for behaving as his father would have. When Harry asks what Dumbledore has asked Hagrid to do, Hagrid says only that he has a summer job and that Maxime might come along.

Harry doesn't look forward to the final feast. He notices the black decorations in respect of Cedric and sees the real Moody at the staff table. Madame Maxime sits with Hagrid and Karkaroff is absent. Harry wonders what Snape did for Dumbledore and wonders if Snape is really on his side. Dumbledore interrupts Harry's musings and asks students to toast Cedric's memory. He then tells the students that Voldemort murdered Cedric and says that it's important they hear the truth so they can properly honor Cedric.

Dumbledore then tells the students that Harry escaped Voldemort and brought Cedric's body back, and he asks them to raise their glasses to Harry. The Slytherins refuse to do so. Then, Dumbledore says that with Voldemort's return, it's even more important than ever that they maintain ties with their foreign friends. He says that everyone is welcome in his school and that the best way to fight Voldemort is to remain friendly and trusting of each other. He asks the students to remember that Cedric only died because he ended up in Voldemort's path.

As Harry prepares to take a carriage back to Hogsmeade, he hears Fleur yelling for him. She shakes his hand and says that she's going to get a job in England to practice her English. After she leaves, Ron wonders how the Durmstrang students will get home without Karkaroff. From behind Ron, Krum gruffly says that Karkaroff didn't help anyway; the students steered the ship. He pulls Hermione aside for a word. When they return, Krum tells Harry that he liked Cedric. As Krum walks away, Ron finally asks for his autograph.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spend most of the train ride discussing what Dumbledore is doing to fight Voldemort. After Hermione pulls out a Daily Prophet, she assures him that there's nothing in there. She suspects that Fudge is forcing the paper to keep quiet. Harry comments that Rita Skeeter won't keep quiet, but in an odd voice, Hermione says that Skeeter won't write at all for a while. She says that she discovered how Skeeter was listening and coming onto the grounds: Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus and can turn into a beetle. At this, she pulls a glass jar out of her bag and explains that she caught her in the hospital wing. Harry remembers seeing a beetle at the Yule Ball, and Ron realizes that Malfoy was talking to Skeeter in his hand. Hermione says that she'll let her out in London and will spill her secret if Skeeter writes anything in the next year.

Malfoy slides the compartment open and menacingly compliments Hermione on catching Rita Skeeter. Harry tells Malfoy to leave, but Malfoy says that Harry picked the losing side--his friends will be the first to go with Voldemort back. At this, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hex Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle at the same time--but Fred and George hexed them too. They roll the bullies into the hallway and Fred and George start a game of Exploding Snap.

A few games in, Harry asks who Fred and George were blackmailing. They darkly say that it was Bagman. Bagman paid them their winnings from their bet at the World Cup in leprechaun gold and then refused to either pay up in real gold or give them their money back. George says they eventually learned that Bagman had a gambling problem and was in trouble betting with goblins. He had a bet with them that Harry would win, but the goblins insisted that Harry tied with Cedric. Bagman ran after the third task.

Soon, the train reaches King's Cross. Harry stays in the compartment and asks Fred and George to wait. He gives George the money from the Triwizard Tournament and tells them to start their joke shop, saying that they'll need laughs with Voldemort back. They try to refuse, but Harry threatens to hex them if they don't take it. He asks them to buy Ron new dress robes with it and leaves them in the compartment. Out in the station, Harry says goodbye to Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley and follows Uncle Vernon to the car.