(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Fifty-Six

There is a deep pitch blackness that awaits Pixie, Ron, Harry, and Hermione beyond the now opened door. It's pitch black. Which does nothing to help their nerves, in fact, it makes it worse. Pixie lets out a breath before she reaches out and grabs onto the nearest hand to hers, it just so happens to be Ron's. But he holds her hand back, clutching to it just as hard. As brave as they are coming down here, they are still mere babes, breaching the unknown darkness.

"Alright then" Harry voices and then steps forward first, Hermione behind him followed by Pixie and Ron. Almost instantly light floods the room to reveal that they have stepped into a room laid out like a giant chessboard, with black and white chess pieces laid out ready to play. The pieces are so large that Pixie had to strain her neck back to see the faces of each piece. "Now what do we do?" Harry whispers to his friends.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron counters, taking a few steps forward, pulling Pixie with him, unwilling to let go of her hand for now. "We've got to play our way across the room." Pixie peers around Ron, the black chess pieces and the white ones to see another door.

"How?" Hermione voices, her voice breaking a little with her nerves.

"I think," we're going to have to be chessmen." Ron points out and then releases Pixie's hand as he walks up to a black knight and puts his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone comes to life. The horse paws the ground and the knight turns his helmeted head to look down at Ron who wallows a little at the sight. "Do we, er, have to join you to get across?" The black knight nods in answer and Ron turns back to his friends. "This needs thinking about..." he offers. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces..." Ron muses and then looks away, thoughtful. Pixie knows this face. Ron wears this face when he's playing chess. It's his serious chess face. When they get so deep in a game they can only focus on their play. That's good, it means he's taking this seriously, and they need to as well. Pixie, Harry and Hermione stay silent, watching Ron think, watching him come up with some form of gameplay. Ron finally turns to face them, looking at Harry and Hermione. "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you is that good at chess..."

"We're not offended," Harry assures him.

"Pix" Ron turns to her but she shakes her head at him.

"Just tell us what to do." She stops him. The two of them arguing over a game plan isn't going to work. Ron is the better player. They should leave this to him. Ron and Pixie share a look and she nods encouragingly at him. He is a brilliant chess player. He can do this.

"Well...." Ron starts and then looks around at the board. "Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione, you go there instead of that castle, and Pixie...." He glances around the board. "There," he points across the board. "The queen" Pixie snorts a little and nods. She's okay with that.

"What about you?" Pixie asks Ron as she looks at him.

"I'm going to be a knight," He answers and scratches at his hand. Around the chessboard, the chessmen seem to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turn their backs on the white pieces and walk off the board, leaving four empty squares for Harry, Pixie, Ron, and Hermione to take. The queen moves towards Pixie though and then holds out her stone sword, Pixie frowns a little but takes it from her, almost toppling over with the sheer weight of it.

"How am I supposed to lift this thing?" Pixie complains, struggling to keep hold of the stone sword. Hermione clears her throat and gives Pixie a meaningful look before lifting her hands and moving them. "Oh!" Pixie realises and then snorts at her lapse of thought. Magic. Or specifically...Orbs. She can lift things with them. She can lift the sword with them. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before she opens them, focused on the sword. A number of orange orbs erupt along the length of the sword before they pop and wrap around the stone to give it a glowing fiery appearance. But it is significantly lighter now, allowing Pixie to lift it up without too much effort. She nods and then joins the others as they move to the board to take their places.

"White always plays first in chess," Ron breaks the silence that settles over them. "Yes... look..." Across the chessboard, a white pawn moves forward two squares. Then Ron moves their black pieces. Turn after turn. The pieces slide across the board silently. Pixie clutches to the stone sword, her palms sweaty and her heart hammering away in the chest. "Harry, move diagonally four squares to the right." Harry nods and then does just as he is instructed. Their first real shock comes when their other knight gets taken. The white queen uses her sword to utterly smash him to the floor and drag him off the board, where he lays quite still, facedown. Pixie glances at it and then at the white queen. She has no idea how she is supposed to do that. But she doesn't really have to worry too much about it. Ron keeps her in place as much as he can. Clearly seeing the issue with her and the sword and the destruction. But she is still grateful that she gets to stay put. It is hard enough concentrating on keeping her magic around the sword, let alone having to worry about using it. "Had to let that happen," Ron states. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on." Every time one of their men is lost, the white pieces show no mercy and soon there is a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just notices in time that Harry and Hermione are in danger. He himself darts around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. "We're nearly there," he mutters suddenly. The chessboard now looks very void of players. "Let me think....let me think..." Pixie glances around the board, taking in the pieces left and the moves he could possibly play. But there is only one.

"No" She whispers and then shakes her head. She has to be wrong. There has to be another way. Another play. But there isn't. And Ron sees it too.

"Yes..." Ron states. "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shout in argument. Pixie just looks at Ron, knowing that this is likely going to really, really hurt him.

"That's chess!" Ron snaps a little before he softens. "You've got to make some sacrifices. I make my move and she'll take me—that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But..." Harry argues but Ron shakes his head.

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?" Ron counters.

"Ron...."

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" Ron reminds him. Harry wants to argue. He wants to tell Ron that they'll find another way. But there is no alternative. This is the play that has to be played. "Ready?" Ron asks. "Here I go. Now, don't hang around once you've won." Ron steps forward, making his move. And no sooner has he moved than the white queen pounces. Lifting her sword, she strikes Ron hard and he crashes to the floor. Hermione screams in surprise but stays on her square as the white queen drags Ron to the side. Completely unresponsive. Knocked out. Shaking, Harry moves three spaces to the left. The white king takes off his crown and throws it at Harry's feet. They have won. The chessmen part and bow, leaving the door ahead clear. Pixie drops the sword, pulling back her magic from it. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Pixie, Harry and Hermione charge through the door and into the next passageway.