A/N: Another wonderfully beta-ed chapter from my fantastic Beta lady shy-n-great. Check out her Oliver Wood/Hermione Fan Fic called Someone To Love. It's a cracking read! And thank you to all of you that have reviewed this fic so far. I love reading your comments so keep them coming!
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
-nutto-
Chapter 10:- Insurrection
The advent of November brought cold winds and the promise that Christmas would be a white one. The Hufflepuff's first Quidditch match was just over a week away and Zach's presence at meal times was now becoming as sporadic as Susan's. The rest of the badger house barely saw any members of their team outside of classes as Zach had taken his role as team captain very seriously. He had plotted training sessions around class times, insisting that the team needed as much practice and conditioning to the weather as possible. He had planned and set out dietary requirements for all of his team members, basing each person's needs on many different factors that included their playing position, height, weight, broom and many other factors. Many of the team had happily welcomed Zach's changes as they too shared Zach's enthusiasm, drive and want for the Quidditch cup. But there was one member of the team who always managed to rile Zach's temper and that night as Zach stomped into the common room after a three hour training session in a raging rain storm Susan, Justin, Hannah and Ernie knew that the team's seeker had been up to his old tricks. Zach's face was an unreadable mask as he and his team entered the common room all of them trailing mud as though they were over grown slugs, each one covered from head to toe in the stuff and all of them dripping wet.
"Good session, guys! Play like that next week and we'll have Davis licked," Zach called happily as his team headed to their dorm showers leaving Zach and the sixth formers alone in the common room.
"We suck!" Zach said dejectedly as he dropped onto the sofa next to Ernie with an unpleasant squelch and clasped his hands to his face resting them on his knees.
"What happened?" Hannah asked in concern. Zach usually returned from practice in a very hyperactive mood, insisting on recounting all the moments of the sessions play by play, or berating his team mates for their incompetence and inadequacies in the same enthusiastic manor as he had praised them. But now, sitting silently with his hands covering his face, all the badgers knew that something really terrible was plaguing their friend.
"I hate him," was all that Zach said as he leaned back against the sofa, squelching some more as he sighed heavily.
"Who?" Hannah asked
"Pratt," Susan said mildly from her pink inflatable chair as she returned her concentration to the task of painting Ernie's toenails while he braided her hair.
"Oh," Hannah said in complete understanding, Pratt was the nickname that Susan, Ernie and Zach used for the badgers' Quidditch team seeker. His real name was Skyler Prattleson, he had been appointed to the team the previous year and he and Zach had never seen eye to eye on anything Quidditch related.
"Don't get me wrong," Zach said hurriedly, "we were brilliant. The session was intense, and if we play as good during the real thing we'll definitely give Ravenclaw a run for third place."
"Only third?" Ernie laughed, "Why not first?" but even Ernie knew the answer to that question.
"Pratt," Zach said bitterly, "You'd think that he's captain of the team the way he bosses everyone around. He refuses to listen to me and he spends half his time criticising the rest of the team when he's supposed to be looking for the Snitch. It just isn't cricket!"
"You want Justin to hex him for you?" Susan offered jokingly as Justin laughed from his place in his high backed chair but Zach didn't laugh.
"I'll hex him myself if he screws up my chances of beating the birdbrains!" The Ravenclaws had Roger Davis and Cho Chang as their star players. Together they were a formidable partnership, Roger as captain and chaser and Cho as seeker.
"If he's that much of a nuisance to the team then why don't you drop him?" Hannah voiced, adding a touch of sensibility to the conversation
"Sprout won't let me, 'it's the taking part not the winning that matters, Smith'," Zach said adopting his best Sprout like impersonation.
"That sounds like the badger way," Ernie laughed as Zach growled next to him muttering something about showing Pratt a real Badger way as he thumped his fist into his hand.
"Well talking of taking part," Justin said quickly, "Granger collared me after Runes, Potter's holding another meeting this Tuesday, and we're to bring anyone who wants to come along."
"Tuesday?" Zach raged as he pulled his hands through his hair, "Three days before our match? Count me and the team out then."
"Your coming," Hannah said sharply, "it'll do you all good to get a break from Quidditch." But as Zach sank further into the sofa grumbling to himself all the badgers knew that Zach didn't think so.
"Look at it this way," Susan said cheerfully, "with Potter, the red moron and Pratt together in one room it'll be like killing three birds with one stone." Ernie laughed at Susan's comment and patted her head like she was a lap dog.
"That's my Suzie Q," Ernie said as Zach grinned.
