The Quidditch Final
chapter fifteen of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Ron and Harry make up with Hermione, and Hermione has a crazy day in which she slaps Malfoy in the face, sleeps through Charms, and quits Divination. Finally, amidst a highly charged atmosphere, Gryffindor defeats Slytherin to dramatically capture the Quidditch Cup.
Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep.
(by Helene Sirois)
“This is such a waste of time,” Hermione hissed. “I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms -”
(by Tealin Raintree)
Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever.
(by gerre)
“And here are the Gryffindors!” yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. “Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years.”
(by glockgal)
“And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint.”
(by glockgal)
“‘Course, Wood’s a superb Keeper!” Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch’s whistle. “Superb! Very difficult to pass – very difficult indeed – YES! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! HE’S SAVED IT!”
(by glockgal)
Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt’s tail, and was pulling it back.
(by Helene Sirois)
Madam Hooch was beside herself…. “Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I’ve never seen such tactics!”
(by Heather Campbell)
“Go! Go! Go!” Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy – Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him – he was at Malfoy’s ankles – he was level -
(by glockgal)
about the chapter
Something You May Not Have Noticed
When you think about it, it’s really some wonder Draco Malfoy is even allowed to play in this final match against Gryffindor. If Harry had flown into a Slytherin match dressed as a dementor and Snape had been administering punishment (as McGonagall administers Draco’s), Harry almost certainly would have been banned from the next game. So why wouldn’t McGonagall ban Draco? Maybe she’s simply kinder, or she simply didn’t think of it. But I think there’s a better reason: Draco is probably an inferior player to whoever his replacement would be (remember how he bought his way onto the team?). McGonagall, a huge Gryffindor fan, probably did her team a favor by letting him play.
The Wizarding World
It’s clear the Quidditch Cup is determined not just by the teams’ records, but by their points – and we also know that the standings for the professional Quidditch leagues are listed the same way. In this case, both Gryffindor and Slytherin end the season with a record of two wins and one loss, so it makes sense to use the points as a tiebreaker. But I wonder if another team had won only one game but outscored both Gryffindor and Slytherin, would the Quidditch Cup have belonged to them? Given that the British and Irish league standings don’t even include the number of wins, it seems like this might be the case – though in a three-game Hogwarts season, it certainly wouldn’t be likely to happen often.
Life at Hogwarts
Professor Trelawney tells Hermione that she doesn’t “remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane.” This could certainly be taken as high praise, given the source. I wonder what Trelawney thinks of McGonagall… or, for that matter, Luna Lovegood!
The Power of Magic
I wonder whether Cheering Charms have some kind of effect that makes you aware it’s been cast on you. Otherwise, wouldn’t students just be constantly casting them on their professors, so they’re in a good mood when grading (Snape could certainly use a couple)? And while we’re at it, as Heather Campbell once wondered, what would happen if a whole bunch of people cast them on Voldmort simultaneously?
Just a point I’ve considered, perhaps Draco didn’t buy his way onto the team, perhaps he got on and his Father rewarded his success with a generous gift. It’s plausible in the very least.
I love this chapter and the pics you’ve picked too!
Elizabeth said this on July 3, 2009 at 9:57 am
lets just be glad Voldemort dosen’t have any Felix Felicis. but then again he wouldn’t want to rely on it. He would consider himself above potions. and it would kill his rep to be seen in a case of giggles.
Amy Darlene said this on July 3, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Elizabeth, somehow I don’t think so. Draco really is an abysmal player – has he ever won at Quidditch?
I love the idea of a mass cheering charm on Voldy! Who needs Hallows when you’ve got that?
hpboy13 said this on July 4, 2009 at 1:00 am
Students would probably have to know how to cast the Cheering Charms w/o being obvious, probably without talking. But the older students could most likely do it if they wanted to…maybe they’d be so advanced and nerdy by then that they wouldn’t dare manipulate a teacher?
Hayley said this on July 4, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Points scored as a factor in standings isn’t unprecendted amopng real world sports, including soccer and American football.
JamesW said this on August 27, 2009 at 8:51 pm
There’s no art of Hermione slapping Draco, I guess one of those would be fine here:
http://trishna87.deviantart.com/art/PoA-Hermione-shows-girl-power-61549736
http://dkcissner.deviantart.com/art/The-Slap-Scene-25157666
Jose Lopes said this on December 7, 2009 at 5:34 am
Jose Lopes, thanks for the links – I’ve actually got a couple of other drawings of the slap, too, and I tried one on the page when I first designed this page, but nothing I had or have seen really fit so I decided to skip it for now. Rest assured that I’m still keeping my eyes out for more, though. :)
John Kearns said this on December 7, 2009 at 11:50 am
This is my second time re-listening to HP on audio book (with Stephen Fry, he’s awesome) and I really thing PoA is my favorite of the series. This chapter is also one of my favorites. The Quidditch Final is SO exciting! I was on the edge of my seat listening to the game as if it was on the radio, haha. I loved the way J.K. Rowling writes the commentary for Quidditch and the way Stephen Fry reads it. It’s a Win-Win!
