Black Lake Regatta was perhaps one of the most enjoyable of all yearly events, and it was certainly one of the most arduous and dangerous as well.
There was good reason why only students of Sixth and Seventh Years could participate in the event. You needed to be physically very fit and well developed to have any chance of finishing it.
Early on Sunday morning, the students of Hogwarts gathered on the Viaduct, staring at the calm Black Lake and the small island in the middle of it.
From afar, they could already see the four teams of five members representing their Houses. All four teams were standing on the pier, wearing the colours of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, waiting for the start of the competition.
Professor Victoire Montclair was the judge on the small island, which was a hundred and fifty metres away from the starting point, and on the pier stood Professor Flitwick, who soon waved his wand, setting off fireworks in the sky.
As soon as the first explosion sounded, all twenty participants jumped off the pier into the lake, swimming towards the island.
Many of the students watching winced, knowing well how cold the water of the lake was, and with bated breath, they waited.
Cheers broke out when Charles Weasley of Team Gryffindor made it to the island first, and without wasting any time or waiting for his teammates, he got to work.
Everything had already been set, and what the teams needed to do was create a rowing boat for five and oars using the materials available. At this stage, magic was allowed, but there were certain rules.
No team was permitted to harm another team in any way, at least not yet.
Darius Warrington made it to the island next, then Theodore Diggory, and Damien was the fourth to arrive.
The two Slytherin Prefects patiently worked on their rowing boat, not rushing the process, and even as the other teams assembled theirs at a faster pace, the remaining three Slytherin members simply caught their breath, preparing their minds and bodies for the next stage.
Charles and his team managed to assemble their boat and oars first, and they took off, rowing into the lake towards the second island, which was two kilometres away, where Professor McGonagall was the judge.
Slytherin were the last team to set off, but it was more of an endurance race than a contest of pure pace, so no one was particularly concerned at this stage.
As expected, Team Gryffindor passed under the viaduct first, sending their House into screams of excitement, but the Ravenclaws were close, and their boat seemed far more stable.
Hufflepuff was doing well too, so well that they soon passed the Eagles, and the Slytherins were still last and a good distance behind. Thankfully, their boat seemed very stable, and that was extremely important.
When they reached the second island, one person from each boat carefully jumped into the water and raced to the island to retrieve their House's banner, and the next part was rather tricky.
Getting out was easier, but climbing back onto the rowing boats was not as simple, as there was a risk of flipping them over.
The stability of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin boats finally showed its value, and both their banner retrievers managed to climb back aboard without incident, almost flawlessly.
In comparison, the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were very unsteady, having concentrated more on speed than stability, but they still managed to catch up and even pass the Slytherin and Ravenclaw boats as they headed back to the first island to retrieve the second banner.
In total, every participant had to retrieve one banner each, and Hogwarts watched as their teams went back and forth between the two islands, retrieving one banner after another and growing slower with each journey.
Black Lake Regatta was extremely exhausting, and the risks increased as the competition neared its conclusion.
Team Hufflepuff were the first to make a major mistake as their third banner retriever ended up flipping their boat, and seeing the other teams pulling further and further away, the Badgers nearly lost all hope until the same misfortune befell the Lions, giving them a chance to recover.
By now, every participant was on the verge of exhaustion, and they were rowing very slowly. Only Ravenclaw and Slytherin managed to complete the banner retrievals without incident, but then came the tougher challenge.
Abandoning their rowing boats, they all had to climb into the powerboat of their House that had already been prepared for them.
In this final phase, magic was allowed, and they had to power the boat with it while defending against the Knock-Back Jinxes of the other teams.
Both the Eagles and the Serpents seemed to share a tacit understanding, as neither attempted to harm the other.
Once they entered their powerboats, both teams rested for a good ten minutes while remaining on guard, and the Eagles were the first to make their move.
For Slytherin, only Damien and Darius stood guard while the other three powered the vessel and steered it towards their destination, attempting to catch up with Ravenclaw.
Halfway through, the battle finally began, and Knock-Back Jinxes flew back and forth as the two teams vied for the top prize.
Matters intensified as both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff nearly caught up, and what had been a two way contest quickly turned into a four way battle.
However, having not rested at all, the Hufflepuffs stood no chance and sank with their banners as Gryffindor eliminated them to clear their path.
The Lions, however, barely held on and consequently fell far behind. In the end, the Ravenclaws emerged victorious, winning the Regatta, with Slytherin finishing in second place.
As soon as they made it back to the pier, where Professor Flitwick was waiting, the participants sprawled onto the wood, gasping for breath as every muscle in their bodies ached.
The Gryffindor streak of winning the Regatta had finally ended, but Slytherin were once again second in the competition. Four times in a row.