Tuesday night saw a deluge of Badgers leaving their common room as Justin, Zach and the other six formers led the group of students that were interested in finding out more about Potter's private meetings towards the Room of Requirement. There were fifty two Badgers in total that followed behind Zach and the others. All the first, second and third years had jumped at the chance of following the older students out of the common room past curfew. The seventh years had laughed at the six formers and demanded what could they possibly learn from such meetings? But once Susan had pulled Busty Lana Love to one side and both girls had immediately fell into a rapturous talk about Roger Davis's presence at the meetings, the seventh years agreed to attend. Like most schools, once the older years had set their minds to something, the younger years quickly followed suite. And so it was that as Justin walked passed the small patch of empty wall space on the seventh floor all of Hufflepuff house stood behind him watching his movements.
The Room of Requirement was already abuzz with nervous excitement as the Hufflepuff's entered, pushing their way past the knoll of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Ernie couldn't help but smile as his eyes quickly counted the other occupants of the room. It wasn't hard to see that the number of Hufflepuff greatly out numbered the other two houses, even combined. Ernie wasn't the only Badger that felt a strong surge of pride as he too counted the others in the room, and Zach, like Ernie, couldn't help but grin.
"Well…err…Welcome!" Potter called as he looked amazed at all the Hufflepuffs who stared at him, "I'm so glad that so many of you are eager to learn the truth about certain events that are happening-" Ernie didn't hear anymore then these opening words of Potter's, his attention lay elsewhere as he caught a glimpse of Roger Davis as the tall Ravenclaw captain stood next to Cho Chang. Ernie couldn't help but laugh to himself when he thought that Zach was right. Cho did look fat –
"Did he say something funny?" a voice called harshly as Ernie got the distinct impression that the entire room had turned to look towards him.
"What?" Ernie said taken aback as his eyes quickly turned to see that it had been the red moron, Ron Weasley, who had spoken. And just as Ernie had dreaded Ron was looking pointedly towards him.
"You find You-Know-Who killing people funny?" barked Hermione as she joined Ron's side.
"N-No-" Ernie stuttered as he quickly tried to explain, "I wasn't even listening."
"You weren't listening?" Skyler Prattleson said aghast as he looked at Ernie in horror, "Harry's trying to help us all stay safe and you're off in a world of your own!"
"Don't be a Pratt all your life, Pratt. Ernie probably knows more about Voldemort-" the other students gasped at his use of Voldemort's name "-and his ways then most people here," Zach growled as he shot Pratt a deathly look while Pratt blanched under Zach's words
The meeting continued in much the same fashion, Potter, Granger and Weasley preached the same words that they had done previously while Ernie, Zach, Justin, Hannah and Susan looked on stony faced and bored to tears, as were many of the other Hufflepuffs that stood around them. The only exceptions were Busty Lana Love, who was giving Roger Davis, what she must have thought, were alluring cheeky smiles and winks, but Roger looked more worried then wooed. The other was Skyler Prattleson who listened to Potters words rapturously as though only the two of them existed in the entire room. But it wasn't just the Badgers that had started to drift as Potter continued his message of warning, hardships and preaching, many of the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors could be found looking about them as they all wondered when they would start to learn how to blow things up. It wasn't until almost half an hour later that Potter and his cronies finally got down to the business that had brought so many of the students there that evening, the learning of new spells.
"What a waste of an evening!" Zach groaned as he and the other Hufflepuffs quickly headed back to their common room. The older students hadn't really learnt anything new but the fourth, third, second and first years were all filled with excitement about the prospects of the continued secret meetings. Ernie called out the password to the common room and the Badgers filed in.
"I could have been reviewing tactics! Planning strategies-" Zach complained as he slumped into his favourite place on the sofa, Ernie joined him as Hannah, Justin and Susan seated themselves on their favourite seats. "What a waste!" Susan and Ernie stifled a laugh and Justin, hidden in the darkness that was provided by the high winged sides of his chair, grinned.
"Your never happy unless you're moaning, Smith," a critical voice reproached as Skyler Prattleson moved towards the group, "I thought the evening well spent, granted Potter was little weak in his speech making but that will improve with time. And -"
"Sod off, Pratt," Ernie warned as he felt Zach move beside him. Skyler shot a venomous look at Ernie before he turned on his heels and headed towards the dorms.
"Why didn't you hex him when you had the chance tonight?" Zach grumbled as he directed his comment at Susan who had partnered Skyler during the pair's exercises. Susan smiled sweetly.
