Broomsticks in Harry Potter
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In the fictional universe of the Harry Potter series, created by author J. K. Rowling, magical flying broomsticks are one of the most popular forms of transportation for wizards and witches, as well as used for magical games like Quidditch. A complete culture exists for them, as does for cars in the real world. First year students at Hogwarts are not supposed to be allowed to have a broom with them at school, though the rule is bent for Harry Potter so he can play for his house Quidditch team.
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[edit] Nimbus
The Nimbus broomsticks are known to be one of the best broomsticks in the book. They are produced by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, which was founded in 1967 by Devlin Whitehorn.
[edit] Nimbus 1000
Information on the Nimbus 1000 comes from Quidditch Through the Ages. The Nimbus series was a big step up from anything seen before, the 1000 reaching speeds of a hundred miles an hour, capable of turning 360 degrees on a point, and extremely reliable. Following models (the 1001, 1500, and 1700) were similar in abilities and success, until a large step forward was taken in the 2000 model.
[edit] Nimbus 2000
The Nimbus 2000s are described as sleek and shiny. They have a mahogany handle and a long tail of neat, straight twigs. Nimbus 2000 is written in gold near the top of the handle.
Harry Potter acquires his Nimbus 2000 broomstick after Professor McGonagall witnesses him fly during his first flying lesson at Hogwarts in his first year. The Nimbus 2000 can reach speeds up to 100 mph, more if wind resistance is magically casted away. Gryffindor team captain, Oliver Wood, suggests that Harry requires a better broomstick than the school provides. However, it is unclear who provided the cash for this first broom, although the film version implies that Professor McGonagall got the broom for Harry. There are a few implications as well in the book that McGonagall put up the money for it in the book version as well, as her name is on the note, and Professor Flitwick is already well aware of its existence when Draco Malfoy tries to get Harry in trouble by mentioning it to the diminutive teacher.
Harry flew his Nimbus 2000 for another two years until in his third year it flew into the Whomping Willow and was smashed to bits. It is known Harry still has the pieces of the broom as a keepsake since it was his first broom.
When the broom first appeared in the book it was touted as 'the fastest model yet'. However, this might be interpreted to mean that it was the fastest Nimbus model of broom. The Firebolt, said to be the fastest racing broom ever designed at the present time of the book, did not appear until The Prisoner of Azkaban. When Harry saw a prototype of the Firebolt early on in The Prisoner of Azkaban, it was described as a brand new broom which had just come out that summer. However, it may already have existed prior, but simply wasn't seen. The Firebolt had to have been developed at least within the two years previous, as the Firebolt already had gained acclaim in the wizarding world. Since Quidditch through the Ages does describe the development of various brooms, it is safe to assume the Firebolt had likely been a work already in progress by the time of Harry's second year at the very least, since Harry only spends two or three months with the Dursleys, before he goes back to Hogwarts.
[edit] Nimbus 2001
The Nimbus 2001 is an upgrade to the Nimbus 2000. The broom was superseded by the Firebolt in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Due to its impressive flying abilities, the Nimbus 2001 is very expensive and only Quidditch teams with wealthy backers can afford it.
Draco Malfoy became the Slytherin Quidditch Seeker after his father gave Nimbus 2001 brooms to all seven members of the Slytherin Quiddich team in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The purchase of the Nimbus 2001's for the Slytherin team led to considerable discontent among the other house teams due to the broom's undeniable advantage in terms of speed and agility.
The Nimbus 2001 in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is indeed treated as the faster of the two brooms, but it appears that Draco either hadn't mastered the broom as well as he might have liked, or else lacked the experience of riding a broom with such a speed. The first Quidditch match of the term - Slytherin versus Gryffindor - ended with Harry emerging victorious despite a rogue Bludger attacking Harry exclusively. In the fierce race for the Snitch, Draco not only kept pace with Harry but overtook him more than once. The chase led both boys into the underbelly of the Quidditch stadium, a maze of wooden structures, and Draco was unable to handle the Nimbus 2001's speed and maneuver the broom through the projecting beams, finally slamming into one of the wooden beams of the frame supporting the main structure. Harry, however, managed to slow his broom enough to weave in and out of the beams, get the Snitch, and accelerate away from Draco.
[edit] Firebolt
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A Firebolt is an advanced professional-level flying broomstick and the most expensive racing broom in existence.
According to Quality Quidditch Supplies, the broom is made of ash wood with a tail of birch twigs, is capable of reaching 150 miles per hour in 10 seconds (which is remarkably high for broomsticks), and also apparently incorporates an unbreakable braking charm. It has been boasted to be the fastest and most advanced broomstick available, and so far appears to live up to the claim. The price wasn't listed except as available upon request; if one must ask, one probably can't afford it.
