Firebolt

Firebolt
Date of invention	Before August 1993
Purpose	racing broom
Owner(s)	Harry Potter Irish International team
Book information
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Last appearance	Quidditch Through the Ages

The Firebolt is a world-class racing broom. It is the best in the world when it is released. It first appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

About

The broomstick is state-of-the-art. The handle is updated, with it being slimmer than Cleansweeps. It is sleek and polished with fine ash. It glitters when it is picked up. It has a hand-numbered, golden registration number. The broomtail has individually selected birch twigs with a perfected aerodynamic.

Its balance, precision and braking charm are unbeatable. It accelerates up to 150 miles an hour in ten seconds. It will levitate in the air of its accord to the height of its rider. It has a built-in auto brake and precision-balance. They are sold at a high price. It turns with the lightest touch of the rider, obeys their thoughts rather than their grip and speeds at such a high rate that everything around them is a blur.

History

In August 1993, the broomstick appeared in shops including Quality Quidditch Supplies for the first time. It was very popular and seven were immediately purchased by the Irish International side. Harry Potter saw it through a window and was very tempted to purchase it but he knew he couldn't waste funds buying things he didn't need.

In December, Harry lost his Nimbus 2000 in the Whomping Willow. Sirius Black sent Crookshanks into Hogsmeade Post Office with an order for the Firebolt for Harry. When he received it, he had no idea who sent it. Hermione Granger was concerned because she thought if Sirius had sent it, he did so to try and kill Harry with it. She told Professor McGonagall who confiscated it to check it hadn't been jinxed.

Harry and Oliver Wood kept trying to get it back, but McGonagall was determined to have it completely checked by Professor Flitwick and Madam Hooch. It was fine and he was given it back. He started practicing to ride on it and he let Ron have a go. Madam Hooch supervised his training and was impressed, commenting on how the broom has perfect balance.

Which Broomstick? wrote that it was going to be the choice of broom for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland at the 422nd Quidditch World Cup that year. At the World Cup, vendors sold tiny Firebolt figurines that could fly. The Irish National Quidditch team flew on seven Firebolts.