Joanne Clark was going after the bludger, which was not what a chaser should have done. One of her team's beaters, Sophie even shouted at her. But Captain Joanne Clark continued, the bludger was about to hit a girl in the audience, or so the captain thought. For the first applause roared just at that moment. When the captain of the Bellefeuille house, Dagmar Leroy threw the quaffle at Joanne's face. Of course she was aiming at the hoop behind Joanne, there could be any other valid reason to this accident. Joanne's legs lost their hold on the broomstick. As she toppled over, the bludger came into her view again.

This was it, she thought and tried to cover her face. The bludger hovered, as if recognising a fallen opponent. Joanne slipped off her broomstick, looking intently at the bludger. The ball was still hovering above the audience, in front of the girl. Joanne thought it was going to hit. Then the bludger glowed, sending white droplets of light all around. The light collected into a butterfly above her, and then imploded on itself.

The Lumen mark, thought Joanne changing her gaze to the girl in the audience. The world spiralled out and up. Joanne hit the ground, face first.

*******************************
Joanne now sat inside the Papillonlisse tent. Sophie had disagreed for the second time with her today.

"You should listen to Sophie," the girl standing in front of her said to Joanne.

Joanne had hurt her wand arm in the fall, it hung awkwardly from her neck, wrapped in bandages. She was angry. She must have very clarified in her emotions. All the girls flinched and shivered in tune with her frustrations. Ana, the team's keeper, was holding a legilimen spell to help Joanne speak, her lower jaw had gone numb since the fall. Joanne looked around as her team members recovered from the shock of her emotions.

"We have no substitute! But I understand I am free to choose a replacement player as captain. I choose Elisha!"

"Elisha refuses!" said Elisha Roy, standing in front of Joanne.

"She is wise," said Paige coming forward to speak, "That is the most non-quidditch player in our house. Not because She doesn't know how to play but she hates the game!"

Paige was the seeker of the team. And she was not wrong, thought Joanne. But Joanne saw what happened. She couldn't help thinking of the lumen mark. The legends speak of an elder Papillon, who conjured the mark of light as a counter to the dark mark. It represented everything that was hope, just like the dark mark was everything death. Wizard and Witches, who conjured magnificent patronus charms with their power of hope failed to conjure the mark. The only reason it's credibility as a spell is alive is because some see the mark appear on its own in the darkest of times. People felt power in it's presence and thus they were no shortage in believers of the mark. It was a spell that need not be cast. Joanne was a believer and she also knew where Elisha came from, she turned to her.

"You know what this game meant to your mother!"

"My mother was amazing. She beat James Potter in the local selection rounds. Three successive trophies for the Irish Soccerers. But being refused in international matches because of what happened with the bludger...we don't need to get into that story...I would very much like to stay away from this game."

"You think you're something noble by refusing me! Quidditch may not have been kind to you, but delude yourself to be empathetic either. You are not refusing glory. You are refusing hard work. You are abandoning the Papillonlisse house!"

Elisha turned, her jaws clenched. Joanne arched her brows, not amused.

"Don't blame me for loosing this match!"

"I won't and I will make sure no one else does either. Now go and put on a cloak!"

Elisha stomped out of the room. The sound was low. Joanne worried if Elisha could hold onto the broom with such weak legs.

"Treat her as a member of the team. Dagmar falls today!" Joanne patted Paige on her shoulders. Ana lowered her wand breaking the legilimen spell. Joanne headed out to the stands to watch the game.

*******************************
Saraya, one of the Papillon chasers grabbed the quaffle as the match resumed. She was greeted with a choking applause, for Papillonlisse was not a house of sports enthusiasts. To be a quidditch player in this house was an exception. The applause however died as the Bellefeuille keeper Katalin slapped the quaffle over to the side of Papillons.

Dagmar sped to the approaching quaffle, Maria, another chaser of theirs on her heels. Elisha tried to swoop between Dagmar and Maria. Elisha thought of swapping the ball before Dagmar. Surprisingly Dagmar swerved away, Elisha easily caught the ball. The quaffle took more effort than she thought. Elisha slowed down and began to look for Saraya.

"Elisha!"

A flash of purple blew at the right side of Elisha. Elisha threw the quaffle at it. When she looked again, Maria was holding the quaffle. Elisha looked around, Dagmar was speeding around the Papillon players at impossible speeds. The air causing the cloaks to flutter. It was like Dagmar was sure Elisha wouldn't succeed with the quaffle.