"It was for the greater good I'm afraid," Susan purred as Zach slumped deeper into the sofa looking thoroughly disheartened. The conversation between the boys grew and soon Susan's eyes were wandering towards the first year cubs, who, still high on the excitement of that evening, were busy chatting and playing in the corner of the common room. No one but Susan and Hannah watched as Mary, Eddie and Kevin took it in turns to practice the spells that they had learned that night. And no one but Susan and Hannah saw Patience Reinhold and Dillon Forsyth playing with a small ill tempered little pixie that Patience's mother and father had given her for her Hogwarts pet. The blue little creature had been the bane of the female badgers for the best part of that term. Screeching and rattling the bars of its cage at all hours of the night. But as Susan watched the pixie sink its sharp little teeth into Patience's hand, who, shocked by such savagery, gasped and immediately let go of the creature. Susan could imagine the bedlam already, stunning charms, hexes and all manors of curses would soon be breaking the tranquillity of the common room as Patience's cries and protests about the death of her pet would punctuate the air. But as Susan watched the cubs this imagined pandemonium was adverted as little Mary Creevey quickly turned and snatched the escaped pixie out of the air.
"Did you see that?" Susan asked Hannah with a smile quickly spreading across her face as she stunned by Mary's cat-like reflexes.
"Yeah," Hannah replied less enthusiastically, "Shame really, I'd have liked to have stunned the little bugger." Susan goggled at her friend, never had she heard Hannah talk so cruelly about anything before. But Susan found that she liked this more brassy sounding Hannah and both girls laughed as the boys suddenly became aware that the girls were still with them.
"What?" Zach asked curiously looking from Susan to Hannah and back again
"Nothing," Susan said smiling as she and Hannah made their excuses and headed to bed.
Wednesday's morning break saw Susan, Hannah, Zach, Ernie and Justin huddled together against the blistering cold wind as all the sixth form badgers stood about the quad. Zach hadn't stopped talking Quidditch all morning and Susan was once more avoiding their potions master.
"We've an idea for the team," Susan said in a hushed voice as she hid in the knot of arms, legs and cloaks that were her friends while Snape passed by the badger on his rounds as monitor for the break. Justin was certain that Snape's black beady eyes had lingered on the sixth form badgers longer then any other students in the quad. It was almost as though he had been searching deep within them to find a hidden answer, but Justin shrugged this absurd thought away as Hannah gave Susan the all clear and she immerged from their folds of capes and cloaks.
"We've an idea for the team," Susan said indicating herself and Hannah, her voice scarcely above a whisper as though she feared speaking normally in case she attracted any untoward attention.
"It's a good idea," Hannah nodded in agreement as Zach looked at the girls sternly.
"When you say team-" Zach said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "You don't me the team that I've spent the better part of two months training, grooming and drilling into the well oiled machine that it is today, do you?"
"The very same," Susan beamed cheekily, "besides it isn't a well oiled machine, there's a spanner in the works you said it yourself."
"Pratt? Yes I know," Zach groaned, "But I can't do anything about it, Sprout wouldn't let me. And even if I could, it's too late now. The match is two days away!"
"But I've got a plan!" Susan beamed as Zach, Justin and Ernie shared anxious glances. The memory of Susan's last plan back in their third year still haunted Ernie to this day.
"Susan! -" Zach said, his voice strained as he tried to think of a nice way of telling Susan that her plans sucked and usually ended with Ernie having to spend the remainder of the week in the infirmary.
"No this is a good plan!" Susan hastened to say as Hannah nodded in agreement.
"This one involves Mary," said Hannah happily.
"What about Mary?" Justin asked as Zach looked at them blankly.
"Mary Who?" Zach asked completely lost as to who the girls were talking about.
"Little Mary Creevey," Hannah said pretending to ignore Zach's ignorance of the cubs, "She'll make a brilliant Seeker."
"You are joking right?" Zach asked his eyes widening in horror as Susan shook her head.
"No I'm not," Susan grinned, "She's small, which makes her light weight, so she'll be quick on a broom. Her reflexes are wicked quick. We saw her catch that horrid little pixie of Patience's right out of the air."
"There's more to being a Seeker than speed and the ability of catching fast moving objects!" Zach said infuriated
"No there isn't," Ernie laughed
"Yes there is!"
"Like what? You mean it takes enthusiasm and a love of the game?" Ernie joked
"To name a few, yeah!" Zach raged.
