Saturday, 11th May, 1991
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Today was one of the most important days of the year, and the entire Great Hall was silent.
Every single Hogwarts student was present, and none had left since lunch. Well, they were not allowed to leave either unless it was important and they had the permission.
Everyone was eagerly waiting for Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Montclair to enter and announce the results of the ongoing Tri-Spell Relay.
They were also waiting for Professor Tonks to arrive and announce the result of the Healer's Challenge, which was taking place at the same time in the Hospital Wing.
Having not won a single tournament this year, the Gryffindors were hopeful of securing both competitions. They were the favourites, and winning both would give them a chance to overtake Ravenclaw for third position in the House Cup, maybe even get close to Hufflepuff.
There were discussions all around, a lot of buzz, but both Ravenclaw and Slytherin were quieter compared to the Lions and the Badgers.
At exactly half past five in the evening, Professor Tonks entered the Great Hall, and her footsteps echoed as she made her way to the stage.
The Professors seated there stood up to greet her, they had a small talk, and the exicted smiles on their faces turned everyone in the hall very quiet.
When Andromeda turned to face them, she took a long look around the hall, and the students could not help but feel their hearts race.
"The winner of this year's Healer's Challenge is... Nymphadora Tonks of House Hufflepuff."
It took a moment for the other Houses to register her words, but the Badgers stood up and cheered their hearts out at the victory of the Head Girl.
She had also won the Herbology Grow-Off earlier in April, was Runner-Up in Primus Cup, and now, winning the Healer's Challenge had all but secured their second position in the House Cup. And as long as she was at Hogwarts, no one could beat her at the Great Hall Culinary Clash held at the end-of-year feast. She had won it for the last three years, and she was the favourite again this year.
This would be the second year in a row that House Hufflepuff had come second in the House Cup, only behind Slytherin.
They had won the House Cup in 1989, thanks to Nymphadora again, who had won the Primus Cup, Geminus Cup, Fantastic Beasts Challenge, and the Great Hall Culinary Clash that year.
Last year had been a close contest, but this time the gap between first and second was far too big. It was hardly a contest.
Still, the Slytherins were surprised, and so were the Gryffindors. Their teams were strong, very strong, and the Lions were disheartened at failing to secure yet another competition this year.
"The second position belongs to Darius Warrington of House Slytherin, and the third position belongs to Alvin Dunbar of House Gryffindor."
The Ravenclaws were a little tense at the news, as they were now in danger of being overtaken by Gryffindor in the House Cup standings.
Once the Badgers calmed down, the Hall turned silent again as they waited for the other professors.
It was half an hour later, at five past six in the evening, when Professor McGonagall led Professor Flitwick and Professor Montclair into the Great Hall.
The three of them wore happy smiles, teasing the students as they stood on the stage, looking around in silence.
Finally, Professor Montclair stepped forward. She was currently the acting Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor after the accident on the night of the Primus Cup Final.
"The winner of this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts Discipline of the Tri-Spell Relay is... Gemma Dumbledore of House Slytherin."
The Serpents stood and applauded their victory, and Professor Flitwick waited for them to calm down before stepping forward.
"The winner of this year's Charms Challenge of the Tri-Spell Relay is... Cordelia Selwyn of House Slytherin."
The other Houses grew a little disheartened, but Gryffindor still held on to hope. They could still win if their Transfiguration Champion took the final discipline by a decent margin.
However, their hopes were crushed when Professor McGonagall stepped forward to announce the result.
"This year's winner of the Transfiguration Discipline in the Tri-Spell Relay is... Altair Black."
A lot of people in the hall were momentarily stunned, especially the Gryffindors, who could not believe their ears.
The applause from Slytherin was about to resumed when a certain boy from Gryffindor stood up.
"How?!" He shouted in disbelief, and, seeing Professor McGonagall's eyes narrow, even the Hufflepuffs quietened down and stopped celebrating the Lions losing out, as it meant that their second position was now certain.
"What do you mean by how, Mister Fenwick?" she asked, and the boy nervously looked at her but refused to back down.
"Altair is only in his first year, Professor. Sure, he's talented and all. All you the teachers here like him too, but how can he possibly win a challenge where even those with Outstanding in Transfiguration in NEWTs can fail?" He said, and clenched his fists.
Now that he had said it all, their really was no backing down.
"Are you implying that we favoured Altair Black in the competition, Mister Fenwick?" Professor Montclair asked, her voice gentle, but her eyes were not.
"Of course, not, Professor. But... maybe there was an error in the results? Or maybe... he cheated?" The boy said, and soon other Gryffindors stood up as well, sharing the same sentiment.
When the voices quietened, and thankfully the Slytherins remained quiet, just wearing smirks on their faces as they enjoyed the Gryffindor meltdown, Professor Flitwick stepped forward.
"We can assure you that the results were throughly checked. There were reporters watching, as well as the guests from the Ministry. There was no cheating unless you believe that we and the Headmaster are incapable of detecting any foul play. And may I ask those of you here who have already participated in this challenge before, and even in the mock challenges in their Sixth and Seventh Years, how exactly does one cheat in the Transfiguration Challenge of the Tri-Spell Relay?"
His question left the hall very silent, and since no one had an answer even as a minute passed, the Charms Professor smiled.
"There was no foul play involved. These are the true results." He said, and stepped aside as Professor McGonagall had some words to say.
