Author's Note: This is Wigtown Wanderers' entry for the Daily Prophet's 5th Competition :) It was written by rhead-a-holyc, Sable Supernova, Firefly81 and DolbyDigital. It was arranged by Prisoner of Azkaban711
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter.
"Now, my darling readers, we have some exclusive extracts from Kennilworthy Whisp's new book, The Wonder of Wigtown Wanderers! We all wait with bated breath for its release next week, as we've heard rumours of some of the juicy secrets hidden within its pages. Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Daily Prophet on Sunday for a detailed analysis and play-by-play retelling of its key sections!"
History
The Wigtown Wanderers were originally founded in 1422 by the four sons and three daughters of one Walter Parkin. Now, Mr. Parkin was just an ordinary butcher, so one would not expect his progeny to run off and start up a Quidditch team. But was he so ordinary? Many of my sources say he used to watch his children play with a wand in one hand and a meat cleaver in another. So the following question needs to be asked: ordinary, run-of-the-mill butcher, or serial killer in the making?
The original Wanderers are credited with the creation of a classic move called Parker's Pincer. It consists of all three Chasers flying fast at a Chaser from the opposing team, all coming from completely different directions. It is interesting to note that this team has stayed a family team as a descendent from the Parkin family could be found playing, more often than not. The robes the players wear are blood red with a silver meat cleaver upon the chest. A homage, perhaps, to the father of the founders.
For as much as the Wanderers have remained a family-based team, it has also been rife with scandal. One of Mr. Parkin's sons, Edward, ran off with a poor Muggleborn - something that was almost unheard of at the time - leaving behind his wife and two small children. Afterwards, the mistress could be seen in the stands from time to time, cheering on her lover. One of his daughters, Ainsley, ended up pregnant out of wedlock. She never married her child's father. The biggest scandal to date, however, occurred in 1816. The Wanderers star seeker, Paul Pratt, went on a murderous rampage upon finding his wife in their marital bed with his best friend. After sending a few Crucios their way, he killed them both and ended up being taken down by Aurors. Despite the many scandals throughout the years, the Wanderers have remained one of the more popular teams.
Victories and Impressive Wins
One of the rougher teams in the League, the Wigtown Wanderers continuously live the legacy left to them by their founders, the Pincers, in every match they play. Their raw talent and an unquenchable thirst for victory, that had been passed down, member by member, culminated in their eventual win of the European Quidditch League Cup in 1901, in their match against the two-year champions, Vratsa Vultures.
The Vultures were caught off guard by the revelation of the, at the time unknown, Parker's Pincer, and were unable to counter the attack before the snitch was caught a mere three hours later by the Wanderers' Seeker of the time, Albert Allbright. The European League Cup was taken to Wigtown for the first time, and left in the building the original team lived in, or so it was rumoured.
Their matches are still littered with death-defying acrobatics on their brooms, which have won them several matches, as they reach beyond the limits of where other teams venture. Their match against the Karasjok Kites, in 1871, was a prime example of the Wanderers at their best. The game itself had started rather slowly for the Wanderers without them scoring anything in the first half, but, after an injury to one of the beaters, the team took the rest of the game by force, and finally captured the snitch.
As we take a look at the current season, now nearing halfway, the Wanderers sit in the middle of the table as they are up against Puddlemere United. Their chances of winning are fairly high, especially after their latest loss to the Chudley Canons. They never have taken loss without bouncing back stronger.
The Parkins: Where Are They Now?
The Parkins were, in 1422, a strange family. Not much survives on record, but what we do know raises many questions. Four hundred years previously, we know the family arrived in England with the Normans as Lords and Ladies in Devon. How magic entered the blood remains to be uncovered, but that isn't the only mystery. What also begs a question is how Walter Parkin ended up as a lowly butcher, when the family history was steeped in politics and riches.
But did the Parkin fate ever improve again? Did they ever find their former glory? Parkin is quite a common surname in Britain today, particularly in the north, but we've been able to trace some of the family members from the fabled original team to their descendants today. This is helped, of course, by the fact that at least one member of the family has remained on the team for over fifteen centuries.
While one of the descendants of the original team works in the Department of Magical Maintenance at the Ministry of Magic, where he's responsible for managing cleaning supplies, another descendent appears to be a member of the Wizengamot. A very different fate indeed! In fact, it seems that particular branch of the family did maintain an interest in leadership and Government, with the past four generations sitting in the prestigious court.
Now, what you're all interested in, and what you're all here for, is the Quidditch, and rest assured there is some surprising news for you. It seems that the Chaser of the original team, the daughter of Walter Parkin, married a certain Mr Brand in later life. They had one son, and after doing some work, it's fairly certain now that a descendent of theirs happened to be named Rudolf Brand. That's right, ladies and gentlemen! From the bloodthirsty origins of the butcher's children came the Captain of the Heidelberg Harriers, most famous for the seven day match against the Holyhead Harpies in 1953. At the end of the match, Brand proposed to the opposition's captain, earning him a stern hit around the skull from her custom Cleansweep.
Certain there was more to uncover, we went in search of the known living descendants of the Parkins for interviews, and the juicy secrets don't stop here!
The Fans
The Wigtown Wanderers are known for their enthusiastic fans. From harmless pranks to arson, they've done it all.
The Wanderers fans are most notable for riling up the players and fans of the opposing teams. The most recent case occurred when drunken fans swarmed the pitch after the referee sent star chaser Caryn Teagan off for rule breaking. This resulted in the controversial alcohol ban at all professional level Quidditch matches across the country, though it was far from the only contributing alcohol related incident.
It is also widely believed that several Wanderers fans were responsible for the theft of the Ballycastle Bats mascot, Barney the Fruitbat, though this was never proven and Barney did eventually reappear. To this day, it remains a sore-spot with Ballycastle Bats players and fans alike.
In fact, the Wanderer's fans have a very long history with angering the opposing teams players and supporters. After an away match against the Chudley Cannons in 1807, a particularly nasty incident occurred which resulted in the near destruction of the town of Chudleigh. Only the church and seven houses were left standing after angry fans of both teams got into an altercation. It is unknown exactly how the fire began, and it is clear that this incident escalated far beyond anything anyone could have predicted, but the results speak for themselves. Hundreds of wizards and muggles alike were left homeless, and the entire town had to be rebuilt. Nothing so extreme as this has happened before or since in the history of Quidditch.
It's no wonder that visiting Wanderers fans are always viewed with a certain degree of caution by opposing teams, but is this really a tale of people using any excuse available to cause harm? Or is it simply passionate fans who want to show their support for their team? Or maybe the somewhat questionable history of the team has attracted some like-minded supporters?
"I'm afraid that is all we have to give away for now, dear readers. Do not forget that The Wonder of the Wigtown Wanderers will be released next week and that Kennilworthy Whisp himself will be at Flourish and Blotts on the day of release, in order to sign copies of the book for the fans ready to read all the exclusive secrets the book has to offer. But, until next time, my wonderful readers!"