Striker asks:

Ok, what IS Quidditch and how do you play (I really don't know)??

Quidditch is a game played by wizards on broomsticks with four balls. The balls are:

The Quaffle. This ball is twelve inches in diameter, bright red, and perfectly smooth. The charms placed on it allow for easy gripping, and cause it to fall slowly when dropped.

The two Bludgers. These are ten inches in diameter and made of iron. The charms on them cause them to indiscriminately attack whatever players are closest to them.

The Golden Snitch. This ball is the size of a walnut with silvery wings. It is bewitched to avoid capture for as long as possible, and to stay within the boundaries of the field.

The game is played on a pitch that is oval-shaped,  five hundred feet long, and one hundred eighty feet wide. There is a circle about two feet in diameter in the center of the pitch for the release of the balls. There are three goal hoops on either side of the field.

Each team has seven players. Their titles and jobs are as follows:

1 Keeper: tries to keep the Chasers from putting the Quaffle through the goal hoops.

1 Seeker: tries to catch the Golden Snitch before the other team's Seeker. (Catching the Snitch gets your team 150 points.)

2 Beaters: each Beater is equipped with a magically reinforced bat, which they use to knock the Bludgers away from the members of their own and/or at the members of the opposing team.

3 Chasers: the Chasers throw the Quaffle to one another and try to put it through one of the opposing team's goal hoops. 10 points are scored every time a goal is made.

Basic rules:

1. A player can go as high as he or she likes, as long as they don't leave the boundary of the pitch. If a player strays across the boundary, his or her team has to give the Quaffle to the opposing team.

2. The team Captain can call for a time out by signaling to the referee. This is the only time a player's feet are allowed to touch the ground during a game. If the game has lasted more than twelve hours, a time out can be extended to two hours. If you don't get back on the pitch after two hours, though, your team is disqualified.

3. The referee can award penalties against a team. The Chaser taking the penalty flies from the central circle to the scoring area. All other players have to keep well back.

4. You can grab the Quaffle from another player, but you can't grab any part of their body.

5. If a player gets injured and can't play any more, the team can't bring on a substitute player -- they just have to keep going without that player.

6. You can take your wand onto the pitch, but you can't use it against opposing team members, opposing team members' brooms, the referee,  any of the balls, or anyone in the crowd.

7. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, or if both team Captains agree to stop.

There are a lot of fouls, too, but listing them would take too long.

PotterforPresident asks:

1. How long have you been playing?

Oh, about seven years, give or take a few months.

2.What team do you play on?

The Rangely Roadrunners. We're pretty good in the States, though we haven't competed on an international scale yet. We will, though! Just give us time. *wink*

~Tal Isin, Rangely Roadrunners