Chiyou said this on February 24, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Trelawney and Luna? That would be…epic.
Heather said this on April 20, 2010 at 11:47 pm
The part where Hermione says that she was so distracted by Malfoy that she misses Charms…it always causes me to daydream into a weird fanfic in which Hermione and Malfoy have a crush on each other…
:)
Ragmar Dorkins said this on May 3, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Love the cheering charms picture, though I don’t think Voldie’s evilness is connected to his mood. He’d just be a happy evil guy. It might even boost his confidence and spur him on. Now, a charm that made you more pro-social might work…
elizabethauthor said this on October 3, 2010 at 3:55 pm
I always thought of Draco as a good player, although not as good as Harry..Seeing that in his first year he was the only one who could actually fly (other than Harry) without any formal training .
vandysnape said this on December 5, 2010 at 6:30 am
Draco could very well be a good player. If you think about it, it was only the fact that Harry’s broom was faster that let him get the snitch, in this match anyway.
Also, “vansysnape” raises a very goodpoint about the fact that in first year Draco could actually fly.
I mean you see in DH that Hermione has never really learnt to fly with any confidence so the ability to fly is not something that everyone posseses.
Plus he wouldntve been kept on the team, you would asume, for all those years if he was absaluty awful..
X said this on January 29, 2011 at 3:15 am
I think Draco is a decent player at the very least, but I don’t think the fact that Harry’s broom was faster was the only reason he won. If broom speed over rode skill too much then surely there would be a rule that both teams and all players must have the same broom. A good broom is certainly an advantage, and a bad broom a handycap, but the skill of the player using the broom is more important. A faster car doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win the race if the other person is a better driver. (Unless it’s a major difference in speed capability.)
elizabethauthor said this on January 29, 2011 at 8:55 am
I found it ironic that the charm hermione missed was one she really needed at the time. She really needed some cheer that day.
Erica4hope said this on February 15, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I don’t quite think Draco is an Absymal player at quidditch, which other seeker is even able to keep up with Harry when he goes for the snitch never mind be hand to hand for (which happens with him and Draco in one book, in which Draco’s nails scrape against the back of his hand) and in the first he’s quick enough to fofge Harry’s javilin shot during the flying lesson, certainly not Cho who doesn’t get that close. Harry is just an exceptional player, as shown by the comment about Harry training for the ballet when being chased by the bludger in second year, I certainly think that from that comment Draco actually in someway admits that Harry is simply that effortlessly graceful in the air. And even McGonagall admits that Harry is better than Charlie, who could have gone professional. Draco can’t be bad if he can keep up by my logic.
Emma said this on March 30, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Yeah, I agree with elizabethauthor. A cheering charm would only make Snape or Voldemort happier about causing harm to Harry and his friends. I don’t think it would make their moral compass any straighter.
Roya said this on May 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Draco was probably a good player, it seems slytherin kept winning theier matches and only gryfindor was the team that ever beat them, remember in thier first flying lesson tht harry pointed out tht Draco could actually fly, i think he only seems incompitent against harry but compitant otherwise. I dont see why he would continue sneering if he really was the worst play among all players, he had to have some level of compitance tht makes him believe he is the best.
Quachett said this on May 24, 2011 at 5:51 pm
elizabethauthor, I completely agree with you. We see Harry beat the Slytherins while using an “inferior” broom in CoS. Therefore, rider skill counts just as much as, if not more than, the broom quality!
And I agree with the others. Malfoy is a good flyer, and a competent seeker. In CoS he just pays too much attention to taunting Harry rather than the game, which I’m sure Flint came down hard on him for. And other times he comes very close to beating Harry. But take Harry’s broom and add in his obviously superior skill, Malfoy just can’t come close to beating Harry. It almost makes me feel bad for him. Almost ;)
Something funny I picked up on while reading this chapter: on pg. 308, in my copy of PoA at least, the passage at the top says, “A minute later, Katie had put another penalty pas the Slytherin Seeker.” Wouldn’t she need to be putting it past the *Keeper*? Just an editing mistake, obviously, but I thought it was rather humorous n_n
Casey said this on June 10, 2011 at 7:38 pm
There’s a great throwaway line in Hagrid’s letter at the beginning of this chapter: “Beaky has enjoyed London.” What on earth did Hagrid and Buckbeak do in London that Buckbeak enjoyed so much? Did they go to the zoo? To a park? To Diagon Alley? Imagine the sensation the two of them would have caused anywhere they went! Is there anywhere in London besides Diagon Alley Buckbeak could go without violating the statute of secrecy?
Billie said this on June 20, 2011 at 7:23 am
There is also the fact that Buckbeak rode the Knight Bus to London. How did he fit?
hpfan said this on August 6, 2011 at 6:13 pm
I gotta say, when I got to the end I wasn’t expecting an actual pic of Voldy like that. I laughed and laughed and laughed. Thanks for cheering me up! Lol. I agree with elizabethauthor though. He’d just be HappyFunSmiles! Lord Voldemort while he conducted his evil business. Haaa, can you imagine?
HentaiTenshi said this on September 22, 2011 at 2:50 pm