Zacharias Smith

Zacharias Smith was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who was sorted into Hufflepuff House. He was a Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and a member of Dumbledore's Army, though he abandoned the D.A. instead of fighting with them during the Battle of Hogwarts. Ronald Weasley disliked him as soon as they met because of his attitude while talking to the trio and his disloyalty.

Early years, 1991-1994
Zacharias started his education at Hogwarts in either 1991 or 1992. During the Welcoming Feast, Zacharias was sorted into the house of Hufflepuff and would share a dormitory with Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Wayne Hopkins. Zacharias did not fit the normal Hufflepuff sorting, as he showed selfishness and cowardice.

Fifth year, 1995-1996
"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory’s body back to Hogwarts. He didn’t give us details, he didn’t tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered. I think we’d all like to know…"

- Zacharias to Harry Potter in 1995



In 1995, Smith joined Dumbledore's Army after hearing his house-mates, Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, discussing it; part of his motivation seems to have been curiosity as to how Cedric Diggory was murdered at the end of the previous school year. Hermione Granger eventually regretted inviting him, as he was annoyingly and constantly sceptical. He did not stop his continuous criticism at the Hog's Head meeting until Fred and George Weasley threatened him with a "long and lethal-looking metal instrument."



Smith was also openly critical of Harry Potter's leadership abilities, such as when he scoffed at Harry's decision to teach them Expelliarmus, which prompted Harry to point out that it had saved him when he duelled with Lord Voldemort, and that Zacharias was free to leave at any time. However, after the Daily Prophet announced that ten Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban, Smith worked much harder, along with the other D.A. members.

Sixth year, 1996-1997
"He saw me hex Zacharias Smith, you remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the DA? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed me so much I hexed him..."

- Ginny Weasley on the Hogwarts Express in 1996

The following school year, Smith pestered Ginny Weasley for details about what had happened during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, irritating her to the point of using a Bat-Bogey Hex against him. New Potions professor Horace Slughorn witnessed this, but instead of giving Ginny detention, he invited her to the Slug Club.

Smith earned more ire from Gryffindors when he took over Lee Jordan's former position as Quidditch commentator, along with Luna Lovegood. Among his offending statements was a claim that Ron Weasley's friendship with Harry Potter, the team captain, helped get him onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team. When both Ginny and Ron proved themselves very capable players, Smith began making disparaging remarks about the new Gryffindor beaters instead. Smith was again on the bad end of Ginny's temper; after the match, she dive-bombed the podium where Smith was calling the match, and slammed into him. Ginny made an pathetic excuse for an excuse to Professor McGonagall saying that she forgot to brake. When Luna Lovegood commentated on Quidditch that same year, she speculated that Smith was suffering from Loser's Lurgy.

In December, Hermione considered asking Smith to Horace Slughorn's Christmas party instead of Cormac McLaggen, as she knew that Ron loathed both boys, and wanted to get revenge for his relationship with Lavender Brown. Once in Slughorn's office, she told Harry and Luna that she wished she had chosen Smith; McLaggen talked about nothing but himself and was not at all a gentleman. Harry was revolted at the idea.

When the school year ended in tragedy, Smith was not among the students who attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, instead leaving the day before with his haughty-looking father.

Seventh year, 1997-1998
"...there was much pushing and shouting; Harry saw Zacharias Smith bowling over first years to get to the front of the queue, here and there younger students were in tears, while older ones called desperately for friends or siblings."

- Description of the evacuation before the Battle of Hogwarts

Even though he was a member of Dumbledore's Army, Smith did not help in the defence of Hogwarts when it was attacked by Lord Voldemort's army in May of 1998; this may indicate that he did not join the revived D.A. that faced considerably more danger in opposing the Carrow professors that year. Smith was last seen fleeing Hogwarts, rather than participating in the Battle of Hogwarts. He even pushed first-year students out of his way in his rush to leave. It is unknown if Smith survived the war, though it is likely he did, nor what happened to him afterwards.

Physical appearance
Zacharias Smith is described as a tall, skinny blond boy with an upturned nose. .

Personality and traits
"That Zacharias bloke's a wart."

- Ron Weasley on Zacharias Smith

Zacharias Smith seems to generally be a rather unpleasant person and was seen as overly critical of Harry Potter in the D.A., pushy and insensitive in questioning Ginny Weasley, and rude and biased in his Quidditch commentary. Aside from this lack of fair play, Smith also showed cowardice and a lack of the loyalty characteristic of Hufflepuff house in fleeing, instead of fighting for his school and fellow students in their time of greatest need; he was so selfish that he went as far as to forcefully rush through first years in his great haste to escape. Being cowardly and selfish, he did not show his respect for the late headmaster Dumbledore by staying for his funeral, instead leaving the moment his father came to pick him up.

Etymology
The name Zacharias is a variant of Zechariah, a Hebrew name meaning "God has remembered" (this was probably a misnomer for Zacharias). This was the name of the father of John the Baptist. He and his wife were very old when they had John, and Zechariah was initially disbelieving when an angel informed them they would have a son; as punishment for his doubt, he was struck mute. This may allude to Zacharias Smith's scepticism.

Behind the scenes

 * In the closing credits of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Nick Shirm is identified as "Somewhat Doubtful Boy", rather than by name.
 * Zacharias Smith seems to be less unpleasant in the movies than in the novels, like for example in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, before the Christmas holidays began, he applauded happily about Harry's Dumbledore's Army lessons.
 * Zacharias Smith may be related to Hepzibah Smith, and therefore a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, founder of his house at Hogwarts. Should this be true, Zacharias would be an odd irony compared to his ancestor Hufflepuff, lacking loyalty and fairplay - this would explain, though, why someone that did not carry many Hufflepuff traits would still be sorted into that house, as he could have requested to be put in Hufflepuff.
 * It could also be that, since Helga Hufflepuff would take students that were not picked by the other founders, the Sorting Hat sensed that Smith did not possess any of the qualities needed for the other houses and put him in Hufflepuff by default.
 * In the second film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he is seen standing in the courtyard, witnessing Voldemort announcing Harry's apparent death, suggesting that, unlike in the novel, he did fight in the Battle of Hogwarts in the film.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Notes and references
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