Lesson #3 Quidditch Balls

Quaffle
The Quaffle is spherical in shape, bright red in color, and approximately 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, and about the weight of a soccer ball. It is explained in Quidditch Through the Ages that the Quaffle is enchanted to fall very slowly through the air when dropped to prevent players having to continuously dive to retrieve it. The backstory of Quidditch explains that the red color was instituted to create a stronger contrast between the Quaffle and mud. The Quaffle is also enchanted to make it easy to grip with only one hand. There is only one quaffle, unlike the bludgers.

Bludgers
The two Bludgers are big, hard, iron balls, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. They are described as being bewitched to fly without any visible means of propulsion, although they do retain inertia, which makes them unable to change speed or direction swiftly. Their purpose in the game is to be an obstacle: they fly around attempting to hit players off their brooms indiscriminately. While it is possible to enchant them to seek out specific targets, it is illegal in the rules of the game.

Golden Snitch
The Golden Snitch, often referred to as simply the Snitch, is a small golden ball the approximate size of a walnut (roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter).Developed by Bowman Wright (1492–1560) The winged Snitch is enchanted to hover and dart around the pitch, avoiding capture while remaining within the boundaries of the playing area. Each team has a designated Seeker, whose only task is to capture the Snitch. The team who catches the Snitch scores 150 points, and strictly speaking, only the capture of the Snitch will end the game. (However Quidditch Through the Ages describes an instance in which the team captains agreed to end the game without the capture of the Snitch, as the game had gone on for several months, and the captains were unhappy with their respective Seekers’ performances.) Games have been known to last for months, so it is of key importance to catch the Golden Snitch as quickly as possible. Also, the Snitch has a “flesh memory”, able to recall the first person who has touched it, and will respond only to the first person who caught it. This helps when there is a dispute about who caught the snitch first.

Bowman Wright of Godric’s Hollow was the first person to fashion a Golden Snitch, replacing the Golden Snidget bird, a magical creature resembling a hummingbird also mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, which was previously used in the game, but was replaced due to animal cruelty issues. The Snidget was first introduced into Quidditch in 1269, when the newly appointed Chief of the Wizards’ Council, a man by the name of Barberus Bragge, released a Snidget during a Quidditch match and offered 150 Galleons to the player who was able to catch it. No other player aside from the Seeker is allowed to touch the Snitch, and referees and Snitch makers wear gloves when handling them.