"She loves Quidditch, she says it's all her brothers ever talked about," Hannah said beaming
"And do you know anyone who could be more enthusiastic about something magical than a Creevey?" Susan said grinning,
"My dog…?" Zach said clutching at straws.
"Pathetic! And you don't even have a dog! Name one good reason why she shouldn't be allowed on the team?" Susan demanded, her hands firmly planted on her hips. Justin couldn't help but stare at Susan as the wind lifted and blew her cape out behind her, showing her small but perfectly formed body hidden beneath her robes, her lips pert, her expression mischievous as she looked Zach in the eyes, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips as she toyed with Zach. Justin struggled to resist the urge to both hit Zach for this lavished attention and his other urge of reaching out and kissing Susan as she stood teasing Zach. 'Snape was an idiot,' Justin thought as he finally lowered his eyes and shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. She was truly beautiful but this wasn't the time or place to let his mind wander to such thoughts about a woman that didn't think of him the same that he did of her.
"First years aren't allowed on the house team!" Zach said with confidence as he defiantly looked Susan in the eyes.
"You're the captain! You pick the team! You can have anyone you want on it!" Hannah said happily.
"Alright…Well…Well….We already have a Seeker, remember?"
"Skyler Prattleson? You can't start defending him now," Susan said laughing, "Besides he's far too big to be a Seeker."
"Cedric was large for Seeker standards!" Zach protested
"Yeah but Cedric at least had skills and style on his side!" Hannah said nonchalantly as Ernie's eyes widened at Hannah's words and Susan giggled.
"She's got you there," Justin laughed.
"Well if Pratt wasn't playing then Mary could right?" Susan asked seriously.
"But he is playing," Zach retorted defensively.
"Yes but suppose that he wasn't," Susan said softly, her voice full of seriousness now, "just suppose that something happened and Pratt couldn't play. Then what?"
"What are you planning!" Zach asked growing concerned for the safety of his only Seeker.
"Nothing!" Susan said as she and Hannah turned and quickly headed back to the castle.
"You know it scares me when those two start having independent thoughts," Ernie said
"Yeah, remember what happened third year?"
"How can I forget?" Ernie said he rubbing his arm, "I've still got the scars."
"MURDER IS STILL A CRIME!" Zach yelled after the girls who both just laughed and continued walking.
"This isn't funny!" Ernie complained that evening as Hannah and Susan cornered him in the common room after dinner as they explained their plan to him.
"I'm not doing it!" Ernie growled as the girls pulled him reluctantly onto the sofa and began grooming him. Hannah pulling a comb roughly through his hair as Susan pulled off his comfy trainers, replacing them with his black school shoes that she had persuaded Justin to fetch from the boys' dormitories.
"If only you would hold still, you'd look reasonably presentable," Susan said as she stood up and moved to remove his school tie as she held a pink silk one that Justin had lent to the girls in her other hand.
"I'm not doing it!" grumbled Ernie slapping Susan's hands away from neck as she tried to remove his tie.
"Don't be so selfish, do it for the team," Zach laughed as he leaned on the back of Justin's chair, both boys struggling against the strong urge to laugh as Susan and Hannah had revealed their idea.
"If you like it so much you do it!" Ernie snapped as he once more slapped Susan's hand away before she grabbed hold of the hem of his school shirt and pulled it upwards trapping his arms inside the shirt as Hannah, giggling, sponged Ernie down while he yelled in protest. The sixth years were drawing lots of attention to themselves but none of them except Ernie cared about this as finally he freed himself from the shirt and Susan dried him with a charm from her wand.
"It's just a date," Susan said giggling as she collapsed into her favourite chair and tossed Ernie a clean shirt and the pink tie, "Now put them on!"
"But it isn't just a date, is it?" Ernie griped as he threw the shirt and tie back at her "And I'm not pimping myself out for you, for Zach or anyone!"
"Well then don't think of it as a date," Hannah said, "think of it as a nice evening stroll with a friend."
"But that's the point, isn't it? He isn't a friend!" Ernie protested, "I don't even like him!"
"Quit moaning and get changed," Susan said sharply as she tossed the shirt and tie back and pointed her wand at Ernie, "Or do I have to stupefy you and undress you in front of the entire house?"
"Fine," Ernie growled as he grabbed the shirt and tie and disappeared off to his dorm room. He reappeared ten minutes later dressed in a Muggle jacket suit, shirt and tie that Justin had loaned the girls for the occasion.
"Very flashy," Susan grinned as Ernie rejoined the sixth years, "You've got good taste, Justin." Justin couldn't help but smile at the compliment. But it meant even more to him that Susan had been the one to appreciate his clothes.
