"Confusion reigned as referee Josiah Plunkett attempted to locate the missing Chaser"
-- match report in the Daily Prophet (DP4)
Josiah Plunkett was a professional referee of Quidditch games who had to deal with two very difficult situations on the pitch (DP3, DP4).
As reported in the Daily Prophet, Plunkett was the official referee for a match between the Pride of Portree and the Appleby Arrows, during which one Seeker transfigured the other’s head into a cabbage. The excuse given to Plunkett, apparently, was that the cabbage-headed Seeker had cast a Jelly-Fingers curse on the first Seeker during their race for the Snitch, so he deserved to be “cabbaged”. Both Seekers were carrying illegal wands on the pitch (DP3).
During a chaotic match between the Holyhead Harpies and Puddlemere United, referee Plunkett stopped the game while trying to locate Puddlemere chaser Wilda Griffiths, who had disappeared mid-air from her broomstick. Riots ensued (DP4).
Commentary
Notes
Although the dates printed on the Daily Prophet Newsletters are DP3: 1 June 1999 and DP4: 1 October 1999, the timeframe for those events is 1992-1993.
Pensieve (Comments)
Tags: chaos control controversy curses disappear illegal match riot vanish/vanishing violent Quidditch fans violent Quidditch match