Drabbles: E is for Everything, F is for Father, G is for Glory, H is for Heritage, I is for Irres...
Title: E is for Everything
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and Professor Sprout
Prompt: Star
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Quidditch meant everything to Smith, especially after everything that happened.
Author’s Notes: Part five of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles. Set post-DH.
Zacharias gaped at her, unsure if he’d heard exactly what he thought he had. “Professor?” he asked, taking hold of the schedule she had passed him.
“Well, you’re up for it, aren’t you, Mr Smith?” Professor Sprout stopped rummaging through her notes for the next Hufflepuff student long enough to give him a sideways glance. “Thirteen hopefuls have already asked when the trials begin, so I’ll leave it for you to decide.”
He was stricken dumb, flabbergasted, at the mere thought of being Quidditch Captain. For years, it had been the only real thing he’d ever wanted from the team, to lead them to the Cup and decide who did and did not have what it took to win. “Err...thanks, Professor.”
When he looked up, Professor Sprout was already down the line handing out timetables to the other students. In her previous place were the eager faces of Owen Cauldwell, a fifth year and returning Beater, and a small fourth year Smith knew as Rose Zeller.
“You’re Captain this year?” asked Owen, suspiciously, and Zacharias remembered he never actually liked the kid.
He responded, smugly, “Yeah, I am.” This was his, and he would do what Diggory and Applebee couldn’t.
Title: F is for Father
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias and Mr Smith
Prompt: How?
Word Count: 200
Rating: PG
Summary: They weren’t going to be able to avoid the war.
Author’s Notes: Part six of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
His father’s face was white, his knuckles blanched from inattentively gripping the orb in his hands. Zacharias started to have second thoughts about stepping into the study, wondering how he would react. Was he angry, upset? The choice didn’t matter, as his father lifted his head up to face him. “It’s mandatory.” His words sounded mumbled, like he was speaking through his teeth. “I can’t do anything about it.”
“Hogwarts, right?” Zacharias leaned against the doorway. It didn’t take a genius to know that they weren’t going to be able to hide during the war. “I have to go back, don’t I?”
His father watched him, eyes dark and serious, but knew that his mind had to be full of so many questions. Questions of fairness, of how the entire mess could have affected them after everything he tried to do. “You’re a pure-blood. You’ll have nothing to worry about.”
As if being a pure-blood made any difference at all. Many He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had killed were pure-blood, it wouldn’t make any difference. How could his father be so gullible, believe in something so daft?
Zacharias waited, eagerly, for the conversation to continue, expecting reassurance. “It’s late. Get Pokey to start dinner.”
Title: G is for Glory
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and the Quidditch Team
Prompt: Rain
Word Count: 200
Rating: PG
Summary: It was looking grim for Hufflepuff.
Author’s Notes: Part seven of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
Despite the icy cold rain beating down, the fact he was shivering so hard he could barely keep on his broom, Zacharias could still hear his team calling orders as the game continued on and on. He, Tamsin, and Cads couldn’t get the Quaffle past the Keeper to score. Oliver Wood was mad, pulling moves unlike anything he’d seen to keep his team in the lead. It was looking grim for Hufflepuff.
“Smith, swerve around to the outside, and be ready by the left goal post,” Cadwallader shouted.
The second year did what he was told, but before he could catch the Quaffle, Angelina Johnson zipped in and intercepted it before he could even attempt against the Keeper. Dropping obscenities, Zacharias flew fast to try and get it back. The wind hurt his face, but he kept flying until suddenly the entire game seemed to stop. He whipped his head around, feeling slightly disoriented, to see what had caused the halt.
Cedric Diggory flew high in the sky, the Snitch grasped firmly in his hand. Zacharias joined in with his teammates’ cheers, not paying attention to the crowd gathering at the bottom of the field around a fallen Gryffindor Seeker.
Title: H is for Heritage
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias and Mr Smith
Prompt: Years
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Sometimes his father’s obsession baffled him.
Author’s Notes: Part eight of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
Every single year, it happened in the exact same manner. His father would saunter into the shop like he owned the place, ask for the same thing he did every visit, and receive a variation of a similar response from an increasingly-annoyed Mr Borgin. “It’s not here, Mr Smith.” After a while, his father took to threatening Mr Borgin with Ministry action if he ever found any sort of truth being withheld.
