Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Oliver Wood

Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Oliver Wood
Gender	Male
Hair color	Unknown
Eye color	Unknown
Related Family	Unknown
Loyalty	Dumbledore, probably, being a Gryffindor

Overview

Oliver Wood is a member of Gryffindor House. He is described as "burly" and is fanatical about Quidditch. He captained the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, while playing Keeper, for Harry's first three years. After he graduated from Hogwarts, he signed with Puddlemere United Reserve Team.

Role in the Books

Philosopher's Stone

When Professor McGonagall sees Harry flying on his broomstick without permission, and making a truly spectacular catch, she takes him out of the courtyard. Looking in classrooms, she eventually finds Professor Quirrell's room, and asks Professor Quirrell if she could borrow "Wood". Harry is relieved to find out that Wood is not a wooden implement for punishment, but is in fact Oliver Wood, who turns out to be captain of the Quidditch team. She tells Wood that she has found him a Seeker, and they discuss Harry's natural flying abilities and the fact that they need to get him a new broom.

Wood, later, takes Harry down to the Quidditch pitch, explains the rules, demonstrates the Bludgers, and checks Harry's flight abilities by having him catch golf balls. Once Wood is satisfied that Harry is capable, he has Harry join the regular practices.

Wood does not play a large part in the story after this; he is there in the Quidditch practices and in the various Quidditch matches. He is Keeper for the Gryffindor team, and as such is responsible for some particularly spectacular saves.

Chamber of Secrets

Quidditch Captain in Harry's Second year.

Prisoner of Azkaban

With Quidditch having been interrupted in the previous year, and Oliver now in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, he sees this as his only chance at winning the Quidditch Cup. As such, Oliver is driving the team hard, with new tactics, frequent practices, and innumerable strategy sessions.

Goblet of Fire

We see Oliver in passing in the campground before the Quidditch World Cup, where we learn that he is playing for the Puddlemere United Quidditch team.

Order of the Phoenix

Harry thinks to himself that with Angelina Johnson as team Captain, pep talks are not likely to be as long as they were when Oliver Wood had been Captain.

When Harry gets detention from Professor Umbridge, Angelina is furious at him, deciding that it is his fault that he got detention, and orders him to do whatever he can to get out of detention and be there for practice. After she has gone, Ron comments that they should check with Puddlemere United and see if Oliver Wood is still alive, as Angelina seems to be channeling his spirit.

Angelina comments to Harry later that she knows now how Wood had felt as team captain, and why he had been as rough on them as he had.

Half-Blood Prince

When Ron is poisoned, Hagrid wonders if someone might be trying to kill off the Gryffindor Quidditch team: Katie Bell, one of the Chasers, had touched a cursed necklace and was now in St. Mungo's, and Ron was Keeper. George, who is there at the time, feels this is unlikely, but Fred suggests that Wood might have done that to the Slytherin team if he felt he could get away with it.

Deathly Hallows

Oliver comes to Hogwarts to fight in the final battle. He is present in the Room of Requirement when Harry returns from Ravenclaw tower. When Harry is on his way out to the Forbidden Forest, after viewing the Prince's memories, Harry sees Oliver and Neville carrying the body of Colin Creevey back into the school from the grounds; Oliver tells Neville that he can handle it himself, Neville should head back out for another.

Strengths

Oliver is a good Quidditch Goal Keeper and he is extremely committed to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He puts in a lot of time and effort to the team.

Weaknesses

Oliver is often blinded by his love of Quidditch and cannot see how anything else is more important.

Relationships with Other Characters

Not much is known about Oliver's close friends from the books. In the fan fiction world, he is a widely popular character who is close with all his Gryffindor House team mates, especially Katie Bell. There is a large amount of fan fiction which pairs these two together, though there is nothing in the series to support this, and in fact it seems unlikely with Oliver being three years older than Katie.