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In Harry Potter, Quidditch matches involve Chasers attempting to score 10 points at a time by throwing the Quaffle through one of the three hoops at the appropriate end of the Quidditch pitch.

Said three hoops appear to be quite large... large enough for a human to fly through:

Cormac McLaggen in front of the Quidditch hoops during Keeper tryouts in Harry Potter 6

Is it legal for a Chaser to score by holding the Quaffle and flying through the hoop themselves? Or is there some rule that stipulates scoring must be done otherwise?

Understandably it would be difficult due to the opposing Keeper, any Bludgers flying around nearby, and necessary angle of attack (on top of flying at relatively high speeds), but there's no shortage of similarly outlandish plays throughout Quidditch history and the Harry Potter novels/movies, so I'm a bit surprised that such a scoring method isn't shown or at least attempted to date.

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    Do the books actually describe the size of the goals? Or is the "large enough to fly through" just a movie thing?
    – Michael Richardson
    Commented Oct 8, 2020 at 15:34

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No, that is considered a foul.

While it is possible for a Chaser to fly through the hoop holding the Quaffle, keeping a hand on the Quaffle while it goes through the hoop is listed as a foul in Quidditch Through the Ages.

Haversacking: Chasers only

Hand still on Quaffle as it goes through goal hoop (Quaffle must be thrown)
- Quidditch Through the Ages

So while it is possible, it is against the rules of Quidditch. Any goals made this way would presumably be disallowed, as is explicitly stated to be the case in another example of Chasers scoring in ways against the rules.

“A new rule was introduced which stated that only the Chaser carrying the Quaffle could enter the scoring area. If more than one Chaser entered, the goal would be disallowed.”
- Quidditch Through the Ages

Therefore, it would be a waste of time to try it rather than using that effort on an accepted way of scoring goals.

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    Nice. This also deals with the question of whether you can hold it with your feet (or any other appendages you might have).
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 7, 2020 at 19:48
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    You may want to provide evidence that a foul means that the goal doesn't count, not just that the other team gets a penalty shot.
    – Alex
    Commented Oct 7, 2020 at 20:34
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    @Alex That's a fair point, though it's a pretty universal concept across sports worldwide that any beneficial action (such as scoring) occurring as the result of a foul is negated (unless otherwise specified).
    – TylerH
    Commented Oct 7, 2020 at 20:55
  • @Valorum Unless you have throw-able appendages that are not hands. Like a head, if you're a fully decapitated ghost or other odd creature.
    – Mast
    Commented Oct 8, 2020 at 11:59
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    Also, in theory you could throw it through the hoop from the back - unlike a soccer or hockey net, there's nothing physically stopping you from doing that. Even in basketball, it's harder to throw a ball through the net going upwards. But not so in quidditch. In American football, you can't kick a field goal from the back because you'd be out of bounds, but quidditch doesn't seem to have "out of bounds" per se (evidenced by Harry chasing the snitch under the stands at one point).
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Commented Oct 8, 2020 at 14:03

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