Still, why was his father so persistent in actually meeting Mr Borgin face-to-face? What was wrong with owls, or Floo? Either would save them a worthless trip to Knockturn Alley. Sometimes he just had to question if his father’s Unspeakable duties had done something to warp his mode of rationality.
“What’s so special about this thing, anyways,” Zacharias asked, irritably, as they left. “It’s not like you don’t have a house full of useless junk already.”
Ezekiel snapped at his abrasive behaviour. “Don’t you have any pride in your heritage, Zacharias? I’ve already told you of the magic connected to this cup, its importance to our family’s history.”Like all of the other magical knick-knacks piling up in the attic?
“No, you haven’t.”
“You just never listen to me.”
Title: I is for Irresponsible
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith
Prompt: Shapes
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Question: Why did house elves hate to be given clothes?
Author’s Notes: Part nine of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles. Set pre-Hogwarts.
Question: Why did house elves hate to be given clothes?
It had been a harmless experiment. He’d overheard Aunt Eszter and his parents talking of how a witch’s house elf had been removed from the family once they presented her with a mitten. Something to do with the witch suspecting the elf of poisoning one of her cats; it hadn’t made much sense to the boy. Pokey was the one who cleaned their robes, so he found it far-fetched that house elves thought clothes to be worse than the Plague. Zacharias Smith planned to test the story on his own.
“H-Has P-Pokey done wrong? P-P-Please, Young M-Master.” The little house elf pleaded and snivelled through tears, shaking her head fiercely at the hat being offered to her. “N-Not clothes, Young Master, please!” This was an action he hadn’t expected, frankly.
Only then did he grasp that never had anyone actually offered Pokey clothes before. The realisation hadn’t stopped his father’s livid reaction to the experiment, and it was only because the boy was quick in fleeing to his mother that he was able to sit down for the rest of the week.
Lesson learned: Never give a house elf clothes.
--
I apologize for any Americanisms and grammatical errors. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and Professor Sprout
Prompt: Star
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Quidditch meant everything to Smith, especially after everything that happened.
Author’s Notes: Part five of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles. Set post-DH.
Zacharias gaped at her, unsure if he’d heard exactly what he thought he had. “Professor?” he asked, taking hold of the schedule she had passed him.
“Well, you’re up for it, aren’t you, Mr Smith?” Professor Sprout stopped rummaging through her notes for the next Hufflepuff student long enough to give him a sideways glance. “Thirteen hopefuls have already asked when the trials begin, so I’ll leave it for you to decide.”
He was stricken dumb, flabbergasted, at the mere thought of being Quidditch Captain. For years, it had been the only real thing he’d ever wanted from the team, to lead them to the Cup and decide who did and did not have what it took to win. “Err...thanks, Professor.”
When he looked up, Professor Sprout was already down the line handing out timetables to the other students. In her previous place were the eager faces of Owen Cauldwell, a fifth year and returning Beater, and a small fourth year Smith knew as Rose Zeller.
“You’re Captain this year?” asked Owen, suspiciously, and Zacharias remembered he never actually liked the kid.
He responded, smugly, “Yeah, I am.” This was his, and he would do what Diggory and Applebee couldn’t.
Title: F is for Father
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias and Mr Smith
Prompt: How?
Word Count: 200
Rating: PG
Summary: They weren’t going to be able to avoid the war.
Author’s Notes: Part six of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
His father’s face was white, his knuckles blanched from inattentively gripping the orb in his hands. Zacharias started to have second thoughts about stepping into the study, wondering how he would react. Was he angry, upset? The choice didn’t matter, as his father lifted his head up to face him. “It’s mandatory.” His words sounded mumbled, like he was speaking through his teeth. “I can’t do anything about it.”
“Hogwarts, right?” Zacharias leaned against the doorway. It didn’t take a genius to know that they weren’t going to be able to hide during the war. “I have to go back, don’t I?”
His father watched him, eyes dark and serious, but knew that his mind had to be full of so many questions. Questions of fairness, of how the entire mess could have affected them after everything he tried to do. “You’re a pure-blood. You’ll have nothing to worry about.”
