Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter Twenty-Six:
The Second Task

Synopsis by William Silvester
Notes and links by Michele L. Worley

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 479 - 508
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 416 - 441
U.K. paperback edition: pages 522 - 553
Timeframe: Friday 22 January - 24 February, 1995 [Y15]

In which HRH discuss the situation in Charms class, HRH search for spells to help with the second task, and Hagrid returns to Care of Magical Creatures. Harry continues his studying all through the night before the second task, to be awakened by Dobby (who gives him gillyweed for breathing underwater). Harry performs the second task: to recover from the merpeople what was taken from each Champion. Harry rescues Ron and Fleur's sister, tying with Cedric on points.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

This chapter echoes the pattern of the first task: frantic preparation at the last minute, and the unexpected attendance of one of the three elder Weasley brothers.

"You said you'd already worked out that egg clue!" said Hermione indignantly.

He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the very back of the Charms class with a table to themselves.

Neville's aim was so poor that he kept accidentally sending much heavier things flying across the room - Professor Flitwick, for instance.

Neville's difficulties with the Banishing Charm are interesting, because instead of (for instance) having no effect, we are told that his problem is that he is accidentally moving much heavier objects than what he is supposed to be aiming at. This may be an indication that Neville has strong magical ability that just isn't being properly controlled.

...as Professor Flitwick went whizzing resignedly past them, landing on top of a large cabinet.

Harry had been recounting his adventures of the previous night in whispered installments for the last half hour.

"If only we'd done human Transfiguration already! But I don't think we start that until sixth year, and it can go badly wrong if you don't know what you're doing..."

...two unicorn foals. Unlike full-grown unicorns, they were pure gold. Parvati and Lavender went into transports of delight at the sight of them, and even Pansy Parkinson had to work hard to conceal how much she liked them.

"Easier ter spot than the adults," Hagrid told the class. "They turn silver when they're abou' two years old, an' they grow horns at aroun' four."

"Don' go pure white 'til they're full-grown, round about seven. They're a bit more trustin' when they're babies...don' mind boys so much...c'mon, move in a bit, yeh can pat 'em if yeh want...give 'em a few o'these sugar lumps..."

'Take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves and a newt...'

"It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register yourself and everything," said Hermione vaguely, now squinting down the index of Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions. "Professor McGonagall told us, remember...you've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office...what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it..."

...snapping Weird Wizarding Dilemmas shut. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"

By eight o'clock, Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy Harry out of the library.

Wand tip alight, he crept along the bookshelves, pulling down more books -

...books of hexes and charms, books on merpeople and water monsters, books on famous witches and wizards, on magical inventions, on anything at all that might include one passing reference to underwater survival.

Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.
Ron was tied between Hermione and Cho Chang. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths.

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• Delacour, Gabrielle

• Murcus, Merchieftainess

• (unnamed) assorted merpeople

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Bagman, Ludo

• Brown, Lavender

• Chang, Cho

• Creevey, Colin

• Creevey, Dennis

• Crookshanks

• Delacour, Fleur

• Diggory, Cedric

• Dobby

• Dumbledore, Albus

• Flitwick, Professor

• Granger, Hermione

• Hagrid, Rubeus

• Karkaroff, Igor

• Krum, Viktor

• Longbottom, Neville

• Maxime, Olympe

• McGonagall, Minerva

• Myrtle

• Parkinson, Pansy

• Patil, Parvati

• Pince, Madam

• Pomfrey, Poppy

• Potter, Harry

• Weasley, Fred

• Weasley, George

• Weasley, Percy

• Weasley, Ron

• (not mentioned) the remaining fifth-year Gryffindors in Charms and CMC class: Seamus, and Dean

• (not mentioned) the remaining fifth-year Slytherins in CMC class

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Black, Sirius

• Crouch, Bartemius (junior) (as Moody, Alastor "Mad-Eye")

• Crouch, Bartemius (senior)

• Grubbly-Plank, Professor

• Lupin, Remus

• Potter, James

• Snape, Severus

• Winky

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Charms classroom

• Entrance Hall

• lake

• library

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Hogsmeade

• Great Hall

• staffroom

Exceptional character moments:

• Harry, for whom Ron is the thing he'd miss the most. (At least in the opinion of the Triwizard judges.)

Spells:

• Banishing Charm

• Bubble-Head Charm

• Drought Charm (mentioned)

• Lumos

• Relashio

• Sonorus

• Summoning Charm (mentioned)

Links and Resources:

• Animagi

• Bestiary, the

  • dragons (Hungarian Horntail)

  • grindylows

  • house-elves

  • merpeople

  • owls (brown)

  • skrewts, blast-ended

  • unicorns

• Care of Magical Creatures

• Charms

• Harry's dreams

• essays

  • Familiarity: The Key to Understanding Spellwork

  • Hermione's Love for Ickle Ronniekins

• ghosts

• gillyweed

• items and devices, magical

  • books

    • Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms, An

    • Dreadful Denizens of the Deep

    • Guide to Medieval Sorcery, A

    • Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks

    • Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes

    • Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do With Them Now You've Wised Up

    • Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts

    • Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions

    • Where There's a Wand, There's a Way

  • Cloak, Invisibility

  • Firebolt

  • Goblet of Fire

  • golden egg

  • knife that can open any lock (mentioned)

  • pictures with moving subjects

• Rules and Regulations (Animagus register, International Code of Wizarding Secrecy)

• Potion ingredients (mandrake leaves, newt)

• Pepper-Up Potion

• Transfiguration

• Triwizard Tournament - the second task

Memorable lines:

• none yet

Strictly British:

• fancy

Timelines/Calendar:

This chapter begins the morning after Harry's visit to the prefects' bathroom, and ends just after the Second Task on the 24th of February.