Since their House had won, it was understandable how excited the Eagles were, and they celebrated in style, filling the castle with jubilation.
As for the participants, none of them were in the mood to celebrate, and many passed out from exhaustion. They were moved to the hospital wing, but in the evening they entered the Great Hall to collect their medals, and the winners received their trophy.
Those hundred points cemented Ravenclaw's third position in the House Cup even further. Hufflepuff were comfortably second, so they were not too concerned, but Damien was slightly dejected.
It was the second year in a row that they had finished second in this competition, and even though they had lost because they lacked pace in the final stage, he did not blame the three who had powered and steered the boat.
They had simply been outclassed by Theodore and his team.
In his address to the House in their dormitory, Damien thanked everyone for their support, apologised for the loss, and Darius promised his friend that they would win the competition next year. The two Prefects then urged everyone to focus on the Broom Race League, another competition that would not be easy for them.
And it was not easy.
The next morning, Altair Black, Aurelia Malfoy, Choxue Chang, and Ambrose Fawley, who was Gemma's younger cousin, won the First Year Broom Race Relay, and no one was surprised.
None of the First Years at Hogwarts were their equal.
However, the Second Year Broom Race Relay was won by Hufflepuff, led by Cedric Diggory, and both Houses were equal on points on the table. The Third Year Broom Race Relay was won by Gryffindor, and the Lions also claimed the Fourth Year Broom Race Relay. The Badgers secured the Fifth Year Broom Race Relay, and the Eagles won the Sixth Year Broom Race Relay. The most intense race was the Seventh Year Broom Race Relay, where it came down to Damien and Charles, but thanks to teammates who were overall quicker than the Lions, Damien maintained the lead and passed through the hoop just before Charles reached it.
Interestingly, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin were tied on points at the end of the first day of the League.
On Tuesday, the Obstacle Relay Race took place, and everyone had to fly very close to the surface of the Black Lake, only two metres above it, passing through tall hoops hovering in the air.
The day ended with exactly the same results as the previous day, and the same points for Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin.
However, everything changed on Wednesday when the Flag Capturing Race took place.
Altair, Ambrose, Aurelia, and Cho managed to win again, capturing all the flags in record time, but Slytherin lost across the other competitions, with Hufflepuff securing three wins, Gryffindor two, and Ravenclaw one.
Thursday was crucial, and this time only one flyer participated in each round.
Altair represented the First Years of Slytherin, and no one was surprised when he won. Nor was anyone surprised by Cedric's victory, but Ravenclaw claimed both the Third and Sixth Year rounds. The Fourth Year round was won by Hufflepuff, the Fifth by Slytherin, and Gryffindor's Charles Weasley won the Seventh Year race, clearing the obstacles, passing the hoops, and capturing the flag.
Despite a strong day, Ravenclaw were last overall. Slytherin were in third place, just five points behind Gryffindor in second, and Hufflepuff had built a sufficient lead that they would not lose the tournament. If Gryffindor won the final race and came second overall, Hufflepuff would still win. If Slytherin won and came second, Hufflepuff would still win.
On Friday, late in the morning, the four Houses revealed their Champions for the Cross Sky Broom Race League.
Charles Weasley represented Gryffindor, determined to win. Theodore Diggory represented Ravenclaw, equally determined, unconcerned about how it would affect the other three Houses. Hufflepuff put forward Cedric Diggory, only a Second Year but widely considered their finest flyer. Slytherin sent forward Altair Black, only a First Year but regarded as the fastest flyer at Hogwarts.
The only chance Gryffindor and Slytherin had of winning was if they won the Cross Sky Race and Cedric finished third or fourth, and although they knew it would not be easy, they underestimated the Badger's resolve.
All participants in the Broom Race League used the same school issued brooms, so no one had an advantage. Yet when Madam Hooch blew the whistle, Altair surged ahead, and Cedric was only a shoulder behind.
Theodore quickly realised he was no match for the other three when the distance between him and Charles widened to several metres after clearing the hoops.
The race lasted over thirty minutes as they navigated obstacles, captured flags, and covered the entire boundary of the Black Lake. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of their lives and of the spectators as well.
There was barely a metre and a half separating Altair, who led, and Charles, who was in third place.
Charging at the Finish Hoop, they accelerated further, and the young Black pulled another two feet ahead. Both Cedric and Charles held their positions, unable to catch him. The former did not wish to take unnecessary risks, and the latter could not risk more even if he wished to, as he was already pushing himself to the limit.
Altair won, but Slytherin did not. Cedric finished second, and Hufflepuff secured first place overall. Charles and Gryffindor finished third in the competition.
However, no one was despondent that day.
The young Black and the young Diggory shared a hug at the end of the race, congratulating one another, and both were lifted onto the shoulders of their housemates as they celebrated the result.