User:Jack "BtR" Saxon/Hooch draft

"Now I want a nice clean game... from all of you."

- Madam Hooch before a Quidditch match.

Madam Rolanda Hooch (c. 1900) was a strict but caring witch who worked as the Flying Instructor, Quidditch referee and Quidditch coach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Born about a hundred years ago, Madam Hooch likely attended the school as a student once and was probably a member of her House's Quidditch team some time before graduating. She learnt to fly on her own Silver Arrow Broomstick sometime prior to 1918, and returned to Hogwarts for a job at some point, becoming the Flying and Quidditch teacher under Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Madam Hooch taught Harry Potter and his classmates how to ride a broomstick in 1991, and refereed the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match that same year, where Gryffindor emerged victorious. One of her games was cancelled just after starting due to the Petrification of Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater in 1992. In 1993, Hooch, with Professor Flitwick, was in charge of examining a Firebolt sent to Harry Potter in case it was jinxed or cursed. Her lessons were probably inspected by Dolores Umbridge in 1995, the same year that she had to stop Harry and George Weasley from attacking Draco Malfoy. Two years after, Madam Hooch likely took part in the Battle of Hogwarts, as all the other teachers did.

School Years
"Hmmm... Difficult... Very difficult..."

- The Sorting Hat placing a student into their House.

Rolanda Hooch was born sometime around 1900 and purchased her wand from Ollivander's Wand Shop at the age of eleven prior to attending her school. She probably went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland, where the Headmaster was Phineas Nigellus Black. Though it is unknown what House she was Sorted into, but it is likely that she played as a member of her House's Quidditch team some time before graduating.

After Graduating
"I've never been insulted in that way since an anti-aircraft singed my broom during the Great War."

- Madam Hooch relaying some information on her past.

Rolanda had graduated by the time the Great War had begun and purchased a Silver Arrow broomstick at some point. One night, her broomstick was singed by a Muggle anti-aircraft device, which she found personally insulting. She declared that the only thing she found more humiliating that that incident was when a student jinxed her many decades later in 1991.

Earlier Years
At some point after her graduation, Rolanda returned to Hogwarts and took up the posts of First Year Flight Instructor, Quidditch referee and Quidditch coach, in charge of all broom-related activities. She was given the title of "madam", now being referred to as "Madam Hooch", and was respected by her students because of her liking for fair-play and clean games. She was given an office located somewhere in the castle where students would not be able to break in, since the crate which held the Golden Snitch, Quaffle and Bludgers was kept safe under lock-and-key in her office. Her lessons teaching the first years how to fly were held in the Training Grounds at the back of the castle, near the Quidditch Stadium and Herbology Greenhouses, and in full view of Professor Minerva McGonagall's office window.

1991-1992 school year
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you... Mount your brooms, please. *Whistle*"

- Madam Hooch starting the first game of the season.

Madam Hooch was still teaching during the 1991-1992 school year, but by then her hair was cut short and grey in colour. She attended the Welcoming Feast and Sorting ceremony, where she watched the Sorting of the forty new Hogwarts students, of which Harry Potter was one of them. She sat next to the Charms Master, Filius Flitwick, and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrell, who previously taught Muggle Studies. Hooch politely applauded as the pupils were placed into their Houses and chatted a while with Flitwick during the Feast.

Madam Hooch taught the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins Flying in the Training Grounds on Thursday 12th September, during the second week of term. She had twenty of the school broomsticks lined up ready on the grass before she arrived, despite the fact that the school brooms vibrated if the rider flew too high and always flew slightly to the left. To begin the class, Hooch ordered the students to stand on the left side of their brooms with their right hand over it. They were told to say, "up!" to summon the brooms to their hands and were then to hover slightly in the air. Unfortunately, a Gryffindor named Neville Longbottom kicked off too early and lost control, resulting in an accident and breaking his wrist. After examining the wound, Madam Hooch took Neville to the hospital wing to see Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school matron, who could easily heal it, but before leaving, she told the other students that anyone who was caught flying their broom would be expelled immediately. In October, Madam Hooch attended the Halloween feast in the Great Hall and sat by Professor Flitwick, once again, and the Potions Master, Severus Snape. Professor Quirrell was apparently absent at the beginning of the feast, and his seat, which was by Hooch, was empty. Midway through the banquet, Quirrell burst in, warning them that there was a troll in the dungeons. Hooch, like everyone else, looked shocked and a little afraid, and apparently followed Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, down to the dungeons, where they found that the troll was, in fact, two floors up and unconscious.

