HogwartsExpress4

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Quidditch Equipment : Part Two in the "This is Quidditch" Series

Earwax, Cont'd

First, educate yourself. Read. The key to knowledge is in reading and working hard in school. Not only will you be able to keep up with others, but also, you may surpass even those born into the wizarding world. Second, dont be afraid to ask questions. Your professors are there to help you, and your housemates, who are familiar to the wizarding world, can teach things that your professors can not. The only stupid question is an unasked one. Speak up, and dont be afraid. Third, have faith in your abilities. You would not be at Hogwarts unless you were able. It matters not who you are born as, but what you accomplish and what you aspire to be. Fourth, let go of the anxiety and take chances. By risking some things, you obtain the opportunity to learn. Experience is the best teacher, by experiencing, you also gain confidence. Fifth, keep your eyes open. Always remain open to new experiences, but be vigilant and attentive to every new idea, and new opportunity or experience. Sixth, dont trust enchanted objects. As our wise Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, once said. "Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you cant see where it keeps its brain." Finally, dont try ANY wizarding candy unless you know what it is first. Earwax tastes like earwax, and Blood lollipops taste like blood.

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others Jonathon Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal. Listen to this famous muggle and allow your vision to remain part of Hogwarts, void of fear, and full of promise.

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Dueling - Cont'd

The dueling system is designed to minimize the chance of injury by setting the goal to decrease the opponent’s power points to a zero. And any intentional injuries resulting in negative power points will be subject to House points deductions.

When asked about the possibility of a more peaceful way of resolve the conflict, Professor Black replied “Obviously, there are better ways to settle disputes, but few are as effective or definite than getting blasted off your feet.” Mr. Tilden also spoke of a hope that the new dueling system will keep the younger students away from getting into an unofficial and dangerous duel. With the new and exciting addition of the dueling system, Hogwarts is sure to be filled with more interesting days. Professor Black kindly gave the best advice for the e next generation of duelers at the end of the interview: When you must strike, strike without fear.

This guide to Quidditch is designed for all those people who have ever watched matches and been confused, for those in the wizarding world who are Muggleborn, and for anyone who has ever been curious about the game but were too afraid to ask. This week... Equipment.

Quaffle:

The Quaffle is a scarlet coloured ball that is roughly ten inches in diameter. Quaffles have gripping charms placed on them to make it easier for them to be caught by the Chasers. They also have another charm that causes them to sink slowly to the ground when they are dropped, giving the Chasers time to retrieve them. Their bright colour makes them easy to find.

Before the gripping charm was used, Quaffles had either finger holds or handles to make them easier to catch. These devices are no longer needed.

Bludgers:

Bludgers have changed a lot over the course of time. In the beginning they were flying rocks, then they were rocks shaped like balls. The enhanced bats could easily break these early balls and players would have to spend the rest of the game dodging flying bits of gravel. Because of this, in the sixteenth century teams began to experiment with metal Bludgers. Lead was originally used, but it was too soft and could be damaged by the bats, causing the

Bludgers to fly erratically. It was then decided to use iron instead, which is what we still use today.

There are two Bludgers, each being slightly smaller than the Quaffle. Bludgers are black and they have been charmed to chase any player they happen to be near, unless otherwise moved away by the Beaters.

Bludgers are designed to knock players off their brooms and because of
this, they can cause serious injuries if players fail to get out of the
way.

Very disruptive, Bludgers add an element of danger to the game.

The Golden Snitch:

As the name suggests, this ball is golden in colour with silver wings. It is about the size of a walnut and was created to replace the original Snitch. Originally Snitches were birds (the Golden Snidget) but their declining numbers meant that an alternative form was needed.

The Snitch is fast flying and it can change direction rapidly. Because of its small size, it is very hard to spot and extremely difficult to catch. The game only ends when the Snitch is caught.

The Seeker who catches the Golden Snitch wins their team 150 points and unless the opposing team has a higher score, they will win the game.

Bats: Each Beater uses a magically enhanced bat to hit the Bludgers away from their team.

Brooms:

All players and the referee need to have their own broom. There are a wide variety of models for them to pick from. New designs are constantly entering the market to ensure that the competitive spirit of the game remains high.

Robes:

Robes are distinctive in many ways from normal wizarding robes. Each team will have their own colour and marking that sets them apart from their opponents. A jumper, the colour of the robe, and white pants are also worn. Boots complete the outfit.

Protective pads are worn on the players arms and legs. They are to protect the player from injuries, but they offer little protection when hit directly by a Bludger. Gloves are also worn to help with gripping the broom.

