If the seeker only touches the snitch, would that count as catching it?

Question

From the explanation on flesh memories from Rufus Scrimgeour, it seems as if the first seeker to touch the snitch wins the game.

"Correct," said Scrimgeour. "A Snitch is not touched by bare skin
before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It
carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay
hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch", he held up
the tiny golden ball, "will remember your touch, Potter.

So the first seeker to "lay hands" on the snitch wins, right?
There is a contradiction though. When Wood explains the rules of the game to Harry, he specifically says a few times that in order to win the game the seeker must catch the snitch.

"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important
ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and
difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to
weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get
it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker
catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so
much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so
it can go on for ages...

Further more, there is a game that happens where the Slytherin seeker touched the snitch first (but didn't catch it), and the Gryffindor seeker (Harry) caught the snitch first, and Gryffindor won.

"Oi, Harper!" yelled Harry in desperation. "How much did Malfoy pay
you to come on instead of him?"
He did not know what made him say it, but Harper did a double-take; he
fumbled the Snitch, let it slip through his fingers, and shot right
past it. Harry made a great swipe for the tiny, fluttering ball and
caught it.
"YES!" Harry yelled: wheeling around, he hurtled back toward the
ground, the Snitch held high in his hand. As the crowd realized what
had happened, a great shout went up that almost drowned the sound of
the whistle that signaled the end of the game.

So-
Either the first seeker to touch it wins, and when Harper fumbled the snitch Harry wasn't supposed to win but he won anyway for some reason, and when Wood was explaining the rules to Harry he got confused and he taught Harry that he needs to catch the snitch.
Or the first seeker to catch it wins, and the flesh memories charm is made in a way that it detects only the first person that catches the snitch and not necessarily touches, and Scrimgeour was getting confused between touching the snitch and catching it.

Valorum · Answer

The rules of Quidditch are very clear about the game ending when the snitch is caught by one of the two seekers on the pitch.

A game of Quidditch ends only when the Golden Snitch has been caught, or by mutual consent of the two team Captains.

Quidditch Through the Ages

Note that the rules don't define what a "catch" is (unlike, for example competition cricket), but it does make a distinction between touching and catching when it refers to fouling the snitch, which strongly implies that simply touching the snitch isn't sufficient to end the game.

Snitchnip [Foul]: Any player other than Seeker touching or catching the Golden Snitch

As to your quote, in reference to the enchantments on the snitch, note that Scrimgeour doesn't state that the flesh memory determines the winner, just that it can be used, by the referee, to help to determine the winner in the event of a "disputed catch" (e.g. one where both seekers end up holding the snitch at the end of the game).

It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

raiton · Answer

It's actually simpler than what you're making of it. For the game to end the Snitch has to be captured. If you only touched it, it's not over.
Imagine the scenario where both Seekers catch the Snitch at the same time. Neither is grabbing it but the Snitch is indeed caught. (Maybe in between both's hands). The first Seeker to touch it is the winning one.

“Correct,” said Scrimgeour. “A Snitch is not touched by bare skin
before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It
carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay
hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch”—he held up
the tiny golden ball—“will remember your touch, Potter.

If the seeker only touches the snitch, would that count as catching it?

2 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question