Not long after Halloween, the first match of the Quidditch season took place; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Madam Hooch was to referee the game and told both teams to play fairly, though she was obviously speaking more to the Slytherin team. She released the Bludgers first, then the Golden Snitch, and began the game when she launched the Quaffle into the air. During that game, many fouls were commited by the Slytherins, and she awarded several penalties to the Gryffindors, who won when the new Seeker, Harry Potter, caught the Snitch. Hooch, riding her broom, blew the whistle and announced Gryffindor's victory to the crowd, who all cheered, minus the Slytherins and their Head of House, Professor Snape.

Later on in the year, Madam Hooch was relieved of the responsibility of refereeing the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match, as Professor Snape insisted on refereeing the game.

1992-1993 school year
"Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary. "On my whistle," said Madam Hooch, "Three... two... one...""

- Madam Hooch beginning the first match of the season.

The next school year, Madam Hooch refereed the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, during which Harry Potter, the Gryffindor Seeker, was attacked by a jinxed Bludger. The mystery was how the Bludger was jinxed, since it had been kept safe and locked in Madam Hooch's office. She was forced to stop the game momentarily for the Gryffindors once they deliberated over the rogue Bludger, but they ultimately decided to continue playing, as otherwise they would have had to forfeit the match.

The Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match followed later on in the year, but was cancelled by Professor McGonagall shortly after Madam Hooch had released the balls and began the game. The reason for the cancellation was that Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater had been found Petrified near the library, probably by Irma Pince, the librarian.

Near the end of the year, Madam Hooch and the rest of the staff were called to the staffroom by Professor McGonagall, who had become temporary headmistress in Professor Dumbledore's absence. McGonagall told the professors that a student had been kidnapped by Salazar Slytherin's monster and taken into the Chamber of Secrets. After revealing this, Madam Hooch sank weak-kneed into a chair and asked who had been taken, when she was told that it was Ginevra Weasley, whom Hooch had been giving Flying Lessons. However, she was saved by the end of the year and the school returned to its normal routines.

1993-1994 school year
"Of course, I'm no expert, but I daresay Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick will strip [ this Firebolt ] down [...]. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks. You will have it back if we are sure it is jinx-free."

- Professor McGonagall shortly before handing Harry Potter's Firebolt over to Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick. Not long after the beginning of the 1993–1994 school year, Madam Hooch refereed the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw Quidditch match, which took place in severe weather conditions and poor visibility. The game was concluded when Harry Potter caught the Golden Snitch, awarding one hundred and fifty points to his already-winning team.

After the attack on the Fat Lady by Sirius Black, Professor McGonagall asked Madam Hooch to oversee his Quidditch practices on the pitch for his safety, which she did.

Furthermore, Harry mysteriously received a Firebolt broomstick, which McGonagall thought could have come from Sirius Black. In order to ensure that the broom was safe to ride, McGonagall handed it over to Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick, the Charms Master, who would "strip it down" to look for curses or jinxes. A few weeks later, once Hooch and Flitwick had ensured the broom's safety, the Firebolt was returned to Harry.

She was quite taken with the broom, and rhapsodized over it for some time before Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Keeper, reminded her that they were there to practice, and not listen to her talking about her old Silver Arrow. Though she was supposed to keep an eye on Harry, she then proceeded to fall asleep in the stands while the Gryffindor Quidditch team practiced. The game between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams was refereed by Madam Hooch. But during that match, Dementors, who were supposed to be guarding the school, interfered and made Harry Potter fall off of his broomstick, enabling the Hufflepuff Seeker, Cedric Diggory, to catch the Golden Snitch. Also during that match, Katie Bell's broom was set alight by a bolt of lightning, resulting in her going to the hospital wing, and Diggory was sent hurtling towards the ground after being hit by lightning.

The final match, for the Quidditch Cup, was between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Madam Hooch was tasked with overseeing the match as a referee. The final was a violent game, and Madam Hooch commented several times that she has never seen such flagrant fouls committed. The match concluded with Harry Potter's capturing of the Golden Snitch, earning the Gryffindor Quidditch team the Quidditch Cup for the first time in roughly seven years.

1994-1995 school year
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year. This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - [...] The Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

- Professor Dumbledore announcing the cancellation of the Quidditch Cup.

Unfortunately for Madam Hooch, the following academic terms were to be dedicated to the revival of the Triwizard Tournament, meaning that the 1994-1995 school year Quidditch Cup was not to take place. This was also due to the fact that the Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium was to play host to the enchanted Hedge Maze of the Third Task. Because of this, it is assumed that Madam Hooch's only duties that year was to give Flying Lessons at the Training Grounds to the first year students, though she may have helped prepare the tasks with the other teachers.

1995-1996 school year
"Impedimenta! What do you think you're doing? I've never seen behaviour like it - back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

- Madam Hooch, enraged at Harry Potter and George Weasley's attack on Draco Malfoy.