Question: Why did Voldemort go to all the trouble of having Barty Jr. transform into Mad Eye etc. when he could have simply made anything into a port-key and arranged for Harry to touch it?
kyliestrum
14th Jun 2016
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Answer: Voldemort had no intention of returning using the portkey. He wanted to kill Harry and have only about a dozen Death Eaters know of his return. Getting the prophecy would be simple as the Order wouldn't have been reassembled. Getting the giants on his side would be done without interference. Breaking others out of Azkaban would be next. He could do so much more without interference from the Order. Harry wasn't supposed to survive and thus warn Dumbledore.
Chosen answer: Voldemort's intention was to return via the same portkey in front of the assembled crowd and make his return immediately known in a very public fashion. In order to do so, he needed to wait for the crowd to be assembled. Crouch's job was to ensure Harry got to the portkey first.
Phixius ★