Hogwarts Gobstones Tournament

Hogwarts Gobstones Tournament
Event information
Location	Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Date(s)	Once a year until the 1980s, re-instituted in the 2010s

The Hogwarts Gobstones Tournament also known as the Spring Gobstones Tournament was a inner competition at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry between the students in the ancient sport of Gobstones.

History

The tournament was held once a year when Clodagh Dromgoole was a student, and probably many years before.

In the 1980s, a top contender named Edgar Hexsmith was participating. He had perfect grades and excelled at everything, and everyone expected him to win. The tournament that year attracted a lot of students, not only Gobstones players, but spectators too. But when Edgar lost, some people were furious and started questioning the game itself. At first, no one suspected foul play and most people were amazed by how skilled both players were. But some more experienced Gobstones players noticed that Edgar made near impossible moves and that his opponent countered every single one flawlessly, almost too flawlessly. The idea spread quickly, and later, someone sent an anonymous letter to the Headmaster making accusations of cheating in the tournament. The professors investigated and went to the Gobstone Club to inspect the tournament sets for traces of magic, but all the sets were gone. Without evidence, they couldn't prove anything and the investigation never reached a conclusion. After the incident, everyone decided that the tournament was more trouble than it was worth, and the tournament was discontinued.

In the 1996–1997 school year, Harry Potter participated in the Gobstones tournament to win Famous Quidditch Players Cards, he bested all his opponents and won the Golden Gobstones Cup.

In the 2010s, Clodagh Dromgoole, now a Professor, wanted to re-institute the Gobstones Tournament. It took far too many words and a lot of convincing to get Headmistress Minerva McGonagall to agree. Professor Dromgoole later enrolled a Muggle-born student after they hit the Gobstones on her board with a blue Gobstone from a really far distance, even though they said they had just started playing. Professor Dromgoole claimed she hadn't see a move like that since she was a student. She encouraged the student to practise even when they claimed that the blue Gobstone was able to move on its own.

On the day of the tournament, Professor Dromgoole decided to open the tournament with an exhibition match between Jenna Hexsmith and the Muggle-born student. After the student won, Jenna dropped the blue Gobstone, making the student believe she wanted to use it to cheat at the tournament. After the match, the tournament was postponed, and Professor Dromgoole, Jenna and the student went to the Headmistress's office, where she tested the blue Gobstone with all the usual anti-cheating methods and believed it didn't contain any common cheating charms, though she added that if the owner had developed their own charm, it would take more effort to identify. They decided to confiscate the Gobstone piece, but Jenna asked if she could keep it as it belonged to her father, Edgar Hexsmith, and she wanted to return it to him.

The new date for the tournament arrived and the Muggle-born student joined the other competitors at the Great Hall. The student bested Daniel Page, Robyn Thistlethwaite, and Mabel Gurnhart, reaching the final and facing Jenna Hexsmith. The student defeated Jenna, who had been their teacher, and became the newest Gobstones champion.

Known participants

1980s

• Edgar Hexsmith
• Hufflepuff boy

1990s

• David Boorman
• Felix Brunt
• Poppy Caxton
• Fay Dunbar
• Craig Dunn
• Cordelia Gifford
• Gareth Pewsey
• Harry Potter
• Bastien Queensbury
• Ivan Renshaw
• Roderick Seaton
• Arman Shettigar
• Jason Swann
• Vikram Thakur
• Zara Valli
• Nigel Wroxton

2010s

• Mabel Gurnhart
• Jenna Hexsmith
• Daniel Page
• Robyn Thistlethwaite
• Unidentified Muggle-born student

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, in the Side Story "More Precious than Gold" from the Fractured Reflections season, Mabel Gurnhart states that she's preparing for the inter-school competition, which is why you won't see her on Professor Dromgoole's tournament. Yet, she's the third opponent at the tournament in the Season Story.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (NDS version only) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (First identified as Hogwarts Gobstones Tournament)