Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Chapter 4 Summary
Back to the Burrow
Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, titled “Back to the Burrow”, deals with the Weasleys picking Harry up from Pivet Drive.
The Weasleys Arrive
Harry packs all his belongings, ready to spend the rest of the summer at the Burrow. As he waits for the Weasleys to arrive, Vernon throws a barrage of questions at him.
Vernon hopes that the Weasleys would have the ‘decency’ to dress like normal people, but Harry highly doubts it. He also inquires if they would be driving, but Harry isn’t sure since they had lost their car last year.
The Weasleys are supposed to arrive at 5 o’clock, but they seem to be late. At half past 5, Vernon starts to scrutinize their lack of punctuality, when the Weasleys finally arrive; through floo powder.
Fred, George, and Arthur Weasley find themselves stuck inside the Dursley’s blocked fireplace. They frantically scramble around, and Ron joins them there. Harry informs Arthur that the Dursleys have an electric fire, and the fireplace is blocked off for that reason. Not knowing what else to do, Arthur blasts the fireplace open.
Weasleys and Dursleys
The blast covers the Dursley’s living room with dust and wall. Arthur stretches a hand to greet Vernon, but he grabs Petunia and backs away several steps. Arthur apologizes for destroying their fireplace and promises to fix it before leaving.
He greets Harry and looks around the house. Arthur, being a huge fan of muggle artifacts, immediately notices all the fancy electronics that the Dursleys own. He announces that he collects plugs and batteries, which makes Vernon think he is insane.
Vernon moves slightly towards his wife as if trying to shield her. Dudely reenters the room, and Arthur greets him. Dudely, still traumatized from the time Hagrid gave him a tail, clutches his bottom, and does not reply.
Fred and George fetch Harry’s trunk from his room, and Arthur lights a fire to go back to the Burrow. As Fred goes to step into the fire, he drops a bag of candies. He scrambles to pick everything up, and waves at the Dursleys cheerfully.
One by one, everyone steps into the fire, until only Harry and Arthur remain. Harry bids goodbye to the Dursleys but gets no reply. This angers Arthur, who holds Harry back and scolds them.
Vernon clearly does not want to be taught manners by the man who had just destroyed half his living room wall, but since Arthur still had his wand on him, he did not have a choice.
Dudely Eats a Toffee
Harry starts to step into the fire but hears Petunia scream and stops. He turns back to see Dudely kneeling beside the coffee table, gagging on his own tongue, which had grown to a foot in length. A brightly colored toffee wrapper lay next to him, which explained everything Harry needed to know.
Arthur tries to help, but Petunia screams and shields Dudely from him. She tugs at Dudely’s tongue, and he seems to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and tongue. Vernon angrily chucks a piece of China at Arthur, who dodges it and tells Harry to leave it to him and go.
Harry doesn’t want to miss the fun, but Vernon’s second throw narrowly misses his ear. Fearing his safety, Harry steps into the fire and shouts “The Burrow”.
The chapter ends as Harry catches a fleeting glimpse of the chaotic living room, and lands in the Weasley kitchen fire.
