Bludger

A Bludger is a round, jet black ball, made of iron, and is used in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. It is ten inches in diameter. There are two Bludgers used in every match, which are bewitched to fly around and try to knock the players off of their brooms. It is the Beater's job to protect their teammates from the Bludgers and at the same time aim them towards the opposing players.

History of the Bludger
Early Bludgers (known as Blooders) were simply rocks bewitched to chase players around the field. These were eventually too fragile, and could be smashed by a Beater's bat, which ended up with players be chased by flying gravel for the rest of the game. After a few years, Bludgers were made out of lead, which was also too soft for Bludger manufacture. The magically reinforced Beater's bats could dent it, thus impairing their ability to fly straight. All Bludgers are currently made of iron. The history of this latest development was discovered by Agatha Chubb, who discovered sixteenth century lead Bludgers in an English peat bog.

In 1992, Dobby the house-elf tampered with a Bludger to make it only chase Harry Potter, while it would normally try to attack all players equally.

Behind the scenes

 * Assuming a Bludger is solid iron, it would weigh approximately 149 pounds.
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter sells toy Bat and Bludger sets. But the bludger ball measures 5 inches in diameter instead of 10. Bludger_and_bat.png

Etymology
The word may have been derived from, Blut, which means "blood" in German. It may also have been derived from the word "bludgeon"

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
 * Quidditch Through the Ages
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game