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	Index
Author:	Article:	Page:
Sebastian Darwin	Unforgivable used at MoM	Page One

	Battle of the Bands	Page One
Rysa Evans	Lawn Battle Spurns Dueling Development	Page Three

Coraline De Magpyr	If You Have Nothing to Say, Then Don't	Page Two

Rei O'Brien	Laugh Riot, the tale of a true prediction	Page Three
	Watch out for the Earwax Ones	Page Two
Sariss Ravon	Bio-Magical Breakthrough	Page One
Rayya Brown	Lack of Applicants Shocks Professors	Page Three
	The "This is Quidditch" Series	Page Four

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Quidditch Equipment : Part Two in the "This is Quidditch" Series		Earwax, Cont'd First, educate yourself. Read. The key to knowledge is in reading and working hard in school. Not only will you be able to keep up with others, but also, you may surpass even those born into the wizarding world. Second, dont be afraid to ask questions. Your professors are there to help you, and your housemates, who are familiar to the wizarding world, can teach things that your professors can not. The only stupid question is an unasked one. Speak up, and dont be afraid. Third, have faith in your abilities. You would not be at Hogwarts unless you were able. It matters not who you are born as, but what you accomplish and what you aspire to be. Fourth, let go of the anxiety and take chances. By risking some things, you obtain the opportunity to learn. Experience is the best teacher, by experiencing, you also gain confidence. Fifth, keep your eyes open. Always remain open to new experiences, but be vigilant and attentive to every new idea, and new opportunity or experience. Sixth, dont trust enchanted objects. As our wise Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, once said. "Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you cant see where it keeps its brain." Finally, dont try ANY wizarding candy unless you know what it is first. Earwax tastes like earwax, and Blood lollipops taste like blood. Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others Jonathon Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal. Listen to this famous muggle and allow your vision to remain part of Hogwarts, void of fear, and full of promise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dueling - Cont'd The dueling system is designed to minimize the chance of injury by setting the goal to decrease the opponent’s power points to a zero. And any intentional injuries resulting in negative power points will be subject to House points deductions. When asked about the possibility of a more peaceful way of resolve the conflict, Professor Black replied “Obviously, there are better ways to settle disputes, but few are as effective or definite than getting blasted off your feet.” Mr. Tilden also spoke of a hope that the new dueling system will keep the younger students away from getting into an unofficial and dangerous duel. With the new and exciting addition of the dueling system, Hogwarts is sure to be filled with more interesting days. Professor Black kindly gave the best advice for the e next generation of duelers at the end of the interview: When you must strike, strike without fear.
This guide to Quidditch is designed for all those people who have ever watched matches and been confused, for those in the wizarding world who are Muggleborn, and for anyone who has ever been curious about the game but were too afraid to ask. This week... Equipment. Quaffle: The Quaffle is a scarlet coloured ball that is roughly ten inches in diameter. Quaffles have gripping charms placed on them to make it easier for them to be caught by the Chasers. They also have another charm that causes them to sink slowly to the ground when they are dropped, giving the Chasers time to retrieve them. Their bright colour makes them easy to find. Before the gripping charm was used, Quaffles had either finger holds or handles to make them easier to catch. These devices are no longer needed. Bludgers: Bludgers have changed a lot over the course of time. In the beginning they were flying rocks, then they were rocks shaped like balls. The enhanced bats could easily break these early balls and players would have to spend the rest of the game dodging flying bits of gravel. Because of this, in the sixteenth century teams began to experiment with metal Bludgers. Lead was originally used, but it was too soft and could be damaged by the bats, causing the Bludgers to fly erratically. It was then decided to use iron instead, which is what we still use today. There are two Bludgers, each being slightly smaller than the Quaffle. Bludgers are black and they have been charmed to chase any player they happen to be near, unless otherwise moved away by the Beaters. Bludgers are designed to knock players off their brooms and because of this, they can cause serious injuries if players fail to get out of the way.	Very disruptive, Bludgers add an element of danger to the game. The Golden Snitch: As the name suggests, this ball is golden in colour with silver wings. It is about the size of a walnut and was created to replace the original Snitch. Originally Snitches were birds (the Golden Snidget) but their declining numbers meant that an alternative form was needed. The Snitch is fast flying and it can change direction rapidly. Because of its small size, it is very hard to spot and extremely difficult to catch. The game only ends when the Snitch is caught. The Seeker who catches the Golden Snitch wins their team 150 points and unless the opposing team has a higher score, they will win the game. Bats: Each Beater uses a magically enhanced bat to hit the Bludgers away from their team. Brooms: All players and the referee need to have their own broom. There are a wide variety of models for them to pick from. New designs are constantly entering the market to ensure that the competitive spirit of the game remains high. Robes: Robes are distinctive in many ways from normal wizarding robes. Each team will have their own colour and marking that sets them apart from their opponents. A jumper, the colour of the robe, and white pants are also worn. Boots complete the outfit. Protective pads are worn on the players arms and legs. They are to protect the player from injuries, but they offer little protection when hit directly by a Bludger. Gloves are also worn to help with gripping the broom.
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