Chapter Eleven Quidditch

Summary

(Harry wins his first Quidditch match despite nearly being killed by his cursed broom, and he discovers that the three- headed dog is HagridÂ’s.)

Quidditch season has begun and Harry is preparing himself by reading Quidditch Through the Ages between practices. After Snape takes away HarryÂ’s book, Harry goes to SnapeÂ’s classroom to retrieve it and stumbles in upon Snape bandaging up his bloody leg. Harry realizes Snape tried to get past Fluffy the night of the troll attack.

At the match against Slytherin, Harry’s broom suddenly goes awry and tries to knock him off. Hermione sees that Snape is staring intently at Harry and muttering under his breath so she assumes Snape is the one cursing Harry’s broom. Hermione runs over to Snape, bowling over Professor Quirrell in the process, and sets fire to Snape’s robe. The curser having been disrupted, Harry’s broom returns to normal and Harry accidentally catches the Snitch in his mouth to win the game. Harry is immediately congratulated by nearly the entire school for beating Slytherin. In Hagrid’s hut after the match, Hagrid accidentally mentions the name “Nicholas Flamel.”

Rowling set Hogwarts in mountainous Scotland: “The mountains around the school became icy gray.”

Hermione has become much more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron saved her from the mountain troll. Hermione continues to change from the teacherÂ’s pet to an adventuress.

The bright blue fire Hermione creates to keep her, Harry, and Ron warm will later be used to set SnapeÂ’s robes on fire and to fend off the DevilÂ’s Snare plant. Hermione will use her flame conjuring skills in later books too.

Slytherin captain Marcus Flint takes advantage of HarryÂ’s fighting for dear life on his cursed broom by scoring five times while everyone is distracted. This reflects on SlytherinÂ’s attitude of getting ahead at any cost.

“The afternoon’s events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.” Hermione is no longer a teacher’s pet who always trusts professors, as she had demonstrated herself to be before. Recall Ron’s lecturing her (earlier in the book) for always trusting teachers.

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