Silver Arrow

• Type: Broomstick (Racing Broom)
• Owners: Popular among Quidditch players of its era.
• Maker: Leonard Jewkes

The Silver Arrow is an early model of a racing broom. While its precise physical appearance is not described in the novels, its name suggests a sleek design, possibly with silver accents or a silver-coloured handle and twigs. It was considered a significant advancement in broom-making technology for its time, serving as a forerunner to modern racing brooms.

The primary function of the Silver Arrow was for flight, particularly for the sport of Quidditch. It was known for its superior speed compared to its predecessors.

• Speed: The Silver Arrow had a top speed rumoured to be as high as seventy miles per hour, a considerable achievement for its time. This made it faster than previous models like the Oakshaft 79 and the Moontrimmer.
• Handling: As a forerunner to modern racing brooms, it represented a significant step forward in performance and handling, setting a new standard for broom-making.

The Silver Arrow was created by the wizard Leonard Jewkes. As noted in the book Quidditch Through the Ages, it was a true breakthrough in broom design. The broom became exceptionally popular, but Jewkes, who worked alone and in his spare time, was unable to keep up with the overwhelming demand. This scarcity of the Silver Arrow created a significant opportunity in the market. The Cleansweep Broom Company was subsequently formed and released the Cleansweep One, the first racing broom to be produced in large quantities for a wide audience. In this way, the success and limited availability of the Silver Arrow directly paved the way for the commercial broomstick industry.

The Silver Arrow serves as a piece of world-building lore within the series. Harry Potter learns about it while reading a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages lent to him by Hermione Granger in his first year at Hogwarts. The description of the Silver Arrow and its history helps to establish the long evolution of Quidditch and broomstick technology, providing context for the advanced nature of Harry's own Nimbus 2000 and highlighting the rich history of the Wizarding World.

All canonical information about the Silver Arrow comes from a passage in the in-universe book Quidditch Through the Ages, which Harry Potter reads in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.