𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗿-𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 - 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲

19 | Chess

Hermione's P.O.V.

"I don't like this," I mutter, looking around the dark room. "I don't like this at all."

"Me either," says (y/n), kicking a chunk of black stone.

"Where... are we? A graveyard?" Harry asks.

"This is no graveyard," Ron sighs. "It's a chessboard."

"It's a what?" (y/n) asks.

"A chessboard," I repeat nervously, remembering what wizarding chess is like. "Oh."

Ron walks to the center of the board and we follow. Suddenly, the torches on the walls light up with bright flames. Once my eyes adjust, I can see the room clearer.

It's a huge chess board, just as Ron thought. Made beautifully from marble and other types of stone, the pieces have been put in their starting positions, waiting rigidly. But I notice that a few of the black pieces are missing.

A Bishop, a castle, a rook and one horse that's missing its knight.

"McGonagall," (y/n) whispers.

"Where?" Harry asks, looking around. "Maybe she can help us!"

"No, Harry. That's not what I mean. I mean McGonagall created this challenge. Same way that Hagrid let Dumbledore use Fluffy."

"Um... I'm not sure I follow," Ron says, still studying the chess board.

"Remember when Hagrid said that there's other things guarding the Stone, and that Snape's one of the teachers protecting it?"

"Oh yeah," Ron mumbles, finally looking at his adopted sister. "I almost forgot."

"Well my guess is that McGonagall's protecting it too. And I'll bet you anything Sprout did the Devil's Snare and Flitwick enchanted the keys."

"So if McGonagall did this... then Snape's challenge will be on the other side of that door?" Harry asks nervously.

"That's what she's implying, yes," I cut in. "And judging from the broken pieces around the room, Snape's already gotten through here. And he'll obviously get past his own problem... so we need to get out of here. Fast."

"Alright," Harry agrees. "How exactly do we do that?"

"Well, that door would be a start," (y/n) says, pointing across the room.

"Alright." Ron walks across the board but when he reaches the first line of pieces, the two pawns directly in front of him pull out their swords and block his path.

"Now what do we do?" I ask nervously.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" says (y/n).

"Yeah," Ron agrees. "We play our way across the room. Alright. Harry, you take the bishop's square, Hermione, you'll be the queen's side castle. (Y/n), you be that rook. And as for me, I'll be a knight."

"That's a bit cocky of you," (y/n) mutters.

"Look, I've beaten all of you at wizard's chess before except Hermione, but she's never played. I'm the logical choice. And if I'm a knight, I'll be on the horse. I'll get a good view of the board. Okay?"

"Wow, Ron," I say, genuinely proud of him. "That actually made sense."

"Always the tone of surprise," he grumbles.

"Shut it."

We all take our places.

"Ron," I say tentatively, "you don't think this is going to be like real wizards chess... do you?"