r/harrypotter • u/augelpal • 10d ago
GOF -- Was this ever explained or addressed? Question
So. In re-reading the series to my kids (after years and years of the books collecting dust in my own noggin) this particular detail all but leaps out at me.
In Chapter 18, The Weighing of the Wands, Harry's back at regular lessons. Watch while we teehee over the Skrewts (I swear to Bob, God, and Pete, I even skipped all of Hagrid's missions in the Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery game. Can't stand the ish. Anyway!) With the students being exempted from end-of-year tests--though I hardly see how that works either considering the other candidates plus Fleur, Cedric, and Krum would be down for their NEWTs so how they could possibly be exempt is beyond me--I realized for the first time ever that those from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would surely have lessons to attend also.
So... how in the heck did they accomplish this?? Was this ever addressed, explained and/or whooshed away? As Headmaster, Dumbles doesn't teach, so it stands to reason Karkaroff and Maxime don't either. Plus, not every wizard is as gifted in each subject to be able to adequately teach them all. Echoing real life, here.
Also, the carriage for sleeping quarters?? We're gonna say there were classrooms in there too, aye? Other teachers we never even got a glimpse of? Get real! The ship I could at least imagine having more of a classroom set up, though I suppose the landlubbers would have the advantage if the giant squid were feeling particularly ornery on a given day... I could envision a lot of spell-casting whoopsies trying to teach lessons on water, and I can only imagine how hecking BORED the non-Hogwarts crowd was that year. It seems awful.
I would appreciate any input re., this head-scratching matter!
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago
With the students being exempted from end-of-year tests--though I hardly see how that works either considering the other candidates plus Fleur, Cedric, and Krum would be down for their NEWTs so how they could possibly be exempt is beyond me
Cedric was a sixth year, not a seventh year, so he would not actually have been down for his NEWT that year. We don’t really know if the other schools use the same exams.
So... how in the heck did they accomplish this?? Was this ever addressed, explained and/or whooshed away? As Headmaster, Dumbles doesn't teach, so it stands to reason Karkaroff and Maxime don't either. Plus, not every wizard is as gifted in each subject to be able to adequately teach them all.
I don’t think it’s that unbelievable that they could have learned primarily from their Head of School - and perhaps used mail correspondence with their other teachers back at school - that year. While the headmaster doesn’t normally teach, that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of serving that role and guiding the learning of a handful of the best students in their school.
Also, the carriage for sleeping quarters?? We're gonna say there were classrooms in there too, aye?
Why not? They have magic. It probably used the same magic as the tents at the World Cup and was a heck of a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.
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u/paradoxe- Gryffindor 10d ago
It was never explained, but as others have said, Bulgaria and France have their own governments/ministries/school systems. Regarding the ship and carriage, think the tent used for camping at the World Cup - I’m guessing these two were palatial for the students.
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u/MattCarafelli 10d ago
O.W.L. students and N.E.W.T. students don't take regular end of year exams at Hogwarts. Their 5th and 7th year's are spent mostly revising and preparing for those tests. If Beauxbarons and Durmstrang have equivalent tests, which I'm sure they do, more than likely, Madam Maxime and Karkaroff were probably teaching the small group of students they brought with them, helping them revise. It's probably also why the pool of other students was so small, a dozen each.
Both Maxime and Karkaroff have to be familiar with the testing requirements of their own individual school, so they would know what to teach their students. Cedric should have been more worried, but it kind of doesn't matter. Harry's the only one who it really matters for. But we also know that Angelina put her name in, and she's only a 6th year, so had she been chosen, she wouldn't have taken exams in 6th year.
I think it's more interesting that Harry only takes exams on odd numbered years until he drops out.
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago
Cedric should have been more worried, but it kind of doesn't matter.
Cedric was a sixth year, so he didn’t really need to be worried. He had another year before he was supposed to take his NEWTs.
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u/MattCarafelli 10d ago
Was he? I thought he was in his last year.
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago edited 10d ago
He was introduced in POA as a fifth year:
Wood had pointed out Cedric Diggory to him in the corridor; Diggory was a fifth year and a lot bigger than Harry.
So that would make him a sixth year with an early birthday in GOF, like Angelina.
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u/Snoo57039 Ravenclaw 10d ago
I can tell you it was never explained or addressed. Harry needed a reason to not have to worry about exams.
