The Quaffle is a ball in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. Chasers have to catch and pass the ball to each other and score through a golden hoop. Each goal is worth ten points.[2]
About[]
The ball is a scarlet, leather-covered ball twelve centimetres in diameter[1], approximately the size of a football.[3] It has to be caught and held using only one hand and can be passed only to the other two Chasers. They have to score with it through a golden hoop.[1]
The ball is the only one in the sport of Quidditch that is immobile. Two enchantments have been put on the Quaffle. The first is the charm to make the ball turn scarlet. This is to make it easier to find and catch in less visible weather conditions. The second is the Gripping Charm which renders the need for finger holes and straps unnecessary.[1]
There are three known fouls involving a Quaffle. Flacking is where the Keeper pushes the Quaffle out of the goal hoop instead of blocking at the front. Haversacking is carried out when the Chaser still has a hand on the Quaffle while putting it through the goal hoop instead of throwing. Quaffle-pocking is when someone tampers with the Quaffle, like puncturing it to make it fall more quickly or zig-zag.[1]
History[]
The earliest known use of the ball is in an early Quidditch game in the 11th century. Gertie Keddle recorded it in her diary. The players were using leather balls, with one falling into her cabbage patch. Her entry shows that the Quaffle has always been leather.[4] At the time the ball was not enchanted and was simply a patched leather ball which often had a strap.[1]
The patched ball became smoother over time. In the winter of 1711, its colour was turned to scarlet for the first time so it is more noticeable when a game is being played in bad weather. Previously, the ball was near-impossible to see when it was dropped. Around the time of the colour change, Daisy Pennifold had the idea of bewitching the Quaffle to make it fall slowly downwards, so catching it was easier Chasers who were complaining about having to dive to the ground to get it. This version is dubbed the "Pennifold Quaffle". In 1875, the Gripping Charm was invented and added to the ball.[1]
In 1884, a group of protestors threw Quaffles at a representative of the Department of Magical Games and Sports after they introduced a new law to prevent stooging.[1]
Notes and sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter Six: Changes in Quidditch Since the Fourteenth Century
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 10
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 8
- ↑ Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter Three: The Game From Queerditch Marsh