Nova's Universe

Chapter 18 (2015)

Luna Dora

I stared into the flickering flames of the common room fireplace, fiddling with my fingers. Was I nervous, or just annoyed? Aoede was late for our weekly fireside chat.

"Hi, Dora!" I jumped a mile when her face suddenly appeared in the flames.

"Hey, there you are! You're late," I said, relieved to see her.

"Sorry, Professor wouldn't let us go. How are things?"

"Good! We won the first match of the season against Ravenclaw!" I announced proudly, puffing out my chest a bit.

"Congratulations! No surprise there, your team has the best Seeker in the whole school." She winked.

"They definitely do," I agreed, beaming. My Quidditch skills were one of the few things I truly felt confident about.

"Did you write home yet? Dad's going to have a field day teasing Mum about her House losing!" she giggled. Our parents loved keeping score of our games, especially when they involved their old Houses. I always enjoyed teasing them a little in my letters, knowing they'd argue playfully about which team was truly superior.

"I wrote this morning," I replied. "Actually, I kind of miss all that bickering. Feels a little lonely without it sometimes."

"Me too," Aoede said with a sigh.

"So, Teddy thinks I'm a natural," I blurted out, too excited to stay quiet. "He actually slipped and said he's making me Captain after he graduates!" My hands started shaking with anticipation. After our Ravenclaw match, Teddy accidentally revealed he planned to choose me as his replacement. New captains were usually announced by the end of the year, or sometimes the outgoing Captain might make it known at the first practice of the following year.

"Was that ever really a secret? I wonder where you inherited that talent," Aoede teased, both of us knowing I was a Quidditch prodigy.

"Uncle Percy, probably," I joked, making us both laugh.

"How's school on your end?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Busy, but in the best way possible!" Aoede replied, her words tumbling out in a rush, as usual. "So many projects, it's hard to keep up, but everything's so interesting!" Her face practically bounced around in the fire, her excitement radiating through the flames.

"Nerd! How's Luke?"

"He's amazing, and we're doing great!" Aoede gushed, practically melting in the fire. She'd met Luke in one of her classes during her first month at school. They started as friends, working on projects together and offering each other advice. But from her letters and Christmas break talks, it was clear she was falling hard. Apparently, Luke felt the same way, confessing his feelings after New Year's. Since they got together, I hadn't seen her this happy. Mum even thought Luke might be everything Aoede was missing with Noah.

"You two are disgustingly cute!" I said, playfully.

"Shut up!" she swatted in the air. Even though I couldn't see it, I knew she was blushing furiously.

"Did you tell him yet?" I asked curiously.

"Last week," she confirmed.

"And you're still together, so I guess he took it well?"

"He's a total bookworm, especially fantasy genre," Aoede explained with a giggle. "When I explained everything, he kept muttering, 'I knew something existed. I knew it!' for like an hour. Then he wanted to see some spells, and I told him all about Hogwarts and magic."

Mum had suggested Aoede tell Luke the truth about being a witch since he was a Muggle and things were getting serious. Keeping it a secret wouldn't be easy forever, especially after Luke visited us over the summer.