It seems different enchantments trigger different consequences - for example, Lily's protective enchantment over Harry disappears the moment Harry turns seventeen, and the Unbreakable Vow results in death if broken. What constitutes the 'binding magical contract' in Goblet of Fire regarding the Triwizard Tournament? What are the repercussions of breaking the Triwizard contract? Both Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody stress the fact that Triwizard champions cannot withdraw from the tournament. However, I cannot find any canon reference to what would happen if a Triwizard champion outright refused to participate. Is there any canon source that addresses this? Please no Wikipedia/Wikia answers - I'm looking from information from the books or J.K. Rowling. An appropriate speculative answer based within the spirit of canon if a canon reference cannot be found is fine. For reference:
‘Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the Tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become champion.’ - Dumbledore -
Goblet of Fire - page 226 - Bloomsbury - chapter 16, The Goblet of Fire
and
‘He’s got to compete. They’ve all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?’ - Mad-Eye Moody -
Goblet of Fire - page 244 - Bloomsbury - chapter 17, The Four Champions
Answer
A magical contract would be able to cause its effects through two systems that I can think of:
- Compulsion, to cause the party to want to comply with the contract.
- Enforcement, by providing a negative action on those who do not comply with the contract.
Extrapolating based on what little canon we know, the contract obviously does not force the contractee into taking part by compulsion as Harry is repeatedly unwilling and reluctant to take part, only to be effectively ordered to do so by the organizers.
That leans me to believe that in this case, enforcement is how a magical contract goes about its work - especially since the most closely corresponding magic to what we know of the magical contract is the Unbreakable Vow, which also does its work via enforcement, and we do know what happens when you break the Unbreakable Vow:
"Well, you can’t break an Unbreakable Vow...."
"I’d worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?"
"You die," said Ron simply. "Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental," said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. "Only time I’ve ever seen Dad as angry as Mum, Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since." (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Harry taking part in the Tri-Wizard tournament is viewed as a potential death sentence:
"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."
...
"Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it," said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
It'd take some serious enforcement to make it worth risking potential death for. Given the analogous Unbreakable Vow and making Dumbledore and the likes willing to risk Harry's life in the Tournament, I can only come to the conclusion that the effect of breaking the magical contract is indeed death or some lasting injury, mental or physical. Nothing else seems to make sense given the evidence. And with those risks in mind, I can see the teachers not wanting to inform Harry of these risks in order to avoid distressing him any further than necessary.
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