Quidditch strategy (was Couple of silly detail-questions...)

[Amy]

No: HPFGUIDX 9872

Mike S. wrote:

>First, in CoS, Chap. 7, Harry is feeling guilty about missing the 
last 
>game of the season in SS/PS, resulting in Gryffindor's "worst defeat 
>in three hundred years." Now, I had always assumed that the Seeker 
was 
>prohibited from touching the Quaffle. Assuming this is true, there's 
>no reason why it should have been a particularly devastating defeat. 
>That is, Gryffindor's Chasers and Keeper have always been more than 
>able to keep up with the other teams, point-scoring-wise. So there's 
>no reason that it should have been a particularly bad defeat, they 
>should have just lost by around 150. (Assuming, of course, that the 
>Seeker isn't allowed to become a temporary Chaser. If he/she is, then 
>it's a whole new ballgame, with a power play type of situation.)

Neither of your questions was silly.  Remember, you are talking to a 
group of people who can have passionate discussions about how many 
people can fit into a magical dining hall.

The sense I get is that any player can do almost anything in the game. 
 Note e.g. Harry's blast at the Slytherin defenders to support 
Angelina's shot on goal in the game that wins them the Cup (PoA, 311 
US ed. "The Quidditch Final").  (Note also that it nearly loses them 
the game b/c Malfoy sees the Snitch at that moment--so the strategy 
might not be that sound, though the rules permit it.)  I think no one 
can catch the Snitch besides the Seeker, though.  Too often it's close 
to another player, who even if he/she wasn't much of a Seeker could 
just reach out and grab it. 

Since someone has to catch the Snitch to end the game, whoever does so 
has a lot more control over the final score.  The Gryffindors can keep 
scoring 'til doomsday, but the opposing team (Ravenclaw was it?) will 
have the best shot at choosing when to end the game since they have a 
real Seeker, therefore they are likely to try to end it when they're 
way up.

One other thing--this gets back to numbers and the way JKR describes 
things.  I think it is safe to assume that there are more than 7 
players on the squad.  Alicia  was a reserve the year before PS/SS 
(186 USed, "Quidditch").  Elsewhere Harry says "we don't have a 
reserve Seeker," which implies that they do have other reserves.  For 
brevity's sake JKR only talks about the starting 7 but there must be 
more.  So in that last game of PS/SS, Gryffindor might have a full 
complement of 7.  They just don't have a Seeker.  It's like trying to 
play basketball (Wood:  "What's basketball?"  Honestly, these 
purebloods . . .) when your star center is hurt--you can win but 
you're at a great disadvantage.

Another Quidditch issue: I still find it hard to believe that Krum 
would end the World Cup and ensure his team's defeat.  They weren't 
*that* far behind, and it shows zero faith in his own Chasers.  Didn't 
they want to kill him?

>We have ample experience with ghosts 
>being invisible and speaking, so why not just assume that it was one 
>of them?

Good point!  Maybe Ron and Harry don't know ghosts can be invisible?  
The only one we see vanishing is Peeves, no?  But Harry pretends to be 
the invisible Baron and that goes over okay . . . I think you're 
right, they should've entertained that possibility.

Amy Z

-----------------------------------------------------------------
"And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could *never
stop reading*!  You just had to wander around with your nose 
in it, trying to do everything one-handed."
                    --Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-----------------------------------------------------------------