The Legacy (Camren)

Chapter Thirteen

Halloween approached rapidly, and by the time the next two weeks had passed and October thirty-first had fallen upon the castle, it seemed like nothing else could go wrong. Granted, something strange was always happening at Hogwarts, but Lauren's luck finally seemed to be on her side. Her relationship with Camila didn't change a single bit, and the second Camila was back to her normal schedule after the potion wore off completely, the rest of the girls addressed her as if nothing had ever happened.

For the first time in a long time, Halloween fell on a Saturday, which meant that the day would be filled with Quidditch, and the night, with a glorious feast. Lauren woke that morning before dawn feeling rejuvenated and excited for the day to come, which made her heart swell with happiness. It had been quite some time since she was able to get out of bed without dreading something terrible would happen.

To add to her excitement, the Quidditch match was the first of the season. Practices and games had been cancelled following Ashton's death, but though everyone missed him dearly, the castle had moved on and continued about their normal Quidditch schedule. The match was against Hufflepuff, who were just as fair and skilled on the field as Gryffindor, though Lauren had no doubt in her mind that Gryffindor would win the match by a landslide.

No cheating Slytherins to deal with on the field, a day full of magnificent meals, and the excitement of Halloween night had Lauren bursting at the seams as she dressed into her Quidditch robes and left her friends sleeping. She didn't even feel tired.

The Quidditch teams were the first at breakfast, as they had to eat and get to the field as quickly as possible before the swarm of regular students held them up. Lauren made her way into the Great Hall and took her seat at the Gryffindor table with the rest of the team. Everyone was talking excitedly and passing around plates of delicious sausages, fried eggs, and English muffins. Lucas was carrying around a jug of pumpkin juice, ready to refill everyone's glasses, though there was no need since each goblet automatically refilled itself when its owner was finished.

Normani greeted Lauren with a pat on the back, as her mouth was stuffed full with sausage and she couldn't say hello. Chris nodded in greeting from across the table, where he was evidently trying to put the moves on innocent Beatrice Miller. The whole team was there: Lauren, Normani, Beatrice, Lucas, Liam, Chris, but...

"Alright everyone, listen up," Liam said sadly, standing from his seat.

Even the table of Hufflepuffs across the Hall silenced themselves out of respect as Liam prepared to speak.

"As you all know, we lost a very valuable asset to our team some weeks ago," Liam explained. "Ashton was not only an excellent player and a brilliant student, but a great friend. While I know we all miss him dearly, there's nothing we can do to bring him back, and the show must go on without him."

Lucas, Ashton's best friend, stared down at his hands in his lap to hide the tears that were swelling in his eyes.

"The trouble is, we're now short one Beater," Liam continued. "McGonagall announced that the season would resume on such short notice that we didn't have time to hold tryouts for a new one. We're one man short for this game, but don't worry, because I believe we can pull through."

Hufflepuff didn't even whisper in protest. Even one man short, Gryffindor was an outstanding team.

"For today, I'm assigning Chris as a temporary Beater," Liam announced. "We're better off with one less Chaser than one less Beater. Tryouts for a replacement Beater will be held tomorrow, and I expect you all to be there. Ashton can never be replaced, but his spot must be filled and we want to make sure we assign someone who will live up to the legacy he left behind."