Quidditch Through the Ages

[mmmarcusz.livejournal.com]

 QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES

 

Decided to do this for the sake of completeness.

 

*The intro is actually funny, something lacking in the later books

 

*”No spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form.” Oh dear, continuity. Admittedly Voldemort may have invented the spell, but what’s the point of him doing so, apart from looking cool? Maybe to escape an anti-disApparition jinx, but there must be easier ways. And if “Levitation is commonplace”, why does no-one do it, given that it would be awesome to float everywhere?

 

*Given that wizards use other medievalisms, why were their brooms so rubbish in the Middle Ages? 

 

*”By the twelfth century, wizards had learned to barter services” - about 9,000 years behind Muggles, then.

 

*I speak Irish, and “Aingeingein” does not resemble an Irish word.

 

*Saxon language in the eleventh century? Unlikely, Old English (Anglo-Saxon) was already becoming Middle English by that time.

 

*The tale of Gunhilda and Goodwin shows us that domestic violence has a history far predating H&R. Isn’t it funny when a woman assaults a man?

 

*The flying gravel is funny.

 

*So by rule #6 Harry cheated with the Patronus in PoA! 

 

*The woman-hit-man-funny theme recurs in the Harpies’ entry.

 

Comments

[guardians-song.livejournal.com]

*”No spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form.” Oh dear, continuity. Admittedly Voldemort may have invented the spell, but what’s the point of him doing so, apart from looking cool? Maybe to escape an anti-disApparition jinx, but there must be easier ways.
I tried to figure that out for fanfic purposes... perhaps some places have spells on them that disrupt the enchantments on flying brooms, causing them to abruptly cease functioning? I mean, those enchantments are likely standardized. It shouldn't be THAT hard, assuming you're one of the several dozen Magical Very Best Like No One Ever Was, to figure out a way to short-circuit them. And once you've done that, you don't have to worry about pesky things like aerial combat... But Voldemort's technique would, probably, be different, so it wouldn't get grounded when the anti-broom field was sending everyone else to go SPLAT on the pavement.

...Not that I pretend any of this is canon...

And if “Levitation is commonplace”, why does no-one do it, given that it would be awesome to float everywhere?
There doesn't seem to be any good way to levitate yourself, aside from Voldemort's technique. Sure, other people can levitate you, but that would get kind of awkward after a while.

*”By the twelfth century, wizards had learned to barter services” - about 9,000 years behind Muggles, then.
Bwahahaha!

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

--- "Admittedly Voldemort may have invented the spell, but what’s the point of him doing so, apart from looking cool? Maybe to escape an anti-disApparition jinx, but there must be easier ways."

I hope to God that it's NOT to avoid anti Apparition spells. That was the only pathetic fan-w*nk that I used as to why Voldemort wasted time in DH getting from one Horcrux hiding place to another. I told myself that the anti-apparition spells he used were so strong and permanent that it was quicker to work round them then take them down. Otherwise it would simply be a way for JKR to keep him out of the action until the Trio were ready and feeding info to Harry through their 'link'. Surely not?

JKR could have had Voldemort find out about the break-in at Hogwarts only after the Trio reached Hogsmeade/Hogwarts. Then he could have sent the first wave of attack straight away whilst he checked his horcruxes with Harry only vaguely aware of a sense of increasing anger (no need for us to be constantly reminded how slow and stupid that all was). AFter all, the key Death Eaters and Voldemort didn't need to turn up until *after* the spiders/dementors etc had done their worst at the Battle. Just in time for him to kill Snape.

I do admire all you re-cappers. Going through these books with a fine tooth comb looking for mistakes must be almost unbearable. That said, a simple afro comb would be sufficient to pick up these clunkers.

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't even own this book... or the Fabulous Beasts one, or the Tales of Beedle the Bard. But it's really annoying that JKR sets up a stupid rule that wizards can't fly only to break it with Voldemort, only to have his power of flight be lamer than the alternatives.

Of course, in the movies, wizards are flying all over the place, so it's just kids who can't. Which sort of makes sense anyway--so why limit flying to Voldemort (and... Snape? How come Snape gets to fly?)

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Because he learned from Lily, and subsequently taught Voldemort. My favorite theory, anyway! Seriously, do you think that the Voldemort we see in DH either would or could teach anyone anything?

But yes, it's really hard to see why Rowling sets up all these silly rules in the first place if she was just going to break them all over the place. The one that still has me fuming, two years and more later, is the Unforgivable Curses. These are Unforgivable for a reason! It's not just the ministry being arbitrary; these are really, really bad things to do to another person! And yet the trio gets to throw them around like candy- grr!

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

I agree with Swythyv in her Thestrals essay: Snape didn't leap out of the window and fly. He called a Thestral as soon as he felt Alecto zap-call Tom, then when he got driven out, he lept out of the windo *onto* the Thestral and it was the Thestral's bat wings that Harry saw making a silhouette down toward the gate. He didn't see Snape, crouched low, clinging to its back.