35

I can understand that Harry didn't play Quidditch professionally because he felt becoming an Auror to catch Dark Wizards was more meaningful. Was he good enough to, though?

Ginny played professionally after the war, but she was a Chaser. She wasn't as good a Seeker as Harry, so we don't really have a point of reference. Has JKR ever said anything about this? Any other sources?

Improve this question
7
  • 1
    well, there is no canon answer that I also know of, I must say yours is an intriguing question indeed... given Harry's natural talent with a broom he should have pursued going pro...
    – RicoRicochet
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 4:01
  • 1
    Not the downvoter- but I am sure it's because this question falls under the "what if" category, which is not for this site. Not 100% sure though.
    – LepelLeLama
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 7:21
  • 1
    @LepelLeLama I thought so too which is why I asked if there was ever any confirmation of this by the author in an interview or mention in one of the companion books like Quidditch Through the Ages. It's not speculation or opinion.
    – Jay
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 14:37
  • 2
    It's not strong enough proof, but Stone chapter 16 says “Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in the century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.”
    – b_jonas
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 19:09
  • 2
    @LepelLeLama - this isn't anywhere near "what if" - it's perfectly plausible that canon answer exists.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 19:28

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
40

Yes

There really isn't any question to the matter when you consider the surrounding Wizarding world.

  1. Hogwarts was one of 11 total Wizarding schools.
  2. Harry was consistently the best performing seeker at Hogwarts.
  3. Quidditch teams recruit directly from wizarding schools. (see: Krum, and a noted attempt to recruit Charley Weasley).

So given that Harry was the top talent in the recruiting pool for England there is little chance a team needing a seeker wouldn't seriously consider him. Unlike in Muggle sports where even an above-average professional talent is one in a million, it appears that there aren't even a million wizards to pull from.

So Harry is at the top of the talent pool for all seven years at one of 11 noted scouting locations. This already places him around at least a one in a thousand level ranking. Given top athletes are one in a million out of a pool of seven billion Harry might actually better off on recruiting chances by a factor of seven than a one in a million muggle talent.

Furthermore there is obvious additional economic/promotional incentive to having "The Boy Who Lived" on your team.

Improve this answer
4
  • 9
    "Well reasoned."
    – Jay
    Commented Mar 27, 2015 at 17:58
  • 2
    Indeed. And what was that quote, was it in the first book, something about "Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it"?
    – Wildcard
    Commented Feb 14, 2017 at 4:41
  • All this opportunity to be recruited, all that added incentive to recruit The Boy Who Lived, yet we never read anything about any team trying to recruit him. Perhaps he wasn't that good after all.
    – SQB
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 13:31
  • @SQB: He -- and most of the wizarding community -- was a bit preoccupied during the time when he would presumably have been recruited (a.k.a. his 6th/7th year at Hogwarts). And after that, I imagine it would be well-known that he was joining the Aurors.
    – tonysdg
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 19:48
19

Harry's flying skill was complimented by Victor Krum himself (book 4), who was at that time one of the best Seekers in the world, as well as Ludo Bagman, a former professional Quidditch player, sportscaster, and the Head of the Magical Games Department (no book with me at work if anyone can help me out with edit quotes)

Another interesting point is that, most likely, professional leagues would draft star players on House Quidditch teams, as there was no Wizarding college from which professional teams could recruit good players. Krum himself was drafted while still attending Durmstrang.

Improve this answer
2
  • 3
    Bagman was also a former Pro Quidditch player. OTOH, he was biased towards Harry due to his bet on TWT
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 19:29
  • Krum was playing for a national team, not a club team
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 0:14
14

Harry was actually a good seeker who can play well, professionally also.

The quote from first book by Wood actually explains this point well.

'The quidditch cup will have our name on it this year' said wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle."I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better then Charlie Weasley,and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons".

-Oliver wood , Book 1 : Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone

Improve this answer
5
  • 5
    But then we're accepting an opinion of a 15-somewhat-year old and subjective boy as truth. Might not really be the best source to rely on.
    – Don_Biglia
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 7:50
  • Ya that's true, but we have to accept that McGonagall also had somewhat similar opinion about Harry , that was the main reason Harry was a youngest seeker in the team of Gryffindor.There are many evidence of his god-gifted talent.For example , the key Harry caught on the way after they get passed fluffy and all ..
    – Rajan
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 8:05
  • @Rajan - That in itself is also very bad to use as proof, since ALL of the rooms were 'completed' by three first years...
    – LepelLeLama
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 12:47
  • @LepelLeLama : Those 3 first years were not just normal , they were Amazing wizards. As Ron was best in wizard's Chess and Hermione of course , was know it All :)
    – Rajan
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 13:43
  • 1
    @Rajan - if the three 'amazing younglings can do that, what stops the amazing adults? The only thing worth-while in that whole obstacle course was the mirror
    – LepelLeLama
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 13:56
-1

what about when mcgonagall tells oliver about harry catching the rembreball how charlie weasley couldnt have done it so yea harry was good enough

Improve this answer
1
  • 2
    if you cite Wood's opinion that Charlie could have played professionally, and flesh it out a bit more, this could actually be a decent answer. None of the other answers reference this, and imo it's good secondary evidence from canon
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Apr 28, 2017 at 15:26

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.