Chapter Five

Zimmerman, Broomsticks, and Cobbing

Zerial was still being held around the waist by Erick. And she was glad of it. She was spinning around and around and began to feel slightly nauseas. Zerial was beginning to learn that nothing was impossible in the wizarding world.

Very abruptly, they stopped and toppled to the floor. "Owe," Zerial complained and stood up. "Where are we and how did we get here?"

Erick too stood up. "We are at my parents house."

"Nice place..." She commented looking around the enormous kitchen.

"Well, thank you." Said a voice from behind.

Zerial jumped and turned to face who ever was speaking to her. Seeing a nice face she smiled. "Hi. im Zerial."

"Well hello Zerial, I''m glad to meet you. I know another girl named Zerial. you're age I think." The woman turned to greet Erick.

"Hello dear. how did you meat this charming creature?" She asked giving him a hug.

"The same way you did mother. This is Sharolyn's daughter." As the woman gaped, Erick continued. "Zerial, this is my mother, Mrs. Zimmerman."

Zerial held her hand out for Mrs. Zimmerman to shake. She did. Then immediately pulled Zerial into a rib cracking hug and shrieked, "You've gotten so big and beautiful!"

all Zerial could manage because she lungs were being compressed was, "uh."

"Mom, let her go. your killing her." Erick said picking up his and Zerial's brooms.

"Sorry." Mrs. Zimmerman said letting go of Zerial.

"It's okay," Zerial said taking her broom from Erick and checking Daphne to make sure she was alive after that hug.

"Mom can we use your field? I want to teach Zerial how to fly." Said Erick.

"Yes, of course you can. And you bring Sharolyn to see me soon." Mrs. Zimmerman said as she walked out of the gleaming kitchen.

"How did we get here?" Zerial asked again.

"Floo powder." Erick said leading Zerial through the house.

"And what is that exactly?" she said following.

"Always questions with you," he chuckled.

"Well?" Zerial pressed.

"Magical transportation between fireplaces." He answered and stopped in front of a door.

"Oh." She said. "Why are we just standing at this door?"

And with that, Erick opened the door.

"wow." Zerial said noticing she had been saying that a lot lately.

She followed Erick into the room. Or, field was better a name for it. "What is it?" She finally managed.

"Quidditch pitch." Erick said shortly.

"What the heck is Quidditch?" Zerial asked

"You'll learn that later. For now I'm only going to teach you how to fly a broom stick." He said walking to the middle of the field.

Zerial copied Erick and straddled her broomstick.

"Okay. hold on to the end of the broomstick." And Zerial obeyed. "Good. Now, on the count of three jump into the air holding onto the broom stick. But don't jump too hard."

Zerial grinned and said, "Aye-aye captain!"

Erick gave her a funny look and said, "What?"

"Never mind," She said with and even bigger grin.

"Ready?" He asked.

Zerial nodded. "Ready."

"Here we go. One... Two... Three!" Erick shouted.

On three Zerial had done as instructed. She had jumped lightly. Flying was the most wonderful sensation she had yet to feel. She liked it almost as much as reading. True she was only two feet off of the ground, but she loved it. except for the broom stick between her butt cheeks. she hoped to get used to that soon.

"What are you doing down there? come up here and join me." Erick called from high up in the air.

"How?" She asked

"guide the broomstick with your hands. So in this case, you pull upward."

"Okay..." Zerial said skeptically. Gently, she pulled the end of the broom upwards. But all that happened was she was sitting on the broom at an upward angle.

"Zerial, you have to want to move. Flying is as much mental as it is physical. If not more so."

"Here goes." She leaned forward on the broomstick and griped the handle tighter. As anticipated, she shot forward.

When she was level with Erick he said, "You have to let the broomstick be part of you. you can't make a broomstick do anything. you have to will it to."

"Sure. Anything you say boss." she said.

"Flying is like jogging," He pressed on. "Your mind and legs work together. your mind knows where it wants to go and your legs just take you. Understand.?"

"Better than i did before." She answered.

"Well, give it a go." He said.

"Alright," She said slightly less anxious.

She let the broom be part of herself like Erick said. And doing so, the result was gliding to her destination instead of a jerky go and stop.

"Good, good!" Erick said when she got back to him. Just practice a while. I'll watch."

"Okay," She agreed and continued to fly not just back and forth across the room, but where ever her whims took her.

She flew in circles, squares, and zig-zags. And out of Experimentation, she wrapped her legs around the broom and rolled over so she was upside down. And she flew around that way for a while. At which, Erick laughed.

Erick had apparently decided that she could fly well enough because he called her down to the ground and giving her an apple –that she gratefully took-- he began to teach her the rules of Quidditch. From 'cobbing' –excessive use of elbows-- to the pre-Quidditch years when people would just chase around canaries while on broomsticks.

through the next couple of days Erick taught Zerial how to play Quidditch. He also taught her some simple spells, of which mother wasn't happy. "Erick!" she had said. "You know perfectly well the soonest shes' allowed to use magic is on the Hogwarts train!"

But Erick had just kissed her on the cheek and did as he pleased. he showed Zerial how to use the scrubbing charm she had been reading about, and a lot of the grade one spells she would learn at school.

"Have to be ahead." he would say to mother when she objected. Erick told her about Hogwarts and the four houses. how you could get house points. and a lot of his experiences at Hogwarts.

Halfway through August, Zerial got a letter addressed to herself from Hogwarts. when she opened it she was glad to see she already had all of her supplies. which left her free to spend her earnings on what ever she wanted this Saturday.

Zerial had been helping her mother everyday with house keeping and waiting on people who came in for food and drink. And mother had been right. the tips here were unbelievable. she usually got four or five sickles a tip. plus, Erick would pay her a galleon a day when she helped. She had earned close to twenty five galleons and she couldn't wait to go back to Diagon alley.

Erick said she would probably meet kids her age in the stores since it was letter week and everyone would be in Diagon alley buying stuff for school.

Zerial especially wanted another pair of colored robes. she loved her blue robes and wore them every other day. she was going to buy two new pair. And of course another book.