Why Didn't Madam Hooch Stop Dobby's Rogue Bludger?

Question

Why didn't Madam Hooch stop Dobby's rogue Bludger?

I know in the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Madam Hooch was completely asleep at the wheel during the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match, letting Slytherin cheat themselves pretty, but I didn't think it was canon. I was surprised upon a re-read of Chamber of Secrets that Madam Hooch didn't seem to know there was a rogue bludger in play during the Gryffindor/Slytherin match. It couldn't have been more obvious! The Gryffindor team was clearly beside themselves; Slytherin was jeering and blatantly enjoying the show ... where was Madam Hooch? Quidditch Through the Ages says professional Quidditch referees are highly trained ... perhaps this only refers to the International Leagues?

How could Madam Hooch have let the match continue, or go to forfeit, when the equipment had clearly been tampered with?

An answer based in canon would be great.

‘If we stop now, we’ll have to forfeit the match!’ said Harry. ‘And we’re not losing to Slytherin just because of a mad Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!’
  ‘This is all your fault,’ George said angrily to Wood. ‘ “Get the Snitch or die trying” – what a stupid thing to tell him!’
  Madam Hooch had joined them.
  ‘Ready to resume play?’ she asked Wood.
  Chamber of Secrets - page 128 - Bloomsbury - chapter 10, The Rogue Bludger

Treborcram · Accepted Answer

In Quidditch Through the Ages, there are pieces of information about Quidditch that would suggest reasons why Madam Hooch wasn't necessarily aware of the bludger being truly rogue.
The first describes the challenges facing referees:

Page 31:
He or she [referee] has to watch the antics of fourteen players at once and the most common referee's injury is consequently neck strain.

For professional matches, the referee is often assisted (page 31):

...the referee is assisted by officials who stand around the boundaries of the pitch and ensure the neither players nor balls stray over the outer perimeter.

Madam Hooch didn't have extra officials assisting her.  Also, there are a few possible explanations for Madam Hooch's reactions, or lack thereof.

Bludgers are bewitched to chase players indiscriminately.  If left to their own devices, they will attack the player closest to them.
{possible Hooch reaction:  Once the Bludger gets closest to Harry, it would keep attacking him while he was isolated}
(Page 23)

In a chart listing some fouls includes (page 29):

Bumphing (applies to "Beaters only"):  Hitting Bludger towards crowd, necessitating a halt of the game as officials rush to protect bystanders.
{possible Hooch reaction:  The Bludger had been hit towards Harry, but he was near the crowd which affected the Bludger's path}

E. J. · Answer

Madame Hooch may have not realized that the Bludger was targeting Harry, given the chaotic nature of many Quidditch games. But even if she had, she might not have been able to interfere without stopping the entire game. The only similar situation in the series was in book 1, when Snape--without needing to interrupt the game--muttered a counter-spell to keep Quirrell from cursing Harry. Quirrell, however, is a wizard and uses wizarding magic. Dobby is a House-elf, and House-elves have a magic that does not abide by wizarding rules. For instance, they can Apparate and Disapparate from places where wizards cannot (e.g., Hogwarts and Voldemort's cave). It stands to reason that since Dobby would have used House-elf magic to bewitch the Bludger, a normal wizarding spell might not have been able to stop it.

Answered by E. J. on May 2, 2021

HarryJames · Answer

She probably wanted Gryfindor to lose . She was in Slytherin when she was at Hogwarts.

PcMan · Answer

Why would she?
Hooch does NOT stop the match even when a huge swarm of DEMENTORS invades the pitch, and tries to eat Harry.
If Hooch had stopped the match, then Cedric could not have caught the snitch "after Harry fell".
If she does not stop a match because soul-eating Demons are snacking on the players, why would she stop the match simply because one bludger is being a teensy bit antisocial?

Why Didn't Madam Hooch Stop Dobby's Rogue Bludger?

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