Elisha fumed and sped after Maria, abandoning her position. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Bellefeuille beater Karolina trying to hit a bludger at her. Apparently she didn't have to bother. For the bludger speeding towards Karolina changed course and came straight at her. Elisha deflected her broomstick upward but the bludger pursued. Sophie came to aid. However just as Sophie was about to hit it, the bludger itself crashed into Sophie's bat. Adele, the other beater of Papillonlisse parried as the bludger ricocheted off Sophie's hit, sending it back to Karolina. The bludger wasn't after Elisha, it was as if it was trying to get her attention.

Elisha advanced again, but an overwhelming sensation stopped her at her tracks.

Go back to defense, Joanne's voice roared in her mind. Elisha looked at the audience, legilimen spells was against rules in a quidditch match. She also realised how far she was from her defensive position. Elisha had the strong urge to disobey. Especially when she saw Dagmar eyeing the quaffle at Saraya's grasp.

Elisha breathed, backing up into her defensive position. She watched intently. Dagmar had got the quaffle from Saraya and was now advancing. Passing the ball between her and Maria. The Papillon chasers trying to intercept them. Elisha felt Ana tense behind her. Then she suddenly noticed Violet, the third Bellefeuille chaser. She was in defensive until now. Elisha smiled as she realised she was not the only one disobedient today.

Dagmar and Maria were very close now. Dagmar flanked by Saraya. Maria by Kahlan, the third Papillonlisse chaser. Elisha closed her grip on the broom. She eyed Violet again. An uncomfortable thought nagged her. The whole Papillonlisse team surrounded Dagmar and Maria. Except Paige and the Bellefeuille seeker, who were hovering above. Even the beaters of both the teams hot the bludgers back and forth, trying to knock down their opponent chasers.

Violet was too calm to be doing something disobedient. Elisha suddenly understood. That was the moment when something golden flashed before her.

The Snitch.

Elisha thought before looking up to Paige, and immediately turned to Violet.

"Violet!" Maria shouted as she hurled the quaffle while two inches away from the goal. The team watched as the Violet took the quaffle, absolutely no one to guard her. Ana was too far to the right.

Elisha sped to the left. Violet threw the quaffle slowly at the left hoop. Elisha held on her broom with her hands, and she flew head on to the quaffle.

When she opened her eyes again, the stadium was roaring. Elisha saw the quaffle rolling on the ground below. It was the Papillonlisse audience that was cheering, Elisha had saved a goal.

*******************************
"Well, as promised. No one blames you for loosing this game." Paige patted Elisha's back.

The Papillonlisse had lost. The Bellefeuille seeker had found the snitch first. But the team applauded Elisha on the save. They were at their tent.

"How is the Bellefeuille house so active?" Elisha mocked, "isn't there motto about doing everything the next day?"

"I don't think they use their motto as an excuse to escape ambition!" said an unknown voice.

Joanne looked at the entrance of the tent and immediately stood up. Elisha too knew the person who stood at the door, though not enough to stand up in respect. Which was what everyone did as they saw Fleur Delacour.

"You saw the mark of light on her, didn't you Captain?" Fleur pointed at Elisha.

Elisha stood up and looked at Joanne.

"What?" Elisha asked Fleur, "but that's what..."

Fleur looked around the room. All the eyes were turned on her and Elisha. Fleur gestured her to walk out of the tent.

"Yes," Fleur said to Elisha as they stepped out of the tent, "that's what doomed your mother, Tatiana Roy. Honestly at the end it was her choice to leave quidditch."

Elisha droped her head, shivering in irritation, "No, no. She loved it, she was an excellent seeker. They used some enchanted bludger that deemed her unworthy. But the magic was untested, there were enquiries..."

"Which I conducted," Fleur smiled, "I am still influential with being a competing Triwizard and all. I really think you should ask your mother about this."

"But..."

Fleur produced a similar looking bludger. The same one which almost hit Elisha thrice in the match. Her shoulder was still sore.

"The magic was untested," Fleur said, "this bludger was marked with the lumen charm. It was a different age. They selected players if the bludger deemed that their is hope of success within someone..." Fleur looked sad.

"And my mother was a disappointment?" Elisha was starting to get angry again.

"A lot of good players that day were. What we learnt is that we have yet to understand the mark!"

"So marking me, is its idea of a joke?" Elisha pointed at the bludger.

"This thing was lost in storage for a long time. Must've ended up here mysteriously," Fleur chuckled, "I don't mean to demean the unfairness your mother was treated with. But this tragedy you define yourself with. It was a very insignificant chapter of you mother's life. She was a wonderful seeker, she was a wonderful many things..."

Elisha shrugged, suddenly wanting to shout that she knew all of this to be true.

"You liked my performance in the match?"

"No, you're a terrible player!"

"So no hope of success from someone like me..."

"There is hope of success in everyone. Salem's cat! Don't go on understanding the lumen mark, light is a bright thing!"

Elisha smiled, Fleur smiled back. They headed their opposite ways.