"Mister Black did not just win the challenge but won it with a perfect grade," she revealed, adding to his dismay. "Mister Blackwood performed exceptionally well, but in the end, his grade was only Excellent when compared to Mister Black's Perfect. You can ask Mister Blackwood later if he feels that he has been cheated of the result. He was present, and he witnessed Altair Black's performance with his own eyes."
Those words stunned them even more, and the Lions felt a sinking weight in their hearts.
"The winner of this year's Tri-Spell Relay is House Slytherin," the Headmistress announced, and the Slytherin points on the House Cup table rose by a hundred and fifty. "The second position belongs to House Ravenclaw."
The Eagles were momentarily stunned before jumping to their feet and cheering in delight. They had secured a lead on Gryffindor now, a reliable one, and with the end-of-year exams approaching, they were certain to extend that lead through academic excellence.
"The third position belongs to House Gryffindor."
The Lions could only clap helplessly, and more than anything, they felt embarrassed. Some even threw unkind looks at the Fenwick, who had caused them to feel this awkward.
A few minutes later, all the participants of the Healer's Challenge and the Tri-Spell Relay entered the Hall, and House Slytherin gave their champions a guard of honour.
Altair, Gemma, Cordelia, and Darius all wore their medals proudly, and even though the Warrington was upset about losing the Healer's Challenge, he was not too disheartened.
House Slytherin had earned the most points that day. That was a truly good result for them.
A few minutes later, the Hall quietened again as supper was served.
The celebrations this time were subdued, all because of the tragedy that had struck a week earlier.
Professor Colin Fletcher, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, had passed away in an accident involving a spell he had been developing to counter the inferi.
Not many details were given to the students, but two of the events that were supposed to take place in May, the Broom Race League and the Black Lake Regatta, were now moved to June, scheduled for after the end-of-year exams.
The Quidditch Cup, however, was set to resume in the last week of May, though most students were not too excited. Everyone knew Slytherin was going to win both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup. All they wanted to focus on now were the exams.
The fifth and seventh-year students were particularly stressed, as they had to sit their OWLs and NEWTs.
This was also what Professor McGonagall said in her address after the dinner. All of them now needed to focus on their exams.
"Cho, you're back in the match against Ravenclaw, and Aurelia, you'll be playing against both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," Damien informed the two girls when everyone returned to the Slytherin dormitory.
They were excited, of course, and after retiring to their room, they quickly freshened up and went to check on Altair, only to find him ready to leave for his nightly meeting with Professor McGonagall.
"Seriously, tell us already what this is about. You're being mean now," Cho pouted, and he chuckled.
"You'll have to wait," he said, smiling her way. "Start studying now. I'll be very disappointed if you don't score perfect grades in the exams."
His words made her nervous, even though she was confident she would.
"Are you coming back tonight or not?" Aurelia asked, narrowing her eyes when he shook his head and smiled apologetically.
"Goodnight," he said softly, kissing both of them on the cheeks before leaving with his MoonFox.
When he left the dormitory, he climbed out of the dungeon into the quiet, echoing castle hallways and smiled when he saw Nymphadora waiting for him at the base of the Gryffindor Tower, leaning against the wall.
"Don't want to sleep?" he asked, and she smiled at him.
"Do you?"
"Oh, I do, but I can't yet. Still have some work to do."
"And do you have permission to walk around at night?" she playfully asked, and he played along.
"Yes."
"Where is it?" she inquired as she pushed herself off the wall.
Altair looked at her curiously and waited until she came close, stopping only a foot away.
"You don't have permission to be out here tonight, Mister Black. The Headmaster called a meeting, and all the staff are in his office right now. Professor McGonagall asked me to inform you that you can take the night off and get some good sleep."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Fine," he said, turning around to head back to the dungeons.
Nymphadora watched him leave and then resumed her nightly patrol, making sure the prefects in charge were at work and not snogging in some private classroom or doing worse.
It was past midnight when she returned to the Head Girl's Suite and sat down to write in the living journal, logging her patrol and findings.
Once she was done, she walked to her room, only to be stunned when she found Altair sleeping in her bed, and the pair of MoonFoxes curled together on the couch.
She wasn't sure how he had managed to get in, but sighed and entered the dressing room and the bath.
Lost in thought, she took a long, relaxing warm bath, even though it was late spring, and then returned to the bedroom in her pyjamas.
She stared at his profile for a while, falling into a trance, then blushed a little and got into bed, sliding under the sheets and turning on her side to face him.
Her heart nearly stopped when he opened his eyes, and his sterling grey met her grey.
He smiled, and that smile drew her in.
Nymphadora reached for him, pinned him under her, and kiss him, making him chuckle against her lips. She kissed him until her heart was content, and then sweetly smiled and hugged him like a teddy bear, falling into one of the most peaceful sleeps of her life.
It was late in the morning, very late, when she woke up, and she was surprised to find him still in the bed with her, staring at her, wearing a smile on his lips.
"Do you know that your hair keep changing when you are in deep sleep? Sometimes even your facial features change," he said, and she surprisedly looked at him.
"They do?" She whispered the question, and watched him nod.
"It's quite fascinating," the smile on his face brightened, and he reached over to kiss her, which she did not refuse.
Nymphadora did not know what got over her in that moment, but soon tears started flowing out of her eyes, sobs escaped her mouth, and her outburst stunned Altair...