Series lore is both the life blood and the bane of any famous author's existence, as it is essential to keep a universe in order, but leads to a lot of nit-picky fan questions. And while we're certainly not immune to calling out inconsistencies, theories or plot holes in this line of work, there's no substitute for just not getting the text. Which is why if you ever ask J.K. Rowling the following Harry Potter-related question concerning the Snitch in Quidditch, you're just going to upset her:
While the entirety of the Harry Potter series has been host to such hot button questions as, "Was Neville truly the chosen one in the prophecies?" or "Should Ron and Hermione really ended up together in the end?", this is a question that side steps the usual plot burdened queries and delves into another fan favorite area: Quidditch. This question in particular involves how it seems like every team that catches the Golden Snitch in a game of Quidditch seems to win, and how that doesn't seem to logically make sense. To die-hard Harry Potter fans, you've probably already seen why this is wrong, but in case you're not up on the sport of wizards, allow us to explain.
Basically the Wizarding World's version of soccer, it's a sport that involves some tricky high flying antics, a lot of magically endowed sporting equipment and, of course, the game ender itself, the Golden Snitch. Now while the goals in Quidditch are scored by the Chasers throwing the Quaffle past the opposing teams' Keeper through the goal rings, those are only worth 10 points a pop. But when a team's Seeker catches the elusive Golden Snitch, it is indeed worth 150 points and ends the game. However, it's not stipulated as an automatic victory, as again, this is a game where scoring the most points wins.
Historical precedent has shown that in the Quidditch World Cup final between Ireland and Bulgaria, set during the first act of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Seeker Viktor Krum was able to catch the Golden Snitch and net his team 150 points towards potential victory. Unfortunately, the team was one Quaffle goal short of victory, which handed Ireland the win, as the game was ended by the Snitch's capture. Ultimately, it's not all about catching the Snitch, but it's also about making sure your team comes out ahead when they do. So why does there seem to be so much confusion that J.K Rowling had to tweet this as the most annoying question in the wizarding world?
Well, odds are people probably equate catching the Golden Snitch to victory, because in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, that was the big moment that proved Harry as a Quidditch star. Catching the Snitch during his first game ever is a pivotal moment in both the book and movie incarnations of the first story in the Harry Potter saga, and with such an indelible moment, it's bound to set up some false expectations when it comes to the rules of the game. Hopefully that confusion will now be somewhat relieved, but if anyone close to you starts to ask this very same question, you now have the evidence you'll need to be an effective Harry Potter Truther.
For those of you interested in the further adventures of the Harry Potter universe, you'll be able to see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them 2 when it's released on November 16, 2018.
