Author's Note: Technically this is a prequel to my story 'Home of the Loyal' although that story featured Hufflepuff!Hermione, which this story will not. This is the origin story of Gabriel Truman, who was a Hufflepuff prefect in a LEGO HP game.

Also I'm not sure how frequently this will be updated. I have a lot of things I want to happen, but I also have a bunch of challenge deadlines and a full time job. Whenever I have time, inspiration, and possibly prompts, I will update. That being said, I really appreciate feedback and if there's something you want to see happen in here, please let me know and I'll probably incorporate it. :)

(This chapter) written for...

Daily Weird Prompt Thing. Prompt: non-wizard chess

.:chapter one:.

Gabriel woke in a cold sweat to pitch blackness.

He rolled onto his side, kicking at the drenched blanket. He blinked sleepily at the digital clock on his nightstand, trying to make the bright red numbers come into focus.

1:03 a.m.

He frowned at the clock, wishing it were wrong, willing time to go backward. When a minute ticked by in the opposite direction, he slid on his slippers and padded out into the dark hallway.

The door of the room across from his was wide open and he could easily see inside. Grace always fell asleep with a book in her hand and no one ever bothered to shut off her bedside lamp. Gabriel smiled fondly at his little sister with her head resting comfortably on a book instead of a pillow. He let his eyes travel upward, to the top bunk where Gemma slept. The bed was empty.

It was easy to navigate the house in the dark. Gabriel and Gemma had been doing it since they were toddlers; sneaking out of bed to play long after their grandparents had fallen asleep.

She'd left the light on in the garden, a warning not to lock the back door. Gabriel headed out into the warm night without a thought of his pajamas and slippers. He travelled the well-worn path to the treehouse that had served for several years as the siblings' late-night meeting place.

Gemma was predictably curled in her nest of mismatched pillows, reading comic books by a battery-powered lantern. In the middle of the creaky floor, on top of a cardboard table, sat an old chess set.

"I thought you'd never show up," she said without looking up from her book as her brother climbed inside easily.

"You could have just woken me, you know."

Gemma did look up then, locking her hazel eyes with his identical ones. "Bad dream?"

He shrugged and plopped down on the wooden floor in front of the chess set. He began cleaning up from their last match. "Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday to you, too." His twin crawled forward until she was sitting at the opposite end of the board and started setting up the black pieces. "What did you dream about?"

"School, what else?"

"It could be fun, you know."

Gabriel glared at her. "Grandma and Granddad are sending us to a boarding school on the other side of the country - away from Grace, no less - and you think it could be fun?"

Gemma rolled her eyes. "You hate change. A new school, new people, might be fun."

"We won't see each other as much. No sneaking out."

"Just because our rooms won't be as close, doesn't mean we'll never talk. We'll have all of our classes together, and we'll find a way to meet after dark."

He bit his lip anxiously. Gemma had always been the more adventurous twin. She didn't have any problems socially, either. She'd been known to march up to new kids and say 'Hi, I'm Gemma Truman, we're going to be friends now' and somehow the bossiness worked. Gabriel, meanwhile, preferred to stay indoors and read comics or play Nintendo. He could tell how excited his sister was for this supposed new adventure, and he didn't have the heart to weigh her down with all of his worries.

Resting his eyes on the chess board once more, he lazily moved a pawn forward to begin the game. She mirrored the move instantly.

"Do you think Grace will be okay without us?" he whispered. It was the one fear he couldn't shake off.

Gemma took a long time to answer. They each took three turns before she told him in her most confident voice: "It's only a year away. She's going to join us once she turns eleven. She'll be fine."

'Right,' Gabriel thought, taking out Gemma's bishop. His sisters were the strong ones; they would always be fine. He wasn't sure he would be.