Quidditch for Harry in HBP?

[Ravenclaw Bookworm]

No: HPFGUIDX 126729


Karen: 
Something that has ocurred to me before is will there even be any 
Quidditch in books 6 & 7 - after all there will be a war on won't 
there? I know that a lot of people on this site are American and 
their homeland wasn't affected in the same way: Hollywood didn't 
stop making films so I assume that sports also carried on, but there 
was certainly no professional sport played in Britain during WW II - 
apart from anything else, all the professional sportsmen were 
fighting in the war. As certain of the older Hogswarts students will 
be doing so too in some capacity or other, I wouldn't be at all
surprised if Quidditch was one of the first casuaties.

vmonte responds:

I doubt it. JKR has already made several references regarding 
Quidditch in the next book. One that comes to mind is that there 
will be a new captain and that he/she might not want Ron on the team.

Bookworm:
Karen's comment about sports during wartime sent me on a history 
hunt ;-)  I found several bits of info:

1. The list of NCAA Division I-A national football champions 
includes the WWII years. (www.answers.com)
2. In professional football's early days, Washington was one of the 
game's most powerful clubs, capturing two league crowns and posting 
ten consecutive winning records from 1936 to 1945.
(http://www.nflhistoryguide.com/wr/history.htm)
3. The Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II (1939-1945), 
however, drained many of the early professional franchises of money 
and players. (http://www.nflfootballhistory.net/begin.htm)
4. [Baseball] Players, coaches and umpires enlisted, teams held war 
bond drives, and equipment was collected to send to those serving 
overseas. On the homefront, baseball provided entertainment to those 
working to support the war effort. For those serving overseas, it 
was an important connection to the lives they had left behind.
(http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/education/primary_sources/world_wa
r_ii/)

Even though the teams were affected by the war, both baseball and 
football continued in the US during WWII.  

I agree with Vivian/vmonte that Quidditch will continue.  It is 
Harry's biggest strength – the way he won the first Task, one of 
his "happiest moments" was the first time he flew a broom, a major 
loss during OoP.  During the summers he can't wait to get back to 
his friends and to Quidditch.  IIRC, at one point he says that 
flying is the only time he feels free.

Ravenclaw Bookworm