Quidditch Through the Ages

Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, explains that Quidditch is an essential part of the wizarding world because it brings together witches and wizards from all backgrounds. Dumbledore reveals that he is making this book, which is a must-read for all young witches and wizards, available to Muggles so that he can raise funds for charities. He warns the reader that the fierce librarian, Madam Pince, did not approve of his plan and may have put some jinxes on the book, so the reader should take good care of it so they don’t fall under any of Pince’s spells.

The book’s fictional author, wizarding character Kennilworthy Whisp, provides a history of flying brooms. Wizards and witches have not figured out how to fly in human form unaided by an object. While they can transform into flying animals, this strategy has some serious drawbacks.

While other wizarding cultures use different objects to take flight, such as flying carpets, European witches and wizards felt that brooms were the ideal flying tool. Whisp attributes this to the broom being a common household object that would not attract suspicion from Muggles.