Beater

The Beater is a player in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. They appear throughout the Harry Potter book series and Quidditch Through the Ages. Each team has two Beaters who have to protect their team from Bludgers by hitting them at the opposing team with bats.

About

Beaters fly around the pitch with the purpose finding and hitting Bludgers far away from their players, and toward the opposing team's players using small bats. The position of Beater has stayed virtually the same since the invention of Quidditch except that they originally had clubs instead of bats. They have never been goal-scorers and there is no evidence they've ever handled the Quaffle. Beaters need be strong to hit the Bludgers, which is why they tend to be well-built and are typically wizards rather than witches. They also need have excellent balance in case they need to use the bat with both hands.

Bumphing is a foul used only by Beaters to halt the game or stop an opposing Chaser that is about to score. They deliberately hit the Bludger into the spectators which causes the officials to rush over to protect them.

History

The earliest known reference to a Beater was in the twelfth century when the Bludger was an enchanted rock called the Blooder and they had clubs instead of bats. Ugga was the Beater of a local Quidditch team in Yorkshire. He was old and slow which prevented him from hitting the Blooder away from his teammate, Radulf who got hit in the head. According to Kennilworthy Whisp, it is likely they have been a position in Quidditch since the eleventh century invention of the Bludgers.

The position did not progress substantially by the fourteenth century but the rocks were carved into the shape of balls. In the fifteenth century, the rocks were easily cracked by the new Beaters' bats which were magically reinforced, and caused the players to get chased by the gravel. This was resolved when they started making Bludgers with lead. These were too soft for the Beaters and were left with indentations. They are now made of iron which can withstand the bats.

Kevin and Karl Broadmoor, Beaters for the Falmouth Falcons, were given fourteen suspensions by the Department of Magical Games and Sports for their unruly behaviour throughout their careers.

In the mid-twentieth century, the Braga Broomfleet broke through to the top levels of Quidditch with their groundbreaking Beater-marking system.

Known Beaters

• Fred Weasley
• George Weasley
• Gwenog Jones
• Ludo Bagman
• Karl Broadmoor
• Kevin Broadmoor
• Vulchanov
• Volkov
• Ugga
• Connolly
• Quigley