Why the Triwizard Championship?

[cynthiaanncoe at home.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26796

 Lucy wrote:> 
> I'd be grateful if someone could solve the problem that's been 
bothering us. Why does Harry have to be entered for the Tournament in 
the first place? Surely if Dumbledore's protections don't work 
against a Portkey on the Quidditch Pitch, they wouldn't work in the 
school either. All the fake Moody has to do is to turn Harry's 
homework book or something into a Portkey and call Harry up to his 
desk to get it. He doesn't care if people see Harry disappear because 
Voldemort will have him by then. If he really wants it to be secret, 
he could just send Harry out of the room to fetch whatever he's 
turned into the Portkey. Can someone make sense of this?
> 

Many people have been bothered by this, although I must confess that 
it didn't even occur to me when I first read GoF.  Creative theories 
have been advanced.  One is that fake Moody needed time to learn how 
to change something into a portkey.  

The theory that I like best (not mine, by the way) is that Hogwarts 
has defenses against the use of portkeys for security reasons such 
that they don't work on the grounds.  Dumbledore made an exception 
for the Triwizard Tournament because the winner should not have to 
fight his/her way back out of the maze after winning.  So the cup was 
supposed to be a one-way ticket to the front of the maze.  Moody just 
added a pit stop at the graveyard.

Now, what I can't figure out is why Moody doesn't call Harry to his 
office the day before the tournament (by then, Voldemort is all 
rested up and ready for a first-class rebirthing) and transfigure 
Harry into a ferret, put him in a cage, leave Hogwarts and then just 
hand Harry the ferret to Voldemort.

Cindy