Gobstones



Gobstones is a popular game played with special stones, similar to the Muggle game of marbles except that when a player loses a point, the gobstone then spits a putrid liquid at the player.

Variations
There are three variants of Gobstones: "Classic" Game (where you have to knock seven Gobstones out of the circle before your opponent does), "Jack Stone" Game (where after four snaps your Gobstone must be the one closest to the Jack Gobstone) and the "Snake Pit" Game (which is similar to "Jack Stone", however instead of a Jack Gobstone there’s a hole on the center of the circle).

Clubs, Associations and Leagues
There currently exist numerous Gobstones clubs and leagues. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has various Gobstones Clubs. Most students own their own set of gobstones. Hogwarts' competitive Gobstone Team even held matches with other wizarding schools. Eileen Prince, mother of Severus Snape, was Team Captain in her time. There is also an International Gobstones League, officiated from the Official Gobstone Club Offices, on the Department of Magical Games and Sports (level seven of the Ministry of Magic). There is also a National Welsh Gobstones Team, which competed in the Gobstones competition, the Gobstones Tournament.

Gobstones Clubs at Hogwarts

 * Slytherin Gobstones Club.
 * Gryffindor Gobstones Club.
 * Ravenclaw Gobstones Club.
 * Hufflepuff Gobstones Club.

Behind the scenes

 * In the July 31 1998 edition of the Daily Prophet one reader wrote a letter complaining about the paper's lack of coverage of gobstones.
 * Harry Potter once contemplated buying a solid gold set of gobstones at Diagon Alley.
 * Flavius Belby was the president of his local Gobstones club, as seen in his story in the Lethifold portion of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was a happy memory used by Belby to produce his Patronus to chase the Lethifold.
 * Eileen Prince was the club captain of Hogwarts' Gobstones club

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Notes and references
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