Giovanni André

In Goblet of Fire, I wouldn’t have made Cedric Diggory the Hogwarts champion and martyr. I would have given that role to a Slytherin. Imagine a relatively unknown sixth- or seventh-year Slytherin being chosen by the Goblet of Fire. Let’s call him Callum MacGregor. Callum is over the moon. He isn’t a Quidditch player, so this is his chance to represent his house, show his resourcefulness and prove his ambition. But not everyone is happy. Remember Ron’s reaction when a Slytherin puts his name forward? “We can’t have a Slytherin champion!” At first, things play out much as they do in the book. The Slytherins are thrilled and start giving Harry even more grief than they did when Cedric was champion. Callum doesn’t take part in most of the teasing, but he’s still bitter that the other houses refuse to support him, even though he is the legitimate Hogwarts champion. Then Harry finds out about the dragons. He knows Callum is the only champion who hasn’t been warned, but he tells him anyway because it’s the right thing to do. Ron thinks Harry has lost his mind. Callum, meanwhile, tells the other Slytherins to ease up on the Potter Stinks badges. He feels a little indebted to Harry, even if he doesn’t want to owe Potter anything. Later, he helps Harry with the egg clue, just as Cedric did in the book. They aren’t friends, but they become cordial. Both understand that a Hogwarts victory is better than no victory at all. Harry might even find himself thinking, That Callum is all right… for a Slytherin. Then comes the maze. Krum attacks Callum, and Harry saves him. When they finally reach the Triwizard Cup, Harry is struggling with his broken leg and tells Callum to take it. But Callum refuses. He knows Harry would have beaten him in the second task if he hadn’t stopped to save the other hostages. “Krum would have finished me down here without your help!” Callum says. Harry suggests they take the Cup together. Callum agrees. A Gryffindor and a Slytherin, working together to bring the Triwizard victory back to Hogwarts. And then they arrive in the graveyard. Harry hears the voice speaking to Wormtail: “Kill the spare.” And he watches Wormtail murder Callum, the Slytherin he had slowly come to respect. That change would make the ending hit differently. It would blur the lines between Slytherins, Death Eaters and their victims. Callum wouldn't be a villain or a secret hero. He would simply be a Hogwarts student who happened to belong to Slytherin, and Voldemort would kill him without a second thought. And imagine Malfoy bragging about serving Voldemort on the Hogwarts Express in Half-Blood Prince after Voldemort had murdered the Slytherin champion in cold blood. That would give the scene an entirely different weight.