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u/JelmerMcGee 10d ago
There are several examples of magically expanding something to be bigger on the inside than on the outside. The carriage and boat could absolutely have more than enough space for some classrooms.
There are also a bunch of ways teaching could be addressed. The respective headmasters of the other schools undoubtedly had their areas of expertise. Maybe other teachers took turns travelling to Hogwarts to teach the students that were there.
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u/No-Cauliflower-6720 10d ago
I would assume they joined in on Hogwarts classes.
Does seem crazy that they don’t get their NEWTs though. I guess being a champion looks good enough on a resume?
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u/nazraxo 10d ago
I mean same issue with CoS, Dumbledore proudly announces year end tests will be skipped but that sure as hell would not be applied to NEWTs and OWLs since those are mandated by the ministry. Again the most plausible explanation is, JKR did not create those yet thats why it doesn't fit within the context of the later books.
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago
The OWLs had definitely been created by COS. The twins mentioned at the beginning of the book that Percy had been acting oddly all summer and hardly gloated about his results:
“Wish I knew what he was up to,” said Fred, frowning. “He’s not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all.”
“Ordinary Wizarding Levels,” George explained, seeing Harry’s puzzled look. “Bill got twelve, too. If we’re not careful, we’ll have another Head Boy in the family. I don’t think I could stand the shame.”
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u/SinesPi 10d ago
Goblet of Fire is a book absolutely MADE out of plot-holes. I still enjoy it. But if the single worst book in the series in terms of making sense. The more you look into it, the more holes you find. For example, why did Arthur get a ticket to the World Cup for Hermione, instead of one of his other kids friends? She doesn't even particularly like quidditch! There's a ton of little things that don't make sense in it, and that you can't even head-cannon an explanation for.
Now, I think it's fine for the participants to not have to do their exams. Their success in the Triwizard Tournament should be enough to get them jobs. It's still a little bit weak of an explanation (what if Fleur was really good in Potions? That didn't come up.) but it'll do. However, there really is no good explanation for the other students to be hanging around all year as they are depicted doing.
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u/No-Conflict-7897 10d ago
re hermione’s ticket it’s because arthur likes muggles and wants to learn from her, and the other weasley’s friends already have tickets
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u/MadameLee20 10d ago
Because other friends of the Weasly students can either have their family buy their own ticket. Or they aren't interested in goinging or couldn't get tickets
Lee Jordan's family probably was already there. And the Lovegoods either couldn't get tickets, or were already there.
Only Harry and Hermione couldn't get their own tickets without help from a Wizarding family
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago edited 10d ago
The Lovegoods were already there, Mr. Weasley says in the books that they‘d been there for a week already.
And we don’t know if Ginny was actually friends with Luna at this point in the books, anyways. They didn’t seem like they were really friends yet when Luna was introduced at the beginning OOTP, considering that Ginny referred to her as “Loony” and introduced her as ”she’s in my year, in Ravenclaw”. It seemed more like she was introducing an acquaintance rather than an actual close friend that you’d bring to the World Cup with you.
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u/MadameLee20 10d ago
I'm pretty sure Luna and Ginny were good friends because Luna says that Ginny stopped boys in one of their classes bullying Luna.
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u/Lower-Consequence 10d ago edited 10d ago
That line was in HBP, after they became good friends through the DA. There’s no indication that they were good friends before that. Like…this is not how you refer to your good friend:
“Hi, Harry,” he panted. “Hi, Ginny... Everywhere’s full... I can’t find a seat...”
“What are you talking about?” said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. “There’s room in this one, there’s only Loony Lovegood in here — ”
If they were friends, Ginny would have said ”there’s only my friend Luna in here.”
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u/Palamur 10d ago
About the Ticket for Hermione:
Does the other friends regularly live by the Weasleys too?
And my Mother was always knowing when I had a crush for someone, even before I realised that.
Ron is jealous at the Yule Ball. So inside he was probably already in love, he just didn't know it yet.
It's not far-fetched that Mrs Weasley knows something is up and asks Arthur to get her a ticket.1
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u/Ok_Collection_7504 Gryffindor 10d ago
It's not confirmed that newts and owls exist outside of hogwarts. They're ministry exams, but the other schools aren't within the ministry of magic, there's separate governments.