It's never explicitly stated who paid for this broom, however it's likely to have been McGonagall herself as she's the one who made arrangements for Harry to receive it and it's unlikely she'd have access to Harry's inheritance to use that to pay for the broom due to McGonagall not being his legal guardian.
Harry started using the average school broomstick. Later in his first year, Minerva McGonagall sent him a Nimbus 2000 after he became part of Gryffindor Quidditch Team. During his third year, his Nimbus 2000 gets destroyed when he gets attacked by a Dementor and falls off his broom in a match against Hufflepuff.
Why did Professor McGonagall take the Firebolt from Harry?
In the Harry Potter series, Professor McGonagall takes the Firebolt from Harry Potter in the third book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." This is because she is concerned about Harry's safety. Earlier in the book, Harry receives the Firebolt as a gift from an anonymous source.
Sirius Black bought and sent Harry a Firebolt at the end of the third book. I wondered about it for a while, because it seemed impossible; how did he buy a Firebolt, the best broom in the world, when he was one of the most wanted criminals in the country?
He was gifted the nimbus 2000 by Professor McGonagall in his first year due to his impeccable flying skills. But later his broomstick got destroyed by the whomping willow. His second broomstick i.e. the firebolt was gifted to him by his godfather, Sirius Black.
Why Was McGonagall ALLOWED to Give Harry a Nimbus 2000? - Harry Potter Theory
How did Sirius Black afford a Firebolt?
The books, however, actually give a good answer to how this was possible. Sirius bought the Firebolt for Harry through the equivalent of a wizarding mail-order system. Sirius himself explained to Harry in a letter that Hermione's (Emma Watson) cat, Crookshanks, took the order to the Owl Office for him.
To defend her students, McGonagall casts a series of spells Snape's way, but he manages to evade all of them before flying away. But what McGonagall doesn't know is that Snape is actually a double agent working for Dumbledore, so he has no intention of harming her.
It's never explicitly stated who paid for this broom, however it's likely to have been McGonagall herself as she's the one who made arrangements for Harry to receive it and it's unlikely she'd have access to Harry's inheritance to use that to pay for the broom due to McGonagall not being his legal guardian.
This jinx was used by Quirinus Quirrell on Harry Potter's Nimbus 2000 in early November 1991, during a Quidditch match. It was an attempt to murder Harry for Lord Voldemort. No one in the stands detected Quirrell of using this jinx, except Professor Severus Snape, who attempted to save Harry with a counter-curse.
The truth came out when Professor Quirrell admitted to Harry that he'd jinxed the broom and claimed he'd have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for those meddling counter-curses. In other words, Snape tried to save Harry's life, and the only thanks he got was being set on fire.
Though the Firebolt was confiscated for several months during the 1995–1996 school year by Dolores Umbridge after she gave Harry a lifetime ban from Quidditch, he regained it after she left the school.
The Firebolt is faster than other broomsticks and holds this distinction in 1994. It can go as fast as 150 miles per hour, which is impressive. There is a sign at Quality Quidditch Supplies that explains exactly how fast it is. Harry has a long history with the Firebolt broomstick.
Although she was not always particularly personable, she was a huge supporter of Harry and trusted the likes of Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, Pomfrey and Hagrid. She could be very warm and supportive during times of trouble and cared a great deal about her students, both personally and academically.
His dad gave it to him. To elaborate on Icecreamdif's answer, he inherited it as a family heirloom dating back to Hardwin Potter, who married Iolanthe Peverell, granddaughter of the Cloak's original owner Ignotus. It was passed down to the eldest male of each new generation of Potters since then.
Did Snape know Harry was under the invisibility cloak?
Dumbledore was doing James a favour by helping him pass down the Invisibility Cloak to his son Harry. Snape definitely knew because in book 4 when Harry sees crouch in Snapes office, he's in his invisibility cloak. As soon as snape sees the golden egg and the map he says 'potters here' to mad eye.
However Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and later Harry incorrectly thought that Snape was performing the jinx, as he kept eye contact and kept muttering under his breath, whereas he was instead trying to counter-curse.
The Firebolt can go up to 150 miles per hour in ten seconds. It was named a world-class broom and was used by professional Quidditch players during the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. It became the fastest-selling broom on the market, surpassing both the Nimbus 2000 and the Nimbus 2001.
If at full capacity, defending everything she held dear, the new Headmistress McGonagall was unable to defeat Snape. It suggested the latter was the more powerful professor.
