Derivative Elements in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Below is a sampling of elements I found in my reading of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that seem to be drawn directly from other works of sci-fi and fantasy. (Of course, these elements are, in many cases, themselves drawn from even earlier myth and legend.)

For my review of the book, see this earlier post.

Story Element	As Used in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	As Used in Other Works of Fiction
Orphan hero with special abilities, raised by extended family, beset by evil forces	Harry	Wart (Sword in the Stone); Frodo (Lord of the Rings)
Main character with glasses as significant prop item	Harry	Charles (Witch Week)
Gruff but caring bearded wizard mentor	Dumbledore; Sirius	Merlin (Sword in the Stone); Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)
Female friend of main character whose immediate reactions in crisis are to (a) talk to adult teacher authority figure and (b) consult a book	Hermione Granger	Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Irritating, long-eared, eager-to-please sycophant on the side of the good guys with semi-Caribbean accent	Dobby the House Elf	Jar Jar Binks (The Star Wars Saga)
Creepy, unattractive servant to an evil wizard	Wormtail: assistant to Lord Valdemort	Wormtongue: assistant to Saruman (Lord of the Rings)
Wizard family with last name starting with “W”	The Weasleys	The Wentworths (Witch Week)
Mean, out-of-shape, male stepfamily member in superior position over hero	Dudley Dursley	Sir Kay (Sword in the Stone)
Powerful but somewhat out-of-his-element wizard dressed in suit and tie	Bartholomew Crouch	Chrestomanci (Witch Week)
Peripheral character obsessed with violent mythological creature(s)	Hagrid and his Blast-Ended Skrewts	Lord Pellinore and his Questing Beast (Sword in the Stone)
Occasionally grouchy pet owl	Hedwig: Harry’s pet owl (used as messenger)	Archimedes: Merlin’s pet owl (can speak English) (Sword in the Stone)
Boarding school for magical youth	Hogwarts: boarding school for wizards	Larwood House: boarding school for witch orphans (Witch Week)
Cozy home where main character feels relaxed	The Burrow: the Weasley family home (named as if it was underground)	Bag End: Bilbo’s underground home (Lord of the Rings)
Phrase “Witch Week”	Name of witch industry magazine (Witch Weekly)	Name of book (Witch Week)
Wizard-on-wizard duel	Harry vs. Lord Valdemort (primarily conducted via wands)	Merlin vs. Madam Mim (primarily conducted through transfiguration into animals) (Sword in the Stone)
Magical item helping main character at key moment	Ruby-encrusted sword: came to Harry’s aid when he had thought all hope was lost	Light of Galadriel: serves as a light when all other lights have gone out (Lord of the Rings)
Sword pulled out of something by main character	Sword pulled out of Sorting Hat	Sword pulled out of Stone (Sword in the Stone)
Ancient, silvery-surfaced seeing device	Pensieve: allows you to see and organize memories	Palantír: allows you to see things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be (Lord of the Rings)