Quidditch Through the Ages

It was 12 o'clock. After lunch, Ryan and his group hurried towards the lounge.

I met Seamus on the way and after greeting him, I learned that Gryffindor had no lectures or similar events scheduled for this week, and neither did Hufflepuff or Slytherin.

Good grief, only Ravenclaw has it, what the hell is going on?

Upon arriving at the lounge, Hermione, Lisa Turpin, and the other young witches were gathered in a corner, while Roger Davies stood in the center, as there was Flying Class scheduled for next week.

He somehow got hold of a blackboard and wrote several key points on it:

I. The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick

Second, ancient broom games

Third, games from Queerditch Marsh.

He saw Harry approaching, greeted him warmly, and continued, "If you've read Kenneth Whisper 'The Wonder of Quidditch Balls, you'll notice that several of my points above come from Quidditch Through the Ages titles in that book."

"So, does anyone know anything about Kenneth Whistler?" Roger asked.

"I know that Kenneth Whisp is a famous Quidditch expert."

"He has written several works related to Quidditch, including The Wigtown Wanderers Wonders, He Flew Like a Madman, The Dangerous Day Llewellyn Biography, and Hitting the Bludger: A Study of Quidditch Defense Strategy."

"He enjoys collecting rare vintage flying brooms, such as the Oakshaft 79, Moontrimmer, and Silver Arrow."

"He's also a loyal Wigtown Wanderers fan; you can see him wherever the Wigtown Wanderers play this week." Anthony Goldstein knows this like the back of his hand. Clearly, anyone who likes Quidditch is someone you can't ignore.

"Very good, but unfortunately I'm not a professor, so I don't have the authority to give you extra points," Roger said playfully.

"When talking about Wigtown Wanderers, one cannot help but mention their invention of the Plobering Potions, where two Chaser approach one of the opposing Chaser from the flanks, while the other Chaser flies head-on at him or her."

"This tactic is effective, cruel, and a common trick used by Slytherin," Roger Davies paused.

"How barbaric."

"This kind of tactic should have been banned long ago!"

"Alright, alright, are there any Wigtown Wanderers fans here? I've been talking for a while, so let's have one student come up and introduce themselves." Roger grinned, revealing eight teeth, which reminded Ryan of Lockhart.

"I, I, I know."

"Hello everyone, I'm a freshman, Michael Corner."

"The Wigtown Wanderers were a family team formed in 1444 by Walter Parkin and his seven children. They were not most famous for their tactics, but for the fact that each of them carried a wand in one hand and a cleaver in the other, not a broom, of course."

"The reason they carry meat cleavers is because their family were all butchers at the beginning."

"However, now, this team is no longer a single family team. It is worth mentioning that the Parkin family wizard has always been in this team."

"That's why the Wigtown Wanderers all wear blood-red jerseys with a Winky silver cleaver on the front." Michael casually walked to the center of the crowd, finished speaking, and then, encouraged by the crowd, sat back down.

"Very good, very good."

"But today we're going to talk about the evolution of the flying broomstick. Now, let me introduce this topic to you. Goodbye Ravenclaw!"

"Europe wizards began using flying brooms as early as 962 BC, and almost every wizarding family had at least one."

"Unlike our Eastern brothers who love Flying Carpet, even flying barrels, flying chairs, and flying bathtubs, we love brooms. They are easy to hide, convenient to carry, and cheap. Even if Muggle find them, we don't need to explain or make any excuses."

"However, the earliest brooms were not as sophisticated and comfortable as ours are now."

"At that time, wizards used it more as a means of getting from place A to place B, rather than for flying for fun."

"If you want to use it for long-distance travel, Scotland wizard Gutley Lochling can tell you what the consequences will be—your buttocks will be covered in spikes and bumps."

"I can give you a rough description of the flying broom back then—a thick, unpolished ash wood stick, all bumpy and jagged, with a few thin hazel branches casually tied to one end."

"That's why wizards back then mostly sat sideways, instead of the straddle position that's popular now."

"You can imagine, even sitting like this, with cotton padding in the back of your pants, it would be torture for a weak bottom." Roger paused, and some of the young wizards who had played with toy brooms showed expressions of empathy.

"By the way, what made flying broomsticks comfortable and used for entertainment?" Roger asked.

"I know that. Back then, the spells cast on brooms were all very basic: they would just fly forward at a certain speed."

"It won't go up, go down, or pause," said Kevin Entwistle, who wasn't in Harry's dorm and hadn't had much screen time. Roger nodded and asked, "And then?"

"That's what I wanted to say."

"Next one!" Roger said.

"After the Statute of Secrecy was implemented, wizards started attaching cushions directly to their brooms, and at the same time, Flying Carpet and other flying devices also became popular," Terry Boot said.

"You're very close, student. Your answer is correct, but there is one person who absolutely cannot be ignored."

"That is, Elio Smythe, who invented the Cushioning Charm, which allowed the flying broomstick to retain its original form. This also prevented it from being banned by the Ministry of Magic like strange flying gadgets such as flying Flying Carpet, which were easily discovered by Muggle neighbors, and Quidditch was able to develop."

"In my personal opinion, there is no more iconic figure than him."

"However, the systematization of Quidditch is still inseparable from the Cleansweep Broom Company, founded in 1926 by the three brothers Bob, Bill, and Barnaby Oridon."

"Prior to this, flying brooms such as Oakshaft 79, Moontrimmer and Silver Arrow, while excellent, were high-end crafts made by individual wizards."

"It was the Cleansweep Broom Company that made the competition broom possible," Roger said.

"Finally, I want to emphasize that Comet Trading Company and the Nimbus Racing Broom Company that followed were both pieces of garbage that copied others' ideas!" Roger said excitedly.

Then, Roger enthusiastically handed out several copies of "Quidditch Through the Ages" to the students who had just answered the questions.

But before they could even feel their excitement, they were reminded to return the book, which they had borrowed from the library.

Harry didn't answer anything, but he still received a book. In the end, the discussion ended, and if necessary, there would be another one after dinner.