Seeker

Glynnis Griffiths

The Seeker, originally called the "Hunter", is a player in the wizarding sport of Quidditch throughout the Harry Potter book series and Quidditch Through the Ages. They have to find the Golden Snitch during the game and catch it, after which the game will end and their team receives one-hundred and fifty points. Each team has one Seeker.

About

A Seeker is considered the most important player in Quidditch. When they catch the Golden Snitch, they will end the game and receive one-hundred and fifty points which settles the final score. Thus, they have to be strategic to ensure that when they catch the Snitch, they secure a victory for their team which can turn things around drastically. They get targeted and fouled a lot by the other side who are trying to prevent sudden victory, and they are usually the players that get the most injuries. The first rule of Quidditch according to the "The Beater's Bible" is to "take out the Seeker".

Because the game does not end until one of the Seekers catches the Snitch, the teams can play for hours, days, weeks and even months. In this case, the players can be substituted. The best person to be a Seeker is usually a player who is light, speedy at flying, has a sharp eye and is able to fly one-handed when needed. They are usually the best player at flying. Catching the Snitch usually ensures their team wins the game. Seekers strategically wait to catch it until they will have enough points to guarantee their team if they catch it. For this reason, they are a very important player who can turn things around drastically for their team.

Snitchnip is a foul where a player other than one of the Seekers touches or catches the Snitch during the game.

History

Creation

The position of the Seeker did not originally exist in Quidditch which was played for a century before its introduction.

In the twelfth century, the Chief of the Wizards' Council, Barberus Bragge was attending a Quidditch game when Snidget-hunting was very popular. He released a bird called the Golden Snidget onto the pitch and offered a one-hundred and fifty Galleons to the first player to catch it. Instead of playing a normal game of Quidditch, every player started chasing the Golden Snidget. The bird is small, quick and makes sudden changes but fragile and easily crushed.

Modesty Rabnott, who was watching the game, saved the Snidget using a Summoning Charm. Even though she released the Snidget, the spectators had enjoyed the idea so much that they introduced a new position called the "Hunter". Thus in subsequent Quidditch games, a Golden Snidget was released and kept within the confines of the pitch with Repelling Spells produced by the spectators. When the Hunter caught and killed the Snidget, the game was over and their team rewarded with one-hundred and fifty points in memory of Bragge's prize money.

Later history

During the century after Bragge's game, the Golden Snidget was hunted for both fun and Quidditch. This nearly drove the bird to extinction. Chief Elfrida Clagg made the Snidget a protected species. Bowman Wright invented the Golden Snitch to replace it. To acknowledge the change, the "Hunter" was renamed the "Seeker".

In one Quidditch game, the Seekers took three months to catch the Snitch and the game had to carry on using substitutions.

In 1884, two Seekers during a very long game in Bodmin Moor put on such a poor performance that the Golden Snitch evaded capture for six months. In the end, both teams gave up in disgust with their Seekers terrible skills.

Known Seekers

• Harry Potter
• Charles Weasley
• Terence Higgs
• Draco Malfoy
• Cedric Diggory
• Glynnis Griffiths
• Eunice Murray
• Roderick Plumpton
• Maximus Brankovitch III