GoF: The Age Line

[davenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 132418

<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> Geoff:
> But aren't you forgetting something?
> 
> 'Moody's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile.
> "Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... 
prepared 
> to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above 
> all... you"
> "You didn't... it - it can't be you..."
> "Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire under the name of a 
> different school? I did."'
> 

I know that Moody/Crouch Jr. threw his name in.  But everyone is 
running around worried about who might have wanted to put Harry in 
danger, and speculating about Karkaroff and death eaters and 
Voldemort and so on, when no one says "anyone of age could have put 
it in" and interrogated all the 17 yr olds in the school with 
veritaserum.

But regardless, my further point is that it's a very weak spot in 
the story - you have this Goblet, which doesn't care how old the 
students are, you have the schools agreeing on an age limit, 
Dumbledore puts in an age line preventing underagers from putting 
their names in, but NOTHING to prevent an of-ager from putting 
ANYONE's name in - and since the Goblet's choice creates a magical 
pact, no one could do anything if an underager was put in there and 
selected!  And yet when Harry's name comes out, everyone is 
flabbergasted - did the trick the age line? Did he ask an older 
student?  No... well then SOMEONE wants him DEAD and we better all 
be careful!!!  No one speculates that it was just another student 
playing a prank.  Bizarre.

- davenclaw