Magic? || Years 1-5

Playing Chess: Year 1

The next room was barely lit, a sharp contrast to the one prior, before torches surrounding a massive chess board blazed to life.

Ahead of the group was two rows of pitch black chess pieces that towered over them, the white pieces across the board. It was eerie, the pieces had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry asked softly, clearly irked by the frightening scene before them.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We've got to play out way across the room," Ron replied, squinting slightly.

Amisty peered over Harry's arms, catching sight of the door on the other side.

"How?" Hermione whispered, her voice lathered in nervousness.

"I think we're going to have to be chessmen," He took a step forward and pressed his hand to a black knight's horse.

Almost instantly the horse took to life, pawing the ground with it's stone hoof as the knight turned to look at Ron.

"Do we -- er -- have to join you to get across?" He stumbled over his words slightly.

The knight nodded noiselessly.

"This needs thinking about... I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..." He said thoughtfully.

Amisty nearly whined out to protest before realizing that she would be of no help with her injury.

Best let Harry continue to carry her for now.

"Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess--" He started awkwardly.

"We're not offended. Just tell us what to do," Harry interrupted, anxious to get out of the unsettling room.

"Well, Harry, you take the place of the bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of the castle," Ron pointed as he spoke, the pieces slowly drifting off to the side without a sound.

"What about you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going to be a knight," He replied simply.

They walked into the now open spaces on the board, taking in the sight of the looming white chess pieces.

Amisty looked up at them warily, her tail wrapping around her legs protectively.

"White always plays first in chess. Yes... look..." Ron explained, watching as a white pawn slid up two squares.

A sense of unease washed over the she-wolf as the redhead started to direct their own pieces.

Each move was deadly silent. Harry was quivering slightly and she looked up at him, her fear reflected back at her through his green-eyes.

"Harry -- move diagonally four squares to the right," Ron ordered. Harry gulped, following his directions shakily.

Her fear only doubled when their second knight was taken. The white queen threw him to the ground, a long crack running down his side, before lugging him off the board.

He was shockingly still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen. Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on," Ron clarified, his voice weak.

One after the other, they lost their men, the white pieces not holding back on their rampage. But the game remained even as Ron jumped around the board, taking as many of the opposing team's pieces as they had to theirs. 

"We're nearly there. Let me think -- let me think," Ron murmured.

Slowly, the white queen's head swiveled to look at him, her haunting blank face seeming mocking even though it lacked emotion.