So I was watching the repeat of Sorcerer's Stone on ABC Family and I had a weird thought (yea I know what a concept) when the trio were down underneath the 3rd floor corridor in the Flitwick charmed key room. The keys are flying overhead and the boys are unsure about flying on the broom. Ron in his full support says 'Oh go on Harry, you're the youngest Seeker in a century!'. As I watched his enthusiastic flag waiving, I was struck by a nagging question that needed to be answered.

What was so great about Harry being the youngest Seeker in a century? And why is that a qualification for being the master of flight to the point where Ron doesn't question his abilities to prevent them from moving forward to get the stone or being trapped forever?


Now we know Harry was a brilliant Seeker. But at that point in the story he'd really only played two games. And the first game he caught the snitch with his mouth. He missed the final because he was in the hospital wing recovering. So they didn't really have an idea of just how amazing he was going to be.

And as far as Harry's age is concerned it was really luck that got him on the team. (some call it luck I call it a cheap plot device) The only reason he was even placed on the team is that the one person who saw his dive (or window catch in the movie) just happened to be his Quidditch obsessed head of house. And while it was great that he was such a talent, they bent the rules for him because Gryffindor was that badly in need of a Seeker. If anyone else, or no one, had seen his catch he wouldn't have made it on the team until second year, like everyone else.

Now being placed on the team is all well and good, but really it was just circumstances along with decent talent that made it possible. I'm sure if 'The Legendary Charlie Weasley' was scouted his first year he would have made the team. Because after all he could have played for England had he not chased dragons. Same goes for Viktor Krum if Durmstrang had similar restrictions.


Whats the point of all this? I'm just wondering where Ron's unwavering faith comes from. Harry got lucky (first time of many in the series) and got on the team. Sure out of the three of them he's probably the best suited to chase after the key, but I guess it's just the strength of Ron's conviction; that Harry's the best flier in the world; that really got to me. Just because Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch cup since Charlie left, doesn't mean that Harry is the greatest flier of all time.

 

You are assuming a lot. Like that what Harry did during his first broom ride wasn't spectacular. You are assuming that is he was only taken because they needed a Seeker, however Oliver Wood would beg to differ. He was very excited when Mcgonagall brought Harry to him, and was also very excited to see him fly. You are also assuming that only Mcgonagall would have been impressed with such a dive; when even Malfoy was impressed with the way Harry handled himself on a broom on his first time, prior to the dive. Ron has seen him ride a broom, and I'm guessing he's watched Harry on his broom more then what was shown on screen. We know Ron comes to Harry's practices in Year 2, I wouldn't be surprised if he did in Year 1 as well. Ron, a future Keeper for the team, ran head first into the wall in that scene. So I hardly doubt riding a broom is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

You are also assuming that this isn't a childrens book meant for children.

 

Wood was excited because Gryffindor was so desperate. And I didn't say that riding a broom was 1.2.3 only that Harry isn't the greatest flier ever just because he made his house team and that there probably are several others that, given the similar chances i.e. bending of the rules, would have made their house team their first year. He wasn't sex on a broom...Gryffindor just hadn't had a decent Seeker since Charlie. Yes his stunt was spectacular. I guess i'm saying they should have worded it differently...that he should have said you're amazing on a broom. Not that being the youngest in a century.

 

They're 11(12?).

 

How do you know he did? I mean McGonagall saw him at the lesson and the next moment he was on the team as the seeker. No tryouts no nothing, I mean Wood had to explain the game to him after he was on the team. AND we're lead to believe that in all 7 years of Gryffindor there is no one that wants that spot.

 

because no one tried out, no one made a big deal out of the rules being bent. And no one said anything about a Muggle born (yes he's a half blood but he might as well be muggle) who knows absolutely nothing about Quidditch and doesn't even know the rules of the game, being given, and i do mean given, the spot. Yes his dive was great, I'm just not sure that he should have just walked on to the team...imo that's close to what Malfoy did with the brooms. And my point in the beginning was that just because those rules got bent for him and he happened to luck into the position doesn't give Ron the right to go all starry eyed hero worship on him.

 

Ron's only worthwhile trait is his support of Harry. Well, that and getting to bang the hot bookworm. Don't take one of his two redeeming traits away from him.

 

The idea isn't that he is good because he is the youngest in the century, the idea is that he is the youngest seeker in a century because he is good.

