Clubs! -Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

Club Victors

It took a while to set up the relay challenge. Places had been marked where each person should stand. Sarah had been selected to represent the Dragons in Transfiguration. Once everyone was in place, McGonagall magically magnified her voice so everyone could hear her.

"On the count of three, the relay will begin. We will begin with the Charms players. You will each take a baton and reach you goal of crossing this marked section of the lake by using a charm to help you. You will hand your baton to the Transfiguration players, who will complete a challenge of their own, then hand the baton to the next person in line, and so on. The Sphinx team will get a minute head start as a reward for winning the first challenge. When that minute is up, the Hippogriffs will follow. One minute later, the Dragons may proceed. Is that clear? Very well then. One, two, three."

Ben had been selected by the Sphinxes, and he used nearly his whole extra minute thinking of what he would do. Finally, he stripped off his outer robe and performed a spell. Using some form of the locomotor charm, Ben hopped on his cloak and directed it across the lake, but it was slow going. At the Hippogriffs cue, their player started. She appeared to have copied Ben's idea.

Finally, it was Hall's turn, and she went for it. She put the bubblehead charm on herself and dove into the lake, cutting through the freezing water with pure fury. Despite being two minutes behind, she outstripped Ben and the Hippogriff girl. Sarah went wild cheering for her. Hall popped out of the lake and handed her the baton. "Go!"

Sarah took it and ran to Professor Flitwick to receive her challenge. In front of her were two boxes, one with a book on top of it, and nearby a table with a bunch of random objects. "Using only Transfiguration," said Flitwick, "move the book from this box to this box."

Sarah stared. How was she supposed to do that? She looked at the objects on the table. There was a piece of parchment. She could try transfiguring it into a love bird, but how would she get the bird to do what she wanted? She thought of using a switching spell on the boxes, but that wouldn't move the book either. She glanced behind her. Ben was almost across the lake. She had to think.

Then she realized it. She dropped the baton and transformed into a Labrador. Picking the book up with her mouth, she trotted over and placed the book on the second box, before transforming back to herself and snatching up the baton again.

Flitwick stared a moment, completely nonplussed. "Proceed," he stammered at last.

Sarah sprinted forward to hand the baton to Bill. The Dragons had a strong lead now. Sarah watched as her fellow players struggled to beat the Transfiguration challenge. Talbott, unable to show is animagus ability as he was unregistered, managed to turn a pair of opera glasses into an owl and convince it to fly the book across. The Hippogriff player attempted to transfigure the boxes themselves into little cocker spaniels and get one to pass the book to the other, but it took a long time.

By the time he'd been allowed to proceed, Sarah peered ahead and could make out that the Dragons were onto the last challenge, potions. A bell rang. "Dragons have finished!" shouted Professor Sprout. The Dragons all cheered.

The Sphinxes finished second. Penny solved the potions puzzle faster than anyone, but the Hippogriffs had been too far behind.

"Well done, everyone!" called McGonagall. "The next challenge will take place in five minutes time at the Care of Magical Creatures Paddock."

The next challenge turned out to be a small maze of Kettleburn's design. Two players from each club had to get through the maze by working together, and dodging or tending to the various creatures they came across. The Hippogriffs won easily.

After lunch, the Dragons won a challenge of Mcgonagall's invention that was a strange but fun cross between quidditch and trivia, and the sphinxes won a trial of Flitwick's that had been a scavenger hunt throughout the castle.

"The final challenge will take place in the Astronomy tower at midnight," said McGonagall. "The score currently stands at two points for the Dragons, two for the sphinxes, and one for the Hippogriffs. Should the hippogriffs when the next challenge, a tie-breaker will take place next Saturday. See you all at midnight."

After dinner, the dragons all went back to the club house to plan for the next task.

"It's gotta be an astronomy challenge," said Bill. "Why else would it take place in the astronomy tower?" Everyone agreed, but nobody admitted to being great at astronomy.

With few other ideas, the Dragons decided to blow of steam by recreating the strange quidditch came McGonagall had devised. At ten minutes before midnight, they headed to the Astronomy tower.

The tower was packed. On the floor in front of them were three large pieces of parchment the size of dinner tables, each with a club's name printed at the top.

"If each club will gather around their parchment," called Professor McGonagall. They did so. "This challenge is simple. Working together, you will create a star chart, everything labeled and positioned to the best of your ability. You will have one hour. Your time starts now."

There was a lot of yelling. Those best at astronomy ran back and forth from the telescopes and relayed instructions to the half dozen students on their hands and knees, drawing and labeling the stars and planets. A few students had books propped open and were shouting out which constellations were which and how they were correctly spelled.

Sarah, who'd never been the best at Astronomy, decided to stay out of the way and watch the others work. If the Dragons were being as loud as, well, a clan of angry dragons, the Sphinxes were nearly silent, setting about their work like it was just another lesson. Rowan had taken charge, and assigned each a section for several people to work on. Sarah's heart swelled with pride. She thought the sectioning was a good idea and butted her head into her group to inform them, but the frenzy could not be stopped.

She also caught Barnaby's eye, as he was also hanging back, letting the others work. He saw her looking and winked.

The hour passed quickly. The Dragons had barely filled two-thirds of their chart when McGonagall ordered them to back away. Professor Vector stepped forward to judge the best chart. After looking them all over, she stepped toward the Sphinx chart. "This is the winner."

The Sphinx club went nuts. There were a lot of disappointed looks among the Hippogriffs and a decent amount of swearing from the Dragons. After a while, McGonagall calmed everyone down. "Well done to the Sphinxes, and to everyone involved. As the victors, each person in the Sphinx club will receive one hundred Sphinx points and all the awards those points unlock."

The Sphinxes all screamed again. Rowan was lifted onto the shoulders of a couple of her club members and they all chanted her name. Sarah cheered right along with them. She didn't think she could be happier even if her own club had won.

McGonagall allowed them a few moments of celebration before insisting that they all go to bed. "Quietly."

"Do I have to say it?" Sarah asked Rowan as they stepped through the portrait hole.

"Go ahead," she said.

"I told you so!" she shouted gleefully.

"Shh," said Rowan. "You'll wake the others." But she was grinning from ear to ear.