Harry Potter: a hit novel and movie series. But like any other adaptation out there, there are just some things that were left out when the book got converted into movie format. For the most part, the series did a solid job.
But there are just some things that will make more sense when watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, if you've actually read the book beforehand. There's just no avoiding that fact, as much as we'd like to pretend otherwise. So with that in mind, here are ten things that only make sense to people who had the time to read the books.
The Man Voldemort Murders in the Intro
The intro sequence to the movie shows us Voldemort and Wormtail in an old house, where they promptly murder a muggle man. But they never did explain what that house was, or who the man is. You see, that house was actually very important to Voldemort. It's the Riddle House. Here the muggle members of his family resided – right up until he murdered them.
After that brutal set of murders, it was only the gardener, Frank Byrce, who lived on the property, taking care of what he could. He's the man that Voldemort murdered so casually. This explains everything about why Voldemort picked the location, to why there was a muggle nearby.
How the Quidditch Game Went
Some fans were thrilled to skip over a Quidditch match, while others were sad to have missed out. The fact of the matter is that the entirety of the match was basically cut, when the book actually told us all about it.
The match was a brutal one, with several injuries to show for it. And, most notably, Victor Krum caught the snitch, but because his team was so far behind points, Ireland ended up winning anyway. This explains why the Weasley's were so amped, and why Ron was boasting about Krum, even though he was on the losing team.
Veelas and Their...Unique Gift
The Veelas were basically nothing more than background elements in a single scene of the movie. Where in the book, they played a slightly larger part. Veelas are a type of magical creature, albeit one that can clearly interbreed with humans.
Veelas have the unique ability to hypnotize humans, specifically men. It's something that our darling boys fall for again and again during the Quidditch World Cup. And it's not something Ron ever really got over.
This is all relevant because Fluer is part Veela. You read that right. That's why Ron, and so many other Hogwarts boys, found her so irresistible. Harry found that little tidbit out when she was talking about her wand – mentioning that a Veela family member lent the hair that ended up in her wand.
Behind the Scene Events At the World Cup
The World Cup was a dramatic moment for Quidditch fans, naturally, but there was also a whole lot of other things going on behind the scenes. All of which was revealed at the end of the book, but kind of glossed over in the movie, if not left out entirely.
Barty Crouch Jr. was in attendance to the World Cup – though he was under control of a house elf, Winky at the time. He took advantage of the chaos to escape. He also happened to steal Harry's wand much earlier in the night (during the game itself).
But, of course, they cut out Winky from the movie, and so they couldn't really explain any of the subtlety for what was happening here. Which resulted in all of it being skipped entirely instead.
Who Is Padfoot?
One thing the movies never explained? Who were the Marauders and their connection to Harry. This also means that their nicknames were never clearly explained. Wormtail was kind of self-explanatory. But the rest? Slightly less so.
In the Goblet of Fire, Moody referred to Sirius as Padfoot. Without the explanation of who Padfoot is, this might have been a bit confusing for fans who didn't read the books. Though presumably, they were able to get an idea based on context.
How Mad-Eye Moody Got Taken Out
In the movies, it was just taken as a given that Barty Crouch Jr. was able to take out Moody and do so quietly enough where nobody else picked up on it. In the book, this was actually covered – though it was a bit more subtle.
Early on in the book, Arthur Weasley mentions how Moody set off a series of spells and traps during the night, of the illegal and muggle-attention-grabbing variety. Arthur even mentioned how he had to go and help clean up the mess, as a favor for his friend. Knowing what is revealed later, it's clear that this is the moment that Moody was attacked and captured.
Why The Third Challenge Was So Difficult
There were three challenges in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But the third challenge left something to be desired, especially in the movie. Yes, we all know that Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Moody, made the maze easier. But the movie made it look like all Harry had to do was walk through a maze.
The book made the challenge of the task much more clear. Here Harry had to face multiple obstacles, from gravity traps to riddles and sphinxes. These challenges Harry was able to handle completely on his own – no cheating (knowingly or not) required.
How Barty Crouch Jr Escaped Azkaban
One of the many things that got left out of the movie was the explanation on how Barty Crouch Jr. escaped from Azkaban. This was likely cut due to time, but it raised so many questions. The book revealed that Sirius was not actually the first wizard to escape Azkaban. He was simply the first known escape.
Barty Crouch is a man fans all know – and he had no choice but to imprison his son, when Jr.'s crimes were revealed. But Mrs. Crouch was devastated by the decision. She eventually convinced Barty to help her swap places with her son, since she was dying anyway. The Dementors can't tell the difference between one dying person and another...so it was a simple enough task to complete.
How the Twins Got Their Money
One minor element that got left out of the movie, but likely raised questions in later movies: how the Weasley twins got their hands on so much money. The answer is quite simple: Harry. Harry wanted nothing to do with the winnings he earned from the tournament, and who can blame him there?
So he decided to give the money to the twins. They promptly turned around and used this money to start their business. From that moment onward, Harry lived in fear of Mrs. Weasley discovering his hand in the twins' ventures (which she didn't approve of).
Why Fans Freaked About One Line In Particular
One of the most contentious lines in the movie is a direct change from the book to the movie version. And likely even if you haven't read the book, you've heard about fans complaining about this change. We are, of course, talking about 'DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?'
In the book, it is stated quite clearly that Dumbledore asked this question calmly. We repeat, he asked this question calmly. In the movie, he essentially screamed it at Harry from across the room. Fans were furious about this change and with good reason. This scene was supposed to show how calm Dumbledore is with such a turn of events, and how unyielding his faith was in the young wizard. And now you understand why fans were so upset.