"What do I have to do?" Ernie sighed, resigned to his task as Susan beamed a smile that made her look like an excitable child.
"Just go on the date…err walk-" Susan quickly corrected herself.
"And after?" Ernie asked reluctantly.
"Well what happens afterwards is entirely up to you!" Susan grinned mischievously as she giggled, "Well Pratt really, have you seen the size of his hands? I bet he's really strong too after all his training so whatever he has planned I bet you wouldn't be able to resist!"
"That's just disgusting! How did you even make it into this house you vile girl?" Ernie said looking repulsed
"Susan, you're really not helping," Hannah said as she fixed Ernie's tie as Susan stifled a laugh, "Just ignore her, Ernie, Skyler's going to be a gentleman. All you have to do is talk to him, maybe apologise for last night and just enjoy yourself."
"Apologise?" Justin said taken aback "Ernie's got nothing to apologise for."
"Well then just talk and be friendly," Hannah corrected.
"Talk and be friendly, right," Ernie said as he repeated his new mantra.
"I still don't understand how I never picked up on the fact that Pratt was gay!" Zach said reverting back to a previous topic that he had made the girls discuss at long length when they had revealed their plan.
"Simple really," Susan said with the air of someone who was well versed in this aspect of life, "No one looks at someone the way he was looking at Potter unless they fancy them. And believe me I know that look." Justin knew exactly what Susan meant. He and the other Badgers had seen that very same look in Susan's eyes as she had stared longingly at Snape. Justin couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that Susan had never noticed that same longing in his eyes as he gazed at Susan.
"Susan's even packed you a picnic," Hannah said braking thorough Justin's train of thought as she turned to the basket on the chair next to her.
"Picnic?" Ernie said suspiciously as he looked at the basket as though it was a dung bomb waiting to explode, "I'm not taking anything that Suzie's packed without a thorough inspection first!"
"Spoil sport!" Susan huffed as she folded her arms across her chest and pretended to be hurt, "It's a lovely picnic, full of the essentials, tartan blanket, sandwiches, flask of pumpkin juice, a Hogwarts friendly Wizard Wireless network radio-"
"Which station?" Ernie asked sceptically.
"There's only one station?"
"And you've not jinxed it to play only romantic music?"
"Would I!" Susan said this time sounding actually offended.
"Don't pack the radio," Ernie said to Hannah who grinned, "What else is in there?"
"Yogurt, biscuits, cake," Hannah said as she peeped into the wicker basket.
"Cake?" Zach said suddenly becoming interested, "Is it chocolate?"
"Yep," Susan grinned.
"Can't we keep that?"
"No," Susan quickly said as she grabbed the hem of his robes preventing him from removing the coveted item from the basket.
"Right," Hannah said smiling as she clapped her hands together as she spotted Pratt entering the common room from the boys' dormitories.
"Ernest," Pratt said to Ernie coyly in greeting as he joined the others.
"Pratt-ouch-Skyler," Ernie said as Hannah kicked him hard in the shins at the use of Pratt's nickname amongst the friends.
"Well kiddies have fun," Susan said grinning madly as she jumped up from her chair, shoved the basket into Ernie's hands and pushed them both towards the portrait hole.
"Have fun!" Zach grinned as Pratt led the way out of the common room with Ernie following as Susan and Hannah waved goodbye to them. Justin couldn't help but smile at the thought that the girls looked like proud parents wishing their first born good luck on his first ever date.
"And walk around the lake!" Susan called as she waved, "The view's beautiful this time of year."
"Don't do anything Susan wouldn't do!" Zach called receiving an 'Oi' and a playful punch from Susan as Ernie shot them all hate filled glances.
"Awwww, our little boy's all grown up," Susan said as she slipped her hand under Justin's arm as the portrait hole closed and she wiped away a pretend tear as they all headed back to their places at the leather sofa.
"There's still one thing I don't understand though," Justin said as he sat back on his favourite chair while Susan sat on the chairs arm half leaning on him half on the high backed wing, "How is Ernie going on a date with Pratt going to help us win the Quidditch cup?"
"Wheels within wheels," Susan said evasively as she rested her head on Justin's shoulder grinning, "just wait and see."
"You're not still fixating about this Mary Creevey idea of yours are you?" Zach demanded in an exasperated tone which he reserved only for moments that he felt needed special punctuation, "Because we play Ravenclaw in two days and I need a Seeker."
