======Holyhead Harpies======
=====Team Information=====
  * **Type:** Professional [[Quidditch]] Team
  * **League:** [[British and Irish Quidditch League]]
  * **Home Town:** [[Holyhead]], [[Wales]]
  * **Team Robes:** Dark green with a gold talon emblem on the chest. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
  * **Emblem:** A golden talon. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
=====History and Reputation=====
The Holyhead Harpies are a historically significant and highly successful [[Quidditch]] team from [[Wales]]. Founded in 1203, they are one of the oldest teams in the [[British and Irish Quidditch League]]. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
The team is renowned for two primary reasons: their unique hiring policy and their famously aggressive style of play. The Harpies are the only [[Quidditch]] team in the league that has exclusively hired witches to play for them since their inception. This tradition has made them an iconic team in the wizarding world. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
Their reputation for fierceness was cemented in a legendary 1953 match against the [[Heidelberg Harriers]]. The match, which lasted for seven days, concluded when the Harriers' [[Seeker]], Rudolf Brand, proposed to the Harpies' Captain, Gwendolyn Morgan. Morgan responded by hitting him over the head with her [[broom]]. This incident is often cited as an example of the team's no-nonsense, competitive spirit. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//) The Harpies have won the League Cup at least thirty times, a testament to their long-standing excellence. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
=====Role in the Story=====
The Holyhead Harpies are mentioned several times throughout the series as one of the premier [[Quidditch]] teams.
In //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, [[Ludo Bagman]] recalls his playing days, noting that his team, the [[Wimbourne Wasps]], lost to the Harpies in a semi-final match.
In //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, [[Horace Slughorn]] boasts of his connection to the team's famous Captain, [[Gwenog Jones]]. He tells [[Harry Potter]] that he receives free tickets to their matches whenever he likes, highlighting the team's celebrity status.
In the epilogue of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, it is revealed that [[Ginny Weasley]] went on to have a successful career as a professional [[Quidditch]] player. She played the position of [[Chaser]] for the Holyhead Harpies before retiring to start a family with [[Harry Potter]] and become the Senior [[Quidditch]] Correspondent for the [[Daily Prophet]]. This fulfills Ginny's lifelong passion and talent for the sport at the highest level.
=====Known Members=====
  * **[[Gwenog Jones]]:** Captain and [[Beater]] for the team. She was a member of [[Horace Slughorn]]'s Slug Club at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]].
  * **[[Ginny Weasley]]:** Played [[Chaser]] for the Harpies for several years after leaving [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]].
  * **Gwendolyn Morgan:** Captain of the team during their famous 1953 match against the [[Heidelberg Harriers]]. (//[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//)
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * The primary source of detailed information about the Holyhead Harpies' history, team colours, and famous matches comes from the supplementary book //[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]//.
  * According to the Pottermore (now Wizarding World) website, [[Ginny Weasley]]'s career with the Harpies was successful, but she chose to retire to balance her family life with a less physically demanding career at the [[Daily Prophet]]. (Pottermore)
  * In the //Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup// video game, the Holyhead Harpies are a selectable team in the English domestic league, though the team is based in [[Wales]]. (video game)
  * [[Gwenog Jones]] was also listed as a [[Beater]] for the Welsh National Team in the 2014 [[Quidditch World Cup]] coverage on Pottermore, indicating she continued to play at an international level. (Pottermore)