Harry Potter Lessons Learned, Chapter 11: Quidditch

Welcome back to the chapter-by-chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. We have reached the best of all sports, Quidditch. We also see who Hermione becomes as the friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Best of all beyond the Golden Trio, we see communities at work in this chapter.

"Harry didn't know which was worse."

From 2017 to 2019, I spent two days a week working as a tour guide. There was a lot of training to do and I loved learning the history of the two buildings where I worked. I liked less the day when accompanied by a member of security, I got training on how to respond to an emergency. It was a way for me to learn how much good I could do if people were in danger, but I wasn't sure I was brave enough to respond safely when that happened. They told me what to do if someone called me about a bomb, how to make a fort in the art gallery, and what I could say if I felt afraid of someone I was giving a tour to so I could ask for help. Eventually, I realized that by learning all the ways to keep myself and others safe, I felt less afraid of things that I didn't know, so I became the emergency response trainer for my fellow guides.

I think Harry in this chapter would understand where i came from. He practices quite a lot, but he also learns everything he can about what can happen in a Quidditch game. This includes finding out about the seven hundred Quidditch fouls and how likely he is to "turn up months in the Sahara Desert." People don't help by predicting that they'll need to catch him when he falls off his broom.

So, what to do about a nervous Seeker? I love that even though Seamus talks about Seekers getting "clobbered by the other team," he's one of the Gryffindors who make use of a nibbled bedsheet and paints "Potter for President" to support his dormmate. Hermione and Ron keep trying to take Harry's mind off of his worries with food, but they also come to the stands and Hermione performs a charm to make the Gryffindor lion turn different colors on the improvised banner.

Meanwhile, the Gryffindor team includes Harry joyfully in the pep talk. Wood encourages them with confidence about their talents, while the people more on Harry's level make sure that he understands there's a bit of fun to be had in spite of the almost threatening nature of Wood's pre-game lecture.

The game is exciting enough on its own, with Harry's hexed broom and Hermione coming to the rescue, but we see Ron helping Dean to understand that he can't apply Muggle rules to wizarding games. Neville isn't judged for sobbing into Hagrid's coat out of fear. Professor McGonagall chastises the commentator for inappropriate attentiont to one player, but she lets him continue finding enthusiasm for the intensity of the game.

Because Quidditch is so central to the culture of the school, they don't have to worry about enjoying it wrong (even if Dean needs to stop treating this as a West Ham match). Staff and students alike can forget the rules of decorum and have a great time.

Lesson learned: Gaudeamus igitur, iuvenes dum sumus

The quote above is a Latin phrase meaning, "Let us rejoice, therefore, while we are young." I don't think anyone, even Dumbledore, is too old to act with childlike joy and what we see in this chapter is how each community helps maintain that rule.

Let's all stand out of the way and let people take time to have passion for something. We may not understand it or share in the enthusiasm, but we can show kindness for fandom.