82
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Gryffindor already have a Quidditch Seeker before Harry's appointment?
Harry was identified by McGonagall prior to the trial:
Note, in his welcome speech, Dumbledore states:
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term"
On Thursday of his second week*, ...
- 40.2k
72
votes
Accepted
Are students required to attend Quidditch matches?
All signs point to inter-school Quidditch matches being voluntary to attend, but also extremely popular, to the point where attendance is pretty much essential, from a social perspective.
‘Stop ...
- 718k
70
votes
Why did Victor Krum catch the Snitch in the Quidditch World Cup?
To quote the book;
"What did he catch the Snitch for?" Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up
and down, applauding withhis hands over his head. "He ended it when
Ireland were a hundred and sixty ...
- 3,238
70
votes
Accepted
Why does Harry not know / realize that he's already performed a 'Wronski Feint'?
Harry didn't do a Wronski Feint, he just did a normal feint.
My feeling is that the key element of the famed Wronkski Feint is that it's basically a game of chicken with your opponent (and the ground)....
- 718k
70
votes
If being "unseated" by a bludger is a common occurrence, why did everyone freak out about Harry falling off of his broom?
While the theoretical purpose of Bludgers may indeed be to knock players off their brooms, in practice all they really do at Hogwarts is cause minor injuries. This can be seen from the exchange ...
- 45k
69
votes
Accepted
Why did Victor Krum catch the Snitch in the Quidditch World Cup?
The Irish Seeker was about to catch it anyway.
Krum didn't decide to catch the Snitch without prompting. When Krum caught the Snitch, the Irish Seeker had seen it and was going to catch it himself. ...
- 106k
66
votes
Why did the Slytherin team opt for size over skill, given their many defeats?
1) They kept size over skill because it was very effective for them in the past, and it seemed to beat most other teams even in the present. The Slytherin team was often in contention for the cup, ...
- 2,071
58
votes
Accepted
How is the winner of the Hogwarts Quidditch cup determined?
Point difference
This is made clear in Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry has to defer catching the Snitch until Gryffindor has accumulated enough of a lead, otherwise Slytherin wins the cup:
Slytherin ...
- 165k
58
votes
Why did the Slytherin team opt for size over skill, given their many defeats?
I think the main issue is ironically, not Marcus Flint as captain, but Malfoy.
There is something that you are overlooking in your base assumptions, which is that, while Slytherin have been losing to ...
- 1,856
57
votes
Accepted
The punishment is small and the reward is high, so why not foul the Seeker?
It is a tactic commonly used in Quidditch.
As mentioned in Quidditch through the Ages, attacking the opposing team’s Seeker is a common tactic. Due to their important role in determining the score, ...
- 106k
54
votes
If being "unseated" by a bludger is a common occurrence, why did everyone freak out about Harry falling off of his broom?
The reaction in the books is in keeping with how people react to life threatening events in real sports. To give an example: consider crashes in Formula 1.
As with most motorsports, dramatic, high-...
- 2,111
53
votes
Accepted
Why was Ginny not allowed to play Quidditch with her brothers?
As Valorum said, it's basically because she's a girl, but it's more involved than that. Ginny is the only girl and the youngest, so it's probably a bit of them being protective and a lot them not ...
- 2,749
53
votes
Accepted
Are Ron's Quidditch points wrong?
Ron conceded 24 goals.
It's correct to say that the only way you can score points in Quidditch is through scoring with the Quaffle or catching the Golden Snitch. Hufflepuff scored 240 points, ...
- 62.1k
52
votes
Accepted
How did Fred and George know the outcome of the Quidditch World Cup final?
Ok, I've found a quote from JKR:
ES: How on earth did Fred and George know that Ireland would win and
Bulgaria would get the Snitch?
JKR: Well, I think that if you were really into Quidditch ...
- 3,238
52
votes
Accepted
How did Dobby curse the Bludger?
