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harry potter - Why didn't anybody Summon the Triwizard cup in the maze?


We know that the Triwizard cup itself was Summonable. After all, Harry did Summon it in the graveyard.


So why didn't any of the contestants Summon it while in the maze?


Canonical answers, please.



Answer



This answer probably won't be the conclusive canonical answer that Mithrandir is looking for. The issue isn't clearly addressed in the books, however, so it's difficult to be definitive. There are two options.


There were charms on the Cup to prevent anyone from Summoning it.


This is probably the most likely option. Similar charms were placed by Voldemort on the cave in which he hid the locket in order to protect the Horcrux.



Harry had not expected this, but cleared his throat and said loudly, wand aloft, “Accio Horcrux!”

With a noise like an explosion, something very large and pale erupted out of the dark water some twenty feet away; before Harry could see what it was, it had vanished again with a crashing splash that made great, deep ripples on the mirrored surface. Harry leapt backward in shock and hit the wall; his heart was still thundering as he turned to Dumbledore.
“What was that?”
“Something, I think, that is ready to respond should we attempt to seize the Horcrux.”
(Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 26, The Cave).



Putting anti-Summoning Charms on the Cup would simply be a prudent preventative measure to ensure fair competition on the part of the Ministry. Considering that Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman and others had spent many months (if not years) preparing for the Tournament I'm sure that they would've thought of such a simple defensive precaution.


It's true to say that the Cup was Summonable in Little Hangleton. Any protective charms may well have applied to the geographical area (i.e. the maze) rather than to the object itself, as tobiasvl says. Since nobody apart from Crouch Junior ever expected the Cup to leave the maze it's reasonable to suppose that any anti-Summoning charms would just apply to the maze and not to other locations.


Nobody thought of it at the time.


If it was possible to summon the Cup then the fact that no-one took advantage of the loophole can be put down to nobody attempting to use a Summoning Charm in the maze. It's possible that the contestants simply assumed that anti-summoning protections applied to the Cup and so didn't bother to waste time with a spell they thought would be ineffective.


Remember too that two of the contestants, Fleur Delacour and Victor Krum, were out of action for part of the Third Task. With Crouch Junior cursing contestants from outside the maze they were not able to perform at their peak.




“You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course,” said Moody. “I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear.”
(Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 35, Veritaserum).




Most likely explanation: The Cup was Summonable in Little Hangleton but not in Hogwarts because of protective charms placed on it by the Ministry.


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