I’m over 80% of the way through The Goblet of Fire and, unless things really pick up, I’m not going to get to see much more of Voldemort and his plans against Harry Potter. I did enjoy the return of Sirius is chapter 27 as well as some further intrigue with Mr. Crouch and Professor Karkaroff. I also really like Moody; I keep picturing Kris Kristofferson from Blade.
Below are some thoughts from chapters 26-30 of The Goblet of Fire.
The Second Task
Harry Potter is like the Manny Ramirez of the Triwizarding Tournament; he keeps cheating. If it hadn’t been for Dobby slipping Harry gillyweed, Harry would have failed the second task and fallen to last place. I’m not as concerned with Harry’s cheating, as I am his behavior once in the lake. Harry could have easily rescued Ron and abandoned everyone else. However, he placed their needs above his own and almost sacrificed his standing in the tournament to make sure Fleur’s sister was safe. Harry Potter may not have a lot to do with Jesus, but he definitely exhibits his willingness to think about others before himself.
Insults and Bullies
Malfoy’s still the worst but Rita Skeeter is doing her best to supplant him. I made up quotes for all of my yearbook stories so I’m not the pinnacle of journalistic integrity. But I never did anything nearly as bad as Skeeter. What’s worse is all of her stories lead to more insults and bullying for Harry and his friends. No one likes to be insulted, including Harry and Hermione. It’s important to remember, though, that we can’t base our identities or our self-worth on the insults of others. People can say whatever they want about us, but it shouldn’t matter if our identities are founded in Christ. I got called “Mighty Mouse” when I was in the sixth grade and it made me want to stay home from school. Looking back now, though, it was just a stupid insult and did nothing to diminish my value in Jesus’ eyes.
The Pensieve
I totally want a Pensieve. Dumbledore’s magical bowl in which he can examine his thoughts is totally awesome. I would love to be able to unpack my thoughts and observe them more objectively. Whether I’m trying to resolve an issue at work or process through something I’m reading, getting my thoughts out of my head would be life changing. Instead of wrestling with different thoughts and having them keep me up at night, I could just throw them into the Pensieve, address them and fall asleep. I know God says to bring our anxieties to him and he will give us peace, but I wouldn’t mind having a Pensieve as well.
I’ll finish up The Goblet of Fire by next week. Perhaps things really will pick up and I’ll be compelled to start The Order of the Phoenix while in Hawaii. I am interested to see how the third task plays out and whether or not my suspicion that Ludo Bagman put Harry’s name in the Goblet will prove to be true.
What are some of your thoughts on chapters 26-30 of The Goblet of Fire?
Interesting perspective. Goblet of Fire was different for me because I saw the movie first (all the others I read first). I thought the book was a bit slow – but it might be because of that.
I’m not a big fan of the Pensieve – you’ll see as you go along – it gets overused.
Thanks for sharing.