As if being a pure-blood made any difference at all. Many He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had killed were pure-blood, it wouldn’t make any difference. How could his father be so gullible, believe in something so daft?
Zacharias waited, eagerly, for the conversation to continue, expecting reassurance. “It’s late. Get Pokey to start dinner.”
Title: G is for Glory
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith and the Quidditch Team
Prompt: Rain
Word Count: 200
Rating: PG
Summary: It was looking grim for Hufflepuff.
Author’s Notes: Part seven of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
Despite the icy cold rain beating down, the fact he was shivering so hard he could barely keep on his broom, Zacharias could still hear his team calling orders as the game continued on and on. He, Tamsin, and Cads couldn’t get the Quaffle past the Keeper to score. Oliver Wood was mad, pulling moves unlike anything he’d seen to keep his team in the lead. It was looking grim for Hufflepuff.
“Smith, swerve around to the outside, and be ready by the left goal post,” Cadwallader shouted.
The second year did what he was told, but before he could catch the Quaffle, Angelina Johnson zipped in and intercepted it before he could even attempt against the Keeper. Dropping obscenities, Zacharias flew fast to try and get it back. The wind hurt his face, but he kept flying until suddenly the entire game seemed to stop. He whipped his head around, feeling slightly disoriented, to see what had caused the halt.
Cedric Diggory flew high in the sky, the Snitch grasped firmly in his hand. Zacharias joined in with his teammates’ cheers, not paying attention to the crowd gathering at the bottom of the field around a fallen Gryffindor Seeker.
Title: H is for Heritage
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias and Mr Smith
Prompt: Years
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Sometimes his father’s obsession baffled him.
Author’s Notes: Part eight of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles.
Every single year, it happened in the exact same manner. His father would saunter into the shop like he owned the place, ask for the same thing he did every visit, and receive a variation of a similar response from an increasingly-annoyed Mr Borgin. “It’s not here, Mr Smith.” After a while, his father took to threatening Mr Borgin with Ministry action if he ever found any sort of truth being withheld.
Still, why was his father so persistent in actually meeting Mr Borgin face-to-face? What was wrong with owls, or Floo? Either would save them a worthless trip to Knockturn Alley. Sometimes he just had to question if his father’s Unspeakable duties had done something to warp his mode of rationality.
“What’s so special about this thing, anyways,” Zacharias asked, irritably, as they left. “It’s not like you don’t have a house full of useless junk already.”
Ezekiel snapped at his abrasive behaviour. “Don’t you have any pride in your heritage, Zacharias? I’ve already told you of the magic connected to this cup, its importance to our family’s history.”Like all of the other magical knick-knacks piling up in the attic?
“No, you haven’t.”
“You just never listen to me.”
Title: I is for Irresponsible
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Zacharias Smith
Prompt: Shapes
Word Count: 200
Rating: G
Summary: Question: Why did house elves hate to be given clothes?
Author’s Notes: Part nine of the Alphabet Series, 26 drabbles. Set pre-Hogwarts.
Question: Why did house elves hate to be given clothes?
It had been a harmless experiment. He’d overheard Aunt Eszter and his parents talking of how a witch’s house elf had been removed from the family once they presented her with a mitten. Something to do with the witch suspecting the elf of poisoning one of her cats; it hadn’t made much sense to the boy. Pokey was the one who cleaned their robes, so he found it far-fetched that house elves thought clothes to be worse than the Plague. Zacharias Smith planned to test the story on his own.
“H-Has P-Pokey done wrong? P-P-Please, Young M-Master.” The little house elf pleaded and snivelled through tears, shaking her head fiercely at the hat being offered to her. “N-Not clothes, Young Master, please!” This was an action he hadn’t expected, frankly.
Only then did he grasp that never had anyone actually offered Pokey clothes before. The realisation hadn’t stopped his father’s livid reaction to the experiment, and it was only because the boy was quick in fleeing to his mother that he was able to sit down for the rest of the week.
Lesson learned: Never give a house elf clothes.
--
I apologize for any Americanisms and grammatical errors. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.