Harry Potter: Real Lawyers Argue Who Is Held Liable In Goblet Of Fire's Death
Though the "Harry Potter" series starts off as relatively light young adult wish fulfillment, by the end of the series, things have gotten pretty dark. While the last few films seemingly go all-in on this more grown-up tone, there is a notable shift in the third and fourth stories that helps the transition. After all, as if the haunting dementors weren't scary enough in "Prisoner of Azkaban," a student is outright murdered at the end of "Goblet of Fire."
However, who should be held responsible for Cedric Diggory's (Robert Pattinson) death in the world of "Harry Potter?" Though fans will recall that Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) cast the killing curse on the young Hogwarts student under the orders of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), how much legal responsibility should the magical school itself shoulder?
This is the question that @higginsfirm mulled over on TikTok. In the video, two lawyers discuss whether Hogwarts should be held liable for Diggory's demise, and they seem to come to different conclusions based on muggle law. While one suggested that the school of witchcraft and wizardry should bear some legal responsibility in the case, the other seemed to think that Diggory had waived his rights when he put his name in the goblet in the first place.
Who is responsible for the death of Cedric Diggory?
While the debate is frivolous and is definitely being done in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner, the question itself is somewhat intriguing. One of the participants noted, for instance, that Cedric is 17 in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," thus making him an adult in the world of the story. Meanwhile, the other noted that the negligence of Hogwarts and the other schools could supersede this agreement, regardless of whether the student waived his rights by joining the competition.
Of course, being that the secretive Wizarding World of the "Harry Potter" franchise has its own police force and legal system, we can likely assume that the laws of our own society don't have much bearing on whether someone would be charged or sued in response to the death of Cedric Diggory. Still, for fans who are deep into the lore, even the most minute details of the Wizarding World are rife for endless debate, and thus, the question of who's liable for Diggory's death could become a heated topic of debate among fans of the franchise. In fact, more to the point, a full list of laws in the world of "Harry Potter" would make for some interesting material in its own right.