Harry Potter was given a Firebolt by his godfather Sirius Black for Christmas after his old broomstick, a Nimbus 2000, was destroyed by the Whomping Willow.
It was used by the Irish and Bulgarian teams during the Quidditch World Cup. Notably Ireland beat Bulgaria in the final of the tournament.
[edit] Comet
Comets are cheaper than the Nimbus and are more common in amateur Quidditch games. These were created by the Comet Trading Company as a competitor with the Cleansweeps. Different Comet models include Comet One-Forty, Comet One-Eighty, Comet Two-Sixty and Comet Two-Ninety. The Comet Trading Company was founded by Randolph Keitch and Basil Horton in 1929. Its first broom was the Comet 140. Competition between the Comet and Cleansweep broommakers continued into the late 1930s, when secondary models came onto the market (such as the Tinderblast and Silver Arrow). It is said in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone that Draco Malfoy owns a Comet 260.
[edit] Cleansweep
Cleansweeps are about the same as Comets. Different models for Cleansweeps include Cleansweep One, Cleansweep Two and all the way to Cleansweep Eleven. Most of the Weasley Family seem to ride Cleansweeps. As a present for being prefect, Ron received a brand new Cleansweep Eleven, which is known to have a Spanish oak handle, anti-jinx varnish and vibration control features. The Cleansweep Broom Company, which produced the brooms, was founded in 1926 by Bob, Bill, and Barnaby Ollerton. The Cleansweep One gained fame as the first broom ever built purely for sporting use.
[edit] Broomsticks from Quidditch Through the Ages
Information on these broomsticks comes from Quidditch Through the Ages.
[edit] Oakshaft 79
The Oakshaft was crafted by Elias Grimstone of Portsmouth in 1879 (hence the 79). It was designed for endurance and to stand up to heavy winds, though it was too slow and cumbersome for any serious sports usage. The Oakshaft was also used in the first Atlantic broom crossing, by Jocunda Sykes in 1935 (long after such feats were commonplace by Muggles using airplanes).
[edit] Moontrimmer
The Moontrimmer was designed by Gladys Boothby in 1901. It was highly successful as a sporting broom, with a slimmer handle and the ability to reach higher heights. Gladys was not able to keep production in line with demand, so was outstripped by the Silver Arrow.
[edit] Silver Arrow
The Silver Arrow was another step forward for sporting brooms, able to reach seventy miles an hour with a tailwind. Like the Moontrimmer, however, it was crafted by one wizard, Leonard Jewkes, so when demand got too great he couldn't keep up, he went out of business. (and was eventually replaced by the Cleansweep series.)
Madam Hooch mentions that the Firebolt resembles the Silver Arrow she had back in her day.
[edit] Tinderblast and Swiftstick
The Tinderblast was released in 1940 by the Black Forest company Ellerby and Spudmore. The Tinderblast was highly resilient, but not as fast as the Comets or Cleansweeps.
The Swiftstick was the second broom by Ellerby and Spudmore, faster than the Tinderblast, though it tended to lose power as it ascended, so again never gained much popularity.
[edit] Shooting Star
The Shooting Star was released by Universal Brooms Ltd. in 1955 as a cheap racing broom (the cheapest to date). After a time, however, the Shooting Star was found to lose speed and height with age, killing sales and Universal Brooms went out of business in 1978. Ron's broom was a Shooting Star for a time, until it was replaced by a Cleansweep Eleven. Harry Potter also used a Shooting Star belonging to the school during Quidditch practice (which was said to be so slow that it was often outstripped by passing butterflies) when his Nimbus was destroyed and he had not yet received the Firebolt.
[edit] Twigger 90
The Twigger 90, first produced in 1990, was intended by its manufacturers Flyte and Barker to replace the Nimbus as the market leader. However, though highly finished and including a number of new gimmicks such as an inbuilt Warning Whistle and Self-Straightening Brush, the Twigger has been found to warp under high speeds and has gained an unlucky reputation of being flown by the wizards with more Galleons than sense.
[edit] Other Brooms
[edit] The Bluebottle
The Bluebottle is a broom mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Not much is known about this broom but in the scoreboard, (before the game there were advertisements) at the Quidditch World Cup, said that it was a good broom for all the family and known for a lot of safety and for its reliability. It also has a Built-in Anti Burgular Buzzer. It is a broom that is rather like a sedan in the muggle world - a great broom for the family, but not a good sports broom.
[edit] Trivia
- In some countries, a vibrating toy "Harry Potter Nimbus 2000 Broom" for 8–12 year-olds was marketed. It became controversial, and was taken off the market.