House-elf magic is different than wizards’.
Any protection that Bludgers have from magical interference mightn’t work against house-elf magic, since house-elf magic is different than wizards’ magic. ...
- 106k
51
votes
How old is quidditch?
There's a whole (out-of-universe, and also in-universe) book on this subject: Quidditch Through the Ages.
According to this book, the first game of what might be recognized as quidditch was played in ...
- 165k
50
votes
Accepted
Why are there are no standby players in Quidditch?
Professional teams have standby players. Hogwarts teams also have reserves, but their usage is inconsistent.
Harry's ex-captain, Oliver Wood, gets employed as a reserve.
Oliver Wood, the old ...
- 62.1k
50
votes
Would Hogwarts' Quidditch teams accept students from different houses?
It’s probably against the rules, and certainly very atypical.
Professor McGonagall tells students that they can sign up for their house team by asking their Head of House to put them down for tryouts. ...
- 106k
47
votes
Why did the Slytherin team opt for size over skill, given their many defeats?
Quidditch practice keeps the school's worst troublemakers busy and tired.
It's a subtle tool for maintaining order at Hogwarts by enlisting the students' unknowing aid in their own policing. The ...
- 17.5k
44
votes
Why are there are no standby players in Quidditch?
Its very interesting to see that this question brought out a plothole in HP. As Skooba mentions in his answer, Quidditch through the Ages mentions:
In the case of injury, no substitution of players ...
- 26.9k
40
votes
Accepted
Is there any Quidditch match where the Snitch did not make up for the score difference?
Yes, there was.
When the Gryffindor team was getting thoroughly beat by Hufflepuff due to Harry being banned from the team, Ginny caught the Snitch but Gryffindor still lost by ten points.
“The ...
- 106k
39
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Harry just buy the whole team Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones?
There's actually a quote to answer that very question. In the third book, when the Firebolt is taken by the teachers to be examinated for hexes, Wood suggests that Harry could buy a Nimbus 2001. ...
- 58.3k
34
votes
If being "unseated" by a bludger is a common occurrence, why did everyone freak out about Harry falling off of his broom?
The team was worried Harry might have died from so high a fall.
In addition to the unusual circumstances that caused Harry to fall, he’d also fallen from high up, and his teammates thought he had died ...
- 106k
28
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Gryffindor Quidditch team have more senior players in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?
There were probably several players that needed to be replaced the previous year.
The out-of-universe explanation is that, yes, having the same batch of players in the team throughout Harry's first ...
- 62.1k
26
votes
Accepted
Can Chasers just fly through Quidditch hoops while holding the Quaffle in order to score?
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 ...
- 106k
25
votes
Accepted
Which professional Quidditch team does Harry support?
There isn't much information, but probably the Chudley Cannons out of loyalty to Ron.
Harry gets a book from Ron on the Chudley Cannons from Ron as a Christmas present. He considered the book a good ...
- 106k
25
votes
Why do professional Quidditch games last longer on average than college games?
Cricket, another game played at all levels in the UK (school up to international level) has versions at the professional level which is not over-limited and can go on for up to 5 days.
One would think ...
- 6,298
24
votes
Accepted
Why did the Slytherin team opt for size over skill, given their many defeats?
The problem isn't the Slytherin team, it's being up against Harry.
The Slytherin Quidditch team is actually fairly good in general, either despite or because of their brutal tactics. The problem, ...
- 106k
23
votes
Accepted
Has a squib ever played Quidditch?
No. All signs point to squibs being incapable of using broomsticks, largely based on the Pottermore article describing the life and times of Angus Buchanan, bestselling author of My Life As A Squib.
...
- 718k
23
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Dumbledore attend the Quidditch World Cup final?
Because the Ministry wasn't expecting any issues with Dark Magic.
It's true that Dumbledore's presence scares Dark wizards and witches. Even Lord Voldemort feared him. But the Ministry is a ...
- 62.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible