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Seeker

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At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery & Harry Potter: Magic Awakened & Hogwarts Legacy & Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.
As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

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WW Seeker Harry

Gryffindor Seeker Harry Potter chasing the Golden Snitch

"This... is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much."
— A Seeker's job during a Quidditch match[src]

Seeker was a position in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. There was one Seeker per team. The goal of the Seeker was to catch the Golden Snitch. They played a crucial role in Quidditch, as a game did not end until the Seeker caught the Snitch. A team whose Seeker caught the Snitch received 150 points, which almost always won the match for that team.[1][2]

History

Origin

"Oh, the thrill of the chase as I soar through the air,
With the Snitch up ahead and the wind in my hair,
As I draw ever closer, the crowd gives a shout,
But then comes a Bludger and I am knocked out."
— Ingolfr the Iambic[src]
Wimbourne Wasps versus Appleby Arrows

An old game of Quidditch depicting a Seeker and a Golden Snitch

The position of the Seeker, known as the Hunter, was introduced in response to Barberus Bragge's introduction of the Golden Snidget during a match in 1269 making it the newest position in the game.[3]

The 1269 game mentioned above was attended by Barberus Bragge, the Chief of the Wizards' Council. As a nod to the sport of Snidget-hunting, which was also popular at the time, Bragge brought such a bird to the game and released it from its cage. He told the players that one-hundred fifty Galleons — a large sum of money, particularly in those times — would be awarded to the player who caught the bird.[3]

This was easier said than done: the Snidget is very fast, very small, and can make sudden changes of direction at high speeds. The considerable challenge posed by the flight patterns of the bird is what made Snidget-hunting so popular in the first place.[3]

What happened at the Quidditch game in question was rather predictable: the players totally ignored the game, and each and every one simply went off in pursuit of the Snidget, which was kept within the arena by the crowd using Repelling Charms.[3]

A witch named Modesty Rabnott, who was also watching the game, took pity on the Snidget and rescued it with a Summoning Charm before rushing away with it hidden inside her robes. She was caught by a furious Bragge and fined ten Galleons for disrupting the game, but not before she had released the Snidget. This saved the life of this bird, but the connection with Quidditch had been made, and soon a Snidget was being released at every game. Each team had an extra player — originally called the Hunter, later the Seeker — whose sole job was to catch and kill the Snidget, for which one-hundred fifty points were awarded in memory of the one-hundred fifty Galleons offered by Bragge in the original game.[3]

The quickly declining number of Snidgets led to a substitute for the bird, hence the Golden Snitch came into play, and the position was given the name Seeker instead of Hunter.[3]

Modern day

The Sunday edition of The New York Ghost published on 28 November 1926 had an article regarding to disqualified Seeker repenting the use of "unlawful elixir".[4]

Harry catches the snitch

Harry Potter the youngest Seeker in a century catches the Golden Snitch

Charlie Weasley was a Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Oliver Wood stated "he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons".[1] Harry Potter was the youngest Seeker in a century, making the Gryffindor team in his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[2]

By 1994, Viktor Krum, despite his young age, was generally perceived to be a top Seeker at the time.[5] Talent aside, he however had been unsuccessful in terms of winning the Quidditch World Cup.[6]

In 2006, Burkinabé Seeker Joshua Sankara was named the nation's Ministry of Magic due to securing a popular win against France, though he resigned two days later as he much preferred playing Quidditch.[6]

By the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, Krum was the oldest player in the competition.[7] At the time, a popular theory was that Bonawentura Wójcik and Luciano Volpi, both Seekers respectively playing for Poland and Italy, were actually one and the same. It was disproven in a press conference.[6] During the semifinal between Bulgaria and Japan, Krum, Japanese Seeker Noriko Sato, along with Bulgarian Beater Boris Vulchanov, received a standing ovation by all spectators for their sportsmanship.[8] Krum's dream of winning the Cup came truth after beating the Brazilian National Quidditch team in the final.

Traits

"Usually the lightest and fastest fliers, Seekers need both a sharp eye and the ability to fly one- or no-handed."
— Description of a Seekers' build[src]

Seekers were generally the smallest and lightest players on a team, and there was a certain glamour attached to playing as a Seeker. Generally, the Seeker was also the most fouled player on the team.

