Lily Potter and Neoma's Trance

Chapter Thirty-Four

“A Hufflepuff prefect’s gone missing,” Rudolph whispered to her the next morning during breakfast as he dug into some fruit salad. “I overheard some people talking about it when we were walking down here.”

“I heard, too,” Lily nodded, wishing that he hadn’t heard it. If Rudolph hadn’t heard it, she could talk herself out of thinking that she ever heard the terrible news. Anyway, Lily continued on, “He’s the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team; I wonder if the match is going to happen today.”

“It has to happen,” Rudolph said. “If we win today, Gryffindor will have won the Quidditch Cup!”

“Is it even fair if the opposing team doesn’t have a captain?”

It was the first Saturday of April and the date of the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Lily had recovered from her pessimism from the previous night and had painted half of her face red and the other gold with Rudolph in support of the team’ s final game. And of course, she was sporting the lion hat that her Auntie Luna had sent her.

“There are Hugo and Eli,” Rudolph said, gesturing to the doorway.

Hugo and Eli walked into the hall together and sat at the very end of the Gryffindor table, not bothering to even glance at Lily and Rudolph. Neither of them had talked to Lily or Rudolph in days, and it was really starting to get under Lily’s skin.

Lily shook her head, “The insufferable twats.”

“Don’t get all angry again, Lil,” Rudolph warned. “You can be miserable after the Quidditch match. Let yourself have fun for once.”

“What’s fun?” Lily said, half in seriousness and half in sarcasm.

“You’ve been throwing yourself into trying to translate Neoma’s Trance, Lily. Let it go for the championship match. Please?” he asked, his hazel eyes pleading with her.

She paused to ponder her options for a moment and finally replied, “I guess I can try fun at the game. After that, I’m going to go straight to the library. I want to get as much work done as I can before I go home for Easter holiday.”

“You never stop do you?” he laughed, shaking his head. “Never a dull moment with thee Lily Luna Potter.”

Lily giggled and took a sip from her pumpkin juice.

“Here comes the team!” an excited third year from down the table exclaimed.

Lily and Rudolph watched and applauded as the Gryffindor team strutted to their seats, led by none other than Victoire Weasley.

“James!” Lily called out as he nearly passed by her.

“Sis!” he called back, running over to her. “What’s up, Lil?”

“I take it the game’s still on?” Lily said, not sure whether she had uttered a statement or a question.

James looked confused about that, too but still answered, “Of course, why wouldn’t it be on? The weather’s perfectly fine outside. What made you think the game would be cancelled? It’s the final match of the Quidditch season! It’s the Hogwarts-”

“You haven’t heard, have you?” Rudolph asked, interrupting the pumped James.

James furrowed his brow, “What’s he talking about, Lil? What haven’t I heard?”

“The captain of the Hufflepuff team went missing,” she informed him.

“Chris Lewis?” he gasped. “You can’t be serious, Lily. Chris isn’t stupid; he wouldn’t go getting himself lost the day before the last Quidditch game especially since he’s in the championship.”