Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Chapter 3 Summary
The Invitation
Chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, titled “The Invitation” deals with the current state of the Dursley household, and a letter from Ron.
Breakfast with the Dursleys
Harry enters the kitchen to find Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley already seated at the table. None of them acknowledge his presence as he sits down. Uncle Vernon hides behind the morning newspaper, while Aunt Petunia meticulously slices a grapefruit. Dudley looks particularly sulky and seems to be occupying even more place than usual.
Aunt Petunia brings Dudely a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit, and he glowers at her.
Dudely had just received his end-of-year school report. His parents had made excuses for his bad grades and completely looked over the bullying accusations. However, something even they couldn’t ignore was the fact that the school did not produce knickerbockers for Dudely’s size. Far from needing nutrition, as Petunia claimed, Dudely needed to be put on a diet.
After a lot of fights and tantrums, Dudely’s diet had been taped to the fridge; and it included none of his favourite foods. To make him feel better, the Dursleys had put Harry on the same diet and made sure his portions were lesser than Dudely’s.
The Invitation
Unbeknownst to Aunt Petunia, Harry was not following the diet. The second Harry had found out about the diet, he had begged his friends for help, and they had all risen to the occasion magnificently.
Harry was sent snacks by Sirius, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid; which he had skillfully stashed under a loose floorboard. This meant that after the grapefruit, Harry could look forward to having a real breakfast in his room.
As Harry eats his grapefruit without complaining, Uncle Vernon sighs in frustration at his portion. The doorbell rings, and Uncle Vernon heads to answer it. Dudley takes advantage of this and quickly steals the rest of Uncle Vernon’s grapefruit.
Moments later, Uncle Vernon returns, looking furious, and orders Harry into the living room. Confused as to what could he have done, Harry follows.
Uncle Vernon holds up a letter written on purple parchment. It is addressed to Petunia and himself, by Mrs. Weasley. She wishes to invite Harry over to watch the Quidditch World Cup. The tickets are extremely hard to come by, which makes it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She further offers to host him for the summer and requests that Harry reply to the letter through Hedwig.
Uncle Vernon’s Dilemma
Harry asks if he can go, and Uncle Vernon glares at him. On one hand, letting Harry go would mean allowing him to enjoy himself, something Vernon detested. On the other, it would mean getting rid of Harry earlier than expected. He asks about Mrs. Weasley and Quidditch and makes remarks which annoy Harry.
Harry, however, remains calm and mentions that he needs to complete his letter to Sirius. Immediately, Vernon’s tone changes. Scared of what Harry’s murderer godfather might do to him if Harry was mistreated or denied the trip, Vernon gives in.
He allows Harry to go to the World Cup but insists that the Weasleys pick him up themselves.
Elated, Harry rushes out of the living room, nearly colliding with Dudley, who had been eavesdropping. Noticing Harry’s grin, Dudley is taken aback. Harry teasingly remarks that breakfast was excellent, then races upstairs, unable to contain his excitement.
A Letter from Ron
Once in his room, Harry finds that Hedwig has returned, and she is not alone. A tiny, hyperactive owl, resembling a feathery tennis ball, crashes into Harry’s head and drops a letter at his feet. Harry picks it up, and realizes it is from Ron.
Ron confirms that his father has secured tickets for the Quidditch World Cup; Ireland vs. Bulgaria, and that Mrs. Weasley has already sent an invitation to the Dursleys. He urges Harry to respond quickly, assuring him that they will pick him up at five o’clock on Sunday, regardless of the Dursleys’ answer. He also mentions the owl’s name, pig.
Harry looks at the owl and observes that he has never seen anything that looks less like a pig.
Having read the note, Harry calms the over-enthusiastic owl down and sits down to write his reply to Ron. He confirms that the muggles have agreed to let him go, and attaches the letter to the tiny owl’s leg. He then turns to Hedwig and attaches his response to Sirius on its leg. Through the letter, Harry tells Sirius that he will be at Ron’s, in case Sirius wants to contact him.
The chapter ends as Harry watches Hedwig fly away with his letter. He is excited for the Quidditch World Cup, his scar feels perfectly normal, and he does not have a care in the world.
