Barberus Bragge is a wizard, Chief of the Wizards' Council and character in Quidditch Through the Ages.[1]
Biography[]
Barberus was Chief of the Wizards' Council in the thirteenth century.[1]
In 1269, Bragge brought a caged Golden Snidget to a Quidditch game where he offered a prize of one-hundred and fifty Galleons to the player who caught the fragile bird. Everyone stopped playing the game and started hunting the Snidget. A spectator, Modesty Rabnott, was very upset and tried to save the Snidget. She ran onto the pitch to beg Bragge to stop the game, but he laughed and threw the birdcage at her.[1]
The bird was kept within the area with Repelling Spells. Rabnott rescued the Snidget with the Summoning Charm before fleeing and releasing it. The bird got away but Rabnott was captured. Bragge was very angry with her and had to be calmed down by his advisors. For her behaviour, Rabnott was fined ten Galleons. However, this game provided the inspiration for a change in Quidditch. For a century afterwards, Golden Snidgets were released into Quidditch games. A new position was introduced, originally called the Hunter, which involved a player catching and killing the Snidget to end the game and gain their team one-hundred and fifty points. After the bird was nearly driven to extinction, Quidditch had to replace them with the Golden Snitch.[1]
Trivia[]
- In Quidditch Through the Ages, Kennilworthy Whisp remarks that it is possible Bragge didn't intend to pay the prize money because it is equivalent to one million Galleons today.[1]