In team portraits, the Seeker sat in the middle of the first row.[9]

Known Seekers

Team Name
American National Quidditch team Ariel Singleton
Maximus Brankovitch III
Darius Smackhammer[10]
Appleby Arrows Gregory Cotton
Australian National Quidditch team Lucy Karoonda
Brazilian National Quidditch team Tony Silva[11]
Bulgarian National Quidditch team Viktor Krum[5]
Chadian National Quidditch team Jacques Miskine[12]
Chudley Cannons Galvin Gudgeon
English National Quidditch team Blythe Parkin
Roderick Plumpton
Fijian National Quidditch team Joseph Snuka[13]
Fitchburg Finches Maximus Brankovitch III
French National Quidditch team Cybèle Peltier
Haitian National Quidditch team Sylvian Jolicoeur[14]
German National Quidditch team Konrad Weiss
Grodzisk Goblins Josef Wronski
Gryffindor Quidditch team Charlie Weasley
Ginny Weasley[15]
Harry Potter[16][1][2]
Unidentified Gryffindor seeker
Holyhead Harpies Glynnis Griffiths
Hufflepuff Quidditch team Cedric Diggory[17]
Summerby
Willa Weholt[18]
Irish National Quidditch team Aidan Lynch
Ivorian National Quidditch team Sylvian Boigny[19]
Jamaican National Quidditch team Shanice Higgins[10]
Japanese National Quidditch team Shizuka Watanabe
Noriko Sato
Kenmare Kestrels Aidan Kiely
Liechtenstein National Quidditch team Bruno Bruunhart[12]
Montrose Magpies Eunice Murray
Lennox Campbell
New Zealand National Quidditch team Ngapo Ponika[20]
Nigerian National Quidditch team Samuel Equiano[13]
Nordic National Quidditch team Tina Lundstrom
Norwegian National Quidditch team Sigrid Kristoffersen[19]
Puddlemere United Benjy Williams
Pride of Portree Dougal McBride
Ravenclaw Quidditch team Sirona Ryan
Andre Egwu (Reserve Seeker)
Unidentified Ravenclaw Seeker
Unidentified Ravenclaw Seeker's substitute (Reserve Seeker)
Cho Chang
Gilderoy Lockhart (claimed)[21]
Slytherin Quidditch team Draco Malfoy[22][21]
Harper[23]
Regulus Black[9]
Terence Higgs[2]
Spanish National Quidditch team Inigo Fuente Marrero[24]
Tutshill Tornados Roderick Plumpton[3]
Welsh National Quidditch team Eurig Cadwallader[11]

Wizarding media

Behind the scenes

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 10 (Hallowe'en)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Quidditch Through the Ages
  4. ↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (see this image)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 8 (The Quidditch World Cup)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Quidditch World Cup 1990 - 2014
  7. ↑ BULGARIA VERSUS NEW ZEALAND
  8. ↑ BULGARIA VERSUS JAPAN
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 10 (Kreacher's Tale)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 USA VERSUS JAMAICA (I)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 BRAZIL VERSUS WALES
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 LIECHTENSTEIN VERSUS CHAD (III)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 NIGERIA VERSUS FIJI
  14. ↑ BRAZIL VERSUS HAITI
  15. ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 24 (Sectumsempra)
  16. ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 9 (The Midnight Duel)
  17. ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 9 (Grim Defeat)
  18. ↑ Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Season 2: Beaters, Bludgers, & Broomsticks, Chapter IV: The Endless Seeker
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 NORWAY VERSUS IVORY COAST
  20. ↑ BULGARIA VERSUS NEW ZEALAND
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 10 (The Rogue Bludger)
  22. ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
  23. ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 14 (Felix Felicis)
  24. ↑ Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
  25. ↑ About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com
Game of Quidditch
Quidditch pitch
Officials: Quidditch referee
Player positions: Beater • Chaser • Keeper • Seeker
Playing equipment: Beater's bat • Bludger • Broomstick • Golden Snitch • Quaffle
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