The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ‘binding contract’ plot hole has bothered fans for years, but the moment is explained by a curse revealed in the Harry Potter books. The fourth installment of the popular series is the one that had the most changes from book to screen. Compared to Harry’s earlier years at Hogwarts, Goblet of Fire was far more complex, which meant a good deal of the mystery had to be left out of the Warner Bros film. Unfortunately, this meant key explanations were cut, affecting how audiences perceived the Barty Crouch plotline.

When Harry’s name was selected from the Goblet of Fire in the fourth Harry Potter book and movie, Dumbledore was reluctant to allow Harry to compete. He turned to Barty Crouch, who, as the Ministry of Magic official responsible for carrying out the Triwizard Tournament and had the most knowledge about the magical processes. This was when Crouch explained that Harry had no choice but to participate since the Goblet of Fire was a binding magical contract. Of course, since Harry wasn’t the one to enter his name, this never made sense. Still, there could be a good reason for Crouch’s answer.

Barty Crouch Sr Was Under The Imperius Curse In The Goblet Of Fire Book

Fans of the Harry Potter series have long been frustrated with the ‘binding contract’ stipulation since it never made sense that Harry would be held to an agreement he never signed up for. Dumbledore should have known better, but he instead listened to Barty Crouch. It’s important to remember that though the headmaster disagreed with Crouch’s methods, he knew the Ministry official to be obsessed with rules and regulations. Dumbledore trusted that Crouch would know if Harry would be obligated to participate—but there was an important detail he didn’t know.

Though the Harry Potter movies left it out entirely, Barty Crouch had been under the Imperius Curse for most of Goblet of Fire. In the books, Barty Crouch Jr had been imprisoned within Crouch Sr’s home for years before he escaped and rejoined Lord Voldemort. When the Dark Lord required someone to sabotage the Triwizard Tournament, Barty Crouch Jr was the perfect man for the job since his father was in charge of the event. So, Crouch Jr placed Crouch Sr under the Imperius Curse, ensuring that the man would say precisely what he and Voldemort needed him to say.

This meant that when Dumbledore turned to Crouch Sr to answer whether Harry needed to compete, the Ministry official certainly wouldn’t have provided an answer that would have gotten the boy out of harm’s way. Crouch Jr (disguised as Mad-Eye Moody) put Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire, to begin with, so he needed his father not to undo his good work. So, Crouch Sr announced that Harry had no choice but to compete—ensuring the boy was one step closer to touching the Portkey Triwizard Cup.

Was The Goblet Of Fire Really A Magically Binding Contract?

It’s unclear whether Barty Crouch Sr lied about the Goblet of Fire being a magically binding contract. Since those who enter must be legal adult wizards, and they technically sign their names on a piece of paper before entering, it makes sense that there would be some magical obligation to continue. However, this was never announced to the students before they entered. Undoubtedly, fewer would have signed up for the dangerous competition had they known they were signing away their ability to opt-out. This seems to imply that Crouch Sr was lying to ensure Harry competed.

Still, a lot about this continues to make little sense. If Crouch were lying, surely Dumbledore would have at least been suspicious. Harry was an underage wizard who swore that he had not been the one to enter his name into the Goblet of Fire (and Dumbledore believed him). Even if there had been a binding contract, Harry shouldn’t have been held to it since he wasn’t a legal adult—something Dumbledore would have also been clever enough to realize. Of course, the headmaster often took a “wait and see” approach. He might have immediately recognized something was off about Crouch Sr’s answer but wanted to allow events to unfold.

Why The Goblet Of Fire Movie Cut Barty Crouch Jr’s Full Story

Ultimately, things would have made much more sense in the Harry Potter movie if Warner Bros had simply included Barty Crouch Jr’s full story. The film’s ending never explained how Crouch Sr and his wife had gone to great lengths to help their son escape Azkaban Prison and how Crouch Jr had spent years imprisoned in his father’s home under the Imperius Curse himself. The movie never explained how Crouch Jr pulled off his plans or how Goblet of Fire hinted at the Harry Potter series’ twist ending—all vital information from the book’s final moments.

This all likely came down to timing. The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book was packed full of information and characters. In one of the final chapters, Dumbledore interviewed Crouch Jr using the truth potion and also talked to Winky, the Crouches’ house-elf, who revealed how she had been charged with looking over her master’s son for years. This involved a lot of talking, which wouldn’t have been as exciting in the movie as in the book. So, Barty Crouch Jr’s full story, including how his Imperius Curse answered for the ‘binding contract’ pothole, has never made it to the screen—at least not yet.