Chapter 7: Substitution

"Why... why her... WHY?!" Ron cried.

"Is she that really bad?" Zak asked, gulped after hearing all those bad rumours about Umbridge.

"She's ten times worse than Snape!" Harry exclaimed. "I bet she must have boxes full of blood quills right now, ready to use them on us."

"The worse is all those pathetic rules!" Hermione yelled. "Boys and girls shouldn't be near each other within 10 meters... curfews... ugh! I hate them!"

"I'm guessing right now she had a handful of rules ready to be hung back at the wall." Neville said as he walked by. "Ron, make sure your brothers got more firecrackers to blast them all down."

"Oh you bet they are! Maybe we should put a box of dungbombs in her office. She'll never come back for sure!"

"Be reasonable, Ron. Even though you did that, you'll be seriously offended. I don't want you to try those blood quills." Harry exclaimed.

"Yeh..." Fisk made a face when he heard the word 'blood'.

"Then what should we do? Just leave her at Hogwarts? Nothing good could come out from it," Hermione said.

"What's the worse she could do?" Zak asked.

"You don't want to know. I bet she still holds a grudge against us since the centaurs took her away. She will just make us pay."

"Guys, let's just take a rest for the night and we'll see what would happen tomorrow. I hear Quidditch is on tomorrow," Harry said.

"Quidditch is good, for putting my mind off that woman," Ron said as he returned to the boys' room.

"I shall see you tomorrow. Good night," Hermione greeted and walked back to the girls' room.

"Quidditch? What's Quidditch?" Zak asked.

"Isit sumting to eat?" Fisk asked.

"Nope, Fiskerton. It's not for eating. It's a kind of game. I bet you'll love it."

"So, Zak, are you having a nice day during your stay?" Dumbledore asked Zak.

"Yeah, pretty good," Zak replied.

"How is the investigation going?"

"Umm... yeah... we're on it."

"Well then I hope you will solve the mystery. Now," Dumbledore gave a huge package to Zak.

"What is this?"

"Open it, son,"

Zak unwrapped the package impatiently and it turns out to be a broom. "A broom?"

"Not just any ordinary brooms you Muggles use for sweeping. This is the latest transport for the Magical World."

"Transport?"

"Sit on it."

Zak did what Dumbledore said but nothing happened. "Does it come with batteries?"

Dumbledore smiled a little. "Say 'inferius'."

"Inferius?" Then the broom suddenly rose into mid-air with Zak on it.

"Good luck on flying," Dumbledore said.

"What?!" Then the broom carried Zak and flew out of the window in lightning speed.

"Where's Zak? I thought he will meet Professor Dumbledore for only a while." Harry paced up and down nervously. "As the captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team, I have to be punctual."

"Harry, you're over-reacting. No one will blame you if you're late. And besides, the game only starts in 2 hours." Hermione reminded him.

"But Umbridge wants each team's captain to register themselves in 30 minutes. And I have to wait for—"

"Hey look!" Ron pointed to an object flying in the air. "Is that—Zak?"

Zak came nearer and when Zak only inches from the gang, they quickly dodged and he landed on the ground in a bad way. He pulled himself up and spit the dirt from his mouth. Fisk cleared the dirt over his uniform.

"Whoa, mice landing, Zak," Ron mocked.

"Ronald!" Hermione shouted. "Are you alright Zak?"

"Yeah I'm fine. How do you fly these things?" he replied as he carried his broom.

"No way! Dumbledore gave you the latest Moontrimmer 5000?!" Ron dropped his jaws. "I wanted that for years!"

"You want it, you can have it. Zon is good enough for me." Zak patted Zon's head.

"Look, it's those losers!" a voice called from behind.

They turned around to see a blonde boy with a few others. "Who are they?" Zak asked.

"Malfoy," Harry replied as he stared at Malfoy.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH ME, POTTER?" Malfoy called. "Or you're just ready to get your butts kicked by my team?!"

"I think yours the one ready get your butts kicked, Malfoy!"

"We'll see about that later. Slytherin wins, Gryffindor—boo!" then Malfoy caught Zak's eyes. "Hey, you're the new kid! Prepare to get your butts kicked too if you get too close with Potter."

"Why you—" Zak raised his fists at Malfoy but Hermione stopped him.

"Let's not waste our energy on these lame and small matters especially with someone unworthy of our time." Hermione exclaimed.

"What did you say, Granger?!" Malfoy yelled.

Fisk walked to Malfoy and licked his face. He gave the look of 'tastes-bad' and spit his tongue at Malfoy. "Get your filthy animal of me!" he yelled as he pushed Fiskerton away. Komodo walked in front of Malfoy and growled at him and showed him his jaws. Then he jumped onto Malfoy, ready to eat him.

"AHH! GET HIM OFF ME!"

Zak gestured at Komodo and Fisk and they both came back. Malfoy stood up and stared at them angrily. "YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM THIS, POTTER!"

"Forget him. We already wasted too much time on this. Quidditch is not going to wait for us. Come on!" Harry said as they ran to the stadium. The stadium was crowded with Quidditch fans ready to watch the next fight of Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"Harry, you're late!" a soft voice shouted.

"Oh, sorry, Ginny, we got little obstacles on the way." Harry apologized to the girl with golden hair.

"Hello there, you must be Zak Saturday, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ginny Weasley, Ron is my older brother."

"Oh hi," Zak greeted.

"Harry, thank goodness you're here." Fred said. "Angelina says she's out today. Got measles. Bad case."

"Then who's playing the centre chaser?" Ron asked.

"She requested you, Harry, as you're the only one in the team knows how."

"But what about the seeker? Harry is the lightest person in the team!"

Harry turned to Zak. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Zak, would you like to be join our team and be our seeker?"

"What?!" Zak dropped his jaws.

"Zak knows nothing of Quidditch!" Ron exclaimed.

"Well he can try! And we don't have time to find another substitute! Besides the seeker's job is only to catch the golden snitch!"

"Golden snitch?"

"Fred, would you do the honours of explaining to him of everything? I got to find a suit for him. Ron comes with me. Hermione, escort Zak's siblings to the seats. We don't have time." Harry said.

Everyone went to do their duties. "But, I don't know how to fly my broom yet!"

"You got to, Zak. You must have faith in you and your broom. Now, listen. Usually the lightest member of the team and equipped with the fastest broom, is charged with searching the pitch for, chasing down and eventually capturing, the elusive Golden Snitch. Seekers are the only players permitted to touch the Snitch. When you caught the snitch, the games ends with our team wins. So the capture of the snitch is essential and important."

"So, I'm very important,"

"Yes,"

"Well, what should I do—"

A bell rang. "Too late, Zak. Try your best."

"What? It's time already?"

"Zak, I found this suit for you. I hope you are able to wear it on." Harry said.

"It belonged to him when he's 12." Ron whispered.

"Come on, Harry, it's our turn!" Ginny called.

Harry ushered Zak out with his broom. Then his phone rang. "Oh god. Wait for a while." Zak walked to a side.

"Mum?"

"Sweetie, we got grave news. There was a report of flesh-eating flies disappearing."

"What?"

"Zak! Time's up! Let's go!"

"Goodbye mum I love you see ya'"

"Zak! Wait!" Zak dropped the phone on the ground and ran to the team.

"Now, everyone here?" Harry asked. "Get on your brooms. Ready, everyone?"

Zak gulped.

"Good. Go, Gryffindor!"