"You'll have one, don't worry," Susan said sounding offended as she and Hannah shared a knowing grin.
"How did it go?" Susan and Hannah asked eagerly as Ernie returned to the house common room over three hours later.
"Oh it went fine."
"And?" the girls asked excitedly.
"And you can rest assured that Mary will be playing this weekend."
"I knew it!" Zach said his eyes widening in terror and fury as he looked towards Susan who looked overjoyed at Ernie's news.
"And he didn't mind?" Hannah asked amazed at Ernie's words, "You just asked him to quit and he did?"
"Oh I never got to ask him. But then again he didn't really have a choice did he, Suzie?" Ernie said heatedly as he looked at Susan.
"Why?" Zach asked, confused by what was being said as he looked from Susan to Ernie, who looked as though he had been pulled through a hedge. The jacket and trousers were soaking, covered in patches of mud and as Ernie moved his shoes made an unpleasant squishing sound.
"What did you do to my suit?" Justin demanded.
"Well it's like this," Ernie said calmly as he struggled against his wish to yell and scream, "Me and Pratt talked, just like you told us to. We walked, again just like you said. We sat to eat the picnic by the lake. He loved the chocolate cake by the way, but it also turns out that the giant squid likes chocolate cake too!"
"Oh," said Susan as she stifled a laugh and faked her innocent, "I had no idea! Will he live?"
"Yes, he'll live you very evil child. He's with madam Pomfrey who's fixing his bones and bandaging him up. Apparently he'll not be playing Quidditch any time this season," Ernie said grinning as he sat down on the sofa as Zach looked mortified at Ernie's words, "How did you even know that the giant squid liked chocolate?"
"Last months copy of the Quibbler!" Susan said offering no further explanation as she smiled. The Quibbler, despite its reputation as a magazine filled with nonsense and madness, was Susan fount of wisdom.
"Oh and I'm fine by the way, if you wanted to know," Ernie rebuked them as he brushed mud of Justin jackets lapel, "Roger Davies was out with Cho. They heard Skyler screaming and he managed to rescue me before any real harm happened…..he's actually quite strong for a chaser," Ernie said as he rubbed his arm in remembrance of Roger's strong grip pulling him out of danger.
"Really," Susan grinned as she looked at the distant look on Ernie's face, "Did Cho get eaten?"
"No," Ernie said as though that truly was disappointing, "but Pratt threw up on her robes."
"All in all, it was a job well done then," Hannah beamed as Susan laughed and Ernie replayed the moments of his rescue as Roger's manly arms freed him from the squid.
"All in all?" Zach said his voice barely above a whisper as he looked quite pale, "All in all I'm a team member down. And it isn't like I can forgo having a Seeker on the team is it!"
"And I told you Mary's going to be Hufflepuff's new Seeker," Susan said brightly.
"I'M CAPTAIN!" Zach yelled as he drew the attention of the other students in the common room, "I DECIDE WHO'S ON THE TEAM, NOT YOU!"
"Don't yell at her!" Justin said calmly as he got to his feet hoping that his intervention between his friends wouldn't lead to the same sorry events that had happened last time the Badgers had argued, "Susan was trying to help. You were the one that was continually slating Skyler and his attitude to the team. So don't go yelling at Susan because she was man enough to do the job you couldn't!" Hannah, Ernie and Susan's eyes moved from Zach to Justin then back again like spectators watching a game of Muggle tennis.
"BUT A FIRST YEAR!" Zach raged, "The match is in two days! She's only just learnt how to use a broom! There is no way I'm putting her on the team!"
"Give her a chance!" Susan pleaded.
"No!"
"But you don't have anyone else," Hannah said pointing out the obvious.
"Thanks, thanks a lot," Zach said pitifully as he collapsed onto the sofa his eyes prickling with tears as he pulled at his hair, "The one year that I really thought we could give Ravenclaw a run for their money and my own friends stab me in the back."
"I didn't stab you in the back," Susan said softly, "I was trying to help. You hated Pratt on the team, admit that at least."
"If you wanted me to have a nervous breakdown then you're going about it the right way!" Zach said ignoring Susan's words, "There is no way I can get Mary ready to play in two days!"
"So you're willing to try?" Susan said grasping at what little hope and leverage she could. Justin watched as slowly Zach raised his head and looked directly at Susan. There was no hate or anger in Zach's eyes or voice as he spoke, "I don't have much choice do I?"
"Nope," Susan grinned as Zach glared at her.
"Poor Skyler," Hannah said truly sorry for her part in Skyler's current condition.