There's also that "youngest in the century" is a definite 'best' trait for a quidditch player. It is an arbitrary thing because you could be the best player alongside a lot of extremely shitty players, but it is something easy to say and easy to understand. You can list someone's batting average and people who understand the significance/rhyme/reason of batting averages would know that 'hey that's a good batting average!' but it wouldn't mean much to anyone outside of baseball buffs. It's the same thing for any sport, Quidditch including. Listing keeper/chaser/beater stats probably wouldn't mean anything to most people, but simply saying "he's the 'xxxx'est seeker in forever!" is easy to understand. Case-in-point: Hermione is rather enthusiastic about Harry being the youngest in the century, or in other words, rlly rlly gud. That doesn't mean she gives a shit about wonky feints.

If, however, you say that someone has the best batting average ever or that they are the youngest player ever to achieve such a high batting average, that is something that anyone with half a brain and no knowledge of baseball can understand to be impressive.

Also, they are 11. When I was eleven I knew Michael Jordan was good at basketball. If someone asked me why, my response would probably be "because he is." Eleven-year-olds shouldn't be required to have sound logic and reasoning skills, even if they are pinnacles of human achievement like Ron "the Goddamned Batman" Weasley.


Note: I understand nothing about baseball and was using it only as an example because I know I've heard the term 'batting average' before.

 

Except that his support of Harry is at best iffy at times, and his banging of the bookworm was a ridiculous decision with no real reasoning by Rowling, so I am not sure what that leaves him...

Other than that I am not quite sure what the OP's point is...

---------- Post automerged at 09:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 AM ----------

Oh, the whole "Youngest Seeker in a Century" bit, is clearly a device by the author because she had to give Harry some sort of skill. He's clearly devoid of any useful abilities, so she had to give him something. Therefore the next logical step was to make WTFHamazing at flying. Since that will clearly help to defeat Voldemort in some way.

Honestly none of the characters have any skills save for Hermione, and her only ability is to learn anything in like two minutes which isn't exactly amazing either...

 

I know it's often thought to be a DLP thing to frequently assert how our protagonists have no skills whatsoever and how Jo should've had them destroying mountains (by way of Bleach-style power-ups as judicious intervals, I assume), but you're really trying hard, aren't you?

Harry's amazing on a broom. Ron is an average guy with an inferiority complex the size of Alps. This thread is meaningless.

Deal with it.

 

You also have to realize those school brooms were really bad.

I'm not sure if JK said much to that extent during the first book, but I remember references to how they were bent, broken, some wouldn't fly straight etc.

Then Harry got on and it and flew as if it were second nature and without training. Have you ever tried to drive stick shift or a motorcycle? The first time of either you don't know when to let the clutch up, or when to lean on a motorcycle or how much. It's safe to assume that besides Harry's luck, only people on one of the Quidditch teams already could have caught the Rememberal. And that he then had months of practice before the Chamber of Secrets.

 

His first time on a broom, Harry performs better than Charlie Weasley -one of Gryffindor's best seekers in recent years- ever did.

Good God, do many of our new members just scream stupid to anyone else? Shut up, please.

 

Isn't JK Rowling just trying to make fun of the English sports media and English football fans in general? The English have a tendency to over-hype any young footballers with decent skills as the next "INSERT FAMOUS FOOTBALLER HERE".

 

No, I think she's trying to tell us that Harry Potter is a fucking god on a broomstick. Which he is.

We have Snarf's post to prove that. Furthermore, we have Ludo Bagman during the first Tri-Wizard challenge. He says something along the lines of "Harry could almost match Krum!".

Sounds pretty decent too me!

 

That is from the perspective of people who would have a strong incentive to hype him up. I am not denying Harry is an excellent seeker and a flier, but we should not assume he is "a fucking god on a broomstick".

After all, if he really is such a god on a broomstick, I am pretty sure the English national team would have wanted him to participate in the world cup. If Victor Krum managed to get a call up for his national team, I don't see any reason why the same cannot apply for Harry.

 

I imagine that this simply has to do with different school politics in different countries. Pupils training for professional sports need a lot of spare time, which means special timetables and classes, maybe even demands additional tutors for important classes. Also, Hogwarts does not seem to really encourage gifted children (e.g. Hermione or Percy) to take part in competitions etc. And finally: Dumbledore allowing Harry Potter to get casted for the national team? Yeah, not gonna happen.